The Reservoir by John Milliken Thompson

The Reservoir by John Milliken Thompson




I like mysteries set in places I have been - in this case Richmond, VA - whether present day or in the past. So far I'm not liking this one, but intend to keep with it a while longer.



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The Most Dangerous Thing by Laura Lippman

The Most Dangerous Thing by Laura Lippman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm not sure what to call this book - if it were a movie it would be dramatic suspense. Four childhood friends are thrown together when the fifth crashes his car into a Jersey barrier. The friends and their parents lost touch as they grew up - and because they all share a secret. Something bad happened the night of the 1973 hurricane - and all share in the guilt.

Told in episodes from the various character's viewpoints, the angst of growing up and the difficulties of being become clear. Lippman is a great storyteller. The story is haunting and suspenseful and beautifully written.

I remember that Leakin Park featured in a previous novel, perhaps What the Dead Know.

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The Honorary Consul by Graham Greene

The Honorary Consul by Graham Greene
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Read this as part of the Mystery/Thriller Groups group reads. Graham Greene is a well-known British writer of the early 20th century, but I had maybe only read one of his novels in college. As I get older, I realize I had no idea what many of the books I read in college were really about. I would recommend this because of the examination of the British influence in Latin American countries and the interplay of local politics. Thematically, the book is about the isolation of one man because of the loss of his father; of "machismo" in the Latin American man; of a constant want to be the hero, resulting in tragedy.

Our hero, Dr. Parr, wants to effect the rescue of his friend, who was accidentally kidnapped by Paraguayan militants who want to force the European & U.S. governments to overthrow the corrupt Paraguayan government. The militants had planned to kidnap the American ambassador to Argentina - on a sightseeing trip to the area near the Paraguayan border.

Parr enters into an affair with the ex-prostitute wife of his kidnapped friend, Charley. Parr habitually has affairs with his female patients. Charley's wife Clara is pregnant, probably with Parr's child. Toward the end of the kidnapping episode, Parr does express some guilt of his relationship with his friend's wife.

Charley is the only character who seems content with his life, and is the only survivor. The others, who all wanted something they could not or should not, have, all perished.

As for Greene's obsession with religion (Catholicism), that is beyond me.

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Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

First book of the Inspector Kurt Wallander series, set in the Skane area of Sweden. He spends a lot of time driving from one small town to another. Lone homicide detective for Ystad and region, his personal life is a mess - wife left, daughter won't speak to him, father falling into dementia. This book reminds me most of Alex McKnight (Steve Hamilton's character) - loner detective, remote location. Highly recommended.

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