Inside of a Dog: January 2025

Friday, January 31, 2025

Friday Memes: Change of Heart by Cristina LePort, MD

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 bullet carrying Amy Winter's name whooshed through her hair at a speed of fifteen hundred feet per second, burned a jagged hole into her smooth 24-year-old flesh, burst through the thin layer of her temporal muscle, and shattered the temporal bone.

Friday 56:

A single mom moved away to a small town in Ohio, hid her abdominal bump, hid her baby, and found a new life partner with a respectable name to fill the vacuum left by the menacing bully.

This week I am spotlighting Change of Heart by Cristina LePort, MD. This is a medical thriller and sounded interesting. It is a recent addition to my Review stack.

Here's the description from Amazon:

In the bustling heart of New York City, a young medical student’s life is tragically cut short, though her heart continues to beat, holding the promise of life for another. Detective Kirk Miner is called to the scene and quickly uncovers a chilling conspiracy involving organ donations and high-stakes crime. As the investigation unfolds, Miner realizes the case is far more complex and dangerous than it initially seemed.

Enter FBI Agent Jack Mulville, who steps in to supervise Special Agent Charlotte Bloom as they join forces with Miner. Together, they unravel a web of corruption, revealing that Amy Winter's death is connected to a ruthless organ trafficking ring.

Amy Winter, a promising pre-med student, is found dead under mysterious circumstances. Her death triggers an investigation that pulls Miner, Mulville, and Bloom into a labyrinth of deceit and desperation. As they dig deeper, they discover that Amy's heart is not just a donor's gift but a coveted prize in a deadly game controlled by criminals willing to kill to keep their secrets hidden.

The quest for justice takes Miner, Mulville, and Bloom through the shadowy underbelly of organ trafficking, revealing the lengths to which people will go to secure life-saving transplants. Amidst the danger, they face moral dilemmas and personal risks, pushing them to their limits as they strive to protect innocent lives and dismantle a powerful criminal network.

"Change of Heart" is a gripping medical thriller that intertwines the intricacies of modern medicine with the relentless pursuit of justice. Cristina LePort, M.D., masterfully combines her medical expertise with edge-of-your-seat storytelling, delivering a novel that will keep you turning pages long into the night.

Dr. LePort is an accomplished physician with a passion for weaving medical knowledge into thrilling narratives. Her extensive background in medicine lends authenticity and depth to her stories, making the Miner & Mulville series a unique blend of fact and fiction.

Thursday, January 30, 2025

Audiobook Review: Murder at the Serpentine Bridge by Andrea Penrose

Murder at the Serpentine Bridge
Author: Andrea Penrose
Narrator: James Cameron Stewart
Series: Wrexford & Sloane Mystery (Book 6)
Publication: Tantor Audio (September 27, 2022)
Length: 11 hours and 58 minutes

Description: For fans of Bridgerton looking for a mysterious twist on the glittering ballrooms of the Regency—a masterfully plotted story from USA Today bestselling author that combines engaging protagonists with rich historical detail and international intrigue, plus a touch of romance that readers of Amanda Quick and Deanna Raybourn will savor.

“[Penrose] mixes well thought out mysteries, early forensic science, great details of the era and a slow burning attraction creating a compulsive read.” —The New York Public Library

Charlotte, now the Countess of Wrexford, would like nothing more than a summer of peace and quiet with her new husband and their unconventional family and friends. Still, some social obligations must be honored, especially with the grand Peace Celebrations unfolding throughout London to honor victory over Napoleon.

But when Wrexford and their two young wards, Raven and Hawk, discover a body floating in Hyde Park’s famous lake, that newfound peace looks to be at risk. The late Jeremiah Willis was the engineering genius behind a new design for a top-secret weapon, and the prototype is missing from the Royal Armory’s laboratory. Wrexford is tasked with retrieving it before it falls into the wrong hands. But there are unsettling complications to the case—including a family connection.

Soon, old secrets are tangling with new betrayals, and as Charlotte and Wrexford spin through a web of international intrigue and sumptuous parties, they must race against time to save their loved ones from harm—and keep the weapon from igniting a new war . . .

My Thoughts: The sixth book in the Wrexford and Sloane historical mysteries takes place during the Peace Celebrations to celebrate the victory over Napoleon.

Charlotte and Wrexford are recently married and Charlotte is still trying to fit herself into the somewhat restrictive role of Lady Wrexford. She is happy and glad to be reunited with her formerly estranged family. She and Wrexford along with the Weasels are set to attend a weekend party and meet her brother's wife and family.

However, a body discovered while Rex and the Weasels are out walking their oversized dog may put a halt to those plans. Jeremiah Willis was an engineering genius who had invented a gun that would quickly fire multiple shots. However, his plans and prototypes are missing, and the government has tasked Wresford for locating them.

