Monday, July 21, 2025

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (July 21, 2025)

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

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

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

Other Than Reading...

This was another week with Air Quality Alerts due to particulates from Canadian wildfires. I spent most of the week shut up in my air-conditioned house. I read and listened a lot. Lots of what I read or listened to were novellas. I have three more of the In Death novellas to listen to this week before I am caught up.

I enjoyed the Baseball All-Star break and the opportunity to do a lot of reading because there weren't baseball games to catch my attention. The All-Star game itself was very entertaining. I was pleased that my Braves made good showings and that the National League won even if it did come down to a Swing-Off to settle things. 

I did some cooking this week too. I tried a crockpot recipe from my new cookbook, and I made up a recipe based on one we had enjoyed a couple of weeks ago. Leftovers from Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore are in today's plan. The other casserole was enjoyed a few days ago with still one serving left to be eaten.

I added a huge number of review books this week from emails inviting me to download and read the titles. I now have four 2026 releases on by Review Books pile. I also added the rest of the mysteries from Minotaur that I didn't already have on my stack. Then I used my Kindle Reward points and a double points offer to complete the Harbinder Kaur series by Ellie Griffiths. Now I just have to find time to read them. 

This week should also be quiet. I have a very brief doctor's appointment on Thursday but no other appointments. I'd like to complete all of my August review copies before the end of July, but I seem to be inadvertently participating in the Big Books of Summer Challenge since a couple of the remaining books are over 400 pages each.

Read Last Week
  • Hunter's Heart Ridge by Sarah Stewart Taylor (Review, August 5) -- Historical mystery set in Vermont in 1965. State Police Frankin Warren is called to a hunting camp to investigate an accident which turns out to be murder. My review will be posted on July 31.
  • Haunted in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook, mine since June 5, 2025) -- Novella is book 22.5 in the In Death series. 
  • A Monstrous Regiment of Women by Laurie R. King (Audiobook, mine since April 11, 2021) -- Mary investigates murders connected to the New Temple of God which is run by Margery Childe. Great historical detail and intriguing characters. My review will be posted on September 11.
  • Picking Up the Pieces by J. B. Abbott (Review, August 12) -- Nice cozy mystery in which a group of jigsaw puzzle players solve the mystery of one of their own. My review will be posted on August 5.
  • Ritual in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook, mine since June 5, 2025) -- Novella is book 27.5 in the In Death series. 
  • Eternity in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook, mine since June 5, 2025) -- Novella is book 24.5 in the In Death series. 
  • Missing in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook, mine since June 5, 2025) -- Novella is book 29.5 in the In Death series. 
  • Steadfast by Mercedes Lackey (Audiobook, mine since September 28, 2021) -- 8th book in the Elemental Masters series. A retelling of the tin soldier story set in a Victorian England with magic. My review will be posted on September 4)
  • Possession in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook, mine since June 5, 2025) -- Novella is book 31.5 in the In Death series. 
  • A Measure of Menace by Jennifer Ashley (Kindle novella, mine since February 17, 2025) -- Kat and Daniel investigate when Lady Cynthia's father is accused of murder. This novella filled in some blanks. 
  • A Silence in Belgrave Square by Jennifer Ashley (Review, August 12) -- The eighth Below Stairs novel has Kat and Daniel investigating the activities of Irish rebels and then the death of a viscount who might be conspiring with the rebels. My review will be posted on August 7.
  • Artificial Wisdom by Thomas R. Weaver (Review, August 12) -- Near future science fiction thriller about Earth needing to elect a Protector to save it from total climate disaster. Marcus Tully, investigative reporter, gets involved when one of the candidates is the man he blames for the death of his wife and the other is an artificial intellect named Solomon. My review will be posted on August 5.
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Saturday, July 19, 2025

Audiobook Review: The Librarian by Judith A. Barrett

The Librarian

Author:
Judith A. Barrett
Narrator: Virtual Voice
Series: Maggie Sloan Thriller Series (Book 1)
Publication: Wobbly Creek, LLC (February 4, 2019)
Length: 10 hours and 20 minutes

Description: Vigilante Justice: Librarian Style

Maggie was a quiet librarian until a heartbreaking murder woke something dangerous inside her. Now she’s out for blood, not for herself, but for those who deserve justice.

