We met Decker's latest stray in the last book, Tyler, the young cop giving the finger to his wealthy father. Tyler agreed to go to Harvard law school We met Decker's latest stray in the last book, Tyler, the young cop giving the finger to his wealthy father. Tyler agreed to go to Harvard law school but now that it's time to study for exams, he asks Decker if he can crash with them while he studies. It doesn't take him long to get involved in Decker's latest case. An apparent suicide of a senior at Kneed Loft, a serious mathematician, from a Mennonite family. Decker is about to close the case when a professor is found dead in the same manner only it is pretty clear it isn't a suicide. Are the two connected? Decker wants to Tyler to study. Tyler figures he can study and help. Rina has an active role. It's like the old days and it feels good. Likable characters, a relatively interesting story (a bit too mathematical for my taste but I can live with that), and Peter doing the kind of work he no longer did as the Lt. I'm glad she took the series in this direction....more
Although I only gave this book three stars, I also enjoyed it much more than I expected to. Lucy Stone is the unlikely intermediary between her old neAlthough I only gave this book three stars, I also enjoyed it much more than I expected to. Lucy Stone is the unlikely intermediary between her old neighbors and her new neighbors in a bake sale to the death. When one of Lucy's least favorite new neighbors ends up dead Lucy has to figure out what is really happening in her neighborhood before dieting becomes the safe word of the day. The story was entertaining and Lucy and her family were much more likable than I remember from the last Lucy Stone. It was very readable. Only three stars because it wasn't particularly memorable. But I definitely enjoyed reading it....more
Eve Dallas takes on a wild serial killer spree duo in her latest outing. The vicious murder would be just another killing if it weren't for the carvedEve Dallas takes on a wild serial killer spree duo in her latest outing. The vicious murder would be just another killing if it weren't for the carved heart with initials on the body. Almost too small to catch. But there have been others. Not in NY, not yet anyway. A Sheriff from down South comes to her precinct telling her he has evidence that a case of his is linked and that provides her the evidence she needs to get the ball rolling. This is more of a police procedural than these books often are and it was interesting for that reason, watching Eve and her team pull on each thread and figure out where it moved the knot. The cast of secondary characters was strong, as usual, but even the Sheriff was a welcome addition. Robb also moves the timestream along with Eve's people moving up in rank and skill. She's built a fascinating world and while every book doesn't hit it out of the park, they are all good reading....more
When I first started to read this I got a little depressed. I was thinking this was going to be the same old thing. I was reading rehashes of conversaWhen I first started to read this I got a little depressed. I was thinking this was going to be the same old thing. I was reading rehashes of conversations that I had read before. And then it wasn't. Suddenly it was like we were rebooting the series. We're back in the cemetery raising zombies only these are far more lifelike than anything Anita has raised before. When this all started, Anita was just an animator. Now she's a necromancer and there isn't anyone to share that with so it is really on the job training. Sometimes, things go wrong. Anita has gotten much more comfortable with her life and it shows in her behavior with others. She is neither proud nor ashamed of who she is and who she loves. While it aggravated me that the action was occasionally paused for a philosophical discussion, there was less anger and more acceptance. The hard decisions have gotten less hard because Anita has come to grips with their necessity. The power-ups no longer scare her because she isn't in this alone. It helped that we saw a lot of "original" characters, like Manny and Larry Kirkland. And her entourage was tighter. It made for a more interesting story that I had a hard time putting down. It kept getting better. 4.5 stars. ...more
When a Lakeshore Chronicles book is good, it isn't just good, it's marvelous. Alice Bellamy is a recent quadriplegic and she's not happy about it. FaiWhen a Lakeshore Chronicles book is good, it isn't just good, it's marvelous. Alice Bellamy is a recent quadriplegic and she's not happy about it. Faith McCallum is one night away from homelessness and her youngest daughter is an insulin-dependent diabetic. When Alice needs a new full-time live-in caretaker, her son Mason hires Faith. Her daughters think they've come to live at Downton Abbey. Alice is a tough nut to crack. The former triathlete hates having to rely on someone for every thing. When Faith discovers the accident that caused the shakeup in household staff and got Faith this job was actually a suicide attempt on Alice's part, Faith demands that Mason get involved in his mother's life. Mason can't help but get involved in Faith's as well. It's a delightful multi-generational romance that showcases the power of attitude. (And money, I won't deny that. But attitude comes first.)I couldn't put it down, which means I accomplished nothing after I started page one. It was a one sitting read. ...more
