“The Queen is Dead,” by Kate Locke

FM's ratings:

          1. Premise 10

          2. Prose 10

          3. Plot 9

          4. Characters 10

          5. Overall 10


Comments (optional - but try to keep it under 3000 words!)


A book of this type probably shouldn’t get a “10” – but it’s just that good.   It’s a horror story about vampires, werewolves, and goblins; fluff, right?  But it really is brilliantly executed and just an amazing load of fun.  This author is one of those who write completely different types of books under other pen names.  Nora Roberts/J. D. Robb comes to mind.  And like Roberts/Robb, one style of writing emerges as far superior to the others.  That baffles me.  It’s not so much that an author is capable of being virtually schizophrenic in his/her ability to write in completely different voices; though that’s impressive in its own right.  The baffling part is: if an author is capable of writing this well, why in the world would said author EVER write anything intentionally inferior to it??  Her other genres are Steampunk for Teens, and Steampunk Romance, and though they both have their up sides, neither can compare to this series.  This one rivals Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse novels, and coming from me, that is high praise indeed.  The premise that history remains “stuck” in the Victorian age to the present day because the aristocracy became vampires – therefore capable of living indefinitely if not forever – is pure gold, if it’s well-executed.  And it is.  Magical stuff, well worth the time to read the whole series!

Here’s the March line-up!

“’I’ is for Innocence,” by Sue Grafton [3-5]

“A Thief of Time,” by Tony Hillerman [3-12]

“The Ritual Bath,” by Faye Kellerman [3-19]

“Deception,” by Jonathan Kellerman [3-26]

(As always, if there are any books you’d like to recommend for the next month, please do so.  Also, if you have already read one on our previous lists, you are invited to send your ratings and or comments for that book!)