Grab a Book & Play Booktivity! discussion
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5/19/17--Currently reading:Text -
City of Veils by Zoë Ferraris--combination of mystery and life for women in Saudi Arabia; can't put it down!Audio in the car -
So Cold the River by Michael Koryta--just about to start...Personal Audio -
Selected Shorts: Wondrous Women by Symphony Space--love these short stories but no page count available!
Family Plot by Cherri Priest
5 Stars
From The Book:
Music City Salvage is owned and operated by Chuck Dutton: master stripper of doomed historic properties and expert seller of all things old and crusty. Business is lean and times are tight, so he’s thrilled when the aged and esteemed Augusta Withrow appears in his office. She has a massive family estate to unload―lock, stock, and barrel. For a check and a handshake, it’s all his.
It’s a big check. It’s a firm handshake. And it’s enough of a gold mine that he assigns his daughter Dahlia to personally oversee the project. Dahlia and a small crew caravan down to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where the ancient Withrow house is waiting―and so is a barn, a carriage house, and a small, overgrown cemetery that Augusta Withrow left out of the paperwork. Augusta Withrow left out a lot of things.
The property is in unusually great shape for a condemned building. It’s empty, but Dahlia and the crew quickly learn it is far from abandoned. There is still something in the Withrow mansion, something angry and lost, and this is its last chance to raise hell before the house is gone forever.
My Views:
Family Plot rates right up there along side The House on Cold Hill by Peter James...the ghost story I read last year and gave at least 10 stars.
You know something creepy is going to happen from the time the salvage company buys the house contents and you begin to wait for it. It's introduced slowly and that helps to build for the finale. The characters were all good with their own individual personalities that were different but worked well together. Loved the book...and just wait for the ending. If you also love a good ghost story....may I suggest another of Cherrie Priest's spooky offerings, Four and Twenty Blackbirds. Leave the lights on...have the blanket handy to hide under...and enjoy.
The Paris Vendetta by Steve Berry
Cotton Malone series Book # 4
3.5 Stars
From The Book:
When Napoleon Bonaparte died in exile in 1821, he took to the grave a powerful secret. As general and emperor, he had stolen immeasurable riches from palaces, national treasuries, and even the Knights of Malta and the Vatican. In his final days, his British captors hoped to learn where the loot lay hidden. But he told them nothing, and in his will he made no mention of the treasure. Or did he?
Former Justice Department operative Cotton Malone isn't looking for trouble when it comes knocking at his Copenhagen bookshop. Actually, it breaks and enters in the form of an American Secret Service agent with a pair of assassins on his heels. Malone has his doubts about the anxious young man, but narrowly surviving a ferocious firefight convinces him to follow his unexpected new ally.
My Views:
Steve Berry always delivers a great story filled with history and loads of twists and turns. Sometimes he gets a bit carried away with the history part and that was the case with the first part of this book. It kept me reading for a couple of reasons...1. It was the book we were discussing on the Mystery & Suspense group read...2. Berry always eventually comes through with excitement and surprises...3. You just find that you simply have to see if your favorite character survives the mayhem they have created...4. Cotton Malone and company are unlikely heroes in even more unlikely scenarios but you are always guaranteed a good time.
The Clairvoyants by Karen Brown
3.5 Stars
From The Book:
On the family homestead by the sea where she grew up, Martha Mary saw ghosts. As a young woman, she hopes to distance herself from those spirits by escaping to an inland college town. There, she is absorbed by a budding romance, relieved by separation from an unstable sister, and disinterested in the flyers seeking information about a young woman who’s disappeared―until one Indian summer afternoon when the missing woman appears beneath Martha’s apartment window, wearing a down coat, her hair coated with ice.
My Views:
This was my first book by this author and I'm still on the fence as to if I just liked it or really liked it. It was a little slow going at times, but it picks up towards the end. In the mean time you have to wade through a lot of atmospheric scenes to get to the plot. Once there the author does a great job of setting the mood and adequately crafting the scene. It gives you that slightly unsettled feeling of knowing you are not alone and you really don't want to look behind you. This is one of the aspects a well told ghost story needs and that is what the books is billed as..."a Gothic ghost story set in modern times." I think I may have expected more to happen sooner than it did. It was the peculiarities and the anticipation in this tale which kept me reading. I do have to say that none of the characters were particularly likable...so if that is a major selling point for you as the reader...this one may not be for you.
Golden Prey by John Sandford
Lucas Davenport- Prey series Book #27
4.5 Stars
From The Book:
Thanks to some very influential people whose lives he saved, Lucas is no longer working for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, but for the U.S. Marshals Service, and with unusual scope. He gets to pick his own cases, whatever they are, wherever they lead him.
And where they’ve led him this time is into real trouble. A Biloxi, Mississippi, drug-cartel counting house gets robbed, and suitcases full of cash disappear, leaving behind five bodies, including that of a six-year-old girl. Davenport takes the case, which quickly spirals out of control, as cartel assassins, including a torturer known as the “Queen of home-improvement tools” compete with Davenport to find the Dixie Hicks shooters who knocked over the counting house. Things get ugly real fast, and neither the cartel killers nor the holdup men give a damn about whose lives Davenport might have saved; to them, he’s just another large target.
My Thoughts:
27 books and the character of Lucas Davenport continues to get better and better. This is one character that truly has grown and matured throughout the 28 years that Sanford has been writing this series. It appears there is no limit to this author's ability to keep new breath and blood flowing into his Lucas Davenport series.
We find our hero taking on his first case as a U.S. Marshall as he hunts for a man that robbed more than a million dollars from a drug cartel that...surprise, surprise...wants their money back and will go to the most unimaginable heights to get it. Lucas takes this on with his usual clever, suspenseful and even sometimes funny manner. This is an excellent addition to the Prey series.
5/28/17 Currently reading:Text -
Mississippi Blood by Greg Iles--I loved the first two in this series, and this is just as good...Personal AUDIO -
Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life by Ruth Franklin--another long book but interesting so far...AUDIO in the car -
Midnight in Broad Daylight: A Japanese American Family Caught Between Two Worlds by Pamela Rotner Sakamoto--promises to be interesting...
The Fix by David Baldacci
Amos Decker series
Book #3
From The Book:
Amos Decker witnesses a murder just outside FBI headquarters. A man shoots a woman execution-style on a crowded sidewalk, then turns the gun on himself.
