The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
“The trouble with children is that they’re not returnable.”
“’The most terrible poverty is loneliness.’”
“Chocolate like this was good for the soul, and the finer things good for the heart.”
“Feelings for adults are like treasures. And by that I mean we should bury them.”
The Guncle Abroad brings back our favorite gay uncle and his family. This time they are in Europe preparing for a wedding. Patrick, Maisie, Grant, and Greg all make a return but all a little bit older. It has been five years since the events of the first book and Patrick is about to be 50. Greg is looking to get remarried. Maisie is a teenager and Grant is becoming his own person. Greg again asks Patrick to take the kids for a bit so they travel around to several countries in Europe before landing at the destination of the wedding in Italy, on the beautiful Lake Como. There are hijinks and fun and learning aplenty. We get to meet some great new characters including a launt! Will the wedding go off without a hitch? Who will learn all about love and family? Will Patrick handle turning 50?
I thought that Steven Rowley wrote another great book but I don’t think it was as good as the first one. I still loved it though! There were returning and new characters but still everyone was fresh, exciting, relatable, and realistic. The first book had grief as the topic that permeated everything whereas this book had love. It was minutely too lovey-dovey but very manageable. No nausea from being too sickly sweet thankfully. The first thing I noticed though was before I even started the book. The jacket summary mentioned the kids being teenagers but Grant was only 11. It also had two minds about whether Patrick was actually 50 or not. But I quickly got back into the swing of things with smiling at the pop culture references, especially ones that I love and identify with. Page 5 had a mention of The First Wives Club and the judgement from the cover quickly turned to excitement about the novel I was about to read. I knew I was in for a treat in all its gay glory. The wit and snark are pure treats. It is just clever and funny. Grant talking about gay men and lesbians marrying because they are both gay. I also learned that the Bellagio in Las Vegas is based on a real location in Italy…on Lake Como! There was a mention of a movie that I loved that I feel that not a lot of people know about and that is RRR. It is so good! There was also this whole part where they went on The Sound of Music tour in Salzburg and I recognized all the details because I did that too! It was an amazing time and I would love to do it again. I could spend weeks in Austria. Reading it was like being back there and it was so vivid. It bears mentioning again but Steven continued making me laugh out loud with the witty, sarcastic, and funny back and forth. There was a joke about fathoms in response to the depth of “Twenty thousand leagues under the sea” and “’By the way, stay away from mimes, they’re all hands.’” In addition to the laughs, there were plenty of thoughts that were thoughtful and life-lessony like “there’s nothing money can buy that beats life’s free joys with the people you care about” and “growing older, as they say, was not for the faint of heart.” The paragraph on page 156 was all about our relationship with our phones and especially as a person who knew life before smartphones, was very relatable. There was a lot of spitting of bon mots. This book had a lot of words that I wrote down because I enjoyed reading, learning, and speaking them out loud. They are marchesa, dyspeptic, panoply, funicular, vivacity, and mellifluous. I also loved how instead of tourists, we were provided with more elevated terminology like itinerants, birds of passage, and bon vivants. I highly recommend reading this too. This is exactly the type of book I recommend if you read the first one or want some gay wit and fabulousness!
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Tag: Unputdownable
How To Steal A Quarter Of A Billion Dollars And Impossibly Intriguing Investigations
The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
“Trouble is much like love: when the time is ready, it will find you.”
“’You choose your family these days.’”
“’Life is sprung on us.’”
The Impossible Fortune is a continuation of The Thursday Murder Club. It is the 5th book in the series written by Richard Osman. This time the gang is just coming off the highs of a wedding and the lows of a death. Joyce’s daughter just got married and the best man at the wedding approaches Elizabeth for help. He subsequently disappears and his business partner could hold some answers. There is something they have that is worth a lot…like a lot a lot but is it worth killing over? The gang rushes to find out the answers before someone else gets hurt. Will they solve it in time? The family of another member is in trouble as well. Will the gang be able to save everyone? Will relationships remain intact?
