Review of "A Murder in Springtime: A Bruno, Chief of Police Mystery" by Martin Walker

  

In this 19th book in the 'Bruno, Chief of Police' series, Bruno investigates the murder of a woman who works in a nursing home.

*****



French policeman Benoit Courreges has been elevated from chief of police of St. Denis to chief of police of the Vézère Valley. The chief, who's known as Bruno to everyone in the community, loves to garden, cook, ride horses, socialize with friends, have romances, and of course, keep the peace in his district.

Unlike previous Bruno novels that I've read, this book focuses more on Bruno's personal life than the murder mystery, which is rather mundane. For much of this story, Bruno is concerned with reviving the Tuesday market in St. Denis, which has lost business to other towns; spending time with his girlfriend Laura Segret, who's busy with her concierge service; socializing with his friends and acquaintances; making delicious meals for company; going for runs with his basset hound Balzac - whom EVERYONE loves; and more.



The mystery begins when Bruno's friend Pamela comes home from a quick trip to the boulangerie for bread, and finds her lodger Josette Quirit murdered, bashed in the head with a rock. Since Pamela is a possible suspect, Bruno must recuse himself from the investigation. The Police Judiciaire assigns officer Fabien Panton to the case, who stays in St. Denis for the duration. Fabien's 'Sonic the Hedgehog' hairstyle causes amusement in St. Denis, but he turns out to be a capable policeman.



Though Fabien is in charge of the investigation, Bruno gets nervy being left out, and unobtrusively (he thinks) looks into the murder. In any event, once Pamela is cleared of suspicion, Bruno and Fabien work together to track down the killer.



Bruno and Fabien learn the victim has been working in the local nursing home for a few months, and Josette Quirit isn't her real name. The investigation includes finding the dead woman's real identity; interviewing employees and residents of the nursing home that employed her; speaking to a Netflix crew that's been filming in the area; tracking a possible stalker; and so on. The usual police procedural routines.

It turns out the murder may have something to do with harsh disciplinary measures in France's Catholic boarding schools. This gives author Martin Walker the opportunity to mention the long list of abuses by the Catholic Church in France, America, Australia, Ireland...all over.



In the course of their investigation, Bruno and Fabien have many cups of coffee at Fauquet's café and luxury chocolatier, where Bruno buys Easter sweets for his friends and their children.



The detectives also take turns making dinner for each other, with Bruno's menu including: canned anchovies on thin slices of buttered toast; a truffle omelette; a salad; and bread with a variety of cheeses. The various courses are (of course) accompanied by the appropriate array of wines and spirits. The preparation and consumption of the meal is described in great detail, as are the MANY repasts in the story.



As another example, the spectacular North African-themed Easter dinner for thirty-five of Bruno's friends, which takes all day to prepare, includes: piles of veggies to dip in tzatziki and green-olive-and-walnut tapenade; bowls of crackers and breadsticks; salad; a méchoui (spit-roasted whole lamb) made with secret spices; and many appropriate alcoholic beverages.



The novel is chock full of scenes like this, as well as descriptions of restaurant meals that are fun to read about. However, the food talk - yummy as it is - doesn't add to the mystery part of the book.

To be fair, we observe Bruno and Fabien conduct police interviews and delegate elements of the investigation to other police officers, tech experts, computer aficionados, and Excel gurus. The detectives also use cell phone records and other modern investigative techniques.

As always, the author skillfully weaves the wonderful ambiance of Dordogne into the story, and the reader is charmed by the region.



By the end of the book the case has been solved and the worrisome elements of Bruno's personal life - like his romance with Laura and the declining Tuesday market of St. Denis - seem to be getting on track. Still, I miss the 'old' Bruno books, where the plots include things like neo-Nazis; corrupt politicians; French resistance fighters; genetically modified crops; etc.

That said, fans of the series would probably enjoy visiting with favorite characters and navigating rural life with Bruno.

Thanks to Netgalley, Martin Walker, and Knopf for an ARC of the book.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "Fury in Death: A Lt. Eve Dallas Mystery" by J.D. Robb

 

 

In this 63rd book in the 'Detective Eve Dallas' series, Eve is on the trail of an especially brutal killer. The book works fine as a standalone.



