The Printed Page

Title: Detectives Don’t Wear Seat Belts: True Adventures of a Female P.I. Author/website: Cici McNair (Hachette Book Group USA page) 354 pages Publisher: Center Street Publication date: September ’09 Genre: Memoir Would I recommend it: DNF’d @ pg. 260 of 354 Journal notes: If Detectives Don’t Wear Seat Belts had been billed as a fictional story it would have been decent. As a memoir there was a lot that didn’t add up for me, too many details missing. ** Updated 11/4/09 **

Growing up in Mississippi, Cici McNair was always more the tomboy her mother supported than the Southern belle her father demanded. She escaped her suffocating upbringing the first chance she had to travel the world. Whether working at the Vatican in Rome or consorting with a gunrunner in Haiti, she lived a life of international adventure. When Cici finds herself in New York, divorced, broke, and fashionably starving to death in a Madison Avenue apartment, she impulsively decides to become a private detective.

But, as Cici soon learns, the world of P.I.s is tight-knit and made up almost exclusively of former law enforcement officers. By nature, they are a highly suspicious group and are especially wary of a newcomer with an untraceable past. Diligently working her way through the Yellow Pages, doggedly pursuing the slightest lead, Cici is finally hired by a private investigator willing to take a chance. The next day she’s working side by side with a pair of seasoned detectives and a skip tracer who is scary to meet but like silk on the phone. She quickly realizes she’ll need all her energy and wits to succeed in this new world.

Being a private investigator is as exciting and liberating as Cici ever dreamed, from creating a false identity on the spot on her first case in the field to surviving adrenaline-rushing car chases. Working with law enforcement, she goes undercover, dealing with the ruthless Born to Kill gang in Chinatown and the Middle Eastern counterfeiters west of Broadway. A detailed account of the hidden world and real-life cases of a P.I., this action-packed memoir is as entertaining as any detective novel you’ve ever read.

(Detectives Don’t Wear Seat Belts was provided to me by Brianne of Hachette Book Group USA. I was not paid and will be sending this book to another book blogger )

Title: To Desire A Devil Author/website: Elizabeth Hoyt 340 pages Publisher: Vision Publication date: October ’09 Genre: Historical romance Would I recommend it: Undecided Journal notes: It was just OK for me. I never really warmed up to Beatrice or Reynaud. Sparks didn’t fly and sheets didn’t burn up. At some point in the story these relationships usually send skyrockets blazing forth but I didn’t get the anticipated fireworks. Here’s my problem: I don’t read much in this genre and the authors I do try I always compare to Lisa Klepyas. I love Lisa’s historical romances. That may not be fair but that’s the way it is.

NOTHING IS MORE INTOXICATING- Reynaud St. Aubyn has spent the last seven years in hellish captivity. Now half mad with fever he bursts into his ancestral home and demands his due. Can this wild-looking man truly be the last earl’s heir, thought murdered by Indians years ago?

OR DANGEROUS- Beatrice Corning, the niece of the present earl, is a proper English miss. But she has a secret: No real man has ever excited her more than the handsome youth in the portrait in her uncle’s home. Suddenly, that very man is here, in the flesh-and luring her into his bed.

THAN SURRENDERING TO A DEVIL. Only Beatrice can see past Reynaud’s savagery to the noble man inside. For his part, Reynaud is drawn to this lovely lady, even as he is suspicious of her loyalty to her uncle. But can Beatrice’s love tame a man who will stop at nothing to regain his title-even if it means sacrificing her innocence?

(To Desire A Devil was provided to me by Anna of Hachette Book Group USA. I was not paid and will be donating this book to my local library )

Title: Top Producer Author/website: Norb Vonnegut 342 pages Publisher: Minotaur Books Publication date: September ’09 Genre: Financial thriller Would I recommend it: DNF’d @ pg. 164 of 342 Journal notes: Way too much Wall Street speak for me; mind numbing.

