What Are We Reading and Reviewing in August 2021?

LOTS OF GOOD BOOK FOR AUGUST...WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO READ?

📌 - ★

Carol Awesome Reads For August

Carol's Hangs Out & Reads In August
📌Why Some Animals Eat Their Young: A Survivor's Guide to Motherhood - Dallas Louis - ★ (Early reviews)
📌The Dark Tide - Josh Lanyon - 5★ (Pick A Winner)
📌 The Soldier’s Scoundrel- Cat Sebastian - 4★
📌Wall of Silence - Tracy Buchanan -4.5★
📌The Witch of Willow Hall - Hester Fox - 5★
📌Be With Me - Maya Banks - 1★
📌Murder Most Lovely- Hank Edwards - 4★
📌Murder Most Deserving - Hank Edwards – 4.5★
📌Fogland Point - David Burgess – 5★
📌The Rising - Morgan Brice – 5★
📌Inside Darkness - Hudson Lin - 4★
📌Loose Ends - Morgan Brice -5★
📌Lucky Town - Badlands - Morgan Brice - 5★
📌Close To Home - Cara Hunter - 4.5★
📌Her Final Words - Brianna Labuskes - 4★
📌Stalker - Lars Kepler - 3★
📌White Out - Danielle Girard - 2.5★
📌The Most Dangerous Place on Earth - Lindsay Lee Johnson - 2.5★
📌Come Unto These Yellow Sands - Josh Lanyon - 5★
📌Dark Blood - Stuart McBride - 4.5★
📌Flame and Ash - Morgan Brice - 5★
📌Look What You Made Me Do - Elaine Murphy - 5★
📌Unholy (Witchbane #5 - Morgan Brice - 5★
📌Past Caring- Robert Goddard - 5★
📌The Silent Girls - Eric Rickstad - 3.5★
📌Treasure Trail - Brice Morgan - 5★
📌Ghost Tree - Christina Henry - 3★
📌The Night Wolf - Parker Williams - 5★
📌Reclaiming Quinn - Parker Williams - 5★
📌My Partner, The Wolf - Hollis Shiloh - 4.5★
📌My Partner and Me - Hollis Shiloh - 4★
📌Badlands- Morgan Brice -5★ (reread)
📌Mine - Courtney Cole 2★
📌The Loop - Jeremy Robert Johnson- 5★
📌Cold Waters-Debbie Herbert - 3.5★
📌Burn- Morgan Brice - 5★ (reread)
📌The Names Of Dead Girls - Eric Rickstad - 4★

Lynda and Oliver's August Reading Plan

Mystery

🍬 Body in Barcelona - Jason Webster - 4 Stars - 8/6/21- set in Spain
🍬 Bombay Prince - Sujata Massey - 4 Stars - 8/25/21 - set in Bombay, India
🍬 Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder - Joanne Fluke - 3.5 Stars - 8/18/21 - set in Minnesota
🍬 City of Dragons - Kelli Stanley - 4 Stars - 8/3/21 - set in San Francisco
🍬 Cut to the Bone - Alex Caan - 3.5 Stars - 8/14/21 - set in England
🍬 Endangered - C. J. Box - 5 Stars - 8/12/21 - set in Wyoming
🍬 Fallen - Linda Castillo - 4 Stars - 8/17/21 - set in Ohio
🍬 Fatal Frost - Karen MacInerney - 3.5 Stars - 8/30/21 - set in Texas
🍬 Find Her Alive - Lisa Regan - 4.5 Stars - 8/16/21 - set in Pennsylvania
🍬 Flower Master - Sujata Massey - 4 Stars - 8/8/21 - set in Japan
🍬 Hidden - Kendra Elliot - 3 Stars - 8/31/21 - set in Oregon
🍬 Ice Cold Heart - P. J. Tracy - 4 Stars - 8/23/21 - set in Minnesota
🍬 Moai Murders - Lyn Hamilton - 3.5 Stars - 8/19/21 - set on Rapa Nui (formerly Easter Island)
🍬 Off the Grid - C. J. Box - 4.5 Stars - 8/15/21 - set in Wyoming
🍬 Poppy Done to Death - Charlaine Harris - 3 Stars - 8/5/21 - set in Georgia
🍬 Find Her Alive - Lisa Regan - 4.5 Stars - 8/16/21 - set in Pennsylvania
🍬 Nose for Justice - Rita Mae Brown - 3.5 Stars - 8/28/21 - set in Nevada
🍬 Say You're Sorry - Melinda Leigh - 4 Stars - 8/27/21 - set in California
🍬 Stone Cold - C. J. Box - 4 Stars - 8/1/21 - set in Wyoming
🍬 Unidentified - Anna Hackett - 2 Stars - 8/24/21 - set in Ecuador and Florida
🍬 Where Shadows Lie - Michael Ridpath - 3 Stars - 6/20/21 - set in Iceland

Other

🍬 Buddha in the Attic - Julie Otsuka - 3 Stars - 8/12/21 - set in the USA
🍬 Closed and Common Orbit - Becky Chambers - 3 Stars - set in space somewhere
🍬 Dirty - Kylie Scott - 3 Stars - 8/11/21 - set in Idaho
🍬 Exit Strategy - Martha Wells - 5 Stars - 8/9/21 - TranRollinHyfa, a major space station
🍬 Inconvenient Wife - Megan Chance - 4 Stars - 8/2/21 - set in New York
🍬 Kitchen God's Wife - Amy Tan - 4.5 Stars - 8/4/21 - set in China
🍬 Rogue Protocol - Martha Wells - 4.5 Stars - 8/5/21 - set in Space
🍬 Rose Code - Kate Quinn - 4.5 Stars - 8/13/21 - set in England
🍬 Run Silent, Run Deep - Edward L. Beach - 4 Stars - 8/21/21 - set in Connecticut, Hawaii and the Pacific Ocean
🍬 Teaspoon of Earth and Sea - Dina Nayeri - 4.5 Stars - 8/10/21 - set in Iran
🍬 To Let - John Galsworthy - 4 Stars - 8/6/21 -set in England
🍬 X Marks the Scot - Victoria Roberts - 3 Stars - 8/9/21 - set in Scotland

1. Watch Her Fall by Erin Kelly - Pub date 14 Sep 2021
2. Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead - Pub date 14 Sep 2021
3. The Killing Kind by Jane Casey - Pub date 21 Sep 2021
4. The Vanished Days by Susanna Kearsley - Pub date 05 Oct 2021
5. The Midnight Hour by Elly Griffiths - Pub date 07 Dec 2021
6. Desolation Canyon by P. J. Tracy - Pub date 18 Jan 2022
7. Under the Bayou Moon by Valerie Fraser Luesse - Pub date 03 Aug 2021
8. Point of danger by Hannon, Irene
9. The Girl in the Woods by Camilla Lackberg
10. The Lost Relic by Scott Mariani
11. ☊ Mrs. Poe by Lynn Cullen
12. ☊ The Perfect Stranger by Megan Miranda
13. ☊ The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine
14. ☊ The 7-1/2 Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle by Evelyn Hardcastle
15. ☊ Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson
16. ☊ The Nanny by Gilly Macmillan
17. ☊ When A Stranger Comes To Town by Michael Koryta
18. ☊ The Windsor Knot by S.J. Bannett
19. ☊ Other Side of Midnight by Simone St. James
20. ☊ Sunflower Sisters by Martha Hall Kelly

Wall of Silence - Tracy Buchanan - (England)
4.5★
Her children have a deadly secret. Can she uncover it before the police do? Melissa Byatt’s life in Forest Grove seems as perfect as can be: a doting husband, three loving children and a beautiful house in a close-knit community. But appearances can be deceiving. One evening, Melissa arrives home to the unimaginable: her husband lies stabbed on the kitchen floor, their children standing calmly around him…With horror, she realizes that one of them is to blame. But which one? And why would they attack their own father? Her loyalties torn; in a split second she decides to protect her children at all costs―even if that means lying to the police. But when someone in the neighborhood claims to know more than they should, Melissa discovers that some secrets are beyond her control…Can she find out the truth of what happened before the rumors spread? And can the family unite to escape the spotlight of scandal―or are none of them as innocent as Melissa insists?

This book had everything that a mystery and suspense fan would ever want. It was an incredible, page turner with a perfect amount of background story to make the reader feel emerged into the character’s lives but also keeping you on your toes and guessing. The author managed to put a new take on the twists and turns of complicated family relationships and the bonds that hold families together. Don’t be fooled. You think that the whole thing is going to be explained in just a few chapters...but guess again. I can almost guarantee you will have trouble putting it down and closing the cover and you will not in your wildest imagination guess the ending.

The Witch of Willow Hall - Hester Fox - (Massachusetts)
5★
New Oldbury, 1821 The house holds its breath, trying to outlast me…Something has awakened in Willow Hall. Eighteen-year-old Lydia Montrose can feel it. But she has no idea what it is. Rocked by rumor and scandal, Lydia, her parents, and her sisters, Catherine and Emeline, fled their sparkling life in Boston for the sleepy country estate. But bone-chilling noises in the night have Lydia convinced their idyllic new home wasn’t exactly vacant when they arrived. The Salem witch trials cast a long shadow over the Montrose family as the cloying heat of summer in Massachusetts mingles with something sinister in the air. The sprawling history of Willow Hall is no stranger to secrets, and its dark past soon calls to Lydia, igniting ancient magic she never knew she possessed. But with menacing forces unwilling to rest, threatening to tear her family apart, Lydia must learn to harness her newly discovered power or risk losing everyone she holds dear.

It’s not a story filled with witches...witchcraft...spell casting...or broomstick riding hags... and not a black cat in sight. Almost from the very first it is filled with quiet, unsettling terror. I actually found myself holding my breath at times....and very few things in books or movies scare me anymore. If your horror includes authors like Simone St. James and Kate Morton, and early Stephen King...when child eating clowns lived in the sewers...you might be adding Hester Fox to that list when you finish this one. It’s a gothic mystery mixed with a bit of romance and horror. A tragedy with lies...loss... and love... but most importantly...it’s one woman’s tale of discovering that there’s more to herself than she could ever have known. I just wished that Lynda had learned sooner that you can’t save them all.

