Book Review: The Black Echo by Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch #1)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Interesting characters and a mostly strong story

Cons: Bosch’s character and a few clichés in the plot

The Bottom Line:

Start of a career

Definitely has some flaws

Still strong, shows promise

Black Echoes from the Past

I’m almost caught up on Michael Connelly’s Lincoln Lawyer novels, but I decided it was time to backtrack and listen to his very first novel.  Yes, I grabbed the audio book from my library recently and listened to The Black Echo while in the car.  While the book does have a few flaws, it sure did make the hours pass by.

Everyone is certain that it is a simple drug overdose.  After all, the victim was in a drain pipe in Hollywood and had scars from older drug marks on his arms.  The case can be closed quickly, which is a good things since it’s Sunday, and everyone wants to get back to their lives.

Everyone, that is, but LAPD detective Harry Bosch.  The scene looks too neat, and some of the evidence just doesn’t seem to fit the scene that everyone else is ready to believe.  And then Bosch is shocked to realize that he knows the victim.  He and Billy Meadows were both tunnel rats during the Vietnam War.  With a personal connection to the case, Bosch starts digging and poking and coming up with more clues that don’t fit the scene.  What was Meadows involved in that got him killed?

Sometimes, I think the character you meet first in your favorite.  I know quite a few Connelly fans who absolutely love Harry Bosch and can’t stand Mickey Haller.  Personally, I love Mickey yet found Bosch a bit cold and hard to get to know.  From the little I’ve seen of him in the Haller novels, this seems to be Bosch’s character.  He’s not a bad character, I just wish he had a bit more personality to him.

Having said that, I did like him enough to root for him to solve the case and overcome the other obstacles in his path.  Occasionally, I felt he crossed some lines, but the other characters called him on that as well.  Speaking of those characters, I loved them or loved to hate them.  And a few of the characters switched back and forth between those two categories as the book progressed.

The plot was strong with plenty of sub-plots to keep things moving forward.  I saw a few of the twists coming, and one plot point I figured out a long time before Harry did.  Still, there was more than enough going on to keep me entertained.  I hope the clichés in the story lessen as the books progress in the series, however.

One thing I especially appreciated is how Harry’s backstory was handled.  He’s given enough it almost feels like a later book in a series instead of a debut novel, but those back cases are discussed in enough detail eventually that we know what happened.  Yet, we are given this without stopping the story for long periods of time.  It’s slipped in a little here and a little there it doesn’t slow things down.

I also got a fascinating look at a part of the Vietnam War I wasn’t familiar with.  Having been born just after the conflict, there is much I don’t know, and this book really drove home some of the horrors of that particular war.

Of course, this book is definitely filled with my language and violence than I normally like.  If I’d been reading the book, I definitely would have skipped over a few scenes that were a bit gruesome, but that’s just my taste in books.

Sadly, the narrator could have done a better job.  Dick Hill was a bit too theatrical for my tastes, especially in the emotional scenes or if a character sighed or did something else he felt he could dramatize.  Some acting is involved in a good audio book, but this one just went a little too far and distracted more than I like.

I know I’m picking at the flaws, but this is certainly an entertaining book.  The Black Echo is a strong debut that shows the promise of the long and successful career Michael Connelly has had.

You can read more from his career by reading the rest of the Harry Bosch mysteries in order.

This book is part of this week's Friday's Forgotten Books.

January 16th's Book Beginnings and Friday 56

It's Friday.  Right?  I think?  This week has been so chaotic and long and crazy I've completely lost track of what day it is.  But the links are up for Book Beginnings and Friday 56, so I think this must really be Friday.

This week, I'm reading Scene of the Climb by Kate Dyer-Seeley.

That's right.  I'm trying some fitness/outdoors cozies to work off the calories I gain from reading the culinary cozies.  I'll let you know if it works.

Anyway, the book starts off like this:

My fingernails dug into the soggy dirt as my body lurched closer to the sheer cliff face.  I desperately jabbed deeper into the ground for traction.  It didn't work.

That certainly grabs you, doesn't it?

And from page 56:

Once I dragged myself off this rock face I was going to have to brush up on my investigative skills and  get to the bottom of the real story behind Race the States.

Are the two related?  You'll have to read the book to find out.

