Looking Glass

Title: Looking Glass
Author: Andrew Mayne
Published: March 13th 2018 by Thomas & Mercer
Format: Paperback, 316 pages
Genre: Thriller
Series: Naturalist #2

The second book in the Naturalist series captivated me as well, if not more so, than the first. There is something about Andrew Mayne’s writing and intensity that grabs me from the first pages and does not let go until I have finished. Until the final question is answered and the reader knows there will be another book and another chance to enter the mind of Professor Theo Cray.

Theo Cray is not a detective but a scientist that sees patterns through his study of data and has developed a computer model that predicts patterns. Finally convincing those around him that he is not a fraud, they are beginning to accept his research. In a Sherlockian way, Theo takes on the cold case of a missing child. Rattling the cages of those that would prefer the cages remain locked and buried, he slowly peels away the clues and what is discovered will leave a gnawing pain in the pit of your stomach. The descriptions are brutal and disturbing. Yet, in a way, a reality rises to the surface and the descriptions shine a light on the monsters that roam among us.

In the second book, you can see the growth of Theo. Though he will always be a scientist first, he is slowly expanding his universe and interacting with those around him. He will always fight, literally, since I think he is working on his third concussion, for the victims, but fight is what he will do if it is only to save the next prey that is currently on someone’s list.

A Vintage Death

Title: A Vintage Death
Author: Mary Ellen Hughes
Published: November 8th 2018 by Midnight Ink
Format: eBook, Paperback, 264 pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Keepsake Cove #2

With the annual fall festival quickly approaching and Callie Reed, the new owner of House of Melody in quaint Keepsake Cover, Maryland, feeling a need to pay back her community for her warm welcome, she agrees to help where she can and to make the arrival of popular author and guest for the book signing, Lyssa Hammond, comfortable during her visit.

Staying at the Foxwood Inn while her home is being renovated, Lyssa learns more about the area, and owner Clifford Ashby, then she would like. Especially when Clifford is found murdered with a pair of scissors sticking out of him. Scissors that had come from his estranged wife’s shop and more than enough reason to believe that Dorothy had put them there.

Dorothy Ashby nearly has everyone believing that she is innocent, that is until Renata Moore, is also found stabbed to death with scissors that could have come from Dorothy’s shop. There was no love lost between these two women, but was the ongoing feud enough to make the leap to murder.

With Callie and Lyssa forming their own investigative team, interesting back histories comes to the forefront and old wounds are laid bare. Turns out that there was more going on in this little cove then originally thought and as stories come to light, there is more than enough to keep a reader engaged.

Depth of Winter

Title: Depth of Winter
Author: Craig Johnson
Published: September 4th 2018 by Viking
Format: Hardcover, 300 Pages
Genre: Suspense
Series: Longmire #15

I did not realize how important the supporting cast of the Longmire books is until they barely make a showing and you realize that though Walt is an institution, he needs his team to play straight men to his humor and shenanigans.

Tomas Bidart has kidnapped Walt’s daughter Cady and is holding her hostage in the Chihuahua desert. Without his usual team, Walt is reduced to depending on those that he has gathered along the way. They are a varied ragtag group, but each, including a blind Seer, hold their own and get Walt as close to his prey as possible. There are gruesome descriptions of the brutality that Walt will have to face, but nothing, and no one, will stop him from reaching his daughter.

Of course there is humor and ridiculous situations, that is the norm for a Longmire book, yet there is something decidedly different about this book. There is solemnness and a foreboding that follows the characters. A definite good versus evil that puts Walt at odds with his surroundings and a turning point that has the reader wondering what is in store for Sheriff Longmire once he returns to Absaroka County.

The Voice Inside

Title: The Voice Inside
Author: Brian Freeman
Published: January 16th 2018 by Thomas & Mercer
Format: Paperback, 352 pages
Genre: Suspense
Series: Frost Easton #2

Frost Easton, ex-cabbie and current San Francisco homicide detective, will never come to terms with his sister’s death, but he is determined to move closer to the truth.

Rudy Cutter is serving a life sentence for the murders of several young women, one of which was Katie Easton.

Cutter’s felony conviction is about to be blown wide open when it comes to light that Frost’s boss, and occasional lover, Jess, planted the evidence that convicted Cutter. With his sister’s murderer released and a ticking clock before the next body shows up, Frost is determined to put all of the pieces together to get Rudy Cutter back behind bars where he belongs.

Yet life is not that simple. There are multiple factors distracting him, one of which is his brother’s newest girlfriend, and a second, Eden Shay, a well-known author that is writing a book on the Cutter murders and is doing her best to get closer to Frost. What Frost does not realize is that he is only a player in this game. A player that does not realize that he is being played, within a field of pawns, to be taken down when the time is right solely because he cannot see the rest of the players on the board.

I had always been a fan of Brian Freeman’s Jonathan Stride novels and for some reason I did not want to take a chance on another series by him. Odd, I know, but for me, when I like a series by an author, I have a hard time liking a second. I think that it is a comparison thing. That is why Frost Easton surprised me so much. There is a deeper level to this character, a darker relentless feeling of trying to play catch up and to not lose the last parts of his sole while doing it.

Be Our Ghost

Title: Be Our Ghost
Author: Kate Kingsbury
Published: October 9th 2018 by Crooked Lane Books
Format: eBook, 278 pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Merry Ghost Inn #3

This book came across as too simplistic for me. A town in an uproar because Jason Northwood has plans to put in a gaming arcade in the center of town. Yes, we are talking pinball machines, something that has not happened, or been profitable, since the late 70’s. Why would an author use a premise that is so outdated, even if she is trying to keep the subject matter “clean” and non-offensive, there has to be something else that would work besides wondering if property values will fall or if adults will actually “kiss”.

You are going to have to force yourself to stay awake while reading this slow moving, and rather dull in places, book. Of course Jason is going to be killed and of course Melanie and her grandmother, owners of the Merry Ghost Inn, jump into the middle of the investigation since grandmother Liza Harris is rather taken by one of the main suspects.

