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Saint Monkey by Jacinda TownsendAUDIO in the car –
The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane AckermanMP3 Player AUDIO –
Eventide by Kent Haruf
The Shipping News by Annie Proulx
3 ★'s
What's It About?
Quoyle, a third-rate newspaper hack, with a “head shaped like a crenshaw, no neck, reddish hair...features as bunched as kissed fingertips,” is wrenched violently out of his workaday life when his two-timing wife meets her just desserts. An aunt convinces Quoyle and his two emotionally disturbed daughters to return with her to the starkly beautiful coastal landscape of their ancestral home in Newfoundland. Here, on desolate Quoyle’s Point, in a house empty except for a few mementos of the family’s unsavory past, the battered members of three generations try to cobble up new lives.
What Did I Think?
I didn't really care for the characters at all. They can best be described as quirky, flawed, and at bottom of the "food chain" when it comes to human beings. After a time they do begin to grow on you. This is not a fast read by any means and some of the boating terms completely went over my head. In spite of that I found myself wanting to know how Quoyle would deal with the next challenge life tossed him. What I did immensely enjoy was the author's details of the landscape and the character of the people that inhabited it....something I generally don't pay a great deal of attention to. Anyone looking for just excitement in a book will probably want to skip this one
True Blue by David Baldacci
3★'s
Mason "Mace" Perry was a firebrand cop on the D.C. police force until she was kidnapped and framed for a crime. She lost everything-her badge, her career, her freedom-and spent two years in prison. Now she's back on the outside and focused on one mission: to be a cop once more. Her only shot to be a true blue again is to solve a major case on her own, and prove she has the right to wear the uniform. But even with her police chief sister on her side, she has to work in the shadows: A vindictive U.S. attorney is looking for any reason to send Mace back behind bars. Then Roy Kingman enters her life. Roy is a young lawyer who aided the poor until he took a high-paying job at a law firm in Washington. Mace and Roy meet after he discovers the dead body of a female partner at the firm. As they investigate the death, they start uncovering surprising secrets from both the private and public world of the nation's capital.
Soon, what began as a fairly routine homicide takes a terrifying and unexpected turn-into something complex, diabolical, and possibly lethal.
It's fast moving and entertaining. Anyone that has read many of David Baldacci's books know that he will always deliver intricate plotting for the good guys to take on the bad guys. I admit that I didn't understand...or even try to understand all the financial intrigue. That was one of the things that lost the book a higher rating. I also didn't find the book "character driven" like most of his other books. Mace was not very likable nor did she use very good sense in making some discussions....but then neither did some of the other characters coming to think of it. Overall...the story was just okay but not up to Baldacci's usual offereng.
The Bone Labyrinth by James Rollins
Sigma Force series Book #11
4★'s
A war is coming, a battle that will stretch from the prehistoric forests of the ancient past to the cutting-edge research labs of today, all to reveal a true mystery buried deep within our DNA, a mystery that will leave life changed, forever. In the remote mountains of Croatia, an archaeologist makes a strange discovery: a subterranean Catholic chapel, hidden for centuries, holds the bones of a Neanderthal woman. In the same cavern system, elaborate primitive paintings tell the story of an immense battle between tribes of Neanderthals and monstrous shadowy figures. Who is this mysterious enemy depicted in these ancient drawings and what do the paintings mean?
Science fans will be absolutely fascinated with the premise that James Rollins brings to this book. Conspiracy theory fans will also be intrigued. At the end of this very long book, the author clarifies the scientific ideas he covers and notes what is reasonable and what is not.
I was hooked on this book from the first chapter due to the very interesting DNA research and the cave discovery. I couldn't stop reading...until the action switched to a different type 'action" that was interesting to begin with but chapter after chapter became dry and began to drag the story down. Now that is just my opinion...there are readers that will find that the most interesting part. It went back and forth from that point and became very confusing at times. My heart went out to one of the characters and that one really saved the book for me. It would have easily received 5 stars if it had remained more on the path that was started in the beginning. In the end I will just have to say it is certainly a book worth the time to read and everyone will more than likely find something that makes it a 5 star book for them.
The Ghost Files Volume 4 by April Baker
2 stars
Hush little children, all snug in your beds, Safe in your dreams, tucked away in your heads. But he is watching and wants to be fed. Don’t try to run…say a prayer instead, Because, little children, you’ll soon be dead. Children all over the city of Charlotte, North Carolina are vanishing and turning up dead exactly one week after their disappearance. The city is in a panic, parents terrified to let their children out of their sights, but it’s simply not enough. You can’t hide from the Devourer of Souls. Mattie has endured a lot over the last year, but now she’s faced with something even her nine lives can't survive. As old secrets are brought to light, she must confront her destiny—and a curse that may cost her everything. Throw in a fallen angel serial killer who specializes in little kids, and Mattie may have to seek help from the one person she swore she never would. Silas. The real question is will she come out the other side the same person she was, or will Silas finally get what he wants—her soul…?
It took me 2 hours to read this...and that's not reading non stop. Not much was actually told in it, other than the last chapter. I'm a huge fan of a good, well told ghost story and with a title like "Ghost Files" I quiet frankly expected more.
Good Me, Bad MeGood Me, Bad Me by Ali Land
4★'s
Milly’s mother is a serial killer. Though Milly loves her mother, the only way to make her stop is to turn her in to the police. Milly is given a fresh start: a new identity, a home with an affluent foster family, and a spot at an exclusive private school. But Milly has secrets, and life at her new home becomes complicated. As her mother’s trial looms, with Milly as the star witness, Milly starts to wonder how much of her is nature, how much of her is nurture, and whether she is doomed to turn out like her mother after all. When tensions rise and Milly feels trapped by her shiny new life, she has to decide: Will she be good? Or is she bad? She is, after all, her mother's daughter.
I kept waiting for Milly to take her frustrations out on one of her tormentors. We were always aware that there were secrets surrounding her mother’s crimes that she knew more about than she admitted... yet each chapter brought us closer to the edge and then pulled us back, leaving us to wonder if Milly was the innocent bystander or the real perpetrator. When tensions rise and Milly feels trapped by her shiny new life, she has to decide: Will she be good? Or is she bad?
The book is beyond tense. The characters are not all liable but they are all very real. Anyone that likes psychological thrillers with a story that takes you on a journey of unexpected twists will really like [Good Me Bad Me].
