A second hit for Mr Harney and his lead character ...
931235
A second hit for Mr Harney and his lead character Dax McGowan. A more complex mystery for Dax to solve with several potential "perps" along the way to a surprise ending. It is fast paced and kept me turning pages until 4:45 AM to finish it. Read this book.
G Mills
3421319
F. Paul Wilson has given us another easy to read, enjoyable outing with Repairman Jack. There were a few (very few) places in the story that dragged a bit, but the story quickly got back on track and moved fiendishly fast. There was a little less of the Jack/Gia relationship in this book. The introduction of a genetic relationship with the "Otherness" should provide an interesting foundation for the next book.
3239019
I read Murder Painted Blue immediately after I finished the first Veronique Berri novel, A Portrait of Murder. I enjoyed the first book so much that I was keen to start the second  and I wasn't disappointed. Everything I said in my review in praise of A Portrait of Murder applies to the sequel.

This second cosy mystery in the Veronique Berri series moved along at a steady pace and kept me wanting to turn the page. There were lots of twists and turns to the plot and several suspects kept me guessing who dunnit. I was sure I had solved the case until I was proved wrong in the last chapter.

The story is again set in Paris art world. The setting was familiar but still fresh to me. I enjoyed glimpsing into it once more and it added depth to the murder investigation, providing complex motives for the killers  and other characters actions.

All my favourite characters were back for the second book. Veronique is as gutsy as ever and McFadden is just as alluring. Mme Pavel, who is my favourite, is still slightly dotty but she has also developed into an accomplice in Veronique and McFaddens escapades. This added to the plots humour and tension. A new character, Ewan McFadden, made an appearance and he brought out previously unexplored aspects of Veronique and McFadden. I detested him when he first appeared but gradually warmed to him as the story progressed.

This novel was a very entertaining, light hearted escape and I enjoyed it immensely. The first chapter of book three is included after the last chapter. I couldn't resist, of course, and I quickly found myself slipping into the continuing escapades of Veronique and McFadden. The third one will take me to the south of France and Im looking forward to its release. I plan to stick with Veronique, McFadden and Mme Pavel.
3233259
This second book featuring Mr. Roper's amazing abilities was as good as the first. This detective , who happens to be autistic, is sweet and funny and far ahead of the pack. The police have quuckly learned to respect him
3525475
The second installment in Elizabeth George's successful Lynley-Havers mystery series is a solid successor to the first book, A Great Deliverance. In this story, the melding of the cozy, police procedural, and hard-boiled  genres that was balanced so well in the first book leans a little more to  the cozy side of things, with a trip to Scotland to investigate a murder on  an ancient Scottish estate (turned up-scale bed and breakfast), which  evolves into a classic locked-room mystery with a cast of illustrious and  spoiled suspects. The emphasis is a bit more on Lynley than Havers in this  story, which is expected since he promotes more of the cozy feel, while  Havers promotes more of the hard-boiled feel. However, Havers fans should  not despair -- her dark side is still there, althouth a bit tempered.  All  in all, this mystery advances the ongoing tale of these two seemingly  ill-matched yet complementary partners, by exploring Lynley's "dark  side", fleshing him out a bit more than in the first book.
4073165
In this second installment of Hap & Leonard's adventures, Leonard is still recovering from the injuries he suffered in book one, Savage Season. Using a cane doesn't deter Leonard much, thought it does give him a break from working in the rose fields.

When Leonard's Uncle Chester suddenly passes away, Leonard finds himself the beneficiary of a hundred thousand dollars, a safe deposit key, and a dilipated house. Now the money comes in handy so he can fix said house, but it doesn't help much with his new neighbors, a crack dealer. And that safe deposit key? Well, the safe deposit box is full of clipped coupons, and most of those are expired.

Hap is still working in the rose fields, but he takes a long extended (fired?) leave to move in with his pal Leonard and help fix up his new house. It's a perk that Leonard's lawyer is a young beauty who Hap sets his sights on.

But in the middle of cleaning out the disgustingly dirty house, Hap and Leonard come across an old trunk of Uncle Chester's buried under the floor boards. What concerns the bantering two is the fact that the trunk contains a skeleton of a child cushioned by magazine clippings of child porn. Leonard doesn't believe that his Uncle Chester would do such a thing, so he starts his own investigation to find the real killer. With Hap's help, the two are soon in over their heads.

