Book Review: O Jerusalem by Laurie R. King

O Jerusalem
Author: Laurie R. King
Series: Mary Russell Novels
Publication: Bantam; First Edition edition (June 1, 1999)

Description: At the close of the year 1918, forced to flee England's green and pleasant land, Russell and Holmes enter British-occupied Palestine under the auspices of Holmes' enigmatic brother, Mycroft.

"Gentlemen, we are at your service." Thus Holmes greets the two travel-grimed Arab figures who receive them in the orange groves fringing the Holy Land. Whatever role could the volatile Ali and the taciturn Mahmoud play in Mycroft's design for this land the British so recently wrested from the Turks? After passing a series of tests, Holmes and Russell learn their guides are engaged in a mission for His Majesty's Government, and disguise themselves as Bedouins--Russell as the beardless youth "Amir"--to join them in a stealthy reconnaissance through the dusty countryside.

A recent rash of murders seems unrelated to the growing tensions between Jew, Moslem, and Christian, yet Holmes is adamant that he must reconstruct the most recent one in the desert gully where it occurred. His singular findings will lead him and Russell through labyrinthine bazaars, verminous inns, cliff-hung monasteries--and into mortal danger. When her mentor's inquiries jeopardize his life, Russell fearlessly wields a pistol and even assays the arts of seduction to save him. Bruised and bloodied, the pair ascend to the jewellike city of Jerusalem, where they will at last meet their adversary, whose lust for savagery and power could reduce the city's most ancient and sacred place to rubble and ignite this tinderbox of a land....

Classically Holmesian yet enchantingly fresh, sinuously plotted, with colorful characters and a dazzling historic ambiance, O Jerusalem sweeps readers ever onward in the thrill of the chase.

My Thoughts: Needing to leave England for a while and accepting a commission from Sherlock's brother Mycroft, Mary and Sherlock find themselves in Palestine and in the middle of a plot to destabilize an already troubled area in 1919 when Allenby is trying to forge some sort of peace and the Turks aren't quite ready to give up the area.

Mary dons the disguise of an Arab boy named Amir and has a rapid course in Arabic as they join forces with Mahmoud and Ali who are agents for Mycroft and who aren't eager to have two new strangers coming into the area. After a period of testing which tests their stamina and determination and puts a strain on Holmes who is healing from the bomb blast which precipitated their trip to Palestine, Holmes and Mary find themselves trying to find the mastermind who is behind a few murders and a plot to blow up a sacred site in Jerusalem.

The story sees Holmes and Russell traveling through many dusty parts of Palestine including cliff-side monasteries and buried tunnels and aqueducts and tombs. Mary and Sherlock even have a chance to swim in the Dead Sea. Mary is often awestruck seeing the sites she has studied and the places that form an important part of her religion.

I loved the vivid descriptions of the land and people they meet on their journey. The plot was nicely twisty. I liked the growing relationship between Mary and Sherlock as they ease from Mary's apprenticeship to her being a full and equal partner to Holmes.

Favorite Quote:

There are no true mountains in Palestine, not by European standards and certainly not within a day's walk of Jaffa, but I could have sworn that our two guides had imported some for the occasion. We scrambled up and down precipitous if unseen hillsides, obliging me to cling to the pack ropes and let my surefooted animal lead me in the darkness, abandoning all pretense of my being in charge of it. 

I bought and read this one before I began blogging and am rereading it now. You can buy your copy here.

YA ARC Review: Don't Say a Word by Amber Lynn Natusch

Don't Say a Word
Author: Amber Lynn Natusch
Series: Hometown Antihero (Book 2)
Publication: Tor Teen (September 17, 2019)

Description: Pretty Little Liars meets Riverdale in Don't Say a Word, a standout YA mystery from indie-pub favorite Amber Lynn Natusch.

Kylene Danners’s ex-FBI agent father is in prison for murder and she’s hell-bent on getting him out. But trying to investigate in the small town where a defensive lineman is a hero no matter who he tries to kill and the girl who gets him locked up is public enemy number one is dangerous. Dark secrets are everywhere in Jasperville―the kind Ky can’t walk away from.

When rookie FBI agent Cedric Dawson returns to town to finish an open investigation, he goes undercover at her high school―as her ex. Determined to keep her from interfering, Dawson’s plan backfires after Ky gets an anonymous call about missing girls officially labeled as runaways―runaways that didn’t really run away at all.

Because dead girls can’t run.

And they don’t say a word.

My Thoughts: The second Hometown Antihero books begins a couple of days after the first ends. Kylene is visiting her friend Garrett in the hospital where he landed after being beaten nearly to death. Ky had lesser wounds since she was saved in the nick of time by a rookie FBI agent Cedric Dawson.

