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Currently reading? Just finished? 2023
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Thomas
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Oct 23, 2023 06:53PM
I read The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress by Ariel Lawhon It is a historical fiction mystery set in 1930s NYC. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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I recently finished
Hidden in Plain Sight by Jeffrey Archer the 2nd book in the William Warwick seriesMy review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I've been reading the following high-profile mystery, crime, and thriller new releases (or new in the UK market at least), focusing specifically on which books have the highest-quality prose, and gave each a mark out of ten. The Golden Gate 7
Saving Emma 4
BRIGHT YOUNG WOMEN BY JESSICA KNOL (can't find this one on GR, for some reason) 6
The Unexpected Hostage 8
The Longmire Defense 4
The Raging Storm 4
Rusted Souls 4
Reykjavík: A Crime Story 7
Everybody KnowsEverybody Knows by Jordan Harper 8
The Last Devil to Die 5
You'd Look Better as a Ghost 8
The Winter List 6
Tell Me Your Secrets 7
Overall, I felt the best-written of the lot is Everybody Knows by Jordan Harper.
See my profile for more info. If you think I've missed any especially well-written recent releases, please let me know!
The opening to Everybody Knows:
Chapter One
MAE
The Chateau Marmont
Los Angeles burns.
Some sicko is torching homeless camps. Tonight they hit a tent city in Los Feliz near the 5. The fire spread to Griffith Park. The smoke makes the sunset unbelievable. The particles in the air slash the light, shift it red. They make the sky a neon wound.
Mae waits outside the secret entrance to the Chateau Marmont. She watches Saturday-night tourists wander Sunset Boulevard, their eyes bloodshot from the smoke. They cough and trade looks. They never thought the Sunset Strip would smell like a campfire.
Mae moves around the sidewalk like a boxer before the fight. Her face is sharp and bookish, framed in a Lulu bob. She wears a vintage floral jumpsuit. She’s got eyes like a wolf on the hunt—she hides them behind chunky oversized glasses. Nobody ever sees her coming.
She shifts her weight from foot to foot—these heels weren’t made for legwork. She put them on for a first date she canceled twenty minutes ago when she got the text from Dan. No big loss—the date was with a stand-up comedian she met on Bumble. Comedians on a date tend to treat a woman like a test audience, or like their shrink, or they think you’re a chucklefucker and they don’t even have to try.
Dan’s text had read HANNAH CHATEAU ASAP followed by the number for Hannah Heard’s new assistant. Dan’s text was cryptic per usual. The rules say keep as much as possible UNSAID.
The Chateau Marmont: the hippest no-tell hotel in the world. This shabby-chic Gothic castle slouching against the base of the Hollywood Hills. The way to the hotel proper is up a small winding road to Mae’s left. This secret entrance on Sunset leads straight to the grotto where the private cottages are. The unmarked door built into the white-brick wall is made of green cloth—someone could slash it easily and go marauding among the rich and famous. But no one ever does.
Chateau jobs tend to be messy. They tend to be drama. They tend to be a fucking blast. Hannah Heard increases the odds of all three exponentially.
Mod
Currently underway with John Dickson Carr's final Henri Bencolin mystery, The Four False Weapons, and the author has wasted absolutely no time in getting straight to the crime and the central mystery here. Planning to start Vengeance Is Mine by Marie NDiaye after that one.
Andrew Mayne tries a spy thriller with Night Owl
but it didn’t work for me. My 2.5 star review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished the disappointing Edgar Award winning mystery novel 
The Bottoms by Joe R. Lansdale
Rating: 2 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading
A Simple Plan by Scott Smith
Mother Daughter Murder Night
was a fun cozy mystery with well d eloped characters. My four star review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Sandy how are 3 of your books going?
Her Deadly Game
by Robert DugoniSeattle defense lawyer Keera Duggan defends a millionaire accused of murdering his wheelchair-bound wife.
Dugoni is a fine 'suspense' author and this is a good legal thriller. 3.5 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read Bones of Hilo: A Novel by Eric Redman It is a police procedural, set on the big island of Hawaii. Both my wife and I recommend this series. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I don't think I know anyone who dislikes Dolly Parton. Tracey Laird has compiled a comprehensive 'scrapbook' of biographical details in Dolly Parton: 100 Remarkable Moments in an Extraordinary Life, which is the perfect coffee table book for a fan.