There are rumors of a deeply secret auction that will be held to transfer the plans to one of the countries attending the Peace Celebration. Charlotte, Wrexford, the Weasels, and all their other contacts are on the hunt for the murder who is also a traitor. Also, they met her brother's brother-in-law's young ward who is the nephew of the deceased engineer. The Weasels have made the boy Peregrine their friend and brother. Peregrine holds some secrets to the resolution of the mystery.

This was a fast-paced mystery with an intriguing plot and engaging characters. I like the historical detail which includes prejudice against Blacks and other foreigners. Peregrine is a quadroon and the heir to the estate which his uncle really resents.

I especially enjoy the Author's Note which lets me know what is fiction and what is nonfiction in the story and which of the characters were real people. As always, this series is both entertaining and thought-provoking.

I bought the Kindle copy August 28, 2024, and added the Audible Plus audiobook. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: An Excellent Thing in a Woman by Allison Montclair

An Excellent Thing in a Woman
Author: Allison Montclair
Series: Sparks & Bainbridge Mystery (Book 7)
Publication: Severn House; Main edition (February 4, 2025)

Description: The owners of The Right Sort Marriage Bureau are back, and more determined than ever to bring love matches to the residents of Post-WWII London . . . so something as trivial as a murder investigation isn't going to stop them!

London, 1947. Spirited Miss Iris Sparks and ever-practical Mrs Gwendolyn Bainbridge are called to action when Gwen's beau Salvatore 'Sally' Danielli is accused of murder!

Sally has taken a job at the BBC studios at Alexandra Palace, but when the beautiful Miss JeanneMarie Duplessis - one of the Parisian performers over for a new variety show - is found dead in the old theatre, a number of inconvenient coincidences make him Suspect No:1.

Just days earlier, Miss Duplessis had arrived at The Right Sort, desperately looking for a husband - any husband - to avoid having to return to Paris. As the plot thickens, Iris is pulled back into the clandestine circles she moved in during the war and it soon becomes apparent that to clear Sally's name, she and Gwen would need to go on the hunt for a killer once more!

My Thoughts: The seventh Sparks & Bainbridge mystery has Iris and Gwen surrounded by the new art of television in order to help their friend Sally when he is accused of murdering a French dancer.

JeanneMarie Duplessis had come to the Right Sort Marriage Agency with an urgent request to find her a husband to keep her in England when her dance troupe goes back to France. The request, and the client's urgency, come as a surprise to the women. Even more surprising is finding her body when they along with Gwen's young son Ronny and his friend John are given a tour of the television studio.

They soon come to realize that the murder and the murder of the marionettist who has also come from France connect to some things Iris experienced in her previous career as an Intelligence agent during World War II.

Dealing with her grief at the loss of her fiancé Archie, Iris is spirally into depression and self-medicating with alcohol. It is only investigating the two murders that draw her out even though she will have to work with her ex-fiancé Mike Kinsey who is now with Scotland Yard.

This was another excellent entry in the series. I especially enjoyed seeing the early days of television from both the production side and the viewer's side as Gwen gets her first television. I also enjoyed seeing how well Gwen has adjusted from the losses of World War II.

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

Wednesday, January 29, 2025

ARC Review: Bonded in Death by J. D. Robb

Bonded in Death
Author: J. D. Robb
Series: In Death (Book 60)
Publication: St. Martin's Press (February 4, 2025)

Description: The #1 New York Times bestselling author J. D. Robb spins an epic tale of loyalty, treachery, murder, and the long shadow of war…

His passport read Giovanni Rossi. But decades ago, during the Urban Wars, he was part of a small, secret organization called The Twelve. Responding to an urgent summons from an old compatriot, he landed in New York and eased into the waiting car. And died within minutes…

Lieutenant Eve Dallas finds the Rossi case frustrating. She’s got an elderly victim who’d just arrived from Rome; a widow who knows nothing about why he’d left; an as-yet unidentifiable weapon; and zero results on facial recognition. But when she finds a connection to the Urban Wars of the 2020s, she thinks Summerset―fiercely loyal, if somewhat grouchy, major-domo and the man who’d rescued her husband from the Dublin streets―may know something from his stint as a medic in Europe back then.

When Summerset learns of the crime, his shock and grief are clear―because, as he eventually reveals, he himself was one of The Twelve. It’s not a part of his past he likes to revisit. But now he must―not only to assist Eve’s investigation, but because a cryptic message from the killer has boasted that others of The Twelve have also died. Summerset is one of those who remain―and the murderous mission is yet to be fully accomplished…

My Thoughts: This 60th In Death novel centers around an escaped criminal eager to get revenge on those he feels caused him to be caught and incarcerated. It all goes back more than forty years to the final days of the Urban Wars. Sommerset and those who were part of a select group called The Twelve is one of the targets of the traitor in that group.

