The Best of R. A. Lafferty by R.A. Lafferty

This is an anthology of twenty-two stories.  Mr. Lafferty has a good imagination...

Tor and Edelweiss allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published on February 2nd.

These are hardcore science fiction.  The stories are interesting.  You visit other worlds, meet aliens, and more.  There are no happy endings but that makes the stories more fascinating.  Would you go somewhere that you would know when you're going to die?  Would you eat odd food?  Drink a drink that had a snake in it?

These adventurers did that and more.  When you begin to read it, you need to set your imagination free...

Relentless by Shawn Wilson

Brick Kavanagh is back. It's cherry blossoms season and everything is pink except the nude body floating in the tidal pool.

Oceanview Publishing and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published December 8th.

It doesn't take long before they find another body.  Brick is doing all he can to find the killer when someone confesses and the DA wants to close the case.  The cops know he didn't do it but the DA doesn't care.  He confessed, that closes the case.

Brick talks to him and finds out he's taking the fall for someone else.  His family has been threatened.  The next thing that happens is that accused man commits suicide.  That doesn't stop Brick from looking for the killer.

There's plenty going on in this story.  He has a romance just beginning, he gets hit in the head and ends up in the hospital.  When he finally figures out the killer, he gets out of his hospital bed and goes after him.  I was surprised at who it was, did you figure it out?

A Stranger in Town : A Rockton Novel by Kelley Armstrong

Casey is a detective and the Sheriff Dalton is her boyfriend.  They live in a fairly small town in the woods.  There are others living in the area, too, but they are hostiles and are on drugs.  They work hard to keep them apart.

Macmillan and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published February 2nd.

They are in a deserted area of the country and there are rules for the residents. You can stay for a couple years but then you have to file for an extension.  Not all of them are granted.

This is rough country so they ask the town folks to stay out of the woods.  They don't always do it.  And sometimes they don't return.

They find two sets of campers that have been killed.  There is one survivor but she's unconscious.  They take her home with them and to the hospital for treatment.

There are several deaths, and you really can't trust anyone.  My favorite character was the wolfhound.

They may have to move again and start over in a new place.  Let's hope there will be no hostiles there.

Pen Dragon and the Age of King Arthur Paperback by Mike & Hilary Emeny

This is a book that introduces young readers to King Arthur and includes a dragon.

Boddington & Royall Limited sent me a copy of this book to read for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can grab a copy now.

This is an interactive book.  You can download the app to your Android or Apple device and can follow the directions on that as you read the chapters.

You start with Arthur's father and a comet in the sky.  From there on it gives you more of Arthur's history and more info about the dragon.

It's called a Living Pages Publication.  There are things in the book you need to solve.

It looks like fun.  Read and learn about the myth of Arthur.

You can buy the book HERE, or you can buy it from Amazon HERE.

Nighthawk's Wing: A Gideon Stoltz Mystery (Gideon Stoltz #2) by Charles Fergus

Gideon meets a young beautiful woman that is staying with friends and likes her.  When she is found dead later, he's on the trail of the killer.

Arcade Crimewise and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).   It will be published February 2nd.

He follows up with everyone that knew her.  No one knows anything about her last days.  He goes out of town to find one fellow looking for her.  He finds that he had raped her and then the man attacks him.  He fights back and ends up breaking the man's leg.  He's warned by a young boy to get out of town because his brothers would be out for revenge.

Gideon wonders what happened in the blank area in his mind.  He was drinking and fell off his horse, hit his head and blacked out.  He wonders if he killed her.  His wife is still mourning the baby they lost and doesn't want much to do with him.  He keeps searching his mind for facts.

Then another woman comes up dead.  It looks like she hung herself but he doesn't believe that.

The killer was no one I suspected.  Gideon almost dies after he found out who the killer was but his wife saved him.  

With herbal remedies and poisons this was an interesting read.  I was hoping Gideon would survive.  He did.  No one in this story is without sin except the first woman.  Watch for the undercurrents in the story.

The Low Desert : Gangster Stories by Tod Goldberg

This is a collection of stories about gangsters.

Counterpoint and Edelweiss allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published February 2nd.

These tales aren't pleasant.  Gangsters aren't nice people and they have no qualms about killing people.  Some of the stories were of revenge, some of double crossing, and there are no happy ever after tales.

The author keeps you reading to see where he's going next.  Each tale catches your attention.  And while these are not cheerful tales, they are pretty realistic.  Gangsters are pretty mean.

Road Trip! A Whiskers Hollow Adventure by Steve Light

Bear is driving his pickup on branches.  He's a good driver, but he hits an acorn.  That takes out his headlight, so he goes on a road trip to find another.

Candlewick and Edelweiss let me read this book for review.  It will be published February 9th.

As he heads down the road he picks up all his friends.  Then they go to the elephant's junk tree to see if they can find a headlight.  No luck.  Then they fall from the tree in a mud puddle.  The elephant knows what to do.  He hoses them down with water and, to their surprise, they see the perfect headlight for his pickup.

The illustrations are lovely, the animals are cute, and it's a very enjoyable read.

Faithless in Death : An Eve Dallas Novel by J. D. Robb

This is a very interesting read.  It's about a sculptor that was killed in her studio.  When Eve goes to call on the woman that reported it, she finds it took her an hour to call it in.  Her fiance comforts her and Eve starts asking questions.

St. Martin's Press and Edelweiss allowed me to read this book for review.  It will be published February 9th.

