It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (December 23, 2024)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

Want to See What I Added to My Stack? links to Stacking the Shelves hosted by Marlene at Reading Reality.

Other Than Reading...

This was a quiet week. Temperatures have been above normal, and the anticipated snowstorm missed us. Instead of 8 inches of snow, we got less than three. My brother had his last day off on Wednesday. Now he works every day until Christmas Day. 

We've planned our Christmas Dinner and should have all the ingredients for ham, funeral potatoes, and asparagus. We went out shopping this week to stock up on our various kinds of Diet Pepsi since it was on sale. Otherwise, I didn't leave the house. 

I added four review books to my stack. I also took advantage of sales on lots of Christmas books and audiobooks. I tagged them with "Holiday Fiction" in my LibraryThing account so that they'll be easier to find when planning next December's reading. I'm already scheduled through mid-January on my blog and not willing to read Christmas books in January and February. 

I had my first DNF in quite a while when I gave up on She Doesn't Have a Clue by Jenny Elder Moke. I would probably have soldiered on at another time. But I just wasn't enjoying the story and decided to move on to something I would enjoy.

Next week should also be quiet given that my brother will be working for most of it. His work schedule means no new recipes since he's working over the dinner hour all week. We don't have any big plans for the holidays. 

Read Last Week

• Mask of the Deer Woman by Laurie L. Dove (Review; January 21) -- After leaving her job on the Chicago PD, Carrie Starr is hired by the BIA to be the marshal on a reservation in Oklahoma where she is looking for lost women and dealing with her own personal issues. My review will be posted on January 15.
• Star-Crossed Egg Tarts by Jennifer J. Chow (Review; January 21) -- This is the second in the Magical Fortune Cookies cozy mystery series. My review will be posted on January 16.

• The Untitled Books by C. J. Archer (Audiobook; Mine since December 13, 2024) -- This is the third in this historical fantasy/alternate history series. My review will be posted on January 18.
• The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Audiobook; Mine since December 18, 2024) -- This is the fourth book in the Inheritance Games series. My review will be posted on January 21.

• Scout's Progress by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Audiobook Reread)
• Mouse & Dragon by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Audiobook Reread)
• The Tiger Next Door by Zoe Chant & Elva Birch (Mine since January 17, 2024) -- This was a sweet paranormal romance. My review will be posted on January 16.

Currently

• Murder on Mistletoe Lane by Clara McKenna (Audiobook; Mine since October 22, 2024)
• Dead Money by Jakob Kerr (Review; January 21)

DNF

• She Doesn't Have a Clue by Jenny Elder Moke (Review; January 21) -- I just wasn't feeling it. I kept setting it aside for other things. 

Next Week

• Head Cases by John McMahon (Review; January 28)
• The Rose Arbor by Rhys Bowen (Audiobook; Mine since November 13, 2024)
• The Night of Four Hundred Rabbits by Elizabeth Peters (Mine since November 16, 2024)

• Death Echo by Elizabeth Lowell (Mine since July 9, 2024)
• Of Murder and Men by Lynn Cahoon (Audiobook; Mine since November 4, 2024)
• Bonded in Death by J. D. Robb (Review; February 4)

Reviews Posted

• Murder at the Majestic Hotel by Clara McKenna (Mine; Audiobook)
• Phantom Evil by Heather Graham (Mine)
• Summer of the Dragon by Elizabeth Peters (Mine)

• Salem's Cipher by Jess Lourey (Mine)
• Light in Shadow by Jayne Ann Krentz (Mine; Audiobook)
• Mercy's Chase by Jess Lourey (Mine)

Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

Review:

• The Lady Sparks a Flame by Elizabeth Everett (Review; March 25)
• The Wind Weaver by Julie Johnson (Review; April 8)

• One Death at a Time by Abbi Waxman (Review: April 15)
• Death at a Highland Wedding by Kelley Armstrong (Review; May 20)

Bought:

• The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman (Kindle: Kindle Daily Deal, $2.99)
• Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson (Kindle, $1.99)
• Sea Wrack & Changewind by Sharon Lee (Kindle)

