Ameise1 (Barbara)'s 50+ in 2020

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Ameise1 (Barbara)'s 50+ in 2020

1Ameise1
Modificato: Gen 1, 2021, 5:56 am

I'm back again and I'm looking forward to a new fantastic reading year.

2011: 51 books / 2012: 77 books / 2013: 74 books / 2014: 75 books / 2015: 88 books / 2016: 76 books / 2017: 96 books / 2018: 102 books / 2019: 96 books




January
# 1 The Northern Cross by Hendrik Falkenberg (4½ stars)
# 2 Oh, No, Octavius! by Michael Gallagher (4 stars)
# 3 Mothering Sunday by Graham Swift (5 stars)
# 4 13723171::Dust by Patricia Cornwell (4½ stars)
# 5 Bossypants by Tina Fey (4 stars)
# 6 Body Double by Tess Gerritsen (4½ stars)

February
# 7 Ich werde hier sein im Sonnenschein und im Schatten by Christian Kracht (5 stars)
# 8 In The Frame by Dick Francis (4½ stars)
# 9 Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener by M. C. Beaton (4½ stars)
#10 20002057::Der Privatsekretär by Claudia Piñeiro (3½ stars)
#11 Die Stille des Todes by Eva García Sáenz (4½ stars)
#12 Village of Stone by Xiaolu Guo (4½ stars)
#13 I've Got You Under My Skin by Mary Higgins Clark (4½ stars)
#14 Victory Square by Olen Steinhauer (4 stars)
#15 The Cruellest Month by Louise Penny (4½ stars)
#16 Death Du Jour by Kathy Reichs (4 stars)
#17 The Secret Place by Tana French (3½ stars)

March
#18 Auntie Poldi and the Fruits of The Lord by Mario Giordano (4½ stars)
#19 16603972::Summit Lake by Charlie Donlea (4½ stars)
#20 An Englishman in Madrid by Eduardo Mendoza (4 stars)
#21 Nevertheless She Persisted: Flash Fiction Project by Charlie Jane Anders (4 stars)
#22 The Beautiful and Damned by Fitzgerald F. Scott (3½ stars)
#23 23660866::A Great Beauty by A. O'Connor (4 stars)
#24 Known To Evil by Walter Mosley (4 stars)
#25 Conclave by Robert Harris (4½ stars)

April
#26 Blood's A Rover by James Ellroy (4 Stars)
#27 Blood Sport by Dick Francis (5 stars)
#28 Her Last Breath by Linda Castillo (4 stars)
#29 The Gauguin Connection by Estelle Ryan (4½ stars)
#30 Murderous Mistral by Cay Rademacher (4 stars)
#31 23284665::Dominicana by Angie Cruz (5 stars)
#32 Cinder by Marissa Meyer (4½ stars)

May
#33 Todesfrist by Andreas Gruber (4½ stars)
#34 Wash This Hand Clean from My Hand by Fred Vargas (4 stars)
#35 The English Spy by Daniel Silva (4 stars)
#36 Dangerous Mourning by Anne Perry (4 stars)
#37 The Devil's Claw by Lara Dearman (4½ stars)
#38 Kälter als der Tod by Dario Correnti (4&frac12 stars)
#39 Cambridge 5 by Hannah Cler (4 stars)
#40 Bretonisches Leuchten by Jean-Luc Bannalec (4 stars)

June
#41 Die sieben Türen by Daniel Sánchez Pardos (4½ stars)
#42 Himmelsdiebe by Peter Prange (4 stars)
#43 Murder Swing by Andrew Cartmel (3½ stars)
#44 Mord an der Algarve by Carolina Conrad (4½ stars)
#45 Das korsische Begräbnis by Vitu Falconi (4½ stars)

July
#46 Korsische Gezeiten by Vitu Falconi (4½ stars)
#47 Der eiserne Sommer by Angelika Felenda (4 stars)
#48 13462567::Trophy by Steffen Jacobsen (4½ stars)
#49 15994687::Retribution by Steffen Jacobsen (4½ stars)
#50 Das Ritual des Wassers by Eva García Sáenz (4½ stars)
#51 17394086::Lüge by Steffen Jacobsen (4½ stars)
#52 22309751::Hybris by Steffen Jacobsen (4½ stars)
#53 Blindes Eis by Ragnar Jónasson (4½ stars)
#54 A Mask of Shadows by Oscar de Muriel (4½ stars)
#55 Provenzalische Verwicklungen by Sophie Bonnet (4 stars)
#56 23029174::Sühne by Steffen Jacobsen (4½ stars)
#57 Zara und Zoë - Rache in Marseille by Alexander Oetker (4½ stars)
#58 Château Mort by Alexander Oetker (3½ stars)
#59 Unquiet Ghosts by Glenn Meade (4½ stars)

August
#60 Letzte Spur Algarve by Carolina Conrad (4½ stars)
#61 Dark Saturday by Nicci French (4½ stars)
#62 Das Porzellanmädchen by Max Bentow (3½ stars)
#63 13425449::The Woman Who Walked Into The Sea by Mark Douglas-Home (4 stars)
#64 All This I Will Give To You by Dolores Redondo (5 stars)
#65 Beneath The Mountain by Luca D'Andrea (4½ stars)
#66 21552726::Sanctuary by Luca D'Andrea (4½ stars)
#67 Die unbekannte Dritte by Alexandra von Grote (4 stars)
#68 Die Kälte des Herzens by Alexandra von Grote (4 stars)

