Books Read 2015

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Mon Jun 22, 2015 3:00 am

After the death of his father and his 5-year old sister, Kevin Davenport has worked every odd job known to man to support himself and his broken-hearted mother who barely survived day by day. When a chance connection (back in prep school) landed him a job at the Kosher World Meat Factory, the pay's good (better than anything else), but the job's ****y and as a new guy he's hazed... Until he found that not only was Kosher World a front for a criminal enterprise, his father's death was no accident. Now he has a chance for the ultimate payback, and he will do anything for that sweet revenge... from club fighting to bookmaking, even drug dealing and game fixing. But can he do it without sacrificing his soul... and emerge with his hive and heart intact?

A lot of fun reading this book, tightly wound first-person with a lot of personal stake and action. The bad guys are evil, but BELIEVABLY evil, not just WTF evil. And the good guy has a conscience, perhaps a little too much, but he knows how to get things done. I would give this 7 out of 8 tentacles.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Fri Jul 03, 2015 7:03 am

Finished "By the Blood of Heroes: The Great Undead War Book 1"

WW1 changed forever when the Germans introduced "corpse gas". Supposedly an improvement on poison gas, it instead, reanimated the dead into brainless shambling zombies. And German scientists are working on ever deadlier creations... ability to convert regular humans into super undead soldiers, that are almost impossible to kill (except breaking bones and/or shot through the head). The Allies, even with the help of the Americans Expeditionary Force, are barely holding on. And Baron Von Richtofen, one of the first to be "enhanced" due to a horrible accident, is ready to unleash the next phase of warfare... What's worse, there are rumors that the German scientists have achieved "remote kill"... a way to kill someone by merely having a relative's DNA or body (dead or alive). When the Allied top ace, secretly the US President's son, had been shot down by Von Richtofen, and captured, a desperate plan was launched to rescue him... or to render him unusable to the enemy. A small squad was sent to infiltrate the enemy lines....

Basically, it's WW1 with zombies and steampunk. Book 1 ended with one thing barely solved, except enemy always had two more tricks up his sleeve despite your best efforts, so things are actually much worse. And remember, the bad guy almost can't die. It gets somewhat... WTF-ish near the end, which just makes the ending even worse and depressing.

Not a bad idea, just that this war seems to be... Hmmm... too much WTF

Spoiler:

Maybe 4 or 5 tentacles out of 8.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Fri Jul 03, 2015 8:20 am

Rise Headless and Ride by Richard Gleaves.

So this book I bought really by accident. It was in an e-book deal newsletter and I thought it was a tie-in to the Sleepy Hollow TV show that my wife and I watch, so I figured I'd give it a shot as some light reading that fleshed out the TV series mythos.

I soon discovered, however, that it has nothing to do with the TV series at all. It's a book about young Jason Crane, descendant of Ichabod, who finds himself in the town of Sleepy Hollow dealing with bullies, first loves, and a greedy benefactor who is trying to steal his family's legacy.

Very interesting book. In many ways it reads like a young adult novel - it's a very teen-centric point of view, and the horror and violence is decidedly PG. On the other hand, it dives really deep into Sleepy Hollow lore, twists into the supernatural when you don't expect it, and is oddly.....charming? I found myself really caring about the characters, and like the original Sleepy Hollow story it's good clean family fun with just a hint of terror.

This one isn't going to challenge your brain or your reading level, but for an entertaining read at bedtime I give this one 6 out of 8 tentacles.

There is a sequel out now; not sure if there are any more planned for the series but I've already picked it up.

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Fri Jul 03, 2015 11:20 am

Between this and last year's excellent documentary, Rev. Davis is finally getting some recognition.

It's been a long time coming.

Delraich · Post by **Delraich** » Fri Jul 03, 2015 3:16 pm

Just finished two audiobooks:

- Half the world, by Joe Abercrombie. The second book of his "Young adult" series, though it is pretty violent and contains some, well, adult bits. It continues the story of the first book, but from new POVs. Typical Abercrombie, so I liked it quite a bit and look forward to the final book of the series. But not as good as his earlier work...