She survives an explosion and begins the slow process of healing with the help of her unusual team. When her world is shattered by a heart-wrenching murder, Maggie's team trains her to fight to win, whatever the cost.

Her grief and rage transform her from prey to relentless hunter, and her brilliant observational talents threaten a complex criminal scheme.

As Maggie closes in on the truth, she realizes she's on the trail of a mastermind, a dark puppeteer of serial killers, whose intellect threatens to match her own. It all comes down to kill or be killed.

My Thoughts: The first Maggie Sloan thriller begins when she is a small child who wants to grow up to be a spy. She wants to wear black - an unusual color choice for a young child - and have her hair dyed black too which her mother doesn't allow. 

She grows up, gains a Library and Information Sciences degree, and begins hunting for a job. But Maggie is a bit of an odd duck being quite literal minded but very observant. With library jobs thin on the ground, Maggie finds herself applying for a wide variety of other positions including work as a bank teller. 

When a library job opens up, Maggie, now in her grey phase, leaps at the chance to work in her own field. But she saw something, or heard something, in the interview process and now someone wants her dead. 

She barely escapes dying in the explosion that ruins her library and kills her fellow librarian. She manages to work her way through rehab with the help of two imaginary companions - Palace Guard and Spike - and gains the attention of a police detective and his FBI Agent sister who befriend her. 

When her police detective boyfriend is murdered, she and his sister are determined to find the killers who murdered him and want Maggie dead too. 

The narration for this audiobook was Virtual Voice which made it an interesting listening experience. Mostly it sounded very human, but there were some things that didn't work quite as well. I think that some of the dialog should have been humorous but came out as a virtual deadpan. 

This is the first book in a series. 

I got this one May 24 via BookBub when the Kindle book was free. I added on the audiobook for $1.99. You can buy your copy here.

Friday, July 18, 2025

Friday Memes: The Librarian by Judith A. Barrett

 Happy Friday!


Book Beginnings is hosted by Gillion at Rose City Reader. She asks that the first sentence is posted along with the author and title of the book and the reader's initial thoughts on the sentence, the book, or anything else it inspires. 
Carrie at Reading Is My Superpower.org also provides a linky for sharing first lines and connecting with others. This meme asks that the chosen books be PG or marked as Mature if they are not. 

Beginning:
My eyes snapped open. I glanced around my room. The light of breaking dawn scattered the shadows. A sound. From the kitchen.
Friday 56:
"Oh, Maggie. I expected you to take longer. You know, at the church." Olivia spoke in short bursts, and her hands fluttered. "There's an investigator. In my office. He wants to talk to all the staff. Go on in."
This week I am spotlighting The Librarian by Judith A. Barrett. As a retired librarian, I am drawn to books about people in my former profession. Here's the description from Amazon:
Vigilante Justice: Librarian Style
Maggie was a quiet librarian until a heartbreaking murder woke something dangerous inside her. Now she’s out for blood, not for herself, but for those who deserve justice.

She survives an explosion and begins the slow process of healing with the help of her unusual team. When her world is shattered by a heart-wrenching murder, Maggie's team trains her to fight to win, whatever the cost.
Her grief and rage transform her from prey to relentless hunter, and her brilliant observational talents threaten a complex criminal scheme.
As Maggie closes in on the truth, she realizes she's on the trail of a mastermind, a dark puppeteer of serial killers, whose intellect threatens to match her own. It all comes down to kill or be killed.

Thursday, July 17, 2025

Audiobook Review: Gone Gull by Donna Andrews

Gone Gull

Author:
Donna Andrews
Narrator: Bernadette Dunne
Series: Meg Langslow Mysteries (Book 21)
Publication: Dreamscape Media LLC (August 1, 2017)
Length: 8 hours and 39 minutes

Description: Andrews soars into summer with a crafty new Meg Langslow mystery.

Gone Gull brings readers yet another knee-slapping adventure filled with New York Times bestselling author Donna Andrews’ cast of wacky characters.

Meg is spending the summer at the Biscuit Mountain Craft Center, helping her grandmother Cordelia run the studios. But someone is committing acts of vandalism, threatening to ruin the newly-opened center’s reputation. Is it the work of a rival center? Have the developers who want to build a resort atop Biscuit Mountain found a new tactic to pressure Cordelia into selling? Or is the real target Meg’s grandfather, who points out that any number of environmentally irresponsible people and organizations could have it in for him?

