Rivers of London: A Recap and Review of a Super Fun Series

My friend Meghan told me a while ago to request Midnight Riot on audio from our library. So I did, and have been patiently working my way up the hold list. I blazed through the whole thing in just over a day about two weeks ago -- because Kobna Holdbrook-Smith does an AMAZING job of narrating all the different British accents in the story.

The basic premise of the series is that Peter Grant, a young constable with the Metropolitan Police, is shocked to discover that he's been talking to a ghost. And then things get even weirder, when a wizard shows up to explain to Peter that magic is real, and that he himself has latent magical ability. Soon apprenticed to the sorcerer, but simultaneously continuing his police work, Peter finds himself solving murders with "unusual" qualities to them.

The series is hilarious - full of tongue-in-cheek references to Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and other magical books; plus they're actually really good mysteries - with Grant narrating the typical way that police work is done in England (with some super amusing sarcastic asides). As his investigation into a series of murders goes on, he discovers links to Mama Thames (the goddess of the river), and her daughters - who include Fleet, Tyburn, and Beverly among others. (The sisters are all goddesses of minor London tributaries - hence the "Rivers of London" series - and British title of the first book. Not quite sure why they changed to Midnight Riot for the American edition.)

Book two, Moon Over Soho, found Peter and his sorcerer master investigating a series of deaths of jazz musicians. At one point he's theorizing why the musicians are dying, and he says he thinks it might be vampires who are feeding off the sound of the music. "You think there are vampires who feed off of jazz? JAZZ VAMPIRES??" I laughed out loud at the skeptical tone of voice. So great.

I'm 3/4 of the way through book 3, Whispers Underground, which is crazy, since I they're all around 11 hours long, and I stopped to listen to Naomi Novik's Uprooted in the middle! They really just are SO much fun on audio. I especially enjoy Peter's look at the world - his father is a white "cockney geezer" and jazz legend (which is partly how Peter got drawn into the events of Moon Over Soho), while his mother is a cleaning woman from West Africa, lending him a unique perspective on several different aspects of society in London. And, since I've visited London several times, I love reading about places I've been and streets I've walked.

If you like paranormal mysteries, or you're an Anglophile like me, you'll love these. And even if they're out of your normal comfort zone genre-wise, I really do recommend the audio versions extremely highly! I haven't read any in print, so they might not be quite as good without Holdbrook-Smith's superb narration, but I bet that they're still fun.

What audiobooks have YOU enjoyed lately?

Images are affiliate links. Thanks for supporting Quirky Bookworm.

Sum-Sum-Summertime Giveaway! (Two Books for You to Win!)

Summer has been here in Arizona for a while, but judging by social media, even Canada is warming up now!

So in honor of summer temperatures and schedules, here are two books for you to win! They're both light, fun reads, perfect for reading poolside, or on the beach.

The first is a novel set on Butternut Lake in Minnesota. Two sisters: straight-laced Win and free spirit Poppy, end up back at the cabin where, as children, they spent summers with their grandparents. What starts out as awkward ends up with both sisters discovering truths about themselves and each other (and meeting some handsome men along the way...). 

The second is a historical mystery set in Edwardian England. Fans of the Maisie Dobbs series are sure to enjoy Lady Frances Ffolkes, an intrepid suffragist. I particularly liked the relationship between Lady Frances and her maid, who assisted her in her investigation into the missing manuscript of a dead Boer War veteran.

To win one: leave a comment telling me which book sounds more interesting to you. Both books will be published on 6/14, so the giveaway closes that night. Then I'll contact the winning commenter on 6/15... and you will have 24 hours to get me your address in order to win BOTH books. US & Canada residents only please. (The publishers are kindly providing copies of the books to one of you... they also sent me copies for review, but all opinions are my own.)

6/16: Edited to announce the winner! Commenter #15 - Moira @ Hearth and Homefront. Congrats Moira, I'll be contacting you for your mailing details.

June 2016 Book Releases to Watch For

There are a bunch of really fun books coming out in June! I've already read a few early copies of some of them, but there are others I can't wait to check out!