- Three body problem, by Liu Cixin. The first book of a Chinese SF trilogy, recently translated into English (the rest to follow). Thoroughly enjoyed this one. I think it would be best to read it without knowing too much about the plot. It starts of as a mystery / (alternativish) history novel taking place in China, but then meanders into hard sci fi, with a definite emphasis on the science. The prose is not very fluent, possibly a result of the translation, and there are some longish and un-subtle descriptions of science concepts. But this does not distract from a thoughtful and gripping story. Highly recommended.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Sat Jul 04, 2015 12:20 pm

Very good summertime IPA. Went down nice as a chaser to a glass of lemonade; the citra hops giving a nice citrus flavor without being overboard (looking at you, Lagunitas!). At only 6.0% ABV, you can drink them two at a time!

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Sat Jul 04, 2015 12:24 pm

But how does it read, Jeff? Does it read as well as it tastes?

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Sat Jul 04, 2015 12:42 pm

Can we add "Posting in the correct thread" to the JeffV list?

rshetts2 · Post by **rshetts2** » Sat Jul 04, 2015 1:58 pm

Rumpy wrote:But how does it read, Jeff? Does it read as well as it tastes?

Well he did clearly read the label and it impressed him enough that he is actually quoting from it so Im guessing it must rate at least 5 tentacles.

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Sat Jul 04, 2015 4:32 pm

Maybe it's the picture JeffV selected, but it looks like a bottle of jism to me. Hat's off to JeffV for drinking a bottle of jism called "My Turn".

Jolor · Post by **Jolor** » Sat Jul 18, 2015 9:36 pm

Through Black Spruce - Boyden
Joseph Boyden's second novel. You don't need to be familiar with the brilliant Three Day Road but, personally, I appreciated the references and having read it only made me appreciate more the changes that had come to the community over just two generations.
Oh - go read The Orenda, already.

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Sun Jul 19, 2015 9:44 pm

I've been meaning to read that one, Jolor. I really liked Three Day Road.

Jolor · Post by **Jolor** » Mon Jul 20, 2015 10:48 am

Highly recommended, Rumpy. I've been hitting the library for my reading of late. The online (MyOPL) request and wishlist creation makes it a breeze to keep a steady queue of great reads on the go.
If your library offers the same capability, it's worth trying, imo.

Delraich · Post by **Delraich** » Mon Jul 20, 2015 3:21 pm

Hm, Orenda has been on my to-read list for quite a while. Will check it out.

Just finished Ex-heroes by Peter Clines. It is basically a cross between a superhero- and zombie book: superheroes trying to save the world (or actually LA) from the zombie apocalypse. It is not exactly high literature, but that was hardly unexpected given the aforementioned premise. It is engaging though, and I might actually read the sequel...

Just started Grace of Kings by Ken Liu. I am not really far into it, but assuming the quality remains as it is, this may be one of my favorite fantasy novels. Ever.

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Mon Jul 20, 2015 3:45 pm

Jolor wrote:Highly recommended, Rumpy. I've been hitting the library for my reading of late. The online (MyOPL) request and wishlist creation makes it a breeze to keep a steady queue of great reads on the go.
If your library offers the same capability, it's worth trying, imo.

Yeah, I looked into it, and while the software they use technically supports my Kindle, the library itself seems to have chosen to completely ignore Kindles as a whole while supporting everything else including Blackberry Playbooks.

Jolor · Post by **Jolor** » Mon Jul 20, 2015 3:51 pm

Ah, OK. My branch of the library is a 20 minute walk away so has a built-in incentive to pick up a hardcopy.

Grace of Kings is on my library list

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Sat Aug 01, 2015 1:31 pm

Finished Leviathan Wakes and looking forward to picking up the next book in the series. I also watched the trailer for the series, and honestly, I didn't recognize anything I had just read.

Jolor · Post by **Jolor** » Sun Aug 02, 2015 1:05 am

Jagannath - Karin Tidbeck
A collection of short stories from this Swedish author. Some are mind-bending, engaging and spectacular; some are weird-for-weird's sake whimsical. Never dangerous (with the exception of one) but always peculiar. Perhaps the mistake was mine to read the entire collection in one day; perhaps it would be better enjoyed as a more 'paced' read.
5 o 8 tentacles

Station Eleven - Mandel
What. A. Ride. You may think you're getting a story of the post-apocalypse world but that is only one component. The protagonists' stories and their intersections are teased out brilliantly. Heartily recommended!
8 o 8 tentacles

The Emperor's Soul - Sanderson
Short and focused as a result. How would a master forger forge the lost essence of an emperor? An emperor who had survived a failed assassination attempt that no one must ever know about. And how could she escape knowing that her knowledge made her dangerous to the dynasty?
6 o 8 tentacles

Clash of Eagles - Smale
Imagined as a Roman contingent sent to explore North America at the height of both powers, assuming that the Roman fall never happened, that their continued conquest of Europe continued and that they and not the Norse, Spanish, French or English were the first to make contact.
Some fantastical elements took away from the story for me but I get that conjecture is part of the deal and that imagined weaponry goes hand-in-hand with the conjecture.
6 o 8 tentacles

Six-Gun Tarot / Shotgun Arcana - Belcher
Horror-Occult-Western with a tinge of YA. It's as good as it sounds if that sounds good to you.
7 o 8 tentacles and looking forward to the next in the series.

