Dust Bowl Girls: The Inspiring Story of the Team that Barnstormed its Way to Basketball Glory by Lydia Reeder; The Self-made Widow by Fabian Nicieza; Best Served Cold by David J. Gatward

 Still catching up on January book reviews.

In the early 1930's Coach Sam Babb went on a search to recruit girls for the basketball team at Oklahoma Presbyterian College.  Girls basketball was big in rural Oklahoma, and Sam Babb offered farm girls the opportunity to continue playing and get a college education--something most of these girls never dreamed possible.

The girls Sam Babb recruited were used to hard work; they fed the animals, planted and harvested crops, learned to drive early in order to further aid their farming families, had outdoor toilets in many cases, and no spare money during the depression and the early years of the drought that was turning their state into a dust bowl.  

An education, a dorm with indoor plumbing, and the chance to play basketball provided an opportunity none of them had expected, and the recruits were eager to take advantage of that opportunity.

Primary and secondary sources of interviews with some of the remaining team, letters, journals, scrapbooks, and newspaper articles give insight into these young women who loved the game and were willing (not necessarily eager) to undergo the strenuous practices and keep up with their college courses.  

A little slow at first, but then Lydia Reeder's story of the barnstorming season that led to the 1932 AAU championship captures the inspiring story of the girls and their one-legged coach and hauls you cheering from Durant, OK through Dallas, Houston, and Galveston, TX; through tiny towns like Castor, LA, and the small city of Shreveport, La to Eureka Springs, Ark.

Aside from the continuous shortage of funds plaguing the OKC Cardinals, President Herbert Hoover's wife was actively campaigning against competitive sports for women (with a special distaste for women's basketball) and many colleges had eliminated their popular girls' teams.   I was unaware of this organized campaign that thought competitive sports too strenuous and too "rough" for young women.  Oh, and Lou Hoover was also totally against women competing in the Olympics.   

Doll Harris, Lucille Thurman, and other members of the OKC Cardinals had mostly grown up on farms or ranches and were in no way incapable of the demands of the basketball court.  In 1932, their final match was with the Golden Cyclones led by the Cyclones star player--Babe Didrikson, who later that year went on to win 3 gold medals in track and field at the 1932 Olympics .  Mrs. Hoover be damned. :)

Dust Bowl Girls proved more captivating than I expected.  I thought it would be interesting because I find the 1930's and the dust bowl fascinating, but when I found myself wishing I'd been in the stands for some of their games...that was more than I expected!

Algonquin Books.  nonfiction.  2017.  Print length:  304 pages.

I have not read the first book in this series, and it took me a while to adjust to it.  

from description:  From the cocreator of Deadpool and author of Suburban Dicks comes a diabolically funny murder mystery that features two unlikely sleuths investigating a murder that reveals the dark underbelly of suburban marriage.

I'm not sure what I thought of The Self-Made Widow.  There were, after I began to finally get a grip on the characters, some amusing and satiric elements, but I didn't find it "diabolically funny."  

Andrea (Andie) Stern and Kenny Lee, college friends who were successful in solving an important crime, have another crime to involve them.  Kenny, a journalist, won a Pulitzer for his articles about their college crime-solving, but he has not lived up to his promise.  Andrea, married with five kids, has begun to find the domestic situation exhausting and less rewarding than if she had joined the FBI as a profiler as originally planned.  The two got back together in the first book in this series and once again they are finding crime solving as interesting and invigorating as before.

Currently, one of Andrea's friends has become a widow.  At first sympathetic, Andrea begins to wonder if Molly's husband actually died of a heart attack...or was helped along by Molly?

NetGalley/Penguin Group

Mystery.  June 21, 2022.  Print length:  400 pages.  

The second in the Harry Grimm series set in the Yorkshire Dales.  I thoroughly enjoyed the first book and liked this one as well.  

The team is, as I hoped, becoming three-dimensional and the friendships are deepening.  When confronted with an awful farm accident, they reluctantly conclude that there is something "not right" about it.  The next death makes it clear that while accidents happen, they don't usually have the twisted connections that these deaths have.

Again, I find the camaraderie of this little group in rural Yorkshire warm and funny and the mysteries intriguing.

Weirdstone Publishing

Mystery.  2020.  300 pages.

------------

I find myself suffering from post-dramatic stress.