One part of Ky's mystery is solved. She now knows who took and posted nude photos of her on the internet. Unfortunately that doesn't clear her name in town because the villain was a star on the football team that has a chance to go to State. Somehow that he attempted to murder her and Garrett is more forgivable than her ruining the teams chances.

So Ky is back in high school with hostile teachers and students and without her best friend. Now that his name has been cleared, her former boyfriend AJ who is the football team's quarterback is hoping to rebuild his relationship with Ky. That causes a number of problems because, while Ky is willing to forgive, she isn't ready to forget the years that of suspicion. And she is also has a new, pretend boyfriend in the rookie FBI agent who is looking into a teen prostitution ring run out of Ky's school and also the disappearance of a number of marginalized teen girls.

Ky gets involved in these cases when one of the girls calls her for help and won't talk to anyone else. Dawson, under cover as Alex, doesn't want her to be involved in his new investigation. They are at odds already since he is convinced that her father murdered his mentor and Ky is certain he did not and willing to do anything to prove it.

Her investigation of her father's murder conviction slides a little to the back burner as she focuses on the prostitution ring and the missing girls. Almost anyone in the town could be running it including her own mentor in Muay Thai, the owner of the pizza joint, the owner of the ice cream parlor who served in Vietnam with her grandfather, or any of the teachers at her school.

Meanwhile, Ky is dealing with the trauma of almost being murdered twice in one evening which is showing up as night terrors and insomnia which just adds to her stress. Ky is very bright and resilient but the strains and stresses are starting to show in her behavior as her already quick temper gets even shorter.

This was an excellent, fast-paced thriller with well-developed characters. It is not the end of the series though. The mysterious and evil AD is still behind the scenes and pulling the strings that run the crime in her small town and who pulled the strings leading to her father's conviction for murder. Hopefully a third book will finally allow our heroes to find him and free Ky's father.

Favorite Quote:

"So you're saying your cover story is that you're worried about my safety so you moved down here to keep an eye on me?" He nodded. "Yeah...that's not creepy at all."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from Edelweiss. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: Don't Say a Word by Amber Lynn Natusch

Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Beginning:

When I was eight, I learned what evil was.

Friday 56:

"Yeah," he said, his voice drifting off. "I'll let you know. See you later, girlfriend."

His attempt to sarcastically confirm our relationship fell flat. His whole body was rigid, his eyes full of unasked questions, and I could feel them on me as I got into my car and drove off -- like he was afraid to look away. Like if he did, I would disappear just like Danielle.

This week I am spotlighting Don't Say a Word by Amber Lynn Natusch. I recently got this YA thriller from Edelweiss. Here is the description from Amazon:

Pretty Little Liars meets Riverdale in Don't Say a Word, a standout YA mystery from indie-pub favorite Amber Lynn Natusch.

Kylene Danners’s ex-FBI agent father is in prison for murder and she’s hell-bent on getting him out. But trying to investigate in the small town where a defensive lineman is a hero no matter who he tries to kill and the girl who gets him locked up is public enemy number one is dangerous. Dark secrets are everywhere in Jasperville―the kind Ky can’t walk away from.

When rookie FBI agent Cedric Dawson returns to town to finish an open investigation, he goes undercover at her high school―as her ex. Determined to keep her from interfering, Dawson’s plan backfires after Ky gets an anonymous call about missing girls officially labeled as runaways―runaways that didn’t really run away at all.

Because dead girls can’t run.

And they don’t say a word.

Book Review: To Darkness and to Death by Julia Spencer-Fleming

To Darkness and To Death
Author: Julia Spencer-Fleming
Series: Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries (Book 4)
Publication: St. Martin's Paperbacks; 1st Printing edition (May 30, 2006)

Description: Millicent van der Hoeven has decided to sell her family's Adirondack estate to a nature conservancy. But on the day of the land transfer, her brother frantically calls the police. Millie has disappeared in the cold November forest…

Reverend Clare Fergusson gets an early morning phone call to join the Millers Kill search and rescue operation. As a former Army helicopter pilot trained in survival skills, she can't refuse the request—even though it's the day of the bishop's annual visit. Worse for Clare, the search operation will link her up with Russ Van Alstyne, the very married local police chief who is her greatest temptation. Now, as Clare and Russ race time to find Millie van der Hoeven, they soon discover the secrets of someone who is desperate to stop the sale...and a deadly madness waiting to destroy them all.

My Thoughts: All of the events in this story center around the consequences of the van der Hoeven  family deciding to sell their land to a nature conservancy. The man who owns the lumbering equipment used there very reluctantly decides to sell up and retire. Randy Schoop, one of his crew, is especially upset since lumbering is what lets him stay in his home town with his wife who is the sister of one of Russ's officer's wives. Then there is the owner of a local paper company that is also in danger of failing because there won't be the nearby source of pulp wood for their paper. So many characters are desperate for solutions and doing stupid things because of their desperation.