The Dark Tide - Josh Lanyon -(California)
Adrien English Mystery Series Book #5
5★
Like recovering from heart surgery beneath the gaze of his over-protective family isn't exasperating enough, someone keeps trying to break into Adrien English's bookstore. What is this determined midnight intruder searching for? When a half-century old skeleton is discovered beneath the floorboards during the renovation of Cloak and Dagger Bookstore, Adrien turns to hot and handsome ex-lover Jake Riordan -- now out-of-the closet and working as a private detective. Jake is only too happy to have reason to stay in close contact with Adrien, but there are more surprises in Adrien's past than either one of them expects -- and one of them may prove hazardous to Jake's own heart.

This is one series that really should/must be read in order since one book picks up and carries on the story from the last book. The book was about much more than the relationship between Adrien and Jake. As in all of this authors books the mystery was front and center...and as always...it was another good one that kept me guessing and the pages turning. It also was a fitting finale to “The Adrien English Mysteries” series, but I really am not ready to say goodbye. On further checking there seems to be one more story left and perhaps a novella... so maybe Ms. Lanyon isn’t ready to say goodbye either.

The Night Wolf - Parker Williams
Wolves of Lydon series Book #1
5★
The night wolf is a legend told to scare children into obeying their parents. It is said that to control a night wolf is to harness limitless power…. Gareth Blackthorn has been Alpha of the prosperous Lydon pack for nearly two decades. Breaking with tradition, Gareth doesn’t take over other packs by challenge. Instead, he lets wolves come to him and petition for admittance. He’s had his pick of the best, the brightest, and the most talented. Until now. A power-hungry Alpha desires Omega Sean Adler’s talent… and his submission, whether given freely or not. He’s been on the run since he was fourteen, surviving any way he could, until one night, he knows he’ll finally succumb to the injuries from his latest attack—and he’s ready to go. That’s when Gareth finds him, and Gareth’s wolf insists on claiming Sean as his mate. But there’s something mysterious about Sean, something tied to the mark on his shoulder…. Now Gareth must decide...Will he keep Sean despite the dangers that will arise, or will he throw the young man back to the wolves?

My two friends arrived with more books and this one was on top so I eagerly started it right away. I had read Parker Williams’ books before and really enjoyed them...but he wrote then with another author. I was very happy to find something that this fantastic author had written on his own and to say it was a fabulous tale would be an understatement. The bad guys were so incredibly bad that it made Gareth’s wolf pack seem like living, walking, breathing saints...I do believe that Sean absolutely qualified for sainthood. The Night Wolf gives an entirely different view on shifters. There town sounded like a fabulous place to live even if you ere entirely human. It almost makes you wish it wasn't fiction. On the other hand,....maybe not. On a side note: The book description isn't exactly right. Garth never considered throwing Sean back to the wolves and Sean's mark is something very special.

Her Final Words - Brianna Labuskes - (Idaho)
4★
It seems like an open-and-shut case for FBI special agent Lucy Thorne when Eliza Cook walks into the field office. The teenage girl confesses to murdering a young boy. Disturbingly composed, she reveals chilling details only the killer could know. Beyond that Eliza doesn’t say another word, leaving a vital question met with dead silence: Why did she do it? To find the answer, Lucy goes to the scene of the crime in the small Idaho town of Knox Hollow. But Lucy’s questions are only mounting. Especially when she’s drawn deeper into the life of the victim. Then a combing of the woods yields unsettling evidence that Eliza isn’t the only one in this close-knit rural community with secrets. Getting to the truth is becoming Lucy’s obsession. And it’s a dangerous one. Because for the good folks of Knox Hollow, hiding that truth will take more than silence.

A seventeen years old girl has confessed to killing a twelve-year-old boy. Even though both the confession and the evidence point to the murder...’ FBI Agent Lucy Thorne decides she needs to dig deeper into the case. This takes her into small town in Idaho with close-knit community with a congregation that exerts a great deal of influence on the community as a whole. The tenets of their belief is that no modern medicine or medical care is allowed for the parishioners...including the children. Idaho’s” shield laws” allow this as it is their legal First Amendment rights...but the question is are the church members involved somehow in a boy murder... and what else are they possibly hiding? I had to check out the law and found that it is indeed a law that is held in more states than just Idaho. That in itself is scarier than the fictional story. Overall, it was a really enjoyable story. It felt believable and contained enough twists to make me want to try another book by this author.

Reclaiming Quinn - Parker Willams
Wolves of Lydon series Book #2
5★
Shifter Quinn Adler...Sean’s brother from the first book... knew he would live and die as a slave. Quinn’s life was filled with pain until he was rescued from an abusive pack. But in Lydon, Quinn can’t be sure of anything, so he’s terrified of everything. With no one to give him direction, he is lost—until Deke takes control of him. Deke Timmons hates that he has to play the role of master to his mate. Unfortunately, Quinn won’t accept his love until Deke can show him what being mates means. Vowing to help Quinn, Deke takes him into the world he’s never seen. Though sometimes their relationship is tense, his methods seem to be working. Then a power-mad Alpha swoops in to kidnap Quinn and ends up getting Deke by mistake.
Now Deke must play submissive to a wolf complicit in Quinn’s abuse. He’ll do whatever it takes to get back to his mate—but with Deke in peril, Quinn must find his courage and reclaim the person he was meant to be.

The two books need to be read in order for the reader to have any idea of the what or the why of what is happening. These two characters are absolutely perfect for each other. Their life isn’t easy...far from it...but I love the town that the wolves have created and their ways of offering sanctuary to other wolf shifters...and in this one, offering sanctuary to shifters of other species. Seeing Quinn...who was so damaged almost beyond imagination, from the last book...blossom...was well worth every second. I don’t read many shifter books, but I do read as many Parker Williams books as I can find, and this story...and the one before it, The Night Wolf kept me captivated and left me wanting more. Please write more Mr. Williams!!

Murder Most Lovely -Hank Edwards - (Michigan)
Lacetown Murder series Book #1
4★
A killer at a small-town literary festival. Bumbling drug dealers. A kidnapped cat. Starting a romance among all this chaos might be the death of them. Michael Fleishman is excited to meet his favorite mystery writer, Russell Withingham, at Lacetown’s Literary Fest. He is not expecting to cross paths with sexy hairdresser Jasper “Jazz” Dilworth―or become embroiled in a real-life mystery. As Lacetown’s only mortician and the county coroner, Michael is called to his first murder scene and is shocked to recognize the victim―Russell’s young lover. Jazz only wanted to confront his ex, Russell, over his cheating. Instead, he meets the adorably awkward Michael and becomes a murder suspect. Soon Jazz is teaming up with Michael to clear his name. Along the way, they are helped and hindered by Michael’s sassy assistant, Kitty, the grumpy Sheriff Musgrave, Russell’s creepy PR rep, Norbert, and Michael’s lothario grandfather, who likes his Manhattans strong and his women saucy. And of course, Mr. Pickles Furryton the Third.

I had never read anything by this author but when I dug around in my “treasure chest” of books, I see my two friends have several of his books including the next in this series. I liked the characters and the plot but the title is a tad misleading and there were parts where I became a bit bored waiting for the action to go on and less talk. I can say that it often made me laugh and sometimes there were elements of slapstick comedy in the midst of dramatic and/or dire situations. That took some getting used to. Overall, it was a fun read. Rather like watching an old 1930's comedy murder mystery movie. Will certainly go on to book #2 in the series. Oh...and Mr. Pickles Furryton, the Third... was simple adorable. (Meow)

August 2021
✔ ★ ☞ ☊

119. Under the Bayou Moon by Valerie Fraser Luesse - 352 pgs. - ★★★★★ 8/1/21
Ellie Fields accepts a teaching job in a tiny Louisiana town deep in bayou country and leaves her home in Alabama. The people in Bernadette, Louisiana, come to appreciate the young and idealistic schoolteacher. She's soon teaching just about everyone and coming up against opposition from both the school board and a politician with ulterior motives. Ellie meets a Cajun fisherman named Raphe who introduces her to the legendary white alligator. A huge bounty is offered for a white gator bringing about a shocking turn of events. In 2019 my husband and I took the train from Philadelphia to New Orleans and this book brought back the memories of that trip. Ellie goes to New Orleans and stays at the Monteleone Hotel where we stayed. She goes to Bourbon Street and the French Quarter and I could picture everything she saw. Valerie captures southern bayou living and the atmosphere of Spanish moss on the cypress trees makes you feel like you are right there. This is a story you will remember forever as it reaches down and touches your soul. I'm looking forward to reading other books by Valerie soon.

120. ☊ The Windsor Knot by S.J. Bennett - 320 pgs. - ★★★★ 8/2/21
The first book in the series in which Queen Elizabeth II secretly solves crimes while carrying out her royal duties. It is the spring of 2016 and Queen Elizabeth is at Windsor Castle in advance of her 90th birthday celebrations. Maksim Brodsky, a Russian pianist, is found dead. The Queen has been solving crimes since her teenage years as Lilibet with help from her Assistant Private Secretary, Rozie Oshodi. SJ Bennett captures Queen Elizabeth's voice with skill in this imaginative and engaging mystery that portrays Her Majesty as she's rarely seen: kind yet worldly, decisive, shrewd, and, most important, a superb judge of character. The book was fast-paced and kept me guessing until the surprise ending. There is lots of fun banter between Prince Philip and Lilibet. Jane Copland is the audiobook narrator who did a great job. The 2nd book in the series is A Three Dog Problem which will be published 11/11/21. If you are a fan of The Royal Family then you will enjoy this one!

