The Last Detective, by Robert Crais

Title: The Last Detective

Author: Robert Crais

Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library Kindle Edition

Started: 1/19/2024

Finished: 1/21/2024

This was another great, intense, Cole & Pike novel.  

LA Requiem, by Robert Crais

Title: LA Requiem

Author: Robert Crais

Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library Kindle Edition

Started:  1/15/2024

Finished: 1/18/2024

Well this was an outstanding novel.  I've been really enjoying these Cole & Pike novels, but this one was on a whole other level.  

Indigo Slam, by Robert Crais

Title: Indigo Slam

Author Robert Crais

Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library Kindle Edition

Started: 1/14/2024

Finished: 1/5/2024

Decent Cole & Pike novel. I had to skip one in the series, Sunset Express, because bizarrely the public library didn't have it in Kindle Edition, could only be read through Libby.  Didn't want to have to read it on my phone, but will eventually pick that one up. 

Voodoo River, by Robert Crais

Title: Voodoo River

Author: Robert Crais

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Kindle Edition

Started: 1/9/2024

Finished: 1/12/2024

Another Cole & Pike novel. Enjoyed it, but I was pretty lost on the actual mystery going on.  

Borges in 90 Minutes, by Paul Strathern

Title: Borges in 90 Minutes

Author: Paul Strathern

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Audiobook

Started: 1/10/2024

Finished: 1/10/2024

Debated recording this here since so short, but what the hell. It was decent. 

The Haunted Forest Tour, by Moore & Strand

Title: The Haunted Forest Tour

Author: James Moore & Jeff Strand

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Audiobook

Started: 1/6/2024

Finished: 1/9/2024

A lot of recommendations for this one on Reddit, I thought it was pretty terrible, but I finished it.

Free Fall, by Robert Crais

Title: Free Fall

Author: Robert Crais

Borrowed from DC Public Library Kindle Edition

Started: 1/6/2024

Finished: 1/8/2024

I know I will regret blowing through these Cole & Pike novels so quickly, but I can't stop myself. Super enjoyable, if not very believable.  

Lullaby Town, by Robert Crais

Title: Lullaby Town

Author: Robert Crais

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Kindle Edition

Started: 1/4/2024

Finished: 1/6/2024

I am really enjoying these Cole & Pike novels, this was another great one.  Crais is clearly influenced by Robert Parker's Spenser novels, but these are a bit darker.   Really enjoyable.  

Flop Dead Gorgeous, by David Rosenfelt

Title: Flop Dead Gorgeous

Author: David Rosenfelt

Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library (Audiobook)

Started: 1/4/2024

Finished: 1/5/2024

Another Andy Carpenter book, mostly entertaining for a single running gag throughout.  Easy to know how this one would turn out, but I doubt anyone reads these books for the plot.

Gone by Dawn, by Tom Wood

Title: Gone by Dawn

Author: Tom Wood

Purchased from Amazon Kindle Edition

Started: 1/3/2024

Finished: 1/4/2024

Really just a short story, but part of the Victor the Assassin series and decent. 

Santa's Little Yelpers, by David Rosenfelt

Title: Santas Little Yelpers

Author: David Rosenfelt

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Audiobook

Started: 1/2/2024

Finished: 1/3/2024

Another Andy Carpenter book. Think I may have read this one before, but I didn't record it.  

There Will Be No More Good Nights, by Laura Van Den Berg

Title: There Will Be No More Good Nights

Author: Laura Van Den Berg

Purchased from Amazon Kindle Edition

Started: 12/31/2023

Finished: 1/1/2024

My first book of 2024 from my Lit crush, Van Den Berg.  This collection read more like a writing exercise -- some extremely short stories, but as usual I really enjoyed them. 

Stalking the Angel, by Robert Crais

Title: Stalking the Angel

Author: Robert Crais 

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Kindle Edition

Started: 12/25/2023

Finished: 12/30/2023

Really enjoyibg these Cole & Pike novels.  

The Last Days of Jack Sparks, by Jason Arnopp

Title: The Last Days of Jack Sparks

Author: Jason Arnopp

Purchased from Audible (Audiobook)

Started: 12/27/2023

Finished" 12/29/2023

I've been putting this one off for a while because I couldn't get it from the library, but a free trial to Audible got it for me free of charge, and I'm happy to say it is as good as advertised.  Really enjoyed this book.

The Isle of Youth, by Laura Van Den Berg

Title: The Isle of Youth

Author: Laura Van Den Berg

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Kindle Edition

Started: 12/26/2023

Finished: 12/27/2023

Another collection of shirt stories from my literary crush, Laura Van Den Berg.  Enjoyed all of these immensely, Van Den Berg's writing, as I've repeatedly said, just speaks to me.  Also helps that inthe final, titular story, the protagonist is a research librarian in DC like your humble blogger.  

The Monkey's Raincoat, by Robert Crais

Title: The Monkey's Raincoat

Author: Robert Crais

Borrowed from DC Public Library Kindle Edition

Started: 12/23/2023

Finished: 12/26/2023

First of the Cole & Pike series, really enjoyed this one. 

