Pre-numbered label used for registration.

The third of the Valentine/Lovelace series, "Slate" is even frothier than "Cobalt", and nowhere near as dark - or as interesting - as "Vermilion". Not that it's a bad book, just very... slight, I thought. I didn't find it as "screamingly funny" as the cover quote from the New York Times Book Review claimed, either, although some of it was amusing. I suppose if I'd thought of it as a "Will & Grace" episode I might have liked it better - and come to think of it, that's actually what it's like, with Clarisse as a sort of merging of Grace and Karen, and Val as a Will/Jack blend: Clarisse trying to quit smoking, trying to renovate a new apartment while ducking the furniture flung from the windows by the previous - and illegal - tenants; Val trying to get his new bar renovated, decorated, and open on schedule, while fearing commitment with his new boyfriend the carpenter... OK, yeah. Forget that this was the same author and characters from "Vermilion" and go with the fluffy sit-com romp, plus a murder, and it's not bad. [But I wanted more "Vermilion," dang it.]

Will be interesting to see whether "Canary" continues the ever-fluffier trend...

Controlled release:

I'm adding this to BCer foovay's mystery bookbox, in place of one of the books I selected. Hope someone along the line enjoys it!

Sending the bookbox to BCer 16stepper next...

Going in my to be read pile. I'll probably get to this book in 2015. Look for my review then. :)