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Books

Short works

Books : reviews

J. D. Robb, Patricia Gaffney, Mary Blayney, Ruth Ryan Langan, eds.
The Lost.
Berkley. 2009

rating : 5 : waste of time
review : 30 January 2010

Another in the themed collection of four novellas, that I buy just for the Eve Dallas story. Here the (again rather weak) link is about something or someone that is "lost": a murderer, a life, a daughter. The novella is a length that doesn't really work for me: too long to be a single "hook" short story, but not long enough to get the sub-plots and back-stories in a novel.

Contents

• J. D. Robb. Missing in Death. 2009
Lt Eve Dallas investigates a murder on the Staten Island Ferry, where there are no witnesses and no body, just oodles of blood. But how did the murderer escape with the body off a packed boat? And why choose such a venue? This displays one of the potential weaknesses of mixing SF and police procedural: the gadget made up to make the crime possible. Here that gadget is also the McGuffin, and this link restores some credibility.
• Patricia Gaffney. The Dog Days of Laurie Summer. 2009
"Person wakes up as a dog" story, done quite well, and without the "feugh" ending of some of the other stories in this series of collections.
• Mary Blayney. Lost in Paradise. 2009
"Beauty and the Beast" retelling, with a too easily convinced Beauty, and a too easily reformed Beast.
• Ruth Ryan Langan. Legacy. 2009
Aidan O'Mara's life is in ruins after the death of her mother, when she discovers that she may have family back in Ireland.

J. D. Robb, Mary Blayney, Patricia Gaffney, Ruth Ryan Langan, Mary Kay McComas, eds.
The Other Side.
Berkley. 2010

rating : 4.5 : passes the time
review : 18 September 2011

Another in the themed collection of four novellas, that I buy just for the Eve Dallas story. Here the (again rather weak) link is "the other side": mostly, but not always, ghosts.

Contents

• J. D. Robb. Possession in Death. 2010
Lt Eve Dallas is possessed by a Gypsy curse to solve a missing person mystery, before it becomes a murder.
• Mary Blayney. The Other Side of the Coin. 2010
"If you were a woman, and I was a man/Would it be so hard to understand"
• Patricia Gaffney. The Dancing Ghost. 2010
A fake haunted-house investigator meets a fake-haunted house owner.
• Ruth Ryan Langan. Almost Heaven. 2010
Recently dead loving parents watch over their daughter's wedding preparations, and are horrified to discover that her fiance murdered them, and is planning to murder her.
• Mary Kay McComas. Never Too Late to Love. 2010
MJ Biderman discovers that her family house is haunted by her mother and aunts. She must discover what they have lost before they can leave and let her tear the house down.

J. D. Robb, Mary Blayney, Patricia Gaffney, Ruth Ryan Langan, Mary Kay McComas, eds.
The Unquiet.
Berkley. 2011

rating : 4.5 : passes the time
review : 25 August 2012

A further entry in the themed collection of novellas that I buy just for the Eve Dallas story. Here the link is presumably "the unquiet", ghosts that cannot rest (for those stories that actually have ghosts).

Contents

• J. D. Robb. Chaos in Death. 2011
Lt Eve Dallas, still not fully recovered from her ordeal in her namesake city, investigates a case with a most unbelievable murderer.
• Mary Blayney. Her Greatest Treasure. 2011
A widow returns home to run her fabric shop, with her dead husband whispering "wish" in her dreams, a strange coin on a necklace, and a secret purple dye.
• Patricia Gaffney. Dear One. 2011
A young telephone psychic creates a strong bond with a lonely widower.
• Ruth Ryan Langan. The Unforgiven. 2011
Brianna Kerr travels to her Scottish inheritance, only to discover a vengeful old ghost thwarting her plans.
• Mary Kay McComas. His Brother's Keeper. 2011
A young artist has strange dreams about the neighbour's summer house.