She finds out the woman is part of a group that sees itself as religious.  To Eve, it seems like a cult.  Young women are sold to older men.  Once you are married you are expected to have children.  Women aren't allowed to work anywhere except in the home.  The more babies you have the better.  Some women are drugged and then tied down and raped.  This cult is not nice.  Eve is sure one of them killed her victim because it was a lesbian affair.  That's not allowed either.

Eve and her boyfriend and the various staff members search for proof so they can put them in jail.  It's a long search with bits and pieces of evidence that lead them on to another tidbit.

This cult has been around for a while, so it will take a lot of work to take it down.  But Eve is determined...

The Midnight Fair by Gideon Sterer, Mariachiara Di Giorgio (Illustrated by)

This is a fun story to read.  The circus sets up in the countryside and has many visitors on the first day.  Then it closes for the day and they lock up and go home.

Candlewick and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published on January 2nd.

The forest animals watched all the fun during the day.  Now that it was night, they moved closer.  The raccoons make an opening in the fence and in they go!  They ride the rides, eat the goodies and hang out all night.  The illustrations are lovely and great fun to look at.

As daylight approaches, they go back to the woods.  The guard comes to open the place and sees some things out of place but doesn't know why.  If he were to look at the woods, there's nothing there to let him know what happened.

I enjoyed watching the animals have a good time.

Last Seen Wearing by Hillary Waugh, Leslie S. Klinger (Edited by)

It's a normal school day but Lowell says she's not feeling well at lunchtime and lays down.  When her roommate comes back to the room, she's not there. Nor does she return the next day.  Eventually the police are called in.

It takes a big search but they finally find her body.  But no one saw anything, the boys she dated had been other places, so how did she die?  There is a suspicion that it might be suicide but it doesn't take them long to determine she was murdered.

There is  a lot of detective work involved.  It seems like it's going nowhere, but the chief has an idea and sets out to prove it.

This is a good police procedural and the killer was unusual.

The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner

Sophie is an Irish immigrant in New York that desperately wants to find a way out.  She's living in a tenement, sharing quarters and not really getting enough to eat.  She's working but she doesn't earn much.  So when she sees an ad in the paper from a man looking for a wife, she answers it.

Berkley and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published February 2nd.

Sophie travels cross country and meets the man she's to marry.  They get married immediately and he takes her to a new home he's purchased.  She meets his little daughter and falls in love with her.

This is a tale of secrets.  The man lies to her, is guilty of bigamy, and the mother of the little girl is not dead as he says.  Sophie has some secrets of her own.

She meets another wife who is pregnant.  They are both shocked that the same man has married them but with different names.  He comes home while she's still there and rushes up the steps where his pregnant wife is standing with his daughter.  The daughter shoves him and he falls back down the stairs.  Sophie drags him out in the kitchen so the child won't see what she's done.  He's not looking good and Sophie wouldn't care if he died.

Then a big earthquake hits.  The women leave the house and go to a park where they are gathering folks.  The pregnant woman has her baby early and she's taken somewhere else.  Sophie and the girl keep looking for her.  They get reunited and then they find the house is just ashes.  They go to the other lady's house to live.

Sophie goes back and looks for bones but she's not sure he if he died or got away...

Will he come back?

The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon

Shay is a producer at a radio station.  She's been there for ten years.  Then a journalist joins them.   He's tall and good looking and has an article about their Mayor that is a scandal.  Shay gets tired of hearing about his Master's Degree.  Then her boss wants them to do a show together... 

Berkley and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published on January 26th.

He wants her and Dominic to do a show together.The name of it would be Ex Talk.  They would pretend they were dating in the past and broke up and now were trying to be friends.  It bothers Shay because it's a lie but they get together and make up a story to tell about it.

One thing neither of them saw coming was that they really did fall in love working together.  They keep their relationship hidden but their boss lets folks know it's not what they have been lead to believe.  The callers turn against them and the outcome is that Shay leaves and Dominic stays.  She's upset enough she refuses to talk to Dominic.

Will they ever get together again?

Underground Adventure Below The Green: Book 1 by A R Hetherington

Maggie and James are good friends so when Maggie finds a trapdoor, she shows him.  They decide to see where it leads.

BooksGoSocial and Net Galley gave me the opportunity to read this for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

When they follow the staircase down, they meet two children there and their adventures begin.  

They learn there is another world beneath theirs.  They go with the children they met and find that they have good food and tasty drinks.  There's also a danger there.  They could get captured and be given to the ogres as slaves.  They manage to stay safe but one of their new friends gets captured.  

They agree to help get the ones stolen back.  Maggie finds she can talk to animals.  The help them get where they need to go.

It's dangerous but they don't run.  They use the skills they have to try to rescue them.  Will they be successful?

A Pairing to Die For by Kate Lansing

She has her own winery and her boyfriend has his own restaurant.  They share their products with each other and they are falling in love.  Then he's accused of murder and ends up in jail.

Berkley and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published on January 26th.

Parker knows Reid wouldn't kill anybody and she tells the cop that.  But they have an eye witness.  Reid's family is there visiting but they won't put up the bail.  They think she's not a good match for their son.

Parker starts her own investigation.  It's slow going, people aren't telling her everything, and then she gets attacked and told to stay off the case.  She doesn't.

Reid doesn't get along with his family and she can see why.  They are cold and not very nice.  She goes to visit them again and finds that her attacker was Reid's father.  She calls the cops.

Then she discovers who really killed the victim.  The problem is that the killer is now after her...

Sophie Washington: Class Retreat by Tonya Duncan Ellis

Sophie and her class are going on a retreat.  They'll be there for a few days and there are a lot of activities.  She has friends in her class and is looking forward to the trip.  If only her brother would hush up about Big Foot.  He's fixated on him and he manages to scare his sister.

