Mermaid Confidential

I never seem to read a Tim Dorsey novel without learning something about my adopted state of Florida.  It holds true of his latest, Mermaid Confidential (#1,067).  A popular restaurant in my area is the Square Grouper.  I found out the Florida meaning for that term in Mermaid Confidential; it was local slang for a square bale of marijuana pulled out of the waters of South Florida by fishermen who would then get in touch with the dealers the packages were meant for in a lucrative exchange.  Well, that explains a lot about that restaurant, too.  I can never figure out why it's so popular since the food sucks, the parking is abysmal, the drinks are expensive, yet it's always, always crowded.  Hmm.

Anyway, Serge Storm decides to finally try settling down in a cozy condo in the Florida Keys.  Not for him the glossy chic of sleek modern condos; no, Serge insists on finding the crappiest Seventies-style outdated condo on the market to create his ideal "fishing cabin" in the Keys for him and his sidekick Coleman.  Per usual, he runs into a varied cast of characters including the welcoming retirees at his beachside condo.  He's able to help out a few in his usual Serge fashion, but this time Serge isn't the only one dropping bodies all over the Keys; certain Colombian drug cartels are perfectly willing to help him out...

Always a fun read with interesting Florida factoids!

The Sacred Bridge

Anne Hillerman continues her father's and her own series based on cops patrolling the Navajo Nation in The Sacred Bridge (#1,066).  My husband and I read this just as AMC debuted a TV series based on the early books in the series.  It was good to see the landscape while we were reading about its vastness and beauty.

Jim Chee and his wife, Bernadette Manuelito, have taken a break to visit Antelope Canyon as tourists.  Jim decides to stay on a few days to hike to a site sacred to the Navajos, the Rainbow Bridge, while considering what his future may hold.  There's no fast or easy way to get to this remote site which was barely preserved when Lake Powell was created, and Glen Canyon flooded so he'll have plenty of time to think.  Now that water levels have dropped so far due to prolonged drought conditions, Lieutenant Leaphorn has given Chee an old map to try to locate an ancient cave in the vicinity to see whether sand paintings important to their culture may have survived.  Not far from the Rainbow Bridge, Chee finds a body floating in Lake Powell...

In the meantime, Bernie witnesses a vicious hit-and-run accident while driving to work.  A lone hitchhiker who tried to catch a ride from Bernie is deliberately run down by a luxury sedan.  When she calls in the incident, little does she know that she is involving herself, her vulnerable mother and her younger sister in a dangerous web.

An engrossing read, as always.  Dikos Nitsaa'igii119, the Big Cough (aka Covid-19), affected many in the Navajo Nation with deadly consequences.  It's good to be reminded that our own actions affect the lives of many others.

A Memory Called Empire

One of the cover blurbs on Arkady Martine's Hugo Award-winning sci-fi novel, A Memory Called Empire (#1,065) calls it a "...brilliant space opera".  That's a great way to describe it.

The empire to which Ambassador Mahit Dzmare is summoned from her (for now!) independent mining space colony, Lsel Station, is loosely based on the ancient and powerful Aztec Empire.  Their intention is to control and dominate all possible worlds around them.  Mahit's mission is to maintain Lsel Station's independence through profitable trade and access to two jump points to unknown territory.  It won't be easy, since her predecessor in Teixcalaan is dead - murdered to be precise.  She carries Yskandr's out-of-date memories in her head through strictly guarded technology, but is it enough to allow her to carefully pick her way through a minefield of dangers, and both solve the mystery of his death and accomplish her own mission? That's the fun part of this novel!

I really enjoyed the world Arkady Martine created here, with its many cultural norms, enormous bureaucracy and emphasis on poetry as a necessary skill.  I also loved the naming convention she used here; every proper name begins with a number, followed by an object.  Mahit's assigned cultural aide is named Three Seagrass, and it is her job to guide Mahit through the court of the powerful Emperor Six Direction with enemies and dangers around every corner.

Highly recommended!

Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead

Finlay Donovan returns in Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead (#1,064).  She barely survived being mistaken for a professional hit man in Finlay Donovan Is Killing It.  It put her squarely in the crosshairs of a menacing Russian Mafia figure.  But here, it's her ex-husband Steven who has been fingered for death.  Finlay found a thread on a women's chat room who names him as someone the world would be better off without.  And not one, but two responses come in for that post!  Who are these people?  Could she possibly know them?

The holidays are upon them, so how is Finlay going to keep her children safe if Daddy has a target on his back?  Vero, her live-in nanny, isn't much help as she's clearly distracted by problems of her own.  Plus Finlay's agent is demanding sample pages for her new book ASAP.

A little romance, a little larceny, and several close calls make for a thoroughly entertaining romp.  But wait, there's more!  Author Elle Cosimano has dangled a thread we know Finlay will be compelled to tie up.  Can't wait!

Book Lovers

Book Lovers (#1,063) by Emily Henry certainly pushes all the right rom-com buttons!  It's full of witty literary allusions and interesting characters.  You know that literary agent Nora Stephens and editor Charlie Lastra are destined to be together, but of course there are mountains of obstacles to conquer first, and that's where the fun begins.  And, oh, yes, per today's lamentable standards, there's plenty of hot sex.  Eww.  I'm of the school that such things are better left to the imagination, but it apparently does sell books.  Lots of books.

The only character in this romp that I really disliked was Nora's sister Libby, who is a major plot driver.  So many levels of selfishness!

Anymore, if you're looking for something that will keep you entertained without taxing your brain too much, Book Lovers is for you!

Best In Snow

Another entertaining entry in David Rosenfelt's Andy Carpenter mystery series, Best In Snow (#1,062) is nominally a Christmas novel, but like Andy Carpenter, you hardly notice the holiday stuck into the plot.  If you are a regular reader of this series, you will already know that Andy's golden retriever, Tara, is the most amazing dog who has ever lived.  She usually serves as a sounding board for Andy on the long walks he takes with his three dogs, but in Best In Snow, Tara is the one who finds the first body in the park, buried under a foot of snow.

After Andy calls his friend, Pete Stanton, head of the Paterson, New Jersey, homicide squad and 911, the police discover that the victim is none other than Alex Oliva, mayor of Paterson.  Before Andy even makes it back home, Vince Sanders, editor of the local paper, and the third member of the trio who regularly meet for burgers and beer at Charlies's Sports Bar, calls, asking Andy to defend Bobby Nash, an ex-reporter.  Nash was fired over a news article published defaming the late mayor, and has already been arrested by the police for his murder.  The problem is, Bobby Nash was fished out of a wrecked car at the bottom of a ditch will multiple broken bones, a heavy concussion, and enough drugs in his body to have killed the average person.  He has no recollection of the murder he supposedly committed, but the police claim to have ironclad evidence.  Has Andy finally landed the case he cannot win?

The Starless Crown

The Starless Crown (#1,061) by James Rollins is a bit of a change for him; it's pure fantasy.  It intertwines the tales of several disparate characters from a world's varying lands and cultures who will soon find that their own desperate situations are linked to one another.  There's the second-born prince who will never rule and has proved inconvenient for others; a young girl on a scholarship at her kingdom's exclusive training school for future religious and alchemical leaders with unexpected gifts; and a convict escaped from a remote desert mine with a priceless artifact coveted by a cult of dark wizards with the ear of the king.  Rollins spins a story full of perils and impossible escapes to reveal their common mission.  It's obvious when we arrive at the end of the book that this is only the beginning; there will be more adventures to come.  

One of the outstanding features of this book for me is the incredible variety of fantastic beasts Rollins has created.  Most of them are brutal foes of our intrepid heroes, made more real by the illustrations included in the text.  It must be Rollins' other profession as a veterinarian which make these creatures seem so alive on the pages.  I have to admit that the only place I cried reading this novel was at the death of one of these fantasy animals, it was so poignant.

James Rollins is such a great storyteller I can't wait for him to get back to writing the next part of this fantasy epic.  It the meantime, I'll just have to console myself with his Sigma Force series!