Finishes from December and So Far in January - Part II

[Nyssa]

On to January...

"The Good German" by Joseph Kanon was one I picked up because
of discussions here on ram. I enjoyed the complex mystery and
the descriptions of the conditions in the early days of occupied
Berlin. The mystery had me guessing, and I came close to the
right whodunit, but didn't get it quite right. Good book, but
I don't like Kanon's need to insert one very graphic sex scene
in his books where it is unneeded and out of sync with the
rest of his book. It simply doesn't fit in and seems like a token
effort thrown in and possibly mandated by an editor or publisher.

"Double Knit Murders" by Maggie Sefton is a trade paperback that
has the first two novels from the Knitting mystery series,
"Knit One, Kill Two" and "Needled to Death." Both can be put in
the Clean classification. The mysteries are pretty good, although
some readers might find the running knitting and yarn discussions
to be tedious. As a knitter, I could empathize with the struggles
of the beginning knitter, but even I started to get tired of the
descriptions of different yarns displayed in the shop. (Yarn envy
too since there are no yarn shops within fifty miles of me.)

"The Driving Lesson" by Ben Rehder was totally unexpected. I thought
it would be another of his humorous mysteries, but it turned out
to be a coming-of-age story about an almost fifteen year old and
his dying grandfather who is trying to get to a state with assisted
suicide. Contrary to what it sounds like, it wasn't gloomy or
preachy, and I enjoyed it. I was just expecting a mystery instead
of what it was.

"Winning Texas" by Nancy Stancil was the sequel to "Saving Texas"
set four years after the first book. Many of the same characters
are back with another murder mystery on top of a new political
group who want ten counties in the Hill Country declared German
Texas to increase tourism among other things. The Texas succession
group from the first book consider this new movement competition
and another murder happens. The subplot of the declining newspaper
business continues too. The ending screams for another book in
the series to end things neatly.

"Frozen Assets" by Lee Schultz is the first book in the Yooperwoman
Chronicles series of mysteries set in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
I've already read (and reviewed) books three and four in the series,
so I knew to expect both a pretty good murder mystery and a lot of
character background story, some of which repeats in each book.
The repetition becomes tedious if you're reading them back-to-back.

The main character, Molly Meagher, is a sixty-something "recovering
lawyer" who has semi-retired to the UP after being attacked and
almost killed by a client's ex-husband. This one has a mix of personal
issues in the form of a younger sister dying of cancer, a pushy real
estate agent trying to get her to sell her property to an
anonymous buyer, a couple of murders, and several attempts on
Molly's life for reasons unknown. Part soap opera, part mystery.

Currently reading "A Touch of Copper" #2 in the Yooperwoman Chronicles.

That's it so far.

Nyssa, who wishes she didn't have to waste time sleeping when
she could be reading

[Carol Dickinson]

On Monday, January 23, 2017 at 12:18:14 PM UTC-9, Nyssa wrote:

"Double Knit Murders" by Maggie Sefton but even I started to get tired of the

Post by Nyssa
descriptions of different yarns displayed in the shop. (Yarn envy
too since there are no yarn shops within fifty miles of me.)

I have given up knit/crochet/needlework mysteries because they seem to fit that
new cookie cutter mold. And that particular issue you mentioned is one of the reasons. I still have a couple Monica Ferris stories on my TBR shelf, but I'm not acquiring anymore needlework stories. Ferris breaks the mold enough I like her.

Post by Nyssa
"Frozen Assets" by Lee Schultz is the first book in the Yooperwoman
Chronicles series of mysteries set in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
The main character, Molly Meagher, is a sixty-something "recovering
lawyer" who has semi-retired to the UP after being attacked and
almost killed by a client's ex-husband. snipt Part soap opera, part mystery.

This sounds tantalizing to me. I qualify as a Yooper I suppose since I spent most of my first year in Houghton. Dad wrote our family history and describes that year thoroughly. He and Mom had an apartment above a commercial garage. They shared a bathroom with another apartment down the hall. The walls were stone and ice would form on the walls at night. They kept me in front of the oven to stay warm. Oh and the apartment was a converted brothel. And I figured out, from reading the family history, that I was conceived in the apartment that was converted from the city jail. That's what my father "provided" for my mother, and yet she always thought she married "up" into my Dad's family. He is descended from peasants as far back as I can trace, while she is descended from most of the royal houses of Europe and a large number of saints.

So anyway, the question is Nyssa does this series fall into or close to the cozy side of the genre rather than the forensic, procedural, or hard-boiled side?

