Murder on the Poet's Walk

What could be more peaceful than a weekend poetry conference at a beautiful estate/hotel in rural Virginia? Fifty poets are attending. All are hoping to win a greeting card company’s job competition. Unfortunately, the tranquility is soon shattered when the estate’s manager, Jane, finds a woman’s body posed like aContinue Reading

Treasure State

Montana private investigator Cassie Dewell is working on two cases in Treasure State, the sixth in the Highway Quartet series. [Why is it book six of a series of four (the definition of quartet)? I have no idea.] Cassie’s first case is a bit of a puzzle. A poem hasContinue Reading

Leech

In the cold windswept North, a doctor has come to replace a fallen comrade. But the doctor is not alone. She is hosting a Leech, an organism living in a multitude of physicians simultaneously in this eerie future world. The organism was also within the fallen doctor. But it cannotContinue Reading

Uncultured

Uncultured is the memoir of a woman born into a cult, who escapes only to join the army, which feels increasingly like a cult too. Cult life is even worse from a child’s point of view. Unprovoked spankings and sexual abuse from a young age is a normal day inContinue Reading

Nether Regions

Everyone has a dotty old uncle, grandparent, or even spouse that cannot tell a linear story. They go shooting off in irrelevant tangents usually never returning to, or maybe even remembering, their original point. Nether Regions works exactly the same. What starts as a witty take on Heaven circles soContinue Reading

Loud

Welcome to the jungle! And the jungle is LOUD! The first female roadie, for bands like The Who and AC/DC, writes her memoir. Of course, it’s chock full of sex, drugs and rock and roll. But, also, it shows her courageous battle for equity at a time when women wereContinue Reading

Wait Till Helen Comes

In Wait Till Helen Comes, Michael and Molly are siblings who have a troubled younger stepsister named Heather. When their blended family moves to the country, Heather appears to have found an imaginary friend, Helen. Molly thinks Helen is a malignant ghost bent on killing children. But, Michael, their momContinue Reading

Why We Play

Why We Play explains why play is still necessary for adults. It includes exercises to get some short play sessions into your life. Even though I play video and mobile games every day, a few more ideas are always welcome. I particularly liked Scribble Art. Take a plain piece ofContinue Reading

Fellstones

Fellstones is an atmospheric horror tale set in a creepy modern day English village. Michael Paul Dunston comes home to the adopted family he has not seen in years. His adopted sister has called him home because his adopted parents are ill. However, when he arrives, they seem fine—but justContinue Reading

Bad Day Breaking

In Bad Day Breaking, the fourth book in the series, Sheriff Heidi has both personal and professional challenges to overcome. Heidi has had a rough life. Her parents being murdered sent her into a downward spiral of drugs and bad decisions. Now one of the people from her past isContinue Reading

Lucky Girl

I was worried that Lucky Girl was going to be an amateurish fan fiction about a not-very-good horror movie. However, I was intrigued enough to request a review copy. I was pleasantly surprised by this enchanting rom com/thriller/horror tale. At only 112 pages, I dare you to stop reading onceContinue Reading

The Enigma of Room 622

Hmmm. The Enigma of Room 622 was definitely an enigma for me. Over 600 pages leading to nowhere. I can’t believe this mess was written by the same person who wrote the excellent Harry Quebert book. This book was definitely not worth eleven hours of my time—or of yours. 1Continue Reading

Luda

I wanted to like Luda.  I have watched every episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race and wanted to read a book set in that world. However, the prose style is both stilted and bloated with comma’ed phrases. The book is so overlong, it feels like it faced the rack in MedievalContinue Reading