mini review catch up time!
Clare Vengel is a first year police officer in Toronto. She is sent undercover at a University as a poli-sci major to find out if any students or teachers are involved in the string of political murders. The narrative moves between Clare, a teacher that is a suspect, and a journalist that is in contact with "Utopia Girl", who may be the killer.
This was not a bad debut, Clare has some definite possibilities if this takes off as a series. She is not a by the book girl and has her own baggage but is rather likable. The plot was interesting and there were plenty of suspects to choose from.
my rating
3.75 stars
In Charlotte , NC, DR Temperance Brennan has to mysterious corpses to identify, both who seem to be a result of some Satanic killing. Brennan doesn't think so but the local press and a loud mouth politician seem intent on scaring the public.
I have read a few of Reichs' novels and is this is not one of my favorites. Temperance seems off her game and there are too many coincidences. I think I also prefer the ones that take place in Montreal. I did like the discussion between Satanic religions and other religions that are mistaken as Satanic but are not, such as Wicca and Voo-doo and Santeria. The plot was decent, lots of twists and turns. Normally I like when Brennan works with Andrew Ryan in Montreal and he makes an appearance in this book but it seemed gratuitous. I preferred cranky Slidell for this book.
my rating
3.5 stars
This was my first Kate Atkinson book and I'm not sure what to think. It starts 30 years ago with the random slaughter of a mother and two of her children, the third one got away. Present time, we have Jackson Brody a PI making his third appearance in one of her novels. He is in a train wreck and saved by 16 year old Reggie Chase, the nanny working for Joanna Hunter, the child that escaped death so many years ago. The killer has been releases on parole, but goes missing after the train wreck. Joanna also disappears though her husband denies it. Reggie ropes Jackson into looking into this, though he doesn't believe anything mysterious has happened. Reggie also called the police and DCI Louise Munroe is involved and she happens to be a former lover of Brody's.
I am not sure if I would have liked this book as much if not for the character of Reggie. Reggie is an orphan and adores Joanna and her baby, though never lets on her dire circumstances. Reggie is the character that pulls this whole story together and made it worth reading despite some of the not-too-believable coincidences. She brought heart into the novel and made me care about the rest of the lot. And though this was a mystery, it took half of the book before it started to pick up. The beginning seemed to be all ground work, some not necessary. I don't think I will read the next Brody book because Reggie won't be in it.
my rating
4 stars