Post by Nyssa
Nyssa, who wishes she didn't have to waste time sleeping when
she could be reading

I'm with you there. We just had a 26" snowfall followed by a warming trend. Last week 30 below,(and my care froze even though it was plugged in) and today its 40 above. School closed due to "melt, flood, slippery roads" etc.

Carol

[Nyssa]

Post by Carol Dickinson
On Monday, January 23, 2017 at 12:18:14 PM UTC-9, Nyssa
"Double Knit Murders" by Maggie Sefton but even I
started to get tired of the

Post by Nyssa
descriptions of different yarns displayed in the shop.
(Yarn envy too since there are no yarn shops within fifty
miles of me.)

I have given up knit/crochet/needlework mysteries because
they seem to fit that new cookie cutter mold. And that
particular issue you mentioned is one of the reasons. I
still have a couple Monica Ferris stories on my TBR shelf,
but I'm not acquiring anymore needlework stories. Ferris
breaks the mold enough I like her.

Mary Monica seems to be losing steam in her needlework series.
I mentioned in my post how this last one left out a lot of
important details in wrapping up the whodunit and crime scene
stuff. Her earlier books would have at least attempted to
explain some of that in a wrap up chapter. I'm wondering if
she skipped it because she didn't know how to justify or
explain those details in any believable manner.

Post by Carol Dickinson

Post by Nyssa
"Frozen Assets" by Lee Schultz is the first book in the
Yooperwoman Chronicles series of mysteries set in
Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
The main character, Molly Meagher, is a sixty-something
"recovering lawyer" who has semi-retired to the UP after
being attacked and
almost killed by a client's ex-husband. snipt Part soap
opera, part mystery.

This sounds tantalizing to me. I qualify as a Yooper I
suppose since I spent most of my first year in Houghton.
Dad wrote our family history and describes that year
thoroughly. He and Mom had an apartment above a commercial
garage. They shared a bathroom with another apartment down
the hall. The walls were stone and ice would form on the
walls at night. They kept me in front of the oven to stay
warm. Oh and the apartment was a converted brothel. And I
figured out, from reading the family history, that I was
conceived in the apartment that was converted from the
city jail. That's what my father "provided" for my mother,
and yet she always thought she married "up" into my Dad's
family. He is descended from peasants as far back as I can
trace, while she is descended from most of the royal
houses of Europe and a large number of saints.
So anyway, the question is Nyssa does this series fall
into or close to the cozy side of the genre rather than
the forensic, procedural, or hard-boiled side?

No forensic, not much procedural, no explicit sex scenes,
but there is some tough language sprinkled in.

Post by Carol Dickinson

Post by Nyssa
Nyssa, who wishes she didn't have to waste time sleeping
when she could be reading

I'm with you there. We just had a 26" snowfall followed by
a warming trend. Last week 30 below,(and my care froze
even though it was plugged in) and today its 40 above.
School closed due to "melt, flood, slippery roads" etc.
Carol

We had a couple of days of unseasonably warm after a near-
flood of rain. Now we're headed back to a week of normal
temperatures. The roller coaster continues.

Nyssa, who luckily got her in-town errands completed before
the cold front with more rain moved in

[Carol Dickinson]

So anyway, the question is Nyssa does this series fall

Post by Nyssa

Post by Carol Dickinson
into or close to the cozy side of the genre rather than
the forensic, procedural, or hard-boiled side?

No forensic, not much procedural, no explicit sex scenes,
but there is some tough language sprinkled in.

Well I used to prefer that my authors leave me on the outside of the door (or wherever when it came to sex scenes, although I have had to revise that opinion now that Gabaldon is my favorite author. She writes very explicitly and it took some adjustment in my attitude. To me it reads like porn but most of her fans that I know, don't agree. But still she writes it differently than most other writers I'm familiar with.

No its the grisly details that I don't like in the forensic stuff. I really don't need or want to know what they do to a body in an autopsy or what the entire body looks like spattered at the bottom of a cliff unless there is a CLUE I need to see. I find most procedurals dull and slow moving. They who write that seem to be rather unimaginative in making the story move forward so you want to turn the page and find out what comes next.

I don't read about women being stalked or in other sorts of danger. I don't read about abuse of women, children or animals. Or well... not even men. I don't read about abuse. I spent a lot of time 20 years back being stalked, even to the point of carrying a loaded gun on my person IN MY OWN HOUSE and sleeping with one even with a 4 year old in the house. I practiced in my mind pointing that gun at my stalker and pulling the trigger. I needed to be ready. I know I was. I know I can point one at a human and fire. It is not something one should have to know about yourself if you aren't in the military, or law enforcement.
I spent a lot of time alone, frightened, and rather defenseless.

