#59: Mad Shadows by Marie-Claire Blais

The disturbing family dynamics between a mother and her two troubled children, and eventually the lovers they draw into their whirlpool, is at the center of Marie-Claire Blais' debut novel Mad Shadows.

I read an article about Quebec author Blais and then decided to seek out her acclaimed debut novel, released in 1959. 

Mad Shadows is a dense allegory with underpinnings of child abuse, incest, and mental illness, and emotions running high throughout.  I could see why it made a splash when it debuted, and can still evoke strong emotions in a reader today.

I am glad I learned about Blais and read this novel, and would recommend it with some reservations.  I may seek out more of her work at some point, but would like to leave a little space between novels. 

I checked this out from the Henry County-New Castle Public Library in New Castle, Indiana and read it quickly.

#58: The Sun on My Head by Geovani Martins

Brazilian author Geovani Martins presents a slice of life from the poor side of Rio in The Sun on My Head.

Martins offers roughly a dozen short stories featuring low-level drug dealers, street hustlers, troubled youths, and crooked cops, set against a vibrant neighborhood background.  It is written from a culture and set of experiences I was unfamiliar with, but is written with energy and wit and is engaging throughout.

This debut collection from Martins has already made a big splash for the author, and I am interested to see what he comes up with next.  I checked this out from the Morrisson-Reeves Public Library in Richmond, Indiana and read it quickly.

#57: Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

A varied collection of necromancers, from rival houses, gather in a rotting old castle to vie for the attentions of their immortal emperor in Tamsyn Muir's irreverent, genre-breaking debut novel Gideon the Ninth.

Muir throws supernatural horror, locked-room mystery, and a little far-future space opera into a blender and comes out with something unlike anything I've read in a while, all written in a hip, contemporary style.

I had to keep flipping to the character list, and list of rival houses, at the beginning of the book to keep everyone straight, but the storytelling just cooks along, right to the point where it wants to jump off into a sequel, which I am eager to read as soon as it comes out.

This was a genuinely fresh novel, and recommended for horror or science fiction readers.

I checked this out from the Henry County-New Castle Public Library in New Castle, Indiana and read it quickly.

#56: Under the Cold Bright Lights by Barry Disher

A retired cop comes back to the Cold Case Squad, and uses some unorthodox methods to close some files, in Barry Disher's Under the Cold Bright Lights.

Disher is a well-established Australian crime writer, but this is the first of his novels I have come across.  I enjoyed the characters especially, and the storytelling was interesting. 

Our lead detective has complex relationships with his ex-wife and daughter, and has a big, rambling old house where several people from all walks of life have ended up, and interact.

The cases include an old body found under a concrete slab, a doctor who may or may not have killed several ex-wives, and an accident which might have been a murder.  Another storyline follows a lodger at the cop's house who has an abusive husband. 

And more than one of these storylines are resolved in surprising ways.

This was a very solid police procedural with above-average characterization and plotting.  I would look for more from Disher.

I checked this out from the Morrisson-Reeves Public Library in Richmond, Indiana and read it quickly.

#55: Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke

A hard-drinking Texas Ranger, on suspension after a racially charged standoff, heads to a small Texas town to investigate two murders on his own--one of a black man passing through and one of a white local waitress--in Attica Locke's Bluebird, Bluebird.

Locke is a writer and producer for the TV show Empire but is also a solid fiction writer; this thriller cooks right along, with strong characters to bolster the story.

What makes Bluebird, Bluebird a cut above contemporary crime writing is drawing a vivid portrait of race relations, as well as a fully realized characterization of rural Texas (Locke is from Houston).

Locke has a sequel to this one coming out, and I am eager to read more from her.

I listened to this in a good audiobook read on loan from the New Castle-Henry County Public Library in New Castle, Indiana. 

#54: The Tuscon Conspiracy by Matt Chisholm

Joe Blade is on special assignment for the governor of the Arizona Territory to root out some bad men, but when the governor's evil twin (!) gets the upper hand mayhem is unleashed in Matt Chisholm's The Tuscon Conspriracy.

Chisholm was steadily prolific British writer Peter Watts, whose McAllister series of hard-boiled westerns I have really enjoyed.  Blade is another series character whose adventures rely more on high adventure, and seem less grim and gritty than McAllister's. 

My taste runs more to the former, but lots of action here keeps this one agreeable.

I bought this for my beloved Kindle from Piccadilly Publishing.

#53: Kill McAllister by Matt Chisholm

McAllister's trail boss is killed, and the cattle run off, changing McAllister from cowpoke back to gunhand in Matt Chisholm's Kill McAllister.

