Einstein: His Life and Universe

Title: Einstein: His Life and Universe
Author: Walter Isaacson
Published: April 10, 2007 by Simon & Schuster
Format: Hardcover, 675 pages
Genre: Biography

First Sentence: “I promise you four papers,” the young patent examiner wrote his friend.

Blurb: How did his mind work? What made him a genius? Isaacson’s biography shows how his scientific imagination sprang from the rebellious nature of his personality. His fascinating story is a testament to the connection between creativity and freedom.

Based on newly released personal letters of Einstein, this book explores how an imaginative, impertinent patent clerk—a struggling father in a difficult marriage who couldn’t get a teaching job or a doctorate—became the mind reader of the creator of the cosmos, the locksmith of the mysteries of the atom, and the universe. His success came from questioning conventional wisdom and marveling at mysteries that struck others as mundane. This led him to embrace a morality and politics based on respect for free minds, free spirits, and free individuals.

These traits are just as vital for this new century of globalization, in which our success will depend on our creativity, as they were for the beginning of the last century, when Einstein helped usher in the modern age.

My Opinion: Let’s be honest, the science was over my head, but the people, places, and history are what kept me reading.

I had never put into context the history timeline of Albert Einstein from the time he was wondering what it was like to ride a light-beam, to his relativity theory, to challenging conventional wisdom, to fighting for what he believed in even though he, as a person, didn’t change that much from the lowly patient clerk where he started.

This book has sat on my shelf for years and I always made excuses not to read it since I just knew it was going to be a dry, boring slog throw an arrogant egotistical man’s life. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Albert Einstein, through the words of Walter Isaacson, is a warm, goofy, charming man who didn’t take himself seriously. His science was serious, but he was just a regular guy, who took regular walks and helped the neighborhood kids with their homework.

He lived in exciting time and with his little bit of fame, and a couple of awards, he was able to travel in renowned circles and influenced other great scientists. He was not a good husband, and it took years to be a decent father, but in the end, he got there.

I suggest reading this book for the history, the humor, and to be introduced to a man that you did not expect to jump off these pages.

Death Comes to Marlow

Title: Death Comes to Marlow
Author: Robert Thorogood
Published: June 6, 2023 by Poison Pen Press
Format: Kindle, Hardcover, 286 pages
Genre: Amateur Sleuth
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: The Marlow Murder Club #2

First Sentence: After the excitement of the previous summer, Mrs. Judith Potts spent the winter returning to the more solitary rhythms of life.

Blurb: Robert Thorogood delights in giving the Christie-mystery a busy-body twist. Judith (our favorite skinny-dipping, whiskey-sipping, crossword puzzle author), along with Becks the vicar's wife, and Susie the dogwalker find themselves in a head-scratching, utterly clever country house, locked-room murder mystery.

Holiday festivities are now January doldrums when Judith gets a call—Sir Peter Bailey, a prominent Marlovian is inviting notable citizens to his house the day before his wedding to celebrate.

Judith decides to go—after all, it's a few houses up the Thames and free champagne, for sure. During the party, a loud crash inside stops the festivities. The groom-to-be has been crushed to death in his study. The door was locked from the inside so the police say suicide, obviously. (the Poisoned Pen Press)

My Opinion: I cannot tell what year this book takes place. One aspect seems to be an old-fashioned 1950s mystery, but at the same time, they have cell phones and talk cryptocurrency. Then they talk extortion, but the number mentioned seems correct for the 50s but is missing a few zeros for the current day.

Once you get past that confusion, next up is a mansion without staff that conveniently, because that is what the plot needed, allowed people to wander unnoticed. That brings me to another quirk. How does a man on a boat hear a display case fall in a house quite a distance away?

Granted, I read an ARC, and I hope the editors caught onto the glaring issues in this 2nd book in the Marlow Murder Club series.

The book was slow-paced, repetitive, had problems with consistency, and lacked the same energy that the women brought to the first installment.

Misfortune Cookie

Title: Misfortune Cookie
Author: Vivien Chien
Published: June 27, 2023 by St. Martin's Paperbacks
Format: Kindle, Paperback 336 pages
Genre: Amateur Sleuth
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Noodle Shop Mystery #9

First Sentence: I’m what you’d call a nervous flyer.

