Lynda's 2016 Reading Log

This thread will document what I've read in 2016.

1. Special Circumstances by Sheldon Siegel - 4.5 Stars

In Sheldon Siegel's debut courtroom thriller we meet Mike Daley. He's a former priest and a former public defender. He's just been asked to leave his a job as a partner in a prestigious law firm for not bringing in enough business. His last obligation is to attend the going away function that's been planned and picking up his final draw, which he needs to open his new criminal defense firm. The next day two of his former partners are found dead, and Mike's best friend, also a firm partner, is accused of their murders. Now Mike's first case is high profile and high risk. The new District Attorney, and coincidentally one of their former partners, has asked charged Joel with Murder in the First Degree with Special Circumstances, which carries the death penalty.

Mike Daley and his ex-wife Rosie are interesting characters who engage in lots of witty banter. The courtroom scenes are quick paced and believable. The new district attorney, Prentice Gates III (Skipper), is everything we love to hate in lawyers. There was lots of action, twists and turns, and some surprises at the end. If you are a fan of courtroom thrillers, I highly recommend this one.

2. Devil's Grin by Annelie Wendeberg - 4 Stars

As the story opens we meet Dr. Anton Kronberg, the leading epidemiologist of his time, when he is called to examine a cholera victim in the north of London. Anton Kronberg is actually Anna Kronberg, who disguises herself as a man in order to be able to practice medicine in a world in which women are not allowed to. Her specialty is cholera and tetanus. While examining the victim, she meets Sherlock Holmes, who despite his well known fame, is someone she's never heard of before. He immediately sees through her disguise and they decide to work together to solve the case.

The story is told primarily through Anna. Holmes more than meets his match in intelligence and deductive talents in this partnership. They are masters at reading between the lines and constantly try to figure each other out. They feel an attraction, which works well in the Laurie King novels, but didn't ring true for me here. However, this is only the first book in the series and the attraction may work better in the sequel.

The story is a bit dark, but it's very fast-paced and engaging. The London setting was very atmospheric. I was really fascinated with Anna Kronberg and found the ways she maintained her disguise to be very creative. The book has a few issues, like almost all first novels, but none of them stopped me from enjoying this Holmes-inspired mystery or picking up The Fall, the next book in the series.

3. The Gilded Hour by Sarah Donati - 4.5 Stars

This book takes place in New York City during the 1880s and focuses on Dr. Anna Savard and her cousin, Sophie Savard. They are both graduates of the Women’s Medical College at a time when society believed women incapable of becoming doctors. They work primarily with women and children living in abject poverty and are considered to be outcasts, especially Sophie who is a “free woman of color”. Both women deeply care about women's healthcare, but are unable to give them any sort of information, including pamphlets. At this time in history, birth control was considered to be a crime and no doctor could tell a patient how to prevent a pregnancy.

There is a wonderful cast of characters that make this a great family saga as well. We meet Cap, a Knickerbocker scion who has been in love with Sophie all his life and is now he's suffering from consumption. When Anna goes to a convent to help vaccinate children, she meets a handsome man, Detective Sargent Giancarlo Mezzanotte, who helps her search for the brothers of two young immigant girls, separated from them by the Roman Catholic Church. We also meet some real life characters such as Anthony Comstock, head of the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice and author of the Comstock Act, which banned sending birth control information through through the U.S. Postal Service.

This is quite a long book but I was so captured by it, I never noticed. The story has a little bit of everything. There's definitely history, some romance, and even a little mystery. This book is quite long at over 750 pages, but is richly detailed and well-plotted. It's a character driven novel but very engrossing. The book was well researched and very atmospheric. I've never read any other books by Sarah Donati and I see she has many more to choose from. I'll definitely try another soon.

4. Siren of the Waters by Michael Genelin - 4 Stars

Siren of the Waters is the first book in a series featuring Jana Matinova, a police detective in Slovakia. The story opens with a car accident in which several women and one man are killed. The emergency rescue team call in the police, and Jana and her somewhat incompetent assistant, Seges, determine the crash was not an accident. The dead man has two passports in different names from two countries and it seems that the women were prostitutes. Her boss, Colonel Trokan, theorizes the victims were probably being transported across borders in an international sex trafficking ring. Before long, the body of an older woman is found in the river, murdered, and also implicated in the sex trade. The investigation takes Jana all over Europe, from Kiev to Strasbourg to a costume ball in Nice during Carnival.

Jana's past is explored in flashbacks and we can see how she was made to suffer politically by her marriage to a dissident. We know she is estranged from her only child, her daughter Katka, and the details of how this happened are also revealed through the flashbacks interspersed with the current investigation. This is very interesting and I think it is well done. This is the first book in the series and we need to know and understand Jana and what makes her tick.

The author does a great job describing the vivid locations of the investigation. Some of the characters are extremely real and well-rounded, including Jana and her boss, Colonel Trokan. Some of the others are not that believable. This is the author's debut novel and I feel confident that the next books in the series will expand more on the characters and their relationships to one another. I found the ending to be a bit abrupt but that won't stop me from reading the next book in this series, titled Dark Dreams.

5. The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz - 3 Stars

The estates of Ian Fleming, Robert Parker and Agatha Christie have allowed other authors to continue series about iconic characters, so it doesn't come as a surprise that one of literature's most interesting female characters, Lisbeth Salander, has found a new home with David Lagercrantz. The new book brings back Lisbeth and Mikael Blomkvist, the heroes of the original Stieg Larsson trilogy, and takes us into the world of government surveillance of businesses and individuals. And takes place a few years after the events that happened in “The Girl in the Hornet's Nest”.

We've always known that Lisbeth was a genius hacker. In Spider's Web , we meet a group of warring hackers as she guides Hacker Republic, a group of “good” hackers. They hack the NSA, supposedly impossible to do (not counting the numerous movies and books that always seem to use this plot). Unfortunately, their work is often presented in baffling tech-talk. The author uses the first half of the book to construct a multifaceted story centering on the theft of artificial intelligence research from Frans Balder, a brilliant Swedish scientist and his autistic son. The theft draws the attention of some National Security Agency analysts who suspect the involvement of a sophisticated gang of black hat hackers who also deal in blackmail, bribery and murder.

Readers should know ahead of time that there's not enough of Lisbeth in this book. In the first half of the novel Salander's presence is rarely felt. I found the huge cast of characters to be almost impossible to keep track of. The various characters enjoy lecturing us on black holes, prime-number factorization and self-teaching algorithms. I'm not an idiot but those conversations were completely over my head. I did enjoy the last half of the book much more, where we get more Lisbeth. No doubt there's more to come from Lagercrantz. Near novel's end, Lisbeth receives a text that says, "Until next time." I'm glad to know that, because Lisbeth is a character that just too good to lose forever.

6. Area 7 by Matthew Reilly - 4 Stars

Area 7 is the second thriller in the Shane Schofield series. After the events of Ice Station, Shane “Scarecrow” Schofield, captain in the US Marine Corps, has been assigned to the relatively low key job of protecting the President while he's on the Marine One helicopter. When the President decides to visit a remote military base called Area 7, Schofield and his team, Elizabeth “Fox” Gant, Gena “Mother” Newman and Buck “Book II” Riley, accompany him. Once at the base, they discover that it has been taken over by a rogue General who they thought to be dead, Charles “Caesar” Russell. Not only has Caesar planted bombs in fourteen cities across America, he’s made it so that the death of the president will detonate them.

He challenges the President to a contest. He tells the President that military personnel have paid the price for the blunders done by the civilian leadership. He informs him that a transmitter was surgically implanted near his heart. If his heartbeat stops, the nuclear arsenal will explode. If the President lives, the country lives. And if he dies, the country dies. The President has to survive in Area 7, which has been locked down with 50 traitorous special ops soldiers trying to murder him. Of course, the President will have Schofield and his small group of soldiers to help him.

This is a book that meets every expectation of the action-adventure genre. There is page after page of non-stop action and once things kick off, the reader is breathless until the very end. This is a pure adrenaline, action novel that is the equivalent of an action blockbuster movie starring whoever your favorite action hero is. We get a gang of insane criminals who have been used as guinea-pigs, and even vicious Komodo dragons. The chase continues over land, under water and even goes into space, yes space! This book is definitely not for someone looking for a realistic fiction story but wow! You can't get a better action series than this one.

7. City of Veils by Zoe Ferraris - 4 Stars

This is the second book of a fascinating mystery series set in modern day Saudi Arabia, a country well known for enforcing its brand of conservative Islam, where women, hidden beneath full-length burkas, remain anonymous and unimportant. In the first book, "Finding Nouf" we met the two main characters, desert guide Nayir and Katya, a tech in the coroner's office. These two have great chemistry, and they work together once more to solve the mysterious death of another young woman whose mutilated body is discovered on the beach.

The body turns out to be that of Leila Nawar, a young woman who had recently started work as a documentary filmmaker. She was living with her overly protective and very conservative brother, the wealthy owner of a successful lingerie shop. Could the killer be her religious brother, ashamed at her lifestyle? Other suspects include a collection of various Saudis threatened when caught by her camera? In a parallel story we meet Miriam Walker, an American woman who had recently moved to Saudi Arabia with her husband, Eric, who works as a bodyguard. Her husband has gone missing while out to pick up food. At first, Nayir and Katya believe these cases to be separate but the reader already knows they will somehow be connected.

While I didn't enjoy this book as much as Finding Nouf, I still remain fascinated by the setting, as well as the two main characters, Nayir and Katya. Nayir is a religious man who is scared of his feelings for Katya. He even finds even riding in a car with an unrelated woman to be agonizing. Katya, on the other hand, pretends to be married so she can continue to have a job. Claustrophobic and totally original, this is modern crime fiction at its very best. I recommend reading Finding Nouf prior to reading City of Veils to completely understand the culture and the characters.

8. The Hanging Girl by Jussi Adler-Olsen - 3.5 Stars

In The Hanging Girl, Carl Mørck and his gang in Department Q, investigate an exceptionally old case. Twenty years ago, Alberte, a beautiful young girl, was found dead, hanging in a tree. When the primary investigator kills himself after failing to get the crime solved, Rose hounds Carl into an investigation. In alternate chapters, we learn about a charismatic cult leader calling himself Atu Abanshamash Dumuzi, a messianic cult leader, who runs a school for the study of “nature absorption” on an island off the Swedish coast. When Assad and Carl get close to identifying the person they think was the original murderer, their own lives are put into danger.

The story is told in alternating perspectives. In one, we have Carl, Assad, and Rose endeavoring to find out what happened to Alberte the day she died, and verify what they now believe was a murder rather than a traffic accident. In the second, we meet Pirjo, a ruthless woman, who worships and adores Atu. I found this to be a much more interesting story line. Of course, it's inevitable that both these plots will eventually merge.

I am a huge fan of this series but the last couple have not lived up to the first books in the series. The book is very long and could easily have been shortened, which might have helped the story flow. I do like the way the characters interact and I love the bond that's developed over the years between Carl and Assad. It continues to strengthen in this book and there are some wonderful moments in the story when Carl realizes how much he's come to rely on Assad. I wouldn't mind losing Rose, though. She's become so unpleasant and whiny. While not my favorite, I'm still a fan and will be buying the next book in the series.

9. Thin Air by Ann Cleeves - 5 Stars

A group of friends who met at their university have traveled north from London to Unst to attend a hamefarin', a party to celebrate the wedding of two of the group, Caroline and Lowrie. Later that night, one of the group, Eleanor, disappears into thin air, leaving just an email that says, "Don't bother looking for me. You won't find me alive." Eleanor is recovering from a recent miscarriage, an event that led to depression, but is now looking forward to her upcoming television show, an investigation of ghosts. Unst is home to the folk tale of Peerie Lizzie, a young girl drowned in the 1930s. A sighting of Peerie Lizzie is said to be an omen of a pregnancy soon to follow.

Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez, his partner, Sandy Wilson, and Detective Chief Inspector Willow Reeves head north to join the search, and find that Eleanor's body has been found. She's been posed in the water to mimic how the body of Peerie Lizzie was found decades ago. Before long a second body is discovered and the investigators are convinced there must be a connection between the two murders. There are suspects of all types to choose from.

"Thin Air" is the sixth book in Ann Cleeves' Shetland series. The characters are beautifully developed and what is essentially a police procedural becomes more intricate and fascinating with the quirky personalities of both visitors and locals. Cleeves excels in capturing Shetland’s stark, harsh beauty, describing the gray churning ocean, windswept island and ominous clouds. The often gloomy landscape is the perfect setting for this version of the 'locked room' murder. Kenny Blyth does an excellent job of the narration, enhancing the setting by using a Scottish accent. Always eerie and a bit mysterious, Thin Air is perhaps the best and most fascinating in the series so far.

10. After You by JoJo Moyes - 3.5 Stars

"After You" picks up 18 months after the events of "Me Before You". We find Louisa Clarke stuck in a dead-end job at the City Airport’s Irish-themed pub, where she watches the planes come and go, knowing her own life has pretty much come to a halt. At night, she sits out on her roof, drinking white wine, feeling sorry for herself, until the night she accidentally falls off her roof and for a moment thinks she is paralyzed. The accident is the first in a series of events that force Louisa to confront the ghosts that haunt her. When sixteen year old Lily turns up at her door, claiming to be Will’s daughter and wanting to know all about him, Louisa is forced to play a parental role. Louisa is also confused by her attraction to the ambulance driver, Sam, whom she meets on her way to the hospital after her accident.

We gets lots of humor, especially regarding Louisa’s family, as well as the very quiet and understated Traynor family. In "After You" we see more of Louisa’s world, including characters old and new. Her family takes on a larger role, along with her support group. Louisa finds a new purpose in life, but maybe isn’t learning the lessons she needs to move forward. "After You" doesn’t pack the same level of emotion as "Me Before You", nor did it evoke the same type of connection, but it’s a quieter, realistic story of how one struggles with grief, while finding the way forward.

The plot itself felt a little weak. I spent 90 percent of the book disliking both Louisa and Lily, but ultimately I did enjoy catching up with the characters. There just seemed to be so much going in this book that, at times, it seemed like the author tried to do too much with the story. "After You" was enjoyable enough, but it will always be eclipsed by its predecessor. If you loved "Me Before You", it's likely you will find "After You" enjoyable, but a bit muddled at times. I listened to the audio version narrated by Anna Acton, who did a good job.

11. The Oak Apple by Cynthia Harrod Eagles - 4 Stars

This is the fourth book in the Morland Dynasty series. We join the Morland family in 17th century York, just before and during the Civil War, beginning in 1630 and closing with the execution of Charles I in 1649. The family motto, Fidelitis (loyalty) is strained with members of the family battling each other in the Civil War. Kit Morland joins the Royalist forces under Prince Rupert, while Morland heir, Richard, marries a Puritan and opens the family home to the Roundheads. In one of the most interesting story lines, Ambrose and Nell Morland leave for the New World, where the build a homestead in Maryland.

There's plenty of intrigue in this book. The fictional characters are very engaging and there's a lot of action. It seems well researched and is filled with rich historical detail. I read the first three books in this series years ago but it was easy to get back into the family saga. I enjoy exploring the history of England through this fictional family. I definitely plan to continue with book 5, The Black Prince.

12. Morning Glory by Sarah Jio - 4 Stars

Set in Seattle's Lake Union houseboat community, Morning Glory focuses on the dual lives of Penny, a housewife in the 1950s, and Ada, a widowed former magazine editor in modern times. After a tragic accident took the lives of Ada’s husband and young daughter, she leaves New York and rents the houseboat from which Penny mysteriously disappeared. Although Ada has left her journalism career, she becomes wrapped up in solving the mystery of Penny whose trunk she finds in the houseboat. With the help of an attractive war photojournalist turned food photographer, Ada discovers the secrets of Boat Street.

Morning Glory alternates with a split narrative from the perspective of Ada and Penny, which immediately drew me into the story. It's a nice combination of a missing person/murder mystery combined with romance. This was a fun read and I enjoyed it much more than I expected. If you are a Sarah Jio fan, this book is quite similar in style to her others, and you will probably enjoy it.

13. The Corners of the Globe by Robert Goddard - 5 Stars

The Corners of the Globe is the second book in Robert Goddard’s historical thriller trilogy. This book picks up immediately following The Ways of the World, and opens in the spring of 1919. The First World War has ended and members of the Paris Peace conference are deciding the fate of the Germans. James (Max) Maxted is now in the service of famous German spy, Fritz Lemmer. His mission is to recover a document hidden on one of the German battleships held captive by the Royal Navy in Scapa Flow. While on board Max steals the document known as the “Grey File”. After reading it, Max changes plans and rushes back to London to inform his Special Branch contact of the dangers contained within the file.

This is an extremely complicated book with many characters. I highly recommend you read the first book of the trilogy prior to picking up this one. The historical detail is accurate and the writing is outstanding. I can't wait to read the final book of his mesmerizing trilogy, The Ends of the Earth.

14. Someone Else's Skin by Sarah Hilary - 4.5 Stars

Detective Inspector Marnie Rome has tried to pick up her life again after the vicious murder of her parents several years ago. She and her partner, DS Noah Jake, are asked to convince a woman at a battered woman's shelter to give evidence against her brother. He is the main suspect in one of their cases. They arrive at the scene to find the husband of one of the women lying on the floor, the apparent victim of a stabbing. As Marnie and Noah investigate the crime further, events begin to spiral and the violence escalates. Everyone, including Marnie, is keeping secrets that will need to get out in the open if they expect to solve this case.

This book deals with serious topics, primarily abuse, which puts it on the darker side of the mystery genre. I thought the author made the plot and characters very believable, especially in dealing with sensitive issues like gender, culture, race and sexual violence. There are plenty of twists and turns that make this a very compelling read. Marnie Rome is a complicated character with a tragic back story. Her own history is referred to throughout the book and is made to feel an integral part of the novel. She has her own secrets, as does her partner, Noah Jake. While they are both damaged in their own way, it works well in this book and I'm happy to see there is already a second book in the series called No Other Darkness. I've already picked it up.

15. Kingdom of Strangers by Zoe Ferraris - 5 Stars

In the third book of a series featuring Nayir Sharqi and Katya Hijazi, nineteen mutilated corpses, all Asian female immigrants, are found in the desert outside Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Homicide inspector Ibrahim Zahrani discovers that each woman has been shot in the head, rendering them faceless. All the hands, except three, are missing. Katya Hijazi desperately wants to leave the confines of the forensics lab and work in the homicide department so she offers to help Ibrahim do some investigating. Saudi Arabia claims they have no serial killers, yet the skeletons reveal a decade long span of death.

Meanwhile Ibrahim has a terrible secret. He's been having an adulterous affair with Sabria, one of the missing Filipina women. He cannot take Sabria for a second wife because she hasn't divorced her husband. So Ibrahim is an adulterer, a serious crime in Sharia law. Because he needs a woman to help him find Sabria, he leans on Katya more and more. Katya is now engaged to Nayir, a religious and conservative man who struggles with his love for modern Katya and his dream of a traditional marriage.

I love this series. It's a suspense story immersed in a particularly secretive culture, but nevertheless, quite fascinating. This novel featured much more of Katya than Nayir, and I remain fascinated by what his future holds. Currently there are only three books in the series. The first and second are Finding Nouf and City of Veils. I highly recommend reading them in order to see the growth of the two main characters, but they would also work as stand-alone novels. I hope the author will continue to write more in this series.

16. Everyone in Their Place: The Summer of Commissario Ricciardi by Maurizio de Giovanni
5 Stars and 💕

Set in Naples, Italy just before World War II, as fascism is beginning to take hold, Commissario Ricciardi and his faithful subordinate Brigadier Maione, are instructed to investigate the murder of beautiful Adriana, Duchess di Camparino. The Duchess was the elderly duke’s nurse before his first wife died. When they married, the general assumption was that the duchess was a gold digger. There are plenty of suspects, especially Ettore, the bedridden and dying duke's son, who cannot hide his hatred of Adriana.

Meanwhile, the blinding summer heat puts both our investigators in a bad mood. Overweight Brigadier Maione, has put himself on a severe diet. His wife has been flirting with a local fruit vendor and Maione has the idea that the thinner man might be trying to take her away. Commissario Ricciardi, a compulsively private man, is haunted by his the ability to see and hear the dead repeating their final moments. The only joy he has has in his life has been looking out his bedroom window to the sitting room of Enrica Colombo, a young woman who spends each evening working on her embroidery. Even though they met only once, they both are attracted to one another. At the same time Enrica’s mother sets up a surprise dinner with a suitable young man, Enrica sees Ricciardi with the beautiful elegant Livia, the widow of opera singer Arnaldo Vezzi, who was murdered in an earlier book. They both become heartbroken and this misunderstanding is a major part of the story.

I absolutely love this series but admit it definitely is not for everyone. Ricciardi is an especially sensitive character, who could have become a caricature, but instead shows us a wistful humanity. This is a beautifully written crime story with a cast of memorable characters. This is the third book in the series and the author continues to bring together a a rich and compelling mix of class struggle, love and loneliness. I can't wait to read book four, The Day of the Dead: The Autumn of Commissario Ricciardi.

17. Body Politic by Paul Johnston - 3 Stars

This book takes place in 2020 Edinburgh, Scotland. After years of rioting and chaos, during which time the United Kingdom was dissolved into dozens of city-states, Edinburgh achieves stability thanks to the Council of City Guardians and their vision of a new Age of Enlightenment. There have been no murders in the city for five years until now, when the body of an auxiliary is found dead and mutilated. The signs are there that an old serial killer known as the Ear, Nose, Throat (ENT) Man is back.

Quintillian Dalrymple is a disgraced Guardsman. Years ago, unable to capture the ENT Man, he was demoted to the Parks Auxiliary. Quint knows that these murders can't be tied to the ENT Man, because he's the only one who really knows what happened to him years ago. When a second murder takes place, Quint is asked by the Guardian Council to investigate the murders.

This is an interesting book. The Edinburgh here is an austere city, where almost everything we know is banned: music, television, private cars, and computers. Even first names are banned. People are referred to as “Citizen” and the Auxiliary is called by their barracks name and number, i.e., Heriot 07. This is the first book written by this author, and the first of currently six books in the dystopian crime series. Body Politic also won Johnston the John Creasey Award for best first crime novel. I felt like the characters were a little flat but the incredible Edinburgh of the future was very realistic. I would definitely consider giving this author another chance in the second book of the series, Bone Yard.

18. The Crow Trap by Ann Cleeves
4.5 Stars

The first book in the Vera Stanhope series begins with sections about three women who are staying at an isolated cottage in the North Pennines of England. Rachael, Anne and Grace are conducting an environmental and ecological review which will be used to determine whether or not the area can be developed into a quarry. When Rachael arrives at the cottage she discovers the body of close friend Bella Furness, who appears to have committed suicide, a verdict Rachael refuses to accept.

When another death occurs, a fourth woman enters the picture, the unconventional Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope. Vera is not your usual police inspector. Her mother died when she was still a young girl, and she grew up with her bird-obsessed father, living with him until his death. Vera has learned the value of patience, standing still, and observing and listening. These skills are all put to good use during an investigation in which everyone has something they want to remain hidden.

This book is full of atmosphere and suspense, as well as with a well-drawn cast of characters and a satisfying plot. I've never read a Vera Stanhope mystery before but they are definitely going on my To Be Read list. If you're in the mood for English mysteries with plenty of plot and personality, it would be difficult to find an author better than Ann Cleeves.

January Recap

Books Read: 18
Pages Read: 7,256
Audios: 4

ITD Books: 18
ITD Pages: 7,256
ITD Audios: 4

Favorites:

Thin Air by Ann Cleeves
City of Veils by Zoe Ferraris
Everyone in Their Place by Maurizio de Giovanni

5 Stars = 4
4.5 Stars = 4
4 Stars = 6
3.5 Stars = 2
3 Stars = 2

19. Dead Tomorrow by Peter James - 4.5 Stars

This is the fifth book in the DS Roy Grace series and is a more of a standard police procedural that the first four. A dead teenager is found in the waters off of Brighton with his kidneys and liver removed. Soon two other bodies are discovered, both minus their heart, liver and kidneys. Meanwhile, in a parallel story line, we meet 15-year old Caitlin, who is very ill and desperately needs a liver transplant. In another narrative, set in Romania, we learn the terrible plight of abandoned young children who are living on the streets, addicted to drugs, glue or paint-sniffing. Criminals, masquerading as charity workers, trick them into traveling to England, where the intent is to use them in horrific ways. It doesn't take a genius for us to see the future.

DS Roy Grace is now moving on, romantically, after his wife’s disappearance nearly ten years ago. He's hoping to make his relationship with new love, Cleo, more permanent. Co-worker and friend, Glenn Branson, is in an unhappy marriage and is living at Roy's house. Other than that, Grace is a pretty mellow guy. He doesn't have most of the baggage that comes with your usual detective. He's stable, reliable, sensitive, thoughtful and hard-working.

I really enjoyed this book, even though it's quite a long and detailed story. The numerous subplots lend to the tension and even though I knew where the story was headed, I still couldn't have guessed how it would end. This is a series I plan to finish in 2016 and I'm looking forward to the rest.