Chisholm was an insanely prolific Australian writer named Peter Watts who wrote several western series characters, but none I have liked as well as McAllister.  These stories are lean and hard-bitten, but often feature colorful characters and situations.

This one is a bit more epic than some, taking McAllister on a long journey through a hard winter to get vengeance on the rustlers.

I got this in a big lot of paperback westerns from a friend and read it quickly.

#52: February's Son by Alan Parks

Harry McCoy is a cop in tough 70s Glasgow, hunting a mentally unraveling gangster while trying to hold his own past at bay in Alan Parks' February's Son.

This is the second of the new series from Parks, and picks up just a few weeks after the end of the last novel with McCoy back on the force, but with his own past--and abuse at the hands of various adults--still very much present.

McCoy works on one crime spree while he and his old friend, a crime boss in his own right, begin to hatch a separate revenge plot based on finding a childhood tormentor.

Parks writes a very hard-boiled story, and this one--with gruesome violence and sexual abuse--is for discerning readers, but worthwhile.  I am interested in this series thus far.

I was sent this novel by World Noir and read it quickly. 

#51: Warlight by Michael Ondaatje

After World War II, two British youngsters are left by their parents in the care of a mysterious lodger they call The Moth; years later, the young man reflects on all that happened, and all that was revealed, during that unusual time in Michael Ondaatje's Warlight.

This is a literate novel, with espionage overtones; first in the past and then in the present, as the young man works for a British spy agency himself, and gradually learns the fate of his mother, father, and other characters swirling around in his youth.

The espionage elements are interesting, but perhaps not as rewarding as the musings on family, on time and place, and on the secret, unknown lives of the people around you, especially as children.

I like Ondaatje's writing, and a good audiobook read by Steve West added value.

I checked this out from the Morrisson-Reeves Public Library in Richmond, Indiana.

#50: The Hummingbirds by Ross McMeekin

An aging film star, her unscrupulous producer husband, and the gardener who lives in the guest house make a volatile triangle in this literate California Noir.

Ross McMeekin's The Hummingbirds would read like a pretty traditional thriller except for the extended, ultimately creepy, backstories of both the producer and the gardener, whose troubled early lives play into a hair-raising final act.

Although the storytelling framework is pretty traditional, McMeekin pushes hard on the interpersonal elements, and that raises the stakes enough to provide interest throughout.

I checked this out from the Morrisson-Reeves Library in Richmond, Indiana.

#49: The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware

A down-on-her-luck tarot card reader gets a mysterious letter proclaiming a lost inheritance, and ends up in the middle of decades-old family secrets, in Ruth Ware's The Death of Mrs. Westaway.

Ware's novel is a straight-up, reverent (but contemporary) take on the old-fashioned gothic, with a rotting old house, a menacing housekeeper, and a cold attic bedroom (with mysterious bars on the window, naturally), among other standards of the genre.

Even though I started piecing it together about halfway through, the storytelling is engaging throughout, and never takes its foot off the accelerator.

I enjoyed the audiobook reading by Imogen Church, which added value.  I checked this out from the Morrisson-Reeves Public Library in Richmond, Indiana.

#48: Cherokee Lighthorse by Gary McCarthy

After a brush with renegade Confederates, a family escapes from the Civil War with a handful of prize horses and heads west; but problems continue to dog them in Cherokee Lighthorse by Gary McCarthy.

Cherokee Lighthorse is the second in a series called The Horsemen, and is a solidly plotted contemporary western.  The element of raising thoroughbred horses, and a high-stakes horse race that takes place at the story's climax, add interest.

The one thing that took me out of the action a bit was the very poor editing, including characters that went from holding a cigar to a pipe, or even changed names, from paragraph to paragraph, shockingly bad for a mainstream publisher.

This is the first novel I have read from McCarthy, and it seems as if he has been prolific in western writing on a variety of more interesting subjects.  I would look for more from McCarthy.

I checked this out from the Parker City Public Library in Parker City, Indiana and read it quickly.

#47: Upstate by Kalisha Buckhanon

In Harlem, a teenager goes to prison for killing his father, but keeps up with his high school girlfriend over the course of years, in Kalisha Buckhanon's epistolary novel Upstate.

Engaging storytelling really floats a lesser-seen literary style, which frames the proceedings in the form of letters.  We see the two main characters grow from unpolished high school students to wiser adults, with compelling twists and turns throughout.

I listened to this novel on audiobook (on loan from the New Castle-Henry County Public Library in New Castle, Indiana), and the work was absolutely elevated by high-level performances by Chadwick Boseman and Heather Simms.

