"Case Histories" by Kate Atkinson
I had enjoyed "Behind the Scenes at the Museum" but couldn't get into "Emotionally Weird"; however, I enjoyed this one a lot--partly because it was rather like reading a mystery novel and she can be incredibly funny especially when describing children who are little horrors.
"Killing Floor" by Lee Child
This was his first novel written in '97 and really a very good thriller/mystery. I see he's written a number since so hope they are engaging as this one...always on the lookout for good plane and travel reading.
"Leaving Home" by Anita Brookner
A short novel and all the usual suspects really in terms of characters but somehow she does retain an interest and freshness.
"With No One As Witness" by Elizabeth George
I think she could have cut to the chase with this one, although if she was trying to give the reader the experience of how tedious and boring a murder investigation really is, she succeeded. I skimmed over some of this and I rarely do that.
"Locked Rooms" by Laurie R. King
I always enjoy the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series. This one was much calmer, more precedural, only one amazing coincidence, one rather mundane dressing up as someone else, and almost no impossible "daring do". Although the last one in the series (The Game) was a little over the top, it was tremendous fun reading it and I missed the usual excitement and all of the above in this one. Dashiel Hammett was a character so that was fun.
Since a major part of the story takes place in SF and in flashback to 1906 in SF when there was the big earthquake and fire and the resulting damage, confusion, looting, etc, it felt odd to be reading this story at the same time as hearing about the terrible devastation of Katrina.