20. The 13th Hour by Richard Doetsch
4 Stars

The 13th Hour starts with Nick and Julia Quinn arguing about their dinner plans that evening. Julia storms off to work and Nick spends his day working from home, until a gunshot disturbs him at 7 PM and he finds Julia dead in the hallway. He’s immediately arrested for Julia’s murder. His fingerprints are all over the murder weapon, and an incriminating 911 call from Julia is recorded. Meanwhile, in the background, an airplane has crashed, killing all 212 passengers. A stranger suddenly appears in the interrogation room and gives Nick a watch, one that will allow him to relive the previous twelve hours in reverse, one hour at a time. He realizes this is his opportunity to alter the events that led to Julia's murder.

The reader sees how each of the characters handle their alternate reality. The twists and turns that occur as both the future and the past is rewritten are surprising and make for a very compelling story. The story is a classic suspense mystery told in reverse, but in a way that totally works. I thought the author did a great job of giving us a good story and creating an ending that made sense.

21. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand - 5 Stars

This book opens with bombardier, Louis Zamperini, lying on a raft in the Pacific on June 23, 1943. He and three other survivors of a plane crash are starving skeletons after 27 days at sea. Sharks are circling their leaking raft. Suddenly, a plane is spotted. They fire off a flare, only to discover the plane is a Japanese bomber, which begins a strafing run. While reading the first two pages it's impossible to believe this is a true story. Leaving us in stunned suspense, the author takes us back to the beginnings of Louis' life.

When we first meet young Louis he seems to be headed in the wrong direction. He spends his early days burglarizing homes, stealing cars, and jumping onto railroad boxcars. While speedily evading the cops, his brother tells him he should join the track team, which eventually leads him to the 1936 Berlin Olympics as the man most likely to break the four minute mile. After Pearl Harbor, Louis joins the Army Air Force, trains as an air bombardier, and flies 37 successful combat missions in a B-24 bomber in the Pacific War against Japan. Then he gets unlucky. Shot down by a Japanese Zero, Louis and his two surviving aircrew ditch amid thousands of miles of empty ocean.

Taken to a Japanese POW camp Louis is beaten and humiliated with appalling regularity by one particular guard, Mitsuhiro Watanabe, nicknamed "the Bird" by the prisoners. As sport he was made to race against Japanese runners. If he won, he was bludgeoned into unconsciousness. A constant round of beatings, abuse, starvation and torture reduces Louis and his companions to skeletal zombies. You will shudder as you read the details of the brutality these men endured. Upon release from the prison camp, Louis returns to home a broken man. His marriage falls apart and he becomes an alcoholic. He can't seem to cope with life, and who can blame him. One day he attends a revival conducted by Billy Graham and turns his life around. While the first and last parts were not as riveting as the POW sections, I am still giving this book 5 stars.

I listened to the audio book which was masterfully read by Edward Hermann. It wasn't an easy book to listen to. The beginning, especially the time stranded at sea, was quite dramatic and fascinating, but once the action switched to the prison camp I wished I had been able to skim over some of the more sadistic actions of the Japanese guards. But then I though that I owed it to Louis to keep listening. All I had to do was listen to his story, while he had to endure it for over two years. While incredibly painful, it's probably one of my very favorite non-fiction books.

22. In Harm's Way by Doug Stanton - 5 Stars

Anyone who has seen the original Jaws movie will probably remember the story told by the character, Quint, about the USS Indianapolis. On the night of July 29th, 1945, the USS Indianapolis, returning from a secret mission to deliver the Hiroshima atomic bomb, was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine and sunk within minutes. Of the approximately 1200 men on board, around 300 were killed immediately, and about 900 made into into the water alive. Even though the ship radioed for help, the message couldn't be confirmed, so the messages were ignored. The surviving men were picked up four and half days later after a bomber flying overhead happened to notice the oil slick in the water and groups of men in the water. By the time they were rescued, only a little more than 300 of the original 900 had survived. The rest had succumbed to injuries, dehydration, hallucinations, and of course, the sharks.

Upon rescue, the Navy decided to court-martial survivor, Captain McVay. In an amazing turn, the Navy summoned Japanese Commander Hashimoto to testify about the incident. The prosecution's theory of the case was that McVay's failure to zig-zag had been responsible for the sinking. I won't say any more because to do so would spoil a fascinating glimpse into the long lasting tragedy that became the legacy of the Indianapolis.

I decided to read this after attending my father-in-law's funeral. He was in the Navy during WWII and some of his old shipmates came to the cemetery. While speaking with one of the men, he mentioned he was a survivor of the Indianapolis. It's a tragic story filled with moments of great human endurance. The author did a wonderful job of laying out the timeline and making it a story you won't soon forget.

23. The Silver Pigs by Lindsey Davis - 3.5 Stars

The Silver Pigs is the first book in the Marcus Didius Falco series by Lindsey Davis. Falco is an “informer” which is the 70 A. D. version of a private detective. One morning he's practically run over by a young girl, fleeing a group of scary looking pursuers. He rescues her and takes her to hide out in his apartment. She confesses they are after her because there's something hidden in her bank box and she's the only one who has the combination. When Falco opens up the box, he discovers an iron pig, which is a valuable bar of silver. Falco follows the trail of silver from Rome to the deadly silver mines of Britannia. Along the way, he connects the silver to a list of names that reveals a secret worth killing to protect.

I really enjoy this time period in history. I thought the story had plenty of humor and intrigue. I liked Falco who seemed like a regular sort of guy who has a huge family that are constantly criticizing him. He has street smarts and is quite honorable. I learned some interesting things about ancient Rome and the mining business. Overall it was a good book but not a great book. Often that's the case with a first in series book so I'm going to give Falco another chance to wow me in Shadows in Bronze.

24. The Ends of the Earth by Robert Goddard - 5 Stars

The Ends of the Earth completes Robert Goddard’s historical thriller trilogy, one of the most brilliant and intricate spy novels I've ever read. James 'Max' Maxted, an ex-World War One flying ace, out to avenge the murder of his father in 1919. As we begin this book, the reader is not sure what his situation is after a fantastic cliffhanger in Book 2, Corners of the Globe. Max's friends have already arrived in Japan and are waiting for Max but he hasn't shown up yet. They have plans to finally capture the treacherous German spy master, Fritz Lemmer. Needless to say, there are numerous crosses and double crosses ahead of them and not everyone will make it out alive.

These books have been entertaining, interesting, and surprising, filled with suspense and shocks in every chapter. I highly recommend reading this trilogy in order. I can't see how it can be enjoyed other than as one long, continuing story, which I found spellbinding. I'm sorry that the trilogy is over, but Robert Goddard has a huge inventory of well written and compelling novels that I can read while I wait to see what he has in store for us down the road.

25. No Other Darkness by Sarah Hilary - 5 Stars

When the story begins we meet two young boys, alone, and trapped underground in a bunker. They don't understand why they are there and expect someone to rescue them. Even though they are young, they slowly realize that no one is going to come for them. Fast forward five years when the bodies are discovered. This will be one of the most difficult and heart breaking cases that have ever been assigned to DI Marnie Rome. Who are the boys? Who put them in the bunker? And why haven’t they been reported as missing?

Marnie and her investigative team don't know where to start. There's Terry Doyle, who accidentally found the boys and his wife Beth. What about the construction company that built the estate, and claims they don't know about the bunker? We also have a very strange man living down the block who may or may not be a pedophile. And don't forget the gypsies who used to live in the neighborhood and were forced out about five yeas ago.

This book is dark, emotionally challenging, and unnerving. The author does a great job a defying the normal stereotypes we find in the typical police procedural. You have to look a long way to find a better crime novel. Sarah Hilary is certainly a rising star in crime fiction writing.

26. In the Shadow of the Glacier by Vicki Delany - 4 Stars

In the Shadow of the Glacier is the first book in the Constable Molly Smith series. Trafalgar is a small town in British Columbia that welcomed draft dodgers from the United States during Vietnam. The town is divided by a recent request from a local to build a Peace Garden commemorating the Americans who found refuge there is the 60s. Added to that, Reginald Montgomery, a brash American who is against the plan, wants to build a huge resort that might lose American tourist business if they are offended by the history behind the park.

When Montgomery is found murdered, rookie Constable Molly Smith is assigned to assist DS John Winters, an experienced investigator. There is a huge list of suspects, including Molly's own parents, Vietnam-era activists. The case picks up international attention when a media personality/reporter comes to town and escalates the situation for ratings. In addition there are some interesting side stories involving the townspeople that add to the story.

I thought this was a good, solid mystery with interesting characters, set in a beautiful place. The writing is sharp and fast-paced, and the ending was a surprise to me. The characters all have substance, especially Molly's mom, Lucky Smith. This is the type of series I like to just relax and enjoy, not worrying that I'm going to read too many things that make it difficult to hold down my dinner. It's not quite a cozy mystery, but very close. Maybe because I didn't have high expectations, I ended up not only enjoying it, but picking up the second book of the series.

27. Mangle Street Murders by MRC Kasasian - 4 Stars

After her father dies in 1882, March Middleton moves to London to live with her new guardian, Sidney Grice, the country's most famous personal (not private) detective. Shortly after she arrives, Grice is approached by Mrs. Grace Dillinger who wants him to investigate the murder of her daughter, stabbed forty times. Mrs. Dillinger is certain that her son in law is innocent. Grice refuses once he realizes that she can't pay his fee but March is so touched by her pleas she offers to cover Sidney''s fee herself.

I can assure you that you are not going to like Sidney Grice. He's rude, snobbish, arrogant, and completely lacks any social skills. March, on the other hand, is young, but she’s very smart and more than willing to buck the rules of the time. She secretly smokes and isn't against a glass or two of gin. She assisted her late father, a military doctor, in India, so she's seen some terrible things at a fairly young age. She's definitely more than capable of holding her own against Sidney's prejudices. They both have their secrets and, as this is the first book in a series, we are only going to get hints of them at this point.

The two main characters are different from the normal detective duo's I've read in the past. The mystery itself was a bit convoluted, but was interesting and surprising once I got into it. The atmosphere of Victorian London is absolutely real and both fascinating and revolting at the same time. What a great debut novel and introduction to some characters I'm going to continue to follow.

28. Day of the Dead: The Autumn of Commissario Ricciardi by Maurizio de Giovanni - 5 Stars

Commissario Ricciardi, a compulsively private man, is haunted by his the ability to see and hear the dead repeating their final moments. He still lives with his “Tata” Rosa, who has cared for him since he was a baby. He feels a romantic attachment to Enrica, a young woman he admires from afar and is too shy to talk to. Meanwhile, Livia Vezzi, a beautiful and wealthy widow, has moved to Naples and is pursuing Ricciardi.

Along with his loyal colleague, Brigidiar Maione, they investigate the murder of a little orphan boy, Matteo, found dead on the steps of the Tondo di Capodimonte staircase, still guarded by his small dog. Called Tette because he stutters so badly he can't pronounce his own name, he has found shelter in the back room of a church, along with six bullies who constantly torment him. Hungry and alone, his only friend is the small dog. Ricciardi knows something is wrong with the boy's apparent death and decides to take some vacation time to investigate.

This was my very favorite of the four Commissario Ricciardi books I've read, even though it was breathtakingly sad on so many levels. The author intersperses flashbacks that reveal Tette's life, leading up to his death. This technique had such a powerful impact because we know from the first pages that Tette is dead. I know very little about the rise of fascism and Mussolini in the early 1930s but the author does a fantastic job of giving the reader a feel for the people gripped in political repression and economic depression. There is no humor in this book. With starving children as a major character, we are filled with overwhelming sadness as we hurtle towards the devastating conclusion.

I'm happy to report that this isn't the final book of the seasonally based Commissario Ricciardi series. Next up.......Viper, No Resurrection for Commissario Ricciardi, one of the most fascinating characters I've ever met.

29. Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths - 5 Stars 💕

Dying Fall, the fifth book in the Ruth Galloway mystery series, is a straightforward thriller centering on the murder of Ruth's ex-colleague Dan Golding who, like Ruth, has forged a successful career in the field of archaeology. Ruth hears about his death through a mutual friend, one she has lost touch with, and coincidentally, two days later she receives a mysterious letter from Dan, written just before his death. She heads to Pendle University in Blackpool with her daughter Kate, and Kate's Druidic godfather, Cathbad, to solve the mystery of the newly discovered bones.

There is less actual archaeology in this book than the previous ones, and Ruth works to solve various plots that revolve around a group of white supremacists who have made inroads at the university and the complex personal relationships that connect several members of the university staff. There is a wonderful mix of the King Arthur legends, archaeology, mystery and an absolutely riveting finale.

You always know that this series will leave you educated and entertained. Ruth is a fantastic character, who constantly doubts herself on the personal level but is completely confident on the career level. Her personal life is a mess, but she is devoted to her friends and, of course, her daughter. The secondary characters are some of the most interesting and complex I've ever encountered. The author manages to weave archaeology into a compelling plot, and achieves an ideal balance between the character's private lives and the intriguing crime story. I can't wait to read the next book in this series, The Outcast Dead.

30. Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys - 4 Stars

A friend recently recommended this young adult historical fiction dealing with a true event that happened at the end of World War II, while incorporating historical fiction characters as well as the famous mystery of the still missing Amber Room. Just as the war is drawing to a close thousands of refugees are on a desperate hike toward freedom, almost all of them with something to hide. Three of them, Joana, Emilia, and Florian, are on their way to the ship that promises salvation. They band together and use their courage and trust in each other to find their way to help. Each of the narrators carries with him or her a secret that drives them on and told through alternating short chapters. Joana is a young Lithuanian nurse. Emilia is fifteen years old and pregnant. Florian has a secret that was a bit confusing at first, but once you figure it out, is quite fascinating. Eventually they will get to the port and be assigned to a ship by a sailor named Alfred. He is the fourth main character of the story, and you know he's not right. His story is told through bizarre letters sent to a girl back home.

I was amazed that I had never read or even heard about the Wilhelm Gustloff. The author did a huge amount of research, including talking to many survivors of the evacuation, and tells you, in an Author's Note, more about the facts and fiction of her story. Based on real life events, this heartbreaking story of refugees brings to light an enormous, but largely unheard of, tragedy. This is a story about the collateral damage of war and its effects on the women, children and elderly, who suffered hardships imposed by forces beyond their control.

31. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews - 3 Stars

Greg, the narrator of this story is a gawky high school senior in Pittsburgh. He's annoying and hysterically funny at the same time. He breaks down the school cliques (jocks/geeks/stoners) in a surprisingly insightful way, but also one we've read about many times before. Greg cultivates his invisibility in the school, an acquaintance to all and an enemy to none, and spends most of his time in a history teacher’s office watching art films with his friend Earl. When Greg's mom urges him to renew an old friendship with Rachel, a girl dying of cancer, he's mostly just worried that all that anonymity will be put in jeopardy. Greg and Earl decide to make a movie to cheer Rachel up, but it turns out to be the worst movie ever made and causes a major turning point in all three’s lives.

This isn't a story about a dying girl, true love between the two main protagonists, or even everything working out happily ever after. Overall, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is a fast read but fell flat in terms of plot and character development. On the plus side, Earl and Greg's friendship and exploration of the films they both loved was really well done. On the negative side, the reader will be inundated with numerous detailed references to oral sex, homosexual sex, masturbation, drug dealing and gang activity. I'm not one of the major demographics of this type of book so a three from me is very good. I didn't love it but I didn't hate it either.

32. Columbine by Dave Cullen - 4.5 Stars

On April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Kleybold, two Columbine high school students, killed twelve of their fellow students and one teacher in what was, at the time, the worst school shooting in America's history. After reading this book I felt that whatever I thought I knew about the Columbine massacre was completely wrong. The killers were neither unpopular nor resentful about wrongs done to them. There was no Trench-coat Mafia feud between the jocks and the goths. Speculation that the date (Hitler's birthday) was untrue. They planned to do the killings on April 19, but hadn't been able to get ammunition. Eric was a crafty and calculating psychopath who wanted to kill as many people as possible, and Dylan suffered from depression and just wanted to kill himself. Together, they decided that murdering as many people as possible was a great idea.

In Columbine, the author successfully argues that we should all be surprised that they only killed thirteen people in total. If the propane bombs they’d planted in the cafeteria gone off as planned, forcing the students out into the parking lot where they were waiting, they might have killed hundreds. Prior to writing this book, Dave Cullen researched everything available on the Columbine story and assembled a comprehensive account of what really happened at Columbine High School. The police went to huge lengths to cover up some of their own incompetence and refused to release numerous critical documents until years after the tragedy. Meanwhile, some people in Littleton hung onto misinformation to advance their own requirements. Even though the massacre lasted less than an hour, press helicopters circled the school all day with nothing to report. That lead them to release some serious inaccuracies with their live reporting. The killers aren't the only people who look bad in this story.

What an interesting book. I really enjoyed the fact based narrative intertwined with the last moments of both the killers and the victims. I thought the author did a great job of humanizing both groups. The book gave the reader plenty of information to form their own opinions on what might, or might not, be the cause of this or any other school shooting.

33. Murder on Waverly Place by Victoria Thompson - 4 Stars

This is the eleventh book in the Gaslight Mysteries series by Victoria Thompson. Midwife Sarah Brandt’s sister, Maggie died many years ago after giving birth to her son. She had been disowned by their father who subsequently ruined her husband’s chances of getting a job that could support them. Mrs Decker, Sarah’s mother, has never forgiven herself for the role she played in her daughter’s death. Now, one of her friends has introduced her to Madame Serafina and the world of seances. Unwilling to go without support, and desperate not to involve her husband, she asks Sarah to join her. Sarah is suspicious from the beginning but feels better going with her mother to make certain she won't be taken advantage of.

I like the series and while figuring out who the murderer was is not the hardest thing to do, in this case I couldn't figure out how the crime was actually committed. I also love seeing Sarah's mother, Mrs. Decker, transition over the past few books. She's an engaging character and the perfect person to focus this story around.

Murder on Waverly Place is a very entertaining entry in this series. I always enjoy the exchanges between Sarah and New York City policeman Frank Malloy when they solve a mystery together. The author provides historical details that add authenticity to the story. I enjoy the secondary characters, particularly Maeve, and hope Frank finds a way to use her in his future investigations. The supernatural element adds a bit of intrigue and any fan of the series will enjoy this one. It can definitely be read as a standalone, as well.

34. Hostage by Kristina Ohlsson - 4 Stars

When a flight crew member on a Sweden to New York flight finds a note in the bathroom stating there is a bomb on board, Fredrika Bergman and Alex Recht team together with members of the international security community to figure out how to keep the passengers alive. The pilot has been told he must keep the plane in the air and that two demands must be met by the Swedish and American governments. First, the deportation of a man named Zakaria Khelifi must be halted and his Swedish residency reinstated. Second, a place called Tennyson Cottage must be closed down.

Analyst Fredrika Bergman, who has left the police and gone to work for the Justice department, returns to act as a liaison between former boss, Alex Recht, and Eden Lundell, a flamboyant agent with the security service’s counter-terrorism unit. They have only a matter of hours to determine whether there really is a bomb aboard the plane. As the investigation proceeds, German intelligence reveals that the captain of Flight 573 has been ordered to fly his plane into the US Capitol building. The Americans plan to destroy the plane as soon as it enters US airspace, so the tension ratchets up even more. To make matters even worse, Alex's son is the copilot of the doomed plane.

Hostage builds the suspense very well, as the hours and minutes tick down to the plane’s impending destruction. The conclusion of this book hints we may see some of these people again in the future which I think would be fabulous. Overall, this was a fast and tension filled read. While I wish there had been more chapters devoted to the passengers on the plane, I realize the main tension is focused on the team's inability to figure out what's going on. I’ve read the previous three books in this series and was anxiously awaiting this one to discover what happened with the surprising ending of the last book, The Disappeared. I would say this book could definitely be read as a stand-alone novel because the events of the previous book are alluded to with enough information to fill in the blanks, while not spoiling the book 3 ending. Ohlsson apparently has several books that still haven't been translated yet, so I'm looking forward to many more down the road.

35. Blue Monday by Nicci French - 4 Stars

Blue Monday begins with the disappearance of a five-year-old girl named Joanna, gone missing while walking home from school with her sister. When a little boy is abducted over twenty years later, Frieda Klein becomes concerned after one of her patients describes his dreams of a little boy with red hair who matches his description. She doesn't want to violate patient confidentially but decides to contact Detective Chief Inspector Malcolm Karlsson to report her worries. Eventually she joins with the team of investigators to search for the missing boy and his kidnapper.

It took me a while to get involved in Blue Monday. The set up requires some extra care and, because it's the first of an anticipated eight book series, the main characters need some extra introduction. Once I got past the first quarter of the book it became quite interesting. Blue Monday is also well-written, the gritty London streets are very atmospheric and the characters are different and intriguing. Overall, this is an enjoyable, quick read that really draws you into the story. Suspenseful writing and great descriptions make this series one to follow and I plan to read the next book in the series, Tuesday's Gone.

36. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - 5 Stars

The Book Thief begins in 1939 Nazi Germany where we first meet Liesel Meminger and her younger brother. They are being taken by their mother to live with a foster family outside Munich. On the journey, Death visits the young boy, and notices Liesel. It will be the first of many near encounters. Standing by her brother's grave, Liesel's life is changed forever when she picks up a book, hidden in the snow. It's The Gravedigger’s Handbook, left there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery. Beyond books, Liesel learns the depths that humanity can sink to.

I won't linger on the synopsis of the book since it's been reviewed hundreds of times. Despite the rave reviews over the years I've just never gotten around to reading the book, even though I loved Zusack's, I Am the Messenger. I certainly wish I had read it sooner and I was completely captivated by this unique story. The author's decision to cast Death as the narrator was such a great idea. Death is not the one-dimensional character we are used to either. This Death has both a sense of humor and a heart.

While Death was my favorite, I felt like the special relationships Liesel develops with the fantastic cast of characters was particularly charming. I will remain haunted by the people I came to care about: Liesel, the Hubermanns, Rudy Steiner and, of course, Max Vandenburg. The Book Thief is destined to be a modern day classic and I'm glad I finally had a chance to read it.

37. The Complete Maus - Art Spiegelman - 4.5 Stars

The Complete Maus is a compilation of two graphic novels by Art Spiegelman: My Father Bleeds History as well as And Here My Troubles Began. Maus is a stunningly detailed biographical story of Vladek Spiegelman and his wife, Anja, trying to survive Hitler’s Europe and the Holocaust. Vladek's son, Artie, presents his story through animals, with Jews represented as mice, Nazis as cats, Poles as pigs and Americans as dogs. The cartoon style , as well as the animal substitutes, allow the reader to approach otherwise heinous situations in a direct way, without the use of realistic and clear cut images.

The first half of the books builds up the tension as we meet Artie and Vladek and see what a complicated relationship they have. The story is written in present tense, with past events told through conversations between Artie and Vladek. The second part of the book focuses on the horrors of Auschwitz. It's a mesmerizing graphic novel that is both chilling and heartbreaking. The result is a page turning story which comes to life through eloquent illustrations. It is a story of survival and of love, one that couldn't be destroyed by the Nazis and one between father and son.

I understand this is the first graphic novel (i.e., comic) to win a Pulitzer Prize. I was so surprised to hear that and realized that I've been prejudiced towards this form of reading material because I didn't see how it could possibly deal with serious issues. If you've never read a graphic novel, but want to experience one that deals with legitimate issues, why not give Maus a try? I'm glad I did.

38. Dead to Rights by J. A. Jance - 4 Stars

When veterinarian, Bucky Buckwalter, is killed in an arson fire at his clinic, the main suspect turns out to be the husband of a woman Bucky killed in a drunk driving accident. Hours earlier, Hal Morgan was outside the clinic passing out MADD fliers. New sheriff, Joanna Brady, doesn't think Hal is the arsonist but other, more vocal, members of her staff are working hard to convince everyone he is.

Joanna continues to try to make a life for herself and her young daughter after the death of her husband, Andy. She's willing to take on risk and makes some mistakes, but usually catches the bad guy in the end. This is a character driven mystery with plenty of twists and turns and a plot that holds your interest. I enjoy this series set in my home state of Arizona. The location is is well researched and it's always fun to have the author include places I've visited in Bisbee. While this is the fourth book of the series, it can easily be read as a standalone since the backstory is adequately explained at the beginning of the story.

39. The Crooked House by Christabel Kent - 3 Stars

The first pages of this book introduce us to Esme. She's just returned from her friend's house and hid upstairs in her room so she doesn't have to talk to her parents. She wakes up with her hands over her ears to shut out the booms that reverberate through the walls of her home. We fast-forward thirteen years later where we meet Alison, who we soon realize is the adult Esme. Her boyfriend, Paul, wants her to go with him to the wedding of an old girlfriend. Alison is horrified to find out it is taking place in Saltleigh, the town where the murders occurred. She believes she might be safe to return since no one knows who she really is. Almost immediately it becomes obvious that things are not going to work out well. There are secrets and lies which are slowly uncovered, all leading up to a surprising conclusion.

