Book Review: On Her Watch by Melinda Leigh

On Her Watch
Author: Melinda Leigh
Series: Bree Taggert (Book 8)
Publication: Montlake (May 14, 2024)

Description: Sheriff Bree Taggert becomes a target when she follows the twisting trail of a serial killer in a bone-chilling novel of suspense by #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh.

A pair of hikers find a tarp-wrapped body in a clearing in the woods. When a search in the surrounding area yields two more, Sheriff Bree Taggert knows they’ve stumbled onto a serial killer’s dumping ground.

With the help of investigator Matt Flynn, Bree works the case. They go to interview Jana, the best friend of one of the victims. But when they arrive at her apartment, it’s been ransacked and set on fire. And Jana is missing.

It’s clear the killer is escalating. To make matters worse, he threatens Bree’s family and a young mother vanishes. Will Bree and Matt uncover the link between the victims before more women die?

My Thoughts: Flu is running rampant through the Sheriff's Department when two hikers discover a body wrapped in a tarp in a clearing in the woods. Further investigation unearths two more tarp-wrapped bodies. There is a serial killer in the area. 

After managing to identify the newest of the victims, Sheriff Bree Taggert and Matt Flynn her investigator begin to try to find out who murdered her by trying to retrace her steps. All of the victims were small blondes between the ages of sixteen and twenty. Reporters and families with missing daughters are storming the sheriff's office asking for information.

When Bree and Matt go to interview the first victim's best friend, they learn that Jana has also gone missing leaving only a small blood trail in her apartment. Finding her before she too can be murdered becomes their first priority. Unfortunately, her body is dumped in such a way that it falls on Bree's official vehicle when she and Matt leave home one morning. 

The killer is getting bolder and more careless. Then when a woman Bree managed to talk out of an abusive relationship is taken, the team has only hours to find a commonality between all the missing women and saving the latest victim's life. 

This was another engaging and entertaining episode in the Bree Taggert series. I like the way becoming a mother to her orphaned niece and nephew is changing her. I also like the way her relationship with Matt is growing closer as they learn to depend on each other. 

Favorite Quote:

She depended on him on a way she'd never allowed herself to depend on anyone before. Her heart needed him. He was her sanity when life went sideways, her solace when times were hard, and he amplified her happiness when times were good. Everything was better and easier with him in her life. 

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

Friday Memes: On Her Watch by Melinda Leigh

 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:

The fairy tales in Jen's imagination leaned toward the dark, Grimm variety, but in the real world, the worst monsters looked like everyone else. 

Friday 56:

"You want to laugh."

"I'm sorry. I do." She pressed a knuckly to her mouth and cleared her throat. "I'll try to clean them."

"Hard pass I'll order a new pair," Matt said. Vomit had soaked the insoles and the leather interior. "They're old anyway. We need a closet with a door."

This week I'm spotlighting On Her Watch by Melinda Leigh. This is the third in the Bree Taggert series which is one of my favorite series. Here's the description from Amazon:

Sheriff Bree Taggert becomes a target when she follows the twisting trail of a serial killer in a bone-chilling novel of suspense by #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh.

A pair of hikers find a tarp-wrapped body in a clearing in the woods. When a search in the surrounding area yields two more, Sheriff Bree Taggert knows they’ve stumbled onto a serial killer’s dumping ground.

With the help of investigator Matt Flynn, Bree works the case. They go to interview Jana, the best friend of one of the victims. But when they arrive at her apartment, it’s been ransacked and set on fire. And Jana is missing.

It’s clear the killer is escalating. To make matters worse, he threatens Bree’s family and a young mother vanishes. Will Bree and Matt uncover the link between the victims before more women die?

Audiobook Review: Thornyhold by Mary Stewart

Thornyhold
Author: Mary Stewart
Narrator: Jilly Bond
Publication: Hodder & Stoughton (November 7, 2019)
Length: 7 hours and 16 minutes

Description: Mary Stewart's storytelling is as spellbinding as ever in her 12th novel, a Gothic romance featuring sparkling prose, delightful characterization and classic intrigue.

The rambling house called Thornyhold is like something out of a fairy tale. Left to Gilly Ramsey by the cousin whose occasional visits brightened her childhood, the cottage, set deep in a wild wood, has come just in time to save her from a bleak future. With its reputation for magic and its resident black cat, Thornyhold offers Gilly more than just a new home. It offers her a chance to start over.

The old house, with its tufts of rosy houseleek and the spreading gilt of the lichens, was beautiful. Even the prisoning hedges were beautiful, protective with their rusty thorns, their bastions of holly and juniper, and at the corners, like towers, their thick columns of yews.

My Thoughts: This romance takes place in England around the time of World War II. Gilly Ramsey is a preacher's daughter raised in coal towns of England. It is a dreary life brightened only by a few brief visits from her mother's cousin Geillis. Geillis teaches her about nature and magic and pays for her schooling. Geillis is a herbalist who can also see a bit into the future.

When Gilly grows up and after she nurses her parents through their last illnesses, she received word that her cousin has died leaving her a house named Thornyhold. Having no home now that her father - a minister - has died, she travels to her new home.

Thornyhold is a lovely old house with a reputation for being the home of a long line of witches. Gilly feels at home immediately despite her interfering neighbor Mrs. Trapp who apparently wants something from the house and keeps dropping in. 