Lansdale does such a remarkable job with Hap and Leonard's characters that their banter just carries the book. They get into such mishaps and in some humorous situations. An exciting crime thriller with two wonderful characters that has me itching for the next in the series, The Two-Bear Mambo.
312359
The second part is much better than the first. A departure from his usual romance story to high action and mystery and murder.
2807678
James Daniels delivers a fun second novel in The Dead Man series, a fast-paced pulp ride in perfect synch with the first. This series beings back the glory days of "men's books," a heady brew of action, humor, sexuality and chills. Bet you can't read just one.
2461668
Mr. Ripley is indeed talented and so is Patricia Highsmith.  Being in Thomas Ripleys world is a unique and exciting experience.  I was actually rooting for him and sympathizing with his predicament.  He has worked so  hard to attain his life of leisure and does not bother anyone.  So, when  the meddlesome and uncouth Americans threaten to destroy his charmed  lifestyle, death is certainly a convenient solution, even if he didn't have  to do it himself.  Well fleshed characters, great plot.  If you enjoyed the  first book, The Talented Mr. Ripley, you will certainly enjoy this  continuation.  Even if you didn't read any others, give this one a try,  it's fun and entertaining.
3696861
I have to admit that I'm addicted to the Dave Gurney character, with his struggling retired home life, his over-the-top stereotype detective buddy, and his problem-solving techniques.  I enjoyed his first book (Think of a Number), but I thought that the psychology used to frame the primary victim (and other related victims) and to profile the suspected killer in this follow-up were absolute page-turners.  Is it the perfect murder mystery: Nah. There were some suspensions of belief that were required.  But it kept me turning the pages and wondering what would happen next. And that's how you keep readers.
4791321
I initially picked up this book because I received book two, "Dragon Games" to review as part of the Vine Program at Amazon. I wanted to make sure I gave book two a fair shake so I went back and read book one.

Happenstance, or Hap to his soon to be friends, wakes up in a dungeon with no memory at all of his previous life. He doesn't even know what kind of being he is. In a world of sentient and semi-sentient creatures this is a huge concern for this young man. He is almost immediately rescued by Lord Umber and his band of adventurers.

The revelations come fast and furious as Hap tries to figure out not only anbout himself but also things about the people he is tossed in with as well as the world in which he now lives.

The characterizations are fun and a little shallow at first but with time and pages comes very satisfying character development. The writing by Catanese is light and easy to read. I would recommend this book for anyone from about 10 up. If you have ever read the Belgariad by David Eddings, you will find a similar light tone here in this book and at least the book that follows.

I highly encourage reading this book to anyone who likes fantasy.
2179541
"Father Stuff" -- Huber's 2nd installment in the charming Hecky and Shmecky series, a welcome follow-up to the playful fable "Curious Girl" -- is as equally appealing, but also has a little something added. Huber grounds this Dad-centric Shaggy Dog Story by embedding (not too deeply) a sly message carrying just a little extra weight. Like any good book with a subtle "life lesson," it doesn't hit you over the head. To be honest, I was enjoying the yarn-spinning too much to pin "Father Stuff's" message down too specifically. But let's just say that he, in a Lewis-Carrolish sort of way, honors the accomplishments and hard-won skillset -- the "stuff" -- that makes someone a loving attentive Dad. I'm sure both children and their parents will really enjoy the guessing game like I did. Esteban Erlich's illustrations once again have a childlike sophistication that keeps the story flowing beautifully. I especially liked how he handled the scenes that take place at night. Well done, Gentlemen!
Ted Enik -- Author ("Sticks `n Stones `n Dinosaur Bones"), Illustrator (the Fancy Nancy "I Can Read" series
4420365
I had the fortune of reading and reviewing an ARC of the first book in this series and found it to be such a charming read that when I was asked by the author to read and review the second book I immediate said yes. Apparently, the plan was to release the first two book within a short period of time of each other to generate buzz for an author that is new to this genre.

This book was just as charming as the first and I enjoyed it just as much. It is an easy and fun read. The story is well written and the plot has a great pace that keeps you turning the pages to see what happens next. the author also has a terrific descriptive style and as you read the story you can picture yourself sitting in the tea room or walking around Oxford. At first, after the murder occurred, it didn't seem like there were going to be that many suspects and the mystery might be easy to solve. That turned out not to be the case. As Gemma begins to investigate (of course she has to because her best friend Cassie's boyfriend could be a suspect) there are plenty of twist, turns and red herrings thrown into the mix and when the killer was revealed I was surprised. The mystery in this book was as solid as the first and had just as climatic of a conclusion.

I love the characters in this story. Gemma is terrific. She is smart, warm and caring. The "Old Biddies" make a return and once again they provide Gemma with some "assistance." I was a little miffed that Cassie allowed her boyfriend to come briefly between her friendship with Gemma, but as is typical with best friends those fights never last long and the relationship between them is strong enough to survive the fight. In this installment, I fell in love more with Gemma's mother. While it appears she has mastered remembering her iPad password, she has discovered online shopping and wait to you see what she buys. I'm not a cat person, but Muesli is growing on me as well and the interaction between her and Gemma qualifies her as a secondary character in my opinion.

