19. Relic–Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

                   

When two children are found brutally murdered inside the Natural History Museum in New York, a rather mysterious fellow shows up who claims to have been working on similar murders in New Orleans.

More deaths, all equally grisly, bring on high-profile interest and contending interests turn the whole episode into a major disaster. Is it a maniac who is killing these people, or some sort of creature stalking the deep hidden areas of the museum?

I listened to the audio version and found it an exciting thriller, despite having seen the rather less fascinating movie. Definitely going to continue this series.

18. Bruno, Chief of Police–Martin Walker

     

 

Bruno is the chief of police in a small French tourist town. He fits the town and it fits him. He’s happy and contented and  has no dreams of moving upward in police ranks or back to the cities. He’s a former soldier who survived the horrors of Bosnia, so he’s had enough of misery.

But when an Arab man is found stabbed to death in his home in St Denis with a swastika carved into his stomach, Bruno must work with the city police to find the murderer.

This is a delightful cozy, despite the sound of the murder. I found it very French in that it pays as much attention to wine, cheese and pate as it does to the solving of the murder.

But if you like pat answers and clearly evil villains, perhaps you should give this a pass.

17. Death in the Stocks–Georgette Heyer

 

                    

 

What a fun, interesting mystery. Although I'd guessed fairly early on who must have dunnit, still, the characterization of the suspects was truly deep and intriguing, and often quite funny. Dialogue was witty  and sparkling.  I appreciate suspects fully fleshed out and multilayered. 'll definitely continue this series.

16. The Map of Time–Felix J. Palma

    

I have mixed emotions about this book. I found it tedious at time, and seriously thought about Pearl ruling it, but was stubborn enough to stay with it. The last third of the book was great, the first 2/3 annoying. The author often went on too long with some times, I thought,

Not sure I’ll continue this series. Even though I thought the writing quite good and the concept interesting.

15. The Cardinal’s Blades

        

 

The Three Musketeers with dragons.  Well, sort of dragons. Half-bloods. And the dragons, or some of them, want to gain a foothold in France. So Cardinal Richelieu reactivates his best group of spies, his Blades, who had been dismissed in disgrace 5 years ago.

 

But it’s clear Richelieu is holding back on the Blades, and they’re a bit less trusting after being betrayed by one of their own.

I really love the concept. The start is a bit slow, as there is too much getting the band back together, with cuts from one person to another as they all receive their summons back to the Blades.

Still, I’m eager to read the next book.

14. Cold Granite–Stuart MacBride

 

 

         

Aberdeen is not a pleasant place to spend the winter. DS Logan McRae, just back from a year off, due to a serial killer trying to cut his stomach out with a knife, is still not fully healed.  He’s to take it easy. That goes as well as the rest of the book, when a 4 year old boy is found dead and mutilated. Logan’s world goes downhill from there.

Excellently atomspheric, grim, action-packed Tartan Noir. I’ll definitely be reading the rest of this series.

13. The Neon Rain–James Lee Burke

     

Davve Robicheaux is a New Orleans homicide cop. When he fishes a dead prostitute out of a near by bayou, he determines to find out who killed her and why, despite the fact no one else seems to care.

Lots of atmosphere, very much true to New Orleans and its environs, Dave is gritty and not quite straight much like his city. He’s determined and stubborn and willing to do what he thinks needs to be done, even if it isn’t legal.

This was an audio version of the book, and I especially liked the narrator. He ddin’t overdo the accent, as so many people do for southern stories.

12. A Cast of Stones–Patrick W. Carr

     

 

 

Errol, a young boy whose ale addiction has made him the laughingstock of the town, in order to earn money for more ale, offers to take a message to the hermit who lives outside of town. From that moment on, his life changes, as someone tries to kill him, first with arrows, and then with poison. He has no idea why.  The hermit and his friend insist on him leaving with them, as all three flee assassins.

A fast paced and interesting tale. The magic system is different enough to intrigue, and the characters are well drawn and believable.

Hope the author can keep up the good work for the rest of the series.

I received this book through the Library Thing Early Reviewer Program

January Recap:

11 books read! WooHoo! Fabulous for me!
10 were off my shelves: one bought this year, the others older books.
1 library audiobook.
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3 were audiobooks
9 were ebooks
6 male authors
5 female authors
1 historical fiction
3 historical mystery
1 contemporary mystery
3 fantasy
2 sci fi
1 historical spy novel
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For my 2013 Warehouse 13 Category Challenge:

2 category 3's : Albert Einstein's Time Bridge : sci fi
1 category 5: Beatrix Potter's Tea Set: Fantasy
1 category 6:H.G. Well's Time Machine: Ancient Times
1 category 7: The Amber Sphere and the Pearls of Wisdom: spies, espionage
1 category 8: Timothy Leary's Glasses: Altered States
1 category 9: Lenape Cave Artifacts: Magic and Magic Wielders
3 category 11: Ferdinand Magellan's Astrolabe: mysteries
1 category 12: Abby Normal's Brain: Weird and Wild