Wish You Well by David Baldacci
4.5★'s
Precocious 12-year-old Louisa Mae Cardinal lives in the hectic New York City of 1940 with her family. Then tragedy strikes--and Lou and her younger brother, Oz, must go with their invalid mother to live on their great-grandmother's farm in the Virginia mountains. Suddenly Lou finds herself coming of age in a new landscape, making her first true friend, and experiencing adventures tragic, comic, and audacious. But the forces of greed and justice are about to clash over her new home...and as their struggle is played out in a crowded Virginia courtroom, it will determine the future of two children, an entire town, and the mountains they love.
I've read all of David Baldacci's series over the years but this was so different from all of those. As I was reading it I kept thinking that it sounded almost like an autobiography, and then at the back of the book were family pictures from Baldacci's grandparents and his mother. So turns out it was a "labor of love".
This book displays what a magnificent story teller David Baldacci really is. It contains all types of surprises mixed with a scene that will bring tears to the strongest of readers. Taking place from the 1930's and 1940's it offers the reader an opportunity to take a vacation to another time and place and share in lives rich in family history.
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Wish You Well by David Baldacci
4.5★'s
Precocious 12-year-old Louisa Mae Cardinal lives in the hectic New York City of 1940 with her family. Then tragedy strikes--a..."
This sounds good ... thanks for the recommendation.
September 16, 2017 Currently reading:TEXT -
Lexicon by Max Barry --for a book club, dystopian book about the power of words to persuade, quite unlike any book I've ever read! and
Mislaid by Nell Zink--another book club read, both clubs meeting this next week! This one's different, too, and not quite sure I like it. Hard to describe...Personal AUDIO -
Murder in Matera: A True Story of Passion, Family, and Forgiveness in Southern Italy by Helene Stapinski--this one's interesting, where the author goes back to Italy to get to the bottom of a family murder that supposedly happened back in the 1800's.
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Lamb in His Bosom / Caroline MillerAUDIO in the car –
Blood, Bones, and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef / Gabrielle Hamilton MP3 Player AUDIO –
Dreams of Joy / Lisa See
Yesterday's Echo by Matt Coyle
Rick Cahill series Book #1
4.5★'s
This is an author that bears watching. If [Yesterday's Echo] is any indication of what Matt Coyle is capable of then the Mystery & Suspense readers have something to celebrate.
Coyle has presented us with ex-cop Rick Cahill...a tarnished character that is battling more than his share of demons. Accused of his wife's murder but not convicted because of lack of evidence, Rick moves to LaJolla to manage a restaurant for a friend. Everything is going well until a woman who had been in earlier with a man that she was arguing with...returns and asks for his help. Things just never go right for him after he tries to be the good guy. I'm not going to say much more about the story but I will say that if you want an captivating read that you won't want to put it down, and you don’t want to end...try this talented new author...Matt Coyle
Enigma by Catherine Coulter
FBI series Book #21
4 ★'s
When Agent Dillon Savich saves Kara Moody from a seemingly crazy man, he doesn’t realize he will soon be facing a scientist who wants to live forever and is using “John Doe” to help him. But when the scientist, Lister Maddox, loses him, he ups the stakes and targets another to take his experiments to the next level. It’s a race against time literally as Savich and Sherlock rush to stop him and save both present and future victims of his experiments. In the meantime, Cam Wittier and Jack Cabot must track a violent criminal through the Daniel Boone National Forest. When he escapes through a daring rescue, the agents have to find out who set his escape in motion and how it all ties into the murder of Mia Prevost, the girlfriend of the president’s Chief of Staff’s only son, Saxton Hainny. It’s international intrigue at the highest levels and they know they have to succeed or national security is compromised.
Two plots are featured in this latest edition to the FBI series. If there is one thing we as readers can count on, it's Catherine Coulter delivering complex, well put together story lines and presenting them in another top notch thriller. This novel has risks, intrigue, danger, mystery, thrills, chills, and is so very captivating. I would recommend this for any reader that enjoys Mystery and Thrillers and doesn't mind losing a little sleep to read "just one more page."
King & Maxwell by David Baldacci
King & Maxwell series Book #6
4.5★'s
It seems at first like a simple, tragic story. Tyler Wingo, a teenage boy, learns the awful news that his father, a soldier, was killed in action in Afghanistan. Then the extraordinary happens: Tyler receives a communication from his father . . . after his supposed death. Tyler hires Sean and Michelle to solve the mystery surrounding his father. But their investigation quickly leads to deeper, more troubling questions. Could Tyler's father really still be alive? What was his true mission? Could Tyler be the next target? Sean and Michelle soon realize that they've stumbled on to something bigger and more treacherous than anyone could have imagined. And as their hunt for the truth leads them relentlessly to the highest levels of power and to uncovering the most clandestine of secrets, Sean and Michelle are determined to help and protect Tyler--though they may pay for it with their lives.
Sadly this may be the last book in this terrific series...but maybe not as Baldacci further explores the special relationship between Sean and Michelle. However the question "are they or aren't they" still hangs in the balance without an actual answer. We also see Sean's ex-wife Dana, in a more than cameo role as the wife of a 2 star General at the Pentagon.
I have found that one of David Baldacci's great strengths is his ability to create and bring to life a number of compelling characters while showing each ones strengths and weaknesses throughout the story. The reader either likes or hates them...there is no in between. I highly recommend this entire series to all that enjoy a great deal of conspiracy mixed with their mystery & suspense. Although I am the probably the world's most notorious ROO reader, I do believe that this series needs to be RIO as each book brings a continuation of characters and events that could be missed otherwise.
Gone by Mo Hayder
Jack Caffery Series Book #5
4★'s
Detective Jack Caffery’s newest case seems like a routine carjacking, a crime he’s seen plenty of times before until he realizes the sickening truth: the thief wasn’t after the car, but the 11-year-old girl in the backseat. Meanwhile police diver Sergeant Flea Marley is pursuing her own theory of the case, and what she finds in an abandoned, half-submerged tunnel could put her in grave danger. The carjacker is always a step ahead of the Major Crime Investigation Unit, and as the chances for his victims grow slimmer, Jack and Flea race to fit the pieces together in time.
