Tuesday Book Review on Wednesday

  

Five-star review of The Mapmaker’s Apprentice by C.J. Archer 

As with the first book in this series, I was in the middle of two other books when I started this one and I ignored them until I’d finished this one. It was even better than the first. A young mapmaker’s apprentice has gone missing, and Glass and Steel are asked to find him. India’s hand warms when she touches one of the exquisite maps the apprentice drew, telling her it’s magical, and so is he. Meanwhile, Matt’s Aunt Letitia is trying to arrange a marriage between him and every eligible young woman with at least a little noble blood. Matt’s pals, Cyclops and Duke and his cousin, Willie, join in the fun through the main parts of London in Victorian times. This story involves another guild, this one for mapmakers, as well as the desire to keep their magical abilities secret due to the antipathy of non-magical people.

Tuesday Book Reviews

 Five-star review of A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

 I’d heard of this book but didn’t get it to read until a friend invited me to join her and her book club for a discussion about it. The style is unlike any other book I’ve read but fits in a story about Russia from the 1920’s to the 1950’s. I recognized places in Moscow mentioned in the book, although I didn’t visit the Metropole hotel when I was there almost fifty years after the story ended. Alexander transforms from a Count to just an ordinary bloke, but one with a full life is thanks to his childhood training and adaptability. It’s his relationships with the hotel staff and with the two girls in his life that make the read most enjoyable. I don’t know how accurate the historical parts of the story are, but they don’t seem too far off from what I know.

Tuesday Book Review

 Four-star review of Sideris Gate: Paradisi Chronicles by Cheri Lasota

 This is a great start to a space opera. After the ten ships built to carry the Founders, read riches families who paid for the construction, left the dying Earth, the eleventh ship, reserved by contract for the workers of the Reach Corporation readied to leave. But when Solomon Reach the engineer who owned the company learned that Command Control planned to replace 3,000 of the Reachers with their own family and friends, he sets out to ensure his people are the ones to go. There’s a lot of intrigue but more scrambling through passages between the decks. I’ve enjoyed other books about the Paradisi Project, but this tells the story from a different angle.

Tuesday Book Review

 Four-star review of Devil’s Corner by Lisa Scottoline

 At first, I couldn’t get into this book by one of my favorite writers, but it built and built. I especially enjoyed the development of the friendship between Vicki and Reheema, certainly more than the relationship with Dan. The idea that someone trained as a lawyer would take the chances she did was a bit surprising, but there wouldn’t be a story without that. She wouldn’t have been able to connect dots. I liked her parents at the end, and I guess she did too, but rather than Vicki telling us about them early on, I would have liked to see more of their interactions with her. The mix of murder, drugs and guns leads to a complicated plot.

 

 Five-star review of Maids of Misfortune by M. Louisa Locke

I thoroughly enjoyed Locke’s foray into science fiction with her Ddaera trilogy and was glad to see her sense of humor again in this historical mystery. Billed as a Victorian San Francisco Mystery doesn’t do it enough justice. Annie Fuller, a young widow whose husband lost any money they had and then committed suicide, finds herself the proprietress of a mansion that has been turned into a boarding house. There, as clairvoyant Sybil to earn extra money, she advises gentlemen about how to invest their funds based on a study of business conditions. When a client, Matthew Voss, is murdered, one of Voss’s lawyers comes looking for Sybil because Voss left her stocks. Annie becomes involved in the case and with the lawyer, disguising herself even more to act as a maid in Voss’s home. This is the first book in a long series. I look forward to reading more about Annie, her boarders and staff, and the lawyer, Nate.

 

Four-star review of Hidden Prey by John Sandford

 Very interesting and action-packed entry in Sandford’s Prey series about Lucas Davenport. The plausibility that a Russian group, living in northern Minnesota may still be loyal to their Communist beginnings made it more than interesting. I liked the fact that the story wasn’t neatly tied up in a bow, not because this isn’t the end of the series, but because it made it true to life. Bureaucracy and politics prevent easy solutions. I also liked that the woman who was homeless at the beginning evaded being caught up in the drama. Finally, I like that Lucas is not a know-it-all. He makes mistakes in his thinking. He gets sidetracked. And he doesn’t always get cooperation of those he works with.

Five-star review of Through Ddaera’s Touch by M. Louisa Locke 

Although a few thread are left dangling after the end of this third book of the Caelestis Trilogy of the Paradisi Chronicles, it still is a satisfying ending. The development of the relationship of Mei Lin and Jaxon, the wonderful sentient Daeran animals and hybrids, and the cooperation among the Daerans, the Challenger passengers and at least some of the original settlers all contribute to the enjoyment. Although there are a few other Paradisi Chronicle books, I hope there’s another series coming where Mei Lin’s brother Albert gets his due and she shows everyone why her great grandmother made Mei Lin her heir. I also want to know what caused the psychic abilities of a few of the characters, perhaps from Dr. Eleanor’s viewpoint.