Five people are killed after a house party gets lethal in Measure of Darkness. A confrontation between neighbors kills three including one of the combatants. A six-year-old is hit in his bed from crossfire. In the ensuing uproar, another party guest is run down in the street by a panickedContinue Reading
The second Lobster Shack mystery, after Curses, Boiled Again (reviewed here), is as good as the first! Against the Claw starts with Allie pulling lobster traps with Bertha. The last trap also pulls up a dead girl. With Aunt Gully’s Lobster Shack expected to host a huge number of customersContinue Reading
“The world never ran out of monsters.” Earl Marcus is back fighting them In the Valley of the Devil. In the rural Georgia mountain countryside, a new preacher has arrived. Jeb Walsh is running for the Senate, pushing his book and preaching his version of hate and intolerence at hisContinue Reading
One Man’s Meat is Gone Girl 60s style! The ninth Flaxborough mystery was published in 1977 but is set in the “swinging” 60s. Motorcycle gang member Digger Tring falls from a carnival ride 100 feet to his death. Julia Harton’s husband wants a divorce to marry his mistress who isContinue Reading
More trouble for Flaxborough in the 8th book in the series. A contentious boat race leads 2 of the town’s leaders almost to blows. Nighttime escapades show the naked frolicking of a town leader, his friend, and two working girls to the neighbors. A mysterious note from the states promisesContinue Reading
Cabals be caballing. In The Crooked Staircase, Jane Hawk is hunting more of the cabal that used brain nanobots to force her husband to kill himself. In this series entry, Simon Yegg is the so-mean-it-is-unbelievable type of villain. He tortures his ex-wives up to, and including, gang rape to getContinue Reading
A complicated and engaging thriller incorporating modern technology, a real-life unreadably manuscript and Romanian legends. The fifth in the Brit in the FBI series, The Sixth Day brings together a serial killer, drones, computer viruses, falconry and Dracula. Nicholas, Mike and the Covert Eyes team return in the latest BritContinue Reading
Any new Lincoln Rhyme book is a cause for celebration. However, too much information about diamonds makes The Cutting Edge one of the least interesting books in the long-running series. Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are chasing a serial killer targeting engaged couples in The Cutting Edge, the 14th bookContinue Reading
Cozy mystery Scot Free is my #FrugalFriday short review this week! Marriage counselor Lexy Campbell moves to California to marry and quickly divorce. The husband of her client, Visalia, is murdered by fireworks. Visalia is arrested. Lexy decides to solve the crime since she co-signed Visalia’s bail bond. Born and livingContinue Reading
The fourth in the Flaxborough Mystery series is much better than the third. Lonelyheart 4122 is the anonymous number of the enigmatic man who possibly murdered two lonely women and may be working on his third. Inspector Purbright and Sergeant Love are searching for two missing middle-aged ladies. Mrs. BannisterContinue Reading
The characters and romances are better than the mystery in Tart of Darkness. Dani Sloan inherits a Victorian half-finished bed and breakfast. A former Human Resources executive, Dani really wants to be a chef. She decides to share her house with three college students: Ivy, Tippi and Starr. In returnContinue Reading
Droll rather than humorous, Hopjoy was Here is definitely different from the standard English village cozy. Inspector Purbright receives an anonymous letter from a neighbor of the male roommates Hopjoy and Periam about a fight in their bathroom. Hopjoy is working for a mysterious (CIAesque) agency. Was Hopjoy or PeriamContinue Reading
Double Dog Dare is a comedy caper with all female leads. Set in a high-rise casino in Biloxi Mississippi, the complications keep coming throughout. First, Davis’ sister Meredith and her best friend’s dog are kidnapped by her hometown preacher. Then the best friend’s mother-in-law comes to make sure that theContinue Reading
Skip Midnight Line and save $15 and a wasted six hours. Instead paint a room in your home and then literally watch the paint dry. It would be a better use of your resources and equally entertaining. The plot of this 22nd book in the Jack Reacher series moves slowerContinue Reading
Amusing quick cozy mystery read! The Purloined Puzzle is the 19th book in the Puzzle Lady series but still feels fresh. Cora Felton has a problem. Her least favorite ex-husband Melvin is in town doing another shady real estate deal. Also, there is a pesky teenager first losing, then finding,Continue Reading
#FrugalFridays short review for March 9, 2018. Alex is accused of shooting unarmed people and blondes are being abducted for a dark web snuff film. Interesting technology, dramatic courtroom scenes and great sound effects in the audiobook enliven the 25th entry in the series. The only Patterson series I stillContinue Reading