February 2023: Bill
Bill has been a bookseller at Quail Ridge Books for 9 years. He likes to read (in no particular
order) mysteries, science fiction, history, and the occasional biography. He likes long,
romantic walks on the beach, and Squirrel Nut Zippers (the candy and the band).
The Ranger by Ace Atkins is always at the top of my list. This is the first book in his Quinn Colson series. I love this series because the characters change and grow with each successive book.
— Bill
Open Season by C. J. Box is the first Joe Pickett novel. A game warden in Wyoming, Joe keeps running into crimes beyond a warden's duty.
— Bill
The first Jack Reacher opus introduces us to our hero, a cross between Sherlock Holmes and Andre the Giant. Don't let the disappointing movies discourage you from reading this.
— Bill
The first Harry Bosch novel by Michael Connelly, paves the way for a slew of novels. I read every new Bosch novel with a mixture of excitement for what is to come, and regret that I'm not able to pace myself in reading it. Connelly is one of America's finest writers in any genre.
— Bill
Every Dead Thing introduces us to Charlie Parker. The author, John Connolly, gives us a story of a man haunted by his past, and sometimes haunted in the present. Good suspense with a supernatural flavor.
— Bill
Florida Roadkill by Tim Dorsey opens a series about serial killer Serge Storms, a psychopath with a code. He and his sidekick Coleman, chronically smoking chronic, explore the history and culture of Serge's home state of Florida. He's normally a Teddy Bear, but if you cross Serge's moral line you are dead, usually in a complicated way that would make Rube Goldberg (kiddies, look him up) proud. Serial killers have never been this funny.
— Bill
One for the Money, the first Stephanie Plum adventure by Janet Evanovich, introduces us to a brand new bounty hunter who bumbles her way through every case until she has her man. Janet's books always include humor, and sometimes I laugh out loud.
— Bill
The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson is the first Walt Longmire entry. As Sheriff in Absaroka County, Wyoming (why is there so much crime in Wyoming?), Walt deals with problems from the local citizenry and the Native American reservation nearby. Like Tony Hillerman, Johnson gives us insight into the spirituality of Native Americans.
— Bill
Iron Lake by William Kent Kreuger is the first Cork O'Connor mystery. A former Chicago cop and sheriff of Aurora, Minnesota, Cork finds himself investigating cases the current Sheriff can't—or won’t—investigate.
— Bill
Richard Osman is a relative newcomer to the mystery scene. The Thursday Murder Club begins the adventures of a group of retirees who meet every Thursday to discuss unsolved crimes. Of course, they end up solving them. So far there are only three books in this series, so you can get in on the ground floor. I can't wait for the next installment.
— Bill
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