Bobbi

I have never read anything by Steinbeck before-shame I know. This collection has given me a great introduction to his work. I can't wait to delve into more of Steinbeck's work.

I really enjoyed “The Flight” and “The Red Pony” from this collection. “The Flight” reminded me of why I love Westerns-the sense of place and the fight for survival.

I usually read with an intent to give away the book once I'm done. I'm hanging on to this one for a rare reread.

I am convinced I had already read this book and Goodreads was right-it's been 4 years. It's always nice to spend time with Inspector Pekkala.

Pekkala and Kirov, his assistant, are hot on the trail of a found painting , The Shepard, and who might have initially stolen it. There's a chemist specializing in nerve agents and his brother who's part of cult known as the Skoptsy. Throw in Rasputin, the Romanovs, and Stalin and you have a thrilling ride through history.

I usually don't like alternating time lines but this one works really well. You have to know how the painting ended up out of the hands of the Tsar and into a crypt in Germany. And I liked the back and forth aspect-learn a little past and then learn how Pekkala is going to move forward with his investigation.

Overall, I love this series and found that even though this was probably a reread, I really enjoyed the journey.

I have no idea why or how I ended up putting this one on hold. One of those random librarian moments I guess. Considering it was small, I hung on to it thinking I would get to it eventually. When Bout of Books came up, I knew it was a perfect time.

I haven't read much fairy tales but even I could see this was full of fairy tale tropes. The prince in disguise, the impossible task, the evil uncle...all these plus more made this like a giant “find the trope” read. A quick read by an author I haven't read and a book that I want to give to my nephew to enjoy in a few years.