Movie Review: The Librarian - Curse of the Judas Chalice

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Good acting, okay story, some good laughs

Cons: The premise is just too weird for me

The Bottom Line:

A premise too far

Spoils otherwise fun movie

Well, it did for me

“I Think It’s Only Fair to Warn You, I Am a Librarian.”

After the second Librarian movie went some strange places, I fully prepared myself for more craziness in The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice.  Sadly, this third made for TV movie went even further afield.

The movie opens with Flynn Carsen (Noah Wyle) on another life and death quest to save the world.  This time, he’s in London at an auction bidding on an antique vase.  What he really wants is inside it, however, The Philosopher’s Stone.  While he succeeds at this mission, it costs him his current girlfriend.  Fed up, he goes on a rant when he gets home, and Judson and Charlene (Bob Newhart and Jane Curtin) suggest he take some of his unused vacation time.

However, after a couple of days, he finds himself growing bored.  After being encouraged to follow his dreams, he dreams of a beautiful woman in New Orleans.  Inspired to go visit the city, he actually finds her singing in a lounge in the city and learns her name is Simone (Stana Katic).  However, when people start chasing them, he hears a story of the Judas chalice and its connection to Judas Iscariot who some believe to be the first vampire.  Is any of it true?  Can he find it if it is?

Yes, you read that right.  This one involves yet another weird history for a Biblical character.  Somehow, this one just went too far for me.  If they had kept it about Vampires and not brought any connection into the Bible into it, I probably would have gone along with it.  However, this strange connection just made me uneasy and I couldn’t quite enjoy it as a result.

Which is a shame because it is filled with the same fun as the first two films.  There are laughs and quips and action as Flynn once again must battle the forces of evil to save the world.  The plot has some great twists to it and really does have good entertainment to it, if you can get past the part of the premise I couldn’t accept.

The effects are better than the previous film, although they still aren’t completely up to big screen standards.  Then again, this is a made for TV budget, so that can be understood and forgiven.

The acting is pretty good as well.  I had a bit of trouble with Stana Katic’s heavy accent early on, but as the movie went along I was able to understand her better.  While the rest of the cast was great, I especially enjoyed seeing her in this since the next year, she went on to star as Kate Beckett in Castle, as show I still absolutely love.

So if you don’t have the hang up I do with the premise, you will enjoy The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice.  There is some entertainment here; I just couldn’t completely get past the premise.

TV Recap: Castle 7-11 - Castle, P.I.

Yes, I know this is up a day later than normal.  I just didn’t have a chance to get my recap done yesterday.  Something about not being home until 11 last night.

I knew Castle working as a PI had the potential to be lots of fun.  Then, I’d started hearing rumors about just how much fun the first episode back from the break was.  In this case, listening to rumors was wise because this episode was a blast.  Oh, the mystery had a bit of a hole at the end, but overall it was a blast.

I’m not going to try to separate out the threads that Castle discovered versus the ones Beckett and the rest of the police found.  It’s not that important to the story anyway since in the end, everyone learned the truth.

Our victim is the admissions counselor at very private and popular pre-school.  Naturally, the first round of suspects are the rich parents she’s just turned down.  One in particular left threatening phone calls and was even seen showing up at the victim’s apartment.  However, he has an alibi that clears him.

Another Winner

When you host two giveaways on back to back days, you get the pleasure of announcing winners on back to back days.

Today, I'm please to announce that the winner of For Whom the Bluebell Tolls by Beverly Allen is...Margo Bittner.  Margo, you should have an e-mail from me.  If not, let me know.

Thanks to everyone who entered.  I should have another giveaway the beginning of February for you.

Ornament Review: The Great Gonzo - 2014 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Balance; captures look well; fun idea

Cons: A bit overwhelming on size; sound clip isn’t as fun as could be.

The Bottom Line:

A fun idea

Execution not perfect

Wish it were better

Just What Every Tree Needs – Dangerous Stunts!

Sometimes, the idea of an ornament and the execution of an ornament just don’t quite work.  I mean, what’s not to love about Gonzo, the blue Muppet known for his outlandish stunts?  But in this case, The Great Gonzo just doesn’t quite work like I would like it to work.

The ornament features Gonzo in one of his classic stunts.  In this case, he’s crawling into a big blue cannon.  As a result, the ornament features Gonzo’s head sticking out of the cannon.  And it is blue.  After all, Gonzo is that blue Muppet that looks like nothing else with his big hooked nose, and I mentioned the cannon is blue, right?  Still, there are some other colors since there is red on the cannon as well plus Gonzo is in a yellow and red costume.  With Gonzo looking at us, it is a fun ornament to look at.