Ripples from the bizarre murder of Charlie Kelemen, wealthy hedge fund operator, quickly reach his best friend, Grove O’Rourke. A top producer at the boutique investment bank Sachs, Kidder and Carnegie, O’Rourke tries to help Kelemen’s widow sort out some financial questions. This process leads him deeper and deeper into a labyrinth of deceit. As fallout from Charlie’s death and dealings start to taint O’Rourke, the sharks, inside and outside his own firm, smell blood and begin to circle. O’Rourke won’t go down without a fight, and not all the blood in the water will be his.

(Top Producer was provided to me by Anne of Minotaur Books. I was not paid and donated this book to my local library )

Title: Lift Author/website: Rebecca K. O’Connor 208 pages Publisher: Red Hen Press Publication date: November ’09 Genre: Memoir Would I recommend it: Yes Journal notes: Lift is a love story. A love story between a human and a falcon. Rebecca loves Anakin. From the first page to last you’re surrounded by her total devotion this wild, winged, predatory creature. The opening prologue is both spellbinding and haunting. Rebecca and Anakin are hunting, killing game. There is nothing pretty about what they’re doing. There will be death and yet in death there is life. Anakin hunts because it is what he does, Rebecca flushes game for Anakin because she is his provider. From the moment Anakin comes into Rebecca’s life they are bound by mutual need. Theirs is relationship based on trust. Anakin trusts that Rebecca will look out for his best interests, Rebecca trusts that Anakin will faithfully return to her. Both Rebecca and Anakin display exceptional fortitude showing the other how to survive and move forward.

Anakin

The culmination of a ten-year career in falconry, Lift is a memoir that illustrates the journey and life lessons of a woman navigating a man’s ancient sport. Captivated by a chance meeting with a falconer’s peregrine as a child, the indelible memory eventually brings the author’s life full circle to flying a peregrine of her own. Exploring themes of predator and prey, finding tribe, forgiveness and femininity, the memoir asks universal questions through a unique backdrop. Lift illustrates the beauty and meaning the sport of falconry can add to a falconer’s life, echoing the challenges and triumphs of being human.

(Lift was provided to me by the author, Rebecca. I was not paid and I have deleted the pdf file from my Kindle )

US Cover

Title: Even Money Author/website: Dick Francis (and Felix) 350 pages Publisher: Putnam Adult Publication date: August ’09 Genre: Mystery Would I recommend it: I would

UK Cover

Journal notes: I very much enjoyed Even Money by Dick Francis and his son, Felix. It’s a good solid mystery that blindsided me a time or two. Its a bit beyond a cozy mystery but definitely not of the hard-boiled variety. While there is murder, mayhem and mischief its not the bloody, messy, hide-your-eyes kind. Ned manages to maintain his sense of humor in the face of a myriad of personal and work issues. And once the trouble starts it continues to pile up in spades. I may have read Mr. Francis years ago but can’t remember that far back. I know that I’ll be reading more of his work in the future. I did have a some trouble following the shop talk concerning betting and bookmaking but only because I’m not a numbers kind of girl.

A taut crime thriller, features an especially sympathetic hero. Bookmaker Ed Talbot is struggling with his wife’s mental illness, even as technology threatens to give the big bookmaking outfits an insurmountable advantage over his small family business. Soon after a man shows up at Ascot and identifies himself as Ed’s father, Peter, whom Ed believed long dead, a thug demanding money stabs Peter to death. Ed is in for even more shocks when he learns his father was the prime suspect in his mother’s murder—and that Peter’s killing, rather than a random act of violence, may be linked to a mysterious electronic device used in some horse-racing fraud. Ed must juggle his amateur investigations into past and present crimes with his demanding family responsibilities.

