Monthly Archives: April 2025

If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio

“In the writing of this book I have consulted so many different editions of the complete works and the individual plays that it would be impossible to list all of them without the bibliography becoming longer than the story itself.” ~ M. L. Rio, Author’s Note, If We Were Villains

“Here I must also acknowledge that I have ransacked Shakespeare’s entire oeuvre with giddy abandon. The fourth-year thespians speak a kind of Pidgin English so saturated with Shakespearean words and quotes and turns of phrase that it could almost be classified as a new (and, there is no denying, exceptionally pretentious) dialect.” ~ M. L. Rio, Author’s Note, If We Were Villains

This book was recommended by The Secret History subReddit members. Had I only read the Author’s Note first, my lingering questions would have been answered and it would have saved me hours, because I would have realized the only thing this book has in common with The Secret History is a group of self-absorbed college students and a murder.

The story begins with Oliver being released from prison and we soon learn that one of his classmates in college was killed, so that’s probably why he was there. But why?

At 354+ pages, this book is 150 pages too long. If not more. It’s cleverly written in the manner of a script for a play, sections are Act I, Act II, etc., and chapters are Scene 1, Scene 2, etc. It’s Shakespeare’s plays all jumbled up. Quotes and thrown in here and there according to whim and if you don’t have a working knowledge of Shakespeare, it can make no sense.

It’s very possible there were too many characters. By the end of this book, it wasn’t possible to care less about the people who weren’t murdered. No surprise. I didn’t care about the guy who was murdered, either. Richard — and I don’t consider this a spoiler because it was obvious from his first appearance that he was the intended — was a jerk. Yes. But the penalty for being a jerk isn’t death.

All of the characters could have used a lot more development. As the author herself admits, they spoke their own language based on Shakespeare’s plays. So we learned they liked Shakespeare, they attended a college that let them concentrate on that. There was a least one gay relationship. That’s what we know. Who cares?

The setting and atmosphere weren’t very developed, either. After finishing the book, I’m left wondering why it was so long. The most interesting thing — the death of Richard wasn’t interesting, it was expected — was half way through the book when Oliver visits his family for Thanksgiving and finds out, one semester from graduation, his parents are pulling the plug on paying his tuition. Even that drama doesn’t last long.

What can you say about a writer’s style when it consists of quotes from Shakespeare? I guess it takes some book learnin’ to manage that, which she has — a master’s in Shakespeare, believe it or not. So I can see why this was the central theme of her first novel. It seems to be aimed at a niche audience of which I am not a member. I have nothing against Shakespeare. But if I was in the mood for The Bard, I’d pick up his work. Not someone else borrowing his work.

I finished the book just to find out what the solution to the puzzle was. I didn’t care about the people, whether Oliver did it or not. Or whether the group stayed friends, though it would be a surprise if they did. That almost never happens, in fiction or in real life.

This book was okay for what it was. But I would definitely not recommend it to a lover of The Secret History.

3/5

Wolf Hall Companion (2020) by Lauren Mackay

An accessible and authoritative companion to the bestselling Wolf Hall trilogy by Hilary Mantel, published after the third and final book, The Mirror and the Light.

Wolf Hall Companion gives an historian’s view of what we know about Thomas Cromwell, one of the most powerful men of the Tudor age and the central character in Mantel’s Wolf Hall trilogy.

Covering the key court and political characters from the books, this companion guide also works as a concise Tudor history primer. Alongside Thomas Cromwell, the author explores characters including Anne Boleyn, Thomas Cranmer, Jane Seymour, Henry VIII, Thomas Howard, Cardinal Wolsey and Richard Fox. The important places in the court of Henry VIII are introduced and put into context, including Hampton Court, the Tower of London, Cromwell’s home Austin Friars, and of course Wolf Hall. The author explores not only the real history of these people and places, but also Hilary Mantel’s interpretation of them.

Having read Hilary Mantel’s trilogy – most of it – and experiencing some confusion about historical events, I was thrilled to see this book mentioned in a discussion of Tudor history and couldn’t snag it fast enough.

It’s a short book, but it fits the bill perfectly by highlighting instances where Mantel used literary license and when she was true to historical fact. There are also plenty of examples in between as well as historical background for some characters who could have been a bit hazy by only Mantel’s telling.

And while it’s short, it’s not light on content. It was definitely not a quick read as it encourages some back and forth with Mantel’s books and others to get the full story on any given person or event. The “Further Reading” section has several Cromwell biographies as well as general Tudor histories listed. There’s also a comprehensive index – impressive for such a short book.

