At Home in the Dark edited by Lawrence Block

Are you in the mood for a provocative read?  These stories have horror and death in various locations.  There's a western story, a fantasy story, a dystopian story and more.  There's no disappointment in these tales.  They all hold your attention and draw you in to the time and circumstances of the story.

Mr. Block graciously shared a copy of the book with me to read for review (thank you).  It will be published April 30th, but you can pre-order a copy now if you wish.

Table of Contents:

• Foreword: It’s Getting Dark in Here — Lawrence Block
• Hot Pants — Elaine Kagan
• The Eve of Infamy — Jim Fusilli
• Night Rounds — James Reasoner
• The Flagellant — Joyce Carol Oates
• The Things I’d Do — Ed Park
• Favored to Death — N. J. Ayres
• Rough Mix — Warren Moore
• This Strange Bargain — Laura Benedict
• The Senior Girls Bayonet Drill Team — Joe R. Landale
• If Only You Would Leave Me — Nancy Pickard
• Giant’s Despair — Duane Swierczynski 
• Whistling in the Dark — Richard Chizmar
• O Swear Not by the Moon — Jill D. Block
• Nightbound — Wallace Stroby
• The Cucuzza Curse — Thomas Pluck
• Cold Comfort — Hilary Davidson
• Faun — Joe Hill 

The one story that has stuck in my mind was Joe Hill's.  His monsters seem real and the theme for his story was very different from his other work.  I found this story special, even if it wasn't very nice.

Read it and see what you think.  Tell which one is your favorite story.  I'm sure you'll find one.

When Spring Comes to the DMZ by Uk-Bae Lee

There is a two and one-half mile zone between North and South Korea.  People aren't allowed there but the wildlife flourish....

Plough Publishing House and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published March 1st.

While the animals enjoy the area, military training goes on next to the fence holding people back.  The soldiers march, the animals play and separated family members gaze at the other side.  Building walls doesn't enhance relationships between people or countries.

The illustrations are pastel and create a feeling of peace.  This is also a way to share history with your child.  Much of the history in this world is sad but the people still have hope.

The Carnival of Wishes & Dreams by Jenny Lundquist

Clarkville is a small town that doesn't offer a lot of job opportunities.  The factory in town provides almost all the working men with jobs.  When it burns down, it doesn't just take the building, it takes one of the firefighters.  The man he was saving survived; he didn't.  Their daughters go to school together and it drives a wedge between them.  When you're young you are very sensitive about things said about you and the whole class changes friends after the fire.  Friends that used to be are now being mean to each other...

Aladdin Books and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published February 12th.

The story centers on three girls who used to be friends until the fire.  It was Grace's father who died.  Audrey's father was the one saved.  And Howell was excited by her new phone and played down the fire and now no one really likes her.  When the carnival comes back to town, they intend to the use the magic of it to make wishes for a better new year.

Grace gets grounded but she goes anyway.  She leaves her mother a note.  After all, she's at a book club meeting.  Then Diego tells her that her mother is dating his father and that's where she is tonight...

The girls have gotten pumpkin grams inviting them to the carnival with instructions to meet at the Ferris Wheel at midnight.  Audrey is afraid of heights but she wants to know who sent the note.  Howell has no friends anymore so why would someone want to meet her there?

The things these girls do is very realistic.  Carnival night turns a bit dramatic before it's over but suddenly they've found a new way forward and a return to their friendships.  I enjoyed this read.

Tinsey Clover by Chelsea Flagg

Tinsey is an elf the size of a chipmunk.  She can't carry a tune in a bucket and she thinks she might be of the other fairy group that lives in the fairy woods.  She longs to meet them but she is barricaded in their camp so others can't harm them and they won't let her go outside.  They tell her trolls eat them, everybody out there is their enemy and it just isn't safe.  She doesn't know if she believes them...

This self-published children's book is charming and has a good message.  It has been published and you can grab a copy now.

When she embarrasses herself in front of the town council, she decides she's going to go hide and get away from them.  She gets brave enough to sneak out the hole and go exploring.  And the first thing she runs into is a troll.

