Jason Reynolds’ “Long Way Down” was recommended to me by my brother, so I had a feeling it was going to be good. While he wanted me to read the graphic novel version of the book, I stuck with the original, which was written in verse. I didn’t realize it was written in verse until... Continue Reading →
Interview with Kim Casey
Kim Casey is the author of five books, including Thunder Bay District’s True Murder Investigations 1885 to 2016 and Thunder Bay City’s True Murder Investigations 1882 – 2014. Her books are self-published through her publishing house, Ahneen Publishing. Casey will be at Brodie on Wednesday, April 4th to talk about Thunder Bay District’s True Murder... Continue Reading →
City of the Lost by Kelley Armstrong
Werewolves, witches, and omens....are exactly what you won’t find in the newest series by supernatural queen Kelley Armstrong. She is best known for series’ such as Otherworld and Cainsville but with City of the Lost she takes a hard turn away from her signature style and ventures into murder mystery completely based in the human... Continue Reading →
Someone You Know by Brian McGilloway
On my first trip to Ireland, I found myself in a bookstore discovering a number of new authors to me, including couple of great mystery writers, Liz Nugent and Brian McGilloway. While, Nugent has yet to break the North American market, McGilloway has been quietly building a fan base with his Benedict Devlin and DS... Continue Reading →
The Secret History by Donna Tartt (1992)
What do New England and Dionysus (the Greek God of fertility and wine) have in common? A secret history of course! And possibly a fondness for chowder, though I have never had the opportunity to find out for sure. Before winning the 2014 Pulitzer Prize, Donna Tartt was known for being the mastermind behind The... Continue Reading →
Far North (66˚North), by Michael Ridpath
“Iceland was angry:” quite possibly my favourite opening line to date. With over 130 volcanoes, 30 to 40 of which are active, the resultant topography and climate have rendered Iceland somewhat mercurial, a tad tetchy. But that’s just the land. With a pluckiness akin to the sisu of the Finns, Icelanders are a resilient and... Continue Reading →
The Cuckoo’s Calling, by Robert Galbraith
Cormoran Strike – an unusual name choice for Galbraith’s new crime fiction hero, but at least it avoids any character confusion that may ensue along the way. It’s also unlikely that Strike’s physical appearance could be mistaken for anybody else’s either. It’s like Galbraith went out of his way to make Cormoran as strikingly (pardon... Continue Reading →
The Keeper of Lost Causes, by Jussi Adler-Olsen
Borrowing from a Chinese proverb, Frederick R. Barnard once said: “one look is worth a thousand words.” Similarly, one look at the author photo of Jussi Adler-Olsen tells us a multitude of things: the expression on his face says it all. Adler-Olsen is obviously a man who doesn’t suffer fools gladly; he doesn’t put up... Continue Reading →
Cold Hands, by John J. Niven
It’s not very often that I physically react to what I’m reading in a novel, but Niven’s Cold Hands had me crying within the first ten pages and literally cringing a lot from there on. This is a gruesome thriller, reminiscent of Val McDermid, and I barely put it down from start to finish. There’s... Continue Reading →
Mysteries with a Little Faith (Max Tudor Mysteries) by G.M. Malliet
Everyone who knows me is aware of the fact that I like (love?) cozy mysteries. I read anything that catches my fancy, whether it's light, dark, humorous or tragic, but I find I turn to cozies as a palate cleanser between deeper books. When another staff member recommended the Max Tudor series by G.M. Malliet,... Continue Reading →