Hazelet's Journal

By 

George Cheever Hazelet

edited by
J. H. Clark

J.H. Clark introduces us to his Great Grandfather, George Cheever Hazelet, through a journal Hazelet kept when he first went to Alaska.  In this interesting first person account we get a glimpse into the lives of rugged men and women who travelled to Alaska and struggled to settle in America’s last frontier.

George Hazelet was a successful businessman who found himself caught up in a recession in the US and decided to leave his family behind temporarily to seek his fortune in the Gold Rush in Alaska.  From 1898 to 1902 his diary documents his journey from the comforts of home to the rugged frontier where he struggles to survive and prosper.  The journal contains several pictures and maps that help one develop a picture of what life must have been like for this incredible individuals.

Although the book is fascinating it is more of a documentary than a story.  This is not in my area of interest but I do recommend it to anyone who has an interest in American history, particularly the settling of state of Alaska.

I want to thank NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

The Insect House
 By
 Shirley Day 

 The Insect House is a mystery novel that is not all what it seems. In her debut mystery novel Shirley Day introduces us to Helen, a housewife who lives in an ambling old house in East Anglia. Helen is waiting for her brother to arrive after a 24-year absence. What appears to the return of the prodigal son turns out to be quite different in this ever twisting, but sometimes tedious, account of a family that is being torn apart by its own secrets.

 Helen the protagonist presents herself as hard done by having to care for a her sick mother, tolerating a neglectful husband, and longing for her long absent younger brother. As the novel continues we slowly see quite different Helen emerge. There is an evil in the house that seems to be consuming Helen and her family, but as the story unfolds we realize that the evil is coming from a completely different direction.

 Day does a masterful job of holding the family secrets away from the reader until the concluding pages of the story. I enjoy the twist at the end, but I have to say that it is a hard to get into the book initially. There are many details introduced that are difficult to put into context until the very end and I find it all a bit confusing. I feel the development of the husband Tim, the American Carla and the Mother are all a bit shallow. However, the character development of Helen and her brother Gareth are exceptional.   I recommend this book to people who enjoy waiting for the twist at the end of the story, but I personally only give it a 3 on 5 because I feel that the wait is too long and tedious.

 I want to thank NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

Restoration heights

by

Will Medearis

Restoration Heights is a mystery novel that is of interest to anyone who has ever wanted to help someone.  In his debut mystery novel Wil Medearis introduces us to Reddick, a young white artist turned detective in a historical black Brooklyn neighbourhood.  Reddick’s imagination leads him in many directions when he decides against everyone’s advice to help a young woman he believes has been kidnapped and possibly murdered.

Reddick is an unfulfilled artist who works crating and moving other people’s art and hanging it on other’s people’s walls.  One night, while taking out the garbage, he is approached by a young woman who makes a pass at him and then quickly disappears.  The next day while working in the mansion of one of the richest families in the world he realizes that the same girl is the fiancé of his client’s son.  When he sets off the alarm the family tells him there is nothing to worry about.  Regardless, Reddick just can’t stop thinking about the young woman and the search begins.  He is basically taken down two paths one where he mingles with the rich who insist he doesn’t belong and the other where he wallows in the underbelly of criminal society, which threatens to cause him harm.   All the time he is asking himself “Where is the girl?”

I really enjoyed the protagonist in the story.  Reddick truly wants to help but he is an inexperience detective.  When he bounces ideas off his friends they all say, “Stop this or you will get yourself killed!”  He goes down many tracks and has to backtrack many times when his basic assumptions prove wrong.  He is not brilliant or exceptionally tough.  He just wants to help.  He could be anyone of us.  What’s not to love about this guy?

The story is exceptional.  We are introduced to the clash of the world of artists who are just getting by and the world of real estate, which threatens their existence.  Has their been a crime?  Who is the criminal?  Shouldn’t the police be called?  All these questions come up continuously and few of them are answered until the end of the book.   I highly recommend this book to those that love a good story with lots of interesting characters and strong character development.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Hanover Square Press for providing me with a copy of this excellent book in exchange for a fair review.

                             

In The Galway Silence:

A Jack Taylor Novel

By Ken Bruen

I want to thank NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for providing me with a digital copy of this book  

This is my first read of a Ken Bruen novel (Jack Taylor series #13) so I must admit I am a bit of a neophyte when it comes to following Bruen’s style of storytelling.  How it compares to other books within the series is for others to say, but for me it is a difficult novel to read.  The discourse is rapid and choppy and at times difficult to follow. 

Jack Taylor says he is happy, although his drinking and drug consumption have you wondering.  So when Monsieur Renaud enters the bar and asks Jack to find out who killed his twin sons he refuses to take the job.  Of course, as with any good detective, saying no is not that easy. This change of heart as well as the return of a girlfriend and then his ex-wife spins things out of control for Jack and many of the people close to him.  

