Jazz Age Chronicles

Title: Jazz Age Chronicles, Vol. 1: "The Case of the Beguiling Baroness" Plus "Vote Early & Often"

Author: Ted Slampyak [Website][Facebook]

Publisher: Caliber Comics

Series: Jazz Age Chronicles, Volume 1, Issues #1-5

Length: 137 pages

Title: Jazz Age Chronicles, Vol. 2: "The Flowers of San Pedro" Plus "A Stranger in Bryn Mawr"

Author: Ted Slampyak [Website][Facebook]

Publisher: Caliber Comics

Series: Jazz Age Chronicles, Volume 2, Issues #6-9

Length: 109 pages





 Why These Books?:

I'd been eyeing them for awhile now, but I needed a comic/graphic novel for the Summer Reading Bingo, and then the second volume (luckily) worked for Historical Fiction...

Note:

My apologies in advance for the lack of complete sentences.

Comments:

Interesting.  Dramatic.  Fun to read the Jazz Age language.  Also secret societies, a down-and-out detective, a fantastical and popular adventurer/professor. 

It took some time for me to follow since it switched between the characters before I knew who they were and seemed at first like different story lines.  I adjusted once I realized how they connected.  Quite a bit of mysticism and such involved - something I hadn't expected at first but actually turned out to be a major part of the plot.

I wouldn't mind reading more of Slampyak's work.  In fact, I've already begun reading Savage (a vampire hunter in the Wild West).  I'm especially interested in more of the Jazz Age Chronicles.  Unfortunately, it seems I've missed them, and I can't find them in a published version.

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

Title: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

Author: Alexander McCall Smith [Website][Facebook][Twitter]

Publisher: Anchor Books

Series: No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Bk 1

ISBN: 1400034779

Length: 235 pages

Obtained: Own, I think I might have got it from a library book sale?  Along with the 2nd and 3rd books in the series.

Why this book?:

I've wanted to read it for sometime and yet it sat.  And waited. And sat. And waited.  But it has a number in the title, so it qualified for the Summer Reading bingo.

Comments:

This was a lovely book.  It flowed well, Mma Ramotse is a fascinating character.  Her detecting and the culture expressed were interesting.  I wasn't happy about some of her choices, but everybody is human, and I guess that is the way of it - learning experiences.

I really enjoyed this and look forward to reading more of this series.  (And to watching the movies.)

Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them AND Quidditch Through the Ages

Title: Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them

Author: Newt Scamander ; J. K. Rowling [Website] aka Joanne Rowling aka Robert Galbraith [Website]

Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books ; Obscurus Books

ISBN: 0439321603

Length: 42 pages

Part of a box set released through the U.K. Comic Relief

Title: Quidditch Through the Ages

Author: Kennilworthy Whisp ; J. K. Rowling [Website] aka Joanne Rowling aka Robert Galbraith [Website]

Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books ; WhizzHard Books

ISBN: 0439321611

Length: 56 pages

Part of a box set released through the U.K. Comic Relief

Why these books?:

I - ahem - read both of these for the Summer Reading program (Red Cover and Sports Book).  They are certainly for all ages, correct?

Plus I wanted to read Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them before the movie and screenplay.

Comments: 

I had held off reading these all these years because I was uncertain of what I'd find.  They were both quick and interesting reads.  

Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them is a copy of Harry Potter's textbook, so every time there was a notation, I was mentally trying to place when on the timeline it might be referring to.

Quidditch Through the Ages is more of a history (a copy of the Hogwarts Library copy).  I found myself most interested in the part about the various teams from around the world.  It was especially timely reading after the watching some of the Olympics.

The Body in the Library

Title: The Body in the Library

Author: Agatha Christie [Website] aka Mary Westmacott

Publisher: HarperCollins

Series: Miss Marple Mystery, Bk 2

ISBN: 9780061739521

Obtained: Library ebook

Why this book?:

I needed a "book published 15 years ago or more" for the Summer Reading bingo.  I decided to interpret that as original publication date.  Plus I had read the first in both the Miss Marple and poirot series, but hadn't gone further.

Note:

I just read back my commentary about the first book in this series, The Murder at the Vicarage, and realized I claimed I would read them all in audio.  Obviously that didn't happen.