While Meg is trying to track down the vandal, her grandfather is more interested in locating a rare gull. Their missions collide when a body is found in one of the classrooms. Can Meg identify the vandal and the murderer in time to save the center’s name—while helping her grandfather track down and rescue his beloved gulls?

My Thoughts: This episode of the Meg Langslow mysteries has Meg and her family spending the summer at the Biscuit Mountain Craft Center helping her grandmother Cordelia. The center has been plagued with a variety of acts by vandals which threaten the future of the center. Suspects include a rival craft center and a developer who would like Cordelia to sell her land so that he can built a resort. 

Meg is trying to hunt down the vandals and smooth the waters are the various crafters bicker when things escalate. A painting instructor who is almost universally disliked is found murdered in his studio. Now Meg along with the local police are looking for a murderer among the teachers and students. Then there is a second murder. 

And, while all this is going on, Meg's grandfather is on the hunt for a rare gull whose picture had been taken by the first murder victim. 

This was another fun episode in a long-running mystery series. 

I bought this Chirp audiobook June 28, 2022. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Heart Marks the Spot by Libby Hubscher

Heart Marks the Spot

Author:
Libby Hubscher
Publication: Berkley (July 22, 2025)

Description: A treasure hunter and the bestselling adventure novelist who broke her heart after one successful expedition reunite for a summer to search for lost riches.

Treasure hunter Stella Moore dreams of having it all—wealth, love, and a flourishing career—but knows she’ll never be that lucky. Every summer she and her childhood friends travel to search for hidden treasure, but she can barely manage her bills, let alone a relationship. Then, a chance encounter with alluring novelist Huck Sullivan during an expedition in Iceland has Stella thinking maybe her fortune has changed.

After his last book bombed, Huck hasn’t written a word. Joining Stella and her crew on an adventure seems like the perfect distraction from his problems, and when the crew finally uncovers hidden treasure, he is certain that he’s found more than just inspiration for his next novel. Huck and Stella’s undeniable connection gives way to an unforgettable night on a black sand beach.

After Huck disappears without a goodbye, Stella vows to put the heartbreak behind her—but that’s easier said than done when, a year later, every bookstore has a life-size cutout of her ex-lover next to stacks of his latest record-breaking bestseller. Good thing it’s time for another summer treasure hunt. Stella throws herself into mapping the path to a shipwreck off Key West, but the last thing she expects is an extra crew member showing up in search of material for a sequel and a second chance.

Stella and Huck are prepared for storms, sharks, sea sickness, even a tentative truce. But facing the feelings they buried and confronting the devastating truth about why Huck left is the only way to find what their hearts have been searching for all along.

My Thoughts: This dual viewpoint romance introduces two interesting characters. Stella Moore is a treasure hunter. Huck Sullivan is a best-selling author. 

Stella was abandoned by her treasure hunting parents when she was a teenager. It left her with the sure knowledge that everyone she loves will abandon her sooner or later. She is hoping that if she manages to find the treasure that her parents will come back because she has proven her worth. 

Huck doesn't have abandonment issues, but he does have a deeply rooted sense of insecurity since he had spent most of his life being berated by his father for what his father perceived as "failures". While Huck did write a very successful series of adventure novels, the last tanked while he was dealing with the death of his father and abandonment by his fiancée who was only in it when he was at the top of the food chain.

The two meet in Iceland. Stella is on the hunt for a particular treasure along with her friends Ted, Zoe and Gus. Huck was sent there by his friend/agent in hopes that a new place will inspire his creativity and clear up the writer's block that has plagued him for more than a year. 

Introduced by Ted who went to boarding school with Huck and who has been partners in adventure with Stella for a number of years, the two fall in love. But Huck leaves Stella in the night for reasons that aren't explained until a year and a half later. She's managed to patch over a broken heart, and he's written a new instant best seller starring a treasure hunter who greatly resembles Stella.

They meet again in the Caribbean when the four friends are on their annual treasure hunt looking for a lost Spanish treasure ship and all the secrets come out. 