**spoiler alert** This was a fitting end to Pratchett's publishing career. It starts with Granny Weatherwax's passing which was a stand-in for his own**spoiler alert** This was a fitting end to Pratchett's publishing career. It starts with Granny Weatherwax's passing which was a stand-in for his own, even if not in his own mind. Although there is no one to take his place, not yet. But Granny has left her steading to Tiffany who already has her own place on the Chalk but attempts to manage Granny's Lancre holding as well. Meanwhile, with Granny gone, the protections between the Discworld and the Elves is a little filmy and the elves are coming through and making trouble. This is going to require that the witches band together. But will they listen to Tiffany? Tiffany must come to terms with not being Granny but with being herself and therefore doing things her way. The Nac Mac Feegles are in good form as are the other denizens of the Discworld. I am sad to the see the series end but Tiffany was one of his better characters and it is fitting that she remains in place to protect the world. ...more
Nicole Frank survive a car accident that should have killed her. She cries out for a missing child but there was no one with her, something only discoNicole Frank survive a car accident that should have killed her. She cries out for a missing child but there was no one with her, something only discovered after a manhunt. When the local Sheriff runs her fingerprints she comes up as a missing person, a missing child actually, a case long gone cold. And then things start to unravel for Nicole, for the Sheriff and for Tessa Leoni who happened to be doing some work for Nicole which precipitated the accident. Gardner weaves a fascinating tale that manages to be suitably graphic without providing you with lifelong nightmares and furthers the careers of D.D. Warren and Tessa Leoni who is starting to make a life for herself and her daughter and it might just include the Sheriff and a puppy....more
Imagine a stranger coming up to you and with a few words shattering your world. Putting the seed of doubt in your mind. Now perhaps that seed was alreImagine a stranger coming up to you and with a few words shattering your world. Putting the seed of doubt in your mind. Now perhaps that seed was already there. Or maybe not. And maybe this stranger had an entirely different motive in mind when he was so kind as to reveal this secret. Coben weaves seemingly disconnected threads together, different secrets, to form a fascinating and fast paced novel that kept me pretty well entranced throughout the book. Was it probable? No. But it was very clever and believable despite its improbability....more
This is a delightful novel of a woman whose life has dissolved around her and rather than giving up, she creates a new life for herself in a place sheThis is a delightful novel of a woman whose life has dissolved around her and rather than giving up, she creates a new life for herself in a place she least expects it, doing what she least expects. Polly always liked baking bread. But she and her boyfriend Chris were living the yuppie life and had their own business. Until the recession and everything went south including their business and their relationship. The only place Polly can find to rent in barely livable condition is on an island off of Cornwall. It doesn't take her long to discover that you can't get decent bread and it doesn't take the island long to figure out that she can supply it. What starts as a bit of a lark becomes a complete overhaul of her life as she starts living for herself. It's a sweet, poignant, fun, funny, lovely story that is reminiscent of JoJo Moyes and I really appreciate my mother for recommending it and my library for buying the Kindle edition for me! ...more
**spoiler alert** I enjoyed the prequel more than the series that came before it. Here we had characters worth rooting for. This is the book that show**spoiler alert** I enjoyed the prequel more than the series that came before it. Here we had characters worth rooting for. This is the book that shows us how the end of the world began and sure enough we did it to ourselves. After the solar flares destroy most of the habitable planet the remaining new government decides that there aren't enough resources to support the remaining population so some selective culling must occur. Government planes strafe the population with a virus that, naturally, didn't do what was expected. It mutated quickly and killed horribly. Some people were immune but the government had no idea why. But they needed to find out. Fast. Although everyone dies, for a while I cared about these characters, I knew them, I wanted them to succeed. And what stopped this from making this into a four star book is that they don't. They don't make it to the next stage and while we see the beginning of Thomas, it would have been nice if some of these people would have survived. ...more
**spoiler alert** I can honestly say that the trilogy made very little sense. In the third and final installment, Tom no longer believes that "WICKED **spoiler alert** I can honestly say that the trilogy made very little sense. In the third and final installment, Tom no longer believes that "WICKED is good" despite the fact that he was responsible for designing the Maze and willingly went into the Trials. He no longer trusts anyone except Newt, Minho and Brenda. Even Teresa has betrayed him one time too many. When WICKED decides to turn their memories, Tom and friends decide to make a break for it. They really have only one chance. It turns out that even witching WICKED there are people who don't believe the Trials will have the answer and they have another solution they offer up to Tom and other people who are immune to the deadly Flare virus that is slowly destroying humanity. It has a