Blue Moon Mystery Saloon

Shooting Star

A Nikki Latrelle Mystery, Book 5, by Sasscer Hill, misterio press, July 2021

* An e-ARC was provided by the author for an honest review.

Shooting Star: A Nikki Latrelle Mystery, Book 5 by Sasscer Hill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

SHOOTING STAR is the fifth story in the NIKKI LATRELLE MYSTERY SERIES by Sasscer Hill. And what a fine addition it is. Nikki is in her element as a jockey extra in “The Final Furlong,” a movie in production at Santa Anita Park in California. As the story begins, Nikki witnesses a murder of a cameraman and soon after becomes the female lead when the woman playing that part is critically injured while shooting a race scene.

With murders and injuries plaguing the production, Nikki is wary of everyone, except for Will Marshall, a former jockey and one-time love. He is also her boss, as she is now a subcontractor for the Thoroughbred Racing Protection Bureau (TRPB). He asks her to remain on the production to give him information and help catch the perpetrators, and he’s angry when Nikki starts lying to him. She does so to protect him, and while her feelings grow for her hot young co-star, Jamie, she tries not to think of her unresolved feelings about Will. No matter what happens in her love life, Nikki’s determined to solve the pieces of the puzzle that will eventually lead her to the murderer.

PROS:
- Characters are so well-written, one could imagine them walking right off the page. My particular favorite is Jamie, the suave male lead in the movie, and how he totally transforms into his on-screen persona, Dillon, a total jerk.
- Smells, sights, and textures draw the reader into the scene, almost as if you’re there.
- One of the things I like about the author’s books is the absence of grammatical errors —things that usually bring me out of the story.
- The story gives the reader a glimpse of how a movie and the sets are made.
- The book has good pacing and is action packed.

CONS:
None.

SUMMARY:
SHOOTING STAR is a fast-paced mystery with lots of action and well-written characters. It’s a great addition to the NIKKI LATRELLE MYSTERY SERIES and is a must read for horse racing fans and readers who like character-driven stories.

IF YOU LIKE THIS, YOU MIGHT LIKE:
Other NIKKI LATRELLE MYSTERIES, FIA MCKEE MYSTERIES, and TRAVELS OF QUINN by Sasscer Hill, DICK FRANCIS NOVELS by Dick Francis, THE DIMITY HORSE MYSTERIES by Leanne Owens, THE SCAR RULE by Heidi Vanderbilt, LARK DAVIS MYSTERIES by Annabelle Hunter


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The Well of Ice

By Andrea Carter, Book 3, Inishowen Mystery Series, Oceanview Publishing, November 2020

*An ARC was provided for an honest review by Oceanview Publishing and Edelweiss Plus. 

 

The Well of Ice by Andrea Carter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

THE WELL OF ICE by Andrea Carter is the third in the interesting and well-written Inishowen Mystery series. The story takes place in County Donegal, Ireland on the Inishowen Peninsula and stars local solicitor, Benedicta “Ben” O'Keeffe.

It's a few days before Christmas, and Ben's sometime lover, local sergeant Tom Molloy, tells her that the man who killed her sister has been released from jail. He goes on to assure her that the killer, Luke Kirby, is unlikely to bother her as he's now living in the UK. But on a quick trip to Dublin to handle some business and see her parents, she runs into Kirby, who says something that frightens her. The day after returning home, she drives into the slightly bigger town of Glendara to tell Molloy about her run in with her sister's murderer, but she never makes it further than the outskirts of town due to a road closure. Ben walks toward the crowd of town residents spilling over the town green and sees that everyone's watching firefighters at the burning shell of a popular bar. She finds out that the fire was set and starts to wonder if Kirby is connected and in the Inishowen area after all. Thus begins Ben's quest to find the pub arsonist and help solve the murder of one of the bar's wait staff.

THEMES: Facing your past, falling for the wrong person, retribution for a murder, moving on after a loved one has died, believing in yourself

PROS: Setting well laid out and becoming like a character in the story, interesting side characters, fast-paced with good dialogue, character growth throughout, surprising twists, serious issues sprinkled throughout with believable resolution

CONS: None

THE WELL OF ICE is the third book in the Inishowen Mysteries series by Andrea Carter. The story flows seamlessly from one scene to the next, the plot is well thought out, and the side stories are neatly woven to a satisfying ending. If you like your books character-driven with a twist of amateur sleuthing and a hint of Christmas, then you'll definitely want to spend some time with THE WELL OF ICE .

If You Like This, You May Like: DEATH AT WHITEWATER CHURCH and TREACHEROUS STRAND by Andrea Carter, MAX TUDOR NOVELS by G.M. Malliet, THE BANBURY CROSS MURDER SERIES by Ben Westerham, THE CHARLES LENOX MYSTERIES by Charles Finch, RUTH GALLOWAY MYSTERIES by Elly Griffiths, VERA STANHOPE NOVELS , SHETLAND ISLAND MYSTERIES , and THE TWO RIVERS SERIES by Ann Cleeves, KATE SHACKLETON MYSTERIES by Frances Brody

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Credible Threat

Ali Reynolds Series, Book 15, by J.A. Jance, Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster, June 2020

* An e-galley was provided for an honest review by Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster through Edelweiss.

 

Credible Threat by J.A. Jance
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

CREDIBLE THREAT by J.A. Jance is the 15th book in the Ali Reynolds Series. The mystery is well written, with fast pacing, strong backstories, and compelling characters. It's told in third person, past tense, and in several points of view.

Rachel Higgins learns her son's drug addition and subsequent death years before from an overdose may be the direct result of being sexually preyed upon by a trusted priest while in high school. She and her husband have basically become strangers in their own home. She has no friends, no home life, and nothing to do but wallow in her pain. Through her grief, she transfers her need for revenge to the highest Catholic Church priest in her community, Archbishop Francis Gillespie.

Archbishop Gillespie, the 86-year-old head of the Phoenix Archdiocese, has made it a mission to get rid of pedophile priests in his archdiocese. He's trying to come to terms with his mortality, especially after recovering from a two-month illness. He gets tired too easily, is dismayed to use a walker to get around and is slowly getting back into his everyday responsibilities, when he starts receiving threats left in the collection boxes at various local Catholic churches. After a few weeks, he starts to take them seriously and contacts security experts Ali Reynolds and her husband B. Simpson for help.

Ali Reynolds is also struggling with grief. She's found it hard to come out of a deep depression from a friend's death months earlier. She snaps at everyone and has to take on finding Gillespie's possible murderer by herself, since B. is out of the country on another case. The police don't take the threats seriously, so it's up to Ali to follow the tiniest of clues to identify the potential murderer by herself.

The story contains some great scenes full of action and includes lots of interesting mystery-related tidbits. Rachel is really cunning in how she plans the murder so to not get caught. But like all criminals who think they've committed the perfect crime, Rachel makes a couple of little mistakes that result in her identification and eventual downfall.

I was ready to give this book five stars until I got near the end. The ever increasing buildup of tension didn't match the placid ending. It's like rushing to get all your exams and papers finished before the end of a school year, then – POOF! It's over. So I deducted one star to make my rating a full four stars.

All in all, CREDIBLE THREAT is a well-written, fast-paced story, with strong characters and good story arcs, and I recommend to all mystery lovers. This is the first book I've read by this author, and I'm sorry I waited so long to get into this series. Now I intend to go back and start at the beginning.

If You Like This, You Might Like: Books 1-14 of the ALI REYNOLDS SERIES and J.P. BEAUMONT NOVELS by J.A. Jance, EVE DUNCANS SERIES by Iris Johansen, LUCY KINCAID NOVELS by Allison Brennan, FBI THRILLER SERIES and A BRIT IN THE FBI SERIES by Catherine Coulter, V.I. WARSHAWSKI BOOKS by Sara Paretsky, TRACER SERIES, BORDERLINE MYSTERIES, and GLASS SISTERS SERIES by Laura Griffin


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The Eyewitness

A D'Azzo Family mystery, Book One, Crimson Romance, March 2017.

* An e-galley was provided by Adams Media/Crimson Romance for an honest review.

