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Book Reviews from the Left Coast

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Forget You Know Me by Jessica Strawser

Littoral Librarian March 4, 2019

Forget You Know Me is the latest from Jessica Strawser, author of 2017’s Almost Missed You and 2018’s Not That I Could Tell. I gave both of these a qualified five stars, so I am clearly a fan – which meant I jumped at the chance to have a copy of FYKM from St. Martin’s …

Toxic Rage by A.J. Flick

Littoral Librarian March 3, 2019

True crime is my guilty pleasure – has been for decades, and it seems the world is catching up, thanks maybe to podcasts and TV shows (ranging from sleazy and cheesy to straightforward factual documentaries). Wild Blue Press has published some interesting TC, so I was pleased to receive a copy of A. J. Flick’s …

The New Iberia Blues by James Lee Burke

Littoral Librarian February 4, 2019

James Lee Burke’s series featuring Detective Dave Robicheaux is now up to #22 – and since Burke has long been one of my husband’s all-time favorite authors and Robicheaux one of his favorite characters, I was happy to let him have first crack at the copy of The New Iberia  Blues I received from Simon …

Secrets of a Marine’s Wife by Shanna Hogan

Littoral Librarian February 4, 2019

As I started reading Secrets of A Marine’s Wife by Shanna Hogan, I realized it was vaguely familiar, then remembered that I had read the story in a magazine (People?) which had featured a cover photo of a young Marine and his wife in formal dress, attending a formal Marines Ball shortly before the wife …

Dannemora by Charles A. Gardner

Littoral Librarian January 17, 2019

Joyce Mitchell was a messed up, lonely woman living in the wildest part of upper New York State when she, like many residents in that area, went to work for the prison system…it seems prisons are a big industry in that part of the state. She met and married another employee and they worked at …

The Last Stone by Mark Bowden

Littoral Librarian January 9, 2019

Mark Bowden is famous for books such as Blackhawk Down, Killing Pablo, and Hue 1968. In other words, nonfiction on heavy subjects. His latest is The Last Stone, subtitled A Masterpiece of Criminal Interrogation.  Being a big fan of both Bowden and the true crime genre,  I am happy to thank  Grove Atlantic/Atlantic Monthly Press …

Judgment by Joseph Finder

Littoral Librarian January 9, 2019

I’m a big fan of Joseph Finder, so was happy to receive a copy of Judgment from Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This is a standalone novel featuring  Judge Juliana Brody, a happily married up-and-coming judicial star goes to a legal conference and does something out of character: she …

The Lost Man by Jane Harper

Littoral Librarian January 2, 2019

I first read Jane Harper when I stumbled across The Dry, which is aptly described as “an atmospheric thriller.” Set in Australia, it features Federal Police Agent Aaron Falk in a nifty crime mystery with possibly the most vividly described environment I can remember reading. EVER. Seriously, I could feel the heat and the dust. …

Never Tell by Lisa Gardner

Littoral Librarian December 29, 2018

Lisa Gardner’s detective D. D. Warren is back in Never Tell, a really interesting book – and fun to read. This is the 11th book in the series (which I only discovered in 2017 with Look For Me, which featured both D.D. Warren and Flora Dane. Flora first appeared as a crime victim in Find …

The Rule of Law by John Lescroart

Littoral Librarian December 29, 2018

I have loved John Lescroart for years (even though I didn’t know how to pronounce his name until not so long ago), and am a big fan of the whole Dismas Hardy series, so I was happy to get a copy of The Rule of Law (thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books) in  exchange for …

Watching You by Lisa Jewell

Littoral Librarian December 28, 2018

The setting is Melville Heights, a tony neighborhood in Bristol (England), and the story is told from the points of view of three main characters: Tom Fitzwilliam, whose wife is the victim (making him suspect #1); his neighbor Joey Mullen, who has recently moved to the neighborhood and has a big crush of Tom; and  …

The Perfect Alibi by Philip Margolin

Littoral Librarian December 17, 2018

  I’ve been reading Philip Margolin for almost twenty years, and although there were one or two that were sort of “meh” for me, I usually REALLY like his books, so I was happy to get a copy of The Perfect Alibi from St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. …

We, The Jury by Robert Rotstein

Littoral Librarian November 8, 2018

I was not familiar with the novels by Robert Rotstein prior to reading We, The Jury (thanks to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review). He has written a series of legal mystery/thrillers featuring trial attorney Parker Stern (a field he knows well, as he has thirty years’ experience …

Firefly by Henry Porter

Littoral Librarian November 4, 2018

There is so much in the news about refugees and the effects of Civil War on children, and I find myself wanting to escape into a good book. After reading Henry Porter’s latest, Firefly, I keep thinking about the sad situation faced by so many, and how grateful I am to have won the geographic …

Nighttown by Timothy Hallinan

Littoral Librarian November 3, 2018

Timothy Hallinan writes just the kind of books that SOUND really exciting and somewhat quirky. Nighttown, the latest (#7) in the Junior Bender series, came my way thanks to Soho Press and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. As it turned out, I tried several times to get into it, but it just wasn’t …

The Fox by Frederick Forsyth

Littoral Librarian November 1, 2018

Sometimes, you just want a rock solid spy story, like John LeCarre or Frederick Forsyth might write…recently, I did, and fortunately (thanks to Penguin Group/ G.P.Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley) I had a copy of Forsyth’s latest novel, The Fox, provided to me in exchange for an honest review. The protagonist is the former chief of …

The Infinite Blacktop by Sara Gran

Littoral Librarian October 31, 2018

Sara Gran has published two previous novels featuring “the world’s best private detective” Claire DeWitt, and The Infinite Blacktop is the third in the series. Not having read the first two, I was concerned I might be lost when I read it, having received an advance copy from Atria Books and NetGalley in exchange for …

One Fatal Mistake by Tom Hunt

Littoral Librarian October 25, 2018

A Haiku Review of One Fatal Mistake by Tom Hunt   Her son kills a man Together they coverup Then all hell breaks loose   Thanks to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for a copy in return for this honest haiku – I mean review.   A good, quick read. Kept me occupied all afternoon and …

Her One Mistake by Heidi Perks

Littoral Librarian October 25, 2018

Her One Mistake is a quick read, and will likely have readers guessing until near the end – oh, OK maybe halfway through. I am notoriously bad at figuring things out, so I am not judge here, but I did enjoy this and thank Gallery Books and NetGalley for a copy in return for this …

Holy Ghost by John Sandford (Virgil Flowers #11)

Littoral Librarian October 18, 2018

As a long-time fan of John Sandford’s books set in Minnesota, featuring Lucas Davenport, Virgil F*&^ing Flowers, and their related characters, I was happy to receive a copy of Holy Ghost (Virgil Flowers #11) from GP Putnam/NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I saved the book for a long-awaited vacation, eager to have a …

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Who Is the Littoral Librarian?

I am a librarian who is fortunate enough to live on the beautiful Central Coast of California. I have worked in public and academic libraries,  I teach Information Competency and Literacy online part-time, and spend huge amounts of time reading and enjoying the amazing place I live.

 

Contact me by email:   LL@littorallibrarian.org

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