Skip's bookshelf: goodreads-netgalley-giveaway en-US Wed, 26 Mar 2025 18:34:16 -0700 60 Skip's bookshelf: goodreads-netgalley-giveaway 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg The Dragon's Apprentice 217245599 In this hilarious fantasy adventure from the New York Times bestselling author of the Story Thieves series, a girl strikes a deal with the ancient, cranky dragon she accidentally summoned to teach her the forbidden magic she needs to save her mother.

STOP. Don’t read any further. There are magic spells in this book, and the Emperor has forbidden anyone from learning magic, because it’s way too dangerous! If you try one of the spells, any number of terrible things might happen (or so the Emperor says).

Don’t be like Ciara, a twelve-year-old girl living in the tiny village of Skael. When she used a spell from within this book, she ended up summoning a dragon. A DRAGON! Those things breathe fire! From their mouths! She’s obviously doomed.

And don’t listen if Ciara tells you that dragons won’t hurt humans, and that they even once taught us magic, a thousand years ago. Definitely don’t pay any attention to the fact that the dragon she summoned, Scorch, might be willing to help rescue Ciara’s mother and free her village from the Emperor and his Warden, because it’s all obviously a big lie.So put this book down, and forget about it. Magic is just way too dangerous. After all, you wouldn’t want to summon your own dragon, would you?]]> 240 James Riley 0593813189 Skip 3 3.97 2025 The Dragon's Apprentice
author: James Riley
name: Skip
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/25
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves: fantasy, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway, e-books
review:
12-year old Ciara finds an ancient journal/spellbook belonging to Bianca, a disciple of the legendary Dragon Mage, in an abandoned tower, but refuses to hand it over to the local Warden, who has pillaged the local town with his relentless greed. She summons a dragon named Scorch, who has been asleep for 1,000 years; he realizes that Ciara is a descendant of Bianca and knows the Dragon Mage wanted magic to be accessible to all people. Instead, her evil disciple (Cillian) has misrepresented her wishes, claiming only living descendants can wield magic or monster Revenants will return. Scorch reluctantly begins to teach Ciara magic from the spellbook (a hoot itself) so she can rescue her mother from the Warden and cure her mother of the deadly Skael Cough that killed her father. Sadly, too much magic drains Ciara of all her energy. With the help of the Captain of the Guard's daughter, they launch a daring rescue attempt, which falters when Ciara's energy wanes, requiring outside intervention.
]]> Johnny Careless 211982755

Police Chief Jeep Mullane has been bounced back home to Long Island’s North Shore by a heartbreaking case that both earned him his NYPD detective’s shield and burned him out of the Job. Now heading up a small local police department, he finds himself navigating the same geography he did growing up there as the son of an NYPD cop. Jeep is a “have-not� among the glittering “haves,� a sharp-witted, down-to-earth man in a territory defined and ruled by multigenerational wealth and power and the daunting tribal codes and customs that come with it.


When the corpse of Jeep’s childhood friend Johnny Chambliss—born into privilege and known as “Johnny Careless� for his reckless, golden-boy antics—surfaces in the Bayville waters, past collides with present, and Jeep is pulled into a treacherous web. He is challenged by Johnny’s wealthy and secretive family and his beautiful, enigmatic ex-wife as he untangles a knotted mystery fraught with theft, corrupt local moguls, and decades-old secrets, all while grappling with his own deep-seated grief for his lost pal.


A fast-paced story, Johnny Careless “combines grit and wit in a way that conjures Donald Westlake or Robert Parker in full stride� (Carl Hiassen).]]> 240 Kevin Wade 1250355117 Skip 3 Blue Bloods, and wrote this novel during the 4-month actors strike in 2023.

Jeep Mullane and Johnny Chambliss were BFFs and a formidable lacrosse duo on a Long Island travel team, but were from different socioeconomic backgrounds. As they got older, they went their separate ways, with Jeep following his father into the NYPD until an unfortunate event caused him to move back to the North Shore, becoming a local village police chief. Meanwhile, Johnny got married to another wealthy scion, and continued to drift in life, in line with his moniker ... Johnny Careless. A series of high end car thefts are threatening Jeep's job security when Johnny is found dead on a local beach under questionable circumstances, including scratches on his back, following a private school reunion. Questionable decisions in Johnny's past make solving the death complicated. Being from Long Island probably made this more interesting for me than it might be for others.]]> 4.21 2025 Johnny Careless
author: Kevin Wade
name: Skip
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/23
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves: crime-detective, e-books, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:
Author Kevin Wade is a writer and producer of the tv show Blue Bloods, and wrote this novel during the 4-month actors strike in 2023.

Jeep Mullane and Johnny Chambliss were BFFs and a formidable lacrosse duo on a Long Island travel team, but were from different socioeconomic backgrounds. As they got older, they went their separate ways, with Jeep following his father into the NYPD until an unfortunate event caused him to move back to the North Shore, becoming a local village police chief. Meanwhile, Johnny got married to another wealthy scion, and continued to drift in life, in line with his moniker ... Johnny Careless. A series of high end car thefts are threatening Jeep's job security when Johnny is found dead on a local beach under questionable circumstances, including scratches on his back, following a private school reunion. Questionable decisions in Johnny's past make solving the death complicated. Being from Long Island probably made this more interesting for me than it might be for others.
]]> <![CDATA[The Bitter Past (Porter Beck, #1)]]> 61884882 The Bitter Past begins a compelling series set in the high desert of Nevada featuring Sheriff Porter Beck�

Porter Beck is the sheriff in the high desert of Nevada, north of Las Vegas. Born and raised there, he left to join the Army, where he worked in Intelligence, deep in the shadows in far off places. Now he's back home, doing the same lawman's job his father once did, before his father started to develop dementia. All is relatively quiet in this corner of the world, until an old, retired FBI agent is found killed. He was brutally tortured before he was killed and clues at the scene point to a mystery dating back to the early days of the nuclear age. If that wasn't strange enough, a current FBI agent shows up to help Beck's investigation.