This was an engaging romance but not a light and fluffy one. Both main characters have serious therapy worthy issues which is not helped by the presence of Ted who has been keeping secrets of his own. I recommend this one because the struggle to reach a "happily ever after" was real in this story. 

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

Wednesday, July 16, 2025

ARC Review: The Last Wizard's Ball by Charlaine Harris

The Last Wizard's Ball

Author:
Charlaine Harris
Series: Gunnie Rose (Book 6)
Publication: S&S/Saga Press (July 22, 2025)

Description: #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Charlaine Harris returns with the sixth and final installment in the critically acclaimed Gunnie Rose series as sisters Lizbeth Rose and Felicia must face their fates at the last Wizards’ Ball.

Lizbeth Rose’s sister Felicia attends the Grand Wizards’ Ball, and as one of the most powerful—and beautiful—death wizards in a generation, she is highly sought after as one of the belles of the ball.

However, war and violence are on the rise in Europe as German and Japanese wizards are also courting Felicia…and some are refusing to take no for an answer.

As the façade of genteel wizard society turns deadly, Lizbeth must learn to not only protect her sister, but also navigate the arcane world that is pulling her sister and husband into a dangerous dance with death that could change the world as they know it.

My Thoughts: The final book in the Gunnie Rose series has Lizbeth in San Diego with her husband and sister so that her sister Felicia can attend the Wizard's Ball. Held every three years, the ball gives magic users a change to get to know one another and make marriage alliances. 

Lizbeth is not enjoying herself. She doesn't like San Diego or dressing up or attending social events. She is there out of a sense of duty to her sister and to keep her sister alive. As one of the most desired attendees, Felicia is a lovely death wizard with a great amount of power. She's also carrying a reputation since it is well known that she murdered her family. Nonetheless, Felicia is being courted by wizards from all over the world. 

Tensions are high at the gathering since Hitler is making plans for Germany which include killing all the Jews and invading everywhere. The German wizards and the Japanese who are allied with Germany are there in force trying to recruit Felicia to their cause. And if she can't be recruited, her death would work as well. 

The story is filled with attempted murders from arrows shot at a tea garden, to a bomb under a table at a tearoom, to an assassin trying to get to Felicia during a welcoming party. Besides the stress of keeping Felicia alive, Lizbeth and her husband Eli are facing stresses in their marriage. He's keeping secrets that could impact their future.

With everyone choosing sides in the upcoming war, Lizbeth and Eli find themselves at odds with each other. Despite their love for each other, their futures look to be taking different paths. And Felicia has chosen her own difficult path for her future. 

Although I'm told that this is the final book in the series, there are definitely a number of loose hanging threads in the story. I enjoyed it for its worldbuilding and its characters. 

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

Tuesday, July 15, 2025

Audiobook Review: New York to Dallas by J. D. Robb

New York to Dallas

Author:
J. D. Robb
Narrator: Susan Erickson
Series: In Death (Book 33)
Publication: Brilliance Audio (September 13, 2011)
Length: 14 hours and 17 minutes

Description: It was one of Eve Dallas’s earliest takedowns, back in her uniform days. A monster named Isaac McQueen had been abducting young victims and leaving them scarred in both mind and body. Thanks to Eve, he wound up where he belonged, removed from civilized society in Rikers. But he’s not behind bars anymore.

After his escape, McQueen has two things in mind. One is to take up where he left off, preying on the young and innocent - when necessary, with the help of a female partner all too willing to be manipulated and to aid and abet his crimes. His other goal: to get revenge on the woman who stopped him all those years ago, now a high-profile lieutenant in the NYPSD and married to one of the city’s richest men.

Commanding Eve’s attention with a chilling and brazen crime, McQueen sets off the chase - forcing Eve down a road marked with blood and tears, a road that eventually leads southwest to Dallas, Texas, the home Eve fled long ago. And each new twist brings her closer to the harrowing memory of when she wasn’t a hardened detective but a vulnerable girl just like McQueen’s innocent prey. As her husband, Roarke, tries to rescue her from the nightmares that claw at her mind, and her partner, Peabody, doggedly works to support her, Eve must confront - and call upon - the darkest parts of her own soul in order to survive.

My Thoughts: NEW YORK TO DALLAS is the 33rd book in the In Death series and is one of the most emotionally intense episodes. 