Modern Lovers by Emma Straub*

I haven't read Straub's more famous book (The Vacationers), but I enjoyed this tale of midlife crisis and love. During a hot Brooklyn summer two couples (Elizabeth & Andrew and Zoe & Jane) discover that their kids are sleeping together. Elizabeth learns some shocking things about Andrew's past, and Zoe makes some surprising discoveries about her future with Jane.

The Space Between Sisters by Mary McNear*

Another summer novel; this one set on a Minnesota lake, where two very different sisters -- carefree Poppy and uptight Win -- must reconcile some difficult situations in their pasts while navigating new relationships with two handsome men.

Hogwarts Classics by J.K. Rowling

I never bought Tales of Beedle the Bard, but this new boxed set is so pretty I just might have to!

Duty and Honor by Tom Clancy

I know this one seems randomly off-brand for me, but in high school I went through a BIG Tom Clancy phase, and I usually read the new Jack Ryan novels eventually, mostly just out of nostalgia.

Outlander Kitchen by Theresa Carle-Sanders

This one kinda makes me laugh, not gonna lie. But it would be a good present for the Outlander addict in your life! (Because he/she has probably already ordered book 8 in the series, which also comes out in June.)

Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War by Mary Roach

I didn't enjoy Roach's Gulp, but I really liked Stiff, so I think I might give this new one a shot. I love this kind of light nonfiction.

Romeo and/or Juliet by Ryan North

This seems so fun! I read a choose-your-own-Austen adventure book a few years ago, and this seems similarly entertaining.

Death on the Sapphire by R.J. Koreto*

A fun historical mystery set in Edwardian England, starring suffragist Lady Frances Ffolkes as an intrepid amateur investigator. I really enjoyed this one - it was a bit reminiscent of the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear.

What books are YOU looking forward to?

*Shelf Awareness sent me these for review, but all opinions are my own. Also: cover images are affiliate links.

Book Review: A Brilliant Death by Robin Yocum

A few weeks ago I reviewed A Brilliant Death for Shelf Awareness. I really enjoyed this literary mystery, and was happy to see it at the top of a "new books" display at the library the other day. And then I got a nice email from Robin, thanking me for my Shelf review, which always makes me even more inclined to recommend a book! 

The book is set in a few different time periods. It starts out in the late 90s, then flashes back to the 70s, where the main part of the story takes place. But the story really began in 1953, when Amanda Baron and her presumed lover were killed in a boating accident on the Ohio River. 

Amanda's son, Travis, was only five months old at the time of her death, and his father, Frank Baron, a mean and violent man, tends to shut Travis up with his fists whenever he asks about his mom. Now a teenager, Travis is determined to get to the root of the rumors about Amanda and her alleged unfaithfulness, so he enlists his best friend, Mitchell Malone, to help him. Throughout their high school years, Mitch and Travis work on "Project Amanda" as they seek to uncover the truth about what happened so long before.

But then, in a shocking and eerie twist of fate, on graduation night in 1971, Travis, drunk after celebrating his status as salutatorian, drives off a bridge into the Ohio. Mitchell, crushed by the death of his friend, is left holding dangerous information about the fate of Amanda and has to decide what to do with it.

Part coming-of-age story, part cold-case mystery, A Brilliant Death does an excellent job of depicting life in an Ohio steel town. Robin Yocum (Favorite Sons, The Essay) has a knack for nuanced characters and spot-on dialogue.

The changing timeline as the story unfolds will keep the reader guessing about Amanda's fate until the end of the novel, and Yocum's deft portrayal of Travis and Mitch's friendship makes A Brilliant Death an altogether charming read, despite the dark story framing it.

I highly recommend it!

An Interview With M.J. Carter

Last month I got to interview M.J. Carter for Shelf Awareness. She writes a really fun Victorian mystery series (find my review of The Infidel Stain over at Shelf Awareness), and she had some awesome replies to my questions, so I thought you guys would be interested in the interview. 

M.J. Carter lives with her partner and two sons in London, about five miles from where she was born. After spending many years working for newspapers and writing lengthy nonfiction books (Anthony Blunt: His Lives; The Three Emperors), in 2010 she turned to fiction, beginning with the Blake and Avery series, set in the early years of Victoria's reign. The first was The Strangler Vine, and the second, The Infidel Stain (reviewed below), has just been published by Putnam.

