Review: Cruel Winter

Cruel Winter by Sheila Connolly
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Maura, I think I might be done with you. Your utter lack of curiosity, your failure to grow as a person, and your complete cluelessness about being an adult is wearing on my last nerve. Seriously. You inherit a pub, but don't have the curiosity to explore it from top to bottom? Here it is, 9 months later, and you are all, "I've never been in the basement. I had no idea we had a working kitchen. What could possibly be in these rooms upstairs?" You are dumb. You have two men interested in you but you try to turn a blind eye. Grow a pair and let them know you aren't interested, for pete's sake, or go out with one of them, or both of them, but stop acting like a doe-eyed innocent, you dolt. You have no clue how to run the pub, you know nothing about the music scene, but just stumble along, letting life happen for you.

Also, this case was ridiculous and Maura is ridiculous, and how it all played out is ridiculous. You'll get one more chance with book 6, but if you can't show some character growth, I'm packing my bags and leaving Ireland.

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Born with Teeth

Born with Teeth by Kate Mulgrew

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Captain Janeway is my favorite Starfleet captain, so when I saw this book I knew I had to read it. Kate Mulgrew has lead an interesting life. Impulsive, a bit crazy. Pretty much what you would imagine an actress's life to be like.

She shares the stories of her childhood, stories of getting stared as a young actress, and stories of her marriage and family. Entertaining and interesting, but I feel like it was very surface. While she let us catch glimpses of her world, she didn't actually let us in. Even during her story of giving her daughter up for adoption, a heart wrenching tale, she kept the reader at arm's length. The ending was abrupt, as well, and I actually thought I was missing chapters in my book at first.

I was expecting more, but enjoyed what I read. 3 stars.



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The Likeness (Dublin Murder Squad #2)

The Likeness by Tana French

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Second book in the series. I liked it better than book 1.

We get to see the world through Detective Cassie Maddox's eyes, set a few months past the events in In the Woods. Cassie has moved on and is now a part of the domestic violence division--new partner, new cases--when she is pulled back into a complicated undercover assignment with her former boss.

The plot unfolds slowly but the pieces fall into place. Every time I though I knew the answer another clue led me in a different direction. I can't imagine how it is to drop into a new identity, a new life, and not slip up in some way. Anyone who is trying to impersonate me will have their hands full with my idiosyncrasies and weird food rules--something like that will trip you up. It's an interesting mystery and you get a better idea of Cassie's character and a little of her past as well. I'll definitely read the next book.



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In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad #1)

In the Woods by Tana French

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Solid start to a new crime series for me, but the ending left me both scratching my head and anxious to start book two. Well played, Tana French. The mystery spans two timelines; both past and present.

Past: Twelve-year-old Adam Ryan was playing in the woods behind his suburban Dublin home with his two best friends when they both disappeared without a trace. A bloody, traumatized Ryan is found in the woods with no memories of what happened.

Present: An archaeological dig in those same woods finds the team stumbling upon the body of a murdered young girl. Are the cases related? Will Ryan regain his memories? Will either case really be solved? Lots of twists and turns and red herrings like you would expect in a mystery series.

I liked the detectives on the case and I am curious which ones will be featured in book two. I will definitely continue on with this one.



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