  

The Eyewitness by Nancy C. Weeks
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

THE EYEWITNESS is a great start to the new D'Azzo Family suspense series by Nancy C. Weeks. The author skillfully introduces all the main characters one at a time, showing how they contribute to the story, and creates energized scenes vivid enough for the reader to feel a part of the action.

The two main characters in this book are Emersyn D'Azzo, the youngest child of Grace and Joe D'Azzo, and Detective Alec Pearce, Joe's capable and trusted partner. She is a newly graduated forensic scientist, who has a long-standing love/hate relationship with the serious detective. When the story begins, Emersyn is celebrating her graduation with her family and ends up arguing with her father, while Maryland police are trying to identify a sniper who's been randomly shooting people around Maryland. Joe and Alec are part of a statewide law enforcement task force to solve the murders, and it appears Joe has been targeted by the sniper.

Pros: 1. The story is fast paced, action packed and well written. 2. All the more significant characters are well-developed, with their own unique flaws and strengths. 3. Vivid scenes transport the reader into the story. 4. The dialogue and interactions are interesting and realistic. 5. Having lived in Maryland when snipers were terrorizing DC and its neighboring counties in Maryland and Virginia several years ago, I remember the fear of not knowing where the sniper would strike next. That fear is accurately reflected in this story.

Cons: 1. The only sex scene in the story was written well, but I felt it was a little too long at that point in the story. 2. Part of the mystery isn't totally solved in this book but is provided as the link to the next story in the series. Since this is not unusual to a series, and since neither of these negatives take away from the book's overall storyline, they only drop the rating to 4.5 stars.

Overall: THE EYEWITNESS is a smart, fast-paced, and well-written mystery that should appeal to suspense and mystery fans everywhere.

If You Like This, You May Like: SHADOW SERIES by Nancy C. Weeks, TRACERS SERIES by Laura Griffin, MORGANS OF NASHVILLE and TEXAS RANGERS series by Mary Burton, FBI THRILLER BOOKS by Catherine Coulter, LUCY KINCAID NOVELS by Allison Brennan, DARKNESS by Karen Robards, BRIT IN THE FBI THRILLERS by Catherine Coulter and J.T. Ellison, DECKER/LAZARUS NOVELS by Faye Kellerman, BUCHANAN/FBI SERIES by Julie Garwood

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At Close Range

A Tracers Novel (Book 11) by Laura Griffin, Pocket Books/Simon & Schuster, January 2017.

An e-galley was provided by Pocket Books/Simon & Schuster and Edelweiss for an honest review.

 

At Close Range by Laura Griffin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

AT CLOSE RANGE is the eleventh book in the TRACER SERIES by Laura Griffin. A fitting sequel to the previous book in the series, its action-packed suspense is guaranteed to pull you into the story and keep you riveted to the very end. The characters are multidimensional and relatable, and the plot and its parts are believable. Both main characters learn a lot about themselves and each other as they track down and follow clues they hope will lead them to the actual murderer(s).

San Marcos PD Detective Danielle “Dani” Harper is the reluctant lead on a two-person homicide case. It's complicated and definitely political. The District Attorney is up for reelection and needs these murders to be solved as soon as possible, so Dani has a lot of pressure to succeed. She barely survives on gallons of coffee and little sleep as she strives to come up with a motive and a list of suspects. She fears she's not ready to lead a case, especially one where persons of interest begin to die, and she questions if she can solve the murders quickly.

Former Navy Seal Scott Black, a ballistic expert, is the chief firearms examiner for the Delphi Center, the nation's largest private forensics lab. He's also the best friend of one of Dani's older brothers and has known Dani for more than 15 years. Scott is called into the homicide case to find and process any bullets and shells found at the crime scene. He becomes the lead suspect when a 9 mm Glock is discovered fairly close to the murder site, with only his fingerprints found on the gun. Though he's never owned or borrowed a Glock, he doesn't have an air-tight alibi and can't prove he wasn't the killer. He's put on administrative leave and starts investigating the homicide case to find the real murderer(s). Dani's always had a thing for Scott and doesn't want to believe he killed the two victims. So she goes against police department policy and her own ethics to work with him.

Griffin knows how to write heightened tension and heart-pounding action scenes. The prose is never boring or repetitive, and explanation of technical information is well-written and easy to understand. This fast-paced story includes lots of twists and turns, too. So if you're looking for an exciting mystery filled with strong characters and an interesting storyline, the AT CLOSE RANGE is the perfect book for you.

If You Like This, You May Like: Other books in the TRACER SERIES by Laura Griffin, CINCINNATI SERIES by Karen Rose, LUCY KINCAID NOVELS by Allison Brennan, MERCY KILPATRICK SERIES by Kendra Elliot, BOSS, INC. by Kat Martin, BODY ARMOR NOVELS by Lori Foster

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Her Every Fear

A Novel by Peter Swanson, William Morrow, January 2017

* An e-galley was provided by William Morrow and Edelweiss for an honest review.

 

Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

HER EVERY FEAR by Peter Swanson is a riveting and suspenseful mystery which may make you suspicious of everyone you meet. Set in both Boston and London, it weaves the lives of the main characters into a web of anxiety, fear and distrust. The story takes place over a few days and starts out in Kate Priddy's point of view (POV), adding other characters' POVs as it goes along.

Kate has just arrived in Boston to spend six months experiencing life in a new place and taking design classes. She's agreed to a house switch with her second cousin, Corbin Dell, who she's never met, as he's been transferred to London for the six months. Kate has been anxiety ridden since she was a little girl but now has PTSD from a horrific attack by her ex-boyfriend five years ago. As she walks down the hallway toward her cousin's condo door, she encounters a girl who pounds on a neighbor's door. That girl believes something bad has happened to her friend. Later on, Kate finds out that the neighbor, Audrey Marshall, was killed. Then strange things start happening to Kate in her cousin's condo--slight changes to things around her, cat left inside when she knows she let it out into the hallway--enough to where she questions her sanity. This makes the reader wonder if Kate is an unreliable narrator or if something odd is really going on.

Corbin Dell first visited London as a student. Though he was a bit of a loner, he began dating a bartender at a local pub. He didn't really gel with the other American students but partied with them on occasion. He left town when his studies ended, with a big secret and a regret that follows him daily. Corbin arrives in London to work his six months at about the same time that Kate arrives in Boston. He emails her to thank her for the switch in homes and the detailed info she left him about the neighborhood. He also sends an email to Audrey, even though he knows she won't answer him.

Alan Cherney has lived in the condo building for about a year. He moved in with his heiress girlfriend, but since she's left him, he has to move out again within the month. He has been obsessed with Audrey for a long while, almost to the point of being a stalker.

Henry Wood was the life of the party in London. Every person he met was a friend, and the other American students tended to gravitate toward him. Corbin saw him around school, but didn't really interact with Henry until near the end of their studies in London. Though they parted under unusual circumstances, they renewed their acquaintance back in the USA and became bosom buddies. Eventually they parted ways and Corbin moved on with his life. But he still remembers Henry, and apparently, Henry has never forgotten Corbin.

All the characters have strengths and weaknesses, and no two are alike. By using the various POVs, the author reveals a bit of each character's personality and the reason behind their current actions. I'm giving the book 4.5 stars because with every new POV, I had to figure out where it began in the timeline of Kate's experiences. The pace of the novel would've benefitted from giving the time, day and city at the beginning of each change in POV.

Even though I felt that the killer was inferred before the final traumatic scene, the interplay between the characters and the intensity of the plot kept me captivated throughout the story. The author is a master in writing suspense and creating tense scenes, and readers will be engrossed in this novel to the very end.

If You Liked This, You May Also Like: THE KIND WORTH KILLING and THE GIRL WITH A CLOCK FOR A HEART by Peter Swanson, EVERYTHING YOU WANT ME TO BE by Windy Mejia, I SEE YOU by Clare Mackintosh, THE DRY by Jane Harper, THE SLEEPWALKER by Chris Bohjalian View all my reviews

The Bullet

A Novel by Mary Louise Kelly, Gallery Books, March 2015. 

* An e-galley was provided by Gallery Books and Edelweiss for an honest review.

