It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (April 14, 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 quiet week. From an overnight low of 14 degrees on the 8th, we had a high of 62 on the 12th. It does look like Spring is coming even though there is still snow on the ground in shady areas. However, with a 90% chance of rain/snow on Monday, winter isn't going out without a fight. 

I did manage to finish all of my April review copies this week. I'll be starting on the 14 I have with May release dates this week. I set up my May calendar and prepared the draft posts for everything. Of course, it is subject to change if I have a better idea of if my chosen books don't grab me once I actually start reading them. 

I put a couple of nonfiction audiobooks on my May calendar. I set a personal goal of reading twelve nonfiction books in 2025 and have only read 3 so far.

This was a week of leftovers. Today, I'll be making a tuna noodle hotdish before my brother goes to work. This one was inspired by the fact that I have crumbs left in a bag of parmesan-garlic potato chips. We'll be going to Texas Roadhouse to celebrate my brother's birthday on Monday since he had to work last Thursday which was his actual birthday. The rest of the week is undecided. I do have a haircut scheduled for Thursday though. 

Read Last Week

• Hidden in Smoke by Lee Goldberg (Review; April 22) -- Third Sharpe & Walker thriller starring fire investigators in California. My review will be posted on April 22.
• How to Seal Your Own Fate by Kristen Perrin (Review; April 29) -- Dual timeline mystery. My review will be posted on April 22)
• Promises in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook; Mine) -- Reread; 28th in the In Death series

• Such a Good Mom by Julia Spiro (Review; April 29) -- This mystery was more about postnatal depression than it was a mystery and had some pacing problems. My review will be posted on April 23.
• Cold Burn by A. J. Landau (Review; April 29) -- Near future thriller packed with adventure. My review will be posted on April 24.
• Kindred in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook, Mine) -- Reread of the 29th in the In Death series.

• Bait and Swiss by Korina Moss (Review; April 29) -- Sixth Cheese Shop mystery. My review will be posted on April 26.
• Bearer of Bad News by Elisabeth Dini (Review; April 29) -- Debut mystery starts as a humorous romp but ends up having surprising depth. My review will be posted on April 24.

Currently

• Shot Through the Book by Eva Gates (Review; May 6)
• Fantasy in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook reread_

Next Week

• The Fatal Scroll by Eric Siblin (Review; May 6)
• Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay (Review; May 6)
• Archangel's Ascension by Nalini Singh (Review; May 6)

• No One Was Supposed to Die at the Wedding by Catherine Mack (Review; May 13)
• Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly (Audiobook; Mine since May 23, 2021)
• The Language of the Birds by K. A. Merson (Review; May 13)

Reviews Posted

• Find Me by Anne Frasier (Audiobook, Mine)
• One Death at a Time by Abbi Waxman (Review copy)
• The Sea House by Louise Douglas (Mine)
• 
  
  

• A Superior Death by Nevada Barr (Audiobook, Mine)
• Friends Indeed by David Weber and Jane Lindskold (Audiobook, Mine)
• Wordhunter by Stella Sands (Mine)

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

Review:

• Dogged Pursuit by David Rosenfelt (Review; July 1)
• A Lonesome Place for Murder by Nolan Chase (Review; August 26)
• Death on Dickens Island by Allison Brook (Review; October 21)

Bought:

• Murder in the Library by Anita Davison (Chirp, $1,99)
• Shadows in the Water by Kory M. Shrum (Chirp, $.99)
• Hidden Riches by Nora Roberts (Chirp, $4.99)

• A Brush with Death by J. M. Hall (BookPerks, $.99)
• Angel Killer by Andrew Mayne (Kindle Daily Deal, $1.99)
• Solace Island by Meg Tilly (BookBub, $1.99)

• An Irish Bookshop Murder by Lucy Connelly (Kindle, $2.99)
• Death by the Book by Lucy Connelly (BookBub, $.99)

What was your week like?

Audiobook Review: Friends Indeed by David Weber and Jane Lindskold

Friends Indeed
Author: David Weber & Jane Lindskold
Narrator: Khristine Hvam
Series: Star Kingdom (Book 5)
Publication: Audible Studios (March 4, 2025)
Length: 15 hours and 59 minutes

Description: A new novel featuring Stephanie Harrington in Honorverse prequel series

What happens after the War of the Gods?

The answer lies in the Heart of the Mountain ...

The trouble with treecats

Stephanie Harrington didn’t discover treecats—they were indigenous to the planet Sphinx, a colony of the tiny Star Kingdom of Manticore. But at age ten she was the first human to bond with one. Now, almost 17, she is the species greatest champion.