However, it just seems a bit too big and clunky to me.  I didn’t wind up doing as much decorating as normal this year, so I didn’t have my other Muppet ornaments out to compare, but he seems bigger than the rest to me.  If I stop and think about it, that probably isn’t really the case, but that’s my impression from looking at him.  Either way, the end result is a big, blue ornament on your tree.

However, my real problem comes from the sound.  Yes, like the others in the unofficial series, this is a Magic ornaments.  Just insert the two button batteries and press the button and you get to hear a clip from the sketch they are recreating with the ornament.  In this case, Gonzo is planning to shoot himself out of the cannon, across the stage, to land safely in a glass of water.  Instead of the others that have multiple sound clips that play in order, this just has one long one that runs about 40 seconds.  We get to hear Gonzo describe the stunt and then yells, crashes, and bangs as he carries it out.

So here’s my problem.  If I could remember this scene, I might enjoy it and laugh when I push the button.  Instead, I’m left trying to picture the outcome from the sound effects – and that doesn’t work as well.  Yes, I did try to search for it, but let’s be honest, Gonzo tried so many different stunts it’s hard to find one in particular.

And maybe I’m just being a big grump here.  Bigger fans of The Muppet Show probably know the episode and love this ornament as a result.  Visually, it looks good, it’s just I don’t connect with it as well as some of the others.

The good news is you can display this ornament year round.  Yes, there are wheels on the cannon, but they don’t turn and are attached to blocks.  With how the cannon is tipped, you have a nice base to display the ornament on any shelf, table, or desk you choose.

And the ornament is perfectly balanced for hanging as well.  The loop is right in the middle near the back of Gonzo’s cape.  That proves to be the perfect place because the ornament is completely level when it hangs.  Unfortunately, with how everything is tilted normally, you need a really long hook to get any kind of distance between Gonzo and the Christmas tree.  Even then, you might find his head disappearing in the branch you hang the ornament fromt.

So maybe I’m just not enough of a Muppet fan to truly appreciate The Great Gonzo.  Or maybe this one sounded better on paper than it actually turned out.  Either way, Muppet fans will love it although most people will be able to pass it up with ease.

Original Price: $19.95

And the Gift Card Winner Is....

The winner of the gift card from author Susannah Hardy is...

...Ceblain, aka Cynthia.

Congrats!  I've sent you an e-mail.  Get back to me as quickly as possible so we can connect you with your prize.

Book Review: Zero-Degree Murder by M. L. Rowland (Search and Rescue Mysteries #1)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Good story overall with some likeable characters

Cons: Uneven pacing, clichés, and foul content

The Bottom Line:

Many elements

Don’t all quite come together

For book I would love

Better Than Zero-Degrees, But Not Fully Warm Either

In 2014, I found myself reading more culinary cozies than normal.  While it is a sub-genre I enjoy, I was hoping to expand my horizons beyond it this year by trying a few outdoors and exercised themed books.  Sadly, my first attempt turned out to be a disappointment.  Zero-Degree Murder wasn’t truly bad, but it wasn’t all that great either.

Gracie Kinkaid is spending a quiet Thanksgiving at home, so she is one of the few volunteers who responds when four hikers go missing up on the mountain during a Thanksgiving afternoon hike.  Unfortunately, she is paired with Steve Cashman, the one volunteer she can’t stand because he is always out to grab the spotlight.  And he will definitely be out to grab the spotlight in this case since one of the missing persons is famous actor Rob Christian.

Gracie and Cashman haven’t been on the trail too long before they find Rob.  However, there are no signs of the rest of the hikers and Rob is injured.  Worse yet, they are out of radio range and a snow storm is in the forecast.  However, what they don’t know is that there is a killer on the loose hunting them as well.  Will they survive?  Where are the rest of the hikers?

First of all, let’s discuss the content, and by content I mean language, violence, and sex.  Yes, this is a Berkley Prime Crime book, and since they publish many of the cozies I read and love, I was expecting something more along those lines content wise.  That wasn’t the case.  The book has plenty of foul language, and the violence is a tad intense at times.  There’s even a very PG sex scene.  While it is all fairly mild compared to what is out there and arguably realistic for the characters and story that is being told, it is more than I normally like to read.  So, despite the publisher, go in expecting this if you read the book.