Comments:

I enjoyed this mystery.  It flowed better for me than some vintage mysteries have, and I enjoyed the story line.  I was, of course particularly interested in the body being in a library.  I'm no Miss Marple and I did not detect the circumstances.  Which meant I was able to enjoy the unraveling of the plotting and scheming that goes hand in hand with this type of story.  Fun; I'll have to be quicker about reading the next book.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts One and Two

Title: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts One and Two

Author: J. K. Rowling [Website][Harry Potter the Play Website][IMDb]  aka Joanne Rowling aka Robert Galbraith and John Tiffany [Harry Potter the Play Website][IMDb][Playbill] and Jack Thomas [Harry Potter the Play Website][IMDb]

Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books

Series: Harry Potter, Bk 8 (or a Harry Potter spinoff)

ISBN: 9781338099133

Length: 308 pages + "About the Production" ; 2 Parts, 4 Acts

Obtained: Library copy

Why this book?:

Hello.  Harry Potter.  But I was also able to use it as a format I don't usually read for the Summer Reading Bingo.

Comments:

It's been awhile, so I don't remember all the details of the original Harry Potter books.  The format took some adjusting, but after the first bit where it's glossing over years of events, I settled in.  Much of the story touches on the gloom that can be "real life" where bad things happen, where people don't always understand each other, where prejudices still exist, and where your "good guys" and "bad guys" aren't always so clear cut.  And it had a bit of the butterfly effect going on (not my favorite theme, but I guess it suited the story).

I haven't read any reviews (I've been rather scared to), so I don't know if people generally liked it or not.  It sounds, from the quick bits I've heard IRL, like there have been mixed feelings.  On the one hand, I was okay with the way it ended in book 7.  On the other hand, I had no objection to discovering Rowling's tale of Albus's life (so very different than imagination might have had it).  Overall, I enjoyed it.

Invincible, Indiana

Title: Invincible, Indiana

Author: Nate Dunlevy [Facebook][Twitter][Invincible, Indiana Facebook]

Publisher: Madison House Publishing

ISBN: 978-0984762408

Length: 256 pages

Obtained: Library book club copy

Why this book?:

I had chosen this book for my online discussion group.  I had to read it (I don't read all of my book club books), because I needed to scramble for discussion questions.

Comments:

I'm not a huge fan of basketball, but the overall story line was interesting (if a bit strange).  Some of the characters had more depth than others.

The main thing was built on a small town that celebrated mediocrity.  That in itself is baffling.  I might understand if that was their best, but they weren't trying their best.  They were shooting for the middle.  Quite frankly, if you look at it in (U.S.) grading terms, 50% is failing.  But the coach, Dale, seemed to do the best he could with the hand dealt and trying to convince, not only the team, but the whole town that they should want - and need - more.

And then the there are the racism issues that simmer through the book and then kind of erupt.  And then...   Small spoiler here...

There's a happy, learn right from wrong type ending.  But as to how believable that is?  I'd like to think it can happen.  I certainly think people are capable of change.  But I just don't know.

Anyway, I also was unsure about the ending.  In some ways I got it, and in some ways, it wasn't quite the HEA I'm generally hoping for.

The Nordic Theory of Everything: In Search of a Better Life

Title: The Nordic Theory of Everything: In Search of a Better Life

Author: Anu Partanen [Website][Facebook][Twitter] ; Read by Abby Craden [Website][Audiofile][IMDb][Facebook]

Publisher: HarperCollins

ISBN:  9780062643186

Length: 10 hours, 28 minutes

Obtained:  Library downloadable audio copy

Why this book?:

I saw it - somewhere (maybe a professional journal?), it caught my interest, and I requested it in audio on OverDrive.  (I do non-fiction better in audio.  Print non-fiction tends to come in the house, never get read, and leave with regretful thoughts of "next time, maybe")

Comments:

Overall, I thought this book was interesting and though-provoking.  I was especially interested in the education and parenting aspects, but had no trouble listening to the sections on individual-business-government relationships, employee benefits, health care, taxation, etc.  Several parts of the book were certainly repetitive, but I was able to deal with that.  I was left with the thoughts, "Okay so this, this, and this could be better, but what am I supposed to be able to do about that?"

Narration, by the way, was good.  The various quotes started to sound similar, with one or two men's voices and a couple women's voices, but that was okay, because the bulk of the book - Anu Partanen's words - were easy listening.