(Even Money was provided to me by Anna of Authors on the Web. I was not paid and the book is being shipped to another book blogger. )

Title: Vera and the Ambassador: Escape and Return Author/website: Vera and Donald Blinken 284 pages Publisher: State University of New York Press Publication date: February ’09 Genre: Memoir Would I recommend it: Absolutely Journal notes: I really, really enjoyed Vera and Donald’s book Vera and the Ambassador: Escape and Return. Vera’s story of escape as a young child from war torn Europe is nothing short of amazing. And then to return to your birth country as an Ambassador for your adopted country is a tale of true personal fortitude. While Donald’s personal story isn’t as gripping as Vera’s it doesn’t lack achievement. Donald’s accomplishments in the business world speak highly to his success. The Ambassadorial posting to Hungry which the Blinkens pursued was one that suited each perfectly. It gave Vera the opportunity to return home and Donald the opportunity to bring this shattered country into the 20th century. Their posting wasn’t glamorous nor as much sought after as some others might be. But their posting turned out to be highly visible and not without its struggles and triumphs. Bits and pieces of the government have always been an interest of mine. I’ve often thought about what life as a diplomat would really be like. Vera and Donald take the reader behind the scenes and into the inner workings of a US embassy.  It was very, very interesting and enlightening .

Vera’s chapters are touching and filled with the myriad of small details that make up life in a country just emerging from dictatorship into a free thinking, democratic society. In Vera’s chapters Hungry, at times, almost seemed to be third world. She writes about networking for industry professionals which was unheard in a country where you were never sure who was spying and who wasn’t. Iron curtain mentality was definitely still existent in the 1990s. Donald’s chapters also incorporate this iron curtain mentality. But they also reflect his business background as he guides the government and its political leaders through the mine fields of acceptance on the international stage. If you think getting your coworkers to agree on a single idea can be tedious try getting these players all on the same page. He had his work cut out of him.

The Blinkens alternate chapters to recount their years as the U.S. ambassadorial couple to Hungary during Bill Clinton’s first term as president. Vera Blinken escaped Hungary as a child with her mother after WWII as the iron curtain started its descent on central Europe. Donald Blinken, a former investment banker, was appointed at the dawn of Hungary’s nascent democracy and entry into the world economy, and negotiated its entry into NATO. Together they breathed new life into U.S.-Hungary relations, negotiated the opening of American military bases that contributed to the end of the Bosnian conflict and started health initiatives in the local community. Theirs is a candid behind-the-scenes look at the glamour and challenges of diplomatic life: along with consorting with the pope and Madonna came inevitable security concerns, death-defying trips in formerly Soviet helicopters and the struggle to reshape attitudes toward what was perceived as American cultural imperialism. The energetic narration moves seamlessly from historical to contemporary political themes to the more personal and particular highlight of the book—accompanying Vera Blinken as she rediscovers what remains of the Budapest of her childhood.

(Vera and the Ambassador: Escape and Return was provided to me by Charlotte of Charlotte Abbott Communications. I was not paid and the book is being donated to my local library. )

Title: Across the Endless River Author/website: Thad Carhart 301 pages Publisher: Doubleday Publication date: September ’09 Genre: Historical fiction Would I recommend it: Absolutely Journal notes: I really, really enjoyed Thad Carhart’s book Across the Endless River. Having read Sacajawea (Lewis & Clark Expedition) by Anna Waldo years ago I was excited to get my hands on this book. It actually hit my WL days before Anna offered me a review copy. Baptiste’s vivid descriptions of yesteryear bring life to his story. The reader is immersed in his childhood where he splits time between his schooling in St. Louis and his summers with his father hunting and trapping for a living. Baptiste details the manhood ceremony of his Indian brothers. Because his path has taken a different direction he is excluded from this rite of passage. He describes watching multitudes of buffalo roam the plains of rippling prairie grass that look like ocean waves. A buffalo hunt unfolds around the reader as horse and rider shy away from these large intimidating, stampeding creatures. His first visit to Paris brings immense awe and inspiration. It also brings home the realization that his is a life between two worlds – his Indian heritage and the white world. He is a man of both cultures yet not fully accepted by either. It was a most enjoyable journey through Baptiste’s eyes. My only regret is that it ended too soon. I wanted to spend more time with this very interesting man.

