Dean Robillard seemingly has it all. He’s one of the top quarterbacks of the NFL, a profitable modelling contract for men’s underwear, good looks, scores of admirers, good friends – yet something is missing. He’s driving cross country to the ranch he bought on a whim, when he spots an angry young woman in a beaver costume on the side of the road. Curious and entertained, he gives her a ride, and quickly discovers that Blue Bailey has quite the temper on her. She’s also […]
There’s a country house party in the 1920s…what do you think will happen?
A. A. Milne is a million times more famous for Winnie-The-Pooh than he is for this neat, compact and fluent little novel of amateur detectives and a body in a locked room. Which is a shame, as The Red House Mystery (1922), while not brilliant or innovative, is of value because it masters the conventions with precision and humour, creating an entertaining mystery, and likeable characters with enjoyably explicit nods to Sherlock and Watson in their dynamic. Mark Ablett is a patron of the arts, an […]
The Genius Files: You Almost Get Killed Thrice
The Genius Files #3: You Only Die Twice was the third book in the Genius Files series. I forgot to review the second one because I was pretty sure I already did. In this book, they have a new villain, an evil Elvis impersonator. Let me just say, the book ends with a bang, a very big bang. Read this book as they go from Washington on their way to back to California and I swear the third book will make no sense without the second […]
Do Androids Dream of … Revenge?
With this 2013 novel, Ann Leckie has won the Nebula, Arthur C. Clarke and, as of last week, Hugo awards, and has been nominated for the Philip K. Dick award. Ancillary Justice has a complex, fascinating plot and in its protagonist a kickass corpse soldier. I picked up the book because the author is a woman (serves my quest to read 50 books by 50 women this year) and it has won so many prestigious awards. I’m often wary of Sci Fi — it’s not […]