This is a Goddess Fish Blog Tour and they and the author shared this book with me (thank you).  It has been published so you can grab a copy now.

The boys from their school are generally pretty nice, but another school is there, too, and those boys are mean.

Then Sophie thinks she's seen Big Foot.  It makes her keep one camp rule:  Never go anywhere alone, take someone with you.

Their favorite event is sitting around the campfire and eating smores. 

On their last night there, more than Sophie sees Big Foot.  Will he hurt them?  Who is he?  Read the book and find out.

Tonya Duncan Ellis will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.  Enter HERE.

Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found HERE.

Happy reading and good luck!

Crime of the Ancient Marinara by Stephanie Cole

Nell Valenti is going to create a cooking school in Tuscan.  She has her plans but she didn't add in the personalities...

Berkley and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published January 26th.

The chef is old and a bit odd but he still cooks beautifully.  Everyone is participating and looking forward to learning about his secret sauce.

They are only here for a number of days, so the cooking lessons are many.  They go out to the woods to pick mushrooms.  They are shown the Death Cap poisonous mushroom and told not to even touch.  

When one of the party gets real sick and dies, they are shocked to find out it was the fatal mushroom which killed him.  Who from their group would have done that?

Nell plays detective and goes through several suspects.  She finally knows she found the right one.  Will she be able to apprehend the killer?

Our Italian Summer by Jennifer Probst

Mother, daughter, and grand daughter decide to take a trip to Italy.  That was where Grandmother's parents were from.  At first they said no, but then the youngest got caught with some other kids who were drinking and smoking.  And Mom was having panic attacks due to stress from work, so they go.

Berkley and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published January 12th.

They are a close family but with work and other activities they don't talk much any more.  This trip changes that.

The Mom and daughter talk about expectations and how they feel about their relationship.  Grandmother let's her daughter know that her father had panic attacks like she was right before he died.  The youngest says her mother isn't there for her - it's all work.  And Grandmother has a health problem she hasn't told anyone about.

As they travel and enjoy the sites and the talks, they get closer.  As the grand daughter meets a guy she likes in the group, her mother is falling for the tour guide.  The Grandmother meets an interesting man in the cafe and he sends her flowers at home.

You don't know if the love will last but it's better to have loved and lost than never loving at all...

Dargo: Eco Hero by Karina McRoberts

Dargo is not working fast enough for his boss, so he's let go.  He's so disturbed by that he heads out for home but doesn't pay attention to where he is going.  He ends up at an old amusement park he recognizes.

BooksGoSocial and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

As he wanders the park, he meets various elements.  There's the wind, fire, water, and the earth.  They ask him for help.  No one pays attention to them anymore.

He agrees to help them and when he speaks at the conference he's sneaked into, the people listen.

This is a good way for young ones to meet nature.  We can't take those things for granted.  We have to protect them and that's the point this story makes.

The Conjure-Man Dies: A Harlem Mystery : The first ever African-American crime novel by Rudolph Fisher, Stanley Ellin (Introduction by)

When they find the body of the Conjurer dead, one of the black detectives is assigned to it.  He and the doctor across the street examine the body and find no sign of life,  They take him downstairs and cover him with a sheet, then begin asking questions of everyone there.

Collins Crime Club and Edelweiss allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published December 23rd.

This is an intriguing story that is written very well.  It's a good read.

 The first thing they notice is that the body has disappeared.  Then the Conjure man appears alive and well.  He says he came back from the dead....

There is a lot of investigation but they don't figure it out until the Conjure man explains.

The ending is ironic and a bit surprising.  I bet you don't figure out who the killer was ahead of time!

The Parables of Sunlight by Margaret Dulaney

She had lived in Manhattan for years but she and her husband escaped the city and moved to the country.  They had rented their farm to a tenant but she did nothing but ruin things.  Once they cleaned it up and got it livable, they moved in.

Listen Well Publishing sent me a copy of this book to read for review (thank you).  It has already been published so you can get a copy now.

She falls in love with a horse in the farm.  It has a star on it's head.  She goes for long walks and sorts her thoughts.  She believes in a higher spirit that she calls the teacher.

Things are going pretty good until one of the bigger horses kicks the horse she likes and breaks her leg.  The vet wants to put her down.  She won't do it.  Then she reads about a man who uses a different technique and has healed many animals.  She gets him to come and work on her horse.

This tale is nonfiction and follows her life on the farm.  It's a cozy feeling with challenges along the way.  Just like life really is!

Undercover Kitty by Sofie Ryan, Series: Second Chance Cat Mystery (#8)

Sarah has a cat named Elvis.  She adopted him, he's a mix of cat breeds but he has a vibrant personality.  She's a member of the older Angel group who figures out mysteries.  The current mystery is who is trying to sabotage the cat show.   The ladies convince Sarah to enter Elvis in the show so they can detect.

Berkley and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published January 26th.

They snoop but find nothing.  Elvis takes second place.  Sarah visits with her friends then they all head for home.

It's real shock to learn the next day that one of those new friends has died in a fire from smoke inhalation.  Sarah is sure it is murder but it takes quite a while before the investigators agree with her.  Now they have another case to work.

Between cats, eccentric owners and the amount of people at the cat show it's hard to find much out.  But they don't give up.  It helps that Elvis is like a lie detector.  They can watch him and know if it's truth or a lie.

Sarah eventually starts to put bit and pieces together and comes up with a suspect.  It won't be easy to stop the suspect but the Angels take it on.  They find the killer and the cat show saboteur.  It was unexpected by me, but all's well that ends well.