I really enjoyed the dark and claustrophobic setting of the marshes. The story itself sounded like something I would enjoy. It did keep me guessing but the transition between the time periods was a little bewildering. The author's writing style seemed to meander too much for me. I like a nice straightforward psychological thriller and so I'm a bit disappointed. If you are looking for a slightly creepy story with a plot you need to pay extra attention to, I think you will enjoy this book.

40. In Our Strange Gardens by Michel Quint - 4 Stars

In Our Strange Gardens starts out with our storyteller confiding how embarrassed and ashamed he is of his father, who often performed as an unpaid clown at various events. He's also ashamed of his father's cousin, Gaston, and his wife, Nicole, who are poor and engage in open displays of affection every time they are together.

One day Gaston tells the boy their story. The two men were Resistance fighters who blew up a generator. They assumed they got away until they were randomly seized as hostages by the Germans and tossed into a pit with two innocent men. They were told that they needed to select which one of the four would be executed. They survive based on actions from both an unsympathetic housewife and a German soldier.

This novella is based on events in the life of the author's father. While I wanted to know even more about these two men, I think the incident itself was so short that any attempt to make it a longer book would just be redundant. I learned a lesson in human dignity from a clown and that can't be a bad thing.

February Recap

Books Read: 22
Pages Read: 8318
Audios: 4

ITD Books: 40
ITD Pages: 15,574
ITD Audios: 7

Favorites:

Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths
Day of the Dead by Maurizio de Giovanni
The Ends of the Earth by Robert Goddard

5 Stars = 7
4.5 Stars = 3
4 Stars = 9
3.5 Stars = 1
3 Stars = 2

41. Black Eyed Susans by Julia Heaberlin - 4 Stars

Almost twenty years ago, Tessa Cartwright was discovered, virtually dead, in a field of black-eyed Susans. She was the only surviving victim of a serial killer. Now an adult with a teenage daughter, Tessa is still unsure about the identity of the man who took her, even though her testimony helped convict Terrell Goodwin. His attorney needs her help to get a stay of execution. Meanwhile, someone has been planting beds of black-eyed Susans under her window and she's frightened for herself and her daughter. Did I mention she talks to the ghosts of the dead girls she was found with?

One of the most important relationships in the book is between Tessa and her best friend, Lydia. The story is narrated by both the young Tessie, and present day Tessa. We get enough bits and pieces of the story to want to continue. The author gradually frames the story of Lydia and Tessa, who had a falling out and haven’t spoken since they were 17. Why the friendship fell apart and Lydia’s role in Tessa’s life is another layer of plot that adds to the suspense.

This book had a very creative plot and compelling, likable main characters engaging in believable dialogue. There are also some interesting plot twists involving forensic DNA. I've never read any other books by this author but I'll definitely search more out. Despite its dark subject matter, I wouldn't describe this book as gritty or hard to read, and the ending is both surprising and believable.

42. A Corpse in the Koryo by James Church - 3 Stars

A Corpse in the Koryo is the first book in the Inspector O series. Inspector O is a North Korean police officer silently railing against the system, yet forced to do just enough to keep himself out of a prison camp. Inspector O is first sent on a mysterious job where he is told to photograph a car coming out of a tunnel, when and if that car ever appears. Fast forward to the discovery of an unidentified man with false Finnish identification papers, found at the Koryo, the main luxury hotel in Pyongyang. Every intelligence agency seems interested in this man. Inspector O never knows who he can trust but he's pretty sure he can trust no one. The story is told in alternating chapters of Inspector O's investigation and thoughts and an ongoing conversation between Inspector O and Western intelligence agent, Richie Molloy.

I thought I would like this book more than I actually did. I was interested in reading a mystery set in North Korea. I really did enjoy the wit of Inspector O. He's a rebel who often “forgets” to wear his Leader pin and he's been known to leave notes for the Secret Police to “be neater” next time they ransack his room. His now-deceased grandfather provides an interesting back story about the inspector as a boy.

The negatives of the book include a messy and complicated plot that seemed redundant in many places. It's not a traditional mystery but more of an espionage novel. A Corpse in the Koryo was a very complex novel to grasp but I enjoyed the character enough to commit to one more book in the series.

43. Spilled Blood by Brian Freeman - 4 Stars

Lawyer Chris Hawk arrives in the small town of St. Croix, Minnesota, to defend his teenage daughter, Olivia, who has been accused of murdering Ashlynn Steele. Ashlynn is the daughter of wealthy Florian Steele, whose company, Mondamin Research was recently absolved from liability in the death death of five St. Croix teenagers from leukemia. One of those dead teenagers was Olivia's best friend, Kimberly, and she blames Ashlynn for her death because she's Florian's daughter. Chris begins his investigation into the murder and it appears that there's a lot more going on than he originally suspected. Among the suspects are a mysterious man named Aquarius; Kirk, a sadistic thug who is involved in blackmail and pornography; and the parents of other teenagers that also wanted Ashlynn dead.

This was an excellent psychological thriller with several plot lines woven together to make a surprising and riveting finish. It was highly readable because the author left you with a cliffhanger at the end of almost every chapter and it was impossible to put down. I'll definitely try another book from this author.

44. A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan - 3.5 Stars

A Visit From the Goon Squad is a set of loosely tied together stories that connect interrelated characters centered around the music business. Lou, a teenage coke addict, later becomes a friend of bass player, Bennie. Bennie later becomes a music producer and hires Sasha, a kleptomaniac. She sleeps with Alex, who much later ends up handling the comeback of Bennie's high school buddy, Scott. There are numerous more linked sections involving the same main characters as well as numerous peripheral characters. Each section of the book is told from the viewpoint of a different character.

I don't really think I'm the audience the author intended when she wrote this book. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the social commentary parts of the stories and the author's use of a PowerPoint as a storytelling strategy was extremely creative. Some of the relationships were very confusing. Bennie and Sasha were the most interesting of the characters. I think the author did a great job of putting together an extremely creative concept but I kept putting it down. The fact that I kept picking it back up again leads me to believe that in the end, I cared more for the story than I expected.

45. By My Hand by Maurizio de Giovanni - 5 Stars

The first four Ricciardi novels were set in successive seasons of 1931. By My Hand is the fifth and is set in 1931 Naples at Christmas. Commissario Ricciardi, whose aristocratic family died when he was a child, lives with his elderly Tata Rosa, and carries a terrible burden. He sees the dead. Not every dead person, just the ones who have died a violent death. Whenever he arrives at a murder scene, he hears the last words of the dead. Their voices are a lonely burden for Ricciardi, compelling him to seek justice for them. He and loyal sidekick, Brigadier Maione, are called to the scene of a terrible murder, the stabbing deaths of a husband and wife from a wealthy family. An elaborate, hand-carved manger scene which Garofalo had set up for his young daughter for the holidays is minus St. Joseph, the broken statue having been kicked under a tablecloth nearby. Emanuele Garofalo is a rising star in a fascist circles, where the possibilities for corruption are enormous. Garofalo, who acquired his position by making false claims against his boss, is involved in criminal activities, so there are plenty of suspects to choose from. Ricciardi also learns that he and Maione are under investigation by the Fascists, and strong suggestions are made that it is not in their best interests to pursue this murder.

The personal lives of both Ricciardi and Maione play an integral role in this book. Maione's policeman son, Luca, was killed three years ago and recent events at the prison reveal that the person who was punished for his death might not have been the real killer. Ricciardi is the focus of two women we've met in the previous books. Livia, the widow of the world's greatest tenor, has moved to Naples to pursue Ricciardi, but he is still secretly longing for Enrica, a shy young woman who lives across the street from him. His only happiness comes from sitting in his room at night and watching her embroider.

This is my favorite mystery series. I discovered it late last year and did something I never do......I bought all the audios at one time. The books are difficult to find and I don't think this is a series that would be enjoyed by everyone. They are translated from Italian, but done very well in my opinion. I think each book gets better and better. The secondary characters are wonderful and I often feel like I can picture medical examiner Dr. Modo and Bambinella, a transvestite friend of Brigadier Maione. The poverty and fear of the citizens of Naples is incredibly realistic. If you ever come across one of the books in this series, I highly recommend it and hope you'll give it a try.

46. Atmospheric Disturbances by Rivka Galchen - 3 Stars

Leo Liebenstein is a middle-aged psychiatrist confronting a strange problem. His wife, Rema, is missing and a woman who looks just like Rema has taken her place. Leo knows this”impostress” can't be Rema because she's carrying a dog, and Rema dislikes dogs. A patient of Leo's named Harvey has also gone missing. Harvey believes that he can control the weather, and that he is a secret agent for the Royal Academy of Meteorology which leads to Leo becoming interested in the work of a member named Tzvi Gal-Chen, who has done research on the difficulties of translating Doppler radar data. He goes to Patagonia on a quest to find Rema. Leo poses as Tzvi Gal-Chen, and while this unorthodox technique appears to work at first, Leo becoming caught up in his patient's fantasy and becomes convinced that the real Gal-Chen must have something to do with the disappearance of his wife.

The novel does have a funny side. The quirkiness of Leo's thoughts and the funny way in which he articulates them provides some relief from the overload of analytical information. There are a few diagrams and formulas included, a technique that always makes me feel like an idiot since I don't understand them.

I noticed one of the tags was “WTF” and I have to agree. I went into this book thinking it was a straightforward missing persons novel so I was dazed and confused during the first half of the book. That's my fault because I never like to read any blurbs about a book that I'm planning to read so I can avoid any spoilers. Eventually I realized that this was a completely different style of book written by an author with a great command of language and writing skill. If you subscribe to the New Yorker and like that style of writing I think you'll enjoy this book.

47. The Apple Turnover Murder by Joanne Fluke - 3 Stars

There is no better series to pick up when you're trying to complete a challenge that either requires you to read a book with a specific color cover, or something with dessert/food on the cover. Hannah Swensen is the owner of The Cookie Jar in Lake Eden, Minnesota. She bakes cookies and desserts and for some reason, practically always discovers a dead body at some event she is catering.

In this book, Hannah discovers Dr. Bradley Ramsey, dead backstage at a charity talent show clutching one of her apple turnovers. Since Bradley played fast and loose with her during her graduate days and has also been involved with her sister, Michelle, she knows she needs to step in and help find his killer. While helping love interest, Mike, with his investigation, she discovers Bradley left a trail of heart broken women so there are plenty of suspects to choose from.

Fans of the series will be happy to see the plot formula is similar to the others of the series and that Hannah's romantic triangle is still going strong. I hope at some point Hannah will finally make up her mind between Mike and Norman. The author populates her stories with warm and friendly characters and even includes non-human characters like Moishe, Hannah's persnickety cat. The very best part of the books are the delicious recipes included at the end of the chapters. Overall, a nice cozy mystery that you will probably enjoy if cozy mysteries are among your favorites.

48. Golden Buddha by Clive Cussler and Craig Dirgo - 4 Stars

The Golden Buddha is the first book in The Oregon Files. The Oregon is a high tech, modern ship disguised as a rusting tramp steamer. Inside it's a different story. It's filled with state of the art equipment, luxurious cabins, and even a room filled with disguises. The Oregon is available for hire by any government who is interested in intelligence gathering, transporting, or “special assignment”. In this story the Oregon's captain, Juan Cabrillo, is hired to help return the Dalai Lama and the Golden Buddha to Tibet. Of course, that means they need to free Tibet from the forces of the Chinese, and they need the Russians to help too.

The Oregon has a large crew and many of them will remind you of the characters on Mission Impossible. They are a group of mercenaries for hire, but they choose their missions with an eye to not only earning a profit, but trying to make a difference or right some wrongs from the past. One of the negatives of this book for me was that, with the exception of Cabrillo, you never really get to know any of them very well. That may be because this is the first book in the series and is more an introduction to the characters that any sort of development. The book is filled with non-stop action and the plot was very unique.

The authors created some great battles, set in exciting locales, in an engrossing story. If you are looking for an exciting action/adventure novel, this is probably a book you would enjoy.

49. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski - 4.5 Stars

The story takes place in a small Wisconsin town where Gar and Trudy Sawtelle happily raise and train their own unusual breed of dogs. Their only child, fourteen year old Edgar, can hear but is completely mute, unable to make any sound. The family raises and trains a unique breed of dog, prized for their unusual temperament and intelligence. Unlike other breeders who focus on pairings between purebreds, the Sawtelles mated the best physical specimens as well as the most intelligent. Edgar learns the ways of dog breeding and training, always accompanied by his faithful companion Almondine.

When Edgar’s uncle, Claude, is released from jail, Edgar's father gives him a job and a place to stay while he gets back on his feet. The situation becomes difficult before long, and disagreements spark a murder that shatters everyone's life on the farm. The results of this event eventually force Edgar to take some of the dogs and flee into the Wisconsin forest.

Over the years I've avoided reading this book because I always know a book with animals is going to have some sad parts that I find hard to read. This book also seems to have fans that either love it or hate it. What I didn't realize is that The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is a modern day adaption of Hamlet where dogs take the place of some of Hamlet’s main characters. And like most of Shakespeare's tragedies, it doesn't end with a traditional happy ending. The author does bring the characters, even the dogs, to life with a wonderful voice. The telling of the story could have been a bit shorter, but that didn't spoil it for me. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is eloquent and philosophical and the characters were so touching that I was crushed when I turned the last page of the book.

50. The Verdict by Nick Stone - 3.5 Stars

Vernon James is a respected but controversial millionaire who has recently won the Ethical Businessman of the Year Award. He's not really a very nice man but insists he's innocent when he suddenly finds himself arrested for killing a woman in his hotel suite. Terry Flynt works as a clerk in the defense law firm Vernon hires. Vernon was Terry's best friend when they were growing up, but a terrible fight tore them apart and they haven't seen each other in years. Terry is worried that his employers will find out about their history and remove him from the case, probably even firing him.

The countless legal details and secondary characters' back stories are at times overwhelming but, as the story progresses, it becomes obvious that everything is headed toward a dramatic ending. Terry hates Vernon and wants him to be guilty. As he and the firm's detective investigate the suspects and witnesses, he comes to believe Terry might be innocent, even though the evidence against him is pretty compelling. The author does a great job of weaving together all these threads and making the story believable.

I thought the book was interesting but it was just too long. The story dragged and the author could easily have cut at least a hundred pages out with no loss to the story. I did think it was a complex legal thriller where none of the characters were all bad or all good. It was interesting for me to read a legal thriller set in the British system instead of the American system of justice.

51. Quinn Checks In by LH Thomson
3.5 Stars

Liam Quinn is an interesting guy. He's a tough Irish-American who is regretful about the pain he's caused his family. He has a cop father and brother, as well as a priest brother. He goes to mass every Sunday to try and make amends for his stint in jail for forgery. He now works as a fraud investigator for an insurance company. When two men rob a small art gallery opening, video shows one of them moving and replacing a small painting in a back room. Taking only a Vermeer painting, Quinn wonders why they left the other valuable paintings behind?

I liked this mystery and the characters too. The author painted a vivid picture of the Irish Catholic population in Philadelphia, especially Quinn's family. The writing is filled with dry wit and entertaining one-liners. Overall the book was very enjoyable with enough twists to keep it interesting. I will definitely try another sometime in the future.

52. How to Survive a Horror Movie by Seth Grahame-Smith - 5 Stars

This was a hysterically funny book, especially if you are a fan of horror movies. The author has divided the book into sections and covers every known sub-genre of the horror movie industry. He has also turned the horror movie industry into a space called The Terrorverse.

The book tells us from the beginning that being a teenager is hard. It's even harder when teenage employment like babysitting and camp counseling puts you right on the path to the Terrorverse. To survive the horror movie you've accidentally walked into, you can use this detailed guide with tips on navigating standard plot devices like when it's sensible to check out a strange noise coming from upstairs. Hint, never, because investigation = mutilation.

This book was recommended by one of my friends as one of her 2015 favorites. I started laughing at page one and was still laughing when the book was done. I'm not a huge fan of horror movies but I have seen enough to be able to identify with some of the chapters like "How to Survive a Cemetery”, “How to Kill the Living Dead”, and "How to Defeat a Killer Doll". The book advises “If you are under attack by a killer doll, simply kick the crap out of it”. You also get some helpful advice like Ten Things to Never, Ever, Ever Put in a Child's Room. You won't be surprised to find out that clowns and those monkey's with cymbals are among the ten. I learned a lot of simple sayings I can use to identify evil objects when going forward into the Terrorverse. For example, “if it comes from a tomb, it leads to doom”. I highly recommend this book if you are in the mood for something hilarious or if you need to know what to do if there are snakes on your plane.

53. Valley of the Lost by Vicki Delany - 4 Stars

This is the second book in the Constable Molly Smith series, set in Trafalgar, British Columbia. In this one, Molly's mother finds a baby lying next to a dead woman. She is surprised to discover the baby is still alive. She calls the police and her constable daughter, Molly, along with Detective Sergeant John Winters start their investigation. Initially it looks like the young mother overdosed on heroin, but all evidence points to the fact that she's been off drugs for over a year. When the autopsy reveals she has never given birth, the investigation expands to try and find out who the baby is and who his real parents are.

At the same time, the tension in Trafalgar is high over a resort that has been proposed by a group of developers. Many in Trafalgar's population are ex-hippies who moved to Trafalgar during the Vietnam war and they oppose any kind of development for the town. We also meet a lot of different characters which helps give the book some real twists and turns. The contrast between the peaceful community of Trafalgar and big money land development, drug trade, and murder make this an intriguing mystery.

I read the first book of this series last month and liked it enough to buy the second one. It can definitely be read as a stand-alone mystery. I feel like the characters are developing nicely. The strong secondary characters, especially Molly's mother, Lucky, are exceptionally well done. I think this neither a cozy mystery nor a gritty mystery, but a traditional mystery combined with an interesting police procedural. I love the setting of British Columbia and definitely plan to follow up with the next book in the series.

54. Telling Tales by Ann Cleeves - 4.5 Stars

Telling Tales is the second novel to feature Inspector Vera Stanhope. She's been called in to re-investigate a ten year old crime when new evidence surfaces that proves Jeanie Long, found guilty of the murder of fifteen-year-old Abigail Mantel, was innocent. It's too late for Jeanie, who committed suicide after her recent unsuccessful parole review. Nothing makes Vera madder than discovering an investigation was botched and the killer is probably still at large so she and Joe Ashworth head to the coastal village of Elvet where she finds that everyone seems to have a secret.

Emma Bennett's life changed drastically ten years ago when she discovered the body of her best friend. Now she lives in Elvet with her husband, James, and baby but the discovery continues to haunt her. Vera discovers that Dan, the man who owns the Pottery, was on the police force at the time of the murder, but left soon after Jeanie was convicted. Caroline Fletcher, Dan’s boss who was in charge of the earlier investigation, also left the police force soon afterwards, and it isn’t long before Vera discovers a huge conflict of interest. Even James, Emma’s husband, seems to be hiding something in his past. When another murder occurs, it's obvious to Vera that it's connected to the first.

There is nothing lovable about Vera Stanhope. If you are looking for a Miss Marple or Jessica Fletcher you need to find another series. This was a great book with a solid crime plot and great characters and locale. Vera is a commanding presence in this gripping mystery and I look forward to the next book in the series, Hidden Depths.

55. Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis - 4.5 Stars

Red Cross nurse, Nina Borg, likes to help the poor, abused and forgotten of the world, even if it means ignoring her own family. When long time friend, Karin, asks Nina to meet her immediately she can't say no. Karin gives her the key to a locker at a local train station and tells her not to open it until she is somewhere safe. When Nina retrieves the suitcase and takes it to the car park she discovers it contains a naked and drugged three year old boy. Nina suspects the boy is the victim of child trafficking so decides, rather than going straight to the police, to keep and protect him herself.

The story alternates between Nina in Denmark and Sigita a young mother in Lithuania whose son has been kidnapped. The reader knows immediately that Sigita's kidnapped son and the boy in the suitcase are the same. As the story moves on, the various secondary characters get their own chapters as well, including Karin, Nina's husband, the man who put the plan into place, and even the kidnappers themselves.

Nina is a very unique character. She's obviously smart and competent and her role as a Red Cross nurse seems like an interesting change to the usual main character of a mystery novel. Nina's back story is a series of narrative flashbacks where we learn about her past and why she acts in illogical ways so often. There was some interesting social commentary about immigrant refugees that seemed very relevant for what's going on in the world right now. I thought the compelling story line moved quickly along with a series of short chapters that kept me reading. If you enjoy a mystery with lots of suspense and intrigue, and with a fascinating main character, I definitely recommend this one.

56. Death in the Rainy Season by Anna Jaquiery - 5 Stars

I absolutely loved the first book in the Serge Morel series, The Lying Down room, when I read it last year. Death in the Rainy Season is the second book in the series that features Parisian detective Commandant Serge Morel, whose late mother was Cambodian, and whose French father is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. In this book, he's on holiday in Cambodia where he feels a special kinship. The death of a French citizen with connections in the Government forces Morel to abandon his vacation in the country to go to Phnom Penh to help the local police with the investigation.

Morel is baffled as to why the son of a prominent French minister has been murdered in a hotel room registered under a different name. The victim, Hugo Quercy, headed a local charity supporting street children, and was a respected figure in the local community. However, as Morel joins forces with local Police Chief Chey Sarit and medical examiner Sok Pran, it becomes apparent that Hugo is not quite the man everyone thought he was. In addition to the investigation, Morel also has to deal with both suspects and the police holding back information.

I thought this was another fabulous crime novel, set in a fascinating place. I could easily imagine Morel walking round the streets, sweltering in the humidity and trying to find a place to sit out the monsoon rains. I definitely missed the rest of Serge's coworkers who are largely missing from this book, even though he has some interaction with Paris over the phone. Morel is a man of contradictions with his character being all the more emotionally interesting for it. There were enough red herrings to keep me guessing until the very end. I found the whole book clever, compelling and absolutely wonderful.

57. Viper: No Resurrection for Commissario Ricciardi by Maurizio de Giovanni - 4.5 Stars

When Viper, the most beautiful prostitute at Il Paradiso, is murdered on the job, Commissario Ricciardi and Brigadier Maione are sent to investigate. She had only two clients, a wealthy man who specializes in the sale of religious statuettes and a young man from her hometown who wants to marry her, both of whom have alibis. As the investigation expands, other suspects come under Ricciardi's scrutiny including Madame Yvonne, the brothel manager and Lily, a jealous rival.

The personal lives of Ricciardi and his loyal sidekick, Brigadier Maione, are also explored further in this book. Ricciardi lives with his elderly Tata Rosa, who has cared for him since he was a child. Ricciardi, throughout the series, has had an unrequited relationship with Enrica, who lives across the street from him. Rosa is worried that she's growing older and won't be around much longer. She is teaching Enrica to cook Ricciardi's favorite foods in the hope that one day he will finally make his move. Livia Vezzi, the widow of Italy’s greatest tenor, and whose murder Ricciardi solved, has moved to Naples to pursue the enigmatic Ricciardi. She has important connections to the highest levels of society, including Il Duce’s daughter Edda Mussolini, which play an important role in this book.

This wasn't my favorite book in the series which I've consistently tagged as a favorite. I'm growing a bit tired of the constant love triangle between Ricciardi, Enrica and Livia. Because he sees the dead in their final moments, Ricciardi believes he can't fall in love and burden the woman with his constant melancholy. Nevertheless, the fascinating story and extraordinary secondary characters are worth going back to. As the story moves forward, we also see more and more evidence of how evil Mussolini's Fascists are. His secret police were just as repugnant as the Gestapo. This series is totally absorbing, especially the incredible culture of Fascist Naples in the early 1930s. I believe Maurizio de Giovanni writes the best noir mystery series available and both his Commissario Ricciardi series, and his new series (Inspector Lojacono, set in modern day Naples) are highly recommended if you enjoy the noir mystery genre.

58. The Other Side of Midnight by Sidney Sheldon - 4 Stars

I remember being enthralled by this book when it came out in 1973. It had everything going for it: lust, revenge, mystery, and “deadly passion”. The story revolves around four people. Noelle Page, an actress famous for her beauty, uses her seductive powers to seek revenge against the only man she has ever truly loved, Larry Douglas. Eventually Larry sees the error of his ways and wants to go back to Noelle. Unfortunately his wife, Catherine, gets in the way and Noelle and Larry use Constantin Demiris, a wealthy Greek tycoon, to help rid themselves of Catherine. None of this is a surprise because the opening chapters tell us of all the people flocking to Greece to attend the murder trial.

It's entertaining and has some great plot twists. It's the perfect beach read even though it's over forty years old. Some of it is a bit dated but it is a definite page turner. If you are a reader “of a certain age” and feeling nostalgic for an over-the-top soap opera combining treachery and revenge, I highly recommend The Other Side of Midnight. If you're looking for a serious work of literary fiction, whatever you do, don't pick up this book.

59. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn - 3.5 Stars

Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered by her older brother, Ben. Libby ran out the door, hid in the woods, and survived the murders. She later testified against Ben. Twenty-five years later, Ben sits in prison, and massively troubled Libby lives off the remaining few dollars in a trust created by donations that came in after the murders. She has no job, no skills and no motivation to acquire any. When she receives a letter from The Kill Club, a weird secret organization made up of misfits with obsessions about notorious crimes, Libby concocts a plan to profit off her tragic history. She will charge a fee to meet with them, possibly even selling some of the family memorabilia she still owns.

They believe Ben is innocent. They will pay Libby to talk to them, and to find out if someone else could have committed the crimes. Libby wants the money and knows that her carefully prepared testimony as a child wasn’t true, but always assumed Ben killed his mother and sisters after a terrible fight. Who else might have done it? What if Ben really is innocent? The book is written from three perspectives: Libby in present day, Ben on the day before the murder, and Patty (their mother) on the day before the murder.

I hated each and every one of the characters in this book. There is simply no one to like in Dark Places, which is what the author wanted and expected, I'm sure. They were damaged and completely appalling,. The story was so dark and depressing it worked. I like dark and gritty mysteries but this one was was so revolting in spots I had to skim over them in dread. Word of advice: if you own a dog you want to skip one particularly heinous section. Reading this book will make you realize how complex and cruel humans can be. However much I hated the characters, the story, the ending and almost everything about this book, I guess it did affect me so I'm giving it a higher rating for that reason. I can't stop thinking about it, so the author has accomplished what she set out to do when selling this book.

60. No Second Chance by Harlan Coben - 5 Stars

Plastic surgeon, Dr Marc Seidman, is eating a granola bar one morning when he's suddenly shot. He never sees the shooter and when he wakes up in the hospital twelve days after surgery, he discovers his wife has been murdered and his baby daughter abducted. Even though he's in really bad shape, the police and FBI suspect he was involved in his wife's death. As soon as he is released from the hospital, kidnappers make a ransom demand. Marc's father-in-law gives him the two million dollars in cash. The kidnappers tell Marc not to call the police because there will be “no second chance”. Marc's lawyer and best friend, Larry, advises him to tell the police anyway and when the kidnappers discover what he's done, they take the cash and vanish without returning his daughter, Tara. Eighteen months later he's contacted by the kidnappers, offering him a second chance for another two million dollars. He's still convinced Tara is alive, so his father-in-law provides him with the cash.

The story grabs you right from the beginning and you are turning pages so quickly you don't realize how fast you've become involved in the story. There are many great characters, including an ex-girlfriend, a crazy neighbor, and a killer couple headed up by a former child TV star. As the reader heads toward a climactic ending, you'll be on the edge of your seat wondering who shot him, who killed his wife and what happened to his daughter. While not my favorite Harlan Coben novel, it's still one of the best books I've read all month.

61. Touch by Mark Sennen - 3 Stars

Detective Inspector Charlotte Savage and her team are investigating a series of of gruesome attacks on young women. The victims are being drugged, abducted, assaulted and then abandoned. When the mutilated body of one of the women is found on a beach, the rape case turns into a murder inquiry.

While the story itself is fairly standard for the police procedural genre, I did like Charlotte a lot. She's not filled with angst and she's very professional. She heads her team in a believable way and while we didn't get a lot of character nuances, it may be because this is the first book in the series. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who doesn't like gritty mysteries but the price was certainly right.......free on Kindle. There are currently five books in the series so I might check another out in the future.

62. Florida Heat by Rainy Kirkland and Robyn Maize - 3 Stars

Florida Heat is a new series that introduces Jo Kazimer, a Probation Officer, and Detective Kate Snow. They are close friends and work together on a variety of cases, including wife abuse, child kidnapping and murder. Jo is jogging through a park when she witnesses a murder. She calls Kate and by the time the police arrive, the body has disappeared. This book is a bit confusing at the beginning with the introduction of many different secondary characters and plots (an abuser, a missing child, human trafficking, exotic bird smuggling, child pornography, and a secret club are just a few). Eventually all these plots will be tied together.

After reading the first chapter, I wasn't sure I was even interested in continuing the book. It was laced with vulgarity, and while I'm not against bad language in books, I feel like often it's just a substitute for character and plot development. It turns out the first chapter was just an introduction to a bad guy who is not around much longer and the language wasn't an issue after that. I did like the relationship between Jo and Kate. They were real friends and the author didn't add in any competition or personal animosity between them, which I found very refreshing.

Once I got involved in the story I actually enjoyed the plot and the characters. The one thing that drove me crazy about it was the horrible editing and misspellings. This book had numerous grammatical errors and could definitely have benefited from another proofreader. The author did a good job of weaving multiple story lines together in a plausible way but the cliffhanger ending without the murder being solved was disappointing.

March Recap

Books Read: 22
Pages Read: 8016
Audios: 6

ITD Books: 62
ITD Pages:23,590
ITD Audios: 13

Favorites:

5 Stars = 4
4.5 Stars = 3
4 Stars = 6
3.5 Stars = 4
3 Stars = 5

63. Dead Like You by Peter James - 4.5 Stars

In the sixth book of the DS Roy Grace series by Peter James, things are starting to look more positive for Roy. Even though he's still haunted by the unexplained disappearance of his wife, Sandy, ten years ago, he's engaged to his new love, Cleo. They are expecting their first child and Roy seems as happy as we've ever seen him.

Our story really begins in 1997, when a 29-year-old Grace begins his investigation of a serial rapist, known as the Shoe Man, who was believed to have raped at least five women and in all likelihood raped and killed a sixth victim whose body has never been found. Flash forward to the present where a woman is attacked and viciously raped in Brighton with one of her high-heeled, designer shoes. Grace now realizes that the attack is almost identical to the Shoe Man case he worked on in 1997. As the pattern begins to repeat, Grace and his team find themselves in a furious hunt to find a dangerous man.

One of the things I really enjoyed about this book was that it switched back and forth between the police, several suspect rapists, and victims, giving readers insight into these crimes. The characters were all well written and there were a couple of interesting twists at the end. This is a very enjoyable series and I look forward to continuing it.

64. The Plum Tree by Ellen Marie Wiseman - 3 Stars

Seventeen-year-old Christine Bolz works as a servant for the Bauerman family where Christine and the Bauerman’s son, Isaac, have just revealed their love for one another. But, it's 1938 and soon Christine and her mother are banned from working for the Jewish family. They continue to meet secretly but it quickly becomes too dangerous for both of them. As the years pass and Christine’s family struggle to survive the hunger and cold that accompany the war, she has no idea what has befallen the Bauermans. Are the still in Germany , hiding, or captured by the Nazis? Everything is out of control and soon Christine is faced with life and death decisions on a daily basis. Christine knows she will always love Isaac, but now she has no choice but to get on with her life, helping her mother and grandparents take care of her brothers and sisters. Much later, she has the opportunity to help Isaac and she'll risk everything, her own life as well as the lives of her family, to help the man she loves.

What I really liked about this story was that the author was able to paint a portrait of an ordinary non-Nazi German family during the war. The didn't approve of Hitler but faced imprisonment or even death if they weren't careful. We were able to see the hopelessness of their lives. I enjoyed the book but felt that I didn't learn anything new about this period of time. It also had a bit of a YA feel to it, probably due to love story angle.

65. Find Her by Lisa Gardner - 5 Stars

The book opens with a terrifying chapter. A young woman is trapped in a pine coffin, only let out to perform unspeakable acts for the monster who has kidnapped her. Meet Flora Dane who, five years ago, made the mistake of drinking too much at a bar and going to the bathroom by herself. She spent the next 472 days being held captive by a long haul trucker. Eventually she was found, and returned to her family. Flora never healed emotionally and was never able to fit into her old life, despite the help of her family and psychiatrists. The new Flora loves self-defense classes, can pick locks and knows how to make a weapon out of any resource. Flora 2.0 is no-one’s victim.

When Flora disappears from her ultra-secure apartment, Detective D. D. Warren can't understand how someone that security conscious could have been taken. Flora is an unusually complex victim and it doesn't take Detective Warren long to discover she might not be trustworthy. Alternating chapters that include Flora's memories from the first time she was taken, her current abduction, and Warren's search for her, dramatically propel this story forward at a rapid pace. This is everything a psychological thriller is supposed to be.

The plot is well executed, and there are many twists and turns along the way. I sped through the story in a one afternoon, eager to find out who had abducted Flora, but also what Flora had done that still haunted her years later. This heart pounding story is both thrilling and disturbing. Even though this book is part of a series, it's easily read as a stand alone novel. Detective D. D. Warren is not really the main character and her background makes little difference. This story is all Flora (and Flora 2.0). If you're looking for a great psychological thriller, I can highly recommend Find Her by Lisa Gardner.

66. The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown - 3.5 Stars

The Weird Sisters tells the story of the three Andreas sisters who return home to Barnwell, Ohio to take care of their mother, who has been diagnosed with cancer. Each of the girls has failed in her own way and needs the safety net of home, with their eccentric, Shakespeare-quoting father, and each other, to figure out what to do next. The three sisters have been named after some of Shakespeare's most popular characters. Rosalind (Rose), Bianca (Bean), and Cordelia (Cordy) are now living together for the first time in years and they also get a chance to help one another cope with the failures in their lives, including theft, adultery, and pregnancy.

I thought the author did a great job of making me care about the characters, which I really didn't expect. There are many quotes and allusions to Shakespeare, some which I got and some I didn't. There's something about each of the sisters that you can identify with. I so identified with Bean when she explained that she always carried a book so that when she's in a waiting room she can just pull out her book and start reading. I think you will enjoy the book even more if you are knowledgeable about Shakespearean plays, but it won't detract from the story if you're not. The humor, intriguing story line, and funny incidents kept me involved till the very last page.

67. Bittersweet by Colleen McCullough - 3.5 Stars

Bittersweet is an Australian family saga incorporating history, drama and romance in a story about four sisters. The setting of the novel incorporates the Great Depression and includes a lot of discussion of Depression-era Australian politics within the story. The beautiful, intelligent Latimer girls, Edda, Grace, Tufts, and Kitty, are two sets of identical twins born of the same father but different mothers. To achieve their separate personal ambitions they sign up to train as registered nurses at the hospital in Corunda, their small city in rural New South Wales.

Their story is full of personality and the background details on medical techniques are fascinating. The main focus of the book remains the loves and lives of each of the girls. Each woman’s true character manifests itself as the years pass, their ties to one another frequently affecting their relationships with the men who interact with them and love them. Each of the Latimer sisters brings something to the table that is unique and multifaceted.

I enjoyed learning about the political and economic background of Australia during this time. Much of it takes place right before and during the Great Depression and I was unaware just how much they were affected. Although Bittersweet delves into some heavy issues such as female emancipation, homosexuality, unhappy marriages and suicide, the story never threatens to become too dark. Don't expect the Thornbirds but if you're in the mood for a romantic historical fiction set in Australia during the depression it might appeal to you.

68. Blood and Ice by Robert Masello - 3 Stars

Photojournalist Michael Wilde has been dealing with the aftermath of a climbing accident that put his fiancee in a coma. When he's offered a chance to go on a month long assignment to the South Pole, he hopes that the work and isolation will help him get back on track. A few days after arriving, he goes on a polar dive and discovers the bodies of a man and a woman frozen in a block of ice. Through dual narratives of 1854 and modern day, we meet the two lovers, Sinclair and Eleanor and discover how they ended up frozen in chains. As the ice around the murdered lovers begins to melt, we learn more about their terrible secret.

I enjoyed this book and it's obvious that the author really researched both Antarctica and the Crimean War. It felt like it was two separate books, one set in the 1850s and the other set in modern day Antarctica. I thought the main character could have used a bit more detail but the secondary characters were interesting and really came to life. The first part of the books was slow, filling in details that we need to know about later. Overall, an enjoyable read and I would like to try another by this author sometime in the future.

69. The Last Kashmiri Rose by Barbara Cleverly - 3.5 Stars

The Last Kashmiri Rose, takes place in colonial India in 1922. Commander Joe Sandilands, a Scottish detective who's just completing a brief tour of duty in Calcutta, is on his way back home when the governor of Bengal requests his assistance in investigating a death at a military station. One of the regiments stationed in Panikhat is the Bengal Greys. In 1910, the wife of one of the officers was killed in a terrible fire. Each year after that, in March, one of the wives has died in a terrible accident. The governor’s niece, Nancy Drummond, brings photographs of her close friend, Peggy Somersham, who was found a week earlier in her bath with her wrists cut. Nancy insists that Peggy was happy in India, happy in her new marriage, and would have had no reason to kill herself. Nancy, who had been a nurse during WW1 also thinks it would have been impossible for Peggy to have cut her own wrists in that manner. Joe is intrigued with both Nancy and the case and heads out to Panikhat.

The setting is pre-independent India, a place where the British were the rulers and the natives the servants. The army officers, civil servants and their families lived a fairy tale life that is uncomfortable to believe today. A small group of British soldiers and civil servants controlled the entire subcontinent of India and lived a carefree life of privilege with servants to deal with every problem. The British never saw the Indians as anything other than servants and the justification was that the British were only acting as caretakers for people unable to govern themselves.

This was a fascinating book chiefly because of the setting and time. The mystery was intriguing and while the solution may not have been too surprising, the events surrounding it were. The story carries the reader along with the investigation. There were a lot of overwrought descriptions and some over the top dialogue, as well as a plethora of Indian slang. I loved the descriptions of India and would definitely try another by the same author.

70. The Outcast Dead by Elly Griffith - 4.5 Stars

This is one of my very favorite series and the sixth book, The Outcast Dead, is no exception. When a body is found in the grounds of Norwich Castle rumors spread that it may be that of the infamous Victorian child killer, Jemima Green. Green was also known in myth and legend as Mother Hook, and was hanged for the murders of five children. Was Mother Hook guilty or innocent of child murder? Forensic archaeologist, Dr Ruth Galloway, is helping out on the set of a TV series called “Women Who Kill” which is featuring Mother Hook. Meanwhile, Harry Nelson's big case is establishing whether Liz Donaldson killed her year old son, as well as her other two sons that died years ago. Ruth and Harry mostly move in different story lines this time around.

The best part of this series are the supporting characters, especially the Druid, Cathbad, a character that could easily have become a caricature. Ruth sometimes fantasizes a future with married Harry, the father of her child, even though she knows its impossible. Judy, a detective on Harry’s team, is attempting to continue with her family life, knowing that the father of her baby is Cathbad. I enjoyed Ruth a lot more in this book because she's not wallowing in despair. Her career in on the upswing, she's just written a book about the events that happened last year and is participating in the TV show. She's much more comfortable being a working mother to daughter, Kate, too.

The setting for this book is fantastic. The action sweeps from Ruth's remote cottage by the salt marshes to creepy castles at night. The author does a great job of balancing historical storytelling, modern detective work and social commentary in this novel, creating an especially compelling mystery. If you are already a fan of this series, I highly recommend The Outcast Dead.

71. Last Light by Terri Blackstock - 2 Stars

Last Light is the first book of four in Terri Blackstock’s “Restoration” series. Doug Branning is at the airport to pick up his daughter, Deni, when planes begin to fall from the sky and explode. No rescue vehicles like ambulances or fire trucks rush to the scene. The entire airport is in chaos and when they get to their car, it won't start either. Meanwhile, Doug's wife is going through her own problems at home with their three other children. The event seems to have been some type of EMP and apparently the nature of it is not disclosed until the second book of this four book series.

I was trying to clear out my TBR and noticed I bought this book in 2009 and was under the impression it was a thriller. Back in 2009 I was getting a lot of free Kindle books and apparently this was one of them. After reading it, I realized it was Christian fiction, a genre I don't normally read very often. That didn't influence my two star rating. The premise of the story is interesting but the characters were poorly written. There is a basic murder mystery running through the book, but overall not a series I'm interested in continuing.

72. The Bottom of Your Heart: Inferno for Commissario Ricciardi by Maurizio de Giovanni - 5 Stars and 💕

With the seventh novel in his series featuring Baron Luigi Alfredo Ricciardi di Malomonte, Commissario of Public Safety at the Royal Police Headquarters in Naples, de Giovanni gives readers a new mystery which takes place during the reign of Benito Mussolini in the early 1930s. At the same time, he also continues to develop the stories of the many fascinating secondary characters. The mystery aspect of this story features a murder which draws Brigadier Maione, Ricciardi’s loyal associate, and Dr. Modo, the anti-Fascist medical examiner, into the investigation. The victim, Tullio Iovine del Castello, the head of gynecology at the general hospital of the royal university of Naples, was thrown from a window in his fifth floor office, and Commissario Ricciardi goes to the site immediately in response.

Ricciardi and his team know from the outset that the murderer is physically large and very strong. Several people involved with the professor fit that description: Francesco Ruspo di Roccasole, who lost the chance to become the eventual successor to Iovine; Guido Ruspo, whom Iovine flunked three times during medical studies; and Peppino the Wolf, the gangster husband of a former patient who died during an agonizing labor because Iovine could not be reached for hours. Meanwhile, the anonymous killer narrates throughout the book, telling us that he is still waiting for the woman to whom he pledged his heart years ago.

In addition to the story of the murder, the continuing characters who have appeared throughout the whole series continue their lives. Ricciardi is still single, living with his seventy year old Tata Rosa, and worried about her health as she brings her niece, Nelide, to help her. Brigadier Maione, begins to feel that his marriage to his beloved Lucia is in trouble, and he becomes quite nasty, a huge change from his normal behavior. Livia, the widow of the world’s greatest tenor, is still flirting with Ricciardi, and Enrica, the girl across the alley who has loved Ricciardi from afar for years, now works as a busy school teacher. And fans will be happy to know he hasn't left out Bambinella, the transvestite with a heart of gold who worships Maione. She provides some of the most humorous parts of the story.

I admit to loving this series and also realizing it isn't one for every mystery fan either. Maurizio de Giovanni puts together intricate plots while breaking our hearts with the characters, who all suffer in some way, Ricciardi most of all. The Bottom of Your Heart is one of the most highly developed and complex of the series and I think it just can't be enjoyed if you haven't read at least one of the earlier books. I know my heart is broken because this is the last of the series that has been translated into English. I hope the next one will be translated soon because de Giovanni does save a number of questions to be answered in the future. I wonder if I should learn Italian so I don't have to wait?

73. I Am Your Judge by Nele Neuhaus - 4.5 Stars

This is the fourth book in the police procedural series featuring Pia Kirchhoff/Oliver von Bodenstein series by German author Nele Neuhaus. Pia is just about to go on her honeymoon with new husband, Christian, when a sniper kills a woman out walking her dog. Her boss, Oliver, is unavailable so she decides to fill in for him until he can get to the crime scene. Before long a second woman is assassinated. Margarethe Rudolf was making Christmas cookies in her kitchen with her granddaughter, when a shot comes through her kitchen window, killing her immediately. Pia struggles with deciding whether to stay to help with the case or go on her honeymoon. Additional shootings take place and the sniper sends obituaries to the victims' family, leaving obscure clues. The family members all have secrets, which makes the motive difficult to discover. In addition, many of the team are missing from a horrible flu that's running rampant through the police station.

This book has an extremely complex plot and readers unfamiliar with the intricacies of German names might have a problem with a slowing down of the suspense. The discussion of the evidence goes on a bit repetitively too. The translated series has been published out of order but I didn't feel like it was detrimental to the story line. I would still recommend reading one of the earlier books to familiarize yourself with the characters since most of them appear in all of the books. If you like your mystery novels deep and complex, you will absolutely enjoy I Am Your Judge.

74. Ship of Brides by JoJo Moyes - 4 Stars

Ship of Brides follows four Australian war brides as they board an aircraft carrier and travel to England where they are being taken to their new husbands following WWII. Jean is a 16-year-old uneducated party girl who is daring and always on the lookout for some fun. Avice comes from a wealthy family and is quite a snob. Maggie is the girl next door, a farm girl who’s devoted herself to caring for her father and brothers for the last few years. She’s pregnant and never been away from home before. Frances, a nurse, has seen the horrors of war caring for released POWs in army hospitals. She is dignified and reserved but we know she's keeping a secret of some sort.

I had heard of war brides before, of course, but had no idea how committed the British government was to reuniting their fighting men with the women they married while at war. Competition to get permission to travel was fierce and nothing was guaranteed. Once on board, the brides could still be rejected by their husbands. Over the course of the journey, several brides receive the dreaded Not Wanted/Don’t Come telegram informing them that their husband had changed his mind. Now the journey is over for that bride, who is taken off ship at the next available port and sent back to Australia.

I was expecting a standard love story and was captured by the adventure and bravery of these young women who were traveling thousands of miles away to begin a life with virtual strangers. I was swept up in the stories about the four fictional women and the marines on the ship. I felt like it was well researched and entertaining. It was a fast enjoyable read about an interesting period of history.

75. Red Queen by Victoria Ayevard - 3.5 Stars

Red Queen takes place in a fantasy setting where people are divided into different groups, depending on the color of their blood. The silver blooded have extraordinary powers and live a life of wealth and privilege. Those with red blood are victims of extreme poverty and are treated as servants to the Silvers. Mare Barrow is a 17-year-old girl who lives with her family in an impoverished village. All jobless citizens, including her three older brothers, have already been shipped off to the war. Mare is a pickpocket who will do anything to protect her family even if it means violating laws to get them out of the war. Before long, we learn that Mare is different herself. She's taken to the Silver court and passed off as a Silver princess while they work to discover what her power is and how they can use it.

The author does a great job of making her world visually mesmerizing and it's filled with fascinating characters, both good and bad. The fight scenes are incredibly realistic and you can't say the story suffers from lack of action. Of course, the premise will remind you a good deal of Hunger Games, but how can you argue with the formulaic success. One thing drove me crazy throughout the book and made me lower the rating from my original 4 Stars to 3.5 Stars. It was the constant overuse of the word “smirk”. It was used 38 times in the book and seemed to me the only expression the author could think of. Of course, I'm not the audience the book is going for but I still enjoyed it enough to pick up the second book of series, The Glass Sword.

76. The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom - 4 Stars

The Kitchen House takes place on a Virginia tobacco plantation from 1791 through 1810 and is told from the alternating points of view of Lavinia and Belle. Lavinia is an orphaned indentured servant and Belle is the daughter of the plantation owner and a slave woman. After Lavinia's Irish parents die aboard his ship, Captain Madden takes her home to his plantation and leaves her with the slaves in the Kitchen house. She is traumatized and frightened and finds comfort and love with Mama Mae, Papa George, Belle, and the other slaves. We are also introduced to Martha Madden, the captain's slightly mad wife who is addicted to laudanum and the evil overseer, Rankin who makes it his life's work to terrorize the slaves. One of the most fascinating characters is the captain's son, Marshall, who is both sad and despicable and becomes close to Rankin. The plot is fueled by numerous family secrets that will inevitably lead to tragedy.

Some of the brutal passages are difficult to read but they are fairly brief and not too descriptive. Told predominately through Lavinia's voice we observe her growing up and becoming even closer to the slaves. She wants to do anything she can to help them which will later lead to clashes between her and the Madden family. Years later Lavinia has an opportunity to leave the plantation and go to New York to get an education. When she returns to Tall Oaks nothing is the same and her return sets into motion the tragic ending we already know is coming.

This was a compelling and thought provoking novel with richly drawn characters that had me hooked from the beginning. I loved the characters and the concept of a white indentured servant living and working with slaves seemed like a fresh and interesting plot line. I really enjoyed it and thought it was a fast moving, emotional story.

77. Winter of Secrets by Vicki Delany - 4 Stars

While working the Christmas Eve shift in the small town of Trafalgar, British Columbia, Constables Molly Smith and Dave Evans are summoned to the scene of a car accident. Two young men are dead after crashing their car into the river. At first, it appears to be an accident, but the autopsy reveals evidence that turns this into a possible murder investigation. Sergeant John Winters and new constable, Molly, start to interview the victims' family and friends and those townsfolk who interacted with them. Molly and John have to conduct their investigation while dealing with selfish and privileged kids whose holiday plans have to be put on hold.

The various characters of Trafalgar add interest and charm to these mysteries. There are the town drunks, their daughter, Lorraine, and her brother. Molly’s former best friend reappears, along with the abusive boyfriend who almost killed her. Molly’s mother, Lucky, is a real character, an idealist, ex-hippie, who thinks nothing of interfering in police investigations, including Molly’s. The author does a great job depicting the learning curve experienced by a newly hired constable. In this book Molly Smith has just finished her first year on probation, so she makes a few mistakes, but it seems very realistic.

Winter of Secrets is another outstanding police procedural from Vicki Delany. Anyone who enjoys small town police procedurals should try her one of her books. They are not quite cozy, but definitely not too gritty either.

78. No One Knows by J. T. Ellison - 4 Stars

In No One Knows by J.T. Ellison, Aubrey Hamilton must learn how to go on living after the mysterious disappearance and presumed death of her husband, Josh. We meet Aubrey the day Josh is declared legally dead by the state of Tennessee. Everyone thinks this should bring closure to her life, but Aubrey doesn’t want to move on. She wants Josh back, along with their happy marriage. Even though Aubrey was found not guilty of his murder, she knows he can't still be alive or he would have come to her rescue. Aubrey is obsessed with finding out what happened to Josh and even rushes up to strangers who remind her of him. This is how she meets Chase Boden, a reporter from out of town who resembles Josh so much Aubrey initially believes Chase is Josh.

