History, Mystery, Mean

[vamysteryfan]

 I haven't been reading as much as usual because I'm doing NaNoWriMo (and I've been writing there instead of here). 

 

Atonement of Blood by Peter Tremayne. Fidelma must discover the reasons for a murderous attack on her brother. This is the 24th book in the series, which surprised me. I missed a number of them. Fortunately, these books don't require much knowledge of the series. This is a good historical mystery. Fidelma has given up her life as a religious to concentrate on her career in the law. The mystery is satisfying as a standalone. It is convoluted and there are detours along the way but the author provides all the clues. I enjoy the details of life in Ireland in the seventh century. The one thing that drives me crazy is the author's insistence on reciting Fidelma's credentials several times in each book I've read. At this point, once is enough.

 

The Orpheus Descent by Tom Harper. Two separate but intertwined stories - the philosopher Plato in 389 BC is searching for a lost friend and modern-day Jonah, a rock guitarist, is searching for his wife Lisa, who may have been kidnapped or may have run away. The first two-thirds of it were excellent; the last third dragged. The analogy to Orpheus and Eurydice got a little labored. The sections with Plato had some interesting comments about philosophy. Favorite comment: "Democracy is a charmingly chaotic form of government. It treats all men equally, whether they deserve it or not." Also "You can step in the same river twice - if the river is defined mathematically." Jonah seemed to do a lot of pointless running around and the end of their story was rushed.

 

Goldberg Variations by Susan Isaacs. Gloria Garrison hasn't cared about her family in decades but must now choose one of her grandchildren to inherit the multimillion-dollar business she created. I generally enjoy Susan Isaacs' books but this one was not a favorite. First, constantly shifting viewpoints are a pet peeve in any book. Shifting among four people made it hard to get involved. Second, the main character was was unlikeable and her redemption at the end wasn't particularly believable to me. Third, the little epiphanies the characters had were a little too pat. I did enjoy the discussion of Teshuvah - quite different from Catholic confession.