Books I've Read
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Thin Air
Spencer searches for the missing wife of Detective Belson. Two donut quotes, see below. Lot's of complaining about decaf coffee. Minor confusion for me: on page 267 the bad guy takes the iron bar he was hit with and leaves the room, on page 278 the hitter has an iron bar. Same one? The other sink leg?
Donut Quote:
"How come it takes you all that time to find the right donut?" I said. "They're all the same."
"No two donuts are alike," Chollo said. "You had Indio blood, you'd understand." -- pg. 192
Bonus Donut Quote:
On the other hand, I couldn't think of anything some donuts wouldn't help. -- pg. 206
Read:
8/2008
Walking Shadow
Spencer goes to Port City at Susan's request to help out an actor who is being followed by someone.
Words I Had To Look Up:
Quem Quaeritis (pg. 41) --Quem Quaeritis? (literally, "Whom do you seek?") refers to four lines of the medieval Easter liturgy that later formed the kernel of the large body of medieval liturgical drama.
Dramaturge (pg. 41) -- A specialist in the art or technique of dramatic composition and theatrical representation.
Deracinated (pg. 70) -- To remove or separate from a native environment or culture; especially : to remove the racial or ethnic characteristics or influences from. Uprooted.
Chacun à son goût (pg. 191) -- Everyone to his taste.
Smoke Quote:
He got a Zippo lighter out and snapped a flame and lit the cigarette and put the lighter away with one of those efficient little movements smokers have developed over the long ritual of their addiction. -- (pg. 92)Gun Quote:
Normally, unless I expected to encounter a bear, I carried a comfy little .38. But for office use the .357 was an effective negotiating tool. -- (pg. 71)Pardon Me?:
On page 195 it is noted that "There was an ancient gas refrigerator", and that it didn't work. I read that gas reefers are used in RVs and no-electricity situations, and I have only seen one in a house, myself. So I wonder why it was here in this apartment? The hassle-factor, gas vs. electric, seems disproportionate to any gain.Read:
8/2008
Widow's Walk
Spencer investigates the apparent murder of rich guy who has a very dumb wife.
Quote:
It wasn't like talking to a dumb seventh grader, it was like talking to a pancake.
Smoke Quote:
Scanlan took in some more smoke. I knew so few people who smoked anymore that it was kind of fascinating to watch him.
Read:
7/2008
Black Water
Orange County deputy gets shot in the head, sweet wife Gwen murdered with his gun, what's the deal? Merci Rayborn detects the crime.
Read:
7/2009
California Girl
Another great book! Nick Becker investigates the murder of Janelle Vonn in an abandoned orange packing warehouse back in the 60s. Lots of great California background, too. C. Manson wrote a song the Beach Boys used? How about that.
Quote:
The 428 cc would really go if you stood on it. (pg. 246) I think that should be "ci", for cubic inch.
Read:
12/2009
Cold Pursuit
A San Diego old timer tuna boat captain and Ford dealership owner is murdered. Tom McMichael of the SDPD investigates. I say again, the author captures tragedy and love in his crafting of sentences. Ending was surprise to me.
Read:
7/2009
Iron Road
Charlie Hood is on loan to the ATF guys to track down gun shipments to Mexico. Apparently he meet one of Satan's helpers (literally!), but nothing is resolved in this book. It will be interesting to see where the author goes with this storyline. Not great reviews on Amazon, but I enjoyed reading it, none the less.
So, we don't have no air defense in Southern California to track down a C-47 Chinook helicopter carrying a million dollars worth of guns to Mexico? Good to know!
Words I Had To Look Up:
zocalo (pg. 5) -- A public square or plaza.
narcotraficantes (pg. 5) -- Well, NOW it looks obvious. Drug dealers.
Cyclone GT (pg. 243) -- Huh, it's a Mercury, 1970 vintage. Never heard of that model.
El Verdugo, which means The Executioner (pg. 268) -- Well, that's what it means, all right.
Miramar Navy Base (pg. 348) -- It's Marine Corps Air Station, and has been for nearly ten years before this book was published.