To the rest of the human galaxy, if they are known at all, they are recognized as tool using, socially organized, fuzzy little creatures, with no known method of communication—who also happen to be fierce hunters. But are they sapient? Because if they are, that would have all sorts of repercussions for the families who have settled on Sphinx, the Harringtons not the least.

There will be winners, and there will be losers. And Stephanie is there to make sure the treecats don’t lose out.

But Stephanie, the treecats, and Sphinx itself may be caught up in an even greater conspiracy than the one to help the fighting ‘cats survive, one generations in the making ...

My Thoughts: The fifth book in the Stephanie Harrington series has Stephanie and the other members of the Treecat Conspiracy adding more members since it is becoming more and more essential that treecats be recognized as a sentient species. The main stumbling block to the declaration of sentience is that treecats have no spoken or written language. While Stephanie and her cohorts are convinced that treecats are both empathic and telepathic, there are no tests available to prove that. 

Enemies, both overt and covert, have vested interests in proving that the treecats are only animals. The overt ones like the Franchitti's see treecats as obstacles to their using the land given to them as land grants when they settled on Sphinx. Covert enemies also see the treecats as obstacles to their plans for future use of Sphinx. 

And a new enemy is introduced. The Alignment whose goal is to genetically engineer superior humans, even though that is forbidden by the Beowulf Accords, would love it if the treecats were telepathic. They would love to experiment on them to see if telepathy could be added to their new, improved human genome. 

Besides the focus on Stephanie and her new fiancé Karl, the story also stars Nosey Jones, a reporter being courted by the covert anti-treecat faction, and Trudy Fanchitti, who is finally finding a way to free herself from the abuse she has suffered since childhood at the hands of her father and brother. 

While this was an excellent story, it is clearly not the last. The sentience of the treecats becomes much more apparent after a variety of incidents, but the covert enemies are not defeated and are still out there threatening treecats. The books ending, while not completely a cliffhanger, does leave a lot of issues to be resolved. 

Favorite Quote:

"Dad says the problem is that history is full of people who insist on repeating really bad ideas because they sound like they ought to be so good. The fact that they've never worked out that way when people actually tried them only convinces the people who want to repeat them that the folks before them didn't 'do it right'"

I bought this one March 4, 2025. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: Friends Indeed by David Weber & Jane Lindskold

 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:

"I must say this is...an unexpected surprise," Duncan Harrington said as the well-dressed man stepped into his office. Then he smiled. "On the other hand, I don't suppose it could be a surprise if I'd been expecting it, now could it?"

Friday 56:

"Please call me Nosey," Nosey said, his expression more than a little unhappy. "Do you really think that could happen? I mean, after they've already gotten as much publicity and notice as they have?"

This week I am spotlighting Friends Indeed by David Weber & Jane Lindskold. I got this one on release day because I've really enjoyed earlier books in this prequel to the Honor Harrington Science Fiction series. This one is Young Adult. Here's the description from Amazon:

A new novel featuring Stephanie Harrington in Honorverse prequel series

What happens after the War of the Gods?

The answer lies in the Heart of the Mountain ...

The trouble with treecats

Stephanie Harrington didn’t discover treecats—they were indigenous to the planet Sphinx, a colony of the tiny Star Kingdom of Manticore. But at age ten she was the first human to bond with one. Now, almost 17, she is the species greatest champion.

To the rest of the human galaxy, if they are known at all, they are recognized as tool using, socially organized, fuzzy little creatures, with no known method of communication—who also happen to be fierce hunters. But are they sapient? Because if they are, that would have all sorts of repercussions for the families who have settled on Sphinx, the Harringtons not the least.

There will be winners, and there will be losers. And Stephanie is there to make sure the treecats don’t lose out.

But Stephanie, the treecats, and Sphinx itself may be caught up in an even greater conspiracy than the one to help the fighting ‘cats survive, one generations in the making ...

Audiobook Review: A Superior Death by Nevada Barr

A Superior Death
Author: Nevada Barr
Narrator: Barbara Rosenblatt
Series: Anna Pigeon (Book 2)
Publication: Recorded Books (July 29, 2004)
Length: 11 hours and 43 minutes

Description: Nevada Barr quickly attracted the attention of mystery fans when her first Anna Pigeon mystery, Track of the Cat, appeared. Now she immerses the intrepid park ranger in a perilous search that will take her far below the waters of Lake Superior. As Anna spends her days patrolling its shores, the surface of Lake Superior fills with tourists. In the depths below lie an ancient ship and the bones of its sailors. But when two tourists dive down to see the wreck, they discover that a new body has joined the skeletal crew. As Anna tries to discover how and why, she encounters secrets darker and more deadly than the waters surrounding the corpse. Filled with suspense, A Superior Death is also laced with Anna Pigeon's self-deprecating humor. With Barbara Rosenblat's spirited narration, you'll immediately be scanning the splendid setting and looking for clues through the eyes of the savvy naturalist.