Even with Decker's extraordinary powers of observation and deduction, the killing is baffling. Decker and his team can find absolutely no connection between the shooter--a family man with a successful consulting business--and his victim, a schoolteacher. Nor is there a hint of any possible motive for the attack. Enter Harper Brown. An agent of the Defense Intelligence Agency, she orders Decker to back off the case. The murder is part of an open DIA investigation, one so classified that Decker and his team aren't cleared for it. But they learn that the DIA believes solving the murder is now a matter of urgent national security. Critical information may have been leaked to a hostile government--or worse, an international terrorist group--and an attack may be imminent.
Decker's never been one to follow the rules, especially with the stakes so high. Forced into an uneasy alliance with Agent Brown, Decker remains laser focused on only one goal: solving the case before it's too late.
My Views:
David Baldacci is one of my top favorite authors so I may be a wee bit biased but it seems that each series that he begins just gets better and better with each addition. Amos Decker started literary life as a damaged character with an extraordinary ability. He found that he couldn't forget anything except he seemed to forget how to relate to people. This...the third novel in the series... sees him mellowing out considerably and starting to build relationships. The theme of the story is duel layered and right up to date with today's terrorist threats and national security issues. Previous episodes lead into this story line so reading the first two books before this one is my suggestion. The Amos Decker series will more than likely appeal to fans of conspiracy novels as well as mystery fans.
Coffin Road by Peter May (Standalone)
4.5★'s
From The Book:
Peter May spins a tale about three disparate cases that may or may not be linked...
On the remote Isle of Harris in Scotland's Outer Hebrides, a man washes up on a deserted beach, hypothermic and completely disoriented. He has no idea who he is or how he got there. The only clue to his condition is a map of the island showing a desolate, ancient path called the Coffin Road. With a sense of dread and no clear idea what lies at the other end, he knows he must follow the trail if he has any hope of discovering his identity.
Meanwhile, homicide detective George Gunn makes the rough ocean crossing to a remote, sea-battered lighthouse on a rock in the northern Atlantic, twenty miles west of the Outer Hebrides, to investigate a brutal murder. Despite its isolation, the tiny island has seen its share of tragedy: more than a century earlier, three lighthouse keepers disappeared, never to be seen or heard from again. And now there is a new tragedy, and Gunn must figure out what happened.
At the same time, a teenage girl lies in her Edinburgh bedroom, desperate to discover the truth about her father's death. Two years after the discovery of the pioneering scientist's suicide note, Karen Fleming still cannot accept that her father would willingly abandon her. And the more she discovers about the nature of his research, the more she suspects that suicide had nothing to do with it.
My Views:
Peter May shows an amazing ability to create images of physical surroundings, and dramatic weather conditions verbally, making the reader feel that they are actually a part of the story. While I am a real fan of graphic murder mysteries Peter May's books manage to portray a detailed murder mystery without the graphic violence. That is indeed a rarity and an ability that attracts his books to both groups of mystery readers. I really enjoyed this novel and there is something very satisfying about reading one of one's favorite authors and knowing that you are not going to be let down.
Exit Strategy by Steve Hamilton
Nick Mason Series Book #2
4.5★'s
From The Book:
Nick Mason has been given a true mission impossible: Infiltrate WITSEC, the top-secret federal witness-protection program that has never been compromised, locate the three men who put his boss Darius Cole behind bars for life, and kill them. But first he has to find them—they’re ghost prisoners locked down around the clock in classified “deep black” locations by an battalion of heavily armed U.S. marshals charged with protecting them—and the clock is ticking. Cole is appealing his conviction, and these witnesses are either his ticket to freedom or the final nail in his coffin. If they testify, Darius Cole will never step foot in the outside world again. If they are killed, he will walk out a free man.
As he risks everything to complete his mission, Mason finds himself being hunted by the very man he replaced, the ruthless assassin who once served, then betrayed, Darius Cole. Rather than waiting to be Mason's next victim, he has escaped witness protection to hunt down and kill Mason himself.
My Views:
I had read Steve Hamilton's Alex McKnight series for years and was sorry to see that several years had past without more about Alex....so when I saw that Hamilton had produced another series about a reluctant assassin, Nick Mason, I was both excited and reluctant. How could an assassin be anything but an assassin by choice? The first book in the series... The Second Life of Nick Mason answered that question in spades.
Exit Strategy...the second book in the series finds Nick trying to balance his "new life" and stay alive at the same time. He wants to see his daughter but being anywhere near her presents danger. He wants to see justice done but all his attempts are met with violence at every turn. Can Nick survive and will he ever find freedom? As readers look for those answers we are thrown a monumental twist that will keep us eagerly awaiting the third book. Don't keep us waiting Steve. Start writing.
Ominous by Lisa Jackson
Wyoming Series Book #2
3 Stars
From the Book:
NO WARNING
In the photograph, three teenaged girls splash in the lake on a sweltering summer evening. Shiloh, Kat, and Ruth are unaware of the man who spies on them from the woods. They have no idea how their lives will be changed by the brutal violence that follows—and the vow of secrecy they take.
CAN PREPARE YOU
Fifteen years later, Ruth and Shiloh have both returned to Prairie Creek, Wyoming, where Kat is deputy sheriff. Though they’ve tried to leave their shared past behind, each has the feeling that someone is lurking in the shadows. When a local girl vanishes, Kat is convinced there’s a connection to that long ago night. But as the friends unite to find the missing teenager, a killer sends a chilling message.
FOR A KILLER’S VENGEANCE
He’s still there. And he hasn’t forgotten. For so long he’s made do with other victims, but they can’t compare to the ones who got away. The ones who keep searching for him, blind to the terrifying truth that they are not the hunters, but his prey .
My Views:
The prologue was excellent and frankly it's what kept me reading. I thought that eventually we would get back to the missing girls and we did, but we had to go through a lot of romance and things that didn't really make the story live up to it's description or the way it started out. Two other authors besides Lisa Jackson had a hand in the writing so maybe that accounts for some of the way the story jumped around. There was so much that could have been done with the story line that started 15 years ago...the missing girls in the present...and the woman that we kept seeing in the cabin that had been held prisoner for years, without all the other stuff. Can't say that I didn't like the book but it wasn't one of my favorites by any means.