Born in 1805 on the Lewis & Clark expedition, Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau was the son of the expedition’s translators, Sacagawea and Toussaint Charbonneau. Across The Endless River evokes the formative years of this mixed-blood child of the frontier, entering the wild and mysterious world of his boyhood along the Missouri. Baptiste is raised both as William Clark’s ward in St. Louis and by his parents among the villages of the Mandan tribe on the far northern reaches of the river.

In 1823, eighteen-year-old Baptiste is invited to cross the Atlantic with the young Duke Paul of Württemberg, whom he meets on the frontier. During their travels throughout Europe, Paul introduces Baptiste to a world he never imagined. Increasingly, Baptiste senses the limitations of life as an outsider; only Paul’s older cousin, Princess Theresa, understands the richness of his heritage. Their affair is both passionate and tender, but Theresa’s clear-eyed notions of love, marriage, and the need to fashion one’s own future push Baptiste to consider what he truly needs.

In Paris, he meets Maura Hennesy, the beautiful and independent daughter of a French-Irish wine merchant. Baptiste describes his life on the fast-changing frontier to Maura, and she begins to imagine a different destiny with this enigmatic American. Baptiste ultimately faces a choice: whether to stay in Europe or to return to the wilds of North America. His decision will resonate strongly with those who today find themselves at the intersection of cultures, languages, and customs

(Across the Endless River was provided to me by Anna of FSB Associates. I was not paid and the book is being shipped to another book blogger. )

Journal notes: Gravewriter and Loot the Moon are the first two books in the Billy Povich mystery series. I received Loot the Moon from the publicist. As I don’t like to read series out of order I requested Gravewriter from the library (no Kindle edition available). Both are good, solid mysteries though I enjoyed Loot the Moon more than Gravewriter.

Gravewriter is definitely written as the introduction book to this series as the author spends more time acquainting us with his characters, their history and flaws then pursuing any action packed mystery case. Billy is a member of murder trial jury yet he stealthy goes about uncovering the true perpetrator of said crime. Unfortunately he takes his sweet time which made Gravewriter a bit slow for me.

Now Loot the Moon is the opposite of Gravewriter except for the main characters. It starts with action and death – guns, murder, a car-jacking and an out-of-control vehicle accident. And who really was doing the driving and shooting is at the very core of this mystery. Solving this murder through investigative action seems to be theme of Loot the Moon. Billy is working for Martin as his case investigator, in addition to writing obits for the local paper, and very actively involved trailing this killer. I won’t say that it was a pure adrenaline ride but it most certainly kept my interest.

It’s not like I really need another series to capture my attention but Billy Jr, Billy Sr & Bo have most certainly gone and done that. Actually Billy Jr reminds me a bit of one of my other favorite male lead characters, Harry Bosch, from author Michael Connelly.  Billy and Harry are loners with work and personal issues of their own making. And now that AE is buried with the little boy downstairs who, or what, will become Bo’s next ‘security blanket?’

Title: Gravewriter (Billy Povich Mysteries, book 1) Author/website: Mark Arsenault 272 pages Publisher: St. Martin’s Minotaur Publication date: November ’06 Genre: Mystery Would I recommend it: Yes

Set in Providence, R.I., this first in a series introduces down-on-his-luck obituary writer Billy Povich. Deeply in debt to loan sharks and still reeling from the death of his ex-wife, Billy finds distraction as a juror in the murder trial of a street punk who shot a career criminal in a daring prison break. What looks like a slam-dunk case of murder begins to unravel as Billy looks closer, and more bodies appear in his path.

Title: Loot the Moon (Billy Povich Mysteries, book 2) Author/website: Mark Arsenault 276 pages Publisher: Minotaur Books Publication date: October ’09 Genre: Mystery Would I recommend it: Yes

In this next electifying thriller from up-and-coming author Mark Arsenault, former journalist and beaten-down gambler Billy Povich returns to aid Martin Smothers, the Patron Lawyer of Hopeless Causes.

Martin’s old law partner, the well-respected superior court judge Gilbert Harmony, has been shot by a thief who dies in a car crash. The cops close the case, but Martin doesn’t believe a two-bit shoplifter would suddenly kill a judge—somebody must have paid him to do it.