September
#69 Das Fest der Taube by Alexandra von Grote (4 stars)
#70 The Absent One by Jussi Adler-Olsen (4½ stars)
#71 15755664::Todesurteil by Andreas Gruber (4½ stars)
#72 19567270::Stimmen der Toten by Elisabeth Herrmann (4 stars)
#73 A Conspiracy of Faith by Jussi Adler-Olsen (4½ stars)

October
#74 The Purity of Vengeance by Jussi-Adler-Olsen (4½ stars)
#75 The Marco Effect by Jussi-Adler-Olsen (4½ stars)
#76 Prague Nights by Benjamin Black (4 stars)
#77 The Mephisto Club by Tess Gerritsen (4½ stars)
#78 The Hanging Girl by Jussi Adler-Olsen (4½ stars)
#79 Todesmärchen by Andreas Gruber (4½ stars)

November
#80 Todesreigen by Andreas Gruber (4½ stars)
#81 Bones Are Forever by Kathy Reichs (4 stars)

December
#82 Midwinter Of The Spirit by Phil Rickman (4 stars)
#83 Provenzalische Geheimnisse by Sophie Bonnet (4 stars)
#84 A Crown Of Lights by Phil Rickman (4 stars)
#85 Irisches Verhängnis by Hannah O'Brien (4 stars)

2rocketjk
Gen 1, 2020, 1:00 pm

Happy reading in 2020. I always enjoying following along with your thread. Cheers!

3Ameise1
Gen 1, 2020, 1:01 pm

>1 Ameise1: Thanks so much Jerry. The first reading was terrific. Happy New Year to you and yours.

4Ameise1
Gen 1, 2020, 1:49 pm

book 1 Read in German

 The Northern Cross

What an exciting thriller. A dead man is found on a cross over the cliffs of the Baltic Sea, and it turns out that he is a porn star and belongs to a Free Church. The investigation appears to be hopeless. There are more and more dead who belong to this Free Church. This Free Church calls itself very open and only the ten commandments count. But if you consider the background of the dead, you will find that all of the seven deadly sins were indulged and therefore murdered. Hannes Niehaus and his colleagues have their hands full trying to track down the murderer. Whenever they think that they are on the right track, they will find that this is just a sideline.
This book held my breath from the first to the last page.

5richardderus
Gen 1, 2020, 2:07 pm

Hi Barbara! You moved?! Hm. Happy 2020, sweetiedarling.

6Ameise1
Gen 1, 2020, 2:51 pm

>5 richardderus: Rdear, I'm still in the 75 group. This thread is to keep tarck of my reading. Happy new year to you, too.

7frahealee
Modificato: Lug 14, 2022, 4:27 pm

Questo messaggio è stato cancellato dall'autore.

8Ameise1
Gen 3, 2020, 9:03 am

>7 frahealee: Thanks so much Francine. Wishing you a wonderful reading year, too.

9Ameise1
Gen 5, 2020, 11:26 am

book 2

 Oh, No, Octavius!

This is Octavius ​​Guy's fourth book and I personally received it from the author for Christmas. Thank you very much Michael, as always it was a great pleasure to read.
Octavius ​​and his companion George take over a case in Highbury. George works undercover in the boys 'school while Octavius ​​lives as a guest in Highbury House and attends the boys' school as a day student.
The point is that various residents want to get rid of the headmaster Reverend Burr and Octavius ​​and George have to prove that the headmaster is no longer sustainable. But everything turns out differently than planned because the Reverend is found murdered in the church. Who murdered him? Octavius ​​has his ideas there, but always has to find that he gets lost in something. He also soon realizes that various residents have their secrets and it is not that easy to uncover them.
For me as a reader it was exciting from the first to the last page, because with Octavius' considerations I only noticed at the end how and why it all happened.

10Ameise1
Gen 8, 2020, 7:51 am

book 3 read in German

 Mothering Sunday

I was captivated by this story from the start. I immediately felt involved and had the feeling that I was standing in the middle of the audience, listening and living with it.
Jane, a maid, had an affair with a young man from a good family who was about to get married. This affair had previously been kept secret and now on Mother's Day, when the large manor house was empty, they made love for the last time in his bedroom.
Throughout the story you can hear Jane talking about her feelings, her impressions and her experiences. You get to know a lot about her life, that she was a foundling, that she learned to read and write, that she loves books about everything, that she quit working as a maid shortly after Mother's Day and started working in a bookstore and later becomes a writer herself.
It is a book that I can highly recommend.

11Ameise1
Gen 29, 2020, 9:11 am

book 4 ♫ Read in German

  Dust

This is an exciting Scarpetta thriller that made me guess for a long time to find the answer to the puzzle.
A woman is found dead. The details are the same as the victims of the murder that Kay's husband is dealing with. Is the killer in the Boston area now? It almost seems that Kay is in danger herself. Who is this danger from? Can she still trust Marino? Luckily, Kay has her niece Lucy aside. She helps to track down a major cover-up that also affects Kay's husband company.


12Ameise1
Gen 29, 2020, 9:55 am

book 5

 Bossypants

Ha, that was a book where I could often laugh out loud. Tina Fey describes her life as a comedian, a writer of comedic pieces, but also what everyday life has to offer in comedic moments. It's funny, but I think you have to be American to understand all the nuances.
One thing this book taught me is that I am glad that I did not choose such a way of life. It would be too exhausting for me.


13PaperbackPirate
Gen 31, 2020, 9:12 am

I found your thread! Happy reading in 2020! Also, I'm a Tina Fey fan too! So many of my friends have recommended this book but I have yet to read it.

