The Invited
The Invited is a ghost story of multigenerational family drama rather the mystery I expected. Helen and Nate decide to quit their teaching jobs and move to rural Vermont. They buy a large parcel of land and begin building their house. The land includes a bog where a suspected witch,Continue Reading
Little Darlings
Little Darlings is an unusual mix of dark fairy tale and thriller. It is a enthralling ride down a rabbit hole where anything is possible. In olden days, people believed that witches took newborn babies. Sometimes they exchanged them for demons who looked exactly the same as the newborns, butContinue Reading
Antiques Ravin’
Antiques Ravin’ is a humorous cozy mystery with unique characters. Meet Brandy and her mother, Vivian. Vivian was elected County Sheriff in the preceding series entry when everyone else running was disqualified. Vivian has a revoked driver’s license for driving while not under the influence—of her bipolar medicine—so Brandy isContinue Reading
Ultimate Gluten-free Dairy-free Collection
The Ultimate Gluten-free Dairy-free Collection is a huge assortment of both gluten-free and dairy-free recipes. Note that each recipe is both. They may also be nut, soy, and egg free as well as vegetarian and vegan. The recipes look both tasty and gorgeous. However, most take at least an hourContinue Reading
Hacking Darwin
Hacking Darwin presents an evenhanded look at the future of genetic intervention from a non-scientist’s point-of-view. The first “test tube baby” was born using IVF in 1978. The human genome was fully sequenced in 2003. CRISPR, a method to cut and paste different genetic code into DNA, was developed inContinue Reading
Mother-in-law
The Mother-in-law is a fine domestic thriller that also touches on some hot button social topics. Lucy’s mother-in-law, Diana, is not her favorite person though she adores her father-in-law, Tom. Diana is not demonstrative, even toward her two children, Ollie and Nettie. She is more concerned with her work withContinue Reading
A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World
I started by reading just the first chapter of A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World to see if it was something I would enjoy. I then spent every waking moment where I wasn’t driving, working, or taking a shower, reading it until it was over.Continue Reading
Soul Remains
In Soul Remains, the hapless and unlucky accountant, Sloot, is still trying to save his beloved city, Salzstadt, from everything bad. Everything bad now includes the walking dead and goblin multitudes plus the increasingly bizarre inability of city residents to see that anything is wrong. You can’t keep Sloot down.Continue Reading
Curious Creatable Creatures
Why didn’t they have books like Curious Creatable Creatures when I was young? I made a model of Frankenstein that just stood there (and would be worth a lot more now if I had never even opened it). Many of these twenty-two creatures light up, make music, and move! TwoContinue Reading
Alice’s Island
Alice’s Island starts out with a mystery that quickly turns into an obsession. Chris is killed on a road he shouldn’t have been on while traveling home to his very pregnant wife, Alice. Alice obsesses about finding out where Chris was on the night of his death. Once she uncoversContinue Reading
Best Microfiction 2019
Mystery, romance, mythology and pathos. It is all here in the Best Microfiction 2019. In the time taken to watch another catheter ad on daytime tv, you could slip into a fully formed life. It may be the story of a dragon, a protective older brother, or a murder victim.Continue Reading
Justice League/Aquaman: Drowned Earth
I will literally read a grocery list by Scott Snyder—everything he writes is fantastic! Justice League/Aquaman: Drowned Earth is no exception. Earth is being flooded by purple alien waters. Whomever the water touches turns into a rampaging fish-monster bent on killing any human remaining on Earth. Three ocean deities fromContinue Reading
Before She Was Found
Shy Cora, newcomer Violet and assertive Jordyn are friends—or possibly frenemies—in a rural Iowa middle school in Before She Was Found. Cora and Violet are forced by their teacher to add “mean girl” Jordyn to their group researching urban legends for a class project. Jordyn suggests using Joseph Wither, aContinue Reading
Someone Knows
It literally pains me to write this negative review of Someone Knows by one of my top three authors, Lisa Scottoline. Teenagers Sasha, Julian, David, and Allie find a gun buried in the ground. Nothing good can come of that. When another teenager is shot dead playing Russian roulette, guiltContinue Reading
Wealth Made Easy
Wealth Made Easy is a short inspirational read for people just beginning to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams. Thirty-eight successful entrepreneurs share seventy-four wealth hacks to riches. Some of the hacks are extremely basic, like “find a need and fill it”. While other hacks are complex, like the biggest lie isContinue Reading
Foul Play on Words
Foul Play on Words is a cozy mystery set at a writer’s conference with dogs and a possible kidnapping on the side. Charlee, a mystery writer, is forced to run a writer’s conference when her best friend, Liv, tells her she has to look for her daughter Hanna, who hasContinue Reading