The mystery of Josh’s disappearance is recounted by multiple characters in multiple time frames but they are short chapters. We move back and forth between adult Aubrey and Josh to a time when they were kids. There are even chapters from Josh and his mother, Daisy's, point of view. I enjoyed the way the story was told and felt it added to the intrigue and mystery of what happened to Josh.

There are lots of twists and turns in this excellent psychological thriller and it was definitely a page turner. I haven't read many books by J. T. Ellison, but I'm definitely going to look for some others.

79. The Island by Heather Graham - 1 Star

I have no one to blame for reading this but myself. I noticed it would fulfill two of my challenges so I thought, what the heck, I read Heather Graham many years ago and she's not too bad. She's not bad, but this book was simply awful. The basic premise of the story is that our heroine, Beth Anderson, is on a boating weekend with her niece, brother and her niece's friend. They have traveled out to Calliope Key where they have camped and explored before. Before long they are joined by strangers, as well as people from the yacht club where Beth works and Ben is a member. While out exploring Beth finds a skull. She hides it when one of the strangers, Keith Henson, arrives. But, when she goes back to show it to her brother later it is gone.

The characters were insipid, the story slow moving and I was hoping the boat would sink and everyone would disappear. On the bright side, I've been able to finish two challenges.

80. Paris Match by Stuart Woods - 1 Star

I don't know why I continue this series. What started off as a fun mystery has fallen off the tracks over the past few years. In this book, Stone Barrington is off to Paris for the grand opening of his new hotel, the L'Arrington. He's being threatened by Yevgeny Majorov, who knows Stone had a hand in his brother Yuri’s death. Now he wants Stone to give him all the shares he owns in the Arrington hotel group. This will lead to some violence and kidnapping in the book. The action takes a back seat to the sex though. Any fan of the series knows Stone sleeps with every attractive woman he sees. He has a chance to meet/sleep with some women in Paris before long time lover, CIA Chief Holly Barker, shows up.

I must be a glutton for punishment because I do plan to continue the series with the help of my library card. I understand from a friend that it starts to get better, but there is still no way I would ever waste my money on any of Stuart Wood's mediocre writing.

81. Negative Image by Vicki Delany - 4 Stars

This is the fourth book in the Constable Molly Smith series set in the small town of Trafalgar, British Columbia. When a famous fashion photographer, Rudolph Steiner, is murdered in his hotel room, the town is shocked to find one of their own citizens is the prime suspect. What makes it even worse is the suspect is married to the lead investigator, John Winters. He's taken off the case due to a conflict of interest and he and Molly pursue a string of home burglaries that will lead him back to possible persons of interest in the Steiner matter.

As usual in this series, it's the quirky townspeople who make this such an absorbing story. Molly's mother, Lucky, is beside herself with worry when her husband of thirty years falls from a ladder and breaks his hip. Molly continues to be pursued by her friend's abusive ex-boyfriend and he's ramping up his threats. Now that she's dating Mountie, Adam Tocek, what does this mean for her future as a policewoman? Molly is growing into a well rounded character, along with many of the secondary characters. I found John Winters to be a real idiot in this story though.

I wasn't planning to start any new series this year but I've got to admit I'm really enjoying this one. I plan to read the next book, Among the Departed.

82. The Blood Gospel by James Rollins and Rebecca Cantrell - 4 Stars

The Blood Gospel is the first in a new collaborative series called The Order of the Sanguines. The story begins when an earthquake in Masada reveals a tomb buried deep into the mountain. The three main characters: Father Rhun Korza, a Vatican priest; Sergeant Jordan Stone, a military forensic expert; and Dr. Erin Granger, a brilliant archaeologist are asked to investigate a newfound discovery, the crucified body of a mummified girl. They soon find themselves racing to find a book, The Blood Gospel, rumored to have been written by Jesus Christ’s own hand, before it falls into the hands of an evil and bloodthirsty enemy. The three of them together may fulfill an ancient prophecy requiring a Woman of Learning, a Warrior of Man, and a Knight of Christ.

This novel uses a lot of different settings and historical situations. The characters travel to Jerusalem, Germany, Russia, and Vatican City after finding clues from Nazi war plans, Masada’s history, and even Rasputin. I didn't know anything about the book prior to reading it so was unaware that there's a strong supernatural element throughout the story. While that isn't my favorite genre, I did really enjoy the action-adventure theme of this book and felt like the authors did a great job of making all the plots weave together in a cohesive story.

This is an exceptionally creative book and will appeal to the right audience. I didn't expect to like it very much but I will definitely read the next one of the series.

83. Run Girl by Eva Hudson - 3 Stars

Run Girl by British writer Eva Hudson is the first of five novels in the Ingrid Skyberg FBI thriller series. It's really a novella at only 174 pages but I wanted to read it as an introduction to the complete set which I already own. When the story starts we meet the Secretary of State, Jayne Whitticker, who is on her way to broker a peace deal. Her spoiled granddaughter runs away from her parents and joins Jayne, promising to be good. You guessed it......she sneaks away as soon as she can.

Meanwhile, we meet Ingrid Skyberg, an FBI Special agent currently teaching a training class in London. She's asked to help the American Embassy find the missing teenager before the Secretary knows she's disappeared. Ingrid joins with Nicholas Angelis, a private security agent hired by the US embassy, and they race around London on a Ducati motorcycle trying to catch the girl.

It wasn't the most sophisticated story I've read but was a nice introduction to Ingrid and how she ends up in London. It would be a great plane ride book.

84. Murder on Lexington Avenue by Victoria Thompson - 4 Stars

This is the 12th book in the Gaslight Mystery series featuring midwife Sarah Brandt and NYPD detective Frank Malloy. The story begins when Frank is called to the office of Nehemiah Wooten who has been found bludgeoned to death. After talking to witnesses he discovers one of the suspects was involved with Wooten's 16-year-old deaf daughter, Electra. While questioning her at home, Mrs Wooten she suddenly goes into labor. This comes as a shock to everyone since no one even knew she was pregnant, including Wooten who was definitely not the father. He sends for Sarah and after the birth she stays a few days to help him with his investigation. There are numerous suspects, both inside and outside the family.

This is a very interesting book. Wooten followed the teachings of Alexander Graham Bell who believed the deaf shouldn't marry each other because they would produce deaf children. The tension between the "lipreading" deaf and the "finger moving" deaf provided an interesting storyline.

This author always does a great job of making Victorian New York realistic. The characters are interesting and the secondary characters are some of the best. It's not a cozy series but it's not a gritty crime story either. It's one I enjoy and I'm looking forward to reading the next book, Murder on Sister's Row.

85. The Last Mile by David Baldacci - 5 Stars

Convicted murderer Melvin Mars is headed for his appointment with a lethal injection when someone else confesses to murdering his parents. When Amos Decker hears about this stunning event he remembers Mars from his football days and notices a parallel between their two stories. Mars was on his way to the NFL when he was convicted of murdering his parents. Decker made it to one game in the NFL before getting tackled and suffering a traumatic brain injury and later being accused of murdering his family.

Decker, now a member of an FBI task force, convinces the rest of the team to investigate what really happened and whether Mars is guilty or innocent. Soon they discover more and more reasons why Mars may have been set up. When a member of Decker's team disappears they stumble onto a large-scale conspiracy that may link to the upper echelons of society.

I was completely drawn into the story. Baldacci has added some extra layers to Amos Decker and his extraordinary brain. He suffers from hyperthymesia, which gives him an extraordinary memory and he can't forget anything . The book has a very complex plot that was also very fast-moving. It was a completely engrossing story and I'm looking forward to many more books featuring Amos Decker.

April Recap

Books Read: 23
Pages Read: 9,121
Audios: 4

ITD Books: 85
ITD Pages: 32,711
ITD Audios: 17

Favorites:

5 Stars = 3
4.5 Stars = 4
4 Stars = 6
3.5 Stars = 3
3 Stars = 4
2 Stars = 1
1 Star - 2

86. Close to Home by Lisa Jackson - 3 Stars

Sarah McAdams and her two daughters Jade and Grace have moved back to their dilapidated family home in Oregon. Sarah has plans to restore the Blue Peacock Manor to its former glory. Jade is an angry teenager who has been forced to leave her friends in Vancouver. Grace thinks she sees the ghost of Angelique La Duc, a former relative, who apparently disappeared almost a hundred years ago. Sarah just wants to start over after her divorce, but former love, Clint, lives next door and an old boyfriend is stalking her. In another storyline, teenage girls are disappearing and no trace of them can be found.

This is a combination ghost story, suspense thriller, and a dash of romance. Maybe because it's trying to be so many things, it seems to fall short in all of them. The ghost story wasn't very scary, the romance was lukewarm, and it wasn't really very suspenseful. It was still a fast, mostly enjoyable read, but I prefer some of the other books I've read by this author.

87. The Conjurer by Cordelia Frances Biddle - 3 Stars

This historical mystery is set in Philadelphia in 1842. Martha Beale is the unmarried daughter of Lemuel Beale, a wealthy financier who went out hunting with his dogs and mysteriously disappeared. When mayoral aide, Thomas Kelman, is sent to look into is disappearance, Martha teams up wih him to help discover what happened to her father. Before they can find anything, Kelman asked to investigate a series of murders of young prostitutes. Eusapio Paladino is an Italian who has become the toast of Philadelphia society, by fascinating them with his feats of mesmerism, somnambulism, and conjuring. During a seance, he describes the death of the first child which brings him to the attention of investigators. Soon the two stories start to interweave.

This book did a great job of depicting the differences between the rich and the poor of Victorian Philadelphia. The author also did a great job of giving the reader a look at how Victorian women were treated. Many parts of the book were disturbing, especially those related to the lives and deaths of the child prostitutes. I think the flow of the story was a bit slow but the series has so much potential I will definitely read another one in the future.

88. Gorky Park by Martin Cruz Smith - 3 Stars

Arkady Renko, a police investigator in Soviet Russia, is called to Gorky Park where three mutilated bodies have been found buried in the snow. This begins an investigation that will threaten his entire future. He's being followed by the KGB who seemed very interested in the case but don't want to be responsible for it. While trying to identify the bodies he meets a mysterious American who is involved in the fur trading business. Everyone seems to have a hidden agenda, including Renko's wife, closest friend,and his superiors at work. Renko makes a series of deductions that place him in serious jeopardy.

I found the mystery to be very confusing, slow paced, and rambling. I did like Arkady who seemed like a great character. He's a smart, decent guy, struggling to do a good job. It's not pleasant being a policeman in Soviet Russia. The story is bleak but I did enjoy the insight into Soviet culture. I've heard the later books in the series are much better.

89. Among the Departed by Vicki Delany - 4 Stars

This is the fifth book in the Constable Molly Smith series set in Trafalgar, British Columbia. When bones belonging to Brian Nowak are discovered fifteen years after his disappearance a new investigation is opened. His daughter was Molly's best friend and Molly was one of the last people to see him alive before he disappeared. Molly and her boss, Sergeant John Winters begin to question former witnesses to see if they remember anything. Years later his family thought he left him for another woman. Just before disappearing he withdrew $10,000 from a retirement account. His artist son believed he was a womanizer, his wife has become a recluse, and his daughter went on to be a hooker/scam artist.

There are numerous characters that provide lots of local charm, particularly Molly's mother, Lucky, a former hippie. I really like this series, more on the cozy side than gritty. It's set in a atmospheric place and the characters are first rate. This is an enjoyable series that doesn't need to be read in order.

90. Most Wanted by Lisa Scottoline - 2 Stars

Christine and her husband, Marcus, have desperately been trying to have a baby. Finally they turn to a local sperm bank. Donor 3319 fits all the physical characteristics of Marcus and weeks later Christine is pregnant. While watching TV Christine notices the resemblance between Donor 3319 and a just captured serial killer. Christine and Marcus try to persuade the sperm bank to reveal Donor 3319's name but they refuse.

The couple react in completely different ways. Marcus decides to sue the organization and Christine and her friend secretly drive up to the prison and visit with the suspected killer, Zachary Jeffcoat. He claims to be the donor and convinces Christine to hire a lawyer for him. Her marriage starts to disintegrate but she's determined to help prove Zachary is innocent. She takes an unpaid job working for the lawyer and starts imitating Nancy Drew.

One of the few positives for this book was the fascinating information presented on the sperm donor process. The premise also sounded interesting but the story was ridiculous and unbelievable. This is a really disappointing book from an author I generally like. I'm grateful that I was able to check it out from the library and didn't actually buy it.

91. Caught Stealing by Charlie Huston - 4 Stars

Henry "Hank" Thompson used to be high school baseball star but after breaking his leg that dream was over. He now lives a mediocre life, working in a bar in lower East side Manhattan. When his neighbor, Russ, leaves town for a few days he asks him to watch his cat, Bud. When he finds a key hidden inside the cat carrier he doesn't think about it until the next day when he is nearly beaten to death by a couple of Russians. Before long the police turn up but they aren't all they should be either.

The story proceeds at a breakneck speed and it reminded me a lot of a Quentin Tarantino movie. The book is exceedingly violent and both Hank and the cat, Bud, feature in torture scenes. Eventually, a huge stash of money comes into play and Hank turns from a victim to a criminal himself.

I did enjoy parts of the story and the author did a great job with his characters. Hank is a master of sardonic humor and the last third of the book is very fast-paced. I really loved Bud, the cat. I would only recommend this book to someone who enjoys dark gritty noir.

92. The Witch of Painted Sorrows by M. J. Rose - 3 Stars

This novel is set against the backdrop of 1894 La Belle Epoch Paris. After her father's suicide, Sandine leaves her husband and flles to Paris to see her grandmother, a beautiful courtesan who lives in a museumlike house called Maison de la Lune. Her grandmother says the house is closed for renovation but the story doesn't ring true to Sandrine. She meets Julien Duplessi, the architect who is working on the house. They eventually fall in love but it must remain a secret since Julien is engaged and Sandrine is married. When they discover a secret room filled with erotic paintings the ghost of LaLune starts to transform Sandrine.

This novel is a blend of many different genres: historical fiction, ghost story, paranormal romance and erotic love story. Maybe because this is the first book of the series I felt that I didn't have enough knowledge about La Lune to understand her connection to the occult. I enjoyed the historical references and thought the depiction of Paris and the art scene of that time was amazing. I don't read very many paranormal romances but I think if you are an M. J. Rose fan, you would absolutely enjoy this.

93. Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides - 4.5 Stars

This was a fascinating book detailing the rescue of over 500 American survivors of the Bataan Death March in early 1945. This is an extremely brutal accounting of the amazingly savage treatment the soldiers received from the Japanese. The author starts the book by documenting one of the worst Japanese atrocities of the war, the massacre of American prisoners on Palawan Island in the Philippines. Because General Krueger, Sixth Army commander, feared that the Japanese would also massacre the Bataan survivors he asked Colonel Henry Mucci to rescue them ahead of the advance of the Americans.

The author did a great job of alternating the story of the rescue with various narratives of the captured men. Interspersed with these two main story lines are descriptions of the heroic efforts of the native Filipinos and a really interesting story about Claire Phillips, an American spy known as High Pockets. The interaction between the surviving soldiers and their captors was very illuminating This is an amazing book but definitely not for the faint hearted. That men survived this type of imprisonment is almost unbelievable, except many did live to tell about it. I highly recommend to anyone who has an interest in World War II, especially the Pacific Theatre.

94. The Obsession by Nora Roberts - 4 Stars

When this books begins we meet 11-year-old Naomi Bowes. One day she follows her father to an abandoned shed on their property where she discovers a tied up naked woman covered with cuts and bruises. She frees the woman and leads her to safety. Her father is arrested and sent to prison for the rest of his life is a serial killer. The family is taken in by relatives and Naomi tries to forget the past, even though it's hard sometimes.

We catch up with Naomi seventeen years later. She's enjoying a wonderful career as a photojournalist. She's just purchased a big fixer-upper house in Sunrise Cove, Oregon and has met a great guy named Xander Keaton. The first half of the book focuses on Naomi, her fantastic dog, and the renovation of the house. But before long the young woman disappears and Naomi's past comes back to haunt her.

The story is told at a pretty slow pace but I enjoyed it nevertheless. There's something comfortable about the way Nora Roberts tells a story. There's enough violence and tension to make this story suspenseful and a couple of gorgeous main characters to make it sexy and romantic. This was a very enjoyable read and I can recommend it to anyone who is interested in the character driven romantic suspense story.

95. Stasi Child by David Young - 4.5 Stars

This mystery is set in 1974 East Berlin and follows Oberleutnant Karin Mueller as she investigates the death of a young girl, apparently fleeing from West Berlin into East Berlin. She's concerned when she finds the Minister for State Security (Stasi) instead of the border police at the scene of the crime. They are obviously in control and warn Karin not to exceed the terms of her inquiry. In other words, don't challenge the official version of the story.

The story follows three different voices. First is Karin and her frustration at not being able to fully investigate the crime. The second is Karin's husband, Gottfried, who is engaged in behavior that is quite risky for Karen. The third and most compelling is told to the voice of the Irma, one of the teens incarcerated in a workhouse. This subplot spans nine months and adds a grim layer to the narrative.

This is the first book in an anticipated trilogy. Karin Mueller is an imperfect character which makes her even more interesting. The setting of communist controlled East Berlin is chillingly authentic. The story is filled with fear, intrigue and a secretive power struggle. This was a fantastic read for me. Stasi Child is a promising start to a gripping new noir crime series. I hope I don't have to wait too long to read the next one.

96. India Black by Carol K. Carr - 3 Stars

India Black is a historical mystery set in Victorian London featuring the madam of Lotus House. She's recruited to perform an espionage task for the government after a client dies in her establishment. A mysterious man named French is going to be her partner as she attempts to steal back an important set of papers from a Russian diplomat. The author has researched the period and weaves in a lot of historical figures along with the fictional.

The storyline is pretty implausible but that didn't stop my enjoyment of the book. India tells her story in a witty first-person narrative, so if you like India you'll probably enjoy the book. Her repartee had me laughing several times. The secondary characters are vividly drawn, especially a street urchin named Vincent. There is an awful lot of action and it might be too nonstop for some readers. This is the first book of the series and I won't hesitate to pick up another the next time I'm in the mood for a romp through Victorian England.

97. Sacred Stone by Clive Cussler and Craig Dirgo - 4 Stars

Sacred Stone is the second of the Oregon Files novels. The Oregon is a state-of-the-art warship disguised as an old tramp steamer. No one would ever guess that it's manned by former military and special forces operatives, who are known as The Corporation, headed by Captain Juan Cabrillo.

The story starts in Greenland in the year 1000 when Eric the Red discovers a radioactive meteorite that tragically affects his group. A thousand years later it's rediscovered by an archaeologist, which sets off a race between two forces who wish to use the meteorite for evil purposes. One is a radical Islamic cleric who wants to use the meteorite, along with a stolen nuclear device to destroy London. The other is a billionaire who wants to use the meteorite to destroy Islam. The crew of the Oregon must prevent both of these tragedies from occurring.

This book is filled with nonstop action and would make a great movie. There are a lot of characters, though, which made it difficult for me to follow without using the reference guide at the beginning of the book. If you are looking for an entertaining, fact paced read, this book should fit the bill.

98. Witness in Death by J. D. Robb - 4 Stars

Witness in Death opens with the main characters, Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her husband, Roarke, watching an opening-night performance of Agatha Christie's play Witness for the Prosecution. When the leading man, Richard Draco, is stabbed with a real knife instead of the prop, Eve begins an investigation. Before long, the main list of suspects grows even more when all of them report that Draco was a terrible man and no one cares that he is dead.

When a second murder is committed, but made to look like a suicide, Eve continues to question the numerous suspects. All the actors are tied to Draco, either directly or indirectly, and all have reason to detest him. While searching his house, Eve discovers videos that Draco made while having sex with women, including one with Eve's close friend, Nadine. It looks like they were not even aware of the videos when she also finds the stash of drugs he used to make the women more compliant.

This was a great homage to Agatha Christie, especially the ending where Eve brings everyone together in a drawing room for her dramatic revelation of the killer. I also liked that we got to know more about Eve and Roarke and their relationship. I hope the future books will include some insight into Peabody and her relationship with the two men in her life, fellow cop McNab and licensed companion Charles. This series has great characters, good twists and is always a fun read.

99. The Passenger by Lisa Lutz - 4 Stars

The story begins with Tanya Dubois finding her husband dead at the bottom of the stairs. She immediately packs a bag and drives away, even though she knows she will be the logical suspect. We soon discover that Tanya Dubois is a fake identity, and not her first one, when she calls someone and asks for their help in getting new documentation. The story takes us through a roller coaster ride of various identities as “Tanya” tries to outrun her past. Just when it looks like she will be safe, something or someone threatens to undo everything and expose her. Before she gets a chance to get comfortable in her new identity, she’s on the run again.

This story is advertised as a psychological thriller, and there are a lot of the twists and turns you would expect in a story about a woman on the run. I thought the main character was really unlikable in the beginning but once I got involved in the story I was more sympathetic. The writing was good, and it was a very fast read. I would recommend this to anyone that likes psychological thrillers and will look for another of Lisa Lutz books in the future.

100. Extreme Prey by John Sandford - 4.5 Stars

Extreme Prey is the twenty-sixth book in John Sandford’s long-running Lucas Davenport series. When we left Lucas at the end of Gathering Prey, he had just left his job at Minnesota's version of the FBI, the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. While up north working on his cabin, he gets a call from his old friend, governor Elmer Henderson, who is currently running for president. Henderson tells Lucas he has heard of a threat against one of the other nominees, former Secretary of State Michaela Bowdens, and wants Lucas to investigate. Lucas quickly verifies the threat but can't find out who is making it or when it will occur.

The reader already knows who the assassins are because their story is told in alternate chapters. Marlys Purdy and her son, Cole, live in a rural Iowa where they lost their farm during the 80's farm crisis. Marlys has long been a member of an antigovernment group that doesn't like the way things are in America. Cole was in Afghanistan nine years ago and hasn't had a good night's sleep since he got back. Lucas has to travel across Iowa, talking to former members of other suspected extremist groups. He needs to move quickly for two reasons. The assassination is expected to happen soon and everyone Lucas talks to seems to become a victim themselves.

This series is remarkably fresh for being as long running as it is. None of this series needs to be read in order. Lucas remains one of the best characters in the thriller genre and this book is fast paced and timely. If you are already a fan I don't need to convince you to pick up Extreme Prey. You won't be sorry.

101. Hidden Depths by Ann Cleeves - 5 Stars

Inspector Vera Stanhope and her team are called to Northumberland where teenager, Luke Armstrong, is found dead in his bath by his mother, Julie. Julie at first assumes the boy, who had learning difficulties, had committed suicide, but Vera soon discovers that he has been murdered. When the body of another young woman, Lily Marsh, is found on the beach, having died in a similar fashion to Luke, Vera knows there must be some sort of connection. There are almost too many suspects at first, including four men who belong to a bird-watching group. Vera goes to see all the characters in turn, digging into their relationships and working out how their past or present secrets might be relevant.

The heart of this series is Vera. She's not the kind of procedural detective we have experienced in other mysteries. She is such a brilliant characters, overweight, almost beyond caring about her appearance, her diet or her excessive drinking. She stomps around and acts a bit stupid in order to convince the suspects they are smarter than she is. She reminds me quite a bit of Detective Columbo.

This mystery was an exquisite reading experience from beginning to end. I love the setting, the characters and the plot.

102. Call to Juno by Elisabeth Storrs - 5 Stars

Call to Juno is the third book in a fascinating series set in ancient Rome, as well as in the Etruscan city of Veii. The first book introduces the main characters, Roman Caecilia Aemilius and the Etruscan warrior, Vel Mastarna, who are forced into a marriage as part of a peace treaty between their cities. As we approach the finale in the third book, Caecelia, now the mother of four, has denounced her homeland and become the queen of Veii. The story primarily follows the lives and loves of three women: Caecilia, Pinna, a former prostitute involved in a relationship with Roman general Camillus; and Semni, a servant in the royal household who has several secrets

I really loved that the story is narrated from both the Roman and Etruscan point of view. The author is incredibly skillful at recreating the lost culture of Etruscan world, which we know will crumble eventually under Rome. Another of the strengths of this final book is the emotional force we experience, knowing we are seeing these characters for the final time. The men are warriors and the battle scenes are vivid and realistic.

When I started this series in 2014, I knew nothing about Etruria or how powerful their empire was. I would consider it even more advanced than Rome. If you love historical fiction set in ancient times, I recommend you to read this trilogy. It's great storytelling that appears to be very well researched historically. Even though these books work fine as stand alones, I highly recommend reading the three books in the right order to fully understand the entire story (The Wedding Shroud, The Golden Dice and Call to Juno). I can't wait to see what this author has for us in the future.