14Ameise1
Feb 2, 2020, 6:43 am

>13 PaperbackPirate: Thanks so much, Nicole. I'm sure you'll understand more of the nuances than me as a non native English speaking person. Enjoy it.

15Ameise1
Feb 2, 2020, 7:07 am

book 6 ♫ Read in German

 Double Body

It was an exciting hearing. After a congress in Paris, Maura Isles returns home to find that a dead woman has been found in front of her home who is like her. Who was this dead woman? She knows that she was adopted, but had no idea that she had a twin sister. During the investigation of the case, Isles and Rizzoli come across a serial killer who is still active for several years and is targeting heavily pregnant women. Isles also gets to know her birth mother, with whom she does not want to make any further connections.
The plot is very captivating and scary at the same time.



16Ameise1
Feb 2, 2020, 8:49 am

book 7 Read in German

 Ich werde hier sein im Sonnenschein und im Schatten

The book cover says:
Flames over Europe. German airships bomb the power center of the Swiss Soviet Republic dug deep into the rock. East Africa enjoys the blessing of Swiss civilization, but the evolution of mankind is reversed.
Christian Kracht creates the picture of the end of a civilization, of the end of our utopias. It leads to the future of our past and our present.


A Jew, a woman and a black man, this is Switzerland, this is the new world. (says Brazhinsky)

Everything is different. African youths are trained as Swiss officers and then sent to war in the heart of Europe. The story is told from the perspective of such an African officer. He is one of the very few people who can still write and read. This is no longer important, but it is for him. He has a tattered notebook where he writes everything down until one day he loses it. He is actually looking for a Polish Jew to arrest. He encounters a woman who explains to him that there is a new communication system that does not speak anymore (a kind of thelepsy?). His path leads from Bern to the reduit of the Swiss Alps. On the way he meets poor Swiss people who hardly have anything to eat. In the reduit he meets the Polish Jew, whom he does not arrest. On the one hand he is fascinated by his personality, on the other hand he also wants to learn this new communication. In the reduit he remembers his past, as the history of mankind is painted on the gallery walls as before. He has an increasing need to get away from it all. When the Alps are shaken by bombardment, he flees through the southern tunnel, comes to Ticino and on to the Mediterranean to travel to Africa on a ship. On the way he remembers writing. But since he has no paper and no pen, he puts all the words on the floor with sticks and stalks.
In Africa, attitudes and life have also changed. While the Swiss cities, schools, children's hospitals and railway tracks had previously built and thus ensured the upswing in East Africa, all of the facilities have been orphaned and people have returned to their origins back in the country.
Christian Kracht describes a utopia away from racism and the exploitation of African people to a peaceful world that somehow cannot be realized. He indirectly criticizes colonialism, annihilates the former colonial rulers such as England and Germany, but also paints a very dystopian picture.


17Ameise1
Feb 8, 2020, 3:46 pm

book 8 Read in German

 In The Frame

As always a very exciting Dick Francis, even if this story has only marginally to do with horses.
Todd visits his cousin Donald. When he arrives at his house, the police are already there. His sister-in-law is murdered in the living room. The whole house is devastated and most of it is robbed. A short time later, Todd meets a 'crazy' lady whose house has been burned down. What do these two cases have in common? Todd soon realizes that he is going to Australia. Together with his old friend Jik and his wife, the trio sets out to find the culprits. They not only find out that pictures have been forged and sold in all parts of the world, but that this gang is depriving all owners of the forged pictures and their belongings.
Todd must also painfully realize that this organization does not stop at anything. He passes death twice and is seriously injured. With the help of the police in Australia and England, the head of the organization is finally snapped.

18Ameise1
Feb 10, 2020, 8:35 am

book 9 Read in German

 Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener

This was a cozy mystery. Agatha comes back to her village after a long journey and realizes that a newcomer has the popularity of everyone, especially her neighbour James. Over time, she realizes that this woman knows everyone's weaknesses and insults them so much that everyone is ashamed to admit the others. Furthermore, she is jealous because this woman is so interested in James. One day the woman is found dead. It quickly becomes clear that many would have had a reason to kill her. Agatha doesn't want to play the detective again at first, but James urges her to.



19Ameise1
Feb 12, 2020, 7:41 am

book 10 Read in German

 Der Privatsekretär

I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I expected a little more excitement about the machinations of an election campaign in Argentina, on the other hand, the figures of the journalist China and the private secretary Román could have done better.
Román and his chance acquaintance Sebastián apply for a job with the 'Pragma' party. Sebastián actually wants to be a political analyst, while Román just applies that he has a job to make money.
Román is actually observed, found useful and hired by the party leader, while Sebastián has to wait for Román to be able to put in a good word for him.
China is a TV journalist who reports on pragma again and again and soon senses the chance that there is more to this campaign. She wants to write a non-fiction book because there is a curse on all candidates from Buenos Aires that they can never become president of Argentina.
Fernando Revira, the party leader, is surrounded by malicious advisers. On the one hand, they go over dead bodies or manipulate the press and the population. He also assigned a special task for Román to father his son with his wife, all in the name of the election campaign, since a candidate with family does better. Román refuses at first, but under pressure finds out that he has to do this. When Joaquín was born, Román took on the role of father and mother. Revira's wife was murdered. The longer Román is in Revira's environment, he becomes more afraid for his life and that of his son. He decides to go into hiding. He can count on the help of his uncle, a political veteran, Sebastian and China.
The end of the story is rather lame. I was hoping for a little more excitement.