*****

It's 2061 and people communicate via video links and travel in semi-flying cars. Lieutenant Eve Dallas is a capable New York detective married to Irish billionaire Roarke - a handsome devil with wild blue eyes. Real estate magnate Roarke also functions as an expert consultant to the New York Police and Securities Department (NYPSD), and is especially helpful with financial crimes.



In the novel's prologue. set in 2048, a young scientist named Steve Redman works for Banner-Wyst, a global scientific research and development enterprise. Steve heads a project called Rainmaker, which is on the cusp of finding a way to control the world's climate, so that instead of drought and famine, instead of floods and destruction, flourishing crops would eradicate world hunger.



Steve is proud of his work until he learns the founders of Banner-Wyst plan to use Rainmaker to destroy the land, then buy up whole regions and build them up again - for power and profit. Steve is horrified to think the millions of people who would die mean nothing to the culprits.

Steve plans to become a whistleblower, but first asks for advice from his most trusted colleague and friend, Larry, who advises Steve to wait, discuss, and find a solution to the problem. Regardless, Steve prepares to spill the beans to the FBI.



Before that happens, Steve, his pregnant wife Ari, and their toddler son Luke are getting ready to move from an apartment to a brownstone. Shortly before the move, Luke goes out to buy ice cream one evening, and just as he's returning, the apartment building erupts into flames, killing Ari, Luke, and hundreds of residents. The fire inspectors attribute the incident to a gas leak.



Skip ahead 13 years, and Lt. Eve Dallas is called to the scene of a homicide. The victim is Larry Chu, a director of bioengineering science at Banner-Wyst. Eve discovers someone "beat the living shit out of Chu" until he was dead. Chu has broken fingers, a broken left arm, a broken right ankle, multiple broken ribs, and extreme facial injuries: nose, cheekbones, eye sockets, jaw, and teeth...and the beating continued after death.



Dallas and her partner Detective Delia Peabody interview personnel at Banner-Wyst.



The detectives learn everyone seemed to like Larry Chu, and to praise him as a fine scientist and boss. However, NYPSD financial consultant Roarke makes a suspicious discovery. Thirteen years ago, Chu received a secret $3 million payment from Banner-Wyst, and after that Chu got twice yearly bonuses of $250,000, deposited to his secret Cayman Islands account.



Soon after Chu's death, Dr. Ezra Dent, a retired Banner-Wyst scientist, is found brutally beaten to death in a manner similar to Larry Chu. Once again, NYPSD financial consultant Roarke discovers Dent received a $2 million payment from Banner-Wyst thirteen years ago, and annual bonuses of $250,000 in subsequent years.

When Dallas and Peabody interview Banner-Wyst founders Jacob Wyst and Calvin Banner, the men are obstructive, refuse to cooperate, and threaten legal action. It's clear they're covering something up.



Dallas and Peabody conclude something nefarious happened 13 years ago - the destruction of Steve Redman's apartment building. The fire was meant to kill Steve, but he was out at a store, and Steve's beloved family and the building's other residents perished.



The horrific tragedy put Steve in a mental hospital, from which he disappeared some years ago. It appears Steve is now getting retribution for his family's murder, and he doesn't mean to stop with Chu and Dent.

Dallas and Peabody empathize with Steve's quest for revenge, but they're cops first and foremost. Thus they set out to catch Steve and put him where he belongs.

In the coarse of the investigation, Dallas consults with profiler Dr. Charlotte Mira, who's always dressed in the height of fashion; and Dallas enlists the help of journalist Nadine Furst, to put pressure on Banner-Wyst.



A tangential storyline in this novel is a housewarming party being planned by Delia Peabody and her partner Ian McNab, who've invited their extended families and all their friends to their new home. Peabody is beyond excited, and squeals with delight when talking about the festivities. There's a wonderful surprise at the party, which takes place after Dallas and Peabody resolve the Redman case.



As always, in their personal lives, Eve and Roarke seem to be in a perpetual honeymoon phase. At home, they dine on meals like meatballs and spaghetti or pizza, cuddle, and enjoy each other's company. Roarke is an attentive spouse who picks out Eve's clothes and takes care of her bumps and bruises. The household also includes the butler Summerset and the spoiled cat Galahad, both of whom provide some of the book's more humorous scenes.



