The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

First sentence:

"At the height of the long wet summer of the Seventy-Seventh Year of Sendovani, the Thiefmaker of Camorr paid a sudden and unannounced visit to the Eyeless Priest at the Temple of Perelandro, desperately hoping to sell him the Lamora boy."

Description:

"An orphan's life is harsh—and often short—in the island city of Camorr, built on the ruins of a mysterious alien race. But born with a quick wit and a gift for thieving, Locke Lamora has dodged both death and slavery, only to fall into the hands of an eyeless priest known as Chains—a man who is neither blind nor a priest. A con artist of extraordinary talent, Chains passes his skills on to his carefully selected "family" of orphans—a group known as the Gentlemen Bastards. Under his tutelage, Locke grows to lead the Bastards, delightedly pulling off one outrageous confidence game after another. Soon he is infamous as the Thorn of Camorr, and no wealthy noble is safe from his sting. Passing themselves off as petty thieves, the brilliant Locke and his tightly knit band of light-fingered brothers have fooled even the criminal underworld's most feared ruler, Capa Barsavi. But there is someone in the shadows more powerful—and more ambitious—than Locke has yet imagined. Known as the Gray King, he is slowly killing Capa Barsavi's most trusted men—and using Locke as a pawn in his plot to take control of Camorr's underworld. With a bloody coup under way threatening to destroy everyone and everything that holds meaning in his mercenary life, Locke vows to beat the Gray King at his own brutal game—or die trying."

My thoughts:

I thoroughly enjoyed this book about Locke Lamora and his friends in the city of Camorr. Their con games become more elaborate and dangerous as the mysterious Grey King becomes more powerful. I look forward to reading the next book in the Gentleman Bastards series, Red Seas Under Red Skies.


Date read: 9/9/2025
Series: Gentleman Bastards, #1
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4*/5

ISBN-10: 055358894X
ISBN-13: 9780553588941
Imprint: Bantam Spectra
Publisher: Random House
Year: 2007
# of pages: 719
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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Chaos Terminal by Mur Lafferty

First sentence:

"A sentient space station should have perfect temperature, Mallory Viridian thought."

Description:

"Mallory Viridian would rather not be an amateur detective, thank you very much. But no matter what she does, people persist in dying around her--and only she seems to be able to solve the crime.

Now the law enforcement agent who hounded Mallory on Earth has come to Station Eternity, along with her teenage crush and Mallory's best friend from high school. Mallory doesn't believe in coincidences, and so she's not at all surprised when someone in the latest shuttle from Earth is murdered.

Only this time she has more than a killer to deal with. Between her fugitive friends, a new threat arising from the Sundry, and the alarming behavior of the sentient space station they all call home, even Mallory's deductive abilities are strained. If she can't find out what's going on, a disaster of intergalactic proportions may occur. . .." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

I enjoyed this second book in The Midsolar Murders series. I especially liked how Mallory had to convince the sentient ship Eternity that something was wrong and how the rambunctious Gneiss, Tina, played a very big part. I look forward to reading the next book in the series, Infinite Archive.

Date read: 8/25/2025
Series: The Midsolar Murders, #2
Genre: SF/Mystery
Rating: 4*/5

ISBN-10: 0593098137
ISBN-13: 9780593098134
Imprint: Berkeley
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Year: 2023
# of pages: 366
Binding: Trade Paperback
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Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

First sentence:

"When people ask me what I do--taxi drivers, dental hygienists--I tell them I work in an office."

Description:

"Meet Eleanor Oliphant: She struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she's thinking. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life, where weekends mostly consist of from pizza, vodka, and phone chats with Mummy. But everything changes when Eleanor meets Raymond, the bumbling IT guy from her office, whose big heart will ultimately help Eleanor find the way to repair her own profoundly damaged one." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

While Eleanor Oliphant is not always a likeable character nor easy to get along with, I found her interesting and a worthy person to know. Her discovery of the world through her friendship with Raymond was a journey I will remember.

Date read: 8/20/2025
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4*/5

ISBN-10: 0735220690
ISBN-13: 9780735220690
Imprint: Viking
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Year: 2017
# of pages: 325
Binding: Trade Paperback
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Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty

First sentence:

"Nobody ever believed murders 'just happened' around Mallory Viridian."

