It's no news to my regular readers that I almost always parallel-read two books, one on my kindle while I'm on my way to and from work etc., and a "real" one (not that ebooks aren't real) at home.
My last parallel-reads were these two:
Karin Slaughter
A paperback I bought for 2 euros from the second-hand stall run by the church once a month in the town centre, this one will next go to my book-swapping friend Andrea who then can decide whether she'll donate it back to the church for another round, keep it, throw it away or give it to someone else.
Early on in the book it becomes clear that this is not the first one about medical examiner Sara and her ex-husband, police chief Jeffrey, as well as Jeffrey's partner Lena. The couple literally stumple upon a terrible crime, its investigation bringing to light even more terrible secrets.
It was a gripping story, and if you don't mind gory details, this book is for you. But I DO mind, even though some of the detail was important to the story; also, I found much of the dialogue unnecessarily lengthy. In short (!), the book could have been more to the point, and although especially towards the end the story picks up speed, it could have gained from being better paced.
But that's just my impression; maybe I simply wasn't in the mood for this kind of crime thriller. Karin Slaughter is a very popular author, but I doubt I'll be actively seeking out more of her books. Her website is here.
Murder in the Family
Kurt Berwick
This free ebook from Amazon's Kindle shop was something of a strange read: Most - but not all - of it is in letters, and there is very little actual storytelling.
We meet various members of the Quilter family; the "present" time is 1928, while the events the story is about have taken place in 1900: One family member was shot in his bedroom, with only the family being in the house at the time, and freshly fallen snow clearly shows that nobody entered or left before or after the deed.
28 years later, one son of the victim has become more and more convinced that he, a teenager back then, must have done it - why, he can't explain - but somehow amnesia must have wiped out the actual event from his memory. To help him see that it can't have been him and gain peace of mind, one of his sisters asks the family doctor for help who in turn engages a crime analyst.
The analyst only has a bundle of letters to examine and still comes to a satisfying conclusion - but only the VERY end of the book reveals the truth.
It was an unusual book but still pleasant to read, although I found it confusing that almost all family members were adressed alternating between two names. For instance, one of the sisters is called Judith but the letters to her start with "Dearest Marie", while Jonathan is also Daniel, and Robert is Henry... Why?!
I could not find out more about Kurt Berwick, other than that he is a contemporary author and has written quite a few books available on Amazon and listed on Goodreads.com.
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