Gilly also meets a young boy named William who was used to helping her cousin with many things including tending to her garden. And through William, she meets and instantly falls in love with his widowed father John Christopher. But Mrs. Trapp has also set her eye on John Christopher and is willing to use her magic to try to claim him. 

The story was filled with lush descriptions of the land and plants of that part of England. It was also infused with magic. The language was lush and lyrical. The narration by Jilly Bond was excellent.

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

Audiobook Review: Death on the Green by Catie Murphy

Death on the Green
Author: Catie Murphy

Narrator: Ruth Urquhart
Series: Dublin Driver Mysteries (Book 2)
Publication: Tantor Audio (September 26, 2020)
Length: 6 hours and 57 minutes

Description: As an American in Dublin, limo driver Megan Malone will need the luck of the Irish to avoid a head-on collision - with a killer....

Life has been nonstop excitement for American Army veteran Megan Malone ever since she moved to Ireland and became a driver for Dublin's Leprechaun Limousine Service. She's solved a murder and adopted two lovable Jack Russell puppies. Currently, she's driving world-class champion golfer Martin Walsh, and he's invited her to join him while he plays in a tournament at a prestigious Irish locale. Unfortunately, there's a surprise waiting for her on the course - a body floating in a water hazard.

Everyone loved golfer Lou MacDonald, yet he clearly teed off someone enough to be murdered. Martin seems to be the only one with a motive. However, he also has an alibi: Megan and hundreds of his fans were watching him play. Now, with a clubhouse at a historical lodge full of secrets and a dashing Irish detective by her side, Megan must hurry to uncover the links to the truth before the real killer takes a swing at someone else....

My Thoughts: Megan Malone finds herself involved in another murder investigation when the company she works for is hired to drive pro golfer Martin Walsh around while he is competing in Ireland. After dropping him off at the course, Megan finds the body of golfer Lou MacDonald floating in one of the water hazards. Despite jumping in after him and doing CPR, MacDonald is dead. 

Lou MacDonald was one of Martin Walsh's best friends and the loss is devastating for him and his new wife. Everyone loved Lou. Now if it was Martin who was murdered...

Lou and Martin were competing for the last spot on the European Ryder Cup team. Martin is a charming fellow as long as things go his way, but a real male chauvinist pig when things do not. His wife, also a pro golfer, is beginning to eclipse his talent which makes him jealous. And then there is Lou's daughter in the picture. She isn't a golfer, but an environmentalist concerned with a possible development that would ruin the local ecosystem. She also had a secret relationship with Martin before he married his current wife dumping her abruptly. 

Then the manager of the golf course is also murdered adding to the mystery. 

Megan finds herself "helping" the local police who don't really want her help, but she keeps happening to be in the right place at the right time or perhaps wrong place at the wrong time. 

This was an entertaining cozy mystery with a great main character. Megan has moved to Ireland after a military career and is busy building a new life and finding friends. 

I bought this one June 29, 2021. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Dog Day Afternoon by David Rosenfelt

Dog Day Afternoon
Author: David Rosenfelt
Series: Andy Carpenter Mysteries (Book 29)
Publication: Minotaur Books (July 2, 2024)

Description: Paterson, New Jersey’s favorite reluctant lawyer Andy Carpenter returns in Dog Day Afternoon, the next mystery in this fan favorite series from National Bestselling Author David Rosenfelt.

Retired lawyer Andy Carpenter has run the Tara Foundation―the dog rescue organization named after his beloved golden retriever―for years. It's always been his calling, even as Andy's pulled into representing clients in court. His investigator, Marcus Clark, has been at Andy's side for a long time. Even though they've known each other for years, Marcus keeps his personal life a mystery.

So it’s a shock when Marcus arrives at the Tara Foundation with two strangers in tow. Turns out Marcus takes disadvantaged young men under his wing, gets them jobs, a place to live, and a chance at a different life. And they want a dog. Andy’s specialty. One of the young men, Nick Williams, instantly falls in love with one of the dogs, Daisy.

When there’s a mass shooting at Nick’s work, leaving six dead, all signs point to Nick. Marcus, who's never asked Andy for anything, asks Andy for help. Despite Nick's troubled background, Andy trusts his friend and takes the case.

My Thoughts: Andy's next case comes to him via Marcus Clark. Marcus is a scary, competent investigator who has saved Andy's life too often to count. He is also a mentor for young men in need of a boost. Now he comes to Andy to ask him to defend one of his mentees Nick Williams who has been accused of mass murder when he walked into the office where he worked and shot and killed six people. 

Nick claims to have been kidnapped the morning of the massacre and released at a rest stop three days later. 

Andy and his team spring into action and soon discover some insurance fraud going on at the law firm where Nick worked as a gofer, but fraud doesn't mean he couldn't have murdered his co-workers. And those five murders aren't the only ones that happen while Andy and team are trying to find the answers.

Filled with Andy's snark and his co-workers' idiosyncrasies including Sam's desire to emulate Sam Spade rather than confine himself to his accounting business and computer hacking, the story has all the elements of books in the series. 

This was another engaging story in a long-running series. 

Favorite Quote:

"Should I be packing?"

"No, Sam...we're not staying overnight. You don't even need to bring a toothbrush."

"I meant packing a gun."

"I know what you meant, and the answer is still no."