My review of Dolly Parton... with several photos
In the old days, we could drop our children off at the local playground because it was a happy place, right? Ray Bradbury's 1953 short story,
The Playground
is a good Spooktober read.
My review of The Playground
The Case Has Altered
by Martha GrimesRichard Jury #14, in which Jury and Melrose Plant investigate the apparently unrelated murders of 2 women. I've read most of this series and I think this is one of the best, interesting mystery plot and typical witty English dialogue. Really liked it, 4 stars.
Mod
Araych wrote: "The Case Has Altered by Martha GrimesRichard Jury #14, in which Jury and Melrose Plant investigate the apparently unrelated murders of 2 women. I've read mo..."
I like this series, especially because of the characters.. Haven't read a book in a while though.
I recently finished
In a House of Lies by Ian Rankin it's been a while since I read the previous book in the series but was happy to pick things up very easily. The old memory's still working.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Angels in the Moonlight
is great when you want some humor with your police procedural. My four star review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just finished "Black Gun, Silver Star" about a lawman of the Old West - former slave, conversant in many Native languages, master of disguise and skilled gunman. Unfortunately, there's so little actual biographical information on Reeves, the author mostly used letters, documents, depositions, and news articles.But I heard there is going to be a TV series about Reeves very soon.
Barbara wrote: "Just finished "Black Gun, Silver Star" about a lawman of the Old West - former slave, conversant in many Native languages, master of disguise and skilled gunman. Unfortunately, there's so little ac..."I've seen ads for it already - I believe it's going to be on Paramount+
The Women
by Kristin HannahFrankie McGrath serves as an Army nurse during the terrible war in Vietnam, then comes home to the protests and contempt for Vietnam veterans.
Excellent novel about females who were in Vietnam during the fighting. 4.5 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished The Party Season by S.J.I. Holliday
A delightful read!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Northwoods
is a good police procedural with excellent characters. My four star review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I've enjoyed John Steinbeck's people and their stories for years.
Sweet Thursday
is just as funny and touching now as it was when I read it as a teen.
My review of Sweet Thursday
My review of Murder in a French Village by Merryn Allingham
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Rescued (Andy Carpenter #17)
by David RosenfeltAndy Carpenter #17, in which Andy does a big favor for his wife Laurie's ex-boyfriend by defending him against a murder charge. The defense appears hopeless but that's what Andy does. Very enjoyable light mystery. I really liked it, 4 stars.
Araych wrote: "Rescued (Andy Carpenter #17) by David RosenfeltAndy Carpenter #17, in which Andy does a big favor for his wife Laurie's ex-boyfriend by defending him against a murder ..."
I always enjoy Andy Carpenter books. Good for a laugh. 🙂
sherlock holmes - a study in scarlet
Hell Moon
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Stars
#horror #scifi #BookSirens #ARC
Blockbuster story. Entertaining storyline.
Not for the squeamish.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://sanjibsblogreads.blogspot.com...
Less than impressed by Trace Elements
. My three star review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Someone Else's Shoes
by Jojo MoyesA mix-up at the gym results in two women exchanging gym bags - one bag contains red Louboutin high heels and the other contains inexpensive black pumps.
Plenty of drama and comedy in this novel. 3.5 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I just finished Miss Pym Disposes (1946) written under Elizabeth MacKintosh’s pseudonym, Josephine Tey. 💜💜💜💜💜Damn. Good. Book. Tey has never disappointed me.
I read A Good Rush of Blood by Matt Phillips It is a mystery full of surprises, but with a fair amount of violence My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....
Death at the Dance by Verity Bright is a light-hearted, kind of silly cosy that fans of Lady Swift will enjoy more than I (at the moment).
My review of Death at the Dance
Tetherless
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Stars
#thriller #scifi #BookSirens #ARC
#newauthor #femaleauthor #femaleprotagonist
#Debut author
Continuous action
Check out the review here -
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Or my blog -
https://sanjibsblogreads.blogspot.com...
Death Date: A YA Dystopian Romance Novel: Book One Of The Rageblight Duology
⭐⭐⭐ Stars
#thriller #scifi #BookSirens #ARC
#newauthor #femaleauthor #femaleprotagonist
#Debut author
Continuous action
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://sanjibsblogreads.blogspot.com...
#dystopianfiction #youngadultbooks #femaleauthors #adventure #booksirensreview #advancereviewcopy #honestreview #honestreviews #tetherless #newauthors #debutnovel
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