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, by Stephen King

Title: The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon

Author: Stephen King

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Audiobook

Started: 12/24/2023

Finished: 12/26/2023

I'm not a big King fan, but also not a hater.  Sometimes I like, other times I don't, his stories.  This one was a masterpiece. 

The September House, by Carissa Orlando

Title: The September House

Author: Carissa Orlando 

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Kindle Edition

Started: 12/20/2023

Finished: 12/24/2023

Very entertaining haunted house book. 

Bad Luck in Berlin, by Tom Wood

Title: Bad Luck in Berlin

Author: Tom Wood

Purchased from Amazon Kindle Edition

Started: 12/8/2023

Finished: 12/12/2023

Forgot to post this one earlier, but more of a short story than a novella.  Entertaining companion to the Victor the Assassin series.  

The Outfit, by Richard Stark

Title: The Outfit

Author: Richard Stark

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Audiobook

Started: 12/13/2023

Finished: 12/17/2023

Another enjoyable Parker novel, but taking a break from these now since I'm blowing through them. 

The Man with the Getaway Face, by Richard Stark

Title: The Man with the Getaway Face

Author: Richard Stark

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Audiobook

Started: 12/11/2023

Finished: 12/12/2023

Extremely enjoyable Parker novel. 

The Hunter, by Richard Stark

Title: The Hunter

Author: Richard Stark

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Audiobook

Started: 12/10/2023

Finished: 12/11/2023

First in the Parker series, great book. 

No Tomorrow, by Tom Wood

Title:  No Tomorrow

Author: Tom Wood

Borrowed from Queen Anne's County Public Library Audiobook

Started: 12/5/2023

Finished: 12/7/2023

Another fun entry in the Victor the Assassin series.

The Secret, by Lee & Andrew Child

Title: The Secret

Author: Lee & Andrew Child

Purchased hardcopy

Started: 11/18/2023

Finished: 11/29/2023

Pretty weak Reacher novel.  

Kill for Me, by Tom Wood

Title: Kill for Me

Author: Tom Wood

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Audiobook

Started: 11/27/2023

Finished: 11/29/2023

Another entertaining Victor the Assassin book.  

The Final Hour, by Tom Wood

Title: The Final Hour

Author: Tom Wood

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Audiobook

Started: 11/16/2023

Finished: 11/19/2023

Decent entry in the Victor the Assassin series. 

What the World Will Look Like When All the Water Leaves Us, by Laura Van Den Berg

Title: What the World Will Look Like When All the Water Leaves Us

Author: Laura Van Den Berg

Borrowed from DC Public Library Kindle Edition

Started: 10/25/2023

Finished: 11/10/2023

My literary crush on Van Den Berg continues, I think I've read all of her published works.  Haven't felt this connected to an author since I discovered Denis Johnson years ago.  

A Time to Die, by Tom Wood

Title: A Time to Die

Author: Tom Wood

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Audiobook

Started: 11/7/2023

Finished: 11/8/2023

A pretty good entry in the Victor the Assassin series, much better than the last one. 

The Stranger Upstairs, by Lisa M Matlin

Title: The Stranger Upstairs

Author: Lisa M Matlin 

Borrowed from DC Public Library Audiobook

Started: 11/6/2023

DNF

This book is terrible, made it about half way before stopping. Only recording it here so I can search it later if I forget I already gave it a shot.  One of the very rare DNF for me, but it was just painfully bad.  

Universal Harvester, by John Darnielle

Title: Universal Harvester

Author: John Darnielle

Borrowed from DC Public Library Audiobook

Started: 10/31/2023

Finished: 11/5/2023

I liked this book but struggled to really get absorbed by it.  Feel like this was me, not the book. Reading it may have been a better way for me than the audiobook version.  

The Empty House and Other Stories, by Algernon Blackwood

Title: The Empty House and Other Stories

Author: Algernon Blackwood

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Audiobook

Started: 10/27/2023

Finished: 10/30/2023

Decent collection of horror short stories. 

Our Wives Under the Sea, by Julia Armfield

Title: Our Wives Under the Sea

Author: Julia Armfield

Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library Kindle Edition 

Started: 10/17/2023

Finished: 10/25/2023

Great book covering heartbreaking loss in an intriguing way.  Really enjoyed this one. 

Find Me, by Laura Van Den Berg

Title: Find Me

Author: Laura Van Den Berg

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Audiobook

Started: 10/22/2023

Finished: 10/23/2023

My obsession with Van Den Berg continues -- this was my least favorite of her works so far, but I don't mean to imply I didn't like it.  Find Me just didn't speak to me like the other two I read. Still enjoyable, Van Den Berg includes a lot of FLA in her books which I enjoy, bring born and raised in central FLA.  

Anyway, this is one author I'll be following. 

The Wendigo, by Algernon Blackwood

Title: The Wendigo

Author: Algernon Blackwood

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Audiobook

Started: 10/21/2023

Finished: 10/22/2023

Decently entertaining. 