Blink of an Eye by Roy Johansen, Iris Johansen, Series: Kendra Michaels (#8)

In the blink of an eye, the very popular singer goes missing.  They don't see her bodyguards anywhere.  Then they discover them inside the big speakers in the hall.  Someone killed them and kidnapped Delilah.

Grand Central Publishing and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published February 2nd.

With the FBI, local cops and Kendra all trying to find her it should have been easy to find her,  But this was a carefully planned kidnap and there are no real clues.  Then they get a call requesting a ransom.  Her old boyfriend offers to put up the $20 million to get her back.

They are keeping her drugged and have hidden her in a plane in the old boneyard of planes.  Delilah isn't helpless, though.  She's been taught to defend herself but she has to wait for the right time.

This is a good mystery.  Kendra finally figures out who the kidnapper is and they have a final showdown.  I never imagined the kidnapper was who it turned out to be.  Let me know if you did...

If I Disappear by Eliza Jane Brazier

Sera loves listening to the podcasts of a woman of her own age that talks about true crime.  When no new content is out, she goes to find the missing woman.  She lived on a ranch that is isolated and despite her questions, nobody knows where she went.

Berkley and Net Galley let me read this book for review.  It will be published January 26th.

Her mother says a gang killed her.  She knows she's dead.  But the mother is a controller and watches everything that Sera does.  Sera hired on to take care of the horses so she'd have an excuse to snoop around.

She meets a ranch hand that is attractive and gets a crush on him.  His wife supposedly went home to her parents and is divorcing him.  But she's not at her parents.  Is she another victim?

This book is chilling.  Most everyone on  the ranch is a bit cuckoo in one way or another.  Sera gets a lot of warnings about where she can go and what buildings she can enter. 

Then the mother wants her to move into the missing girl's room at the main house.  She does it but she probably shouldn't have.

The ending is shocking.  It wasn't at all what I expected.  Did you see that coming?

Before She Disappeared by Lisa Gardner

Frankie is a middle-aged lady who looks for missing people that the cops gave up on.  So far, she's found bodies, no one alive.  But she's hoping to change that.

Edelweiss and Dutton let me read this book for review.  It will be published January 19th.

Frankie is a recovering alcoholic.  It's still a battle with her.  When she finds a new case, she goes to the neighborhood the girl lived in and finds herself an apartment and a job.  She's night bartender and she lives above the bar.  For some reason, she's able to stay out of the booze.

Her biggest challenge here is that she's white and the neighbor hood is black.  They don't trust her and they don't want to answer questions.  Despite that she continues searching for the girl.

It gets more and more complicated as time goes on.  Another girl is missing, there is a fake university, and fake ID's are being created.

She finally puts things together in her mind and she goes to brace the man she thinks is responsible.  That turns into a showdown.  Will she live or will she die?

The Forever Sea by Joshua Phillip Johnson

Kindred has been taught by her Grandmother how to make a fire with bones (size makes a difference) and how to talk to it to make it function the way she wants it to.

DAW and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will publish on January 19th.

Adding plants to the fire effects the flame and can speed the boat up.  The boats cross the grasses in the plains.  They also cross water.

When Kindred gets good enough she finds her own job on another boat.  Things are going good until she finds out her Grandmother has walked into the sea.  She wanted to know what was under the sea.

Things go from bad to worse.  Their ship is being targeted in their world, so they sail to another.  This city has lots of pirates so it's not too safe either.  They were supposed to work for a number of days and then they'd give them a ship and let them go.  It doesn't take long until they find out that's a lie.

Kindred is trying to find a way of escape.  Even her own shipmates can't be trusted.

This is a fantasy that is well done.  There may be more in this series because the story didn't really end.  You could always make up your own ending...

Germania: A Novel of Nazi Berlin by Harald Gilbers

There is a serial killer of  women in Berlin.  One of the Nazi's comes after Oppenheimer.   He used to be a cop in the Berlin police department and had a good record.   Now they want him to find the killer...

Thomas Dunne Books and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has beeen published and you can get a copy now.

This is a fascinating story.  Richard is happy to help them find the killer, but he's a Jew and he has to be careful.  He's only alive because he married a woman that was not Jewish.  The man he's working with protects him as well as he can.

The women are mutilated and as it goes on, the killer is cutting their arms off and taking them with him.

Richard works hard on the case and comes up with a suspect. It's hard to do your job when you are constantly being bombed.

The first man they brought in is not the killer but the Nazi's get a confession out of him through torture and then they kill him.

Richard is still going after the real killer.  The man had killed before and was in jail but when Hitler took over, he pardoned him.  He's very elusive.

Richard has to worry about his wife, too.  He's leaving her alone while he hunts and it's dangerous in Berlin.

You get an upclose look at the Nazi's.  Someone else's life means nothing to them. 

Richard finds the killer but the killer isn't going down easy.  The man he's working with has been given orders to kill him once the case is closed.  Will the Nazi do it?

Sisterhood of the Infamous by Jane Rosenberg LaForge

This is the story of two sisters who really can't relate to each other.  The whole family is dysfunctional so that's not a surprise.

The author sent me a copy to read for review (thank you).  It will be published February 23rd.

Barbara is a very petite woman that wants to be part of a famous band.  She creates her own band and they perform a few gigs, but when she meets Jasmine she wants to be part of her tour.  Jasmine is a popular pop singer.  The worst part is that Barbara falls in love with her.  It's a mutual attraction and they enjoy each other's company but after so long, Jasmine says she wants out.  Barbara is too clingy and makes her feel burdened.