Blurb: They say fortune favors the bold, and Lana Lee is determined to prove that true.

Lana, now officially manager of her family’s restaurant, the Ho-Lee Noodle House, is headed to sunny Irvine, California to attend a restaurant convention with her sister, Anna May, along for the ride. The girls’ very Americanized Aunt Grace has asked them to stay in her posh rental, and as the trip begins, it seems to be just what they both needed. Even the restaurant convention proves to be worthwhile and entertaining, especially when Lana witnesses a dramatic cat fight between a fortune cookie vendor and a journalist.

Lana and Anna May can’t imagine things getting any better until they learn their aunt has yet another surprise in store for them―a swanky cocktail party hosted for the freelancers of Southern California. But on the night of the party, things go south when a close journalist friend of Grace’s mysteriously plunges from the roof top of the hotel. Even more suspicious is the fact that Aunt Grace’s friend is the same journalist Lana saw getting into a screaming match with the fortune cookie vendor at the convention.

The police rule the death a gruesome accident, but Aunt Grace refuses to accept that explanation and begs Lana for her help uncovering the truth. Lana, Anna May, Aunt Grace attempt to keep up appearances as they search for answers, but unwanted attention from suspicious colleagues and convention attendees starts to surface, causing Lana to wonder if they’ll find the killer in time…or if they’ll be the next ones pushed over the edge.

My Opinion: Even though the Mahjong Matron’s were not part of this book, I believe it is one of the best in the series. Maybe because it takes place in my old stomping grounds, maybe it is because Lana Lee isn’t always trying to stay one step ahead of her detective boyfriend, or maybe it is because she is connecting with her sister Anna May and their Aunt Grace. Whatever it was, there was something different and more engaging in this ninth book of the Noodle Shop Mystery series.

Lana can’t help it when bodies are literally falling out of the sky, but when the reasons are hitting too close to home for Aunt Grace, Lana must step in to protect her family. When she does, more of Grace’s story comes out and the girls, Lana and Anna, must decide when to push and when to sit back and let Grace reveal her own secrets. As long as the girls can keep Grace safe, the rest will have to wait for another day. (GoodReads)

Songs of Wine and Murder

Title: Songs of Wine and Murder
Author: Lynn Cahoon
Published: June 6, 2023 by Lyrical Press
Format: Kindle, 204 Pages
Genre: Amateur Sleuth
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: A Tourist Trap Mystery #15

First Sentence: Early summer was a busy time for South Cove’s businesses, so it didn’t surprise me that the attendance for the first Tuesday of the month’s business-to-business meeting was light.

Blurb: With the Moonstone Beach Festival coming up, Jill is touching base with her fellow small business owners to make it as successful as possible. It’s frustrating when Darla, the owner of South Cove Winery, is late to a big meeting, but they manage to get the discussion rolling about the kite flying event and the big Battle of the Bands—which Darla’s musician boyfriend is hoping will be his big break. And Jill, of course, will be there with her food truck, hoping for a financial boost after a slow spring.

But amid the fun in the California sun, someone will soon be planning a funeral instead of a festival—and Jill and her detective fiancé will have to find out who ruined the Moonstone Beach mood with murder. (GoodReads)

My Opinion: Either this series has gone downhill, or my tastes have changed.

Songs of Wine and Murder is slow, repetitive, has continuity issues, and Jill, the owner of Coffee, Books, and More, in the tourist town of South Cove, has lost her spark and energy. And in this book, the number of times she has walked from the coffee van to her shop is mentioned more than the murder. The readers understand that Jill has a busy festival weekend ahead of her, which includes navigating through the crowd at a music festival, repeatedly getting food, heading to the beach to meet her fiancé for a coffee break, and managing employee rotations. There must be more going on than this since there is a body that no one is really that interested in until the last third of the book. Oh yeah, and an employee who thinks the new temp’s name is familiar only to find out a fill-in-the-blank ridiculous reason for her not remembering him. Plus, when the town detective wondered how his fiancée put the obvious together before he did, made me shake my head and wonder if I was wasting my time.

This series could benefit from new energy, fresh material, or a significant change to engage and excite the audience.