Your Blake and Avery series is set during a transitional time in English history, as the railroad and the telegraph connected the world more quickly. What made you choose this era for your series of detective novels?

I think transitional periods are intrinsically compelling--there's an inherent friction as one period gives way to another. Some are left behind, some find it hard to adapt, and the new is both exciting and full of unforeseen consequences.

I find the first 13 years of Queen Victoria's reign (1837-1850) particularly fascinating. In the space of just a few years, horse and cart gave way to railways; letters to telegraph. London became the biggest city and the biggest trading centre the world had ever seen. There are lots of great things to write about: London journalism and its gutter roots; politics and sex; foreigners in London--from the Irish to Karl Marx; the amazing corruption and bank failures and bubbles of the mid-1840s. And the cultural climate changed too: the rowdier, less polite and socially more easy-going Georgian era gave way to the more prudish, less tolerant, preachy, money-oriented Victorian one. There were winners, and a lot of losers, especially among the poor. People were worried that the world was changing too fast.

I think there are fascinating parallels with the last 15 years, with the Internet and the growth of the global economy.

The first book, The Strangler Vine, is set in India, while the second, The Infidel Stain, takes place in London. Why did you move the series? Was the London setting easier to research?

I always knew I wanted to put my detective (or inquiry agent, as he's called) in London and write about Britain in the 1840s. Then I discovered the Thugs and the question of what they really were, and what the British did to them in India, and I really wanted to write about that. So I decided to start Blake off in India, with a sort of origins story. The frontiers of the British empire were places where people from unconventional or lowly backgrounds could find opportunity and reinvent themselves--rather like the American West. Also at this time, the British were just beginning to look upon the people in the countries they occupied as beneath them, but there were still places where the British could encounter different cultures and interact with them. I thought it was a perfect place for Blake to have got himself educated and trained and also to have become alienated from the less appealing parts of British society.

I went [to India] for two weeks with my family--frantically taking notes--read vast tomes, and had a really good time doing it. Then I put all of it into the book. I had to come back to England for the next book because I'd used up everything I knew about India!

As for whether it's easier to write about London, there's a great phrase: "the past is a foreign country"--all writing about the past, wherever you're locating it, involves rendering a time and place you will never be able to see for yourself.

Has the past become such a foreign country that modern London doesn't connect to your novels? Or do you wander the streets to help you with your writing?

I was up by the Strand just last week. I love walking in London and thinking about the layers of history that underlie what I'm looking at. Much of the topography in the bit I write about in The Infidel Stain is still the same, though the Strand is certainly not the glamorous street it was in the high Victorian period, and there's almost nothing left of any buildings from the 1840s, though there are still a few theatres and a couple of publishers. The area where the lowlife Holywell and Wych streets were located was cleared at the beginning of the 19th century and replaced by new streets and a large crescent, but the two churches around it are still there, as is the rather beautiful old Theatre Royal in Drury Lane.

There are many tragic instances of social injustice in The Infidel Stain, and some of them (such as transportation for minor crimes) seem especially appalling to modern sensibilities. Is it important to you to highlight social injustice in your books, or is it a natural byproduct of writing about the era?

I partly want to give readers a sense of what the world was like at that time, in particular what would shock us but was regarded as quite acceptable then. It's easy to romanticize the past, especially this period, which is absolutely what we think of as Dickensian England. I think if you're writing about a period, part of your job is to give a really vivid sense of the sensibilities of the time--it's both interesting and important to know what attitudes we share with that time and what was different. I must admit also that I did want to write about some of the more horrible conditions in which people lived. The books are meant to be implicitly political--but not overstatedly so.

Blake and Avery are an engagingly disparate duo--Avery's upper-class naiveté is a nice foil for the brilliant, curmudgeonly, working-class Blake. Is one of them more fun to write than the other?

Avery comes easier to write, he's so fallible and reminds me a bit of me. Blake is really a fantasy character--cool, silent, brilliant, and therefore harder to make credible and very much not like me. But actually I love writing him more, even though it's a bit harder.

