BOOK REVIEW: Age of Death (Legends of the First Empire, #5) by Michael J. Sullivan

Age of Death is The fifth and final cliffhanger in the Legends of the First Empire series by Michael J. Sullivan. The idea that most of the characters in this installment spend their time behind the vale of death is pretty cool. It turns out that in this story what happens after you die is far more complicated (and interesting) than the traditional notions of the afterlife most readers may be familiar with. Going in, all we know is that many of the most prominent couples in the last few books, Roan and Gifford, Brin and Tesh, Moya and Tevchin are going to be ‘dead.’ And that includes Tressa, who is obnoxious and nearly universally disliked by everyone, but who has been given the key to unlock the gates between the three(!) different places humans, dwarves and elves can end up when they die.

Not all the action is in the afterlife, however, because another one of my favorite characters (Suri) is captive in the land of the Fhrey, where my least favorite character (Lothian) rules supreme. Suri knows the secret of how to create dragons, which could be the super weapon to determine the result of the war between humans (Rhunes) and elves (Fhrey). Suri was betrayed when she was sent to negotiate a truce between the warring parties as the first Rhune who can practice the Art (i.e. do magic like the Fhrey). However, she’s also on a (probably more important) mission to demonstrate to the Fhrey that humans are not merely short-lived, fecund, animals but potential equals worthy of respect.

Back at the battlefield, Persephone is starting to worry about her friends whom she agreed to let go on a quest, not realizing it would actually mean their deaths. Her husband, Nyphron, who is a Fhrey and the head of all Rhune forces is frustrated by the stalemate that has prevented any progress in the war for over a year. His motives for fighting the war are murky, but primarily rooted in revenge for his class/tribe of Fhrey who Lothian, the current head (or “fane”) had slaughtered and exiled.

There's a heckuva lot of adventure, and quite a lot of mythology and teleology (perhaps too much?) in Age of Death. Overall, these elements combine to make a compelling and thought-provoking read. I’ve already bought Age of Empyre, the sixth and last installment in the series and look forward to reading and reviewing it soon!

Title: Age of Death.
Author: Michael J. Sullivan.
Paperback: 342 pages.
Publisher: Riyria Productions.
Date Published: February 4, 2020.
Date Read: July 26, 2020.

GOODREADS RATING: ★★★★★  (5.0/5.0).

OVERALL GRADE: A/A- (3.83/4.0).

PLOT: A-.
IMAGERY: A-.
IMPACT: A-.
WRITING: A.

BOOK REVIEW: The House at Sea's End (Ruth Galloway, #3) by Elly Griffiths

The House at Sea's End is the third book in the Elly Griffiths' mystery series featuring Dr. Ruth Galloway, forensic anthropologist and lecturer at the fictional University of North Northwich, and DCI Harry Nelson, head of the major crimes unit of the Norwich Police Department. Nelson and Galloway have a complicated relationship, which due to a surprising event in the first book, The Crossing Places, has ongoing repercussions in both their lives.

Now that I have read the first three books, I think I have a better overall sense of the series. There are some common themes and ongoing story elements and repeated plot points. The first common theme is that since Ruth is an anthropologist, the initial crime/mystery is almost always a cold case, sparked by the discovery of old bones. The second common theme is Ruth herself, and her relationships with the primary characters in her life (Nelson; Cathbad, the enigmatic, self-proclaimed Druid who always appears to be in the right place at the right time; her "best friend" Shona the beautiful homewrecker; and Ruth's holier-than-thou Born Again parents). The third theme is the format of the book: British police procedural/murder mystery with a soupcon of romance. These are all features of the book which are done quite well and will probably be the primary reason I continue to read the series in the future.

One of the problematic ongoing story elements is Ruth's relationship with Harry Nelson, whom she works with to solve crimes. Suffice it to say there is significant romantic tension there, and that "it's complicated." Nelson has a beautiful wife named Michelle and two daughters, but the Ruth and Nelson have great physical chemistry, despite Ruth's body image issues (she's definitely on the plump side) and while Ruth is a professor and a scholar, Nelson never finished high school, but is also quite accomplished at his job and used to being in charge. Another ongoing story element is the setting of the books, in the (fictional) town of King's Lynn near the Saltmarsh of Northern England. Ruth loves the area (and so apparently does the author, because rarely do many pages go by before we read more paragraphs about the beauty of the cold, wet sea).

One of my biggest concerns with the books so far has been the repeated plot point of putting Ruth in danger towards the climax of the books when the mysteries are starting to be solved and the identity of the perpetrator becomes reduced to a smaller set of possibilities, until eventually we find Ruth trapped in a confined area with a homicidal maniac while Cathbad and Nelson trying to rescue her. It's true that this plot development amps up the level of suspense to nerve-wracking levels. I am just philosophically opposed to the "damsel-in-distress" trope in suspense thrillers. I know it is quite possible to have exciting suspense thrillers without putting the protagonist in danger, although I do recognize that it may be something that most authors can not resist. I just hope that this doesn't happen in every Galloway book or it would greatly diminish my ardor for continuing the series.

That being said, while the third entry in the series was not the strongest of the first three (the connection between the perpetrator of the cold case murder and the perpetrator of the more recent crimes attempting to maintain their secrecy was somewhat tenuous and unpredictable). The main appeal of The House at Sea's End to me was learning more about the other police officers in Nelson's employ and seeing how Ruth deals with how her new circumstances have (and will) affect how she relates to those around her (and they to her).

