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crowhaven's review against another edition
Loved it. Now I will go back and read the first three in the series and wait for her to write more.
sdscattergood's review against another edition
2.0
From the book description: "...there's a serial arsonist at large in the city. As Madeline closes in on the culprit, the fires turn deadly-and the stakes tragically personal. She'll need every ounce of strength and courage she has to keep the flames from reaching her own doorstep, threatening all she holds most dear."
The first third of the book is Madeline "getting her mojo back" while balancing her husband's constant travel and taking care of her two infant daughters. The majority of the book is Madeline whining about the injustice of her life. I was pulled in by the discussion of the science behind the arsons, and hoped this trend towards two smart women using their brains to solve the crime would continue. Instead the book rapidly descends into Madeline's home life frustrations and her husband's issues (I won't include spoilers, but it's obvious from about page 5 what's going on).
Deeply disappointing, with a throwaway reference to autism that does no justice to families with real autism problems--I was surprised to see the author so well rated for her other works.
The first third of the book is Madeline "getting her mojo back" while balancing her husband's constant travel and taking care of her two infant daughters. The majority of the book is Madeline whining about the injustice of her life. I was pulled in by the discussion of the science behind the arsons, and hoped this trend towards two smart women using their brains to solve the crime would continue. Instead the book rapidly descends into Madeline's home life frustrations and her husband's issues (I won't include spoilers, but it's obvious from about page 5 what's going on).
Deeply disappointing, with a throwaway reference to autism that does no justice to families with real autism problems--I was surprised to see the author so well rated for her other works.
jefffrane's review against another edition
4.0
Read took this one in a totally unexpected direction, and a pretty dark one it was. Don't go looking for a mystery novel, or really anything close. This appears to be a deeply personal story, not always with a coherent path. Still, she is a heck of a good writer.
tbsims's review against another edition
5.0
I'm heartbroken! For madeline and for Madeline/Dean.
There was a beautiful quote about -if the yolk of an egg were blue, it would be the blue of this sky.
"A great big martini glass of ice-cold gin. One olive. have the vermouth send it a brief poignant telegram of regret. From Havana. Or possibly gstaad. "
I think this quote was from another book but now I can't recall. but basically in every relationship there is a bert and there is an ernie. Ernie is outgoing and funny. Bert is detail oriented and organized. Chaos versus order.
There was a beautiful quote about -if the yolk of an egg were blue, it would be the blue of this sky.
"A great big martini glass of ice-cold gin. One olive. have the vermouth send it a brief poignant telegram of regret. From Havana. Or possibly gstaad. "
I think this quote was from another book but now I can't recall. but basically in every relationship there is a bert and there is an ernie. Ernie is outgoing and funny. Bert is detail oriented and organized. Chaos versus order.
lian_tanner's review against another edition
3.0
I feel as if Read started off writing edgy crime stories with a funny, foul-mouthed heroine who was pretty much unputdownable, and has veered off into personal angst with a large dash of bitterness. It was a shock to discover at the start of this book that Maddy's husband Dean, who has always been such a honey, has turned into a complaining, high-handed creep. Okay, so 18 months have passed since the end of the last book, but there was never any sign of this earlier. It's hard not to see it as a thinly disguised re-run of Read's own personal traumas - she mentions in the acknowledgements that she was divorced while writing this book, plus her father committed suicide. As for the ending - she has set up the next few books as pretty tragic. I suspect I'll keep following the story of Maddy Dare, for a while at least, but I do regret the disappearance of that wild girl who made me laugh so much. Maybe she just grew up, which everyone is entitled to do, even literary bad girls. The trouble is, I don't read crime stories to be confronted by the exigencies of growing up.
stadoza's review against another edition
1.0
I was hesitant to write this review because I don't normally read books like this. I'll be honest and say that I read it solely because the book is set in Boulder, Colorado, where I live. That made this book mildly interesting, as I was intrigued by the author's description of Boulder in the mid-90s. In all other aspects, however, this book just didn't do it for me. The characters lacked depth and were extremely one-dimensional. The story was both undeveloped and implausible. And most disappointingly, the main character, a supposed "heroine", was infuriating. Without spoiling anything, I was so frustrated by the actions she did take and the ones that she didn't (seriously, why did she tolerate how her husband treated her?). I get that I'm not reading Hemingway, but I was hoping for much more than this.