Dark Carousel

Title: Dark Carousel

Author: Christine Feehan [Website][Facebook][Twitter]

Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group

Series: Dark or Carpathian, Bk 30

ISBN: 9780698197763

Obtained: Library ebook copy
Why this book?:

When I was clearing out recently, I decided I no longer need to hold onto all my Christine Feehan books in this series.  I kept the few I thought I might re-read or that I thought I might miss.  I re-read some in the process of deciding (though I failed to keep track because there was generally immense chunks I skipped over - then I never feel it really counts as reading the book).  I also made some effort to catch up with the series.  So I've read library copies (in print and/or ebook) of all the books between the last one I blogged about (Dark Slayer) to this one, with the exception of Dark Crime, which I still need to get to.  I skip the sex scenes (even when they are pages long), so I can't comment on that aspect.  But as for the rest...

Comments:

I liked Tariq.  Sometimes I feel like Feehan's heroes are way too domineering and for me to enjoy the story or really believe they care about the heroine.  Since these all fall within the Romance genre, that's a big deal.  Tariq was one that I was good with.  And I loved the children in this book, though of course their background was tragic and abominable.  I kind of zipped though this, and not just because I was skipping parts.  I was eager to see everything resolved and this couple relatively settled.

I did feel like I was missing some story, and I guess that is because Dark Crime (the one book in this series I haven't read) is intricately linked to this one.  I also need publication of the next book, because while there was something of an ending to the story, the overall story arc for several of the side characters - including both good and bad guys - is not complete.

Grimm's Fairy Tales

Title: Grimm's Fairy Tales

Author: Jacob Grimm [Bio.] & Wilhelm Grimm [Bio.]

Read by:

Katherine Kellgren [Audiofile][Facebook][Twitter]
January LaVoy [Website][Audiofile][Twitter]
Simon Vance [Website][Audiofile][Facebook][Twitter]
Grover Gardner [Website][Audiofile]
Kate Rudd [Website][Audiofile][Facebook]
Jim Dale [Website][Audiofile]
Alfred Molina [Audiofile][Twitter]
Janis Ian [Website][Facebook][Twitter]
Graeme Malcolm [Audiofile]
Scott Brick [Website][Audiofile][Facebook][Twitter]
Bahni Turpin [Audiofile][Facebook][Twitter]
Davina Porter [Audiofile]
Dion Graham [Audiofile]
Edoardo Ballerini [Website][Audiofile][Facebook][Twitter]
Jayne Entwistle [Website][Audiofile][Twitter]
Luke Daniels [Website][Facebook][Twitter]
Roy Dotrice [Website]
Julia Whelan [Website][Audiofile][Facebook]
Kirby Heyborne [Website][Audiofile][Facebook][Twitter]
Mark Bramhall [Website][Audiofile][Twitter]
Robin Miles [Website][Audiofile][Facebook][Twitter]

Publisher: Listening Library (Random House)

ISBN: 9780147526380

Length: 3 discs ; 3 hours, 38 minutes

Obtained: Library copy

Why this book?:

I already have an interest in fairy tales.  But also this received WONDERFUL reviews and is performed by an award-winning cast.

Comments:

I haven't ever read the actual Grimm Fairy Tales.  I'm more familiar with other variations (particularly Disney, but also others).  I was not familiar with all the tales and especially all the actual details and endings.  I found them fascinating, especially the gruesome bits.  I'd really like to read (or preferably listen to) the rest, as these are a selection from The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales (though unabridged in the telling of the stories chosen).  I was especially interested in some of the variations ("The Twelve Brothers" and "The Six Swans", for instance).

As for the narration - it definitely lived up to the hype, for which I am exceedingly pleased.

I didn't get a chance to listen to this with the kiddos, and it has holds.  But perhaps I'll check it out again to share with the kiddos.

Ghostman

Title: Ghostman

Author: Roger Hobbs [Website][Facebook][Twitter] ; Read by Jake Weber [IMDb]

Publisher: Books on Tape (Random House)

Series: Ghostman, Bk 1

ISBN: 9780385361767

Length: 10 discs ; 11 hours, 52 minutes

Why this book?:

The second audiobook, Vanishing Games, hadn't circulated yet.  And has a thief in it.  But I couldn't listen to that one without listening to this one.  Plus, it filled the "Title with one word" box on my Summer Reading Bingo Sheet.