Murder at Greysbridge by Andrea Carter, One Step Too Far by Lisa Gardner, The Big Perhaps by John Seeley, Dead Point by LaVonne Griffin-Valade

 I didn't intend to take a break from blogging in December, but the longer I was away, the harder it was to get back.   

Some December reads.

 The setting in Inishowen, Ireland, caught my interest and although this is the fourth book in the series, it is the first I've read.  

Solicitor Benedicta (Ben)O'Keefe's legal assistant is getting married at the historic and recently renovated Greysbridge Hotel.  Of course, things do not go well and two of the hotel's guests end up dead.  The hotel has the reputation of being haunted, there is a nice mix of characters, and an intriguing atmosphere.

Fun.  I'll read more.  

NetGalley/Oceanview Books

Mystery.  Nov., 2021.  Print length:  353 pages.

One Step Too Far by Lisa Gardner is the second book in her new Frankie Elkins series, and I liked it much better than the first one.  

The threats of the wilderness in an isolated area of a National Forest in Wyoming combined with the tension that emanated from the search team kept the suspense high.

Timothy O'Day disappeared five years ago when he and his groomsmen went for a bachelor's weekend before his wedding.  Only Tim was  a skilled outdoorsman; the other young men were at a loss at how to locate him.  The searches at the time and since have turned up nothing.

Tim's father and the four groomsmen are prepared for what might be the final search when Frankie Elkins reads about the search party in a local paper and decides to join in. 

A number of interesting characters and a great setting becomes even more intriguing as Frankie senses something intrinsically wrong--in the previous stories, the tension, reluctance, and guilt among members of the search party, and in the disturbing incidents that sabotage their efforts.

I already love several of Gardner's books, and was not at all sure of this new series, but this was a page-turner and that I could hardly put down.  Now, I'm ready for the next one.

NetGalley/Penguin Group

Mystery-Thriller.  Jan. 18, 2022. Print length:  418 pages.

from description:  Thirty years after the unsolved murder of hardboiled fiction writer Dan Fargo, a single orphaned manuscript page turns up that could be evidence of a previously unknown novel by the author.

Private detective Harry Webster is hired by a wealthy fan to prove or disprove the existence of this long rumoured masterpiece, The Big Perhaps.

It appears on the surface to be a tricky but safe assignment....

There were plenty of things to like in this one, especially as I tend to like missing manuscripts and some of the secrets went back to WWII.  On the other hand, although Seeley's prose is good, the arrogance and condescending attitude of the main character annoyed me.   

NetGalley/Booksgosocial

Mystery.  Nov. 17, 2021.  Print length:  429 pages.

 

from description:  When Maggie Blackthorne returns to her hometown after nearly twenty years to serve as an Oregon State Police Sergeant, she expects to deal with the usual suspects — drunk drivers, oxy slingers, and the occasional rural scofflaw.

But after she stumbles upon the bullet-ridden bodies of twin brothers, she realizes she’s stepped into something much more sinister

An interesting debut novel, and I would certainly give the next one a try.  The blurb compares it to the Longmire books, but no--that would be a stretch.  Maggie and Trooper Hollis have potential, however.

Mystery/Thriller.  June 15, 2021.  Print length:  390 pages.

Hush by Dylan Farrow, Dead Wicked by Helen H. Durrant, and Trust No one by Debra Webb

From description: In the land of Montane, language is literal magic to the select few who possess the gift of Telling. This power is reserved for the Bards, and, as everyone knows, the Bards have almost always been men.

Seventeen-year-old Shae has lived her entire life in awe of the Bards—and afraid of the Blot, a deadly disease spread by ink, which took the life of her younger brother five years ago. Ever since, Shae fears she’s cursed. But when tragedy strikes again, and her mother is found murdered with a golden dagger—a weapon used only by the Bards—Shae is forced to act.

Language as a curse and a weapon sounded fascinating!  Unfortunately, the book doesn't live up to the concept. It feels as if the author rushed through to get to a certain point, but by rushing, failed to establish ample world-building, character development, and motivation.

I won't be looking for the next book.

NetGalley/St. Martin's Press
Fantasy/YA.  Oct. 6, 2020.  Print length:  364 pages.  

Dead Wicked is the 10th book in this series by Helen Durrant, and I have not read any of the previous books.

From description:  DETECTIVES CALLADINE AND BAYLISS HUNT FOR A VICIOUS KILLER

The fist victim is found on waste ground. His tongue has been cut out and stuffed down his throat.