Luckily, the young troll doesn't eat elves.  He's a vegetarian.  He's also an excellent cook.  But when his mom comes up, she's going to flatten the pest that has gotten in their cave.  His dad wants to do the same, so Tinsey watches them fight amongst themselves and sneaks out of the cave.  Then she finds the one who is setting fires to their barricade is a dragon.  Her uncle has discovered that, too, and he brings the men of camp to kill the dragon.  Tinsey and her brother fight to save the dragon.  (She just has a cold, she's not trying to hurt anyone.  When she sneezes, she throws flames.)

All the stuff they've heard about the other types living in the fairy woods is false.  The King wants power and to control all his people so he's made them scared to leave.  Tinsey talks to them and discovers they all used to be friends in the past before this policy started.  And she does her best to show the elves not everyone is mean or bad.

I enjoyed both the characters and the story.  If we were all kind to each other and gave ourselves a chance to know the others, the world would be a better place.

Proxima Centauri by Farel Dalrymple

Sherwood is stuck on a planet far from home and he very badly wants to get back there.  With other odd prisoners and unknown dangers and he knows he'd do better at home.  Here, he has to fight just to stay alive...

Image Comics and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published tomorrow.

Besides Sherwood, there's "The Scientist" Duke Herzog, Dr. EXT the Time Traveler, the ghost M. Parasol, Shakey the Space Wizard, and Dhog Dahog.  They try to keep Sherwood calm because his temper gets all the strange beings in this world riled up.

This is a space odyssey that starts with issues 1-6 of the comic.  The illustrations are colorful, the characters are interesting, and the fight isn't over yet.  I felt a bit sorry for Sherwood but he has some good friends there and I'm sure he's up to the fight.  Why not hang out with him and share his misadventures for one afternoon?

Careless Love by Peter Robinson

Detective Superintendent Banks is on two cases.  One is young woman found in a disabled car and one is an older man who fell over the bank and broke his neck.  The first looks like suicide; the second like an accident.  But were they really?

William Morrow and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can grab a copy now.

He takes his team and heads out to find out who they are and if there were any clues to be found.  Most folks are willing to talk to them but they are holding things back or lying.  When they begin to gather facts on their cases, they find out they have another case in another district that is another young woman but it's apparent she was murdered.  Are they all related?

What they find out is that the college girls were seeing sugar daddies.  They're older men who enjoy beautiful young women and sex.  They give them gifts of money for school.  Everything is going along fine until the first girl dies...

As they dig through the evidence and look for answers, they develop new questions.  While they analyze that, they also find out that an old enemy is back in town.  They can't look for him now but they'll look later.

As the pieces of the puzzle start to come together, the case moves forward and the killer acts again.

The crimes are sad, there's an element of sex trafficking, and the old enemy is closer than they think.  I find these stories kept my attention and entertained me with crime.  The police procedure fascinates me.  As far forward as we have come in time, some old dangers are still present... 

Wordy Birdy Meets Mr. Cougarpants by Tammi Sauer, Dave Mottram (Illustrator)

Wordy Birdy and his friends are going camping.  They pick out their snacks and shelter and on the walk there, Wordy Birdy talks the whole way...

Random House Children's Books and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published February 5th.

They get camp ready, eat some snacks and everybody goes to bed except Wordy.  He's talked so much he didn't eat so now he catches up on that.  Then he notices a cougar approaching.  He tells his friends he's coming and he tells the cougar the animals don't taste good.  He also tells him lots of other things.

The characters are cute and colorful, and the story is fun to read.  This is great book for little ones.  I've had some friends who talk as much as this bird so it's believable to me.  Why not share this pretty birdy with your young one?

Evil Things by Katja Ivar

Hella is one of the first women to hold an Inspector title in the Helsinki Homicide Unit.  She's an orphan and part of the reason she became a cop was to work on solving her family's accident on the highway.  She doesn't think it was an accident and she was right.  She didn't handle it quite as well as she should have so they transfer her to another police station.  It isn't any easier there.

Bitter Lemon Press and Edelweiss gave me the opportunity to read this book for review (thank you).  It has already been published and you can get a copy now.