The Bullet by Mary Louise Kelly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In THE BULLET, by Mary Louise Kelly, a 37-year-old Georgetown University professor has an MRI to discover why she has tingling and sharp pain in her wrist and finds out she has a bullet lodged in her neck. The problem is she doesn't remember how or when she received such an injury. There are no scars, no evidence that she'd ever been wounded. Thus begins Caroline Cashion's search for the truth about her life, who she is, and how she came to have a bullet in her body.

That night she finds out from her family that she was adopted after her real parents were brutally murdered thirty-four years ago. She was shot in the attack, but the bullet was too close to important nerves and blood vessels, so the doctors decided to leave it in her body. Caroline travels to Atlanta, her original hometown, to try and find out what happened to her and her parents. She contacts a policeman who worked on the case and finds that the murderer still hasn't been identified.

Though the main characters are fairly well developed, I didn't feel a lot of empathy for any of them. My perfect book is when I, as the reader, am transported into the story. Not only do I feel I'm part of the action, I know the characters inside and out. This didn't happen in THE BULLET. From the beginning, Caroline is telling you her story. Like you're a therapist and she's sharing her reason for needing your help. You don't feel particularly involved in the turn of events, but you still listen, as she's an compelling narrator with a fascinating story to tell.

The story, told in first person, past tense, is full of interesting twists and turns that keep the reader riveted to the action. But as Caroline gets closer to the finish, the narrative bogs down a bit. Don't get me wrong. It's still an enjoyable story. And it has a good ending. So keep reading!

If you like suspense stories with an unusual premise and filled with surprises, THE BULLET is a perfect novel for you. It's engrossing and gripping and is a wonderful book to read on a rainy day or while relaxing on vacation.

If You Like This, You Might Like : TRACERS SERIES by Laura Griffin, FORGOTTEN FILES and THE MORGANS OF NASHVILLE series by Mary Burton, MAX REVERE NOVELS by Allison Brennan, ALL THE MISSING GIRLS by Megan Miranda, GOOD AS GONE by Amy Gentry, WITH MALICE by Eileen Cook


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Life Before

A Young Adult Suspense by Michele Bacon, Sky Pony Press, June 2016.

Life Before by Michele Bacon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

* An e-ARC was provided by Sky Pony Press and Edelweiss for an honest review.

LIFE BEFORE is a young adult suspense by Michele Bacon. The serious issues of physical and emotional abuse, homelessness, murder, and being forced to run for your life are just some of the topics touched upon in this book.

Xander Fife has been living with his mom, Helen, since her divorce from his abusive dad, Gary. Xander tries to live his life as a normal kid with a normal family. But he has secrets that he can't reveal, even to his best friend Jill.

One day Xander and Jill are planning their Infinite Summer. The next, he's hiding from his murderous father. Xander ends up in Burlington VT, intending to stay off the grid (essentially disappear) until Gary is captured and thrown in jail. While in VT he meets some friendly and intriguing people who help him survive day to day, teach him to approach life with curiosity and wonder, and encourage him to live in the present instead of waiting until some future accomplishment to begin his life.

The characters in LIFE BEFORE are fully-developed with clear identities and motivations. The descriptions of places and things are so vibrant, one feels as if you're standing beside Xander as he stumbles through his days, constantly on the outlook for danger.

Xander's poignant story is both sad and beautiful. Sad for what he's had to suffer throughout his young life. Beautiful for his strength and growing confidence. Though the issues raised are serious, the story isn't depressing. It is, at times, funny and always full of friendship and hope. Xander comes to realize he has the ability to take care of himself and that he is far from alone, as he has wonderful friends who support him and who accept him for who he is.

LIFE BEFORE is perfect for readers of John Green, Jennifer Echols and Sarah Dessen and a quick read for vacation. There are a few kissing scenes and descriptions of feelings, but more involved sexual interactions are either off-scene or just implied.

If You Like This, You May Like: SAINT ANYTHING by Sarah Dessen, DIRTY LITTLE SECRET and GOING TOO FAR by Jennifer Echols, PAPER TOWNS by John Green, THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER by Jennifer L. Armentrout, HOW TO DISAPPEAR by Ann Redisch Stampler, A STUDY IN CHARLOTTE by Brittany Cavallaro, TELL ME THREE THINGS by Julie Buxbaum

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Deep Dark

A Tracers Novel (#10) by Laura Griffin, Pocket Books/Simon & Schuster, Inc., May 2016. * An e-galley was provided by Pocket Books/Simon & Schuster, Inc. and Edelweiss for an honest review. Deep Dark by Laura Griffin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

DEEP DARK is the first book I've read by Laura Griffin, and, WOW, it definitely won't be my last! This sophisticated page-turner pits a young computer forensics specialist and a seasoned Austin PD detective against a cyber criminal turned serial killer. The action is fast-paced, the plot intricate and the story believable and entertaining. I was sucked right into the suspense and couldn't stop reading until I reached the end.

The complex story involves the search for a cyber villain who latches onto the web info of young women and targets them for murder. Nothing links him to the crimes, and the police are baffled in solving the murders. A cat and mouse interplay between the murderer and the Austin PD ensues, and at times is hindered by police politics.

The main characters, Laney Knox, a 24-year-old, brilliant cybercrime expert at the Delphi Center, and Reed Novak, a 39-year-old, too serious Austin police detective, are both flawed and lonely. Constant work demands and long, inconsistent hours prevent either of them from developing any serious relationships. Although their chemistry is off the charts, they are, at first, hesitant to act on it. Since Laney was attacked in her home three years ago, she is constantly on guard and has trouble feeling safe anywhere. Trusting in anyone other than herself is a huge step for her. Reed's skeptical glare and wary personality make people uncomfortable and prevents anyone getting too close. He thinks Laney is beautiful, quirky and too young for him. She thinks Reed is good-looking, rigid and too by-the-book, and she likes to make him uncomfortable. Despite their differences, they need each other to find the serial killer who cyber-stalks his prey and brutally murders them in their homes.

You can't go wrong with DEEP DARK. The story is smart, intriguing and filled with interesting and well-developed primary and secondary characters. If you like suspense that keeps you guessing and a romance that's not a cliche, then you definitely don't want to miss DEEP DARK .

If You Like This Book, You May Like: Other books in the TRACERS SERIES by Laura Griffin, MORGANS OF NASHVILLE and TEXAS RANGERS series by Mary Burton, FBI THRILLER BOOKS by Catherine Coulter, LUCY KINCAID NOVELS by Allison Brennan, DARKNESS by Karen Robards

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Ghost Image

A Sophie Medina Mystery (Book 2) by Ellen Crosby, Simon & Schuster, April 2015.

* An ARC was provided by Simon & Schuster and Edelweiss for an honest review.

GHOST IMAGE, by Ellen Crosby, the intriguing and suspenseful second novel in the Sophie Medina Mystery Series, begins in Washington DC and spans the Atlantic Ocean into London and the English countryside. Trying to solve the death of a friend, Franciscan friar and controversial environmentalist Kevin Boyle, leads freelance photographer, Sophie Medina, into a 200-year-old mystery involving a priceless 17^th century encyclopedia of plants. Not only is she trying to locate the rare, original botanical book as quickly as possible, but she needs to identify her friend's murderer before she becomes the next victim.

Important characters are introduced at the start of the story as party attendees at the Austrian ambassador's posh Kalorama neighborhood residence in DC. What could have been a very confusing lead in to the characters and their high political and royal status is handled very smoothly by the author. The main characters are given unique traits and personalities to help the reader identify them throughout the book, and there are plenty of suspects who have plausible motivations for killing Brother Kevin. With the plant of good clues and red herrings, the identity of the murderer is masked until the end of the story.

The author's use of a rare plant encyclopedia as a link to the suspects and sites in GHOST IMAGE is fairly unique, and the hunt for this treasure provides the catalyst for action and suspense in the story. It's a satisfying book for the mystery enthusiast and, as a bonus, lets the reader in on life rarely seen behind the photo ops and human interest stories arranged by politicians and royalty for positive press.

