Fiction – RetiredGuy

Tag: Fiction

Counted Among the Dead

Posted on August 17, 2024August 17, 2024 by Jack

I was pleased to see another book by Anne Emery on Netgalley so I immediately requested it. I had read several of her books over the years and often reviewed them on my blog. I was even more eager when I read a bit more on what the book was about.

My wife and I had visited Halifax a few years ago and were amazed to learn about the huge explosion in Halifax harbor during World War 1 while we were visiting a museum in that city. The explosion was so large it destroyed a large part of the city in 1917 and resulted in thousands of deaths and injuries.

Continue reading “Counted Among the Dead”

Win by Harlan Coben

Posted on March 14, 2021 by Jack

I don’t think I read anything by Harlan Coben before but I was looking for a good mystery/thriller and this was available on Netgalley. I knew Harlan Coben was a best selling author of this type of book so I thought I’d give Win a try. I’m glad I did. I highly recommend this book and thank Netgalley for the chance to read it before publication.
Continue reading “Win by Harlan Coben”

Dominant Trait by Michael Abramson

Posted on July 20, 2020July 20, 2020 by Jack

A very good book and unexpectedly so. I thank Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for the privilege of reading Dominant Trait: A Story of Social and Genetic Inequality by Michael Abramson. The book is now available as both Kindle and paperback editions.
Continue reading “Dominant Trait by Michael Abramson”

Brooklyn Legacies: An Erica Donato Mystery #5

Posted on November 5, 2019 by Jack

This is the fifth in a series. I liked the first three and somehow missed the 4th. I liked them so much I eagerly jumped at the chance to read and review an ARC of Brooklyn Legacies: An Erica Donato Mystery #5 by Triss Stein. It will be out in early December.

Continue reading “Brooklyn Legacies: An Erica Donato Mystery #5”

Empire of Lies by Raymond Khoury

Posted on October 25, 2019October 27, 2019 by Jack

Raymond Khoury mixes alternative history with political science, human emotions, and time travel to give us a wonderful and fascinating book. This review starts with how I found Empire of Lies.

I was perusing NetGalley to see if they had any books of interest They provide advance reading copies (ARCs) for free and just ask for a review in return. I had found several books there this year and the latest finds were nonfiction so I was ready for a good fiction book.
Continue reading “Empire of Lies by Raymond Khoury”

The God Jar by Phill Featherstone

Posted on August 26, 2019 by Jack

The God Jar by Phill Featherstone is a hard book to characterize. There are elements of mystery, science fiction, sorcery, magic, and historical fiction. The author does a nice job of blending them. It makes for an interesting story. Some parts being more interesting than others.
Continue reading “The God Jar by Phill Featherstone”

This is How It Begins by Joan Dempsey

Posted on September 20, 2017 by Jack

This is How It Begins is a very good book. I thought it was so good I read it twice.

I will sometimes re-read books but usually after a good interval has passed. I think this may be the first that I have read a book twice within a few weeks. It is definitely the only one that I read twice before the book was released.

It is that good. Continue reading “This is How It Begins by Joan Dempsey”

Echoes of Sherlock Holmes

Posted on November 1, 2016 by Jack

Echoes of Sherlock Holmes: Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon edited by Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger is a good collection of short stories.

The short stories in Echoes of Sherlock Holmes are not necessarily about Holmes. The authors were just asked to write a story inspired by Holmes.

I’m over half way through now and I’ll take a little break in reading this book now since I have other things to do but that is the good thing about short stores. You can read one or 2 at a sitting and put the book down for days or even weeks without a thought to losing the flow of the story.

I found some stories to be better than others but this is to be expected in anthology such as this.

The Steel Kiss by Jeffery Deaver

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Jack

I like Jeffery Deaver’s books. I know I have read several and enjoyed them immensely, especially the Lincoln Rhyme novels. So when I saw an Advance Reading Copy (ARC) of The Steel Kiss by Jeffery Deaver on Netgalley, I immediately requested it. I was reading another book at the time which I planned on finishing and had several others in line to be read but this one jumped to the front of the “to be read” line.