The story begins with a case that she worked when she was a rookie. Isaac McQueen was a violent pedophile who has imprisoned more than twenty young girls in his apartment. Eve stumbles onto the situation when she is knocking on doors looking for witnesses to a mugging which resulted in death. McQueen was convicted of a number of crimes and sentenced to Rikers Island. The situation caused Eve to open the door a little bit to her past which she thought she had successfully buried.

At least ten years have passed, Eve has become a decorated Homicide Lieutenant, fallen in love, married Roarke, and uncovered more of the past she had buried. But now McQueen has escaped from prison leaving a dead guard behind and wants a rematch with Eve.

He moves his crimes to Dallas where he abducts one of his previous victims. Eve has to leave her comfortable setting and return to Dallas. Dallas holds only horrible memories for her. It was in Dallas that she killed her abusive father while he was raping her. She was nine. Found wandering and without any memory of her past, she was placed in the foster care system and name Eve Dallas by a social worker. 

Returning to Dallas triggers the nightmares that she thought she had conquered and flashbacks to a time when she was abused and raped by her father. But this time she's not alone. Not only is Roarke there with her to help and support her, but Dr. Mira has come too. Mira has gradually grown through the books to be almost a mother-figure to Eve. This is essential in this case because McQueen has a partner who just happens who has ties to Eve. 

And, besides Eve, McQueen is hunting for a new "bad girl" - a young, innocent thirteen-year-old girl. 

This was an excellent story. The relationship between Eve and Roarke is one of the best romantic pairings that I have ever read. 

I bought this one on sale from Audible December 1, 2023. I bought the hardcover August 15, 2011. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Dead of Summer by Jessa Maxwell

Dead of Summer

Author:
Jessa Maxwell
Publication: Atria Books (July 22, 2025)

Description: Years after her best friend mysteriously disappeared from a remote New England island, a young woman returns in search of answers in this atmospheric and scintillating thriller from Jessa Maxwell, nationally bestselling author of the “deliciously entertaining” (Sarah Penner, New York Times bestselling author) The Golden Spoon.

Orla O’Connor hasn’t been to the isolated New England enclave of Hadley Island since she graduated from high school a decade ago. As a teenager, her best friend Alice disappeared from its shores without a trace—but with plenty of rumors.

Now, Orla returns to her family’s beachfront home to clean it out before her parents sell it. The island and her best friend’s house next door, abandoned after her family left in grief, are stirring up memories she would like to avoid. Then there are the locals, always gossiping and watching Orla’s every move. Worst of all, David, Orla’s childhood crush and son of a wealthy Manhattan family, is back for the summer with his new, impossibly pretty girlfriend, Faith.

Faith suspects that David is going to propose but as soon as she settles into his family’s sprawling Hadley Island estate, she feels out of place. She anticipated a luxurious summer of fun and romance, but David is never around—lured into business conversations with his entrepreneur father from dawn to dusk. With nothing else to do, Faith begins to investigate the island’s dark past, curious about what really happened to Alice all those years ago.

Meanwhile, local Henry hasn’t left his house since the young girl went missing, in an attempt to let the accusations against him die down. Except they never have. For years, Henry has had an endless supply of time to pursue his only hobby, watching the island from his telescope and recording the activities of its inhabitants. But Orla’s return has shaken him and lately he’s been seeing strange things: shadowy figures walking on the beach in the middle of the night and a light on in the upstairs window of the long-abandoned house of the missing girl.

When there’s another disappearance on the island, all three find themselves pulled into an eerie and twisty mystery that will haunt them for the rest of their lives.

My Thoughts: DEAD OF SUMMER takes place on Hadley Island. It is a playground for the rich with all sorts of buried secrets.

Faith comes to the island as the girlfriend of David Clarke who is the son of billionaire Geoffrey Clarke. She's expecting to soon become his fiancée but finds his behavior on the island troubling. All of a sudden, he seems to have no time for her and is constant meetings with his father. 

Orla comes back to the island where she grew up to prepare her parents' home for sale. She fled after high school and had an excellent career as an artist in New York City until her last show failed spectacularly. She's home living on Xanax and trying not to be overwhelmed with the memories of her lost best friend. 

