Wednesday, May 14, 2008

2008 books 64, 65, 66

Sandra Dallas' Buster Midnight's Cafe
I read this after seeing that Susie Cupcakes enjoyed it (and because I remembered liking Dallas' more recent novel Tallgrass). This was a fun read--an aging woman in small-town Montana reminisces about her childhood growing up with a girl who became a famous Hollywood actress/sexpot and a boy who became a champion boxer--and the murder the two were involved in. I really liked the characters, but a few days later I was trying to remember what book I'd just read and couldn't. Still, A-.

Lee Martin's River of Heaven
At first I really enjoyed this--an elderly man builds an awesome house for his dog, befriends his neighbor, reflects on the death of a childhood friend, etc . . . but the ending was just SO outlandish. It was billed as a mystery but really wasn't. B.

Michele Martinez's Notorious
I rediscovered this advance copy from ALA and told my mom about it--it turns out she's a big Martinez fan, so of course I had to read it. It's clearly the second or third book in a series, but I didn't feel like I was missing too much. It's about a woman who's a federal prosecutor (as Martinez once was) whose opposing counsel on a case involving a prominent rapper is assassinated right in front of her. As in most mysteries, lots of adventures ensue. An enjoyable read, on the whole. B+.

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