20Ameise1
Feb 14, 2020, 2:34 am

book 11 ♫ Read in German

 Die Stille des Todes

This is a great start to a trilogy set in Vitoria in the Basque Country of Spain.
Inspector Unai Lopez de Ayala, also known as octopus, is called to the old cathedral by his colleague Estíbaliz Ruiz de Gauna (Esti) because two bodies have been found that resemble a series of murders twenty years ago. Since the alleged murderer (Tasio) is about to be released, he cannot have carried out this murder. Who else was it? Unai is jailed via Twitter to speak to Tasio. Unai doesn't trust Tasio and is more concerned about who contacts him via Twitter. The next murder happens while he follows this trail.
The story jumps back and forth between today and the birth of Tasio and his twin brother. First you wonder what that is about. But it is important for the enlightenment and therefore I do not want to reveal too much.
Unai, Esti, Alba (his boss and mistress) are on the hunt for the killer. When Tasio takes his prison leave and never returns, Unai knows that the murderer must have caught him. It is a race against time, when they suddenly find that the killer is one of their acquaintances. Unai has the support of his grandfather, who is by his side with old myths.
From the very first moment, this story is gripping and captivating. I will definitely read the other books.



21Ameise1
Feb 15, 2020, 3:52 am

book 12

 Village of Stone

A great emotional story. Coral (Little Dog) and Red live in Beijing. One day Coral receives a large package from Village of Stone with an eel in it. While Coral reminds her of childhood memories that she has banished deeply, Red tries to get a Fresbe tournament on its feet.
Coral's memories are very touching. She is raised by her grandparents, who have not spoken to each other for decades. Coral's mother died at birth and her birth father disappeared before birth. Coral grows up in poverty. She likes to stroll through the village, being chased by the mute and raped at seven. She is so ashamed that she doesn't tell anyone.
The grandfather dies first and her grandmother blooms. When her grandmother dies, she doesn't stay much longer in the village.
This story is very touching, I highly recommend it.

22Ameise1
Feb 17, 2020, 11:45 am

book 13 ♫ Read in German

 I've Got You Under My Skin

Great introduction to a new series for me (Under Suspicion). Five years after her husband's murder, Lorie Moran makes a reality film about an unsolved case. Four women, now in their early forties, return to the scene where the landlady had been murdered twenty years earlier. At that time a prom was given for the four women. Today the women report what happened back then because the Damascus sword that it was one of them always hangs over them. Over time, you also realize that everyone had a reason to kill the mistress.
But this is only part of the story. When Lori's husband was murdered, her little son was present. The killer promised that he would kill his mother first and then him. Lori's father, a former police commissioner, tries to protect Lori and her son. But the noose is getting tighter.
Written very exciting. I highly recommend it.

23Ameise1
Feb 21, 2020, 4:31 am

book 14

 Victory Square

This is the last book in the Eastern Bloc series that tells the story of an Eastern Bloc country during the Cold War. On the one hand, this book was a summary of everything that had happened and clearing up the old corrupt guard. It shows who still believes in communism, but which is actually more like totalitism and who has recognized the true meaning of socialism, but is slowed down by the corrupt elite. It is very exciting to read, like the other books. Olen Steinhauer has managed to write a fictional story, which is very accurate in its main features. I can highly recommend this series to anyone interested in the history of Eastern Europe during the Cold War.

24Ameise1
Feb 24, 2020, 5:12 am

book 15 Read in German

 The Cruellest Month

The third volume of the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series was also wonderful to read. A participant dies during a seance. On the one hand you find out that she has a deadly substance in the body and on the other hand her facial expression shows that she was scared to death.
It is not easy for Gamache and his team to get to the bottom of it. Too many protagonists have a reason to put the dead out of the way. Which motif is strongest?
In addition, there is intrigue against Gamache and this from within his own ranks. Who else can he trust? Does he bring his opponent down?
It was an exciting read right from the start and the people from Three Pine really got to my heart.



25Ameise1
Feb 28, 2020, 10:45 am

book 16 Read in German

 Death du Jour

This is the second volume of the Temperance Brennan series. Brennan is called to a monastery to find the remains of a 19th-century nun who is about to be canonized. It turns out that this woman had interesting ancestors.
In the laboratory, she can't take care of the bones straight away because seven bodies were found on a farm. These corpses worry her because their deaths were very violent. When doing research, she finds that students behave 'weird'. Back in Carolina, she meets a sect. She soon realizes that these have something to do with the dead in Montreal. It is a race against time and she herself is also in danger.



26Ameise1
Feb 28, 2020, 11:01 am

book 17 ♫ Read in German

 The Secret Place

I'm actually a big fan of the Dublin Murder Squad, but this time I wasn't really warm with the story.
The story switches between then and now. A boy was murdered. At the girls' boarding school, a note suddenly appears' I know who did it '. The investigators are dealing with eight pubescent girls. Not easy, because there is a big cat fight among the young women. On the one hand there is a group of four who want to protect each other and on the other hand there is a group of four with a boss and three who only say what their boss wants. Investigators try bad cops good cops and so get the girls out of their secrets.



27frahealee
Modificato: Lug 14, 2022, 4:28 pm

Questo messaggio è stato cancellato dall'autore.

