Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time
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Join the CBR18 Book Bingo Reading Challenge—Now Underway!   

December 2023 Leftovers

Mandarin Plaid by SJ Rozan

Lady Killer, Volume 1 by Joëlle Jones

Zatanna: The Jewel of Gravesend by Alys Arden

Batman, Vol. 6: Graveyard Shift by Scott Snyder

The Confession by Domenic Stansberry

A Friend is a Gift You Give Yourself by William Boyle

Joe Dogs: The Life and Crimes of a Mobster by Joseph Iannuzzi

Robert B. Parker's Cheap Shot by Ace Atkins

Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow

December 29, 2023 by Jake Leave a Comment

Merry Christmas. We may need to dispense with the cold/snow songs. They’re about as realistic as Santa at this point. Mandarin Plaid **** SJ Rozan continues to improve with each book in this series. This one has layers and moves well to its conclusion. I’m not gonna be totally sold on a white person writing from the perspective of an AAPI one but I think Rozan does a better job with it than she did in the first one. May have to go long with […]

Filed Under: Biography/Memoir, Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novels/Comic Books, History, Non-Fiction, Sports, Suspense Tagged With: A Friend Is a Gift You Give Yourself, Ace Atkins, Alys Arden, Batman, Boston, Brooklyn, Chinatown, Coney Island, Domenic Stansberry, Florida, football, Gilded Age, Graphic Novel, hard case crime, historical fiction, hit woman, Joe Dogs, joelle jones, John D. Rockefeller, Joseph Iannuzzi, lady killer, Lydia Chin, Lydia Chin and Bill Smith, mafia, magic, Mandarin Plaid, Manhattan, Massachusetts, Mob, mystery, New England Patriots, New York City, oil, organized crime, psychological thriller, ron chernow, scott snyder, SJ Rozan, Spenser, superheroes, The Confession, Titan, true crime, William Boyle, Zatanna

Jake's CBR15 Review No:183 · Genres: Biography/Memoir, Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novels/Comic Books, History, Non-Fiction, Sports, Suspense · Tags: A Friend Is a Gift You Give Yourself, Ace Atkins, Alys Arden, Batman, Boston, Brooklyn, Chinatown, Coney Island, Domenic Stansberry, Florida, football, Gilded Age, Graphic Novel, hard case crime, historical fiction, hit woman, Joe Dogs, joelle jones, John D. Rockefeller, Joseph Iannuzzi, lady killer, Lydia Chin, Lydia Chin and Bill Smith, mafia, magic, Mandarin Plaid, Manhattan, Massachusetts, Mob, mystery, New England Patriots, New York City, oil, organized crime, psychological thriller, ron chernow, scott snyder, SJ Rozan, Spenser, superheroes, The Confession, Titan, true crime, William Boyle, Zatanna ·
· 0 Comments

The Last Race

Flamethrower by Maggie Estep

July 27, 2023 by Jake Leave a Comment

Can’t believe it’s been four years between me reading books 2 and 3 of this series. I greatly enjoyed the first two but I kept forgetting about finishing the series. When I did remember, I’d have to get it on an interlibrary loan and it would take the loan too long to get in and eventually I’d lose interest. But then I saw it at a used bookstore and huzzah! Let’s finish this one. And it’s sad because this is the book I always wanted […]

Filed Under: Mystery Tagged With: Aqueduct, Brooklyn, Coney Island, Flamethrower, horse racing, Maggie Estep, mystery, New York City

Jake's CBR15 Review No:73 · Genres: Mystery · Tags: Aqueduct, Brooklyn, Coney Island, Flamethrower, horse racing, Maggie Estep, mystery, New York City ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Offed at the Races

Gargantuan by Maggie Estep

October 21, 2019 by Jake Leave a Comment

Maggie Estep lived a fascinating life. Novelist, poet, MTV correspondent. I think it would have been quite something to have known her when she was alive. Sadly, she passed (seemingly unexpectedly) in 2014. Hex, her first book in the Ruby Murphy took me two tries to get into, not because it’s bad or complicated but because her style is so unique. Each chapter happens from the POV of a different character, and each character is infused with a lived-in personality. But the plotting happens at […]

Filed Under: Mystery Tagged With: Coney Island, Gargantuan, horse racing, Maggie Estep, mystery, New York City, Ruby Murphy

Jake's CBR11 Review No:111 · Genres: Mystery · Tags: Coney Island, Gargantuan, horse racing, Maggie Estep, mystery, New York City, Ruby Murphy ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Offed At The Races

October 6, 2018 by Jake Leave a Comment

This was not a conventional mystery read but it was a fun book and unique compared to much of what I consume. I’m always down for books where folks get dragged unwittingly into being private eyes. But this one is different. Rather than focus solely on the perspective of the protagonist, each chapter has a different perspective from a different character. Some are more relevant to the plot than others, which can be frustrating but over time, I got used to it and even came […]

Filed Under: Mystery Tagged With: Coney Island, Hex, horse racing, Maggie Estep, mystery

Jake's CBR10 Review No:31 · Genres: Mystery · Tags: Coney Island, Hex, horse racing, Maggie Estep, mystery ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments


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