Wednesday, April 30, 2025

Book Review: This Is Not a Dead Girl Story by Kate Sweeney

This Is Not a Dead Girl Story
Author: Kate Sweeney
Publication: Viking Books for Young Readers (August 6, 2024)

Description: A dark and powerful mystery perfect for fans of Courtney Summers and true crime podcasts, in which a teen girl must do whatever it takes to find her missing cousin—who everyone else thinks is dead.

Remy Green is missing. Eight days after the death of her boyfriend, River O’Dell, the magnetic, golden-haired girl disappeared in the dead of night.

Jules Green, Remy’s cousin, is her opposite in every way: awkward, shy, and a bit strange, never feeling at home in the small town of Black Falls, NY. The only place she has ever belonged is with River and Remy. Now she’s on her own—and everyone around her believes that Remy is dead.

But Jules can still hear Remy’s voice in her head, urging her to keep looking. With the help of River’s cousin Sam, a troubled and mysterious boy, Jules starts untangling the truth of what exactly happened. Through her search, Jules must delve into the dark corners of her hometown—unearthing family secrets and hidden truths about the two people she thought she knew most.

Who was Remy, really, behind the popular-girl façade she wore? What trouble was she involved in? And can Jules find a way to save her from it? Or is this a dead girl story after all?

My Thoughts: THIS IS NOT A DEAD GIRL STORY was an interesting Young Adult mystery. While it includes a few of the YA tropes, it handles them well.

Jules Green is dealing with lots of trouble. She's sixteen and in high school. She grew up with River O'Dell and her cousin Remy Green. The trio was inseparable and was quite a triangle. Jules has been in love with River since they were small. He's the school's golden boy: a straight arrow and athlete. But River loves Remy who is the school's golden girl. Her sparkling personality draws people to her in droves. Jules has always felt like the weak third of their triangle with her quiet nature and unobtrusive appearance. She and Remy were best friends and didn't keep secrets from each other. At least that is what Jules believed.

But when River dies in what was either an accident or a suicide, the world falls apart for Jules. Then, a few days later Remy disappears. The town thinks she's dead and organizes searches for her. Jules can't believe that Remy is dead and determines to find her.

Jules isn't quite alone in her search. Joining her is Sam who is River's cousin. He got in some trouble with drugs and fighting and his parents have sent him to live with his aunt and uncle for a while. He physically resembles River which gives Jules quite a start when she first sees him at River's funeral, but he is a very different personality. 

Together the two begin looking for Remy and trying to come to terms with River's death. Along the way, Jules discovers that the two people she loved the most were keeping secrets from her. As she investigates, she learns those secrets and discovers that she has the strength to step out of the shadows and be her own independent person. 

This was an engaging story with an intriguing protagonist. Jules isn't good at self-evaluation. Like a lot of teens, she's focused on her flaws and doesn't have a strong self-image. She does have strong parental support in her single mother who gets out of the way so that Jules can act by being a midwife working long shifts in nearby Albany. 

Fans of YA mysteries and drama filled stories will enjoy this one. 

I bought this one January 11, 2025. You can buy your copy here.
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Tuesday, April 29, 2025

Audiobook Review: Fantasy in Death by J. D. Robb

Fantasy in Death
Author: J. D. Robb
Narrator: Susan Erickson
Series: In Death (Book 30)
Publication: Brilliance Audio (February 17, 2010)
Length: 12 hours and 50 minutes

Description: Bart Minnock, founder of the computer gaming giant U-Play, enters his private playroom, and eagerly can’t wait to lose himself in an imaginary world, to play the role of a sword-wielding warrior king, in his company’s latest top-secret project, Fantastical.

The next morning, he is found in the same locked room, in a pool of blood, his head separated from his body. It is the most puzzling case Eve Dallas has ever faced, and it is not a game.

Lt. Eve Dallas is having as much trouble figuring out how Bart Minnock was murdered as who did the murdering. The victim’s girlfriend seems sincerely grief-stricken, and his quirky-but-brilliant partners at U-Play appear shocked as well. No one seemed to have a problem with the enthusiastic, high-spirited millionaire of course, success can attract jealousy, and gaming, like any business, has its fierce rivalries and dirty tricks—as Eve’s husband, Roarke, one of U-Play’s competitors, knows well. But Minnock was not naïve, and he knew how to fight back in the real world as well as the virtual one.