Richard Osman sure can write an engaging story. Chapter 1 starts with Joanna writing. There is mention of the Backstreet Boys and opinions on Americans right away which made me smile. Maybe I forgot or it was never mentioned but Ron has a daughter? There were so many moments of humor and situations I related to. One is where this young man is listening to something on his phone without a listening device, so it is blaring for everyone to hear. How many times have you encountered this at an airport or just out in public? Does it make you a little ticked off? Wish you could do something about it? Besides this minor, annoying character, another bigger character I didn’t like very much was Joanna. She seemed mean and unnecessarily antagonistic. Some words of wisdom were sprinkled throughout and it was nice to see when reading a captivating novel. “Too many people thinking too much was the key problem with the modern world…think about some things you have some actual power over, but everybody spending all day thinking about things they couldn’t influence, where did that lead?” and “’If you’re scared of something you should find out all about it.’” The word I came across that I hadn’t heard of was a type of fish, turbot. Another was clement. I always heard of inclement weather but didn’t put any thought into the opposite until I saw this word in this book. I was like…interesting…you learn something new every day. I smiled at this. I read this book in less than a day as I didn’t want to put it down. Richard has really fleshed out these characters and they are still going strong through the fifth book. I cannot wait to read more! This is exactly the type of book if you want to continue the series and love a good mystery.
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Historical Horror And A New Imagining Of The Donner Party
The Hunger by Alma Katsu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
“Snow kept secrets.”
“Hope…could be a very dangerous thing, especially when dealt to desperate hands.”
“Maybe that was the curse of these mountains – they turned you mad, then reflected your own madness back at you, incarnate.”
The Hunger is about the infamous Donner-Reed Party and their ill-fated attempt on the Oregon Trail. It is a well-known story but this take adds a little more supernatural element. The author took some liberties but a lot of the places and people are real. Some of the main characters are Charles Stanton who is single and has a past he berates himself for all the time. He is described as hardy and resourceful but attractive. Tamsen Dooner who is the wife of one of the leaders of the party at certain points. She is very attractive but everyone thinks of her as a type of witch. James Reed who was the leader of the party at one point as well. He was presented as much more urban than country and he had a secret that he would do anything to protect. Edwin Bryant who was on a mission to learn about Indigenous people and had a bit of medical history. This novel takes us on their journey as they try and survive their trek to California. They run into a lot of issues that were all part of the typical expedition but a few more that made this trip scarier. Who will survive and who will succumb to the natural and unnatural alike?
I think that Alma Katsu did a phenomenal job writing this book. Her descriptions are so vivid and real without being too verbose. “Whoever had first thought to call the pioneers’ wagons ‘prairie schooners’ was quite clever; the canopies did look like the sails of ships, blazing white under the brilliant morning sun. And the thick clouds of dust kicked up by wagon wheels could almost be mistaken for the swell of waves carrying their miniature ships across a desert sea.” You can just visualize what this looks like. Some scenes were so pastoral, homey, and calming. “She reached out and let her fingertips dance over the wildflower blossoms. For a moment, she thought of the yellow coneflowers that dotted her brother Jory’s vast wheat fields, untamable and abundant…The blossoms bent and swayed at her touch, so delicate they almost tickled.” The author really knows how to convey apt elucidations that conjure up a very detailed and specific image in my head. “His laugh was like water running over stones in the creek – fast and free and clear” and “thinking of Lydia still brought an ache to his chest, like the first deep breath of cold air.” The way women were depicted seems to align with the time but still can sound familiar in today’s world. It is sad and frustrating in general. “Women were always forced to smile.” I am not sure if this is a positive or negative thought but “So many women seemed to turn their words over in their mouths like sugar cubes, until you could never be sure of the shape of the original thought” was such a good turn of phrase. The horrible attitudes displayed also holds true for how the Indigenous people were treated. It angered me to read about it, especially knowing those attitudes still exist. One scene boiled my blood. One of the themes that I noted took place throughout the book was the idea of truths. What is truth? When should you tell it and when is it good to hold back? “For many people did not like the truth, it seemed – thought it was a dirty and distasteful thing, impolite and complicated…Many simply preferred the sweet, momentary pleasure of hearing whatever they wanted to hear.” There was a scene where the truth was going to come out but didn’t and I gooped out loud. The author was able to write some very tense scenes where it felt like a thriller/horror film was playing out in my head and my body physically reacted by contracting muscles. Granted it wasn’t total world-building but the development of the fictitious elements was incredible. The thoughtfulness and depth behind it shone through. Some of the words I discovered and liked in this novel were sluice, miasma, indefatigable, fetlock, and ravenous. You know how you read some books, and it is just one cliché after another and it seems like they are trying too hard? Well Alma was able to convey a lot of wisdom and thought-provoking phrases without resorting to well-worn and eye-rolling platitudes. One minor thing that did detract from the book was the fact that there were so many characters and it was hard to keep track of the ancillary characters. I did enjoy the ending though. It was angering, surprising, and well done. This is exactly the type of book I would recommend to someone who likes amazing descriptions, getting lost in the scenery, and historical fiction. Well worth it!