Crosby knows what it's like to be a journalist in media bureaus throughout the world and interjects that knowledge and enthusiasm into Sophie's investigation in Washington, DC and England. One of my favorite things about this story are the parts set in Washington, DC. The author knows the places that she uses in her books and gives the reader an insider's view of life in and around DC. She offers glimpses of life in the halls of Congress and behind the scenes at both the Smithsonian and the Library of Congress and shares information about interesting sights and overlooked gardens in DC.

I've lived in this region for a fairly long time, but I've never seen the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America, which offers various tours and has a wealth of information on its website. And though I've walked the Mall between the Smithsonian buildings umpteen times, I've never paid attention to the small sensory garden alongside the second oldest museum building. Now I want to visit the little known places mentioned in this book.

I recommend this five-star mystery for those who like a good whodunit and for readers who prefer a side of history and political intrigue in their books. GHOST IMAGE would be a great book for a beach vacation or even a rainy weekend, and it's suitable for most ages.

 If You Like This, You May Also Like --- WINE COUNTRY MYSTERIES by Ellen Crosby, WHITE HOUSE CHEF MYSTERIES by Julie Hyzy, FBI THRILLER SERIES by Catherine Coulter, A BRIT IN THE FBI MYSTERIES by Catherine Coulter and JT Ellison

One Step Too Far

A Novel by Tina Seskis, HarperCollins, January 2015.

* An e-copy was provided by HarperCollins via Edelweiss for an honest review.

ONE STEP TOO FAR, by Tina Seskis, is a psychological mystery that certainly has a lot of twists and turns. Part of the story is set in the 1980s and starts with a woman expecting one child that she's not sure she wants, then during the birth, she is distressed to find she's having twins. As the children grow, the family falls apart. The mother favors the first twin, Emily, and practically ignores the second, Caroline. Of course, Caroline picks up on this disparity and becomes manipulative and mean. She is jealous of Emily and causes trouble whenever she can.

In the present, the main story surrounds Emily's life. One day she leaves her husband and home, changes her name to Cat, moves in a group house and begins work at a hip advertising agency in London. One of her housemates is Angel, and the two of them quickly bond and become inseparable. As Cat, she tries to erase all traces of her old life so no one can find her. But no matter what she does or where she goes, she can't get rid of her memories and the truth of what happened in her past.

The psychological aspect of the story seemed plausible, and the ending was somewhat satisfying.  However, I found the story structure confusing and disjointed. The book has several points of view and skips from present, to past, to future, back to present and so on. Plus, Emily/Cat's narrative is in first person, present tense, while all the other point of views are in third person, past tense. A few times I began a new chapter and had to read several paragraphs before I could tell in whose point of view I was reading.

Also, the cover of the book was too washed out and seemed boring to me. If I'd seen it on a store's bookshelf, I would have ignored it. I know the author rarely has a say in the cover design, and frequently the cover artist only gets to read a blurb for the story before preparing a cover. But this particular cover just didn't work for me.

All in all, the book's premise was interesting and the characters were far from flat. But the story lacked a good overall structure and was, at times, confusing. Because of this, I gave it 3.5 stars.

And fair warning—the story is very depressing.

If You Like This, You May Also Like: THE PERFECT MOTHER by Nina Darnton, THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN by Paula Hawkins, THE MAGICIAN'S LIE by Greer Macallister, VANESSA AND HER SISTER by Priya Parmar

CIty of Mirrors

A Diana Poole Thriller by Melodie Johnson Howe, Pegasus Crime, August 2013.

* A copy was provided by the author for an honest review.

CITY OF MIRRORS, by Melodie Johnson Howe, is a fast-moving, entertaining mystery set in the semi-glamorous world of Hollywood, where who you know and what you know are sometimes more important than talent. The star of this story is 40-year-old Diana Poole, daughter of the recently deceased mega-star Nora Poole and widow of the Oscar-winning screenwriter Colin Hudson. Diana gave up a promising movie career when she married, and eight years later, after the death of her husband, she's back on a movie set in what she hopes will be a boost to her reemergence on the big screen. In the film she plays the mother to starlet Jenny Parson's character. Unfortunately production is frequently delayed because Jenny can't seem to remember her lines. But Diana's big movie break is all but forgotten when the starlet is found dead.

Diana is a strong, resilient and independent protagonist, who discovers that everyone plays a part, even behind the scenes. As more friends' and family secrets come to light in the story, Diana grows as a person. She comes to realize that not everything is as it seems, and that people she considered close friends, she never really knew at all.

Howe infuses realism in all her characters. The love interest is a security consultant who seems to be working for several competing players. The alcoholic next-door neighbor who passes out in the bushes along the side of his house may or may not have been involved with the murdered starlet. The producer of the interrupted movie has a wife and mistress who are longtime friends of the protagonist. And then there's the unscrupulous father of the dead girl.

CITY OF MIRRORS suggests that the glamour and glitz we see surrounding Hollywood movie makers sometimes hides lives full of shame, disappointment and deceit. This is what moves the story and may interest the reader. And Howe, as a former actor in film and TV, knows the world of which she writes.

So if you're looking for a glimpse of how things are done behind the scenes in Tinseltown, this book may be a good selection. If you're looking for a fast-moving, well-planned mystery, you'll definitely want to get this story. It's the perfect book for your vacation, rainy day or a day at the beach.

If You Like This, You May Also Like: PIPER DONOVAN MYSTERIES by Mary Jane Clark, BILLY BLESSING MYSTERIES by Al Roker, MURDER AT THE ACADEMY AWARDS by Joan Rivers (with Jerrilyn Farmer), HOLLYWOOD HEADLINES MYSTERIES by Gemma Halliday

That Old Black Magic

A Piper Donovan Mystery by Mary Jane Clark, William Morrow, January 2014.

* An ARC was provided by Harper Collins/William Morrow and Edelweiss for an honest review. 

Mary Jane Clark's THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC is set around St. Patrick's Day in New Orleans. Wedding cake baker Piper Donovan wins a contest to apprentice with the renowned Bertrand Olivier, a philandering baker with an amazing creative flair. She's starstruck and vows to learn as much as she can from the baker while she's there.  Most of the action takes place on Royal Street in the French Quarter, where during her short stay Piper meets colorful local residents and shopkeepers pivotal to the story. Just after Piper arrives, murders start occurring within the same block as the bakery. A talk radio DJ trying to get higher ratings coins the murderer as the Hoodoo Killer. As usual, Piper winds up in the center of the murder investigation.

The story picks up about one month after the previous book in Clark's series, FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND, and a large plot point revolves around Piper's misadventure from that mystery and her resulting symptoms of possible PTSD. It's not necessary to read the previous book to understand why Piper reacts the way she does, as it's explained in this story. But while in New Orleans, Piper plays a small but significant role in a movie being shot in town in which her PTSD symptoms are amplified.

I don't prefer the author's method of making each scene a separate chapter, as sometimes it's hard to keep up with so many different points of view. However, this is Clark's writing style and probably what her fans expect from her stories.

I give this book four stars because of the complexity of the mystery and how Clark captures the vivacity of New Orleans, almost to the point of making the city a main character in the book. Red herrings abound, and most of the primary characters have motive and opportunity to be the killer. Clark's books aren't too light or dark and are enjoyable stories with just the right balance of action and dialogue, making them perfect to read over a weekend or at the beach.

If You Like This, You May Also Like:  Other PIPER DONOVAN MYSTERIES by Mary Jane Clark, DADDY'S GONE A HUNTING and I'VE GOT YOU UNDER MY SKIN (Apr '14) by Mary Higgins Clark, REGAN REILLY MYSTERIES by Carol Higgins Clark, KINSEY MILLHONE MYSTERIES by Sue Grafton

Cut to the Bone

A Body Farm Mystery by Jefferson Bass, William Morrow, September 2013.

*An ARC was provided by Harper Collins/William Morrow and Edelweiss for an honest review.

CUT TO THE BONE  is a suspenseful, entertaining prequel to the successful BODY FARM MYSTERY SERIES written by Dr. Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson. Bass is the real-life forensic anthropologist, Anthropology Department chairman, and Body Farm director upon whom the book's protagonist, Dr. Bill Brockton, is based. CUT TO THE BONE tells a fictional story of the vision and development of the real Body Farm at the University of Tennessee (UT) and parallels a suspenseful serial murder mystery. Though the story is told in several points of views, chapter and segment headings make the story easy to follow and assists in building suspense.