Eve and her team are about to enter the next level of police work, in a world where fantasy is the ultimate seduction—and the price of defeat is death.

My Thoughts: This 30th book in the In Death series is a futuristic locked room puzzle for homicide Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her team. Bart Minnock is the founder of a computer gaming company. He comes home with a new game that his company is developing, enters his holoroom to play it, and is found the next morning with his head cut off. 

This is Eve's case, and it is a complex one. There is no evidence that anyone was with Bart. His very good security shows that he was alone in his apartment. And the game can't be tested because a failsafe destroys it if anyone but the person to who started it tries to stop it. 

Bart had three partners in his gaming company. Roarke had mentored all of them as they were setting up their business. Roarke Industries also has fingers in the gaming business and they're working on a similar new game. Roarke is very involved in the case both in his role as "expert civilian consultant" and tech geek.

And while Eve and Roarke are trying to figure out what happened to Bart, Nadine Furst is getting ready for the publication of her new book chronicling one of Eve's earlier cases. Eve and Roarke have to attend the huge party that is going along with the book launch. 

This was an excellent addition to a long-running series. I enjoy seeing Eve and Roarke's marriage grow as they get to know each other more and more. I also like the way Eve's circle of friends has expanded through the course of the series. This was tilted especially to the science fiction end of the spectrum because of the gaming and hologram technology. 

I bought this audiobook December 1, 2023. I bought the hardcover in 2010. You can buy your copy here.
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ARC Review: Shot Through the Book by Eva Gates

Shot Through the Book
Author: Eva Gates
Series: A Lighthouse Library Mystery (Book 12)
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (May 6, 2025)

Description: In the twelfth installment of the Lighthouse Library mysteries, Lucy McNeil is back on the case, but this time she’s on the case alone.

The upcoming YA book festival at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library is bringing in renowned authors from all over the world. When best selling author Todd Harrison unexpectedly visits librarian Lucy McNeil at her Outer Banks beach house after a meeting, she is puzzled by his presence, since they’re virtually strangers. After she steps inside to get him a drink, she’s shocked to discover that he’s been murdered on her deck in the few minutes she left him alone.

Not knowing why he wanted to meet with her in private, or how someone managed to kill him in the time it takes to make lemonade, Lucy is determined to help with the investigation and figure out what happened. When Heather Harrison, Todd’s widow, shows up in town, her motivations aren’t inspired by grief. She’s intending to use her husband’s tragic death to launch her candidacy for state senator and her first order of business is to go after the local police force–and Lucy herself.

Caught between an intrusive fan club mourning Todd, squabbling authors fighting for prominence in his absence, and a politically ruthless widow, Lucy must roll up her sleeves and and catch the killer before the chapter closes on justice.

My Thoughts: This is the twelfth book in the Lighthouse Library Mystery series and I'll admit I haven't read all of them. Luckily, I didn't need to in order to enjoy this episode. 

A YA Book Festival is being planned, and things seem to be going well until the star author comes to Lucy's house and is murdered with an arrow through the chest. Lucy has no idea why he has come to see her. He dies just after their greetings. 

Now the festival plans are in disarray with the two local audios vying for headlining the festival. The deceased author's teenage fans are holding vigil outside of Lucy and Connor's house. And the "grieving" widow looks like she wants to capitalize on her husband's death to launch her own political career. 

The grieving widow is making trouble for Lucy and the local police department alleging corruption which means Lucy is pretty much on her own to investigate. She has lots of suspicious characters to investigate too. 

This was a nice cozy mystery.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.
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Monday, April 28, 2025

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (April 28, 2025)

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...

Ahh, Spring in Duluth! I woke up to two inches of snow last Monday morning. It was gone by Tuesday. The weather was seasonable the rest of the week. Now, however, we have rain and two rounds of severe Thunderstorms complete with hail are forecast for later today and tomorrow. Luckily, I can put off my errands until after the storms have passed through.

