Rain Gods

I very much enjoyed Rain Gods by James Lee Burke. He is a great thriller writer and his books haven't disappointed me yet. Set in the American south, the local sheriff investigates the murder of a group of Thai women smuggled in to the country. There are some great characters including the sociopathic murderer, The Preacher, who kills according to his own "code". Sheriff Holland, and the FBI pursue the murderers of the women and it's a suspenseful ride. 4/5

Hell's Corner

I've read Hell's Corner by David Baldacci and did not enjoy it. It is the latest of the "Camel Club" stories, but most members don't feature much. Oliver Stone witnesses a bomb going off in a park across the road from the White House and he investigates with the help of a British MI6 agent, Mary Chapman. There are so many twists and turns, red herrings etc. before the perpetrator is finally revealed. You may enjoy the story if you can suspend belief, but I found it all a bit silly. 3/5

Darra by Decade 1820-2010

As a member of our local historical society, I enjoyed reading Darra by Decade 1820-2010 by Vicki Mynott from the nearby Richlands, Inala & Suburbs History Group Inc. The chapters are divided into decades and we then learn about what happened in each decade. Darra's location was strategically important in its development, about midway between Brisbane and Ipswich. As Darra is so close to the Centenary Suburbs, a lot of the story of Darra crosses into or touches on the Centenary Suburbs, particularly in the early times. It was interesting to read how various places were named and about some of the characters that shaped Darra. If you live in this area, I highly recommend this book which you can order here. 4/5

Long Time Coming

I enjoyed Long Time Coming by Robert Goddard. It's set in two time periods - 1940 and 1976. Eldritch Swan is released from an Irish prison after 36 years on the condition he does not reveal why he was there. He meets up with his nephew Stephen Swan and together they set out to prove an art fraud happened in 1940. The granddaughter, Rachel, is obsessed with knowing what happened to her grandfather's valuable art collection which is now owned by others, though the provenance is not proved. There is an inevitable romantic aspect to the story. Eldritich's mysterious imprisonment is linked to the British secret service, Irish nationalism, German intelligence. It's a good yarn. 4/5

The Burning Wire

I've read The Burning Wire by Jeffery Deaver which features his very clever quadriplegic detective, Lincoln Rhyme. It galloped along okay with twists and turns as Rhyme and his team investigate who is trying to shut down the New York electricity grid. The "perp" seems very cluey about electricity and the reader learns something as well. He issues demands and when they are not met he murders people using electricity in some truly awful ways. 31/2/5

61 Hours

I quite enjoyed 61 Hours by Lee Child which is another Jack Reacher story. I'd avoided him for a while because Reacher is "too good to be true", but the reader needs to suspend belief for the duration and enjoy the ride. Reacher is stranded in a freezing snowbound town in South Dakota and helps the local police investigate murders and protect a witness who saw a drug dealer transaction. The ruthless crime boss, Plato, behind the murders and the drug dealing has far reaching tentacles to ensure his bidding is done. We learn a lot about Reacher's background in this book (if we care). I thought it was unrealistic that Reacher didn't work out who the killer was long before he did. Throughout the story there is a countdown of the 61 hours, a countdown to what we wonder, but don't learn till the climactic and unsatisfactory end. The reader turns the page at the end to be shown the most irritating words which can be seen at the end of a TV program or a book - "to be continued". The next book is Worth Dying For but is a "stand alone" which, according to a review, doesn't reveal what happened to Reacher in 61 Hours until about midway through. 4/5