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.

The Chanter's Blade by A A Lee

The moon eating serpent is coming and there's on;y one moon left...

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

Makanas has made himself part of the last emperor's household.  He's planning on courting their secluded daughter.  She's smitten by him but doesn't know if he loves her.  He hasn't even seen her yet, just a finger wave.  Then disaster visits the household.

It seems they think her father is breaking the law.  Not being of the patient type, the accuser cuts her father's head off.  She's upset and she grabs a sword that is magical and then she goes flying through the air.  She's as special as is the sword.

Nothing goes according to a plan.  She has to learn how to come down from flying.  Her botfriend is cold to her and it's a good thing she has a woman warrior protecting her.

This book is busy and keeps you reading.  The fight isn't over yet, there will be more to this series.  This is a good preview and I enjoyed reading it.

Ralph Compton Red Trail by John Shirley, Ralph Compton Series: The Trail Drive Series

Mace Durst has cattle he has to drive to the agent that gave him a good price.  They can't use the regular trails because the Comanches are hostile and they love to steal cattle.  So he decides to take a little known trail that is hazardous but not inhabited by Comanches.  It's not safe either.

The problem is he needs the money.  They are behind on payments for the ranch.  So he gathers some men and heads out.  He doesn't realize that one of his hands will be paid for killing him...

Berkley and Edelweiss allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published on December 15th.

Besides high water, animal injuries, and picking up a few men on the way, there are those that want to steal his cows.  Not Indians but white men.  It's a hard trail ride.

At the ranch, his wife is dealing with a neighbor who wants her ranch and will do anything to get it.  That's why there is a killer in Mace's crew.  She runs him off the property with a rifle.  But he comes back, with some of his men.  And he blackmails the banker into calling the loan so she will lose the ranch.  She's no shrinking violet and defends her ranch.

You're not sure if Mace will be back, the threats get worse at the ranch, and the cattle drive is difficult.  

It's a good western, there's bloodshed but the rancher and his wife stand firm.  It was a good read.

The Ghost of Walhachin by Ramona Nehring-Silver

His mother has married again and now she has no time for him.  He decides to spend the summer with his aunt and cousin in a small desert town.

Goddess Fish Blog and the author let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

He didn't realize it would be so boring.  In Seattle, something was always going on.  The big excitement here is going to get an ice cream cone.

Then, one day, he sees another boy.  But that boy is transparent.  He's a ghost and he wants Kean to find his duffel bag so he can go to his final rest.  Kean decides it would be something to do and he needs that, so he says yes, he'll help.  Unfortunately the town has changed over the years and the boy's familiar landmarks aren't there anymore.  Not to worry, Kean can step through the ghost and go back to his time.

Kean searches until someone in his world calls his name and then he finds himself home.  The first search was short so they decide to do it after bedtime, when no one will be looking for him.  Kean searches but it's not where the boy left it.  Will Kean find it so the boy can go on?  Will he get caught?  Read the book and see.

Even though it has a ghost in it, the story seems real and it's fun to read.  I enjoyed it.  I bet you will too!

Ramona Nehring-Silver will be awarding a $20 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!

Hidden Treasure : A Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery by Jane K. Cleland Series: Josie Prescott Antiques Mysteries (#13)

Josie and her husband, Ty, have found the perfect home.  It's called the Gingerbread House and the elderly lady that lived in it is going to assisted living facility.  Everything is going well until the lady says she's missing part of her belongings.  Josie searches for them.

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

She finds the trunk and the cat statue and tells Maudie about it.  Maudie moves it and then it goes missing.  Even worse, one of her relatives has been killed in the house...

It's a long hunt for the antiques.  Josie questions everyone and feels like she's missing something she was told.  It takes a while but she finally puts it altogether.  The police chief goes with her to see if she's right.  She is and now she knows who the killer is.  The killer is hiding and Josie figures out how they can draw her out.

It's a bit sad because her relatives were planning to steal from Maudie.  The goods are found and Josie starts appraising them. It's sad when greed overtakes the love of a family member...

Snowdrift by Helene Tursten, Marlaine Delargy (Translated by) Series: An Embla Nyström Investigation

Embla gets a phone call that makes her head spin.  It's from her best friend of fourteen years ago and she thought she was dead...

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

She doesn't talk long and doesn't say where she is.  Embla wishes she could find her but she's got a case to deal with.

Embla gets a phone call from one of her relatives telling her there is a murdered man in one of the cottages they rent.  When she gets there she finds she knows him.  The local cop shows up and thinks she may be the killer.  She has no ID, so it's not apparent she's a cop, too.

The victim is a gang member.  He's the leader.  Then they find one of his brothers shot outside a bar.  Where is the third brother?

As they search for the third brother, they find he has been left in a house that burned and is dead also.  Zagreb killers were taking over their territory.

She finally finds her friend but she's not very friendly.  She was married to the youngest brother.

As Embla works the case with the other cop, they begin to grow fond of each other.  Maybe the next book will have more romance in it.

