Review: True Medical Detective Stories by Clifton K. Meador

pneumonia is kind of pretty! via

Reviewed by Christina
(I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.)

Published: 2012

It's about: This a collection of (you guessed it!) True Medical Detective Stories.  They are compiled and told by Dr. Meador, a physician and author with over fifty years of experience practicing and teaching medicine.  In this most recent book, he shares nineteen perplexing cases in which some one- a doctor, researcher, nurse, or family member- seizes upon an unusual or unexpected diagnosis.  In one chapter, a woman has unexplained paralysis associated with pregnancy.  In another, a young man frequently visits the E.R., healthy except for a fever and some air under his skin. (?!)  You get the idea.

I thought:  I love medical mysteries, and so I tore through this collection in one quick evening of reading.  Dr. Meador is a good writer: straightforward, clear and very concise, never condescending toward layperson readers.  There's really no extra jibber-jabber in this collection, which is probably why I read it so fast.  Meador describes and solves each case very quickly, providing only the minimum, most necessary information.  My only real complaint is that I wanted so much more: more information about the patients, the diseases, the treatments.  I wanted a little more flair in the storytelling- some red herrings, maybe, or even just more physical description of the settings, the people.  I wish each story had just been fleshed out a little more.

The cases themselves are great.  Some are bizarre, some are sad, all are fascinating.  And Dr. Meador has some nicely-woven recurring themes: the importance of taking a thorough patient history, the power our minds can wield over our bodies, the idea that the doctor isn't always the best detective in the room.  If you like medical mystery shows like House, M.D., Bones, and Doc Martin, you should definitely pick up True Medical Detective Stories and spend a pleasant hour with Dr. Meador's stories.  (By the way, I'm pretty sure the first episode of Doc Martin is based off the "Dr. Jim's Breasts" case, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1980.)

Verdict: Stick it on the shelf.

Warnings:  I don't know, some anatomy and stuff.  It's medical, not sexy.

What I'm reading next:  I Never Promised You a Rose Garden by Joanne Greenberg

Review: Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Trevor Peacock as "Old Bailey" in the Neverwhere BBC miniseries via

Reviewed by Connie

Published: 1996

It's about: Richard Mayhew leads an ordinary life with his ordinary fiancee in ordinary London -- that is, until he crosses paths with a girl who has been seriously injured and decides to help her. This one decision turns Richard's life upside-down and leads him on a fantastical journey from London Above to London Below, a world that exists in the sewers of the city, a world with angels and deadly assassins who never die and people who converse with rats.

I thought: I began this book with really no expectations whatsoever. I knew nothing about this book, and I had never read a Neil Gaiman novel, though I suppose I should have suspected the book to be fantastical, since I knew the movies Coraline and Stardust were both based off of Gaiman books. That being said, I was a little off-put at first when characters began speaking to rats and referencing "London Below." Those aren't the types of books I typically read.

However, I stuck this one out, mainly because the writing was so enjoyable, and I must say, I'm glad I did.

Gaiman manages to craft an enjoyable story with believable characters and to keep a non-fantasy reader like myself interested the entire time, which is hard to do, as I personally find a lot of fantasy eye-roll worthy. The writing is easy and wonderfully witty (see the first excerpt below for a taste).

In a word, this book was fun. I had a lot of fun reading it, and I expect to one day have more fun re-reading it with my children when they are old enough to not be completely freaked out by and have nightmares about Croup and Vandemar.

Verdict: Stick it on the shelf

Reading Recommendations: I know we just passed Halloween, but this is a perfect Halloween-y read.

Warnings: a few f-words (like, literally 3-4)

Favorite excerpts:

Croup and Vandemar via

"There are four simple ways for the observant to tell Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar apart: first, Mr. Vandemar is two and a half heads taller than Mr. Croup; second, Mr. Croup has eyes of a faded china blue, while Mr. Vandemar's eyes are brown; third, while Mr. Vandemar fashioned the rings he wears on his right hand out of the skulls of four ravens, Mr. Croup has no obvious jewelry; fourth, Mr. Croup likes words, while Mr. Vandemar is always hungry. Also, they look nothing alike at all."

"And then they set foot on Night's Bridge and Richard began to understand darkness: darkness as something solid and real, so much more than a simple absence of light. He felt it touch his skin, questing, moving, exploring: gliding through his mind. It slipped into his lungs, behind his eyes, into his mouth... It felt not so much as if the lights were being turned down but as if the darkness were being turned up."



What I'm reading next: The History of Love by Nicole Krauss

Audiobooks Review: The Millennium Series by Stieg Larsson, read by Simon Vance

Audiobooks Reviewed by Christina
(We had a guest review of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo here)

Published: In Swedish: 2005-2007. English translation by Reg Keeland: 2008-2010

It's about: Unless you've been living under a rock for the last few years, you've probably already heard all about this hugely popular series of thrillers. So I'll be brief: the central characters are a determined journalist named Mikael Blomqvist and an antisocial hacker named Lisbeth Salander. Working together and separately they investigate and expose corrupt businessmen, murderers, thugs, and other bad guys.

