One Word Kill

One Word Kill by Mark Lawrence

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

May 31, 2019: I've just re-read this review.  It is a pretty massive spoiler, I suspect.  Maybe not so much of you don't click, "read more".

One Word Kill might remind folks of the TV show Stranger Things as its primary characters are youngsters, perhaps who should have grown out of Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), but haven't. So our co-protagonists are bonded together as a set of socially prosecuted people by their evil peers because they are, or nearly are, "geeks". At that age, 15ish, perhaps only thinking nerds who can understand complex math, philosophy, history and retain an imagination are the least likely to be evil to their "not-the-same-as-me" peers. -just a cultural observation.

Nicholas "Nick" Hayes is our leukemia riddled, Chemo soaked protagonist. His D&D character is Nicodemus, who studied the arcane; he's a trainee wizard, if you like. Our remaining D&D band of brothers is Elton, who may have seen the Avenue of the Baobabs as an infant. He is The Game Master. There's Simon who can easily paint miniatures with his fat fingers. He plays Finious the thief, but he'd never steal in real life. I think Simon's a functioning Asperger's with a savant gift of math skills, but that's barely implied in the book.

John is the "Fonz" of the group who would never admit to having geeky friends, but his debonair facade doesn't annoy his D&D pals. He's always on time for Saturday D&D, so his ego is ignored.

THEN ONE DAY Elton, The Game Master, brings the mysterious Mia to the sacred Saturday D&D session, destroying all decency and protocol. Mia is next seen in the novel with John the faux Fonz throwing pebbles at Nick's window around midnight the day of this first Chemo treatment.

The Hundredth Queen

The Hundredth Queen by Emily R. King

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I tragically did not review the book when I read it the first time. Emily R. King is an excellent author and if she did not outline this book prior to writing it, she's a remarkable "seat of the pants" writer. "Outliners" near always have tidy plots that are a joy to read. "Pantsers" are fun too, you're as surprised as they were when they write something. This one was brilliantly tidy. Having read it, I know that she knew how the book would end before she finished the first chapter.

That's a spoiler by the way. Now you know that there are things in chapter one that are relevant in the climax of the book and beyond.

Briefly, Kalinda lives under a monarchy, but she is physically in a 'far off' monastery type of place that is a woman only facility. The monastery is funded by 'benefactors', who from time to time show up to "claim" a woman as wife, mistress, or some other form of chattel.

TRAGICALLY... THERE ARE SPOILERS AHEAD, not the "ruin the book" kind, but spoilers. Not the kind you can blank out and still have the review seem coherent. I do recommend the book later...

The Kill List

The Kill List by David Archer

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Spoiler Alert: This is Sam Prichard Mystery #5. Anything said may spoil Sam Prichard Mysteries 1-4. I think they are an endearing and entertaining set of mysteries that might be fun for anyone to read, so if you think you might enjoy these G rated books in the future, stop after the next two or three paragraphs until you've read books 1-4.

This review included the ebook and audiobook narrated by the most excellent Mikael Naramore who makes the audiobook exceptionally pleasing. I liked it. 3 stars. I recommend "The Kill List" and the previous 4 mysteries.

In a previous Sam Prichard review I called these novels "Gum Shoe Musicals". While this one retains this moniker, I may be changing the moniker to "Gum Shoe Country Musicals" or possibly - in the future to "Gum Shoe Gospel Musicals". Guessing the trend goes as I presume (possibly incorrectly).

I gave them this label as Sam Prichard is a private investigator, aka Gum Shoe, and David Archer has added links to his ebooks that play songs on his website. You can sing along with the lyrics in the ebook. If you have purchased the audiobook, there's nothing to click, where the lyrics are in the ebook, they actually play the song on the audiobook making it, at least in part, a "music audio file".