ARC Review: The More the Terrier by David Rosenfelt

The More the Terrier
Author: David Rosenfelt
Series: Andy Carpenter (Book 30)
Publication: Minotaur Books (October 15, 2024)

Description: The next installment in David Rosenfelt’s bestselling Andy Carpenter series brings a lone pup to his doorstep, but when it comes to dogs, The More the Terrier.

Reluctant lawyer Andy Carpenter is relieved to be headed back to Paterson, New Jersey, after a week-long family vacation in the Adirondacks. He's ready to put the holly jolly season way behind him and settle in at home with his three dogs. But when they finally arrive, there is an extra dog eagerly awaiting them, as well as one anxious dog sitter.

When the dog showed up on the doorstep a few days ago, the sitter knew Andy would know what to do. Indeed, Andy recognizes Murphy, who the Carpenters fostered before the dog went home with BJ Bremer and his mother. BJ wanted to learn all he could about caring for Murphy, which made Andy like him immediately.

When Andy goes to take Murphy back to the Bremers, though, instead of the happy reunion he expects, he finds BJ's mother in tears. It turns out Murphy ran off…after BJ was arrested for murder. Andy had hoped for a quiet Christmas vacation, but he likes Murphy’s family and his golden retriever, Tara, likes Murphy, so he can't resist getting involved. The case isn’t as simple as Andy thought it would be, though, with BJ suspected of murdering one of his professors. With nothing to go on but Andy's own conviction in BJ's dog-loving character, proving his innocence would be a Christmas miracle.

With equal doses of doggy humor and courtroom drama, as well as Andy Carpenter's traditional humbug Christmas spirit, David Rosenfelt delivers another winner.

My Thoughts: The story begins with the Carpenters back from a fun vacation in the Adirondacks. Andy is eager to see their three dogs. However, when he gets home, there are four dogs waiting. The extra dog is a terrier mix named Murphy that Andy's foundation placed with Doris and BJ Bremer.

When Andy brings Murphy back home, he learns that college-freshman BJ has been arrested for the murder of a professor that he had argued with. After Andy talks to BJ and meets his lawyer who won't say who hired him, he decides to take over the case himself. 

BJ proclaims his innocence and states that he was called to appear at the professor's house and found him dead. He can't explain why the professor's watch and $600 were found in his apartment. To Andy, it looks like a frame job. 

Andy calls in the team to investigate and soon discovers that the computer science professor had discovered a new computer virus which was of strong interest to the Russian mob. The professor was also a drug addict. Neither of those things look like a reason to kill him though. 

The professor had also had some problems online in the metaverse. He took down some guys who bullied and assaulted a young woman. There were three who hurt her, but he can only identify two. Since he trashed their computers, they have a strong reason to hurt him and admit that he is on their list. Andy, Laurie and the team do devise a sting to catch them in wrong-doing in the real world, but that doesn't seem to be reason enough for murder. 

This is a hard case for Andy because he's afraid of confusing the jury by giving them too many options of who might have killed the professor other than his client. 

I enjoyed this one. I like Andy and the circle of friends and colleagues he has gathered around himself. I also really enjoy Andy's snarky attitude. 

Favorite Quote:

"That I disagree with. It's not my job to put murderers in jail," I say. "It's my job to get nonmurderers out of jail."

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

ARC Review: Long Time Gone by Hannah Martian

Long Time Gone
Author: Hannah Martian
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (October 15, 2024)

Description: A family goes to drastic lengths to protect their version of the truth in this dual-timeline rural debut mystery, perfect for readers of Kelly J. Ford and Hayley Scrivenor.

In the small town of Wonderland, Wyoming, the truth is whatever the Coldwater family says it is. When their prodigal daughter, Jessica, was murdered forty years ago, their truth was that Holly Prine killed her–regardless of Holly’s innocence.

But the Coldwaters aren’t the only reason private investigator Quinn Cuthridge hasn’t set foot in the town in nearly a decade. After her aunt sent her away when she was a teen, Quinn swore she’d never return. When she gets an unexpected call from her aunt’s ranch hand, Hunter, Quinn learns that her aunt has gone missing. Reluctantly, she returns to Wyoming to investigate and soon realizes that her aunt was getting dangerously close to long-buried Wonderland secrets, including who really murdered Jessica Coldwater.

As Hunter and Quinn dig into what lies in the Wyoming backcountry, attraction flares between the two women, complicating their investigation–and Quinn’s steadfast refusal to have any ties to Wonderland. With someone threatening Quinn and her own dark past echoing in the present, Quinn must struggle against her hometown and herself to find the truth in this rich queer mystery.

