Fall Flowers

 

An Unwilling Accomplice (Bess Crawford, #6)

An Unwilling Accomplice by Charles Todd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

At least this time Bess' involvement makes sense. Bess is asked to escort Jason Wilkins to a ceremony at Buckingham Palace and then care for him afterwards until he is fetched by an orderly. All goes well until the next morning when it is discovered that Jason is missing and Bess is accused of helping him desert.

Bess and Simon set out to find Jason and prove Bess' innocence. But before they can track him down he is accused of murdering Lessup. (Lessup was responsible for his brother Jeremy's death). But when they finally do come face to face with Jason they discover that things are more complicated then they thought, Jeremy isn't dead but he is trying to kill Jason.

View all my reviews

The Butler by Danielle Steel

The Butler by Danielle Steel
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Honestly it seemed rushed. Abandoned by their Father Javier turns to a life of crime in Argentina while Joachim accompanies his Mother and Step-Father to France. After his Step-Father's death he uses his inheritance to attend Butler school in England and only returns to France when his employers die and he is out of work. Wanting to be near his Mother he takes a job in France with Olivia. Then Javier shows up and is killed by the police. Fearing that Javier's associates will mistake him for Javier (they are mirror twins) Joachim abandons his Mother and Olivia and returns to England.

Then his Mother dies and he hooks up with Olivia. Like I said rushed. I think the story would have been more interesting if it had been about his Mother Liese.

View all my reviews

Relentless: A Drizzt Novel by R.A. Salvatore

Relentless: A Drizzt Novel by R.A. Salvatore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Drizzt does make an appearance at the end of the book.

This book is told from Jarlaxle and Zaknafein's POV and for most of the book Drizzt is assumed to be dead or at least transcended (Kane, Grandmaster of Flowers transcended in a previous book but was accomplished enough to reconstitute himself). The book starts off with Afafrenfere contemplating trying to transcend and Grandmaster Kane telling him he isn't ready (Foreshadowing anyone).

Then we revisit Zaknafein's early days in Menzoberranzan, his joy in Drizzt's birth and the lengths he went to, to protect Drizzt. He ultimately gave his life so that Drizzt would be spared (Then Yvonnel brought him back to life Timeless, now Zaknafein is coming to terms with the loss of his son and the impending birth of his grandchild. Zaknafein is determined to protect those Drizzt loved and is trying to make peace with them and accept Drizzt's beliefs.

Artemis Entreri is trying to be a better man, which puts him at odds with Dahlia. She leaves when he refuses to betray Yvonnel, Wulfgar, Pwent and Kimmuriel.

Grandmaster Kane felt someone transcend and sends Afafrenfere to Gauntlegrym. Boundless where he is told where Drizzt was last seen Afafrenfere goes to Thornhold to see if any of Drizzt remains. When Afafrenfere is attacked by Clan Stoneshaft (dwarfs) he transcends before they can kill him.

The drows are at war with one another and have turned on House Baenre. But Yvonnel comes up with a daring plan to save House Baenre as well as King Bruenor and his followers. She and Matron Mother Quenthel join together to create a magical web and Yvonnel talks Cattie-brie into using Creation (Birth) Magic to make it possible. The web turns the Driders back into drow, and Quenthel makes the offer to them that they can join House Baenre. The Creation magic also reaches Afafrenfere and he finds Drizzt and helps him reconstitute his body. Kimmuriel uses it to reach Gromph and convince him to open the gates and deliver the (Water Primordial) magic needed to keep the Primordial (fire) caged. Pwent used the web to undo the vampire curse and Artemis carried him back to Gauntlegrym in time to save his life.

Cattie-brie reveals her daughters name Briennelle Zaharina Brie-Zara (named for Bruenor and Zaknafein) nicknamed Breezy by Pwent before...

"They all cheered, or started to, but then the other door to the room burst open and a man rushed in.
All in the room recognized the robes of a master of St. Sollars and the Monastery of the Yellow Rose, and recognized even more the man wearing them.
The lavender-eyed, white-haired drow ranger wearing them."

View all my reviews

When Ghosts Come Home by Wiley Cash (Goodreads Author)

When Ghosts Come Home by Wiley Cash
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I hated the ending and don't understand why Cash felt it necessary to kill the Sheriff off.

After the still birth of her son Colleen returns home to heal. Her Father Winston is busy with the investigation of a plane crash and murder as well as running his re-election campaign and caring for his wife who has cancer.

Winston's opponent (Brad Frye) is a developer who is trying to intimidate the local colored community into selling out so he can develop a larger gated community.

The victim at the plane crashed is an African American man (Rodney Bellamy) who had no reason to be there. Frye spreads the rumor that Rodney was involved in drug running and uses the rumor to get people to harass the Bellamy's.

The FBI agent sent to fly the plan out of there is pretty much invisible although Colleen gets a hint he isn't what he seems but she doesn't tell anyone and one plane ride cost her Father everything.

View all my reviews

A Darker Reality (Elena Standish, #3)

A Darker Reality by Anne Perry
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I found it rather slow going.

Elena is in America with her parents to visit her Mother's family for their 60th anniversary. She barely knows her Grandparents on her Mother's side, and is dismayed to find they seem to be pro-Nazi.

On the night of the party Elena takes photographs and a photo she takes is key to proving her Grandfather innocent of the murder of Lila who died during the party. But later Elena realizes that her Grandfather changed the time on the clock and therefore the photograph is a lie. She confronts him and he takes an overdose of his heart medication. His death allows the fiction of his innocence to continue.

In all honesty I wouldn't have enjoyed the book at all if it hadn't been for Allenby. I hope to see him in future books.

View all my reviews

The Burning (Clay Edison, #4)

The Burning by Jonathan Kellerman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

OK, it's getting annoying how often Clay assumes that Luke is guilty of something if he is even remotely connected to a crime. This time his assumptions cost Clay his job and almost cost Luke his life.

When a very wealthy man is found murdered by his housekeeper and Clay in his capacity as Coroner sees Luke's car in the man's car museum Clay automatically assumes that Luke had something to do with the murder, and starts trying to cover up Luke's involvement and track down Luke. But no one knows where he is. And unfortunately Clay keeps playing phone tag with Billy Watts, who could have put Clay on the right path.

It's only after Billy is shot that Clay realizes he got everything all wrong. His brother's disappearance, and the murder aren't a result of Luke's past but of Clay's Half Moon Bay

With Detective Cesar Rigo hot on Clay and Luke's trail Clay is forced into fleeing when the Dormer's contact him demanding that he come alone. Speeding to Luke's rescue he will do whatever it takes to save his brother.

Not sure what Clay's suspension means for the series.

View all my reviews