Then another body is found dumped in a lake up in the hills. The same gruesome murder method is used.

And guess who the detectives’ new boss is? The incredibly difficult Stephen Greco.

A TWISTED KILLER . . . AND A WICKED TWIST

Meanwhile Ruth Bayliss’s personal life is falling part and someone is targeting local businesses with ransomware.

The prime suspect is a criminal Calladine thought he’d seen the last of.

WHO’S THE SERIAL KILLER AND WHO’S NEXT ON THE LIST?

I think not having read the previous books kept me from enjoying this one as much as some other readers.  I didn't have the feeling of reconnecting with various characters which is often a crucial element of liking a series book.  

This isn't to say I didn't enjoy it, I did like the characters.  The villain was fairly easy to spot early on, and eventually DI Calladine's suspicions prove true.  Predictable, but if I'd had a relationship built on previous books, I might have liked it better.

NetGalley/Joffe Books
Police Procedural.  July 2, 2020.  

Trust No One by Debra Webb  is a complicated case of revenge and secrets.  It is also the beginning of a series featuring Detectives Kerri Devlin and Luke Falco.

from description:  A double homicide and a missing woman lead a detective to unearth disturbing secrets in this gripping thriller from USA Today bestselling author Debra Webb.

It’s the worst possible time for Detective Kerri Devlin to be involved in an all-consuming double-homicide case. She’s locked in a bitter struggle with her ex-husband and teenage daughter, and her reckless new partner is anything but trustworthy. 

Although I did not like the prologue, the book eventually pulled me in.  There are a few things the reader knows from the very beginning, thanks to the voice of the missing wife which appears every so often, but keeping track of all the connections that branched out with every interview the two detectives conducted kept me deeply involved as I read.  

While it is a contrived plot, especially the way connections also lead to Devlin's family, it was certainly an engrossing labyrinth of an experience.  I look forward to more of Devilin and Falco.

Kindle Unlimited/Thomas & Mercer
Police Procedural/Thriller.  August 1, 2020.  Print length:  427 pages.

---------
It is hot here, and I'm still staying home.  Reading.  A lot.  Reviewing.  Not so much. 

A lot of the books I've been reading won't be published for months, but I'll tell you that I loved the new Jane Casey, Sherry Thomas, Val McDermid, and M.R. Carey books!

Underneath the bird feeders, I've been leaving the sprouting sunflower seeds. I even like the buds, but best are the blooms. :) 

Favorite Recent ARCs

The following are all NetGalley ARCs, not yet published, but I liked them all and have two reviews scheduled for Aug. 21.

Ann Cleeves latest Vera book is one of my favorites.  There are a couple of changes that I liked.  spoiler:  Not so much emphasis on Vera's weight and a change in Holly.  Other than those two things, The Darkest Evening has the well-developed characters and clever plotting one expects from Cleeves.  (Sept. 8, 2020)

I loved the Ariana Franklin series about Adelia Aguilar, known as The Mistress of Death for her medical and investigative skills.  The books were set during the reign of Henry II and were fascinating historical mysteries.  Ariana Franklin was the pen name of Diana Norman, and after her death, her daughter Samantha finished Death and the Maiden.  A pleasure!  I hope Samantha Norman will continue the series with focus on Allie, Adelia and Rowley's daughter.  (Oct. 20, 2020)

One by One by Ruth Ware may make you recall Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None.  A ski chalet, two likable caretaker/hosts, a group of tech company guests.  As the guests are stranded by an avalanche and as their numbers diminish, survival becomes tricky.  (Sept. 8, 2020)

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson, The Black and the White by Alis Hawkins, The Falling Girl by R. Allen Chappell, and Some Loreth Anne White

I'm behind on reviewing; off course, that is usually the case, but in this current turmoil--even more so.  

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson was full of detail and well-researched; some of the details were fascinating, but they were overwhelming.  It was difficult to actually absorb all of the numbers, but interesting to see the myriad complications of planning and creating the Chicago's World Fair.  Interspersed between chapters about the all that went on to actually build the Fair were chapters about the serial killer H.H. Holmes.  

One thing I didn't like was Larson's imagining certain scenes with the killer and his victims.  He addresses this in his notes, but imagining scenes in a nonfiction book annoys me.  I'm glad I read it--I learned some things that will stay with me about the planning of a World Fair and the complications that ensue but I definitely prefer the altered style of Larson's The Splendid and the Vile about Churchill and the blitz.   No imagined scenes in The Splendid and the Vile--all came from letters and personal accounts, and it read more smoothly and more quickly than The Devil in the White City.

