The Midnight House

The Midnight House, Alex Berenson, 2010, G.P. Putnam's Sons, Genre: Spy Thriller. 385 pages. Finished 7/26/14.

LesOpinion: This fourth installment in a series of international spy thrillers featuring CIA agent, John Wells, is well written, fast paced, intricate, intelligent, and, frankly, sad. Wells is a terrific character precisely because he isn't impossibly skilled and superhuman. Although this is the only Berenson on the shelf, I'll be looking for others to read.

Beast

Beast, Peter Benchley, 1991, Random House, Genre: Thriller. 350 pages. Finished 7/23/14.

LesOpinion: As you might expect from the inimitable author of Jaws, this is a rollicking good adventure featuring a giant squid terrorizing tranquil Bermuda. But it's also Benchley's opportunity to rail against the predations of humankind on fish populations and fragile reefs. Unlike stories told by his lesser imitators, this morality tale ends with us finally getting what we deserve.

Spy

Spy, Ted Bell, 2006, Atria Books, Genre: Spy Thriller. 483 pages. Finished 7/18/14.

LesOpinion: This is one installment in a series of novels starring the wealthy, athletic, handsome, intelligent, debonair spy for Her Majesty's Secret Service, Alex Hawke, and his colorful colleagues, dreamy military toys, and lady loves. It's well written, sprawling, and much good fun. The element of violence and bloodshed on the US-Mexico border is timely in light of recent news, and the bad guys ultimately get theirs.

Four by (I'm Not Kidding, Gentle Reader) Glenn Beck

The Christmas Sweater, Glenn Beck (with Kevin Balfe and Jason Wright), 2008, Threshold Editions, Genre: Pablum. 284 pages. Finished 6/29/14.

The Overton Window, Glenn Beck (with Kevin Balfe, Emily Bestler, and Jack Henderson), 2010, Threshold Editions, Genre: Political Thriller. 292 pages (not counting all the polemics at the end). Finished 7/4/14 (no, really!).

The Snow Angel, Glenn Beck (with Nicole Baart), 2011, Threshold Editions, Genre: Pablum. 279 pages. Finished 7/6/14.

Agenda 21, Glenn Beck (with Harriet Parke), Threshold Editions, Genre: SciFi. 277 pages. Finished 7/12/14.

LesOpinion: Mr. Beck is a well-known right wing pundit who managed to wrangle actual writers into helping him compose books. The two "pablum" books are straight from the Mitch Albom school of simplistic, sentimental slop. The other two are standard-issue page-turners. Unless you see eye to eye with Mr. Beck on things political, spare yourself, Gentle Reader, from the lengthy polemical justifications for the story line that appear at the end of the novels. These oddly defensive appendices come across as first-rate conspiracy theories.

Another You

Another You, Ann Beattie, 1995, Knopf, Genre: Literary Fiction. 323 pages. Finished 6/27/14.

LesOpinion: This perfectly decent novel, sandwiched as it is between M.C. Beaton's computer-generated genre schlock and conservative pundit Glenn Beck's surreal attempts at polemical fiction, was like that one little gasp of air you get just before you are sucked back under the surface of the water--it was just enough to keep me going on the Quest.

Another You is the stream of consciousness tale of a professor caught up in his wife's affair, a colleague's turmoil, and his stepmother's death. The author weaves in a mysterious correspondence that leads to an appropriately unsatisfying ending for everyone (except the reader, of course, who happily gets to know it all while the characters flounder).

How can there be only one Ann Beattie on the shelf but four Glenn Beck books? This proves that the injustices in the world are small enough to haunt even the shelves of a New England village library.

Damn You, Agatha Raisin, Quit Sneaking Up on Me

The Deadly Dance: An Agatha Raisin Mystery, M.C. Beaton, 2004, St. Martin's Minotaur, Genre: Cozy Mystery. 233 pages. Finished 6/4/14.

Kissing Christmas Goodbye: An Agatha Raisin Mystery, M.C. Beaton, 2007, St. Martin's Minotaur, Genre: Cozy Mystery. 234 pages. Finished 6/7/14.

Death of a Prankster: A Hamish MacBeth Mystery, M.C. Beaton, 1992, St. Martin's Press, Genre: Cozy Mystery. 151 pages. Finished 6/7/14.

Death of a Dentist: A Hamish MacBeth Mystery, M.C. Beaton, 1997, The Mysterious Press, Genre: Cozy Mystery. 129 pages. Finished 6/9/14.