Thankfully, a subplot that has run through the books involves Melanie’s missing mother. Since this is the third book in the series, the usual make or break point for a cozy mystery series, the author has tied up that item which has been dangling and will leave the read with a needed conclusion or could possibly be the leaping off point for the next round.

Harvest of Secrets

Title: Harvest of Secrets
Author: Ellen Crosby
Published: November 6th 2018 by Minotaur Books
Format: eBook, Hardcover, 352 pages
Genre: Mystery
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Wine Country Mysteries #9

The Wine Country Mysteries series is not your usual who-done-it; it is also a history lesson of Loudoun County, Virginia, with a mystery thrown into keep your attention.

As the vineyard is preparing for an incoming hurricane, the workers at Montgomery Estate Vineyards unearth a skull that has been buried under a shed outside of the family cemetery. Detailed forensics reveals that the skull, and the rest of the bones, have been there for more than a century, but what is interesting is the quilt that the woman was buried in. A quilt with historic value and story that goes back to the Underground Railroad.

Lucie Montgomery has a sudden conviction that this woman is a family member, but proving it also digs up interesting family drama when a DNA test through the genome project reveals that Lucie’s father had a secret that was kept from the family. Add into that, Jean-Claude de Merignac, the wayward son of a well-regarded French family arrives and while working at a neighboring La Vigne vineyard, is killed and there is no shortlist for those that could be responsible.

The multiple stories in this book will keep readers engrossed. There is no straightforward path to the end, yet enough trails to twist your mind around and possible reasons, all wrapped up in an interesting history lesson, with a potential new character that could add even more backstory to the Montgomery family and their enduring presence is the wine country of Atoka, Virginia.

Rooted in Deceit

Title: Rooted in Deceit
Author: Wendy Tyson
Published: September 4th 2018 by Henery Press
Format: eBook, paperback 270 Pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: Greenhouse Mystery #4

Book number four in the series has Megan Sawyer opening a farm to table pizza kitchen on her Washington Acres farm located in Winsome, Pennsylvania. To add more stress to the days before the opening, Megan’s father and his high maintenance wife Sylvia appear and while they have been invited to stay at the farm, they decide that a nearby yoga wellness center would suit them better. Unfortunately, that creates issues all its own when Sylvia confronts an artist in residence, Thana Moore, whose body is later found and Sylvia is the main suspect.

There are a few twists and recurring characters, but overall the book is a good continuation of the series and by the end, some new revelations will be found and a new spin on old history will finally find its way onto Washington Acres.

The ongoing side stories are what keep this series moving for me. The murder du jour is a given, but the people and history of the area are what keeps me coming back. Small businesses, new relationships, and family all rolled into the typical cozy mystery formula without overburdening any of the usual ploys.

Tailspin

Title: Tailspin
Author: Sandra Brown
Published: August 7th 2018 by Grand Central Publishing
Format: Hardcover, 432 pages
Genre: Suspense

I was disappointed with the slow superficial feel of the book and was ready to put it down on numerous occasions that is until the last 100 or so pages ramped this ho-hum novel into a page-turner that kept me reading later than I had intended.

You are going to learn more about flying and reckless pilots than may interest you, but the descriptions go a long way in understanding Rye Mallett and why he agreed to take a small black box to a remote airstrip, in the middle of a storm, to meet a doctor. What he did not take into account was others might not want this package to arrive and if it is necessary to try to blind a pilot with a laser and crash his plane, well then, it is just something that had to happen.

It turns out Dr. Brynn O’Neal has her own reasons why no one but she can receive this package. She is not going to let some “freight dog” get in her way and if she literally has to fight her way out from under him, she will do whatever is necessary to get this bio-medical package to those in the most need.

Neither trusts the other and as the full story of research drugs, testing, US regulations, and unscrupulous people in power all converge, it is a countdown to whether all Rye and Brynn have gone through will be worth it to save just one life.

Suffer the Children

Title: Suffer the Children
Author: Lisa Black
Published: August 28th 2018 by Kensington
Format: eBook, 320 pages
Genre: Suspense
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Gardiner and Renner #5

Infinitely better than her last book with the usual Lisa Black style of deep research on her main subject and wrapping it around a murder and subterfuge.

Things are about to be blown wide open within the Cleveland juvenile detention system when hard to handle teenager Rachel Donahue is found dead and no one can tell if it is murder or a death by misadventure. No finger points in any one direction and it is not until the deaths and near deaths pile up that Maggie Gardiner and Jack Renner realize there is a murderer within these locked doors and if they do not find the perpetrator soon, more children will die in accidents which are really a cover-up for a judge and jury of one.

In this unputdownable novel, Maggie and Jack rush to save the children others have thrown away. They are in a fight for not only the children, but for their own secrets which are quickly disintegrating around them and mere steeps ahead of Maggie’s ex-husband who thinks he has final solved the mystery that is holding Maggie and Jack together.

Sentenced to Death

Title: Sentenced to Death
Author: Lorna Barrett
Published: June 7th 2011 by Berkley
Format: Paperback, 327 pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: Booktown Mystery #5

The whole time I was reading this book, I kept going back to the question-- if everyone else could get out of the gazebo, how was it that Deborah just stood there?

Tricia Miles owner of Haven’t Got a Clue of Stoneham, New Hampshire is still reeling from the sudden death of friend Deborah Black, when a plane suddenly falls from the sky and kills her in the middle of her Founder’s Day speech in the town square.

While most of Stoneham thinks it was a freak accident, Tricia’s spidey sense goes into overdrive, especially when Deborah’s not so grieving husband cannot sell off her gift shop fast enough. What is going on with him and more importantly, what does the new real estate company, Nigela Racita Associates, and their sudden interest in Booktown, mean to the shop owners.

