Carol J's 2025 Reading Challenge

[Carol]

270. Forgotten Trail by Claire Kells - A guest turns up dead in a Pinnacles National Park Hotel. Felicity investigates. *** 9/2/25

[Carol]

271. The Mystery of Collinwood by Marilyn Ross - Professor Mark Veno was on the cliff with Victoria. He was speaking to her very oddly. It was almost as if he was trying to get her to commit suicide by jumping off the cliff. This was not the only time in this book that Victoria's life was in danger. *** 9/3/25

[Carol]

272. Dogged Pursuit by David Rosenfelt - In the beginning of this prequel, Andy is a prosecutor. Then he decides he wants to be defender. **** 9/4/25

[Carol]

273. The House on the Cliff by Franklin W. Dixon - The Hardy boys saved a man whose boat was blown up. It turned out he was also shot. Later, their father disappeared and was involved in the same problem. *** 9/5/25

[Carol]

274. The Secret Life of Sunflowers by Marta Molnar - Hollywood auctioneer Emsley Wilson finds her grandmother's diary while cleaning out her brownstone. She also finds the pages are full of surprises. The first surprise is the diary isn't her grandmother's. It belongs to Johanna Bonger, Vincent van Gogh's sister-in-law! Johanna inherited Vincent van Gogh's painting from her husband. Vincent's brother, Theo. *** 9/7/25

[Carol]

275. Murder in Chianti by T.A. Williams - A millionaire is found with his head bashed in on a golf Course. *** 9/7/25

[Elyse, Moderator]

Wow 275!! Impressive, Carol! And still practically the whole last quarter of the year to go!

[Carol]

276. Apostle's Cove by William Kent Krueger - Cork is invited to dinner at his son's home. When he arrives he finds two of the children of a man he (begrudgingly) sent to prison, many years ago. They believe their father is innocent and they just might be right. **** 9/9/25

[Carol]

277. The Road to Oz by L. Frank Baum - While at home in Kansas, Dorothy meets the Shaggy Man who is looking for directions. Dorothy goes to show him the way but they get lost in another dimension. *** 9/09/25

[Carol]

278. The Black Echo by Michael Connelly - Detective Harry Bosch was assigned to a case to investigate a body found in the drainpipe at Mulholland Dam. Turns out he knew the man! They had fought together in Viet Nam. Something in his gut did not sit right about this "junkie" who had died of an overdose. **** 9/10/25

[Carol]

279. The Personal History of Rachel DuPree by Ann Weisgarber - 1917 - Rachel is a African American young woman who meets and falls for Isaac. He says he will marry her if she gives him her 160 acres of land from the Homestead Act. **** 9/13/25

[Carol]

280. The Laughing Cavalier by Emmuska Orczy - 1623, Holland - The adventures of Percy Blakeney (an ancestor of The Scarlet Pimpernel).

[Carol]

281. The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood - I really enjoyed this complex mystery. I saw notes of Agatha Christie in it. 77 year old Judith Potts is living her best life. She creates crossword puzzles for The Times, owns a lovely mansion and swims regularly on the Thames. One night she knows she hear a gunshot and alerts the local police. They conduct a light investigation and find nothing. Well it looks like Judith is going to have to investigate on her own. While investigating, she makes two good friends. ***** 9/14/25

[Carol]

282. Wrath of the Triple Goddess by Rick Riordan - Percy is still trying to get recommendation letters from the gods for when he applies to New Rome University. He has gotten one and now he has accepted an assignment from Hecate to house sit her pets over Halloween weekend. Sounds easy.... **** 9/14/25

[Carol]

283. The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner - Haven Ambrose, is a nautical archaeologist as was her late father. On his last dive, he spotted a treasure of gems. Later, he suffered a stroke and eventually died. Haven has decided to look for the treasure her father saw. *** 9/14/25

[Carol]

284. The Nursing Home Murder by Ngaio Marsh - Sir John Phillips, the Harley Street surgeon, and his nurse Jane Harden are almost have to perform emergency surgery on the Home Secretary. They both have good reasons to wish him dead and within hours he dies. The operation itself was a success and Chief Detective Inspector Alleyn must find out why he died. *** 9/15/25

[Carol]

285. The Lost Book of Bonn by Brianna Labuskes - Emmy Clarke was sent by the Library of Congress to post WWII Germany to help the Monuments Men return art stolen by the Nazis. She assists in a small division to get stolen precious literature back to the rightful owners. One of the first hand messages in the front of a book intrigues her. This is a work of historic fiction, but many characters are based on real people. **** 9/16/25

[Carol]

286. A Time for Murder by Jessica Fletcher - Jessica is attending a retirement party for a colleague she worked with at the high school. Then the colleague was murdered. This makes Jess think about her first murder investigation that was at the same high school! **** 9/18/25

[Carol]

286. Betrayal at Blackthorn Park by Julia Kelly - Evelyne Redfern has just completed a rigorous training program in spy craft. The former typist is eager for her first assignment as a field agent helping Britain win the war. **** 9/20/25

[Carol]

287. Death in the Dark Woods by Annelise Ryan - Morgan is a cryptid hunter. She searches for animals whose existence has not been formally described or proven scientifically, like Bigfoot, the Jersey Devil, or the Mokélé-mbembé. There had been sightings of a Bigfoot-type creature in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest area of Bayfield County, Wisconsin. When a man is found dead from a throat injury in the forest, the conservation warden asks Morgan to investigate. **** 8/20/25

[Carol]

288. The Ghost Who Dream Hopped by Bobbi Holmes - A few books ago, Beverly slipped some crab meat into her husband's food. He was deathly allergic to crab and died. In this book, Beverly's late husband came to Danielle in a dream and told her what Beverly had done to him. **** 9/21/25