fascinatingly happy ending that makes no realistic sense. The new solution was to send Tom and another two hundred munies through a flat trans to some impossibly green place to restart the human race. Nice thought but without knowledge there is a limit to the amount of civilization they can create. Food, shelter, water etc all come to mind. I don't think there were many adults in the group. For Tom it was great since the alternative was dissecting his brain while he was still alive but what I took away was the government had engineered the end of the world and it was coming true a little faster than anticipated. Not exactly uplifting. It did, however, keep me turning the pages. ...more
France, two sisters, two destinies, one war. In this heart shattering book we follow two sisters through WWII. Both were abandoned by their father aftFrance, two sisters, two destinies, one war. In this heart shattering book we follow two sisters through WWII. Both were abandoned by their father after the death of their mother and they are not close. The older is married with little girl. The younger seems quarrelsome and prickly. The latter goes into Paris and becomes a leader in the French resistance, leading Americans and RAF and other pilots over the mountains and into a safer country. Codename: The Nightingale. The older sister is in the country, forced to billet a Nazi officer. The first one turns out to be a decent man, who does his best to retain his decency. The second one revels in his hatred and delights in the torture he knows he can inflict. When she watches her Jewish friend dragged away to a cattle car, she takes her son and brings him up as her own and realizes that she cannot allow these children to die. These women do what they can during a harsh and unforgiving war fraught with starvation, fear, cold, death and longing. And they come out the other side fundamentally changed. And not. Highly recommended. If you've read Sarah's Key, this book will seem in places eerily familiar. Hannah calls out the author of that book as being instrumental in the writing of this one. ...more
My biggest problem with this series is that I don't feel connected to the characters. Thomas is likable but I can't say that I yearn for his further aMy biggest problem with this series is that I don't feel connected to the characters. Thomas is likable but I can't say that I yearn for his further adventures. In this book WICKED makes no bones about this being a test. They have to walk through the Scorched in order to be given a cure for the virus that infects them. Meanwhile, Thomas and Theresa are separated and she is labeled the Betrayer. It is difficult to decide who to trust and why and considering we are only seeing things through Thomas's perspective, even he is not the most reliable narrator. But with no one to root for exactly, the stories are a means to an end. They are page turners, don't get me wrong. I want to know what happens next but not because I care about the characters but more because I want to see how they escape the next impossible situation. I'm being entertained and am already reading book 3, but these are not creating spectacular memories....more
**spoiler alert** I didn't know what to make of this book either at first or at the end as it is clearly intended to be a series. Thomas wakes up in t**spoiler alert** I didn't know what to make of this book either at first or at the end as it is clearly intended to be a series. Thomas wakes up in the Glade surrounded by teenage boys with no memory of how he got there or who he is. None of the other boys have any memories either. They just know their most important task is to find their way out of the Maze. In two years there has been no sign of an exit. But shortly after Thomas arrives there is another newbie, a girl this time, and before she falls into a coma she tells them that she signals the end. This makes it all the more imperative that they find the exit. But Tom is also a catalyst for memories. Some of the boys remember Tom from before and don't trust him. Tom knows things he doesn't understand and he knows he needs his memories back if he is going to help them all out of this. The problem I had with the this was that it was too easy. Sure people died, but if this was supposed to be a test they made it very easy for Thomas to solve. I realize that this was book one of a four book test but I didn't love the characters. I felt like I was reading Lord of the Flies until the girl showed up but she was too pat a character, too obvious a catalyst, too obvious the love interest. I'll eventually read the rest of the series but I wasn't wowed by this installment....more
Although somewhat predictable, this is also a very cute story about a down on her luck single mom who meets a down on his luck software developer and Although somewhat predictable, this is also a very cute story about a down on her luck single mom who meets a down on his luck software developer and despite seeming to have nothing in common, they bring out the best in each other. He already has an ex-wife and an ex-girlfriend who is about to destroy his life. His father is dying, his best friend hates him and he may go to prison. She has a stepson who is being bullied, a maths prodigy daughter who has been offered a place at a prestigious private school if they can come up with some of the tuition and a deadbeat husband who has been living with his mother for the past two years. He does a good deed picking the family up by the side of the road where her car is being impounded and the next thing he knows he's agreed to drive them to Scotland. It's nothing that either expected but everything that all of them need. Sometimes good things happen to good people. Eventually....more
