Strip (Thomas Perry)

I've really enjoyed his Jane Whitefield books, but this one didn't work as well for me. It is that form of humor where nobody  is really likable, which I guess gives the author the freedom to do outrageous things to them. I don't like a book, though, where there's nobody I can see as a good guy. I need someone to root for, and some way to feel that there's a happy ending. This book has neither. The aging owner of several strip clubs in LA is robbed by a masked man. There's some minor suggestion implicating someone who turns out to be innocent, so he sends his goons to kill him. The man fights back, and along the way lots of people wind up dead or cheated. I stuck with it to the end, but it left a bitter taste.

Dance for the Dead (Thomas Perry)

This second book in the Jane Whitefield series is even better than the first. The story begins with Jane helping to protect a little boy against the forces that want him dead for unknown reasons. As Jane keeps fighting for him, she gets involved with a second client, who needs to get away from men who want to kidnap her, also for unknown reasons. As she peels away the layers of deception and greed, she gets to a central enemy whose stunning brutality is threatening them both and, eventually, Jane herself. My only disappointment in this story is that the climactic scene is not shown from Jane's perspective. This heightens the suspense, but I did miss the chance to watch her mind work. She is an amazingly smart, principled, kick-ass woman, a hero for everyone of any gender.

Blameless (Gail Carriger)

This series maintains its level of wit for a third book. Alexia is as stubborn, resourceful, and funny as ever as she battles vampires and Templars in her attempt to prove that, unconventional though she may be, unfaithful she has never been.The only disappointment is that, while we get to see both Alexia and her werewolf husband throughout the story, we don't get more than a glimpse of them together. I can definitely picture this series as the basis for some terrific movies.

The Flame Alphabet (Ben Marcus)

This is an brilliant, disturbing book about language becoming toxic. It starts with the words of children (specifically Jewish children) poisoning their parents, then all children poisoning all adults, and finally all language poisoning all adults; only children remain immune. What would the world  be like if  hearing someone speak, or reading words, or speaking or writing yourself, made you physically ill? What if exposure to language gave you seizures and even killed you? Can people even survive without language? What would you do, who would you hurt, if it meant you could speak again, or hear the voice of your child once more? These are some of the questions this story raises, but doesn't answer. It definitely made me think, but I can't say I enjoyed it. Its level of existential pain made me squirm, and I'm sure that was what the author intended.