Clare's introduction to the problem comes with a phone call from search and rescue. Millie van der Hoeven has been reported missing by her brother. She should be preparing for the annual visit by the Bishop which is happening the next day, but she is quick to lend her assistance to the searchers. Also called in to the search is Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne. He and Clare are still fighting their attraction to each other. His wife is a major barrier for both of them.

Before Millie can be found, another young woman is found by her father's lumbering equipment  severely beaten. Randy lost his temper with her when she wouldn't support his desire to keep lumbering using her father's equipment. Now Randy is on the run and being assisted by his wife Lisa. Lisa decides it will blur the trail if she accuses the paper company owner of having an affair with the woman.

This story was tense and twisty. I couldn't put it down. I'm so wondering if Russ and Clare will ever find a way to be together. I can see nothing but trouble in their futures.

Favorite Quote:

She tucked her feet under her and smiled. "I didn't get a chance to say this before, but happy birthday."

He looked embarrassed.

"So you're fifty now."

He leaned forward, put his face in his hands, and groaned.

"That's really, really old."

He gave her a stony look. "Brat."

She laughed. "Then don't be in such a funk about it. As my grandmother used to say getting old isn't so bad when you consider the alternative."

I bought this one March 27, 2009. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Dare You To Lie by Amber Lynn Natusch

Dare You To Lie
Author: Amber Lynn Natusch
Series: Hometown Antihero (Book 1)
Publication: Tor Teen (September 4, 2018)

Description: When her FBI agent father is framed for murder, Kylene is forced to move in with her grandfather, back to the small town that turned its back on her, and the boy who betrayed her.

All Ky cares about is clearing her father’s name, but someone won’t let her forget the photo scandal that drove her away two years ago. As the threats gain momentum, Ky finds an unlikely ally in the rookie FBI agent sent to keep an eye on her.

Determined to expose the town's hidden skeletons, Ky unwittingly thrusts herself into a much bigger plot. They thought she’d forgive and forget. They’re about to learn they messed with the wrong girl.

My Thoughts: Kylene Danners is not having a good year. Her FBI Agent father has been convicted of murder and is looking at twenty-five years to life. Kylene is certain that he has been framed and the seventeen-year-old is determined to find out the truth of the story.

Forced to return to Jasperville, Ohio, to live with her grandfather, Kylene is dumped right back into the past where she was vilified for accusing six star football players, including her boyfriend AJ, of taking nude photos of her and posting them on the internet. She lost her reputation at age fourteen and the six of them got off with no consequences. She is also determined to find out which of them took and posted the photos and why they all chose to cover for the villain.

She isn't completely without support. She reconnects with her best friend Garrett and she makes a new friend in Canadian-import Tabby. She also has the support of her mother's best friend Meg who is a lawyer and her father's best friend FBI Agent Striker.

She also has a number of enemies who are willing to do anything to make her life miserable and thwart her investigations. From her Physics teacher Mr. Callahan to one of the Six Donovan Shipman who is drugged up on steroids to a rookie FBI Agent Dawson who is sure her father is guilty, Kylene has many obstacles to overcome in her investigation.

Kylene is a great character. She is certainly resilient. She is bright and sarcastic and she has a finely honed sense of justice. She manages to uncover a deep well of secrets as she tries to clear her name and her reputation. The story is filled with danger and it is fast-paced. It is emotionally intense too.

While the story ends with part of the mystery solved, the bigger conspiracy is not. Luckily, the second book - Don't Say a Word - will be released in September.

Favorite Quote:

He roared with laughter. "Trying to have a serious conversation with you is like herding cats."

"Highly entertaining and a great workout?"

"I was thinking aggravating and damn near impossible."

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Save Your Breath by Melinda Leigh

Save Your Breath
Author: Melinda Leigh
Series: Morgan Dane (Book 6)
Publication: Montlake Romance (September 17, 2019)

Description: When true-crime writer Olivia Cruz disappears with no signs of foul play, her new boyfriend, Lincoln Sharp, suspects the worst. He knows she didn’t leave willingly and turns to attorney Morgan Dane and PI Lance Kruger to find her before it’s too late.

As they dig through Olivia’s life, they are shocked to discover a connection between her current book research on two cold murder cases and the suicide of one of Morgan’s prospective clients.

As Morgan and Lance investigate, the number of suspects grows, but time is running out to find Olivia alive. When danger comes knocking at their door, Morgan and Lance realize that they may be the killer’s next targets.

My Thoughts: The sixth Morgan Dane suspense title hits close to home. Lincoln Sharp's new girlfriend true-crime writer Olivia Cruz disappears with no warning. She and Sharp had been taking their time with their relationship since both were pretty set in their ways and wary. Morgan and her soon-to-be husband Lance are quick to jump in to help Sharp.

