The Wrong Kind of Blood by Declan Hughes

I would like to start out saying that I enjoyed this novel, but somehow saying that, without qualifying it, doesn't seem quite right. The Wrong Kind of Blood is Irish Noir fiction in every way and it was quite different from the comparatively elemental mystery novels I've gotten used to, (not that I won't still enjoy the simplicity of them). The plot was layered and sometimes a bit bewildering, and the characters were dark and, at times, violent...everything I've come to expect from a good Irish crime novel. It was, all in all, heavy. All of that said though, I did enjoy the book for it's intricacy and will mostly likely continue in the series, (after mixing in some of the mentioned lighter books).

Edward Loy is a private detective that returns to Dublin for his mothers funeral, and afterward, Linda, an old friend, asks him to have a drink...then she asks him to find her husband. That seemingly simple task turns quickly disastrous, and soon takes Ed back to a time before he was born to figure out why people are being killed. No one is who they seem, betrayal and dissimulation are there at every turn, and through it all, Ed has wade through his own feelings and grief to confront the seemingly impossible.

Of course, the story is also not without the subtle Irish humor...

Then he looked up at me, his face a mixture of anger and embarrassment.
"We've decided I'm an alcoholic," he said. "Apparently that's easier than deciding we just don't like each other anymore."
"Would you like a drink then?" I said.
"Fucking sure I would," he said.

Overall, it is a rough story, but for those that like the dark side of Irish crime fiction, Declan Hughes pretty much nails it.

The Wrong Kind of Blood

Laurie R. King's The Beekeeper's Apprentice

This is a charming book. Mary Russell, as a young, sharp witted, smart 15 year old girl stumbles, (actually trips over), a retired Sherlock Homes while he is studying a hive of bees. She sits down, and makes a simple comment about the dots Homes has painted on the backs of some of the bees, and a friendship is begun. Things quickly progress and, unbeknownst to Russell at first, she becomes his apprentice and is taught everything from telling the difference in soil samples to reading foot prints for weight, gender and height. (She would put any CSI computer to shame.). The first part of the story follows her life, thoughts and the relationship with Homes, but like any good Sherlock Homes story, eventually there is something afoot and a case must be solved. As Mary figures out how the game goes, and Homes adjust to having a partner, the danger lurks around the corner with bombs, disguise and a very vulpine antagonist. However, it really is quite a bit more than a typical Sherlock Homes story, it is a story about a girl growing up and coming to herself. Trusting herself and even putting herself through, and suffering heartbreak, to do what she has to do. Homes is also very different than the truculent detective we now see in the movies. He is personable, and worthy of Russell's respect. We see a caring side and the motivation of why he does what he does. I enjoyed reading the story from a different perspective.

I also found it more of a challenge to read as it wasn't the "fast read" I'm used to. It did require a bit of patience. And I learned a bit of vocabulary with it...

Some of my favorites:

verisimilitude - realism, quality of appearing to be true.

reticent - inclined to keep ones thoughts and feelings to oneself.

obfuscate - to make so confused as to be difficult to perceive or understand. To perplex. (I.E - Law forms are obfuscating.)

The Beekeepers Apprentice

Currently reading - The Wrong Kind of Blood by Declan Hughes

Parabellum

I was reading Lee Child's Gone Tomorrow and the term, and origins, of "parabellum" caught my attention. In the book, and Child's other books, it gives the idea that a parabellum is a kind of ammunition. When I asked my husband about it, he said he'd never heard of it, when I showed him the Wiki page though, he knew exactly what I was talking about. Here's what Wikipedia had to say..

The word Parabellum is a noun coined by German arms maker Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken and is derived from the Latin saying si vis pacem, para bellum, meaning If you wish for peace, prepare for war. The term has been used in the naming of a number of cartridges.

* 9x19mm Parabellum, the pistol cartridge adopted by NATO but the 9 mm NATO has different parameters than commercial makes (dimensions and pressure).

* 7.65x22mm Parabellum, also called .30 Luger in the USA, from which the 9x19mm cartridge was derived.

The term may be used to refer to one of these cartridges, or to a German, Austrian or Swiss pistol chambered for one of those cartridges. The 9x19mm Parabellum is one of the most widely used pistol cartridges in use. The phrase a Parabellum usually refers to the Luger P08 pistol. The term may also apply to the Parabellum MG14 machine gun.