LesOpinion: Just when I thought I'd exhausted the S. White Dickinson's supply of Agatha Raisin mysteries, I stumbled across a few more. I have nothing new to add about those. But then I embarked on Beaton's other oeuvre: the Hamish MacBeth cozies. These tales of a Scottish Highland village constable are a slightly better version of lightweight cozy mystery. You can read one in a day, making them perfect for a television-free vacation.

Here's a weird quirk of M.C. Beaton's novels: She loves the word "howled" in place of all the (often more sensible) alternatives (declared, exclaimed, cried, stated, said, whined, etc.). Saying that "Agatha howled" a few times over the course of 20 novels wouldn't seem so bad, but saying "Agatha howled" 10 times in the same novel? Is anyone editing this stuff?

Two Agatha Raisin Mysteries

Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage, M.C. Beaton, 1996, St. Martin's Press, Genre: Cozy Mystery. 196 pages. Finished 5/29/14.

Agatha Raisin and the Terrible Tourist, M.C. Beaton, 1997 St. Martin's Press, Genre: Cozy Mystery. 182 pages. Finished 5/31/14.

LesOpinion: I'm not above admiring well-written books I don't like for their author's skill or even waxing poetic about genre work that doesn't treat the reader like a complete imbecile, but as much as I wanted to like these Agatha Raisin mysteries, it was too clear that author M.C. Beaton was phoning it in. The characters are flat and unlikeable, their actions and words are disjunctive, and the parts that (I suspect) were meant to be funny are just inane. Spare yourself, Gentle Reader, there are better cozies out there.

Frances and Bernard

Frances and Bernard, Carlene Bauer, 2012, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Genre: Literary Fiction. 193 pages. Finished 5/26/14.

LesOpinion: A lovely little book, written as a series of letters, telling the story of friendship between Frances and Bernard. A meditation on God, art, family, and love. Heartbreaking, elegant. The best book I've read in a long, long time.

The Florabama Ladies' Auxiliary & Sewing Circle

The Florabama Ladies' Auxiliary & Sewing Circle, Lois Battle, 2001, Viking, Genre: Fiction. 358 pages. Finished 5/21/14.

LesOpinion: A small, well-mannered Southern woman's novel that tries to weave in themes of class, race, poverty, gender, and privilege, this book is best at coming up with memorable Southern turns of phrase. It's at its worst when it tries too hard to be quirky (the title is a dead giveaway). Nevertheless, it would be a great read for a day at the beach or a Sunday on the porch.

City of Bohane

City of Bohane, Kevin Barry, 2011, Greywolf Press, Genre: Fiction. 277 pages. Finished 5/12/14.

LesOpinion: An impossibly macho novel set in a dystopian future Ireland, City of Bohane depicts an urban warzone populated by gangs, prostitutes, and drug dealers. Its characters are violent, colorful, and hateful to a one. The only way to make sense of the dense dialect is to read it aloud in your best "magically delicious!" Irish brogue.

The Lace Reader

The Lace Reader, Brunonia Barry, 2009, HarperCollins, Genre: Fiction. Finished 4/28/14.

LesOpinion: Set in contemporary Salem, MA, The Lace Reader is an often lovely novel about abuse, betrayal, and the perils of spirituality. While parts are a bit overdrawn, the characters are well developed and the plot intriguing...though astute readers will have figured out the twist before the end.

Two "Jane Austen" Mysteries

Jane and the Man of the Cloth: Being the Second Jane Austen Mystery, Stephanie Barron, 1997, Bantam Books, Genre: Cozy Mystery. 274 pages. Finished 4/5/14.

Jane and the Genius of the Place: Being the Fourth Jane Austen Mystery, Stephanie Barron, 1999, Bantam Books, Genre: Cozy Mystery. 290 Pages. Finished 4/26/14.

LesOpinion: These cozy mysteries are part of a series purporting to be from the diaries of Jane Austen. The language is stilted, faux early 19th century (which makes reading a bit of a chore), but the plots are filled with the usual bloodless murder, English country estates, and good manners we expect from the genre. If you can't get enough of Jane Austen, these books might be just the thing.

Jane Austen's Charlotte

Jane Austen's Charlotte, Julia Barrett, 2000, M. Evans & Co., Genre: Fiction. 240 pages. Finished

3/16/14.

LesOpinion: When Jane Austin died in 1817, she left behind a scrap of a novel, tentatively titled Sanditon. Fast forward to the 20th century where writer and scholar, Julia Barrett, gets her hands on it, finishes it off in a fashion that would make the esteemed Austen proud, and publishes it under the title, Charlotte.

