The Rise by Ian Rankin

I have been a fan of Ian Rankin for many years, so I leaped to get this short story by him that was free for Amazon Prime members in October.

DI Jack Milton and DS Gillian Gish are on call when a murder occurs at an exclusive residential high-rise in London, aptly named The Rise. The highly wealthy inhabitants find themselves suspects, and some aren't very cooperative. The detectives must tread lightly to solve the murder.

This is a solid police procedural with a twist. Typical of Rankin, the murderer isn't apparent, and although a few clues are meted out, there aren't enough to figure out the whodunit in this intricate story—that part I didn't like. I felt like the author held back too much information--a fine line for a murder mystery, I admit, and one that often frustrates me. Overall, this is a good, solid read, and the price couldn't be beaten.

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Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby

 I love S.A. Cosby's books. Each is gritty, fast-paced, and has memorable characters.

Beauregard "Bug" Montage is struggling to be an honest man. His auto repair business competes with another business that undercuts his prices and drains away his customers. His bills are overdue, and he sees no way out. His one prized asset, a souped-up car inherited from his long-absent father, is something he won't sell despite his wife's pleadings. Considered the best wheelman on the East Coast, he is drawn in on a scheme to rob a jewelry store by an old acquaintance. Beauregard sees it as a chance to get ahead of his bills and obligations until he can get his business profitable again. Just one last get-away driving job, and he swears he will leave that life behind.

This is a character-driven thriller that is peppered with a cast of both good and disreputable people. I rooted for Beauregard to succeed in getting back on track and leaving the gangster life. Unfortunately, Bug was never sure he could, and, as a reader, I was also doubtful. Cosby is an excellent writer with a voice that is often overlooked. I've read all of his books and am continually amazed at the depth of his characters, both good and bad. I highly recommend this author. 4.5 stars.

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Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

I am always pleasantly surprised when a heavily hyped book lives up to my expectations. When I'm disappointed, I often wonder what's wrong with me--what am I not seeing? With this book, there was never any doubt about missing something; I don't like it when an author puts so many obstacles in the protagonist's path that it is downright depressing, which this was.

My problems with the book began with the writing. I don't usually mind first-person narratives, but this was so disjointed I could never get in a reading flow--I often had to go back and reread sentences/paragraphs to make sense of them u. I also tire of the characters continually exploiting the boy, Demon Copperhead.

What I liked about the main character was how he rolled with the punches. Despite his abuse in the social services system, he always seemed to make the best of it. I admit I stopped reading at about 80% when it was apparent that, once again, he was going to be led down a dark path; I couldn't take any more.

I don't usually review books I have not finished, but I had invested so much time in this book and had such strong feelings that I decided to put my thoughts down anyway. 2 stars.

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The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman

 

I wasn't sure Richard Osman could top The Thursday Murder Club, but this second book in the series is just as good.

Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim, and Ron are back together, with detectives Chris and Donna playing supporting roles in the Thursday Murder Club's newest adventure. Elizabeth's ex-husband shows up at the retirement village, hiding from the men from whom he stole 20 million pounds of diamonds. He is tracked down, and an attempt is made on his life, so he must find another place to hide while Elizabeth and the TMC try to figure out who is behind the attempts on his life.

Like the first book in the series, this is a fast-paced story with twists, turns, and multiple subplots--it is also highly entertaining. To my great satisfaction, Elizabeth's mysterious past and the other  character's lives are fleshed out more, helping the reader to get a better understanding of their motives. All-in-all, this is a wonderful addition to the series and I'm looking forward to the third book, The Bullet That Missed. 5/5 stars.

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The Future by Naomi Alderman

This author is new to me but I like a good apocalyptic story and this sounded like a good one. I was right; it is a good one.

The future looks grim: billionaires have secret retreats and "preppers" have a dominant Web presence. Everyone thinks the end of times is near. When survivalists Martha and Zhen meet and combine their knowledge, they see a dangerous situation when the ultra-rich look out for themselves at the expense of civilization. They and a small group of survivalist friends decide to take action. Besides their retreats, a select few of the richest of the rich also have software telling them how and when to escape. This software also mysteriously appears on Zhen's phone giving her inside information but also raising questions: who sent it to her and why? And what is most important, is there time to fix things?

