Out of Order

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by Charles Benoit, 2006, Kindle Edition, Poisoned Pen Press 2.5 stars

I chose this book because I enjoyed his other books, Relative Danger, which I read on my way to Morrocco a few years ago. I really enjoyed that book. This one followed somewhat of the same formula, which is a young man who travels from place to place in a foreign country with no idea of what he is getting involved in. He meets an attractive female traveling companion who is a bit quirky. In Relative Danger, the plot carried the young man from country to country. This book takes place entirely in India, although in multiple places. I don’t think it is as exciting as the prior book as the plot is overly complex with new individuals popping in and out all throughout.

I will probably try one more book by this author, but I think I was spoiled by the first one by him that I read.

Death of a Gossip (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries Book 1)

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by M.C. Beaton, 2012, Kindle Edition, Grand Central Publishing 3.5 stars

This book is the first in a series of murder mysteries with the Scottish Highlands eccentric constable, Hamish MacBeth. The plot centers on a fishing camp where fishing “tourists” sign up to fish in the lochs in Scotland. The tourists are an eclectic collection of individuals, one of which is a gossip columnist operating under cover who is spoiling the experience for the rest of the group with her behavior. She ends up dead and it appears that she drowned, but Hamish MacBeth has doubts about that conclusion.

The book also has some romantic elements as a young upper-class lady has taken a shine to MacBeth, but he is awkward in his dealing with members of the feminine sex, and the relationship encounters some rocky moments.

The plot borrows heavily from the Agatha Christie model where everyone seems to have a motive to do away with the victim. Nevertheless, it is enjoyable to read and offers some priceless Scottish phrases such as “Och, Pricilla, it be yourself?” as Hamish’s typical greeting.

Isola

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by Allegra Goodman, 2025, The Dial Press, New York 3.5 stars

The book is about a young orphaned noble lady in France who has all of her possessions taken away by her guardian and then is forced to travel to New France with him. While on the voyage she falls in love with the guardian’s secretary. Once the guardian discovers the relationship, he abandons them both on an island and sails away.

The story focuses on her struggle to survive and eventually make her way back to France. The book is supposedly based on a real life individual. It is well written and depicts in detail the psychological aspects of her situation and how she manages to survive.

Mad Honey

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by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan, 2022, Audiobook narrated by Carrie Coon, Key Taw, Jodi Picoult, and Jennifer Finn, Random House Audio 3.5 stars

The book is about a teenage couple who fall in love. They have some disagreements, and one day the boy tells his partner that he has had enough and texts her that he is coming over to find out why she won’t talk to him. He finds her dead on the floor at the foot of the stairs. He goes into shock and when the girl’s mother arrives home, he is holding her on the couch. When the police arrive, they become suspicious, and he is eventually charged with murder.

The book delves into the issues of transgender individuals and how they cope with their gender identity. While the plot wasn’t particularly interesting, the discussion of transgender issues was.

Our Ancient Faith: Lincoln, Democracy, and the American Experiment

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by Allen Guelzo, 2024, Audiobook narrated by Justin Price 4.5 stars

Let me first say that I am a big fan of Allen Guelzo. He has an astounding grasp of historical facts and concepts. I viewed his online Great Courses course, Our Founding Fathers, and learned so much about the writing of our constitution. I then decided to read this book.

The book begins with an overview of the concepts of democracy in the United States. He then outlines Lincoln’s views on democracy, but then he also describes his views on slavery, religion, and race.

Overall, I think the book is very balanced. The author describes Lincoln’s qualities as well as his failings using many quotations from individuals who knew and dealt with Lincoln. Guelzo also explores the lasting impacts of Lincoln’s views, policies, and accomplishments and speculates somewhat on what would have happened if Lincoln had not been assassinated and completed his second term as president.

I was hoping that the author, Allen Guelzo, would also be the narrator as his presentation in the online course was so good. That didn’t turn out to be the case, but Justin Price did an outstanding job. He seemed to capture the import and mood of the text very well.

While the book may not appeal to a reader who doesn’t have a deep interest in history, I enjoyed it, and it gave me some different perspectives on Lincoln and the times he lived in. I would have rated it even higher, but reading history has a tendency to be dry and, no matter how well done, it doesn’t compare to the excitement of reading a good crime novel.