28Ameise1
Mar 11, 2020, 8:28 am

book 18 Read in German

 Auntie Poldi and the Fruits of The Lord

The second volume of the Auntie Poldi series was also an amusing read. It is definitely the case that the story lives with Poldi's Bavarian slang, which can hardly be translated into another language without losing its wit.
Poldi goes astray and gets involved with a winemaker. After she wakes up the next morning with a hangover, she finds the body of a fortune teller that she had spoken the evening before. Why did this woman have to die? Poldi begins to investigate in her unorthodox way and is always in great danger. Since her relationship with Commissioner Vito Montana is rather on hold, she cannot always count on his help. Poldi soon realizes that the rights of large water resources are at stake. Exposing the wrongdoer is rather difficult.


29Ameise1
Mar 11, 2020, 8:59 am

book 19 Read in German

 Summit Lake

This is a sensitive, impressive reading. It is the story of two women who have had similar experiences. While the young student is dead, the journalist survived the rape and explores the reasons why the student had to die.
The chapters alternate. One is told from the perspective of Becca, the student. This story starts in the last college year. The reader gets to know Becca and her friends. The other chapters are from the perspective of journalist Kelsey Castle, who is slowly trying to solve the murder. However, this is rather difficult because the family of the dead has obtained a closure of the files.
This book is very excitingly written. Whenever I felt I knew the killer, that assumption vanished.

30Ameise1
Mar 11, 2020, 9:02 am

>27 frahealee: Francine, I have a special way of reading series. Mostly not in order, since I often come across a book in a series by accident. After that, I always look at what my library has for books in this series and then read them. If a series really grabs me, I will try to buy more books.

31PaperbackPirate
Mar 15, 2020, 1:34 pm

>28 Ameise1: Cute cover!

32Ameise1
Mar 19, 2020, 12:23 pm

book 20

 An Englishman in Madrid

This was an interesting read. Anthony Whitelands, a gentleman and art historian (specializing in Velázquez) travels to Madrid in 1936. Actually, he is supposed to assess a picture that is with an aristocratic family, but he gets caught in the turmoil of the Spanish Civil War. He is spied on by the Spanish police and also monitored by the English embassy. He is used by various political groups, although he is politically neutral and is not interested in it at all. He gets involved in love affairs, which must not be. Like the cat, he must have seven lives because there are always dead people around him, only he is spared.

33Ameise1
Mar 19, 2020, 12:24 pm

>31 PaperbackPirate: Isn't it? :-D

34Ameise1
Modificato: Mar 19, 2020, 1:02 pm

book 21

 Nevertheless She Persisted: Flash Fiction Project

Each story starts with:
She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted.
Eleven wonderful short stories that made me think and smile.

35Ameise1
Mar 29, 2020, 7:03 am

book 22 Read in German

 The Beautiful and Damned

I actually like Scott Fitzgerald's books, but it didn't convince me that much. I think all the pleasures and sensations are too long for me. It could also have been made shorter to bring the contents of an 'impoverished' rich couple across at the end of WWI.


36Ameise1
Mar 29, 2020, 7:27 am

book 23

  A Great Beauty

I got this book as an early review. It grabbed me from the start. It is a subject that I knew very little about.
Mick is a kind of freedom fighter for the independence of Ireland. He has many friends who protect and support him. Among them are an English lady who originally came from America and a young Irish woman. In the course of history, the underground Irishman becomes a 'diplomat' who has to negotiate with the Classe politique of the 1930s in England. This is not his thing and therefore he is supported by the English lady. This creates a love affair that is not hidden from anyone.



37Ameise1
Mar 29, 2020, 7:54 am

book 24 Read in German

 Known To Evil

I also really liked the second volume of the Leonid McGill series.
This time Leonid has to protect a young woman on the one hand, help his sons uncover a girl trade and help a former victim out of trouble. He also reveals other corrupt government employees and finds that his wife has a much younger lover.
Fortunately, he can always fall back on old friends, but cannot avoid getting involved in various physical battles and has to find out that he is no longer the youngest.


38Ameise1
Apr 19, 2020, 6:18 am

book 25 ♫ Read in German

 Conclave

It was a very exciting story. The Pope is found dead in his bed in the morning. Now the 'machinery' starts to run. Different actors have their assigned roles, be it for the preparation of the funeral and the conclave or for their implementation. It also shows that cardinals can also be bought. It's about power and intrigue. The protagonists relentlessly treat each other. Wouldn't it be a mysterious cardinal who suddenly appears unexpectedly.
It is written very exciting and has grabbed me from the start.

39Ameise1
Modificato: Apr 19, 2020, 6:56 am

book 26

 Blood's A Rover

This is the third part of the Underworld USA trilogy. At first it was again a summary of all the protagonists, before it was about Nixon's campaign on the one hand, but also about how Hoover clings to his position with all the tricks. It is about drugs, gang wars, money laundering and shows once again how corrupt the police and various secret services are. In doing so, their peers fight to the blood and go over dead bodies.
Once again it was extremely interesting.

40Ameise1
Apr 19, 2020, 6:52 am

book 27 Read in German

 Blood Sport

This was the best Dick Francis I've read so far. It grabbed me from the first to the last page.
It is about stallions that inexplicably disappear during transport and can no longer be found. If it weren't for Gene Hawkins, a secret agent who is looking for these stallions in the USA after the owner barely escaped death on a boat trip on the Thames.
With unorthodox methods and the help of the insurance agent, Hawkins sets out to find them. He soon realizes that he is dealing with an evil couple who do not stop at killing people.