In a case that unfolds in the past (the 1950s) and the present, it seems that a Russian spy infiltrated the nuclear testing site and now someone is looking for that long-ago, all-but forgotten person, who holds the key to what happened then and to the deadly goings on now.]]> 320 Bruce Borgos 1250848075 Skip 4 3.99 2023 The Bitter Past (Porter Beck, #1)
author: Bruce Borgos
name: Skip
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/27
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves: thriller, series-in-progress, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway, e-books
review:
Porter Beck is a sheriff in rural Nevada, succeeding his father. When a former FBI agent is found murdered, following torture, Beck's skills as a former intelligence officer are needed. He is joined by Special Agent Sana Locke from the FBI’s Las Vegas field office, raising questions for him. The murder seems to tie back to the victim's own investigation of a nuclear test site in the late 1950s, with someone seeking to make sure information remains undiscovered. Meanwhile, there are some strange goings-on, including a disappearance in a nearby commune, which may or may not be related. Beck's father has memory issues, and his sister is a bit odd. They must all work together to solve the mystery of who killed the FBI agent and what was the big secret that led to the murder. 3.5 stars, rounded up.
]]> The Answer Is No 219876684 In a hilarious short story from New York Times bestselling author Fredrik Backman, the absurdities of modern life cause one man’s solitary world to spin suddenly, and comically, out of control.

Lucas knows the perfect night entails just three things: video games, wine, and pad thai. Peanuts are a must! Other people? Not so much. Why complicate things when he’s happy alone?

Then one day the apartment board, a vexing trio of authority, rings his doorbell. And Lucas’s solitude takes a startling hike. They demand to see his frying pan. Someone left one next to the recycling room overnight, and instead of removing the errant object, as Lucas suggests, they insist on finding the guilty party. But their plan backfires. Colossally.

Told in Fredrik Backman’s singular witty style with sharply drawn characters and relatable antics, The Answer Is No is a laugh-out-loud portrait of a man struggling to keep to himself in a world that won’t leave him alone.]]> 68 Fredrik Backman 1662526520 Skip 1 The Answer Is No

Worth reading? The Answer Is No

Fredrik Backman is so much better than this.]]> 3.94 2024 The Answer Is No
author: Fredrik Backman
name: Skip
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2024
rating: 1
read at: 2024/11/30
date added: 2024/12/03
shelves: humor, foreign-translated, e-books, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:
Hilarious? The Answer Is No

Worth reading? The Answer Is No

Fredrik Backman is so much better than this.
]]> <![CDATA[Splinter Effect (Splinter Effect, #1)]]> 211004050 In this action-packed debut, time traveling archaeologist Rabbit Ward maneuvers through the past to recover a long-lost, precious menorah hiding out in ancient Rome.

Smithsonian archaeologist Rabbit Ward travels through time on sponsored expeditions to the past to secure precious artifacts moments before they are lost to history. Although exceptional at his job, Rabbit is not without faults. In a spectacular failure twenty years ago, he lost both the menorah of the second temple and his hot-headed mentee, Aaron. So, when new evidence reveals the menorah’s reappearance in 6th century Constantinople, Rabbit seizes the chance for redemption.

But from the moment he arrives in the past, things start to go wrong. Rabbit quickly finds out that his prime competition, an unlicensed and annoyingly appealing “stringer� named Helen, is also in Constantinople hunting the menorah. And that’s only the beginning. The oppressed Jewish population of the city is primed for revolution, Constantinople’s leading gang seems to have it out for Rabbit personally, and someone local is interested enough in the menorah to kill for it.

As the past closes in on him and his previous failures compound, will Rabbit be able to recover the menorah before it's once again lost in time?

With new and old dangers alike hiding behind every corner, time might just be up for Rabbit’s redemption—and possibly his life.]]> 320 Andrew Ludington 1250349303 Skip 3 3.91 2025 Splinter Effect (Splinter Effect, #1)
author: Andrew Ludington
name: Skip
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/21
date added: 2024/10/22
shelves: goodreads-netgalley-giveaway, science-fiction, e-books
review:
Uneven book, especially the pacing. Archaeologist Rabbit Ward is a time traveler, who seeks patrons to go back in time to recover lost artifacts from the ancient world. Unfortunately, he remains traumatized by losing the son of a patron on a mission from 20 years ago. Rabbit gets a rare opportunity to return to the period to try to recover the golden menorah once; however, things begin to go wrong as soon as he arrives in 6th century, Constantinople, because he seems to have a competitor or two from the future. I thought the author really left Rabbit's relationship with Helen unexplored, perhaps leaving this for future books in the series, but it was unfulfilling. 2.5 stars, reluctantly rounded up.
]]> <![CDATA[Invisible Helix (Detective Galileo, #5)]]> 203578772 Detective Galileo, Keigo Higashino’s best loved character from The Devotion of Suspect X, returns in a case where hidden history, an impossible crime, are linked by nearly invisible threads in surprising ways.

The body of a young man is found floating in Tokyo Bay. But his death was no accident—Ryota Uetsuji was shot. He'd been reported missing the week before by his live-in girlfriend Sonoka Shimauchi, but when detectives from the Homicide Squad go to interview her, she is nowhere to be found. She's taken time off from work, clothes and effects are missing from the apartment she shared. And when the detectives learn that she was the victim of domestic abuse, they presume that she was the killer. But her alibi is airtight—she was hours away in Kyoto when Ryota disappeared, forcing Detectives Kusanagi and Utsumi to restart their investigation.

But if Sonoko didn't kill her abusive lover, then who did? A thin thread of association leads them to their old consultant, brilliant physicist Manabu Yukawa, known in the department as "Detective Galileo." With Sonoko still missing, the detectives investigate other threads of association—an eccentric artist, who was Sonoko's mother figure after her own single mother passed; and an older woman who is the owner of a hostess club. And how is Sonoko continuing to stay one step ahead of the police searching for her? It's up to Galileo to find the nearly hidden threads of history and coincidence that connect the people around the bloody murder- which, surprisingly, connect to his own traumatic past—to unravel not merely the facts of the crime but the helix that ties them all together.]]> 288 Keigo Higashino 1250875560 Skip 3
Ryota Uetsuji is found floating in Tokyo Bay, shot to death. His girlfriend Sonoka Shimauchi had reported him missing, but the homicide investigators cannot find her. They discover she was the victim of domestic abuse, but Sonoka was hours away, vacationing with a girlfriend, when Ryota was shot, forcing detectives Kusanagi and Utsumi to look for other suspects. Eventually, the detectives find their way to physicist Manabu Yukawa, (a/k/a Detective Galileo, who helped them before, via his ties to a children's book author and close friend of Sonoka's deceased mother. Galileo backtracks though hidden threads of history at an orphanage and his own tragic history to identify the killer and motive.]]> 3.68 2021 Invisible Helix (Detective Galileo, #5)
author: Keigo Higashino
name: Skip
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/05
date added: 2024/10/15
shelves: crime-detective, series-in-progress, foreign-translated, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway, e-books
review:
Book #10 in the series, but Book #5 to be translated into English. Strange.