Sheila Malory is at Oxford, the Bodleian in particular, to do some research, when she discovers her godson, a librarian there, has had a small murder Sheila Malory is at Oxford, the Bodleian in particular, to do some research, when she discovers her godson, a librarian there, has had a small murder on his hands. She can't help but investigate. She has a host of suspects. The victim, an old woman, was not well liked. Hated would not be too strong a word. But though many people have motive, not many people have the stomach for it. Mrs. Malory finds out some hard truths about her own past that leave her hurting but it doesn't stop her from getting to the bottom of an evil deed. It's a very literary story and it takes a while for the mystery portion to start moving, but once it does, Mrs. Malory proves very adept at getting to the bottom of things. ...more
**spoiler alert** In Merit's 6th outing, she's trying to stop her former best friend from destroying the world. She's trying to stop the former mayor **spoiler alert** In Merit's 6th outing, she's trying to stop her former best friend from destroying the world. She's trying to stop the former mayor from destroying the world. She's trying to stop the GP from destroying Cadogan House. Anyone see a trend? Merit has definitely stepped up as Sentinel and she's willing to do whatever it takes. Mallory is a sorceress with an addiction she won't stop until she destroys the world or it destroys her. Thankfully, it doesn't come to that. What she does do is manage to destroy the Maleficium and split Seth Tate into two. One Tate smells like sugar cookies, the other like sulphur. Two halves of the same coin? Or something different, something older? Something that was never trapped in the book. What lessened my enjoyment of this otherwise fabulous entry, was a step backward in Merit's relationship with Ethan. As soon as he saw that he had bruised her, he had second thoughts about sleeping with her until they had solved this latest crisis and that just irked me. Yes, they got through it, but I didn't have the patience for his behavior. The book ended on a high note which made me want book 7, as it should be....more
Picking up where the last book left off, Merit is in a world of hurt. Ethan is gone and her world is diminished. Things quickly go from bad to worse. Picking up where the last book left off, Merit is in a world of hurt. Ethan is gone and her world is diminished. Things quickly go from bad to worse. In House matters, the GP has ordered a receiver to Cadogan and he is a vampire with his own agenda, starting with rationing blood and releasing Merit from her standing as Sentinel. Meanwhile, outside the house, magic is turning the lake black, the sky red and magical creatures who should know why don't have a clue. Not even Mallory has Merit's back on this one. She's too caught up in taking the Order's exams. And that's when Merit realizes that everything really is going to hell in a handbasket, one that she personally wove. It's another exciting installment. Any more written and spoilers will abound. While I knew what was happening early on (and thought it was pretty obvious) I understand why Merit missed it. There are some truths that are just too hard to believe. I continue to applaud Neill for not pulling her punches....more
I'm a sucker for books with libraries or librarians and this has both. Plus a Maine Coon cat. Charlie Harris, part time archivist, finds himself at thI'm a sucker for books with libraries or librarians and this has both. Plus a Maine Coon cat. Charlie Harris, part time archivist, finds himself at the center of a murder investigation when a famous author offers his alma mater all his papers and is promptly murdered. The problem is the author wasn't very likable so the list of potential murderers is long. Charlie is especially involved because his young boarder has recently discovered that he is the author's son. Their first meeting didn't go well. There are practically more suspects than mourners but Charlie is determined to solve the mystery before the police arrest the wrong person. Turns out the police are smarter than he thinks. It's a cute story. The murderer was obvious but the motive was not. I would read others in the series. ...more
I had mixed feelings about the end of this series because I very much wanted to go back to the first community that we started in to see how they wereI had mixed feelings about the end of this series because I very much wanted to go back to the first community that we started in to see how they were faring since Jonas had left. But the focus of is book is on Claire, the birth mother of Gabriel. She was a few years older than Jonas but her path to the Village was not a smooth one. She spent years in another village, one deep in a cavern where climbing out required strength of body and mind. It took Claire 6 years to gain that. But when she made it to the village she was forced to make a choice that would have tremendous consequences on any relationship she could hope to have with her son. We see characters from prior books and the book puts the finishing touches to what Matty did in Messenger. It was interesting to revisit Claire and Jonas's community before Jonas left, how regimented, how lifeless it was and then to see the village that Jonas came to. It isn't perfect either but it was worth losing some of the technology to obtain the freedom of expression, of thought, of feeling that they gained. That they all gained by coming to the village....more
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