Central Park West

Title: Central Park West
Author: James Comey
Published: May 30, 2023 by Mysterious Press
Format: Kindle, Hardcover 335 Pages
Genre: Crime Thriller
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

First Sentence: The doorman barely glanced up as she breezed past, bright blonde hair spilling from under her navy blue Hermes scarf, fancy Jackie O sunglasses on even at night, black Prada gabardine raincoat.

Blurb: The gripping crime fiction debut from former FBI director James Comey takes readers deep inside the world of lawyers and investigators working to solve a murder while navigating the treacherous currents of modern politics and the mob. When a years-long case against a powerful mobster finally cracks and an unimpeachable witness takes the stand, federal prosecutor Nora Carleton is looking forward to putting the defendant away for good. The mobster, though, has other plans. As the witness’s testimony concludes, a note is passed to the prosecution offering up information into the assassination of a disgraced former New York governor, murdered in his penthouse apartment just days before. It’s enough to blow the case wide open, and to send Nora into a high-stakes investigation of conspiracy, corruption, and danger. Drawing from the author’s decades in federal law enforcement, including his years in Manhattan as a mob prosecutor and later the chief federal prosecutor, Central Park West is a fast-paced legal thriller with an intriguing plot enriched by real-life details and experiences. That unique perspective gives the novel much of its allure, but it’s the unforgettable characters, shocking twists, and courtroom scenes as authentic as they are dramatic that will leave readers looking forward to more from this bold new talent in the genre.(GoodReads)

My Opinion: While reading this book, I wondered if it could become a series since I enjoyed the people, investigation, politics, and courtroom atmosphere. I don’t know if James Comey will continue down this crime fiction path, but he has a flare for this genre.

After reading other reviews, I must disagree with those who compared him to James Patterson. The two authors have a similar way of storytelling, but Comey takes it a few steps further. Central Park West has more meat and atmosphere, which goes a long way for a reader who likes to settle in and not feel that they have picked up a brain candy beach read.

The story has a few graphic moments, but that’s what you get when mafia stories are told, but there is also balance, with the people fighting in the courts and the people they go home to.

People will judge James Comey by his politics, but as an author, I enjoy his work and think people who read crime fiction will find that this book touches all the parts that make this genre enjoyable.

The Diva Delivers on a Promise

Title: The Diva Delivers on a Promise
Author: Krista Davis
Published: May 23, 2023 by Kensington Cozies
Format: Kindle, Hardcover 304 Pages
Genre: Amateur Sleuth
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: A Domestic Diva Mystery #16

First Sentence: The glowing and quite lengthy obituary of Edwin Stansfield painted him as a defender and guardian of the needy, as well as a paragon of humanity.

Blurb: Sophie is busy handling the first ever convention of the Association of Ghost Kitchens—restaurants that do delivery only—but she’s taking a little time out for a lunch meeting organized by A Healthy Meal. The group is dedicated to providing meals for children in need, and as a bonus, it’ll give Sophie the perfect opportunity to ogle the lavish Old Town home of socialite Geraldine Stansfield. Gerrie’s dining room is impeccably furnished, the table laden with gleaming crystal and prized china. If it weren’t for the dead man lying on the floor, everything would be perfect.

No one knows the victim—or at least, no one claims to. But a little snooping by Sophie reveals links to many local notables. In fact, not only was he a client of Geraldine’s late husband, an attorney—every member of the Stansfield clan knew the deceased. But only one knows what he was doing in Gerrie’s house.

Gerrie’s elegant abode looks spotless, but there’s plenty of dirty linen in those family closets. Now Sophie will have to get the killer to come clean before he spoils another appetite—for good. (GoodReads)

My Opinion: I have mixed feelings about the book. On a positive note, there are fewer repeated outfit changes than in previous books, the recipes at the end are tempting, and there is no need for Sophie to be ahead of the police. However, the story wanders at a meandering pace with no out-of-left-field excitement or gasps. Then it ends abruptly.

In the amateur sleuth genre, it is refreshing when the who-done-it is open-ended and unpredictable since my mental murder board was jumping in multiple directions.

Despite these criticisms, I still enjoy the series for its charming depiction of Old Town, the friendships, the food, and the occasional tackling of social issues.