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John M. (blert) - Reviews

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The Adversary (Pliocene Exiles, Bk 4)
The Adversary (Pliocene Exiles, Bk 4)
Author: Julian May
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.2/5 Stars.
 19
Review Date: 9/3/2011


One book too many in an otherwise delightful series


At Home in Mitford (Mitford Series #1)
At Home in Mitford (Mitford Series #1)
Author: Jan Karon
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 5/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 12/7/2011


Father Tim and the cast of characters from Mitford are delightful.


The Burglar in the Closet  (Bernie Rhodenbarr, Bk 2)
The Burglar in the Closet (Bernie Rhodenbarr, Bk 2)
Author: Lawrence Block
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 45
Review Date: 8/3/2011


Bernie is just good fun!


The Burglar Who Liked to Quote Kipling (Bernie Rhodenbarr, Bk 3)
The Burglar Who Liked to Quote Kipling (Bernie Rhodenbarr, Bk 3)
Author: Lawrence Block
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 41
Review Date: 8/5/2011


Gotta love Bernie Rhodenbarr. He's one of Block's finest creations.


The Burglar Who Studied Spinoza (Bernie Rhodenbarr, Bk 4)
The Burglar Who Studied Spinoza (Bernie Rhodenbarr, Bk 4)
Author: Lawrence Block
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 15
Review Date: 8/1/2011


Rhodenbarr is a rollicking good read!


Callahan's Legacy (Callahan's Crosstime Saloon)
Callahan's Legacy (Callahan's Crosstime Saloon)
Author: Spider Robinson
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.2/5 Stars.
 29
Review Date: 11/29/2011


Spider Robinson is consistently good reading.


The Confession
The Confession
Author: John Grisham
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.1/5 Stars.
 4
Review Date: 8/14/2012


It's a Grisham.


Deeply Odd (Odd Thomas, Bk 6)
Deeply Odd (Odd Thomas, Bk 6)
Author: Dean Koontz
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 41
Review Date: 3/10/2017


I have been a Dean Koontz fan for a long time and I think that Odd Thomas is among his greatest creations. The series holds up well and keeps getting curiouser and curiouser as Alice might have said.


Flynn's World : A Novel
Flynn's World : A Novel
Author: Gregory Mcdonald
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 4
Review Date: 4/5/2014


McDonald is consistently entertaining.


Halsey's Typhoon: The True Story of a Fighting Admiral, an Epic Storm, and an Untold Rescue
Review Date: 10/4/2014


I am reading this book to a Veteran of WWII and who was under the command of Admiral Halsey during this typhoon. His added pieces of information to each chapter is priceless. He was in the bowels of the ship sending information to the people on deck. I love reading this book and learning all the inside information.

It would be a great read without the added treasures he brings to each page.


Home to Holly Springs (Father Tim, Bk 1)
Home to Holly Springs (Father Tim, Bk 1)
Author: Jan Karon
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 65
Review Date: 11/30/2011


After the Mitford years, Karon delves more deeply (if that's possible) into Father Tim and what made him the man he is. A credit to the series and the author. Brava!


I Heard the Owl Call My Name
I Heard the Owl Call My Name
Author: Margaret Craven
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 44
Review Date: 9/28/2011
Helpful Score: 1


Great reading. I found it evocative and spiritually uplifting.


The Many-Colored Land (Pliocene Exiles Bk. 1)
The Many-Colored Land (Pliocene Exiles Bk. 1)
Author: Julian May
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.1/5 Stars.
 21
Review Date: 8/19/2011


Novel premise (no pun intended) with superb execution.


Odd Apocalypse (Odd Thomas, Bk 5)
Odd Apocalypse (Odd Thomas, Bk 5)
Author: Dean Koontz
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 56
Review Date: 5/7/2014


Odd Thomas is Dean Koontz's finest creation. This episode upholds the quality of the franchise.


Run Time
Run Time
Author: Chris Niles
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.3/5 Stars.
 2
Review Date: 7/11/2010


British radio reporter Sam Ridley is on his way to Australia to visit his son. He has not seen Simon for six months because the boys mother, Mary, decided her employment opportunities were better half a world away. On the plane, Sam makes the acquaintance of Michelle ODonnell, an attractive Australian, who seems eager to get to know him better.
On his arrival in Sydney, the fates seem to be conspiring against Sam. First, his luggage is lost. Then, he receives a phone call from his ex-wife saying that she and Simon are stranded on an island off the Great Barrier Reef due to a storm, and wont make it back to Sydney for a few days. Sam is disconsolate, wondering what to do next, when Michelle appears and offers to take him to her home to get cleaned up and then out to dinner.