• The Pioneer Woman Cooks Super Easy! by Ree Drummond (Kindle: BookPerks, $2.99)
• The Twilight Before Christmas by Christine Feehan (Kindle: BookBub, $1.99)

New Audiobooks

• The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Audiobook, $5.99)
• Dying in a Winter Wonderland by Vicki Delany (Chirp Audiobook, $1.99)
• Hark the Herald Angels Slay by Vicki Delany (Chirp Audiobook, $1.99)

• Silent Night, Deadly Night by Vicki Delany (Chirp Audiobook, $1.99)
• Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen by Vicki Delany (Chirp Audiobook, $1.99)
• We Wish You a Murderous Christmas by Vicki Delany (Chirp Audiobook, $1.99)

• Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey (Chirp Audiobook, $3.99)
• A Twist of Fate by Kelley Armstrong (Kindle: BookBub, Free; Audiobook: Audible Plus)
• The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Audible Add-on)

What was your week like?

Book Review: Mercy's Chase by Jess Lourey

Mercy's Chase
Author: Jess Lourey
Series: Salem's Cipher (Book 2)
Publication: Thomas & Mercer (March 26, 2024)

Description: A genius FBI code breaker unravels the mysteries of one of history’s most monumental puzzles in a propulsive thriller by Jess Lourey, the Edgar Award–nominated author of Salem’s Cipher.

Working for the FBI, cryptanalyst and agoraphobe Salem Wiley vows never to return to the conspiratorial underworld her mother revealed to her. Until fieldwork draws Salem to an Ireland farm where a curious discovery has been unearthed: a near-perfect replica of Stonehenge in miniature—except for one extra stone engraved with the word mercy.

When seven-year-old Mercy Mayfair, a child in Salem’s family’s care, is kidnapped, Salem knows it’s more than an unsettling coincidence. Mercy’s centuries-old lineage holds the key to understanding the greatest Neolithic mystery of the ages. A dangerously patriarchal society, just as ancient, will kill to solve it.

As Salem follows a serpentine trail of clues and ciphers, the clock is ticking and her fears are escalating. Because the only way to save Mercy is for Salem to crack the unbreakable code of Stonehenge first.

My Thoughts: Salem Wiley finds herself working for the FBI in London in this sequel to SALEM'S CIPHER. She's still an agoraphobe who would much rather be at home in Minneapolis working on her potentially ground-breaking computer program. And she does not want to be in the Underground which has furthered the bad relationship she's had with her mother since her father died when she was twelve. 

However, there is an up-coming climate conference that the new President Hayes will be attending, and the FBI is concerned with the various threats made to assassinate her. Investigating one threat leads to Ireland and the discovery of a small, buried copy of Stonehenge which Salem sees as a feminist symbol and a possible code. 

When her young friend Mercy is kidnapped by the evil Order that wants to keep things in the hands of the patriarchy, Mercy finds herself swept into solving a cipher that has eluded both the Underground and the Order for centuries if she wants to save Mercy's life. 

Mercy knows that the Order is watching, and she doesn't know who she can trust, but she knows she needs to find the answer. She's swept way out of her comfort zone as she travels to Stonehenge, other henges in Scotland, sea caves and the Queen's Robing Room at the House of Parliament as she struggles to solve the code in time.

I enjoyed this fast-paced thriller. I liked the intrigue. I liked the various sites Salem visits. I liked the historical details. 

I bought this one May 6, 2024, when it was a Kindle Daily Deal. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: Mercy's Chase by Jess Lourey

 Happy Friday!

Book Beginnings is hosted by Gillion at Rose City Reader. She asks that the first sentence is posted along with the author and title of the book and the reader's initial thoughts on the sentence, the book, or anything else it inspires. 

Carrie at Reading Is My Superpower.org also provides a linky for sharing first lines and connecting with others. This meme asks that the chosen books be PG or marked as Mature if they are not. 

