Take Your Breath Away by Linwood Barclay

I just finished reading. "Take Your Breath Away", by Linwood Barclay.

One weekend, while Andrew Mason was on a fishing trip, his wife, Brie, vanished without a trace. Most everyone assumed Andy had got away with murder--it's always the husband, isn't it?--but the police could never build a strong case against him. For a while, Andy hit rock bottom--he drank too much to numb the pain, was abandoned by all his friends save one, nearly lost his business, and became a pariah in the place he once called home. 

Now, six years later, Andy has finally put his life back together. He sold the house he once shared with Brie and moved away. Truth to tell, he wasn't sad to hear that the old place was razed and a new house built on the site. He's settled down with a new partner, Jayne, and life is good. But Andy's peaceful world is about to shatter. 

One day, a woman shows up at his old address, screaming, "Where's my house? What's happened to my house?" And then, just as suddenly as she appeared, the woman--who bears a striking resemblance to Brie--is gone. The police are notified and old questions--and dark suspicions--resurface. Could Brie really be alive after all these years? If so, where has she been? 

It soon becomes clear that Andy's future, and the lives of those closest to him, depends on discovering what the hell is going on. The trick will be whether he can stay alive long enough to unearth the answers.

If you are a fan of Linwood Barclay, like I am, you'll enjoy this one. I loved the mystery of the woman who appears and disappears, and how people, except for the police, begin to believe could be his lost or murdered wife. As with most Barclay stories, the plot meanders around in surprising ways. 

I quite enjoyed it.

Mickey7 by Edward Ashton

I just finished reading Mickey7 by American author Edward Ashton.

Mickey7 is an Expendable: a disposable employee on a human expedition sent to colonize the ice world Niflheim. Whenever there’s a mission that’s too dangerous—even suicidal—the crew turns to Mickey. After one iteration dies, a new body is regenerated with most of his memories intact. After six deaths, Mickey7 understands the terms of his deal…and why it was the only colonial position unfilled when he took it.

On a fairly routine scouting mission, Mickey7 goes missing and is presumed dead. By the time he returns to the colony base, surprisingly helped back by native life, Mickey7’s fate has been sealed. There’s a new clone, Mickey8, reporting for Expendable duties. The idea of duplicate Expendables is universally loathed, and if caught, they will likely be thrown into the recycler for protein.

Mickey7 must keep his double a secret from the rest of the colony. Meanwhile, life on Niflheim is getting worse. The atmosphere is unsuitable for humans, food is in short supply, and terraforming is going poorly. The native species are growing curious about their new neighbors, and that curiosity has Commander Marshall very afraid. Ultimately, the survival of both lifeforms will come down to Mickey7.

That is, if he can just keep from dying for good.

Mickey7 is an excellent, well thought out, fun story. Told in first person, Mickey7 is very descriptive about his life, what convinced him to volunteer for such a roll where he is purposely put in positions where he not only dies, but in his next form remembers vividly, each and every death, how it felt and the pain he endured.

I enjoy Sci-fi novels and certainly enjoyed this one

Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

I just finished reading Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

Mexico in the 1970s is a dangerous country, even for Maite, a secretary who spends her life seeking the romance found in cheap comic books and ignoring the activists protesting around the city. When her next-door neighbor, the beautiful art student Leonora, disappears under suspicious circumstances, Maite finds herself searching for the missing woman—and journeying deeper into Leonora’s secret life of student radicals and dissidents. 

Mexico in the 1970s is a politically fraught land, even for Elvis, a goon with a passion for rock ’n’ roll who knows more about kidney-smashing than intrigue. When Elvis is assigned to find Leonora, he begins a blood-soaked search for the woman—and his soul. 

Swirling in parallel trajectories, Maite and Elvis attempt to discover the truth behind Leonora’s disappearance, encountering hitmen, government agents, and Russian spies. Because Mexico in the 1970s is a noir where life is cheap and the price of truth is high.

This was an entertaining read. I enjoyed how the story was told from the view of two different characters. Maite is a reluctant hero who finds herself in a situation way over her head. All she really wants is for her neighbour, Leonora to return and pay her what she is owed for looking after her cat. Who knew, that just by saying yes to cat sitting, her life would be in danger. 

One other thing I liked. All the way through the book, two of the characters would be putting on records or playing the jukebox. As the story is based in the 70s, I knew many of the songs, but some were covers done by Mexican artists. There were some Spanish rock bands. Many times as I was reading I thought it would be fun to play some of the songs. A nice surprise is at the end of the book, the songs and artists are listed. I will be having a listen.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy another of Moreno-Garcia's novels.

About Silvia Moreno-Garcia 

Mexican by birth, Canadian by inclination. Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the author of a number of critically acclaimed novels, including Gods of Jade and Shadow (Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic, Ignyte Award), Mexican Gothic (Locus Award, British Fantasy Award, Pacific Northwest Book Award, Aurora Award, Goodreads Award), and Velvet Was the Night (finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize). 

She has edited several anthologies, including She Walks in Shadows (World Fantasy Award winner, published in the USA as Cthulhu’s Daughters). Silvia is the publisher of Innsmouth Free Press. Her fiction has appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies. 

She has an MA in Science and Technology Studies from the University of British Columbia. Her thesis can be read online and is titled “Magna Mater: Women and Eugenic Thought in the Work of H.P. Lovecraft.” She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.