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Life Triumphs And Scientific Greed
“But most disturbing is the fact that no watchdogs are found among scientists themselves.”
“’Story of our species…Everybody knows it’s coming, but not so soon.’”
“’Personally, I would never help mankind.’”
“’Scientists are actually preoccupied with accomplishment. So they are focused on whether they can do something. They never stop to ask if they should do something…Discovery is always a rape of the natural world.’”
Jurassic Park is about a theme part centered around bringing dinosaurs back to life but I think a majority of people already know this. This book and the subsequent movie are about 30 years old. There have been numerous spinoffs and the cultural awareness is strong. We follow a group of people who were invited to the park as a sort of vetting and analysis process. We have paleontologists, kids, a mathematician, and a lawyer trying to survive. John Hammond is the brains behind this and wants to make tons of money from his endeavor. Something goes wrong and there are multiple problems that occur. The dinosaurs escape and the humans are trying to figure out how to get everything back on track. Who will survive and will nature triumph?
I grew up with Jurassic Park and I finally got to reading the novel that it was based on. It is so good and it had so much more than the movie. The movie was still fantastic and what Steven Spielberg was able to do with the dinosaurs was nothing short of brilliant. He brought the book to life. The movie is a classic and I think more people should read the book too. Michael Crichton starts off with an introduction that should send chills down most people’s spines. The change in science and the focus on profits is scary. He was so technical in his descriptions of everything. The details regarding medicine, technology, and science really created a realistic aura while reading. There were some good and fun words like rapacious. Let’s talk about the differences between the movie and book. First, there was a part of the book that was describing a little elephant that Hammond carried around. He used it to showcase genetic work and to bring in donations. That would have been cute to see on the screen as elephants are my favorite animal. There were also speeches that occurred in a different part of the story or different location or were attributed to a different person. For example, in the movie the lawyer talks about money they could charge per day but in the book, it is the rival of InGen. The water droplet down the hand was Arnold in the book, not Malcom. Lex is younger than Tim in the book. One of my biggest issues with the book and this is where I think the movie got it right, was with Hammond. In the book, he was less caring and more concerned about money. He didn’t seem to care about his grandchildren very much. In the movie, Hammond was this misguided but loveable, concerned person. In the book, he was hard and self-centered. There were many more characters that had big roles in the book. Gennaro was more fleshed out and was described as being muscular in the book. Also, many more main characters died in the book, which I thought made it more realistic and complex. In the book it is explicitly said that Grant likes kids. I won’t go into all the differences but there are plenty so find out for yourself! The scene where the Tyrannosaur breaks out was exciting and thrilling in the movie and was equally as exciting to read about. However, in the book, did Grant not know that dinosaurs vision was based on movement because in the movie it was very clear. I know that if the movie was extremely true to the book that it would be hours longer, but I found it fascinating that a scene in this book was not brought to the screen until this latest movie…the one that was released in 2025…the seventh film in the franchise! There were a couple scenes that occurred in other films. I think Michael Crichton brings up some very interesting and thought-provoking topics such as power, discipline, and profit. There are many good points and it gets one to really think about the state of the world. I really have a new appreciation for the author and this book. This is exactly the type of book I would want to read for pure pleasure and enjoyment, to relive a cherished childhood movie, and to view science & humanity in a different light.
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The Focus Of James And Riding The Mississippi
James by Percival Everett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
“But the real source of our rage had to go without address, swallowed, repressed.”
“With my pencil, I wrote myself into being. I wrote myself to here.”
“Dey takes the lies dey want and throws away the truths dat scares ‘em.”