My Thoughts: The second Ranger Anna Pigeon mystery moves Anna from the desert Southwest to the Isle Royale in Lake Superior. She's changed desert heat to the cold depths of Superior. One of her tasks is issuing permits for divers who want to explore many of the wrecks on Superior's bottom. One of the deepest is the Kamloops. It is a challenging dive, and the ship contains the bodies of some of the men who went down with her.

Anna is surprised to learn from the divers that they counted six bodies. The only problem is that there are only supposed to be five. It is soon discovered that the new body belongs to Denny Castle who is a local diver who runs tours. Anna begins her investigations to determine who left Denny there and what he was doing there. 

There are lots of quirky suspects running the gamut from Rangers to volunteer tour guides to the people who run the local concessions. And Denny's death isn't the only mystery. Two of the other people who are volunteering as guides are certain that one of the other Rangers has murdered and eaten his wife. Either that or it could be the Wendigo. Anna adds locating her to her to-do list too since she's pretty certain that she hasn't been eaten.

I enjoyed the setting of this mystery since I too live on Lake Superior. I liked Anna who is an intriguing character who is still dealing with her own grief at the loss of her husband. Written in 1994, this one has turned into a historical mystery.

I bought this one July 9, 2021. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Wordhunter by Stella Sands

Wordhunter
Author: Stella Sands
Publication: Harper Paperbacks (August 6, 2024)

Description: An utterly original and compulsively readable detective story about a woman who uses her uncanny ability to analyze words and speech patterns to help solve crimes.

Tattooed, pierced, and a bit of a mess, Maggie Moore is a surprising genius when it comes to words, a savant able to solve any linguistic puzzle. The top student in her forensic linguistics class, she’s tapped by local police to use her skills to decipher harrowing notes left by a stalker-turned-rapist—and succeeds brilliantly.

But when the daughter of a local mayor is abducted, Maggie isn’t sure she’s the right person to help the police solve the crime. Given what happened to her best childhood friend, Maggie just might be too close to this one.

Yet she knows the authorities in this rural south-Central Florida town cannot crack the case without her special skill. Along with her new best friend, a detective Jackson, Maggie begins to analyze the texts, emails, and verbal tics of various suspects . . . and comes to a disturbing conclusion that will rock this small community.

My Thoughts: Maggie Moore is a graduate student in linguistics. She is also tattooed, pierced, and drinks too much. She is also something a genius with words. Her stress release is diagramming sentences from favorite works of literature. 

Maggie is brought to the attention of the police by one of her professors who thinks she can help find a stalker turned rapist. Maggie is given the text messages that he sent to the victim which she manages to interpret to lead the police to the stalker. The chief of police who is just days from retirement is pleased. However, Deputy Jackson is much more skeptical. 

Then a child is kidnapped, and the chief of police wants to call her in again. Maggie is most reluctant because the case brings up the disappearance of the best friend she has never stopped looking for. 

Meanwhile, Maggie is trying to get through her final semester of college. She's been handpicked by a popular professor to be his teaching assistant and finds herself polishing his grant proposals and book proposals and even writing papers for him. When her success begins to outshine his, he turns on her, rapes her, and accuses her of plagiarism. His accusations though false can derail Maggie's potential career with the FBI and prevent her acceptance into any doctoral program. 

This was an engaging mystery with a unique and intriguing main character. 

Favorite Quote:

Anyone whose middle name is part of his identity is either a serial killer or planning to become one. For sure, that included most of the men in Florida.

I bought this one January 6, 2025, when it was a BookBub deal for $1.99. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: The Sea House by Louise Douglas

The Sea House
Author: Louise Douglas
Publication: Boldwood Books (November 5, 2024)

Description: A mysterious bequest and the legacy of a tragic love – only one person can unravel the hidden secrets of the past before it’s too late…

When Elisabeth Quemener dies she leaves a small parcel with the instructions that it must only be opened by Astrid Oake. The trouble is, no one knows who Astrid Oake is…

Elisabeth’s family turn to Touissants detective agency for help but, when Mila Shepherd and Carter Jackson try to track Astrid down, their frustration soon mounts. Their only clue is a photo of two young women holding the hands of a tiny child. The women are smiling but Mila is haunted by the sadness in their eyes. Is this Astrid and Elisabeth and if so, who is the child? And why are there signs everywhere in Elisabeth’s home that the old woman was frightened despite her living a quiet life with no known enemies?