Barbara's sister gets married and starts a family.  Barbara was always smarter than her.  After being dumped by Jasmine, she doesn't want another relationship.  But she thinks her sister took the easy way out.

This is not a happy story.  Barbara comes down with cancer and her sister goes to visit.  Not much is said but the memories from the past are still alive.  Then they hear Jasmine was murdered.  The reporters fill the driveway trying to get information about Barbara but they are turned away.

Who killed Jasmine?  How much longer will Barbara live?  

If you like emotion driven characters, you will like this book.  I felt bad for Barbara.  She wanted fame and fortune but it passed her by.

The Lost Boys : A Decker/Lazarus Novel by Faye Kellerman

When Bertram Telemann, a developmentally disabled man, goes missing from a local diner near Greenbury, the police are called in and start a search for him.  There are woods nearby and they work the forest trying to find him.  Instead they find a body that has been there a long time, it's just bones.

William Morrow and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published January 12th.

The body is of a missing boy that disappeared ten years ago.  More officers are allocated and they look for the other two.  It was a camping trip they never returned from.

In the meantime the search for Bertram is continuing.  When they bring in the dogs, they find his trail only goes to the road.  Someone must have picked him up.  They know he liked a nurse who spoke his language, so they go to visit her.  She's not home and the house smells of bleach.  Someone was knifed there.

In the meantime, they find a second body in the woods, another camper.  They look for a third body...

Bertram had a girlfriend he'd been separated from.  When they check on her, she's missing, too.

There is a lot of investigation and interviews but not everything gets resolved.  Ms. Kellerman writes good mysteries.

The Broken Spine by Dorothy St. James

Tru can't believe that they are going to get rid of all the books in the library and turn it into an electronic heaven or hell depending on how you look at it.  The books are all boxed up following the town manager's instructions.

Berkley and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published January 19th.

Tru comes up with a plan.  She'll take a mix of books down to the basement and checked them out there to those that won't give it away.  She also fills up a tote and takes books to them.  But only those in on her plot know about it, nobody else.  It's a secret.

When she works in the basement she hears a loud noise on the floor above.  She goes to see what it was and finds the town manager under a book rack.  He's dead.  It doesn't take long to find out it was no accident,  Someone had removed the screws that held it in place.  Someone murdered him.

There are a lot of suspects.  Books matter to some people (like me).  The cops investigate and the suspect list starts to go down.  Tru doesn't believe they have the right person.  She works hard on  it, even suspecting some of her friends along the way.

She finally thinks she's got the right person but she never expected to get caught in the basement with him.  Will she survive?

The Paradise Affair by Bill Pronzini

 

Quincannon is after two con men that stole money, stocks and more from a new client.  When he finds they are on their way to Hawaii he begins to lose his enthusiasm.  Sabina thinks it's great, they can have a second honeymoon and catch the crooks, too.  She figures how they can go and arranges passage.

Forge Books and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published on January 26th.

The worst part for Quincannon is the boat ride.  He was sick almost all the way there.  Sabina meets a lady that she gets along with well, and they offer them a place to stay for free.  They accept.

He goes to find another private detective and asks him to find the con men,  He finds where they had been staying but the con men were gone now.  One was dead.  The other went to the big island.  He's going to follow him but he leaves Sabina there.  She enjoys visiting the tourist spots, but soon she has her own mystery to solve.

They both have adventures and some danger but they accomplish what they went there to do.

Mr. Pronzini always writes good mysteries and I enjoyed reading another.  Nice job, Bill.

Halfway to Harmony by Barbara O'Connor

Walter is bored because his big brother went to war and never came home.  He and Tank did everything together and had fun.  Now he has no one to have fun with...

Macmillan's Children's Publishing Group and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published January 12.

Then neighbors move in next door and they have a girl that's about his age.  They play together and have adventures.   One day on the way to the river, they find a dead man.  They intend to call 911 when they hear a moan.  He's alive but has a broken ankle.  

They find out he was flying a hot air balloon, but it's nowhere in sight.  He goes to the hospital for his ankle treatment and Walter and Posey search for his balloon.   They find it but they can't move it.

Banjo returns with a cast and asks them to get his balloon out of the river.  Walter has been dreaming about his brother and he hears him say he can do it.  So he and Posey go and with lots of effort get back up on the bank by the bridge.  They hide it so no one can see it from the bridge.

Then they have to use Tank's truck to retrieve it.  Walter gets grounded right before the race but luckily it ends right before and he can see the race.

He and Posey get a treat, they get to ride in the balloon.  Will they be able to retrieve the keys and win a new truck?

There was plenty of action, Walter learns to accept the death of his brother, and Banjo comes a courting.  It's a good read.

The Perfect Guests by Emma Rous

 

This tale is told in two time periods:  1988 and 2019.  It's a bit confusing at the beginning but as you keep reading you see how it all ties together.

Berkley and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you) and it will be published  on January 12th.

Beth is 14 when she's taken to Raven Hall by her Aunt to be a friend to their daughter, Nina.  It goes well and she even feels like part of the family.  They ask her to take part in a reunion with the man's father and pretend she is Nina.  She does, more than once.  This is where the plot begins...

In 2019, Sadie is trying to be an actress and has an opportunity to participate in a murder mystery that pays a lot.  She says yes.  But she doesn't know what she's getting into.

All the actors and actresses get sick here and there and can't participate like they planned.  Who is giving them the the drug that makes them sick?

Then there's a confrontation between Beth and Nina that surprises everyone.  Even the old lady that keeps to herself is involved.  It seems she's part of the family from the past...