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We Are Called to Rise / Laura McBrideAUDIO in the car –
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry / Gabrielle ZavinMP3 Player AUDIO -
Catch-22 / Joseph Heller
Gwendy's Button Box by Stephen King
4★'s
From The Book:
The little town of Castle Rock, Maine has witnessed some strange events and unusual visitors over the years, but there is one story that has never been told... until now.
My Views:
A short, well told little tale by the "Master of Horror". This one lacks the "horror" aspects and rides more on the coattails of magic and the choices that you can can make in life. A lot of "what if's" are also thrown into the mix. The reader will have the opportunity to question what they would do if they held the power of good or evil, forgiveness or revenge, with a single push of a tiny button.
Anatomy of a Haunting: The Nightmare on Baxter Road by Lee Strong
5 Stars
From The Book:
Imagine that you’ve inherited a house of spirits. Now imagine that the house wants you dead.
For Jon and Carlie Summers, the nightmare begins when they move into an inherited home in rural Iowa. Leaving behind their busy lives in Chicago, Jon and Carlie are dragged into a horrifying spiral of violent dreams, illnesses, and possessions. Uncovering a vast evil hidden for decades in crates of buried journals, Jon and Carlie are forced to relive the sinister history of the house and its legacy of abuse, denial, and obsession.
Anatomy of a Haunting is a terrifying true story about one house and its inhabitants who have been pushed to the brink of insanity and death. Through interviews and exhaustive research into the 150-year-old McPherson house, author Lee Strong delves into the history of the haunting and paints a nightmarish picture of one couple’s descent into supernatural madness.
My Views:
I am a sucker for a good ghost story or a haunted house tale. This one was supposedly non-fiction so it was all the better. Do ghost exist? I don't really know. My science degree says "no"...impossible... but my head just laughs and says 'maybe". I'm not at all sure and in spite of my enthusiasm for the stories, that I really want to know. The author believes it and I'm sure that Carlie Summers believes it as it seems did most of the small Iowa town located close to Des Moines. What the book will do that I'm absolutely sure of is give you cold chills and make you sit with your back against a wall to read it. Don't look over you shoulder under any circumstances. I have always wondered why when/if someone encounters a situation such as the Summers did...why in Heaven's name don't they just get out???? This book provided hours of enjoyment but failed to answer my question.
The Stopped Heart by Julie Myerson
3.5 Stars
From The Book:
A deeply chilling, novel of psychological suspense explores the tragedies—past and present haunting a picturesque country cottage. Mary Coles and her husband, Graham, have just moved to a cottage on the edge of a small village. The house hasn’t been lived in for years, but they are drawn to its original features and surprisingly large garden, which stretches down into a beautiful apple orchard. It’s idyllic, remote, picturesque: exactly what they need to put the horror of the past behind them.
One hundred and fifty years earlier, a huge oak tree was felled in front of the cottage during a raging storm. Beneath it lies a young man with a shock of red hair, presumed dead—surely no one could survive such an accident. But the red-haired man is alive, and after a brief convalescence is taken in by the family living in the cottage and put to work in the fields. The children all love him, but the eldest daughter, Eliza, has her reservations. There’s something about the red-haired man that sits ill with her. A presence. An evil. Back in the present, weeks after moving to the cottage and still drowning beneath the weight of insurmountable grief, Mary Coles starts to sense there’s something in the house. Children’s whispers, footsteps from above, half-caught glimpses of figures in the garden. A young man with a shock of red hair wandering through the orchard. Has Mary’s grief turned to madness? Or have the events that took place so long ago finally come back to haunt her?
My Views:
It was a very good story...well written and well told... however the constant switching from past to present was a bit off setting. I love supernatural, physiological suspense stories and this one was building to a stunning conclusion...but then it was like the door closed and someone said "That's all folks." We never found out what actually happened to the villain or what the future was to hold for the couple or the family in the past. That was disappointing and it lost the book half a star. Still very worth the reading time.
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Truly Madly Guilty by Liane MoriartyOMG! It was so hard to put this book down to do other things. I had to know what happened at the neighborhood cookout?! Good Suspense! Loved the Storyline! ★★★★
Currently Reading:
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Charlotte's Story by Laura Benedict
Bliss House Series Book #2
3 Stars
From The Book:
The fall of 1957 in southern Virginia was a seemingly idyllic, even prosperous time. A young housewife, Charlotte Bliss, lives with her husband, Hasbrouck Preston “Press” Bliss, and their two young children, Eva Grace and Michael, in the gorgeous Bliss family home. On the surface, theirs seems a calm, picturesque life, but soon tragedy befalls them: four tragic deaths, with apparently simple explanations. But nothing is simple if Bliss House is involved. How far will Charlotte go to discover the truth? And how far will she get without knowing who her real enemy is? Though Bliss House may promise to give its inhabitants what they want, it never gives them exactly what they expect.
My Views:
As the story begins we learn that a tragedy has occurred at Bliss house. Not only has tragedy struck but strange and unnatural happenings soon follow. The house is beautiful but it has a dark secret within it's walls. The house offers it's residents whatever their hearts desire but it demands payment in return.
I began to loose interest in the story line about half way through the book when the outcome became predictable and the characters began to go off character. I didn't care for the character of Charlotte to begin with and the further into the book I got the less patience I had with her and the sorrier I felt for her husband and son. I did want to see how the author would end this tale and I'll have to say the ending was worth putting up with Charlotte for the 317 pages.
The Trapped Girl by Robert Dugoni
Tracy Crosswhite Series #4
5 Stars
From The Book:
When a woman’s body is discovered submerged in a crab pot in the chilly waters of Puget Sound, Detective Tracy Crosswhite finds herself with a tough case to untangle. Before they can identify the killer, Tracy and her colleagues on the Seattle PD’s Violent Crimes Section must figure out who the victim is. Her autopsy, however, reveals she may have gone to great lengths to conceal her identity. So who was she running from?
After evidence surfaces that their Jane Doe may be a woman who suspiciously disappeared months earlier, Tracy is once again haunted by the memory of her sister’s unsolved murder. Dredging up details from the woman’s past leads to conflicting clues that only seem to muddy the investigation. As Tracy begins to uncover a twisted tale of brutal betrayal and desperate greed, she’ll find herself risking everything to confront a killer who won’t go down without a deadly fight.
