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marklpotter's review
4.0
As the dues ex machina that is the quick invention cycle of House Avalante we start moving from a Victorian setting in to a more Wild West setting. This may be off putting but trust me the stories more than make up for the abrupt shifts in development. In Brown River Queen we are treated to a mystery aboard a steam boat, named the same as the title of the book. As usual the thing that pulls Markhat's bacon out of the fire is something that he claims he doesn't believe in. While amusing at first, that trope is getting a little old, one can only suspend disbelief so much when a character has been shown that magic is real over and over and still doesn't believe certain parts of it because he hasn't seen it. That is, however, my only real complaint about the book.
While this is still a detective series the strength in the writing is really the relationships. Tuttle has done such an amazing job on all of them. He doesn't neglect the lives the characters have outside their interactions that manage to grace the pages of the book and he manages to create believable interactions between all of the characters that have a continuity between stories.
The dark events on the horizon and the darkness come before have started shaping the characters and not all in the same manner. Tuttle is able to write the subtleties of these changes so that every character reacts and changes in a manner that seems true to their nature. Make no mistake there is a heavy darkness on the horizon and its weight is pushing down on all of the characters. The detective bits are well done enough but the overall arc is heading down a dark path.
While I rated this one star lower than the past couple of books my interest in the series hasn't waned, in fact I am very excited for the next installment. I rather like a series that has a lot of books out when I finally discover it.
While this is still a detective series the strength in the writing is really the relationships. Tuttle has done such an amazing job on all of them. He doesn't neglect the lives the characters have outside their interactions that manage to grace the pages of the book and he manages to create believable interactions between all of the characters that have a continuity between stories.
The dark events on the horizon and the darkness come before have started shaping the characters and not all in the same manner. Tuttle is able to write the subtleties of these changes so that every character reacts and changes in a manner that seems true to their nature. Make no mistake there is a heavy darkness on the horizon and its weight is pushing down on all of the characters. The detective bits are well done enough but the overall arc is heading down a dark path.
While I rated this one star lower than the past couple of books my interest in the series hasn't waned, in fact I am very excited for the next installment. I rather like a series that has a lot of books out when I finally discover it.
carol26388's review
5.0
New rating system, based on the Ability to Distract While Flying:
1-star: consumed with thoughts of dying in a fiery crash
2-star: able to read a page or two at a time but pause to wish that Captain Sully was in the cockpit.
3-star: able to read but distracted by the high-pitched voice of the child three rows in front of me and wishing for earplugs
4-star: only able to be interrupted by stewards bearing drinks
5-star: What? Where? Go away, I'm busy.
Brown River Queen is a five star--so amazingly fun that I was actually annoyed when we touched down--I only had 30 or so pages to finish, I really wanted to know the ending, and didn't think my hostess would appreciate me forbidding her from talking while I read. It completely absorbed me during the puddle-jumper flight from Madison to New York. The roar of the engines (of course, seated in the back), people brushing by to use the restroom, the drying air--all faded away as I read. I was on a gambling steamboat on the Brown River, with Markhat, his assistant, his wife Darla and his vampire friend Evis.
Markhat is hired for an exorbitant fee to protect A Notable Personage during the inaugural trip of the first-ever steamboat down the Brown River. Unfortunately, Markhat seems to be the target of assassination himself, so its questionable how much he can protect anybody. He and Evis are desperate enough to seek help, but the unpredictable Corpsemaster is nowhere to be found. The little band might be on their own, with only Mama Hog and Buttercup the Banshee as backup.
I thought the story elements blended well; the feeling of looming threat, the actual danger scenes, the unsettled politics of the city as backdrop, the horror of the mysterious deaths. As always, I enjoyed the balance of tension and humor and rarely felt that it impacted the emotional import of a scene. Never fear, Tuttle is sure to
A note for those not sure of what order--this book follows events of the preceding [b:The Broken Bell|12951778|The Broken Bell (Markhat #6)|Frank Tuttle|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1319652647s/12951778.jpg|18108680], so read in order for those afeared of spoilers.
So what are you waiting for?
Cross posted at http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2013/06/24/brown-river-queen-by-frank-tuttle/
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