Comments:

First on the narration... My very first thought was, ugh.  I don't like this.  It's too gritty and reminds me of my vague memories of the David Baldacci book I listened too (True Blue, narrated by Ron McLarty and listened to in 2012).  So I looked at the back of the case, saw that the narrator, Jake Weber, is the same guy who played the husband in Medium, and decided to be more tolerant.  And that changed everything, because I quickly became involved in the story, and the voice turns out to be perfect for the character Jack.

Now, this story is certainly gritty.  It's extremely graphic with every description of blood and gore.  Some of the violence, described in detail, was horrifying. (In particular, there was a description of the murder of a child that still makes my stomach churn remembering it.  I want to use words like cruel and merciless.  I understand any murder of a child could be described using these words, but this one included torture and ... ugh).  And the descriptions of the guns, etc. made me feel like I was listening to another sniper book.  

But I was caught up in how Jack was going to come out of this mess alive and on top (because surely he would).  I was not so enthralled with the background story (set 5 years ago and interspersed with the current story), but it certainly served a purpose explaining what strings held Jack and kept him from being the free agent and ghostman he intended to be.

Anyway, I ended up listening to it straight through, finishing it pretty quickly as far as audiobooks go (though I mostly kept to just actual driving time and didn't sit in the car for hours at a time just to listen).  I intend to listen to the next book, Vanishing Games, but I have a bit of a pile with audiobooks right now, so it may not be as soon as hoped.

Let's Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir)

Title: Let's Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir)

Author: Jenny Lawson [Website][Twitter][Facebook]

Publisher: Amy Einhorn Books

ISBN: 9780399159015

Length: 313 pages + "True Facts"

Why this book?:

It was for a book discussion group.

Comments:

There is a lot of poor language (curse words and such) and, as someone in the discussion said, "crude topics".  I'm not a fan of either.  But if you looked past that (and I can see where it would be difficult to overlook, because it is frequent), then the book is SO FUNNY.  I snickered out loud as quite a few of the scenarios presented.  And despite a lot of real and pretty depressing topics discussed, I found myself really enjoying it.  It was a great pick-me-upper.  Which is interesting, because one of those pretty depressing topics discussed is mental illness, which usually hits too close to home, but wasn't an issue with this book.  I think that may have been at least partially due to how well Jenny conveyed what would have been horrible moments with humor and spunk.

I don't read memoirs often, but some of them are more enjoyable or interesting to read than other.  This was one of those.  So much so that I intend to read Jenny's second book, Furiously Happy.

A Study in Sable

Title: A Study in Sable

Author: Mercedes Lackey [Website][Facebook][Twitter]

Publisher: DAW Books

Series: Elemental Masters, Bk 12 (officially Bk 11)

ISBN: 9780756408725

Length: 313 pages

Why this book?:

I generally enjoy this series and author books.

Comments:

I felt like I should know the characters, but I couldn't quite place them.  I should have know them! They were in both The Wizard of London and Home From the Seas. 

But whereas I read those too close back to back (I just re-read my thoughts on them here and here), I apparently had too much of a gap with this one.  They were all vaguely familiar.  Like when you see someone you should know, but you can't think of their name.  And meanwhile they are greeting you like a long lost friend, so you feel super guilty and uncomfortable.  Yea; not the most pleasant reading situation.

I did take a bit of a break mid-way through.  Once I came back to it, I zipped through the remainder of the story.

Lady Friday AND Superior Saturday AND Lord Sunday

Title: Lady Friday

Author: Garth Nix [Website][Facebook][Twitter]

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Series: The Keys of the Kingdom, Bk 5

ISBN: 9780439700887

Length: 304 pages

Obtained:  Personal hardcover copy ; unsure when I obtained, but despite excellent shape, book was used.

Why this book?:

I'm reading the series.

Comments:

It is more urgent than ever for Arthur and friends to move quickly.  Despite that, this story seemed more mellow than some of the previous books.

Title: Superior Saturday

Author: Garth Nix [Website][Facebook][Twitter]

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Series: The Keys of the Kingdom, Bk 6

ISBN: 9780439700894

Length: 278 pages

Obtained:  Personal hardcover copy ; unsure when I obtained, but despite excellent shape, book was used.