nonna7's review against another edition
5.0
This fourth book in the Madeline Dare series took me by surprise. I've enjoyed the three previous books. They were funny and dark and really well written. This one is funny, dark, really well written and VERY personal. It's 1995 in Boulder, CO. Madeline is living in a rental house with hideous orange everything. Dean, her husband, is immersed in a job that keeps him either working late or traveling. They now have twin daughters who are about to turn a year old, the house is in a perpetual mess, money is tight and neither Dean nor Madeline have had a good night's sleep since the babies were born. Happily, Madeline is offered the opportunity to work for a local newspaper as a freelance. The money isn't much, but she's just going to be a restaurant critic right? That works out fine until she starts getting interested in a series of fires that have been set around the area, some of which are uncomfortably close to her own home. Then one of the fires hits TOO close......Yes, this sounds like another good mystery, but it's far more than that. I don't want to give away the ending here. All I can say, is I hope less time passes until #5 comes out!
caitlinxmartin's review against another edition
4.0
I'm very fond of Madeline Dare. She's smart, snarky, tough, and downright lovable. In her latest adventure she's moved to Boulder with husband Dean and is sorting through what it means to be a full-time mother to two twin toddlers. When I say "full-time mother" that's exactly what I mean - no working, no money of your own - in many ways blissful yet utterly dependent on the person who earns the money who may or may not deserve you and your efforts.
Valley of Ashes is a great story, but it's also a really sad one. Watching Madeline try to juggle everything, deal with some awful things happening with her friends and with her marriage is both inspiring and heartbreaking. Add to this the fact that her best friend is dealing with similar issues in her own marriage and I was too closely reminded of the time period before my divorce (different issues, but similar pain).
Women who get to stay home with their kids make a lot of sacrifices and are very lucky. I know I was grateful to spend the first 18 months of my son's life home with him. It created a bond that has been unbreakable our whole lives. It's tough work, but the reward is great. The choice definitely must be made with the right partner. In my experience money creates a power differential and when you're the one not making any you're usually the loser in that equation. I was fortunate that I didn't have that problem in my own situation, but many women aren't so lucky.
It was, as always, great to watch Madeline kick ass and take names and utterly heartbreaking to experience the outcomes with her. I hope she'll come back in a new place in her life when next we see her. Ms. Read is a great writer and in Madeline Dare she's created a heroine I won't soon forget.
Valley of Ashes is a great story, but it's also a really sad one. Watching Madeline try to juggle everything, deal with some awful things happening with her friends and with her marriage is both inspiring and heartbreaking. Add to this the fact that her best friend is dealing with similar issues in her own marriage and I was too closely reminded of the time period before my divorce (different issues, but similar pain).
Women who get to stay home with their kids make a lot of sacrifices and are very lucky. I know I was grateful to spend the first 18 months of my son's life home with him. It created a bond that has been unbreakable our whole lives. It's tough work, but the reward is great. The choice definitely must be made with the right partner. In my experience money creates a power differential and when you're the one not making any you're usually the loser in that equation. I was fortunate that I didn't have that problem in my own situation, but many women aren't so lucky.
It was, as always, great to watch Madeline kick ass and take names and utterly heartbreaking to experience the outcomes with her. I hope she'll come back in a new place in her life when next we see her. Ms. Read is a great writer and in Madeline Dare she's created a heroine I won't soon forget.
wordnerdy's review against another edition
1.0
http://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2012/07/2012-book-182.html
vkemp's review
5.0
Cornelia Read does it again. Madeline Dare has moved to Colorado with her husband after he gets a job with Ionix. She is completely bowed under with caring for twins under a year old and life in Boulder is just way too granola for an East Coast girl like Madeline. She gets a job writing restaurant reviews for a small Boulder newspaper and ends up following around an arson investigator who becomes her friend. Mimi is on the trail of a serial arsonist and Madeline wants to help. She is encouraged by another friend, Cary, who knows how much it means to Madeline to be involved in writing again. Meanwhile, Dean is too absorbed in work and work-related travel to really be paying attention to Madeline and their relationship becomes more and more strained. Then Cary is murdered and Madeline knows something is very wrong at Ionix. Cornelia writes so very well; I like to read sentences out loud because the words are things I would say in the same situations in which Madeline finds herself. Another great entry in this series of books, highly recommended.