I enjoyed the story, but felt Dallas and Peabody went over the same issues, and came to the same conclusions, again and again. These repeated conversations didn't move the story along.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Susan Ericksen, who does a fine job with the characters' voices.

Thanks to Netgalley, J.D. Robb, and Macmillan Audio for an ARC of the book.

Rating: 3.5 stars 

Review of "Exodus The Helium Sea: Archimedes Engine #2" by Peter F. Hamilton

  

Exodus The Helium Sea, the second book in a duology, picks up from the end of Exodus The Archimedes Engine. This is my review of the first book.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

*****

As Exodus The Helium Sea opens, we get a flashback to Kelowan 7,000 years ago. Queen Zuberi has instituted an Evolution Project headed by her daughter Countess Liliana, that will result in Zuberi’s granddaughter Khepri (who will have Zuberi's mindline) becoming the Eternal Empress of the Crown Dominion and elevate Celestials to (essentially) god-like status.



Just as the project seems to have achieved success, the other queens unite to kill Zuberi and her entire family, but - unknown to them - Zuberi's son, daughter, and granddaughter escape.

It's now 7,000 years later, and Queen Helena-Thyra of Wynid has murdered and manipulated her way into becoming the current Empress of the Crown Dominion.



Queen Helena-Thyra plans to kill the other four queens, so she can be the empress forever. Queen Helena-Thyra doesn't realize it, but she's part of Queen Zuberi's long-term plan, currently being carried out by Zuberi's son Dagon, daughter Liliana, and granddaughter Kephri.....and their minions.

Meanwhile, there's plenty more going on. The Archimedes Engine has been used to fling a small lifeless world called Boksrock at Kelowan, destroying Kelowan and forcing a mass evacuation. The Human Liberation Movement is blamed for the incident, though they're not REALLY responsible. Regardless, Finn Jalgori-Tobu, Josias Alponi, Terence Wilson-Fisher and their allies are on the run. Their ultimate plan is to prove their innocence and get the Crown Dominion to stop treating humans as servants and workers and give them autonomy over their own lives.



As things play out, the humans manage to steal thousands of tons of antimatter, used to fuel powerful weapons, from a troop of Celestials. The Celestials planned to use the antimatter for their own nefarious purposes, and chase the humans all over the universe to kill them and retrieve the fuel. This leads to one epic battle after another, scenes that are described in rich detail.



On the part of the humans, Josias Alponi plans to use the antimatter to negotiate better treatment, essentially freedom, for the humans living among the Celestials.



A part of the book I especially liked were the depictions of exotic weapons, like the Álogo suit, a Remnant Era armor suit that's described as big, very big...a walking building that has flight; artificial intelligence; responds to thoughts; has life support; has missiles that can take out a couple of squads of knights on its own; and more.



Another remnant era weapon is the Crystal Gun, which is operated by a living intelligence called Dohl’Kol. The Crystal Gun is extraordinarily powerful, and can work at great distances; destroy fleets; annihilate planets; target individuals; and more. It's used to great effect in the story.



An additonal interesting aspect of the novel is the ability of the protagonists to 'disguise' themselves in various ways. For example, Neusch, the son of Archon Makaio-Faraji - who was assassinated in book one - creates a bio-andy that looks like him and which he operates remotely. Neusch is continuing his father's investigation into the conspiracy surrounding Queen Helena-Thyra, and is in secret communication with Clavissa, Queen Helena-Thyra's companion and aide. So Neusch and Clavissa are among the 'good guys' working against the 'eternal empress' wannabes.



At the same time, the 'bad guys' have camouflage of their own. Zuberi's son Dagon has taken on the appearance of the deceased human Gyvoy Enfoe, and manipulated Finn Jalgori-Tobu into doing terrible things;



and Zuberi's daughter Liliana, a supposed supporter of Queen Helena-Thyra, is pretending to be a human mercenary. All this is meant to result in Zuberi becoming the eternal empress (after she pushes Queen Helena-Thyra aside).



