Commentary and book review blog

The Iron Hunt (2008) by Marjorie M. Liu is the first in a new series featuring demon hunter, Maxine Kiss. By day she has demonic spirits living on her body, making her immortal by providing their bodies for her armor and at night, they awake and peel away from her skin to be her bodyguards against her supernatural enemies.

Maxine Kiss is by nature, a loner. A woman without family or roots. A woman trying to outrun her future. However, Maxine does decide to settle down in Seattle, with an ex-priest and man of faith, Grant Cooperon. He’s a flute-player who can see people’s auras and has the ability to change them into something good. He runs a homeless shelter where demons have inhabited the bodies of many of the residents. He experiments with them, using his flute-playing to change their souls. [click to continue…]

I didn’t get a chance to read and review The Spiderwick Chronicles and will save that for another day. So, I have come up with another topic that I hope will spark discussion: Where are They Now? There are certain authors whose work I’ve enjoyed in the past who now seem to have disappeared into obscurity. Many of these authors hit their stride in the late 80’s and 90’s and then vanished from the publishing world. What gives? Are they writing under another pen name that I don’t know about? Or have they unofficially retired? I mean what’s the deal?

I’ve come up with a list of authors who I used to read but who have disappeared. If you have any info to share about their current status in the publishing field, do drop me a line as I am curious to know if they are still writing. Also, this post gives me a chance to spotlight the books I’ve read and enjoyed that maybe some of you have never heard of before. A trip down memory lane. I haven’t reread them so I don’t know if I would enjoy these stories today. You’ve been warned.

First up is Katherine Sutcliffe. Despite my half-hearted search on the ‘net for her status as an author, I have nothing to report. I personally thought she wrote excellent romantic suspense novels. Her heroines oft proved to be controversial but she wrote with plenty of verve and atmosphere. My first Sutcliffe novel was actually a historical romance called Dream Fever. It’s been years since I read it but I remember the hero was tortured. She wrote a lot of historicals and was just getting started with romantic suspense and then - nothing. Ms. Sutcliffe’s last published work was Bad Moon Rising. She had another book that was due to come but it never saw the light of day.

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Wild Thing (2007) is the anthology that first introduces Maxine Kiss, the new heroine the author is featuring in her new book, The Iron Hunt. The anthology also features stories from Maggie Shayne (who headlines this book along with Liu) and authors to watch out for: Meljean Brook and Alyssa Day. This review will focus only on Marjorie M. Liu’s novella, “Hunter Kiss.”

The main reason why I picked up this anthology is because of the recent release of The Iron Hunt (2008), the first in a new series. As I was reading The Iron Hunt, I found myself thrust straight into the story and its characters without much introduction. This provided for a confusing start so I put it down. I decided to backtrack and start at the beginning. Some potential readers may not do that much but I am interested in reading this series because it features an unusual heroine and has a interesting premise and I am always looking for something different. [click to continue…]

I Shall Not Want (2008) by Julia Spencer-Fleming is the sixth entry in the popular award winning series featuring Rev. Clare Fergusson and Chief Russ Van Alystyne. I Shall Not Want is a smartly written suspense novel in a series that has been consistently strong and a pleasure to read.

Urban crime has reared it’s ugly head in Millers Kill, which is a small town in Adirondacks, New York. Three dead Latino migrant workers seem to hint at possible gang activity in the area. As an aside, let me say that this author is not shy in tackling serious and recent issues in her books. Moving on. The invisible Millers Kill migrant community are thrust up front and center here, examining many of the social issues we are familiar with in how illegal immigrants are treated in this country today. Even Russ’s family, who recently invested in a dairy farm, are caught up in the maelstrom of current events.

Despite the well written and suspenseful mystery, at the heart of this series is the ever-evolving relationship between Clare and Russ. Fans will not be disappointed in that they are finally together after six books. This is the most romantic entry in this series and it made romance fans like me stand up and cheer. We’ve had to watch Clare and Russ dance around each other and watch them break each other’s hearts but despite the fact that Russ was a married man, the two seemed like they were always the right fit for each other. Or to describe it another way: they are soul mates. Their relationship is one of the many things I love about this series outside of the characters and narrative and engaging voice of the author.

There’s a new addition to the Millers Kill Police Department that added some fresh air. Hadley Knox, a single mother with two kids, gets the prestigious honor of being the first woman on the police force. Along with the new we have the same familiar faces along with the usual church politics, small town gossip and the tight knit community of Millers Kill. Whenever I read JSF’s books and step into this small yet not so sleepy community, the experience leaves me with a feeling of visiting with old friends. There’s also some humor in here to even out the dark and besides Clare and Russ’s romance, there are two other subtle, romantic subplots to enjoy as well.

While the story is well written and a complete joy to read, I did kind of rush through the ending and felt that a combination of events kind of stretched things out - making me an impatient reader. The ending did feel somewhat anti-climatic to me. Anyway, I enjoyed I Shall Not very much and highly recommend this book to new and old readers alike. I strongly recommend that you start at the beginning with, In the Bleak Mid-Winter, but if you are impatient to start this series now, there really isn’t anything wrong with you starting with this book. However, the only downside is that you miss out on the dynamics of Clare and Russ’s relationship and the many memorable moments the author created between the couple in each of the six books in this series. Anyway, fans should not be disappointed in this book and the ending, well, let’s just say it’s going to be a long year, my grade, B+.

*****

I Shall Not Want Reader Giveaway, Enter To Win Your Copy!

I was really in a rush to get this review out so that I can start my contest today. I barely made the deadline. Anyway, if your interested in winning a copy of this book, I SHALL NOT WANT, make sure to leave a comment to this post. The contest will end on Monday, June 30, 2008 at 11:59pm CST. The publisher has graciously donated (4) copies of the completed novel for this giveaway. While you’re commenting, maybe share your favorite mystery authors that have a strong romantic subplot in them as well? I”m always looking for new authors.

Winners will be drawn randomly and please make sure to check back when the contest is over as I will announce the winners on Wednesday and you will have three days to claim your prize. Other contest details: anonymous names will not be counted in the drawing and please make sure you have a valid email address because if I can’t get in touch with you, your winning status is null and void. This contest is open to everyone. Ok, that’s all. Good luck!

Contest is now closed and the winners will be selected and posted tomorrow!

Attention all readers in the blogging community, fellow reader, Cary, needs some help with a title and/or author. Can anyone help her out?

I am looking for the title and/or the author of a book I read several years ago. I am hoping you or your fellow bloggers can help. The story is about a busy city family of four that goes to a lake or beach house. It is the Dad’s birthday I
think and they go out for a sail to celebrate. A storm rolls in and they “lose” their teenage daughter. Presumed drowned, she has actually run away and is living with an artist in the local area. She is a wanna be artist and her family doesnt approve. They close up the house and dont return for quite some time. When they do return it is because their son is going to die and asks to go
there. After they arrive they begin to find clues that she is still around - a certain flower is left on the porch, an unfinished bench she and her Dad were building is finished. I don’t remember what the cover looked like. I feel like the title had either the word Flower or the specific flower (like iris or lily) in it. I feel like the title may have had the girls name in it too. Something like “Flowers from Emily” ….Does this story ring any bells?

Any ideas? Thanks in advance. As an aside, this sounds like an interesting book.