The story itself is interesting but morbid.  The black humor and quick-witted insults serve to speed the book along, but for me they are also a distraction.  Frequent and non-relevant references to worldwide current events will quickly date the book (at least I hope Trump is history very soon).    Having said this, once you are into the rhythm of Ken Bruen’s style of writing, this story is a unique and engaging read.  It can be funny and yet heartbreaking.  I recommend one give it a try and for the reason I score it 3/5.

No Place for Wolverines: A Jenny Willson Mystery (A Jenny Willson Mystery #2)

by  

Dave Butler (Goodreads Author)

The book begins with a close up view of a wolverine attack on a baited trap in the Canadian Rockies. The author, Dave Butler, uses this as a close up view of how beautiful and fragile the mountain environment can be. In this realistic work of fiction, we find Park Warden Jenny Willson working in Yoho National Park trying to determine the push behind a new ski resort within the park boundaries. Virtually everyone agrees that another ski resort in the Rockies is foolish. However, due to a minor rewording of a law protecting the national parks, both the provincial and federal government have a proposal on their desks. Surprisingly, both governments are actually considering it. Why? When a wolverine researcher dies under mysterious circumstance, Willson is forced to work with the RCMP to investigate the ski hill proponent’s role in the crime. What appears to be a straightforward investigation soon grows to endanger those closest to Willson.

This fast paced story brings economic development, road building and pipeline construction into the discussion. Although it is fiction, this book is realistic enough to be very timely and important. I enjoyed this book because it strikes at the heart of an issue that concerns us all today: economic development versus environmental conservation. I highly recommend this book to people that need a spellbinding story of how these two opposing factors may meet head on in real life.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Dundern Press for providing me with an advanced copy of this excellent book. 

Fortune's Wheel (the Meonbridge Chronicles #1)

By

Carolyn Hughes (Goodreads author)

Carolyn Hughes first book is a historical fiction focusing on the small village of Meonbridge in aftermath of the plague in England. There are too few people to do all of the work and those who are left feel that they should get higher wages for their labor.  Of course the ruling class sees no reason to bow to the wishes of the working class.

Hughes focuses particularly on the women and how strong they are during difficult circumstances. A primary character, Alice, has lost her husband Philip and has two sons to deal with.  One of Alice’s previous love interests develops a mean streak making life in the village difficult.  Everyone agrees that his behavior is difficult to understand.

I am attracted to books with action.  I find Hughes does an excellent job of describing people but her descriptions of events are lacking.  Murders occur, but they are only mentioned.  People disappear but little is done.  Murderers are identified but their motives are vague and, in my mind, poorly described.  I found I was bored at times.

This book is about change.  People are forced to approach life through a new lens.  Citizens need to cooperate if villages are going so survive.  Of course this leads to murder and mayhem at first, but people must adjust if they are going to survive.   It’s a good story and I recommend this book to those looking for in depth character development.

Marilyn, My Marilyn

by Art Johnson

Marilyn, My Marilyn, part historical fiction and part fantasy, is an attempt to synthesize all that we know and much that we imagine about Marilyn Monroe.  The protagonist, Rory Long, is a young and naïve reporter who Marilyn requests as an interviewer because of a previous article he has written. Thus Long’s youth and naivety is used to develop a fresh picture of the “whole” Marilyn in this, Johnson’s third mystery novel.

Most people picture Marilyn as one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s. Rory is at first enthralled the Marilyn we know “what is it about a beautiful woman that causes a man to melt before their very eyes?” but quickly falls in love with the Marilyn he comes to discover is an intellectual “Marilyn returned to her poetry… She seemed to be perfectly at peace.”  Through Rory’s eyes we develop a picture of a well-rounded and talented businesswoman who is unfortunately held in check by the needs of the movie industry of that day.

In my opinion, Johnson tries to bring too many aspects together in his effort to understand the real Marilyn and what happened.  First we have a beautiful addict who is extremely intelligent, but lonely and looking for someone who understands her.  Then we have a fictional reporter who steps in and immediately understands where many have not.  The FBI and a mysterious organization setup to protect the president become involved.  All parties have peripheral interests in a gruesome murder, which may or may not be pivotal to what happens to Marilyn.  Even Marilyn’s closest companion is a suspect and subsequently other conspiracy theories are introduced.  I realize all of these theories have come to the forefront at various times in history, but I am not certain they all need to be included in one book.  It becomes too much like a documentary.

Having said this, I recommend this book because it is well written as one expects from Art Johnson.  Most importantly, however, by reading it one can see a multi-dimensional and beautiful Marilyn Munroe with the clarity she deserves.

I want to thank NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book.