Ryota Uetsuji is found floating in Tokyo Bay, shot to death. His girlfriend Sonoka Shimauchi had reported him missing, but the homicide investigators cannot find her. They discover she was the victim of domestic abuse, but Sonoka was hours away, vacationing with a girlfriend, when Ryota was shot, forcing detectives Kusanagi and Utsumi to look for other suspects. Eventually, the detectives find their way to physicist Manabu Yukawa, (a/k/a Detective Galileo, who helped them before, via his ties to a children's book author and close friend of Sonoka's deceased mother. Galileo backtracks though hidden threads of history at an orphanage and his own tragic history to identify the killer and motive.
]]> Colombiano 35847912
All Pedro Gutiérrez cares about is fishing, playing pool and his girlfriend Camila’s promise to sleep with him on his sixteenth birthday. But his life is ripped apart when Guerrilla soldiers callously execute his father in front of him, and he and his mother are banished from their farm.

Swearing vengeance against the five men responsible, Pedro, with his best friend Palillo, joins an illegal Paramilitary group, where he is trained to fight, kill and crush any sign of weakness.

But as he descends into a world of unspeakable violence, Pedro must decide how far he is willing to go. Can he stop himself before he becomes just as ruthless as those he is hunting? Or will his dark obsession cost him all he loves?

Colombiano is an epic tale of rural villages held to ransom, of jungle drug labs, cocaine supermarkets, witch doctors and buried millions, of innocent teenage love, barbaric torture and meticulously planned revenge.

Superbly told and by turns gripping, poignant and darkly comic, Colombiano is the remarkable story of a boy whose moral descent becomes a metaphor for the corruption of an entire nation. Both blockbuster thriller and electrifying coming-of-age story, Rusty Young’s powerful novel is also a meditation on the redeeming power of love.]]> 689 Rusty Young 0143781537 Skip 4 Colombiano is about the lengthy and often violent conflict between the Guerillas, the Autodefencias, and the government army in Colombia, as supported by the United States. The protagonist is a teenage buy, Pedro Gutierrez, who is immersed in the conflict after his father is executed in front of him by Guerrilla forces. He joins the Autodefencias to avenge his father's death, while trying to balance his love for his mother, his town, and his young girlfriend. He rises to become a leader, sometimes by intention and sometimes by accident, and sees the horrors of war sometimes at his own hands or behest. Raw, gripping, violent, but realistic; this will not be for every reader.]]> 4.32 2017 Colombiano
author: Rusty Young
name: Skip
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/26
date added: 2024/10/02
shelves: goodreads-netgalley-giveaway, historical-fiction
review:
4.5 stars, rounded down for an ending that seemed incommensurate with the ethos of the book. Author Rusty Young is a journalist, who fell in love with his adopted country, Colombia. He interviewed a number of child soldiers about their horrific experiences and then wrote a fictional story with their experiences interwoven in the saga. Colombiano is about the lengthy and often violent conflict between the Guerillas, the Autodefencias, and the government army in Colombia, as supported by the United States. The protagonist is a teenage buy, Pedro Gutierrez, who is immersed in the conflict after his father is executed in front of him by Guerrilla forces. He joins the Autodefencias to avenge his father's death, while trying to balance his love for his mother, his town, and his young girlfriend. He rises to become a leader, sometimes by intention and sometimes by accident, and sees the horrors of war sometimes at his own hands or behest. Raw, gripping, violent, but realistic; this will not be for every reader.
]]> Reykjavík: A Crime Story 65214641
What happened to Lára?

Iceland, 1956. Fourteen-year-old Lára decides to spend the summer working for a couple on the small island of Videy, just off the coast of Reykjavík. In early August, the girl disappears without a trace. Time passes, and the mystery becomes Iceland‘s most infamous unsolved case. What happened to the young girl? Is she still alive? Did she leave the island, or did something happen to her there?

Thirty years later, as the city of Reykjavík celebrates its 200th anniversary, journalist Valur Robertsson begins his own investigation into Lára's case. But as he draws closer to discovering the secret, and with the eyes of Reykjavík upon him, it soon becomes clear that Lára's disappearance is a mystery that someone will stop at nothing to keep unsolved . . .]]> 355 Ragnar Jónasson 1250907349 Skip 3 3.64 2022 Reykjavík: A Crime Story
author: Ragnar Jónasson
name: Skip
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/01/18
date added: 2024/09/15
shelves: foreign-translated, thriller, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway, e-books
review:
Not as good as Jonasson's other novels. A 15-year old girl goes missing from her summer employment on an remote island near Reykjavik in 1956. The young investigating officer is not allowed to properly investigate because the family who employed her are politically connected. investigate this case (due to her employers� status and friends in high places). He is haunted by his inability to solve the crime. Some 30 years later, a young reporter decides to write a series of articles about the girl, and manages to solve the mystery with his persistence. It's the the old adage: shine a light down a dark hole and watch the rats scatter.
]]> <![CDATA[Thieves' Gambit (Thieves' Gambit, #1)]]> 112974911 The Inheritance Games meets Ocean's Eleven in this cinematic heist thriller where a cutthroat competition brings together the world's best thieves and one thief is playing for the highest stakes of all: her mother's life.

At only seventeen years old, Ross Quest is already a master thief, especially adept at escape plans. Until her plan to run away from her legendary family of thieves takes an unexpected turn, leaving her mother's life hanging in the balance.

In a desperate bid, she enters the Thieves' Gambit, a series of dangerous, international heists where killing the competition isn't exactly off limits, but the grand prize is a wish for anything in the world--a wish that could save her mom. When she learns two of her competitors include her childhood nemesis and a handsome, smooth-talking guy who might also want to steal her heart, winning the Gambit becomes trickier than she imagined.

Ross tries her best to stick to the family creed: trust no one whose last name isn't Quest. But with the stakes this high, Ross will have to decide who to con and who to trust before time runs out. After all, only one of them can win.]]> 384 Kayvion Lewis 0593625366 Skip 2 3.86 2023 Thieves' Gambit (Thieves' Gambit, #1)
author: Kayvion Lewis
name: Skip
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2024/01/22
date added: 2024/09/13
shelves: thriller, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:
Ross Quest is a thief because this is the family business, and her mom has trained her. Nonetheless, Ross wants out, and is planning a score of her own so she can disappear. Then, the world shift tectonically as her mother is kidnapped for a billion dollar ransom. Her only chance of a prize this big is the world-famous Thieves� Gambit, a competition pitting the world's best thieves against each other. Ross learns fast that there are other talented thieves, and the competition is forcing teamwork in direct contravention of the family code: trust no one who is not a Quest. I was not impressed by either the competition nor the characters.
]]> <![CDATA[Terminal Surf (Lewis Cole, #12)]]> 195470206 In the quiet charm of New England, a shocking truth washes ashore.