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

Audiobook Review: In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming

In the Bleak Midwinter
Author: Julia Spencer-Fleming
Narrator: Suzanne Toren
Series: A Clare Ferguson and Russ Van Alstyne Mystery (Book 1)
Publication: Blackstone Audio (February 1, 2010)
Length: 12 hours and 58 minutes

Description: It's a cold, snowy December in the upstate New York town of Millers Kill, and newly ordained Clare Fergusson is on thin ice as the first female priest of its small Episcopal church. The ancient regime running the parish covertly demands that she prove herself as a leader. However, her blunt manner, honed by years as an army pilot, is meeting with a chilly reception from some members of her congregation and Chief of Police Russ Van Alystyne, in particular, doesn't know what to make of her, or how to address "a lady priest" for that matter.

The last thing she needs is trouble, but that is exactly what she finds. When a newborn baby is abandoned on the church stairs and a young mother is brutally murdered, Clare has to pick her way through the secrets and silence that shadow that town like the ever-present Adirondack mountains. As the days dwindle down and the attraction between the avowed priest and the married police chief grows, Clare will need all her faith, tenacity, and courage to stand fast against a killer's icy heart.

In the Bleak Midwinter is one of the most outstanding Malice Domestic winners the contest has seen. The compelling atmosphere-the kind of very cold and snowy winter that is typical of upstate New York-will make you reach for another sweater. The characters are fully and believably drawn and you will feel like they are your old friends and find yourself rooting for them every step of the way.

My Thoughts: It all starts when newly ordained Episcopalian priest Claire Ferguson finds a baby outside her church on a cold December night. There is a note with the baby naming him Cody and asking that he be given to a couple of lawyers who have been trying to adopt for quite a while. 

Millers Kill Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne is called in and a search for the young mother begins. Claire and Russ find her body and a murder investigation begins. And, since her baby was found outside Claire's church, it looks like the killer might be a member of the congregation.

As Claire gets to know her congregants, she finds herself unraveling some of the town's secrets and finds herself getting to know Russ better. A relationship begins between the two of them because both are private people but are able to talk to each other about things they can't talk about with anyone else. However, Claire is a new priest and Russ is a married nonbeliever. 

The story was filled with interesting characters. Claire is caring but quite impulsive and not much concerned with her own safety. Russ is greatly concerned with his town and keeping the people in it safe. I liked the setting of the story. The Adirondacks at the onset of winter are quite a change for a former military pilot from Northern Virginia and Claire is struggling to adapt. 

Suzanne Torren did a great job with the voices and the mood of the story. 

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

Book Review: The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman

The Man Who Died Twice
Author: Richard Osman
Series: Thursday Murder Club Mysteries (Book 2)
Publication: Penguin Books (September 28, 2021)

Description: Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim—the Thursday Murder Club—are still riding high off their recent real-life murder case and are looking forward to a bit of peace and quiet at Cooper’s Chase, their posh retirement village.

An unexpected visitor—an old pal of Elizabeth’s (or perhaps more than just a pal?)—arrives, desperate for her help. He has been accused of stealing diamonds worth millions from the wrong men and he’s seriously on the lam.

Then, as night follows day, the first body is found. But not the last. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim are up against a ruthless murderer who wouldn’t bat an eyelid at knocking off four septuagenarians. Can our four friends catch the killer before the killer catches them?  And if they find the diamonds, too? Well, wouldn’t that be a bonus?  You should never put anything beyond the Thursday Murder Club.

Richard Osman is back with everyone’s favorite mystery-solving quartet, and the second installment of the Thursday Murder Club series is just as clever and warm as the first—an unputdownable, laugh-out-loud pleasure of a read.

My Thoughts: The Thursday Murder Club is at it again. This time it begins with the arrival of an old friend of Elizabeth's who has been set at her retirement village with his handler Poppy. Apparently, he is wanted man accused, correctly, of stealing 20 million pounds of diamonds from a man who brokers deals with all sorts of criminals. There is quite a list of people who want him dead. 

But that is not all. Ibrahim is mugged and hurt by a young local thug and two of the local cops who helped the Thursday Murder Club are trying to find enough evidence to arrest a local drug dealer. Chris, who is now dating Donna's mother, and Donna are busy staking out the drug dealer but not having much luck catching her doing something criminal. 

When Poppy and Douglas Middlemiss, who happens to be one of Elizabeth's ex-husbands, are murdered, it is up to the Thursday Murder Club to track down the killer and the diamonds. Oh, and if they can find Ibrahim's mugger and help out Donna and Chris with their investigation into the drug dealer, that would be useful too. 

I enjoyed the second Thursday Murder Club which is told from multiple points of view and is a fast-paced and engaging story. 

Favorite Quote:

The twinkle in his eyes was undimmed. The twinkle that gave an entirely undeserved suggestion of wisdom and charm. The twinkle that could make you walk down the aisle with a man almost ten years your junior and regret it within months. The twinkle you soon realize is actually the beam of a lighthouse, warning you off the rocks.

I bought this one November 24, 2023. You can buy your copy here.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (June 24, 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 expensive week but a lot better than last week. The refrigerator repairman arrived promptly Tuesday morning and had to install a new condenser which he had to search all over town to locate since he had used up his monthly supply. By mid-day Wednesday we were making ice and gradually moving food from the garage refrigerator to the repaired house refrigerator. We are moving things as we need them and as of Sunday morning about half of the jars and bottles have been transferred. 

