The Gourmet Detective

The Gourmet Detective goes from place to place on behalf of restaurants to find uncommon ingredients for uncommon recipes. In this book he is asked by the police to use his knowledge of the restaurant business to help sniff out a killer.

The reason that I bought this book was because I had seen the movie and enjoyed it immensely. The characters were very different in the book and I didn't like them as much as in the movie. In the movie, there was delious tension between our gourmet detective and the female detective. The book fails to convey this tension, which only adds to the mystery. 
If you like reading about gourmet food and how it's prepared, this is your book.
While I give the movie four stars, the book receives only one.

Ashes to Ashes

Ashes to Ashes, by Tami Hoag, was published in 1999 by Bantam Books. Ms. Hoag has written over thirty books. She has taken her readers on different paths by writing several different series, including Kovac and Liska. This series is comprised of five, nail biting thrillers. Ashes to Ashes is the first of this series.

When the Cremator kills, he chops off the victim’s head. Then, he makes a fire, and throws her on it. Then, staring with delight at his prize, he says, “Ashes to ashes.” At first, he seemed to strike only prostitutes. But when he kills Jillian Bondurant, the daughter of a very important, very rich business man, Peter Bondurant, Kate Conlan and John Quill work around the clock to find this madman.  They both are strong characters and very much the same, so, in the past, when these two worked together, it did not go well. 

This book had me from the first page to the last. When we first meet Kate, we find out just how tough she can get, when she stops a mugging. And that is just the first page. From there on in, Ms. Hoag takes you further and further away from the safety of your home and into the depths of depravity. I give Ashes to Ashes and its’ star performers 5 stars. I would certainly suggest it to those who love a good mystery/thriller.

Hello Again!

I am very pleased to be back from the international writing event, NaNo.  You may notice that D's Bookshelves has a new look; one that I hope you will like.

NaNoWriMo

I am taking a break from everything, including reading.  I'm participating in National Novel Writing Month, in which I have 30 days to write 50,000 words toward writing my novel.

See you in December!

Dust to Dust by Tami Hoag

“Dust to Dust” is the second book of the Kovac and Liska series.  This series is a collection of fast-paced murder mysteries.  This book, as with all of Ms. Hoag’s work, is full of twists and turns.

Both Kovak and Liska are seasoned cops in the homicide department.  They have their own rules, but as they are consistent in bring the bad guy to justice, their superiors often look the other way instead of questioning their methods.

This time, they are working on a closed case against orders from Internal Affairs (IA).  The warnings and threats fell on deaf ears as they tear into this murder that was ruled a suicide.  Opening the case causes all kinds of havoc, including the suicide of the victim’s father.  Or was it another murder?

Each of the books in this series are able to stand alone, but I wouldn’t want to miss one of Kovak and Liska’s stories.  I give this story 5 stars, as it kept me going up to the very end.

The Case of the Discontented Soldier by Agatha Christie

Parker Pyne is at it again.  Ms. Christie’s “social worker of yesteryear” is answering the needs of a soldier who was bored with his life.  Major Wilbraham has just returned from East Africa and he is dissatisfied with his life in the slow lane.  He needs excitement.  As usual, Mr. Pyne provides what his customer needs.

The Major saves a damsel in distress, and fell head-over-heels for this gorgeous creature.  As the day goes on, they find themselves embroiled in a life or death situation.  Of course, the Major is a gentleman and not afraid of danger, so he is called upon again, to save the day. Unbeknownst to him, he was living out a plot that was written by another well-known character in Ms. Christie’s imagination: Miss Oliver, the apple eating writer. 

This was a fast read and very fun story.  I give it 4 stars.

The Case of the Middle-aged Wife

Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple are old friends of mine.  This short story by Ms. Christie, features Parker Pyne as her new main character.  I found this story delightful and light, but definitely veering away from the normal Christie mystery.  I didn’t find the mystery or the murder in this book. 

Parker Pyne has a strange business; to make others who are unhappy, happy.  The unfulfilled wife, Mrs. Packington, answers an ad that Parker put in the newspaper; “Are you happy?  If not, contact Mr. Parker Pyne, 17 Richmond Street."  Our Mrs. Packington nervously goes to see Mr. Pyne and is immediately swept away on a fantasy affair set up just for her.

This story was an extra fast read and written in Agatha Christie’s style, though not in the same genre.  I give this story 4 stars and would suggest it to anyone over thirteen years old, as it is very “clean” and entertaining.