I spent a lot of time and energy rescuing and rehoming animals. I held many an abused animal in my arms as they were put down. I do not find these subjects "entertaining". and I don't want to read about them when I'm trying to relax and fall asleep which is the only time I read.

As for "tough language". Well I did spend a year working at the local youth correction facility. And several years working in the retail store from which I retired, in the worst part of town where the majority of our customers were mentally ill, homeless, criminals, or kids on their way to one of those categories. We were regularly peppered with "tough language" so I'm sort of immune now. I don't consider the "tough language" the part of hard-boiled that I stay away from. Its more the "attitude" of the hardboiled detective. I don't like them as people. I like detectives that I wouldn't mind having drop by for dinner or or that I would chat with over the hedge if they were my neighbors.

But I'm still iffy on the Yooper series. Maybe if I trip over one.

Carol

[Nyssa]

Post by Carol Dickinson
So anyway, the question is Nyssa does this series fall

Post by Nyssa

Post by Carol Dickinson
into or close to the cozy side of the genre rather than
the forensic, procedural, or hard-boiled side?

No forensic, not much procedural, no explicit sex scenes,
but there is some tough language sprinkled in.

Well I used to prefer that my authors leave me on the
outside of the door (or wherever when it came to sex
scenes, although I have had to revise that opinion now
that Gabaldon is my favorite author. She writes very
explicitly and it took some adjustment in my attitude. To
me it reads like porn but most of her fans that I know,
don't agree. But still she writes it differently than most
other writers I'm familiar with.
No its the grisly details that I don't like in the
forensic stuff. I really don't need or want to know what
they do to a body in an autopsy or what the entire body
looks like spattered at the bottom of a cliff unless there
is a CLUE I need to see. I find most procedurals dull and
slow moving. They who write that seem to be rather
unimaginative in making the story move forward so you want
to turn the page and find out what comes next.
I don't read about women being stalked or in other sorts
of danger. I don't read about abuse of women, children or
animals. Or well... not even men. I don't read about
abuse. I spent a lot of time 20 years back being stalked,
even to the point of carrying a loaded gun on my person IN
MY OWN HOUSE and sleeping with one even with a 4 year old
in the house. I practiced in my mind pointing that gun at
my stalker and pulling the trigger. I needed to be ready.
I know I was. I know I can point one at a human and fire.
It is not something one should have to know about yourself
if you aren't in the military, or law enforcement. I spent
a lot of time alone, frightened, and rather defenseless.
I spent a lot of time and energy rescuing and rehoming
animals. I held many an abused animal in my arms as they
were put down. I do not find these subjects
"entertaining". and I don't want to read about them when
I'm trying to relax and fall asleep which is the only time
I read.
As for "tough language". Well I did spend a year working
at the local youth correction facility. And several years
working in the retail store from which I retired, in the
worst part of town where the majority of our customers
were mentally ill, homeless, criminals, or kids on their
way to one of those categories. We were regularly peppered
with "tough language" so I'm sort of immune now. I don't
consider the "tough language" the part of hard-boiled that
I stay away from. Its more the "attitude" of the
hardboiled detective. I don't like them as people. I like
detectives that I wouldn't mind having drop by for dinner
or or that I would chat with over the hedge if they were
my neighbors.
But I'm still iffy on the Yooper series. Maybe if I trip
over one.
Carol

I read #3 and #4 first and liked them. Unfortunately, going
back and reading #1 and #2 took the bloom off the rose.
#5 makes me not want to bother with #6 if I ever happen
to find it offered for free.

#2 had a mystery that was never explained, and even the
few throwaway paragraphs about it in #3 didn't explain
much of anything, like who the mysterious woman on the
tour boat was, who were the men she was with, and how
she got the information she passed along. Minor details?
No, they were important and were ignored by the author.

#5 had one of your no-nos...mistreated animals. I wasn't
too happy with the theme either, but I made it through
the book anyway. It didn't make me enthusiastic about
the next book though.

The procedurals in the books are more in the line of
what cops and first responders do, rather than grizzly
details. Lots of interviewing and poking around.

I just ordered book #3 (used, of course) of the Knitting
Mystery cozy series. I prefer the Blanco County books,
but I have yet to find the later books used at reasonable
prices, so they'll have to wait unless I finally get to
the top of the queue for them on paperbackswap.com.

Nyssa, who is reading "Dearie" the biography of Julia
Child which did not mention the shark repellent recipe
in the section about Julia working at ERES