This is very much a police procedural as Eve and her team need to follow the clues to find the killer before he can kill again.

I enjoyed learning more about Sommerset and what he did during the Urban Wars. I also liked meeting the people he worked with and seeing how their lives had gone in the years since the war ended. I liked the strong bonds and loyalty between all the remaining members of The Twelve.

I also like seeing an echo of that bond in the team Eve has built around herself. Her detectives and officers, Feeney, Nadine, Reo, and Dr. Mira and most of all Roarke are her crew. The bonds and loyalties between them all look to stand the test of time.

This was another excellent addition to an amazing series.

Favorite Quote:

"She can be, and often is, stunningly rude." After topping off his own coffee, Summerset sat. "Honest, not to but beyond a fault, brilliant in her way and her focus, which does not include social niceties. Unflinchingly loyal to those who have earned her loyalty. And terrifyingly brave."

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

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Audiobook Review: Of Murder and Men by Lynn Cahoon

Of Murder and Men
Author: Lynn Cahoon
Narrator: C. S. E. Cooney
Series: Cat Latimer Mystery (Book 3)
Publication: Tantor Audio (November 28, 2017)
Length: 8 hours and 4 minutes

Description: Ever since her business partner, Shauna, fell for a wealthy landowner in town, Cat has been working double time to keep her writers' retreat running. And with the January session almost underway, that spells trouble. As if scheduling mishaps aren't disastrous enough, Shauna skips out on kitchen duties one morning, forcing Cat to serve unsuspecting guests store-bought muffins....

But best-laid plans really go awry when Shauna discovers her beau missing from their bed. When his body later turns up in the horse barn, they quickly find out the victim's scandalous lifestyle left many dying for revenge. While balancing an eccentric group of aspiring writers and a suspect list for the record books, Cat soon finds herself on the heels of a killer - and authoring her most deadly conclusion yet....

My Thoughts: Cat and Shauna have come to a crisis point in their joint ownership of their business. Shauna has fallen in love with mysterious Kevin and is thinking about marriage. Since Shauna is responsible for a lot of the day-to-day activities of running their writer's retreats, this could change the business.

Just as the January bunch of authors is set to arrive, Kevin is found dead in his horse barn. He died of poison and Shauna is the one who bought the cyanide-containing rat poison from the local hardware store. Neither Cat nor her police chief Uncle Pete think Shauna is guilty, but solving the murder has moved to the top of Cat's to-do list.

Meanwhile, Cat is also still trying to understand how her ex-husband Michael died. It seems he was keeping even more secrets from Cat than she had so far discovered. And she is still coming to terms with her new relationship with her old college boyfriend.

I listened to this one and found it rather difficult to keep track of all the various mysteries and characters in this episode. There were so many plot threads that I kept losing track.

I bought the Kindle and audiobook November 4, 2024. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Death Echo by Elizabeth Lowell

Death Echo
Author: Elizabeth Lowell
Series: St. Kilda (Book 5)
Publication: Avon; Reprint edition (May 21, 2010)

Description: When she joined St. Kilda's, the elite security consulting firm, Emma Cross thought she'd left behind the blood, the guilt, and the Tribal Wars that defined her life at the CIA. Yet trading spying for investigating yacht thefts didn't alleviate the danger. Now, the same good instincts that got her into trouble at the agency might be the one thing that will help her survive her latest case.

St. Kilda and Emma are tracking a yacht named Blackbird. Emma knows the boat's intended cargo is lethal. What she needs to find out is whether it's biological, chemical, or fissionable. And she's only got seven days to uncover the truth...or a major American city will be lost. Fortunately, she's working with a new partner as menacing and distrustful as the worst enemy she's ever faced—Mackenzie Durand.

But Emma and Mac aren't the only eyes watching Blackbird. Taras Demidov, an expert in extortion and execution in the pay of oligarchs running the Former Soviet Union, is also waiting in the shadows, determined to intercept a fearsomely powerful arms dealer with the money, weaponry, and connections to alter the geopolitical balance.

My Thoughts: This romantic suspense thriller is the fifth and final book in the St Kilda series. This time former CIA Emma Cross is working for St Kilda's who has been hired by an insurance company to look into a variety of thefts of yachts. But the yacht she is currently tracking is somehow involved in a political game played by Russia and Georgia. Aided and abetted by the CIA, the two countries have nuclear destruction in mind with the goal of each blaming the other.

