Monday, December 22, 2025

Review: Tyrant's Throne

Tyrant's Throne (The Greatcoats #4)Tyrant's Throne by Sebastien de Castell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book finishes the Greatcoats quartet. I really enjoyed this series. It hits many of the things that I love: snappy dialogue, swashbuckling heroics, characters with solid moral cores, creative world building, and exciting storytelling.

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Sunday, December 21, 2025

Review: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2)Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wonderful to be back at Hogwarts! The performances are great -- though Snape's voice is not quite right. Somehow just not slimy enough.

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Thursday, December 11, 2025

Review: Split Second

Split Second (Sean King & Michelle Maxwell, #1)Split Second by David Baldacci
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The plot was a bit convoluted and far fetched, but I like the characters of King and Maxwell. I think they work well together and make for good partners. Baldacci always does a good job of building suspense and keeping the reader engaged and wanting to know what is going to happen.

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Saturday, December 06, 2025

Review: Robert B. Parker's Fool's Paradise

Robert B. Parker's Fool's Paradise (Jesse Stone, #19)Robert B. Parker's Fool's Paradise by Mike Lupica
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really liked want Coleman brought to the Stone series: he pushed Stone in new directions. Lupica picks this up, but just isn't quite as capable as Coleman. Lupica is good; and the story is enjoyable. He's not though really able to push Stone. He's taken what Parker and Coleman have done and can continue it, but not as likely to do much more. It's hard to pinpoint, but Coleman, like Parker, was able to balance the action, plot, and introspection. Lupica doesn't seem to hit this balance right. I noticed the same thing in his Sunny novels (which doesn't bode well for Spenser that he's recently taken over).

One thing that bugs me about Lupica's style is that there are far too many "he said" "she said" "Stone said, Molly said." Need some of that, but not after almost line of dialogue. On the audio, it's very distracting.

I liked having more Molly; there is a lot to develop with her the way Coleman expanded Suits.

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Thursday, December 04, 2025

Review: Robert B. Parker's The Bitterest Pill

Robert B. Parker's The Bitterest Pill (Jesse Stone, #18)Robert B. Parker's The Bitterest Pill by Reed Farrel Coleman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Coleman brings his noir-style Stone to its fullest expression in this one. There were some dark moments, some good twists, and red herrings. I really like Coleman's Stone. I wish he was continuing with the series, I would have like to see where he took it. He didn't try to imitate Parker's style but staying true to the core.

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