Purchased.

Great cover and an intriguing premise.  The Black and the White by Alis Hawkins has some historical interest and is well-written, but the "mystery" is a slow burn--even though the reader is quick to see who the murderer is.  (Martin has all the information and still fails to let it penetrate or persuade him to admit it.)

Anyone interested in the Black Death might enjoy elements of the story that "sort of" coincide with the current pandemic, but as a mystery or thriller, it did not succeed for me.  

Netgalley/Sapere Books
Historical Fiction.  March 30, 2020.  Print length:  370 pages.

Since first reading Navajo Autumn last year, I've read every book in this series.  I have not reviewed all of them, but I have loved each one  and was so excited that R. Allen Chappell had a new entry in the series!

In Falling Girl, Harley Ponyboy takes the lead and adjusts to changes in his circumstances in a purely Harley Ponyboy way!  Harley adapts to his new situation(s) in ways humorous and expected, but also in ways that show growing maturity as he depends less on his friends to counteract the threat.  His initiative is different from that of Charlie Yazzie or Thomas Begay, but effective.

I adore this series and the characters.  If you have the opportunity, get the first book in this series of the Four Corners region of the Southwest and immerse yourself in the culture, characters, and plots because Chappell just keeps getting better!

Kindle Unlimited.

Melody mentioned how much she enjoyed In the Dark by Loreth Anne White a while back and sent me looking forWhite's books.  So far I've read and enjoyed In the Dark, The Dark Lure, and The Dark Bones.  Yes, I do want more.  They are not great literature, they are fast-paced and gripping and keep my mind off the news.  Fortunately, I will be able to read quite a few more.  Free on Kindle Unlimited.  Thanks, Melody.  :)

 I do my daily yoga sadhana.  With the emphasis on breath, yoga gives a respite from the news and overthinking.

The constant rain without time for the ground to dry out has inhibited my ability to garden, but I fill the bird feeders daily.  The birds don't seem to mind the rain, and I enjoy the daily squabbles over whose turn it is on the feeders.  Doves are greedy and sometimes bully the smaller birds.   The hawk that sat on the fence and frightened all the other birds away has not returned.  

Stay safe.  

Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware and The Hidden Things by Jamie Mason

The Turn of the Key begins with a former nanny writing letters to a lawyer she hopes might be able to get her out of prison.  There's a creepy smart house (smart houses, usually turn out to be creepy), misrepresentation, veiled hints of supernatural elements, secrets aplenty, and a slow build up to the last section of the book. 

The prologue has Rowan, the nanny in prison for the death of one of her charges, writing letters that explain her situation.    She explains wanting the job of nanny and taking a few shortcuts to obtain the lucrative position.  The reader already knows she is in prison,  but Rowan recounts the events that led to the death of the child for the lawyer (and the reader).  

Is Rowan a reliable narrator?  

I'm not sure the technique of using the prologue works that well--sometimes knowing the end works well, sometimes it doesn't.  It may have been better to simply follow Rowan's journey from applying for the job and through the events that followed afterwards.  There would still be plenty of perplexing circumstances to keep the reader in doubt about what is going on.  

I looked forward to this one and wanted to like it more than I did.  

A modern take on Henry James' The Turn of the Screw, but lacking the chilling ambiguity.  

Read in  May; blog post scheduled for July 26.

NetGalley/Gallery
Psychological Mystery.  Aug. 6, 2019.  Print length:  384 pages.

I adored Jamie Mason's Three Graves Full and Monday's Lie and so I expected the quirkiness of The Hidden Things.  

Fourteen-year-old Carly Liddell is on her way home from school unaware that she has attracted the attention of a predator.  Although a reasonably competent kid, the attack and her ability to fend off the attacker initiates some profound changes in Carly.  

Her remarkable escape is caught on a security camera, and when Carly watches, she gains a new perception of what she is capable of accomplishing.  The event is both traumatic and eye-opening for Carly.  

The video helps the police catch Carly's assailant quickly; it also catches the public's attention and the video goes viral.  Most people are simply impressed with Carly's ability to incapacitate her assailant and escape, but at least two people who see the video are interested in the painting hanging on the wall--a painting by Flinck that was part of the famous (and very real) Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist in 1990.  