They end up in a showdown with the Zagreb killers and you aren't sure how that's going to work out...

This Magnificent Dappled Sea by David Biro

This is a story of a time of war and a baby that was adopted  and grew up in a small Italian village.  He was raised Catholic but he when he gets leukemia and they have to find a bone marrow donor, he finds he's Jewish.

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

The only match they can find is a Rabbi in Brooklyn, New York.  His marrow helps Luca get well.  But it raises a lot of questions, too.  His father said he got the baby from a convent of sisters.  That was not true.  He rescued him when the firefight took place and his parents died.

A nurse takes a great liking to Luca and spends time with him.  Eventually, she'll take him to meet his donor.  As Luca grows, he asks more questions.  The answers are not usually happy.  He finds a cousin through Nina, the nurse.  When he goes to see him, he doesn't like him.

As things from his past start lining up with what happened, he learns that many people helped keep him alive.  And he grows fond of Nina.  

This is a time of war, secrets buried everywhere, but the most amazing fact is the despite the odds against him, Luca stays alive and goes on with his life.

Stories for the 12 Days of Christmas Two Good Feet Book 1 by Linda Mansfield

These stories are real.  No fantasy characters.  Some are sad but most are happy.  The stories are short and memorable.

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

This isn't a feel good book, things don't magically happen, but it sounds like some of the Christmases I've been at.

I liked the one that featured a horse, and several others.  Give it a try, you'll find some that you can relate to, I'm sure.

Black Lotus 2 The Vow by K'wan

Kahllah takes it personally when someone murders a cop and then puts a black lotus to be found with him.  That's her trademark and she hasn't killed for a while now.  She'll have to see if she can find the killer.

Akashic Books aent me an ARC of this book to read for review (thank you).  It was published yesterday.

She used to work for the brotherhood but no more.  As she asks questions and is searching for answers, she finds someone is after her, too.  Anybody involved in the pot seems to turn up dead.  Dead people don't answer questions.

This story of full of fights, filled with bad cops, gang members, and people it's almost impossible to stop.  It's an intensive read.  And the ending is a shock to her.  Things aren't always like they seem. 

This is the second book in the series but can be read as a standalone.  There will be more...

The Preserve by Ariel S. Winter

This is an interesting tale.  There are more robots than humans...

Atria and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you.).  It will be published November 3rd.

The police chief in the preserve is human and took this position to get away from serious crimes.  He mostly deals with drunks.  But when he takes a phone call he finds murder has struck even in his safe haven.  The murdered man was part human, part cyborg.  He has no suspects, so he sends his officers out to ask questions.

Then he learns that someone is killing robots.  Now it's really turning into a difficult case.  He calls in his old partner and asks for his help.  He's a robot. 

They try to follow up on people and robots both.  The deaths of the robots are making the survivors wonder if they need the humans.

There are a lot of politics involved, illegal activities and more as they keep digging.

Will he be able to keep his wife and child safe?  What about him and his partner?

This is a look at how the world could be in the future and it's chilling.  One thing this book isn't:  boring!

Poisoned by Jennifer Donnelly

Sophie went out for a ride into the forest with the huntsman.  He said he had some place special to show her.  What he showed her was his knife.  Her stepmother had ordered her death.  He cuts her heart out and goes back to the queen.

Scholastic Press sent me an ARC of this book to read for review (thank you).It was published October 20th.

Sophie's father, the King, died in the war and she was to be the next queen when she came of age.  Her stepmother thinks she's too weak in spirit for it so she gets rid of her.

Woodsmen find her and take her to their cottage.  There one of them makes a mechanical heart and she comes back to life.  She stays with them and waits for her prince to come rescue her but he never shows.  The stepmother said Sophie was attacked by wolves.

There are two more attempts at killing her but the woodsmen save her.  Then she goes back to the castle to claim her crown.  She doesn't go alone.  The people in her kingdom, including trolls, admire her kind ways so they escort her.

Will she recover her crown or will the stepmother and the crow king (in human form) or maybe the false prince who claimed he loved her finally succeed in killing her?  

Read it and see.  It's a good read for those who like fairy tales.

In the Study with the Wrench : A Clue Mystery, Book Two by Diana Peterfreund

The Headmaster of the school was murdered and many students didn't return.  Of those that did, the schoolwork goes on.  Orchid, Vaughn, Scarlett, Peacock, Plum, and Mustard returned and the other students call them the murder crew because they found his body.  Mrs. White has been jailed as a killer.

Amulet Books and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

Then there is another staff murder and the mystery crew decides they better investigate.  One of them is an actress who is hiding under a false name.  She has a stalker after her.  Everybody in the crew has some sort of secret.  As they work with each other, they find their weaknesses.  They know they didn't kill anyone even if the question gets asked every now and then.  There are romantic attachments growing.

When Orchid starts finding things missing from her room and then being there later, she's pretty sure her stalker is there.  She's right and she has a final showdown with him.  Who will win, Orchid or her manager who is stalking her?