Review: Boar Island

Boar Island by Nevada Barr
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

While Anna Pigeon, obviously, is part of the story, she is not the focus of this installment. A friend of hers, Heath, has decided to spend some time on Boar's Head Island in Acadia National Park where Anna is temporarily assigned. Heath's high school daughter has recently been the victim of an attempted sexual assault and is currently being cyber-bullied and cyber-stalked. At the same time, one of the park rangers discovers she has an identical twin sister whose husband has physically abused her. The two sisters decide to get revenge. The two situations eventually get tangled up together, and Anna's presence puts her in danger. I didn't like this book as much as others in the series. The plot felt a bit too contrived, and the motivations of most the characters seemed a bit farfetched.

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Review: Pennies On a Dead Woman's Eyes

Pennies On a Dead Woman's Eyes by Marcia Muller
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It's been quite a while since I'd read anything from this series, but it didn't take me long to re-orient myself. It did take me longer to read than I expected; I couldn't concentrate very long. That was due a lot more to personal circumstances than any fault of the book. I did find the plot a bit slow-moving, but the ending was a surprise to me.

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Review: The Calling

The Calling by Inger Ash Wolfe
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I almost abandoned this book. I had a hard time liking the lead character Hazel Micaleff, and the plot was pretty dark. However, I eventually got to the point where I wanted to know how Hazel made out, personally and professionally. The plot was almost too dark for me, too. I would say that the author did an excellent job setting the atmosphere for the plot, and a good job helping the reader understand the motivations of Simon, the "villain" of the book. I got interested enough in Hazel as a character by the end that I will probably look for book #2 - just not right away.

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Review: Presumption of Guilt

Presumption of Guilt by Archer Mayor
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a solid entry into the series. I like the characters, and I especially like the way Willy Kunkle has finally found a way to let some softness into his life through Sammie and his daughter. I also like the way the characters have been able to face some devastating challenges and lived through them, scars and all. I also enjoy the series because it's set not far from where I live, and although I don't live in Brattleboro, I recognize it. This book revolves around the discovery of a skeleton buried in the concrete floor of a warehouse that's being torn down at the now-shut Yankee nuclear plant. This discovery sets off a chain of events dating back 30 years to when the plant was built. One of Willy's informants is central to uncovering information that leads to the murderer. This book has less graphic violence in it than some of the others, which was also pleasant. Good story!

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Knitting Mojo is Back

I have finished several projects in the past month, after a slow summer.  Here they are:

1.  This is Mindy.

I originally knit a year or so ago, in a lovely purple varigated alpaca.  I washed it, and accidentally felted it. It had been by go-to sweater all last winter so I decided to make another one.  It took me 6 months, and unfortunately, during that 6 months I decided to lose 40 pounds.  Unfortunate because it's WAY too big now.  I'm not sure whether I'll frog the sweater or find someone to give it to.

2. These are Garter Rib Socks - a go-to pattern for me.

3.  Next up is a Medio Cowl by my favorite designer Laura Nelkin.

4.  And finally is another cowl by Laura Nelkin, the All-Ways Cowl.

I've started another sweater, Breezeway by Karen Hipksy. And I will probably do another All-Ways cowl or two for gifts.  We'll see.

Review: Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd

Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd by Alan Bradley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

While not my favorite in the series, I still enjoyed this outing with Flavia de Luce. She's returned from Canada to what is a very disappointing welcome: her father is in the hospital with pneumonia, and with the exception of Dogger, no one seems very thrilled to see her. She discovers a dead body while undertaking an errand for the vicar's wife, and of course, sets immediately to trying to figure out who the victim is and why the death has occurred. I enjoyed Flavia's excursions with Gladys, but there wasn't enough interaction with other characters. Flavia was a bit too introspective for me in this novel. She needs to play off characters more directly for the reader to experience her true "Flavia-ness".

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Review: The Body on the Beach

The Body on the Beach by Simon Brett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This started off slow, and I found it hard to like Carole, at least at first. However, by the end of the book, I liked her better. Carole is a retired Home Office administrator with very definite ideas on how a retired older woman should act, dress, and live. She has a new neighbor, Jude, who defies all of Carole's ideas of proper behavior, and in spite of her prejudices, she gradually comes to think of Jude as a friend. The two get acquainted and Carole's "properness" wears off as the two of them decide to investigate a possible murder. Carole has seen a dead body on the beach, but when the police can't find it, they write her off as a hysterical woman. The two women successfully figure out who the body is, where it is, and why it was on the beach. I will probably look for book #2 in the series at some point.

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