Since the proposed target is an American city, US Intelligence is willing to do anything to track down the missing yacht and the bad actors. Anything includes blackmailing St Kilda's and setting it up as the fall guy if something goes wrong.

Add in Mackenzie Durand who is a former Special Ops soldier who is vastly disillusioned by the CIA and other intelligence agencies that he blames for the deaths of his whole team. He has become a transfer pilot ferrying yachts to their new owners. As it happens, the yacht he has been hired to move is the one that is the focus of the action.

Emma worms her way on board and she and Mac are instantly attracted. Once Mac finds out what is going on he is eager to sign on the bottom line with St Kilda's to help with the problem. He'll go back to a normal life when this issue is dealt with.

This was an action-packed and twisty thriller complete with assorted villains all wanting to further their own agendas and not caring how many bodies they leave behind. I loved the Pacific Northwest setting and all the information about yachts and sailing them.

I bought this one July 9, 2024. You can buy your copy here.

Monday, January 27, 2025

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (January 27, 2025)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

Want to See What I Added to My Stack? links to Stacking the Shelves hosted by Marlene at Reading Reality.

Other Than Reading...

It is hard to believe that it is already the last week in January. We began the week with cold weather. Last Sunday the high was -8F and last Monday the high for the day was -12F. We also had an overnight low temperature of -27F Tuesday morning. The temperatures moderated later in the week, and we enjoyed a high temperature of 27F on Saturday afternoon. This coming week should stay above freezing with predicted highs in the 30s. I am enjoying the slightly longer days with the sun not setting until after 5PM.

It was a quiet week for me. I don't think I left the house even once. This coming week looks the same. There were no new recipes this week, but we did haul one out of the binder that used the chicken, mushrooms, whipping cream, and fresh spinach that had landed in the refrigerator originally destined for other recipes. It looks like chipped beef on biscuits for today before my brother goes to work. The biscuits are near their "best by" date and the dried beef has been in the meat tray for quite a while. Otherwise, there are no cooking plans for this coming week yet.

For some reason, my reading has slowed down. I keep getting distracted by other things. I'm still a couple weeks ahead on my blog but don't want to fall any further behind. I need to buckle down and read the books that I put on my calendar. Speaking of which, I tentatively filled out the spaces around Review copies on my March calendar this week mostly with books and audiobooks I got in 2024 or 2025.

This was a pretty big week for adding new books to my collection. I did finally used up the remaining balances on all of my Christmas Gift cards on Saturday. There were two double Rewards Points this week. I bought some books that had been on my "Books I'm Waiting For" collection at Amazon and added books in some series that I'm either reading or wanting to read. I also added five more Review copies to my stack (and requested a few more).

Read Last Week

Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop (Audiobook Reread) -- Third in The Others series
No Comfort for the Dead by R. P. O'Donnell (Review; February 11) -- Set in Cork County, Ireland, in 1988 I found this mystery too "literary" for me. My review will be posted on February 8.
Cold as Hell by Kelley Armstrong (Review; February 18) -- Third in the Haven's Rock thriller series. I really enjoyed this one. My review will be posted on February 11.

Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishop (Audiobook Reread) -- Fourth in The Others series
Unhallowed Halls by Lili Wilkinson (Review; February 18) -- Entertaining YA boarding school paranormal thriller. My review will be posted on February 12)
Etched in Bone by Anne Bishop (Audiobook Reread) -- Finale of The Others series

Currently

The Dead Letter Delivery by C. J. Archer (Mine since March 8, 2024)
Born in Fire by Nora Roberts (Chirp Audiobook, mine since November 12, 2024)
My Phony Valentine by Courtney Walsh (Mine since February 12, 2024)

Next Week

A Slash of Emerald by Patrice McDonough (Review; February 25)
I Died for Beauty by Amanda Flower (Review; February 25)
Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman by Tessa Arlen (Mine since January 25, 2025)

Undone by Blake Pierce (Mine since December 16, 2022)
The Girl from Greenwich Street by Lauren Willig (Review; March 4)
Dead Man's List by Karen Rose (Review; March 4)

Reviews Posted

The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Audiobook)
Murder on Mistletoe Lane by Clara McKenna (Audiobook)
The Rose Arbor by Rhys Bowen (Audiobook)

Dead Money by Jakob Kerr (Review; January 28)
Head Cases by John McMahon (Review; January 28)
Dead Inside by Kate Bold (Mine)

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

Review:

No One Was Supposed to Die at the Wedding by Catherine Mack (Review; May 13)
Doggone Bones by Carolyn Haines (Review; May 27)
Death of an Ex by Delia Pitts (Review; July 15)

Picking Up the Pieces by J. R. Abbott (Review; August 12)
Murder in Miniature by Katie Tietjen (Review; September 23)