All in all this was a very enjoyable and informative read, but definitely not a quickie.

4/5

Paint an Inch Thick by Adam Dompierre

A Madcap Mystery, California-Style: Eddie London might be the worst detective in all of Summerport. Then again, he assures himself, it’s a pretty big city. But when Veronica Lawrence hires him to find her missing husband, Eddie sees his chance to transcend the low-stakes (and low-paying) cases that have thus far sustained his fledgling operation.

As part of his unorthodox investigation, Eddie goes undercover at the authoritarian Manticore Cooperative. There he does his best to outwit its charismatic and temperamental leader. Further clues lead to a violent dive bar and a wilderness compound run by a dangerous cult.

Among Eddie’s associates are his boisterous best friend and a newfound ally with her own reasons for taking on Manticore. Together they will try to surveil, bluff, and strong-arm their way to Mr. Lawrence’s safe return. And if that means conducting a car chase across the California freeway or taking a sucker punch to the back of the head, Eddie’s just the man for that too.

Veronica has given him seven days to locate her husband. Failing that, Eddie knows, another chance may not come his way. He has no intention of letting the opportunity pass by.

This book is part of the “Eddie London Mysteries” series. So you start out wondering what came before because, for one thing, our hero’s real name is a mystery. Eddie London is a fake ID for the current case. So imagine my surprise and relief when I actually started paying attention and found this is the first book in the series! So I’m not behind the curve!

Eddie London – or whoever he is – is young. Maybe he doesn’t think of himself this way, but he isn’t 30 yet if he’s to be believed. And that’s young. Wants to be a successful private investigator and The Case falls into his lap. He plays it pretty well because it takes awhile to figure out he doesn’t know what he’s doing! For the most part, he manages to pull it off though he does get himself into some pretty obvious predicaments. It’s not a stretch to figure out the guy you’re meeting any minute is going to walk in while you’re digging through his filing cabinets.

He meets a few ladies in his adventures and I really like the fact that he didn’t need to bed any of them after the first cup of coffee. Or the second. Or the adult beverages. He does let his mouth get away from him and kind of reminds me of a Myron Bolitar in the making. We need a LOT more “Eddie London Mysteries” installments to accomplish that, though!

The plot, unfortunately, didn’t make a lot of sense and there were way too many loose ends left hanging. The mystery was well-developed but the finish was lacking. Yes, our hero solved the puzzle – sorta – but what was really going on in the first place? No nice, neat package here though there was an effort!

All in all I really enjoyed this book. There were plenty of unexpected opportunities for a smile here and a giggle there. And though I still had plenty of questions after the last chapter, it wasn’t enough to ruin it for me. I’m really looking forward to the next installment!

4.5/5

Then She Died by Michael Geczi

Emotional and psychological episodes are nothing new for Will Post. He’s got a lifetime of experience. More than anyone would want or believe. But he doesn’t have any experience dealing with his recent killing of three people, and that’s his newest challenge, along with haunting hallucinations and delusions. His solution: hit the road, get out of Chicago, and hide and figure things out in the Berkshire Mountains in Western Massachusetts.

For a year, it works out well. He lives as a recluse, stays out of sight, and develops a new routine. Then he meets Val. They fall in love, move in together, and share a near-perfect life for several years … until she gets sick. And then passes away.

The episodes return, and Post inexplicitly decides to return to Chicago. Perhaps he can learn how to forgive himself and even heal. Chicago is no panacea, however. Chicago PD Detective Tanner Osborn is looking into the three killings, now ignored cold cases, determined to learn more.

Post faces other issues, as well, some dating back to his heartbreaking childhood, new ones tied to his return to Chicago, and others signaling a significant and intensifying psychological break.

And then there’s the voice in his head providing specific – and often conflicting – instructions.

Then She Died is a fast-moving and deeply penetrating look at the highs and lows surrounding life, love, death … and the always-important truism that actions – conscious and unconscious – have consequences.

Every single aspect of this story must be taken with a grain of salt. You’re already going to know that because right from the start there will be a constant nagging in your head. “This just doesn’t seem right? Is it?”

Is it? In the end you still won’t know, what with all the red herrings and loose ends that remain. Or will you?

This isn’t a case of too many characters, though sometimes it felt like it when a name popped back up and I couldn’t remember how they fit in. They were just under utilized and most of them could have been developed at least a little bit more. But taking that too far would have given away the whole thing! The “is this even real” vagueness is a must.

Looking for logic here isn’t going to serve you well. There isn’t any. But it was a fun ride!

3/5