I pretty quickly realized this was headed more toward the thriller side of things, although it is a mild thriller, and I tried to adjust my expectations accordingly.  Even so, there are long passages that begin to become a little boring.  The pacing is off overall, and really should have been tighter.  And I still haven’t figured out what exactly the first chapter was supposed to do.  I’m sure it was designed to introduce us to some of the characters, but you really could have cut it out of the book and been just fine.  I also called a couple of the twists of the story early on.

Having said that, there were passages that were page turning fast, and I would race through those.  My heart got pumping a couple of times, and I definitely had to get through the book to find out who would survive and how they’d do it.  The author uses multiple viewpoints to give us the complete picture of what is happening, and she does it very well.

The characters were another mixed bag.  At times, I felt like they were truly being developed and were pretty strong.  Then a few pages later, they felt like a cliché.  I did come to care for some of them, so they were developed well enough, and hopefully as the series goes on they will move on to become stronger overall.

I do enjoy the occasional darker book, so that wasn’t my entire problem with Zero-Degree Murder.  However, it never overcame some serious weaknesses for me to like it despite the darker subject matter and content.

Movie Review: The Librarian - Return to King Solomon's Mines

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Action, sense of fun, characters

Cons: Climax over the top with bad effects

The Bottom Line:

Climax doesn’t fit

Otherwise enjoyable

Entertaining film

“It’s Best to Not Use Water Analogies with Poseidon’s Trident.”

Since TNT has a marathon of their made for TV Librarian trio of movies last month, I’ve been trying to find time to watch them.  Instead, I spent most of December concentrating on Christmas movies.  But now I’m catching up with the second in the series, The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines.  It was a lot of fun, although the ending was very over the top.

This movie picks up a year after the previous one and Flynn Carsen (Noah Wyle) is definitely settling into his new job.  He’s gotten some more action experience under his belt to go with his head knowledge, and the result is a man who can get himself out of as much trouble as he gets himself into.  At least most of the time.

It also happens to be his birthday, and he receives a mysterious package in the mail.  When it is then stolen, Judson (Bob Newhart) makes the connection from what Flynn remembers to the legend of King Solomon’s Mines, the place he stored his greatest wealth as well as a book that could destroy mankind.  Flynn’s first stop is an archeological dig where he unintentionally picks up Emily Davenport (Gabrielle Anwar), a woman obsessed with the Queen of Sheba.  With a band of people who want that book on his tail, can Flynn find the mine and escape again?

I’ve got to say this movie was lots of fun.  Flynn is still awkward and geeky at times, but he is much more confident overall.  There were lots of one-liners, and I really enjoyed them.

The story was pretty good as well and allowed us the opportunity to learn a little more about Flynn.  No word on what happened to his love interest from the first film, but the series did have a habit of casting love interests before they landed visible TV gigs (Sonya Walger was playing the recurring character of Penny Widmore on Lost by this point and Gabrielle Anwar would go on to star in Burn Notice the next year.)  There was plenty of action and twists along the way to keep me interested.

The acting was top notch as well.  This may be a made for TV movie, but everyone gave it their best efforts.

However, the lack of budget definitely showed up in the special effects needed for the climax.  Yes, I know they were low budget, but they were fairly laughable.  We’re talking obvious CGI here.

Frankly, the climax overall was my biggest problem with the entire thing.  I know they were going for a big Indiana Jones finish (that’s still the best comparison to these movies), but it felt over the top for what had come before.  I definitely would have liked to see it toned down a few notches.  And there is a question left unanswered at the end of the movie, although I didn’t really think about it at the time.

As I watched, I had to throw anything I knew from the Bible out the window.  This is built purely on legend, and I know it has no basis in fact.  So just go with the flow and enjoy.

Despite the weak ending, this movie still provides plenty of entertainment.  If you are looking for a popcorn flick on a made for TV budget, you’ll be glad you watched The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines.

(Oh, and speaking of Indy, Flynn found the Crystal Skull a couple of years before Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull hit theaters.)

Favorite Books of the Year - 2014

So, am I the last book blog to list my favorites on the year?  Either way, I wanted to take a moment to talk about the books that really stood out to me from what I read in 2014.

