Tag Archives: Crime

The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith

British Literature December 14, 2013 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: When a childhood friend asks PI Cormoran Strike to investigate the suspicious-looking suicide of his supermodel sister, Strike battles personal demons in order to revive his career and prevent the killer from striking again. Review: I am really, really picky when it comes to crime novels. I don’t love the genre in its own right, and I’m not generally a fan of recurring detectives. However, I’m desperately hoping that JK Rowling is planning to write more murder mysteries featuring Cormoran Strike because I just…

Cartwheel by Jennifer DuBois

American Literature November 23, 2013 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: When exchange student Lily Hayes is accused of murdering her roommate in suburban Buenos Aires, her every move falls under scrutiny from her father and the prosecutor in charge of the investigation, and what seemed like childish impulsivity now appears sociopathic, even to those who loved her. Review: I devoured Cartwheel in almost on sitting. I haven’t been one to follow any of the high-profile cases the book is based on, such as Amanda Knox, but I find Lily Hayes to be the kind…

Save Yourself by Kelly Braffet

American Literature August 14, 2013 Superfast Reader 2 Comments

Synopsis: When Patrick called the cops on his drunk-driving dad after a hit and run, he turned into one of the most hated people in the area, but he’s not prepared for the force of nature that is Layla, a wayward preacher’s daughter involved with a dangerous goth crowd, or the feelings he develops for his brother’s girlfriend, and either one could explode at any moment. Review: Save Yourself was a meaty thriller with fabulous characters and heart-clutching emotional suspense. The best thing about the…

A Great Deliverance by Elizabeth George

British Literature August 7, 2013 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: When a young woman is suspected of murdering her father, a mismatched team of detectives, both haunted by their own ghosts, seek out the truth and risk losing themselves. Review: I am very picky about the detective novels I will read, and A Great Deliverance had everything I look for–emphasis on character over procedure, excellent sense of place, and complicated interpersonal dynamics. The story was definitely dark but not edgy, which I also like, and I fell in love with the partnership between public…

The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes

American Literature June 11, 2013 Superfast Reader 2 Comments

Synopsis: Time travel makes a vicious serial killer unstoppable, but when one of his “shining girls” survives, the paradoxes in her case send her looking in the right direction, even as the killer grows more disorganized and deadly. Review: The Shining Girls is, quite simply, a great crime story with time travel element that probably has Stephen King kicking himself for not thinking of it first. In 1932, Harper has found a house filled with shining objects, and when he steps outside he can will…

Blood Moon by Alexandra Sokoloff (The Huntress/FBI Thrillers)

American Literature May 15, 2013 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: This sequel to Huntress Moon follows Special Agent Roarke as he tracks a female serial killer who sets prostitutes and abused children free from their captors, while wondering if a cold case holds the secrets to her deadly sojourn. Review: Blood Moon was an outstanding follow up to Huntress Moon and I cannot wait to find out what happens next. I only like crime when the writing is top notch and often I find that most crime novels rely on sensationalistic descriptions of crime…

A Cold and Lonely Place by Sara J. Henry

American Literature February 5, 2013 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: When her roommate’s sort of boyfriend’s body is discovered frozen in a lake, a journalist struggles to separate personal from professional while pursuing the truth behind what might have been murder. Review: A Cold and Lonely Place is steeped in character and setting, much like the novels of my beloved Tana French. I only wish the mystery itself had been stronger and richer. I never really connected with Troy, the main character, perhaps because I haven’t read the previous book.

Luthecker by Keith Domingue

American Literature December 2, 2012 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Gifted with prescience borne of his preturnatural ability to make the most minute observations possible about people, Alex Luthecker lives in the criminal underworld, until an impulsive choice to save a strange woman’s life by revealing her future to her exposes him and puts him in jeopardy from the government and criminals alike. Review: Luthecker is a fast-paced, aggressively plotted book with a compelling protagonist whose abilities confound and terrify. I think that anyone who likes crime novels should pick this one up, because…

The St. Zita Society by Ruth Rendell

British Literature August 24, 2012 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: When the servants of the residents of a tony London neighborhood get together to try to improve their collective lot, they have no way of knowing that their cozy way of life is about to explode–thanks to the secrets they’re all protecting. Review: The St. Zita Society took some time for me to warm up to it, mainly because there was no one I felt like I could connect with. But Rendell is such a brilliant writer that she kept me interested, and when…

The Vault by Ruth Rendell (Inspector Wexford)

British Literature August 3, 2012 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: An underground vault with four bodies is found underneath a picturesque London home–and one of them was put in there much later. Review: I love Ruth Rendell but I was really bored by The Vault, a sequel of sorts to A Sight for Sore Eyes, which I really enjoyed. I think it’s that I don’t really care for Inspector Wexford as a character. I’ve read a few of those books and I haven’t liked a single one. I also found the mystery just not…

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