Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Michael Tolliver Lives, by Armistead Maupin

(hb; 2007: Book Seven of the Tales of the City series)

From the inside flap:

"Having survived the plague that took so many of his friends and lovers, Michael [Tolliver] has learned to embrace the random pleasures of life, the tender alliances that sustain him in the hardest of times. Michael Tolliver Lives follows its protagonist as he finds love with a younger man, attends to his dying fundamentalist mother in Florida, and finally re-affirms his allegiance to a wise octogenarian who was once his landlady."

Review:

Warm, witty and (occasionally) vexing as the rest of the series, this time exclusively from the POV [point of view] of Michael Tolliver.

Shawna Hawkins, Brian's punk-blogger-stripper daughter, injects a lot of joy into the book.

Excellent read. Check it out.

Followed by Mary Ann in Autumn.

Saturday, May 01, 2010

The Sins of the Wolf, by Anne Perry

(pb; 1994: fifth book in the William Monk series)

From the back cover:

"Nurse Hester Latterly finds herself well suited for the position: accompany Mrs. Mary Farraline, an elderly Scottish lady in delicate health, on a short train trip to London. Yet Hester's simple job takes a grave turn when the woman dies during the night. And when a postmortem examination of the body reveals a lethal dose of medicine, Hester is charged with murder -- punishable by execution.

"The notorious case presents detective William Monk with a daunting task: find a calculating killer amongst the prominent and coolly assailable Farraline clan. Since Hester must be tried in Edinburgh, where prejudice against her runs high, there is little that the highly skilled barrister Oliver Rathbone can do to help. He can only try to direct her Scottish lawyer from the frustrating sidelines, and pray that Hester will not be sent to the gallows."

Review:

Tension-filled from the get-go, this, with its surprising plot coils and character bents.

I predicted a few of the raw-nerve story turns, but not all of them.

This is easily one of the best and protagonist-progressive entries in the William Monk series.

Check this out.

Followed by Cain His Brother.