Bought:

The Secrets of the Lost Ledgers by C. J. Archer (Kindle, $5.99)
Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman by Tessa Arlen (Kindle, $1.99)
Death of an Unsung Hero by Tessa Arlen (Kindle, $1.99)

The Daemon Prism by Carol Berg (Kindle, $8.99)
The Antique Store Detective by Clare Chase (BookBub, $.99)
Death on the Rocks by Hannah Ellis (BookBub, $.99)

The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell (BookBub, $2.99)
The Dragon's Affirmation by Marie Johnston (Kindle, $4.99)
The Dragon's Word by Marie Johnston (Kindle, $4.99)

A Man Lay Dead by Ngaio Marsh (Kindle, $8.99)
Murder at King's Crossing by Andrea Penrose (Kindle, $1.99)
The Complete Birds of a Feather Mysteries by Marty Wingate (BookBub, $.99)

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros (Kindle, after Kindle Rewards $11.99)

New Audiobooks

Shadow Beasts by Nellie H. Steele (Chirp, $.99)
Shadow Charms by Nellie H. Steele (Chirp, $3.99)
Shadow Lord by Nellie H. Steele (Chirp, $5.99)

What was your week like?

Saturday, January 25, 2025

Book Review: Dead Inside by Kate Bold

Dead Inside
Author: Kate Bold
Series: A Kelsey Hawk FBI Suspense Thriller (Book 1)
Publication: Self-published (November 28, 2023)

Description: In the desolate, unforgiving landscape of small town North Dakota, bodies are found encased in ice. Tough and brilliant FBI special agent 30-year-old Kelsey Hawk, angering her superiors, is relocated to the North Dakota field office, near her hometown which she’d vowed to never return to. In a deadly game of cat and mouse, the stakes couldn’t be higher, as an FBI agent and a killer collide…

When she was just a child, Kelsey’s entire family was murdered, leaving her, the sole survivor, to grow up in the foster system. A rising star in the FBI, Kelsey set her ambitions on being assigned to a field office in the big city, away from the ghosts of her past. But when she’s reassigned to a small town in North Dakota, she can’t help but remember all the tragedy she fought so hard to leave behind.

Can she stop this killer in time?

A page-turning and harrowing crime thriller featuring a brilliant and tortured FBI agent, the KELSEY HAWK series is a riveting mystery, packed with non-stop action, suspense, twists and turns, revelations, and driven by a breakneck pace that will keep you flipping pages late into the night. Fans of Rachel Caine, Teresa Driscoll, and Robert Dugoni are sure to fall in love.

My Thoughts: DEAD INSIDE introduces FBI Special Agent Kelsy Hawk. She's 30 and a loose cannon. Her latest case which showed up her boss has caused her to be assigned to a small town in North Dakota. Her boss hoped it would get her to quit.

Upon arrival, Kelsey walks into a case of a young woman frozen into a block of ice and displayed in the ice carving area of the Winter Fair. Working with a Deputy Sheriff, she tackles the biggest crime to have ever happened in the small town. The first death is quickly followed by two more. Each young woman is frozen into a block of ice and displayed.

The story is also told from the viewpoint of the murderer who is completely insane. His fantasies and justifications were creepy reading.

I enjoyed this first in a series.

I got this free Kindle book via BookBub April 23, 2024. You can buy your copy here.

Friday, January 24, 2025

Friday Memes: Dead Inside by Kate Bold

Happy Friday!

Carrie at Reading Is My Superpower.org also provides a linky for sharing first lines and connecting with others. This meme asks that the chosen books be PG or marked as Mature if they are not.

Beginning:

The shrill scream brought John Gallant out of his trance--a blood-curdling scram that could only mean death.

Friday 56:

"We need to ask you a few questions, Mr. Wall. Would you mind stepping out of the freezer with Deputy Gallant?"

While browsing my Kindle for ideas for what to read next, I came across Dead Inside by Kate Bold which I had added on April 23, 2024, and decided to read it. The main character is an FBI Agent exiled to North Dakota and near her hated hometown. Here's the description from Amazon:

When she was just a child, Kelsey’s entire family was murdered, leaving her, the sole survivor, to grow up in the foster system. A rising star in the FBI, Kelsey set her ambitions on being assigned to a field office in the big city, away from the ghosts of her past. But when she’s reassigned to a small town in North Dakota, she can’t help but remember all the tragedy she fought so hard to leave behind.

Can she stop this killer in time?

A page-turning and harrowing crime thriller featuring a brilliant and tortured FBI agent, the KELSEY HAWK series is a riveting mystery, packed with non-stop action, suspense, twists and turns, revelations, and driven by a breakneck pace that will keep you flipping pages late into the night. Fans of Rachel Caine, Teresa Driscoll, and Robert Dugoni are sure to fall in love.

