Recent Reading

Just finished reading Live Bait, the second mystery by P.J. Tracy. That website is looking pretty slim and hasn't been updated since May, but the books are good! There is a third in the series in hardcover and I'll have to pick it up.

The first book, Monkeywrench, centerered on a marvelous, but tragic character named Grace and the cop, Leo Magozzi, who helped to save her life. This time, Leo is the focus and the mystery centers around three elderly Jews who were murdered. The only thing connecting them was that they all survived the Nazi death camps. Great characters, a plot that twists and turns, and an awesome ending. I highly recommend this book.

Last weekend, I read Persuader by Lee Child. This is the seventh in a series featuring Jack Reacher. I usually don't read books out of order, but I decided to give this one a try. It's really not my cup of tea. Macho and pretty much a loner, Reacher is kind of boring to me. The book is well-written and the plot includes conspiracies and twists and turns. Reacher beats the shit out of people he doesn't like. Another boring character trait for me.

Lately, I'm more interested in lead characters who have complicated relationships that make all their decisions more interesting -- their choices more gut-wrenching. Like John Sandford's Lucas Davenport who is dealing with a wife and a coupole of children now and can't be quite as hard-driven as he was when the series began.

This must be a sign that I'm getting older!