When retired Department of Defense analyst and local columnist, Lewis Cole, stumbles upon a harrowing scene—a drowned migrant woman and her child—he is thrust into the middle of a thriving human smuggling operation on the coasts of New Hampshire and Maine. Appalled by the discovery and determined to unveil the hidden machinery of this inhumane trade, Lewis navigates the choppy waters of local politics, high emotions, and escalating violence.

The undertow of the crisis grows stronger when various parties—ranging from migrant rights advocates to immigration opponents, government agencies, and news media—capitalize on the situation, each spinning the narrative to their advantage. The lines blur between right and wrong, pulling Lewis deeper into the conflict.

His pursuit of justice pushes him into a deadly crossfire, forcing him into the shadowy world of human smuggling and threatening his very life. His investigative journey ends where it began, alone on the frosty Atlantic waters, battling the waves of despair and violence that surge from the far corners of the globe. He's not just fighting for his survival, but for those who are fleeing death in their homeland. Will he be able to save them all, or die trying?

Terminal Surf is the next unputdownable installment in the Lewis Cole Series by New York Times bestselling author Brendan DuBois. An action-packed thriller perfect for fans of James Patterson and Michael Connelly.]]> 331 Brendan DuBois Skip 3 4.64 Terminal Surf (Lewis Cole, #12)
author: Brendan DuBois
name: Skip
average rating: 4.64
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/05/29
date added: 2024/08/22
shelves: series-in-progress, crime-detective, e-books, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:
Book #12 in the Lewis Cole series. A drowned women and her baby wash ashore on Lewis's property, and the local town residents are deeply divided by the illegal immigration issue. More lucrative than fishing, human traffickers are bringing people ashore, drawing the attention of the Department of Homeland Security. Naturally, the feds won't work with the local police department, and then outside agitators show up to escalate matters, leading to gunfire and heightened tensions. Nobody seems interested to locate the smugglers, except Lewis, who not only has to find those responsible, but also is harboring another washed ashore party trying to avoid the local citizen's brigade.
]]> Thirst 62795832
The riveting story of a heroic girl who fights for her belief that water should be for everyone.

Minni lives in the poorest part of Mumbai, where access to water is limited to a few hours a day and the communal taps have long lines. Lately, though, even that access is threatened by severe water shortages and thieves who are stealing this precious commodity—an act that Minni accidentally witnesses one night. Meanwhile, in the high-rise building where she just started to work, she discovers that water streams out of every faucet and there’s even a rooftop swimming pool. What Minni also discovers there is one of the water mafia bosses. Now she must decide whether to expose him and risk her job and maybe her life. How did something as simple as access to water get so complicated?]]> 208 Varsha Bajaj 0593354419 Skip 3 goodreads-netgalley-giveaway 4.05 2022 Thirst
author: Varsha Bajaj
name: Skip
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2023/12/24
date added: 2024/03/02
shelves: goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:

]]> Lone Wolf (Orphan X, #9) 126919150
Not his usual mission, and not one Evan embraces with enthusiasm, but this unlikely, tiny job quickly explodes into his biggest mission yet. one that finds him battered between twisted AI technocrat billionaires, a mysterious female assassin who seems a mirror of himself, and personal stakes so gut-wrenching he can scarcely make sense of them .

Evan's mission pushes him to his limit - he must find and take down the assassin known only as the Wolf, before she succeeds in completing her mission and killing the people who can identify her - a teenaged daughter of her last target, and Evan himself. Matched skill for skill, instinct for instinct, Evan must outwit an opponent who will literally stop at nothing if he is to survive.]]> 389 Gregg Hurwitz Skip 3 ]]> 4.32 2024 Lone Wolf (Orphan X, #9)
author: Gregg Hurwitz
name: Skip
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2023/08/12
date added: 2023/09/10
shelves: thriller, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:
Evan Smoak (a/k/a the Nowhere Man and Orphan X) is called by a little girl, who asks for his help to find her missing dog. This is not what he had in mind, but the little girl is actually related to him and so he decides to help. In the process of tracking down the dog, he stumbles into the assassination of a computer programmer, saving the life of his teenage daughter and pitting himself against the deadly assassin (Wolf), who wants Evan and the girl dead as no witnesses is a rule by which Wolf lives. The Wolf and Evan think alike and therefore have to outmaneuver each other, with only one surviving. The plot is a little much technology wise, and for me, there was a bit too much family drama (Evan and his desire to meet his biological father and his weird relationship with Joey.) In fact, I had to reduce my rating by a full star for Joey changing Evan's ringtone to "Don't cha wish your girlfriend was hawt like me," a song I could not stop hearing...

]]> <![CDATA[A Blizzard of Polar Bears (Alex Carter, #2)]]> 60141365 Wildlife biologist Alex Carter is back, fighting for endangered species in the Canadian Arctic and battling for her life in this action-packed follow-up to A Solitude of Wolverines, "a true stunner of a thriller debut" (James Rollins) and "a great read" (Nevada Barr).


Fresh off her wolverine study in Montana, wildlife biologist Alex Carter lands a job studying a threatened population of polar bears in the Canadian Arctic. Embedded with a small team of Arctic researchers, she tracks the majestic bears by air, following them over vast, snowy terrain, spending days leaning precariously out of a helicopter with a tranquilizer gun, until she can get down on the ice to examine them up close.

But as her study progresses, and she gathers data on the health of individual bears, things start to go awry. Her helicopter pilot quits unexpectedly, equipment goes missing, and a late-night intruder breaks into her lab and steals the samples she's collected. She realizes that someone doesn't want her to complete her study, but Alex is not easily deterred.