Hella is persistent and fights for justice.  The problem she discovers is unusual and cruel.  Using people as guinea pigs is wrong.  Now she has an even bigger problem.  Can she get the information to the right people.  Will they try to kill her?  Can she keep the new friends she's made safe?

The setting in the cold North of Finland made me shiver.  It's an easy place to die due to weather conditions but the two victims Hella finds have been shot.  That's no accident either.

This was a good mystery that has a lot of psychological impact on the people involved.  Hella is going back to Helsinki but who knows in what capacity?  And there will be a lot repercussions towards the agencies that were participating in the experiment.  I'd like to read the next book and see how it all settles down and what Hell's next case will be.

The Antidote by Shelley Sackier

Fee can make plants grow.  Even dead ones can be brought back to life.  But she's been warned to hid her skills.  Witches are forbidden in the kingdom and are put to death.  She does hide them.  But when her best friend is dying and only she can save him, she has to make a choice...

Harper Teen and Edelweiss allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published February 5th.

This is a fascinating tale that holds your attention.  Fee is being trained as a healer.  She has a talent for it and helps everyone she can.  Her mentor harps at her for not being focused enough but she's trying.

She loved both the princes.  One as a friend, one as a future husband.  But when a good portion of the kingdom gets a mysterious illness and dies, they find themselves orphans.  Life gets even more interesting as time goes on.  Her fiance is sent away to keep him safe from the illness.  She and her friend stay since they've been exposed.  Xavi is the crown prince and she specializes in his care.  Things get very complicated from here on out.

Fee's magic is part of what makes Xavi sick.  There's a bad witch in another kingdom.  And Fee has to figure out how to defeat her without killing Xavi...

The Betel Nut Tree Mystery (Crown Colony #2) by Ovidia Yu

Reading this book is like visiting Singapore.   It's set in 1937 and it has plenty of British colonists there.  The cultures and values are different.  The British try the different drugs, visit whore houses and drink a lot.  They have a party in the city that has stopped to let the young folks marry.  When the prospective groom is found dead, the police get involved.  Su Lin is working for the inspector and she's hoping she can find a big story so she can become a journalist...

Little/Brown sent me an ARC of this book to read for review (thank you).  It has been published so you can grab a copy now.

He looks like he was murdered and covered in blood but it's not blood, it's betel juice.  When the analysis is done, they find he was poisoned.  There aren't many clues.  Su Lin goes looking for them.

The prospective bride has lost all the men she's loved, even the ones she was married to.  This man died before they hitched the knot but she thinks she's cursed.  They look at her, at the man who is her admirer, and other members of the party to see who could have done it.

It's long investigation and more die before they narrow it down to the killer.  I was surprised by who it was and loved the ironic twist at the end.  Karma came after the killer... 

The Winter Sister by Megan Collins

Her older sister snuck out at night to see her boyfriend.  She'd leave the window unlatched so she could sneak back in before morning.  But her sister has bruises and it looks like this boyfriend is treating her rough.  She locks her out so she will have to come through the front door and will to explain to her mother why she was out and how she got bruised.  But she never came back home...

Touchstone and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published February 5th.

When she is located she's dead.  She was strangled.  Her sister tells the cops about the boyfriend but there's no evidence to make a case.  She leaves the city and moves on after graduation.  But when her mother gets cancer and needs her care, she has to go back home...

She checks in with cops and finds the case is still open but they have no leads.  She looks for leads and one man tells her to talk to her own mother.  She knows she didn't kill her, why talk to her?  When she does, she tells her nothing.  But as she snoops around the house she learns things she never knew.

The killer is still alive and well in town.  Proving it is almost impossible, but when tempers rise, the truth comes out.

This is a sad tale with lives being ruined by one person's actions.  Some of the secrets were shocking.  There is hope for the future if they can shut the door on the past...

Once a Liar by A.F. Brady

He never knew his father.  His mother died while he was young.  His Uncle and his wife took him in because of duty but he was never really a part of the family and he felt no one wanted him there.  When he graduated, he left town.  He changed his name, went to law school and became a good lawyer.  He also lies about his past so he can fit into high society.  He even marries his partner's daughter.

