reviews

A ‘Doo to Die For By: M.C. Beaton Catty, captivating, and ultimately vulnerable, M.C. Beaton’s Agatha Raisin mystery series returns in book eight when Agatha, after a botched home dye job to hide her grey hairs, ends up meeting and falling for a charismatic hairdresser, Mr. John. The romance is soured somewhat by gossip and suspicion, particularly the fear of local village women.  When John dies gruesomely before finalizing Agatha’s new coiffure she senses foul play and, with James once again gone, teams up with the inimitable Sir Charles and her plucky ex-assistant Roy to track down a killer all while [...]

Hubris or Heroism...? Author:  Louise Barnett Where do your sympathies lie?  Are you a Custerphile or a Custerphobe?  Ever since his death at age 36, people have been arguing about the tumultuous life and final days of George Armstrong Custer.  Whether you view him as a tragic American military hero or as one the most notable participants in the Native American genocide, the man has proved to be one of the most divisive individuals in American history.  Not surprisingly, this persistent acrimony is evident in the many books about the man, making it hard to find a balanced account.  While [...]

Roy and Rocky on the road... Author:  Nic Pizzolatto If you like dark dramatic fiction, featuring ethically challenged protagonists with lung cancer, have I got a book for you.  In Galveston, novelist and screenwriter Nic Pizzolatto – recent recipient of much acclaim for writing HBO’s True Detective – has created a Gulf Coast thriller as murky and humid as they come.  Published in 2010, before the author’s HBO gig, the book captures much of the same tone as the TV show and is likely to please fans of Pizzolatto’s more recent work. On the same day he is diagnosed with [...]