Managing to find a replacement pilot, she returns to the icy expanses of Hudson Bay. But the helicopter catches fire in midflight, forcing the team to land on a vast sheet of white far from civilization. Surviving on the frozen landscape is difficult enough, but as armed assailants close in on snowmobiles, Alex must rely on her skills and tenacity to survive this onslaught and carry out her mission.]]> 352 Alice Henderson 0062982117 Skip 4 3.95 2021 A Blizzard of Polar Bears (Alex Carter, #2)
author: Alice Henderson
name: Skip
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/05
date added: 2023/08/04
shelves: thriller, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:
When Alex Carter gets a call from a former scientific research partner to take her position in Churchill, Manitoba, Alex wraps up her work studying wolverines in Montana. But, things go awry almost immediately: her bush helicopter pilot takes another job, her samples are stolen in a lab break-in, her helicopter crashes and burns, and she befriends a women worried sick over her dive partner's disappearance from a solo dive in the chilly Arctic seas. Alex finds herself battling global warming, poachers and an even more insidious enterprise seeking to obliterate damaging environmental data in the name of profits. Author Alice Henderson keeps her readers guessing as to identity of the bad guys and the exact nature of their greed. Onto Caribou next.
]]> <![CDATA[Black Leopard, Red Wolf (The Dark Star Trilogy, #1)]]> 40524312
Tracker is known far and wide for his skills as a hunter: "He has a nose," people say. Engaged to track down a mysterious boy who disappeared three years earlier, Tracker breaks his own rule of always working alone when he finds himself part of a group that comes together to search for the boy. The band is a hodgepodge, full of unusual characters with secrets of their own, including a shape-shifting man-animal known as Leopard.

Drawing from African history and mythology and his own rich imagination, Marlon James has written an adventure that's also an ambitious, involving read. Defying categorization and full of unforgettable characters, Black Leopard, Red Wolf explores the fundamentals of truths, the limits of power, the excesses of ambition, and our need to understand them all.]]> 620 Marlon James 0735220174 Skip 3 3.42 2019 Black Leopard, Red Wolf (The Dark Star Trilogy, #1)
author: Marlon James
name: Skip
average rating: 3.42
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2019/03/05
date added: 2023/06/21
shelves: goodreads-netgalley-giveaway, fantasy
review:
Not an easy one to read. A fantasy adventure that takes place in Africa, with real and mythical beings interspersed. Marlon James writes well, no doubt, but the book rambles through towns, tribes, cities, people, and the reader is left without a real road map. The protagonist Tracker is from a highly dysfunctional family, but seems to be a protector at heart, perhaps because it was something he always wanted, but never had? In any case, he is hired to find a missing boy by a merchant, who is acting as agent for a politicking person with a focused but highly non-traditional agenda. Tracker's companions come and go, creating even more confusion. Personally, I liked Sadogo best from among his posse. Be warned, there is an enormous amount of violence and killing, sex and rape, especially male rape, and a general negative view of women.
]]> The World Played Chess 56922052 400 Robert Dugoni 1542029384 Skip 3 The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell. Basically, this book is about the poor decisions of 18-year olds. In 1967, William decides to go to Vietnam, with the hopes of becoming a photojournalist. War is hell, and William is scarred from his experience. We then shift forward in time to 1979 when Vincent Bianco decides to work on a summer construction crew with Vincent for spending money in college, with William changing his life trajectory, and finally into the 2000's when William sends Vincent his Vietnam journal. Too slow and repetitive for me. Don't understand how GR rating can be close to 4.5. Disappointing.]]> 4.45 2021 The World Played Chess
author: Robert Dugoni
name: Skip
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2023/04/16
date added: 2023/05/02
shelves: goodreads-netgalley-giveaway, e-books
review:
2.5 stars, rounded up. Nowhere near as good as Dugoni's Tracy Crosswhite series or The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell. Basically, this book is about the poor decisions of 18-year olds. In 1967, William decides to go to Vietnam, with the hopes of becoming a photojournalist. War is hell, and William is scarred from his experience. We then shift forward in time to 1979 when Vincent Bianco decides to work on a summer construction crew with Vincent for spending money in college, with William changing his life trajectory, and finally into the 2000's when William sends Vincent his Vietnam journal. Too slow and repetitive for me. Don't understand how GR rating can be close to 4.5. Disappointing.
]]> <![CDATA[Winterkeep (Graceling Realm, #4)]]> 53624358 Something is rotten in the heart of Winterkeep...

Four years after Bitterblue left off, a new land has been discovered to the east: Torla; and the closest nation to Monsea is Winterkeep. Winterkeep is a land of miracles, a democratic republic run by people who like each other, where people speak to telepathic sea creatures, adopt telepathic foxes as pets, and fly across the sky in ships attached to balloons.

But when Bitterblue’s envoys to Winterkeep drown under suspicious circumstances, she and Giddon and her half sister, Hava, set off to discover the truth–putting both Bitterblue’s life and Giddon’s heart to the test when Bitterbue is kidnapped. Giddon believes she has drowned, leaving him and Hava to solve the mystery of what’s wrong in Winterkeep.

Lovisa Cavenda is the teenage daughter of a powerful Scholar and Industrialist (the opposing governing parties) with a fire inside her that is always hungry, always just nearly about to make something happen. She is the key to everything, but only if she can figure out what’s going on before anyone else, and only if she’s willing to transcend the person she’s been all her life.]]> 528 Kristin Cashore 0803741502 Skip 4 3.98 2021 Winterkeep (Graceling Realm, #4)
author: Kristin Cashore
name: Skip
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/02/22
date added: 2022/12/15
shelves: fantasy, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:
Bitterblue is now Queen of Monsea, but is upset about the disappearance of two envoys to Winterkeep and a strange message about zillium. She decides to visit the small kingdom with her advisors and protector, Gibbon, when she is washed overboard by a rogue wave in a storm, and eventually held captive. Meanwhile, things are unsettled in Winterkeep over whether zillium should be used as a polluting power source or something worse. The Cavenda family is headed by a leading political figure from each party, who differ on zillium, and the mother rules the roost, terrorizing the children. Their daughter, Lovisa, is a main character as she has to decide right from wrong, especially about some of the illegal and immoral actions of her parents. The book builds suspense along the way, and there are some great animals, such as the sea dwellers, but Cashore misses the boat on fully developing the human-bonding foxes. Like other reviewers, I think the many sexcapades detracted from the story. Lovisa is a strong character, whom I hope to see more of in the next installment in the Graceling realm.
]]> An Affair of Spies 59849972
Nathan Silverman grew up in Berlin in the 1920s, the son of a homemaker and a theoretical physicist. His idyllic childhood was soon marred by increasing levels of bigotry against his family and the rest of the Jewish community, and after his uncle is arrested on Kristallnacht, he leaves Germany for New York City with only his mother's wedding ring to sell for survival.

While attending an evening course at Columbia in 1941, Nathan notices a recruitment poster on a university wall and decides to enlist in the military and help fight the Nazi regime. To his surprise, he is quickly selected for a special assignment; he is trained as a spy, and ordered to report to the Manhattan Project. There he learns that the Allies are racing to develop a nuclear weapon before the Nazis, and a German theoretical physicist is hoping to defect. The physicist was a friend of his father's, and Nathan's mission is to return to Berlin via France and smuggle him out of Europe.