James is the story of Jim from Adventures of Huckleberry Finn but told from his perspective. We follow him through his journey from being separated from his wife and child, traversing the mighty Mississippi, encounters with many helpful people, run ins with people who want to do him harm, and all along his desire to get back to his family fueling his resolve. Throughout this story, Huck Finn is along for the ride, popping in and out of the narrative. It is told in a very rustic, local, and realistic way in the tradition of Mark Twain. Will Jim meet back up with his family or forever be on the run?
Percival Everett wrote a masterpiece here. I could not find one fault with it. The writing style was perfection and he allowed the readers to dive into the story. I felt like I was right there besides James and Huck while they were on the river, running from the white men, or eating catfish that they stole from a trotline. He has a gift with sardonic humor, keen observations, and humanistic writing. Right from the get-go I laughed out loud with “those boys couldn’t sneak up on a blind and deaf man while a band was playing.” You could just picture those boys trying to sneak. The spoken language used throughout added such depth to the narrative. On page 28, throwing in types of irony made me smile as it tickled my linguistic interests and just because I love language. Some words I ran across that I loved were Labyrinthine, Daedalean, perfidy, and sonorous. Page 103 had a great back and forth which was witty and funny. This book had an intellectual side to it as well. There were dreams of Jims, portraying historical figures and discussing equality, slavery, liberties, and whether humans are inherently evil. It added another layer of historical context based on centuries old thoughts of highly regarded writers like Volatire. It highlighted the fact that people who think they are enlightened might not be as much as they/we think. It generated many interesting possible debates. “Was it evil to kill evil?” There are so many topics and discussions I want to showcase here but I should leave things for other readers to discover on their own. The depiction of the horrific nature of slavery was palpable. The imagery that conjured in my brain with scenes describing whippings and the fear while running or hiding was vivid. It was harrowing and that was just me reading about it. Percival showcased the inhumanity it and the struggle of black people. This is exactly the type of book that I would recommend to anyone and everyone. It is quintessential.
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Best Friends Discover Love And Sultry Scenes Of Sex
Him by Sarina Bowen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
“Good thing he’s not a traffic cop, because he’s sending enough mixed signals to cause a ten-car pileup.”
Him is about two friends who meet at hockey camp and become friends. They made a bet on a shootout which caused one to cut the other off for years. Now a chance encounter at the Frozen Four brings them back into each other’s lives. They quickly become friends again and have six weeks to figure out what is going on between them. They are coaching teenagers to improve their hockey skills while navigating their own relationship. One is on his way to Toronto to play in the NHL and one is supposed to be headed for Detroit. This is a fun will they/won’t they book that keeps you enthralled from beginning to end.
I plowed through this book in a single day. I kept wanting to read more and more. There were plenty of hot scenes. It was well written, and this is the second gay romance I have read recently written by two female authors. I don’t know how they do it but they do an excellent job at describing things in a way that makes you feel like you are the one participating. One thing that I found myself doing throughout though, is trying to keep track of which name belonged to which character. I wrote it down but I still found myself flipping back to when the chapter started to remember if it was Wes or Jamie. Wes was the forward and Jamie was the goalie. Wes is gay and Jamie is straight. Wes has tattoos and breaks rules. Jamie has a huge family and loves coaching. The difference between each of their families is vast and it makes you feel for each of them. I loved how the book was written from both viewpoints, and it really helped to build the tension and see it from each perspective. The sex scenes were very sultry and provocative. I found myself frustrated at times with each of them and wanted them to just get over their hangups. I kept putting it down needing to move on to do something else but I found myself reaching for the book again and again so I can see what happens. I bet you could easily finish this in a single day. I cannot wait to read the next one.
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Deny Women At Your Peril And Heartening Succor
The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
“We shall be useful. But just as importantly we shall be defiant, occasionally ill-mannered, and completely indomitable.”
The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies is about a mature woman and the adventures she gets herself into. Lady Augusta is not your typical affluent, Regency lady of a certain age as she steps up to butts heads with society and her brother. Her sister, Lady Julia, joins along with her sister’s plans which involve doing good deeds. Another main character is brought in to mix things up as well. There are 3 main capers as you will with another mission that is intertwined throughout. This novel has romance, family, and cultural commentary. It is full of surprises and keeps you on your toes. It takes place in England and mostly around London in the Regency era. This era is not remembered for treating women well and this book addresses that head on. Women rule is this wonderful novel.