It's a real mix of plots and there are victims along the way.  It holds your attention and you wonder where the author is going with it.

The World Needs Who You Were Made To Be by Joanna Gaines

This children's picture book has a good message:  You don't all have to do it the same way.

Thomas Nelson sent me a copy of this book to read for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can grab a copy now.

A group of children are making them hot air balloons to go exploring.  Each team makes theirs in a different order or a different way, but all of them work and are beautiful. 

Use your talents and your creativenesss to do the projects assigned.  Doing it the way someone else would, will cramp you style.

What's important is that you get to the answer, not how you got there.

Julianna Swaney is the illustrator and her graphics are lovely.  Combining them with the story it makes it a joy to read.

A Whisker in the Dark by Leighann Dobbs, Series: Oyster Cove Guesthouse (#2)

Her guest house is almost full when her contractor finds a skeleton in the wall.  It's only bones and it's 300 years old.  But he used to be the previous owner and he was supposed to have a treasure...

Grand Central Publishing and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you). It will be published on January 12th.

The worst part is that the people staying at her guest house are all relatives.  They decide there might be a treasure hidden on the grounds and everyone goes out and buys shovels.  They promise to refill the holes after checking it out.

She has two cats and they try to tell her what they've found but it doesn't go well.  

And then they find a current body, one of the members of the family.  He was hit with a shovel but the shovels have no blood traces on them.

The mother and her daughter decide that they would help the sheriff find the killer.  They come up with all sorts of theories but it's the cats who are the best lead.  They have found the bloody shovel.  But there's a problem when they follow him.  The killer is there and was going to hide the shovel.  And he has a gun.

Will they survive or become bones in a grave?

This is a good cozy mystery.  I enjoyed it.

The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry by C. M. Waggoner

Dellaria Wells is behind on her rent again.  She needs money so she becomes part of a team to be sure the young woman they are transporting to her wedding arrives safe.  Doesn't sound like a big job but it's not as easy as she thought.

Berkley and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published the 12th of January.

Dellaria finds one of her companions attractive.  Winn is attracted to her, too.  Things start going wrong right away.  One of the group is a shapeshifter and they find her dead.  They stick together and hope to find the sister who killed her younger sister.

There are all sorts of magical things in this story.  There's a dead mouse who comes back to life with the spirit of wizard  in the body.  When it starts decomposing the old lady boils it down to bones.  The bony shape still has the wizard's spirit in it and it even talks.

Nothing is going well with their job or their quest.  They visit an old house that has several locked rooms and begin lockpicking to see what's behind them.  

They find themselves in the drug business on their quest for the truth.  It's a scheme for getting information.

It's a fantasy all the way and I enjoyed the odd quirks and the unknowns they run into.  This story will keep your attention...

The Man Who Didn't Fly by Margot Bennett, Martin Edwards

Four men were going to fly to Dublin on a chartered flight.  Only three men showed up and they never made it to Dublin, they went down in the sea.  The police visit the place where they had been rooming and started asking all kinds of questions.

Poisoned Pen Press and Edelweiss let me read this story for review (thank you).  It will be published on January 5th.

The had a variety of personalities amongst the men as well as the family.  The father was going to give one of them money to invest.  He had dreams of great returns.  His daughters tried to stop him but to no avail.  One of them is being courted by one of them.  He's a poet.  Then there was the man that is following the one who got the father's funds.  He had stolen money from his mother and he intends to get even.  The young man who becomes their cook was a thief before.  All the men have secrets.What the cops want to know is who wasn't on the flight (they were one man short) and did he sabotage the plane?

As lots of facts get bandied about you wonder how they are ever going to get it straightened out.

The ending is ironic and answers where the fourth man disappears to but it doesn't explain the plane crash.

There are just a lot of men trying to get ahead how ever they can.  And no one makes it...

Murder in Mykonos by Jeffrey Siger

The new Captain in the police force has been moved to an island that is full of tourists.  He's not real happy with that.  He wanted more variety in his job instead of just hobnobbing with the tourists.  He should have been more careful about what he wished for.

Poisoned Pen Press and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published January 5th.

He gets a phone call about a body in a church.  It's a decomposing body hidden in the crypt.  And as they search other churches, they find more bodies.  It seems they have a serial killer there.

As they begin to try to find a suspect, they get drawn into finding a missing girl.  It becomes even more important when they realize the missing girl has the same profile as the other dead girls.  The fact that she's related to one of the local politicians makes it even more urgent.

They don't have any leads but they feel that the closed mines would be a good place to hide the women before they die.  The mines are close to more than one suspect. 

They decide to search the mines.  The woman is trying to outwit the killer but it's hard to do when you've been drugged. 

Soon the two chiefs are in the vicinity of the fight between the victim and the killer.  Will they be in time to save her? 

Brock McGuire by Gladice Guillermo

Brock has it made.  He's only in the sixth grade but he's great at speaking in front of people and throws in jokes for laughs.  If only he had brothers instead of sisters and the school bully would leave him alone.

BooksGoSocial and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

Brock loves playing video games, so he gets his little sister to clean up his room, plays music to make them think he's practicing his saxophone, and uses his friend's math homework to get his done.  He's supposed to be walking a lady's dog, but he goes to the cemetery and meets his buddy and they smoke cigarettes.  Soon everything topples down around him.

He took the easy way out and copied an article from the internet to make his speech in front of his class.  His teacher figures out he did and calls his mother in and then tells Brock that was unacceptable.  Things go downhill from there.  The old lady learns he's not walking her dog like she thought, his friend doesn't want him copying his answers anymore, he gets in trouble for not cleaning his own room, and then he's grounded for a month and can't play video games.  Taking the easy way out is not allowed anymore.

