The Terrarium
The Terrarium is a psychological thriller wrapped in a true crime podcast. Annie is, by all accounts even her own, a loser. Part time barista, part time cat sitter, and part time kleptomaniac, Annie has some issues. After a client’s ancient cat dies in her care, Annie is desperate forContinue Reading
Jay to the World
It is always a treat to visit Meg and her large extended family. In Jay to the World, Meg is just as busy as ever, hosting her large family for Christmas, solving a theft of angels, and helping her mother host an informal high school reunion. Nothing could possibly goContinue Reading
Happily Ever After the Murders
Happily Ever After the Murders is a love story between Jean and Rae. They meet in 1952 when both are married with young children. They both have abusive husbands. Eventually, they kill their husbands and bury them in Jean’s backyard. They live happily together outwardly as “roommates” for 40 years.Continue Reading
Monsters of Ohio
I love all of John Scalzi’ books. His latest, Monsters of Ohio, is no exception. I loved it! If you can’t change the money grubbing rich, you might as well laugh at them. This book makes fun of everyone that annoys you in real life. Non-empathetic titans of industry justContinue Reading
The Heights
Neither really bad nor really good. The Heights just sputters along with its unlikeable rich folk and stock policemen. If this was your only book at home to read during an apocalypse, read it. Otherwise, I would recommend looking elsewhere. It is such a shame when a formerly great authorContinue Reading
Joy to the Bones
Joy to the Bones is the 31st and last book in the Sarah Booth Delaney cozy mystery series. And this time it’s personal. Sarah Booth’s parents died in a solo car crash when she was young. Twenty years later she discovers that everyone was suspicious but did nothing to lookContinue Reading
Chain Reaction
Former military policeman and loner Jack Reacher reconnects with an old Army buddy in Chain Reaction, the 31st book in the thriller series. Reacher is recruited by Susan Turner, now a One Star General in charge of a shadowy Pentagon group. She needs someone with no connection to her agencyContinue Reading
A Reunion to Die For
A Reunion to Die For is yet another example of why you never want to go to a high school reunion. Especially if something horrendous happened at prom. This book starts out promising but quickly slows down the pace with two timelines and multiple perspectives. By the time the twistsContinue Reading
The Key to a Killer
Cordelia is haunting her old apartment in a sketchy area of Boston. Ruby is the current tenant. They have solved two murders in the first two books in the series. They feel like old friends now. In The Key to a Killer they attempt to solve a rash of breakContinue Reading
Bark Humbug
After 33 previous books in this series, you kind of know what you will be getting in the latest Andy Carpenter legal mystery, Bark Humbug. Andy, the rich snarky lawyer who just wants to be retired. His oh-so-competent wife, Laurie, and his 16-year-old son, Ricky. Plus a plethora of cuteContinue Reading
How to Win
A book that promises to tell me How to Win? Sign me up. Skreeech! With math? Let me think about it. This book uses the math concepts of probability to show you what your odds are with various bets. I thought Probability in college was fun and an easy A.Continue Reading
House Haunters
Frank is a taciturn home inspector who also expels ghosts. Grace is a reality show producer looking for a new innovative show. They sound like a perfect match when Grace’s BFF Ness brings them together. But both are suspicious of each other. Can they work together to solve some ghostContinue Reading
The Terror Within
With nine mysterious but true stories, The Terror Within caters to multiple tastes. Spanning Bigfoot to demons to precognitive dreams, each story is briefly told. Most have answers to the mysteries but a few do not. Are monsters real? Are these stories evidence of them? Or are they just showingContinue Reading
True Lies
As a long time fan of reality television, there was not much new in True Lies. Despite interviewing Gordon Ramsey and Julie Chen Moonves, there were no direct quotes. Also, the interviews were from 2023 or earlier, so they referred to “new” shows like Next Level Chef that has alreadyContinue Reading
Nightjars
If there is one word I would use to describe the new horror novel Nightjars, it would be disappointing. Maybe because I am used to reading mysteries and thrillers, I expect at least one twist before a book’s conclusion. Nightjars fails on that account. When the photos start arriving showingContinue Reading
The Ghost and the Dead Librarian
Finally, another book in one of favorite cozy mystery series, The Haunted Bookshop Mysteries. In The Ghost and the Dead Librarian, a former librarian writes a genealogical tell all about the local families. Secrets are about to be spilled. No wonder she turns up dead at her book launch party.Continue Reading