Like all Mo Hayder's books this one is filled with strong characters and an excellent, believable plot...but be aware that like all her books it is also dark and unsettling. The danger is real and ever-present, and she never gives you a guarantee of who is going to make it home at the end of the day. Jack Caffery is a detective that you will either really love or really hate but you will never, ever be bored when he is on the case.
White Bodies by Jane Robins
4★'s
Felix and Tilda seem like the perfect couple: young and in love, a financier and a beautiful up-and-coming starlet. But behind their flawless façade, not everything is as it seems. Callie, Tilda’s unassuming twin, has watched her sister visibly shrink under Felix’s domineering love. She has looked on silently as Tilda stopped working, nearly stopped eating, and turned into a neat freak, with mugs wrapped in Saran Wrap and suspicious syringes hidden in the bathroom trash. She knows about Felix’s uncontrollable rages, and has seen the bruises on the white skin of her sister’s arms. Worried about the psychological hold that Felix seems to have over Tilda, Callie joins an Internet support group for victims of abuse and their friends. However, things spiral out of control and she starts to doubt her own judgment when one of her new acquaintances is killed by an abusive man. And then suddenly Felix dies—or was he murdered?
It was a slower starter than I had thought it would be and the skipping backward and forward in ten year intervals was a bit off setting. However the psychologically, sophisticated tale more than compensated for it. The sisters’ relationship is undeniably the most intriguing part of the story. Had this been a character study of the obsessive, bordering on fanatical, relationship between twin sisters it would be a five star novel. In spite of the fact that I read a book for the mystery, suspense and the crime.... I have to say that in this case it's unfortunately the crime that bogs down the story. Anyone that is bothered by reading about domestic violence may want to skip this one entirely.
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Living to Tell the Tale / Gabriel García MárquezAUDIO in the car –
Death on the Nile / Agatha ChristieMP3 Player AUDIO –
Dracula / Bram Stoker
The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes by Diane Chamberlain
5★'s
In 1977, pregnant Genevieve Russell disappeared. Twenty years later, her remains are discovered and Timothy Gleason is charged with murder. But there is no sign of the unborn child.
CeeCee Wilkes knows how Genevieve Russell died, because she was there. And she knows what happened to her missing infant, because two decades ago she made the devastating choice to raise the baby as her own. Now Timothy Gleason is facing the death penalty, and she has another choice to make. Tell the truth and destroy her family. Or let an innocent man die in order to protect a lifetime of lies.
One of the most enjoyable books I have had the pleasure of reading this year. It was literally a book on steroids.
It's 1977...sixteen year old CeeCee Wilkes was alone in the world. Her mother had died when she was twelve and she spent the next four years in foster homes...graduating from high school well ahead of her classmates and working in a diner. Then she meets Tim Gleason...personable...smooth talker and 6 years CeeCee senior. CeeCee is smitten and the course is set to lead her into a situation that will make her life and those of everyone she loves, a living Hell for the next 38 years. You know from the time she reluctantly agrees to Tim and his brother's plan to save their death row sister that it is a disaster just waiting to happen.
It wasn't my usual type of book but I couldn't stop reading. It's a story of issues of morality and choice that allows the reader to root for CeeCee despite her many wrong choices. I could not stop caring about the characters...flawed though they were. Highly, highly recommend this book.
September 26, 2017 Currently reading:TEXT -
Blackbird House by Alice Hoffman--one of my favorite authors for her magical realism, and although these are stories, they're back in her old style and wonderful!Personal AUDIO -
The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny--also one of my favorite authors, the only book of hers that I haven't read yet except for her newest--I'm on the library waiting list!
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Lamb In His Bosom - Caroline Miller – 5*****
This 1934 Pulitzer winner deals with a backwoods existence in rural Georgia, following the Carver / Smith families from 1832 until shortly after the Civil War. They battle weather, wild animals, disease, and injuries. And, when called, the men leave to fight a war they never wanted, and have no stake in. Descriptions so vivid you can feel the heat, smell the blood, hear the birds or the wail of panthers. It is a simple story, of simple people, but their lives are anything but simple.
LINK to my review
Proof of Life by J.A. Jance
J.P. Beaumont series Book # 22
4★'s
Be careful what you wish for . . . Before he retired, J. P. Beaumont had looked forward to having his days all to himself. But too much free time doesn’t suit a man used to brushing close to danger. When his longtime nemesis, retired Seattle crime reporter Maxwell Cole, dies in what’s officially deemed to be an accidental fire, Beau is astonished to be dragged into the investigation at the request of none other than the deceased victim himself. In the process Beau learns that just because a long-ago case was solved doesn’t mean it’s over. Caught up in a situation where old actions and grudges can hold dangerous consequences in the present, Beau is forced to operate outside the familiar world of law enforcement. While seeking justice for his "frenemy" and healing for a long fractured family, he comes face to face with an implacable enemy who has spent decades hiding in plain sight.
I started reading this series 32 years ago with the very first Beaumont book. I wondered where this series was going when Beau retired. I was even afraid that he would just ride off into the sunset so I was thrilled to see [Proof of Life] come about. Beau hasn't lost his touch...he now even has a dog...what more could you ask for? A touch of humor reigns while he is dealing with the newly acquired Lucy, a.k.a.Rambo an Irish Wolfhound the size of a small horse. A touch of sadness as he investigates the fire that killed his sometimes friend, sometimes enemy, reporter Maxwell Cole. I was glad to see that Beau...in spite of the retirement...will still be doing what he does best.
The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall by Mary Dowining Hahn
3.5★'s
When twelve-year-old Florence boards the crowded horse-drawn coach in London, she looks forward to a new life with her great uncle and aunt at Crutchfield Hall, an old manor house in the English countryside. Anything will be better, she thinks, than the grim London orphanage where she has lived since her parents' death. But Florence doesn't expect the ghost of her cousin Sophia, who haunts the cavernous rooms and dimly lit hallways of Crutchfield and concocts a plan to use Florence to help her achieve her murderous goals. Will Florence be able to convince the others in the household of the imminent danger and stop Sophia before it's too late?
This is advertised as juvenile literature but I needed a "children's or Young adult " book for another challenge and found that this one also fit this challenge and I had read Mary Downing Hahn's work before and found that she was an expert at weaving a goose bump raising ghost story no matter how how you are. In the beginning you feel sorry for Sophia...the little ghost...but before long you discover she is far from the angelic creature idolized by Eugenie. Sophia proves to be spiteful, manipulative, and determined to avenge her death. While some of Hahn's literary references will likely go over the heads of the targeted age group, most readers will be too absorbed in the chilling atmosphere of the tale and Sophia's terrifying influence on the living world to care. A deliciously spine-tingling tale that even the most "mature" readers will enjoy.