This story took off with a bang and grabbed me with its good versus evil idea but it got bogged down a bit in the middle with the over-my-head descriptions of software and algorithms to predict the future. It did pick up again, however, and I enjoyed the cat-and-mouse games that played out. The writing is excellent and the plot is just far-fetched enough to be believable. 3.5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is November 7, 2023.

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Weyward by Emilia Hart

This book seemed to be everywhere I looked. It was hyped so much, that I knew I had to read it to see why everyone was so enthralled. Well, I think I figured it out but I can't say I agree with most of the opinions about this book.

This is a family saga of strong women whose connection with nature lends them the name witches. In 1619, Altha is on trial accused of using her powers as a witch to cause the death of a local farmer. Fast forward to 1942: Violet is being virtually held hostage by her father and the strict society that governs her life. She yearns for a scientific education and the freedom her brother has but her father, saying he doesn't want her to be like her long-dead mother, shuts her away at their estate. In 2019, Kate is trapped in an abusive marriage in London when she receives word that her great-aunt Violet has died and left a rural cottage to her--just what she needs to start a new life.

That is how we meet the three women whose lives are alternately laid out in this story; they are connected by blood and the secrets they possess. I usually like stories that follow a family through generations, and this is no exception. I think the way the characters evolved as they realized their powers is good; the writing is excellent; the pacing and plotting are good. What I don't like is the portrayal of almost every male in the book: domineering and abusive--few kind men supported these women. I know there are women trapped in abusive relationships but this verged on the ridiculous. 3.5 stars.

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The Last Conversation by Paul Tremblay

 In my opinion, this is one of the best stories in the futuristic Forward collection.

When a man wakes up in terrible pain with no knowledge of who he is, where he is, or how he got there, and only the disconnected voice of Dr. Anne Kuhn to help him, he panics. It's Anne's job to help him emotionally, physically, and psychologically, and to do that she must gain his trust. And trust is something in short supply with this patient. Anne has all the answers but we the readers learn the truths along with the patient.

I do enjoy Paul Tremblay's books and this novella is an excellent addition to his catalog. He leads us on a twisty path of discovery all to answer Anne's final question: do you consent to the treatment? The answer does not disappoint. 4.5 stars.

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Randomize by Andy Weir

 Once again Andy Weir wows in this novella about supercomputing and the gambling industry.

A new supercomputer has just been developed that will help the Babylon Casino ensure that the random numbers generated for their keno game are truly random and thwart any attempt at gaming the system. But can inside knowledge be the downfall of the number generator?

There is a great cast of characters in this story--from the IT guy, the head of the casino, and the computer salesman and his wife. I was often scratching my head trying to figure out who was good and who wasn't. Some of the technology explanations were way over my head but that didn't make it any less of an entertaining story. Another winner from Weir. 4.5 stars.

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You Have Arrived at Your Destination by Amor Towles

I was somewhat surprised to see Amor Towles contributing to a futuristic story collection; it's nice to see writers stepping outside their known genres.

In the near future, Sam and his wife are relying on a fertility lab to help them decide not just the sex of their child, but its personality traits as well. Not only that, they are given a preview of what will become of the three different personality types they have selected--and it's not always a rosy picture. In exploring their future child, Sam is also confronted with his own life choices--again, not always rosy. What to do? What to do?

This is an often disquieting story billed as nature versus nurture--throw in the cold-blooded scientific approach and it is very unsettling at best. Another good story by an excellent storyteller. 4.5 stars.

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Emergency Skin by N.K. Jemisin

 N.K. Jemisin's contribution to this six-story collection is an interesting look at humanity.

The supposed best and brightest have left a climate-ravaged Earth and built their own society on another world. Centuries later they send back a soldier to collect a much-needed compound known to exist on Earth. Expecting destruction, the soldier is surprised to find the planet flourishing and the natives friendly and willing to give away the sought-after compound. Perplexed, the soldier vacillates between wanting to know more about Earth and following orders.