My Thoughts: Loud and proud lesbian PI Quinn Cuthridge comes back to Wonderland, Wyoming, when she gets a call from Hunter telling her that her aunt has disappeared. Quinn hasn't seen her aunt Cora for eight years since she sent Quinn away and told her she never wanted to see her again. 

Quinn learns that her aunt was very interested in a forty-year-old mystery when Jessica Coldwater died and her best friend Holly Prine disappeared. It had been assumed that Holly had murdered Jessica but Aunt Cora didn't believe that. 

Quinn finds herself investigating the old crime while she investigates her aunt's disappearance. She learns that the Coldwater name still holds vast importance in Wonderland, and no one wants the old crime investigated. 

The book is told with a dual timeline so that we can find out what happened between Jessica and Holly who are beginning their own lesbian relationship and running afoul of the Coldwater matriarch. The parallels between Quinn's growing relationship with Hunter and Holly's with Jessica provide Mirrors of each other. 

The story was interesting and the characters compelling. The twists and turns of the story provided all sorts of surprises. 

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? (October 7, 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 an interesting week. My Monday gastro appointment has led to further testing. It seems that my Crohn's Disease is no longer in remission and has decided to go active. I have a couple of procedures scheduled for Monday that will fill up my day. I will try to link up this post before I head off to the hospital but likely won't be visiting until late Monday afternoon or maybe even Tuesday. 

I spent most of the rest of the week getting ready for the upcoming testing. I did listen to the first three books in the Tinker series by Wen Spencer. These are rereads for me. I also tried really hard to get into two different review books and failed. It has been months since I DNFed a review book. Then there were two in a row. To fill in the spaces newly opened up on my calendar, I went to my Kindle, opened the Mystery collection, and decided to read the first two unread books on the list. I really liked the first one I read. The second one is going well too. 

September Report

I read 39 books in September. Twenty-five were mine and fourteen were Review copies. Of the ones that were mine, nine were from my TBR Pile and sixteen were rereads. I listened to eighteen audiobooks most of which were rereads. Most were mysteries but quite a few fit into the "romance" category too. There were lots of Romantic Suspense titles for me last month.

I read a total of 13, 012 pages and listened for 165 hours. 

I added eighteen books to my LibraryThing account last month. I got six new Review copies, four audiobooks including three from Audible Plus, and five were Kindle copies of books I own in print and have already read. Besides the Review books, only three are new to me and unread. Five of the new books were BookBub deals. 

I've read two of my new books already and five are on my calendar to be read for reviews in November.

Here is my September State of the Stack post.

Read Last Week

• The Author's Guide to Murder by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig & Karen White (Review; November 5) -- Fun mystery filled with all the tropes and great characters too. My review will be posted on October 29.
• Only Good Enemies by Jennifer Estep (Audiobook; Mine) -- Second in the Galactic Bonds series. This space opera romance was an engaging story. My review will be posted on October 31.

• Wolf Who Rules by Wen Spencer (Audiobook Reread)
• Tinker by Wen Spencer (Audiobook Reread)
• Elfhome by Wen Spencer (Audiobook Reread)

• The Spy Coast by Tess Gerritsen (Mine) -- An excellent thriller about some retired spies whose past isn't as far behind them as they could wish. My review will be posted on November 5.
• The 6:20 Man by David Balcacci (Mine since May 28, 2023) -- An excellent financial thriller starring a former Army Ranger turned financial analyst. My review will be posted on October 30.

DNF

• Misery Hates Company by Elizabeth Hobbs (Review; November 5) -- Bad formatting and an unlikable main character combined with a slow pace had me abandoning this one at 25%.
• Pony Confidential by Christina Lynch (Review; November 5) -- I have hated talking animal stories since I was a child. Also a dishrag main character and lack of action made me quit this one at 25%.

Currently

• An Ace and a Pair by Blake Banner (Mine since November 3, 2018)

Next Week

• The Gardener's Plot by Deborah J. Benoit (Review; November 5)
• Out in the Cold by Steve Urszenyi (Review; November 12)
• All's Fair in Love and Treachery by Celeste Connally (Review; November 12)

• Burn This Night by Alex Kenna (Review; November 12)
• Burning Water by Mercedes Lackey (Audiobook)
• Rebel by David Weber & Richard Fox (Mine)

Reviews Posted

• Command Decision by Elizabeth Moon (Mine; Audiobook)
• Murder at Blackwater Bend by Clara McKenna (Mine; Audiobook)
• Finding Mr. Write by Kelley Armstrong (Mine)

• Gathering Mist by Margaret Mizushima (Review Copy)
• The Night Woods by Paula Munier (Review Copy)
• Amongst Our Weapons by Ben Aaronovitch (Mine)

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

Review:

• Shattering Dawn by Jayne Ann Krentz (January 7)

Bought:

What was your week like?