[Carol]

289. The Maid's Secret by Nita Prose - Molly is getting married to Juan Manuel! While they are preparing for the big day, a team of art appraiser comes to the hotel to film an episode of their show. She brings a box of her late grandmother's things and and the show hosts flip out when she has a decorated egg turns out to be a Faberge Egg! This book goes back and forth from Molly's perspective and her grandmother's. ***** 9/23/25

[Carol]

290. Ethan of Athos by Lois McMaster Bujold - Athos is a world without women. Dr. Ethan Urquhart delivers babies from uterine replicators. The ovarian cultures start dwindling, so he is sent to replenish the planets stocks. *** 9/24/25

[Carol]

291. Real Tigers by Mick Herron - The 'slow horses' of Slough House(Intelligence Service) outpost for failed spies and former high-fliers or on the search for one of their own, Catherine Standish. She has been kidnapped and no one knows why. **** 9/24/25

[Carol]

292. Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers - Vera finds a dead man in her shop and investigates. She has a couple of suspects... *** 8/25/25

[Carol]

293. The Curse of the Pharaohs by Elizabeth Peters - Amelia Peabody is back in Egypt with her husband. There was a death among their group and she investigates. ***9/26/25

[Carol]

294. Fagin the Thief by Allison Epstein - The origin story of Jacob Fagin, Bill Sikes and his woman, Nancy. Deep down, I knew Fagin had a soul. ***** 9/27/25

[Carol]

295. The Crime at Black Dudley by Margery Allingham - George Abbershaw is going to spend a nice weekend at Black Dudley Manor. Then there is a murder. Fortunately, easy going Albert Campion is there to help solve the murder. *** 9/27/25

[Carol]

296. Unnatural Death by Dorothy L. Sayers - Agatha Dawson is dead a trifle sooner than expected. There are no signs of foul play, but Lord Peter Wimsey senses that something is amiss & refuses to let the case rest. Suddenly, he is faced with another murder: Agatha's maid. Can Wimsey find the murderer & solve the case? *** 9/28/25

[Carol]

297. The Madman of Bergerac by Georges Simenon - An odd male passenger jumps from a train & runs into the woods. Maigret is on his way to a break in the Dordogne. He becomes involved in the pursuit of a madman, hiding amongst the seemingly respectable citizens of Bergerac. *** 9/28/25

[Carol]

298. Death Under a Little Sky by Stig Abell - Jake was a detective in London when his uncle left him his home in the country. At first everything is great. Life in the country is peaceful, but then a murder occurs and Jake is looking for the murderer. *** 9/28/25

[Carol]

299. The Life Impossible by Matt Haig - My favorite book of 2025! This starts off as email correspondence between Grace Winters & former student, Maurice. He asks for advice & Grace, in a very long & winding way, gives it to him. The majority of the book is her telling her story. Earlier, Grace makes friends w/ Christina & eventually offers her a kindness which is never forgotten. Decades after they loose touch. Christina dies & leaves Grace her home on the island of Ibiza off of Spain. Then the story gets a little... strange. ***** 9/30/25

[Carol]

300. The Secrets of the Bastide Blanche by M.L. Longworth - Controversial author, Valere Barbier moves to Aix-en-Provence controversial and into La Bastide Blanche, an estate that was left empty for decades. **** 10/1/25

[Carol]

301. Beasts by Ingvild Bjerkeland - The world has been overrun by "beasts". Thirteen-year-old Abdi and his five-year-old sister Alva are on the run, their last hope to escape through the forest and to the sea. They don't know who to trust or what to do. **** 10/1/25

[Carol]

302. Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center - Helen Carpenter(32) lets her younger brother talk her into signing up for a wilderness survival course. It's supposed to be a chance for her to pull herself together, but her brother's best friend is also coming on the trip... 3 weeks in the remote wilderness mountain range of Wyoming. **** 10/1/25

[Carol]

303. Third Girl by Agatha Christie - Poirot is visited by a young lady who is one of 3 roommates. She thinks she kille someone. *** 10/2/25

[Carol]

304. The Girl with Ice in Her Veins by Karin Smirnoff - Behind the lovely (fictional) town of Gasskas in Northern Sweden seems to be a lot of darkness. A corporation wants to exploit the area for it's natural resources. Lisbeth, her niece, Svala and some activists want to fight the group. A young journalist is found murdered. Old friend, Mikael Blomkvist gets involved. *** 10/4/25

[Elyse, Moderator]

Carol wrote: "304. The Girl with Ice in Her Veins by Karin Smirnoff - Behind the lovely (fictional) town of Gasskas in Northern Sweden seems to be a lot of da..."

Oh wow totally missed this Lisbeth release! I didn't really like the previous one but I'll give this one a go and get in the Libby queue.

[Carol]

305. The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs - Sergeant-Major Morris visits with the White family. He tells them about the Monkey's Paw and that it grants 3 wishes. These wishes always come with a consequence. **** 10/5/25

[Carol]

306. Tin City (Mac McKenzie, #2) by David Housewright - Mac is so rich that he's left his job at the Twin Cities police department He s spends his time doing favors large and small for friends. An old Marine buddy of his fathers calls and asks for Macs help. *** 10/5/25

[Carol]

317. The Curse of Collinwood by Marilyn Ross - Victoria is upset over the death of Ernest Collins. She believes that phantoms are haunting her. Are they part of her imagination? The strange figures scare her and turn out to be the bodies of Derek and Esther Collins, murdered more than a century ago. They were unwittingly released from their coffins and doomed to roam the earth as the "living dead." *** 10/6/25