The mystery involves a serial murderer to whom the reader is introduced early in the story. Reading in the killer's point of view gives the reader insight into why he kills, how he picks his murder weapons, and who he chooses as his victims, and the FBI profiler characters help Brockton understand what kind of killer he's facing.

If learning a little about forensic anthropology is a draw, loads of body identification techniques and scene forensics are explained in the story. Brockton describes to local authorities how studying a body's bones can uncover the skeleton's gender, age and possible trauma suffered before death and what to look for in time-of-death and post-death trauma. The story also describes the specific and sometimes boring research needed to build a strong, fact-based database which can be accessed by medical and law officials to help solve crimes.

Humor, a common emotional release for forensic anthropologists and anyone else mired in the business of death, is scattered throughout the book. The bantering and conversations between Brockton and his grad assistant are totally believable, and several of their interactions with local rural county officials are funny and pretty authentic. I particularly enjoy Brockton's phone calls with his new, already beleaguered secretary and with the chatty dispatcher at the Morgan County sheriff's office.

I also like that the settings' details pull the reader right into the scenes and that the authors made sure to include other senses (touch, sound, smell and taste) to enhance the visual descriptions. I have a slight advantage in imagining where the story takes place, as I grew up in Knoxville. I also spent a lot of time in the Anthropology Department as an undergrad and for a short time as a grad student during Bass's tenure as department chair. I remember the room layout in Neyland Stadium and the unpleasant odors that bombarded me when opening the door to the department's hallway. But CUT TO THE BONE 's detailed descriptions also bring up memories of good times in the labs and classrooms there.

All in all, I would recommend CUT TO THE BONE to anyone who enjoys suspenseful murder mysteries, forensic science, anthropology and archaeology, or just good, entertaining storytelling. The book is fine as a stand-alone, but if this is your first time reading a Body Farm Mystery, then CUT TO THE BONE is definitely a good place to start if you want to continue this interesting series. Just make sure to take a big chunk of time to read. If you're like me, you'll want to read this story at one sitting.

If You Like This, You May Also Like ---   Other BODY FARM MYSTERIES by Jefferson Bass,  DEATH'S ACRE and BEYOND THE BODY FARM (both nonfiction, related to the real Body Farm) by Dr. Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson, TEMPERANCE BRENNAN MYSTERIES by Kathy Reichs, SCARPETTA MYSTERIES by Patricia Cornwell, DIANE FALLON FORENSIC MYSTERIES by Beverly Connor

The Clockwork Scarab

A Stoker and Holmes Novel  (Book One) by Colleen Gleason, Chronicle Books, September 2013

*  An ARC was provided by Chronicle Books and Edelweiss for an honest review.

THE CLOCKWORK SCARAB: A STOKER AND HOLMES NOVEL by Colleen Gleason is a terrific start to a new and unique mystery series set in 1889 London. It's an amalgamation of several popular subgenres, including steampunk, time travel, romance and young adult mystery, and stars Evaline Stoker (Bram's half-sister) and Mina Holmes (Sherlock's niece and Mycroft's daughter) as courageous, self-reliant, 17-year-old sleuths under the tutelage of Irene Adler (Sherlock's admired female opponent).

Told in alternating points of views, the story follows Mina and Evaline as they use their unique skills to identify the person(s) responsible for kidnapping and murdering upper class teenage girls and dumping their bodies around London. The palm-sized mechanical scarabs found beside each body link the murders and are crucial to the investigation. These and other clues lead to a secret Egyptian society to which all the dead girls belonged.

As in all good mysteries, the two young sleuths face a number of obstacles to their investigation. The main one here, though, is the girls mistrust of each other. The ever observant and analytical Mina Holmes thinks Evaline is flighty, weak, not terribly bright, and uncooperative. The incredibly fast and strong Evaline Stoker believes Mina is a haughty know-it-all who is dull and has no sense of adventure. But as the story evolves and they save each other with their set of special skills, they grudgingly begin to admire one another as worthy partners.

Though Mina and Evaline are the main sleuths in the story, they have plenty of help in solving the murders. The girls are glad to have Irene Adler as their mentor and supervisor, but their other assistants aren't as welcomed. Mina has to share her quest with the maddening but intriguing Inspector Ambrose Grayling of Scotland Yard and the handsome time traveler Dylan Eckhart, while Evaline needs help from Pix, a young man of questionable character who knows more about the case than he lets on. The men are just a bit older than the girls and provide the light romantic elements in the story.

Steampunk is a large part of THE CLOCKWORK SCARAB . The variety of steam-powered mechanical devices, such as Night-Illuminators, Steam-Stream guns, and the Deluxe Tome-Selector, adds a bit of humor to the story, and a few are even used to help solve the murders.

Overall, THE CLOCKWORK SCARAB is an intriguing and well-plotted murder mystery that readers from 12 years of age and up will enjoy. If you like adventurous stories with unique characters and strong, confident heroines, then this book is for you. I only hate that I have to wait a whole year for the release of the next book in the series.

If You Like This, You Might Like – THE GARDELLA VAMPIRE CHRONICLES by Colleen Gleason, F.R.E.A.K. SQUAD INVESTIGATION MYSTERIES by Jennifer Harlow, THE STEAMPUNK CHRONICLES by Kady Cross, THE INFERNAL DEVICES SERIES and THE MORTAL INSTRUMENT SERIES by Cassandra Clare

Multiple Exposure

A Sophie Medina novel (Book One) by Ellen Crosby, Simon & Schuster/Scribner, August 2013.

* An ARC was provided by Simon & Schuster/Scribner  and Edelweiss for an honest review.

MULTIPLE EXPOSURE is a finely crafted suspense mystery set in London and Washington, DC. The story begins when photojournalist Sophia Medina returns from an out-of-town assignment to find her London home trashed. Blood is splattered all over the place and her CIA operative husband, Nick Canning, is missing. Three months pass, and after unsuccessful searches to find her husband, Sophie prepares to move back to the United States. But days before she leaves, US and UK intelligence reps in London question if she knows anything about Nick. They tell her he's been spotted in Moscow and suggest he may have faked his own kidnapping. One high-ranking British official even implies that Nick may be a murderer and selling important and secretive info to the highest bidder. Sophie refuses to believe that Nick would murder or become a traitor.

Once Sophie returns to DC, she gets a job with Focus Photography. Her first gig is a National Gallery of Art exhibit opening of Russian artifacts loaned to the US through Russian oil tycoon Artaky Vasiliev. It's during this event that Sophie becomes part of the mystery surrounding her husband, a possible oil discovery in Abadistan, oil tycoon Vasiliev, and the Russian mafia. Her curiosity and desire to see Nick vindicated then lead her to another mystery involving a US senator and a supporter of Abadistan independence.

Conflicts and tension abound in the story. Outward conflicts are fairly obvious: the ongoing search for Sophie's husband, crumbling relations between Abadistan and Russia, a Russian ambassador arguing with a US Senator, among many others. Sophie's internal conflicts are a little more subtle. She doesn't know who to trust, intelligence officials follow her every move, her safety is constantly threatened, and she argues with her boss, family and friends. On page 146, Sophie's thinking about what she admires in her Jesuit priest friend, Jack, and his ability to "...do the right thing, to be true to your values, to act with integrity and compassion for others." She struggles with these ideals throughout the story, trying to do the right thing with highly skeptical information and personal threats thrown at her and bristling at what she needs to do to uncover the truth.

MULTIPLE EXPOSURE isn't just an exciting suspense novel, it's also a geography and history lesson of Washington, DC. Crosby shares interesting facts and backstories about many well-known and some obscure landmarks and sites around town. In fact, parts of the story occur in an almost hidden memorial on the Potomac River and in less traveled sections of Rock Creek Park. The reader also gets glimpses of what happens behind-the-scenes during museum exhibit openings and events at historic landmarks (i.e., Majorie Merriweather Post's home, Hillwood).