41Ameise1
Apr 19, 2020, 7:11 am

book 28 ♫ Read in German

 Her Last Breath

The fifth volume by Kate Burkholder was also convincing.
At night an Amish buggy is rammed by a car so that the buggy breaks apart in all its parts. Of the four passengers, only the youngest son survives, while the father, the older son and the daughter still die on the scene of the accident. There is no trace of the person who caused the accident. It is not easy for Kate to investigate, since the deceased's mother and wife are her old schoolmates. Kate treats her former friend very sensitively and for a long time does not notice where the danger comes from.



42Ameise1
Apr 19, 2020, 9:19 am

book 29

 The Gauguin Connection

This is an exciting first work from the Geneviève Lenard series and I will definitely read the other books in this series as well.
Geneviève works in a renowned insurance company. She specializes in reading body language. Even she hardly dares to trust people because she is autistic. Her boss has the greatest understanding and gives her a free hand and respects her comfort zone. But suddenly she has to find out for the European secret service why young art students are murdered and why more than a thousand confiscated weapons have disappeared. If she could do all of this from her safe office or 'safe' home, it would not be a problem. Unfortunately, she has to leave her comfort zone much too quickly. On the one hand, two men step into her life to protect and support her, on the other hand, the bad guys also threaten her life.



43Ameise1
Apr 23, 2020, 5:08 am

book 30 Read in German

 Murderous Mistral

This is the first volume in the Roger Blanc series. I have already read the fourth volume and have now decided to read this series from the beginning.
On the one hand, you get to know all the important people who belong to this series. On the other hand, it shows why Capitaine Blanc was transferred to Provence and how he learns to gain a foothold and make friends.
A troublemaker is found burned on the garbage dump. Blanc and his team will soon find out that various regional personalities have something to hide. But who among them is actually the bad guy? More murders have to be solved before they find him.
It was a cozy mystery and I will read the other books in this series as well.



44Ameise1
Lug 11, 2020, 7:26 am

The corona period was very drastic for me, as for many others. I've read a lot of books over the past few months but haven't had time to review them.
I'm just going to write my thoughts down here over a few books.

45Ameise1
Lug 11, 2020, 8:22 am

book 48 Read in German

 Trophy

This is the first volume of the 'Michael Sander and Lene Jensen' series and I have already borrowed the next two volumes from my library so that I can continue reading with this team. I love Danish crime novels and this series is great.
Michael Sander is a very special investigator who only takes over cases through word of mouth. Lena Jensen is a criminal detective with a bite who gets to the bottom of things and doesn't let up.
A wealthy heiress asks Michael to review her late father's actions because she found a video that showed her father was 'hunting people'.
What is the whole story?
Michael soon realizes that there is a group that actually, people selected by them, are free to hunt. He also notices that various people from this secret society are killed. Lena examines these homicides and comes across Michael. Who belongs to the innermost circle of the secret society and what does Michael’s client actually know?
The plot is written very fast and captivating. I'm already looking forward to the other books.

46Ameise1
Lug 11, 2020, 8:49 am

book 47 Read in German

 Der eiserne Sommer

This was an interesting read. It takes you back to the time when the WWI broke out. However, this event has only marginally something to do with the plot.
The story takes place in Munich, which is still a kingdom. Commissioner Reitmeyer has to clear up the death of a young man. At first it seems that he fell drunk and froze to death on the banks of the Isar. Reitmeyer doubts it. Thanks to an old childhood friend who is currently working in patology, he learns that this man was murdered. Soon there was a second dead man, who was also murdered. Reitmeyer begins to get to the bottom of the matter and realizes that it is about blackmail on a large scale. Photos of homosexual acts circulate among the officers of the royal bodyguard and the rich and aristocratic fathers are blackmailed.
Reitmeyer receives no support from his superiors, since the officers are a taboo subject and are only subordinate to the military, so that the civilian police may not carry out any investigations. Reitmeyer's team includes a young police inspector who is ahead of his time when it comes to investigations, supports Reitmeyer and puts himself in danger.
It was an exciting read.

47Ameise1
Lug 11, 2020, 9:15 am

book 45 ♫ Read in German

 Das korsische Begräbnis

I've always wanted to read a crime series set in Corsica, and the Eric Marchand series was a hit.
Eric Marchand lived in Paris as an author. Since he has a writer's block and had found documents from his late mother that they had their roots in Korika, Eric decides to look for his family roots.
Unsuspecting and rather naive, he asks himself through Corsica and quickly realizes that the population a) is a closed society towards strangers, b) the Corsican mafia still has that to say, and c) apparently he is also from a Corsican mafia family comes from. It quickly becomes clear that he is putting himself at the highest risk in his endeavor. He falls in love with a woman whose ex-husband is the son of a Corsican mafia boss. All of this makes it difficult for Eric to gain a foothold in Corsica.
A great thriller by recognizing the landscape, the food and the traditions of Corsica.

48Ameise1
Lug 11, 2020, 9:29 am

book 46 ♫ Read in German

 Korsische Gezeiten

After the Corsican ritual and honor had been served and Eric Marchand was finally able to live in supposed calm in Corsica, new adversity was soon at the door.
The legendary Roman ship that is said to have loaded the 'treasure of lava' is found on the Corsican coast. An international team of divers is said to recover the treasure on behalf of the French government. Laurine, Eric's Corsican girlfriend, should help actively. Eric, who doesn't like the water, wants to accompany her on her dive. Of course, the Corsican mafia family Santini wants to claim the treasure for themselves and is not afraid to pave the way there with corpses.
The second volume of this series was also very exciting. I hope to get the third volume as an audio book soon.

