Rob's Review: A J.A. Jance Mystery (and bonus); Dance of the Bones /and: Stand Down

 J.A. Jance is one of my all-time favorite mystery writers. She's got a lot of books in several series. The latest book "Dance of the Bones" was another great mystery (although the folklore inserts were distracting and didn't help) - This one combined 2 of her great characters, Retired Detective Brandon Walker, and the more famous J.P. Beaumont (has a fantastic 23 books in the series). Here's my review>

Dance of the Bones also incorporates some Native American lore (but it took away from the story) and it was really a fantastic mystery with a great villain. When you get halfway through, you'll want to read immediately to the end to see how it resolves. J.A. Jance has never disappointed, and this novel that came out in paperback in 2015 was so well done. 

The only thing I found distracting were the short 1-2 page folklore stories in the beginning of each chapter. I confess that by the middle of the book, I skipped over them and read the story. I understood what the author was doing, building one of the main characters and giving the reader a feel for her background, but it was distracting to me. 

Even more, I Loved, loved, loved the novella in the back of the book which just featured J. P. Beaumont, the retired Seattle detective and his wife Mel Soames, chief of Police. The main novel references the events that happen in the novella, and it would help to read the Novella FIRST.   4 of 5 stars

Great Mystery Series from Swedish Author - "An Event in Autumn" by Henning Mankell

I love reading mystery books, and thanks to a neighbor who put up a "book swap" wooden box in front of his house, I found "An Event in Autumn" by Henning Mankell, a Swedish author. He wrote a series called Kurt Wallander mysteries, and there are 15 books in the series. This book was the last one and a must-read. Here's my review:

ROB'S REVIEW: This was my introductory read into the Kurt Wallander mystery series and I really enjoyed it. The characters were all interesting, and the story builds and keeps you guessing.  The lead character, Kurt Wallander is a grizzled middle-aged man who is a Swedish detective. His wife passed and he lives with his grown daughter, with whom he has a somewhat strained relationship The mystery centered around a farmhouse he was interested in buying and the discovery of a skeletal hand leads him on a fascinating investigation. The story was fast-paced, never slow, and the chapters were short (which I LOVE in a book). I have now ordered a couple of others in the series. 5 of 5 stars! 

WHO IS HENNING MANKELL?  Henning Georg Mankell was a Swedish crime writer, children's author, and dramatist, best known for a series of mystery novels starring his most noted creation, Inspector Kurt Wallander. He also wrote a number of plays and screenplays for television. He passed away in 2015.  

ABOUT THE BOOK: The eleventh riveting installment in the mystery thriller series that inspired the Netflix crime drama Young Wallander.

Wallander is "one of the most impressive creations in crime fiction today.... An old-fashioned moral force and sense of disquiet of the sort rarely found in contemporary crime fiction." --The Guardian

After nearly thirty years in the same job, Inspector Kurt Wallander is tired, restless, and itching to make a change. He is taken with a certain old farmhouse, perfectly situated in a quiet countryside with a charming, overgrown garden. There he finds the skeletal hand of a corpse in a shallow grave. Wallander’s investigation takes him deep into the history of the house and the land, until finally the shocking truth about a long-buried secret is brought to light.
 
Includes an afterword by the author.

Wonderful Mystery! Murder Take Two by Carol J Perry (Witch City Mysteries) & Great Recipe I Tried

 I recently enjoyed reading my third book in the Witch City Mysteries called "Murder Take Two" by Carol J Perry. I love, love, love this series!!  The main character, Maralee, a reporter on WICH-TV, lives with her aunt (a retired librarian), and a boy friend, Pete, who is a local police detective. Maralee also has an ability to see things in mirrors that help her solve mysteries. There are great supporting characters, too. 

*There is also a recipe for Pizza dough Cinnamon buns that I made, and they were delicious!. 

 What I loved about this story:

There was a murder that parallels one that happened 100 years before, and one particular history teacher is suspected. The story presents twists and turns, and keeps you guessing. It's pretty fast-paced, too, which I enjoy. 5 of 5 Stars

Note: Before this mystery, I tried reading a new series (which I will not name) and read 150 pages before I put it down. In that series, the reader was introduced to an entire neighborhood of characters, and it was overwhelming. This series doesn't have that issue at all. 

Witch City Mysteries have great, consistent characters, that you really want to know more about. I can't wait to read all of them (I think there are 9 or 10). 
BONUS- In the back there are a couple of recipes, and I made one- Pizza Dough Cinnamon Rolls- They were DELICIOUS. 

ABOUT THE BOOK: When a copycat killer has reporter Lee Barrett brushing up on ancient history, it’s a test where failure could be lethal . . .

 
As a Salem, Massachusetts, native, WICH-TV field reporter and amateur sleuth Lee Barrett is well versed in the region’s lore. So when the murder of revered local professor Samuel Bond resembles a killing from almost two centuries ago, everyone is on edge. Especially assistant professor Cody McGinnis . . .
 
Not only did Cody have differences with Bond, he even taught a course on the historic murder. And when his fingerprints and ladder are found at the crime scene, the police are certain of his guilt. Cody’s family, however, believes otherwise and asks Lee for assistance. Now, with the help of her clairvoyant cat, O’Ryan, her tech-savvy librarian aunt and housemate Ibby, and Pete Mondello, her handsome detective beau, Lee will delve deeper than ever into Salem’s past—and into her own psychic gifts—to find the real killer—before someone else is history . . .