After Annie

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by Anna Quindlen, 2024, Audiobook narrated by Gilli Messer, Random House Audio 2.5 stars

The story is about a family consisting of a father, mother, and four children when the mother suddenly dies in front of them from a brain aneurism. The loss of Annie is devasting to the family and her friend, Ann Marie.

While the book effectively captures the impact of Annie’s loss to the family and other individuals, there seems to be a lot of repetition which keeps it from being a much better book.

The House on Biscayne Bay

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The House on Biscayne Bay, by Chanel Cleeton, 2024, Berkely Books 2.5 stars

I have mixed thoughts about this book. It is a mystery that takes place over two time periods, one in the 1920’s and the other in 1942. There are two couples who this house. The first owner built the house and then threw a huge party to celebrate, but a woman falls into the bay and drowns at the party. The house then fell into disrepair until the second couple buy it and renovate it. The wife of the second owner is then murdered.

The plot is interesting and there is a twist at the end which I should have figured out but didn’t. The book tends to bog down a bit at times but is easy to read. The author manages to keep the reader in suspense as things are not what they seem to be.

The author needs to retake some English courses as she frequently makes errors in the correct use of pronouns, subjunctive voice, and gerunds. I may be pointing my finger at the wrong culprit, however, as an editor should have caught these grammatical errors before publication. Maybe instead of boning up on English grammar, the author should get a new editor.

Catch Me: Detective D. D. Warren, Book 6

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by Lisa Gardner, 2012, Audiobook narrated by Kirsten Potter, Brilliance Audio 2.5 stars

This book has a great plot and theme. It’s about a woman whose two best friends are killed exactly one year apart. The woman thinks she is next the following year. Detective D. D. Warren must find the killer before another murder is committed. The characters are well done also, but the action passages are not. There are sequences where bullets are flying at close range and one of the individuals who is present is calmly explaining the family history. Inserting this at the critical point detracts from the overall story.

The narration is fine with some passages somewhat tedious, but otherwise okay.

Slow Horses

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by Mick Herron, 2010, Soho Press, New York 3.5 stars

This book was enjoyable, but it was a bit hard to follow at first. There are a lot of references to British things and persons that I’m not familiar with. Also, the author throws the reader into a situation that is, at first, hard to understand.

The plot centers around a building called Slough House which is a building on the outskirts of London where the MI5 service sends its agents who have committed some kind of error in their careers. The novel starts in the middle of a situation where River Cartwright is chasing a suspected terrorist at a train platform. Once he captures the suspect, he realizes that he was chasing the wrong person and then a bomb goes off killing several innocent bystanders. This is the mistake that sends him to Sough House. The agents who inhabit Slough House are called Slow Horses because their capabilities are viewed as less than adequate.

The plot then centers around the activities of the agents in Slough House. Things are not what they seem to be, and the real story gradually comes to light.

Once I got used to the author’s style and sorted out the various characters, I enjoyed reading the book. It is quite different from anything about MI5 portrayed in a James Bond novel as these agents tend to be real slugs rather than a polished agent like 007.

The ending left with some unanswered questions, so I assume the answers will be revealed in subsequent novels in the series.

The Lion Women of Tehran

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by Marjan Kamali, 2024, Gallery Books4.5 stars

My wife and several women in our community read this book and said it was very good. I decided to give it a try and thought it might be okay, but that it was probably a typical book about some strong females overcoming adversity. It definitely is about that, but it is so much better than I imagined.

The book chronicles the lives of two women growing up and living in Tehran, first during the rule of the Shah and then, later, during the right-wing Islamist regime. One of the women is poor and totally a rebel while the other is more attuned to fitting in and enjoying the perks of being wealthy. Despite their differing outlooks, they become fast friends throughout their lives, even though they experience betrayals.

Why did I like this book so much? First of all, I loved the characters. The author makes them extremely accessible and easy to relate to. Secondly, it was interesting to see their differing experiences and reactions to what was taking place in Iran during this period. Thirdly, there was something that I can’t even explain that almost brought me to tears at the end of the book. Not many books can do that, but this one really did.

I highly recommend this book, even to old, crusty males like me.