I thought: Well. There's a lot to say about the Millennium series, and it's pretty much all been said by now. I guess I should start by admitting that I don't read thrillers or mysteries very often, so I'm not in a position to judge this series against others of its type. But I did enjoy listening to these books; the stories and characters caught my attention, and I can understand why they're so popular. The writing style is adequate, not masterful or artful, and I'd say the same about the translation. That's fine with me, and even suits the genre; I don't need flowery prose in a murder mystery.

I like the idea of the activism behind the books; Larsson's goal was to shine a light on the surprising rates of violence against women in Sweden, and the books are peppered with relevant facts and figures. I loved that Lisbeth, herself a victim of said violence, played a major role in obtaining justice for the various crimes perpetrated against women. Lisbeth intrigued me, and I'm sorry there aren't more books about her.

But there are plenty of things I didn't love about this trilogy. The first book is thrilling, but poorly paced, with a denouement that lasts ages. The second, The Girl Who Played With Fire, is the strongest in the series, but the third book has almost no story of its own- it's like an extremely long and boring epilogue for book two. That is, until the actual epilogue to book three, which is when we finally get some action. None of the characters really develop or change throughout the series, though I guess it could be argued that Larsson was planning a broad character arc or two that he meant to stretch through all 10 planned books. (He died suddenly, before completing the fourth installment.) I grew annoyed with several impossible plot points that I can't mention without revealing major spoilers. I also rolled my eyes repeatedly at the way nearly every female character who comes into close contact with Blomqvist throws herself at him and MAKES him sleep with her. Come ON.

BUT! Simon Vance is INCREDIBLE. He is, hands down, the best audiobook reader I've ever listened to. Each character has a distinct voice with a socio-economically and culturally appropriate accent, and that's saying something because there are a LOT of characters in these books. And the difference between each voice is subtle; I can't think of a single one that annoyed me or seemed hackneyed. The women sound like women without being squeaky; the foreigners have accents without sounding ridiculous. Honestly, I was amazed by his versatility and ability to change timbre and inflection at the drop of a hat.

Verdict: In Between. I liked the series, but I can only think of a few people to whom I'd recommend it very enthusiastically.

Reading Recommendations: The new movie from last year is so well done that I'd almost recommend seeing The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo rather than reading it. But if you're looking for a good thrilling audiobook, Simon Vance's performance won't disappoint.
(I haven't seen the Swedish movies yet, but I've heard they're also very faithful.)

Warnings: Language, graphic violence (including sexual violence) and all kinds of disturbing subject matter.

What I'm listening to next: I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

Review: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

Reviewed by Connie

Published: 2003

It's about: This book (and the subsequent 11 books in the series) narrates the adventures of Mma Precious Ramotswe, an African woman of "traditional build" (also referred to as a "fat woman"), who opens up a detective agency in Botswana, becoming the first and only lady detective in the country.

I thought: I was turned off by this book for a long time. Not being particularly interested in mystery and also wary of popular fiction and "bestsellers", I steered clear of this book for many years before getting off my high horse and deciding to give it a shot (in other words, I live in a tiny town with a library that has a VERY limited selection of audio books, and this was one of the only slightly appealing options). I have to say, I am glad that I did!

I found the novel and its protagonist surprisingly fresh and endearing. This is not your typical detective fiction, featuring a know-it-all detective who's made out to be much smarter than you and figures out the mystery chapters before Sherlock -- excuse me, I mean he or she -- reveals it all rather condescendingly, at which point the reader has the ooooooooh! moment. Though many enjoy these types of books, I have no patience for them.

Instead, McCall Smith gives us Precious Ramotswe, an average woman with good instincts who is training herself to be more perceptive. She doesn't always know what she's doing (Two of her first jobs "tailing" someone resulted in the subjects approaching her and asking why she was following them), and the reader figures out little mysteries along with her, and they certainly aren't devoid of humor.

The book also addresses concerns specific to its setting, Botswana, which added another level to the narrative. Though not a native, the author lived there for many years and so has some degree of authority.

To briefly mention the less-than-wonderful aspects, even as one who studies women's studies and literature, I grew tired in the first half of the book of the many, many cases that had to do with how horrible men are. Also, I am not convinced that the author developed Mma Ramotswe fully enough to justify the ending, for those who have read it -- I don't want to give anything away.

Verdict: Stick it on the shelf 


Reading Recommendations: This is a light, fun read for my fellow mystery fiction skeptics.

Warnings: None

What I'm reading next: The Honk and Holler Opening Soon by Billie Letts