This series has a familiar theme that is played out over the cozy genre. The small businesses, the pets, the friends and family all coming together. What makes it slightly different is that the antagonist is not always obvious from the start. You might have an inkling, but there are a couple of rabbit holes before the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.

Forever Fudge

Title: Forever Fudge
Author: Nancy Coco
Published: September 25th 2018 by Kensington Publishing Corporation)
Format: eBook, Paperback, 352 pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Candy-Coated #6

Once again one of those cozy series which you find yourself in the middle of, not quite sure why, but one that seems to find its way back to your reading list each time a new book appears.

Ticking off all of the usual cozy mystery requirements, the reader follows the life of Allie McMurphy as she continues to build on the hotel and fudge business left to her by her grandfather on Mackinac Island. As the season is winding down, she once again comes across a dead body and, this time, a note addressed to her with a chess move. Not a usual player, the reference is lost on her, but with the help of the ladies at the senior center, she sharpeners her talent but not before more bodies appear with more moves and as the moves progress a definite pattern evolves. The only question is will she understand who is behind this spree before more people die.

There is more going on with Allie then the murders, which should be enough, but this girl needs to make a decision between the two men in her life, a television series filming on the island, and how she will continue to run her business through the winter months with her best friend leaving town and taking with her a revenue stream that is needed to keep business coming in so she can expand the venue for the upcoming summer season.

The Testament of Harold's Wife

Title: The Testament of Harold's Wife
Author: Lynne Hugo
Published: September 25th 2018 by Kensington Publishing Corporation
Format: eBook, Paperback, 304 pages
Genre: Fiction
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

The character of Louisa grew on me page after page and when Lynne Hugo had me laughing a loud with her revelations about glitter Jesus, I knew I had found a new book to share.

In bits and pieces, Louisa tells the story of her husband Harold and his mission to make the man that had killed their grandson Cody pay for his lies. The driver claimed and he never saw Cody when he swerved to avoid a deer that had bolted in front of his vehicle. Harold could not live with this explanation and vowed to seek revenge. As Harold begins his plotting, life took another turn and Harold kills himself instead. Louisa, the good wife that she is, takes up the mantle and vows to finish what her husband started.

With a revenge plot, you would not expect an author to throw in humor, but with an aging body, a son who has found God and started a church to deal with his own grief, and a bumbling sheriff out to woo Louisa, there is no end to what a woman has to go through to make a selfish man pay for destroying her life.

My only problem with the book was the unrealistic ending. Granted, many aspects of the book itself were unrealistic, but the ending was rushed and other than the great cosmic karma ending, it felt hurried and not complete.

Santa Puppy

Title: Santa Puppy
Author: Lynn Cahoon
Published: November 6th 2018 by Lyrical Press
Format: eBook, Novella
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Tourist Trap #9.75

With a slight chill in the air, of course I am ready for holiday books.

Even though this book started a bit uneven with too many short choppy sentences, the novella or was it a short story, eventually slowed to a good pace and got to the point without too much added fluff. Granted, it took me longer than it should to draw the characters together, but once there, the tears flowed.

Jill Gardener has a fondness for both man and beast so when the two come together with the death of a homeless man and the dog he has left behind, Jill and the ghost of Christmas future, go into overdrive to find a new home for an abandoned pup and to find the woman whom dead man, Thomas Raleigh, had been looking for since he returned from the war.

This story will leave a soft spot in your heart and a couple of tears on your cheek. You do not need to know the full background of this series to enjoy the book

Agatha Raisin and the Dead Ringer

Title: Agatha Raisin and the Dead Ringer
Author: M C Beaton
Published: October 2nd 2018 by Minotaur Books
Format: eBook, Hardcover, 272 pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Agatha Raisin #29

As the series continues, the books are getting worse. The latest, the Dead Ringer, is so jumbled and incoherent in parts, I wondered if they went to publication with chapter notes and not with a completed project. Some parts, subject matter, and wording will definitely offend those who have been reading this series for the simplicity and will make others wonder what Marian Chesney (MC Beaton) is thinking with the direction the books are taking.

There are parts of this book which are familiar, as if the author pulled subject matter from previous books and tried a new spin. Weren’t bell ringers, with Agatha being one, used in a previous book? Maybe it was the television series. Which will put on a completely different rant since the books and the series have very little in common.

With the handsome Bishop heading to Thirk Magna, the Dupin twins are beside themselves with anticipation. The bells must be perfect but no less flawless than their appeal to the man himself. With stress high and bickering amongst the ringers, threats and insults thrown, one of the twins is dead. With this being an Agatha Raisin, soon more dead bodies show up and it is not until Agatha herself is left for dead that the clues come together. Of course, it is not only a body count type of book; Agatha once again is drawn between the men in her life and her fear of becoming a lonely and depressed old maid. Why does she do this to herself in each book? It is becoming quite redundant, but during the epilogue, there is a curious twist. A new character. A new obsession. Let us hope the next book will have the appeal the earlier books in the series held.

Vox

Title: Vox
Author: Christina Dalcher
Published: August 21st 2018 by Berkley
Format: Hardcover, 326 pages
Genre: Dystopic / Speculative

There are going to be those that disliked this book solely due to its simplicity but I loved it for the conversations that it generated. Like those in the book, there is a contingency that claim women will never lose their voices, yet for a time, that is exactly what happened.

Using the Book of Titus as their impetus, a small contingent has the president’s ear and what unfolds is a world where women are only allowed 100 words a day – both spoken and written. A world where a woman’s education is limited to the home arts and she is not allowed to have employment. Set in the United States, women have been silenced by the Pure Movement where both women and female children are fitted with metal bracelets that track their word count with little buzzes and shock them if they go over their allotted number. For those that cannot live by the new laws, they are captured and used as prison labor.

Before the country turned upside down, neurolinguist Dr. Jean McClellan was working on a new treatment for aphasia. Now that the president’s brother needs her research, Jean trades her bracelet for time back in her lab and with a small team, finds a way to turn the tides on those that are out to quiet women.