Source

Mason has the ability to create characters whose predicaments pull you in--and even the bad guys elicit some empathy.  Carly, a girl on the cusp of womanhood, must reevaluate what she knows about family, trust, and things that have been hidden in all kinds of ways.

I just wish Jamie Mason would write faster.  If you haven't read Three Graves Full and Monday's Lie you are missing something.

Read in June; blog review scheduled for July 26.

NetGalley/Gallery Books
Mystery/Thriller.  Aug. 13, 2019.  Print length:  352 pages.

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager and Ancient Blood and Mojado by R. Allen Chappell

The blurb sounded interesting, so I decided to give Lock Every Door a try--even after being pretty apathetic about Sager's The Last Time I Lied.

from the blurb:  The next heart-pounding thriller from New York Times bestselling author Riley Sager follows a young woman whose new job apartment sitting in one of New York’s oldest and most glamorous buildings may cost more than it pays.

No visitors. No nights spent away from the apartment. No disturbing the other residents, all of whom are rich or famous or both. These are the only rules for Jules Larsen’s new job as an apartment sitter at the Bartholomew, one of Manhattan's most high-profile and mysterious buildings. Recently heartbroken and just plain broke, Jules is taken in by the splendor of her surroundings and accepts the terms, ready to leave her past life behind.


OK, mostly it feels like it was inspired by Rosemary's Baby --the brownstone with a sordid history,  strange tenants, etc. 

It fell flat for me, but may thrill you.  

Read in June.  Blog review scheduled for 

NetGalley/Penguin Group
Mystery/Thriller?  July 2, 2019.  Print length: 384 pages.
------

Of course, I've continued with R. Allen Chappell's Navajo Nation Mysteries, and Ancient Blood adds even more interest with the introduction of Charlie Yazzie's former archaeology/anthropology professor, George Custer and childhood friend Harley Ponyboy.  

The professor's most recent dig is a kiva that might help with his theories about the migration of the Anasazi, but even before his team arrives, he is attacked and the site vandalized.   

Charlie and Thomas Begay begin looking into the suspects, trying to prevent further vandalism and attacks on the site.

source

The professor's theories are controversial and some members of an Indian Rights movement would rather not have them published.   The violence escalates from damage to the site to more serious and deadly acts.

Harley is now my favorite character because of the humor he adds.  

----------

Mojado takes a different turn with a serial killer who has no specific prey--a professional from Mexico, he kills anyone who might reveal his presence.  Man, woman, child...it matters little to the Mojado, who is on the run and has a private goal. 

The murders are callous and cold-blooded, but they don't celebrate violence.  The Mojado has no compunction about killing, but neither does he take delight in killing.  

As Charlie Yazzi, Thomas Begay, and Harley Ponyboy pursue the killer through the harshest areas of the reservation, all four men approach exhaustion.

Aside from the characters who continue to grow, I love the way Chappell presents the land and the culture of the Four Corners region.

I reviewed the first two books in the series here.


---------The Garden kept me busy in June.

-----------Some of June's Snail Mail

---------

Navajo Nation Mysteries by R. Allen Chappell

Navajo Autumn is the first of a series set in the Four Corners region of the American Southwest.  I've been looking for a series set in this region that appeals to me , and R. Allen Chappell has satisfied that longing.  If you have enjoyed Craig Johnson or Tony Hillerman, you might like this series.  

What all three authors have in common is a love of the area they write about, well-developed characters, and intriguing plots.  Johnson's Longmire books are set in Wyoming, Hillerman's Chee & Leaphorn books are set in New Mexico, and Chappell's books are set in the Four Corners reservations of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico.

Chappell's main characters Charlie Yazzie and Thomas Begay are Navajo, and while both have been to boarding school, Charlie Yazzie went on to earn a law degree, while Thomas Begay stayed on the reservation.  The two were friends in high school, but have gone different ways since.  

When Thomas is discovered drunk next to the dead body of BIA agent Patsy Greyhorse, he is arrested, but escapes.  Charlie needs to find out who is responsible for the murder of  Patsy Greyhorse and for setting Thomas up.

This first in the series does a cracking job of introducing the characters and providing a look at Navaho culture.  The book is relatively short, but doesn't feel that way because the story has a sense of depth and dimension.  

Points for:  good characterization, interesting secondary characters, a visual setting, respectful treatment of  Navaho culture and tradition, and an absorbing plot.

I liked it so much, I immediately moved on to the second book!