103. You Are Next by Katia Lief - 4 Stars

You Are Next is the debut of a very complex character, Karin Schaeffer. She's struggling to continue her life after the murder of her husband and daughter by a serial killer named Martin Price. She was a police detective heading up the search for him, but once he killed her family she was no longer able to go on. When Price escapes custody, Karin knows he will eventually find her. She almost welcomes the thought that she will soon join her husband and daughter.

Karin makes a split second decision that will end up with her determination to either kill Price or end up dead herself. Either way, she's prepared. The first half of this book was fascinating in its depiction of the emotions and feelings of Karin, a completely broken woman. The second half is a twist heavy plot that really drives the story to it's conclusion. This psychological thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat as you anticipate both Karin and the killer’s next move.

104. One September Morning by Elizabeth Noonan - 3.5 Stars

105. Murder on Sister's Row by Victoria Thompson - 3.5 Stars

In Murder on Sister's Row, midwife Sarah Brandt, is called to a brothel to aid in the birth of Amy, one of the prostitutes. Amy insists she is there against her will, and in need of rescue. She gives Sarah the name of a woman who rescues girls and provides them with a home until they can find employment. We know this won't be a simple solution and once again the police need to be brought in to investigate a murder. Usually Detective Frank Malloy can do the investigation but in this case Sarah can get into places Frank can’t and Frank recruits her to help him out.

I like this series even though it can be repetitive. I like the authenticity of turn of the century New York City. I especially like Sarah's unconventional life and her relationship with her adopted daughter, Catherine, nursemaid Maeve, and superstitious next door neighbor Mrs. Ellsworth. There seems to be no movement in the relationship between Sarah and Frank and I hope that changes soon. I think of this as a comfort series, one I read when I just want to relax and enjoy a different period of time. I'm planning to read the next book soon, Murder on Fifth Avenue.

106. Outsider in Amsterdam by Janwillem van de Wetering - 3 Stars

Grijpstra and de Gier are detectives with the Amsterdam Police. They are called to the Hindist Society because Piet Verboom, the society’s proprietor, has been found hanging in his room. Initially it appears to be a suicide. Sergeant de Gier and Detective-Adjudant Grijpstra are determined to perform a complete investigation nevertheless. The two detectives make a great team but they are very different. Senior officer, de Gier, is a married family man and very set in his ways. Grijpstra is younger bachelor who and practices Buddhism and shares his home with a quirky Siamese cat named Oliver. Their method of investigation compliments both their strengths.

This is not an action packed series but a very character driven investigation. Both detectives have a great sense of sardonic humor. I learned a lot about Amsterdam and the Dutch culture which was fascinating. I thought it was a very engaging and well written mystery with interesting and well developed characters. I definitely plan to read another book in this series soon.

107. Purgatory Ridge by William Kent Krueger - 4.5 Stars

Purgatory Ridge is the third book in the Cork O'Connor series. Following events in the last book, Cork is no longer sheriff of Aurora, Minnesota. He's inherited a friend's burger joint and seems fairly content. He's married Jo, an attorney who works for the Ojibwe tribe and is part Anishinaabe himself. Their marriage has been in turmoil but they are working hard to stay together.

Meanwhile a logging company has gained the rights to harvest a stand of white pine trees known as the Old Grandfathers, sacred to the Anishinaabe people. Karl Lindstrom, owner of the company, has moved to town with his wife and son to oversee the operation. During a protest between the Ojibwe and an environmental group leads to an explosion and the death of a local man. Someone named Eco-Warrior takes credit for the blast and Cork steps in to help the sheriff investigate. In a parallel story we meet John LaPere, who lives on the rocky formation known as Purgatory Ridge, on Lake Superior. He's lived there since he became the only survivor of a 1986 shipwreck that took the life of his brother. He's still searching for what happened to send the ship to the bottom of the freezing lake.

All thes stories start to come together when Lindstrom's wife and son are kidnapped. Because Cork's wife, Jo, and their son, Stevie, were visiting at the time, they were also taken. It's not long before we know who and why they were kidnapped. This becomes a very complex plot but I was riveted the entire time. I think this author does a particularly wonderful job of describing the setting and making his characters so realistic. If you're looking for a well thought out mystery, with a surprising ending, I can highly recommend Purgatory Ridge.

108. Silver Lies by Ann Parker - 3.5 Stars

109. Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer

110. Innocent Blood by James Rollins and Rebecca Cantrell - 4.5 Stars

May Recap

Needs updating

Books Read: 25
Pages Read: 9,579
Audios: 5

ITD Books: 110
ITD Pages: 42,290
ITD Audios: 22

Favorites:

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111. Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan - 4 Stars

After Clay Jannon loses his job as a website designer, he passes a bookstore looking for an overnight clerk. It’s a very peculiar and dusty place where there are few customers, with the exception of a handful of rather eccentric people who borrow rather than buy the books. Behind the desk, the back and lining the walls are rows of old leather books that reach far up into the extremely tall space. Yet these books aren’t for sale. They are for members to check out and return. The books look like they are written in secret code. Ultimately Clay discovers the code is connected to some sort of bizarre cult. He goes on a mission to solve the mystery that has been tormenting its members for centuries. He enlists the help of an equally bizarre team, including his former best friend who invented a boob-simulation software, a young woman who works for Google, and even the fascinating Mr. Penumbra himself.

This book has been on my shelf for quite a while but kept getting passed up. I'm so glad I finally picked it up. Something about this book reminded me of Ready Player One without the video games. There's also a lot of humor in the story, especially the dialog between the characters. I really enjoyed the way the author explored the idea that technology is changing the way people read books. He also did it in a way that wasn't accusatory or agenda driven. My only criticism is that the ending seemed a little rushed. There's a little bit of everything in this book: mystery, magical realism, adventure and fantasy. If you have an interest in any of those genres, I definitely recommend it.

112. Dead Man's Grip by Peter James - 4.5 Stars

Dead Man’s Grip is the seventh in a series featuring Detective Superintendent Roy Grace. It begins with a seemingly unconnected set of multiple points of view, eventually leading up in a horrible traffic accident. The narrators are a hung-over female driver, the tired truck driver who is over his driving hours, and the about to be killed American cyclist. However, the driver of a white van that actually runs over the cyclist is kept anonymous. When the victim turns out to be the son of a Mafia family, Roy Grace is brought in to solve the mystery of who was in the white van as quickly as possible. Unknown to him, the mother of the young man already has her plan for vengeance.

Roy Grace and the rest of the characters in this series are very interesting. Roy's wife, Sandy, has been missing for over ten years and he's decided to have her declared dead so he can marry Cleo, the woman who is carrying his child. This book will reveal some of the potential problems they are going to have in the future. Overall, I thought the story was filled with building tension, the murders were gruesome but unique, and the resolution was well written. I'm off to read the next book in the series, Not Dead Yet.

113. The Gunslinger by Stephen King - 3.5 Stars

This is the first novel in Stephen King’s epic Dark Tower series and introduces the main character of the tale, known simply as “the gunslinger”. He's a mysterious cowboy-type character who is pursuing an unknown “man in black” across a barren desert. Through his encounters with the inhabitants of the desert and with Jake, the strange boy he meets later in the journey, he tells stories of the events of his past.

The Gunslinger is based loosely off of the Robert Browning poem “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came”, whose inspiration came from a line in Shakespeare's King Lear. The story is a blend of several genres: mystery, fantasy, western, post-apocalyptic, and even mythology. I found it somewhat confusing but realize it's just the first book in an epic saga. King has an amazing way of telling a story that really draws a reader in. The setting is very atmospheric and the characters are bleak. I can't say I was riveted, but I am curious enough to read the next book of the series when I get a chance. I also understand the movie starring Idris Elba as the Gunslinger and Matthew McConaughey as The Man in Black is scheduled for early 2017.

114. Whiskey Sour by J. A. Konrath - 4 Stars

Whiskey Sour introduces us to Lieutenant Jack Daniels, a brilliant and witty Lieutenant in Chicago's Violent Crimes unit. Jack, short for Jacqueline, is in her mid-forties and her life seems to be in turmoil. Her lover, Don, has just left her for his personal trainer and her successful, but time-consuming, job threatens any future relationships. Right now she and her partner are trying to find the Gingerbread Man before he kills again. He tortures woman and then abandons them in garbage cans outside convenience stores. Two woman are already dead and police haven't been able to find any sort of connection.

Meanwhile, Jack finds some candy in her car, which turns out to be tampered with. She's getting clues directly from the killer and her partner, Herb, convinces her to try a new dating service called Lunch Mates. Her first date will leave you horrified and laughing.

This was a very humorous book, even though it was filled with some very graphic violence. Jack is a great character, as are the many secondary characters we meet along the way. The story is occasionally told from the killer's perspective, which I think works well to tighten the tension in this book. I really enjoyed Whiskey Sour and recommend it to readers who enjoy strong woman, snappy dialogue, and a suspenseful mystery. I've had this book for several years and finally picked it up. I wish I had done so earlier and will probably continue the series when I get a chance.

115. The Fall by Annelie Wendeberg - 3 Stars

In Devils' Grin, the first book of this series, we meet famous epidemiologist, Dr. Anton Kronberg, who turns out to be Anna Kronberg. Anna disguises herself as a man in order to be able to practice medicine in a world in which women are prohibited from doing so. Her specialty is cholera and tetanus. She meets Sherlock Holmes, who despite his fame, is someone she's never heard of before. They work together to solve the case.

In The Fall we pick up three days later when Anna is kidnapped by Holmes' nemesis, Professor James Moriarty. Moriarty needs Anna to help develop biological weapons. She refuses until Moriarty tells her he is holding her father and will kill him unless she complies. The rest of the story shows them developing a relationship where neither of them trusts the other. The relationship takes a strange twist halfway through the book. We don't see much of Holmes in this book but when we do he's still observant, logical and a master of disguise.

I didn't like this book as well as the first one. The story proceeds in a mostly repetitive way. I liked finding out more about bacteriology and the “invention” of biological weapons. I thought the author did a great job of transporting the reader back to England's Victorian era. I also thought Anna lost focus toward toward the last third of the book in a way that was very out of character. The series has a lot of potential and I will probably check out the third book, The Journey, to see if it gets back on track.

116. Tuesday's Gone by Nicci French - 4 Stars

This is the second book in the series featuring psychotherapist Dr Frieda Klein. It immediately draws the reader in with a narrative about a social worker visiting one of her clients, Michelle Doyce. Michelle lives in a very ugly part of London and is a mental health patient who has been released into the community. When the social worker discovers a badly decomposing body in her apartment, the twin forces of DCI Karlsson and Dr. Frieda Klein are brought in to try to make some sense of the incoherent Michelle.

As the police try to discover the identity of the corpse, and why and how he ended up dead, there are two other stories running on the side, seemingly unconnected. Frieda is not happy with the way Michelle is being treated and tries to solve the identity of the dead man herself. Meanwhile, Frieda starts to suspect that there are unresolved problems with her last case.

The well written mystery in this book slowly simmers but then becomes quite compelling. Frieda is a truly fascinating character. She's extremely intelligent, but she also has everyday problems that she is trying to deal with. She can be very annoying too. The supporting characters in this book are some of the best I've ever read. While this could be read as a standalone novel, I highly recommend reading the first book in the series, Blue Monday, to understand some of the threads this book references.

117. The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson - 4 Stars

As indicated by the title, “The Summer Before the War” is set in the English town of Rye, the summer of 1914, just before Britain enters the first World War. The world is anticipating the German invasion of Belgium and few of the characters have any idea how the changes will affect them.

Following the recent death of her father, Beatrice Nash accepts a job as a Latin teacher at a local grammar school. It was arranged through her aunt's connection to the imposing Agatha Kent, a school board member whose husband John works for the Foreign Office. Agatha is a woman ahead of her time and is able to manipulate most of the town through flattery and dinner parties. Agatha's two nephews, Hugh Grange and Daniel Bookham, add to the story, as do their many friends. Hugh is planning to become a surgeon and is very responsible and kind. Daniel writes poetry and is very handsome. Beatrice is trying to keep control of her small trust fund but is constantly being thwarted by her aunt. There is also an interesting mix of Belgian refugees and some gypsies.

The story starts out very slowly. I was at least a quarter of the way through the book before it picked up. However all the background and character building made the rest of the book even better. I thought the best thing about the book were the richly drawn characters and the amusing dialogue. As in most books set in wartime, you're probably going to need some tissues. Despite the fact I was crying, I absolutely loved the ending. I didn't like the book as much as Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, but I'm not going to forget Rye and the people who lived there for a long time.

118. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - 4.5 Stars

Most readers already know the gist of the story. Jane Eyre is an orphan without wealth or social standing. When we first meet young Jane, she's living with at the home of her mean and nasty cousins. Her aunt hates her and eventually has her sent to a Charles Dickens style charity school. After spending nine years at school, she moves to Thornfield Hall, to be governess to a young girl. She meets Edward Rochester and falls madly in love. Eventually he proposes and a terrible thing happens, causing Jane to run away.

I read this book as a young girl and it was always the one of I thought of when someone mentions “classic romance”. Jane was a plain girl who won the heart of the wealthy and debonair Edward Rochester. True love could happen to anyone. I read it through different eyes fifty years later but still found it very enjoyable. Of course, the language is difficult at times but it's still eloquently written. Thornfield Hall is still as atmospheric as it first was and I could still vividly envision the characters.

My only criticism is that the book wraps up just a bit too neatly, but this is what makes Jane's story so fascinating. I liked the ghostly elements of the story and thought it added to the story. I liked the fact that there was an epilogue to update us after the ending. I still loved Jane Eyre, maybe not as much as with my teenage heart, but the story still captivated me.

119. Two Coots in a Canoe by David Morine - 4 Stars

This was an interesting book about two men, 61 year old Ramsay Peard, and his old friend David Morine, 59. One day Dave gets a call from Ramsey asking him if he wanted to canoe down the Connecticut River with him. Dave tells him he doesn't want to haul all their camping equipment in the canoe, so they decide to do what Blanche Dubois does in Streetcar of Desire, “rely on the kindness of strangers”.

This is a humorous story about what they learned and the people they met along the way. They stayed with different strangers every night. I got an education myself, about conservation and the groups that are trying to keep our waters clean. The bonding and relationship between the two men was insightful. The book is very well written, the real life characters are engaging, and I enjoyed it very much.

Way to go Lynda, a veritable reading machine!

120. A Cold White Sun by Vicki Delany - 4 Stars

This is the sixth book of the Constable Molly Smith series, set in Trafalgar, British Columbia. Spring break has just started and high school English teacher, Cathy Lindsay, sets off for a morning walk with her dog. She never returns home and is later found dead on a walking trail, the victim of a shooter. She was a respected teacher in an apparently solid marriage. Constable Molly Smith is the first on the scene and calls her boss, Sergeant John Winters.

Before long, everyone on the police force, including Constable Molly, is needed to investigate the murder. It doesn't seem that Cathy was personally targeted, but does that mean that Trafalgar has a random killer and no one in town is safe? There are several others plots going on in parallel, one of an obsessive woman who thinks she's found the son she gave up for adoption decades ago, and one where Molly meets a handsome, charming man, one who’s as good a skier as she is.

I really like this series. I think the author does a great job at creating a very vivid and realistic small town, along with the many characters that populate Trafalgar. One of my favorites is Molly's mother, ex-hippie Lucky Smith, currently dating the Chief Constable. These mysteries combine the best of traditional village mysteries and police procedurals. They are definitely not cozy, but they're not gritty either. These don't need to be read in order, but the characters are better enjoyed the more you get to know them.

121. The Expatriates by Janice Y. K. Lee - 4 Stars

The Expatriates follows three American women, Mercy, Margaret, and Hilary, who live in an insulated social circle in Hong Kong. Mercy is a young Korean-American woman who has been trying to make a new start in Hong Kong for three years. She is having trouble finding a steady job and knows that she's always been “unlucky.” Margaret is a rich housewife whose life revolves around her kids, her husband, and a small number of friends. When we meet Mercy and Margaret we know they are connected by something tragic, but we don't know what it is. In Part Two we meet Hilary. Hilary and her husband, David, have been in Hong Kong for eight years, and she has been trying to become pregnant ever since their arrival. Her relationship with David is mostly indifferent, but she's hoping an adopted child will help.

Their individual and connecting stories are told by all three women in alternating chapters. Even though they are all on different paths and dealing with different crises, they suffer a similar hopelessness and loneliness. One of the best parts of the book is watching the lives of Mercy, Margaret and Hilary converge and change. I thought the characters were imperfect in a realistic way. I didn't like everything about the women but I felt their stories were interesting and the resolution was satisfying. I've never read the author's debut novel, the Piano Teacher, but I've now added it to my TBR.

122. Ghost Fields by Elly Griffiths - 5 Stars

Ghost Fields is the seventh book in the Ruth Galloways erie Ruth is a 45 year old self described overweight forensic archaeologist who works primarily for the University of North Norfolk. She and Detective Chief Inspector Harry Nelson have teamed up on several occasions to help solve crimes. They also have a five year old daughter, Kate, despite Harry's marriage to the beautiful Michelle. Michelle allows Harry to see Kate but insists that Harry only see Ruth in a professional capacity.

Ruth is digging at a Bronze Age burial site when she gets a call from Harry that there’s a plane buried in a field nearby. Probably from the Second World War, the aircraft still holds the body of the pilot When Ruth notices a bullet hole in the middle of the pilot's forehead the plane becomes a crime scene. It also looks like someone has been digging in a local pet cemetery recently and Harry begins to wonder if the skeleton has been recently moved.

There are plenty of suspects, especially those from Blackstock Hall, where we meeting Old George, his son Young George, his wife, Sally, and his grandchildren, Chaz and Cassandra. When the body is identified as Old George's brother, Fred, we also bring in American Nell Blackstock and her husband. A television crew is interested in filming a story about the lost hero found in the plane and that brings Frank Barker back into Ruth's circle.

I really like this series, with its well-drawn characters who seem very much like real people. Druid Cathbad now married to Judy, Dave Clough and Tim all have their own stories to tell, which adds an interesting dimension to the story. As always, the book grips from the beginning and draws the reader into a fascinating blend of crime and history. I'm a huge fan of this series but wouldn't recommend this as the first one you read. Many of the recurring characters have stories that would be better if you've read a few of the previous book.

123. Not Dead Yet by Peter James - 5 Stars

DS Roy Grace is concerned with identifying a corpse found buried in an industrial chicken shed. The team is struggling to identify the body since it was found without a head, arms or legs. Meanwhile, his boss asks him to ensure the safety of visiting star, Gaia Lafayette, who is filming a movie about King George IV and his lover, Maria Fitzherbert. Roy is also being pulled into some personal issues. After ten years he's having his missing wife declared dead so he can marry his current partner, Cleo Morey, who is just about to give birth to his child. He's also preparing for a major trial and trying to make a good impression on his new boss.

The reader is not sure who is threatening the safety of Gaia, but we meet at least two possible suspects. American, Drayton Wheeler, is convinced they've stolen his screenplay and is determined to ruin the movie, and Anna Galicia, an obsessive fan, has created a Gaia shrine and is convinced that Gaia makes secret signs only for her during performances. The book is written in short chapters jumping between various characters and this adds some tension to the mix.

I thought it was fast paced and filled with well crafted characters. The recurring story line of what's happened to his wife, Sandy, is filled in a little more. I do wish this would conclude at some point. The character of Roy Grace is well rounded and he's changed so much from the first book where he was so introspective. We can feel his joy escalating as the birth of his child draws near and his marriage to Cleo approaches. I thought the story was over the top in many instances but maybe that's what I liked about it. I was certainly entertained and can't wait to read the next book in the series, Dead Man's Time.

124. Red Wolf by Liza Marklund - 3.5 Stars

Thirty years ago, someone destroyed a plane at a secure military air base in Luleå. Though no one was ever tried for the crime, blame was assigned by the Swedish authorities to an anonymous Russian and the matter forgotten. Journalist Benny Ekland seems to have some new information so crime reporter Annika Bengtson flies to Luleå to meet with him. When she arrives she discovers he has been killed. After talking to a young eyewitness the police have missed, she discovers his death was the result of a deliberate hit and run. Eventually she learns the police did have a main suspect for the bombing back in 1969, a local left-wing activist known as Ragnwald. Annika wonders if Ragnwald has returned and if so, why?

I've never read a book in this series but picked up Red Wolf, which turns out to be the fifth book. I liked Annika. She's a plucky heroine trying to cope with a demanding job, demanding young children, a possible cheating husband, and close friends with similar problems. She is definitely not perfect, and she can be devious and even hysterical at times. This is the type of series I usually enjoy, so when I get a chance I'm going to go back to the first book and see how Annika has held up over the years.

125. The Girls of Atomic City by Denise Kiernan - 4.5 Stars

The fuel for the atomic bomb that ended the war with Japan in 1945 was produced in Oak Ridge Tennessee beginning in 1943. Between 1943 and 1945, young women left home to take unknown jobs in the newly constructed town of Oak Ridge, Tennessee. They were told their jobs would bring a speedy and victorious end to the war and that was enough for them. They didn't know what they were working on until America dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. They did not know what their work would produce, only that it was top secret. Letters home to family were censored and some of the women were asked to spy on their fellow workmates to ensure secrecy.

The story is told in two different ways. The women's story is told between alternating chapters of the science behind the bomb. We learn about Tubealloy, a code name for uranium. The author assumes the reader knows nothing about science. She was definitely right in my case. She was able to explain nuclear fission without using huge words or diagrams. Still, much of it was over my head but the chapters were fairly short. The stories were filled with the true experiences of the actual women and the life they led in Oak Ridge. Those were interesting and the reader gets a true vision of those sexist times. Two examples are Ida Nodack, a German scientist who ridiculed when she first suggested fission, and Lise Meitner, a physicist who was part of the team that discovered fission but was not allowed to share the Nobel Prize.

It's difficult to read some of the stories. The government was aware of the dangers of exposure to radiation but failed to warn workers about it. The author details one particular case where a a black car-wreck survivor given injections of plutonium without his knowledge. This book brings a vivid and fascinating look at what was sacrificed to bring us into the nuclear age and I'm glad I finally had the opportunity to read it.

Not Dead Yet by Peter James

>130 Olivermagnus: Glad you enjoyed one of my favorites. Hope Peter James never runs out of Roy Grace ideas:)

>130 Olivermagnus: >133 Carol420: Me too! Pleased a new one has been published as I have read the rest. Saving the next one until Holiday when I can really enjoy it!

>133 Carol420: >134 Andrew-theQM: - I really enjoy the series. I'm trying to finish it this year.

I stand in awe, Lynda, an amazing rate!

Wow OM! You and Carol are reading machines! Good numbers this year!

>137 eadieburke: Great total Lynda & Oliver! Did you set a goal for this year?

126. The Christmas Train by David Baldacci - 3.5 Stars

The Christmas Train is the story of Tom Langdon, a hard bitten war correspondent who sets off on a cross country train trip just before Christmas. It was one of his late father's last requests and Tom has finally decided to fulfill it. Along the way he meets a variety of interesting people. He is also reunited with the love of his life, Eleanor. He let her walk out of his life and has always regretted it.

It's very typical of the style of book that is popular as a Christmas read. You already know it's going to be filled with heart warming stories and quirky people who band together and help each other during the Christmas season. Sometimes when writers go outside their usual genre, the result can be disappointing. While I much prefer Baldacci's thrillers, he does tell a nice feel-good story. I wouldn't rush out and buy this but if you're planning a Christmas read, it has an enjoyable story line, likable characters, and a positive message.

127. On the Island by Tracy Garvis-Graves - 4 Stars

On the Island is the story of thirty year old tutor, Anna and TJ, a sixteen year old boy recovering from cancer. Anna has been hired for the summer so TJ can catch up on the schoolwork he missed while at chemotherapy. She and TJ are on a private plan, headed for the Maldives, when the pilot has a heart attack and the plane goes down. Anna and TJ make it to the island and then struggle to survive. Their hope for a search plane diminishes as each day goes by. They have no supplies or water and it seems like they won't be there long before the elements kill them. In a series of “coincidences” Anna's suitcase, and other items, wash up on the beach, which gives them the kick-start they need to build a survival plan.

The book is told in alternating chapters featuring Anna and TJ. As the days turn to weeks, the weeks to months, and the months to years, we follow their story. As the years pass they begin to become more attracted to one another despite the age difference. At no time did I feel like the love scenes were inappropriate or uncomfortable. I give a lot of credit to the author for easing us into their sexual relationship.

I used to read a lot of romances when I was younger and, even though I don't read too many now, I thought this was a very sweet book. There's romance, survival on an island, and a fast paced interesting story. Predictable, yes, but isn't that what you want in a romance?