My Views:
I have read and enjoyed this series consistently since the first book, My Sister's Grave. The characters continue to grow and develop with each addition. Robert Dugoni is an exceptional storyteller. He weaves the plot giving it texture with many twists and turns but doesn't waste time and space with story lines that add absolutely nothing to the plot and just fill space. Even though I constantly ROO this series needs to be followed in order to better understand the character of Tracy Crosswhite The one thing that I had to chuckle at with one of the main characters was that she was described several times as an introvert. Why was she an introvert?....because she read and collected hundreds of books. Seems she was never without a book. Well...hello to all my introvert friends here who are reading this:)
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Love Walked In / Marisa de los SantosAUDIO in the car –
Something Rotten / Jasper FfordeMP3 Player AUDIO -
Jane Steele / Lyndsay Faye
Sleeping in Flame by Jonathan Carroll
Answered Prayers Sextet Book #2
4 stars
What's it About?:
Walker Easterling is a retired actor turned successful screenwriter living in the Vienna of strong coffee, fascinating friends, and mysterious cafes. When he falls in love with Maris York, a beautiful artist who creates cities, his life becomes alive in fantastic and unsettling ways. As Walker's love for Maris grows, his life gets more and more bizarre-he discovers he can see things happening just before they happen, and at the same time feels an incredibly strong tug from his past-so a friend steers him to Venasque, an odd little man reputed to be a powerful shaman. Venasque helps Walker discover and unravel his many interconnected past lives, and it is soon clear that an unresolved conflict from these past lives has resurfaced, and now threatens to undo Walker and Maris's love.
What Did I Think?:
It was a fun modern fantasy story. This is not my usual genre but it never hurts to branch out...be a little adventurous. Actually the writing style and the story line reminded me somewhat of Neil Gaiman. I believe this book can best be described as a strangeness served with a complex, surprising plot, garnished with moments of insights and beautiful expressions. I did feel that the author rushed the ending somewhat but it won't deter me from sampling another by this author.
The Sinner by Amanda Stevens
Graveyard Queen Series Book #6
3.5 Stars
What's it About?
I am a living ghost, a wanderer in search of my purpose and place. I'm a cemetery restorer by trade, but my calling has evolved from that of ghost seer to death walker to detective of lost souls. I solve the riddles of the dead so the dead will leave me alone.
I've come to Seven Gates Cemetery nursing a broken heart, but peace is hard to come by…for the ghosts here and for me. When the body of a young woman is discovered in a caged grave, I know that I've been summoned for a reason. Only I can unmask her killer. I want to trust the detective assigned to the case for he is a ghost seer like me. But how can I put my faith in anyone when supernatural forces are manipulating my every thought? When reality is ever-changing? And when the one person I thought I could trust above all others has turned into a diabolical stranger?
What Did I Think?
The whole idea behind the plot of this series is unique. It seems that I have learned something with each of the six books. With this one I learned about "mortsafes". Throughout most of the 18th century and even into the early 19th century graves were sometimes enclosed in locked cages to discourage not only grave robber from taking valuables but to keep those that dug up and sold corpses from being able to reach the body until it had decomposed enough that it no longer had a value. Amelia Gray has remained a refreshing and likable character throughout the entire series and some of the "baddies" are starting now to make a reappearance. It's not a gruesome series in spite of the title. Just fast moving interesting stories about an unusual subject. Anyone that likes a little creepy atmosphere in their books will like this series.
The Whisperer by Donato Carrisi
4 Stars
What's It About?
Six severed arms are discovered, arranged in a mysterious circle and buried in a clearing in the woods. Five of them appear to belong to missing girls between the ages of eight and eighteen. The sixth is yet to be identified. Worse still, the girls' bodies, alive or dead, are nowhere to be found.
What Did I Think?
This was a hard one for me to rate. The story line and the plot were intriguing and very well written.. At other times it seemed that much of the writing was simply to fill space. Overall there was enough of the mystery of the missing girls and the journey through the killer's evil, complex mind to more than hold my interest and anticipation and earn the book 4 stars. I do wish the author had given the reader a better understanding of the location in the world that the story was taking place. I like to imagine where I am visiting as I read. A small thing and takes nothing away from an excellent read.
Dead and Buried by Stephen Booth
Cooper and Fry series Book #12
4★'s
From The Book:
Brutal acts of fire starting have ravaged the Peak District, and now a new wave of moorland infernos sweeps across the national park. For DS Ben Cooper, the blazes are best left to the firefighters, even with the arsonists still at large. But when an intruder breaks into an abandoned pub, Cooper is on the case—and he swiftly unearths a pair of grim surprises. The first is evidence of a years-old double homicide, and the second is a corpse, newly dead. What links the three deaths? Where are the missing bodies? Who is responsible—and how do the raging fires fit in? For Cooper and his rival DI Diane Fry, it's the most twisted investigation of their lives, and with an ingenious killer pulling the strings, it could also be their last.
My Views:
This is another series that I have been a long time reader of and for the most part can't find fault with any of the actual writing or the story itself. The thing that has bothered me more and more from the beginning is Diane Fry's treatment of Ben Cooper. She is ambitious and wants to make grade quickly but her character needs to become a bit more human and respectful of her partner. She was specially vicious in this installment so her behavior is escalating and it's beginning to take away from what was an excellent story line with a really surprising ending. Hopefully she will have cooled her heels a bit by the next one.
A Necessary End by Holly Brown
3 Stars
What's It About?
How far would you go to get what you wanted? author, Holly Brown returns with a taut, riveting novel of psychological suspense—a domestic drama full of secrets and twists—about a woman determined to have a child, her ambivalent husband, and a pregnant teenager with a secret agenda of her own.
“I know now that there was no other way things could have turned out. Tragedies are inevitable, just like the great love stories, like us.” Thirty-nine-year-old Adrienne is desperate to be a mother. And this time, nothing is going to get in her way.
At nineteen, Leah bears a remarkable resemblance to the young woman Adrienne once was. Which is why Adrienne knows the baby Leah is carrying is meant to be hers. But Leah’s got ideas of her own: Her baby’s going to get a life in California; why shouldn’t she? All she wants is to live in Adrienne’s house for a year after the baby’s born, and get a fresh start. It seems like a small price for Adrienne to pay to get their baby. And with Gabe suddenly on board, what could possibly go wrong?
