Wulf's Book Reviews

My Child is Missing by Lisa Regan My rating: 3 of 5 stars “ My Child is Missing ” is Lisa Regan's 18th novel about her Detective Josie Quinn and I’ve almost universally enjoyed reading every single one of them. Sadly, not so with this latest instalment which steadily ran its course without any highlights nor any major letdowns… Sure, these novels have always been somewhat formulaic: Josie used to drink too much because of her gruesome past (which gets mentioned in this novel every five pages…), fell in love with her colleague Noah (whom she shot at one point), adored her grandmother (who was shot at another point), found her long-lost identical twin sister (who is a famous TV journalist - but nobody ever noticed…), her best friend Misty, ex-stripper and final girlfriend of Josie’s ex-husband who died as part of the afore-mentioned gruesome past, and Misty’s son from said ex-husband, the entire murder of cops (seems like the most fitting collective noun for US cops th...

Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center My rating: 1 of 5 stars Well, this much is clear: I wouldn’t bother to save this novel in a fire. This book is a whole new kind of bad. It actually made me annoyed and, at times, angry. Sexualised violence, PTSD, cancer, sexism, general violence, stalking, abandonment, arson, insta-love, and forgiveness (for all of the afore-mentioned) - all in this one novel and badly done to boot. Before anything else - even being human - Cassie Hanwell is an extremely successful firefighter. No doubt in large part due to the fact that this profession in the USA is dominated by men. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) in 2020 only 9% of the firefighters were female. I couldn’t easily find my native Germany’s statistics but in the UK, the percentage of female firefighters is about 7%. So, I’m going to assume it’s the same problem in the USA and in Europe. Thus, Cassie - like many women - has always had (and still has...

The Black Ice by Michael Connelly My rating: 5 of 5 stars » Bosch leaned back against the tree and watched the driver open the door for her. Then he lit a cigarette and watched as the sleek black machine carried her out through the gate and left him alone with the dead. « This is the second Harry Bosch novel I read and it surpasses its already strong predecessor in many aspects. The story begins on Christmas night, when Harry discovers that a fellow officer, Calexico Moore, has apparently committed suicide in a seedy motel. Harry is suspicious of the circumstances and decides to investigate on his own, despite the orders from his superiors to stay away. He soon uncovers a web of corruption, drug trafficking, and murder that involves not only Moore, but also a mysterious drug lord, who is behind a new and deadly drug called Black Ice. The writing is much improved compared to the first Bosch novel: Connelly has refined his style and skill, and has created a more polished an...

The Woman in the Pyjamas by Sarah Pond My rating: 2 of 5 stars Despite the premise and the very positive review that put this novel on my reading list, sadly, large parts were a chore to read. The story starts with 40-year-old Daisy in an early-onset midlife crisis: Divorced and a single parent to her daughter Jess, she is unhappy with her life. So she starts doing teenager-style “challenges”, e. g. asking for a Pizza at Thorntons (which non-UK readers might not know is a confectionary store…). During her self-discovery mission, Daisy first meets and dates Ryan. When they break things off, Daisy is disillusioned and looks for solace with her friends - especially her new friend Kate… The plot is paper-thin and there’s nothing original in it. Sadly, the writing is graceless, grating and annoying - the language is wooden, stiff, and lifeless. Full of “X said”, “Y replied”, “Z looked” and so on. Repetitive sentence constructions, dialogues repeated in indirect speech, excess...