Title: The House at Sea's End.
Author: Elly Griffiths.
Paperback: 352 pages.
Publisher: Quercus.
Date Published: January 6, 2011.
Date Read: July 18, 2020.

GOODREADS RATING: ★★★½☆  (3.5/5.0).

OVERALL GRADE: A- (3.67/4.0).

PLOT: A-.
IMAGERY: A-.
IMPACT: B+.
WRITING: A.

BOOK REVIEW: The Janus Stone (Ruth Galloway, #2) by Elly Griffiths

Right after I finished reading this book I had drafted a lovely 500-word review (in the Goodreads app) when I suddenly lost the entire thing so I wasn't planning on going to write a full review but I changed my mind because I want to document my thoughts about the series as a whole as I read it.

The Janus Stone is the second book in the popular and long-running Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths. Dr. Galloway is a forensic anthropologist who teaches at the fictional University of Northern Norfolk and lives alone (with a cat or two) in a small cottage on the edge of the marshy waters of the Northern sea. She has helped the police with their inquiries into the discovery of some old bones in the first book of the series, The Crossing Places, and this event was the beginning of her complicated relationship with DCI Harry Nelson. In the sequel, Ruth is again asked to assist the police when a skeleton of a young child and a cat (both missing their heads!) is discovered on a building site where an old house which used to serve as an orphanage is being razed and replaced with condominiums.

Things are even more complicated in The Janus Stone because Ruth has recently discovered she's pregnant, and since she's also very single (happily divorced). The case is also tricky because it seems like someone is deliberately trying to dissuade Ruth from getting involved.

Overall, I liked this second book in the series quite a bit. Ruth (and Nelson) are fun characters, and Griffiths writes them well. As a gay dude, I'm usually loath to combine any taste of romance with my British police procedural/murder mystery but I do feel like Elly Griffiths and Jane Casey are two authors who know how to get the mix, just right. That being sad, I'm not happy about the one of the primary narrative tensions in the book being danger/threat to Ruth. The "damsel in distress" trope is awful. I hope it is not repeated. That being said, Ruth is a strong female character (she's somewhat blase' about her zaftig figure and doesn't really care much about societal norms). The supporting members of the cast are quirky and interesting (if not as diverse as they could be). I'll definitely continue reading the series.

Title: The Janus Stone.
Author: Elly Griffiths.
Paperback: 416 pages.
Publisher: Quercus.
Date Published: March 1, 2010.
Date Read: July 16, 2020.

GOODREADS RATING: ★★★★☆  (4.0/5.0).

OVERALL GRADE: A- (3.67/4.0).

PLOT: A-.
IMAGERY: A-.
IMPACT: A-.
WRITING: A-.

BOOK REVIEW: Dead Simple (Roy Grace, #1) by Peter James

Dead Simple is the first book I have read by Peter James. It is a pretty straightforward entry in the British police procedural genre, with Detective Chief Superintendent Roy Grace as the main protagonist. DCS Grace is a 39-year-old single man whose beloved wife disappeared nearly 9 years ago without a trace, but whom he has refused to have declared dead. (I've become very familiar with the British police hierarchy of titles over the years. Achieving DCS at age 39 is remarkable. I believe Peter Robinson's Alan Banks didn't get there until he was fifty and characters like Ian Rankin's John Rebus and Stuart MacBride's Logan McRae never have.) Grace’s main sidekick is a fellow police officer, a Black (former) bodybuilder named Glenn Branson with a somewhat complicated home life with wife and young kids. There are other secondary characters who potentially can be given interesting backstories, including a potential (straight) love interest for Grace that I think will likely blossom in the future.

The primary strength of Dead Simple is the thrilling premise. A group of four friends takes a buddy out for a “stag night” (bachelor party in American English) a weekend before his wedding. Michael has played pranks on each of these friends and they decide to get revenge by leaving him in a buried coffin with a walkie-talkie, a bottle of whiskey and a straw for air for a few hours. Unfortunately they get in a horrific car accident which kills all of them except for the best man, leaving Michael trapped in a grave where it appears no one knows he is.

With the clock continually ticking towards a time when Michael will either die by dehydration, starvation or both, the plot becomes more complicated as Michael’s fiancé Ashley and best man & business partner Mark appear to be reacting strangely to Michael’s disappearance. Although it begins as Branson’s case, eventually Grace himself gets involved and there are many surprising plot twists which demonstrate why Peter James is such a bestselling author of suspense thrillers. Dead Simple is simply a top-knotch debut. One slight quibble from me is apparently Grace is a believer in the supernatural and has used (and continues to use) mediums and similar dodgy means to help him make breakthroughs in cases. I can appreciate some “genre crossover” but supernatural is not my favorite blend. (I really love a good sci-fi mystery; some that come immediately to mind are the Last Policeman trilogy by Ben H. Winters, the Children of a Dead Earth series by Patrick Tomlinson and, of course, the classic R. Daneel Olivaw & Elijah Baley series by Isaac Asimov.)

Overall, I was quite impressed with Dead Simple and am definitely interested in going on future adventures with DCS Roy Grace as I read the subsequent books in the series.

Title: Dead Simple.
Author: Peter James.
Paperback: 456 pages.
Publisher: Pan Macmillan.
Date Published: December 14, 2005.
Date Read: July 4, 2020.

GOODREADS RATING: ★★★★½☆  (4.5/5.0).

OVERALL GRADE: A- (3.67/4.0).

PLOT: A.
IMAGERY: B+.
IMPACT: B+.
WRITING: A.