What Did I Think?
Holly Brown did a great job of keeping the reader guessing. Nothing was what it seemed to be. The four characters that furnish the points of view in the story are believable but you can see immediately all the mistakes that were being made. You wanted to yell at them to "STOP IT". The baby, Michael was just a chess piece in their individual schemes. The ending was incomplete as far as I was concerned. Of all the many ways this could have concluded it seemed that someone...the author... her editor...someone...chose the one that was the most upsetting and made left the most unanswered.
The book is certainly worth the reading time and will appeal to those that enjoy physiological suspense.
June 16, 2017 Currently reading:TEXT -
The Muralist by B.A. ShapiroPersonal AUDIO -
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley JacksonAUDIO in the car -
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
The Girl Next Door by Ruth Rendell
2★'s
What's it About?
In the waning months of the second World War, a group of children discover a tunnel in their neighborhood outside London. For that summer of 1944, the subterranean space becomes their “secret garden,” where the friends play games, tell their fortunes, and perform for each other.
Six decades later, construction workers make a grisly discovery beneath a house on the same land: a tin box containing two skeletal hands, one male and one female. As the hands make national news, the friends come together once again, to recall their long ago days for a detective. Then the police investigation sputters, and the threads holding their friendship together begin to unravel. Is the truth buried amid the tangled relationships of these aging men and women and their memories? Will it emerge before it’s too late?
What Did I Think?
From the above description it sounds interesting doesn't it? In all honesty I'm not sure if it was the story or the horrible voice of the person reading it? The story dragged on and on as the husband and wife discussed their childhood secret meeting place and then they discussed it some more with two other of their friends. I just wanted them to shut up and get on with the story. I have read Ruth Rendell books over the years and loved them so the only thing I can conclude is that aliens must have abducted Ms. Rendell and sent a body double to write this book along with one of their kind to read it.
No Surrender Soldier by Christine Kohler
3 ★'s
What's it About?
A young man, an old soldier , and a terrible injustice. Should the punishment be death?
Growing up on Guam in 1972, fifteen-year-old Kiko is beset by worries: He’s never kissed a girl, and he thinks it’s possible he never will. The popular guys get all the attention, but the worst part is that Kiko has serious problems at home. His older brother is missing in Vietnam; his grandfather is losing it to dementia; he just learned that his mother was raped in World War II by a Japanese soldier. It all comes together when he discovers an old man, a Japanese soldier, hiding in the jungle behind his house. It’s not the same man who raped his mother, but, in his rage, Kiko cares only about protecting his family and avenging his mom – no matter what it takes. And so, a shy, peaceable boy begins to plan a murder. But how far will Kiko go to prove to himself that he’s a man ? Based on a historical incident.
What Did I Think?
Not much obviously as it took me four months to finish the book. It was just okay. I didn't care much for the topic or most of the characters. I believe this was more me than the story or the writing. Please don't pass this book by based on my opinion. It just didn't click with me but I can't not recommend it to others.
These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly
4.5 ★'s
What's It About?
Jo Montfort is beautiful and rich, and soon—like all the girls in her class—she’ll graduate from finishing school and be married off to a wealthy bachelor. Which is the last thing she wants. Jo dreams of becoming a writer—a newspaper reporter.
Wild aspirations aside, Jo’s life seems perfect until tragedy strikes: her father is found dead. The story is that Charles Montfort shot himself while cleaning his revolver, but the more Jo hears about her father’s death, the more something feels wrong. And then she meets Eddie—a young, smart, infuriatingly handsome reporter at her father’s newspaper—and it becomes all too clear how much she stands to lose if she keeps searching for the truth. But now it might be too late to stop. The past never stays buried forever. Life is dirtier than Jo Montfort could ever have imagined, and this time the truth is the dirtiest part of all. Amazon
What Did I Think?
What a beautifully written book. It's a mix of historical fiction, murder-mystery, coming-of-age, and just a little romance. Seemed that romance was not the main reason for marriages in those times. Jo was a wonderful main character. In spite of her sheltered upbringing and being a great deal naive she came across as a girl/woman (she's 17) that knew what she wanted out of life and was willing to risk everything, including her life, to achieve it. The character of Eddie Gallagher...the newspaper reporter who agreed to help Jo...was such an asset to the the making of the entire story line in his attempt to not only find the answer to Jo's father's murderer but in helping Jo learn about the other side of life. Even though the book lost a half a star for me simply because I was a little disappointed with the ending...I would still highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a historical mystery at it's best.
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The Lowland / Jhumpa LahiriAUDIO in the car –
Something Rotten / Jasper Fforde (Now that I'm not commuting to work each day, it's taking me much longer to get these audios done!)MP3 Player AUDIO -
The Agony and the Ecstasy / Irving Stone
Shake Hands Forever by Ruth Rendell
Inspector Wexford Series Book #9
3 ★'s
What's It About?
The bed was neatly made, and the woman on top neatly strangled.
According to all accounts, Angela Hathall was deeply in love with her husband and far too paranoid to invite an unknown person into their home. So who managed to gain entry and strangle her without a struggle? That is the problem facing Inspector Wexford. Perhaps it was the mystery woman who left her fingerprints on the Hathall's bathtub? Perhaps it was Angela's husband who lied about a stolen library book? And why was the Hathall home, usually so unkempt, exquisitely clean the day of Angela's death? Then a neighbor--friendly, knowing, disarmingly beautiful--offers Wexford her assistance. And what begins as a rather tricky case turns into an obsession that threatens to destroy the Inspector's career--as well as his marriage.
What Did I Think?
This was a bit unusual in that from the beginning we knew who did the dastardly deed...just not HOW they did it. That alone kept this reader turning page after page. Inspector Wexford is his usual complex, flawed and true to life character. Even tho this wasn't the absolutely best Inspector Wexford book I've read I still would say that those who enjoy British village mysteries and police procedural would not only like this book but the entire Wexford series. There are 24 books in the series now. Ruth Rendell died in 2015 and I don't believe anyone else is going to take up the series. Too bad....but they probably wouldn't be the same.
June 22, 2017 Currently reading:TEXT -
The Muralist by B.A. ShapiroPersonal AUDIO -
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley JacksonAUDIO in the car -
The Lottery, and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson
The Corpse Bridge by Stephen Booth
Cooper & fry series Book #14
4★'s
What's It About?