Not knowing quite what else to do, Sam accepts her invitation. After dinner, Michelle insists on extending the evening by dancing and more drinking. The night finally ends with Sam accompanying Michelle back to her home. There is more drinking and the inevitable tumbling into bed with each other. Sam awakens at some point during the night sure that he is going to be sick. He heads for the bathroom and ends up passing out on the bathroom floor, overcome by the combination of jet lag and too much alcohol.

Run Time by Chris Niles
(Berkley, $5.99, V) ISBN 0-425-17119-1

British radio reporter Sam Ridley is on his way to Australia to visit his son. He has not seen Simon for six months because the boys mother, Mary, decided her employment opportunities were better half a world away. On the plane, Sam makes the acquaintance of Michelle ODonnell, an attractive Australian, who seems eager to get to know him better.
On his arrival in Sydney, the fates seem to be conspiring against Sam. First, his luggage is lost. Then, he receives a phone call from his ex-wife saying that she and Simon are stranded on an island off the Great Barrier Reef due to a storm, and wont make it back to Sydney for a few days. Sam is disconsolate, wondering what to do next, when Michelle appears and offers to take him to her home to get cleaned up and then out to dinner.

Not knowing quite what else to do, Sam accepts her invitation. After dinner, Michelle insists on extending the evening by dancing and more drinking. The night finally ends with Sam accompanying Michelle back to her home. There is more drinking and the inevitable tumbling into bed with each other. Sam awakens at some point during the night sure that he is going to be sick. He heads for the bathroom and ends up passing out on the bathroom floor, overcome by the combination of jet lag and too much alcohol.

The next morning, Sam stumbles to the kitchen and makes coffee. As he enters the bedroom to give Michelle a cup, he finds she had been bludgeoned to death. Now he has a real problem. Reporting Michelles death to the police doesnt seem wise since Sam is the most likely candidate for her murderer, yet trying to conduct an investigation on his own with little local knowledge seems an insurmountable task.

Run Time really lives up to its name. Poor Sam Ridley is on the move constantly as he tries to evade the police and simultaneously unravel the mystery surrounding Michelles death. There is no shortage of action and, from Sams viewpoint, at every turn something happens which makes the situation worse. It is tempting to say that there are too many hard-to-believe circumstances that lead to disastrous results for Sam, yet there is a logical explanation for every event.

The characters, with the exception of Sam, are not particularly well developed. The reader does not learn enough about any of them to predict their actions in a strange situation. And they all seem to be stereotypical. There is the body guard/chauffeur tough guy, the hustler/land developer that has eyes bigger than his check book, the mother of a long dead murder victim, who is tougher and more clever than she first appears, as well as the requisite reporter, and private detective.

What saves Sam from being a stereotypical character is his wit. Sam has a unique perspective on almost anything. No matter how grim the situation, Sam lightens the tone with an appropriately offbeat comment. Does Michelle have any enemies? Decency and common sense. is the reply. Sams description of the bachelor private investigators abode is another gem. The cooker had stains dating back to the Paleolithic era. I felt right at home.

Although Run Time is probably not destined to be mentioned in the same breath as the works of masters of the mystery genre, it is an enjoyable read. The authors witticisms make it well worth the cover price.

- Credit TheMysteryReader.com

The next morning, Sam stumbles to the kitchen and makes coffee. As he enters the bedroom to give Michelle a cup, he finds she had been bludgeoned to death. Now he has a real problem. Reporting Michelles death to the police doesnt seem wise since Sam is the most likely candidate for her murderer, yet trying to conduct an investigation on his own with little local knowledge seems an insurmountable task.


Something Noble (Rapid Reads)
Something Noble (Rapid Reads)
Author: William Kowalski
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 9/5/2012


Interesting. My first "quick read"


Somewhere South of Here: A Novel
Somewhere South of Here: A Novel
Author: William Kowalski
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4.1/5 Stars.
 6
Review Date: 9/5/2012


Kowalski has an ability to draw characters with whom the reader can identify. Solid follow up to Eddie's Bastard, if not quite a sequel.


Spacial Delivery
Spacial Delivery
Author: Gordon R. Dickson
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 5
Review Date: 11/5/2013


Unremarkable


Time Pressure
Time Pressure
Author: Spider Robinson
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.2/5 Stars.
 16
Review Date: 12/3/2011


Good stuff.


Uncle John's Great Big Bathroom Reader
Uncle John's Great Big Bathroom Reader
Author: Bathroom Readers' Institute
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.4/5 Stars.
 30
Review Date: 3/5/2016


The entire series is fabulous and this is no exception.


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