Park Row and Edelweiss gave me the opportunity to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published January 29th.

Peter is riding the wave of success and feeling good.  But when he draws away from his wife because he's hardening his heart to be a defense attorney he ends up losing her love.  And when he screws around on her, they divorce.  He leaves his son with her because he never really wanted kids.  He'll be sorry he's becoming so callous.

This is a very suspenseful story with lots of various clues.  I had no idea about how it would end.  Peter get accused of murder and he does all in his power to find the real killer.  The problem is that he's been unkind to people for so long he has no real allies.  

The ending is very ironic and hard to believe but I could see someone doing it to him.  It keeps you busy and will shock you with the deaths.  If you like drama and tension, this is a good read for you.

Beyond Risk by Connie Mann

She's taking another group down the river again.  This is the anniversary of the death of one of her passengers last year and she's trying to hide her fear and enjoy the trip anyway.  Unfortunately, someone else remembers that date and she almost loses another one...

Sourcebooks Casablanca and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published January 29th.

Charlee works hard to save the girl from drowning but while she's doing that, someone is taking pot shots at the group.  They hit the girl and Charlee both.  The girl survives, then someone suffocates her in the hospital.  Who is this person, why is he stalking Charlee and can she keep her family safe?

She's working with the cop who is investigating and it would be easier for him to do his job if he wasn't so attracted to her.  Her two brothers are very protective.  Everyone wants to tell her what to do but she's on a mission to find the killer.  Can she find him before he finds her?

This was a good read with an interesting mystery and enough romance to hold your attention.  Give it a try.

What Doesn't Kill Her by Christina Dodd

She started out as a victim but life toughened her up...

HQN and Edelweiss allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published January 29th.

When she saves a young girl from a rapist, the whole family is grateful.  She even finds a man to fall in love with.  But then the rapist shoots her in the head and she goes into a coma.

As she awakens again, she finds herself in a facility and it scares her.  She's sure that she doesn't want to be there.  She sneaks out and heads away.  She even joins the service and has to fight in war zones.  She learns to defend herself and how to handle a gun or a knife.  And she learns to kill.  She can't remember before except when her husband came home to kill her and then himself, he killed her sister instead.  She's using her sister's paperwork to make her new life and assumes her name.  But her trouble is not over yet.

First she finds out she had a child while in the coma.  She's not feeling motherly.  She's actually afraid to love because those she loves die.  Her boyfriend is raising the girl and he still loves her.  She starts out trying to bond with her daughter and her boyfriend.  But she has unknown problems following her.  Someone is trying to kill her and he's using teams of men to hunt her down.

It's a good thing she got skills in the service because now she can fight back.

There's plenty of suspense, you worry about the couple and their child, and death comes closer to her each day.  Either the bullet in her brain will move or the assassins will be successful.  But she's a fighter now and she can hold her own.  The story moves quickly and made my heart beat faster.  This is a good read.

Come Find Me by Megan Miranda

This is an interesting mix of science fiction and murder.  The two teens who experience the family tragedies don't know each other but they are searching for answers any way they can.  Even talking to something out in space if they can contact them.  Kennedy is continuing her brother's work.  Nolan is still trying to find his missing brother...

Crown Books for Young Readers and Edelweiss gave me the opportunity to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published January 29th.

When they find a radio pattern that is where it shouldn't be, they meet each other on the internet in a forum.  They are trying to identify it.  They both found the same thing and it's totally unknown.  While trying to nail this transmission down, they find out that they have trouble in common.  Nolan's brother ran into the woods and they couldn't find him when they were ready to leave.  Nolan is still looking.  Kennedy saw her brother with a gun standing in the hallway where her mother and stepfather lay dead.  She doesn't believe he did it but she has to tell the truth.

There's lots searching and questions to be answered but they work together toward a solution.  The truth is hard to take but they find it.

I found the book to be a bit creepy but the mysteries were good.  I also felt sorry for the two main characters.  Nobody needs that kind of tragedy in their life.