There are tantalizing hints of trouble in Avery's personal life in The Infidel Stain. Can we expect to find out more about his life and marriage in the future?

Ooooh, yes.

Wow, speaking of tantalizing hints! Anything more specific about what you're working on now?

I'm almost at the end of the third Blake and Avery novel, which will be called The Devil's Feast. It is set in London again, but in high-end London, in the gentlemen's clubs of Pall Mall. It's about food and one of the first celebrity chefs, a Frenchman called Alexis Soyer (who features briefly in The Infidel Stain), who really did exist. He was a genius, and having made himself the most famous chef in the London, he organised a soup kitchen to help in the Irish famine. He completely re-organised the provisioning of the British army and invented a portable gas stove that was used by the British army until 1950s.

After that, I'm toying with putting Blake and Avery on one of the new iron ships that Isambard Kingdom Brunel invented for the Atlantic crossing from Britain to the U.S. in the 1840s and maybe sending them to New York. But it's all up in the air right now.

Do YOU like Victorian mysteries?

Book Review: Benjamin Black's Even the Dead

This is one of those times that I'm really glad I didn't judge a book by its cover. The cover of Even the Dead looks vaguely goth-y to me, but the book isn't at all. It's the seventh novel in the Quirke series by Benjamin Black, and it quickly draws readers in--even readers new to the series. Quirke has been on leave from his pathology duties for two months, as he recuperates from a psychological semi-breakdown. Dublin is sweltering in the summer heat when a young man named Leon Corless dies in a fiery car crash. At first glance it seems like suicide, but Quirke's assistant pathologist is doubtful, and calls the big man back in to examine Corless's body.

After getting a glimpse, Quirke is drawn inexorably into the investigation. He and Inspector Hackett quickly discover that Corless had both a Communist father and a mysteriously vanished (and possibly pregnant) girlfriend. In looking into the death, Quirke is unwittingly bringing himself back into the orbit of an old foe, and potentially endangering those he loves most.

Reminiscent of the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear or Charles Todd's Ian Rutledge series, Even the Dead is a slow-paced, psychologically introspective mystery. Set in the close-minded, very Catholic milieu of 1950s Dublin, it's a glimpse into an era difficult to imagine now. Benjamin Black (a pseudonym of John Banville) has a gift for finely drawn characters and small details. And Quirke's undeniable eccentricity lends him an irresistible charm that will keep the reader engaged until the very end.

I want to try and find time to go back and read the earlier entries in the series! I'm all caught up on Maisie Dobbs (well, except for the latest one), and I kind of burned out on Ian Rutledge, so I'm interested to have a new, quiet series to read.

Have YOU read Benjamin Black?

I originally wrote most of this review for Shelf Awareness. And the image is an affiliate link, thanks for supporting Quirky Bookworm!

Book Review: Angels Burning by Tawni O'Dell

I'm not going to lie - I tend to judge Oprah Book Club Picks by their covers. So I'd never read Tawni O'Dell's more famous book: Back Roads. But when Shelf Awareness sent me Angels Burning I decided to give it a try, and I'm so glad I did!

Angels Burning is a rather sad literary mystery set in Appalachian Pennsylvania. Reminiscent of many a scene from FX's television drama Justified, the suspense in Angels Burning revolves around the truculent Truly clan (who kept making me think of the Crowes from Justified).

Chief of police Dove Carnahan is appalled by the brutal murder of a teenage girl, whose charred body is found stuffed into a burning sinkhole in an abandoned mining town. The girl is soon identified as a member of the Truly family--notorious for their heavy drinking, frequent jail time and many out-of-wedlock babies.

As Dove works with the state police to coordinate the investigation (which is way too high-level for her small-town team), she keeps having flashbacks to the murder of her own mother 35 years earlier. Delving into the dark secrets of the Trulys means that Dove risks exposing the secrets of her family, too.

