[Note: apart from one major point in the Baldacci book, this is a spoiler free zone.]

I’m not going to make this a regular feature, but this month it suits me to wrap up all my fiction reading at one time. I use the goodreads site to keep track of fiction, primarily to try to avoid buying (or inadvertently reading) books I have already read.

Here’s what I finished in September:

Nash Falls — David Baldacci

Let’s get the spoiler out of the way, up front. This book is only half of the story. It appears that the next in the series — Hope Rises — finishes the loose ends left at the end of this book. Had I known that I might either have passed, or bought both volumes at once.

This is typical Baldacci fare — meant as a compliment — involving a man (Walter Nash) living his high-level but quite boring life without an apparent care in the world. But, of course, things are not all that they seem and Walsh is pitched, out of nowhere, into a crisis that threatens everything he has and has stood for. In the mix are the FBI, an estranged father, and a master criminal, among others.

Baldacci tells a good tale. It was entertaining without being too demanding. However, sometimes the suspension of disbelief required was a tad too much.

I gave it a 3/5 at goodreads.

King of Ashes — S. A. Cosby

Roman Carruthers is a financial adviser in Atlanta, doing well. His sister calls him to tell him their father is in a coma after a hit-and-run accident. Roman goes home to Jefferson Run, Virginia, to help his sister and brother and becomes embroiled in a situation much more complicated and dangerous than he anticipated. While that crisis blossoms, the disappearance of their mother when Roman and his brother and sister were kids, lingers in the background.

While I found some of the violence over the top — and maybe that was the point — the story rattles along with plenty of tension and twists and does a good job of making you want to turn the page. Unfortunately, I guessed the final showdown and that took a bit of the pleasure out of the book. Still, not bad at all.

I gave it a 3/5 at goodreads.

A Killer in Paradise — Tom Hindle

Once upon a time, a group of students went backpacking in Central America. The trip ended badly. So why, ten years later, does one of the group invite the others to a reunion at the launch of her luxury hotel project in the Costa Rican rainforest? Well, it seems, curiosity got the better of them, so off they jolly well went to the reunion and — with the inevitable body turning up at the scene — duly set up an almost cozy crime mystery. It’s sort of an Agatha Christie type crime novel, modernized, with more than enough twists to keep you entertained. Some are obvious, some are well hidden and neatly sprung.

On the plus side, the characters are, on the whole, well-drawn and credible. On the negative side, some of the interactions are less credible. At certain points in the plot I wanted to know why people mildly went along with whatever was suggested without asking obvious questions. In short, there was a wee bit of sheepish behavior. However, on balance, this was one of the better books I read this month.

I gave it a 4/5 at goodreads.

With a Mind to Kill — Anthony Horowitz

This is a James Bond tale, done very much in the style of Ian Fleming, incorporating much period detail to provide an authentic look and feel for this espionage adventure. While overall I enjoyed the experience, the plot wasn’t anything to write home about, and featured too many predictable developments. And you’re not going to find in-depth character creation on these pages. That having been said, it was a fine piece of entertainment. Not bad.

I gave it a 3/5 at goodreads.

Wolf Hour — Jo Nesbo

This is a twin-track story, both being set in Minneapolis. The original track, in 2016, essentially starts with the shooting of a local gun dealer. The initial suspect is a gang enforcer from the past who has vanished into thin air. Bob Oz, a typically defective detective is on the trail.

The second track, in 2022, starts with the arrival in the city of a crime writer who has come to research the 2016 events to write a book about it.

The 2016 track gets greater attention, but the suitably enigmatic 2022 track does add a bit of spice to what might have been a pretty ordinary tale.

Nesbo’s characters are top-notch. This heightens the tension as you cannot be certain who will survive, and in what state. Once again, Nesbo’s portrayal of alcoholics and alcoholism reeks of authenticity. I can only wonder why.

While I have said the 2022 track did add something, I also felt it wasn’t as fully developed as it could have been and that might have been the enhancement that turned it from a good book into a great book.

Well worth your time.

I gave it a 4/5 at goodreads.

Project Hail Mary — Andy Weir

This is the story of a man, Ryland Grace, who wakes up on a spaceship not knowing who he is or why he’s there.

The central character, and how we see the world through his eyes, has to carry a big chunk of the responsibility for keeping the reader engaged, interested and invested. In my view, this was done well. I also thought the pacing kept the tension taut without going over the top and the unfolding of the plot — as we learn more about how and why Ryland Grace ended up where he ended up —  was a polished affair.

Sure, there were passages of (scientific) explanation that I didn’t always follow, but that took little away from the general pleasure.

It’s not one of those books I am likely to return to and read again — it’s a one-shot experience for me — but I’m glad I read it. 

I gave it a 4/5 at goodreads.