The repairman told us that only 15% of households have a second refrigerator and/or second freezer and most of those are in Minnesota. I just took it for granted that everyone had an extra refrigerator or freezer. But I've lived in Minnesota all my life. 

I spent a lot of time this week listening to audiobooks which means that I didn't meet my goal of finishing my July review copies. Maybe this week... Part of the reason I missed my goal was that I hit a review book that I wasn't enjoying which meant I'd read a chapter or two and then switch to an audiobook I liked. I finally abandoned the review copy on Saturday having reached 42% and not wanting to read even one more page. I am sure that the problem was me. I didn't feel like reading a historical fantasy mystery especially a slow-paced one with boring characters and couldn't get motivated to read it. 

This week is appointment-free and should provide good reading time. I'm even tackling a couple of audiobooks for stories I haven't read previously. Well, sort of. My current audiobook is for a book I read when it was published in 2004 but haven't read since. It is feeling very new to me. 

After a week filled with rain and some scattered thunderstorms, I'm hoping for better weather. We do have a chance of thunderstorms today and Monday night, but we should also be getting warmer weather and some sunny days too. We got 2.25 inches of rain on June 18 and really don't need any more for a while. Last year's persistent drought is over and now we're looking at flash floods and rain-soaked soil. 

Read Last Week

• Dragon Ship by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Audiobook Reread)
• There's No Murder Like Show Murder by M. S. Greene (Review; July 23) -- Cozy mystery about a murder in a theater. My review will be posted on July 16.
• Necessity's Child by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Audiobook Reread)

• Primal Mirror by Nalini Singh (Review; July 23) -- Latest in the Psy-Changeling Trinity series has the usual damaged main characters who manage to be saved by love. My review will be posted on July 16.
• Winter Lost by Patricia Briggs (Mine) -- The latest Mercy Thompson was filled with great characters and intriguing mythology. My review will be posted on July 4.
• Dragon in Exile by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Audiobook Reread)

DNF

• The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish by Paula Brackston (Review; July 23) -- I read 42% of this one before abandoning it. I wasn't connecting with the characters and found it very slow-paced.

Currently

• Wait Until Midnight by Amanda Quick (BookBub, $1.99 & Audible Plus)
• The Last Line by Scott Lyerly (Review; July 23)

Next Week

• Fire & Heist by Sarah Beth Durst (Mine since August 3, 2023)
• Such Charming Liars by Karen M. McManus (Review; July 30)
• Havoc by Deborah J Ledford (Review; July 30)

• Supreme Justice by Max Allan Collins (Audiobook; mine since June 3, 2023)
• War for the Oaks by Emma Bull (Mine; reread)
• Agony Hill by Sarah Stewart Taylor (Review; August 6)

Reviews Posted

• Pitch Dark by Paul Doiron (Review copy)
• A Ruse of Shadows by Sherry Thomas (Review copy)
• Beauty by Robin McKinley

• The Third to Die by Allison Brennan (Audiobook)
• Murder Most Royal by S J Bennett 
• Her Deadly Game by Robert Dugoni (Audiobook)

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

Review:

• Betrayal at Blackthorn Park by Julia Kelly (Review; October 1)
• The More the Terrier by David Rosenfelt (Review; October 15)
• The Secret of the Three Fates by Jess Armstrong (Review; December 3)

• Schooled in Murder by Victoria Gilbert (Review; January 7)
• The Incident of the Book in the Nighttime by Vicki Delany (Review; January 14)
• Mask of the Deer Woman by Laurie L. Dove (Review; January 21)

• Passions in Death by J. D. Robb (Review; September 3)

Bought:

• Wait Until Midnight by Amanda Quick (BookBub, $1.99 & Audible Plus)
• Winter Lost by Patricia Briggs (Kindle and Audible)

What was your week like?

Audiobook Review: Her Deadly Game by Robert Dugoni

Her Deadly Game
Author: Robert Dugoni
Narrator: Saskia Maarleveld
Series: Keera Duggan (Book 1)
Publication: Brilliance Audio (March 28, 2023)
Length: 11 hours

Description: A defense attorney is prepared to play. But is she a pawn in a master’s deadly match? A twisting novel of suspense by New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni.

Keera Duggan was building a solid reputation as a Seattle prosecutor, until her romantic relationship with a senior colleague ended badly. For the competitive former chess prodigy, returning to her family’s failing criminal defense law firm to work for her father is the best shot she has. With the right moves, she hopes to restore the family’s reputation, her relationship with her father, and her career.

Keera’s chance to play in the big leagues comes when she’s retained by Vince LaRussa, an investment adviser accused of murdering his wealthy wife. There’s little hard evidence against him, but considering the couple’s impending and potentially nasty divorce, LaRussa faces life in prison. The prosecutor is equally challenging: Miller Ambrose, Keera’s former lover, who’s eager to destroy her in court on her first homicide defense.

As Keera and her team follow the evidence, they uncover a complicated and deadly game that’s more than Keera bargained for. When shocking information turns the case upside down, Keera must decide between her duty to her client, her family’s legacy, and her own future.

My Thoughts: Keera Duggan was building a reputation as a Seattle prosecutor until her relationship with her boss went sour. Now, she's working for Duggan and Associates, a firm founded by her father and also staffed with two of her sisters. Her father is a noted attorney in town and an alcoholic who has messed up all of his kids. 