Tawni O'Dell has created an enigmatic and engaging story, filled with the realistic, quotidian sadness often found in blue-collar towns on an economic downswing. Dove Carnahan is a supremely likable character: a slightly mouthy, rather clothes-obsessed, intelligent and intuitive middle-aged woman. Dove's insight into the machinations of the Trulys is keen, and O'Dell's ability to capture small-town angst and envy is superlative. Even readers who don't typically like mysteries are sure to enjoy this gem of a novel.

We're halfway through season six of Justified, so don't tell me how it ends! But hopefully it's a bit like Angels Burning - with a little happiness in the midst of the sadness.

Have YOU read Tawni O'Dell before?

Quick Lit: Six Books I'm Eagerly Anticipating in 2016

There are some GREAT books coming out this year! I'm so excited for so many of them. I thought I would give you a quick heads-up about some of the ones I'm particularly excited about, so that if you haven't read the earlier books in the series, you can hurry and catch up.

Journey to Munich by Jacqueline Winspear

I just finished A Dangerous Place, and it sets up the next book so nicely. Maisie is in a tricky place in her personal life, and the German threat is looming large. I'm really excited to read Journey to Munich and see where the story goes.

The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

I have had this pre-ordered since March 4, 2015. The publication date has gotten moved back a couple of times, but it had BETTER not change again. I've got my calendar marked for April 26th! I'm SO eager for the end of this series, Maggie Stiefvater is my one of my favorites, and I adored the first three books!

Morning Star by Pierce Brown

The first book (Red Rising) was completely amazing. I didn't like Golden Son quite as well. But I'm really hoping that this sci fi trilogy wraps up well.

The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkoski

This is a really fun YA fantasy trilogy, with a setting clearly inspired by ancient Rome. I enjoyed the first two, and I'm looking forward to the third.

Garden of Lamentations by Deborah Crombie

Deborah's 16th book, To Dwell in Darkness, ended with quite a cliffhanger, so I've been eagerly anticipating the her new book. I'm so happy to see they've just released the title and cover. But I'm a little bummed I have to wait all the way till August! [Do you remember when I got lost and drove her around in circles? I hope she comes back to the TFOB this year!]



Untitled by Liane Moriarty

I can't wait for Moriarty's newest book this summer. I read 5 of her 6 books last year, and I'm on hold for the 6th one. My favorite was Big Little Lies, but they're all really fun. 

What books are YOU looking forward to?

I'm planning to link up with Quick Lit... although I totally forgot last month, so we'll see, haha. And the cover images are my affiliate links. Thanks for supporting Quirky Bookworm!

Book Review: Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling)

Robert Galbraith has written another excellent hardboiled mystery. Violent and brilliant, Career of Evil continues the story of private detective Cormoran Strike--the one-legged, illegitimate son of a famous rock star, forced to leave active service after being blown up in Afghanistan. His secretary turned partner, Robin Ellacott, is understandably appalled when she receives a parcel from a courier, and it turns out to contain a woman's severed leg.

Cormoran and Robin begin staking out the men whom Cormoran believes could be responsible for sending the leg. ("You know four men who'd send you a severed leg? Four?" Robin queries in horror.) Hampered by a lack of support from the police, by the difficulty of tracking down the suspects' whereabouts across England, and by complications in Robin's personal life (her jealous fiancé hates that she works for Cormoran), the two are in a deadly race to uncover the truth as the killer continues his gory work, mutilating and killing more women.

Writing under the Galbraith nom de plume, J.K. Rowling's genius shines through, and fans of dark mysteries are sure to enjoy Career of Evil. An excellent blend of creepy details and relationship struggles, with Cormoran's bizarre childhood and Robin's own past coming into play, Career of Evil is a great mystery with two vastly different but equally likable protagonists. Galbraith does a superb job of making multiple men seem like possible suspects, keeping the reader guessing until the very last pages.

This is a really, really good mystery. I was seriously SO surprised by part of the ending, and that rarely happens to me, since I read so many mysteries. If you haven't read The Cuckoo's Calling or The Silkworm though, I'd recommend going back and catching up first. Career of Evil reveals quite a bit about Robin and Cormoran's personal lives, and the revelations are even more awesome if you're familiar with the backstory from the first two books.

Are YOU a Galbraith fan?

I originally wrote most of this review for Shelf Awareness. 