A few British words pop up (i.e., queue" for "line") in the story, but their use is natural for Sophie as she's just returned to the States after living in London for over a decade. Readers who do crossword puzzles may also discover some new Russian terms to help answer tricky clues.

I enjoyed MULTIPLE EXPOSURE and had a hard time putting the book down as I neared the end. Once I got through the backstory overload at the beginning and became familiar with Crosby's style of writing, I flew through the rest of the book. It's full of suspense and conflict, and it contains an interesting array of unique characters. I would highly recommend this book to all mystery fans and to readers who just like a good, solid, entertaining story.

PROTAGONIST/HEROINE: A 38-year-old photojournalist recently returned to N. Virginia

ACTION: Attempted murder, trashed home, arguments, car agression scene

ROMANCE: One sex scene but no details

QUIRKINESS: Sophie tooling around on her Vespa

INTERESTING TIDBITS: History of Library of Congress's design, a re-creation of the 3 Emperors Dinner of 1867, Meridian Hill Park's drum circle every Sunday at 3 pm

IF YOU LIKE THIS, YOU MAY LIKE: Wine Country Mysteries by Ellen Crosby, Max Tudor Novels by G.M. Malliet, Chief Inspector Gamache Mysteries by Louise Penny

White Trash Beautiful

White Trash Trilogy (Book One), by Teresa Mummert, Simon & Schuster/Gallery Books, July 2013

* An ARC was provided by Simon & Schuster/Gallery Books and Edelweiss for an honest review.

WHITE TRASH BEAUTIFUL is an amazing story of one young woman's struggle to break out of the constant drudgery and abuse hounding her so she can make a better life for herself. Day after day, 23-year-old Cass Daniels leaves her whacked out mom and her abusive and drug-addicted boyfriend in their decrepit trailer and walks next door to Aggie's Diner. It's not only where she works; it's her sanctuary. She aches to get out of the never-ending cycle of broken promises and heartbreak. Sometimes waitressing two shifts a day, Cass scrimps and saves as much as possible so she can get away from the pit her life has become.

Her boyfriend, Jackson (Jax), was once her savior, protector and best friend. Now he's a jealous heroin addict, who constantly asks Cass for money to score his next hit. While Cass tries to make enough money to keep a roof over their head and some food in the fridge, Jax and her mom, Anne, drink, smoke and shoot up whenever they can. Cass has to hide the pittance of saved cash so the other two don't spend it on drugs.

One day a bright light sneaks into the darkness of her existence. Tucker White, a bad-boy rocker in an up-and-coming band, walks into the diner and into Cass's life. He's only known her for a few minutes, but he protects her from her angry boyfriend when he comes asking for money. Tucker sees something in Cass that touches him and, for as long as he's in the Eddington SC area, he does everything he can to make sure she's safe.

Cass gets a brief respite from work and home when Tucker takes her on his motorcycle to Savannah one night. She gets a glimpse of what life could be for her if she were strong enough to break free from Jax and her mom. It's been a long time since she's felt loved and safe, the way Tucker makes her feel. But he's leaving with his band. And leaving her behind.

This is a powerful story full of anger, lies, abuse and survival. Cass endures Jax's fits of physical and verbal abuse and her mom's negligence because she hopes that one day she'll get out of the hellhole that's her life. With Tucker as her lifeline, she knows it's only a matter of time.

If I could give WHITE TRASH BEAUTIFUL ten stars I would. It's gritty, gory, and sad, but it's also full of hope and love. Cass and Tucker are strong, good people who've had bad things happen to them. You can feel their need to be together and hold on to each other. Jackson and Anne are pitiful and broken, and it's hard not to feel compassion for them. Even when they're being mean to Cass.

I can't quit thinking about this story. It sucked me in and kept me there until the very last page.  For me, that's a sign of a great book. I'll be revisiting this story often.

*The second book in the trilogy, WHITE TRASH DAMAGED, will be released in 2014.

IF YOU LIKE THIS, YOU MIGHT LIKE:  FALLEN TOO FAR SERIES by Abbi Glines, REAL SERIES by Katy Evans, FALLING (WILDER) SERIES by Jasinda Wilder, DIRTY LITTLE SECRET by Jennifer Echols

 

Immortal City

An Immortal City Novel (Book One), by Scott Speer, Penguin Group, April 2012.

Angels not only live among us, but they are treated like rock stars. They marry other angels, have children born immortal, and the most talented among them become guardian angels. You can have their protection whenever you need it. Just pay a hefty monthly fee, plus a $100,000 bonus when you're saved, and you can escape from certain death. If you're extremely wealthy or win a protection lottery, you're golden. If you're poor and can't pay for protection, you die.

Welcome to Los Angeles, the City of Angels, where glamorous angels live in luxurious hilltop villas and are treated like royalty. It's commissioning week for a new round of guardian angels, and all TVs in the city are tuned to Angel News Network or the A! television channel for the most up-to-date info on our favorite angels. This year all eyes are on Jackson Godspeed, the youngest, brightest and hottest angel being feted. Mortal girls and women swoon at the sight of him, and even high school girls across town can't stop reading the latest gossip about Jacks.

Despite all the angel accolades and celebrity status, someone or something is killing guardian angels and hacking off their wings. Only angels can kill other angels, but the dead angels are first made mortal and killed after their wings are removed. Jacks leaves a commissioning party early on the night the first bloody wings are discovered and becomes a person of interest. His stepfather, Archangel Mark Godspeed, orders him off the street until he can come to pick Jacks up. So Jacks pulls into a small diner across town, walks into the place to hide awhile, and meets Maddy Montgomery. It's her Uncle Nick's diner and she's the only waitress on duty. Jacks tries to be incognito, but ironically, Maddy may be the only girl in the whole LA area who doesn't know who he is anyway.

Maddy works hard, keeps to herself and helps her uncle when she's not in school. Her parents died when she was a baby, and she's lived with her uncle ever since. Her best and only friend is Gwen, a fellow senior at Angel City High, who tries to get Maddy out of her shell and boring day-to-day existence. In fact Maddy's whole life has been unspectacular, that is, until the night she meets Jackson Godspeed.

Jacks has gotten anything he's wanted his whole life, except for Maddy. She doesn't stroke his ego or fall at his feet like other women. She's unlike anyone else he knows, which intriques him. He has always been pursued, but to win over Maddy, he has to become the pursuer.

I love this book, and here's why. With it's unique plot and far from stereotypical characters, Immortal City offers a fresh take on what has become a stale angel-focused sub-genre. Jacks and Maddy grow up in significantly different social and economic classes, yet they each struggle with their own family issues and personal expectations. Both of them have family secrets that, once discovered, connects Jacks and Maddy and significantly affects their future. And Speer does a great job hiding the identity of the murderer. I had no idea who was killing the guardian angels until the final reveal.

If you're looking for a cool mystery with interesting characters, a unique paranormal plot, and a story you can't put down, then I highly recommend you buy and read Immortal City. (Although it's a series, this book doesn't end on a cliffhanger!)   

** The next book in the series, Natural Born Angel, was released in April 2013.

 

IF YOU LIKE THIS, YOU MAY LIKE: Gilded Wings Novels by Aimee Agresti, The Sweet Trilogy by Wendy Higgins, The Beautiful Dark Trilogy by Jocelyn Davies, Premonition Series by Amy A Bartol, Hush Hush Saga by Becca Fitzpatrick, The Fallen Series by Lauren Kate

Infatuate

A Gilded Wings Novel (Book 2), by Aimee Agresti, Houghton Mufflin Harcourt, March 2013.   

Fall semester of their senior year is over, and Haven Terra, her boyfriend Lance, and her best friend Dante are now early high school graduates. The prior spring, the angels-in-training successfully passed their first of three angel tests by battling evil at the Lexington Hotel. This spring promises to be a little different. The three friends have been recruited to participate in a volunteer assistance program in New Orleans, a community still struggling to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina.