This is a charming series that I find to be well written with solid mysteries and great characters and I will be back to visit the tea room in March 2016 when the next installment is due out.

I was provided a copy of the book by the author in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to give a positive review and the thoughts expressed are my own.
758620
I just can't get enough of this guy !
Still in the spirit of the first book 'Surely you're joking', but a slightly more serious follow up with some repetitions. Here the reader sees Feynmann dealing with the love of his life- his first wife Arline, the Nobel prize and much later the investigation into the Challenger tragedy. This time the hero is better developed and we get to see a more human side of Mr Feynmann in addition to the curious character. Given that he is no longer with us, this book will be treasured as much as the first. Readers unfamilar with the first book will still be able to enjoy the adventures of this remarkable scientist.
3626206
I read this book without the benefit of having read the first in the series.  As many have commented, it stands alone very well; however, it would definitely have helped knowing the backgrounds of the characters and their relationships.  I plan on reading the first (except, strangely, it's not out in Kindle version).

Elliot Smith is an independently wealthy man in his 30s who restores old buildings.  The problem with his newest renovation is that there is a ghost (Aaron) who will not leave the premises until Elliott is able to solve the mystery of what happened to Aaron's lover/partner, Bill.  Aaron is haunting the newly renovated building that Elliott is wanting to sell and, therefore, he realizes that Aaron won't allow him to sell until Bill's mystery is solved.  It would appear that Bill just left their house one day and never returned.  Aaron died shortly thereafter--before he found out what happened to Bill.  To say anymore would risk ruining for others.

This is a fun read.  Although the plot gets a bit complicated, it's not a difficult read at all.  There is something very comfortable and engaging about the characters and their interaction.  To me, this is not a gay book.  This is a mystery where the main characters happen to be gay.  There is some occasional sexual innuendo but nothing that would offend the "run of the mill" straight reader (in other words, not for the Rush Limbaughs of the world).  I heartily recommend.
1200627
Welcome back to the bizarre world of John Loveheart Esq. in The Contrary Tale of the Butterfly Girl by Ishbelle Bee - the sequel to The Singular and Extraordinary Tale of Mirror and Goliath.  This is Victorian England as youve never seen it  unless of course youve read Bees first novel.  Although this second book in the series offers a few new very interesting twists to her world.

Early on in this book we are introduced to a character who is described as a demonic multi-tasker. (I laughed out loud when I read this scene; youll love it). We meet him as he is blissfully perusing dungeon equipment and lauding the fact that people invented it, not demons and he says you make me smile.  Here is our heros nemesis in all his deranged, pure evil, glory.

Our hero?  Well, Mr Loveheart is back!  He is still a wonderfully psychotic hero with a penchant for drama and an obsessive sweet tooth for pastries, sponges and custard tarts. Our dear deranged Mr Loveheart is lonely - he seeks a queen with a good sense of humour. Fond of cakes. Mad as a kilt.  When he finds his dream girl, he must not only win her, but save her.  He parades through the novel displaying his outrageous fashion sense and wielding a sword trying to defeat our mega multi-tasking demon.  He is aided in his mission by the return of Detective White and Constable Walnut of Scotland Yard.  These two are essentially the straight men to Loveheart and they really do help make this a fun book.

Structurally, I found The Contrary Tale of the Butterfly Girl more fragmented than the The Singular and Extraordinary Tale of Mirror and Goliath. I found the multiple story threads were not quite as seamlessly integrated  although there was no problem with keeping track of the different POVs. It was merely that occasionally my reading experience was jarred by the transitions.  There was a battle in a church seemed a little too contrived  almost like Bee waved her wand to get out of a literary corner.  Although in a world so heavily laced with magic and with these characters perhaps they took control in their own inimitable fashion. These tiny issues were something I didn't notice with the first book. However despite this The Contrary Tale of the Butterfly Girl is an action packed, hilariously horrific, engrossing story that I could not put down  I loved it!

Bees brilliance in lies in, not only her bizarre world vision, but in the wonderfully deranged stream of consciousness that she writes for her hero and his nemesis.  Her style in these passages, complete with varying font sizes and placement, make for hilarious reading that I  found myself reading aloud with delight - again.  Keep watch for the incident with the cursed sapphire and Wales  another laugh out loud moment. (Oh who am I kidding? There were lots of laugh out loud moments!)

The ending resolves the main plot arcs here nicely,  but leaves things open nicely for a new adventure  I cant wait!
2471006
The second in the Cal Corwin series moves

along just as well as the first, with the added enjoyment of being somewhat familiar with the  protagonist. Diversity shows up in this book to broaden the readers outlook.