This book was an exuberant riot of fun! The sisters are adventurous, witty, and clever. And they do all this in a society that treats women as property without any sort of intelligence or agency of their own. The repartee that occurs frequently reminded me a lot of The Importance of Being Earnest which was another book I loved. The Benevolent Society was a nonstop joyride of escapades. I had a smile on my face while I was reading through many parts. I was rooting so hard for Augusta and Julia. Alison Goodman is a very good author. She writes an engaging book with excellent word use. She harkens back to a different time with her choices of locutions and makes it sound interesting instead of it having a feeling of being bogged down by unknown terms. It also highlights the differences that society at that time decided existed between men and women. I found it fascinating and it angered me all the same. The brother was an ass that needed to be slapped. He was a good antagonist. It represented the times well though which added realism. Alison did something in this book that I love when it occurs in books. It adds in queer or allusions to queer elements in a time where it was not talked about let alone accepted. Characters are introduced that are cool with it and don’t make a big deal out of it which makes my heart glow. In relation to that a character says, “my brother’s narrow idea of Christianity seems to bring more suffering into the world than relief.” This is an amazing way of phrasing it and it applies in this modern world just as much. There were some slight scenes involving low spirits and heartache, but it added to the ups and downs throughout. The dedication in the book sets the tone right off the bat. “This book is dedicated to all the women out there who no longer have the patience or desire to put up with any nonsense.”
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Bleeding Greed And Being Blind To Fraud
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Bad Blood is the mind-boggling story of woman in her journey to defraud people and make tons of money. She claims to have “invented” a new technology that could test a miniscule amount of blood quickly, accurately, and with a device that takes up a small amount of space on a countertop or shelf. Her journey is ridiculous. The company, Theranos, seemed like it had the unhealthiest culture and I do not understand how anyone could remain there for months, even years, especially the people in the know. Does no one have a conscience? There were some good eggs that ended up talking but it seemed like there should have been many more. Her actions potentially had the consequence of killing people as well, but she didn’t care. I don’t want to use her name as she is despicable. She is currently serving jail time thankfully, but it doesn’t seem like it is enough. She dropped out of college as she claimed she wanted to change the world and revolutionize the medical industry. I may be cynical and I definitely do not know her, but she seems full of it. She even changed her voice. She is a compulsive liar and doesn’t show any contrition about what she has done or how it affected people. This book was so enthralling, and I wanted to keep reading to find out how the story unfolds and how it ended. The entire time I was baffled how she got away with everything. How could no one raise any flags or look deeper into the details? Even big names like Walgreens and Henry Kissinger fell for the scheme. This just further shows the problem with greed in this country. Everyone just wants to make a quick buck regardless of the legality, morality, or consequences. John Carreyrou does an astounding job conveying the trajectory of her rise and deserved fall. He chronicles it well but one thing I found hard was keeping track of all the names of people involved. There were so many! John did his homework and deserved all the accolades. When I was reading it felt like there was a flipflop between good and evil. One chapter felt that she was getting away with everything and deceiving everyone whereas the next chapter it felt like someone was standing up and that she might be caught. It was crafted well and I enjoyed it. Throughout my time reading this book there were several instances where I could feel tension in my body regarding my frustration with what was happening and the pull to find out more. It was a physical reaction to this read. I wanted to find out that it ended badly for her and the company. I wanted her to be punished and to see that people cannot get away with hurting others. I was hooked on the story and I couldn’t wait to finish. This story exemplifies things that piss me off the most (lying, hurting others, and getting away with it) which is why I didn’t want to give it five stars but I feel it is such a great book I will. It is a must read.