The Friday 56 was hosted by Freda at Freda's Voice. This meme is currently on hiatus but many of us are still including a sentence from page 56 or from 56% of the ebook. Anne @ Head Full of Books is picking up the slack until Freda is ready to return. I think this link will get you to the correct place. 

Beginning:

"She was a witch, a'course."

Salem's head snapped up so fast that loose curls tumbled over her eyes. " Excuse me?"

Friday 56:

She planned on hobbling through the house to find him, but she heard voices when she stepped inside the front door. Maybe he had come in for lunch?

This week I am spotlighting Mercy's Chase by Jess Lourey. This thriller is a recent addition to my TBR pile and the sequel to Salem's Cipher which I read recently and really enjoyed. Here's the description from Amazon:

A genius FBI code breaker unravels the mysteries of one of history’s most monumental puzzles in a propulsive thriller by Jess Lourey, the Edgar Award–nominated author of Salem’s Cipher.

Working for the FBI, cryptanalyst and agoraphobe Salem Wiley vows never to return to the conspiratorial underworld her mother revealed to her. Until fieldwork draws Salem to an Ireland farm where a curious discovery has been unearthed: a near-perfect replica of Stonehenge in miniature—except for one extra stone engraved with the word mercy.

When seven-year-old Mercy Mayfair, a child in Salem’s family’s care, is kidnapped, Salem knows it’s more than an unsettling coincidence. Mercy’s centuries-old lineage holds the key to understanding the greatest Neolithic mystery of the ages. A dangerously patriarchal society, just as ancient, will kill to solve it.

As Salem follows a serpentine trail of clues and ciphers, the clock is ticking and her fears are escalating. Because the only way to save Mercy is for Salem to crack the unbreakable code of Stonehenge first.

Audiobook Review: Light in Shadow by Jayne Ann Krentz

Light in Shadow
Author: Jayne Ann Krentz
Narrator: Chloe Cannon
Series: Whispering Springs (Book 1)
Publication: Tantor Audio (May 2, 2023)
Length: 11 hours and 42 minutes

Description: Zoe Luce is a successful interior designer in the Arizona town of Whispering Springs who's developed an unusual career specialty—helping recently divorced clients redesign their homes, to help them forget the past and start anew. But Zoe knows that some things can't be covered up with a coat of paint. And when she senses that one of her clients may be hiding a dark secret, she enlists PI Ethan Truax to find the truth.

Working together, they solve the mystery . . . and barely escape with their lives. But Ethan's exquisite detection skills are starting to backfire on Zoe: she never wanted to let him find out about her former life; she never wanted to reveal her powerful, inexplicable gift for sensing the history hidden within a house's walls; she never wanted him to know that "Zoe Luce" doesn't really exist. She never wanted to fall in love with him.

Now, no matter how much she resists, Ethan may be her only hope—because the people she's been running from have found her. And just when Zoe dares to dream of a normal life and a future with the man she loves, her own past starts to shadow her every step—and threatens to take her back into a nightmare.

My Thoughts: Zoe Luce is a woman with secrets. She has set herself up as an interior designer in Whispering Springs with a specialty in working with newly divorced people who want to remake their homes. However, Zoe runs into a problem with her latest client. Her talent for feeling a room leads her to believe that her client has killed the wife he claimed ran off and left him. 

Zoe hires PI Ethan Truax because he is the cheaper of two PI firms in town. Ethan is rebuilding his life after a bankruptcy in Los Angeles and the costs of this third divorce. He takes the job of checking out Zoe's client believing that she wants a background check on him as a potential dating partner. He doesn't expect to find out that the client murdered his wife. Nor does he expect the client to attempt to murder Zoe when she sets Ethan on him. 

Besides being psychic and able to enter a room to know that violence occurred there, Zoe is on the run from a family that committed her to a mental institution when she made scenes after her husband was murdered accusing another family member of the crime. She's escaped the mental institution but needs to stay hidden for another couple of months before she can confront her suspected killer at the annual board meeting. But someone has sent her a blackmail note indicating that they know where she is. 