49rocketjk
Lug 11, 2020, 4:15 pm

>44 Ameise1: Sorry that you seem to have gone through a difficult time. Hope you're OK now. Good to have you back!

50PaperbackPirate
Modificato: Lug 12, 2020, 12:53 pm

>44 Ameise1: Good to see you again!

51Ameise1
Lug 17, 2020, 5:35 am

>49 rocketjk: >50 PaperbackPirate: Thank you very much, Jerry and Nicole. Indeed, it was a tough time during all of the CoVid-19 measures. We have worked non-stop at our school since the first week of March (including eight weeks of home schooling). Instead of a workload of 83%, I worked 150%. Now I have five weeks off class. I will need a part to prepare for the new school year and a part to switch off. We won't go on vacation (like many others). Ev. we will go on excursions within Switzerland if the weather is good.

52Ameise1
Lug 17, 2020, 6:25 am

book 49 Read in German

 Retribution

Ok, I admit, this series has pulled my sleeve. I really can't stop it.
After getting to know the roles of Michael Sander and Lena Jensen in the first volume, you meet them at every turn in the second volume.
Lene's daughter has since started suicide. She can't get over it because she blames herself for her daughter. This also affects their work.
A year earlier, a terrorist attack was carried out in Tivoli. Over 1,000 people were killed.
It looks like another attack is planned. Lene, who is banished to a cubicle in the police station with a computer nerd, witnesses on the phone how a young woman is killed in the subway. She doesn't believe in suicide and investigates on her own. The fact that she is trodden on the feet of the Danish secret service does not prevent her investigation. Michael is in the same case and has to save Lene again and again, even if she is extremely smart.
I am slowly realizing that Jacobsen always takes an explosive topic from everyday life, that he cleverly processes in his thriller.
I can also highly recommend this book.

53Ameise1
Lug 17, 2020, 7:10 am

book 50 ♫ Read in German

 Das Ritual des Wassers

The second part of this trilogy is also great. It is packed with old Basque myths and rituals, but also with a tragic theme of pedophilia and Stockholm syndrome.
Unai (Kraken - Inspector Ayala) is still dumb after his head injury from the last case and is therefore still on sick leave. Wouldn't there have been a bizarre murder where a young woman, handcuffed and tied, was drowned upside down in a ritual kettle. It soon turns out that this is not the only murder and one childhood friend of Kraken after another is murdered in the same way. During his investigation, he comes across the youth camp he and his friends had visited in his past. Rebecca, the leader's daughter, now a respected history professor, wanted to tell him something at the time, only Kraken had no time to listen to her at the time. Does that take revenge now?
During his investigation, he finds that Rebecca was abused by her father and gave birth to a child. All current deaths are men who are or will be fathers. Is the life of Kraken's unborn child in danger too?
Again, this plot is great. It grabbed me from the start and made me guess until the end.

54Ameise1
Lug 17, 2020, 7:45 am

book 51 Read in German

 Lüge

The third book in the Michael Sander and Lene Jensen series is about oil fracking in Greenland.
The very rich Danish company boss Nobel absolutely wants to have the right to oil fracking in Greenland. He has important investors, including a Chinese company. The test bores look promising. When the chief geologist analyzed the last hole and traveled to Denmark with the data, he was murdered on the night of his arrival.
For Nobel, Michael Sander has to find the data that has disappeared since the murder. Meanwhile, Lene has to find out who and why the geologist was murdered. Her and Michael's paths cross again and again.
Lene soon realizes that a brutal killer squad will be launched on anyone who has anything to do with the data.
In addition to finding the data and his nemesis Dirk (head of the killer command), Michael has a very family problem. Since he divorced, he has lived with his sister, who keeps trying to kill herself.
Thanks to the help of her computer nerd, Lene gets closer to Nobel and puts herself in danger. As stubborn as she is, she always has to do everything on her own.

55Ameise1
Lug 24, 2020, 10:06 am

book 52 Read in German

 Hybris

This time the basic theme is 'designer baby'. While Michael is looking for a missing violinist, Lena has to clarify the death of a young woman. She soon finds out that the young woman was brought to Denmark from the Philippines as a surrogate mother. Of course, everything is illegal and much worse, the one who gave the order only wants a child that is absolutely perfect. He is a co-owner of a 'clinic' that only produces the child with the very best genes. Michael soon also comes across this clinic, so that he and Lene bring the case to an end. Not without background noise, because their marriage seems to be over.
Again, it is very exciting to write.



56Ameise1
Lug 24, 2020, 10:26 am

book 53 Read in German

 Blindes Eis

I neglected this series a bit, but it couldn't be more fitting in the current CoVid 19 era.
Ari and everyone in his village are in quarantine because of an Ebola case. Therefore, it is a little quieter at the police station and Ari can deal with an old case. An inhabitant came by with an old photograph, whereupon his parents, his mother's sister and a teenager can be seen. But he has no idea who this teenager is. Ari begins to 'dig'. With the help of a journalist, the pastor and an old midwife, they come closer and closer to the history of this family.
The journalist also researches a case of child abduction.
It is written again very exciting and Ari is becoming more and more settled in this village.



57Ameise1
Lug 24, 2020, 10:36 am

book 54 Read in German

 A Mask of Shadows

I love this investigator duo Frey and McGray.
A theater group that has already performed Macbeth in London comes to Edinburgh to perform the production there as well.
There was already an incident in London during the last screening. A 'banshee' uttered a terrible scream and blood threatens to die.
Already during the rehearsals there are deaths around the theater group and every time there is a new message.
Frey and McGray are running out of time. They grope in the dark for a long time. Can you prevent further murders?
It was an exciting read.