With nowhere to start their investigation, they try to learn what she was working on for her next book. Attempts to contact her agent and publisher are stalled since she disappears on a weekend. They do learn that she was working on two possible criminal cases. The first was a man who was convicted of killing a young woman and suspected of killing five more but their bodies weren't found. The second was a case of a man convicted of murdering his wife despite his story of a home invasion.

That second case hits close to home when the man's mother makes an appointment with Morgan to see if she will be the lawyer for an appeal. Morgan doesn't take the case because something feels wrong about it to her. Minutes later her would-be client commits suicide outside her office.

We also gets scenes starring Olivia where we see her kidnapped and see her imprisoned in a cold, damp, underground room which exacerbates her asthma and leaves us thinking that the asthma could kill her before the kidnapper does.

Meanwhile, there's domestic drama too as Morgan's three young daughters are excited about Halloween and Halloween costumes and her nanny Gianna who is underdoing dialysis for kidney failure gets very sick.

This story was filled with suspense and was fast-paced. I enjoyed it because I like the characters and the relationships.

Favorite Quote:

Finally, he stopped walking and met her gaze directly. "I would have to review the case before I could comment on your assertion."

Annnnd new he sounded like a lawyer on the defensive.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (September 9, 2019)

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.

I will be combining my YA and adult reading and purchases on this one weekly roundup.

Other Than Reading...

This has been a terrible week for the production of solar energy. We have been completed cloudy for a number of days this week and produced a minimal amount of power. Of course, we did need the rain and have caught up on the monthly deficit and lowered the yearly deficit too.

I've been doing quite a bit of reading. I only have one October review copy left to read. I am also progressing on my reread of the Mary Russell series. I have also been watching a lot of baseball. My Atlanta Braves are doing really well this year which makes watching more exciting.

While I did get out to Curves three times this week, I feel like I'm slacking on exercise the other days of the week. I need to make it a goal to get out and do some mall walking now that the weather is turning cooler.

Read Last Week

If you can't wait until the review shows up on my blog, reviews are posted to LibraryThing and Goodreads as soon as I write them (usually right after I finish reading a book.)

• A Legacy of Murder by Connie Berry (Review; Oct. 8) - This was a cozy mystery and second in a series. I enjoyed the story. My review will be posted on Oct. 6.
• Read and Buried by Eva Gates (Review; Oct. 15) - Another cozy mystery. This one is sixth in a series and was a fun story about buried treasure - sort of. My review will be posted on Oct. 8.
• The Art of Theft by Sherry Thomas (Review; Oct. 15) - This historical mystery is 4th in a series. I like the riff on Sherlock Holmes and the complex main character. My review will be posted on Oct. 9.

• The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols by Nicholas Meyer (Review; Oct. 15) - This traditional Sherlock Holmes story, complete with footnotes, was an engaging story with some depth. My review will be posted on Oct. 12.
• Pirate King by Laurie R. King (Mine; reread) - This is the eleventh book in the Mary Russell historical mystery series and a lighter, somewhat silly, episode. I love the characters. My review will be posted on Oct. 13.
• I, Robot: To Obey by Mickey Zucker Reichert (Mine) - This is the second in the author's reimagining of Isaac Asimov's classic story. I liked the combination of hard science and human characters in this one. My review will be posted on Oct. 16.

Currently

• I, Robot: To Preserve by Mickey Zucker Reichert (Mine) - I'm jumping ahead on my calendar because I want to finish this intriguing trilogy. 

Next Week

• Ask Me No Questions by Shelley Noble (Mine) - Historical mystery
• Garment of Shadows by Laurie R. King (Mine) - reread
• The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson (Mine) - YA paranormal mystery and sequel to THE NAME OF THE STAR. 

• All the Things We Do in the Dark by Saundra Mitchell (Review; Oct. 29) - This YA thriller is my last October review book.
• The Shadow Cabinet by Maureen Johnson (Mine) - final book in the trilogy that began with THE NAME OF THE STAR.
• Dreaming Spies by Laurie R. King (Mine) - reread

Reviews Posted

• Vendetta in Death by J. D. Robb
• Remembering the Dead by Elizabeth J. Duncan
• Ice Cold Heart by P. J. Tracy

• Fatal Cajun Festival by Ellen Byron
• The Dry by Jane Harper

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

Bought:

• Vendetta in Death by J. D. Robb - Kindle copy of book I read as an eARC
• Smoke and Iron by Rachel Caine - print copy of book I had an eARC for.

• A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas - print copy of book I had an eARC for
• The Hollow of Fear by Sherry Thomas - print copy of book I had an eARC for
• A Conspiracy in Belgravia by Sherry Thomas - print copy of book I had an eARC for

• Sword and Pen by Rachel Caine - Kindle copy of the newest in the series
• Blood on the Tracks by Barbara Nickless - Kindle Deal thriller

Review:

• The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James (Feb. 18)

What was your week like?