This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

William Kent Krueger is a great author. His books are filled with wonderful imagery and the characters are rich and three dimentional. This book is no exception. The story is sad and the reader has a feeling of melancholy all through the book. This is not surprising as the whole world was in the midst of a great depression and almost everyone was hungry and grimy.
I am glad I read it and stuck it out to the end, even though I had retty much guessed the ending. Getting a glimpse of the depression was the saving grace of the story for me.

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Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved it. I loved the characters, the plot, the resolution, all of it.
What is it like to be old. Deanna Raybourn got it nailed. What could be more interesting than four delightful assasins. Their personalities don't always jive but they work well together.
This is a fitting book to follow Veronica Speedwell. The author does a masterful job of moving to a different era. Read it!

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April Books:

The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Quite a good mystery... A little too atmospheric. I'm sick of looking at sun setting over this river that is only attractive under just the right moonlight. (I'm asleep)
The plot was well structured and Krueger leaves us guessing, and guessing until the end. So many characters that at times I was confused. In his defense the main characters stood out and were well developed.
I finished this book in a seven hour reading session. That may be why I thought the ending, or the post ending, where he wrapped up the characters was not needed and a bit corny.

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Vienna at Nightfall by Richard Wake
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Without a doubt, Wake is a great writer. He has forged a great character and I look forward to seeing how he copes in the later episodes. He has the sort of naive oblivious personality but a very quick mind.
This pre-WWII era in Germany is fascinating. The political situation in Austria might be compared with the Canadian dilemma right now. I hope it end differently.


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Miami Purity by Vicki Hendricks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I chose this book from a NY Times review. It is from 1995 and I thought it might be interesting. It was described by the reviewer as a very sexy novel that exposed how women see things. Maybe some women but not many that I know. It did make for some interesting reading and the characters were fascinating. I so many people could make so many bad decisions. All in all I liked the story. It was an iteresting change of pace.

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Time Lost: A Time Travel Novel by Elyse Douglas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a routine not too exciting time travel story. The author had a lot to work with. Woman transported to another time. Without spoiling anything, I thought the story and characters were too simplistic. I have got to stop reading books because of advrertising blurbs. It almost always dissappoints me.

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March Books

Mazeltov by Eli Zuzovsky
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I felt as though I was wandering through this book. I never quite found my way until the end. About half way through I thought of putting it down but I pushed through to end and then the nature of the story came through.
An interesting book about coming of age in Israel. Felt real, Israel is not the same culture as the rest of the world. Living on the edge of war is their norm. This book passed that feeling on.
Would I recommend it. Probably not.

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Blackout by Simon Scarrow
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Great book. This is not a traditional crime novel. It has all the trappings of a murder mystery but it is cloaked in an interesting character. I'm reminded of Bernie Gunther.
The story is somewhat complex and frankly, I didn't figure it out. So well spooled out to the reader with just enough suspense to keep you reading.
The author paints a picture of Germany slipping farther down the Nazi rathole and taking the whole German society with them.
Like historical mysteries, this is for you.

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Across Seward Park: A Novel by Gail Lehrman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ok, so you need to know that I am a first generation American. I was steeped in stories and anecdotes about those early years in this country. I was born a birthrite citizen and haver always been proud of this country, warts and all. I served in the USAF, not to prove my patriatism, but to suppoert my country in times of strife.
That being said, this story held a warm place in my heart from page one until the end. (I was actually sorry that there was no more to read.) I'd request a sequel but I would hate to stifle Gail's creative juices. Please get started on another book.
The plot, characters and writing style was perfect for me. I was able to see beyond mere descriptions to understand some of the emotions that they were feeling. The plot, though simple family saga, never felt trivial or elxpected.
A masterlpiece, imagine what her third book will be like....
Start writing.

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Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

From another goodreads review:
Oh my gosh, how I loved this book. The five-hundred-plus pages practically turned themselves. The premise was so unique and I devoured every word from the banging prologue to the surprising epilogue.
I expect little from book club books. When I started this one I noticed it was dissappointingly long. When I got to the end I wished there was more.
I will give away none of the book. The author has created a true masterpiece of interwoven storytelling. The characters instantly develop in a way the makes the reader panting for more. She leaves us with just enough to want more and more.
It is a frantic page turner.
Have you ever loved someone so much it hurts? There are parts of this book that truly reminded me of that experience.
Read this book, if nothing else, read chapter 101.


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