Review: Romeo's Stand

Romeo's Stand by James Scott Bell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Romeo series is fun. I enjoy the philosophic references. I wish the philosophy he discusses played more of a role in the plot, rather than being more or less just a part of Romeo's quirky character. That said, at least one part of the philosophy he mentions does play a small role here. There were a few plot holes and unresolved points, but overall a fun read.

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Review: The Range Detectives

The Range Detectives by William W. Johnstone
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this; a mix of the western and mystery genres. The ah-shucks banter between the two main characters was a bit much at times, but overall I enjoyed it nonetheless.

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Review: Robert B. Parker's Debt to Pay

Robert B. Parker's Debt to Pay by Reed Farrel Coleman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I continue to enjoy Coleman's version of Stone. I liked how he picked up and closed some of the threads from Robert B. Parker's Blind Spot. The mystery had several twists and turns; it kept you thinking. Coleman captures Stone very well; and I like the edge Coleman brings to the books. The narrator is excellent.

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Review: The Aleppo Codex: A True Story of Obsession, Faith, and the Pursuit of an Ancient Bible

The Aleppo Codex: A True Story of Obsession, Faith, and the Pursuit of an Ancient Bible by Matti Friedman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A fascinating story about the history of the Codex and the mystery of what happened to it. The codex was in an Aleppo synagogue for centuries before anti-Jewish riots broke out in Aleppo in 1947 and it was then smuggled into Israel. Friedman's investigation focuses mostly on what happened between the burning of the synagogue and it's resurfacing in Israel. Along the way, much of the codex went missing. Friedman's book strongly points, tragically and ironically, to the theft of these pages.

The book was not quite the "thrilling mystery" some of the blurbs promise, but I enjoyed the book and learned a lot. That said, of all of Friedman's book, this is probably my least favorite.

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Review: A Debt of Death

A Debt of Death by Jonathan Dunsky
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lapid finds himself in some trouble and has to solve the murder to both clear his name and a debt he owes to the murder victim. A mystery with several twists and turns. Each novel seems to play or highlight some aspect of early Israeli society. This one has an underlying theme of showing some of the variety immigrants to Israel in the 50s, as well as the class differences between these groups.

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