Having an AI voice directing the soldier was interesting but also confusing at times: the multiple dialogues contrasted the self-will of the soldier versus its directive which was often at odds. We learn what the off-shoot culture became and how mankind pulled together to save Earth. A bit preachy at times, but it's still an entertaining story. 2.5 stars.

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Summer Frost by Blake Crouch

 Blake Crouch is the driving force behind this futuristic story collection and should be applauded for the contributions made by so many well-known authors.

Riley is working on a game when one of the minor characters, who is supposed to die, suddenly decides not to die. What's with that? Maxine begins exploring the boundaries of the game and Riley begins interacting with her trying to figure out what has happened. Years pass as Riley works with the AI character Max and he experiments with her becoming more sentient. No lines are drawn as to how far Riley can evolve Max and the more self-aware she becomes the more questions arise as to what constitutes being human.

This is a timely story with the recent controversies over AI and its use. It is thought-provoking and well worth the read. 4 stars.

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Ark by Veronica Roth

 In this first novella of sci-fi and futuristic fiction by collected authors, Earth is on the eve of being destroyed by an asteroid. Most inhabitants have been evacuated; only a few dedicated scientists remain, busily cataloging specimens before they, too, board the Ark. Samantha, a botanist, has formed a tie with reclusive scientist Hagen and bonded over their love of flowers. Hagen has decided to stay and now Samantha is also rethinking if she should evacuate.

This is an interesting story and deals with our fear of the unknown. Even though this is a novella, I still wish more had gone into Samantha's reasoning for staying and dying versus a possible lifetime searching for a new habitat. 3.5 stars.

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These Burning Stars by Bethany Jacobs

I love a good sci-fi space opera and I especially like finding new authors in the genre. With These Burning Stars, the first in a planned trilogy, I have found both.

The Hand, the governing body of the Kindom consists of three branches: Clerics, Secretaries, and Cloaks When Esek Nightfoot, a prominent Cleric and member of a powerful First Family, discovers two students at a school, she ends up mentoring one, Chono, and challenging the other, Six, to "...do something extraordinary". Little does Esek know what she has unleashed on the Kindom with her challenge.

Meanwhile, con artist Jun Ironway has come into possession of evidence that threatens the very existence of The Hand and the Nightfoot family empire. As Esek and Chono search for Jun, Six is playing her own game of cat-and-mouse with them--always one step ahead and taunting Esek.

This is a complex world-building novel with subplots and twists that form a tapestry of a star system fraught with political intrigue. The characters are well-developed with excellent writing and pacing that moves the story forward. However, I had a problem with the gender-neutral pronouns used for Six. It was confusing when the word "they" would be used for both Six and multiple characters in the same sentence. I understand why the author chose this for the character, it was just hard to follow sometimes. This is an excellent debut novel from Bethany Jacobs and I look forward to the next installment in the series. 4 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Orbit Books for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is October 17, 2023.

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On This Day in History Sh!t Went Down by James Fell

You'll like this book if you enjoy history, especially if it's told irreverently. Author James Fell does a great job of bringing little-known historical facts to light and fleshing out more well-known references. This is a breezy, conversationally written book with some speculation as well as facts that, fair warning, contains salty language with many f-bombs.

There are entries for each day with historical factoids spanning from B.C.E. to current times; it is both enlightening and informative. After reading this book, I'm rethinking my love of Coca-Cola (January 29), what happened to Sacagawea (April 9),  and whether Mother Teresa is as sainted as she is portrayed (October 7). There are some heart-warming entries and entries that will ruffle your feathers but no matter your take, they are all informative.

I read this book beginning with the January 1 entry and continuing sequentially to December 31. You can jump around however with no loss of continuity, but you risk missing some good entries. Again the warning: if you don't like swearing or if you believe what Fox News tells you, I recommend giving this book a pass. 4/5 Stars.

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