Dystopic or Speculative, call it what you want, but this book is a perfect launching point for endless conversations.

The Devil's Punchbowl

Title: The Devil's Punchbowl
Author: Greg Iles
Published: July 7th 2009 by Scribner
Format: Hardcover, 580 pages
Genre: Fiction
Series: Penn Cage #3

As a warning, the subject matter of this book is harrowing and if you are the least bit squeamish when it comes to animals, I suggest that you quickly turn the other way. That being said, I had to put this book down a couple of times, yet the writing is captivating and I found myself right back in the middle of Penn Cage’s life.

As the mayor of Natchez, Mississippi, Penn had no idea of the seedier side of things that were going on in his beloved town. When an old friend brings pictures and stories to his attention Penn cannot look the other way and by jumping headlong into this underworld, he puts both his and his family’s life in danger.

There is not one misplaced character in this book. Each have a story, as gritty as it may be, and by the end, not everyone is left standing, but those that are, will never be the same again.

The Cracked Spine

Title: The Cracked Spine
Author: Paige Shelton
Published: March 29th 2016 by Minotaur Books
Format: Hardcover, 304 pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: Scottish Bookshop Mystery #1

I am still on the fence with this book and not sure if the series will fully hold my attention.

Edwin MacAlister is looking for a new archivist for his eccentric bookshop in Edinburgh, Scotland. Kansan, Delaney Nichols is currently without a job so why not take a 4,000-mile leap of faith and accept a job where she is literally a fish out of water.

The big question in this book, for me at least, is why would a man trust his drug-addicted sister with a priceless first folio? Yet, that is what Edwin MacAlister did when he handed his sister Jenny a rare object in hopes of bolstering her self-esteem. The rest of the book has Delany, who is taken in by a ragtag group of fellow employees and the cabdriver that delivered her to the bookshop on her first day in Edinburgh, searching all over the village and surrounding area looking for this missing folio following the death of Jenny. Now add in Delaney’s ability to hear voices from books and a local pub owner that has taken a sudden liking to Delaney and you have an over stretched attempt at a first in a series cozy mystery.

I want to believe that this series will get better over time, but I am weary. The writing is middling, the mystery is not so mysterious, the love interest is typical, yet the accompanying characters add a missing charm. Will I come back? In time, I might try one more before I make my final decision.

Aunt Dimity and the King's Ransom

Title: Aunt Dimity and the King's Ransom
Author: Nancy Atherton
Published: July 24th 2018 by Viking
Format: Hardcover 240 pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: Aunt Dimity #23

The Aunt Dimity books seem to be all over the place. The reader will adore one book and the next will lay flat only making you wonder if you should continue only to find out the next book is back on track and the rollercoaster begins again.

From past experience we know Lori is a bit challenged when it comes to driving so when a harsh storm forces her off the road, she takes refuge in a small village church. With the rain not letting up and a busload of travelers taking all the rooms at the local inn, Lori’s only option is the unused attic of The King’s Ransom. Hearing stories of death and haunting, it is no surprise Lori hears doors creaking and children laughing. Needing a bit of comfort, she opens up her journal and begins a conversation with Aunt Dimity (if you have not read the series from the beginning, Aunt Dimity, and her story, will be a treat). With the help of a retired bishop, Lori sets out to find the origin of the inn’s name and more importantly, where the sounds are coming from that keeps her up at night.

There is no convoluted who-done-it in this book and thankfully Lori is not in her usual mode of helicopter parent. I did miss the usual goings on in Finch, but like Lori, it was nice to take a vacation and to get a new perspective on people and places.

Sold on a Monday

Title: Sold on a Monday
Author: Kristina McMorris
Published: August 28th 2018 by Sourcebooks Landmark
Format: eBook, Paperback, 352 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

What started as an interesting historical fiction, quickly plummeted into a romance, and that is where it lost my attention. Granted, it did get back to the main storyline, but my disappointment in the need to add a romance soured my reading experience.

During the Depression Era, struggling writer Ellis Reed same across two children playing outside with a “Children for Sale” sign. Before the photo could be published, there was an accident in the darkroom and knowing he had a winning photo on his hands, he went back only to discover the original children were gone. Needing to recreate what he thought was his only way to make it in a struggling industry, he gathered the left behind sign and talked another careworn woman and her children into posing for a picture. Little did he know this photo would set in motion devastation for the family.

Lily, a woman with her own secret and desperation to make it in a man’s world, helps Ellis to right a wrong, and in doing so develop a relationship that took this book down the wrong road for me. If McMorris had stayed on her original path, this would have been an interesting book of historic fiction that had the reader cheering on Ellis and Lilly, unfortunately she took the easy path and introduced a romance.

Hitting the Books

Title: Hitting the Books
Author: Jenn McKinlay
Published: September 11th 2018 by Berkley Books
Format: eBook, Hardcover, 304 pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Library Lover's Mystery #9

Life is full of adjustments, but they tend to get more complicated when you move in with your boyfriend, a whistling morning person, and all you want is some peace before your first cup of coffee. Add in the fact that everyone knows everyone else’s business and you have a typical day in the life of Lindsay Norris, the Briar Creek Library director.

Glancing out her office window, Lindsay is stuck dumb when she sees a car careening towards, and hits, her friend Theresa Huston. Before the loved tennis coach can be transported to the hospital, there is a second reported incident, involving the same car, and her friend Charlie Peyton. What is going on in this quiet town? It turns out that furniture magnate, and fiancé of Theresa, has a secret and his college-aged daughter Liza seems to be in the middle of it.

Relationships get a bit twisty here, but Jenn McKinley does an impressive job in keeping each person and their intertwined stories straight even though there are a couple rabbit trails and incidental characters that tend to lead you astray.

