Review: A Crack in Everything (Susan Callisto #1) by Angela Gerst

• Hardcover: 250 pages
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press (September 6, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590589440
• ISBN-13: 978-1590589441

Product Description

 

Politics, money, love . . . what could go wrong? 

Susan Callisto is pushing thirty and taking stock. Before she traded financial security at a Boston law firm for sandals and jeans in Waltham, she specialized in real estate law. Now she has reinvented herself as a political consultant for ordinary people seeking low-level office. Her income may be dicey, but Susan loves her new life—until her sometime boyfriend, Detective Lieutenant Michael Benedict, dumps her without a goodbye. Not one to mope, Susan uses humor and perpetual motion to push away the pain. 

Susan's new world is one where politics can turn deadly and even love may not survive. So when local high roller Charles Renfrow offers her a huge retainer to advise his political campaign, Susan is wary. Why would a scientist stalking the human genome want to be mayor of a small Massachusetts town? Finding the answer takes Susan through a maze of toxic secrets including those floating around Renfrow's biotech company. On her way to confront him, Susan instead finds the body of his beautiful assistant. Assigned to the case, Michael reenters Susan's life.

When Michael's suspicions settle on Roddie Baird, yet another, and favorite, of Susan's clients, Susan elbows her way into the investigation. She hopes to prove Michael wrong. As she probes—and lays her own life on the line—Susan uncovers a crack in everything….

About the Author

 

After law school, Angela Gerst moved from New York to Massachusetts where over the years she worked for literary journals, as a Boston Globe correspondent, as press secretary for the French Library, and most recently for Newton Magazine. Her interest in local issues involved her in organizing and running Newton campaigns for alderman and mayor, and from thence to creating the fictional world of Susan Callisto, political consultant. She and her husband live near Boston.

My Review

I really enjoyed A Crack in Everything which is the debut mystery novel by Angela Gerst.  Susan Callisto is a lawyer and a political consultant in Boston.  Her world is turned upside down when potential politician Charles Renfrow walks into her life.  Charles or Chaz as he is known is a charmer and he is the head of a biotech company that has questionable environmental concerns on the horizon.  His $20,000 retainer is too attractive for the struggling political consultant to pass up.  Then the bodies start piling up.  And Susan's ex Detective Lieutenant Michael Bennett walks back into her life.  As the plot thickens Susan has to examine all of the relationships in her life.  All of a sudden people aren't who they seemed to be.  As everyone's masks begin to slip, Susan realizes that everything in her life is filled with cracks...

Highly recommend this debut mystery novel.  I'm looking forward to the next installment in the Susan Callisto series by Angela Gerst.

Review: Murder in the Chilcotin by Roy Innes

• Paperback: 315 pages
• Publisher: Newest Publishers (October 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1897126697
• ISBN-13: 978-1897126691

Product Description

 

The third book in Roy Innes' mystery series sends RCMP Inspector Coswell and the newly promoted Sergeant Blakemore to the district of West Caribou in British Columbia, where the murder of a neophyte Mountie, the son of a local rancher, threatens to ignite racial conflicts that have been simmering in the region ever since 1885, when five First Nations men were hanged for treason. 

 

About the Author

 

ROY INNES is a retired eye physician and surgeon whose penchant for the arts, buried for years in the world of science, was rekindled upon retirement. His first novel, Murder in the Monashees, was released in 2005; Inspector Coswell’s exploits continued in 2008 with West End Murders. Innes is an avid hunter, a lover of classical music, and, despite his skinny frame, a gourmand. He lives on British Columbia’s lush Gabriola Island with his wife Barrie and his daughter’s cat.

My Review

Impressive crime thriller/police procedural from Roy Innes.  Innes has a wonderful insight into current and past First Nations issues in British Columbia.  He brings his insight to this well written and very enjoyable and esy to read novel that is the third in his series featuring RCMP Inspector Coswell and  Sergeant Blakemore.

There are not too many novels set in British Columbia so this series is a wonderful treat.  The Cariboo Chilcotin region of BC is incredibly beautiful.  Rolling hills are the setting for ranches, lakes full of fish have fishing lodges and camps for every price range, wildlife abounds and the rugged mountains are enchanting.  This region also is home to a large number of First Nations peoples who still harbour resentments toward the descendants of settlers who seemingly took over their region and forced their laws upon them.  Innes also touches on the scourge of the pine beetle that has plagued and decimated BC's forests.

It is in this fascinating landscape that the Murder in the Chilcotin is set.  The First Nations people who live in Anahim Lake are set against the ranchers and the people of William's Lake (Willy's Pond) right off the bat with the murder of an RCMP officer on native land.  As the bodies begin to pile up Coswell, Blakemore and newly deputized local native Richard Delorme realize that vengeance runs deep and the past lives on in the Chilcotin. Innes is obviously very familiar with the area and its issues.  There is hunting, tree harvesters, tree planters, hippies, and hidden marijuana crops.