Why this book?:

I'm reading the series.

Comments:

Oh, boy.  Arthur is struggling to remain true to himself - and not be so quick to temper.  I had trouble relating to the hauteur and anger, but I definitely understood Arthur's need to stay himself.

Title: Lord Sunday

Author: Garth Nix [Website][Facebook][Twitter]

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Series: The Keys of the Kingdom, Bk 7

ISBN: 9780439700900

Length: 317 pages

Obtained:  Library Copy

Why this book?:

I was finishing the series.

Comments:

Hmm. I don't want to give anything away, because this was the finale.  And yet, this was the finale, so it was a big deal.  And it had a different feel from the other books in the way it was set up.  Arthur did less exploring and adventures in the world of the House, and more inner exploring and philosophical thinking (not that philosophy wasn't an underlying note in all the books) about who he is, what he's capable of, how the world should work, how things should be, etc.

The ending was sudden.  I can't say I liked it, although things were certainly tied up.  Just, whoa.

Sir Thursday (while briefly addressing Drowned Wednesday)

Title: Drowned Wednesday

Author: Garth Nix [Website][Facebook][Twitter]

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Series: The Keys of the Kingdom, Bk 3

ISBN: 0439700868

Length: 389 pages

Obtained: Personal hardcover copy ; unsure when I obtained, but despite excellent shape, book was used.

Why this book?:

I've been reading the series.

Note:

I read Drowned Wednesday awhile back, but I can't recall enough detail to do any proper commentary on it.  Mainly that Drowned Wednesday's demesne was the Border Seas and that she couldn't stop eating everything.  Oh, and that it had a creepy cliffhanger.  Suffice it to say I enjoyed it enough to want to continue with the series.  The break is because I wanted to post about it before I started the next one and they blurred together.  Obviously, that idea backfired.

Title: Sir Thursday

Author: Garth Nix [Website][Facebook][Twitter]

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Series: The Keys of the Kingdom, Bk 4

ISBN: 0439700876

Length: 344 pages

Obtained:  Personal hardcover copy ; unsure when I obtained, but despite excellent shape, book was used.

Why this book?:

I'm reading the series.

Comments:

I mostly flew through this one.

I'm eager for everything to work out for Arthur, but he sure comes up against quite a few extraordinarily difficult issues.  I hate feeling helpless, so I hate when the characters in the books I read are helpless as well.  Arthur continuously finds himself in seemingly helpless situations.  It's lucky he generally pulls out (with the help of friends and luck), or I would never be able to read these.  But that doesn't make them less scary/icky-feeling while the events are unfolding.

I need to start on Lady Friday soon, because this ended on another cliffhanger.

in a dark, dark wood

Title: in a dark, dark wood

Author: Ruth Ware [Twitter][Facebook]; Read by Imogen Church [Website][Twitter][IMDb]

Publisher: Simon &Schuster Audio

ISBN: 9781442390515

Length: 8 discs ; 9 hours

Obtained: Library copy

Why this book?:

I selected the audio of this title for the collection because it was well-reviewed in my professional magazine.  My reasons for choosing it to listen to were slightly different.  I was going over audiobook titles recently added to the collection that hadn't circulated yet, and this was on that list.  It especially caught my interest because the co-worker with the desk to the right of mine has had the ARC of the print sitting right where our desks meet for FOREVER, and I've had plenty of time to stare at and mull over the cover and title.  So I'm saying to myself (internally), "This is a well-reviewed book that looks intriguing?  Why isn't anyone checking it out? Well, if they won't, I will!".  I promptly placed a hold on it, and checked it out as soon as it came in (though I couldn't start listening until I finished Career of Evil).

Trailer:

Comments:

This is a very gripping tale.  I listened to the audiobook straight through every time I drove anywhere (unless I had passengers) as well as spending a few hours just sitting parked listening to it.  The suspense builds so I wanted to know what was going on, even when parts seemed strange.

Imogen Church did well with the narration and creating mostly distinct voices, including some that suited different areas of Britain (not that I'd recognize if they were inaccurate.  I just know they were different and sounded good.).  Nora (Leonora) - who is narrating the story - was definitely my preferred voice as it was soft and easy to listen to.  I don't think I could have managed listening to too much of the character Flo, for instance.

