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 With Fox Creek , author William Kent Krueger returns to a more traditional mystery/thriller format with a little something extra, wherein a skilled tracker and probable killer is tracking Henry Meloux and two women who are trying to get away from the tracker. Cork is tracking the men following Henry, and Cork himself may be being followed. At the heart of this is a woman, Dolores, who's come to visit Henry and seek some inner peace. Dolores' husband shows up in town, looking for her, and Cork heads into the woods to find Henry and lets Dolores know about her husband needing to connect.  Except it's not her husband and Cork has unwittingly led the man to her (and Henry) and doesn't know what the man's intentions are. Cork knows that Henry knows the wilderness and should be able to outsmart the mysterious man and his associates.  But among the small group now looking for Dolores, is an expert tracker. Both Henry (ahead of the hunters) and Cork (behind them) will have...

Humans have fled Earth after a nuclear apocalypse - humanity's worst fears had become realized.  But leaving Earth had one benefit ... it meant leaving behind the dreaded Paratwa. The Partwa were genetically modified killers that inhabited two bodies but were controlled by one mind. But it's been two hundred years and humanity has adapted to life in space and haven't thought much of the Paratwa. Until, that is, a series of recent murders suggest that the Paratwa are back and in business. I've been a bit indifferent to author Christopher Hinz's writing prior to this, but of the three books of his that I've read, I enjoyed Binary Storm - a book in his Paratwa Saga - so I thought it would be fun to once again dig into the Paratwa realm. Unfortunately I didn't find it quite as thrilling. The basic concept of the unique assassins and humanity leaving Earth is generally pretty good. Hinz sets up the world building nicely and we actually feel pretty 'at home...

WARNING -- POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD It's 1973 and Apollo 18 is headed to the moon ... but first a secret mission to destroy a Russian spy satellite that is in earth orbit.  That mission doesn't quite go as planned and the continuing mission on to the moon (which also has a hidden agenda) is now compromised. But all involved must maintain a 'business as usual' attitude for everyone following the mission back on Earth. Dangers await not only at the Russian spy satellite, but on the moon and even in the Lunar Module and Space Capsule and back on Earth upon their return. One of the really great things about this book is the authenticity. Astronaut and author Chris Hadfield certainly knows the inner workings of NASA, and although the book takes place in the Apollo era and Hadfield was a Shuttle/ISS astronaut, he captures the time and the people (as well as the Cold War tensions) quite well. What feels most real here are those on ground. It's a bit surprising that we do n...

Kansas girl, Delaney Nichols, decides it's time for a change and accepts a long-distance job in a bookshop in Edinburgh, Scotland by way of a phone interview. All she knows is that it's time for a personal change and that the work ... whatever it is ... sounds exciting. The book shop, The Cracked Spine, is run by Edwin MacAlister. He's a bit mysterious and he apparently has his hands in a variety of book collecting and book dealing. In fact, he has an entire space kept under lock and key for some of his most precious items. His mysteriousness around his actions has Delany wondering if some of his work might be less than proper or legal. When Edwin's sister, who has had a troubled life, is murdered, Delany takes it on herself to investigate and help he new boss get some closure. But investigating a murder can be dangerous. I'm typically not a fan of cozy mysteries.  In 'cozies,' things tend to happen by convenience ... a lot.  And this book is no exception, s...

Dr. James Miranda Barry was born in 1789 in Cork, Ireland. Dr. James Miranda Barry was born female, and named Margaret. But Margaret was tutored by family friends and she had shown to have a brilliant mind. But what can a woman in 18th Century Ireland do? To pursue an education, Margaret begins to change her identity to become James. She attends Edinburgh University (forbidden to women) to earn a medical degree. Although she has practiced how to walk, stand, and talk as a male, and she binds her chest, she still gets some unwanted attention from others because her small frame. Despite her intellect, her teachers, and later those she works with, think s/he is too young to be as accomplished as s/he is. Despite her small frame and the secret she hides, Dr. Barry is not one to back down from an argument or from attempting to right wrongs. Her biggest concern is the (lack of) treatment and medical care for slaves. She gets a station as physician in Cape Town where she is befriended by ...

I have all of the Elric books sitting on a shelf near my desk, and I've been looking at them for a couple of years, wanting to give them a re-read.  But my reading schedule has been filled with ARCs. How fortuitous then that Gallery/Saga Press had put together this new volume of the Elric saga and had a digital copy available as an ARC and I could add it to my queue. This volume opens with an 'introduction' by Neil Gaiman.  Not surprisingly, it isn't an ordinary introduction. Rather than the typical essay about how he first encounter the Elric books, Gaiman's introduction is a short story. In the story, a young boy discovers the Elric books and becomes a huge fan. He daydreams during school about being Elric's companion and having adventures together - until Elric does call on him: —So you want to be a companion to heroes? he asked. His voice was gentler than Richard had imagined it would be. Richard nodded. Elric put one long finger beneath Richard’s chin, lift...

WARNING - SPOILERS AHEAD Michael Moorcock's The Weird of the White Wolf , now considered to be the fourth (or is it the 5th?) book (chronologically) in the Elric saga, is a collection of three shorter works (novellas? novelettes?). In 'Book One' - "The Dreaming City" - Elric's actions come back to haunt him.  At the end of the first book, after Elric held on to his throne, despite the coup attempt by his cousin, Yrkoon, Elric put his cousin on the throne to watch over the kingdom while he, Elric, goes traveling. Now, on his return, Elric is upset to find that Yrkoon is claiming to be the rightful ruler of Melniboné and will not step down to let Elric back on the throne. And Elric's love, Cymoril, has been hit with a spell and placed in an unnatural sleep. Elric goes on a rage. He has a fleet of ships (captained by an old friend from a previous book) invade and set the city on fire while he hunts down his cousin Yrkoon. When he finds Yrkoon, he also finds h...