Death in the English Countyside

Title: Death in the English Countryside
Author: Sara Rosett
Published: September 11th 2014
Format: Ebook, 250 pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: Murder on Location #1

Well, that was dull.

This read was one long flat line that lead nowhere with an equally dull cast of characters and a plotline which took too long to get to the point of the matter. It was not until midway when you finally figured out what Sara Rosett was trying to tell the reader, and once there, you realized this story had been told a million times.

What began as a search for a missing co-worker drudged on with a submerged car, a body floating downstream and this preamble was literally a side note since the reason for Kevin’s death turned into nothing more than a tap that went too far and a sense of entitlement.

By the end, I did not care that Kate was a Hollywood location scout or a Jane Austen aficionado, that a romance was blooming, or that this was the first book in a series where there was a possibility that, in time, things could get better. I just wanted this book to answer the questions, so I could tie it up in a neat little bow, put it up on the shelf, and never have to look at or think about again.

Dim Sum of All Fears

Title: Dim Sum of All Fears
Author: Vivien Chien
Published: August 28th 2018 by St. Martin's Paperbacks
Format: eBook, Mass Market Paperback, 320 pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Noodle Shop Mystery #2

Do not ask me what it is about this series, but I am enjoying book two as much as I did the first. Actually, I think it might have something to do with the Mahjong Matrons, but since they do not make a huge splash, I have relegated them to “they better show up in each book or I am out of here” status.

Lana Lee is going through her quarter-life-crisis. I know it is a quirky term, but very fitting since Lana seems to be stuck after quitting her job and now working at her parents noodle shop. With a job interview set up and the possibility of getting her life back on track, Lana is conflicted when her parents ask her to manage the restaurant while they head to Taiwan to care for Lana’s grandmother. Family is the one thing that you cannot say no to and Lana resigns herself to family obligation.

When Isabelle Yeoh and her husband Brandon are found dead by an apparent murder/suicide, Lana can’t help but to do her own investigation especially when two of Brandon’s ex-wives show up each wanting ownership of the souvenir shop that the couple had owned.

Warnings go unheeded and soon Lana finds herself the victim of threats and violence. Boyfriend Detective Adam Trudeau warned her, but when you have started to build your own murder book, you cannot just walk away. You cannot let a friend’s death go unanswered. So as the tension builds and more of the story comes out, Lana finds herself in the middle of the darker side of life and realizes that Brandon might have had more going on than he could handle and though he tried to keep the truth from his wife, there are some out there that will get what they want, no matter what.

Against the Claw

Title: Against the Claw
Author: Shari Randall
Published: July 31st 2018 by St. Martin's Press
Format: eBook, Paperback 326 pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Lobster Shack Mystery #2

The first third of the book, I had no idea where Shari Randall was going. The body of a 20-something female tangles on the lobster hooks of Bertha’s boat and Allie, who is still healing from a broken ankle, suddenly feels that she is responsible to find out the identity of the girl with the pitchfork tattoo. What she does not know is this will be the epicenter of the Fourth of July that is quickly descending upon Mystic Bay.

From an over the top estate of a modeling agency owner, to an emotional breakup with an on again off again boyfriend, to dressing as mermaids, to another dead body in a raft, to an incognito star appearing in local theater, to abstract paintings, to a kitschy lobster restaurant, to best friends thinking that they are Cagney and Lacey, this book seems to have a mishmash of it all.

If you haven’t given up by the middle, the confusion will only grow deeper with Shari Randall throwing in all sorts of shenanigans and if was not for a total recap at the end, I am not sure that I would have been able to draw all the strings together in this overly convoluted tale.

After Anna

Title: After Anna
Author: Lisa Scottoline
Published: April 10th 2018 by St. Martin's Press
Format: eBook, Hardcover, 388 pages
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

The middle was slow; the last 100 pages were what made the book, but not sure why she threw in the very last part when there was no prepping the reader for it which ending up making it feel like a rushed afterthought. Then again, psychological thrillers tend to throw in bits and parts at the end to give the reader that final sense of closure.

Maggie Ippolitti and Noah Alderman appear to have the perfect life. Having met years after Maggie had given up custody of her daughter to her ex-husband, while she was battling postpartum psychosis, they have built a life with Noah’s son, only to have it shattered when seventeen year old Anna reappears and send the family into a spiraling turmoil.

A second chance is what Maggie wanted, unfortunately Noah is the brunt of this effort and when Anna accuses Noah of the unthinkable, Maggie runs to Anna’s defense only to find out that all things are not what they appear and as Noah is fighting for his life, it is only then that Maggie puts the pieces together and with the help of the local police, puts an end to their misery and able to knit their lives back together.

Told in alternating voices and timelines, the reader can, in a way, see where this is going since Lisa Scottoline loves a happy-ending, but getting there is the challenge. The book holds your interest for the first third, slows to a snail’s pace in the middle, and then the last 100 pages burst with the energy that was missing.

Best Beach Ever

Title: Best Beach Ever
Author: Wendy Wax
Published: May 22nd 2018 by Berkley
Format: eBook, Paperback, 391 pages
Genre: Women's Fiction
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Ten Beach Road #6

It is all about relationships -- those beginning, those ending, and those that are finding their new path.

Midway through the book, I was wondering if this was being set up as the last in the series since each character was reevaluating their life, their partner, and the directions that they wanted to go. It was not until the end, with the discovery of a new property, and a new financial backer, that I realized Wendy Wax was more than likely giving each character a “do-over” (which also happened to be the name of their old home improvement show) and a new jumping off point for their next round of life choices and property renovations.

If you have not read this series from the beginning, the women came together when a financial fiasco brought them to the brink of bankruptcy with only a monstrosity of a property, as recompense, to share amongst them. Using inner strength, and a lot of hard work, they brought the beauty out not only in the home but also in themselves.

As the series has taken shape, they each have told their stories and found their place. Now, with a turning point, they each can decide what their futures will hold and how they will get there. But first, they have one more property and one more chance, to see where this renovation will lead.