When it comes to murder, nothing is sacred . . .
For centuries, mourners in Derbyshire have used the Corpse Bridge to cross the River Dove and reach their village burial grounds. When a developer plans to deconsecrate the land by turning it into a parking lot for his resort cottages, bodies begin to litter the road to the Corpse Bridge.
Are these warnings to stay away from the sacred plots—or something much, much worse: a terrifying serial killer at work? After recuperating from a traumatic event, Detective Cooper is finally back at work, and he knows that solving the mystery of the Corpse Bridge is exactly what he needs to feel like himself again. But if Cooper can't overcome his own personal demons and focus on the case, he could put everything—and everyone—he cares about at risk .
What Did I Think?
I really enjoyed this one. There was so much history interwoven into the story about the Corpse Roads and how and why the people had to use them. It must have been hardship added to sorrow for these villagers. The history part never distracted from the story...if anything it added to it.
One reviewer said that they missed Diane Fry's appearance in the later books. For myself I enjoyed the book because she failed to appear except in portions of the story. Another enjoyable feature was the number of suspects that paraded the story...all with plenty of reasons to commit the crime. It gave the mystery added weight and made it difficult to figure out. I was only partly right...but I had a great time working on it. If you like Ian Rankin's Rebus or Peter Robinson's Inspector Banks, then you will diffidently like this series.
Indecent Exposure by Stuart Woods
Stone Barrington series Book #42
3.5★'s
What's It About?
Stone Barrington learns that privacy is hard to come by when you’re one of the rich and mighty. As an eligible bachelor, man-about-town, and mover in the highest social echelons, Stone Barrington has always been the subject of interest and gossip. But when he’s unwittingly thrust into the limelight, he finds himself scrambling to take cover. Before too long Stone’s fending off pesky nuisances left and right, and making personal arrangements so surreptitiously it would take a covert operative to unearth them. Unfortunately, Stone soon discovers that these efforts only increase the persistence of the most troublesome pests . . . and when he runs afoul of a particularly tenacious lady, he’ll be struggling to protect not just his reputation, but his life.
What Did I Think?
Mr. Woods is getting back to portraying Stone Barrington as a rich and powerful slut. It wasn't as bad as it was in past books a year or so ago but the sex scenes...of which there were many... were WAY too much information and added nothing to the what was otherwise a good story.
The one true thing I can say from the beginning about this series is that you never have to wait for the bad guy or woman to get what they have coming to them. You can count on justice being dished out on a regular basis allowing you to go on to learn what they'll come up with next to take advantage of Stone Barrington or his friends/clients.
These books are always fast paced and the characters are for the most part likable. Just suspend your disbelieve that nobody...at least nobody that I'm acquainted with...live like these people...shop the pricey boutiques of New York and Europe or write million dollar checks on a daily basis. Not the best book in the series but by no means was it the worse.
The Railway Man: A POW's Searing Account of War, Brutality and Forgiveness by Eric Lomax3.5★'s
What's It About?
It's a remarkable memoir of forgiveness―a tremendous testament to the courage that propels one toward remembrance, and finally, peace with the past. Eric Lomax, sent to Malaya in World War II, was taken prisoner by the Japanese and put to punishing work on the notorious Burma-Siam railway. After the radio he illicitly helped to build in order to follow war news was discovered, he was subjected to two years of starvation and torture. He would never forget the interpreter at these brutal sessions. Fifty years after returning home from the war, marrying, and gaining the strength from his wife Patti to fight his demons, he learned the interpreter was alive. Through letters and meeting with his former torturer, Lomax bravely moved beyond bitterness drawing on an extraordinary will to extend forgiveness.
What Did I Think?
Actually I never set out to read the book. I picked it up and started skimming through it and found myself stopping an reading whole passages which soon advanced to entire pages. So I said to myself..."self..why in the world don't you just start at the front and read this thing."
The book is told from a personal perspective. This is not fiction in any stretch of the imagination. This is the memories and nightmares of a man that faced the horrors and madness of war while a prisoner of a ruthless enemy and lived to tell of it. Ultimately it tells the message of forgiveness and reconciliation. In this day and age the author probably would have been said to have autism. The man is remarkable when you consider the huge suffering that being a prisoner of war would impose on anyone...but a person with that condition would find their situation unbearable at it's best. It is astonishing testimony to this man's spirit that he survived to be such a courageous and insightful man. This has been made into a film by the same title that is available on DVD. I haven't watched it but I understand that the film makers took a great deal of liberties with the facts.
Grave Doubts by Elizabeth Corley
Andrew Fenwick series Book #3
4.5★'s
What's It About?
Andrew Fenwick must stop a serial killer. Viciously attacked by a serial rapist, intent on murder, Sergeant Louise Nightingale is recovering from her ordeal, relieved that the psychopath has been put behind bars for a very long time. Escaping to a remote family home for a well-earned rest, she is unaware that her nightmare has only just begun. When a nameless, faceless terror starts stalking the country, her colleague, Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Fenwick, questions whether or not they have the right man. Leaving a trail of bodies in his wake, the killer soon makes clear his ultimate goal—Nightingale--and he will not rest until he can exact his cruel and calculated revenge. Desperately trying to reach her before the killer does, DCI Andrew Fenwick wonders if her continued silence means he is already too late.
What Did I Think?
It's going to be hard to say much about this book without giving away some real spoilers...but I can tell you that Elizabeth Corley has created a compelling, enticing story with a cast of characters that are believable...perhaps maybe too much so. I did think that at times that Nightingale's actions and reactions were very foolish for a trained and dedicated police woman. This and the fact that the book is a bit long, lost it a half star. It is terrifyingly suspenseful and will make you think twice or even three times about playing on-line games.
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The Odds of Loving Grover Cleveland / Rebekah CraneAUDIO in the car –
Tigers in Red Weather / Liza KlaussmannMP3 Player AUDIO -
Eragon / Christopher Paolini
Requiem Mass by Elizabrth Corley
Andrew Fenwick series Book #1
3.5 ★'s
What's It About?
When young mother Debbie Fearnside goes missing, police interest is minimal. Then DCI Andrew Fenwick notices a curious set of coincidences with the case of murder victim Kate Johnstone. It becomes clear they have both been murdered, revenge for a long-forgotten death.
What I Think?