Now, Ethan and Zoe are on the track of a blackmailer who might also be a killer.

This is classic Jayne Ann Krentz with engaging characters, a fast-paced plot, snappy dialog, and a realistic romance. This one was first published in 2002.

I bought this one at Chirp August 18, 2024. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Salem's Cipher by Jess Lourey

Salem's Cipher
Author: Jess Lourey
Series: Salem's Cipher (Book 2)
Publication: Thomas & Mercer (March 26, 2024)

Description: A brilliant code breaker shatters a centuries-old conspiracy and unravels her own family secrets in an addictive and heart-pounding thriller by Edgar Award–nominated author Jess Lourey.

Salem Wiley is a genius cryptanalyst. She’s also a loner who prefers a safe and familiar path. Until her mother disappears in the wake of a brutal murder, leaving behind a cryptic warning of threats to come. Forced out of her safe zone, Salem embarks with her best friend, Bel, on a dangerous quest that reaches back centuries into America’s hidden history.

Drawn into a labyrinth of messages encrypted by Emily Dickinson and hidden in the legendary Beale Cipher, Salem discovers her mother’s double life—and the truth. An ancient and ruthless society is hell-bent on ruling the world, and only a select group of hunted women stands in its way.

Now Salem must follow a cross-country trail of clues in a desperate bid to unravel the conspiracy, which threatens not only the present but the very course of history.

My Thoughts: Salem Wiley and her best friend Bel Odegaard are pulled out of their normal lives when their mothers are attacked and kidnapped. Salem is a genius cryptanalyst, and Bel works for the Chicago Police Department. 

They find themselves in the middle of a conspiracy which has been going on for hundreds, maybe thousands, of years. The Hermitage has as its goal the subjugation of women and the Underground is fighting them at every opportunity. 

With the strong possibility that Senator Gina Hayes will be elected the female United States President, the Hermitage is upping it game by trying to kill leaders in the Underground. They have set two different assassins on the case and have plans to assassinate Hayes before the election. 

Salem, who hasn't left the Twin Cities and is agoraphobic, has to put aside her fears is she's going to solve the ciphers, save whichever of their mothers is still alive, and bring down the Hermitage before they can complete their plans. 

This was a fascinating story with lots of codebreaking. Salem and Bel visit many historical sites on their way to solving a 200-year-old mystery. I liked the flashbacks to Salem's past which help explain her behaviors. 

Fans of The DaVinci Code and other sories about codebreaking wrapped around a fast-paced thriller will enjoy this story. 

Favorite Quote:

"No one is safe if one woman is unsafe. No one. You young kids. You think you don't have to fight for anything. You think it's always been this way. But we fight, us old ladies."

I bought this one May 6, 2024. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Summer of the Dragon by Elizabeth Peters

Summer of the Dragon
Author: Elizabeth Peters
Publication: William Morrow; Reissue edition (October 13, 2009)

Description: A good salary and an all-expenses-paid summer spent a sprawling Arizona ranch is too good a deal for fledgling anthropologist D.J. Abbott to turn down. What does it matter that her rich new employer/benefactor, Hank Hunnicutt, is a certified oddball who is presently funding all manner of off-beat projects, from alien conspiracy studies to a hunt for dragon bones? There's even talk of treasure buried in the nearby mountains, but D.J. isn't going to allow loose speculation -- or the considerable charms of handsome professional treasure hunter Jesse Franklin -- to sidetrack her. Until Hunnicutt suffers a mysterious accident and then vanishes, leaving the weirdos gathered at his spread to eye each other with frightened suspicion. But on a high desert search for the missing millionaire, D.J. is learning things that may not be healthy for her to know. For the game someone is playing here goes far beyond the rational universe -- and it could leave D.J. legitimately dead.

My Thoughts: Grad student in anthropology, D. J. Abbott takes a job with Hank Hunnicutt, millionaire and eccentric, in order to get away from her family for the summer. Hank has a job for her but he's reluctant to tell her about it. 