Since it is nearly the beginning of May, I have blog housekeeping to do. I'll be working on my State of the Stack post and figuring out what I read and bought in April. I did note this morning that I still have six May review copies to read. 

This week brought a surprise approval from NetGalley from a book I do not recall requesting...and it had a May 6 release date! Luckily, it was a fast reading cozy mystery. 

This week I'll be pausing my In Death Rereadathon because there are three other audiobooks on my calendar that I want to listen to and review. Between that and Atlanta Braves baseball, I should have enough to keep me busy.

There were no new recipes this week for our meals. I did bake bread a couple of times. My Hawaiian rolls didn't turn out as expected but I think it was my fault. I think the liquid I added was too warm. I'll try the recipe again once I finish the buns I put in the freezer. I also tried a new bread recipe which required no kneading - just a couple of sets of stretch-and-folds. It was really nice, and I'll be making that recipe again.

I added a lot of new books this week. Darn you, Amazon, for having a triple points sale that lasted three days!

Read Last Week
  • No One Was Supposed to Die at the Wedding by Catherine Mack (Review; May 13) -- First person humorous mystery complete with footnotes. My review will be posted on May 6.
  • New York to Dallas by J. D. Robb (Audiobook Reread) -- 33rd in the In Death series. My review will be posted on June 24.
  • The Vineyard at Painted Moon by Susan Mallery (Audiobook; Mine since May 21, 2021) -- Women's fiction. Entertaining. My review will be posted on May 8.
  • The Language of the Birds by K. A. Merson (Review; May 13) -- YA mystery. A seventeen-year-old must solve a variety of ciphers if she wants to rescue her mom from people who want the secret treasure the ciphers reveal. My review will be posted on May 7.
  • Death in the Cards by Mia P. Manansala (Review; May 13) -- YA mystery. Set in Chicago. A Filipino teen who reads tarot and wants to work for her mother's private investigations agency has her first case. My review will be posted on May 8.
  • Celebrity in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook Reread) -- 34th in the In Death series. 
  • Hounding a Killer by Kallie E. Benjamin (Review; May 6) -- Second in a cozy mystery series starring a former elementary school teacher turned children's book author and her bloodhound. My review will be posted on May 6.
  • Skin and Bones by Paul Doiron (Review; May 13) -- Short story collection starring Maine Game Wardens Charley Stevens and Mike Bowditch. My review will be posted on May 10.
  • Delusion in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook Reread) -- 35th book in the In Death series.
Currently
Next Week
Reviews Posted
Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

Review:
Bought:
What was your week like?
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Saturday, April 26, 2025

ARC Review: Bait and Swiss by Korina Moss

Bait and Swiss
Author: Korina Moss
Series: Cheese Shop Mysteries (Book 6)
Publication: St. Martin's Paperbacks (April 29, 2025)

Description: In Korina Moss's Bait and Swiss, Yarrow Glen’s newest business gives one unlucky resident the swiss of death.

It’s been almost two years since Willa Bauer opened Curds & Whey in Yarrow Glen, and both cheesemonger and cheese shop are thriving in the Sonoma Valley. While Willa doesn’t eat chocolate, it’s true that life is like a box of chocolates. Unfortunately, life’s latest curveball is that Willa’s ex fiancé and ex-best friend―the reason for her chocolate aversion―are opening a chocolate pop-up shop across the street. By the end of the shop’s first day, the town’s newest reporter is the victim of death by chocolate. Now Willa’s ex wants her to be Swiss Congeniality, solve the case, and save the day. As much as Willa wants to hit him with the nearest cheese wheel, she can't stop herself from saying yes. And it’s not long before tourists decide to stay clear of town until the killer is caught. To save Yarrow Glen, Willa and Team Cheese have some work to do.

My Thoughts: Willa Bauer is getting ready to celebrate the 2nd birthday of her cheese shop Curds & Whey in Yarrow Glen. However, the celebration is derailed when a new reporter in town is found dead after eating some poisoned chocolates. It seems that her ex-fiancé and ex-best friend planned a new pop-up shop selling their designer chocolates in her friend Holly's new cakery. 