A Deadly Brew

Title: A Deadly Brew
Author: Lynn Cahoon
Published: September 4th 2018 by Lyrical Press
Format: eBook
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: A Tourist Trap Mystery #9.2

Surprisingly, a novella that I liked even though the ending was rush.

Jill Garden and boyfriend Greg King, with three other couples, decided that there is nothing like a perfect getaway close to home, so why not spend a couple of nights locked in a supposedly haunted house that has been sitting empty for 15 years, and in a few short weeks will be torn down taking with it any last remnants of Maryann Demerit who had disappeared without a trace. All they have to do is pack up a few supplies, wait on the porch for the caretaker to show up with a key, do not let their imaginations run wild, and their adventure can begin.

Just because Maryann was reported to be a witch did not mean anything. Well, maybe to Esmeralda, but when Jill has a dream about the previous owner, books start moving off shelves, stairways and baby items are discovered, the group goes into overdrive to find the answers before the caretaker can lock them out permanently.

Thick as Thieves

Title: Thick as Thieves
Author: Matthew Costello and Neil Richards
Published: March 13th 2014 by Bastei Entertainment
Format: eBook
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: Cherringham #4

I love a good short story and the Cherringham series does not disappoint.

When two locals decided to roam through the farms of Cherringham, it is no surprise that one day they might find something more than a belt buckle or an odd coin. The metal detector has turned up a true treasure -- a silver Roman plate purported to be worth millions.

Of course, the simple locals cannot be trusted to keep it safe so Professor Cartwright volunteers his safe. Unfortunately, the next morning when a museum expert arrives to appraise the find, it is gone. With fingers pointing and no one having answers, retired NYPD detective Jack and local web designer Sarah jump right in and discover who had the most to gain by this disappearance.

There is just something about the series that is the perfect combination of mystery and character. The stories are short and to the point, combining the indefinable mixture that keeps you engaged to the end.

The Diva Cooks Up a Storm

Title: The Diva Cooks Up a Storm
Author: Krista Davis
Published: May 29th 2018 by Kensington
Format: eBook, Hardcover 352 pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Domestic Diva #11

Sorry, but the title did not live up to the book. Yes, there was a storm in the beginning that kept the main character from leaving town, and yes, Sophie cooks, but the title seems to be incongruous to what is actually happening in the book.

Unable to leave town and wanting to attend an underground dinner, Sophie stays in Old Town, Virginia and bumps into Hollis Haberman who is stumbling from his home gasping for breath. Since this is not Sophie’s first rodeo when it comes to death, and since Hollis had told her at the dinner party someone was trying to poison him, she is quickly on her phone summoning help – much to the surprise of no one.

With Hollis’s death, all fingers begin to point to his young wife Kelsey, but we all know that the obvious is not going to work, so Krista Davis does her best to confuse the matter and begins throwing more characters and past misdeeds into the mix all the while having Sophie in the kitchen whipping up meals for her neighbors to sit and solve crimes over.

Though not impressed with this book, I do have to admit that I enjoy the recurring characters. They each have their place in Old Town, and their interactions are hilarious especially when Natasha gets a wild idea and they all, in unison, roll their eyes.

Before We Were Yours

Title: Before We Were Yours
Author: Lisa Wingate
Published: June 6th 2017 by Ballantine Books
Format: eBook, Hardcover, 342 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

Be prepared for the ending of this book to confuse you and leave you with questions, yet fill your heart with hope.

Weaving this tale between present day Avery Stafford from a prominent southern political family and twelve-year-old Rill Foss, the eldest of a family of five children taken away from their family’s shanty boat the day after their mother goes into early labor with twin, and placed in the Tennessee Children’s Home Society in the 1930’s.

After having been found roaming an old shopping mall, Avery’s Grandma Judy is moved to a premiere elder care facility, one that can cause political fallout for the family. It is while Avery is at a less prestigious facility, for a political event, that she runs into Mae Crandall, and during a visit to Mae’s room, Avery sees a picture, a picture of Judy. Avery’s curiosity is piqued. Who is Mae and how does she know Judy.

With Judy’s wandering mind and Mae telling her only bits and pieces, Avery starts her gentle nudging into Judy’s past and with the help of Trent Turner, who has paperwork for Judy’s eyes only, that came from his grandfather, Avery and Trent kindle a friendship and begin their dig that can upend both their lives and possibly the political future of the Stafford family.

Lisa Wingate does an amazing job of slowly revealing the Foss story. There are several times, when the reader will stop, think, back up a couple of pages, reread, then let out a heavy exhale with a giant “oh”. This book is intense and may involve a second reading to get all of the nuances that you did not think were important during your first time through. An excellent book for a group discussion since every person that I have spoken to has taken something different away from their reading. Whether it is enlightenment into each character or their further understanding of the historical events that inspired this book, there are endless discussions that can come from the telling of the Foss story.

A Gathering of Secrets

Title: A Gathering of Secrets
Author: Linda Castillo
Published: July 10th 2018 by Minotaur Books
Format: eBook, Hardcover, 308 pages
Genre: Police Procedural
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Kate Burkholder #10

Saying it is better than her last book, “Down a Dark Road”, is not really saying much considering that I thought that was the weakest book of the series. What I can say, is “A Gather of Secrets”, was reminiscent of her very first book “Sworn to Silence”, and that is not because Kate Burkholder is comparing what happened to her as a child with what is happening to the girls in Painter’s Mill and surrounding areas, but there is a spark in this book that has been missing for the recent Kate Burkholder books. The spark that had drawn me to this series in the first place.

What began with the deliberate arson of a barn exposes the fact that the sainted Danny Gingerich might not have been so golden after all. He had secrets, those around him kept his secrets, and most importantly, the girls of the community had to bear their shame in silence since they did not want to be shunned by their community.