Then Brock has this dream and the man in it says he'll help him.  He listens to him but he's not sure he's right.

Brock has some growing up to do...

Return to the Most Beautiful Village in the World by Yutaka Kobayashi

Mirado has been traveling with the circus and playing his flute.  He enjoys the travel and playing the flute but he's getting homesick.

Museyon and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published on November 1st.

He tells the circus master he wishes to go home and he lets him.  It takes a lot of walking to get there.  He meets a family that lets him sit around the fire and feeds him.  The father even gives him his flute, which is a good thing because his own father's flute he was using broke. 

He continues on his journey back to his home.  When he finally gets there, the village has been destroyed and no one lives there anymore.  

He heads for the next town.  Will he find his friends and family?  Read it and see.

Bone Canyon Eve Ronin, Book 2 by Lee Goldberg

When a wildfire hits the Santa Monica mountains, it doesn't just burn trees and houses.  They find human bones in the aftermath.  

Thomas & Mercer and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published January 5th.

A partial skull is found in the blackened ground.  As they continue searching the ground, they find that two women are dead.  Eve learns there was another woman with the younger woman and she tracks her down.  The lady talks to her and gives the clothes she was wearing that night but she doesn't want her name brought up.

Eve goes along with her assumptions with how it happened.  She knows the girls were raped and that it was cops that did it.  They were surfing, the girls started talking to them and drinking and then they passed out.The men took advantage of the situation.  But Eve is a cop, too, and no one wannts her to pursue the men.  She does anyway.

They try to discourage her by ruining her car with dog poop and urine.  They run her off the road in her rental car trying to kill her.  And she still persists despite the threats.

Then she realizes they are not the killers of the women. 

The killer was a surprise.  I didn't think he was a suspect.

This is a good mystery with lots of twists and turns.  It's a good thing her partner is there.  He helps protect her.

You won't be bored.

Ralph Compton Frontier Medicine by Robert J. Randisi, Ralph Compton Series: The Gunfighter Series

Gabriel has come west because of an ad he saw.  An older doctor is looking for a partner that can take over the business.  He meets the older doctor who is a bit crusty and crabby and they decide to share the workload.  He has a bit of trouble fitting in because folks are used to the other doctor, but when they get him in western clothes and he does so well with children, they accept him.

Berkley and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).

Gabe stays with the old doctor at first but soon moves unto an apartment above the restaurant he frequently eats at.  He's not far from the office, the saloon, and shops.

A gunslinger comes to town looking for him.  He intends to kill the doctor.  Gabe carries his gun with him in his bag.  When he goes to get it out, the gunslinger is trying to draw.  He shoots him through the bag and says the gun got caught on the bag.  Nobody believes him.  This is the second man he's killed since he came to town, so the newspaper calls him Doctor Death.

More men come after him, so he makes a deal with a gunslinger who needed medical work.  He ends the Doctor Death reputation and the good doctor finds himself thinking about marriage to one of two women.

This was a good western that kept your attention and entertained you at the same time.

Lego with Dad by Warren Nash

This is a cool book that has all kinds of information about legos.  It's a way to bond with your child.

Rockynook sent me a copy of this book to read for review (thank you).  It has been published and would make a great Christmas gift with some legos.

He tells which bricks get used the most and gives you samples of what you can create.  The best part is that there are photos to show you exactly how to build things with them.  

Once you've finished with things in the book, why not brainstorm with your little one and come up with some new ideas?  This could be quite an adventure!

Angel Six Echo by Robert Appleton

This is an interesting look at the future.  There are two different alien forces that want to take over the world.  They fight with each other and the humans.  When her husband enters the war, she suits up and heads out to help protect him.

Book go social and Net Galley let me read this book for review.  It has been published so you can grab a copy now.

She used to be in Special Ops so she has all kinds of weapons normal folks don't.  She has a suit that forms to her body and gives her powers she didn't have before.  When she finds her husband, he's hunkered down trying to keep living despite the weapons the enemy uses.  She starts by taking out the snipers...

This is full of action, war in a new form. She's a determined war machine but will she be able to stop them?  She's by herself and she's fighting multiple aliens.  They call her Angel Six...

You won't be bored reading this.

Belgrade Noir by Milorad Ivanovic

This is an anthology of stories set in Belgrade.  The authors are as follows:  

Oto Oltvanji (Goodreads Author) (Contributor),

Misha Glenny (Goodreads Author) (Contributor),

Kati Hiekkapelto (Goodreads Author) (Contributor),

Vesna Goldsworthy (Contributor),

Mirjana Đurđević (Contributor),

Vladan Matijević (Contributor),

Muharem Bazdulj (Contributor),

Vladimir Arsenijević (Goodreads Author) (Contributor),

Dejan Stojiljković (Contributor),

Miljenko Jergović (Contributor),

Aleksandar Gatalica (Contributor),

Vule Žurić (Contributor),

Verica Vincent Cole (Contributor),

Goran Skrobonja (Contributor).

 

Akashic Books sent me a copy to read for review (thank you).   It will be published December 1st.

 

These stories are mostly creepy.  You have thieves, traitors, spies, corrupt doctors, psychiatric patients, former policemen, and mafia clans all represented in these stories.   

 

My favorite story was the first with former policeman.  Which one did you like best?

 

There is a bit of irony in reading of horrific crimes right before Halloween.  This book sets the tone for a scary Halloween! 

The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman

Not one of the second born Fontana sisters has found love.  This generation of daughters is determined to prove that false.