The Night Stalker by Robert Bryndza
Erica Foster series Book #2
4 ★'s
If the Night Stalker is watching, you’re already dead… In the dead of a swelteringly hot summer’s night, Detective Erika Foster is called to a murder scene. The victim, a doctor, is found suffocated in bed. His wrists are bound and his eyes bulging through a clear plastic bag tied tight over his head. A few days later, another victim is found dead, in exactly the same circumstances. As Erika and her team start digging deeper, they discover a calculated serial killer – stalking their victims before choosing the right moment to strike. The victims are all single men, with very private lives. Why are their pasts shrouded in secrecy? And what links them to the killer? As a heat wave descends upon London, Erika will do everything to stop the Night Stalker before the body count rises, even if it means risking her job. But the victims might not be the only ones being watched… Erika’s own life could be on the line.
This is a series with characters that for the most part, show a great deal of promise of blossoming into one of the top detective series...IF...the author will consider toning down Erika Foster's disrespect for authority and heading out to carry out her own agenda in blatant defiance of protocol. She's not the only character that needs to be sat on...her supervisors...Oakley in particular...shows such hatred for Erika that it's starting to make the plots unbelievable.
In spite of the character attitude I have to say the book had a lot going for it in the "Must Read" department. It is indeed a real page turner that I didn't want to put down. Erika Foster's character and back story was intriguing enough that I wanted to find out more about her. The serial killer is intriguing as well...but I won't say too much about that. I believe one factor of a good author is the ability to make the reader experience a range of feelings. I diffidently found myself feeling very angry at the way Erika was treated by her bosses and some other police officers and pity at the life of the character known as "Duke". Overall, Mr. Bryndz I enjoyed your book and look forward to the next one. Just please, please make Erika a bit more likable.
Alfred Hitchcock's Ghostly Gallery by Alfred Hitchcock
3.5★'s
A compilation of ghost and horror stories. The tales include "Miss Emmeline Takes Off" by Walter Brooks, "The Valley of the Beasts" by Algernon Blackwood, "The Haunted Trailer" by Robert Arthur, "The Upper Berth" by F. Marion Crawford, "The Wonderful Day" by Robert Arthur, "The Truth About Pyecraft" by H. G. Wells, "Housing Problem" by Henry Kuttner, "In a Dim Room" by Lord Dunsany, "Obstinate Uncle Otis" by Robert Arthur, "The Waxwork" by A. M. Burrage, and "The Isle of Voices" by Robert Louis Stevenson.
As many of you know I have an 11 year old reading buddy...Brian. This was his choice for Halloween and since I needed some Halloween material I decided to read with him...something he needing me less and less for now:(. My favorite of these tales was The Upper Berth by F. Marion Crawford. It is now one of my favorite short stories of all time. It was creepy without being
too graphic for my reading companion. Brian says "It's just spooky and I liked it." It very much reminded me of the work of Shirley Jackson, and Susan Hill, two of my favorite 'ghostly witters.
Don't Let Go by Harlan Coben
4★'s
Suburban New Jersey Detective Napoleon “Nap” Dumas hasn't been the same since senior year of high school, when his twin brother Leo and Leo’s girlfriend Diana were found dead on the railroad tracks—and Maura, the girl Nap considered the love of his life, broke up with him and disappeared without explanation. For fifteen years, Nap has been searching, both for Maura and for the real reason behind his brother's death. And now, it looks as though he may finally find what he's been looking for.
When Maura's fingerprints turn up in the rental car of a suspected murderer, Nap embarks on a quest for answers that only leads to more questions—about the woman he loved, about the childhood friends he thought he knew, about the abandoned military base near where he grew up, and mostly about Leo and Diana—whose deaths are darker and far more sinister than Nap ever dared imagine.
The character of Nap (Napoleon) presented somewhat difficult choices for the reader. Is he a good guy or is he a bad guy...him being a cop you kinda hoped for the later...but the first meeting we had with him he was crippling a guy with a baseball bat...so???? I found him way too driven by events that happened in his teen years...the death of his twin brother, Leo and the disappearance of his then girlfriend, Maura... in the beginning. As he began to investigate what really happened fifteen years ago we began to see that his paranoid attitude just might have some reality. The bodies begin to pile up and the story starts to take several very different paths.
I read that the story was loosely based on some actual events that took place in the "real" hometown of the author who cleverly weaved the facts into the story line. Harlan Coben fans will love it...those new to this author will quickly become fans.
Currently reading
The 7th Canon by Robert Dugoni
Cold is the Grave by Peter RobinsonWill soon start
Sandstorm by James Rollins as a group read on LibraryThing. If any of you are members on LibraryThing you are more than welcome to join us starting October 10th.
October 5, 2017 Currently reading:TEXT -
Saint Mazie by Jami Attenberg--looking forward to seeing the author at the Texas Book Festival in Austin, November 4--one of my favorite events, held inside and on the grounds of the Texas state capital!Personal AUDIO -
The Lying Game by Ruth Ware
A Dangerous Talen] by Charlotte & Aaron Elkins
Alix London Series Book #1
4 stars
Alix London has a promising career as an art consultant, a sumptuous condo in Seattle’s toniest neighborhood, a gorgeous figure, and a presence that exudes Ivy League breeding and old money. She has it all…or does she? Only Alix knows that the image she presents to the world is a carefully constructed mirage that veils an embarrassing truth. A brilliant, once-promising art student, the daughter of a prominent New York art conservator, her world was left in ruins when her father went to prison for art forgery. Now a Harvard dropout with an emptied bank account, she is languishing in a career that has produced little more than a lucky house-sitting gig. But all of that changes when Alix meets Christine Lemay, a novice art collector with money to burn and a hot tip on a recently discovered painting by American master Georgia O’Keeffe. Chris hires Alix to perform the authentication, an assignment that finally could launch Alix into the big leagues. But soon after her arrival in Santa Fe, she finds herself tangled up in a web of forgery, deceit—and murder. Anxious to avoid becoming the next victim, she teams up with FBI Special Agent Ted Ellesworth—and gets a little unlikely help from her roguish father—to uncover the truth behind the painting and those who would kill to have it. Sharp, witty, and devilishly fun,
The art world is a complete mystery to me. I could no more tell you what the philosophy is behind an artists work than I could build a rocket...so this mystery about the art world was a good and challenging read for me. I found the book to generally be an easy reading mystery but was not as challenging or tightly written as the mysteries I normally read. The character of Alix London was intelligent and very likable but I was weary of the F.B.I. agent at first. He constantly insisted that Alix was a prime suspect in the murder of an art gallery owner and is probably a forger herself in spite of the fact there was not one shred of evidence to support this assumption. Of course they dislike and distrust each other because they are actually attracted to each other: a bit too much romance for me. The identity of the murderer becomes obvious early in the book, It would have been better if that had been reserved for later...but overall it was a very worthwhile read.