Half a King / Half the World - Abercrombie
Abercrombie. 8 o 8 tentacles.

Jolor · Post by **Jolor** » Sun Aug 02, 2015 1:13 am

So, here's a funny thing.

My library is built into a multi-plex thingy that also connects to a hockey arena and high school. It's exceptionally functional but pretty run-down. Carpets are worn, books worth reading are always at another branch (but transferable). Excellent check-out system utilizing the bar code of your library card and the bar-code of the book. Good community rooms with good tech ... but pretty grungy.

Queue the three week shut down to revamp and modernize the library. Hallelujah.

After three weeks: everything is exactly the same including grungy carpets, et al.
Exception = switch from bar code checkout to RFID-enabled terminals.

That's ... it?

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Sun Aug 02, 2015 9:20 am

While at camp this past week I actually had time to read a book. Finally read "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss. Such a great book. It had been recommended to me by lots of folks, and man, where they right! I've ordered the second book already, and then will be with everyone else waiting for the third one.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Sun Aug 02, 2015 11:34 am

Black Tide by Patrick Freivald

The subject of several books and novellas, Matt Rowley is the only member of a task force of augmented soldiers to survive both the crazies (the rest would eventually go off their nut and need to be put down), and the demise of the creator whose own lunacy was the cause. The character of Rowley started out interesting -- and his struggle to maintain his humanity while transformed into a killing machine was noteworthy. However, as the series has gone out, more and more needless supernatural elements are added to the mix. It kind of reminds me of back in the D&D days when mundane creatures could no longer challenge the characters and things continually escalated until they faced a menagerie of gods. Rowley has leveled up to that point.

The book starts with Rowley being recruited to investigate demonic possessions, some affecting children. That story line is rather abandon midway though as another UBG, this one, a former colleague of Rowley who bonked once upon a time. Demons were involved in the end as well, but there was no continuity in that story line. In the meantime, Rowley's wife and child are once again used as a distraction -- continually having to ensure their well-being seems to be Rowley's Achilles heel.

I might be done with this character. Too much paranormal BS takes away what was interesting in the first place.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Sun Aug 02, 2015 12:03 pm

The Jefferson Key by Steve Berry

The Cotton Malone series continues. This time, our hero spends most of his time in North America, once again chasing something from the past that is promising to make for an unpleasant future. Back in colonial days, Letters of Marque were issued to piratical types who would plunder enemy shipping in the name of patriotism. Long thought to be a relic of the past, a group whose ancestors were such privateers, called The Commonwealth, are looking to make use of the open-endedness of these letters of marque. There is one piece of legal evidence that would cement their claims -- something alluded to by Andrew Jackson following an attempted assassination coordinated by The Commonwealth. The problem: the evidence is coded by a cipher created by Thomas Jefferson. And the only code wheels that remain are replicas in his museum...

The basic premise in all Cotton Malone novels is that some legal issue from long past could have relevance today, as if a house of cards defining modern countries and legal systems could be entirely upended by new evidence or revelations like a house of cards. I see no reason congress wouldn't move swiftly to declare such letters of marque invalid (as it happens, they did so many years ago). But Berry does explain what is real and what was invented at the end of all of his books. As a history buff, this makes all of the books at least a little bit enjoyable.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Sun Aug 02, 2015 12:15 pm

The King's Deception by Steve Berry

By and large, I dislike prequels. This is no exception. Taking place before the other Malone novels, this tale involves his son shortly after finding out the boy isn't his, and the ne'er-do-well biological father who is in Scotland, looking to foment upheaval in the British government. Once again, a mystery from long ago threatens modern society. In this case, the last Tudor monarch is the root of the issue. King's Deception indeed. And once again, the assumption is made that if certain information was ratified as correct, some how everything that has happened since is invalid and...medieval times are here again?

