The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith aka J.K. Rowling

The Silkworm: A Cormoran Strike Novel, Robert Galbraith a.k.a. J.K. Rowling. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2014. e-book, 481 pps. 


     This is the second book in the Cormoran Strike series. The Silkworm deals what happened to a guy named Owen Quine who goes missing. Mrs. Quine hires Cormoran Strike, private investigator to find out where her husband is. Husband Owen Quine is an author of sorts who has a reputation for one good book followed by some pretty bad ones. His latest was leaked and bunches of people didn't like what the book was about at all. 

sapphoq reviews says: I liked the first Comoran Strike book and I enjoyed this one too. Here there be fancy publishers and A-list parties, weddings and funerals, and bits of traveling about. For those who enjoy murder mystery fiction as good as Agatha Christie, highly recommended.

The Last Child by John Hart

The Last Child, John Hart. New York: Minotaur Books, 2009. e-book, 397 pps. including preview from a next novel.


     The Last Child captivated me from the prologue onward. The story opens with a thirteen year old boy named Johnny. He is no ordinary kid. He knows how to drive. To the consternation of the police-- one Detective Hunt in particular-- Johnny will not give up driving.

     Johnny is equally at home in the woods. He knows things. He is a keen observer of animal nature and this ability gets him into trouble.

     Trouble surrounds Johnny. After a family tragedy, a horn-dog named Ken moved on in and his mother is the worst for it. Ken is not a nice man. And Johnny does not trust Detective Hunt.

     There is a cast of characters in The Last Child who are devious and mean. There are murders and manslaughter, betrayals and tests of friendships. And there are the woods of course. Ancient woods with mossy fragrances and dead bodies.

sapphoq reviews says: John Hart delivers a finely-crafted story which transported me into the back country of North Carolina and held me there until the last page. I don't mind a thirteen year old dropping f-bombs in a work of fiction. If you do, then skip this book. Nasty people abound. The Last Child was pure magic-- a coming of age tale that will stay with me for a very long time. Highly recommended.

Leave No Stone Unturned (A Lexie Starr Mystery, Book 1) by Jeanne Glidewell

Leave No Stone Unturned (A Lexie Starr Mystery, Book 1), Jeanne Glidewell.  New Freedom, PA.: ABN Leadership Group, Inc, dba ePublishing Works!, 2013.  224 pps.

Very fast-paced. Lexie Starr and Stone Van Patten are likeable enough characters. Harriet rocked! 

A few small mistakes:
1. People not using an Adirondack trail or even animal path or footpath due to stinging nettles is not realistic. Folks around here are far more rugged than that. Better reason not to use a trail much might be because the ADKers have convinced people that trails not leading up to one of the high peaks aren't worthwhile. Another might be that only or mostly locals hike there.

2. Schizophrenia the word is derived from a word meaning "split brain" however schizophrenia the condition is entirely separate from having "multiple personalities".

3. The best social engineering would not get a stranger in to see Wanda.

4. If it was described as intensive supportive apartments with staff on-site (with their own apartment 'office') that would have been more believable and in line with the residential services available "10 miles south of Schenectady" than a "home for the mentally ill."

5. Said intensive supportive apartments could have been placed in Albany and been realistic there (as the first Albany exit is approximately 10 miles from the Schenectady exit on 90 South.

6. Wanda's actions could also have been those of a schizophrenic woman who was elderly AND now also suffering from early-onset Alzheimer's. Her placement in an apartment for the elderly with on-site staff supervision would have fit then. Think: Kingsway Arms off of the Crosstown (route 7 east in Schenectady) would have been believable.

7. NYS is full of democratic politicians who prefer the labels "mental health challenges" or " behavioral disorders/health" to the more direct words "mentally ill". Services in NYS have not referenced the words "mentally ill" here in several decades.

8. I'm fairly sure that New York State hasn't had a death penalty in years.

9. Schenectady has been a dirty city for many years. This holds true of the Upper Union Street area as well as the slummier sections of town. Actually, I was amused at Schenectady being described as a clean city. The resident insect is the cockroach.

Not a mistake but an observation: Lexie uses some 12 step specific jargon throughout the book along with a few Christian phrases. Since the useage is marked, it would be believable for Lexie to be an out of the closet Christian in recovery from alcoholism. She could be a member of either AA or Overcomers Anonymous in good standing. Stone, being a Christian southern gentleman would either not drink because of his religious beliefs or in solidarity with Lexie's desire to stay sober.

If the author didn't mean for Lexie or Stone to be Christian, then the recovery jargon and religious expressions should be omitted in future books.

Good points: 
*Very little cursing.
*Suitable for use by adults in literacy programs.
*If a teen or a child get a hold of this book, their parents don't have to shudder in horror.
*No poorly written sex scenes in this book-- no sex scenes at all.
*An absence of zombies, the paranormal, and dark urban atmosphere.
*The characters were interesting and seemed like folks I've met.

A personal note of thanks to the author for promoting organ donation. I am glad you have survived your ordeal and are now thriving.

sapphoq reviews says: If you like urban fantasy and dark stuff, then this one is not for you. But if you want a wholesome mystery book with some laughs and surprises, then yeah, get this book. But don't rely on it to tell you anything real about Schenectady New York or even about the Adirondacks for that matter. Recommended with a few reservations.

The Cuckoo's Calling by J.K. Rowling writing as Robert Galbraith

The Cuckoo's Calling, J.K. Rowling writing as Robert Galbraith.  New York: Little, Brown & Company, 2013.  e-book, 453 pps.


By now, the grand secret is out and anyone with a computer surely must know that J.K. Rowling wrote a murder mystery under an assumed name.  She was duly pissed when the secret leaked out.  J.K. wanted to know if she could make it as a writer without resorting to her own name.  Truthfully, she has nothing to worry about on that score.  The Casual Vacancy  is more than credible evidence of her writing talent.  The Cuckoo's Calling is further evidence of her versatility as a writer.

There is a private dick by the name of Cormoran Strike, a pretty engaged secretary sent over by the temp agency who is known as Robin Ellacott, a dead starlet, the starlet's mysterious brother and tempermental photographer and a street bud, and some other people.  The novel opens with the aftermath created by a pretty model plunging to her death off her balcony and the crowd that assembles afterwards. 

Comoran Strike, the private investigator, has just been booted from his living arrangement with a soon to be divorced wife.  He is in desperate straits and his business is going down the flusher.  The temp secretary arrives in the midst of the mess.  Strike is less than pleased to see her but eventually adjusts to her presence.  Robin proves both resourceful and valuable to his office.  The dead woman's brother shows up and Comoran begins to investigate although the death was already ruled a suicide.  The story unfolds and Comoran, with the help of his trusty temp secretary. solves the crime. 

sapphoq reviews says:  Although some reviewers have complained about the frequent presence of the f-bomb throughout the pages of The Cuckoo's Calling, the fact remains that J.K. has written a book for adults and it is clearly labeled as such.  I found the cursing to be believable.  The characters were multi-faceted and likeable.  The storyline kept my interest.  J.K.'s in-depth descriptions added greatly to the book.  This one's a keeper.  Highly recommended, especially to those who like Agatha Christie and other crime fics.