The Dispatcher by John Scalzi If someone wants to make the case that the novella is the perfect length for a sci-fi story, John Scalzi will undoubtedly find his work in the “pro” column. This novella takes a simple premise–murder victims come back to life–and explores it. The main character is a dispatcher, someone hired …
Tag: murder
Oct 16
Book Review: The Cuckoo’s Calling
The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith This is a good ol’ fashioned murder mystery with a private eye and a beautiful rich victim who jumped to her death. Or did she? As usual, I listened to this book instead of reading it, so I have to guess on the spelling of the names. Cormorant Strike …
Apr 11
Book Review: All Things Cease To Appear
All Things Cease to Appear by Elizabeth Brundage This was billed as a dark thriller, and it starts out as such when George Clare, a college professor, comes home from work to find his beautiful wife murdered by an axe. He’s portrayed sympathetically, and the reader is left to think that he probably didn’t do …
Apr 06
Book Review: The Passenger
The Passenger by Lisa Lutz I’d read Lisa Lutz’s THE SPELLMAN FILES and found them wacky madcap fun, so I decided to give this a chance. It starts out with a little of the zaniness of the other books, which didn’t suit the mood of the novel. This novel aims to be a very dark …
Mar 03
Book Review: The Talented Mr. Ripley
The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith This book is a classic for a reason. Groundbreaking in its time, its protagonist is a clever, amoral man whom we can’t help but root for, even as we despise him. Or maybe I’m speaking for myself. I wanted Tom Ripley to succeed. I shared his paranoia that …