Another Strong Outing
925277
At this point I have a number of Craig Stephen Copelands books in my collection.  Early on Ill state that if you buy one that you are in for a really good read.  Well, there was onebut I digress.  This particular outing is another one of his best.  You can count on taut plots, accurate, although somewhat sly, characterizations and more than enough elements that will keep you glued to your chair.

This particular story is another where Homes, Watson and other characters are placed within settings and times drawn from actual history.  This is a popular approach but what often occurs is Holmes and Watson will meet, say Teddy Roosevelt,  who plays more of a bit part than an integral part of the plot.  In this book Mr Copeland did not fall into that trap.

Holmes and Watson are up against a deadly organization that was not simply some fictional group but were deadly back then and today.  The narratives pace is breathless and throughout there are sly allusions and humor slid into the narrative.  Mr Copeland outdid himself with some allusions or possibly he was wondering how may senior citizens read his stories.  Sgt Preston and King Mr Copeland?  Nice touch although I suspect those in their 70s and above will be the only ones picking up on it.

One thing I find odd is that Conan Doyles  The Five Orange Pips was included.  Why this was done I couldn't say although Conan Doyle got his five-star ratings on this particular story better than a century ago.  Speaking as a retired secondary and University English teacher this is puzzling although nowhere did Mr Copeland claim the story was his original work and was totally clear as to the original author.  Guess Im mystified by a writers including a story from someone else and selling them bundled together.

In summary, Mr Copelands stories are first rate.  You are in for good reads.
4892389
The newest installment proves the series just keeps getting better.  Without any spoilers, more action, new Characters and like a fine wine the dialogue and action are getting written better every book she writes.  She is definitely honing her technique for page turners.
611519
This is another good addition to the collection.  Nothing about this album stand it out from the rest in the series, but it's just as good as the others.  If you are already a fan of these albums, this one will not let you down.
4753985
Ilona Andrews has done a wonderful job of walking that fine line between tough, sassy heroine and ridiculous, overly powerful superwoman. Kate Daniels is a unique character in a genre that is largely populated with carbon copies of the same woman. Kudos to Andrews, who has once again managed to balance the qualities of power and vulnerability to perfection.

Magic Strikes doesn't pick right up where Magic Burns left off. Time has passed for Kate and Andrews didn't feel compelled to fill in every little detail that happened off-screen. But, events have again conspired to lure Kate into situations where her loyalty to friends and fears of her past come into conflict. That tension is part of what makes these books worth reading.

An underground gladiatorial games of sorts provides the backdrop for the story as new villains emerge and looming threats from previous novels begin to actually take shape. The reader is not required to have perfect recall of the previous books, but minimal familiarity will help.

What Andrews does best is to create tension. Whether it's between Kate and her value system or Kate and Curran, the local lycanthrope leader, it's intense. But there's enough humorous dialogue to relieve the tension and actually make you chuckle a bit. I particularly like that Kate remains vulnerable. Whether it's her feelings, or actual physical attacks, she knows that there are some fights she can't win and there are some fights that she is willing to lose. That sense of possible death is what separates Ilona Andrews from most of the other urban fantasists.

That, and the fact that she doesn't put Kate to bed with every gorgeous creature who enters the story. Another wonderful installment.
4413256
Michael Connelly does it again --another strong entry in the Harry Bosch series.  I cannot think of another writer as prolific as Connelly who is still as strong after this many books. I would not recommend starting with this book without reading the series in order; there are too many references to the back story and Connelly does not waste time trying to fill in the gaps for someone new to the series.  For fans, this is another satisfying thriller with the door left open for the next chapter in Harry's life.  I look forward to that installment, whenever it arrives.
3604921
Hurwitz and Finch's run on The Dark Knight continues to get better. The lion's share of this second volume covers the return of Jonathan Crane, The Scarecrow, and deals extensively with the effects of his fear toxin. We get another look into Bruce Wayne's psyche, a Scarecrow origin story that threatens to make him a semi-sympathetic character, along with plenty of action as Gotham is threatened by a mass poisoning. Once that story arc is rounded off nicely, we get a bonus tale of young Bruce Wayne's search for meaning regarding the death of his parents, one that brings back Joe Chill yet again. Bat fans are unlikely to be disappointed. I'm very much looking forward to see where this run goes next in Volume 3.
1422786
Strong album, which is consistently good from start to finish. I know this does not get the good reviews some of the other ones, but this is a damn good album.
4840229
A wonderful addition to Essaylien, Michelle West's world and mythology continue to grow is this enjoyable expansion. There is a lot of character growth and development of new points of view as the House War series moves towards it end, and finally more mysteries are being solved than created, giving a real sense of progress. A little less dynamic action than previous books, it is still very enjoyable and and a worthy addition.
1352469
The ninth installment in the Dick Hardesty mysteries is a wonder to read.  Although I have enjoyed all of the previous titles, I would have to say that the very early stories occasionally exhibited some thin spots in the plotting and the editing was at times lacking.  However, as the series has matured, these shortcomings have been addressed and this latest addition should be considered "must read".