As Elisabeth and Astrid’s story slowly unfolds, Mila feels the walls of her home The Sea House closing in. And as the secrets finally begin to reveal themselves, she is ever more determined to carry out Elisabeth’s final wishes. Because what is inside that unprepossessing parcel might just save a life…

My Thoughts: THE SEA HOUSE was an interesting mystery. Mila Shepherd works for the Touissants detective agency. It is run by a former stepmother of hers since her father is prone to marriage. She was mostly raised in England by her very bitter mother who revels in holding on to the bitterness of a long-ago marriage. She lived for the six weeks she spent every summer in Brittany with her stepmother and stepsister Sophie who became her best friend.

Two years before this story begins, Sophie and her husband Charlie were lost at sea in a storm leaving a fourteen-year-old daughter Ani. Mila drops everything in England including her police detective fiance to move to France to take care of Ani. While Sophie's body was found after the accident, Charlie's was not until the events of the current time period.

While dealing with her own and Ani's uncertainty and grief, the detective agency is hired to find a woman who was mentioned in the will of Elisabeth Quemener. She left a sealed package to be delivered to Astrid Oake. The only problem is that no one knows who Astrid Oake is or where she might be found. The only clue is a photo likely taken in the 1980s that shows Elisabeth, Astrid, and a small child presumed to be Elisabeth's daughter Manon. 

The investigation starts on Facebook as Mila tries to find someone who might know Astrid and proceeds through newspaper clippings to a family tragedy. A trip to England's midlands brings Mila to more secrets at Astrid's family home. 

This was an entertaining story with complex characters and situations. I enjoyed the mysteries. Astrid's story is complete. However, Charlie's and Sophie's are left unresolved in a cliffhanger ending and a rather abrupt ending to the book. 

I bought this one for $.99 January 8, 2025. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: Find Me by Anne Frasier

Find Me
Author: Anne Frasier
Narrator: Erin Bennett
Series: Inland Empire (Book 1)
Publication: Brilliance Audio (July 1, 2020)
Length: 9 hours and 16 minutes

Description: A bone-chilling family history is unearthed in a heart-stopping thriller by New York Times best-selling author Anne Frasier.

Convicted serial killer Benjamin Fisher has finally offered to lead San Bernardino detective Daniel Ellis to the isolated graves of his victims. One catch: He'll only do it if FBI profiler Reni Fisher, his estranged daughter, accompanies them. As hard as it is to exhume her traumatic childhood, Reni can’t say no. She still feels complicit in her father’s crimes.

Perfect to play a lost little girl, Reni was the bait to lure unsuspecting women to their deaths. It's time for closure. For her. For the families. And for Daniel. He shares Reni's obsession with the past. Ever since he was a boy, he's been convinced that his mother was one of Fisher's victims.

Thirty years of bad memories are flooding back. A master manipulator has gained their trust. For Reni and Daniel, this isn't the end of a nightmare. It's only the beginning.

My Thoughts: The daughter of a serial killer and a man who believes that the killer murdered his mother team up in this excellent thriller. 

Reni Fisher hasn't had anything to do with her father since he was arrested when she was a child. She had her own career as an FBI agent until she suffered a mental breakdown. She's been rebuilding her life as a pottery artist in the Mojave Desert. 

Daniel Ellis is a San Bernardino detective who is convinced that Benjamin Fisher was the one who killed his mother when Daniel was a boy. She went out on a date and was never seen again. He's been trying to find her for thirty years. 

Benjamin Fisher has finally offered to lead Daniel to the bodies, but he demands that Reni go along. Reni feels complicit in the crimes since her father convinced her to play a game and act as bait for his victims. That trauma has haunted her. Now Fisher wants to bring it all back. She agrees only because she wants closure for the victims' families. 

When Fisher commits suicide by leaping off a cliff while he is supposedly directing the crew to his victims, both Reni and Daniel are disappointed. But a cryptic clue left by Benjamin along with flashbacks to both Daniel's past and Reni's give the two more possibilities to investigate. 

This was an excellent audiobook which kept up the suspense of the story from beginning to end. I enjoyed the story enough to listen to it in one sitting which kept me up well into the night. 

I bought this one March 7, 2022. You can buy your copy here.