128. Murder on Fifth Avenue by Victoria Thompson - 4 Stars

This is book fourteen of the Gaslight Mystery series featuring midwife Sarah Brandt and police detective Frank Malloy. Frank is called to the Knickerbocker Club by Felix Decker, Sarah's father, who asks him to discretely investigate the murder of one of the members. Chilton Devries, a nasty but wealthy businessman, appears to have been stabbed by a very thin, sharp object. He didn't realize he was mortally wounded and apparently bled to death internally at the club. Since Devries was such a horrible man, there are numerous suspects. Frank asks Sarah to help him investigate by interviewing the victim's family member. He thinks because she comes from a wealthy society family she may be able to get more information from them than he can.

I enjoy this somewhat cozy historical mystery series. The characters are interesting and it's fun to see Sarah dabble in a little amateur sleuthing. She and Frank share a fun and humorous connection that hasn't turned to romance yet. They are both widowed, Sarah has adopted a young girl, and Frank is father to a young deaf boy. I'm not sure why the author hasn't developed their relationship yet, but am confident that she eventually will.

I read this as a comfort series, one that is familiar but where I learn a little bit about Victorian New York City. The author portrays it in a very atmospheric way. While this wasn't my favorite of the books I've read, I still found it enjoyable and plan to continue with the next book in the series, Murder in Chelsea.

129. Executive Privilege by Phillip Margolin - 4 Stars

When former detective and now private investigator, Dana Cutler, is hired by an attorney with political connections, it seems like a pretty simple job. She just has to follow college student, Charlotte Walsh and report on everything she does. Unfortunately the unexpected happens and Dana takes photos of Charlotte meeting with Christopher Farrington, the president of the United States. The following morning, Walsh’s dead body shows up and strangers are trying to kill Dana.

Meanwhile on the other side of the country, junior attorney, Brad Miller, is working on the appeal of a convicted killer. Clarence Little, now on death row. Little admits to killing several young women but claims he's been framed for one of the murders. Another young girl who just happened to have been working for then governor Christopher Farrington before being murdered.

This was an enjoyable and fast moving book. It's pretty predictable but I still enjoyed the story and the characters. I think it would make a great book for a plane ride due to the quick pace.

130. Blood Hollow - by William Kent Krueger - 5 Stars

Charlotte Kane, daughter of the wealthy Fletcher Kane, disappears on New Year’s Eve in the small town of Aurora, Minnesota. Everyone, including former sheriff Cork O'Connor, is involved in the search for her. Despite the fascinating and somewhat paranormal incident Cork has while on his snowmobile, her body isn't found until the spring thaw. She disappeared after a fight with ex-lover, Solemn Winter Moon, a young Ojibwe Indian. He becomes the only “person of interest” in the investigation and Cork, believing him innocent, agrees to help him.

There are so many things going on in this book. Cork’s wife, Jo, accepts Solemn's case, uncovering a few well-hidden secrets that point to other law-abiding citizens. Solemn claims to have talked with Jesus in the woods (Jesus is wearing Minnetonka moccasins), leading him to become much more serious and pragmatic. Cork's family is front and center in this book, including Rose, Jo's sister, and her relationship with the Catholic Church. I admire the way the author writes his female characters in this series. Cork is surrounded by women: his wife, his sister-in-law, and his two teenage daughters and Krueger shows a lot of sensitivity in relating their feelings and emotions.

There is a very complex plot dealing with several themes, including murder, miracles, and spirituality in both Catholicism and native American religion. Cork, part Ojibwe and part Catholic, questions what he really believes in. Again, the author explores these themes in a non-proselytizing way that links all the story lines. I've recently started this series and absolutely love it. I can't believe I've owned the books for so long and am just now reading them. I think you can enjoy this book out of order, but there's a lot of back story that makes it more enjoyable if you've read the books in order, starting with Iron Lake. For anyone wanting to experience what a fantastic author William Kent Krueger is, I also highly recommend his standalone novel, Ordinary Grace.

131. The Innocent Man by John Grisham - 4.5 Stars

The Innocent Man begins by describing the rape and murder of Debra Sue Carter, a cocktail waitress living in Ada, Oklahoma. The case went unsolved until 1987, when Ron Williamson and a friend, Dennis Fritz, were arrested and charged with the murder. The prosecution's main witness claimed that the pair had been at the club where Carter worked on the night of her murder. The author proceeds to document a horrible abuse committed by the prosecutors in this trial. It's horrible to read about such a miscarriage of justice, especially knowing there are probably countless other cases out there just like this one.

I'm a big fan of true crime and this was a fascinating story. I didn't really like the style Grisham used to document the story. It seemed like one big long summary interspersed with his own sarcasm. I guess it's understandable because the prosecution was so incredibly biased. Grisham exposes the flaws in the American justice system, which is under constant pressure to bring criminals to justice, even if those criminals might not be guilty.

132. Blood Infernal by James Rollins and Rebecca Cantrell - 4 Stars

Blood Infernal is the final amazing book in the Order of the Sanguines trilogy. Rollins and Cantrell have woven together an adventure story mixed with religion, history and the supernatural. We are joined again by The Knight of Christ, Rhun Korza; The Warrior of Man, Jordan Stone; and the Woman of Learning, Erin Granger. Other key characters from the first two books also return and their stories interconnect. They travel to Italy and the Czech Republic, the Pyrenees and even further, hoping to keep the Apocalypse from starting. The team must battle a demon named Legion and face Lucifer himself. Very little time is left.

Blood Infernal has a wonderful and thrilling plot. It's a page-turning ride from the beginning to its powerful conclusion. I'm sad that the story is over but I enjoyed reading it very much. When I first started the trilogy I wasn't sure I would enjoy it nearly as much as I did. I loved the historical aspects along with some very strong and believable characters. Initially I questioned the need for the vampires but they added extra layers to the story. I highly recommend reading the books in order to enjoy the full story, beginning with Blood of the Gospels.

133. The Other Side of the Bridge by Mary Lawson - 4.5 Stars

This was a beautiful coming of age story set in rural northern Canada. Arthur and Jake are as different as brothers can be. Arthur takes after his father. He's a strong solid man who kind and helpful, but not a good student. His mother insists he stay in school, even though he knows an education won't help him on the Depression era farm. Jake, the younger brother, is smart, articulate and his mother's pride and joy. She can't see his cruelty and manipulation. One day Arthur is tasked with walking some cows to a nearby farm. While leading them over a rickety bridge, Jake plays around under the bridge, which leads to an incident that will haunt Arthur for the rest of his life.

The Depression era story is interwoven twenty years later with a new narrator, Ian Christopherson, son of the local doctor. Ian has an adolescent crush on Arthur's beautiful wife, Laura, and decides their farm would be the perfect place for his summer job before heading off to college. Jake is nowhere around and no one mentions him.

I loved this book but I can't put my finger on exactly why. It's a beautifully written, character driven human drama that echoes the story of Esau and Jacob, with each parent having a favorite. It's such a subtle book, yet filled with tragedy, humanity, and decency. I have to read something else by this talented author.

134. House of Echoes by Brendan Duffy - 3.5 Stars

House of Echos is a dark and enjoyable gothic style novel, mixing history and mysterious modern day events. A family leaves the hustle and bustle of the city to start a new life in a run down house in a small town. Everyone knows each other, and newcomers are not welcomed with open arms. There is a sense of foreboding from the first pages. You know something is wrong but you don't know what it is. Mysteries from past events that happened in the house are connected to mysteries of the present by a series of letters written from Bess to her sister in 1776. The atmosphere is very mysterious and filled with apprehension.

I really enjoyed this book and I think it's an excellent debut from an author with a great future in this genre. It's a mixture of horror story and a mystery. The whole book echoes anxiety and is filled with tension. This is a well written horror book that keeps the reader guessing until the final pages.

>147 Olivermagnus: Duffy's book sounds good- going add to my list.

135. Silver Bay by Jojo Moyes - 4 Stars

Kathleen Mostyn, who is 76, owns the ramshackle, eight-room Silver Bay Hotel on a secluded beach in Australia. She sets the novel in motion by introducing herself and revealing "when I was 17, I became famous for catching the biggest shark New South Wales had ever seen'. We then meet her troubled daughter, Liza, and her ten year old granddaughter, Hannah, along with the quirky characters that you would expect in such a setting. The small town exists on tourism, primarily dolphin and whale watching boat trips.

Londoner Mike Dormer is looking for a place in Australia to put up a big spa/hotel that will provide all kinds of water sports. He keeps that information quiet, but moves into the rundown Silver Bay Hotel and becomes involved with the locals. As the development begins to take on a momentum of its own, and the effect on the whales that migrate past the bay begins to reveal itself, Mike’s and Liza’s worlds crash.

The book is told from the point of view of quite a few different people and the book would have benefited without at least two of them. In a mysterious twist, one of Liza's narrations refers to the death of her four year old daughter, Letty. There are mysteries to be solved as the story progresses and a few plot twists that provide an added dimension to the book. This is not an action-packed story, but rather a slow, charming tale about the town, it's people and the sea animals that inhabit Silver Bay.

136. Next Time You See Me by Katia Lief - 4 Stars

Karin Schaeffer is still living in Brooklyn, New York, about to celebrate her second wedding anniversary with her husband, Mac. She and Mac receive an unexpected call that Mac's parents have been brutally murdered in an apparent home invasion. The day after the funeral Mac insists on going to work and promises Karin, “the next time you see me, I’ll be . . . “ when she cuts off his sentence with a kiss. Then he disappears.

She still hasn't heard from him two weeks later, when she, and Mac's best friend and detective, Billy Staples are notified that the car he had apparently rented had been found in Long Island Sound. After the car is retrieved there is no body, but Mac's shoe is found under the seat. Months go by without a word from him but Karin is convinced that Mac is still alive since no body has ever been found. She hires a private detective who discovers things about Mac’s past she never suspected and she decides to look for him herself.

I recently read the first book in this series and thought it was suspenseful and surprising. This story was fast paced with some twists and turns that most suspense readers will find pretty predictable. I enjoyed the book and plan to continue the series.

137. Long Way Home by Eva Dolan - 4 Stars

The story begins with a fire burning in Phil and Gemma Barlow's outside shed. When the blaze dies down the police discover the shed was padlocked shut with someone sleeping inside. DI Dushan Zigic and DS Mel Ferreira of the Hate Crimes Unit believe the dead man was Jaan Stepulov, an alcoholic Estonian immigrant, who had taken over the Barlow's shed and refused to leave. They become chief suspects because they didn't report the fire and even claim that they didn't notice it burning right below their bedroom window. Soon Zigic and Ferreira finding additional suspects including a convicted arsonist and member of a far-right movement who has just been released from prison, and a slumlord that's often been accused of exploiting migrants.

DI Zigic has a Serbian background, DS Ferreira is Portuguese, and both have suffered incidents of racism from the community. In an interesting character twist, Ferreira is always on edge, always the “bad cop”. She rolls her own cigarettes and makes snap decisions on guilt based on her own prejudices. Zigic, a family man, is pragmatic and less prone to impulse. The question of immigration and integration is one that is heating up around the world and is skillfully described in this book.

These are fascinating new characters who are original and believable. Long Way Home is that start of a series featuring them and I definitely plan to read another.

138. Dead Wake by Eric Larson - 4 Stars

The Lusitania was the passenger ship sunk by a German U boat during World War I. The fact that 123 Americans died threatened to force the United States' entry into World War I against Germany. Even when you know how the story will end, this book is a page-turner. The Lusitania, weighing more than 44,000 tons and one of the grandest of luxury liners, sank in approximately 25 minutes with a loss of 1,198 lives out of a total of 1,959 aboard. The author draws upon a wealth of sources for his subject — telegrams, wireless messages, survivor depositions, secret intelligence ledgers, a submarine captain's war log, love letters, admiralty and university archives, even morgue photos of Lusitania victims. Larson has a gift for weaving together facts to make a narrative which is suspenseful and gripping. He takes great care in bringing to life passengers and making them human.

Throughout this book we are shown how recently widowed President Woodrow Wilson strove to stay out of the war. We also learn how the British Admiralty, headed by 40-year-old Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill, failed to communicate to the Lusitania that it was headed straight toward German submarine U-20, captained by the ruthless Walter Schwieger. If you love Woodrow Wilson or Winston Churchill, this book also takes a little luster off of their reputations.If you love reading historical non-fiction you will definitely enjoy Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania.

139. Buried Strangers by Leighton Gage - 4 Stars

Buried Strangers is the second book featuring Mario Silva, the Chief Inspector for Criminal Matters of the Federal Police of Brazil. When a handyman reports human remains discovered by his dog, detective Yoshiro Tanaka and his team search the area expecting to find a single skeleton, but ultimately realize they are in a mass grave of bodies that appear to be families. Even though Brazil records over 32,000 missing persons cases each year, very few of them involve entire families. Before long a neighbor reports that a family of four is reported missing. Silva's boss sends him to consult with Tanaka because Silva is also investigating the missing son of his housekeeper. He senses a connection between these two cases, but there's no obvious evidence to link them.

I thought the author did a great job of creating a story that is vividly linked to the cultural, political, and social system of Brazil. Buried Strangers is a swiftly paced mystery. Silva is an interesting character, one who must navigate the treacherous waters of Brazilian politics. I think this is a great read but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to anyone who doesn't like a lot of violence in their police procedurals.

140. Templar Legacy by Steve Berry - 4 Stars

June Update - pending

141. Mrs. Mike by Benedict Freedman - 4 Stars

This story is about sixteen year old Katherine Mary O’Fallon, a 16 year old Irish girl from Boston in 1907, and the man she falls in love with, Sargent Mike Flannigan, a hero who is handsome, chivalrous, strong and fearless. Kathy is suffering from pleurisy and is sent alone to Canada to recover at her uncle's home in Calgary. Mike is a Canadian Mounted Policeman, who falls in love with her and takes her to the Northwest Territories of the Canadian wilderness. We follow along with Kathy and Mike and witness their life in the harsh and beautiful land, which includes isolation, snow, fire, death, bears, and even deadly mosquitoes. Kathy and Mike learn respect for the Indians, their beliefs and their way of life. It's also a timeless love story.

I first read this book when I was twelve and, of course, fell madly in love with Mike. I definitely wanted to grow up and marry a Canadian Mountie and live in a cabin in the wilderness. (Ironically, I married someone named Mike, and lived in Alaska for three years but it just wasn't the same). Reading the book fifty years later is a bit disheartening for me. I saw Mr. and Mrs. Mike in a much more jaundiced way. Of course, since the book was published in 1947, the attitude and language with reference to Indians and women might offend some. Over the years there has been some indications that the “true” story was highly fictionalized by the Freedman's.

Nevertheless, it remains one of the most memorable books I've ever read. I needed to pull out some tissues a couple of time. I still think of Mrs. Mike as one of the first books that contributed to my lifelong love of reading and of historical fiction. I have a shelf called “nostalgia” and it's the perfect place to put this gem. The book was “based” on a true story and doesn't claim to be non-fiction. It's love story that emphasizes what friendship, community, family and love are all about.

142. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck - 4.5 Stars

Of Mice and Men is a tale of friendship between two men, George Milton and Lennie Small. It's set against the backdrop of the United States during the depression of the 1930s. George and Lennie are headed for California to look for work and, hopefully, the elusive American Dream. Along the way, something tragic happens.

This is another classic novel, often read in high school, that really gains significance for the reader once they are old enough to understand the issues Steinbeck was examining. The book addresses the real hopes and dreams of working-class America and raises the lives of the poor and dispossessed to a higher, symbolic level.

Of Mice and Men is a tale of friendship that triumphs over the odds. The novel is also extremely telling about the society in which it is set, examining many of the prejudices at the time. In addition to racism and bigotry towards the unfamiliar, it also deals with poverty, loneliness and friendship. This is a short, but powerful classic that is a wonderful example of a book that you that you will not put down until it is finished.

143. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway - 5 Stars

Most readers, and high school English students, already know the plot of The Old Man and the Sea. Santiago is an old man, and many are starting to think that he can no longer fish. He has gone for months without landing any kind of fish and has lost his apprentice to another fishing crew. He sets out into the open sea and goes a little further out than he normally would in his desire to catch a fish. Finally, he snags a huge marlin and spends three days and nights in the sea, battling the fish.

The Old Man and the Sea is a short novel and is much simpler than many of Hemingway's other books. Maybe because of its brevity, it's considered one of his finest works. The characters are minimal so he had a chance to show what a skillful writer he was. Hemingway excels in describing the tension of the old man's dogged determination, the magnificence of the great marlin and the beauty of days and nights alone on the sea. This unvarnished style lets him tell a story of simple bravery.

The Old Man and the Sea was the last major book Hemingway wrote, and it led to his receiving the Pulitzer Prize in 1953 and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954. I urge you to read this short book and discover one of the greatest works in American literature.

144. Tiger Lily by Lori Ann Armstrong - 4 Stars

Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to Tiger Lily, the girl with the crow feather in her hair. Adopted by Tik Tok, the village shaman, Tiger Lily got her name from the flower that grew over the place where she was found. Bullied by the villagers , Tiger Lily, now fifteen, doesn’t believe in love stories or happy endings. That changes when she meets Peter Pan in the woods of Neverland and falls under his spell.

This starts out as a charming story narrated by Tinkerbell, who is herself in love with Peter. Her first loyalty is to Tiger Lily, and the reader gets to know the story of the Lost Boys, Wendy, and Captain Hook through Tink's observations. It's not all happy and we experience the much darker side of Neverland. The Lost Boys seem more like gang members, the pirates are vicious, especially Hook, who is desperate to find a cure for aging. The only way Smee can feel empathy is by killing and the mermaids will drown anyone they catch.

Usually I find fairly tale retellings less interesting than the original. I'm the complete opposite in this case. Overall, this book was happy and sad, all at the same time. It's about what it feels like to fall in love, and what it means when you have to grow up. I thought it was hauntingly beautiful, and its impact will stay with me for a long time.

145. The Neighbor by Lisa Gardner - 4 Stars

When a pretty, young schoolteacher like Sandra Jones goes missing without a trace, the usual suspect is always the the husband. Especially Jason Jones, who seems detached from the whole incident and is very uncooperative. There is one witness, Sandra and Jason's four year old daughter, Ree. Both Jason and Sandra seem to have something to hide. Detective D. D. Warren is sure he's a murderer, even though no blood or body has been found. Before long, she learns that Aiden Brewster, a convicted sex offender, lives on the same street.

Many of the chapters begin with what seems like journal entries either from Sandra or Jason, describing events in their past. The plot unfolds slowly and I had no idea what had actually happened until the very end. The book was filled with twists, turns and tension. I thought The Neighbor was a great suspense novel and it kept me guessing all the way to the end.

146. A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy - 4 Stars

A Week in Winter, Maeve Binchy's last novel, is a charming and familiar blend of colorful characters, set in a country house hotel on the west coast of Ireland. It proceeds to tell the stories of its staff and guests. First we meeting Geraldine “Chicky” Ryan who fell in love with the wrong man and makes up a story for her family when she returns years later. She decides to purchase a historic house in Stonybridge, her home town, and turn it into a small and quiet hotel. She spends quite a bit of time preparing the house but she knows she's going to need friends and family to help her make it a success. Once we read the stories about Chicky and her close friends, we start those of the guests who have come to stay during the opening weekend.

I love the way Maeve Binchy writes and she succeeded in making me interested in every chapter and the characters it featured. She finished this book shortly before her death in 2012 and probably didn't have the time to edit it herself. I never felt there was a connection to an overarching storyline and it never coalesced as a novel for me. All the guests eventually leave knowing more about themselves. While not my favorite Binchy, it was a lovely journey and an enjoyable read. I'm sad that she is no longer with us but she left dozens of wonderful books to remember her by.

147. Slash and Burn by Colin Cotterill - 4.5 Stars

This story opens in 1968 when Boyd Bowry, son of a U.S. senator, is presumed dead after the helicopter he was flying exploded over a remote village in the northern mountains of Laos. Flash forward ten years where septuagenarian, Doctor Siri Paiboun, the country's only coroner, has been tasked with forming a delegation to meet with some Americans who are interested in finding out what happened to Boyd and to see if they can recover any remains. Dr. Siri decides it's the perfect time to gather his close friends and family for a little “mini” vacation.

That means fans of this humorous series will travel along with Dr Siri, his wife (Madame Daeng), his nurse (Dtui) and his Down's Syndrome morgue attendant (Mr. Geung). He also brings along Dtui's husband, along with his oldest friend, his nasty boss and a transvestite fortune teller. Mountainous terrain and rainy weather are just some of their problems, but it soon becomes apparent the Americans want to control the flow of information. Naturally, someone will end up dead and Dr Siri and his eccentric team will have to solve the murder themselves.

This might not be the series for everyone but if you are a fan, you will love another trek into the jungle with this wonderfully peculiar group of characters. Everyone around Dr Siri plays their part in solving the mystery of not just the more recent murder, but the crash and disappearance of Boyd Bowry. I loved the audio, narrated by Clive Chafer and can't wait to get my hands on the next Dr. Siri adventure.

148. The Fallen Angel by Daniel Silva - 5 Stars

Any book featuring Gabriel Allon, former Israeli spy/assassin and current art restoration genius will have a complex plot. Gabriel is currently restoring a Caravaggio painting at the Vatican. After events in The Confessor, he has developed a close relationship with the Pope. When Dr. Claudia Andreatti falls to her death in St. Peter’s Basilica, Gabriel is asked by his friend and the Pope’s private secretary, Luigi Donati, to quietly investigate. At first, Claudia's death is assumed to be a suicide. Once Gabriel discovers she was documenting the provenance of some of the Vatican's precious art objects, another motive comes into play. The chain of events, starting with the murder in St. Paul's, involves many twists and turns. Gabriel and his team begin to follow a trail that leads them to art theft, terrorist explosions, a kidnapped Iranian diplomat and even a potential plot to kill the Pope on his upcoming visit to Israel and Palestine.

Gabriel has had a past life filled with anguish. His son and wife were blown up in an explosion targeting Gabriel and he is filled with a constant struggle to understand and accept his new love and life. The writing and research in this book is flawless. Gabriel's poignant back story and tender scenes with his wife, Chiara, provide moments of humanity to a man who knows he's killed many times before. The relationship between Donati and Gabriel is very vivid and humorous.

Daniel Silva takes a complex story and makes it a thriller. The author also puts in a note at the end of the book to tell you the true stories that the fictional novel is based on. I can't think of anyone whose books I look forward to so much. Over the years I've read each one as soon as it's published and am now making my way through them in audio. I enjoy them even more in audio, narrated by one of the true masters in audio narration, George Guidall.

149. Into the Wilderness by Sarah Donati - 4.5 Stars

This epic tale tells the story of a twenty-nine-year-old Englishwoman, Elizabeth Middleton, who travels to a remote area of New York State in 1792 to live with her father and brother. Elizabeth was raised by her aunt in England and is very serious about her independence. She wants to set up a school in New York for children of all races and has no intention of ever marrying. She soon meets and falls in love with Nathaniel Bonner, a white man who was raised among Native Americans. He and his family act as protectors for the last of the Mohawk tribes still living in the area. The novel follows the adventures of Elizabeth and Nathaniel, who are forced to flee into the Mohawk lands, and try to stay one step ahead of Richard Todd, a man determined to marry Elizabeth for the land she owns.

The book I read had 898 pages so the plot is too long and interwoven to describe. Additionally, there are five other volumes in the continuing series. Several characters narrate the story but Elizabeth and Nathaniel are the primary storytellers. The book includes a list of characters and a map at the beginning which might prove helpful. I never felt the need to refer to it because I felt like the individual characters were written so well I could always remember who they were. There were several times when I was rapidly turning the pages to see what would happen next.

I thought the details of early American culture along with the details about the Mohawk way of life were fascinating. This is also a love story and the combination of history and romance was just right. I don't know when I'll get to them, but I'm definitely planning to continue the series. I recommend it and hope the others are just as compelling.

150. Dead Man's Time by Peter James - 5 Stars

This book starts with a short prologue set in 1920's New York City. A very young brother and sister are spared after their mother is shot and their father kidnapped. Their father was associated with an Irish gang and it's likely he's been killed. The children are taken to back to Ireland by their aunt, but before they board the ship, someone gives the young boy his father’s pocket watch and a series of numbers. He vows to return one day and find his father.

Fast forward about 85 years and DS Roy Grace is investigating the home invasion murder of an older woman. It's not hard to guess that she's the young girl from the prologue. Her brother, now in his 90s doesn't care about the millions of dollars of antiques that have been stolen. They've also stolen his father's watch, their priceless family heirloom, and the only thing they have to remind them of their former life. He's rich and powerful and plans to get it back even it means lying to Grace to keep him from finding the murderer first. In addition to investigating the murder, Roy is trying to cope with becoming a new father. He can't sleep and his relationship with his girlfriend, Cleo, has become more difficult. He's also unaware that a nasty criminal named Amis Smallbone is preparing to harm Cleo and the baby.

The plotting is tight and the tension is well done. There are several red herrings that makes it an interesting story for any crime fan. DS Roy Grace and his team are great characters and the story of what happened to the watch and what it means was quite intriguing. It's a real page turner and I can't wait to see what happens in the next book.

