It ‘Twas the Bite Before Christmas when all through the house, people were reading this book, even my spouse. It was this great legal thriller about mobsters, you see. My husband loves gang stories, and its court scenes for me. It’s the twenty-eighth book in the Andy Carpenter series andContinue Reading
A former television star has an evening go quickly from bad to worse in the new graphic novel, Parasocial. Luke Indiana is at a comics convention signing autographs and posing for fan selfies. His evening soon descends into a cat-and-mouse thriller between himself and his “number 1 fan”. I wasn’tContinue Reading
Mrs. Pargeter is back after a six-year absence! Of course, she has found a body under her back patio. She uses her shady, but beloved, dead husband’s contacts to dig up information about who was murdered and why. Oh, did I mention that Mrs. Pargeter’s Patio is a humorous cozyContinue Reading
Private detective Agatha Raisin once again crosses swords (or in this case, arrows) with Detective Chief Inspector Wilkes in the 34th entry is this enchanting cozy mystery series. In Dead on Target, Agatha finds a body near a village fete. It’s the house-rich, cash-poor and maid grabbing landowner, Sir Godfrey.Continue Reading
The Golden Gate is a historical hard-boiled police procedural novel that includes family drama and addresses a lot of buzzy topics like politics, racism, passing, and how the rich are treated differently. The story is set in 1944 in a fashionable hotel where a politician is murdered but has flashbacksContinue Reading
Every once in a while, a book grabs you by the throat and sucks you into the story. It happened to me as a child with Alice in Wonderland and more recently with The Wind-up Bird Chronicle. Dreambound is my latest magical realism obsession. Journalist Byron’s twelve-year-old daughter, Liza, ranContinue Reading
Hemlock Island begins with an intriguing, but not very original, premise. Laney has recently divorced her husband, Kit. She refused alimony but agreed to keep the remote private island where they lived. Unfortunately, she cannot maintain such an elaborate estate on her teacher’s salary. She has been renting out theContinue Reading
“Fourteen competitors. Seven Days. A thirty-minute hiding window given at the dawn of each day. Gameplay continues until dusk…” So, begins Hide: The Graphic Novel, which is set in an abandoned amusement park in a cellphone free zone. One winner gets $50,000…but what happens to the losers? A gripping plotContinue Reading
A bestselling author, therapist, and social media influencer decides to document her renovation of a house where a tragic murder occurred. Unfortunately, a shattering marriage and the slow unraveling of her long-buried family secrets threaten both the project and her life. Will the madness of the house’s former murderous familyContinue Reading
Five friends have a girls’ weekend at a remote vineyard, which results in a missing woman. Did she have an accident or were more sinister forces at work? One of the women decides to have a reunion at the Scenes of the Crime while working on a script about whatContinue Reading
On the publisher’s blurb of a new thriller is a clear challenge, “My name is Elliot Chase, and I’m going to tell you a story unlike any you’ve ever heard.” I confidently chose to take up the challenge. However, I should’ve known, based on the author’s previous book, The SilentContinue Reading
My Review What started out as a beautiful park side Honey Bee Tea quickly turned into a Honey Drop Dead disaster. A politician named Osgood is killed by someone dressed as a beekeeper. The murder, and the resulting panic of the guests, leaves the hostess, an art gallery owner, teeteringContinue Reading
Looking Glass Sound is a chameleon of a book. It begins as a coming-of-age tale set in a creepy, almost gothic setting. There is, of course, a serial killer and a child peeper loose that may or may not be the same person. It also has a literary fiction styleContinue Reading
Aisling Cooley is trying to find her father through a DNA website in the latest British police procedural in the DCI Jonas Sheens series. The detectives are searching for a local serial killer when the crime scene DNA is linked to Aisley’s DNA. Could Aisley’s long-lost father be the killer?Continue Reading
In Dark Corners, Rachel Krall is a true crime podcaster. She built up a following by using her show to prove the innocence of convicted murderers. But even she is not ready when the FBI asks her to speak with a presumed serial killer, Terry Bailey. Terry has only twoContinue Reading
I’m not sure what I was expecting when I picked up Gone Tonight…but it certainly wasn’t what I got. And that’s a good thing. The book describes the relationship of mom Ruth and daughter Catherine. Ruth has just been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease at forty-two. Unfortunately, recent nursingContinue Reading