------
About the author:
R. Allen Chappell, the author of nine novels and a collection of short stories, grew up with the Navajo, went to school with them and later worked alongside--forging enduring friendships along the way. "Those friendships," the author recalls, "became the inspiration for this series." 

Chappell notes, "My writing focuses on the people of the Four Corners region past and present. I tend not to romanticize my characters, preferring instead to paint them as I find them. They have much the same qualities, good and bad, as the rest of us." 

------

It is always a pleasure to find the second book in a series as good as the first, and in this case, even better.  Characters from the first book continue to gain substance, and new and engaging characters are added.

In Boy Made of Dawn, Thomas Begay's children have been taken from their mother to assure that she  doesn't testify in the trial of corrupt tribal councilmen.  

Thomas Begay and Charlie Yazzie are also on the list, but the solutions to keeping them from testifying are likely to be fatal.  

New characters to love--Aida, the widow Sally Clee takes shelter with, and Caleb, Thomas' son.

Another appealing thing about this series is that they are not imitations of Craig Johnson or Tony Hillerman.  The style is different and the characters and plots are distinctive.  The similarities lie in each author's love of the areas he writes about. 

I can't wait to read this entire series!

A Couple to Watch For and Three Others

Books that I have really liked, but that won't be published  until 2019.  I will mention them again closer to publication.

Watcher in the Woods (Rockton #4) by Kelley Armstrong.  I wasn't sure how I felt about the first book in this series, but after feeling more at home with the characters, I have thoroughly enjoyed each new addition.   

Description:  The secret town of Rockton has seen some rocky times lately; understandable considering its mix of criminals and victims fleeing society for refuge within its Yukon borders. 

When a US Marshal shows up demanding the release of one of the residents, but won't say who, Casey and her boyfriend, Sheriff Eric Dalton, are skeptical. And yet only hours later, the marshal is shot dead and the only possible suspects are the townspeople and Casey's estranged sister, smuggled into town to help with a medical emergency. It's up to Casey to figure out who murdered the marshal, and why someone would kill to keep him quiet—before the killer strikes again.

I enjoyed the introduction of April, Casey's sister and the way Isobel and Kenny make a difference in the way we see her.  The book takes up right after the events in the previous book, but still can be read as a stand-alone.  There are changes taking place in Rockton and in the Council.  No cliffhanger, but a direction that was indicated in earlier books is obviously about to come to a head.  

NetGalley/Penguin Group

Mystery/Police Procedural.  Feb. 5, 2019.  Print length:  368 pages.

The Paragon Hotel by Lyndsay Faye.  I more than really liked this one.  The writing is wonderful and the characters are even better.  From description:

The year is 1921, and "Nobody" Alice James is on a cross-country train, carrying a bullet wound and fleeing for her life following an illicit drug and liquor deal gone horribly wrong. Desperate to get as far away as possible from New York City and those who want her dead, she has her sights set on Oregon: a distant frontier that seems the end of the line.

Full of well-drawn characters, I found The Paragon Hotel absolutely riveting.  So many books and characters are entertaining but quickly forgettable, Faye's plot, characters, and prose will remain with you.  One of my favorite books of the year.  I read it in August, and I loved the book and Alice, Max, all of the Paragon Hotel employees, and most especially, Blossom Fontaine!  

NetGalley/Penguin Group
Historical Mystery.  Jan. 8, 2019.  Print length:  432 pages.

I'll mention these again closer to publication date, but if you are a fan of the Armstrong series, I think you'll enjoy her latest.  As for Faye's The Paragon Hotel--highly recommended!

------------Other recent reads
Cold Winter Sun is the second in a series, but I haven't read the first one.  

A missing man. A determined hunter. A deadly case.

When Mike Lynch is contacted by his ex-wife about the missing nephew of her new husband, he offers to help find the young man with the help of his friend Terry Cochran.

Arriving in LA to try and track down the young man, the pair are immediately torn away when the missing man’s car shows up, abandoned on the side of a deserted road in New Mexico.

When two fake police officers cross their path, Terry and Mike know there is more to the case than meets the eye, and soon they find themselves asking exactly who it is they are really looking for…

This is one of those books that I didn't want to put down, but didn't love.  Reasonably likable, if stereotypical characters in Mike and Terry, but the plot didn't work all that well for me.  I notice most reviews are quite positive, so maybe I was expecting something a little different.  