Great writing and a great story make this a great read.  As authors such as Tony Hillerman exposed the realities of the Navaho Reservation to mystery readers, Roy Innes has brought the Anahim Ulkatcho Reserve to life for his readers.  Highly recommend this excellent mystery crime novel!

Contest Link: Dollycas's Thoughts: COZY WEDNESDAY - With Author Kari Lee Townsend (Gi...

Contest Link

Dollycas's Thoughts: COZY WEDNESDAY - With Author Kari Lee Townsend (Gi...: When I was looking ahead at the new cozies coming out in August the cover of this book just called out to me. I was not familiar with the a...

Guest Review: The Beardmore Relics by Edgar J Lavoie

• Paperback: 424 pages
• Publisher: n/a yet (April 14, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0980901731
• ISBN-13: 978-0980901733

Product Description

 

Alfred Vanderhorst, archaeologist, is convinced that the Beardmore Viking relics are genuine, not pawns in a hoax. It is his personal mission to prove they once did repose on an old mining claim near Lake Nipigon. When Vanderhorst fails to report in, Kennet Forbes is enlisted to find his missing colleague. Forbes, teacher at Thunder Bay University, soon finds himself embroiled in violence, murder, and mystery. Forbes, one-time war correspondent and former news man on national TV, rediscovers his old stomping grounds. He returns to the wilds north of Lake Superior, where he grew up. Forbes finds himself prowling a terrain full of prospecting trenches and mines with collapsing pillars. He finds more than he bargained for, including a couple of cold cases that nobody had known were cold, let alone cases. Forbes, amateur sleuth, works with the detectives of the Ontario Provincial Police, who can do things and go places he can't, and can keep the local crime family honest. Just when the natural order of the universe appears to have been restored, Kennet is saddled with an historical mystery, which the reader resolves.


Guest Review by D. Poulin

 

My little sister sent me a copy of this book for my birthday. I was born in Beardmore, so she thought I may be interested. I don’t typically write book reviews, however I couldn’t help myself in this case.

Initially, I found the book interesting simply because I am familiar with the geographic area and have been to the “tiny” places like Tansleyville and Macdiarmid (where I was baptized in 1956). But as I read on, the mystery, characters, and intrigue captivated my imagination and kept me guessing through to the surprising end. This is “an excellent read” with very impressive writing for a début novel. Kudos to E.J. Lavoie and I can’t wait to see what he has I store for us next…

Lillooet Loop or The Duffey Lake Road Loop

Saturday August 20, 2011

Sometimes I wonder why we often ride so far when the most beautiful scenery in the world is right in front of us.  Saturday morning we left home in Port Coquitlam at 6:55 a.m.  We rode through the cool fog with burst of sunshine through the Fraser Valley on Highway 7...the Lougheed Highway.  The corn is high in the fields...about time...I've been craving Chilliwack Peaches N'Cream corn!  

Near Dewdney in the Fraser Valley

We took a little detour into Hope to have breakfast at the Home Restaurant.

After breakfast we headed north on Highway 1, the TransCanada, through the majestic Fraser Canyon.  The canyon is famous for its seven tunnels.  The Fraser is quite treacherous at a point called Hell's Gate.  After a quick pit stop in Lytton we headed out on Highway 12.  It is such a glorious road.  Beautiful twists and turns along the Fraser.

This has got to be one of the stupidest signs I have ever seen:

We stopped in Lillooet for ice cream.  There was 5 tour buses there including one Trafalgar coach that had come from Whistler that morning on their way to Kamloops and then the Rockies.

We left Lillooet and headed out on the Duffey Lake Road toward Whistler.  This is gorgeous Seton Lake:

And of course Duffey Lake:

On the Mt. Currie reservation we hit 10 km of gravel where they are repaving the road...it desperately needed the new pavement...put I felt like I was covered in dirt for the rest of the day!  A quick stop in Pemberton for water to try to recover from the dust and heat.  It was about 35 degrees Celsius by mid afternoon.  We rode past Whistler and Squamish.  I cannot believe the road signs that they put up for the Olympics giving every town, creek and body of water newly invented aboriginal names...oh my! 

The beautiful Howe Sound on the Sea to Sky Highway:

We arrived at Martini's on Broadway in Vancouver about 5 PM and had the most amazing pizza of course...none better anywhere...not even New York or Italy.

Home by 6:30...exhausted...sunburnt...about 640 K...amazing day!

Review: Art + Paris Impressionists and Post-Impressionists: The Ultimate Guide to Artists, Paintings and Places in Paris and Normandy (Art & City) [Paperback]

The Ultimate Guide to Impressionist Paris

In 19th-century Paris, a group of avant-garde artists stood up to the establishment and started a cultural revolution. Today, they’re known as the Impressionists. See Paris through the eyes of these revolutionary artists.

Step into the revolutionary lives of the Impressionists with Art+Paris, the most comprehensive guidebook to
Impressionism for the armchair traveler, lovers of Paris, and educators alike.

Illustrated with hundreds of beautiful, full-color photos and maps. this unique guide combines an introduction to late 19th-century art history with reproductions of famous Impressionist masterpieces, walking tours and detailed listings of the city’s art-related sites.