I Hold a Wolf by the Ear, by Laura Van Den Berg

Title: I Hold a Wolf by the Ear

Author: Laura Van Den Berg

Borrowed from DC Public Library Audiobook

Started: 10/16/2023

Finished: 10/20/2023

Started this one as an audiobook, switch to Kindle because I was enjoying it so much and wanted to read it that way instead.  But had another loan come available and went back to audio.  

That's not really important I guess, what is important is how much I'm enjoying the works by Van Den Berg.  Can't really explain why, but the way she writes and the stories she's telling are extremely compelling.  

Love in a Dry Season, by Shelby Foote

Title: Love in a Dry Season

Author: Shelby Foote

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Audiobook

Started: 10/11/2023

Finished: 10/16/2023

I like these Shelby Foote southern dramas, characters driven by various desires.  But I also tire of them about two thirds of the way through.  As I've said before with audiobooks narrated by Grover Gardner -- he really is the best.  Not sure I'd have stuck with this book in print, but having Gardner narrate it makes all the difference. 

You Should Have Left, by Daniel Kehlmann

Title: You Should Have Left

Author: Daniel Kehlmann

Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library Kindle Edition

Started: 10/16/2023

Finished: 10/16/2023

Intriguing novella with similar themes to House of Leaves.  Disturbing and enjoyable.  

The Third Hotel, by Laura Van Den Berg

Title: The Third Hotel

Author: Laura Van Den Berg

Borrowed from DC Public Library Kindle Edition

Started: 10/10/2023

Finished: 10/14/2023

This book spoke to me.  Right from the start I felt a connection to this book and was entranced.  I would have a hard time explaining why, but I absolutely loved this book.  I felt a connection to the protagonist and her story in a way that transcended my normal connection as a reader.  This one was special to me. 

The Darkest Day, by Tom Wood

Title:  The Darkest Day

Author: Tom Wood

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Audiobook

Started: 10/8/2023

Finished: 10/10/2023

This next entry in the Victor the Assassin series was terrible.  Big step back from the previous entry, which was the best. 

The Game, by Tom Wood

Title: The Game

Author: Tom Wood

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Audiobook

Started: 10/5/2023

Finished: 10/7/2023

Third book in the Victor the Assassin series.  Best of the bunch so far. 

The Enemy, by Tom Wood

Title: The Enemy

Author Tom Wood

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Audiobook

Started: 10/2/2023

Finished: 10/4/2023

These loner assassin/tough guy books (Reacher, Grey Man) are terrible but also stupidly enjoyable, and this Victor the Assassin series is more of the same.  And I'll read them all.

Things We Lost in the Fire, by Mariana Enriquez

Title:  Things We Lost in the Fire

Author:  Mariana Enriquez

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Audiobook

Started: 10/1/2023

Finished: 10/1/2023

Been battling a cold the last couple of weeks and I've had a lot of time for audiobooks at all hours where coughs have been keeping me awake.  Powered through this one in a single day of listening that way.  Enjoyable horror short stories.

The Killer, by Tom Wood

Title: The Killer

Author: Tom Wood

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Audiobook

Started: 9/20/2023

Finished: 10/1/2023

A so-so hitman book, first in a long series.  I kept it going between other books but not sure I'll continue with the rest in line. 

Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell

Title: Gone with the Wind

Author: Margaret Mitchell

Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library Audiobook

Started: 9/22/2023

Finished: 9/30/2023

While I'd seen the movie a few times I hadn't read the book until now.  What an epic novel, very glad to have finally taken the time to read it. 

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, by John Berendt

Title: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Author: John Berendt

Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library Audiobook

Started: 9/10/2023

Finished: 9/16/2023

Put off reading this one since it's publication but having visited Savannah a dozen times or so over the years I finally caved.  It's as good, if not better, than everyone said it was.  

The Amulet, by Michael McDowell

Title: The Amulet

Author: Michael McDowell

Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library Kindle Edition

Started: 9/1/2023

Finished: 9/9/2023

Decent pulp horror novel. 

The Exorcist, by William Peter Blatty

Title: The Exorcist

Author: William Peter Blatty

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Audiobook

Started: 9/4/2023

Finished: 9/6/2023

Annual re-reading of this classic, I'm not usually a fan of author read audiobooks but reviews swore Blatty was excellent and they were right.  Very enjoyable.  

Something in the Water, by Katherine Steadman

Title: Something in the Water

Author: Katherine Steadman

Borrowed from Queen Anne County Public Library Kindle Edition

Started: 8/30/2023

Finished: 9/4/2023

A page turner thriller, not great, but an easy read if you can stand the anxiety of a protagonist who continues to make inane decisions.  

Warlock, by Oakley Hall

Title: Warlock

Author: Oakley Hall

Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library Audiobook

Started: 8/20/2023

Finished: 9/4/2023

What a fantastic book.  Sometimes I stumble upon these books and can't believe I've gone so long without ever knowing about them.  The perfect Western.  

The Cellar, by Minette Walters

Title: The Cellar

Author: Minette Walters 

Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library Kindle Edition

Started: 8/24/2023

Finished: 8/26/2023

Recommendation from a reddit post, really enjoyed this creepy and unsettling novel.