What I thought was interesting was the saying "si vis pacem, para bellum" and the meaning "if you wish for peace, prepare for war". It seems a contradiction in terms, but I think it's probably somewhat accurate. We want peace to just fall in our laps, and have everyone "just get along", but that's not how the real works works, (as much as we wish it did). It seems the German arms makers figured that out.

Alright...help.

I tend to read a lot of series books, so I find myself reading a lot of books, but they all come from a handful of pretty well known authors. On the current list, I have J.D Robb, Lee Child, Janet Evanivich, Iris Johanson, Tess Gerritsen, David Baldacci, and the occasional John Grisham among a few others. I also have some Jeffery Archer and Jeffery Deaver books I haven't gotten to on the shelf. Pretty much though, I can picture how my bookshelf is laid out and tell you what authors I read because they are all lined up by series.

I want to branch out though, and find some not as well known authors that might be just a bit different that what I normally read. So, from the whole almost handful of people out there that pop on here, what do you recommend?

Nora Robert's The Search

Normally, I don't read Nora Roberts, (although I do really like her alter ego J.D Robb), but this particular book was about search and rescue dogs so it had a good bit of appeal to me. It always amazes me what dogs are capable of, and I'm convinced we don't give them near enough credit. We keep them around, mostly in the back yard, ignore them, feed them whatever cheap food is easy to get a hold of, and regardless, they want nothing more than to be our best friend. They can, and will do, whatever we ask and teach them, and are capable of doing important things...like finding missing people, but we often don't invest the time to let them. However, I'm getting off track and on my soap box again...back to the story..

Fiona Bristow lives alone on an island with her 3 lab retrievers that are search and rescue dogs, she is also the only survivor of a serial killer, who is now serving several life sentences in prison. She's tough, successful, and refuses to be a victim. Enter Simon Doyle, a handsome, tough, brutally honest, rugged woodworker with a feisty and fun loving puppy, (given to him by his mom), in desperate need of training. Simon doesn't necessarily want the puppy, but is determined to make it work, and Fiona thinks the puppy would make a great S&R dog, and takes both owner and dog on. Things are happy, and Fiona and Simon are getting to know each other. However, as in all mystery stories, things can't stay that peaceful, and soon, the police show up to tell her that a body was recently found with all of the same signatures that her attempted killer used. A copy cat who knows not only what the press told the world, but also what they didn't. Fiona once again has to fight for her life, and learn to let others fight with her as her and Simon figure out where their life is going.

It's a sweet story, and anyone that loves dog can relate, and will laugh, at the antics of the puppy and the frustration that goes with having one. As I once heard on Veggie Tales..."I laughed, I cried, it moved me Bob".

The Search

dissemble

My wonderful husband found this one for me.

dis·sem·ble (d-smbl)
1. To disguise or conceal behind a false appearance. See Synonyms at disguise.
2. To make a false show of; feign.
To disguise or conceal one's real nature, motives, or feelings behind a false appearance.

The sentence he used it in, and I've found I like...

One must not attempt to dissemble another who is previously, and more compitently, engaged in same.

Anyone care to guess the translation?

The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson

I'm not sure if I liked The Killer Inside Me or not...I'm thinking more not. It was an interesting read though getting inside the head of a serial killer like that. Honestly, I'm glad it was fiction.

Lou Ford is an easy going, good natured Texas county deputy, so calm and even tempered that he talks down agitated drunks when he has to take them into custody. Or so he seems. What people don't see is the "sickness" that requires a different kind of victim and the inclination to violently kill when that victim becomes available...and of course, it does. And, as it does, we get to experience Lou's thoughts and feelings about the matter. His reasoning as to why the victims deserve to be killed. It's intriguing, and chilling, and a bit of train wreck that won't let you stop reading even though you're not sure you want to keep going.

Jim Thompson does a good job of getting the zeitgeist of it I think, even though the characters were a bit hard to relate to. I had to keep in mind that it was a little backwater town in nowhere Texas. Very different from the city, sock hop, Elvis, Happy Days 50's we are used to hearing about.

Speaking of Happy Days, I think I need to find a nice happy book to read...I'm just not sure I own any I haven't read.

The Killer Inside Me