Nathan will be accompanied by Dr. Allison Fisher, a brilliant young scientist who can speak French; he travels to her lab at the University of Chicago for a crash course in nuclear physics, then they embark on their adventure. Nathan and Allison soon develop feelings for one another, but as their relationship deepens they move ever closer to their dangerous goal. Will they be able to escape Europe with the defector and start a new life together, or will they fail their mission and become two more casualties of war?

An Affair of Spies is an action-packed tale of heroism and love in the face of unspeakable evil. Author Ronald H. Balson has applied his unmatched talent for evocative and painstakingly authentic storytelling to the high-stakes world of espionage and created his most thrilling novel yet.]]> 304 Ronald H. Balson 1250282470 Skip 4 4.17 2022 An Affair of Spies
author: Ronald H. Balson
name: Skip
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2022/07/02
date added: 2022/07/04
shelves: historical-fiction, thriller, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway, e-books
review:
Another excellent WWII thriller by Ronald Balson. Sergeant Nathan Silverman is a German Jewish refugee, who fled Europe at the urging of his family, and has enlisted in the US army, where he has been transferred into an intelligence unit because of his fluency in German. He is sent to NY City to meet a General and Robert Oppenheimer, and introduced to Dr. Allison Fischer, a nuclear physicist. Together, they are asked to sneak into Nazi Germany to evaluate whether a Dr. Snyder can help the U.S. effort to build a nuclear weapon and to determine what progress the Nazis have made in their own efforts to build one. Nathan's father (Josef) worked with Snyder and Nathan is desperate for news of his family, and fears the worst. Nathan impersonates a Wehrmacht officer and Allison is supposed to be his French girlfriend. Of course, they encounter many difficulties along the way, and because of compartmentalization, Snyder only has a partial picture, causing the Berlin chief of station to assist in an unsanctioned daring mission. Very good, 4.5 stars.
]]> <![CDATA[The Record Keeper (Murphy Shepherd, #3)]]> 59608954 With gripping action and heart-wrenching emotion, Charles Martin continues to explore the true power of sacrificial love.

Murphy Shepherd’s last rescue mission very nearly cost him his life. He’d like nothing more than to stay close to his wife and daughters for a while. But Bones’s brother must be stopped, and there are so many who need to know that they are worth rescuing.

As the cat-and-mouse game moves into the open, Murphy is tested at every turn—both physically and mentally. And then the unthinkable happens: his beloved mentor and friend is taken. Without a trace.

Murphy lives by the mantra that love shows up. But how can he do that when he has no leads? With heart-stopping clarity, The Record Keeper explores the true cost of leaving the ninety-nine to find the one.]]> 336 Charles Martin 0785255907 Skip 4 Despite not being fully recovered from a near death experience, he and Bones go on a mission, ending in Bones being kidnapped. Murphy and his canine buddy Gunner, start dancing to the tune of the kidnapper, who was the same person who almost killed Murphy in the last book. The kidnapper seems omniscient, and so Murphy, Eddie and the team in Freetown recruit some high tech partners to find and rescue Bones.

The kidnapper is a major player in the sex trafficking, who is seeking retribution for the losses that Bones and Murphy have inflicted on his operations. Like the proverbial shepherd who leaves his flock to go and find the one lost sheep, Bones is trying to save the kidnapper from himself. We learn much about the hell in which Bones was raised and his motivation to help the one (and not the many this last time.) ]]> 4.47 2022 The Record Keeper (Murphy Shepherd, #3)
author: Charles Martin
name: Skip
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2022/06/30
date added: 2022/07/04
shelves: thriller, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:
Murphy Shepherd rescues victims of human trafficking, but beyond his noble calling, he provides a safe haven for them to recover from their ordeal in a safely guarded mountain location called Freetown. He was recruited for this work while in military training by a man nicknamed Bones.
Despite not being fully recovered from a near death experience, he and Bones go on a mission, ending in Bones being kidnapped. Murphy and his canine buddy Gunner, start dancing to the tune of the kidnapper, who was the same person who almost killed Murphy in the last book. The kidnapper seems omniscient, and so Murphy, Eddie and the team in Freetown recruit some high tech partners to find and rescue Bones.

The kidnapper is a major player in the sex trafficking, who is seeking retribution for the losses that Bones and Murphy have inflicted on his operations. Like the proverbial shepherd who leaves his flock to go and find the one lost sheep, Bones is trying to save the kidnapper from himself. We learn much about the hell in which Bones was raised and his motivation to help the one (and not the many this last time.)
]]> <![CDATA[Defending Britta Stein (Liam Taggart and Catherine Lockhart #6)]]> 56496982
Chicago, 2018: Ole Henryks, a popular restauranteur, is set to be honored by the Danish/American Association for his many civic and charitable contributions. Frequently appearing on local TV, he is well known for his actions in Nazi-occupied Denmark during World War II—most consider him a hero.

Britta Stein, however, does not. The ninety-year-old Chicago woman levels public accusations against Henryks by spray-painting “Coward,� “Traitor,� “Collaborator,� and “War Criminal� on the walls of his restaurant. Mrs. Stein is ultimately taken into custody and charged with criminal defacement of property. She also becomes the target of a bitter lawsuit filed by Henryks and his son, accusing her of defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Attorney Catherine Lockhart, though hesitant at first, agrees to take up Mrs. Stein's defense. With the help of her investigator husband, Liam Taggart, Lockhart must reach back into wartime Denmark and locate evidence that proves Mrs. Stein's innocence. Defending Britta Stein is critically-acclaimed author Ronald H. Balson's thrilling take on a modern day courtroom drama, and a masterful rendition of Denmark’s wartime heroics.]]> 352 Ronald H. Balson Skip 4 Karolina's Twins, Britta tells a very long story of how the Danes kept their national identity during the Nazi occupation, with the majority opposing the occupation, working together to undermine the Germans, and to rescue their Jewish citizens. Her father was in Parliament, and her sister and brother-in-law active in the resistance. Excellent investigative support by Liam (again) and a well-executed legal strategy, especially in light of Britta's failing health as the trial commences. Another gem by Balson, and especially strong pictorial of the righteous Danes in a dark part of history. ]]> 4.44 2021 Defending Britta Stein (Liam Taggart and Catherine Lockhart #6)
author: Ronald H. Balson
name: Skip
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/10/23
date added: 2022/04/22
shelves: historical-fiction, e-books, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway, series-in-progress
review:
A Danish restauranteur, Ole Hendryks, is about to be honored by a local association for his civic activities and record as a Danish hero in WWII, rescuing Jews, when a 90-year old woman is arrested for spray-painting epithets on the walls of his restaurant: traitor, liar, Nazi collaborator. and charitable contributions. Frequently appearing on local TV, he is well known for his actions in Nazi-occupied Denmark during World War II—most consider him a hero. A showboating lawyer files a $5 million defamation lawsuit, and Britta Stein welcomes the lawsuit and court fight. One of Catherine Lockhart's former law mentors asks her to help, as Britta is the grandmother of one of his rising attorneys. Reminiscent of Karolina's Twins, Britta tells a very long story of how the Danes kept their national identity during the Nazi occupation, with the majority opposing the occupation, working together to undermine the Germans, and to rescue their Jewish citizens. Her father was in Parliament, and her sister and brother-in-law active in the resistance. Excellent investigative support by Liam (again) and a well-executed legal strategy, especially in light of Britta's failing health as the trial commences. Another gem by Balson, and especially strong pictorial of the righteous Danes in a dark part of history.
]]> <![CDATA[The Recovery Agent (Gabriella Rose, #1)]]> 55847081
Inspired by an old family legend, Gabriela sets off for the jungles of Peru in pursuit of the Ring of Solomon and the lost treasure of Cortez. But this particular job comes with a huge problem attached to it—Gabriela’s ex-husband, Rafer. It’s Rafer who has the map that possibly points the way to the treasure, and he’s not about to let Gabriela find it without him.