Now, Winna is a suspect, and she needs to investigate her former friends. There are a number of suspects and the first thing she has to figure out is who the intended victim was. The chocolates were supposed to be a gift to the newspaper editor, but they were with Willa's order at the cakery. Maybe someone intended that she'd be the one to eat them. 

Willa is immediately suspicious of her exes since their breakup still haunts her. But maybe the bread baker who lost his job when the bakery became a cakery or the owners of the local vintage candy shop had reasons to poison chocolates. 

This was another engaging entry into the Cheese Shop Mysteries. There are lots of returning characters from earlier books which made for a large cast of characters. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.
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Friday, April 25, 2025

Friday Memes: Bait and Swiss by Korina Moss

 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. 

Beginning:
"Raclette. It's an alpine cow's milk cheese that's been popular since the Middle Ages. Salty, nutty, slightly pungent--more so the longer it sits on the wheel--and it melts beautifully."
Friday 56:
"What are hot chocolate bombs? Now they sound amazing!"
This week I am spotlighting Bait and Swiss by Korina Moss. This a review copy and the sixth book in the Cheese Shop Mysteries. Here is the description from Amazon:
In Korina Moss's Bait and Swiss, Yarrow Glen’s newest business gives one unlucky resident the swiss of death.

It’s been almost two years since Willa Bauer opened Curds & Whey in Yarrow Glen, and both cheesemonger and cheese shop are thriving in the Sonoma Valley. While Willa doesn’t eat chocolate, it’s true that life is like a box of chocolates. Unfortunately, life’s latest curveball is that Willa’s ex fiancé and ex-best friend―the reason for her chocolate aversion―are opening a chocolate pop-up shop across the street. By the end of the shop’s first day, the town’s newest reporter is the victim of death by chocolate. Now Willa’s ex wants her to be Swiss Congeniality, solve the case, and save the day. As much as Willa wants to hit him with the nearest cheese wheel, she can't stop herself from saying yes. And it’s not long before tourists decide to stay clear of town until the killer is caught. To save Yarrow Glen, Willa and Team Cheese have some work to do.
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Thursday, April 24, 2025

ARC Review: Bearer of Bad News by Elisabeth Dini

Bearer of Bad News
Author: Elisabeth Dini
Publication: Gallery Books (April 29, 2025)

Description: A sharply funny and moving debut in which a young woman accepts a job that takes her though the Italian Dolomites and into an international mystery far greater—and more personal—than she could have ever expected.

For someone who hates secrets, Las Vegas hairdresser Lucy Rey is about to be faced with a whole bunch of them. After discovering that her fiancé has been cheating on her with someone from his improv class, she finds herself short on funds and desperate for a change of scenery. Enter a most unusual job opportunity: a Bearer of Bad News.

Sure, it’s a little weird—the job description has few details, and the bad news is more like a vaguely worded threat—but Lucy can’t say no to the perks: an all-expenses-paid trip to the Italian Dolomites, plus a generous bonus if she proves she’s delivered the message. Then she learns that her task is just the tip of the iceberg.

Launched into a world of betrayal and greed involving eighty-year-old secrets, stolen jewels, and a World War II–era mystery, Lucy is in over her head. And she’s connected to her mission in ways she never saw coming.

For fans of Gail Honeyman’s Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and Kirstin Chen’s Counterfeit, Bearer of Bad News is an exhilarating romp that deftly explores the weight of secrets, the power of friendship, and how, by healing the wounds of the past, we can build a brighter tomorrow.

My Thoughts: Lucy Rey has almost hit rock bottom in this story. Her fiance, who gave her a lovely cubic zirconia for an engagement ring, has been photo'd with his new love - a guy from his improv class. There she is in Las Vegas in an apartment she hates and with a job she hates when she sees on add on social media. Someone is looking for a Bearer of Bad News to travel to the Italian Dolomites to find a person and give her some news.

Sure, it looks like a scam, but she doesn't have any better prospects. After signing a draconian NDA, Lucy finds herself traveling at quite a bit less than First Class to Italy to find her employer's sister and deliver some bad news. 

