C Reviews - Not in Alphabetical Order
Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark - Deck the Halls
I have never read any Carol Higgins Clark, and it has been a lot of years since I read Mary Higgins Clark. I think this is their first book written together. It is almost like a first novelist's attempt, writing teachers tell you to write what you know. Well, this story is about a mother and daughter, one a writer, one a detective, and the father and his chauffeur are kidnapped. The mother, the writer, has a broken leg and cannot get about. The daughter teams with a local cop (love interest) and they go about solving the mystery. We see a lot of characters, a few suspects get thrown in for good measure. It was an engaging story, but for some reason it didn't grab me.
Robert Crais - The Monkey's Raincoat
I enjoyed L. A. Requiem so much that I found another Crais novel, The Monkey's Raincoat. I believe this story takes place before L.A. Requiem. Elvis gets himself involved with dead husbands, floozy girlfriends, battered housewives in this story of deceit and Hollywood. We get to see Pike in this story as well. I like him. Again, his style is great! Add this one to your list!
Robert Crais - L.A. Requiem
This was a great story! I don't know if it is a part of a series or if it is a first novel, but I loved his style. Very reminiscent of the detective novel style of Parker and Chandler. Great characters! The character we see the story through is Elvis Cole, gotta love that name! He is not so tough as persistent. The story winds through several different characters and the way everything is tied together is amazing! Some novels based in L.A. to me, are not authentic, being a native Californian and living in the expansive LA area, I can be a bit picky! But Robert Crais knows this city and the area and I think does a great job of bringing it to life. I could really "see" the scenery and the characters as they wended their way through them. If you enjoy good ol' crime novels, then you will definitely like this one! I highly recommend it!
Tom Clancy - Shadow Watch
This book is part of a series he has created with Martin Greenberg. I believe it is the second in the series. I liked it! We were introduced to different characters all over the world doing things at approximately the same time! We are taken from some secret plant in South America, the Kennedy Space Center and the Silicon Valley. It is set a couple of years in the future. This is international intrigue at a very high level. I won't spoil the ending, but we know there is another story to follow. If you like Tom Clancy, I think you will like this story.
Agatha Christie - The Clocks
An unknown man found dead by a young typist in the living room of a blind woman. There are four clocks in the room all set for the same time! But not the correct time! How do these things come together to solve the mystery? Hercule Poirot is the only one who could solve this puzzle, and he certainly does. It is a great story with a whole lot of possible suspects. If you enjoy Christie, and if you are a true mystery fan, I'm sure you do, you will enjoy this great Poirot story.
Patricia Cornwell - Cause of Death
The main character of this mystery is Virginia chief medical examiner, Dr. Kay Scarpetta. A journalist gets himself killed while diving in an off-limits Naval shipyard. The twists and turns of where the mystery finally takes us is exciting and unexpected. The doctor has ties with the police and the FBI. One of the characters is her niece, a new FBI agent. Her character does play a pivotal role during the end of the novel, however, I do not feel her sexual preference added any value to the story. I read books for a good and exciting story, not for sexual preference of a character to be crammed down my throat. I feel it was thrown in there just to appease another reading group. This is the first Cornwell novel I have read, and I am not sure if I will read anymore if she throws in superfluous character traits that do not enhance the story.
Agatha Christie - Black Coffee
This was a play and was adapted as a novel by Charles Osborne. I believe he did a great job in capturing the Christie style. Hercule Poirot is one of my favorite detectives and he is at his best. Him and his "little grey cells"! This has also been dramatized by the PBS Mystery series, but I don't recall it was under this name. A scientist is killed in his manor and Poirot must find the culprit. If you are familiar with Poirot and Christie, and any good mystery reader is, you will enjoy this. Good ol' Captain Hastings is also with us in this one.
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Updated September 23, 2001