The 7th Canon by Robert Dugoni
5★'s
In San Francisco’s seamy Tenderloin district, a teenage street hustler has been murdered in a shelter for boys. And the dedicated priest who runs the struggling home stands accused. But despite damning evidence that he’s a killer—and worse—Father Thomas Martin stands by his innocence. And attorney Peter Donley stands with him. For three years Donley has cut his legal teeth in his uncle’s tiny, no-frills firm, where people come before profits. Just as Donley is poised to move on to a lucrative dream job, the shocking case lands in his lap, and he must put his future on hold while putting his courtroom skills to the test. But a ruthless DA seeking headlines and a brutal homicide cop bent on vengeance have their own agendas. Now, as he unearths the dirty secrets surrounding the case, Donley must risk his neck to save his client’s life…and expose the face of true evil.
I've seen mixed reviews for this book. It seems you either really liked it or you really didn't....I really did. I found the characters of Peter Donley and Frank Ross to be ones that you could really root for and the character of Dixon Connor to be one you could truly hate...but it took all of them to make a first rate story. I have read Robert Dugoni's courtroom series featuring David Sloan and thought that this one would fit right in with that series...if only Dugoni had had more of the courtroom drama that he is so good at writing. Overall it was an excellent read and it will appeal to readers that like novels with lots of action and a seemingly impossible mystery to solve.
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The Illusion of Separateness by Simon Van Booy AUDIO in the car –
The Three Weissmanns of Westport / Cathleen SchineMP3 Player AUDIO –
Double Indemnity by James M. Cain
What Hides Within by Jason Parent
4★'s
it tells the story of a man held captive by an unknown evil. Clive Menard is a spineless slacker leading an ordinary existence. But when Chester enters his life, it becomes far from ordinary. A disheveled Clive stands alone in a hospital waiting room. A series of incidences have led him to undergo unnecessary neurosurgery. A voice inside Clive's head nags him to kill the doctor. Weeks prior, a murder investigation and an unrelated kayaking excursion set the story's interlocking events in motion. When a remorseful killer, a bomb-happy psychopath and a mysterious widow spider converge upon Clive, they bring with them destruction and death. Clive must discover who or what is steering his very existence before he, too, is consumed by the carnage around him. With a driven detective following his every step and a vicious killer hiding within his circle of friends, Clive must walk a narrow and dangerous path, teetering between salvation and damnation. He must confront Chester and his own demons. But is he powerless to overcome them?
This had quite the plot and was very well carried out although I was never quite sure if it was supposed to be horror or paranormal. It had elements of both making it enjoyable as well as entertaining. Hiding under the dark theme was even elements of humor. The characters were great, extremely well written even though Clive was just too darn likable. I would recommend this book to fans of horror and fans of the paranormal alike or anyone just looking to be scared to death.
Cold is the Grave by Peter Robinson
Alan Banks series Book #11
5★'s
Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks' life is shaken to the core when he is unexpectedly pulled into the investigation of a young girl's disappearance in this shattering suspense novel from the hand of a modern master. When the nude photo of a teenage runaway shows up on a website, the girl's father turns to Detective Chief Inspector Alan banks for help. But these aren’t unusual circumstances, for the runaway is the daughter of a man who's determined to destroy the dedicated Yorkshire policeman's career and good name. Still, it’s a case that Banks—a father himself—dares not ignore as he follows its trail into teeming London. But when a series of gruesome murders follows soon after, Banks finds himself pulled into the past and private world of his most powerful enemy, Chief Constable Jimmy Riddle. One can never escape their pasts—especially when there are sordid secrets waiting to be revealed.
It's a very engaging, dark mystery. Through the foolishness of the teenage daughter of his nemesis, Chief Constable Riddle, the recurring protagonist...CI Alan Banks gets caught up in the drug world in and beyond London. It seems that Chief Constable "Jimmy" Riddle may be becoming "a more likable human being"...if that is even possible... as he overcomes his extreme dislike for Alan Banks and has to ask for his help.
All of the characters in Peter Robinson's Alan Banks series seem real and believable. Alan Banks is heroism personified...Cabot is tough and vulnerable. Together they are a force to be reckoned with. The plot is complicated enough to keep you guessing to the very end.
Secrets in Death by J.D. Robb
Eve Dallas (In Death) series Book #45
5★'s
The chic Manhattan nightspot Du Vin is not the kind of place Eve Dallas would usually patronize, and it’s not the kind of bar where a lot of blood gets spilled. But that’s exactly what happens one cold February evening. The mortally wounded woman is Larinda Mars, a self-described “social information reporter,” or as most people would call it, a professional gossip. As it turns out, she was keeping the most shocking stories quiet, for profitable use in her side business as a blackmailer. Setting her sights on rich, prominent marks, she’d find out what they most wanted to keep hidden and then bleed them dry. Now someone’s done the same to her, literally―with a knife to the bronchial artery. Eve didn’t like Larinda Mars. But she likes murder even less. To find justice for this victim, she’ll have to plunge into the dirty little secrets of all the people Larinda Mars victimized herself. But along the way, she may be exposed to some information she really didn’t want to know.
