Tag Archives: Tana French

Tana French, “The Secret Place”

Posted on September 8, 2014 by carolwallace

One of the little thrills of contemporary life: when you pre-order a book and it shows up magically on your Kindle. Even if I know it’s going to happen, I find it exciting. And of course when the book is … Continue reading →

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Robert Galbraith, “The Silkworm”

Posted on July 2, 2014 by carolwallace

Only you’re not fooled, are you? You know that Robert Galbraith is J.K. Rowling’s nom de plume. So you’ll probably be entertained by the conceit of The Silkworm, which is all about the true authorship of a novel. Oh, wait, … Continue reading →

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Manda Scott, “No Good Deed”

Posted on August 19, 2013 by carolwallace

You know how to complete the phrase, right? “No good deed…… goes unpunished.” Very late in this novel, the canny, crafty villain quotes the maxim to the equally crafty heroine, calling it an old Irish saying. By this point in … Continue reading →

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Tana French, “Broken Harbor”

Posted on July 31, 2012 by carolwallace

OK. We know that Tana French is a goddess, yeah? So all I really have to do here is tell you that Broken Harbor keeps up her usual high standard and that you should read it right away. But just … Continue reading →

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Susan Hill, “The Betrayal of Trust”

Posted on February 7, 2012 by carolwallace

OK, it’s official. Susan Hill enters the contemporary murder mystery pantheon, along with the goddess Tana French and the goddess Fred Vargas. Why, you may wonder, are these women deities in my little firmament? Because they consistently deliver entertainment that is … Continue reading →

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Tana French, “The Likeness”

Posted on November 18, 2011 by carolwallace

Let’s start by thinking about glamor. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (with the magnifying glass, yes), the word doesn’t enter English until late in the 18th century, when it basically means a spell. The contemporary definition offered by the … Continue reading →

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Jane Haddam, “Glass Houses”

Posted on January 30, 2011 by carolwallace

After all my highbrow Virago reading last week I’m faintly embarrassed at returning to murder mysteries, but there you have it. Sometimes all i want from a book is escape, and over the years Jane Haddam’s series mysteries have provided … Continue reading →

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Gene Kerrigan, “The Midnight Choir”

Posted on January 22, 2011 by carolwallace

What should I have deduced from the fact that The Midnight Choir’s title comes from a Leonard Cohen song? That it would be hip? Sad? Dark? Here’s the quotation: “Like a drunk in a midnight choir/I have tried in my … Continue reading →

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Julia Spencer-Fleming, “In the Bleak Midwinter”

Posted on October 30, 2010 by carolwallace

So at choir practice the other night I was talking to a friend about sublimation. Really. The soprano section was discussing Dorothy Sayers, and the moment in Gaudy Night when Harriet Vane, fiiiinally after soooo long, looks at the sleeping … Continue reading →

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Tana French, “Faithful Place”

Posted on July 16, 2010 by carolwallace

I always knew I was going to drop everything to gulp Faithful Place down in one or two sittings. That’s just the way Tana French operates on me. And on a few other people as well. I try not to … Continue reading →

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