121. ☊ Other Side of Midnight by Simone St. James - 336 pgs. - ★★★★ 8/3/21
London, 1925. Gloria Sutter helped the bereaved contact loved ones killed during the Great War. Now she's been murdered. Ellie Winter must delve into Gloria's secrets to help her former friend. Ellie specializes in finding lost items. James Hawley, a damaged war veteran who has dedicated himself to debunking psychics helps Ellie uncover what happened to Gloria. Ellie is tormented by nightmarish visions that herald the grisly murders of those in Gloria's circle. James turns dangerously intimate and an insidious evil force begins to undermine their quest for clues. This is a very atmospheric book from the 1920's with captivating characters. It is full of psychics, seances, ghosts and romance between Ellie and James. If you like gothic romance and paranormal historical fiction, you will love this book!

Inside Darkness - Hudson Lin - (New York)
4★
He's come in from the field, but the darkness has followed him home. After a decade as an aid worker, Cameron Donnelly returns home jaded, tired, and with more than just a minor case of PTSD. Plagued by recurring nightmares but refusing to admit he has a problem, Cam quickly spirals into an alcohol-infused depression, and everyone around him is at a loss for how to help. Journalist Tyler Ang met Cam on a reporting assignment in Kenya, and their first encounters were rife with hostility and sexual tension. Back in New York, their paths continually cross, and each time, Cam's brokenness reminds Ty more and more of his own difficult childhood. Letting Cam in goes against Ty's instinct to live life autonomously, but the damaged aid worker manages to sneak past his guard. Their relationship is all sharp corners and rough edges, and just as they're figuring out how to fit together, a life-threatening accident puts it all in jeopardy. If they want a future together, both will have to set aside their egos and learn to carry each other's burdens.

Not a very happy theme to this one and parts of it were very hard to read. I liked learning early on what Cam's darkness was and how it changed as he did. It was an original and compelling read. Cam and Ty are fascinating characters, both with painful stories, but somehow it never felt over the top. I would have liked more focus on why they’re attracted to each other so early on, which would have brought more romantic tension into the story and enhanced their relationship. While the book doesn't try to give a cure-all for PTSD, or present the fantasy that falling in love can make everything immediately all better...but it does show that falling in love with a really good person that will take you with all your bumps and bruises...can go a long way in helping you come to terms with almost anything that life throws at you.

Stalker- - Lars Kelper
Joona Linna series Book #5
3★
You thought you were alone. Think again.
CLOSE THE CURTAINS
A film arrives at Stockholm’s National Crime Investigation Department showing a woman in her own home, plainly unaware she is being watched. The police don’t take it seriously … until she is found murdered.
LOCK THE DOOR
When the next video arrives, Detective Margot Silverman frantically attempts to identify the victim. But it’s already too late. Because at the time the video was sent, the killer was already inside their house…
BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE
Soon Stockholm is in the grip of terror. Who will the Stalker target next?

As usual I started in the middle of a series but it didn’t really seem to make a great deal of difference as far as the story went. I found out the series is written by a husband-and-wife team. Their main character is a very interesting Finnish detective named Joona Linna. He’s a bit of an odd duck...but a fairly likable guy who has marvelous instincts coupled with intense combat training. We don't see Linna for a while at the beginning... but once we do it's obvious that he's not fit company for man or beast. He tried to go into hiding but events soon send a fellow detective to find him. This book is nearly 600 pages and it is an interesting mystery that catches the reader up and keeps you turning the pages...however the police are supposedly intelligent people but they do the dumbest things throughout the entire book. Maybe things are different in Sweden...or perhaps something is lost in the translation. We also don’t get much information on any of the other characters. Some of the storyline verges on the incredible...but overall...it was a not as exciting as the title and the cover blurb would have you believe.

The Rising - Badlands - Morgan Brice - (South Carolina)
Badlands series Book #2
5★
A big storm is brewing, there's a killer on the loose, and the ghosts of Myrtle Beach are restless. Psychic medium Simon Kincaide and his sexy cop boyfriend, homicide detective Vic D'Amato, have their hands full helping the Grand Strand brace for rough surf, driving rain, and high winds as a winter storm roars toward shore. Everyone's on edge, and rumors are rampant about sightings of Blackcoat Benny, a ghostly omen of danger, and worse, the Gallows Nine, the spirits of nine infamous criminals hanged back in the 1700s, a harbinger of disaster. Rough tides wash the wreck of an old pirate ship into shallow waters, high winds threaten to damage an old mansion with a dark past, and the citizens of the beach town hunker down to ride out the storm. As the skies grow dark and the sea turns wild, several men from prominent local families end up dead under suspicious circumstances. Simon's premonition confirms Vic's gut feeling - the killing is just getting started. As Simon tries to reach out to the spirits of the murdered men to help the investigation, he's attacked by malicious ghosts that don't want anyone getting in the way of their long-overdue vengeance.

A winter storm is blowing into Myrtle Beach and the residents there are concerned. Pack up and evacuate or wait it out. So... not only do Simon and Vic have to deal with a storm coming but also a string of suicides that could be/probably are... murders...visions of pirates and privateers... and a poltergeist troubling the construction crew at a local historical manor. Simon...the psychic medium and Vic... his homicide detective boyfriend, have their hands full. The story combines the ghost stories with a real-world murder and some local history. Two different local legends that collide with strong and evil forces. A really good mystery and extremely lovable characters. Please forgive me for sounding like a broken record but I wish these books were longer.

122. ☊ Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson - 363 pgs. - ★★★★★ 8/7/21
This is the story of the 1900 hurricane that hit the island of Galveston, Texas on September 8th. Isaac Cline, resident meteorologist for the US Weather Bureau, failed to predict the immensity of the storm as the storm made a sudden turn towards Galveston after hitting Florida. The book is well-written and researched using telegrams, letters, reports and testimony of survivors. We learn about the making of the storm, the wrath of the storm which killed 6,000 people and the cleanup aftermath. It still remains the greatest natural disaster in American history. It is a powerful and gripping account which brings the hurricane to life for the reader. If you love history with a mixture of science, then you will enjoy this book.

>18 EadieB: That sounds very interesting. I like the combination of history and science that you mentioned so I’m adding this to my TBR.

Dark Blood - Stuart McBride - (Scotland)
Logan McRae series Book #6
4.5★
Richard Knox has served his time, so why shouldn't he be allowed to live wherever he wants? Yes, in the past he was a violent rapist, but he's seen the error of his ways. Found God. Wants to leave his dark past in Newcastle behind him and make a new start. Or so he says. Detective Sergeant Logan McRae isn't exactly thrilled to be part of the team helping Knox settle into his new Aberdeen home. He's even less thrilled to be stuck with DSI Danby from Northumbria Police -- the man who put Knox behind bars for ten years -- supposedly here to 'keep an eye on things'. Only things are about to go very, very wrong. Edinburgh gangster Malk the Knife wants a slice of the development boom Donald Trump's golf course is bringing to the Granite City, whether local crime lord Wee Hamish Mowat likes it or not. Three heavies from Newcastle want a 'quiet word' with DSI Danby about a missing mob accountant. And Richard Knox's dark past isn't done with him yet!

Edinburgh is as bleak as always, and so is the overall mood. But unlike some of the earlier novels, this one is relatively free from torture and other horrors. However,... there is still plots within plots within plots. DI Steel is still annoying and mad as a hatter with the world in general and everyone in it. I wish McBride would tone her down a bit. Logan makes odd choices which get him into trouble with his superiors, who themselves don't make a very professional impression. I hope the Scottish police are not actually like this. In spite of the police blunders and DI Steel...the entire series is curiously addictive,

Close To Home - Cara Hunter -(England)
DI Fawley Series Book #1
4.5★
“They know who did it. Perhaps not consciously. Perhaps not yet. But they know.”
When eight-year-old Daisy Mason vanishes from her family’s Oxford home during a costume party, Detective Inspector Adam Fawley knows that nine times out of ten, the offender is someone close to home. And Daisy’s family is certainly strange—her mother is obsessed with keeping up appearances, while her father is cold and defensive under questioning. And then there’s Daisy’s little brother, so withdrawn and uncommunicative . . . DI Fawley works against the clock to find any trace of the little girl, but it’s as if she disappeared into thin air—no one saw anything; no one knows anything. But everyone has an opinion, and everyone, it seems, has a secret to conceal.

This is a debut novel for this author and I have to say that she told a twisting tale with plenty of reveals as the story proceeds and that kept me reading and guessing. It was one of those books that made you choose a different suspect about every 10 pages...but I really didn’t commit to the real conclusion until only a few pages before the end...and I was wrong. The author did an incredible job of throwing out numerous red herrings that seem not only plausible, but entirely likely. I liked the DI Adam Fawley character even though he had a tragic backstory. He was a great cop and a good man at heart. A good start for what appears to be a very good new series.

Dark Rivers - Morgan Brice -(Pennsylvania)
Witchbane series Book #3
5★
Seth Tanner and Evan Malone are learning to navigate their new partnership—as lovers and as monster hunters—while hot on the trail of a coven of dark warlocks. Seth has never been in love like this before, consumed by white-hot passion and willing to risk his life to protect Evan. His quest to avenge his brother’s murder used to be an obsession, one he was willing to die for. Now, Seth worries that his reckless pursuit of vengeance might get Evan—or both of them—killed. But he can’t walk away—the witches’ century-long killing spree has to stop. Seth prays that both he and Evan make it alive and together to the finish line, when the fight is done. Evan’s normal world turned upside-down the night a dangerous stranger rescued him from being sacrificed in a bloody ritual. Now he knows that magic and monsters are real, legends and lore are true, and fighting for his life has become an everyday event. He’s learned to hold his own. But when a vengeful ex-lover stalks him while they’re on a case, Evan has to confront his past and confess an ugly truth. His love for Seth had been strong enough to get them this far, but he fears that the stalker or the warlock could tear them apart forever. If the skills they possess aren’t enough to protect them and their bond can’t keep them together, the ancient evil will remain unchallenged, and more people will die.