There'a a great deal of political maneuvering, mind control, deception, lying, murder, and so on as the story's diverse factions try to fulfill their conflicting agendas. To me, the narcissistic Celestials who plan to live forever and control everything are insufferable. I hate to think humans evolved into these creatures.

Exodus The Helium Sea is an interesting story, but there's a lot going on. The novel has a cornucopia of characters with long names; there are huge battles every few chapters; a cadre of factions are maneuvering to outsmart each other; etc. That said, the story comes to a more or less satisfying ending. I say more or less because it’s hard to root for any of these Celestials.

For gamers, the Exodus video game is slated for release in 2027.

Thanks to Netgalley, Peter F. Hamilton, and Random House for an ARC of the book.

Rating: 4 stars 

Review of: The Hostess With The Ghostess: A Haunted Guesthouse Mystery" by E.J. Copperman

  

In this 9th book in the "Haunted Guesthouse Mystery' series, Alison Kerby helps investigate two murders. The book has a "Cast of Characters' at the beginning and can be read as a standalone.

Background: When Alison Kerby was renovating a Victorian house in Harbor Haven on the Jersey Shore - to use it as a guesthouse - she discovered the home was occupied by two ghosts: private detective Paul Harrison and interior designer Maxie Malone.



Paul and Maxie are only visible to Alison and her mother, father, and daughter.....but Alison's husband Josh and most of Alison's friends acknowledge the spirits' presence.



Since meeting Paul and Maxie's ghosts, Alison acquired a private investigator license to help Paul solve mysteries; and Paul and Maxie agreed to put on spook shows for senior citizen tours that book vacations at Alison's 'Haunted Guesthouse'.



A spook show might include things like a flying teenager, when Maxie (who's invisible to the guests) picks up Alison's 13-year-old daughter Melissa and flies her around; an imperceptible guitarist; a moving hat; roving artwork; and so on. These shows greatly entertain the visitors.



*****

As the story opens, the ghost of Paul Harrison's brother, Richard Harrison, shows up at the Haunted Guesthouse and speaks to innkeeper Alison Kerby. Richard was murdered only days ago, and he wants to speak to his brother. Paul is having a vacation at the moment, and Alison goes to some trouble to message him to return.



When Paul gets back, Richard - a criminal defense lawyer - explains he was killed in the midst of representing Cassidy Van Doren, who's on trial for drowning her stepfather, Keith Barent Johnson. Richard insists Cassidy is innocent, and he wants Paul to help uncover the real killer.



Private investigators Paul and Alison speculate that Richard was getting close to exposing Keith's REAL murderer, who then clunked Richard on the head with a clothes iron. So the detectives agree to make inquiries, and are assisted by Alison's teenage daughter Melissa, who's clever and insightful. Alison - with 'invisible Paul' standing by - interviews people who knew Keith, including Keith's wife Adrian, his children Braden and Erika, and his business partner Hunter Evans. Cassidy's relatives insist she's guilty, and belongs in prison.

The detectives also speak to Cassidy, who's out on parole. Cassidy insists she's innocent, and is frustrated by her family's accusations. Paul and Alison tentatively believe Cassidy because additional evidence points in various other directions.



After Paul and Alison question people and collect information, odd things start to happen at the guesthouse. Paul obtains Keith's business files and puts them on a computer at the inn. The laptop vanishes and a note is pinned to the wall with a knife. The message reads 'DON'T LOOK FOR ME'. Later on a knife is thrown at Alison's head and barely misses. It's clear someone has something to hide!!



While the murder inquiries proceed, life goes on at the inn. Alison's mother and father (who's a ghost) visit and ghost dad barbecues a brisket in the backyard; a senior citizen group vacations at the guesthouse, and Alison is asked to be a matchmaker; Alison's friends Jeannie and Tony, and their toddler Oliver and baby Molly, come over for dinner. Alison speculates babies can see ghosts, because Molly is delighted when spirits pass by; and more.



Alison's neighbors have learned to ignore the odd things that happen at the Haunted Guesthouse, and Anita McElone, chief of detectives at the Harbor Haven police department, won't even set foot inside...though she's willing to share information with Alison.