Quote:
He'd seen old, and it looked like hell. (pg. 353)
Read:
9/2010
L.A. Outlaws
Charlie Hood gets mixed-up with Suzanne, a teacher, and Allison, an outlaw. And diamonds. Did you ever notice that when diamonds are involved, someone always gets killed?
Quote:
Lupercio stood on his back patio and watched the tumbleweeds shiver against the chain-link fence. Beyond the fence a dirt devil augured across the desert floor, then spun itself out. The sun hung red and wavering and his outdoor thermometer read 104 degrees. (pg. 115)-- Good ol' Adelanto, just as I remember it!
Read:
8/2009
Storm Runners
Matt Stromsoe gets blown up, along with his family, by his childhood friend, gangster Mike "El Jefe" Tavarez. They are dead, and he lived. Now he is protecting a weather lady who is being stalked. Lots of great local color, especially the Fallbrook area and Charlie Hatfield, the rainmaker. So good I read it again! Or else I checked it out by accident and had nothing else to read...
Read:
11/2009Read:
11/2010
The Border Lords
Charlie Hood is still on loan to the ATF. An agent shoots up a safe house as he gets increasingly bizarre. And so does his wife. Hood figures out what is happening. That guy Mike is back with his weirdness. I weeped a bit at the end when Oz flew off into the west.
Read:
2/2011
The Fallen
SDPD Detective Robbie Brownlaw has an unusual gift. Ever since he survived being thrown out of a six-story building, he sees colored shapes when people talk, indicating the emotional state. He is investigating a possible murder under the Cabrillo Bridge in Balboa Park.
I enjoyed this book very much, the San Diego locations rang true. There is so much sadness, though. Reading the author's biography, you see he has personal knowledge of extreme loss. It comes through in all the books of his I have read.
Read:
7/2009
The Jaguar
Charlie and Bradley travel their seperate ways to rescue Erin in Mexico, who is held by a music-loving drug lord. Also, to teach Bradley a lesson...
Read:
5/2012
The Renegades
Charlie Hood is a Los Angeles County Sheriff assigned to Antelope Valley. His partner is gunned down right in front of him. He finds out who done it. Good police story.
Quote:
We make our own luck. Character is fate. (pg. 77)
Read:
6/2009
Hook, Line & Sinister
Edited by T.J. Parker. Sixteen fishing/mystery stories by authors of which I have read several already. Some of the stories were pretty darn good, some I didn't care for.
Read:
9/2016
Getting mother's body
In 1962 Texas a Negro teen gets pregnant. Pretty good, interesting charactors.
Read:
6/2006
Bridge To Terabithia
A charming story of a fifth-grade boy growing up, experiences with life and death. Two weeps. I thought I had read this already, but I think it was Jacob Have I Loved I read back when it was a television movie.
Read:
10/2007
The Same Stuff As Stars
April fills as parent to her little brother Bernie in place of their negligent mother Verna and jailed father. When Verna drops the children off at their estranged great-grandmother's farm April meets a mysterious man with a telescope who tells her about the stars. I enjoyed this book very much.
Read:
12/2012
The Curious Charms Of Arthur Pepper
A charming story about a British man who is coming up on the first anniversary of his wife passing away. I really liked it a whole bunch.
Read:
6/2018
The Higher Power Of Lucky
Lucky lives in a very small town (pop. 43) in the high desert of California. When her mother died her father's first wife was appointed Guardian. Lucky has never met her father (as far as she knows). She runs away during a desert sandstorm, but all turns out well. A very good little book. I teared up a bit at the end.
Read:
4/2010
Alex Cross, Run
I characterized this book as being one where the author's name on the cover was much larger than the title, but I'm wrong. I CAN say I felt creepy and slimy reading it. And I must admit I read it in one sitting.
Read:
4/2015
20 books displayed
[Palacio - Paretsky] [Paretsky - Parker] [Parker - Parker] [Parker - Patterson] [Patterson - Paulsen] [Paulsen - Pennac] [Penney - Pickard] [Picoult - Powell] [Powell - Poyer] [Poyer - Pratchett] [Pratchett - Prior] [Pronzini - Pullman] [Pullman - Pynchon]