When the firm gets a call from Vince LaRussa, who is accused of murdering his wheelchair-bound wife, her older sister encourages her to take the case to build up the firm's failing reputation. Keera's eager in part because she'll be facing her old lover in court, and she knows his strengths and his weaknesses.

As a former chess prodigy Keera is used to sizing up her opponents. It is her client who seems the most obscure to her. She's having trouble getting to know and understand him. And when she starts getting anonymous emails from someone calling themself Jack Worthing providing information about her client's past her doubts are raised about his innocence. 

As she's preparing for the trial, following her mysterious emailer's directions, trying to build a theory that incorporates all the on-scene evidence, and playing a chess match with a person who plays under Black Knight, Keera is also dealing with her own problems with alcohol. 

With twists and turns and courtroom hijinks, this was an excellent thriller filled with intriguing people. 

I bought this one along with the Kindle copy for $1.99. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: Her Deadly Game by Robert Dugoni

 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 is 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:

Seattle Violent Crimes Detective Frank Rossi drove over the street curb onto the Pioneer Square plaza pavers, the black Chevy's headlights reflecting the heavy rain, its windshield wipers slapping left and right in a futile effort to clear the glass. 

Friday 56:

Keera parked in her driveway adjacent to the elevated front walk leading to the nine-hundred-square-foot rambler she rented in the North Beacon Hill neighborhood once called Boeing Hill, because the homes were built in the 1950s and '60s for people going to work for the aerospace company.

This week I am spotlighting Her Deadly Game by Robert Dugoni. I recently got the Kindle and audiobook when they were on sale. This book begins a series. Here is the description from Amazon:

A defense attorney is prepared to play. But is she a pawn in a master’s deadly match? A twisting novel of suspense by New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni.

Keera Duggan was building a solid reputation as a Seattle prosecutor, until her romantic relationship with a senior colleague ended badly. For the competitive former chess prodigy, returning to her family’s failing criminal defense law firm to work for her father is the best shot she has. With the right moves, she hopes to restore the family’s reputation, her relationship with her father, and her career.

Keera’s chance to play in the big leagues comes when she’s retained by Vince LaRussa, an investment adviser accused of murdering his wealthy wife. There’s little hard evidence against him, but considering the couple’s impending and potentially nasty divorce, LaRussa faces life in prison. The prosecutor is equally challenging: Miller Ambrose, Keera’s former lover, who’s eager to destroy her in court on her first homicide defense.

As Keera and her team follow the evidence, they uncover a complicated and deadly game that’s more than Keera bargained for. When shocking information turns the case upside down, Keera must decide between her duty to her client, her family’s legacy, and her own future.

Audiobook Review: Beauty by Robin McKinley

Beauty
Author: Robin McKinley
Narrator: Charlotte Perry
Publication: Recorded Books
Length: 7 hours and 5 minutes

Description: The New York Times–bestselling author of Rose Daughter reimagines the classic French fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast.

I was the youngest of three daughters. Our literal-minded mother named us Grace, Hope, and Honour... My father still likes to tell the story of how I acquired my odd nickname: I had come to him for further information when I first discovered that our names meant something besides you-come-here. He succeeded in explaining grace and hope, but he had some difficulty trying to make the concept of honour understandable to a five-year-old... I said: ‘Huh! I’d rather be Beauty.’

By the time it was evident that I was going to let the family down by being plain, I’d been called Beauty for over six years. I wasn’t really very fond of my given name, Honour, either as if ‘honourable’ were the best that could be said of me.

The sisters’ wealthy father loses all his money when his merchant fleet is drowned in a storm, and the family moves to a village far away. Then the old merchant hears what proves to be a false report that one of his ships had made it safe to harbor at last, and on his sad, disappointed way home again he becomes lost deep in the forest and has a terrifying encounter with a fierce Beast, who walks like a man and lives in a castle. The merchant’s life is forfeit, says the Beast, for trespass and the theft of a rose—but he will spare the old man’s life if he sends one of his daughters: “Your daughter would take no harm from me, nor from anything that lives in my lands.” When Beauty hears this story—for her father had picked the rose to bring to her—her sense of honor demands that she take up the Beast’s offer, for “cannot a Beast be tamed?”

This “splendid story” by the Newbery Medal–winning author of The Hero and the Crown has been named an ALA Notable Book and a Phoenix Award Honor Book (Publishers Weekly).

My Thoughts: BEAUTY is a wonderful fairy tale adaptation. It is told by Beauty who is the youngest of a merchant's three daughters. When the merchant who owns his own fleet of ships runs into bad luck - storms, lost ships, lost cargo - it becomes necessary to sell everything and move out of the city.

Among the losses is the man the eldest daughter Grace loves. But the blacksmith who has been working in her father's shipyard and who loves the middle sister Hope has a solution. He has a chance to go back to the village where he was raised to open up the blacksmith's forge and offers to take them all with him. 

They find the journey difficult and the new lifestyle without servants to be hard, but they do adapt with the help of the locals. Beauty misses her life of scholarship but adapts to being the one able to do the harder work along with Greatheart, the large horse a friend in the city gave her. 