Then an old aunt of theirs invites them on an expense paid trip to Italy.  She's to meet the love of her life there on the church steps on her 80th birthday.

Berkley and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It is being published today.

As they travel through Italy, there are sexual encounters and temporary love but nothing long-lasting.

Their aunt's love never shows up but they find out he's ill.  Poppy goes to visit and he gets better.  Their love is still alive.

They learn many family secrets, some not so nice.  As the others get ready to go home, Emilia decides to stay.  She's tired of her mother running her life.  She's inherited an apartment and after the papers have been signed, she goes to visit it.  A man stops her and swears he's met her before.  She doesn't remember him but takes his phone number.  While she's looking at the apartment she realizes he was the one she called an avocado.  She calls him to remind him.  Who knows, maybe she can find love in Italy...

To Fetch a Felon by Jennifer Hawkins Series: A Chatty Corgi Mystery (#1)

Emma has moved to a small town leaving her financial job behind.  She wants to start a tea shop with nummy desserts to eat with their tea.  The problem she runs into is that the building she wants to use belongs to the crab in the village.  The lady doesn't want to rent to her...

Berkley and Edelweisss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published on December 29th.

Emma makes some scones and goes to visit her again with the gift.  But she finds her dead in the kitchen.  She wasn't popular but who want to kill her?

Emma tries to find out although the lady detective isn't thrilled about that.  

The will gives her estate to her girlfriend instead of her relative, which is a shock.

Then the reporter writing about true crime in the city is found dead.  Are there two killers or just one?

Emma finds Louise out at the cliff's edge looking like she might jump. but her Corgi scares her away from the edge.  She asks Louise to talk to talk to her and she does.

The most intriguing part of the book is Emma and her Corgi can talk to each other.  She uses him as a spy and to identify scents.  Together, they solve the current mysteries and one from forty years ago... 

The Bog Beast (Big Foot and Little Foot #4) by Ellen Potter, Felicita Sala

The Big Foot in this story is a Sasquatch and the human is Little Foot.  This is the fourth book in the series and it was fun to read.  It can be read as a standalone.

Harry N Abrams sent me a copy of this book to read for review (thank you).  It has been published so you can pick it up now.  Maybe along with the other three?

Today is the day they get their Bimbling Badge, which allows them to explore the North Woods on their own.  They have to gather three thing in the assignment to pass or they have to wait another year.  The teacher assigns them into teams and off they go.

The first place they head to is the bog for plant that only grows there.  There is a rumor there is a bog monster, so the young Sasquatch is nervous.  The human with him sees nothing but he sees the hand of the monster and hurries her up.  

Then they find another human stuck on an island in the river.  They plan to help him so they go find his boat and attempt to row upstream to him.  But there are lots of big rocks in the water.  The odd part is that they move...

There's an accident when they finally reach the island and the boat is ruined.  How are the three of them going to save themselves?

This was the best part of the story and is pretty exciting.  It will make your young reader read to find the answer.

A Hanging at Dawn : A Bess Crawford Short Story by Charles Todd, Series: Bess Crawford Mysteries

This is a story of Bess while she was a child.  Her parents took in a boy who was full of anger and tried to settle him down.  He teaches Bess, how to ride ride a horse and protects her.  They are living in India.

Witness Impulse and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).

The family keeps Simon's secrets.  His parents were killed early in his life and his grandfather didn't want him.  Due to his size and manner he joins up in the army.  Bess' father is a commander in the army and he trains Simon who is smart and learns fast.  It doesn't take long before he's promoted.

He's acting as a guard on the royal family.  The child has lost his rattle, so Simon backtracks and finds it.  Then they find one of the traveler dead with the riches he was guarding gone.  They arrest Simon.

There were no witnesses.  But Simon is English so it had to be him.  Both parents speak in his favor.  The father even gets the military involved but it matters not.  They sentence him to hang...

Can the family save him?

Chilled to the Cone : A Bakeshop Mystery by Ellie Alexander: Series: A Bakeshop Mystery (#12)

Juliet has a special opportunity to open another shop in town.  They won't serve the same thing, they'll do frozen coffee drinks and rich, cold custards.  They begin working  on the shop which is really a mess.  Her staff thinks it is a great idea and they help.

St. Martin's Paperbacks and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published on December 29th.

 Juliet's husband has come to visit.  He was on a cruise ship and she had left him there when she went home.  They still love each other but will he be happy in town?

There's an odd guy in town called the wizard.  He has some mental problems and gets accused of doing bad things just because he's strange.  Then they find him dead. Sure people were angry, but they wouldn't have killed him...

As she tries to figure out who killed him, someone sets fire to her new site and burns most of it down.  They decide to rebuild with improvements for their function. Now she has to worry about who is mad at her.

The ending was a surprise to me.  I had no idea who the killer was.  See if you figure it out.

 Will her husband stay with her or go back to the sea?  He's offered a promotion.  Read it and see.

Fairy Stories & Fairy Stories by Clive Johnson

This is an interesting book.  You read the well known fairy tale and right after that you read an adult version set in present time.  It's totallly different but the message of the story is the same.

The author sent me a copy of this book to read for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

I'm familiar with fairy tales but I've never looked for messages in them.  I'll read them differently now.  The adult tales hold your interest and you begin to see a parallel between them and the original fairy tale.  He adds an epilogue that explains it if you weren't sure you found the common theme.  His short stories add to the fairy tales. 

It's traditional tales for children and contemporary tales for adults.   I enjoyed this book.  If you like fairy tales, you'll like this book, too.  It makes you open your mind and look at fairy tales another way.