One in Italy, Lucy finds herself in the middle of a mystery concerning an emerald necklace lost during World War II and the people who interacted with it. And she's not the only one looking for it. The Department of Lost Things have been trying to track it since the 1940s and has an agent in place and there are other people looking too. Then Lucy discovers her own family's relationship to the necklace and some mysteries in her own family. 

This was an engaging story that began as an almost cliched humorous romp and ended up being a story about heart and finding yourself. I liked it a lot. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from Gallery Books. You can buy your copy here.
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ARC Review: Cold Burn by A. J. Landau

Cold Burn
Author: A. J. Landau
Series: A National Parks Thriller (Book 2)
Publication: Minotaur Books (April 29, 2025)

Description: Agent Michael Walker returns when multiple deaths at Glacier Bay National Park are just the first steps in a potential global disaster.

National Park Service investigator Michael Walker is battling smugglers stealing priceless artifacts when he’s dispatched to Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska, where, in the first stage of a potential global disaster, a team of scientists has gone missing.

Meanwhile, in Florida’s Everglades National Park, FBI special investigator Gina Delgado traces the murder of an environmental science intern back to another U.S. Geological Survey team’s ongoing experiments that are decimating the fragile ecosystem. That is before she’s dispatched to the scene of a sunken U.S. nuclear submarine, the entire crew of which has inexplicably been killed.

The connection between these disparate investigations lies in a deadly prehistoric organism, frozen for thousands of years in the ice until global warming brings it back to life in what could mean the death of all life on Earth. An organism that a rogue billionaire sees as the ultimate fuel source and a Russian strongman views as the ultimate weapon that can shift the global balance of power forever. Against that backdrop, Walker and Delgado find themselves desperately doing battle across multiple fronts against an ancient, unstoppable enemy.

My Thoughts: This was another excellent thriller starring National Park Investigator Michael Walker and FBI Agent Gina Delgado. When the story begins, Michael is in Alaska trying to track down smugglers of Native artifacts and Gina is in Florida looking into the death of young man associated with the US Geological Survey. 

Michael learns, after the people he was shadowing were murdered, that there was a mysterious substance in many of the artifacts he was tracking. Gina learns that the USGS in the Florida Everglades were experimenting with the water temperature to ease global warming. They were also using a mysterious substance. 

Another viewpoint character in the story is multi-billionaire Alex Cole who will do anything to fulfill his dream of going to Mars and who sees the mysterious substance as the key to his successful journey. And still another viewpoint character is a Russian general who wants to take over Russia and return it to what he sees as its glorious past. 

Since the mysterious substance has the potential to wipe out vast quantities and species of life, Michael and Gina need to find a way to stop the Russians from weaponizing it, the billionaire from misusing it, and elements from within the government from using it for political gain. Michael is aided by a Tlinglit microbiologist who got wealthy for her discoveries and has come home to her village in Alaska. 

I liked this story very much. It was packed with action. One quibble is that a number of chapters ended with the viewpoint character making a discovery but not saying what it was until their viewpoint chapter came around again. It did add to the suspense, but I still found it annoying. 

Fans of ecothrillers will enjoy this one. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.
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Wednesday, April 23, 2025

ARC Review: Such a Good Mom by Julia Spiro

Such a Good Mom
Author: Julia Spiro
Publication: Minotaur Books (April 29, 2025)

Description: Bestselling author Julia Spiro's Such a Good Mom is a brilliant standalone mystery that's the perfect beach read. In the heat of summer, a murder on Martha's Vineyard rocks one new mom to the core, leaving her to search for answers.

With a healthy newborn baby, a devoted husband, a successful career, and a busy life on Martha’s Vineyard, Brynn Nelson should be the happiest she’s ever been. But Brynn is struggling. Her husband, Ross, grows more distant by the day, and the challenges and exhaustion of postpartum make Brynn feel like she’s slowly losing pieces of herself to motherhood. Pieces that she might never get back.

But it’s summer on the Vineyard, a beacon for wealthy visitors, and a place so beautiful that it seems immune to tragedy and crime. Except for locals, like Brynn, who know all too well that tragedy can strike at any point. And this time, it hits close to home when a friend of the family is found washed ashore. Dead. And Brynn’s already hectic life is turned upside down when Ross is arrested for the crime.