Time passes...Hope marries her blacksmith, Grace seems to be recovering from her grief for her lost sailor, and then word comes that one of their father's ships has made it home. He travels to take care of things and finds he has but a little money when everything is wrapped up. He buys a horse to take him home to his daughters. When he is nearly home, there is a sudden blizzard, and he gets lost in the magical forest that is near their home. He stumbles upon a mysterious castle and spends the night. 

When he is ready to leave in the morning, he decides to take one rose from the garden since the only thing Beauty had asked him to bring back was seeds to grow roses. This theft angers the castle's owner, and he demands one of the man's daughters as payment. 

Beauty, who was christened Honour, decides that she will be the one to repay her father's debt and finds herself in a magical castle complete with invisible servants, a library with books not yet written, and a lonely Beast. 

I loved the lyrical language and the well-developed personalities of the characters. This is still one of my favorites by this author and one of my favorite fairy tale adaptations. 

I bought this one during an Audible sale in October 2021. There doesn't seem to be a current buy link at Amazon. However, the audiobook is available at Chirp. 

Book Review: Murder Most Royal by SJ Bennett

Murder Most Royal
Author: SJ Bennett
Series: Her Majesty the Queen Investigates (Book 3)
Publication: William Morrow (September 26, 2023)

Description: "One imagines Christmas at the royal family’s country house at Sandringham Estate bustling with drama, but Bennett’s version raises the stakes... Bennett charmingly portrays relationships between royal family members." —Washington Post

Evidence that an aristocrat has gone missing—and was possibly murdered—near Sandringham House sets Queen Elizabeth II on the path to discover unsavory family secrets and much more in this new installment of the series the New York Times Book Review calls “sheer entertainment.”

Queen Elizabeth II is looking forward to a traditional Christmas gathering with her family in Sandringham when a shocking discovery interrupts holiday plans. A severed hand has been found—but even more unsettling, she recognizes the signet ring still attached to a finger. It belongs to a scion of the St Cyr family, her old friends from nearby Ladybridge Hall. Despite the personal connection, the Queen wants to leave the investigation to the police—that is, until newspapers drag her name into the matter.

As reporters speculate about the proximity of the crime to the Crown and the police fail to investigate a suspicious accident on her doorstep, Elizabeth quietly begins to mull over the mystery herself. With help from her Assistant Private Secretary, Rozie Oshodi, she delves into the interlocking layers of fact and fiction surrounding the high-profile case. Someone in the quiet county of Norfolk seems to have a secret worth killing for, and the Queen is determined to find out who and what that is—even if that means discovering that someone in her close circle is a murderer.

My Thoughts: It is 2016 and the ninety-year-old queen is spending Christmas in Sandringham with her family. The holidays begin inauspiciously when both Her Majesty and Prince Philip come down with colds and the flu. It gets even worse when a girl finds a hand on a beach near the royal residence and the Queen recognizes the signet ring on the hand's finger. 

Her Majesty calls on her Assistant Personal Secretary Rozie Oshodi to investigate what happened to Ned St. Cyr. The St. Cyrs have long been close to the Royal Family and Her Majesty recalls many happy times with them over the years though they have been seen less frequently in royal circles since the older generation of St. Cyrs passed away. 

Adding to the disappearance of Ned is a hit-and-run accident which gravely injured Judy Raspberry who is a long-time neighbor and the treasurer of the local Women's Institute. She might have been investigating odd occurrences on the same beach where the hand was found. Adding also is the suicide of one of St. Cyr's elderly tenants which takes away one of Her Majesty's sources of information about long held secrets. 

I enjoyed this fictional look inside the Royal Family. I liked the way the Queen inserts herself into the investigation while maintaining her distance. I liked the look back at the political events of 2016 with both Brexit and Trump taking place in the background of the Royal's Christmas. 

Rozie Oshodi is a great character too with her loyalty to the Queen and skills as an investigator. 

Favorite Quote:

"You look lovely now," Sophie said gamely. You could always rely on Sophie to say the right thing, even if in the teeth of the evidence. 

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

ARC Review: A Ruse of Shadows by Sherry Thomas

A Ruse of Shadows
Author: Sherry Thomas
Series: Lady Sherlock (Book 8)
Publication: Berkley (June 25, 2024)

Description: Charlotte Holmes is accustomed to solving crimes, not being accused of them, but she finds herself in a dreadfully precarious position as the bestselling Lady Sherlock series continues.

Charlotte’s success on the RMS Provence has afforded her a certain measure of time and assurance. Taking advantage of that, she has been busy, plotting to prise the man her sister loves from Moriarty’s iron grip.

Disruption, however, comes from an unexpected quarter. Lord Bancroft Ashburton, disgraced and imprisoned as a result of Charlotte’s prior investigations, nevertheless manages to press Charlotte into service: Underwood, his most loyal henchman, is missing and Lord Bancroft wants Charlotte to find Underwood, dead or alive.

But then Lord Bancroft himself turns up dead and Charlotte, more than anyone else, meets the trifecta criteria of motive, means, and opportunity. Never mind rescuing anyone else, with the law breathing down her neck, can Charlotte save herself from prosecution for murder?

My Thoughts: This is an episode filled with plots and schemes. Charlotte has managed to gain some protection from Lord Remington which has kept Moriarty temporarily at bay. However, Lord Bancroft is still a threat. And when he winds up dead, Charlotte is the prime suspect for his murder.