I have devoured each and every one of the books in this series. I can't begin to say enough glowing things about them. Anyone that likes a little romance, a lot of good police work, wonderful well drawn characters that you will grow to love very quickly...will want to begin this series immediately. With 45 books out in the series it should keep you busy for years or in some cases mere months:)
Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell
Kurt Wallander Series Book #1
3.5
It was a senselessly violent crime: on a cold night in a remote Swedish farmhouse an elderly farmer is bludgeoned to death, and his wife is left to die with a noose around her neck. And as if this didn’t present enough problems for the Ystad police Inspector Kurt Wallander, the dying woman’s last word is foreign, leaving the police the one tangible clue they have–and in the process, the match that could inflame Sweden’s already smoldering anti-immigrant sentiments.
Unlike the situation with his ex-wife, his estranged daughter, or the beautiful but married young prosecutor who has peaked his interest, in this case, Wallander finds a problem he can handle. He quickly becomes obsessed with solving the crime before the already tense situation explodes, but soon comes to realize that it will require all his reserves of energy and dedication to solve.
I thought this sounded familiar but I knew I had never the book...but I did see the DVD. The book and the DVD are very much in agreement with one another. We first meet Kurt Wallander on the case of a murdered farmer and his wife in the dead of the night in a small Swedish village. Kurt Wallander is very distracted as he is dealing with a lot of personal issues involving his family, but he still doggedly pursues the killer or killers responsible for these violent deaths. I found this a bit hard to hold any interest until I became used to Wallander's dark, melancholy moods. It was a good story even though it was slow in parts.
The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg
3★'s
It is the story of brutal murders in a small Swedish fishing village, and the shattering, decades-old secrets that precipitated them. In this electrifying tale of suspense from an international crime-writing sensation, a grisly death exposes the dark heart of a Scandinavian seaside village. Erica Falck returns to her tiny, remote hometown of Fjällbacka, Sweden, after her parents’ deaths only to encounter another tragedy: the suicide of her childhood best friend, Alex. It’s Erica herself who finds Alex’s body—suspended in a bathtub of frozen water, her wrists slashed. Erica is bewildered: Why would a beautiful woman who had it all take her own life? Teaming up with police detective Patrik Hedström, Erica begins to uncover shocking events from Alex’s childhood. As one horrifying fact after another comes to light, Erica and Patrik’s curiosity gives way to obsession—and their flirtation grows into uncontrollable attraction. But it’s not long before one thing becomes very clear: a deadly secret is at stake, and there’s someone out there who will do anything—even commit murder—to protect it.
The book draws the characters very well, slowly bringing everything together for the final reveal. it did seem that the ending was not very plausible nor did it really answer the "why" of the murder. Overall, it was well-paced and engaging. I would be willing to try more in the Fjallbacka series.
Oct 14, 2017 Currently reading:TEXT -
Glass Houses by Louise Penny--couldn't wait to read her latest!AUDIO in car -
Dragon Teeth by Michael Crichton--a welcome relief after The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution!
Grief Cottage by Gail Godwin
3.5
After his mother's death, eleven-year-old Marcus is sent to live on a small South Carolina island with his great aunt, a reclusive painter with a haunted past. Aunt Charlotte, otherwise a woman of few words, points out a ruined cottage, telling Marcus she had visited it regularly after she'd moved there thirty years ago because it matched the ruin of her own life. Eventually she was inspired to take up painting so she could capture its utter desolation. The islanders call it "Grief Cottage," because a boy and his parents disappeared from it during a hurricane fifty years before. Their bodies were never found and the cottage has stood empty ever since. During his lonely hours while Aunt Charlotte is in her studio painting and keeping her demons at bay, Marcus visits the cottage daily, building up his courage by coming ever closer, even after the ghost of the boy who died seems to reveal himself. Full of curiosity and open to the unfamiliar and uncanny given the recent upending of his life, he courts the ghost boy, never certain whether the ghost is friendly or follows some sinister agenda.
Grief Cottage is the best sort of ghost story, but it is far more than that--an investigation of grief, remorse, and the memories that haunt us. The power and beauty of this artful novel wash over the reader like the waves on a South Carolina beach.
it was a ghost story...but not the ghost story that I had expected. Was I disappointed? Yes...at first but then I discovered that it was so much more...the "literary child" of the mating of a ghost story and a psychological thriller... then I was hooked. Marcus...the 11 year old orphan is years ahead of the average 11 year old. The aunt that took him in had never met him but was his only living relative...was a mixture of hardy common sense, heartwarming sensitivity to a grieving child...and a lot of downright strangeness. The little boy ghost was also a philosophical little soul. These characters all come together to form a story that is tender, sad, and hopeful.
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Norwegian by Night by Derek B. MillerAUDIO in the car –
Drums of Autumn by Diana GabaldonMP3 Player AUDIO –
Murder in the Paperback Parlor Ellery Adams
Black and Blue by Ian Rankin
Inspector John Rebus series Book #8
4.5*'s
Bible John killed three women, and took three souvenirs. Johnny Bible killed to steal his namesake's glory. Oilman Allan Mitchelson died for his principles. And convict Lenny Spaven died just to prove a point. "Bible John" terrorized Glasgow in the sixties and seventies, murdering three women he met in a local ballroom--and he was never caught. Now a copycat is at work. Nicknamed "Bible Johnny" by the media, he is a new menace with violent ambitions.
The Bible Johnny case would be perfect for Inspector John Rebus, but after a run-in with a crooked senior officer, he's been shunted aside to one of Edinburgh's toughest suburbs, where he investigates the murder of an off-duty oilman. His investigation takes him north to the oil rigs of Aberdeen, where he meets the Bible Johnny media circus head-on. Suddenly caught in the glare of the television cameras and in the middle of more than one investigation, Rebus must proceed with caution: One mistake could mean an unpleasant and not particularly speedy death, or, worse still, losing his job.
Nearly 30 years after a serial killer dubbed Bible John abruptly retired after three vicious murders, he's back in the news again....which mean Inspector John rebus is back on the case. But 30 years have past...and Rebus wonders how the killer could possibly be the same one since he'd be now in his 80's. A young fan...a copy cat?... this possibility makes this case Rebus's worse nightmare walking.
I've yet to find an Ian Rankin novel that I have not enjoyed from start to finish. This author knows how to write a first class crime novel. His character of John Rebus is extraordinary. Sure he has his flaws but he operates with determination and a strong sense of old fashioned morals. Anyone that is a fan of Peter Robinson's Alan Banks books or the Stuart McBride's Logan McRea series will want to let Inspector John Rebus "join the party."