One thing that really struck me as I was putting together this list are the number of authors on it who I hadn't read before 2014.  Yes, there are some old standbys on here, but there is lots of new blood.  No wonder my TBR pile just keeps growing even though I keep reading books.

If you want to know more, the links will take you to my full review of the book.

These are in the order I read them this year, so their place on the list has nothing to do with their rank.

Adult Mysteries:

Murder with Ganache by Lucy Burdette

I read all five books in the series this year, starting with this one, book four.  It remains my favorite in the series to date.  The stakes for Hayley were so high and the twists to the plot were great.  I’m glad I finally started this series this year.

Murder Past Due by Miranda James

I kept hearing great things about this series, and after reading the first, I can understand why.  Strong characters and a plot with more twists in the first 100 pages than some books doing in their entire length.  Why I didn’t make time to read further into the series last year is a mystery to me.

Killing Cupid by Laura Levine

This series has been a favorite of mine for years, and the latest didn’t disappoint.  Plenty of laughs and an enjoyable plot make this one worth reading.

Murder on Bamboo Lane by Naomi Hirahara

This book stars an unique protagonist taking us down to a part of LA I don’t know super well.  It couldn’t have been told with any different cast of characters, and I loved every page of it.  Definitely looking forward to the next in the series.

Boiled Over by Barbara Ross

I don’t like seafood, and I’d never go on a clam bake.  Yet this series has captured me with strong characters.  The plot in this one was fabulous and kept me guessing until the end.  While it hasn’t changed my mind on attending one in real life, I can’t wait to go on my next fictitious one.

Basil Instinct by Shelley Costa

A murder mystery that includes farce and weaves an improbable plot without ever being unbelievable.  Pure fun makes this one a pure winner to me.

Bloom and Doom by Beverly Allen

Sometimes, in a debut, the characters jump off the page and grab you.  By the time you are done, you already feel like they are old friends.  That was the case here.  The plot was very enjoyable as well, and mix in a dash of humor and you have a real winner.

Queen of Hearts by Rhys Bowen

Old Hollywood in the 1930’s comes to life in this fun and mysterious trip with Lady Georgie.  When the plot kicks off on the journey to Los Angeles, you know you are in for a wild ride, and that’s the case here.  Plenty of mystery, mayhem, and fun.

Death of a Crabby Cook by Penny Pike

I hadn’t paid much attention to food trucks until I read two mysteries this year with the food truck theme.  This was the better of the two with a fun location, great characters, and a complex mystery.  I’m definitely looking forward to the next food truck food festival.

Foul Play at the Fair by Shelley Freydont

Another debut in a series that blew me away.  The stakes in this case were personal for friends of the main character, and yet these characters were so real, we truly felt for the outcome ourselves.

Hell on Wheels by Sue Ann Jaffarian

A favorite series that continues to entertain.  The main plot was mysterious, but the sub-plot was just as mysterious while being downright hysterical.  Fans of the series will probably enjoy it most, but once you start reading the series, you’ll quickly become a fan.

Tagged for Death by Sherry Harris

My final book is another series debut.  As I have said about some of the earlier books on this list, the plotting was tight, but the characters were so great.  They made me care about the outcome, and I can’t wait to see them again.

Middle Grade Books:

Blue Sea Burning by Geoff Rodkey

The final chapter in a fantasy trilogy does a fantastic job of wrapping up all the plot threads without letting the characters or the story lag in the slightest.  I highly recommend these fun books.

The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy

Another series I wish I’d gotten back to last year.  This take on fairy tales is highly creative and extremely fun.  Plenty of humor and wonderful character growth.  It should appeal to girls and guys equally.

Space Case by Stuart Gibbs

I love all of Stuart’s books, but this new series set on the Moon in the future is just great.  The setting is so well done that I actually felt like I was there.  Plus I was sure I had guessed the killer early on but I was completely wrong.

Nick and Tesla’s Super-Cyborg Gadget Glove by “Science Bob” Pflugfelder and Steve Hockensmith

While I have enjoyed all of these books, there is a particular reason this one made the list.  Seeing a character named Mark Carstairs immediately made me love it.

Everblaze by Shannon Messenger

Strong characters?  Check.  A plot that pulled me in?  Double check.  This was the longest in the series to date, but it didn’t feel like it at all.  The pages just flew by, and I was so invested in what was happening I was sorry to see it end.