Book Review: Finding Mr. Write by Kelley Armstrong

Finding Mr. Write
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Publication: Forever (June 25, 2024)

Description: #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong delivers a fun romantic comedy about a woman writing under a male pseudonym and the man she hires to play the role in public.

Daphne McFadden already knows that as a female author, the cards are stacked against her. Now she knows just how much. Because her sudden whim to pose as an “outdoorsy hunk of masculinity” male author for her new book just resulted in the unthinkable: a bidding war, a huge book deal, and the kind of fame every author dreams of. Now she’s in big trouble. Because she needs to convince the world that Zane Remington actually exists . . . but how?

By hiring an actor, of course.

Only Chris Stanton is not an actor—not officially. He’s used to balancing the books, not pretending he wrote one. Still, he’s mostly certain he can pose as some overly macho bro-author. But when the media descend on Daphne’s gorgeous remote home in the Yukon, it’s not enough for Chris to just be the face of Zane Remington—he’ll have to become him. All while hilariously balancing the terrifying dangers of the wilderness, a massive femme fandom, and a serious crush on Daphne. But as the hype circus gets more out of control, it’s just a matter of time before someone discovers their little write lie . . .

My Thoughts: When a disappointed female author named Daphne McFadden gets another rejection letter for her manuscript, she decides (after a little too much wine) to tweak her cover letter and resubmit her manuscript under the name of Zane Remington - macho man.

Daphne was expecting a bidding war, a huge book deal, and sudden fame. Now she needs someone to play Zane Remington for all the publicity stuff. She calls on her best friend Nia to help her out in finding an actor. Turns out, Nia has just the man in mine. Chris Stanton is a client of hers. He's an accountant who picked the wrong partner and is being sued. He needs money and is willing to dust off his high school acting skills to play noted outdoorsman Zane. 

This was a fun romance. I enjoyed the way the characters interacted. And the way they fell in love. I liked all the insider stuff about authors going on book tours and the role of the over-worked and under-paid publicists. There were a lot of misunderstandings which added to the tension in the plot.

Favorite Quote:

"I figured if I was going to be a man, I didn't need to follow the rules."

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

Friday Memes: Finding Mr. Write by Kelley Armstrong

 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:

"I need a penis," Daphne said.

Friday 56:

Prove himself? Yeah, as the kind of guy who'd accept an interview on her behalf and them make her sleep in the guest room while playing caretaker to his cut-rate Ernest Hemingway.

This week I am spotlighting a new arrival on my TBR Mountain. Finding Mr. Write by Kelley Armstrong was a recent Kindle Daily Deal. Since I have enjoyed many of the author's other books, I thought I would see how she handles Romantic Comedy. 

Here's the description from Amazon:

#1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong delivers a fun romantic comedy about a woman writing under a male pseudonym and the man she hires to play the role in public.

Daphne McFadden already knows that as a female author, the cards are stacked against her. Now she knows just how much. Because her sudden whim to pose as an “outdoorsy hunk of masculinity” male author for her new book just resulted in the unthinkable: a bidding war, a huge book deal, and the kind of fame every author dreams of. Now she’s in big trouble. Because she needs to convince the world that Zane Remington actually exists . . . but how?

By hiring an actor, of course.

Only Chris Stanton is not an actor—not officially. He’s used to balancing the books, not pretending he wrote one. Still, he’s mostly certain he can pose as some overly macho bro-author. But when the media descend on Daphne’s gorgeous remote home in the Yukon, it’s not enough for Chris to just be the face of Zane Remington—he’ll have to become him. All while hilariously balancing the terrifying dangers of the wilderness, a massive femme fandom, and a serious crush on Daphne. But as the hype circus gets more out of control, it’s just a matter of time before someone discovers their little write lie . . .

Audiobook Review: Command Decision by Elizabeth Moon

Command Decision
Author: Elizabeth Moon
Narrator: Cynthia Holloway
Series: Vatta's War (Book 4)
Publication: Tantor Audio (January 21, 2009)
Length: 15 hours and 3 minutes

Description: After orchestrating a galaxy-wide failure of the communications network owned and maintained by the powerful ISC corporation, Gammis Turek and his marauders strike swiftly and without mercy. First they shatter Vatta Transport. Then they overrun entire star systems, growing stronger and bolder. No one is safe from the pirate fleet.

But while they continue to move forward with their diabolical plan, they have made two critical mistakes.Their first mistake was killing Kylara Vatta's family.Their second mistake was leaving her alive.