They live in a group house in the French Quarter with other teenagers recruited from throughout the country. The volunteers are given projects all over New Orleans, including the haunted house next door and a spooky cemetery needing upkeep (both of which are important to the story), and the three friends continue to be on the lookout for any evil in the area. As a soul illuminator, Haven makes sure to take pictures of all the people in her house and anyone else deemed suspicious, so she, Dante and Lance can identify any evil characters around them. The strong ties of the three friends are strained as Lance is pursued by Haven's roommate and Dante spends his time in alchemy training with a voodoo practitioner or with his new friend Max. Even Haven has a separate love interest.

New Orleans turns out to have a powerful group of Satan's helpers waiting to tag the angels-in-training and bring them into the underworld. Another battle between good and evil looms, but the stakes are much, much higher. The physical training is more strenuous and pretty unusual, and this time, all three friends receive messages from the unknown entity who they have to trust to survive.

I really enjoyed the New Orleans setting for Infatuate. Agresti does a great job of invoking the character and feel of the city and its culture and weaving it throughout the story. She uses local legends and beliefs to heighten suspense and even uses a Mardi Gras parade for a pivotal scene in the story.

And boy is there conflict! It's raising it's ugly head between Haven and Lance, Haven and her roommate Sabine, Haven and Satan, and more. The volunteers who share the same house don't always get along among themselves or with their leader. Haven and her friends have strange and worrying interactions with the local evil group known as the Krewe. And through all that, Haven is struggling with lots of internal conflict.

Agresti described the scenic landscape and historic details necessary to imagine yourself in New Orleans so well, that I felt I was part of the story.  I think she's a wiz at writing emotions too. I felt Haven's happy confusion during the tagging side effects, her resulting fear and sickness when it was over, and her feelings of loneliness and worry over her relationship with Lance. 

Infatuate does end on a cliffhanger, but it isn't the Oh-My-God-What-Happened type of ending. I have an inkling of where the story's heading in Book 3, and I can't wait for the final book in the trilogy to come out so I can learn what happened. As I finished this book in one day, I know I'll have to block out the date of the third book's release so I can devour and savor it without stopping.

Once again, Agresti has written an enjoyable, engrossing fantasy story full of multidimensional characters, amazing imagery, and lessons of inner strength and the importance of friendship. Infatuate is a perfect book for a long Summer's day or a relaxing weekend whatever season of the year.  

PROTAGONIST/HEROINE: A good, high-achieving, 17-year-old high school grad

ACTION: Battle for good and evil

LOVE INTERESTS: Clark Kentish, fellow high school grad - and - an underworld resident

ROMANCE: Yummy heavy snogs

QUIRKINESS: Dante's character

IF YOU LIKE THIS, YOU MAY LIKE: Immortal City Series by Scott Speer, The Sweet Trilogy by Wendy Higgins, The Beautiful Dark Trilogy by Jocelyn Davies, Premonition Series by Amy A Bartol, Hush Hush Saga by Becca Fitzpatrick, The Fallen Series by Lauren Kate

 

Illuminate

A Gilded Wings Novel by Aimee Agresti, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, March 2012. 

Haven Terra, a 16-year-old high school student, is awarded a prestigious, well-paying, semester-long internship at the newest, coolest hotel in Chicago, the Lexington Hotel. Along with the two other interns from her school (Dante, her long-time best friend, and Lance, a fellow 11th grader), Haven discovers that something is off about the owner and staff of the hotel. From the beginning of her stay, Haven is guided to prepare for an upcoming battle with evil, to become mentally and physically fit, and to be on her guard at all times.

Never having had a boyfriend, Haven is surprised when the very handsome Lucian shows a definite interest in her. He charms her with his obvious sophistication, intelligence and confidence, and she falls for him fairly quickly. But Haven discovers all isn't as it seems and that Lucian is not pursuing her with romance in mind. The real reason for his interest is much darker.

Haven's mentor is the very young and beautiful owner of the hotel, Aurelia Brown. She assigns Haven the job of photographing all of the staff and interns so that their pictures can be placed in the hotel's Gallery. On the Lexington's opening day,  Haven notices something wrong with the portraits. The scars she's tried to hide on Lance's and her pictures show up again, and she sees something off with Aurelia's photo. This sparks Haven's wariness of what's happening to her and her friends. Eventually, Aurelia assigns Haven and Lance the responsibility of overseeing their own high school's prom dance at the hotel. The three interns prepare for the event, knowing it will be a significant turning point for themselves and for the "it" people staffing the hotel.

The heroine grows from a timid and always-wanting-to-please teenager into a strong female who works to overcome and face her fears. Haven starts trusting her instincts, begins to trust in her friends, and prepares her body and mind for the upcoming battle between good and evil.

I really enjoy Young Adult paranormal stories and this novel doesn't disappoint. The book is long but never boring, and the glimpse of Haven's life before her internship provides a great contrast to her time spent at the Lexington Hotel. The author excels at descriptions and makes it feel as if you're a part of the story. Though the book isn't constantly gory like many horror movies, there are several incidents of bodily harm and descriptive gross endings to disreputable characters.

Illuminate has a strong heroine, a good message and a little romance thrown in, all of which I consider a perfect trifecta for a Young Adult novel. So don't let the over 500 pages put you off reading this entertaining story. Just take a good chunk of time and savor the book like I did. You'll be glad you did. 

** The second book in the series, Infatuate, was released in March 2013.  

PROTAGONIST/HEROINE: A good, high-achieving, 16-year-old student

ACTION: Battle for good and evil

LOVE INTERESTS: Clark Kentish, fellow 11th grader - and - suave manager of a hotel

ROMANCE: Pecks on cheeks, light lip kisses and yummy heavy snogs

QUIRKINESS: Dante's character

IF YOU LIKE THIS, YOU MAY LIKE: Immortal City Series by Scott Speer, The Sweet Trilogy by Wendy Higgins, The Beautiful Dark Trilogy by Jocelyn Davies, Premonition Series by Amy A Bartol, Hush Hush Saga by Becca Fitzpatrick

 

Rock Chicks

The Rock Chick Series, by Kristen Ashley, Amazon Digital Services, Mar, Apr, Nov & Dec 2011.

I first discovered how fun it is to read Kristen Ashley ebooks after reading Rock Chicks, the first in a what is currently a seven-book series (One more book is planned for 2013 to close out the series.) When I finished the first story, it took maybe two seconds to buy the other six. I couldn't get enough of the books.  They're high on action, full of enjoyable alpha male and strong female romance, and have interesting plots and satisfying character arcs.

The contemporary series, set in Denver, CO, focuses on the entertaining people that hang out at Fortnum's Bookstore and/or work at Nightingale Investigations. Each book features the angst-filled courtship of a Nightingale Investigations team member (or team “friend”) and a female who catches his eye. Oh yeah, she also comes with some kind of trouble. Drugs, thugs, car bombs, drive-by shootings, kidnappings are all in a day's work for the couples in these books. The men (which include two police detectives) are intense, hunky and skirt the edges of the law. The women are strong, sassy, and fight their attraction to the men. The men stake their claim (i.e., woman) fast, leaving the women confused and struggling to remain independent. The women's always expanding support group becomes known as the Rock Chicks, and the women call the Nightingale Investigations men the Hot Bunch.

From the loud, large and wild-haired barista to the straight-talking, petite Dolly Parton look-alike, funny and unusual characters pop up throughout the series, and Ashley isn't afraid to add more with each  book. She excels at keeping all the personalities and voices unique, so that the reader is rarely, if ever, confused about who's talking or present in a scene.

Some readers might find the situations in the later books a little far-fetched, but this is fiction, folks. And very fun fiction at that.

I highly recommend all the Rock Chick ebooks. But fair warning, don't start reading them unless you have lots of time to finish. The ebooks are long, action-packed and full of interesting plots, and you'll find it hard to stop at just one book. Once you start reading Kristen Ashley's Rock Chick books, you'll want to read all her other series too.

The books in the Rock Chick series are:

Book 1:  Rock Chick
Book 2:  Rock Chick Rescue
Book 3:  Rock Chick Redemption
Book 4:  Rock Chick Renegade
Book 5:  Rock Chick Revenge
Book 6:  Rock Chick Reckoning
Book 7:  Rock Chick Regret

WARNING:  Kristen Ashley books are for mature readers only. They include steamy sex scenes that are well-written yet don't overwhelm the plot.

