Always weird and wonderful, Mr. Mieville is one of my favorite authors.  I am usually not a fan of short story collections, I prefer a full, robust novel.  I couldn't resist picking this up, though, and I am so glad I did!  Some stories resonated with me more than others, some I skimmed through.

I have to say, my favorite story was Polynia.  Massive icebergs floating around in the sky was the most spectacular manifestation of strangeness, but there were passing mentions of other phenomenon. It was never disclosed what the cause of the world altering changes were, you are left to fill in the holes and use your imagination. As a lifetime card player (albeit non-gambling), The Dowager of Bees freaked me out.  I will be waiting the rest of my life to get a hidden suit...

This collection of stories is well worth your time to pick up, small doses are sometimes the best way to swallow the odd and disturbing.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first installment of this series, Tagged for Death (see review October, 2014). I was happy to see Sarah again and get to know her better.  She is still as strong and resourceful as ever. Pulling off the largest garage sale in New England was supposed to be the biggest event in her life for the year, but someone had other plans.  A dead body and a mystery sucks Sarah into another adventure, but no one messes with her or her friends without Sarah doing everything in her power to protect and solve.  Perfect summer read, I hope Sherry Harris has more in mind for Sarah and her crazy little town!

This is the beginning of a beautiful relationship.  I love this genre, it hits all my sweet spots.  Magic, intrigue, romance (at least the beginnings) and the supernatural.  I was impressed that the romance took a back seat to the action, but I expect things to heat up between Simon and Kate in the future. Hint, hint.  There are also some other potential pairings I wouldn't be unhappy to see.  As for the magic and supernatural, the only complaint I have is the lack of background.  Scribes are a dying breed, many think already extinct. Why?  There doesn't seem to be a lack in other aspects of magic, so why the decline in scribes?  I anticipate answers to my lingering questions in the next two books. Which I will start tomorrow.  Or maybe tonight.  Or maybe on my lunch break...

I quickly became obsessed with this book.  I downloaded it right before leaving for a business trip, hoping to have something to distract me from the airport drudgery.  Boy did it ever work!  Layover in Detroit?  Why, yes, thank you!  If only that pesky business stuff hadn't gotten in the way, I would have finished the book in record time.

Amos Decker was a fascinating character.  Reading the description of the book, I wasn't expecting to like him as much as I did.  His personality, and his whole sense of who he was, changed in a bizarre, unprecedented way.  It was interesting how Baldacci compared Amos' condition to Asperger's, or highly functioning Autism.  Amos had worked hard to create a life of normalcy, carving out a niche in life where he could succeed and even excel.

When that life was taken away from him, he fell hard and fast.  The novel is a thriller about serial killers and unthinkable crimes, but what really held my interest was the redemption of Amos.  I rooted for him, wanted him to solve the crimes, couldn't wait to see where he would end up when the action was over.

Completely satisfied with this outing, I want more...