Now Kylara is going to make them pay. But with a "fleet" consisting of only three ships - including her flagship, the Vanguard, a souped-up merchant cruiser - Kylara needs allies, and fast. Because even though she possesses the same coveted communication technology as the enemy, she has nowhere near their numbers or firepower.

Meanwhile, as Kylara's cousin Stella tries to bring together the shattered pieces of the family trading empire, new treachery is unfolding at ISC headquarters, where undercover agent Rafael Dunbarger, estranged son of the corporation's CEO, is trying to learn why the damaged network is not being repaired. What he discovers will send shock waves across the galaxy and crashing into Kylara's newly christened Space Defense Force at the worst possible moment.

My Thoughts: This fourth book in the Vatta's War series takes place on four fronts. Ky Vatta is trying to fight a war against the pirates with only a few ships and ship's captains who have agreed to work with her. 

Stella Vatta is trying to rebuild Vatta Transport from a base on Cascadia. She is guardian to young Toby who is a tech genius who has managed to improve the ship based ansibles which allow parity with the pirates who already have them. 

Rafe has gone back to Nexus II to try to figure out what is going on with his family and with the ISC global communications network. He discovers his parents and sister have been kidnapped and he needs to mount a rescue mission. The villain of the piece her is his father's second in command and heir apparent. He also learns that ISC never got patents for the ship based ansibles which leaves Stella the freedom to patent and sell them herself. 

And Aunt Grace is on Slotters Key trying to find out why the government turned against the Vatta family. She takes a place in the government after the corrupt president is taken into custody. She connects with Ky's mentor from the Spaceforce Academy and learns that he has been helping Ky since she left the academy. She manages to convince Slotters Key to call in all the privateers employed by Slotters Key and send them to Ky to be her military force. 

This was an engaging space opera filled with interesting characters. 

I bought this one in paperback in 2008. I recently purchased a Kindle copy and added the Audible Plus version to my Audible Library. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: The Night Woods by Paula Munier

The Night Woods
Author: Paula Munier
Series: A Mercy Carr Mystery (Book 6)
Publication: Minotaur Books (October 8, 2024)

Description: The sixth Mercy Carr Mystery in which Mercy and Elvis must prove the innocence of a new friend accused of murder.

Record snow and sleet and rain are pummeling Vermont and a wild boar has escaped from an exclusive hunting club nearby―but that won’t stop a very pregnant and very bored Mercy Carr from hiking her beloved woods with her loyal dog Elvis. She’s supposed to be decorating the nursery and helping her mother plan the baby shower, but she’d much rather be playing Scrabble with Homer Grant, a word-loving, shotgun-toting hermit living deep in the forest. But when she and Elvis drop by Homer’s cabin for their weekly game, they arrive to find an unknown dead man―and no sign of Homer.

As they search the woods, Mercy discovers a patch of devastation that could only be left behind by wild boar. She’s relieved when Elvis tracks Homer, injured but alive. But Homer’s troubles are far from over, as he’s still the number one suspect and he remembers nothing of the attack. When another corpse with a link to Homer is found, Mercy is determined to help her friend, an effort complicated by the unexpected arrival of her young cousin Tandie, sent by Mercy’s mother to keep an eye on her until the baby is born.

As the floods worsen, Troy and Susie Bear are called out with all the other first responders, and Mercy finds herself alone at Grackle Tree Farm with a concussed Homer, Tandie, and Elvis. As waters rise and the wild boar rampages, Mercy realizes that the murderer is out there ready to strike again, this time much closer to home.

My Thoughts: Mercy Carr is eight months pregnant and both bored and restless. She has no desire to help decorate the nursery or plan the baby shower. She decides to hike into the woods with her dog Elvis to visit her friend and scrabble-playing partner Homer. When she arrives, she finds a dead man on Homer's bed and Homer missing. 

She tracks down an injured Homer but then has to travois him to the place where he has built a cell tower to get help. With Homer the chief suspect, Mercy has a murder to investigate. She's also called in to help her Uncle Homer and friend billionaire Daniel track down another missing billionaire who disappeared from his exclusive hunting camp. 

It's mud time in Vermont and the weather is stormy. But bad weather and feral pigs aren't going to keep Mercy from investigating the two deaths which, at first, don't look to be connected. Nor is attempted close supervision by her female relatives going to stop her. 

This was an excellent story. Wrapped in the story of Odysseus, it talks about warriors coming home from war, PTSD, and throws in some game theory. I found the whole thing fascinating and engaging. I love Mercy and her close connections with her husband, family and friends. I also really enjoy the many canine companions that are part of the characters' lives. 

Favorite Quote:

"The society that separates its scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting by fools." --Thucydides

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