It's necessary to check ones brain at the door pondering the consequences that are the plot of these novels. In this case, omitting most of the characters that have been developed to date takes away a lot, and this story was just not very compelling. If you're reading this series, you will miss out on nothing by skipping this book.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Sun Aug 02, 2015 12:45 pm

The Lincoln Myth by Steve Berry

After a couple of mediocre books, Berry and Cotton Malone are back to form in this thrilling tale that includes dead Mormons, discredited Mormons, duplicitous Mormons, and dead Mormons! In this story, evil Mormons are seeking evidence that Lincoln's action declaring war on the South was illegal -- that the right to secede was protected by the founding fathers and that documentation exists to back this up. It seems Lincoln met with Brigham Young and entrusted him with this information, which Mormon "saints" have protected all these years. Now the Mormons want to blow up the country, figuratively -- they want Utah to secede, followed, presumably, by other states, including Texas, Montana, Oregon, Nevada parts of California. President Danny Daniels sees no good coming of any public intent to do this.

The story is a fun ride, but unfortunately reveals babe-in-arms Cassiopeia Witt to be a Euro-Mormon by birth, and her Mormon ex is the crazy perpetrator of murders committed to advance this plot while at the same time carries conversations with long-dead terrorist and Mormon founder Joseph Smith, who naturally advises him to kill them all. Unfortunately, this plot twists spells the end of a budding romance between Witt and Malone.

One big plot hole, though. How does a landlocked state with little of its own resources secede and somehow become a viable nation should the United States wish otherwise? Close off airspace and bar traffic into the state, and I give it about a week before such revolt dies of its own accord.

Jolor · Post by **Jolor** » Mon Aug 03, 2015 8:41 pm

The Buried Giant - Ishiguro
A weakness of mine is stories set in "Arthurian" times or settings. This one is only so in the broadest terms and is, technically, post-Arthurian at that.
A haze has settled over the land, robbing everyone of their memories. In a bizarre twist, the haze lies with the cursed Querig's (a dragon) breath and not due to the lack of Keurig (coffee makers). Our elderly couple, on their way to visit their son in a far-off village soon encounter an equally elderly Sir Gawain (sworn to slay said dragon), a Saxon warrior and a young boy rescued from an ogre camp are the primary characters. Paths cross multiple times and, through adventures told when separated, individual motivations are revealed.
7 o 8 tentacles.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Wed Aug 05, 2015 4:47 pm

Just finished Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel.

It's a beautifully written post-apocalyptic novel with a very unusual format. Chapters flit between time periods, characters come and go, and it's very hard to pin down any semblance of a plot. But somehow it all comes together into this riveting, terrifying, yet somehow haunting and poetic view of the fall of society. It's rare for me to go back and read passages over and over in any book, but I found myself doing just that in this novel. Clever bits of dialogue and gorgeous snippets of prose are scattered throughout.

A small example (putting in spoilers just in case nobody wants to see anything from the book, but it doesn't give away any plot points):

Spoiler:

Just a throwaway snippet that on first reading could be simply smiled at and dismissed, but upon a re-read reveals what a soul-crushingly sad truth lies in those words, given the state of the world.

Fascinating read, and while the format had me a little skeptical for probably 3/4 of the book, I was won over by the end.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Thu Aug 06, 2015 3:23 am

Finished"Option to Kill" By Andrew Peterson, book 3 in Nation McBride novel.

Nathan McBride is son of a US Senator, former special forces, and is even more scarred than Rambo, and just as good in weapons and everything else. He sometimes gets called into special cases, but this time, someone he didn't know drew him in... with just a text message.

At night, almost ready for bed, Nathan McBride suddenly got a text: "Echo Five Sierra Charlie". Echo Five was his old call sign, and sierra charlie is shorthand for "situation critical". His number is unlisted, so it's real, right? Not a random chance? He realized he's texting with a girl who claimed she's been kidnapped by people unknown, in a car... only a few miles from him. After few seconds of pondering, he pulled out in his Mustang, Rammed the Escalade off the road, retrieved the girl, shot two backup guys (armed with MP5s), shot the driver in the leg, and escaped, detoured through malls, only to have security latch onto him, which then attracted SDPD attention, but they eventually evaded. The girl's 13, and her name's Lauren... and she has the same blue eyes that he does... He's actually her uncle... from a half-sister he never knew he had. So why's the girl targeted? She found a list, and saw something she shouldn't have: dead girl that people are attributing to a "torso slasher", but it's not that simple. Nathan McBride now has to keep the girl safe, find out what is going on with the other potential victims, what the master criminal is after... and if possible take him down.