It doesn't carry much of a surprise. It is the first book in the series and I know they can sometimes be a bit awkward but there was just some points that were a bit fuzzy and not cleared up very well. I have read the second book and found that it's plot was more tightly construed. I still need to post the review for it but I will give this series the chance that I feel it deserves.
The Skeleton Box by Brian Gruley
Starvation Lake Series Book #3
3★'s
What's It About?
Mysterious break-ins are plaguing the small town of Starvation Lake. While elderly residents enjoy their weekly bingo night at St. Valentine’s Catholic Church, someone is slipping into their homes to rifle through financial and personal files. Oddly, the intruder takes nothing—yet the “Bingo Night Burglaries” leave the entire town uneasy.
Worry turns into panic when a break-in escalates to murder. Suddenly, Gus Carpenter, editor of the Pine County Pilot, is forced to investigate the most difficult story of his life. Not only is the victim his ex-girlfriend Darlene’s mother, but her body was found in the home of Bea Carpenter—Gus’s own mother. Suffering from worsening dementia and under the influence of sleeping pills, Bea remembers little of the break-in.
With the help of Luke Whistler, a former Detroit Free Press reporter who came north looking for slower days and some old-fashioned newspaper work, Gus sets out to uncover the truth behind the murder.
What Did I Think?
One reason for the 3 star rating is that this is not an edge-of-your-seat thriller. I have to admit that it is suspenseful...it's a good detective story filled with local color and interesting characters.... but it is simply too easy going. It will diffidently appeal to those that like something a little more than a cozy mystery but not so much on the gritty side.
July 3, 2017 Currently reading:TEXT -
Storm of the Century: The Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 by Willie Drye --first hand accounts of a record-shattering hurricane that hit the Florida keys in 1935...Personal AUDIO -
My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier--so well-written, now I want to see the latest movie version...
I See You by Clare MacKintosh
4★'s
What's It About?
Every morning and evening, Zoe Walker takes the same route to the train station, waits at a certain place on the platform, finds her favorite spot in the car, never suspecting that someone is watching her. It all starts with a classified ad. During her commute home one night, while glancing through her local paper, Zoe sees her own face staring back at her; a grainy photo along with a phone number and a listing for a website called FindTheOne.com. Other women begin appearing in the same ad, a different one every day, and Zoe realizes they’ve become the victims of increasingly violent crimes—including murder. With the help of a determined cop, she uncovers the ad’s twisted purpose...A discovery that turns her paranoia into full-blown panic. Zoe is sure that someone close to her has set her up as the next target. And now that man on the train—the one smiling at Zoe from across the car—could be more than just a friendly stranger. He could be someone who has deliberately chosen her and is ready to make his next move.
What Did I Think?
There were so many possibilities offered up to the reader. Every male in Zoe's life could be a suspect. The story is filled with twists and turns and delivers a wallop of a surprising ending. I don't think it's quite as good as the first one...I Let You Go...but it has enough of a plot and enough strong content to hold it's own.
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The Night Stalker by Chris Carter
Robert Hunter series Book #3
4.5★'s
What's It About?
When an unidentified female body is discovered laid out on a slab in an abandoned butcher's shop, the cause of death is unclear. Her body bares no marks; except for the fact that her lips have been carefully stitched shut. It is only when the full autopsy gets underway at the Los Angeles County morgue that the pathologist will reveal the true horror of the situation - a discovery so devastating that Detective Robert Hunter of the Los Angeles Homicide Special Section has to be pulled off a different case to take over the investigation But when his inquiry collides with a missing persons' case being investigated by the razor-sharp Whitney Meyers, Hunter suspects the killer might be keeping several women hostage. Soon Robert finds himself on the hunt for a murderer with a warped obsession, a stalker for whom love has become hate.
What Did I Think?
If you don't like gritty murder mysteries than leave this book...in fact the entire series...on the shelf. If this type of book is right up your alley then buckle up and get ready for a wild ride. Start with the first book in the series...[The Crucifix Killer]. Even though I am notorious for ROO, this series is better understood and enjoyed if RIO.
Mr. Carter...you did it again. Wrote a story that just begged to not be put down. Unfortunately I had to since it was being read for a book discussion and we do it over several days reading a few chapters at a time. So many twists and turns...so many ways to die. How does he conjure up these ideas and put them on paper? It's suspenseful, gruesome and very dark, not for everyone but those that go for this type of book will love it.
Shadow Man by Cody McFadyen
Smokey Barrett series Book #1
5★'s
What's It About?
Once, Special Agent Smoky Barrett hunted serial killers for the FBI. She was one of the best–until a madman terrorized her family, killed her husband and daughter, and left her face scarred and her soul brutalized. Turning the tables on the killer, Smoky shot him dead–but her life was shattered forever.
Now Smoky dreams about picking up her weapon again. She dreams about placing the cold steel between her lips and pulling the trigger one last time. Because for a woman who’s lost everything, what is there left to lose? She’s about to find out.
What Did I Think?
By page 10 I knew this book was going to be special. It is a masterpiece of a thriller with characters that you can really care about and feel their suffering. The thriller aspects to the story are intense, dark and depraved with a special degree of evil and debasement. The plot was complex and suspenseful as well as being intriguing to watch the FBI team go from nearly no leads at all to cracking the case. The clues are there if you are smart enough to follow them. This will not be for all readers but those that like a little extra spicy kick in their books will devour it.
July 8, 2017 Currently reading:TEXT -
Crime Beat by Michael Connelly--newspaper stories written by Connelly before he began writing crime novels, current selection by the Westfall Library's Stranger Than Fiction book club...Personal AUDIO -
The Lottery, and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson--my husband couldn't take her stories anymore, so I'm listening on my own now!AUDIO in the car -
Alfred Hitchcock by Peter Ackroyd--narrator has same British accent as Hitchcock so it's fun to listen to...
Every Dead Thing by John Connolly
Charlie Parker series Book #1
4 stars
What's It About?
Former NYPD detective Charlie "Bird" Parker is on the verge of madness. Tortured by the unsolved slayings of his wife and young daughter, he is a man consumed by guilt, regret, and the desire for revenge. When his former partner asks him to track down a missing girl, Parker finds himself drawn into a world beyond his imagining: a world where thirty-year-old killings remain shrouded in fear and lies, a world where the ghosts of the dead torment the living, a world haunted by the murderer responsible for the deaths in his family—a serial killer who uses the human body to create works of art and takes faces as his prize. But the search awakens buried instincts in Parker: instincts for survival, for compassion, for love, and, ultimately, for killing.
