Book Reviews by Patty Crane

The Messy Lives of Book People by Phaedra Patrick

When she has time around her three cleaning jobs and family,…
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The Puzzler: One Man's Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, from Crosswords to Jigsaws to the Meaning of Life by J. A. Jacobs

In a Saturday New York Times crossword puzzle, the clue “A.J.…
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Six Mystery/Thrillers that Take You Places

My reading over the last few weeks has taken me to a lot of different…
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The Day He Left by Frederick Weisel

Paul Behrens had found his calling teaching literature to middle…
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Pump: A Natural History of the Heart by Bill Schutt

Everyone has a heart. Some are described as cold or big, some…
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Courting Misfortune by Regina Jennings

America’s first detective agency, the Pinkerton Detective Agency,…
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Random Road by Thomas Kies

Geneva Chase is a really good reporter. She writes well, has…
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We Came, We Saw, We Left: a Family Gap Year by Charles Wheelan

Charlie Wheelan is standing on a train platform in Medellin,…
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Before She Was Helen by Caroline B. Cooney

Caroline B. Cooney is known for her young adult novels but she…
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Cozy Reads for January

Hidden Treasures by Jane Cleland The Crystal Cave Trilogy…
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The Secret, Book & Scone Society by Ellery Adams

I enjoy mysteries with well-developed characters and if it is…
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Vanishing in the Haight by Max Tomlinson

The Summer of Love occurred in the Haight-Ashbury area of San…
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The Sum of the People: How the Census has Shaped Nations, from the Ancient World to the Modern Age by Andrew Whitby

Even before the events that have changed our lives over the last…
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The Big Finish by Brooke Fossey

Eighty-eight-year old Duffy Sinclair is a little bit of a crank,…
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The Moon: A History for the Future by Oliver Morton

On March 9th I was headed east around 9:00pm and saw a spectacular…
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Deep State by Chris Hauty and Lost Hills by Lee Goldberg

March is Women’s History Month and I’d like to be able to…
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An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good by Helen Tursten Review by Patty Crane

Helen Tursten is a Swedish mystery writer with two very successful…
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Men of Valor by Irene Hannon; Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center; Something Read, Something Dead by Eva Gates; Bloody Genius by John Sandford

My book choices lately include a police procedural, Christian…
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The Consultant by Tj O'Connor

Tj O’Connor is a former government anti-terrorism agent. He…
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Breaker's Reef by Terri Blackstock

In our reviews the library staff often mention the variety of…
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Bluff by Jane Stanton Hitchcock

If you’ve ever taken a writing course you’ve heard ‘write…
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Thyme of Death by Susan Wittig Albert; Blood Oath by Linda Fairstein; Justice in Plain Sight by Dan Bernstein

Although not by conscious choice, most of my reading lately has…
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The Burglar by Thomas Perry

Thomas Perry’s latest novel, The Burglar, has many of the elements…
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Thanks a Thousand: a Gratitude Journey by A. J. Jacobs

  The latest book by A. J. Jacobs, Thanks a Thousand:…
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Gone to Dust by Matt Goldman, Sweet Tea and Sympathy by Molly Harper, Deadly Proof by Rachel Dylan

Lately I've been reading random things that catch my eye.  Some…
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The Perfect Stranger by Megan Miranda

I recently finished the Stella Crown mysteries by Judy Clemens.…
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Only Child by Rhiannon Navin

First graders huddled in a closet listening to the pop, pop,…
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It's All Relative: Adventures Up and Down the World's Family Tree by A. J. Jacobs

A. J. Jacobs has amused and informed us by living for a year…
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Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan

Jennifer Egan began the research for her latest book years ago.…
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