The story is told in a series of flashbacks since it begins with her under investigation for Lord Bancroft's murder. We see Charlotte and Mrs. Watson investigating a 25-year-old murder for Treadles. We see Livia staking out a house in Aix-en-Provence which might be the house where her Mr. Marbleton is being held by Moriarty. We see Paris where Charlotte and Livia's sister Bernadine is being held prisoner to guarantee that Charlotte does what Lord Bancroft demands. 

We also see Charlotte and many other characters investigating the disappearance of Mr. Underwood who is Lord Bancroft's long-time assistant. This investigation sees the return of Mrs. Farr who lost her younger sister in one of Charlotte's earlier cases and who has been looking for revenge ever since. 

I enjoyed this twisty tale very much. It was filled with intriguing characters. 

Favorite Quote:

"It is preferable, of course, not to be a damsel in distress in need of saving," said Charlotte to Lord Ingram. "But once in a while, a stylish rescue is quite refreshing."

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

Audiobook Review: The Third to Die by Alllison Brennan

The Third to Die
Author: Allison Brennan
Narrator: Suzanne T. Fortin
Series: A Quinn & Costa Thriller (Book 1)
Publication: Harlequin Audio (February 4, 2020)
Length: 11 hours and 52 minutes

Description: A notorious serial killer is back.

An edgy female police detective... An ambitious FBI special agent. Together, they are at the heart of the ticking-clock investigation for a psychopathic serial killer. The bond they forge in this crucible sets the stage for high-stakes suspense.

Detective Kara Quinn, on leave from the LAPD, is on an early morning jog in her hometown of Liberty Lake when she comes upon the body of a young nurse. The manner of death shows a pattern of highly controlled rage. Meanwhile in DC, FBI Special Agent Mathias Costa is staffing his newly minted Mobile Response Team. Word reaches Matt that the Liberty Lake murder fits the profile of the compulsive Triple Killer. It will be the first case for the MRT. This time, they have a chance to stop this zealous, if elusive, killer before he strikes again. But only if they can figure out who he is and where he is hiding before he disappears for another three years. The stakes are higher than ever before, because if they fail, one of their own will be next....

My Thoughts: Undercover detective from the LAPD Kara Quinn is visiting her grandmother in a suburb of Spokane when she comes across the body of a nurse on her morning jog. She gets involved in the investigation because she's a friend of the local detective and has more experience.

Meanwhile, FBI Special Agent in Charge Matt Costa has been tasked to form the Mobile Response Team which is the FBI's answer to getting more specialized law enforcement to areas that are underserved. He's just forming his team when he's sent to that small Spokane suburb because the killing is likely the same serial killer who has killed six other people. Each time the killer kills three people starting on March 3 and ending six days later. Then he disappears and doesn't reappear until three years later. 

Quinn, Costa, and Costa's team have six days to find the killer.

The story was packed with action and suspense. The characters were complex and compelling. The criminal organized, methodical, and insane. 

This is the first of a series. 

I bought this one at an Audible sale. I also own the Kindle version. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Pitch Dark by Paul Doiron

Pitch Dark
Author: Paul Doiron
Series: Mike Bowditch Mysteries (Book 15)
Publication: Minotaur Books (June 25, 2024)

Description: Game Warden Mike Bowditch must chase down a cunning and dangerous fugitive in the North Maine Woods in this nail-biter of a thriller from Edgar Award-nominated author Paul Doiron, Pitch Dark.

Legendary bush pilot Josie Jonson can’t believe her luck when a skilled builder just happens to show up after she purchases land near Prentiss Pond. All Mark Redmond asks in return for building Josie’s dream cabin is that he be left alone to homeschool his 12-year-old daughter, Cady.

For Maine game warden investigator Mike Bowditch, the intensity of Redmond's secretiveness is troubling, especially in light of suspicious criminal activity being reported around the area―including rumors of an armed man offering large sums of money in exchange for the location of Redmond and Cady. Josie, though hesitant to violate the trust of her prized builder, eventually agrees to fly Mike and his father-in-law Charley Stevens to the secluded pond in an attempt to protect Redmond and Cady. But hours after landing, the trip takes a dark turn when they witness a horrific murder and are taken captive themselves.

Freeing himself, Mike is forced to set off through the impenetrable Maine forest towards Canada, alone and unarmed in pursuit of a mysterious fugitive. As he navigates a windblown landscape choked with deadfalls and blocked by swollen streams, he marvels at his enemy’s bush craft. The killer possesses skills surpassing his own, and Bowditch can't tell if he is the cat or the mouse in this dangerous game. Can Mike Bowditch stop his adversary in time to save the life of a young girl, or will he be forced to watch another innocent soul die?

My Thoughts: Game Warden Mike Bowditch finds himself chasing a cunning killer through the deep woods on Maine near the Canadian border. A possible lost tourist starts the investigation. Since the missing man Hammond Pratt had been asking about a reclusive cabin builder. 

Since the cabin being built belongs to a friend of Mike's father-in-law and is a feisty type, Mike asks his father-in-law Charley to go along as they check out the builder and find out why the missing guy wants to find him. 

Josie Jonson takes them in her helicopter to the site of her new cabin. There they meet Mark Redmond and his daughter Cady. Soon after arrival, they find themselves drugged and tied up to trees. Mark and Cady damage their transportation and take off soon after Mike comes to. The Mike watches Josie die as a result of the drugs. Charley also comes to and is able to get himself untied and managed to untie Mike. 