Aided by a beautiful young psychologist and a pair of bickering career criminals, Parker becomes the bait in a trap set in the humid bayous of Louisiana, a trap that threatens the lives of everyone in its reach. Driven by visions of the dead and the voice of an old black psychic who met a terrible end, Parker must seek a final, brutal confrontation with a murderer who has moved beyond all notions of humanity, who has set out to create a hell on earth: the serial killer known only as the Traveling Man.
What Did I Think?
Go figure. I managed to read every other book in this series and somehow missed this one...the first . I really liked Every Dead Thing but it lacked that certain "zing" that the ones after it had...which is often true of first books.
There is an extremely large cast of unusual and interesting characters that Connolly brings to life, Some will follow along through the next 14 books in the series. Two characters that frequent the stories and we meet for the first time in Every Dead Thing are Angel And Louis who have remained a personal favorite of mine. They are the bad guys that you just have to root for. There is a paranormal overtone throughout all the books as well as just enough of a dose of mystery to make the series well worth the reading time. Believe me when I tell you that these books just keep getting better and better.
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Final Jeopardy / Linda FairsteinAUDIO in the car –
Into the Beautiful North / Luis Alberto UrreaMP3 Player AUDIO -
The Serpent's Tale by Ariana Franklin
Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Stewart
3★'s
What's It About?
A governess in a French château encounters an apparent plot against her young charge's life in this unforgettably haunting and beautifully written suspense novel. When lovely Linda Martin first arrives at Château Valmy as an English governess to the nine-year-old Count Philippe de Valmy, the opulence and history surrounding her seems like a wondrous, ecstatic dream. But a palpable terror is crouching in the shadows. Philippe's uncle, Leon de Valmy, is the epitome of charm, yet dynamic and arrogant—his paralysis little hindrance as he moves noiselessly in his wheelchair from room to room. Only his son Raoul, a handsome, sardonic man who drives himself and his car with equally reckless abandon, seems able to stand up to him. To Linda, Raoul is an enigma—though irresistibly attracted to him, she senses some dark twist in his nature. When an accident deep in the woods nearly kills Linda's innocent charge, she begins to wonder if someone has deadly plans for the young count.
What Did I Think?
I probably would never have read the book if not for a challenge that I was trying to complete. It was better than I had anticipated since this is not my usual type of book. It was a good combination of mystery and romance although I wished it had been a little heavier on the mystery side. The atmosphere of the story reminded me a lot of [Rebecca]. Those that like Gothic romance/mysteries will redoubtably love this book.
A Game of Ghosts by John Connolly
Charlie Parker series Book #15
4.5 ★'s
What's it About?
It is deep winter and the darkness is unending. A private detective named Jaycob Eklund has vanished and Charlie Parker is assigned to track him down. Parker’s employer, Edgar Ross, an agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, has his own reasons for wanting Eklund found. Eklund is no ordinary investigator—he is obsessively tracking a series of homicides and disappearances, each linked to reports of hauntings. Now Parker is drawn into Eklund’s world: a realm in which the monstrous Mother rules a crumbling criminal empire, in which men strike bargains with angels, and in which the innocent and guilty alike are pawns in a game of ghosts.
What Did I Think ?
Another great addition to this long running series. I believe I may read this series more for Louis and Angel than Charlie but they all have their individual personalities to provide such entertainment value. The combined cast makes them unique. Connolly blends mystery with the unconventional, doused with supernatural overtones. The books are dark but oh so yummy. Can't wait for the next one .
July 12, 2017 Currently reading :TEXT -
Commonwealth by Ann Patchett--for a neighborhood book club, my choice as one of my favorite books of 2016Personal AUDIO -
The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry--recommended by a reader of quirky British books
The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch
PC Peter Grant series Book # 6
4 ★'s
What's It About?
Suspicious deaths are not usually the concern of Police Constable Peter Grant or the Folly—London’s police department for supernatural cases—even when they happen at an exclusive party in one of the flats of the most expensive apartment blocks in London. But the daughter of Lady Ty, influential goddess of the Tyburn river, was there, and Peter owes Lady Ty a favor. Plunged into the alien world of the super-rich, where the basements are bigger than the houses, where the law is something bought and sold on the open market, a sensible young copper would keep his head down and his nose clean. But this is Peter Grant we’re talking about. He’s been given an unparalleled opportunity to alienate old friends and create new enemies at the point where the world of magic and that of privilege intersect. Assuming he survives the week.
What Did I Think?
This was my first Peter Grant book so I tried to get a sense of the Grant character. I found him to be funny, and despite what higher-ups seem to think - a good cop. He seems to try very hard to do the right thing...even when it gets him in trouble or puts his life in danger. Some of the other characters were just unbelievably naive...thus making the story somewhat disjointed. I found the humor... the magic... and supernatural element to be something I would like to investigate further so will give this series another try.
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Since We Fellby Denis Lehane
3.5 Stars
From The Book:
Follows Rachel Childs, a former journalist who, after an on-air mental breakdown, now lives as a virtual shut-in. In all other respects, however, she enjoys an ideal life with an ideal husband. Until a chance encounter on a rainy afternoon causes that ideal life to fray. As does Rachel’s marriage. As does Rachel herself. Sucked into a conspiracy thick with deception, violence, and possibly madness, Rachel must find the strength within herself to conquer unimaginable fears and mind-altering truths. By turns heart- breaking, suspenseful, romantic, and sophisticated,
My Views:
Rachel has unresolved issues some of her own making but most were someone else's blunders. Her father abandoned her when she was 3...her mother did more bouncing around than a rubber ball. Most of her life Rachel endured her mother's biting, critical tongue. Trust is not easily gained for Rachel, and after a journalistic trip to Haiti, the troubles intensify. The biggest trauma that she will probably never overcome, I thought that this sentence pretty much summed up the results of Rachel's issues. "On a Tuesday in May, in her thirty-fifth year, Rachel shot her husband dead.”.
This is not a fast moving plot. I have found that this is true of nearly all of Dennis Lehane's books . Don't give up. If the reader sticks it out they will be rewarded. It's the kind of story that can take many different directions.