Seth and Evan are figuring out both their personal and professional relationships. Combine an evil warlock, new monster hunter friends, and an evil ex-boyfriend and you’ve got a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Morgan Brice is carefully keeping Seth and Evan's relationship front and center while still maintaining a focus on the highly suspenseful search for the powerful witch and those helping him...all the while trying to keep the man designated as the next sacrifice alive. New elements of magic and paranormal events are often brought in as well as new characters and old friends from some of her other series...which are all also fabulous. I love it, when as a reader and a huge fan of all this author's books, she makes the effort to not let us lose contact with the characters of the other much loved books. It just all works so well for the story and the reader.

Watch Her Fall by Erin Kelly - 501 pgs. - ★★★★★ 8/9/21
Erin Kelly has written a clever thriller centered in the ballet world of Swan Lake. Ava Kirilova has practiced and worked hard her whole life and has finally reached the coveted position of dancing the lead role of Swan Lake. As in all competitions, there are other ballet dancers who are just waiting for her to fall off this pedestal so they can slip into this role. Different narrators tell the story and there is lots of drama, intrigue and dark secrets which help to create twists and turns that lead to the surprise end that I didn't see coming. The book is a slow burn but keeps you hooked as you can feel the plot building. The writing is excellent and made me want to read more of the author's books. If you love thrillers, you need to add this to your list. I would like to thank NetGalley and Hodden and Stroughton Publishers for a free copy for an honest review. To be published 9/14/2021

☊ Mrs. Poe by Lynn Cullen - 318 pgs. - ★★★★ 8/8/21
This book was inspired by literature's most haunting love triangle of Edgar Allan Poe, his mistress's tantalizing confession, and his wife's frightening obsession. In 1845 Poe's, The Raven, is all the rage in New York City. Frances Osgood goes to meet Mr. Poe at a literary gathering. She is overwhelmed by his magnetic presence and finds out that he admires her poetry. She finds herself falling under the spell of this mysterious, complicated lover. Mrs. Virgina Poe insists on being Osgood's friend. Frances begins to fear that deceiving Mrs. Poe may be as impossible as cheating death itself. The book is based on true events of Poe marrying Virginia who was his very young first cousin. I am a fan of Poe's poetry and stories but didn't realize what a romantic he was. I enjoyed this book as it shed more light on Poe's life and drew me in to get to know him even more. If you love history and poetry, give this book a try!

White Out -Danielle Gerard – (North Dakota)
Badlands series Book #1
2.5★
After surviving a car accident on an icy road in Hagen, North Dakota, Lily Baker regains consciousness with no idea where or who she is. Scattered Bible verses and the image of a man lying in a pool of blood haunt her memory. The same night of the accident, a young woman is murdered and tossed in a dumpster. Kylie Milliard, Hagen’s only detective, doesn’t immediately recognize the victim, but Kylie soon discovers that Lily and the dead woman share a dark past…if only Lily could remember what it was. Lily and Kylie both want answers. But Kylie has to play by the book. Lily has to play it safe. And the more Lily learns about her identity, the more she fears the truth.

Detective Kylie Miniard is new to town, but she already wants out and I certainly can’t blame her. I think she was only hired because the town needed to meet it’s “women in the department” quota. I wouldn’t be surprised if the next book in the series would have Kylie killing the sheriff, (her boss), who leaves her out of departmental meetings...fails to give her information incoming about the investigation...and other things that she needs to know as an investigator. Above all, to include her as a valued member of the department. That was just my opinion and I’m sure that is not going to be the theme of the next book :) A body has been left in a dumpster and Kylie has been assigned to the case. While she is doing this another event takes place. A woman crawls out of a car with no memory of how she got there or who she is. Most of the book focuses on the living woman and the man she left in the car. This is where the plots become a bit muddled. Too many characters are brought in without any rhyme or reason. Later in the book we discover that it really does make some sort of sense...but why too much time has elapsed and I had pretty much lost interest in any of it. I gave it 2.5 stars for the idea of the plot...not the execution.

Lucky Town - Morgan Brice (Pennsylvania/South Carolina)
Badlands series Book #1.5 or book #2 (Novella)
5★
The only thing more frightening than murder might be navigating their first holiday season as a couple. Psychic medium Simon Kincaide and his boyfriend, Myrtle Beach homicide detective Vic D’Amato, take a trip back to Pittsburgh to spend Thanksgiving with Vic’s large, exuberant family, which means dodging old frenemies and a bitter ex-boyfriend. A cold case comes back to haunt Vic when a murdered woman’s ghost begs Simon for justice. Then a new murder in Myrtle Beach looks suspiciously familiar, and the dead man’s ghost isn’t playing nice. When Simon gets a vision of the next victim before the crime occurs, he realizes that all the murders are supernaturally linked. Catching the murderer will take his psychic sleuthing skills along with Vic’s street smarts to avert a tragedy. Can they do right by ghosts past, present and yet-to-come without ending up in the crosshairs of a killer for Christmas?

I saved this novella for last but I loved this series and Vic and Simon so much that I really wanted to see how their lives were going to play out...knowing that this was a short novella and wouldn't necessarily carry on the story as well as the other 2 books. I found, when finally letting myself read it that for a short story it packed a lot heat and had enough going on to be both intriguing and gripping at the same time. I would have found out that the D'Amato clan welcomed Simon with open arms...accepted his abilities to communicate with the dead... and wished only the best for his and Vic’s future. It was full of magic, spirits, friends, and Simon and Vic finally settling in and making a home together. Loved it! I hope there will be many more Vic and Simon adventures!!!

Loose Ends- Badlands - Morgan Brice - (South Carolina)
Badlands series Book #4
5★
Cold cases, old enemies, ex-lovers, and vengeful spirits are making life dangerous for psychic medium Simon Kincaide and his boyfriend, homicide detective Vic D’Amato. The ghosts of Myrtle Beach are restless, trapped by love, secrets, scandals, and spells, keeping Simon busy protecting the living from the unhappy dead. Someone from Vic’s past is out to destroy him and everyone he holds dear, and the high-profile trial of the first case Simon and Vic worked together puts them in the spotlight—and puts a target on their backs. As a deadly trap closes around them, can Simon and Vic tie up the loose ends to stop the threat, or will they become the newest ghosts of the Grand Strand?

Simon and Vic are living together now...both thinking of the next step to take in their relationship. Their love is tested by someone trying to ruin Vic both personally and professionally. Simon and Vic are not the team that anyone in their right mind would intentionally want to take on. We meet some new characters in this one that were... or are... a big part of Vic and Simon’s lives. Vic's ex... Simon's mom... a couple of ghosts including Dante from the previous books... and finally, for better or worse... Simon's ex. You can’t help but love the action and suspense and seeing the growing love and connection between Vic and Simon. I so hoped there was going to be more of this series but seeing as how the books were written in 2019...I guess I’ll just have to settle for repeat reads.

☊ Sunflower Sisters by Martha Hall Kelly - 528 pgs. - ★★★★★ 8/10/21
This is the 3rd book in The Lilac Girls series. Inspired by true accounts, Sunflower Sisters provides a vivid look at the Civil War experience of three characters. Georgeanna Woolsey is an ancestor of Caroline Ferriday from Lilac Girls. She is a Union nurse whose calling leads her to cross paths with Jemma, a young enslaved girl who is sold off and conscripted into the army, and Anne-May Wilson, a Southern plantation mistress whose husband enlists. I have read the other two books (Lilac Girls and Lost Roses) but Sunflower Sisters is my favorite. We get a first-hand look at slavery through Jemma and all of its social injustice. Through Anne-May we get a peek of a plantation owner and how they treated the slaves. We follow the characters to a war-torn New York City and to the horrors of the battlefield at Gettysburg. I found the book to be well-written and well-researched. This is the last book in the trilogy but I look forward to seeing what Kelly writes next. If you love history then you should read this series.

The Most Dangerous Place on Earth - Lindsey Lee Johnson -(California)
2.5★
In an idyllic community of wealthy California families, new teacher Molly Nicoll becomes intrigued by the hidden lives of her privileged students. Unknown to Molly, a middle school tragedy in which they were all complicit continues to reverberate for her kids: Nick, the brilliant scam artist; Emma, the gifted dancer and party girl; Dave, the B student who strives to meet his parents' expectations; Calista, the hippie outcast who hides her intelligence for reasons of her own. Theirs is a world in which every action may become public: potable, shareable, indelible. With the rare talent that transforms teenage dramas into compelling and urgent fiction, Lindsey Lee Johnson makes vivid a modern adolescence lived in the gleam of the virtual, but rich with the sorrow, passion, and beauty of life in any time, and at any age.

Having spent 28 years of my life going into public schools and speaking to students from Pre-K to high schools...I have to say that I can both agree and disagree in almost equal measures with this teacher. This is a deep dark look into the hearts and minds of Middle School students and their teachers in California’s wealthy Marin County. While this may be the experience of some students...I don’t believe that it defines every student's experience or for that matter every parent of this influential county. I am 2,500 miles away from Marin County, California but there are counties and school districts in my state of Michigan that also have school districts with wealthy, above the average income families with children attending a variety of our schools. I believe that with a few exceptions, the parents are trying to raise their children to be well adjusted, contributing members of society...not rich brats spending their weekends getting high at parties, or experimenting with sex with anyone and everyone. I’m not saying it doesn’t happen, but even if half the things that were portrayed in this book are true of this one county...it still seemed like it was highly stereotyped and every above average income parent and child was painted with the same brush. I guess my question is, if the teacher knew so much about the students like Nick, the scam artist and Emma the party girl...who she describes as “both gifted and brilliant”...why wasn’t her efforts focused more on offering... if nothing else...a face that would listen to them more and condemn them less. I just felt dirty after finishing this.... but perhaps that was the entire idea.

Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead - 336 pgs. - ★★★★★ 8/11/21
I have read most of Colson Whitehead's books. I first met Colson while I was a member of The Barnes and Noble Mystery Book Club. We got a chance to read and discuss Sag Harbor before it was published. I remember thinking how much I loved his humor and what an excellent writer he was. Whenever I see that Colson has a new book, I strive to get a copy in order to read it. I'm very thankful that NetGalley and Doubleday Books approved me to read a copy of Harlem Shuffle for an honest review. The book is basically a love letter to Harlem, a family saga and a crime novel rolled into one. It is an entertaining read about heists, shakedowns and ripoffs set in early 1960 Harlem. His characters are unforgettable as Colson is a great storyteller and paints a picture in your mind as the novel unfolds. If you love crime novels then you should invest in this book. If you want to learn more about Colson, I also suggest that you read Sag Harbor, as that book is somewhat autobiographical.

Past Caring - Robert Goddard - (England)
5★
At a lush villa on the sun-soaked island of Madeira, Martin Radford is given a second chance. His life ruined by scandal, Martin holds in his hands the leather-bound journal of another ruined man, former British cabinet minister Edwin Strafford. What’s more, Martin is being offered a job—to return to England and investigate the rise and fall of Strafford, an ambitious young politician whose downfall, in 1910, is as mysterious as the strange deaths that still haunt his family. Martin is intrigued by Strafford’s story, by the man’s overwhelming love for a beautiful suffragette, by her inexplicable rejection of him and their love affair’s political repercussions. But as he retraces Strafford’s ruination, Martin realizes that Strafford did not fall by chance; he was pushed. Suddenly Martin, who has not cared for many people in his life, cares desperately—about a man’s mysterious death and a family’s terrible secret, about a love beyond reckoning and betrayal beyond imagining. Most of all Martin cares because the story he is uncovering is not yet over—and among the men and women still caught in its web, Martin himself may be the most vulnerable of all.

I am a huge Robert Goddard fan having read...I thought...everything he’s ever written. Seems I was wrong since somehow this gem missed my radar. Like most all of Goddard’s books there are twists, double twists...red herrings...theories that seem plausible, until they aren’t...then at the last it all comes together. At the end, you feel Martin gave the book its title as events leads him to the point that he is “past caring”. The ending... despite its being somewhat expected... still felt right and the reader feels that things are finally as they should be.

Mortal Fall by Christine Carbo
4 ★

Glacier National Park police officer Monty Harris knows that each summer at least one person will meet tragedy in the park. But Paul "Wolfie" Sedgewick's fatal fall from the sheer cliffs near Going-To-the-Sun Road is incomprehensible. Wolfie was an experienced and highly regarded wildlife biologist. Calm and methodical lead investigator Monty senses in his gut that something isn't right. So when whispers of irresponsibility or suicide emerge, tarnishing Wolfie's reputation, Monty dedicates himself to uncovering the truth. To muddy the waters further, a wilderness facility for rehabilitating troubled teens--one that Monty's older brother attended--may have a disturbing connection to the case.

The story was from the perspective of Monty who worked hard to make a positive life for himself after growing up in a difficult family. There is a very good portrayal of his mother, who is mentally ill, and the impact it has on the family. The story develops slowly and there are many details about Monty’s life and the investigation that some people may find tedious but I enjoyed it. The characters were believable, I could relate and sympathize with Monty and the ending was bittersweet. I will be reading more from this author.

☊ The Nanny by Gilly Macmillan - 416 pgs. - ★★★ 8/11/21
This is a tale of secrets, lies and deceptions. In 1988 when Jocelyn Holt's Nanny, Hannah, left she was 7 years old and she was devastated. 30 years later she returns home with her daughter, Ruby, to confront her troubled relationship with her mother. When human remains are accidentally uncovered in a lake on the estate, Jo begins to question everything she thought she knew. An unexpected visitor knocks on the door and Jo must uncover who her nanny really was, why she left, and if she can trust her own mother. This book had a slow start but the plot had twists which held my interest. The characters were unlikeable and hard to connect with. The ending was a bit rushed, so all in all, I would say it's an ok book but not one of Macmillan's best. I have read all of her books and have enjoyed them so I do look forward to her next book, The Long Weekend, March 2022.

Flame and Ash - Morgan Brice -(North Carolina)
Witchbane series Book #4
5★
The hunters become the hunted. When their lives are on the line, will love be enough? Seth Tanner and Evan Malone are hot on the track of a coven of dark witches responsible for a century of ritual murders. Seth saved Evan’s life, and Evan joined him on the road, getting a crash course on magic and the supernatural, learning how to fight and hunt. Seth worries that Evan’s going to get hurt, or that he’ll realize this crazy, dangerous life isn’t for him—and break Seth’s heart. Evan Malone has fallen head over heels for Seth, despite the danger and chaos. Their relationship is new, their emotions are raw, and every hunt could be their last. Evan wants to prove that he’s committed to their relationship, despite the rushed and rocky beginning. He’s pushing himself to learn new skills so he can have Seth’s back—and his biggest fear is that Seth might get hurt because Evan isn’t good enough. Their next hunt takes them to the Blue Ridge Mountains, but this time, the dark witch knows they’re coming—and has plans of his own. Then Seth vanishes, and everything Evan has learned and his belief in their bond as lovers is put to the test. He’s got to prove he’s up to the challenge and Seth’s faith in him, before the whole situation goes up in flames and leaves nothing but ash.

There is one more book in this series and then I guess if I want to visit with Seth and Evan I’ll have to start over. We get to meet and see more of Seth’s mentors, Toby and Milo. We haven’t seen them...and then only briefly since Thanksgiving in book 3. if you love the author's other hunter novels (Badlands, Treasure Trail, Deadly Curiosities, and Night Vigil)...and I do... you will get to see some of the characters that make cameo appearances to help out Seth and Evan. If ghosts, magic, suspense and deadly bad guys are your cuppa tea then you're going to love this entire series. Please be aware that all the Witchbane & Badlands series are same sex romances/adventures.

☊ The 7-1/2 Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton - 505 pgs. - ★★★★ 8/13/21
A very original and unique read. Aiden Bishop knows the rules. Evelyn Hardcastle will die every day until he can identify her killer and break the cycle. Every day, Aiden will wake up in the body of a different guest at Blackheath Manor. Sounds a bit like Groundhog Day. It's a locked-room mystery full of intrigue and suspense. It's one man's race against time to find a killer with lots of twists that kept me guessing until the very end. I started this book awhile ago and got so confused that I gave up. I saw that others enjoyed it, so this time I did the audio and paid strict attention. I found that I enjoyed it so much more the 2nd time around. I think I may even read it again and probably do the book and audio together. I found the characters to be oddly entertaining each with their own point of view. If you like putting together puzzles, then I think you will enjoy this book. I look forward to reading his next book, The Devil and the Dark Water

Fogland Point - Doug Burgess (Rhode Island)
5★
Where memories, realities, and identities blur...David Hazard wanted nothing more than to forget his renegade family and the foggy New England village "on the wrong side" of Narragansett Bay where he grew up. When sudden tragedy brings him back to Little Compton to care for his grandmother during her struggle with dementia, he discovers her fragile memories may hold the key to a bizarre mystery half a century old—and perhaps to the sudden and brutal murder right next door. Once Chief of Police Billy Dyer names her as a witness, Grandma Maggie's recollections become vital. But can they be trusted, especially in a town where everyone has a secret, including David himself? The investigation stalls. Then eccentric millionaire Marcus Rhinegold's yacht disappears into the fog, bodies begin to wash ashore, and Maggie's stories come vividly to life, setting off a chain of events both horrifying and hauntingly familiar. Puritans, gun-runners, Mafiosi, and a rogues' gallery from past and present converge in the mists of the bay, challenging Billy with layers of deception. On Christmas Eve, he enlists David in a daring move to uncover the many truths surrounding Fogland Point.

It is wonderful. Atmospheric...complex... spellbinding... intriguing...suspenseful...(I’m almost out of adjectives)...with really great characters. There is something new on every page...lots of puzzle pieces to put together and hopefully come to a conclusion with a likely suspect. Darn it! Just when one is solved, another one rears its ugly head...but what an experience! The author...which is new to me...takes the reader right into the story with these wonderful folks. Loved it...loved it ...loved it. Hope there is another one soon.

Be With Me - Maya Banks - (Pennsylvania)
1★
Hutch Bishop, Cam Douglas, and Sawyer Pritchard were juvenile delinquents with a reckless and wildly sexy side. But they had more in common than that. They had Regina Fallon, a wealthy but lonely girl from the right side of the tracks who formed an unusual friendship with the boys. She felt protected. She felt needed. She felt loved...for the first time in her life. By all three. Today, she’s a police officer, dedicated to her badge, and wary of reigniting her relationship with the hot trio after one night of passion left her confused—and stunned—by what they wanted from her. But when a mysterious attempt is made on her life, Hutch, Cam, and Sawyer jump in to protect her again. Now, the four are forming an all-new bond. It’s more exciting, more intense, and—as a killer looms in the shadows—more dangerous than ever before.

This was in my box of books from my “book bringing buddies”. I guess, most of you have guessed by now that they are married...to each other...so to say I was a little surprised...not at the three guys but that the three guys all wanted the one woman and not each other. Not the way this box of books usually goes. I felt rather sorry for Reggie to start with. That soon changed. The boys seemed to have never grown up and were not in the least shy about how all three of them was hot to trot after this girl/woman they all claim to have loved all their lives. Reggie was not in any way helpless...she was a cop for Heaven sakes. I don’t know when she had time to do any of her police duties. She was in bed most of the book with all three of these “good friends”. I found it kind of funny after reading so many of the m/m romances that are usually what’s in the box...that these guys thought all three of them in the same bed was okay. Watching was more than okay. But no sir...NO TOUCHING!!! Wouldn’t one guy at a time have worked just as well??? I guess if that was the case, Reggie would have had a lot more time to do her police duties. I frankly just lost patience with all of them early on. Side Note: When asked if they had read it they avoided answering directly but said they thought I might pass it off on some other unsuspecting soul. I'm NOT that cruel:(

Look What You Made Me Do - Elaine Murphy
5★
Carrie wants a normal life.
Carrie Lawrence doesn’t need a happily ever after. She’ll just settle for “after.” After a decade of helping her sister hide her victims. After a lifetime of lies. She just wants to be safe, boring, and not trekking through the woods at night with a dead body wrapped in a carpet.
Becca wants to get away with murder.