Henry has never left the island. He and his wife became recluses after being accused of the murder of Orla's best friend Alice. Now he spends his days with his telescope watching the town and making notes in his logbooks. 

Alice is the thread that ties all three characters together and is the mystery that needs to be solved. 

David, Alice and Orla were summer friends while they were children and teens. Alice and Orla had dreams of leaving the island for New York City, attending art school, and then becoming famous artists. But she disappears and is presumed drowned during the Clarke's famous 4th of July party. 

Years have passed but this year Geoffrey Clarke plans to renew the annual party and another young girl disappears. 

The story is woven between Orla, Faith and Henry's viewpoints and the secrets of the past and their own secrets are gradually revealed. It was an engaging story with interesting characters. 

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

Monday, July 14, 2025

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (July 14, 2025)

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

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

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

Other Than Reading...

This week was an excellent one despite the fact that we are under an Air Quality Alert with very hazardous air due to Canadian wildfires. The house is closed up and the central air is running despite temperatures that should allow for open doors and windows. Since I'm already coughing a lot, I don't need to mix in smoky air. 

My friend Bev visited this week from southern Minnesota. We had a great time catching up. We listened to a few audiobooks while she crafted, and I played computer games. We went out to Olive Garden one evening and I'm still working on the leftovers. She left with plans to come again sooner than the year it has been this time between visits.

I got lots of reading and listening done and reviews scheduled. I also bought a lot of books because the combination of BookBub deals, double Kindle rewards points, and Prime Day deals was too much for me to resist. I bought my first print book of the year when I got a cookbook written by a guy who recipes intrigued me when I saw him making them on Facebook Reels. It was a Prime deal this week. I also received an ARC of At Midnight Comes the Cry by Julia Spencer-Fleming from a Goodreads Giveaway. I was excited even though I already have the eARC of the title. 

Bev brought a book along that she was reading. It is the third in a series. I happened to have an audiobook of the first in the series, so we listened to it. Afterwards, I had to buy books two and three myself. The audiobooks are a bit pricier than I wanted to spend right now, but I may get them when I actually manage to find time to read the new books. 

This coming week should be quieter. The air quality is supposed to clear up in a few days. And the Baseball All-Star Break will mean that I have less baseball I care to watch leaving more time for reading. I do have a bunch of review books that I want to read this week. There are no audiobooks in the plans, but I will likely continue with the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series by Laurie R. King since I have all of them. 

Read Last Week
  • Give Me a Reason by Jayci Lee (Review, July 29) -- Contemporary Romance, Retelling of Persuasion with a primarily Korean cast. My review will be posted on July 23.
  • Road Trip with a Rogue by Kate Batemen (Review, July 29) -- Entertaining historical romance. My review will be posted on July 24.
  • Murder at Marble House by Alyssa Maxwell (Audiobook, Mine since July 26, 2021) -- Secomd book in the Gilded Newport historical mystery series. My review will be posted on July 29.
  • Who Let the Dog Out? by David Rosenfelt (Mine since September 14, 2023) -- Thirteenth book in the Andy Carpenter mystery series. My review will be posted on July 29.
  • Asylum Hotel by Juliet Blackwell (Review, July 29) -- Contemporary thriller. Spooky with a touch of humor. My review will be posted on July 26.
  • Before She Disappeared by Lisa Gardner (Audiobook, Mine since June 30, 2025) -- Contemporary mystery with engaging characters. My review will be posted on July 31.
  • For Duck's Sake by Donna Andrews (Review, August 5) -- The latest in the Meg Langslow humorous mystery series as Meg is preparing for the First Annual Mutt March. My review will be posted on August 2.
  • Hades by Candice Fox (Audiobook, Mine since August 12, 2021) -- Very dark thriller set in Sydney, Australia. My review will be posted on August 12.
  • The Locked Tomb Mystery by Elizabeth Peters (Mine since August 29, 2023) -- Four short stories introduced by other authors who indicate how they influenced them. My review will be posted on July 30.
DNF
  • The Art of a Lie by Laura Shepherd-Robinson (Review, August 5) -- I abandoned this one at the midpoint. I didn't care for any of the characters who were all, at best, morally ambiguous. I also couldn't figure out what genre it was since it was sort of a mystery and sort of a romance.
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