No one is willing to talk. The Amish keep to themselves and bear their pain in silence. This is not going to work for Police Chief Burkholder. She owes her community and she owes a healing to herself for the choice she had to make one dark day. Though the final choice was different for the two girls, if mothers were open, and had protected their daughters, they would not have had to endure having to make a choice and the emotional pain that follows.

As a reader, you are going to be angry at certain parts of this book. You are going to stop and wonder if you would have handled things differently and most importantly, can you find the arsonist guilty for doing what a community should have been responsible for.

A Howl of Wolves

Title: A Howl of Wolves
Author: Judith Flanders
Published: May 15th 2018 by Minotaur Books
Format: eBook, Hardcover, 304 pages
Genre: Mystery
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Sam Clair #4

This is a series built on mystery, humor, great characters, and enough snark from Sam’s mother Helena to keep readers coming back.

Being the supportive neighbor she is, Sam Clair agrees to go to the opening night of a new play in which Kay and her son Bim are appearing. Apparently, it is ghastly and grisly but no one was expecting the body dangling from the hook to be real. Yet it turns out to be the director, Campbell Davison strung up and covered in green makeup.

Days later the costume designer is dead and someone has kidnapped Bim. Yes, things keep piling on, but though Sam swears she is not getting involved in yet another murder investigation, she is front and centers much to the chagrin of her boyfriend homicide detective Jake Field. An investigator whom she has to keep explaining things to since everything get a bit twisty and she is just short of drawing a murder board with names, strings, and timelines.

All the while Sam is trying to get into the office at a reasonable time and having the right words and passion to fight for the talent she represents and going toe to toe with an editor-in-chief and sales director who think women of a certain age are un-promotable. Clair might have a way around that and taking a chapter from her mother’s book of how to play with the boys club, comes to the aid of those she believes in.

Lying in Wait

Title: Lying in Wait
Author: Liz Nugent
Published: June 12th 2018 by Gallery/Scout Press
Format: eBook, Hardcover, 320 pages
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

The very end of this book is odd, I cannot say out of character, but I can say that I am questioning the fit and if it even needed to be there. But then again, to fully understand what Lydia had become, it could not have been told in any other way.

Helicopter mothering has been taken to a whole new level in “Lying in Wait” and Laurence Fitzsimons is about to find out the lengths that his mother will go to, to not only protect him, but to keep him as close to her as she can since Annie Doyle reneged on her deal and is now buried in the backyard.

Laurence’s parents had a plan, they were broke, living in a mausoleum of a home that they could not afford, and mentally unstable Lydia wanted just one more child - why not broker a deal according to their terms. The problem was that the legitimate agencies rejected them and now with Laurence reaching legal age, and wanting to branch out on his own, they were in a time crunch with very few options.

When the police start to tie observations together, Laurence begins to ask his own questions. In a strange coincidence he befriends the family of Annie where he can quiz them, guide them, and distracting them all at the same time. With a story told in three voices, the reader is following each of their timelines, and in doing so, realizes the depth of derangement that is all Lydia, and the lengths that Laurence will go to get his answers.

This book would make an incredible movie. The creepy gothic feel, the burgeoning understanding of each character as the depth of Lydia’s mental illness and domination are revealed, resulting in a final true entrapment that Laurence will never be able to escape.

There Are No Grown Ups

Title: There Are No Grown Ups
Author: Pamela Druckerman
Published: May 29th 2018 by Penguin Press
Format: Hardcover, 288 pages
Genre: No idea, it seems to be a jumble
Source: My thanks the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

This book read more like a research project than an actual book of fiction or is it a biography -- I have no idea what Pamela Druckerman’s intentions were. Once again, I had thought that since the author had a winning formula with “Bringing Up Bebe”, she would continue to entertain with a witty book full of humor and adulting advice.

If that is what you are looking for, you will not find it here unless you want instruction on the perfect gift for your soon to be 40-year-old husband which involves another woman. All of which is over told and the result of her telling her editor who of course wanted all the details in 2,000 words for publication. Then we tumble into a sudden cancer diagnosis that to me did not get nearly the same attention as the birthday gift. But then again, I guess it was not sensational enough.

For the most part, the chapters are long and drawn out with strange lists at the end resulting in a 40-year-old woman still trying to make friends, find the right clothes, and coming to a self-realization that she is not so unattractive after all.

All I got from this book is that Pamela Druckerman, a struggling writer has given up her self-identity to be what others want, and in doing so, thinks that the rest of the world wants to read about it. No. Next time, write about all the ridiculous things that happen during this decade. Write about the self-confidence that most women begin to feel. Write about the physical realities of not being twenty anymore. Your forties can be fantastic and humorous with the hard lessons learned in your twenties and thirties preparing you for this amazing time.

Better Off Read

Title: Better Off Read
Author: Nora Page
Published: May 8th 2018 by Crooked Lane Books
Format: eBook, Hardcover, 325 pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Bookmobile Mystery #1

This new series introduces Cleo Watkins the seventy- five year old librarian of Catalpa Springs, Georgia, who is at odds with Mayor Day when he wants to tear down the remaining walls of the historic library that has recently been decimated by a storm and use the funds to build a fishing pier and casino for a high-end clientele.

Cleo’s wish to rebuild is not dead yet and as she takes off around town in her mobile Words on Wheels library, one of her first stops is to a major benefactor. When Buford Krandall’s body is found amidst a wreckage of papers and true crime books, Cleo and her friends set out to solve his murder. Little did Cleo know that her best friend, and a person that was currently waging war with the dead man, would become the prime suspect. Nora Page does try to distract you with the on goings of her grandson Ollie, but it is still a straightforward story.

This is a typical cozy mystery complete with a small town, pets, quirky friends, a love interest, food, and books lovers. There is good potential for this series as long as Nora Page can add more subtext to keep the reader’s mind bouncing back and forth.