The Steel Kiss by Jeffery Deaver is the latest Lincoln Rhyme novel. I had high expectations and this did not disappoint. Continue reading “The Steel Kiss by Jeffery Deaver”

Brooklyn Secrets, a Brooklyn mystery

Posted on November 19, 2015November 18, 2015 by jack

I enjoyed the first two of the Erica Donato Mysteries by Triss Stein. I think of it as the Brooklyn mystery series. When I saw on NetGalley that a third in this series was available for review, I immediately put in my request. Fortunately, the request was approved quickly. So thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press.

For those not familiar with the series, Erica is a Brooklyn girl. She was widowed young with a child to raise, went back to school, and is pursuing a Ph.D. in urban history. She lives a rather hectic life balancing the demands of graduate school and single motherhood. This is further complicated by her involvement in a mystery from time to time. Continue reading “Brooklyn Secrets, a Brooklyn mystery”

Crimson Shore by Preston & Child

Posted on October 4, 2015July 2, 2019 by jack

First my thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to download an advanced reader copy of “Crimson Shore” by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. I have enjoyed some of Agent Pendergast books previously.

Most of the ones I’ve read have been very good. I see this is number 15 in the series and as I only have read a few earlier ones, I was eager to get re-acquainted. Continue reading “Crimson Shore by Preston & Child”

TransAtlantic by Colum McCann

Posted on September 11, 2015September 12, 2015 by jack

Not quite a joke -just a misunderstanding with myself.

A few days ago I wrote that I was re-reading “TransAtlantic” by Colum McCann. I had read the book before my vacation in Ireland this summer. We spent our first vacation night in Cobh. I remembered a beautifully written line from TransAtlantic about Cobh. I thought now that I had been to Cobh, I would enjoy re-reading the book. It seemed to me there were quite a few great descriptions in the book in addition to the one I remembered so well.

So here is the misunderstanding. Continue reading “TransAtlantic by Colum McCann”

TransAtlantic again

Posted on September 9, 2015September 12, 2015 by jack

I had read “TransAtlantic” by Colum McCann last spring before going to Ireland on vacation. I was busy with preparations for my trip and didn’t really have the time to write a review.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book but did not realize what an impression it made on me until I was in Ireland and parts of “TransAtlantic” came to mind. So in an unusual turn of events I am reading a book for the second time in a few months.
Continue reading “TransAtlantic again”

The Lost Detective: Becoming Dashiell Hammett

Posted on September 5, 2015September 6, 2015 by Jack

Before reading “The Lost Detective: Becoming Dashiell Hammett” by Nathan Ward, I knew very little about Dashiell Hammett. I had seen “The Maltese Falcon” and maybe another movie or two based on his books and knew he was an important figure in crime fiction but I did not know much more.

This book briefly describes a childhood in rural southern Maryland, Philadelphia and Baltimore. After leaving school and failing at several jobs, he found his niche with Pinkerton National Detective Agency.

Continue reading “The Lost Detective: Becoming Dashiell Hammett”

Hangman by Stephan Talty

Posted on August 8, 2014August 15, 2014 by Jack

Last year I reviewed a first novel by established non-fiction writer Stephan Talty. I liked it very much and thought it was a great introduction to a new series about Detective Absalom Kearney.

The second book in the series came out a few months ago and just read it. I thought Hangman by Stephan Talty was a great followup and if anything I found it even more compelling than the first.

<br /> The book starts with what seems a very unlikely escape of a serial murderer known as the Hangman. He had recently terrified the residents of Buffalo, NY with a series of murders of teenage girls (involving hanging). The manhunt begins and soon after the murders and the terror begins again.

Homicide Detective Absalom (Abbie) Kearney, who Continue reading “Hangman by Stephan Talty”

Tag: Fiction

Counted Among the Dead

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Win by Harlan Coben

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Dominant Trait by Michael Abramson

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Brooklyn Legacies: An Erica Donato Mystery #5

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Empire of Lies by Raymond Khoury

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The God Jar by Phill Featherstone

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This is How It Begins by Joan Dempsey

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Echoes of Sherlock Holmes

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The Steel Kiss by Jeffery Deaver

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Brooklyn Secrets, a Brooklyn mystery

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Crimson Shore by Preston & Child

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TransAtlantic by Colum McCann

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TransAtlantic again

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The Lost Detective: Becoming Dashiell Hammett

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Hangman by Stephan Talty

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