read: Private Investigations: Mystery Writers on the Secrets, Riddles, and Wonders in Their Lives (4 stars)

Private Investigations: Mystery Writers on the Secrets, Riddles, and Wonders in Their Lives by Victoria Zackheim
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was not what I was expecting. Maybe I didn't read the cover blurb closely enough. I just saw the names of some favorite authors and how they 'cope with the perplexing world and what keeps them up at night.' What I got were those same authors, and more, telling some of their most personal stories and how those stories made them into the writers they have become. Well done, intriguing and worth a read (or two).

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read: The World Played Chess (4 stars)

The World Played Chess by Robert Dugoni
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It seems that no matter what Robert Dugoni writes, he nails it. His mysteries and spy thrillers are top-notch. His mainstream The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell was uncomfortably compelling. Now his historical look at the Viet Nam war and its impact on various lives hits the same sweet spot of character and story and setting.

For someone that missed the draft by only a year or two and went to high school in California, it also feels personal. I wasn't a jock, didn't go to a private school, didn't work construction and wasn't a soldier (or marine). But I was a contemporary to all that in time and space and felt all the feels that Mr. Dugoni put into this work. Much of this ground has been covered before. But Dugoni gives it a fresh perspective. I am still thinking about the three men and how their lives intersect in this book.

Disclosure: Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing a free copy of this book in return for my honest review.

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read: Grave Reservations (4 stars)

Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cherie Priest's latest is more lighthearted than her previous stories (the cover gives it away). More of a cozy mystery than her other paranormal genre fiction (I've been a fan since Boneshaker and even Bloodshot).

Leda is an inconsistent psychic, whose talents run more toward Klairvoyant Karaoke than actual psychic readings or even acquiring more clients for her new travel agency. But when she acts on a premonition and saves Detective Grady's life by suddenly rebooking him onto a flight that doesn't explode, he becomes a believer and enlists her to help with a hard to crack cold case. In return, he helps investigate the unsolved murder of her fiancé Tod and the combination proves both effective and entertaining.

The cast of characters is consistently quirky and the pace is quick. The mysteries aren't all that complicated. But they beg to be solved. I look forward to further adventures with Leda and Grady.

Disclosure: Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for providing a free copy of this book in return for my honest review.

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read: Murder by Other Means (4 stars)

Murder by Other Means by John Scalzi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

How can a story involving so much murder be so enjoyable and borderline humorous? You make sure that very few of the victims actually die. That's the improbable conceit of the story and the author makes it work. The audio book of the first Dispatcher novella is sitting in my Audible queue (the pandemic really messed up my listening habits). But this was thoroughly understandable and entertaining without that introduction.

As with most stories from John Scalzi, the value is in the writing. The snappy dialog and colorful characters whisk you along for a pleasant ride full of twists and turns and a totally believable outcome (ignoring the previously mentioned improbable conceit). Highly recommended for a few hours of entertainment.

Disclosure: Thank you to Netgalley and Subterranean Press for providing a free copy of this book in return for my honest review.

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read: Project Hail Mary (3 stars)

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Just to be clear. I loved The Martian. I got wind of a little while before it got really popular (thank you, Writing Excuses podcast!), got my book club to read and discuss it and devoured it in no time. I also liked Artemis (not as much as The Martian; but apparently more than many other readers).

When I heard about Project Hail Mary and Peter Weir's return to gritty, science-based storytelling and interstellar setting, I knew I had to read it. It had to be my kind of book. Then, I started reading and felt very let down. A first-person account of waking up out of a coma, confused and in a closed room didn't pull me in. I almost gave up before the main character finally started having flashes of memory about who he was and what he was supposed to do. His recollections of Earth and the other characters brought some actual life, albeit stick-figured, cliché-ridden life, to the stage. I stuck with it.

When Rocky showed up, I was as charmed as anyone. And I've got to hand it to Mr. Weir, he came up with some intriguing science-based mysteries to unravel during the second half of the book. The entire story gave me flashbacks to stories from the middle of the previous century, and not always in a good way. There were a few nice modern touches and genuine effort was made to avoid too much handwavium. But I still feel like there was plenty of that.

I give the first half of the book 2.5 stars and the latter 3.5 stars for an average of 3 stars and some hope that the next book from the author is more well rounded and modern.

Disclosure: Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Ballantine Books for providing a free copy of this book in return for my honest review.

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read: Fugitive Telemetry (4 stars)

Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Murderbot continues to be a joy to read. The novellas are the perfect length to consume the snarky stream-of-consciousness (does a construct actually have consciousness?) slices of life of the rogue SecUnit. This story is essentially a murder mystery with a delightful twist.

Disclosure: Thank you to Netgalley and Tor/Forge for providing a free copy of this book in return for my honest review.

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read: The Four Winds (4 stars)

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Relentless. That's my one word summary of this book.

Elsa, the main character is relentless in her love for her husband and children (but sadly, not herself). She somehow finds the strength, day after day, in circumstances that would crush most of us, to get out of bed and do whatever it takes to take care of her family.

The weather and its impact on the people and the society of the Dust Bowl years is also relentless. The heat. The dust. The simple grind of trying to eek out of living from the land, when it won't cooperate in the slightest.

The story is also relentless. It kept me caring about the main characters and whether or not they would survive the relentless weather and the grind of living through a time of historical destitution. The writing is straightforward and the characters might be perceived as one-dimensional. Or both can be seen as stripped down to the bare essentials of what it takes to survive.

This is not a book to be read for pure enjoyment. But it is well done and satisfying and paints a vivid picture of a time that shares some aspects of our own. Recommended.

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