Author Archives: thebookgator

About thebookgator

avid reader and Goodreads reviewer looking for a home.

Blanche Cleans Up by Barbara Neely

Posted on August 18, 2019

Read July 2019 Recommended for  ★   ★   ★   1/2 The other day I was thinking about what a mystery story would be like if the main character wasn’t an investigator, or an ex-cop, or a rich person with a … Continue reading →

Posted in Book reviews, Mystery | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Finder by Suzanne Palmer

Posted on July 29, 2019

Read July 2019 ★   ★   ★   ★    A bit of a slow start that required a reboot, then once I reached chapter seven or so, became very hard to put down. It didn’t occur to me while reading, … Continue reading →

Posted in Book reviews, Science fiction, Thriller | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Genesis by Bernard Beckett

Posted on July 25, 2019

Read July 2019 ★   ★   ★   1/2     I present for your consideration this 150 page work by Bernard Beckett. While we might expect a story framed as a four-hour thesis presentation would be dry, the use of … Continue reading →

Posted in Apocalypse & dystopia, Book reviews | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Toll by Cherie Priest

Posted on July 20, 2019

Read July 2019 Recommended for fans of Southern Gothic ★   ★   1/2    Loosely billed as ‘horror,’ I don’t think that The Toll earns the genre. With a Southern Gothic atmosphere, it has a dual plot line that only … Continue reading →

Posted in Book reviews, Thriller, Urban fantasy | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Newcomer by Keigo Higashino

Posted on July 18, 2019

Read July 2019 Recommended for fans of Miss Marple ★   ★   ★   1/2 In each Higashino Sgt. Kaga mystery I’ve read, he’s done something quite unique, and in Newcomer, he surprised me again with his unusual approach to the … Continue reading →

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Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn

Posted on July 17, 2019

Read July 2019 Recommended for those who want hope at the end of the world ★   ★   ★   1/2 Vaughn has a easy-to-read style, and it didn’t take me long to finish Bannerless, despite persistent déjà vu.  I read … Continue reading →

Posted in Apocalypse & dystopia, Book reviews, genre-bender, Mystery | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Coyote Wind: A Gabriel Du Pre Mystery by Peter Bowen

Posted on July 11, 2019

Read July 2019 Recommended for fans of  ★   ★   ★    An interesting, slice-of-Montana-life story that was mildly marred by the last three pages. The story is ostensibly a mystery, but the hero is a cattle-inspector, and only part-time … Continue reading →

Posted in Book reviews, Mystery | Tagged | 2 Comments

The Water Will Come: Rising Seas, Sinking Cities and the Remaking of the Civilized World

Posted on June 30, 2019

Read June 2019 Recommended for everyone, particularly young people, Floridians, coasties and Trumpsters ★   ★   ★   ★    For too long the national climate debate has centered on “is it real?” and “is it man-made?” How this occurred … Continue reading →

Posted in Book reviews | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

A Song of Shadows by John Connolly

Posted on June 29, 2019

Read June 2019 Recommended for fans of the series ★   ★   ★   ★   ★  Easily the best Charlie Parker book since The Lovers (#8). It was, for me, a perfectly balanced Parker book: mystery, the supernatural, vengeance, visceral horror, … Continue reading →

Posted in Book reviews | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The Size of the Truth by Andrew Smith

Posted on June 26, 2019

Read June 2019 Recommended for fans of quirky kids ★   ★  ★   ★   1/2 I (excuse me) hated sixth grade. So I was hesitant to read a book about Sam, who, “during the first week of sixth grade … Continue reading →

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