My Thoughts: This was a mystery where postpartum depression was the main character. Brynn Nelson has recently had a baby. She is struggling with managing her emotions and everything else. She keeps trying to tell herself that everything is fine - just fine. Neither she nor her friends believe that is true. 

When her husband Ross is accused of murdering a young college student who works on the island, Brynn feels even more stress. She wants to believe that her husband is innocent of the crime except she is so angry at him because of her depression that she is finding it hard. It doesn't help that her in-laws seem to have written him off.

Still, Brynn begins to look into the case and finds some glaring holes in it and some possible suspects really close to home. 

I learned more than I ever needed to know about postpartum depression and life on Martha's Vineyard while reading this story. The mystery almost took a distant second place. I also had some issues with the timing of the story. The first 90% of the story seemed to take place over just a couple of days. The last 10% neatly wrapped everything up and, by the end, more than a year had passed. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.
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Tuesday, April 22, 2025

ARC Review: Hidden in Smoke by Lee Goldberg

Hidden in Smoke
Author: Lee Goldberg
Series: Sharpe & Walker (Book 3)
Publication: Thomas & Mercer (April 22, 2025)

Description: When the crimes of a serial arsonist lead to murder, Sharpe and Walker need detective Eve Ronin to join the hunt in a blistering thriller by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Goldberg.

After dozens of Hollywood apartment buildings erupt in flames during a single night of terror, arson investigators Walter Sharpe and Andrew Walker are assigned to catch the serial torcher and end his spree. But then a catastrophic fire destroys a major freeway, crippling the city and forcing Sharpe and Walker to take on another massive case.

Desperate for help, they know exactly who to call: homicide detectives Eve Ronin and Duncan Pavone. Together the four detectives must quickly figure out whether the freeway disaster was a tragic accident…or the work of a mastermind with a horrific plan.

As the investigations collide, an old foe with a revenge scheme enters the fray, igniting a race against time to stop a conspiracy of deception, corruption, and murder.

My Thoughts: Sharpe and Walker are back in this third adventure. Someone is setting cars on fire threatening the apartment buildings near them. While they are traveling between fires, someone sets a fire beneath a freeway overpass which threatens the city. Sharpe and Walker turn over their car fires to another pair of investigators and concentrate on the freeway fire. 

However, the State and city have already hired a construction firm to get the freeway back open and they discover that major cleanup has already happened. It's hard to investigate when all of the debris has been moved to landfills. 

Meanwhile, Walker has gone to visit master thief Danny Cole in Japan to ask for a favor. Walker's two-year-old son has epilepsy and only one medication helps. However, Roland Slezak has bought the company and raised the yearly cost from $10 thousand to $150 thousand. Danny and Walker had a previous encounter with Slezak, and both are still unsatisfied how it resolved. Danny plans a sting to get his final revenge on Slezak which will also help Walker. 

I liked the way the two different plots were interwoven. I liked the way Goldberg found a way to bring in Eve Ronin and her partner Duncan Pavone from another of his series. The characters are all interesting and the action was intense. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.
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ARC Review: How to Seal Your Own Fate by Kristen Perrin

How to Seal Your Own Fate
Author: Kristen Perrin
Series: Castle Knoll Files (Book 2)
Publication: Dutton (April 29, 2025)

Description: Kristen Perrin is back with the second novel in her Castle Knoll series. Annie Adams is caught in a new web of murder that spans decades, returning us to the idyllic English village that holds layers of secrets.

Present day: Annie Adams is just settling into life in Castle Knoll when local fortune teller Peony Lane crosses her path and shares a cryptic message. When Peony Lane is found dead only hours later inside the locked Gravesdown Estate, Annie quickly realizes that someone is out to make her look guilty while silencing Peony at the same time. Annie has no choice but to delve into the dark secrets of Castle Knoll in order to find out just what Peony Lane was trying to warn her about, before the new life she’s just begun to build comes crashing down around her.