I thought this was a really good coming-of-age story, presented in a unique fashion.  Worthwhile novel from Kalisha Buckhanon.

#46: Stalking Susan by Julie Kramer

A Minnesota TV reporter is gifted an unsolved murder case by a retired police detective, and in the middle of a ratings war finds the case suddenly heating up, in Julie Kramer's Stalking Susan.

This storytelling is smart and snappy, with believable characters, and a two-pronged mystery--the unsolved murder case, which ends up being tied to others featuring victims named Susan, and what at first seems like a throwaway story about an unscrupulous vet.

I worked in television and television news for a while, starting in Wisconsin, and found a lot of the elements rang true.  A protagonist with an interesting backstory was also welcome.

This is the first in a series from Kramer, and I would be interested in the next one.  I borrowed this in a good audiobook version from the New Castle-Henry County Public Library in New Castle, Indiana.

#45: Bloody January by Alan Parks

In early 70s Glasgow, an only slightly crooked cop is assigned a seemingly open-and-shut murder-suicide; but when an influential family's secrets seem to be tied up with the case, the stakes run dangerously higher in Alan Parks' debut crime novel Bloody January.

Our tarnished protagonist, McCoy, ends up on the outs with his superiors, and has to rely on his oldest friend--who happens to be a crime boss and possible sociopath.  McCoy's adventures on both sides of the law ratchet up the tension throughout the story.

Glasgow's underbelly is on full display, as well as a large helping of retro vibes in setting and character.  

Overall an engaging start to a new detective series, and I look forward to the next one.

I was sent a review copy of this novel by World Noir and read it quickly.

#44: Newcomer by Keigo Higashino

A divorced woman newly moved to a new neighborhood is found dead, and it is up to a recently-arrived police detective to find out what happened, in Keigo Higashino's Newcomer.

This is an exceedingly clever police procedural, set in Tokyo, where the mild but very intuitive policeman begins to uncover all of her neighbor's secrets as the investigation unfolds, including embezzlement, a false medical certificate, a hidden love child, and more. 

The lead detective, Kaga, is really woven into the background of all of these stories and never in the forefront, an interesting device.

Even more interestingly, the plot hinges on the minutiae of things, including a child's wooden top, a pair of new kitchen scissors, and a box of sweets. 

I have read several crime novels by Higashino and find that he is incredibly versatile writer, with all of his novels varied in plot, characters, and themes.  I always enjoy finding him in translation when I can.

I checked this out on audiobook from the New Castle-Henry County Public Library in New Castle, Indiana.

#43: Weeping Waters by Karin Brynard

A burned-out Johannesburg cop is re-assigned to a remote police station at the edge of a desert, and arrives just in time for a spate of bizarre farm murders, in Karen Brynard's debut thriller Weeping Waters.

The story follows both the detective, with his two rookie assistants, and a young woman whose estranged artist sister meets a grisly end.

Brynard is a former investigative reporter in South Africa turned crime writer, and her background lends itself to a writing style full of interesting details and characterizations. 

The unraveling of the crime itself was almost of secondary interest to me (and she spends the last chapter basically outlining how it all transpired, in a sort of anticlimax).  I found myself more caught up in the cultural and political aspects of contemporary South Africa.

The cover listed this as the first of the series, and the first translated into English, so I am looking forward to the next entry.  Recommended for police procedural fans interested in a different perspective.

This was sent to me by World Noir for review, and I read it quickly.  

#42: The Force by Don Winslow

The Manhattan North Task Force rules the streets, applying the laws--or breaking them--as they see fit; but when they decide to take down a major drug lord, and make off with his profits, the dominoes begin to fall in Don Winslow's The Force.

This cynical, shaded-in-gray crime novel will remind contemporary readers of television shows like The Wire and The Shield but probably owes the most to Joseph Wambaugh and police novels like The Choirboys and The Glitter Dome.

This is an action-packed tale with few heroes and plenty of villains on a sliding scale of honor, leading to a fairly nihilistic ending.

This is my first book of Winslow's, although I believe he is well-regarded in this genre and has other books both standalone and in various series.  I will look for others by him.

I listened to a very good audiobook version read by Dion Graham, and because of the reader would recommend it in this format. 

Borrowed from the New Castle-Henry County Public Library in New Castle, Indiana.

#41: The Wolf and the Watchman by Niklas Natt och Dag

In late 1700s Stockholm, a drunken watchman and a dying police detective team up to find the perpetrator of an especially grisly murder in Niklas Natt och Dag's dark debut The Wolf and the Watchman.