The Rule of Law by John Lescroart

It all starts when his secretary leaves early for home and then doesn't come back the next day.  She said she was sick but she's never missed a day before and didn't look unwell.  When she finally returns, she won't tell him why she was gone.  But before too many days go by, the DA's office sends officers to take her in as an accomplice in murder.  He knows she didn't do it but can he figure out who did?

Atria and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published January 22nd.

The book has crimes in the present and in the past, corrupt officials, good cops and bad cops and plenty of action.  The biggest problem is that the man who won the district attorney election is full of his own ego and self-importance and anybody he thinks is saying something bad about him or digging into something he doesn't want to be investigated, he gets even by getting rid of them.  He fires three cops, kills his partner for sleeping with his wife and now is trying to get the retired police and attorney that annoy him put in jail for murder.  There's no evidence but he's thinking of making some.

Despite a cover up, they find the current murderer and also learn why his secretary was gone.

I really despised the new DA and his actions but Karma prevails.  What goes around, comes around...

Lots of subplots as well as the main story, so you keep your mind busy as you read along.  It's not the most positive read but it ends as it should so I was satisfied.

Circle of Shadows by Evelyn Skye

Sora is an apprentice warrior.  She and her gemina (partner) make a formidable pair.  He's strong and can win any fight.  She's quick, agile, and uses magic for her fighting.  They are prepared to fight for their kingdom but they didn't think it would happen so soon.

Balzer + Bray and Edelweiss gave me the opportunity to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published January 22nd.  

Their kingdom is attacked with no warning.  Someone is trying to destroy the castle by using tidal waves.  It doesn't fall, but they know now they are at war.  But with who and why?

The reason is almost unbelievable.  The queen had a battle with her twin brother for the crown.  He was killed and she took over the kingdom.  Only he wasn't killed, just wounded badly.  And now he's back with magic of his own.

Sora and her gemina infiltrate his troops and she learns how to use the magic.  She also finds her sister who she thought had died in a fire.  Can they become friends again or is it too late? It's hard to fight a prince and your little sister.

There's plenty of action, the prince believes in a myth and will do anything to make it come true, and only four people remain to fight him.  This was the first book in this series and it has set up plenty of openings for how the story will go in the future.  If you read this one, I'm not sure you'll be able to stop from reading the whole series...

She Lies in Wait by Gytha Lodge

Aurora is the youngest in the camping party.  Her older sister is there but she ignores her.  The rest of the campers are all friends, some are sleeping together, they drink and do drugs.  She's not comfortable with that, so she tries to stay out of the way.  But someone is not content to leave her alone.  And when the morning arrives, she's missing...

Random House and Edelweiss allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can grab a copy now.

These kids are all normal.  They are teenagers, they testing boundaries, and they are good friends.  But someone in that crowd is evil.

It takes thirty years before someone locates the body.  The police start an investigation but this case is really cold.  Many of those at the event have forgotten a lot.  Others lie.  They start out searching for the truth but they have to dig out the answers and weed out the lies. Seeing how everyone's life has turned out thirty years later was interesting.

When they find out she'd been raped it adds another element to the investigation.  It's a complex mystery.  One of the cops had been on the case when she went missing.  He has his own secrets about that time period.  But it all comes to light before the end.

The ending was quite appropriate.  The chance taker had run out of luck.  While the subject matter was a bit sad, the investigation keeps your interest and my reading speed increased as I reached the end of the story.

Would you have guessed the killer? 

Fatality in F by Alexia Gordon

Gethsemane has agreed to lead the band in the rose judging contest opening.  She and the band members have been practicing.  When she goes in the flower shop afterwards she runs into a friend.  She almost gets run over by the woman coming out, but she apologizes.  When they go back out, they find a mysterious bouquet on her friend's car.  No note, no explanation and he has no idea who would have done it.  Does the gal with flowers have a crush on him or is she a stalker?

Henery Press and Edelweiss allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published February 26th.

Gethsemane finds that flowers have meaning and gets a copy of The Language of Flowers to figure it out.  Frankie still doesn't know why someone is leaving messages but it doesn't appear they are a threat.  