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My Favorite Novel Ever And Being Overcome With Emotion
The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I absolutely loved this novel. I cannot think of one that I have loved as much as this one ever, so this might be my favorite novel of all time. I felt this immediate draw to pick it back up every time that I set it down. The Heart’s Invisible Furies is undeniably powerful, funny, and devastating. It is poignant, consuming, and clever. I cannot say enough good words about it. There aren’t enough good words to describe it. I would say that I am speechless but all I want to do is sing all the praises from the highest of the mountains so that everyone can hear. Even before the actual story starts it provides a chuckle but the actual story begins in Ireland in the 1940s with a woman who found herself in an unwed, pregnant situation and was forced to leave her hometown. She meets a guy on the way to Dublin and ends up living with him for a short bit until a tragic and joyous event occurs. The book actually follows her son and provides a detailed account of his life over the next 70 or so years. I have such an affinity for Cyril, the son. I saw myself so deeply in him, I felt such a connection, that it could have been me living that life. The characters were so well developed that I had no trouble identifying or remembering them. The picture was painted with such clarity and detail. I was hooked from the first sentence and it just continued from there. What a first chapter! It sunk its hooks into me quickly and deeply. I also loved how this book was structured. It is an epic tale as it traverses multiple countries and decades. You are immersed in the time and characters as if you were there. John Boyne is one of the best writers I have ever read. I don’t think I have read anything by him thus far, but I cannot wait to see what else is out there. He has this way of hinting and nodding to something but not outright saying it, that makes you feel in on a secret that only the two of you know. His use of context is superb. It is subtle but it fills you with quiet glee. He also has this unbelievable artistry to weave connections throughout, from the first chapter to the last. It is done with such grace and elegance that you don’t see it coming. It comes out of left field but it is so realistic. It is like it was inevitable. I would stop in my tracks and then I would just sigh at how right it felt. There are plenty of moments that left me gobsmacked with my mouth held agape in shock. I had to look around, even if I was alone, wondering who else was flabbergasted by what was on the page. I wanted to discuss in whispers what just occurred. Furies was also a riot. I found myself laughing out loud, so hard. I would even get myself to laugh just thinking about it when I set the book down. There is so much witty repartee. The quips, asides, and comebacks are plentiful that sometimes I could not handle it. My stomach hurt and I had tears from how clever the writing was. For example, “turning to her with all the warmth of Lizzie Borden dropping in to say goodnight to her parents.” There were also plenty of gut-wrenching and devastating moments that left me helpless and in tears as well. I had to stop reading at some points because I couldn’t see the words through my tears. They were dripping down my face. At times I couldn’t breathe because I was overcome with deep anguish. The overpouring of emotions that this novel can evoke in a person are mind-blowing. I have never had such a reaction to the written word that I felt throughout my body, ever in my life. It is the most human book. I smile and laugh, become wistful and melancholy just thinking of the novel still. My inability to convey how breathtaking and powerful this novel was, devastates me. This is my favorite novel ever.
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Best Fiction Book In Years and Wanting To Skip Eating, Work, and Sleep to Finish
I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I am Pilgrim is the best fiction book I have read in years! Terry Hayes is a master storyteller. He weaves an alluring, investigative thriller surrounding a plot to unleash hell on earth. The book has another crime storyline that just barely kisses up to the main story but adds to the overall excitement. It follows a member of the intelligence community and one of the most calculating & devious villains I have ever seen. He is out for revenge and will stop at nothing to get it. The planning and execution is unbelievably detailed. I love how we find out little bits at a time. I found myself getting frustrated and agitated with the antagonist (but I loved it!) which drew me in deeper. It was the mark of a well written character. The story integrates multiple characters, timelines, and plots but it is done seamlessly. There is murder, secrets, high stakes, and great locations. It has a great balance of good and evil as well as successes and failures. The see-saw of it all was amazing. I love how in the first chapter or so the reader is thrown for a loop and I was made to check my assumptions. There was a part where I felt physically nauseous due to what was happening and the description. A book that can elicit physical reactions also rates high for me. I cannot identify one detracting factor, so I am going to go out on a limb and say this novel is perfection! The main character comes alive and it is like you are along for the ride. He is portrayed so well, and he has faults too, so it makes it more realistic and engaging. He makes mistakes which heightens the pressure and stakes. The scenarios are full of energy and tension. The little hints and foreshadows at the end of chapters just basically forced me to keep going. Terry Hayes is funny and clever writer. The way he phrases things is great. “A rope of gold chains around his neck big enough to anchor a cruise line.” I did not want to put it down. I didn’t want to go to sleep. I toyed with calling in sick to work (I didn’t but I wanted to) just so I can read some more. If I could give it 6 stars I would. This should move to the top of everyone’s TBR pile immediately.
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