Mr. Grey's mysteries are compelling because of the richness of the plots.  He always provides a large complement of fully developed secondary characters, which allows for several equally probable potential suspects to emerge naturally.  I was especially appreciative of the careful attention to details in _The Popsicle Tree_ regarding the behavior of Joshua, Jonathan's nephew, who has come to stay with Dick and Jonathan as the child undergoes changes in his care providers.

I can only hope that Mr. Grey will continue to add to this series as I look forward to seeing how Dick and Jonathan will develop as their relationship matures further.
1729843
With this volume I have finished reading all eighteen books produced to date in this series. I have found each book to be compelling reading. Volume 13 was another fine effort by Mr Keller. Fully half of the cases discussed were new to me. As usual, Keller was able to build a compact story, complete with the most important details, to have a full grasp of the incidents. One issue I might have is that I have read two of the stories offered here in previous Keller volumes. No mention of the book having repeats was made in the description. All in all, this was another intriguing read.
4919611
Every bit as good and perhaps even better than the previous books in the series. More to come, people, more to come. Cal is more introspective, Goodfellow is, well...Goodfellow, and as enjoyable as ever. The action is very close to non-stop, and the Big Bad is - badder than Leroy Brown and tough enough to enjoy a book devoted to taking him down. I could see the next book bringing in some Norse characters from another of her series, but we will have to wait and see. Buy it!
3005410
Dark Running is another fine entry in the Fourth Fleet Irregulars series.  Skipper Alex von Strada and the crew of the Heron are given another "impossible" mission for the League and are sent to contact an alien species deep inside enemy territory.  The "Old School" Fleet conservatives and the public media continue to plague the Fourth as they accomplish great things on another series of adventures.

I really enjoy this series and recommend it.  Some fans of military science fiction may miss the action and constant violence of other series, but I like the depiction of routine space duties, much like the writing of Nathan Lowell.  The "New Age" touches are also fun as even some of the crew find them amusing. This is the flagship of the Progressive faction of the Fleet after all, and if they weren't doing something to upset the old spacedogs, they wouldn't deserve the venom directed at them.  Great job!
4380139
Another great addition to the Dresden Files. As Jim Butcher really starts digging into his characters he is able to intertwine the relationships so the stories don't seem like "oh, today's guest star is [blank]". Jim Butcher also is letting each character grow with the novels and not remain a static 2-D person to play the foil-du-jour to Harry Dresden. In Small Favor, many past characters and story lines build up more steam as Dresden has what might be called a "crapstorm" dumped on him. For those of you familiar he has to deal with the Denarians, Winter (Mab), Summer (Titania), the Archive and Kincaid, no support from the C.P.D., Gentleman Johnny Marcone, and what turns to be a little more insight into the Black Council. You can almost feel Jim Butcher using 'Small Favor' to take mythos of Harry Dresden and crank things up a notch and given what has been said and done, the future is "gonna get really good!"
4751955
This one of the better constructed book in this series. The strands of mystery are well woven, the pace well chosen. The reader witnesses both historic events and crucial turning points of a more personal nature. As to the latter, character arcs continue in unexpected and yet convincing ways. We meet quite an assortment of new characters as well, at least one of whom we are likely to see again.
42949
While being slightly less riff-heavy, this followup to the excellent Hello Master still rocks hard. That's not to say that there aren't riffs, there are, they just don't seem to be the focus of the album. Instead they're woven throughout the songs themselves. The bands punk roots are also allowed to bleed through in a great many numbers, sounding vaguely Offspring-like occasionally. Another solid release from NYC's Tee Pee Records. Recommended!
404959
Another great entry in this series!! Really like the progression of the series and the characters despite a lot more action. Will miss the "old girl" but look forward to the next book int the series.
420447
Watsuki may not have written the material for this arc, but that doesn't stop it from being good.
In this arc, Kenshin confronts a new opponent who somehow knows the Hiten Mitsurugi style and is using it to kill. After a dangerous situtation involving Misao and later on Chou (no further spoilers given here) its back to Kyoto, only to risk a battle thats been hundreds of year in the making.
A new cast of characters are introduced, as well as a deeply interesting storyline. Personalities of the main cast are kept intact and in character.

I think this arc is very in line with Watsuki's style, both in character development and in plot quality found in the previous RK series.

There aren't that many decent fillers out there, so don't pass up this arc.