The Legacy of Henning Mankell

Photo of Mankell found here.

Henning Mankell passed away at the beginning of October, and last week I was able to write a little about his legacy for Shelf Awareness. Although Mankell (1948-2015) was open about his tough fight with cancer, I was still saddened to hear of his death. His many books have connected with a legion of loyal readers over the years, and his writing will be sorely missed.

Not afraid to criticize political stances he did not agree with--especially those of right-wing, anti-immigration groups--and to speak openly about social issues in his books, Mankell was clearly influenced by both his Swedish heritage and the many years he spent in Mozambique.

The Shadow Girls shares the story of three young refugees trying to find their way in Sweden. It offers a timely look at questions of immigration, faith and family that Sweden (and the rest of Europe) are currently facing.

The Eye of the Leopard follows Hans Olofson, a Swedish man who takes up farming in Zambia. Exploring the relationship between native workers and white farmers, as well as issues of mental instability and childhood tragedy, it's one of Mankell's many tense, psychological thrillers.

The Man from Beijing is a huge, sprawling novel, with a plot that moves from a hideous massacre in modern Sweden, to big business in China, to a tragic moment in the past, when workers built the transcontinental railroad across the U.S. The disparate themes are brilliantly combined as Mankell weaves a shocking and unforgettable story.

Beginning with Faceless Killers, all of the books in Mankell's Kurt Wallander series are Scandinavian crime noir at their finest. Wallander's status as an emotionally distant anti-hero of a detective seems almost clichéd now, because Mankell's influence on other fictional detectives--perhaps including such greats as Arnaldur Indriðason's Erlendur and Jo Nesbø's Harry Hole--has been so profound.

Mankell's influence doesn't end with Scandinavia, however: Spain's Antonio Hill, New Zealand's Paul Thomas and South Africa's Deon Meyer are among the many writers creating flawed, generally alcoholic, but undeniably shrewd detectives. The legacy of Henning Mankell lives on.

Which is a big relief to me, because I'm genuinely sad I'll never get to read another new Mankell book!

Are YOU a Mankell fan?

Quick Lit: What I've Been Reading

Woohoo, I'm so glad I'm not in my book slump anymore. I've been on quite a good little run - lots of mystery and YA stuff though, so I'm thinking I need to branch out a bit! Here are some quick looks at what I've been reading.

The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King. This is the first book in a Sherlockian series - starring a teenager named Mary Russell, the young protegee of the middle-aged Sherlock Holmes. I liked it, but I didn't totally love it. I think I'll read one more in the series before I make a full decision.

Half Magic by Edward Eager. Somehow I missed this book as a kid! It's very E. Nesbit-y, and actually references E. Nesbit a couple of times. A really fun, easy to read fantasy novel, about four siblings who find a magic coin that grants half your wishes. There was a tiny bit of almost-racism (stereotypes about Native Americans, Arabs, vegetarians, etc), but it was pretty subtle for a book published in the 1950s.

Devil of Delphi by Jeffrey Siger. The book's description says, "Think Breaking Bad, Greek style", and that's pretty accurate - except it's moonshine and Athens instead of meth and Albuquerque. Fast-paced, violent, and surprisingly funny.

Trickster's Choice by Tamora Pierce. When I mentioned this book in my reading plan for September, I said that I wasn't totally loving it. But once I got past the slightly clunky world-building at the beginning, I ended up loving it. Aly is an adventurous and likeable heroine, and there were some really funny and clever moments in the book. I've started the sequel, Trickster's Queen, and it's really good too. I just wish they had better covers! I'm not a fan of the cover art and oddly tiny title.

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry. This one isn't as good as The Giver, but I thought it was interesting how the dystopian society in this book went in the opposite direction from the one in The Giver - being ruled by ignorance and temper and violence rather than kindness and technology and assimilation.

The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz. This continuation of Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy was pretty good. It wasn't quite as mesmerizing as the original books, but I enjoyed it, and it was fun to revisit Mikael and Lisbeth.

What have YOU been reading?

(Cover images are my affiliate links, thanks for supporting Quirky Bookworm. Planning to link up with Modern Mrs. Darcy.)