read: Damage Control (3 stars)

Damage Control by Robert Dugoni
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a pretty solid story that kept me engaged and turning pages. The prose itself is crisp. The characters and locations are well-drawn. The overall plot and twists hold together and provide some surprises.

But I have removed a couple of stars for several distractions. First is the general feeling that the story is overstuffed. Too many cool ideas kept competing for attention. It often felt like important things, like dogs and kids and jobs, got forgotten for long stretches. Then there's the implausibility of the main baddy's ability to singlehandedly keep track of and hunt down everyone he kills without getting caught. After a while, I just gave in to it. But nobody is that good.

This is skippable, unless you're a big fan of the author and a completist. Like me.

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read: Boundary Waters (4 stars)

Boundary Waters by William Kent Krueger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mystery, thriller, adventure, family drama, travelogue. This book has it all going on and had me turning pages as fast as I could. Country singer Shiloh has disappeared into the Boundary Waters wilderness of Northern Minnesota and her father recruits ex-sheriff, now burger stand owner, Corcoran O'Connor to help him find her. Then the FBI and the mob show up with their own motives to locating her and a local Native American and his young son are added to the expedition. Once the canoes head north, the bodies start stacking up and it becomes clear that there is more going on than a simple rescue.
The cast of characters are all strong and distinctly drawn, including Shiloh, who is not just a damsel in distress. The locations, action and Native American culture are vividly described. The plot twists are well-formulated and often surprising.
I liked the first book of this series because of its potential and its ties to Minnesota. I recommend this one because it is even stronger.

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read: If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?: My Adventures in the Art and Science of Relating and Communicating (5 stars)

If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?: My Adventures in the Art and Science of Relating and Communicating by Alan Alda
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Very interesting and entertaining look at the dynamics of communication. Alan Alda brings the subject to life in the audio version.

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read: Blood Orbit (3.5 stars)

Blood Orbit by K.R. Richardson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was really looking forward to this book. I'm two volumes in to the author's (Kat Richardson) Greywalker series and starting to like it a lot. Science fiction is more up my alley, which made this an easy choice for me. After the first couple of chapters, I was hooked. A heavy-duty, noir, police procedural set in the future on a far away planet.

And then she lost me. The characters were still doing some interesting things. But they were sure doing a lot more talking than doing. The setting seemed like it should be interesting - terraformed future planet and all that. But the picture never came into focus for me. And all the complex background of the characters and corporate corruption was alluded to. But somehow I didn't really care until about the last 25-30% of the book. I was actually considering giving up about 1/3 of the way in. But there was too much positive vibe to be a quitter. Things did get better. I did finish. And I will pick up the next one (and continue working my way through Greywalker).

4 stars only because it's more than 3 stars.

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read: Hail to the Chin: Further Confessions of a B Movie Actor (4 stars)

Hail to the Chin: Further Confessions of a B Movie Actor by Bruce Campbell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bruce's earnest and irreverent voice comes through in this amusing memoir that just about brings his story up-to-date. It's all here: life in rural Oregon, making B movies for SciFi channel, making Burn Notice, remaking Evil Dead. Bruce is that guy with dozens of funny stories that will keep you entertained for hours and still want more.

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read: The Color of Magic (3 stars)

The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Discworld, The Beginning. I give it 3 stars for uniqueness of vision and giving me a few smirks. Mostly I found it jumbled and confusing.

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read: The Collapsing Empire (4 stars)

The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

John Scalzi opens the epic story of the collapse of The Interdependency with a not-so-epic story of politics, family, lust, science and academia all centered around the discovery that the natural phenomenon that society depends on to keep the far-flung empire connected is collapsing. The writing is crisp and fast moving, full of smart-ass characters and ribald humor.

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