It's fun to see ghosts mingle with humans who can't see them. Ghosts enter through walls; sink down through the floor; watch Gray's Anatomy; kibitz each other; and go about their lives almost as if they're still alive.

Paul and Alison continue their inquiries and reach a conclusion about the killer. When the murderer is exposed at the guesthouse, there's gunplay, fighting, yelling, and all manner of ruckus. The inn's visitors are delighted, thinking this is an especially lively spook show. You have to laugh at that. 😊



If you like humorous cozy mysteries with ghosts, you'll like this book. 

Rating: 3.5 stars 

Review of "The Three-Body Problem: Remembrance of Earth's Past #1" by Cixin LIu

This is the first book of a trilogy.

Note: I initially read a hard copy of this book and recently listened to the audiobook, which became available on Netgalley. I especially appreciated hearing the pronunciation of Chinese names and words. The book is narrated by Rosalind Chao, who does a fine job.

The story begins during the early years of China's 'Cultural Revolution.' Ye Wenjie, a young astrophysicist, sees her father - a physics professor - tortured and murdered by a group of young Red Guards.



Like many educated citizens Ye Wenjie is labeled a 'counter-revolutionary' and sent to cut trees for the Construction Corps before being recruited to work at a secret facility called Red Coast Base.

At first Ye Wenjie has limited access to the base's surreptitious activities but in time her abilities and intelligence give her wide access to the installation. Over time Ye Wenjie makes some startling discoveries and engages in some questionable behavior. (To say more would lead to spoiler territory.)



Some years later, when the Cultural Revolution wanes, Ye Wenjie is allowed to return home and become a university professor.



In current times an applied physicist named Wang Miao - who's developed a very strong nanomaterial - is recruited by a committee composed of military officers/police. They ask Wang to help investigate a rash of physicist suicides.



Wang reluctantly agrees and is assisted by a suspended cop called Da Shi - a disheveled, abrasive, pushy, off-putting guy.

>

As things turn out though, Da Shi's ability to think outside the box is useful and his common sense is comforting....so I developed quite a liking for the fellow.

While Wang Miao is looking into the physicist suicides he develops peculiar/frightening 'vision problems' and starts to play an immersive computer game called "Three Body."



The game is set on Trisolaris, a distant planet inhabited by extraterrestrials. Trisolaris has a very unstable environment. During 'chaotic periods' (extremely hot or cold) most Trisolarans are dehydrated, rolled up, and stored in dehydratories. During 'stable periods' (mild weather) the Trisolarans are rehydrated and go about their business. Still, there are frequent 'crashes' when the entire Trisolaran civilization is destroyed and has to start over.



The shifts between chaotic and stable periods on Trisolaris are completely random and abrupt. Thus the player's goal is to discover why they happen and to predict long-term stable periods. Wang determines that the chaos occurs because the planet has three suns....thus the 'three-body problem.' [Note: On the internet the three-body problem is defined as follows: "the problem of taking an initial set of data that specifies the positions, masses and velocities of three bodies for some particular point in time and then determining the motions of the three bodies, in accordance with Newton's laws of motion and universal gravitation."] In essence it's almost impossible to accurately predict the motion of Trisolaris' three suns.....but Wang Miao thinks he can do it.

As the story continues to unfold it turns out that Ye Wenjie's experiences at Red Coast Base, the physicist suicides, Wang Miao's nanomaterial research, and the three-body game are all connected. And they have something to do with the fact that humans have managed to contact an alien civilization. (Again, more information would be a spoiler.)



The story addresses an interesting topic: how would people react if they knew there were other intelligent beings in the universe? And what would happen if the other beings were on their way here? (I've always thought extraterrestrials - if they found out about Earth - might come here, wipe us out, and move in. But maybe that's just me....LOL)

There's a lot of physics jargon in the book and some fancy shenanigans with protons that stretch suspension of disbelief to the max...even for sci-fi.



In the end, though, I enjoyed the book very much. China provides a great (and unusual) background for a science fiction book and the story is riveting, with interesting characters. Highly recommended to fans of science fiction.

I look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy.

The story is being adapted for a series on Netflix.



Thanks to Netgalley, Cixin Liu, and Macmillan Audio for a copy of the audiobook.

Rating: 4.5 stars