The story of an unknown Sussex seashore town in England's post-Napoleonic era trying to strike it rich as the Next Big Thing to hit fashionable society, Charlotte is classic Austen in its skewering of social climbers, posers, and dilettantes. It's also classic Austen in that it isn't written for the contemporary reader, making it a bit of a slog, language-wise.

Circumstances under which I recommend this book: You like Jane Austen and think there's really nothing better than settling down with one of her books.

Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon Series

High Country, Nevada Barr, 2004, GP Putnam's Sons, Genre: Mystery. 323 pages. Finished 2/6/14.

Hard Truth, Nevada Barr, 2005, GP Putnam's Sons, Genre: Mystery. 324 pages. Finished 2/8/14.

Blood Lure, Nevada Barr, 2001, GP Putnam's Sons, Genre: Mystery. 320 pages. Finished 2/12/14.

Hunting Season, Nevada Barr, 2002, GP Putnam's Sons, Genre: Mystery. 322 pages. Finished 2/16/14.

Flashback, Nevada Barr, 2003, GP Putnam's Sons, Genre: Mystery. 387 pages. Finished 2/21/14.

Winter Study, Nevada Barr, 2008, GP Putnam's Sons, Genre: Mystery. 370 pages. Finished 2/25/14.

The Rope, Nevada Barr, 2011, Minotaur Books, Genre: Mystery. 357 pages. Finished 3/2/14.

LesOpinion: Nevada Barr's outdoorsy heroine, Anna Pigeon, is a ranger for the National Park Service. Like most popular sleuths in serial mystery novels, she finds herself in a new and frightening position with each new posting with the NPS. The books are well-written, fast-paced, and have the kind of main female character I fall for: she's smart, physically strong, unapologetically aging, and (best of all) unafraid to hit back.

Bonus points: I read these novels in random order and never felt lost, so adept was Barr at making each story stand on its own without relying on the previous novels.

Circumstances under which I recommend these books: You are not backpacking or otherwise in a wild and lonely place where the stories of backwoods assailants might creep you out. Read them safely at home. Then brush up on your self defense skills before you hit the back country.

The Sense of an Ending

The Sense of an Ending, Julian Barnes, 2011, Knopf, Genre: Literary fiction. 163 pages. Finished

2/2/14.

LesOpinion: A short book telling a small story about big things, The Sense of an Ending is a slowly unfolding mystery and a meditation on memory, loss, and the life we think we're living. British schoolboys, jealousy, and the prisons we create for ourselves all come together to create a mournful tale best read on a rainy February day.

The Somnambulist

The Somnambulist, Jonathan Barnes, 2007, HarperCollins, Genre: Mystery. 353 pages. Finished

2/1/14.

LesOpinion: I really wanted to like this debut novel. It's literate, amusing in its cleverness and detail, and ambitious in its scope. But it's also all over the place, lacks character development, and can't decide what it wants to be when it grows up. The post-Victorian London created by Jonathan Barnes is a dark, foggy, ugly place filled with miscreants, murderers, and drug addicts. There are bearded ladies, albinos, and giants. Also, utopians, a human fly, and S.T. Coleridge as a dripping zombie. If you enjoy genres that include fantasy, steampunk, or Victorian mystery, this might be for you. If not, give it a pass.

The Accident

The Accident, Linwood Barclay, 2011, Bantam Books, Genre: Suspense. 386 pages. Finished 1/25/14.

LesOpinion: A beloved wife and mother causes her own death in a drunk driving accident, taking two other motorists out with her. Her husband spends the next few months flailing around in his grief and disbelief, bumping up against the seamy underbelly (is there any other kind?) of his suburban Connecticut community.

This delicious domestic thriller by an adept writer restores my faith that good writers get published, too. Twists, turns, heartbreak. Wish there were more Barclay on the shelf.

Damn You, Baldacci!

The Mighty Johns, Edited by Otto Penzler, 2002, New Millennium Press. Genre: Collected short

fiction. 316 pages. Finished 1/22/14.

LesOpinion: Just when I thought I was freed from bad Baldacci, this short story collection appeared on the shelves of the S. White Dickinson. Alas, 60 pages of the most hellish and poorly edited Baldacci, yet. The title story in this collection is a Baldacci novella that is the only reason any library has this book on its shelves. Unfortunately, the Baldacci story is the worst of the lot. The real gems are the (all football-themed [!?]) mysteries by some of the best contemporary suspense writers working: Lawrence Block, Dennis Lehane, Brad Meltzer, Anne Perry. Every single other one of these stories deals an embarrassing blow to Baldacci's hackneyed prose.

