Emily Campa

Alex Coombs is criminally underrated

Revisado: 10-06-24

I was a huge fan of Coombs’s Hanlon books, and I wasn’t sure I would like the Old Forge Cafe series. They are indeed different. Hanlon was gritty and dark, though with a touch of humor. The Old Forge Cafe series is much lighter in tone. Humor figures more prominently, but it’s not your grandma’s humor. The characters are well drawn and often hilarious. I love the glimpses into the world of the kitchen. Coombs did something much different with this series and he did it well. Highly recommend all three books in this series.

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Fantastic

Revisado: 11-08-22

A history that reads like a story. Shorto is a beautiful writer and he also has a great voice for narration. I highly recommend his memoir, Small Time, as well.

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Nobody does characters like Belinda Bauer

Revisado: 03-30-22

She has created her own world in North Devon, with recurring characters that feel like real people. I have read most of her books so far and even though they include murder, there are parts that are LOL funny. This book was different from her others in that I had a pretty good idea who the bad guy was at an early stage, but since it had so much more going for it than who did it, that wasn’t a problem. In this book, our young protagonist’s discovery of a murderer happens as she is transitioning from a child to an adolescent. Without fully understanding, she is exposed to societal attitudes towards female crime victims and women in general, which only makes her own impending collision with womanhood that much more frightening. It’s a great book, and the voice actor does a great job as well. I highly recommend.

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Not Your Average Thriller

Revisado: 03-18-22

Avery is no cop, but it is her job to find the truth. In her controversial “consulting” practice, she must uncover the lies her clients tell each other and themselves, and strip them bare so they can heal. When a rich, dazzling couple seek her help to save their marriage, she finds that their lives become entangled with hers in inexplicable ways.

The authors’ use of a “therapist” (in quotations for good reason) as the truth seeker is a clever device. The story has twists and turns until the end, and the characterization is very good. I would love to see this turn into a series — Avery is a very compelling and unique character.

Narration was very good.

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The Best So Far...

Revisado: 12-19-20

I have now read all of the Kingsbridge Novels except Column of Fire, and this is my favorite. Why? Because females, as well as males, are directing the action, and it relies less on stereotypes than the other novels. For instance: not every female main character is startlingly beautiful, and not every male main character is ruggedly handsome. I read a comment that a reader made that stated it wasn’t very believable that a woman of this era would be as independent-minded as Caris, but I disagree. We all know that women didn’t have many rights in the Middle Ages, but that has been true throughout history. It didn’t stop them from contributing to society, although their histories have been less likely to have been written down. Same with what we would call LBGTQ individuals. Also, great pandemic read, as there is a moment where a political disagreement leads to a faction of nun-nurses refusing to wear masks when treating Plague patients. Guess what happens to them? The incomparable John Lee’s narration really brings the characters to life.

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N.K. Jemisin is Amazing!

Revisado: 01-11-19

I would like to thank N.K. Jemisin for reminding me what imagination is. She has created so many worlds in this collection it boggles the mind that they all came from the brain of one person! Her writing is smart, poetic (in many different voices) and can also be very funny. The speakers are top-notch — extremely talented at bringing all these disparate characters to life. I highly recommend this book and the Audible version in particular.

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