Description:

"From idyllic small towns to claustrophobic urban landscapes, Mallory Viridian is constantly embroiled in murder cases that only she has the insight to solve. But outside of a classic mystery novel, being surrounded by death doesn't make you a charming amateur detective -- it makes you a suspect and a social pariah. So when Mallory gets the opportunity to take refuge on a sentient space station, she thinks she has the solution. Surely the murders will stop if her only company is alien beings. Her new existence is peacefully quiet at first. . .and markedly devoid of homicide.

But when the station agrees to allow additional human guests, Mallory knows the break from her peculiar reality is over. After the first Earth shuttle arrives, and aliens and humans alike begin to die, the station is thrown into peril. Stuck smack-dab in the middle of an extraterrestrial whodunit, and wondering how in the world this keeps happening to her anyway, Mallory has to solve the crime--and fast--or the list of victims could grow to include everyone on board. . .." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

I enjoyed this first book in The Midsolar Murders series. I liked how Mallory learns why murders happen around her and how important she is in solving them. I also liked the various aliens on the sentient ship, Eternity, particularly the Gneiss. I look forward to reading the next book, Chaos Terminal.

Date read: 7/24/2025
Series: The Midsolar Murders, #1
Genres: SF / Mystery
Rating: 4*/5

ISBN-10: 059309811?
ISBN-13: 9780593098110
Imprint: Ace
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Year: 2022
# of pages: 453
Binding: Trade Paperback
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Deadspawn by Brian Lumley

First sentence:

"'Harry,' Darcy Clarke's voice of twitchy on the phone, but he was trying hard to contain it. 'There's a problem we could use some help with. Your kind of help.'"

Description:

"There's a maniacal murderer on the loose, brutally slaughtering young women with a ferocity that rivals that of the vampires Harry Keogh has spent his life combatting. The Necroscope's been asked to solve the crimes. . .asked by the dead spirits of the madman's victims.

Harry cannot turn down a request from the dead. . .even if it costs him his soul. In the climactic battle with the vampires, mankind prevailed and purged the vampires from earth -- thanks fo Harry, his team of psychically-gifted spies, and Faethor Ferenczy, long-dead 'father' of the world's vampires, who betrayed his own kind.

But Harry's alliance with Faethor has a terrible cost -- Harry's very humanity is under attack from the vampire evil coiled in his mind!" -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

It was a long time since I had read this series, so I was glad to read an extensive recap at the beginning of this book. I enjoyed this book about Keough and how he's changing and I look forward to reading the next book in the series, Blood Brothers.

Date read: 6/26/2025
Genre: Horror
Series: Necroscope, #5
Rating: 4*/5

ISBN-10: 0812508351
ISBN-13: 9780812508352
Imprint: Tor Book
Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates, Inc.
Year: 1991
# of pages: 602
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The Dark Side of Nowhere by Neal Shusterman

First sentence:

"Ethan died of a burst appendix."

Description:

"Jason is having a bad day. The kind of day when you just don't feel like yourself. Only, for Jason, it's not just a feeling. He really isn't himself. Not anymore.

Who is he? That's the problem. Jason isn't sure. And it's not just him. Everyone in town is acting weird. His friends. His parents. Everyone. Billington is usually such a normal town. As Jason is about to discover, nothing will ever be normal again." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

I liked this book about teenagers who discover that their town isn't as ordinary as they thought and neither are they nor their parents. While it seemed to be a bit rushed at the end, it was still a fascinating and enjoyable read.

Date read: 5/1/2025
Genre: SF
Rating: 4*/5

ISBN-10: 1442422815
ISBN-13: 9781442422810
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Year: 1997
# of pages: 230
Binding: Trade Paperback
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Revisions of by Goodloe Byron

First sentence:

"The following passage he read aloud."

Description:

"Nathan First is a childlike biography, making barely enough from his writing to survive. His only source of contact with the outside world is his sister, whose recent marriage has left Nathan to his own devices. 

Moved by a paltry obituary that he reads in the paper, Nathan sets out to compose his masterpiece; a biography of an ordinary man. But this will be no ordinary book, as Nathan becomes increasingly ambitious, the project blossoms into a study of dark matter, and appears to contain the abandoned history of the world." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

This is an interesting book about a man whose self-consciousness gets in the way of his work and relationships. I liked how Nathan wanted to write a biography, but not how he interacted with others.

Date read: 4/13/2025
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4*/5

Publisher: Brown Paper Publishing
Year: 2009
# of pages: 238
Binding: Trade Paperback
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