The suspects range from a vengeful mobster to a jealous brother to the judge’s widow, and—oops—his mistress and her son. And as Billy comes closer to the truth, it isn’t long before the killer takes aim at him.

(Gravewriter is a library book which I’ve returned. Loot the Moon was provided to me by Anne of Minotaur Books. I was not paid and the book is being shipped to another reader. )

Title: Stained Glass (Father Dowling Mysteries, book 29) Author/website: Ralph McInerny 279 pages Publisher: Minotaur Books Publication date: October ’09 Genre: Mystery Would I recommend it: I DNFd at pg. 31 Journal notes: There’s something about the writing style that doesn’t appeal to me. The best description I can come up with is ‘old fashioned’. I keep getting images of Miiss Marple, Murder She Wrote, and Agatha Christie. I find this a bit odd because I’ve never read the books or watched the TV series yet that’s what floats through my mind. Simply not to my reading tastes.

Tough times and the unsolved murders of anyone with ties to the Deveres—a family of wealthy parish patrons—back Father Dowling up against a wall in his struggle to save his church from the chopping block.

With too many churches and not enough people to fill them, the Archdiocese has to make some cuts, and many of them, including the proposed closing of St. Hilary’s, are dangerously close to the bone. Father Dowling rushes to drum up support from church officials and parishioners, including the Deveres, who don’t want to see the stained glass windows they donated go anywhere other than the church they were meant for, but they can hardly be of help when those closest to them start turning up dead.

Church politics, long-kept family secrets, and a determined killer come together to put St. Hilary’s—a church that countless characters and devoted readers have come to love—and its parishioners in peril in Stained Glass, the latest in Ralph McInerny’s treasured mystery series.

(Stained Glass was provided to me by Anne of Minotaur Books. I was not paid and the book is being shipped to another reader. )

Title: Cult Insanity: A Memoir of Polygamy, Prophets, and Blood Atonement Author/website: Irene Spencer 330 pages Publisher: Center Street Publication date: August ’09 Genre: Memoir Would I recommend it: Definitely Journal notes: I read her first book, Shattered Dreams, last year and it made my favorite books list. The subject matter in both these books is beyond fascinating. Cult Insanity will also be going onto my favs list. There’s not really a lot I can add, as her books say it all, except if your interest has ever been piqued in any way by the stories surrounding the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints practices you need to read her books. Her story is an incredible tale of survival in the most bizarre circumstances. I realize to the followers of this faith your religious practices don’t seem bizarre but for those of us on the outside looking in things come across as very foreign and in direct opposition to most mainstream beliefs. I can almost guarantee that once you start reading Cult Insanity you won’t be able to close the book until you’ve turned the last page. You don’t have to but I suggest you read Shattered Dreams before reading Cult Insanity. (I also highly recommend Escape by Carolyn Jessop)

Life for Irene Spencer was a series of devastating disappointments and hardships. Irene’s first book, Shattered Dreams, is the staggering chronicle of her struggle to provide for her children in abject poverty and feelings of abandonment each time her husband left to be with one of his other wives. Irene was raised to believe polygamy was the way of life necessary for her ticket to heaven.

The hard knocks of her environment were just the beginning of Irene’s shocking tale. Insanity ran rampant in her husband’s family and was the source of inconceivable events that unfolded throughout Irene’s adult life. CULT INSANITY takes readers deeper into her story to uncover the outrageous behavior of her brother-in-law Ervil — a self-proclaimed prophet who determined he was called to set the house of God in order — and how he terrorized their colony. Claiming to be God’s avenger and to have a license to kill in the name of God, Ervil ordered the murders of friends and family members, eliminating all those who challenged his authority.

For those who were gripped by Shattered Dreams, the rest of the story will blow them away. CULT INSANITY is a riveting, terrifying memoir of polygamist life under the tyranny of a madman.

(Cult Insanity: A Memoir of Polygamy, Prophets, and Blood Atonement was provided to me by Anna of Hachette Book Group. I was not paid and the book is being shipped to another book blogger. )