The Last Victim by Karen Robards
Dr. Charlotte Stone series Book #1
3★'s
A sought-after expert in criminal pathology, Dr. Charlotte Stone regularly sits face-to-face with madmen. At the age of sixteen, she herself survived a serial killer’s bloodbath. Because of the information she gave police, the Boardwalk Killer went underground, but Charlie kept her postmortem visions of the victims to herself. Years later, to protect her credibility as a psychological expert, she tells no one about these apparitions. Now a teenage girl is missing, her family slaughtered. The Boardwalk Killer—or a sick copycat with his M.O.—is back. This is the one case Charlie knows she shouldn’t go near. But she also knows that she may be the one person in the world who can stop this vicious killer, especially when she receives help from an unexpected source: The fiery spirit of a seductive bad boy who refuses to be ignored.
Charlie has a gift...or a curse depending on how you look at it. She can see people right after they die. While it helps with Charlie's job of helping the FBI track serial killers...it can sometimes backfire...which it has now. Michael Garland who she was profiling in prison has attached himself to her and is actively haunting her. He refuses to be ignored... but is willing to help Charlie out in any way he can.
Here's where the book runs into some difficulty. it's suspenseful...it's creepy...and it has a fairly good ghost story started... and a serial killer. You would think that would have been enough. For some unknown reason...perhaps an editor or an agent told Ms. Robards "Hey we have to have a romance thrown in here." It doesn't work!!! A few shared kisses with the FBI agent was okay and acceptable but come on. The real romance was between Charlie and Michael Garland...yes...the serial killer that had brutally slaughtered who knows how many women and was very proud of it. Beyond sick! Parts of the story are very good but I'm not at all sure I could actually recommend this book to anyone.
Sandstorm by James Rollins
Sigma Force series Book #1
4★'s
A freak explosion in the British museum in London ignites a perilous race for an earth-shaking power source buried deep beneath the sands of history. Painter Crowe is an agent for Sigma Force, a covert arm of the Defense Department tasked with keeping dangerous scientific discoveries out of enemy hands. When an ancient artifact points the way toward the legendary "Atlantis of the Sands," Painter must travel across the world in search of the lost city-and a destructive power beyond imagining. But Painter has competition. A band of ruthless mercenaries, led by a former friend and ally, are also intent on claiming the prize, and they will destroy anyone who gets in their way. Ancient history collides with cutting-edge science-with the safety of the world at stake!
One thing that James Rollins truly knows how to do is write a story that that leaves the reader breathless and turning page after page, after page after page.... 699 of them. I loved the story...loved the characters...both good ones and even a few of the bad ones. I was even fascinated with the history and some of the science... but... I didn't think it was ever going to end. Way too much technical stuff that the average person will have no clue what he's talking about. This excellent story could have been well told in half the time and print. Anyone that loves, history, adventure, and is interested in the technical stuff will absolutely love this book.
Comes A Horseman by Robert Liparulo
4.5★'s
The ancients saw Death as a blazing figure on horseback, swift and merciless. Those facing the black chasm often mistook their pounding hearts for the beating of hooves. Now, two FBI agents pursuing a killer from a centuries-old cult realize they have become his prey.
in many ways it reminded me of the [DaVinci Code], there are gruesome murders, a mystery and a love affair. The ending was a bit of a disappointment though. All the tension and all the adventure building up and then... we're just done. One thing that I did find interesting was that one of the FBI Special Agents, Alicia Wagner, tries to characterize all that's happened to herself and her superior and what she came up with sums it up with a big red bow..."the stuff of bad movies." You would never ever in a million years want this stuff to leave the world of the big screen or the written word and step into your life. This book may not be for everyone. It does question some of the conservative Christian beliefs and the murders are gruesome beyond belief.
Shattered Echoes by B.A. Shapiro
4★'s
After the tragic death of her husband of less than two years, Lindsey sells her house in the suburbs and moves into a renovated townhouse in the city, only to discover that an earlier tenant-over one hundred years earlier-apparently still lives on the premises. Lindsey wants to start over, but she is haunted by her past, by unfathomable guilt-and perhaps by a ghost.Shattered Echoes is a psychological thriller about murder, madness, and the supernatural in Boston's historic Back Bay.
Lindsay doesn't believe in ghost in spite of everything in new apartment moving...her books constantly being rearranged... things like her forks disappearing... the dog in the apartment one floor below cowering in the corner and her entire apartment being saturated in the smell of lavender. The real estate agent uncovers some some old journals written in the 1840's by the wife of builder of the house. The story slowly unveils a life of domination by a drunken husband and the heartbreak of losing three small children. What transpired in past has come full circle in the present and Lindsay finds that her life is no longer her own. I got a little frustrated with Lindsay and her hard hardheadedness...but maybe she had good reason for resisting that are not revealed until the very end. It's not a real scary ghost story...if anything it's rather sad. Anyone that likes history, a little of the paranormal with their murder mystery will like this book.
Winter Moon by Dean Koontz
4.5★'s
I love Dean Koontz's books because you just never know what his rich imagination is going to come up with...but whatever it is it's always a huge surprise. This is one of the scariest books that he's written in all of the years I have had the pleasure of reading his works. Usually there is a suspenseful story with some horror moments thrown in....this one has a dark undertone with both gory and psychological horror from the start to finish.
The book is actually two stories in parallel... Jack McGarvey, a cop, and his family in Los Angeles, and Eduardo Fernandez...Jack's deceased partner's father who lives on a ranch in Montana. Sometimes these two part stories clash and go off in different directions but Dean Koontz has managed to bring them together clean and neatly into an explosive ending. Anyone that is a fan of horror and the supernatural will want to make friends with not only this book... but the rest of this author's offerings.
The Guests on South Battery by Karen White
Tradd street series Book #5
4 ★'s
As the story opens the reader finds Melanie married to Jack Trenholm and the mother of twin who has just returned to work as a real estate agent. A client that has inherited a Charleston home on South Battery wants Melanie to handle the sale... but Melanie is reluctant at first because she has had so many problems with the house she inherited. She has gone to check the house out and is bombarded with some very strange feelings regarding the beautiful Charleston resident.
If you can't accept in theory that you can make contact with spirits or enjoy books that run to that theme...then this is NOT the book for you. However if you can go with the flow and fun of these “contacts” you will have a delightful time on South Battery. It's the 5th book in the Tradd Street series so you might want to start with The House on Tradd Street. The books all have strong plots and Karen White carries them out with diversified, delightful, often funny characters. The Guests on South Battery will appeal to anyone that likes a little "chill" in their reading.