Becca Lawrence doesn’t believe in happily ever after because she’s already happy. She’s gotten away with murder for a decade and has blackmailed her sister into helping her hide the evidence—what more could a girl want?
But first they have to stop a serial killer.

When thirteen bodies are discovered in their small town, people are shocked. But not as shocked as Carrie, who thought she knew all the details of Becca’s sordid pastime. When Becca swears she’s not behind the grisly new crimes, they realize the town has a second serial killer who has the sisters in his sights, and what he wants is . . . Carrie.

Carrie has a secret. Her sister Becca is a serial killer. Carrie has another secret. She helps her sister hide the bodies. This is a very easy read that flows nicely. Jam packed with twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat. "Look What You Made Me Do” is unique in a deep sea of psychological and serial killer thrillers. It’s disturbing and twisted, filled with palpable tension and white-knuckle moments. This book is non-stop action, creating a thrilling ride that quickly engages the reader. I’ve never read anything by this author before...but this won’t be my last one.

☊ When A Stranger Comes to Town by Michael Koryta - 400 Pgs. - ★★★★ 8/14/21
It's been said that all great literature boils down to one of two stories - a man takes a journey, or a stranger comes to town. There's something undeniably alluring in the nature of a stranger: the uninvited guest, the unacquainted neighbor, the fish out of water. Michael Koryta has put together an excellent collect of short stories. Each author weaves a fresh tale surrounding the eerie feeling that comes when a stranger enters our midst It featuring stories by prolific mystery writers such as Michael Connelly, Lisa Unger and Joe Hill. I don't really like short stories but did enjoy the ones in this collection. I found many of them entertaining and plan on reading regular length novels by some of these authors. If you are a fan of crime thrillers, then I feel you will enjoy this collection too.

My Partner The Wolf - Hollis Shiloh - (California)
Shifters and Partners series Book #1
4.5★
Tom Langley and Sean Goods work together in a human-and-wolf shifter partnership, assisting the police, rushing in to solve crimes wherever their bosses send them. They're a great team, and they have fun together, too: joking and enjoying each other's company in a way that doesn't happen every day. Tom is also a married man. And his husband hates the wolf shifter with a passion. Tom tries to balance the sides of his life—one minute on a high-pressure chase with Sean, the next placating his husband Lowell. Then the unthinkable happens: his marriage ends. Heartbroken, he's not expecting to ever get over Lowell's betrayal or to be able to love again. Sean offers a solution: sex as friends. They have chemistry, and they trust each other. But can they change their partnership that much? And is Sean secretly harboring feelings for him—expecting more than just sex? Sean is a loveable, funny, strong, and protective. He's the best buddy a guy could have. But Tom might not be able to keep from breaking his heart—if Sean is in love with him, and Tom can't love him back.

I liked Tom and Sean’s camaraderie at the office and in the field, and their off-time friendship that developed into more even though Tom was an emotional wreck through the majority of the book. I hated Tom’s husband from the first time he appeared in the story. Too bad Hollis Shiloh didn't just have wolf, Sean, eat him and be done with it. I became very invested in Sean getting his “happily ever after" that I could forgive Tom’s on again off again attitude. Actually... I wanted to slap him up beside the head most of time. I’m diffidently going to try book 2.

The Silent Girls - Eric Rickstad - (Vermont)
Canaan Mysteries
3.5★
With the dead of a bitter Vermont winter closing in, evil is alive and well . . . Frank Rath thought he was done with murder when he turned in his detective's badge to become a private investigator and raise a daughter alone. Then the police in his remote rural community of Canaan find an '89 Monte Carlo abandoned by the side of the road, and the beautiful teenage girl who owned the car seems to have disappeared without a trace. Soon Rath's investigation brings him face-to-face with the darkest abominations of the human soul. With the consequences of his violent and painful past plaguing him, and young women with secrets vanishing one by one, he discovers once again that even in the smallest towns on the map, evil lurks everywhere—and no one is safe.

It started out to be a thrilling journey to a very dark place...but toward the end the whole climax seemed rushed. It didn’t exactly take anything away from the story but I was just expecting a slower journey after the great beginning. I’m going to give this author and the series another try. I believe there is promise there and I already have another book by this author.

☊ The Woman They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore - 560 pgs. - ★★★★ 8/14/21 1860. This is a true story of the historical battle for women's mental health rights. Elizabeth Packard's husband of twenty-one years feels increasingly threatened by Elizabeth's intellect, independence, and unwillingness to stifle her own thoughts. He makes plans to put his wife back in her place by committing her to an insane asylum. There are many rational women on her ward who have been committed in order to keep them in line. Elizabeth's refusal to be silenced and her ceaseless quest for justice challenged the medical science of the day, and led to a giant leap forward in women's human rights. I enjoyed this book but thought it could be shorter as it repeated facts too many times. If you enjoy stories about forgotten women of history, then you will enjoy this book.

Come Unto These Yellow Sands - Josh Lanyon - (Maine)
5★
Sometimes the adventure chooses you. Lover of fine poetry and lousy choose-your-own-adventure novels, Professor Sebastian Swift was once the bad-boy darling of the literati. The only lines he does these days are Browning, Frost, and Cummings. Even his relationship with the hot, handsome Wolfe Neck Police chief, Max Prescott, is healthy. When one of his most talented students comes to him bruised and begging for help, Swift hands over the keys to his Orson Island cabin - only to find out that the boy's father is dead and the police are suspicious. In an instant, the stable life Swift has built for himself hangs on finding the boy and convincing him to give himself up before Max figures out Swift's involvement in the case. Max enjoys splitting an infinitive or two with his favorite nutty professor, but he's not much for sonnets or Shakespeare. He likes being lied to even less. Yet his instincts - and his heart - tell him his lover is being played. Max can forgive lies and deception, but a dangerous enemy may not stop until Swift is heading up his own dead poet's society.

I've read quite a lot of Josh Lanyon's works and enjoyed pretty much every one of them. I couldn’t begin to pick a favorite. Addiction is a major theme in this story, but it doesn't distract from the murder mystery. Swift’s honesty about his addiction, and Max's support gave the story a meaning that I wasn’t expecting. The protagonists aren't perfect. There was a point where the whole relationship between Swift and Max could have gone into the wind...and I was surprised that it didn't. As usual Josh Lanyon delivers a story that entertains. Her characters make you care for them and wish them happiness and love always.

Murder Most Deserving - Hank Edwards - (Michigan)
Lacetown Murder Mystery Book #2
4.5★

An acoustic music festival comes to Lacetown, and with it, another dead body―this one found at Fleishman’s Funeral Home. Michael recuses himself from the autopsy, handing the job over to his arch-nemesis from a neighboring county. Luckily Michael and local hairstylist Jazz are closer than ever. Between a trio of funerals, a blowout BBQ, and a couple of trips on Beulah, Jazz’s beloved scooter, Michael and Jazz do some sleuthing of their own. With the first gruesome murder still fresh in their memories, they can’t help but wonder if notorious murderer and famous author Russell Withingham might be targeting them from jail, where he’s awaiting trial. The festival, however, brings in a veritable lineup of potential killers, including a familiar―and most unwelcome―figure from their past. As the murderer circles ever closer to Jazz and Michael, Sheriff Musgrave is quick to remind them that everyone’s a suspect until Sheriff Musgrave says they’re not!

I think after the first book I have come more to terms with how Michael and Jazz think and what drives them. I just can’t understand why the men in these books are always eaten alive by their pasts and not concentrating on the good things they could have in their futures. Anyway...the sheriff is becoming one of the best characters in this series. He is a hoot! The mysteries in the first book as well as in this one are very good. This one had a surprising end and kept me reading. I finished it in one sitting which isn’t unusual but I usually try to drag it out with characters that I really like.

Unholy - Witchbane- Morgan Brice - (South Carolina)
Witchbane series Book #5
5★
A cycle of ritual murders. A coven of dark warlocks, drawing their immortality from the magic of their dead master. Two men sworn to stop the deaths, destroy the warlocks, and avenge the victims. Except this time, the killer flips the script. Seth Tanner swore vengeance on the dark witches who killed his brother, Jesse. He rescued Evan Malone from one of the witches, and they've fallen in love despite the danger and chaos, going on the road to complete the quest and bring an end to the ritual murders. Their relationship is still new, tested at every turn by danger and magic. Seth and Evan head to Charleston to stop the next warlock and save his intended victim. But this time, they're too late. The warlock has already powered up, and he's determined to destroy the two hunters one way or another. A deadly curse on Seth and Evan means time is running out. Can they find a way to turn the tables, or is Charleston their final destination?

This book is a crossover between Seth and Evan's stories and Gail Z. Martin's (Morgan Brice)…Deadly Curiosities It was great seeing Seth and Evan interact with Cassidy...Teag, and the rest. I've absolutely loved each adventure Seth and Evan have been on to destroy these witch disciples that killed Seth’s brother in the first book Witchbane… and the further into each book we've gotten the more danger they are up against while worse, creepy things try to take them out...including a rouge ex-boyfriend. I was glad to see they had some talented additional help from new arrivals that we meet and the friends they make that helped them with this one because Seth and Evan both were on borrowed time. I want this series to go on for a very long time.

Exit by Belinda Bauer
"Felix Pink is retired. Widowed for more than a dozen years and a painfully literal thinker, he has led a life of routine and is, not unhappily, waiting to die a hopefully boring death. He occupies himself volunteering as an Exiteer -- someone who sits with terminally ill peoples they die by suicide, assisting with logistics and lending moral support, then removing the evidence to take the burden off their loved ones. When Felix lets himself in to Number 3 Black Lane, he's there to perform an act of kindness and charity: to keep a dying man company as he takes his final breath."