NetGalley/Bloodhound Books

Thriller.  Nov. 1, 2018.

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager 

From description:  Two Truths and a Lie. The girls played it all the time in their tiny cabin at Camp Nightingale. Vivian, Natalie, Allison, and first-time camper Emma Davis, the youngest of the group. The games ended when Emma sleepily watched the others sneak out of the cabin in the dead of night. The last she--or anyone--saw of them was Vivian closing the cabin door behind her, hushing Emma with a finger pressed to her lips.

I love that little excerpt from the description. I did have trouble swallowing some of the circumstances, but The Last Time I Lied certainly had a creepy vibe, plenty of twists, and a boatload of red herrings.  Maybe it was trying a bit too hard, but I was OK until the ending which was implausible.  

According to reviews on Goodreads, most people loved the book, so take my opinion with a couple of grains of salt.  Despite wanting to like it, I mostly felt the author was manipulating too many circumstances.

NetGalley/Penguin Group

Mystery/Suspense.  July, 2018.  Print Length:  384 pages.

While I haven't read all of the books in this series featuring Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewellyn, I've read quite a few and enjoy the historical elements as well as the characters.

Thomas Llewellyn was very young and fresh out of prison  when Cyrus Barker hired him originally.  He is now twenty-six and has gained much experience and confidence during his years working with Barker.  When the current plot begins, Thomas is looking forward to his marriage.

Cyrus Barker is a bit mysterious, but through the books we have learned a little more about his past.  In Blood Is Blood, we meet his brother Caleb, and the brothers may be cut from the same cloth, but the resulting garments are quite different in style.  

When the office of Barker & Llewellyn Private Inquiry Agents is bombed, Cyrus is seriously injured and the brunt of the investigation is shifted to Thomas with the newly arrived Caleb taking an often questionable hand.  As Thomas attempts to interview some of the enemies who may be responsible, it appears that someone is taking his suspects out.

NetGalley/St. Martin's Press

Historical Detectives.  Nov. 13, 2018.  Print length:  320 pages.

Mystery and Horror

The Dogs in the Street is the third book in the Dark Yorkshire series by J M Dalgliesh.  

DI Nate Caslin's control over his life has improved, and when asked to do a favor for the journalist (with whom he has a connection from earlier books), Caslin looks into the disappearance of  a young woman.

Things get messy in a big way, and a friend from his past makes an appearance.  Fast-paced with an interesting twist, Caslin discovers a scary connection with the intelligence services.

Read in August.  Review scheduled for ?

 British Detectives/Noir.  2018.  Print length:  241 pages.  




In June, I read Belinda Bauer's Snap, which I liked so much I looked for another book and decided on The Shut Eye.

Missing children, a man who claims to have psychic powers, and a DCI who has been working on both cases.  I was surprised to see the character of DCI Marvel, a character I initially disliked in Snap, was also in The Shut Eye, and we get the backstory of why he ended up in Somerset.

Marvel's boorish and curmudgeonly behavior doesn't keep him from being sympathetic--he refuses to give up on the year-old case of the missing Edie Evans whose bike he keeps at the station.

More--I want more of Belinda Bauer.  Her touching ability to write about children and her skillful narrative make this one of those novels that made me hesitate to put it down.
 I knew when I read Snap that I would be reading another book by Bauer, now that I've read two, I have to decide what to read next.

Mystery/Detective Fiction.  2015.  Print length:  318 pages.

Another summer read, but an excellent choice for R.I.P. Challenge--only if you dare.   Mystery, paranormal, and horror in the chilling A Game of Ghosts by John Connolly.

From description:  It is deep winter. The darkness is unending.

The private detective named Jaycob Eklund has vanished, and Charlie Parker is dispatched to track him down. Parker's employer, Edgar Ross, an agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, has his own reasons for wanting Eklund found.

Eklund is no ordinary investigator. He is obsessively tracking a series of homicides and disappearances, each linked to reports of hauntings. Now Parker will be drawn into Eklund's world, a realm in which the monstrous Mother rules a crumbling criminal empire, in which men strike bargains with angels, and in which the innocent and guilty alike are pawns in a game of ghosts . . .

As in all of the  Charlie Parker novels, the battle of good vs evil theme prevails.  Creepy and suspenseful as all of these novels are, A Game of Ghosts makes a spine-chilling read for Halloween.

Mystery/Paranormal/Horror.  2017.  Print length:  464 pages.