The Hangman's Song by James Oswald
Inspector Tony McLean series Book #3
5★'s
This is the third book in the Tony McLean series and I have to say they just keep getting better and better...this one was excellent. In spite of his unorthodox investigative methods...Inspector McLean has a case solve rate that can't be disputed even though his superiors often try. The characters are so full of individual personality that you have no problem liking some and totally disliking others. The books have a touch of the occult that makes them all the more intriguing. Anyone that is devoted to Ian Banks or Stuart MacBride will want to give James Oswald a try. I would suggest strongly that these books be read in order.
House of Darkness House of Light by Andrea Perron
2.5 ★'s
Roger and Carolyn Perron purchased the home of their dreams and eventual nightmares in December of 1970. The Arnold Estate, located just beyond the village of Harrisville, Rhode Island seemed the idyllic setting in which to raise a family. The couple unwittingly moved their five young daughters into the ancient and mysterious farmhouse. Secrets were kept and then revealed within a space shared by mortal and immortal alike. Time suddenly became irrelevant; fractured by spirits making their presence known then dispersing into the ether. The house is a portal to the past and a passage to the future. This is a sacred story of spiritual enlightenment, told some thirty years hence. The family is now somewhat less reticent to divulge a closely-guarded experience. Their odyssey is chronicled by the eldest sibling and is an unabridged account of a supernatural excursion. Ed and Lorraine Warren investigated this haunting in a futile attempt to intervene on their behalf. They consider the Perron family saga to be one of the most compelling and significant of a famously ghost-storied career as paranormal researchers.
I couldn't wait to read this. It's based on the movie "The Conjuring" ...or maybe it's the other way around....anyway...The entire book was confusing. Not because it wouldn't have been a good story or because it's not interesting... but because of the style in which it was written. It was worse than trying to read a college text book if you are only in 5th grade. And this is only the first volume?? I understand there are 3 more just like it. It literally took me nearly a month to wade through it. As interested as I am in the subject I don't believe I'll be going back for more...I'll just watch the movie.
The Kidnapping of Christina Lattimore by Joan Lowery Nixon
3★'s
She spots the masked man in the dark, lonely parking lot--but too late. Grabbed and drugged, Christina is kidnapped and held for ransom. When her family pays, she thinks her ordeal is over. But then she realizes that her family thinks she planned the kidnapping! How will Christina prove her innocence?
It's a YA book so I'm not going to be too critical of it. The premise of the book seemed interesting enough and it sounded suspenseful...and it was to a lesser extent than I had thought. I could figure it out long before it happened. The ending was a little disappointing and Christina more or less shrugged the entire event off. It's not a bad book at all. This author has written 130 YA books and is the only 4 time winner of the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Young Adult Mystery. I believe the main problem was I'm not 15 years old.
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann (Non-Fiction)
4.5★'s
In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Indian nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, they rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe. Then, one by one, the Osage began to be killed off. The family of an Osage woman, Mollie Burkhart, became a prime target. Her relatives were shot and poisoned. And it was just the beginning, as more and more members of the tribe began to die under mysterious circumstances. In this last remnant of the Wild West—where oilmen like J. P. Getty made their fortunes and where desperadoes like Al Spencer, the “Phantom Terror,” roamed—many of those who dared to investigate the killings were themselves murdered. As the death toll climbed to more than twenty-four, the FBI took up the case. It was one of the organization’s first major homicide investigations and the bureau badly bungled the case. In desperation, the young director, J. Edgar Hoover, turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to unravel the mystery. White put together an undercover team, including one of the only American Indian agents in the bureau. The agents infiltrated the region, struggling to adopt the latest techniques of detection. Together with the Osage they began to expose one of the most chilling conspiracies in American history.
This one I couldn't put down. What an incredible period in Oklahoma history...but what a terrible legacy it left for the white man. It shouldn't have surprised me that it happened...after all we have the "Trail of Tears and "The blankets laced with smallpox" and numerous other black marks in our history with all tribes of the Native Americans...so why not this...the near annihilation of an entire nation of people when this type of greed escalated to murder? This is an extremely uncomfortable read for anyone with a conscience or an ounce of good common decency but perhaps we will learn from these "mistakes' and never let this history repeat itself.
Oct 28, 2017 Currently reading:TEXT -
The Burning Girl by Claire Messud--hoping to see Claire Messud at Texas Book Festival next weekend!Personal AUDIO -
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng - really enjoying this so far, young girls bonding even though they're from vastly different backgrounds...AUDIO in the car -
The Late Show by Michael Connelly--nice to have point of view of female detective assigned to the late shift but wanting to follow through on cases she's supposed to hand over to the day shift...
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The Uninvited by Heather Graham
Krewe of Hunters Series Book#8
4.5★'s
What's It About?
1777: In the throes of the Revolutionary War, Landon Mansion is commandeered by British Lord "Butcher" Bedford. He stabs Lucy Tarleton—who spurned his king and his love—leaving her to die in her father's arms.
NOW: After the day's final tour, docent Allison Leigh makes her rounds while locking up…and finds a colleague slumped over Bedford's desk, impaled on his own replica bayonet. Resident ghosts may be the stock-in-trade of stately Philadelphia homes, but Allison—a noted historian—is indignant at the prospect of "ghost hunters" investigating this apparent murder.
Agent Tyler Montague knows his haunting and his history. While Allison is skeptical of the newcomer, a second mysterious murder occurs. Has "Butcher" Bedford resurfaced...or is there another malevolent force at work in Landon Mansion? Wary...yet deeply attracted... Allison has to trust in Tyler and work with him to discover just what uninvited guest...dead or alive...has taken over the house...or their lives could become history!
What Did I Think?
I couldn't say anything bad about this series if I tried. It was a reread for me and I enjoyed it as much the second...or was it the third? time round as I did the first. Love ghost stories and this entire series is ghostly. The people that compose the Krewe of Hunters have unique gifts that appeal to the sense of the supernatural. There is usually a little history before the "NOW" part... and the history of Philadelphia and the Revolutionary War that was woven into the story was as fascinating as the ghost itself. This series will appeal to those that love history, romance, mystery, suspense, and of course the main dish...a excellent ghost story.