Rafer is as relaxed as Gabriela is driven, and he has a lifetime’s experience getting under his ex-wife’s skin. But when they aren’t bickering about old times the two make a formidable team, and it’s going to take a team to defeat the vicious drug lord who has also been searching for the fabled ring. A drug lord who doesn’t mind leaving a large body count behind him to get it.

The Recovery Agent marks the start of an irresistible new series that will have you clamoring for more and cheering for the unstoppable Gabriela Rose on every page.]]> 314 Janet Evanovich Skip 3 4.02 2022 The Recovery Agent (Gabriella Rose, #1)
author: Janet Evanovich
name: Skip
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2022/04/07
date added: 2022/04/15
shelves: thriller, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway, e-books
review:
Gabriela Rose is the recovery agent: she makes her living by recovering assets or items for clients. In this case, she is working a personal angle to save her hometown of Scoon, which has been devastated by a wicked storm. Gabriela is seeking an ancient, but powerful ring, called The Seal of Solomon. However, there is a murderous cult leader who also wants to possess the ring and will stop at nothing to get it. Gabriela is a sort of Indiana Jones/Lara Croft, and has her girl Friday to help her research on the Internet. She is forced into partnering with her ex-husband, for whom she still feels a strong sexual attraction. A bit ho-hum for me. 2.5 stars, rounded up.
]]> <![CDATA[Beautiful Hero: How We Survived the Khmer Rouge]]> 32057065
Surrounded by unimaginable adverse forces, one strong woman would ultimately lead her entire family to survive. Beautiful Hero is an autobiographical narrative told from a daughter’s perspective. The story centers around Meiyeng, the eponymous Beautiful Hero, and her innate ability to sustain everyone in her family. She shepherded her entire family through starvation, diseases, slavery and massacres in war-torn Cambodia to forge a new life in America.

Over two million people—a third of the country’s population—fell victim to a devastating genocide in Cambodia. The rise of the Khmer Rouge posed not merely a single challenge to survival, but rather a series of nightmarish obstacles that required constant circumvention, outmaneuvering, and exceptional fortitude from those few who would survive the regime intact. The story eerily unravels the layers of atrocity and evil unleashed upon the people, providing a clear view of this horrific and violent time of the Cambodian revolution.br>
]]> 366 Jennifer H. Lau 0998079804 Skip 3
These events took place when Jennifer/Geng was 5-11 years old, and it is very difficult to believe that she could remember these horrific events so clearly, especially when most of her extended family did not survive.]]> 4.53 2016 Beautiful Hero: How We Survived the Khmer Rouge
author: Jennifer H. Lau
name: Skip
average rating: 4.53
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2021/04/25
date added: 2021/10/30
shelves: refugees, e-books, biography-memoirs, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:
Beautiful Hero is the story of Jennifer (Geng) and her extended family's troubles in Cambodia from 1975 to 1981 when the Khmer Rouge ravaged the country. Her immediate family had to abandon their home and businesses (her father was a photographer and her mother was a hairdresser.) Geng's mother is the beautiful hero, who manages to keep her family alive with her energy and ingenuity, while so many others perished from abuse, disease, starvation and other atrocities.

These events took place when Jennifer/Geng was 5-11 years old, and it is very difficult to believe that she could remember these horrific events so clearly, especially when most of her extended family did not survive.
]]> <![CDATA[Beyond the Headlines (Clare Carlson #4)]]> 56780167 She was a mega-celebrity—he was a billionaire businessman—now he’s dead—she’s in jail

Laurie Bateman was living the American dream. Since her arrival as an infant in the U.S. after the fall of Saigon, the pretty Vietnamese girl had gone on to become a supermodel, a successful actress, and, finally, the wife of one of the country’s top corporate dealmakers. That dream has now turned into a nightmare when she is arrested for the murder of her wealthy husband.

New York City TV journalist Clare Carlson does an emotional jailhouse interview in which Bateman proclaims her innocence—and becomes a cause celebre for women’s rights groups around the country.

At first sympathetic, then increasingly suspicious of Laurie Bateman and her story, Clare delves into a baffling mystery which has roots extending back nearly fifty years to the height of the Vietnam War.

Soon, there are more murders, more victims, and more questions as Clare struggles against dire evil forces to break the biggest story of her life.

Beyond the Headlinesis perfect for fans of Robert Crais and Harlan Coben

While all of the novels in the Clare Carlson Mystery Series stand on their own and can be read in any order, the publication sequence is:

Yesterday’s News
Below the Fold
The Last Scoop
Beyond the Headlines]]> 287 R.G. Belsky 1608094103 Skip 3 4.42 2021 Beyond the Headlines (Clare Carlson #4)
author: R.G. Belsky
name: Skip
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2021/04/24
date added: 2021/10/30
shelves: thriller, e-books, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:
A very wealthy Charles Hollister is found dead in his apartment, and his estranged wife, Laurie Bateman, is arrested for his murder. Channel 10's Clare Carlson, was there as the police arrest Laurie, Clare had an exclusive interview scheduled to discuss Laurie's imminent divorce filing. Laurie is a famous Vietnamese model and actress, and she had planned to reveal that her supposedly idyllic marriage to Hollister, was not. All the evidence points to her guilt but Clare jumps in and investigates, forcing the police and court to consider other parties. Hollister has made many in his rise to success. Laurie's theatrics in court win her release, but Clare then stumbles on an obscure movie in which Laurie had used the exact same lines, causing Clare to think she helped a guilty party get freed. A lot of twists and turns as Clare doggedly pursues her story and justice. Not as good as the previous books.
]]> <![CDATA[King Bullet (Sandman Slim, #12)]]> 55921487 The incredible finale of the page-turning, high-octane Sandman Slim series filled with an explosive ending and intense kick-ass action from New York Times bestselling author Richard Kadrey.