Thursday, January 23, 2025

Audiobook Review: The Rose Arbor by Rhys Bowen

The Rose Arbor
Author: Rhys Bowen
Narrator: Nicola Barber
Publication: Audible Studios (August 6, 2024)
Length: 10 hours and 38 minutes

Description: An investigation into a girl’s disappearance uncovers a mystery dating back to World War II in a haunting novel of suspense by the bestselling author of The Venice Sketchbook and The Paris Assignment.

London: 1968. Liz Houghton is languishing as an obituary writer at a London newspaper when a young girl’s disappearance captivates the city. If Liz can break the story, it’s her way into the newsroom. She already has a scoop: her best friend, Marisa, is a police officer assigned to the case.

Liz follows Marisa to Dorset, where they make another disturbing discovery. Over two decades earlier, three girls disappeared while evacuating from London. One was found murdered in the woods near a train line. The other two were never seen again.

As Liz digs deeper, she finds herself drawn to the village of Tydeham, which was requisitioned by the military during the war and left in ruins. After all these years, what could possibly link the missing girls to this abandoned village? And why does a place Liz has never seen before seem so strangely familiar?

My Thoughts: Dual timeline mystery in which a young reporter gets involved in the disappearance of a child and manages to unearth a number of long-held secrets.

It's 1968 and Liz Houghton has been relegated to writing obituaries because her previous investigation unearthed secrets that the paper's owner want keep secret. Her roommate Marisa is a police detective who bring home the case of the disappearance of a young child. The nation is in upheaval about this disappearance. When Marisa goes to the country to follow up on a possible sighting, Liz tags along to see if there is a story there.

The clue takes the detective and her older, more-experienced partner to the town of Tydeham which as abandoned during World War II to be used as a practice site for the upcoming invasion. Liz recalls an old memory of seeing a body buried and brings her information to the police who locate a skeleton. Liz is baffled because her parents tell her that she was never at Tydeham. She begins to think that she might be psychic.

Liz also meets the son of the local landowner who was also displaced by the evacuation. He's now an architect who has come to see what he can salvage from the heavily damaged manor house. The two become partners in the investigation of the skeleton.

Liz also gets involved in an old investigation in which three young girls were evacuated from London to the country during World War II. They disappeared. The older partner has been haunted by his failure to find the girls. Liz has more success, but her victories lead her to some secrets her parents have been keeping from her all of her life.

This was an enjoyable mystery and romance with some happy endings and some issues as yet unresolved.

I bought the Kindle and the audiobook November 13, 2024. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Head Cases by John McMahon

Head Cases
Author: John McMahon
Publication: Minotaur Books (January 28, 2025)

Description: Head Cases follows an enigmatic group of FBI agents as they hunt down a murderer seeking his own justice in this electrifying―and commercial―series debut.

FBI Agent Gardner Camden is an analytical genius with an affinity for puzzles. He also has a blind spot on the human side of investigations, a blindness that sometimes even includes people in his own life, like his beloved seven-year-old daughter Camila. Gardner and his squad of brilliant yet quirky agents make up the Patterns and Recognition (PAR) unit, the FBI’s hidden edge, brought in for cases that no one else can solve.

When DNA links a murder victim to a serial killer long presumed dead, the team springs into action. A second victim establishes a pattern, and the murderer begins leaving a trail of clues and riddles especially for Gardner. And while the PAR team is usually relegated to working cold cases from behind a desk, the investigation puts them on the road and into the public eye, following in the footsteps of a killer.

Along with Gardner, PAR consists of a mathematician, a weapons expert, a computer analyst, and their leader, a career agent. Each of them must use every skill they have to solve the riddle of the killer’s identity. But with the perpetrator somehow learning more and more about the team at PAR, can they protect themselves and their families…before it’s too late?

With an enigmatic case that will keep readers on the edge of their seats and a thoroughly engaging ensemble cast, John McMahon’s Head Cases is a triumph.

My Thoughts: HEAD CASES was an engaging and twisty thriller with an intriguing main character.

Gardner Camden is an FBI Agent with the PAR (Patterns and Recognition) unit of the FBI. He seems to be somewhere on the Autism Spectrum but had honed his abilities to make himself invaluable to the FBI when tough, "unsolvable" cases come in.

This story begins when a body is discovered - the body of a serial killer. The only problem is that this killer was supposed to have died in a fire years earlier. Gardner was on the original case. Then a second serial killer - this one recently released from prison - is found. Then a third murder victim - a self-confessed serial killer who was on trial - is found.