58PaperbackPirate
Lug 24, 2020, 11:14 am

>51 Ameise1: I'm a teacher too and I don't know why I thought online would be easier! LOL!! It was definitely a lot more work and a lot more stressful. I really miss the kids. I hope you enjoy your break. I'm getting ready to start up again next week - teachers only, students start on August 6th online. Now that I'm done stumbling around figuring everything out I'm determined to make it awesome!

59Ameise1
Ago 1, 2020, 5:15 am

>58 PaperbackPirate: Dear Nicole, welcome to the club. Unlike you, my students have been physically back in the classroom since May 11th. The first four weeks only in half classes (half in the morning, half in the afternoon), since June 8th we have been teaching to the whole class again according to the timetable. I only realized how broken I was during the first week of summer vacation. I'm feeling much better now. I'm curious to see how things will go on in school from August 17th, when the holidays are over.

60Ameise1
Ago 1, 2020, 5:51 am

book 55 ♫ Read in German

 Provenzalische Verwicklungen

This is the start of a new series for me that takes place in Provence. Just the right thing for summer.
One can call this book a cozy mystery, with a few murders, good food and also romance.
Pierre Durand, a former Parisian commissioner who now works as a simple policeman in a dreamy village in Provence, is called to a wine cellar because a body floats in the wine tank. A recipe (Coque au Vin) is attached to the tank. This comes from the hotel chef as she organizes cooking classes. Maybe she's the killer?
Dupin is attracted to the chef and even attends a cooking class with her. Even if he is far from being a born cook.
The secretary of the police station, a former mistress of Dupin, leaves the job overnight because she is moving in with a lawyer who promises her a luxury life.
Further murders were carried out during the investigation, each time the body was draped or murdered in such a way that it fit a menu recipe.
Who is behind the whole thing? Are Dupin's women now in danger?

61Ameise1
Ago 1, 2020, 6:08 am

book 56 Read in German

 Sühne

The fifth case of the team Michael Sander and Lena Jensen is also highly explosive. This time it's about the pharmaceutical industry, more specifically a drug that can fix a deadly worm infection in Africa and is a cure for diabetes patients as it can make diabetes go away.
It is obvious that the pharmaceutical giants do not want this, of course. During the investigation, not only a pharma boss dies, but also a good friend of Michael. He also has to find out that his mentor is turning away from him.
It was exciting from the first to the last page and I hope Steffen Jacobsen is already writing to continue this series.

62Ameise1
Ago 1, 2020, 6:22 am

book 57 Read in German

 Zara und Zoë - Rache in Marseille: Thriller

This is a gripping thriller set in Marseille. A young woman is found stabbed several times on a rock in the Calanque. The profiler Zara, who works at Europol, is called on this case with a colleague. Her colleague has no idea that Zara grew up in Marseille and knows the situation there very well. Neither does he know that Zara's twin sister Zoë is firmly anchored in the Marseille drug network and is a big number there.
During the investigation, Zara quickly finds that a large part of the Marseilles police force has been bought by the various underground organizations. So she asks Zoë to find the culprits in her own way.
This story is not only about drugs, but also about right-wing populism, which is rampant.

63Ameise1
Ago 1, 2020, 6:39 am

book 58 Read in German

 Château Mort

This book can confidently be described as a cozy mystery. There is a dead man who was deliberately killed because of money, but a lot is about wine and good food and the romance shouldn't be missing either.
Commissioner Luc Verlain, who actually works in the Paris homicide squad and was only loaned to Bordeaux because he wants to look after his sick father, has to deal with old companions who appear suspicious. The cause of death of the dead is almost undetectable. Is it the perfect murder?

64Ameise1
Ago 1, 2020, 7:03 am

book 59 Read in German

 Unquiet Ghosts

This was a very gripping reading.
Eight years ago, Kathy Kelly lost her husband Jack and two children to a plane crash. Now the plane is found, but there are no other bodies apart from the pilot's bones. Did Jack and her children survive?
She has to go through hell again emotionally with all the secret services in the neck.
History jumps from today back to the past and back to today. It shows Kathy's family life, which has been shaped by the military since childhood. Not only was her father a senior military officer, so was her husband Jack and her brother. It tells about post-traumatic disorders about the returnees after an Iraq mission, but also about illegal machinations by the Gulf War veterans.
Will Kathy be able to hold her loved one in her arms again?

65PaperbackPirate
Ago 1, 2020, 1:58 pm

>59 Ameise1: I hope everyone stays healthy over the holidays, and you have a good rest!

66Ameise1
Modificato: Ago 2, 2020, 11:30 am

67Ameise1
Ago 2, 2020, 11:52 am

book 60 Read in German

 Letzte Spur Algarve

The second volume of the Anabela Silva series was also a great pleasure to read.
Anabela now lives in Portugal again so that she is closer to her father who has Alzheimer's. She is still looking for her cousin, who was given away as an infant.
Not far from where she lives, a woman is killed in a farmstead by the stroke of a horse. Commissioner João Almeida investigated. He is convinced that it was not an accident, but the prosecutor wants to close the case as an accident.
The dead woman, it seems, has something to do with animal rights activists. So Almeida Arabela asks to have a look around the shelter. Arabela wants Ameida to help her find her cousin in return.
Arabela would not be Arabela if she does not start her own investigation in the animal shelter and the surrounding area. This puts her in danger.