While I liked Nora and was rooting for things to work out for her, she did seem to loose her backbone when it came to Clare (the "hen").  Apparently distance and time hadn't done much good in that area.  I can't go too much into the story because I don't want spoilers.  I did pick up on certain events sooner than Nora at the very end, but much of it was just as much a blank to me as it was to Nora until she gradually unraveled it.  She has a secret she keeps for the bulk of the book, from both the other characters and the reader, and such a deal was made of it that I way over-thought it.  By the time it was revealed, I'm all "Duh, Jo.  That was an obvious possibility.  You couldn't think of that?"

Between this book and Career of Evil, the language was rough enough, often enough that by the time I finished the book I had to mentally censor myself when words I wouldn't normally use were within reach of my tongue.

'Til Death Do Us Part

Title: 'Til Death Do Us Part

Author: Amanda Quick aka Jayne Ann Krentz [Website] aka Jayne Castle

Publisher: Berkley Books

ISBN: 9780399174469

Length: 342 pages

Obtained: Library copy

Why this book?:

I'm a JAK/AQ/JC fan.

Comments:

Hmm.  I started this one before reading Dead End Street and finished it after.  I had no problem going with the story while reading it, but if I stopped (had to go back to work, etc.) I didn't feel that extreme motivation to pick it back up again.  I'd guess its because while the characters were likeable enough, I didn't get the connection I've come to expect from an AQ book.  I feel like the heroines, while still going against the grain education and career wise, don't have the same spunk and quirkiness I had come to expect.  They've become more mellow and serious.

I'll keep reading on.  I still look forward to more JAK/AQ/JC.

Dead End Street

Title: Dead End Street

Author: Sheila Connolly [Website][Facebook] aka Sarah Atwell [Berkley Prime Crime]

Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Mystery

Series: Museum Mystery, Bk 7

ISBN: 9780425273470

Length: 297 pages

Obtained: Library copy

Why this book?:

I'm a fan of the series/author.

Comments:

A couple people invested in renovating and renewing some very run down, i.e. dangerous, neighborhoods in Philadelphia have approached Nell about a property that they've recently determined the Society owns and has long forgotten.  The building itself is beyond redemption, but it could be used as a symbol with some help from Nell and the Society's resources.   Or so they are attempting to convince Nell of when there is a shooting aimed for the vehicle Nell is in.

Now - perhaps partially as a way of dealing with this act of violence that she was caught in - Nell does some looking into what happened.  But more, she begins looking at how the neighborhoods of Philadelphia have changed and what the Society's role in preserving the history of these less well-to-do neighborhoods might be.

I'm a fan of the show Rehab Addict (which I understand tends to bring out a love-it or hate-it response).  But the point is, Nicole Curtis is really into rehabbing old homes to their "former glory" and reviving communities that have become rundown.  So I have an interest in the subject that contributed somewhat to my enjoyment of the book.

There was some repetition throughout the story again, but I picked the book up today and finished it tonight - something that doesn't always happen with cozies anymore.  Sheila Connolly's writing generally has a way of pulling me in.

I once again look forward to more...

Career of Evil

Title: Career of Evil

Author: Robert Galbraith [Website] aka J. K. Rowling [Website] aka Joanne Rowling ; Read by Robert Glenister [IMDb]

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Series: Cormoran Strike, Bk 3

ISBN: 9781478962663

Length: 15 discs ; 17 hours

Obtained: Library copy

Why this book?:
I've been enjoying the series.

Comments:

Robin's getting married.  Or is she?  I can't say this was my favorite thread of the storyline, but it was certainly part of it.  We also learn more about her past, which adds to her character, but makes quite the contrast from when she is being strong and overcoming vs. when she feels weak and is losing herself to the horror in her life.

And then there were the men who could potentially be out for Strike.  They had all done horrible things, particularly to women.  I'm sure the title can be taken multiple ways, but whenever I reflected on it I thought of how Cormoran Strike's career had brought him into contact with such evil.

Anyway, this one book me a while to get through, but certainly picked up quite a bit toward the end.  There was one scene in particular that had me in knots.  The adrenaline and nerves were so strong I found myself thinking I probably shouldn't have been driving.