151. Stalking Ivory by Suzanne Arruda - 3.5 Stars

Stalking Ivory is the second book in the Jade del Cameron series, set in Africa in the 1920s. She explores Africa with her camera and writes a for the Traveler Magazine. Jade's current assignment is to photograph elephants in the Mount Marsabit area of Kenya. Jade has also promised the chief game warden that she’ll be on the lookout for ivory poachers in the area. Even though elephants aren’t yet endangered animals they are preyed on by ivory poachers who brutally slaughter whole herds. Not only does Jade find poachers, she also has to deal with slave trading, gun running, and murder.

I thought the mystery was very well constructed. The secondary characters are quite interesting, especially Jelani, the young boy Jade is determined to help. He also travels along with Jade, babysitting her pet cheetah, Biscuit. Sometimes the main character can be a bit unrealistic. Nevertheless, this is a series I often read when looking for an escapist read.

152. Rebel Queen by Michelle Moran - 4.5 Stars

Queen Lakshmi of Jhansi is a hero in India but little is known of her in most of the rest of the world. In Rebel Queen, her story of resistance to the English takeover of her kingdom is told from the viewpoint of Sita, a member of Lakshmi’s elite female guards, the Dhurga Dal. We begin with an introduction to Sita as a young girl. She, like other women in her caste, live in purdah and cannot be seen by any man outside her own family. Her family doesn't have any money for her dowry so she and her father decide to have her train her to become a Durgavasi. There is a competition to get into the Durga Dal when one of the Durgavasi retires. It is years before there is an opening but Sita eventually wins a chance to compete.

In 1857 the British Empire decides to annex Jhansi and doesn't expect any challenge to its powerful army. Because India is divided into independent kingdoms, each with their own individuals armies, the British are surprised to get to Jhansi and discover that Queen Lakshmi is riding at the head of her army, determined to protect her people.

I felt immersed in the place, the time and the Indian culture. This was a story of family, love, and betrayal, and Sita was the perfect narrator. Some of the atrocities committed by both sides will disturb you, but the novel provides a context that histories sometimes lack. This was an amazing story, and a piece of history I was completely unaware of. I have to say I am not disappointed in this novel at all, and look forward to Michelle Moran's new novel, Mata Hari's Last Dance.

153. Dark Watch by Clive Cussler and Jack du Brul - 4.5 Stars

Juan Cabrillo, captain of the Oregon and Chairman of the Corporation, accepts a job to find and stop a ring of pirates that are preying on ships in the Pacific Ocean. Their state of the art ship is disguised to lure the pirates. When that inevitably happens, they sink the pirate ship and manage to save a large container that had been on the deck. After they open it they discover it is filled with dead bodies, probably migrants trying to escape to better conditions. They also find a sinking ship that still has one passenger alive and must perform some tricky steps to get her out before it sinks.

Dark Watch is action-packed and never slows down until the final scene. The story line feels more like a Mission Impossible movie than a novel, but is fun to follow as Cabrillo and his crew save themselves in some pretty tension-filled scenarios. I was not much of a fan of the first two books in this series, which Cussler wrote with Craig Dirgo. The change to new co-author Jack du Brul was a great move and added some real character development to the mixture. Fans of the Oregon Files will enjoy this latest adventure to stop an international banking syndicate who plan use murder as a business tool to build up their human slave trade.

154. A Nun in the Closet by Dorothy Gilman - 3 Stars

When the nuns of St. Tabatha Abbey received a letter informing them that a mysterious man named Joseph Moretti has left them his estate, two of the cloistered nuns are nominated to go investigate the property. Sister John and Sister Hyacinthe reach the old house and their cloistered world soon begins to fall apart. The house is dark and scary and the nuns start to think it might even be haunted by the ghost of Mr. Moretti. Searching for water they discover a suitcase full of money hidden down the well. Then they discover a wounded man who has been shot, hiding in an upstairs closet. He pleads with them, asking that they don't notify a doctor or the police, and asks for sanctuary. They disguise him as a nun but before long both the police and the mafia arrive.

The book was written in 1975 so it has a bit of a dated feel. The characters' plea for the townspeople to accept migrant workers is an issue that is just as relevant today. One of my favorite things about Dorothy Gilman's characters is that she doesn't find it necessary to stereotype mature women. A Nun in the Closet is a quick and easy read that has some humorous moments. While not as entertaining as the author's Mrs. Pollifax series, it was still an entertaining story.

154 books, a stunning total! Well done Lynda.

155. Gone for Good by Harlan Coben

In the final lucid moments before her death, Will Klein's mother tells him his older brother, Ken, is still alive. Will doesn't know whether to believe her or not. Ken disappeared eleven years ago, after becoming a suspect in the rape/murder of Will's former girlfriend. Shortly after the funeral Ken's current girlfriend, Sheila, disappears as well. Will and and his best friend begin their own investigation and soon discover Sheila isn't who he thinks she is. Eventually they find a connection between Ken and Sheila. To say anything more would be a spoiler.

What a great book. I was riveted from start to finish. Surprises and twists are scattered throughout the story and just when you feel like you know what's going on, the rug will be swept out from underneath your feet. Coben always delivers fascinating characters and both Squares and The Ghost are just phenomenal. Not many writers have such a gift with realistic dialogue. This is an edge of your seat suspense novel and I absolutely recommend it.

156. The World at Night by Alan Furst - 3 Stars

Rene Casson is a famous French film producer caught in Paris as the Germans take the city in 1940. He continues to think he can just avoid the ugliness of war by ignoring it. He only wants to continue to make his films and enjoy evenings with his close friends, many of whom share his sentiments about ignoring the war. When an acquaintance tries to recruit him into the Resistance, he refuses, but eventually becomes involved.

I expected to like this book much better than I did. I think I just had too high an expectation. I enjoyed the story, but Casson's reluctance to become involved and air of futility began to annoy me. I felt like he lived in his own little world, but I admit it was an interesting one, filled with fascinating French characters. His obsession with a former lover, Citrine, provided a lot a flashbacks to happier times. I like most of Furst's books but this wasn't my favorite. If you have never read a book by Alan Furst, I recommend Night Soldiers, The Polish Officer or The Spies of Warsaw.

157. The English Girl by Daniel Silva - 4.5 Stars

Back in 2000, Daniel Silva brought new life into the international thriller genre with book:The Kill Artist|93794 which introduced us to Gabriel Allon, an intriguing combination of art restorer and Israeli Mossad spy and assassin. Madeline Hart, a rising star in Britain's governing party, vanishes in Corsica. The Prime Minister, Jonathan Lancaster, is threatened when a DVD arrives after her abduction where she confesses that she's having an affair with him. With it comes a request for ten million Euros or the DVD will become public. If that happens Lancaster's career will be over. After consulting with one of his closest intelligence advisers, Director Graham Seymour, Lancaster agrees to enlist the services of Gabriel Allon to find Madeline before she's killed.

When the story begins, Gabriel has semi-retired from world of espionage and is living a quiet life in Israel restoring classic works of art. After being assured the mission will be completely confidential he accepts the job which pitches him back into a world of violence and to countries where he has plenty of enemies. In the first half of the book Gabriel is operating on his own, with only the help of an assassin-for-hire who at one time accepted a contract to kill him. Gabriel's Israeli team appears in the second half of the book and the action escalates all over Europe and the Middle East. As usual nothing is as it seems and the truth is surprising.

Daniel Silva's writing style is very dynamic. He brings Gabriel Allon to life as an old friend and someone to whom the reader can easily relate. I've been rereading this series by listening to the audio books and I absolutely recommend this novel to any fan of spy thriller/espionage. You won't be disappointed. I tend to think series are best read in order, but there is enough filling in of the back story that a person reading this series for the first time would be able to understand and enjoy it as well.

158. Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson

Every morning Christine wakes up in a strange bed beside a strange man. She views herself as a party girl so when she sees his wedding ring, she thinks she got drunk and went home with a married man. When she looks in the mirror she sees the face a an older woman, not the mid-twenties woman she feels like inside. She tries to remember how she ended up there but soon realizes she can't remember anything. Her past is a mystery.

The stranger introduces himself as Ben, her husband of twenty years. He tells her that every morning he wakes up to a woman who can't remember anything, including him or their life together. He explains this every day and also puts notes around the bathroom mirror to remind her throughout the day what to do and how to reach him. Chris is also contacted by Dr Edmund Nash, a neuro psychologist, who also calls every day to tell her where to find her journal. When she starts to read it, the very first sentence she sees is "Don't trust Ben".

Before I Go to Sleep is divided into three parts, all narrated by Christine. Part One introduces the reader to the premise. Part Two is filled with Christine's journal entries. Part Three is what happens after she's finished reading her journal. The author did a wonderful job of relaying Christine's anxiety to us through her journals. She lets us know how terrifying it must be to wake up each day with no memories of the previous day. This is a complex, well written and suspenseful novel. I didn't realize it had been made into a movie so I might check it out. I'm usually disappointed in those after enjoying the book, so maybe it's better if I skip it.

159. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes - 4 Stars

This novel opens with a glimpse of Will Traynor’s life before the accident. He’s a handsome and charismatic businessman who enjoys “crushing people” in business deals. One busy day he accidentally steps into the path of an oncoming motorcycle. Will’s rage has defeated his parents and any friends who tried to hang on after the accident. The only power he believes he retains is the power to end his life; and, as a man of action, he wants to exercise that power.

Louisa (Lou) Clark is the 26-year-old daughter of a struggling family who live in a town dominated by a National Trust castle. She has just lost her job at a tourist cafe and has little prospect of getting another. To take a job caring for a man like Will is terrifying, but her family’s financial difficulties allow her no choice.

Lou, who is actually quick and funny, is intimidated as she cares for Will. Eventually there are moments when Will's great personality comes alive and the two seem very companionable. When Lou learns his plan is to commit suicide in less than six months’ time, she is determined to change his mind by engaging him in life. It frustrates him that she refuses to do much with her own, to experience anything beyond their small town. So she presents herself as willing to broaden and learn, if only he’ll teach her.

The author makes their coming together sweet and real. But there’s a deadline, one that haunts their love story, as well as the novel. I found I was unexpectedly moved by this story, and the issues it made me think about.

160. Under Cold Stone by Vicki Delany - 4 Stars

Constable Molly Smith's mother, Lucky Smith, is off at the Banff Springs Hotel in Alberta with her boyfriend and Molly's boss, Paul Keller. When Paul's estranged son, Matt, calls to tell him he just got home and found his roommate dead, they immediately tell him to call the police and rush over to see if they can help. By the time they arrive, Matt has disappeared. Lucky calls Molly and asks her to come over and help them look for Matt. They think Matt is innocent but the longer he's gone, the more likely the local police are to think he's the one responsible.

In a separate story-line back in Trafalgar, there's a potential problem with the development of vacation homes in the wilderness which focuses on one of the other main characters, Sergeant John Winters. We know that eventually the two stories will tie together but I was completely surprised by how they eventually did.

This is the seventh book in the Constable Molly Smith series and we can see she's gotten much more confident in her police skills. Her mother, Lucky, is one of my favorite book characters and it was fun to see her in the forefront of this mystery. Nevertheless, this wasn't my favorite. I found the plot line back in Trafalgar less interesting and wish we had focused fully on the story in Banff. This series is neither cozy, nor gritty, and I've found it quite enjoyable. I definitely plan to keep reading the new ones, as they become available.

161. Silent Voices by Ann Cleeves - 5 Stars

In the fourth book featuring Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope, we find her swimming at a local health club on the advice of her doctor to lose some weight. While sitting in the sauna, she discovers a dead body. Jenny Lister, the dead woman, doesn't seem like the usual murder candidate. She was a respectable woman with a teenage daughter and a career as a social worker.

The case unfolds gradually and there are lots of potential suspects, but no one seems quite right. Vera is always reluctant to delegate, so she conducts most of the interviews herself. If you've read any other books in this series you already know Vera can alienate even the most cooperative witnesses. Vera knows the key to finding the murderer lies in being able to tie all the small gossip together. There are plenty of red herrings in this book.

I thought this was a classic police procedural with well-drawn characters. Vera is not very genteel but she can certainly charm the reader in her own way. I like the way she can be so obnoxious, hiding how smart she really is. But not charming.....definitely not charming. You may not want her for a friend, but you definitely want her investigating your murder.

162. A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams - 4 Stars

Lily Dane and Budgie Byrne have been best friends since childhood. We first meet them in 1931 when Budgie coaxes Lily to accompany her to a college football game to watch her boyfriend, Graham Pendleton. Lily immediately notices Nick Greenwald, the quarterback. She is instantly attracted to him and he to her. Budgie thinks it's okay for Lily to like him, even date him, but he is not an appropriate man to consider for marriage. He's J-E-W-I-S-H. They appear to fall totally in love and we don't know what happened. The next time we see them it's the summer of 1938 and Nick is married to Budgie. The story switches between 1931 and 1938 and we slowly learn everything that happened.

I think this book is a great summer read. It takes place in a beautiful beach setting. I always enjoy reading about this time period and thought the author did a good job of capturing the mood, style, and society of that time. The characters were interesting and it was a fascinating look into friendship, betrayal and prejudice. Maybe it was just the moment I was reading it, but I ended up enjoying more than I expected.

163. Final Jeopardy by Linda Fairstein - 4 Stars

Alexandra Cooper is the New York Assistant District Attorney in charge of prosecuting sex crimes. When the story opens we discover her reading her own obituary. Since she knows she's not dead she soon realizes that Isabella Lascar, an actress and friend staying at her home on Martha's Vineyard, has been killed and mistaken for Alex. She doesn't think she was the target but anything is possible in her line of work. She's put away a lot of terrible people over the years.

I've been reading this series for a number of years and recently found a copy of the very first one, Final Jeopardy. I couldn't remember a thing about it but I did enjoy reading it again. I also like her two closest friends, Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace, who provide a lot of humorous banter. The author has a personal background in sex crimes prosecution and she is able to weave a page turning story. I think the series has improved over the years but this was still enjoyable. I might see if I can find the series in audio and revisit it again that way.

164. Homegoing by Yaa Ghasi - 5 Stars

This novel spans 300 years and examines two branches of a Ghanaian family, one who remains in Ghana and one who ends up in America. Effia and Esi are two half sisters who have never met and who live on opposite sides of the country. Effia is forced to marry a slave captain and lives fairly comfortably in Cape Coast Castle, where slaves are housed in filth and squalor in the dungeons below. Esi is one of those slaves and is eventually shipped to America and sold there. The book follows their offspring through several generations and is a series of standalone chapters set during different times. Even though the chapters can stand on their own, they are also part of the larger narrative.

Each story could be it's own book because you want to know more about each and every character. The connecting stories cover everything from the slave trade and British colonization in Ghana to Southern plantations, convict labor camps, and Harlem dope houses. The author did a wonderful job of showing the legacy of slavery and how it affects the descendants, even through multiple generations.

The characters are stunning and their stories emotional. It's both powerful and thought provoking. This is the debut of a gifted new writer and I highly recommend it.

A great sequence of reading.

Because I've done so badly at keeping up my Tracking thread, I'm going to summarize each month from August through December.

August Reading List

Mystery

✔ The Black Widow - Daniel Silva - 5 Stars - 8/11/16
✔ Caught in the Light - Robert Goddard - 4 Stars - 8/23/16
✔ Cold Day for Murder - Dana Stabenow - 4 Stars - 8/17/16
✔ Cover of Snow- Jenny Milchman - 2 Stars - 8/3/16
✔ Glass Room - Ann Cleeves - 4 Stars - 8/31/16
✔ Hour Game - David Baldacci - 4 Stars - 8/2/16
✔ Judgment in Death - J. D. Robb - 4 Stars - 8/25/16
✔ Moon Dance - J. R. Rain - 3 Stars - 8/22/16
✔ Murder in the Marais - Cara Black - 3 Stars - 8/6/16
✔ New Leash on Death - Susan Conant - 3 Stars - 8/14/16
✔ One Kick by Chelsea Cain - 3.5 Stars - 8/27/16
✔ Poppy Done to Death - Charlaine Harris - 3 Stars - 8/12/16
✔ Triptych - Karin Slaughter - 4.5 Stars - 8/15/16
✔ Unreasonable Doubt - Vicki Delany - 4.5 Stars - 8/13/16
✔ Want You Dead - Peter James - 4.5 Stars - 8/7/16
✔ Yard by Alex Grecian - 4.5 Stars - 8/23/16
✔ You Are Dead - Peter James - 5 Stars - 8/10/16
✔ White Road - John Connolly - 4.5 Stars - 8/18/16

Non Mystery

✔ Aftermath - Rhidian Brook - 3 Stars - 8/5/16
✔ Boys in the Boat - Daniel James Brown - 4.5 Stars - 8/16/16
✔ Coal Miners Daughter by Loretta Lynn - 4 Stars - 8/24/16
✔ Every Man Dies Alone - Hans Fallada - 4 Stars - 8/21/16
✔ Fatal Vision - Joe McGinnis - 5 Stars - 8/29/16
✔ Girl Who Came Home - Hazel Gaynor - 3 Stars - 8/9/16
✔ Light of the World - Elizabeth Alexander - 4 Stars - 8/28/16
✔ Nine Women, One Dress - Jane Rosen - 4 Stars - 8/19/16

September Reading List

Mysteries

✔ Among the Wicked - Linda Castillo - 5 Stars 💕 - 9/4/16
✔ Broken - Karin Slaughter - 4 Stars - 9/19/16
✔ Criminal - Karin Slaughter - 5 Stars - 9/26/16 and 💕
✔ Damaged - Lisa Scottoline - 4 Stars - 9/16/16
✔ Entry Island - Peter May - 4 Stars - 9/18/16
✔ Fallen - Karin Slaughter - 4 Stars - 9/23/16
✔ Fractured - Karin Slaughter - 4.5 Stars - 9/7/16
✔ Girl Waits with Gun - Amy Stewart - 3.5 Stars - 9/30/16
✔ Ice Hunt - James Rollins - 4 Stars - 9/29/16
✔ Insatiable Appetites by Stuart Woods - 2 Stars - 9/15/16
✔ Library of the Dead - Glenn Cooper- 5 Stars - 9/1/16
✔ Likely to Die - Linda Fairstein - 3 Stars - 9/19/16
✔ Love You Dead - Peter James - 5 Stars 💕 - 9/6/16
✔ Perfect Evil by Alex Kava - 3.5 Stars - 9/3/16
✔ Rules of Prey - John Sandford - 5 Stars - 9/2/16
✔ Sixth Idea - P. J. Tracy - 4 Stars - 9/14/16
✔ Skeleton Coast - Craig Cussler and Jack du Brul
✔ Truly, Madly, Guilty - Liane Moriarty
✔ Woman in Blue - Elly Griffiths - 4 Stars - 9/20/16
✔ Under a Silent Moon - Elizabeth Haynes - 3 Stars - 9/25/16
✔ Undone - by Karin Slaughter - 4.5 Stars - 9/13/16

Other Than Mysteries

✔ Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian - Sherman Alexie - 4.5 Stars - 9/10/16
✔ Beer in the Snooker Club - Waguih Ghali - 3.5 Stars - 9/9/16
✔ Dead by Sunset - Ann Rule - 5 Stars - 9/17/16
✔ Flight of Dreams - Ariel Lawhon - 3 Stars - 9/22/16
✔ Girl From the Train - Irma Joubert - 3.5 Stars - 9/12/16
✔ Girl With All the Gifts - M. R. Carey - 4.5 Stars - 9/28/16
✔ Heidi - Johanna Spyri - 5 Stars - 9/27/16
✔ Moloka'i - Alan Brennert - 5 Stars - 9/8/16
✔ Not My Father's Son - Alan Cumming - 4.5 Stars - 9/21/16
✔ Truly Madly Guilty - Liane Moriarty - 3.5 Stars - 9/24/16
✔ Wild Man Creek - Robyn Carr 3 Stars - 9/5/16

Lynda's October Reading List

Mysteries

✔ Alexandria Link - Steve Berry - 4.5 Stars - 10/23/16
✔ Bastards of Pizzofalcone by Maurizio de Giovanni - 5 Stars - 10/19/16
✔ Breakdown - Jonathan Kellerman - 4 Stars - 10/13/16
✔ Blindsighted by Karin Slaughter - 4.5 Stars - 10/17/16
✔ Crucifix Killer - Chris Carter - 4 Stars - 10/30/16
✔ Fool Me Once - Harlan Coben - 4 Stars - 10/10/16
✔ Ghost Moon by Heather Graham - 3 Stars - 10/28/16
✔ Ghost Night by Heather Graham - 3 Stars - 10/24/16
✔ Ghost Shadow by Heather Graham - 3 Stars - 10/16/16
✔ House of Evidence by Viktor Ingolfsson - 3 Stars - 10/21/16
✔ Kept Woman - Karin Slaughter - 5 Stars and 💕 - 10/15/16
✔ Long Quiche Goodbye - Avery Aames - 3 Stars - 10/4/16
✔ Murder in Chelsea - Victoria Thompson - 4 Stars - 10/6/16
✔ Simple Genius - David Baldacci - 4 Stars - 10/12/16
✔ Sorrow Wood - Raymond Aitkins - 4 Stars - 10/1/16
✔ Supreme Justice - Phillip Margolin - 3.5 Stars - 10/8/16
✔ Unseen - Karin Slaughter - 4 Stars - 10/5/16

Non-Mystery

✔ A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel - 4 Stars - 10/20/16
✔ Alex by Adam Nicolai - 4 Stars - 10/11/16
✔ Buddha in the Attic - Julie Otsuka - 3.5 Stars - 10/2/16
✔ Dark Witch by Nora Roberts - 2 Stars - 10/27/16
✔ Ember in the Ashes - Sabaa Tahir - 4 Stars - 10/18/16
✔ Five Magic Spindles by Various Authors - 4 Stars - 10/14/16
✔ Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles - 5 Stars - 10/31/16
✔ Hot Milk - Deborah Levy - 3.5 Stars - 10/9/16
✔ March - Geraldine Brooks - 4 Stars - 10/3/16
✔ One Man - Andrew Gross - 5 Stars and 💕 - 10/22/16
✔ Tea Rose - Jennifer Donnelly - 4.5 Stars - 10/7/16
✔ The Two Family House by Lynda Cohen Loigman - 3.5 Stars - 10/26/16
✔ Witch Doctor's Wife by Tamar Myers - 4 Stars - 1"/25/16

November Reading List

Mystery and Suspense

✔ Asset - Shane Kuhn - 3 Stars - 11/29/16
✔ Beyond Recall - Robert Goddard - 4.5 Stars - 11/21/16
✔ Faint Cold Fear - Karen Slaughter - 4 Stars - 11/9/16
✔ Faithless - Karin Slaughter - 4.5 Stars - 11/24/16
✔ Harbour Street - Ann Cleeves - 4.5 Stars - 11/8/16
✔ Hunters - Chris Kuzneski - 3.5 Stars - 11/30/16
✔ Indelible - Karin Slaughter - 4.5 Stars - 11/14/16
✔ Kisscut - Karin Slaughter - 4 Stars - 11/3/16
✔ Night School - Lee Child - 4 Stars - 11/13/16
✔ No Man's Land - David Baldacci - 4.5 Stars - 11/22/16
✔ Obsidian Chamber - Lincoln Child & Douglas Preston - 5 Stars - 11/20/16
✔ Pandora's Clock - John J. Nance - 3.5 Stars- 11/1/16
✔ Sins of the Fathers - Lawrence Block - 4 Stars -11/17/16
✔ Smoke Screen - Kyle Mills - 4 Stars - 11/5/16
✔ Turbo Twenty Three - Janet Evanovich - 3 Stars - 11/25/16
✔ Trace of Smoke - Rebecca Cantrell - 4.5 Stars - 11/18/16
✔ Wrong Side of Goodbye - Michael Connelly - 5 Stars - 11/11/16

Other

✔ Animal Farm by George Orwell - 5 Stars - 11/19/16
✔ Cartographer of No Man's Landby P. S. Duffy - 4.5 Stars - 11/15/16
✔ Charlotte's Web - E. B. White - 5 Stars - 11/4/16
✔ Collected Poems of W. B. Yeats - W. B. Yeats - 4 Stars - 11/26/16
✔ Dark Matter - Blake Crouch - 4.5 Stars - 11/23/16
✔ Dogs of Babel- Carolyn Parkhurst - 4.5 Stars - 11/2/16
✔ I Am the Messenger - Markus Zusak - 4.5 Stars - 10/28/16
✔ Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell - 4 Stars - 11/10/16
✔ Killer Angels - Michael Shaara - 5 Stars - 11/7/16
✔ Ride the Wind by Lucia St. Clair Robson - 4 Stars - 11/16/16
✔ Small Great Things - Jodi Picoult - 4.5 Stars - 11/27/16

You've been zooming through those books, Lynda! :D

>187 Sergeirocks: I agree, very impressive! :)

I'm surprised I read so much this year but it's just what I love to do. Some of the books were terrible but I do several challenges each month and they're usually chosen to fulfill something on that list.

The Karen Slaughter books are great. I've been reading them piecemeal throughout the years, and when I've assembled more of the set I'll read them in order.

I like how you've ordered your reading list, too.