Shanghai Moon

Lydia Chin has been asked to help a detective who is an old friend with a case involving jewelry that was recovered from Holocaust survivors. There is reason to believe that the jewels will be sold in Chinatown. Lydia has been on the job a short time when her detective friend is killed. She feels responsible and vows to find his killer. With the help of her old partner, Bill Smith, Lydia unravels the story of German Jews who flee Germany and go to Shanghai. Life for the immigrants is no easier in Shanghai and it is believed that their jewels were stolen or sold in the war in Japan. Lydia soon realizes that the sad story of the Jewish immigrants and their Japanese family still has power today.

I haven't read S.J. Rozan's books for several years and I really am not sure why. I had heard wonderful things about this book and all were true. It was a wonderful and compelling story with lots of rich history about Japan and the Chinese and the Europeans who immigrated their before WWII. I love the characters and was glad that Lydia and Bill have mended their disagreements. I can't wait to get my hands on the newest release in this story.

Rating - A

MONKEEWRENCH

Monkeewrench, a successful video game company, is set to release a new game that involves various murder scenes and the player has to solve the crimes. Someone has learned about the game and now is murdering people in the scenarios described in the game. Two detectives, Maggozi and Gino, have to work with the very eccentric members of the Monkeewrench team to prevent the next murders from occurring. It soon becomes obvious that one of the team members, Grace, has suffered a terrible experience in the past and the other team members will do anything to protect her from further trauma.

This is a late posting from a book I read earlier this year. I have heard over and over that the Monkeewrench books are wonderful. They are written by the mother-daughter team of P.J. Tracy. This book had such rich and wonderful characters. All are colorful, all are flawed, all are endearing. I hated to have the book end and I certainly will be reading the other books in the series.

Rating - A+

BACKSTAGE WITH JULIA

Julia Child was an amazing cook who changed the cooking world in America by bringing French food to the forefront and challenging everyone from chefs to housewives to learn more about cooking. Nancy Barr becomes one of Julia's assistants and for nearly 18 years, she worked backstage with Julia. She helped prep the food and prepared for TV shows. The work was challenging but she loved the opportunity to work and learn from Julia Child. Most interesting of all was what an amazing person and Julia was. Even in her 80's, she was vibrant, active and eager to work and learn about the culinary world.

This book was an engaging and entertaining look at the work involved in food production and television. I also enjoyed the discussion of writing cookbooks. Best of all were the warm and funny antics about Julia Child. I ended up loving Julia more than ever for her charm and zest for living.

Rating - A

LONG GONE

Will's brother was accused of raping and murdering his girlfriend eleven years ago. Will has always believed he was innocent. He also believes his brother is dead. Now, his dying mother tells him that his brother is still alive. Immediately after her funeral, Will's girlfriend, Sheila, runs away. Will is left to sort out the past and comes to realize that his girlfriend had secrets that he was unaware of.

Harlan Coben is one of my favorite authors. As usual, this book was filled with plenty of twists and turns as the main character sorts out the truth. Many of the things he has believed all of his life are challenged. Still, he remains a good man who just wants to find justice. At times, I found this book confusing and too unbelievable. I still love Coben, this just wasn't my favorite.

Rating - B

BLUE EYED DEVIL

Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch used to be the sherrif and deputy in Appaloosa. Now, a new sherrif is running the town with his twelve deputies. Cole and Hitch refuse to join his group and begin providing protection for the saloon owners who were being pinched by the sherrif if they wanted help when trouble breaks out. There also appears to be a gunslinger in town who has been hired to kill Cole. First, though, the gun slinger and Hitch and Cole need to head off an Indian war party headed for Appaloosa.

I had heard about Robert J. Parker's western series but I just happened to pick up this book on tape. It turned out to be a very good tale. It may be the second in the series, so I plan to find the first. Unfortunately, this will be the last in the series as Parker died early this year. Luckily, he leaves behind some wonderful characters.

Rating - A

SO GLAD WE HAD THIS TIME TOGETHER

I loved Carol Burnett when I was a kid. The sketches on her show were some of the funniest ones I can remember. I even had my kids check on U Tube for old clips of them. I loved hearing Carol Burnett tell stories of her career and family. Some of the stories were absolutely hysterical. Others were very touching, especially about the death of her daughter. There were sections that she could barely read through the tears. At other times, I thought that this very funny woman looked at the world in the most hilarious way, including laughing at herself. The only complaint I had about this book is that I wish it could have gone on much longer.

Rating - A

LIVE BAIT

Magozzi and Gino are working hard on a very strange case. Someone seems to be killing old people who were in the Nazi concentration camps. An old man is shot and the whole community is distraught. It seems he was loved by all, except maybe his son. When an old woman is killed in her home with a plate of cookies ready for her granddaughters, all of Minneapolis is upset. With the help of Grace and the Monkeewrench gang, the detectives link the murders in a way that is totally unexpected.

I loved "Monkeewrench" so I was eager to read a sequel. I think some might have enjoyed more of the Monkeewrench but I loved the police investigation of these murders. I was also pleased the Magozzi and Grace are making progress in their relationship. You can be certain that I'll soon be reading the next installment in the series.

Rating - A

THE VIRGIN OF THE SMALL PLAINS

Abby and Mitch were two teenagers madly in love. Late one night, Mitch nearly gets caught sneaking downstairs by Abby's father, a doctor who receives a late night call. Hiding in the closet, Mitch witnesses an unbelievable act that changes his life forever. The next morning, Mitch has been sent out of town and everyone is blaming Abby. There is also the mystery of a young girl who has been found naked and dead in the pasture of Abby's friend, Rex. Over the next years, the dead girl comes to be known as The Virgin of the Small Plains. There seem to be some who never want her true identity to be discovered.

I had heard many good reviews of this book but I was a little hestitant to jump in with an author I hadn't heard much about. I loved the book! I loved the setting of the Flint Hills as we drive through every time on our way to Caldwell. The characters were fantastic, some seemed unbelievably terrible but still it was a great story! I can't wait to read the follow up.

Rating - A+

CHASING DARKNESS

Elvis Cole helped prove a man was innocent in the murder of a young woman. A couple of years later, the same man is found dead with a photo album in his lap showing the death scenes of seven young women. One of them is the woman that Cole proved he could not have killed. Elvis feels terrible, but he is sure that he did a good job of proving the facts in the court case. There is nothing for him to do, along with his partner, Joe Pike, but to figure out who really is the one who is responsible for the murders.

Elvis Cole is one of my all-time favorite characters and so is Joe Pike. I started to read this mystery by Robert Crais a year or so ago but the graphic beginning made me stop before I got into the book very far. I'm glad I went back because I really enjoyed this book and of course, I can't wait for the next Elvis Cole book to come out!

Rating - A