Art + Paris creates a vivid portrait of life in the 19th century and brings the reader along for the ride through four sections:

> A complete background course on Impressionism covering the dramatic lives of the artists and
the group’s struggle to be recognized by the establishment in comprehensive biographies and
engaging essays recounting their battle with the Salon.

> Illustrated listings of 150 must-see Impressionist paintings in Paris with the stories behind the art.

> Easy-to-follow tours that bring the reader into the streets of Paris to explore the places where the artists
lived, fell in love, found inspiration and placed their easels to paint these famous works.

> An extended-travel journey through the French countryside, exploring Normandy and the quaint
Paris suburbs where the artists learned to paint en plein air, out in the open air.

• Paperback: 328 pages
• Publisher: Museyon Guides (July 19, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0982232098
• ISBN-13: 978-0982232095

Product Description

 

Art+Paris goes far beyond the usual guidebook, combining a crash-course in art appreciation with dramatic, expert-written biographies of eight Impressionist artists and comprehensive listings of the most important, museums, galleries and historical sites that Paris has to offer. With this book reader will see Paris through the eyes of the Impressionists and their followers. From the Musée d'Orsay to the seedy cabarets of Pigalle, Art+Paris: Impressionists uncovers the places that inspired Manet, Degas and Van Gogh. Want to dig even deeper? Then travel beyond Paris to the suburbs and Normandy to find the scenic villages painted by Monet, Renoir and Cézanne. Intended for tourists and local art lovers alike, this must-have guide to contemporary art is filled with over 500 full color paintings, 300 photos and 17 maps.


My Review


I wish I had read this book before I visited Paris a few years ago.  This is a gorgeously illustrated book.  And it is packed full of fascinating information. 

It is divided into several sections:

• What is impressionism?
• Impressionists
• How the impressionists broke from the salon.
• Impressionist Exhibitions
• Museum Tours / 150 Paintings
• Paris Walking Tours
• North of Paris and Normandy

The Impressionist that are covered in this book are:   Manet, Monet, Renoir, Cezanne, Degas, Morisot, Caillebotte and van Gogh.  There is a biography of each impressionist artist and illustrations of their greatest works.  

The major museums of Paris are explored including which impressionist works of art are featured there.  For example, The Louvre houses pieces by Renoir, Degas and Monet.

There is a wonderful section on Paris Walking Tours.  I really enjoyed the walking tour named Islands, as I have walked that area extensively.  Next time I will be sure to have this book with me as it would have provided much more insight.  Both Renior and Monet painted the Pont Neuf.

I highly recommend this book for art lovers and travelers to Paris alike.

Review: The Accident by Linwood Barclay

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (August 9, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553807188
• ISBN-13: 978-0553807189

Product Description

 

In this mesmerizing thriller by acclaimed author Linwood Barclay, a typical American community descends into darkness, as an ordinary man is swept into one of the most violent mysteries of modern life.
 
It’s the new normal at the Garber household in Connecticut: Glen, a contractor, has seen his business shaken by the housing crisis, and now his wife, Sheila, is taking a business course at night to increase her chances of landing a good-paying job.

But she should have been home by now.

Waiting for Sheila’s return, with their eight-year-old daughter sleeping soundly, Glen soon finds his worst fears confirmed: Sheila and two others have been killed in a car accident. Adding to the tragedy, the police claim Sheila was responsible.

Glen knows it’s impossible; he knew his wife and she would never do such a thing. When he investigates, Glen begins to uncover layers of lawlessness beneath the placid surface of their suburb, secret after dangerous secret behind the closed doors.

Propelled into a vortex of corruption and illegal activity, pursued by mysterious killers, and confronted by threats from neighbors he thought he knew, Glen must take his own desperate measures and go to terrifying new places in himself to avenge his wife and protect his child.

Bold and timely, with the shocking twists and startling insights that have become trademarks of this new master of domestic suspense, The Accident is a riveting triumph, a book that moves at a breathless pace to a climax no one will see coming.

About the Author

 

Linwood Barclay is a former columnist for the Toronto Star. He is the #1 internationally bestselling author of eight critically acclaimed novels, including Never Look Away, Fear the Worst, Too Close to Home, and No Time for Goodbye, which has been optioned for film. He lives near Toronto with his wife and has two grown children. He is currently at work on his next thriller.


My Review

Wow...I love how this book is set in the suburbs.  I was captivated right away by the story. Soccer Moms trying to make some extra cash during these tough economic times.  Amazing where it can all lead to. 

This riveting novel by Linwood Barclay kept surprising me!  It is a wonderful thriller whose twists and turns make it impossible to put down.  The ending completely surprised me.  Love when that happens!  The characters are all oh so believable...anyone of them could be your suburban next door neighbour.  I've never bought a designer knock off purse but I sure have been tempted at the thought.  Never again! The events in The Accident are pulled right out of real life and that is what makes it so terrifying!

Highly recommend this wonderful thriller from Linwood Barclay.