Gardner and the rest of his quirky colleagues are on the trail of a serial killer who kills serial killers and who seems to know what the team is doing and manages to stay one step ahead.

Throw in some inter-FBI politics and Gardner's relationship with his mother who is in a nursing home with memory issues and his seven-year-old daughter who is living with her grandmother, and you have a man leading a complex life.

This was excellent. I look forward to the second book in the series coming in 2026. I also want to find the author's earlier books.

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

Wednesday, January 22, 2025

ARC Review: Dead Money by Jakob Kerr

Dead Money
Author: Jakob Kerr
Publication: Bantam (January 28, 2025)

Description: “A stone-cold banger of a novel—a twisty journey through Silicon Valley’s dark side, wrapped in a stunning mystery package with some wild surprises along the way.”—Blake Crouch, New York Times bestselling author of Dark Matter

Don’t call me a fixer. This isn’t HBO.

In her job as unofficial “problem solver” for Silicon Valley’s most ruthless venture capitalist, Mackenzie Clyde’s gotten used to playing for high stakes. Even if none of those tech-bro millions she’s so good at wrangling ever make it into her pockets.

The lightning-rod CEO of tech’s hottest startup has just been murdered, leaving behind billions in “dead money” frozen in his will. As the company’s chief investor, Mackenzie’s boss has a fortune on the line—and with the police treading water, it’s up to Mackenzie to step up and resolve things, fast.

Mackenzie’s a lawyer, not a detective. Cracking this fiendishly clever killing, with its list of suspects that reads like a who’s-who of Valley power players, should be way out of her league.

Except that Mackenzie’s used to being underestimated. In fact, she’s counting on it.

Because the way she sees it, this isn’t an investigation. It’s an opportunity. And she’ll do anything it takes to seize it.

Anything at all.

Featuring jaw-dropping twists and a wily, outsider heroine you can’t help rooting for, Dead Money is a brilliant sleight-of-hand mystery. Written by a longtime insider, it is also a dead-on snapshot of the Valley’s rich and famous—and a glimpse at the darkness lurking behind the tech world’s cheery facade.

My Thoughts: DEAD MONEY was a twisty thriller set in the high-pressure world of venture capital and fast-moving technology. Trevor Canon, who has taken an idea into a multibillion-dollar company is found murdered in his office.

Mackenzie Clyde is assigned by her boss Roger Hammersmith to look into the case. Educated as a lawyer but now working as Hammersmith's investigator, Mackenzie has unique inside knowledge of the technology business. Hammersmith wants answers because his venture capital business has lent Canon's Journy $5 billion.

When the San Francisco Police seem to come to a standstill, Hammersmith pressures the FBI to get involved and pressures them to include Mackenzie as a liaison. It looks like a complex case and Mackenzie and FBI Agent Jameson Danner begin interviewing Canon's top executives who would have been the only ones with access to his office after hours. All of them are eccentric techies and all of them have tight alibis. But the dead money clause in Canon's will which freezes his assets removes one of the major reasons why one of his crew would want him dead.

I enjoyed this thriller. I loved an inside peek into the technology industry and the world of venture capitalism. I could understand Mackenzie's desire to succeed and what she was willing to do to reach that success. I liked the flashbacks to earlier points in time which showed Mackenzie's character.

I also really liked the twist at the end.

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

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Audiobook Review: Murder on Mistletoe Lane by Clara McKenna

Murder on Mistletoe Lane
Author: Clara McKenna
Narrator: Sarah Zimmerman
Series: Stella and Lyndy (Book 5)
Publication: Highbridge (October 24, 2023)
Length: 8 hours and 38 minutes

Description: Taking on the responsibilities that come with being Lady Lyndhurst, Stella is eager to embrace yuletide traditions in the Edwardian English countryside and use her strong social influence for good. Her world becomes so consumed with starting a horse farm charity for the holidays that she barely notices the usual oddities attached to her upper crust lifestyle. At least, not until items vanish from her bedroom and maligned housekeeper, Mrs. Nelson, becomes seriously ill—only to be found dead in the cold on Mistletoe Lane...

Cheery spirits are dashed following the sudden death, especially once Stella questions whether her own staff knows what—or who—killed the woman. Her suspicions mount when another person dies under strange circumstances during New Forest's annual Point-to-Point Boxing Day race. Then there's the case of Morrington Hall becoming plagued by false identities, secret affairs, and disgruntled employees...

Now, with two murders unfolding before their eyes in late December, Stella and Lyndy realize they can't fully trust anyone except for themselves while investigating. Because as disturbing answers come into focus, identifying the criminal responsible and surviving into the new year would be the greatest gift of the season...