While D. J. is waiting, she gets a chance to get to know the various hangers-on who live at Hank's Arizona compound. She isn't at all reluctant to let them know that she finds their various theories about Atlantic and aliens way off base. There are a few relatively normal people among the guests including a brother-sister team of anthropologists digging at a local site and the treasure hunter filled with stories about the Lost Dutchman mine and the Seven Cities of Cibola. And Hank's secretary Tom De Karsky is relatively normal though he seems to have taken a dislike to D. J.

But a series of suspicious accidents and the kidnapping of Hank mean that D.J. can't just sit back and enjoy the eccentrics. At least she can't if she wants to survive.

The story is told in the first person by D. J. who is prone to going off on tangents. It has a lot of information about the various weird theories of the guests at Hank's ranch since D. J. decides she needs to study up before arriving at her summer job. 

I thought it was a fun romantic suspense story. 

Favorite Quote:

De Karsky let out a muffled sound that might have been a laugh if it had lived to grow up. 

I bought this one July 24, 2024, when it was a BookBub $1.99 deal. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: Murder at the Majestic Hotel by Clara McKenna

Murder at the Majestic Hotel
Author: Clara McKenna
Narrator: Sarah Zimmerman
Series: Stella and Lyndy Mystery (Book 4)
Publication: Highbridge (December 27, 2022)
Length: 9 hours and 9 minutes

Description: Leaving behind tragedies surrounding their wedding at Morrington Hall, travel-worn Stella and Lyndy arrive at the grand Majestic Hotel in York to more misfortune-their stately honeymoon suite has been given away to Horace Wingrove, owner of England's largest confectionery. Stella refuses to let an innocent booking mistake spoil the mood, but her optimism vanishes when Horace suffocates in the room where she and Lyndy should have stayed . . .

Unlike authorities on the scene, Stella can't believe the business magnate's death can be explained away as an accident. Troubling signs are everywhere--strange murmurs in the hallway, tight-lipped hotel staff, and a stolen secret recipe for Wingrove's famous chocolate. Then there are Horace's murky intentions for visiting the historic cathedral city, and those who were closely watching his every move . . .

As Stella and Lyndy tour Yorkshire and mingle with royals as husband and wife, they face a sinister mystery that puts their vows to the test. Can the couple work together to discover the truth about their romantic destination and the strange happenings haunting their trip before they're treated to another terrifying surprise?

My Thoughts: Stella and Lyndy can't escape murder even on their honeymoon. They have traveled to York and Lyndy has booked the Honeymoon Suite at the exclusive Majestic Hotel. However, when they arrive, they learn that the desk clerk has rented the suite to a man named Horace Wingrove. He is elderly and ill and wants to recreate the honeymoon he had with his beloved but now deceased wife some forty years earlier. 

Stella and Lyndy are forced to settle for the Royal Suite which is just a bit too purple for Lyndy's tastes. But they have barely settled in when a main screaming in the hall sends Stella and Lyndy running where they discover Mr. Wingrove dead in his bed. Stella is suspicious but a doctor staying at the hotel says that it was not a suspicious death, and the police inspector called in to investigate is so concerned with an up-coming Royal visit that he is eager to go along with the doctor's opinion. 

Enter the deceased nephew and secretary. The nephew thinks his uncle was in town to merge his business with that of another famous confectioner the daughter of the family is his sweetheart. However, a visit from Wingrove's lawyer brings a new mystery. Wingrove's exclusive formula for his best-selling chocolate has gone missing. Did someone murder Wingrove for the formula?

Stella and Lyndy are invited to the gala before the unveiling of the statue of Queen Victoria and to meet two Royal princesses. Stella would rather visit a local racecourse with the first grandstands built in England, but her duty as a new member of the aristocracy means she has to attend. An anarchist's bomb disrupts the gala leaving many injured including Lyndy who was cut and has a temporary hearing loss.

This story was entertaining. I enjoyed the historical detail. I loved the way Stella and Lyndy's love for each other is growing as they settle into married life. 

I bought this one at Chirp July 25, 2023. You can buy your copy here.