A Dark and Twisting Path

Title: A Dark and Twisting Path
Author: Julia Buckley
Expected Publication August 7, 2018 by Berkley
Format: eBook, 304 Pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: A Writer's Apprentice #3

What a tangled web Lena London has found herself in. Working with her idol, gothic novelist Camilla Graham, in sleepy Blue Lake, Indiana, the duo must delicately wander the path of Sam West, his first wife Victoria, and her abducted infant daughter Athena Lazos.

Since Nikon, the father of Athena, has disappeared with their daughter, Victoria is regularly showing up in Sam’s life, but Lena has decided she is finished with crime solving and is keeping her head down and concentrating on her next book collaboration. All that changes when Lena’s best friend Allison calls in a panic when she discovers the body of her mail carrier Eddie Stack. Upon closer examination, it looks as if the cause of death might be Sam’s letter opener, a replica of King Arthur’s sword, buried in the man’s chest. Did Sam actually kill a person this time or is he once again being framed.

This framing of Sam seems to go a bit deeper; it appears whoever is after Sam wants to include Lena and Camilla in their plot. With this new concern, everyone in Blue Lake is becoming suspect, even Cliff Blake, the newest member of the police force who just happens to be taking a heightened interest in Sam.

By the end, the reason for Eddie’s death understandably follows the plot, but when the reason for Cliff’s attentiveness is revealed, that is definitely a shot out of the dark which you could not see coming.

Us Against You

Title: Us Against You
Author: Fredrik Backman
Published: June 5th 2018 by Atria Books
Format: eBook, Hardcover, 448 pages
Genre: Fiction
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Beartown #2

I had such high hopes for this book, but after the end of “Beartown”, I thought the story was over. A finality, of sorts, was given for each main character and you knew in vague terms where each of their lives had ended up. So when Fredrik Backman started this book on the tail end of the last, I was confused. Is he not telling a story when we already know the end? This was a strange diversion, akin to those movies where they show you the end first and then rewind to show how they got there. Not a tactic I enjoy.

There are a couple of new characters, and how they interact with the original cast, but I was not as invested in them or their oily maneuvers. Maybe he piqued my interest in how they interacted, but not enough for me to give up on those that I knew, and each time they were the center, I wanted to skim to get back to what I considered the important parts.

Beartown, an economically depressed town in the middle of nowhere, continues to struggle with both its people, and its hockey club. This gritty town finds a way to come together when every force comes at them. With most of the previous year's team pulling up and moving over to their rival, Beartown does the unthinkable and hires a woman coach. With her strange ways and three remaining players, she builds not only a team, but also a presence that is stronger than those who are trying to destroy it.

This is a slower book. If you had loved “Beartown”, you will not find the same anticipated drama in “Us Against You”, this is a slower meandering through the remaining parts of their lives kind of story. Though I am not looking forward to it, I have read there will be a final book three to this story somewhere in the distant future. I hope that Backman will bring back the passion and drama that had first brought me to this series, or at least put Beartown to rest.

The Neon Lawyer

Title: The Neon Lawyer
Author: Victor Methos
Published: November 18th 2014 by Thomas & Mercer
Format: eBook, 178 pages
Genre: Legal Suspense
Series: Brigham Theodore Series

The day that attorney Brigham Theodore is sworn into the bar of Salt Lake City, he hits the ground looking for a firm willing to take a chance on him. That is a big ask since he came out of a mid-range school and has been paying his bills as a janitor. He loses his first case, but this is where the book takes a hard swerve when his next case is to defend a woman in a capital murder case.

That seems like a quick leap for a person with no practical experiences and as you read, this wet behind the ears defense attorney seems to have the ninja moves of a seasoned litigator going up against a powerhouse who has never lost a case.

This small book gets to the point quickly without too much fluff, but the reader does need to suspend a bit of belief. From the only law firm willing to take him to the twists, turns, and courthouse maneuvers, Victor Methos takes his lead character through the halls of justice and back to the realities of fighting for a person’s life.

Brigham Theodore is a good man and a good character. It looks as though there is only one more book in this series, which is disappointing since there is no shortage to expand upon.

Aftermath

Title: Aftermath
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Published: May 22nd 2018 by Crown Books for Young Readers
Format: eBook, Hardcover, 371 pages
Genre: Young Adult
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

When it comes to the aftermath of high school shootings, very little notice is given to the family members of the shooters. Kelley Armstrong opens this door with the story of Skye Gilchrist, a sixteen-year-old high schooler who returns to her hometown, to live with her Aunt Mae, three years after her brother Luka was killed by the police.

Skye had no choice in returning, her mother had spiraled further into her depression and authorities said her grandmother was unable to continue caring for her. That left overworked Aunt Mae who had sworn to Skye that her best friend Jesse, the brother of one of the shooting victims, was not at the school and that Skye could have a clean start since no one would remember whom she was. That was wishful thinking on both their parts given that every person and family member who witnessed the tragedy that day remembered. Her brother’s actions affected everyone and no one will let her forget since you are “not allowed to grieve someone like Luka”.

Bullied and the victim of near deadly pranks, Skye continues to brave each day. Her aunt lied -- Jesse is there. This angry sulking boy is now the school’s track star with a chance at college recognition. This is not his dream; he wants to give his parents a place in the stands, the place they held when his brother Jamil was the family standout.

As Jesse and Skye come to terms with their shared past, and where they now fit in the community, they are faced with the need to bring the truth of the shooting to light. There are unlikely alliances, surprising forgiveness, and compassion in this book. No one at the school wants to listen, these two misfits are just odd attention seekers, but the facts are still there and they need to be seen in a new light. The question is -- who is the person behind the scenes pushing for the truth and if not for Jesse and Skye to do the bidding, who will seek justice?

Told in alternating voices, the reader sees their plight unfold. The truth is out there, why did people lie during the investigation? Was there an intentional cover up? Who wants the police report revealed to the public? Will families finally receive answers and the ability to move forward? There are only two people who can put things right, and while in the midst of a budding romance, find their way to the truth and to each other.