1967: A year has passed since her friend Emily disappeared, and teenage Frances Adams finds herself caught between two men. Ford Gravesdown is one of the only remaining members of a family known for its wealth and dubious uses of power. Archie Foyle is a local who can’t hold down a job and lives above the village pub. But when Frances teams up with Archie to investigate the car crash that claimed the lives of Ford's family, it quickly becomes clear that this was no accident—hints of cover-ups, lies, and betrayals abound. The question is, just how far does the blackness creep through the heart of Castle Knoll? When Frances uncovers secrets kept by both Ford and Archie, she starts to wonder: What exactly has she gotten herself into?

My Thoughts: This is the second book in the Castle Knoll Files mystery series. It would be of benefit to read this series in order since there are many references to the first book. This is also a dual timeline story which added a bit to the confusion for me. 

Annie Adams has inherited the Gravesdown Estate after solving a murder. But there are still many secrets both at the estate and in Castle Knoll. The fortune teller who precipitated the events of the first book has a message for Annie too. However, shortly after delivering the message Peony Lane is found dead inside Annie's solarium.

Annie finds herself a suspect in Peony Lane's death since someone is clearly trying to frame her. Annie finds herself investigating a car wreck the killed three of the Gravesdown family in 1967 because it wasn't as it appeared. 

The dual timeline takes us to 1967 where Frances Adams is also looking into the car crash and dating the only Gravesdown survivor along with Archie Foyle who has some connections to the Gravesdown family. 

This was a nicely twisty mystery with interesting characters many of whom appear in both the 1967 and present-day timelines. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.
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Monday, April 21, 2025

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (April 21, 2025)

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 nice week. As of today (Easter Sunday), there is no snow on the ground at my house. I did notice that there were still some hefty piles when I went to the Mall on Thursday to get my hair cut. I went for my haircut in the middle of a thunderstorm complete with hail. 

We went out to Texas Roadhouse for my brother's birthday Monday, and I just finished my leftovers yesterday. Bill also made a Shepherd's Pie recipe that he had found on the internet. The recipe is going in our "Make It Again" pile. Today we'll be baking a ham which will provide lots of leftovers for the coming week. 

I had a good reading week. I enjoyed Hidden Figures which I selected to try to reach my goal of reading twelve nonfiction books in 2025. I'd had the audiobook and Kindle copy since 2021. I decided to review some of the In Death books that I'm reading since, if I reviewed them at all, it was at least ten years ago. And I've been steadily chipping away at my stack of review books.

I'm expecting a quiet week this coming week. I have no appointments of any kind on my calendar. 

Read Last Week
  • Shot Through the Book by Eva Gates (Review; May 6) -- The twelfth in the Lighthouse Library series deals with the death of the author supposed to headline the upcoming Book Festival. My review will be posted on April 29.
  • Fantasy in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook Reread) -- The 30th book in the In Death series is the ultimate in locked room murders. A game designer is found with his head cut off in his locked holoroom. All evidence says he was alone in the space. My review will be posted on April 29)
  • Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly (Audiobook; Mine since May 23, 2021) -- This excellent nonfiction story tells about the roles Black female mathematicians had in the aerospace industry. Loved the parallels of their lives with the Civil Rights Movement. My review will be posted on May 6.
  • This Is Not a Dead Girl Story by Kate Sweeney (Mine since January 11, 2025) -- This YA psychological thriller is the one I subbed in for the book I DNFd. It has a lot of YA tropes but had great characters and a fast-paced plot. My review will be posted on April 30.
  • Archangel's Ascension by Nalini Singh (Review; May 6) -- 17th in the Guild Hunter series centers on the romance between Illium and Aodhan. My review will be posted on May 3.
  • Indulgence in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook Reread) -- 31st in the In Death series. Main crime deals with thrill kills. 
  • Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay (Review; May 6) -- Another excellent psychological thriller by a talented author. My review will be posted on May 1.
  • Treachery in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook Reread) -- Eve needs to bring down a corrupt cop in this 32nd book in the In Death series. My review will be posted on May 13.
DNF
  • The Fatal Scroll by Eric Siblin (Review; May 6) -- I read 31% before setting this one aside. For me to finish a book, it has to have interesting characters, a compelling plot, or be well-written. This one missed on all counts for me. 
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