 

On the Web Again

As you can tell, I've been on hiatus for the past several months. Starting next week, I'll be posting reviews again, with an extended repertoire. In addition to cozy and paranormal mysteries, I'll share my opinion on romantic suspense, Young Adult stories and anything else I fancy. So please tune in next week for my new and improved book review website.

The Taken

A Celestial Blues Mystery, by Vicki Pettersson, Harper/Voyager, June 2012.   

* Note: I received this book from the publisher for an honest and independent review.

The story's premise is pretty unique. Grif Shaw is an Centurian angel who assists souls of the recently and violently deceased cross to the other side known as Everlast. He was a 33-year-old PI in Las Vegas in 1960,when he and his wife were violently killed. The story opens as he's preparing to "take" Nicole Rockwell, a photojournalist murdered while investigating a possible underage prostitution ring involving prominent businessmen, judges, lawyers and police. Nicole had on a cheap hooker-style outfit when she died and refuses to be in the outfit for eternity, so Grif gives in and gives Nic a few more moments to change clothes. During this extra time, she does something that will cause the death of her friend, journalist Kit Craig. For punishment, higher heavenly creatures decide to take Grif's wings and make him alive again. Grif becomes infatuated with Kit and wants to prevent her death, so they join together to find Nic's murderer, keep Kit alive and uncover who's behind the prostitution ring.

The first part of this urban fantasy, paranormal mystery seemed slow, and I took frequent breaks from reading. Thankfully the pace picked up about a third of the way through, and once I reached the last third of the story, I couldn't put the book down. The lead characters are interesting and multidimensional. Kit Craig and her friends are rockabillies, people who live like they're in the 1950's. They drive cars, wear clothes and own furniture that were popular during that decade. Grif is actually from that decade, so he fits right in. The fact that he's an angel that's been demoted adds a depth to his character that a normal noir PI wouldn't have. 

I thought the story could be told effectively without the details of the prostitution activities and without the use of underage prostitutes being culled for the sexual delights of much older men. Other readers may disagree.

If you're looking for a different type of paranormal mystery for an interesting summer read, this would be a good choice. However, I suggest that you keep it on the high shelf to discourage younger, less mature readers from selecting this book for a light bedtime story. 

* The next book in the series, The Lost, comes out in March 2013.

PROTAGONISTS: Griffin  "Grif" Shaw, 33-year-old PI angel, killed in 1960; Katherine "Kit" Craig, 29-year-old journalist

ACTION: Killings, attempted rape & murder, driving around Las Vegas

LOVE INTERESTS: Between Grif & Kit

ROMANCE: Kissing, sex scenes

QUIRKINESS: Kit's rockabilly lifestyle; Grif's boss, Sarge, inserting himself on the faces of a bum, an old man and a child to talk to Grif

INTERESTING TIDBITS: Vignettes of old Las Vegas, people living like in a different era, discussion of free will

FUN FACTOR: Lighthearted moments when discussing rockabilly lifestyle

IF YOU LIKE THIS, YOU MAY LIKE: Sign of the Zodiac Series by Vicki Pettersson, Sookie Stackhouse Mysteries by Charlaine Harris, The Hollows Series by Vicki Pettersson, Alex Craft Series by Kalayna Price

Beautiful Sacrifice

A Novel by Elizabeth Lowell, William Morrow, May 2012. 

Dr. Lina Taylor is a professor of Mayan culture and curator at Houston's Museum of the Maya. The museum's major funder is her family, the Reyes Balams, and many of the artifacts on display are from her family's estate in the Yucatan. Hunter Johnston is a former Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who is helping a former ICE colleague track down significant religious Mayan artifacts stolen from ICE office. In the few days leading up to the Turning of the Wheel on December 21, 2012, they work together to identify who may have the stolen cache and how the artifacts relate to the end of the Mayan Calendar.

Engrossing passages filled with interesting action and compelling dialogue were few and far between in the first 200 or so pages of the story. The major characters seemed two-dimensional, their sexual chemistry lacked pizazz or tension, and I particularly tired of their silly sex-related banter. The constant change in point of view, sometimes from one paragraph to the next, was disconcerting and, at times, hard to follow.

Despite these downfalls, I discovered the last third of the book to be faster paced and more engaging, I learned something about traditional Mexican and Yucatan foods, and though the villain's identity didn't surprise me, I enjoyed how the reveal and the events leading up to and following it were written.

All in all, I would recommend Beautiful Sacrifice to beachgoers who are fascinated with the Mayan culture and archaeology (and don't mind that the story's Kawail'l culture and artifacts are straight from the author's imagination) and those who are looking for light suspense. Readers who prefer quick-paced, totally engaging and on-the-edge-of-your-seat suspense might want to look elsewhere for a good summer read.

PROTAGONIST: A single, Latino woman who is a professor of and expert in Mayan culture & a single, gringo who was once an agent for Immigration and Customs Enforcement

ACTION: Parking garage ambush, religious rituals in the Yucatan

LOVE INTEREST: Between Lina and Hunter

ROMANCE: Minor sexual tension, silly sex-related banter, minimal consensual sex

INTERESTING TIDBITS: Info about US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); traditional Yucatan and Mexican foods; and, Yucatan landscape

FUN FACTOR: More of a suspense story but some lighthearted moments

IF YOU LIKE THIS, YOU MAY LIKE: Innocent as Sin by Elizabeth Lowell, A Skeleton in God's Closet by Paul L. Maier, Excavation by James Rollins, The Third Secret by Steve Berry, Empire of Gold by Andy McDermott

 

The Inquisitor's Key

A Body Farm Novel, by Jefferson Bass, William Morrow, May 2012.

*Note:  I received this book from the publisher for review. I also was a student of one of the authors (Dr. Bill Bass) when he was head of UT-Knoxville's Anthropology Department.

Dr. Bill Brockton, forensic anthropologist and founder of the University of Tennessee's anthropology research center known as The Body Farm, flies to Avignon, France to help unravel the mystery of an ancient skeleton found underneath the Palace of the Popes. His research assistant, Miranda Lovelady, and French archaeologist, Stefan Beauvoir, have discovered a stone ossuary with carvings of a lamb and a cross on the outside and a full skeleton showing evidence of crucifiction inside. They need Bill's expertise and discretion to determine if the bones could be those of Jesus of Nazareth. During their research, Bill and Miranda see similarities between the ossuary's skeleton and the Shroud of Turin, confusing their findings even more. When carbon-14 dating determines the bones are around 2000 years old and Stefan is killed, the identity of the ossuary's skeleton becomes less important than the identity of his murderer.

Moving back and forth between the present day and the early 1300's, the authors present a theory about the basis for the illustration on the Shroud of Turin and fictionalize interactions between the White Cardinal, Jacques Fournier (who became Pope Benedict XII) and Johannes Eckhart, a prominent Dominican theologian and mystic, and other players in the early years of the papacy at Avignon. I thought the backstory was unnecessary to the mystery part of the story, but it did help explain how hypocritical the pope and the popes' followers were while in Avignon.

Tripping in and out of different centuries failed to move the story along. I found it quite slow, with very little action and not a lot of tension, And while I was disappointed in the abrupt ending, I did appreciate the twist near the end. It was a complete surprise and done very well.

All in all, The Inquisitor's Key isn't as suspenseful and might not hold the reader's interest as other books in the Body Farm series. However, intertwining information on Avignon and its papacy years throughout the story should make it a worthwhile read for history enthusiasts.  

****

PROTAGONIST: A fit, 50-ish, forensic anthropologist and supervisor of the Body Farm at UT-Knoxville

ACTION: Car chase in France and Italy, running from a possible murderer

POTENTIAL LOVE INTEREST: The protagonist's 26-year-old female graduate student

INTERESTING TIDBITS: History of the papacy in Avignon, France; theory on how illustration was made on Shroud of Turin; info on artist Simone Martini and poet/philosopher Francesco Petrarch

IF YOU LIKE THIS, YOU MAY LIKE: The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown, Angels and Demons by Dan Brown, The Paris Vendetta by Steve Berry, Map of Bones by James Rollins, The Sacred Vault by Andy McDermott