He's competing in the rose contest and the other major contestant comes over and taunts him.  They have a public fight and each goes their own way.  But it doesn't look good when he's found dead in Frankie's backyard.  Did Frankie kill him?  Gethsemane thinks not and sets out to prove it.

What she finds is that everyone hated him and there are plenty of reasons for him to be dead.  This mystery has two killers involved and two different motives and two deaths, so it's a bit hard to figure out.  It's a good thing Gethsemane doesn't give up easily...

Lion Down by Stuart Gibbs

Teddy gets a new case.  The giraffe's have been getting sick on Sundays and they want to find out why so he agrees to watch and see who and why might have been feeding them something they shouldn't eat.  He has his friend, the owner's daughter, to help him.  But then he ends up on another case and it's not so pleasant.

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers and Edelweiss allowed me to read this book for this review (thank you).  It will be published February 26th.

They know there is a mountain lion in the area because they've seen her prints.  Now she's being accused of killing a dog.  Teddy doesn't believe it but he doesn't know who would have killed the dog.  The owner is famous man and he's working on getting the mountain lion eradicated.  When the Wildlife division is investigating and trying to decide one way or the other, the owner offers a large reward for bringing him the dead cat.

So Teddy is trying save both the giraffes and the mountain lion.  He has some interesting adventures while doing that, too.

This story has a good message about how we encroach on the animal's land and take away their freedom and what they used to eat.  When they come to visit the housing and eat pets, the humans hate them.  But if we gave them room and let them have a place to live, there wouldn't be a problem.  Killing an animal for acting normally isn't the answer.  

I've thought about this issue a lot and tend to sympathize with the animals.  What would you do if they took your home away from you?  At least they won't shoot you.

The Princess and the Pickup Truck by Bil Lepp

I had to read this one.  The title caught my eye, it's a parody tale that compares to the Princess and the Pea but this story has more comedy in it.  I love it, it's cute and it's much more interesting...

The author and West Virginia Book Company sent me a copy of this book for review (thank you).  It has been published, so you can grab a copy now.

He's a prince looking for a mountain princess to marry.  He bought himself a pickup truck so they would notice him.  And he searches everywhere for his mate.  He thinks all the ladies who tell them she's a princess probably aren't.  They don't appeal to him either.  So he goes home and tells his mom he was unsuccessful.

One night someone knocked on the door and he opens to find three princesses standing there.  He's ecstatic until he realizes it's Halloween...

The next princess to show up doesn't look like one.  She doesn't really act like one either.  But his mom has an idea on how to test her.  What an idea it is!

This was a lot of fun to read and I enjoyed the tale.  Your young ones should, too, and there are parts that make you laugh as well.  Read it, you'll enjoy it. 

Thomas Wildus and The Book of Sorrows by J.M. Bergen

It all started when he walked in a bookshop he hadn’t seen before and asked the owner if they had any books on magic.  Not fiction, he wants the real thing.  His father told him magic was real right before he disappeared.  His mother tells him his father is dead but he still believes the magic is real…

Book Publicity Services shared a copy of this book with me for review (thank you).  It will be published February 2nd.

This is a wonderful fantasy tale well-told by the author.  The character development is good, the friendships Thomas has are heart-warming and the magic is unpredictable.  After all, if you didn’t know you had any, how could you practice?

What he finds in the shop is a “real” magic book.  The owner tells him to take it home and read it and then bring it back as soon as he’s done.  Tell no one and keep it hidden.  He does that but he finds the contents of the book confusing and he starts meeting up with people who are unfriendly to him.  He soon learns they are after the book.

When he finishes the book, they tell him of his destiny and that he has mighty powers.  He’s not sure about that but when they give him his first training assignment and lock him in a room, he has to perform to get out.  He can’t quite figure it out but he’s getting hungry.  Will he manage to do what he needs to?  He does and he finds that the training moves faster once he’s won the first battle to open his mind.

With magical acts all through the story and the fight between good and evil, it’s an exciting tale that reads fast.  It’s also the first book in the series so Thomas will be back.

I really enjoyed reading this tale and hope to read more about Thomas.