Mike is determined to take off after Mark and Cady and bring Mark in for the murder of Josie. And so a wild chase through the wilderness begins...

Mike is both injured and short on equipment, but he is also determined to track down Redmond in part because he fears for his daughter. This missing man who started this investigation turns up and joins himself to Mike's search. It turns out he's a bounty hunter who has been after Redmond for a while.

The story was fast-paced and filled with action. I enjoyed the Maine wilderness as a setting. I like Mike's determined character and his willingness to throw his career over if that what he has to do to get his man. 

Favorite Quote:

I was certain our deliverance had been blessed by whatever saint looks out for grown men with the terrible judgment of teenage boys. 

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? (June 17, 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 has been some week. I woke up Tuesday morning to no internet. I live on the internet. I couldn't catch up with Facebook friends. I couldn't listen to my audiobook. I didn't remember what book I was supposed to read after I finished my current one and couldn't check my Google calendar to find out. I had a couple of reviews to write but couldn't get to Blogger. And I couldn't play my computer games. Service wasn't restored until 2:30 PM. 

Then, sometime on Thursday, our refrigerator stopped working. We didn't discover it until Friday morning when my brother noticed that the ice cube bin was full of water. Then, he was off to work, and I had to try to find someone to repair it. I did manage to get a service appointment, but it isn't until Tuesday morning. Luckily, we do have a second refrigerator in our garage. I transferred everything to it but will likely be throwing out almost all of the food that was in the refrigerator freezer. That's the one we used for open packages like three kinds of potatoes, sausage patties, hamburger patties, chicken strips, cheeses, breads, and various partial bags of frozen vegetables and fruit. 

The garage refrigerator is smaller than the one in our kitchen and already had some things in it. It is now packed with at least 8 different kinds of mustard, 7 kinds of salad dressing, 5 kinds of pickles, and a couple dozen other assorted jars of ingredients and condiments along with fruits and vegetables, lunch meats and cheeses. I'm sure some of those things will also end up being thrown away since I'm not sure how long they were sitting without refrigeration, but for now, I just moved them. 

Meal planning for the next few days is a little tricky since we have no room to store any leftovers. This is more a psychological problem than a real one. We do have two freezers filled with food that were not at all affected by the refrigerator problem. It's not like we're going to starve. I'm off to the grocery store soon to get a few things like replacements for the sour cream, Top the Tater, and chip dip which I'll be throwing away. Heavy rain is expected today, and I don't want to get caught out in it. 

I'm looking forward to a much better week than last week (assuming the refrigerator is repaired on Tuesday). I'm planning to finish my July review books. I'm also anticipating the arrival of Winter Lost by Patricia Briggs. I left a spot for it on my calendar and can't wait to read it.

Read Last Week

• Flamebringer by Elle Katharine White (Mine since 9/7/2022) -- Finale in the Heartstone epic fantasy series. My review will be posted on July 6.
• One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day (Review; July 16) -- Twisty thriller which takes place at a hotel where the residents are locked in by a hurricane. My review will be posted on July 9.
• Lake Silence by Anne Bishop (Audiobook reread) 

• Shades of Mercy by Bruce Borgos (Review; July 16) -- Second Porter Beck thriller. Set in rural Nevada. This one has hackers, all the alphabet agencies, military drones, espionage and drug dealing. My review will be posted on July 9.
• Fledgling by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Audiobook reread) -- First in the Theo Waitley story arc.
• Trouble in Queenstown by Delia Pitts (Review; July 16) -- First Vandy Myrick mystery. Black PI comes home to bigoted Queenstown, NJ, and finds herself involved in a murder investigation when a client's wife is murdered after Vandy has been hired to see if she's cheating on her husband. My review will be posted on July 10.

• Saltation by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Audiobook reread) -- Second in the Theo Waitley story arc.
• The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer (Review; July 16) -- Excellent story. Magical realism. Framed as a fairy tale, this is a story of grief, romance, and magic. My review will be posted on July 11.
• Ghost Ship by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Audiobook reread) -- Third in the Theo Waitley story arc.

Currently

• There's No Murder Like Show Murder by M. S. Greene (Review; July 23)
• Dragon Ship by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Audiobook reread)

Next Week

• Primal Mirror by Nalini Singh (Review; July 23)
• The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish by Paula Brackston (Review; July 23)
• The Last Line by Scott Lyerly (Review; July 23)

• Fire & Heist by Sarah Beth Durst (Mine since 8/3/2023)
• Such Charming Liars by Karen M. McManus (Review; July 30)
• Havoc by Deborah J Ledford (Review; July 30)

Reviews Posted

• A Collection of Lies by Connie Berry (Review copy)
• A Liaden Universe Constellation Volume 5 by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (audiobook)
• A Deceptive Composition by Anna Lee Huber (Review copy)

• Sweetwater & the Witch by Jayne Castle (Audiobook)
• The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant (Review copy)
• Untraceable by Laura Griffin (Mine)

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

Review:

• Cast in Atonement by Michelle Sagara (August 6)
• The Mirror by Nora Roberts (November 19)

Bought:

• Dog Day Afternoon by David Rosenfelt (Hardcover; gift from St. Martins)

What was your week like?