I've read a couple of the McBride novels and while they're not bad, they're a bit formulaic.

Bad Demographic · Post by **Bad Demographic** » Sat Aug 15, 2015 1:26 pm

Read about half of The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman then skimmed the rest. I just didn't enjoy watching a young couple have to deal with (obvious) consequences of a bad decision - how it changed their lives and the life of another woman. I thought the writing was pretty good, though, and would be willing to try another book by this author.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Sun Aug 16, 2015 11:29 pm

Finished Viravax, an old novel I got from one of those Book Bundles. It's tolerable read by Bill Ransom

The book started out as one heck of a teaser... a wife just shot his husband, Red Bartley, dead, after he raped her and beaten her savagely... completely out of character. Then it got bad because the body then spontaneously combusted. It is the year 2105 and in the nation of Costa Brava, Viravax works almost as a nation onto itself, with its own private security. Viravax is headed by Joshua Casey, who to a mysterious Christian sect known as Children of Eden, and Viravax's speciality is engineered retrovirus that can perform gene modifications... and more. And Casey's research chief is Dajaj Mishwe, who has an agenda of his own. When a new researcher, Marte Chang arrived, she was immediately put to use, but she's really an Agency Plant, and told there's another agent in place, who turned out to be disgraced Security Chief Rico Toledo. If you are confused as to who's who, you're not alone. The plot was all over the place, until you finally realize Red Bartley's death was no accident, but murder, the cover stories makes no sense, and Casey and Mishwe have been experimenting on the populace of Costra Brava for decades, and as Rico and Chang dig into layers of secrets, little do they realize that plans had already been set in motion that will not only threaten the future of humanity, but also Toledo's son and the surviving Bartley girl...

Spoiler:

NOT recommended.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Mon Aug 17, 2015 4:19 am

Apparently there's a sequel to ViraVax called "Burn". Phooey.

Finished "Five by Five: Vol 3", sort of military sci-fi anthology also part of storybundle prior bundle. It's okay.

Purchased two more volumes of "There will be war" anthology ebook reprint. Jerry Pournelle Editor. This collection was issued back in the 90's and had been out of print for a VERY long time. I had a couple of those in paperback and I can never find any more of them... until now.

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Tue Aug 18, 2015 11:41 pm

Finished Path of the Dragon by Daniel Abraham. Dangit, I really didn't need another series to read. It was part of a bundle I got with Leviathan Wakes. And now I'm hooked. In fact, I think I liked it even more than Leviathan Wakes.

Jolor · Post by **Jolor** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 12:03 am

seveneves - Stephenson
aka Seven Moons for Seven Sisters

No doubt echoing others' comments but: spectacular concept, rambling text whose purpose seemed to build credibility and not to entertain. Meh. I finished it.
3 o 8 tentacles

Losing the Signal: The Spectacular Rise And Fall Of Blackberry - McNish/Silcoff
Based on lengthy interviews with insiders, customers and the dual-headed serpent/CEOs themselves, the book offers the inside story of what happened and how it happened, documenting the mis-steps but also personalizing those mis-steps by the strategy, world-view and personalities in play.
The first half of the book is a love story and it is only the second half that the story of the unravelling is told. Fascinating nonetheless. (at least to this former BB employee)
6 o 8 tentacles

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Thu Aug 20, 2015 3:25 pm

Working on "The Devil's Water", US Pararescue vs. Somali pirates.

by David L Robbins. DLR used to write WW2 epics (ref: "War of the Rats").

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Sun Aug 23, 2015 4:02 pm

Finished both Devil's Water and "The Empty Quarter", both involving PJs.

Both are nice reads, with the "other side" depicted as "reluctant antagonists" rather than evil men, and PJs as "lifesavers who kept being sent out as part of intrigue plots".

In Devil's Water, a special freighter carrying a cargo so classified it's listed as "empty", but with armed guards, is speeding from Russia to Lebanon, when an engine explosion injured two crewmen and slowed the ship to 12 knots. Elsewhere, in Somalia, an Al Qaeda operative came to the most successful pirate village, and issued an assignment: takedown this ship on the high seas and enjoy the protection of Al Qaeda, or Al Qaeda sympathizers will conquer this village. When one of the PJs who landed to treat the injured volunteered to stay behind, the stage is set for a showdown... The PJ team has only a few hours to retake the ship... while IGNORING the classified cargo in the hold... or a Reaper drone with full load of Hellfires will sink the ship before it got in view of land, with everyone on it, or not.