Even by the gloomy standards of Scandinavian noir, this one is especially bleak; there are many scenes of torture, murder, and rape played out against a background of the disenfranchised being ground down by the squalor of late-century Stockholm.  Brutal and somewhat unrelenting in its depictions of the underbelly of life, I actually felt a little queasy a few times.

But the writing is great, the storytelling vivid, the protagonists compelling. 

This was one of the most interesting reads of the year thus far for me, but can be recommended only to discerning readers.

I checked this out from the New Castle-Henry County Public Library in New Castle, Indiana.

#40: Bounty Man by Matthew S. Hart

Two Texas Rangers provide law and order in a sleepy town while their friend, the sheriff, is on his honeymoon--but when a bounty hunter brings in a bad man, drawing his dangerous family in his wake, it's all guns at the ready in Bounty Man, in the Cody's Law series from Matthew S. Hart.

Hart was actually James Reasoner in this case, and I keep coming across him in his various incarnations.  I have found that Reasoner writes a very solid, pleasing western that hits all the right notes.

The "Bounty Man" of the title is the uncle of one of the Texas Rangers, and they have a strained relationship that flares up between various gun battles.  Both find time for a little romance as well.

Genuinely enjoyable for western fans, and I will look for more in the Cody's Law series.  This one I found at the Parker City Public Library in Parker City, Indiana.

#39: Kingdom Cons by Yuri Herrera

The story of a Mexican cartel is given Shakespearean lyricism in Yuri Herrera's crime novel Kingdom Cons.

I loved the last book I read from Herrera, The Transmigration of Bodies, another crime novel set in this case against an apocalyptic landscape.  This novel also featured a lot of interesting writing, but I was not nearly as compelled by the situations.

Herrera is a unique and worthy voice in crime fiction and I have enjoyed seeking him out, even if this slim novel did not resonate with me as much as the last one.

I bought this with a Father's Day Amazon card and read it quickly.

#38: Binti: Home by Nnedi Okorafor

Binti is a young woman at a school far from her home planet--and being bonded to an alien doesn't help--but troubles grow larger when she returns home in the second in the Binti series, Binti: Home.

Nnedi Okorafor's sci-fi series, suitable for young adults, has fresh world-building and interesting plotting.

The only criticism I have of the slender second volume is that it seems to work best as a bridge between the first and the third novels and doesn't really stand alone.

I would recommend Okorafor's Binti novels as an all-ages read for science fiction fans looking for a different voice in fiction.

I checked this out from the New Castle-Henry County Public Library in New Castle, Indiana and read it quickly.

#37: Killing Gravity by Corey J. White

A dangerous telepath, on the run from powerful forces, throws in with a ragtag spaceship crew in Corey J. White's Killing Gravity, the first novel in The Voidwitch Saga.

The plotting is sort of television-sized, but the world-building--and a kind of cyberpunk flavor--add value.  The novel is slender but very fast-moving, and enjoyable if unsurprising throughout. 

In fact, in episodic television fashion, it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger as the group goes on a rescue mission for one of their missing members.

I bought this with Father's Day Amazon money and read it in a single day.  I liked it well enough to read the next one if I see it in the wild.

#36: Death Kiss: The Book of the Movie by Bill Cunningham and Rene Perez

Bill Cunningham and director Rene Perez have gathered up fun anecdotes surrounding the making of a b-movie called Death Kiss, an 80s action homage made with a guy who, quite handily to the production, looks like Charles Bronson. 

For those who, like myself, get a charge out of "how-they-do-it" b-moviemaking books (think Rebel Without a Crew by Robert Rodriguez, X Films from Alex Cox, Feature Filmmaking at Used Car Prices by Rick Schmidt). 

The book includes the full script for the movie as well, for interest. 

In the groove for b-movie fans. Bill Cunningham sent me this to read and enjoy and I read it quickly.

#35: Artificial Condition by Martha Wells

A cyborg security agent has been set free, and decides to find out where some of his missing memories have gone--only to get caught up helping a naive trio of researchers in Martha Wells' Artificial Condition.

This is the second in her series called "The Murderbot Diaries" and follows directly on the heels of All Systems Red.  In this one, our troubled protagonist heads to a moon-based mining colony where once he was involved in a massacre, though the motivations for the killings are hidden from his sight.  His discoveries, and his reluctant assistance to some people in need, gradually inch him towards humanity, and his next adventure.

The storytelling is breezy and the book slender, but remains enjoyable throughout.  I picked this up at the New Castle-Henry County Public Library and read it quickly.  I will definitely look for the next one when I'm ready for a light sci-fi read.