Fifteen minutes later Felix is on the run from the police after making the biggest mistake of his life. Now his routine world is turned upside down as he tries to discover whether what went wrong was a simple mistake -- or murder."

I just started this book and so far I'm really enjoying it. It has that slightly dry, British humour that isn't "laugh out loud" funny but has you smiling at the foibles of human nature.

My Partner and Me - Hollis Shiloh - (California)
Shifters and Partners series Book #2
4★
Sean is happy with his mate, Tom. As far as he's concerned, life is golden. Except for when it isn't. Their work is dangerous. While Sean's recovering from his most recent injury, he hears a little girl in his head, calling for help. And his wolf side is acting up: too sensitive, too vulnerable. He needs Tom more than ever, especially when it means facing his family and old wounds. Even if things are never truly right for his wolf side, at least he has a mate who will never leave him…right?

The first book, My Partner the Wolf was told mostly from Tom’s point of view. In this one we get to hear from Sean...the wolf shifter and Tom’s work partner and his mate. I couldn’t help but like Sean but hated how he was treated by the other cops that he and Tom worked with. It was almost like he was a second-class citizen...and not because he was gay but because he was a shifter. I think how many missing persons cases he and Tom solved when he was in wolf form would have earned him more respect. Sean puts his whole heart into finding the lost people...especially the children. Tom is still sometimes a hot mess but he’s coming along after his divorce. It was also nice meeting some of the other members of the wolf pack and seeing Sean interact with the young wolves. I hope that Hollis Shiloh will carry the series on a little further with Tom and Sean.

Treasure Trail - Morgan Brice - (New Jersey)
Treasure Trail series Book #1
5★
Erik Mitchell traveled the world uncovering art fraud and relic theft, which pitted him against spoiled billionaires, unscrupulous collectors, mobsters, and cartels. He worked with law enforcement across the U.S. and Europe, but then a sting goes wrong, Erik ends up injured and returns to find his partner cheating. He decides to stop globetrotting and buy an antique shop in scenic Cape May, NJ, rebuild his life, and nurse his broken heart. Undercover Newark cop Ben Nolan went down in a hail of bullets when a bust went sideways, after a tip-off from a traitor inside the department. When he recovers, he spends a couple of years as a private investigator, only to tire of seeing the worst of human nature. When his aunt offers him the chance to take over her rental real estate business in Cape May, it seems too good to be true. Now if he could just believe he could ever be lucky again in love. Sparks fly when Erik and Ben meet. But when a cursed hotel’s long-ago scandals resurface, the two men are pulled into a web of lies, danger, and deception that will test their bond—and might make them Cape May’s newest ghosts!

This is the third series I have read by Morgan Brice. Love her characters and how she brings each new part of the series together to create a first-rate story. Not surprising that she is off to a great start of doing the same thing with this series as she did with Witchbane and Badlands...give us well written, well thought out plots and wonderful, lovable, warm characters that we will hate to say goodbye to at the end of the series. Erik Mitchell decides to settle down after an exciting career as an art fraud investigator and buy an antique store in Cape May, New Jersey. His attraction is to undercover cop Ben Nolan. Together they navigate a new relationship while dodging enemies from both their pasts as well as a few ghosts. The “ghost story junkie” loved every word of this as well as the growing romance between the two guys.

Deadly Claws by Jenna St. James
#1 Witch in the Woods series
c. 2021
4 *

Shayla Loci has moved back to her home (castle) on Enchanted Island. She is now the Game Warden. While on her way to visit her grandmother Gigi, Jenna comes across a body in the woods. It looks to be done by a werewolf. She calls the sheriff. Meanwhile she checks for clues, as she is a retired law enforcement officer. sheriff Stone enlists Shayla to help solve the murder. There are lots of interesting paranormal and normal people living on Enchanted Island. But, who would kill the grocery store manager? The book is fun and a fast read. The author doesn't waste words, which I appreciate. This was a good introductory book to a series. I look forward to more.

The Ghost Tree - Christina Henry
3 ★
When the bodies of two girls are found torn apart in her hometown, Lauren is surprised, but she also expects that the police won't find the killer. After all, the year before her father's body was found with his heart missing, and since then everyone has moved on. Even her best friend, Miranda, has become more interested in boys than in spending time at the old ghost tree, the way they used to when they were kids. So when Lauren has a vision of a monster dragging the remains of the girls through the woods, she knows she can't just do nothing. Not like the rest of her town. But as she draws closer to answers, she realizes that the foundation of her seemingly normal town might be rotten at the center. And that if nobody else stands for the missing, she will.

I had to wait ages for this book since someone saw fit to check it out of the library and “adopt” it instead of returning it as normal people would have. When I finally got a copy, I thought it must really be something special since it had inspired someone to almost commit petty larceny. I was a bit disappointed in what, from the book description was supposed to be a strange murder mystery with headless corpses and monsters that were probably not human. It did offer some of that which was the good part of it but some parts were questionable and bordering on the unbelievable. Okay...I agree that anyone that can believe that some monstrous creature actually carried some headless body off through the woods should be okay to believe almost anything...right? I read a lot of m/m romances so I can accept a lot of things... but when it’s a love interest like the characters of Lauren, Jake... something just isn’t right here. Jake is in college and has recently turned 19, Lauren is 13 and about to start Jr. High School. Jake says lines like “I've been into you for a long time”...and "I dream of all the things I would like to do to you"... which is by far creepier than the monster. What? Did he have this huge crush on her when she as 9 or 10? There were only a couple murders when there was enough going on this town to have produced a lot more. Good premise for a good gory story but it fell rather short...and certainly not worth stealing.

Why Some Animals Eat Their Young: A Survivor's Guide to Motherhood - Dallas Louis -(Texas)
4★
When Dallas Louis decided that all she wanted was to meet and marry her Prince Charming and become a mom, she had no idea what was in store for her. But she would soon find out. After only seven months of dating the love of her life, she married him, and within the course of twenty-six months, she gave birth to three children. Her husband knew her longer pregnant than not pregnant! In this laugh-out-loud book, Dallas shares highlights of what happened in her world once she and her husband, Jeff, brought home three kids in a time span that was barely long enough to build a house, let alone build three humans. She would like readers to find comfort in knowing they aren’t the only ones suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome or buyer’s remorse. And, yes, it’s okay to admit that both of these conditions apply to parenting, though hopefully not all the time. Channeling Erma Bombeck, Dallas will tell you the things your friends won’t and the things other books are too afraid to print. With her irreverent humor and brash “tell it like it is” style, she’ll help you laugh at everyday situations, easing the pressure of the toughest job in the world: being a mom.

I have mixed feelings about this book. Yes...there are some parts that are funny. This woman had to laugh or she would have surely been in the bathroom slicing her wrist...and she probably had considered that option more than once. I had two children that I managed not to kill or sell, 15 months apart so I know to some extent what she was feeling when she produced 3 babies in 26 months. At one part of the book, she had a 2-year-old...a 1-year-old...and an 8-week-old. Her mother-in–law came to help. Even moved in. Her husband traveled for his company...obviously not long enough...but he tried to help when he was home. Babies don’t come with instruction manuals or return options so he was clueless and as overwhelmed as she was. I will have to say that she had a great deal of courage putting exactly how she felt on paper for millions of women...that had been, or were currently, in exactly the same situation that she was. So... there is going to be different levels of understanding and sympathy from the readers. Let me emphasize that these two young parents absolutely did love their children. They just couldn’t figure out how to handle the chaos. As the kids grew older, they did all the things that all young families do, and the things that happened became more amusing than they were at the time when she was trying to handle 3 infants almost by herself. I’m giving her book 4 stars and I’m giving her 10 stars for hanging in there and finding something remotely funny to write about. Read her book. If you are a mom, you will be able to relate to most of it...give a chuckle or two and think to yourself “Thank God and all his Saints that it’s not me.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Sandra Jonas Publishing in exchange for an honest opinion. The views expressed by this reviewer are entirely my own.

Badlands - Morgan Brice
Badlands series Book #1 (reread)
5★

Medium and clairvoyant Simon Kincaide owns a Myrtle Beach boardwalk shop where he runs ghost tours, holds séances, and offers private psychic readings, making a fresh start after his abilities cost him his lover and his job. Jaded cop Vic D’Amato saw something supernatural during a shootout and reporting it nearly cost him his badge. He’s still skeptical about the paranormal. But when the search for a serial killer hits a dead end, Vic battles his skepticism to ask Simon for help. As the body count rises, Simon’s involvement makes him a target, and a suspect. But Simon can’t say no, even if it costs him his life and heart.

I've started over on this series. I absolutely love the characters and the mystery. This author writes all her series with such feeling and infuses the people that populate her stories with such charm and warmth that the reader just can't help coming back for more and more. I'm back for the second time around but it surely won't be the last.

Mine - Courtney Cole (Florida)
2★

Tessa was prepared for the hurricane. Lindsey was the storm she didn’t see coming. When Tessa Taylor unlocked her husband Ethan’s iPad to discover nude photos from a twenty-six-year-old bombshell named Lindsey, her seemingly perfect life came to a screeching halt. With a hurricane barreling toward Florida and Ethan stuck on a business trip, Tessa finds herself imprisoned in her own home with a choice to make: Does she ride out the storm until she can confront Ethan in person, or does she take matters into her own hands? Increasingly restless and desperate for revenge, Tessa resolves to act. And when she lures Lindsey over a few hours later, there’s no turning back. What ensues is a battle of wills between two well-matched opponents, blinded by love for the same man but driven by demons of their own. Like storm-ravaged Florida, neither woman will be the same when the skies clear.