In Empty Quarter, a rebel Saudi hacker, and a former mujahadeen but now in opposition to the Al Saud regime, has managed to hack into his father-in-law's PC. Yes, he's married to one of the rebel daughters of the regime, and yes, she's a princess, and his father-in-law is no less than the Saudi Intelligence chief. But Arif had put his violence behind him... so he thought. Then he made a mistake... he gave the information he hacked to Al Qaeda sympathizer, who used the info to get an assassin into the Intel Chief's office. The assassination failed, but Arif is marked for death... When an American diplomat was snagged for an escort assignment, to transport the princess back to Saudi territory (essentially, a kidnapping), Arif called upon all the resources available to form a warband in pursuit, and roadblocks to slow down the escapee. On the other side, the SEAL team is waiting near the border while the PJs are on standby with desert buggies and HC-130 runway alert as backup. When the princess was gravely injured in a firefight, PJs were called in, and a showdown is set... who will live, and who will die?

The antagonists (the pirate "king" in former, and Arif the Saudi in latter) were very nicely drawn, with complex set of wants and are almost anti-heroes. The PJ's are nicely described as well, each with distinct personality, not all of them pleasant. And these are hardly superhuman, as they keep getting hit here and there, one got close to eating an RPG (shrapnel wounds all over). There's a lot of research done on the Somali and Saudi / Yemeni customs, including conventions of honor and honor debts. Worth reading if you want spec ops without too much shooting.

Bad Demographic · Post by **Bad Demographic** » Tue Aug 25, 2015 12:00 pm

The Dungeoneers by Jeffery Russell (aka Gryndyl)
Okay - I only read this because Gryndyl is an OOer. I really enjoyed it and want more!

extremely minor quibble: when things "follow suit", it's "suit" as in cards, not "suite" as in a group of connected rooms.

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Tue Aug 25, 2015 12:19 pm

That's pretty sweet.

Bad Demographic · Post by **Bad Demographic** » Tue Aug 25, 2015 12:20 pm

Jaymann wrote:That's pretty sweet.

I read this twice before I got it.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Thu Aug 27, 2015 7:23 am

Finished "Maids of Misfortune: A Victorian San Francisco Mystery" by M. Louisa Locke, currently free on Amazon, with the subsequent 3 books for $4.99 each.

It is a murder mystery, but also a bit of romance, and more, set in Victorian San Francisco. Some familiar landmarks are present, but not all of them are built yet. Setup is simple. Husband racked up a bit of debt and died leaving her penniless. Widow moved out to SF to start over, and managed to save up enough to get a boardinghouse operational, only to receive a nasty note from a guy trying to collect on her dead husband's debt. She has worked as a psychic (in disguise), but an honest one: giving REAL useful advice, albeit couched as psychic visions to make them palatable. When one of her clients died, allegedly of suicide, the will was supposed to have left her enough money to get out of debt, but all the money is missing. And she desperately needed that money. Clearly, the man could NOT have killed himself, but that left a whole list of suspects: his business partner, his wife, his "old maid" sister, his no-good-in-business son, head maid, junior maid, "Wang" the Chinese servant... So our protagonist decided to go undercover... as a new maid in the household. What secrets are each member of the household hiding? In between she met up with the family lawyer and his dashing nephew (also a lawyer). Police originally said it's suicide, then changed their mind and decided it's murder. Wrong person got arrested, and the real killer is still out there...

This is murder mystery lite, as it's pretty obvious who's the real killer and everything else is just red herring. And there's a bit of romance too. Don't expect Agatha Christie level writing, but it's fine for a light read.

Gryndyl · Post by **Gryndyl** » Thu Aug 27, 2015 12:38 pm

Bad Demographic wrote:The Dungeoneers by Jeffery Russell (aka Gryndyl)
Okay - I only read this because Gryndyl is an OOer. I really enjoyed it and want more!

extremely minor quibble: when things "follow suit", it's "suit" as in cards, not "suite" as in a group of connected rooms.

Thanks for catching that! I'm working on the first "patch".

SlapBone · Post by **SlapBone** » Thu Aug 27, 2015 4:15 pm

Is this where we reboot the conversation about the state of fiction due to self-published authors?