The Library, er, The Baldacci Quest

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The Innocent, David Baldacci, 2012, Grand Central Publishing. Genre: Spy

Thriller. 422 pages. Finished 9/2/13.

Absolute Power, David Baldacci, 1996, Warner Books, Genre: Suspense. 469 pages. Finished 9/13/13.

Total Control, David Baldacci, 1997, Warner Books, Genre: Thriller. 517 pages. Finished 9/20/13.

The Winner, David Baldacci, 1997, Warner Books, Genre: Thriller. 513 pages. Finished 9/30/13.

The Simple Truth, David Baldacci, 1998, Warner Books, Genre: Thriller. 470 pages. Finished 10/6/13.

Wish You Well, David Baldacci, 2000, Warner Books, Genre: Fiction. 399 pages. Finished 10/9/13.

Last Man Standing, David Baldacci, 2001, Warner Books, Genre: Thriller. 548 pages. Finished 10/14/13.

Saving Faith, David Baldacci, 1999, Warner Books, Genre: Thriller. 451 pages. Finished 10/19/13.

The Christmas Train, David Baldacci, 2002, Warner Books, Genre: Mystery/Humor. 258 pages. Finished 10/24/13.

Split Second, David Baldacci, 2003, Warner Books, Genre: Thriller. 404 pages. Finished 10/28/13.

Hour Game, David Baldacci, 2004, Warner Books, Genre: Thriller. 437 pages. Finished 11/6/13.

The Camel Club, David Baldacci, 2005, Warner Books, Genre: Thriller. 435 pages. Finished 11/17/13.

The Collectors, David Baldacci, 2006, Warner Books, Genre: Thriller. 436 pages. Finished 11/20/13.

Simple Genius, David Baldacci, 2007, Warner Books, Genre: Thriller. 420 pages. Finished 11/25/13.

Stone Cold, David Baldacci, 2007, Grand Central Publishing, Genre: Thriller. 388 pages. Finished 11/30/13.

The Whole Truth, David Baldacci, 2008, GCP, Genre: Thriller. 401 pages. Finished 12/3/13.

Divine Justice, David Baldacci, 2008, GCP, Genre: Thriller, 387 pages. Finished 12/7/13.

First Family, David Baldacci, 2009, GCP, Genre: Thriller, 449 pages. Finished 12/11/13.

True Blue, David Baldacci, 2009, GCP, Genre: Thriller, 454 pages. Finished 12/14/13.

Deliver Us From Evil, David Baldacci, 2010, GCP, Genre: Thriller, 406 pages. Finished 12/19/13.

Hell’s Corner, David Baldacci, 2010, GCP, Genre: Thriller, 438 pages. Finished 12/27/13.

Sixth Man, David Baldacci, 2011, GCP, Genre: Thriller, 416 pages. Finished 1/2/14.

One Summer, David Baldacci, 2011, GCP, Genre: Schlocky Fiction, 333 pages. Finished 1/4/14.

Zero Day, David Baldacci, 2011, GCP, Genre: Thriller, 434 pages. Finished 1/9/14.

The Forgotten, David Baldacci, 2012, Genre: Thriller, 422 pages. Finished 1/13/14.

LesOpinion: The David Baldacci Slog had a slow start. His first 10 books are among the most poorly written of the entire Quest (in his first novel, Baldacci refers to a baseball as "the white orb." The prosecution rests).

To be fair, Baldacci was clearly learning the ropes and working at the mercy of a tenderhearted editor (one too soft to point out that thrillers written with an abundance of the word "suddenly" could benefit from a bit more subtlety). There is a direct correlation between a lowering page count and the books getting better. By the time Baldacci switched publishing houses (from Warner to Grand Central), his books became worth reading (for the most part).

Look, the man tells a good story in a made-for-the-big-screen kind of way. You can't go wrong picking one up for a ride on the train or a day sick in bed. This reviewer's recommendation is to start with books written after 1998 and never, under any circumstances, read the schlocky fiction he writes to take a break from his action-packed thrillers. Take it from me, Gentle Reader, you will much prefer a hot stick in the eye.

The Little Giant of Aberdeen County

The Little Giant of Aberdeen County, Tiffany Baker, 2009, Grand Central Publishing. Genre: Fiction. 341 pages. Finished 8/30/13.

LesOpinion: This is a book about beauty, love, and family ties. It's also about what it means to be ugly, silent, and selfish. It's also quirky, weird, eccentric, bittersweet, and crazy-making. Read it.