Okay...a neighbor handed me this book and asked if I would give her my unbiased opinion. I'm not sure what my unbiased opinion was suppose to be for but I said "sure". The story had an interesting opening...cheating husband that was too stupid to delete the nude pictures from his iPad before leaving on a trip. So...pretty good to start with. It didn't take long before I was hating ALL the characters, but could not wait for Tessa...who I hated a little less... to confront her cheating husband, Ethan. Yuck...she would have been better off to let the nude bombshell have him. Ethan: "Boo hoo my wife doesn’t pay attention to me like before. She’s so horrible. Let’s have sex. I'm a tortured soul" I kept waiting but nothing happened...so I thought maybe by the end it will all come together and Tessa will have her revenge. Oh, wait...what ending???? There wasn't one. I even checked to see if pages were missing. I returned the book to my neighbor and told her to save her money next time.

The Loop - Jeremy Robert Johnson - (Oregon)
5★
Stranger Things meets The X-Files in this heart-racing conspiracy thriller as a lonely young woman teams up with a group of fellow outcasts to survive the night in a town overcome by a science experiment gone wrong. Something sinister lurks beneath the sleepy tourist town of Turner Falls nestled in the hills of central Oregon. A growing spate of mysterious disappearances and frenzied outbursts threaten the town's idyllic reputation until an inexplicable epidemic of violence spills out over the unsuspecting city. When the teenage children of several executives from the local biotech firm become ill and hyper-aggressive, the strange signal they can hear starts to spread from person to person, sending anyone who hears it into a murderous rage. Lucy and her outcast friends must fight to survive the night and get the hell out of town, before the loop gets them too.

This is a truly a horror thriller that is fueled by a story that will give the reader feelings of both hopelessness and brutality in equal measures. The narrative is delivered to the reader through the eyes and minds of a small cast of well-developed....well thought out characters. What makes the story so intriguing is not just that its a fresh take on an old theme....but its insight on a terrifying scenario that is growing all the more realistic in today's technological society. The characters in this story are hoping for salvation from a non- existent, uncaring mega force that has created and let loose a carnivorous monster that they have lost all control over...or ever had any control over to begin with. I have never read anything to equal the horror that this book produced. It would even scare Stephen King. I have read A LOT of strange and creepy books and this certainly has the "Numero Uno" horror spot in the library of my mind. Seriously...this is not for the faint of heart or the weak of stomach.

Sycamore Row by John Grisham
4 ★

Seth Hubbard is a wealthy distrustful white man dying of lung cancer. Before he hangs himself from a sycamore tree, Hubbard leaves a new, handwritten will. It leaves almost all to his maid and revokes everything that was in his previous will that left all to his family. It is an act that drags his adult children, his black maid, and defense attorney Jake Brigance into a conflict as riveting and dramatic as the murder trial that made Brigance one of Ford County’s most notorious citizens, just three years earlier.

Most of this story focused on all the conflict that arose among the characters because of the two very different wills. The mystery and the murder that occurred many years earlier are secondary. But add in lots of greed, lawyer dirty tricks, racism and unexpected twists, and it makes a very interesting story with characters I cared about. Another enjoyable read from Grisham.

The Lost Carousel of Provence by Juliet Blackwell
4 ★

American photographer Cady Drake shoots local carousels, a hobby inspired by a carved wooden rabbit gifted to her following her troubled years in foster care. Cady accepts a freelance assignment documenting the antique carousels of Paris. While there, she hopes to track down the true origins of her rabbit, which she has always believed to be carved by French carousel maker Gustave Bayol. Cady's research leads her to Provence and a dilapidated carousel for the grand Château Clement in the early 1900s. After commissioning the carousel, the Clement family struggled to maintain their ancestral home through the two World Wars, buffeted by jealousies passed down through the generations. As Cady digs deeper into the past, unearthing century-old photographs of the Clement carousel and its creators, she might be the one person who can bring the past to light and reunite a family torn apart.

This is a gentle mystery about Cady’s search for the maker of her wooden rabbit and why there was a photograph of a woman inside it. There are several storylines that switch back and forth between present day, the early 1900s and during WWII. This was well-written and made me interested in the art of carving wooden carousels. The characters were believable and not sappy as some gentle stories are. I enjoyed the book and will look for more by this author as a change of pace from suspenseful mysteries.

Cold Waters - Debbie Herbert (Alabama)
Normal, Alabama series Book #1
3.5★
Everyone thinks fourteen-year-old Violet is a murderer. After a summer-night swim with her best friend, Ainsley, Violet is found confused, wandering in the forest—and Ainsley’s never seen again. But without a body, murder charges won’t stick, so Violet is sent away. After more than a decade in a psychiatric ward, Violet returns to her broken-down hometown of Normal, Alabama, to claim her dead mother’s inheritance and help her overworked sister care for their unstable, alcoholic father. Violet, still haunted by that night eleven years ago, endures horrific flashbacks and twisted hallucinations while townsfolk spit accusations—and for all she knows, they’re right. As the summer heats up, details of Ainsley’s fate appear like a beast’s wild eyes, watching in the darkness, and grim revelations about Violet’s family threaten to devour her. Already on the edge of madness, Violet must fight to keep her sanity long enough for the terrible truth to burst from the cold, dark waters.

I found the plot a little too predictable and...at times it seemed far-fetched. The story opens with the promise of a great mystery and you will immediately be fascinated with Violet and her haunted past. As we learn about the circumstances surrounding the night of Ainsley’s disappearance...I thought certain details would too easily be revealed as public knowledge. Secrets are rare in small towns where everyone has known everyone for generations...especially among teenagers who love to gossip about and to one another. it strange that, after Ainsley’s disappearance, the entire town immediately jumped to the conclusion that Violet had killed her. Considering Violet’s state of mind...her complete lack of a violent history...as well as the area in which she was found...it just seemed odd to me that she’d be so easily branded as a killer. It was the major flaw in the whole story. I didn’t get the feeling from her background that Violet, as a teen, was the type of outcast that the entire town would happily despise...label a killer...and then openly taunt and mock more than ten years later. The plot went in exactly the direction I thought it would The author’s attempted to keep the reader off balance and doubting... but the setup didn’t offer any other plausible possibilities. What the story did though, was give us an interesting look into a shattered mind. The story does have a solid ending with all the plot points resolved... and we are left with a glimpse into what may be Violet’s future. This will probably be what the future books in this beginning series will focus on.

Burn- Witchbane - Morgan Brice
Witchbane series Book #2 (Novella reread)
5★
Fate and danger threw them together. But once the adrenaline fades, will love last? Seth saves Evan from a dark witch, and they go on the run together, on the trail of a coven of ritual killers. But when the dust settles, will Evan regret his choice? Seth’s life as a hunter is dangerous, and he’s constantly on the road. He’s fallen in love with Evan and he wants him to stay, but Seth is afraid Evan would be better off without him.
Evan’s whole world has been turned upside-down by the dangerous stranger who saved his life. Evan made a split-second decision and teamed up with Seth when just days ago, he didn’t even believe magic was real. Now Evan’s worried that he might not be able to hold his own, but he’s determined to have Seth’s back. He’s sure of only one thing—his love for Seth. If they’re going to survive, they need to learn to fight like a team. And if they’re going to make it as a couple, they need time to heal old wounds, confess secrets and fears, and risk trusting each other—body and soul.

Seth and Evan are maybe the off-springs of "Supernatural" and "Grimm". I love their silly humor and their demonstrations of their growing love for one another. Set wants to wrap Evan in bubble-wrap and Evan just wants to be useful in helping Seth fight the dark witch disciples but is afraid that he will do something to get them killed. Together they present one wild and exciting adventure. There are additional characters that drop in from time to time to help out or give advice and you grow to love them too. I don't believe that this author can write anything that is not 100% sizzling hot with characters that tug on your heart. Why can't she write one of those 1000 page tomes?

The Names of Dead Girls - Eric Rickstad (Vermont)
4★
Every murder tells a story. Some stories never end . . .In a remote northern Vermont town, college student Rachel Rath is being watched. She can feel the stranger’s eyes on her, relentless and possessive. And she’s sure the man watching her is the same man who killed her mother and father years ago: Ned Preacher, a serial rapist and murderer who gamed the system to get a light sentence. Now, he’s free. Detective Frank Rath adopted Rachel, his niece, after the shocking murder of her parents when she was a baby. Ever since, Rath’s tried to protect her from the true story of her parents’ deaths. But now Preacher is calling Rath to torment him. He’s threatening Rachel and plotting cruelties for her, of the flesh and of the mind. When other girls are found brutally murdered, and a woman goes missing, Rath and Detective Sonja Test must untangle the threads that tie these new crimes and some long-ago nightmares together. Soon they will learn that the truth is more perverse than anyone could guess, rife with secrets, cruel desires, and warped, deadly loyalty.

A very atmospheric story and a definite page turner. The author keeps the characters believable...the story was tight with few to no unnecessary parts. It's fast paced and it was nice to see some of the bad guys get their due at the hands of their victims. The dialogue was a tad weak but still interesting and easy to follow. If you are a James Patterson fan you will surely love this authors' offerings.

Jack and Jill by James Patterson
4 ★

A child killer is stalking the inner city of Washington, D.C. This killing is especially unsettling to Detective Alex Cross since it’s the school his son Damon attends. While the death of an inner-city black child doesn't garner much media attention, the murder of Senator Daniel Fitzpatrick is making big headlines. The only clue the police have to go on is a bizarre rhyme, signed "Jack and Jill," promising more high-profile executions, ultimately targeting the president of the United States. When Cross is called in to help protect the president, he begins to suspect that the two cases are somehow related. As he races to put all the pieces together, the killers continue their bloody rampage, paralyzing the city.

Although this book was published in 1996, I still found it to be a suspenseful thriller. The story switches back and forth between the two investigations while Alex tries to figure things out before someone else is killed. The characters are likeable. The political details are mostly believable and a few pieces seemed relevant to our current time. It’s been a long time since I’ve read Patterson but I enjoyed this one.