My Thoughts: It is Christmas time and Stella is looking forward to her first Christmas as Lady Lyndhurst. However, the staff at her new home are reluctant to make the changes Stella would like and her mother-in-law has invited guests to the estate for the holidays. She hasn't been very forthcoming about why she invited them since they hadn't had any contact for years.

Morrington Hall is also undergoing a variety of changes since the infusion of Stella's very substantial dowry. Central heating is being installed, new maids hired, and other new staff are also arriving. Then things start to go missing and Stella begins receiving love notes that are not from her new husband.

Events escalate when the housekeeper goes missing and is later found dead on the road. Then the cook disappears leaving all things up in the air and unprepared for the arriving guests. Stella has found a way to insert her own influence by bringing the housekeeper and cook from the home she shared with her father before her marriage.

Stella and Lyndy also get caught up in the investigation into the housekeeper's death. There are a number of suspects including the guests at the hall.

I felt that this episode was a little scattered. Listening to the audiobook made it harder to keep up with the changes in viewpoint characters. But everything came together in the end to make a satisfying mystery.

I bought the Kindle and Audible editions October 22, 2024. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Brothers Hawthorne
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Narrator: Jay Ben Markson
Series: The Inheritance Games (Book 4)
Publication: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (August 29, 2023)

Length: 13 hours and 41 minutes

Description: Four brothers. Two missions. One explosive read. Jennifer Lynn Barnes returns to the world of her #1 bestselling, TikTok sensation Inheritance Games trilogy, and the stakes have never been higher.

Grayson Hawthorne was raised as the heir apparent to his billionaire grandfather, taught from the cradle to put family first. Now the great Tobias Hawthorne is dead and his family disinherited, but some lessons linger. When Grayson’s half-sisters find themselves in trouble, he swoops in to do what he does best: take care of the problem—efficiently, effectively, mercilessly. And without getting bogged down in emotional entanglements.

Jameson Hawthorne is a risk-taker, a sensation-seeker, a player of games. When his mysterious father appears and asks for a favor, Jameson can’t resist the challenge. Now he must infiltrate London’s most exclusive underground gambling club, which caters to the rich, the powerful, and the aristocratic, and win an impossible game of greatest stakes. Luckily, Jameson Hawthorne lives for impossible.

Drawn into twisted games on opposite sides of the globe, Grayson and Jameson—with the help of their brothers and the girl who inherited their grandfather’s fortune—must dig deep to decide who they want to be and what each of them will sacrifice to win.

My Thoughts: This book entwines two separate stories and had flashbacks to the time when both Grayson and Jameson were learning from their grandfather about what their futures would be like.

Greyson Hawthorne meets his half-sisters when they are having trouble but needs to keep the fate of their father from them while still solving their problems. Greyson finds himself feeling a lot of guilt as he gets to know his sisters.

Jameson Hawthorne is also dealing with a father problem. His has asked him to infiltrate an exclusive club and win back the estate he lost at cards. He and Avery do manage to infiltrate the club and are chosen to take part in an annual game that can bring great riches or expose great secrets.

Both stories are engaging and filled with puzzles. Each of the young men have learning experiences that give them a different look at their lives and their futures.

I bought this one November 11, 2024. You can buy your copy here.

Monday, January 20, 2025

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (January 20, 2025)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

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 another quiet week. We are in the middle of a cold snap. The high temperature yesterday was -3F and it was breezy making the windchill in the -20s all day. We have an Extreme Cold Warning until Tuesday noon. With low temperatures in the -20s and windchills hitting -50, I'll be staying indoors and enjoying my books and audiobooks. What is deceptive about the weather is that it is nice and sunny with clear blue skies. It looks a lot more pleasant outdoors than it is.

Last week our new recipe was found on the back of the barley package. We made and enjoyed a Chicken Barley stew and will still be enjoying it for a couple more days as it made quite a potful. I also tried out a new recipe for banana bread which was excellent and is going in the recipe binder. I may finally be able to stop hunting for the perfect banana bread recipe.

I listened to three audiobooks, read three review books, and read one book from my Kindle TBR pile this week. I decided to listen to my favorite Anne Bishop series for the first time in 2025. I tend to listen to these every few months and haven't grown tired of them yet.

Is anyone else doing the Goodreads Challenge for 2025? I should have no difficulty in reaching my goal this year since books I own in my Kindle Library and decide to read are counting twice on the list. This doubling hasn't happened yet for audiobooks or review books. If I remove the second copy from the challenge, both disappear and can't be re-added. Unless I can find the trick of it, the Goodreads Challenge and my spreadsheet aren't going to agree which I find really annoying.

This week I am continuing to read February review copies. I'm especially looking forward to the next in Kelley Armstrong's Haven's Rock series. I'm also hoping to slip in a couple from my own TBR pile.