It’s been three months since Stark stopped a death cult and a potential ghost apocalypse, and he’s at loose ends. His personal life is a mess. His professional life isn’t much better. And the world…well, the world is going to shit. L.A. is gripped by a viral epidemic that has everyone wearing masks and keeping their distance from each other. But what’s even more frightening is the Shoggot gang and their leader, King Bullet, who revels in the city’s collapse.

Who is King Bullet? No one knows. He seemingly came from nowhere with nothing but a taste for mayhem and an army of crazed killers who follow his every command. What king wants seems simple on it face: Chaos. Destruction. A city in flames. But there’s more to the king and his plans for L.A. and what Stark discovers will change Heaven, Earth, and Stark himself forever.]]> 303 Richard Kadrey 0062951572 Skip 4
It was great to be reunited with most of James Stark/Sandman Slim's friends from earlier books: Candy, Alessa, Janet, Fuck Hollywood, Kasabian, Allegra, Carlos, Brigitte, Samael, Mr. Muninn, Mustang Sally and Flicker. There are even references to some no longer alive, such as Alice and Vidocq. Only Father Thomas and the hellhounds seemed absent.

Like most of the books, a rip-roaring pace from the beginning. L.A. is in serious trouble as an epidemic is turning citizens into raving maniacs or worse. Violent gangs and new psychos (the Shoggots) are becoming disciples of King Bullet, who seems all-powerful. Even the Sub-Rosa are running scared, and looking for Stark's help. King Bullet seems to have a fatwa on Stark, and is harming his friends, forcing Stark to face perhaps his most lethal enemy ever. Epic battles and ending. My only complaint is the soul searching by Stark, doubting himself because all he seems to do is bring death, dismemberment and grievous injuries to those he loves and likes. Like others, I am not a big fan of Janet (a whiner), happy to see Candy still loves Stark, and Fuck Hollywood will always be a personal favorite.]]> 4.03 2021 King Bullet (Sandman Slim, #12)
author: Richard Kadrey
name: Skip
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/09/18
date added: 2021/09/25
shelves: goodreads-netgalley-giveaway, fantasy, horror
review:
It's always hard to end a series, especially in the fantasy genre, but I was super glad to win a copy of this in a GR giveaway. I thought this was better than average.

It was great to be reunited with most of James Stark/Sandman Slim's friends from earlier books: Candy, Alessa, Janet, Fuck Hollywood, Kasabian, Allegra, Carlos, Brigitte, Samael, Mr. Muninn, Mustang Sally and Flicker. There are even references to some no longer alive, such as Alice and Vidocq. Only Father Thomas and the hellhounds seemed absent.

Like most of the books, a rip-roaring pace from the beginning. L.A. is in serious trouble as an epidemic is turning citizens into raving maniacs or worse. Violent gangs and new psychos (the Shoggots) are becoming disciples of King Bullet, who seems all-powerful. Even the Sub-Rosa are running scared, and looking for Stark's help. King Bullet seems to have a fatwa on Stark, and is harming his friends, forcing Stark to face perhaps his most lethal enemy ever. Epic battles and ending. My only complaint is the soul searching by Stark, doubting himself because all he seems to do is bring death, dismemberment and grievous injuries to those he loves and likes. Like others, I am not a big fan of Janet (a whiner), happy to see Candy still loves Stark, and Fuck Hollywood will always be a personal favorite.
]]> The Girl Who Died 55217235 'Teacher wanted on the edge of the world...'

Una is struggling to deal with her father's sudden, tragic suicide. She spends her nights drinking alone in Reykjavik, stricken with thoughts that she might one day follow in his footsteps.

So when she sees an advert seeking a teacher for two girls in the tiny village of Skálar - population of ten - on the storm-battered north coast of the island, she sees it as a chance to escape.

But once she arrives, Una quickly realises nothing in city life has prepared her for this. The villagers are unfriendly. The weather is bleak. And, from the creaky attic bedroom of the old house where she's living, she's convinced she hears the ghostly sound of singing.

Una worries that she's losing her mind. And then, just before Christmas, there's a murder...]]> 275 Þ. Ragnar Jonasson 1250793742 Skip 2 ]]> 3.73 2018 The Girl Who Died
author: Þ. Ragnar Jonasson
name: Skip
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2018
rating: 2
read at: 2021/08/23
date added: 2021/08/27
shelves: e-books, foreign-translated, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:
Una, who lives in Reykjavik, applies for a teaching position in Skálar, one of Iceland's most isolated villages: 10 people, 2 students. Of course, like all small closely-knit villages, the community is tightly bound and leery of strangers. The women who hires Una is also her landlady and mother of one of the two students. They live in a house haunted by an ancient ghost, and while Una tries to fit in, a number of strange events occur. Sadly, the plot and characters were pretty dull, a bit like the fishing village itself, and not up to the higher standard of Ragnar Jónasson's two other atmospheric series, both of which I liked. At the end of the day, Una was not a compelling character.

]]> <![CDATA[The House in the Cerulean Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, #1)]]> 45046567
Arthur Parnassus is the master of the orphanage. He would do anything to keep the children safe, even if it means the world will burn. And his secrets will come to light.

The House in the Cerulean Sea is an enchanting love story, masterfully told, about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.]]> 398 T.J. Klune 1250217288 Skip 5 A truly heartwarming fantasy teaching love and tolerance for the differences in people. Linus Baker is a by-the-book bureaucrat, who works for DICOMY (Department in Charge of Magical Youth), whose job it is to inspect orphanages to ensure they are being properly run. One day, he is summoned by Extremely Upper Management, and sent off with only skeletal information, to report on the Marsays Island orphanage: its six unique, magical children, including caretaker, Arthur Parnassus. Leaving his dreary home and grey, rainy city with his finicky cat, Calliope, Linus finds himself out of sorts, in a color-filled seascape, and then scared out of his wits to learn that one of the kids is the Anti-Christ. As he walks up to the house, he meets Talia, a female bearded gnome, tending her lovely garden. Linus strong feelings about protecting children allow him to bond with the residents one by one: he seems to know what to say to bring out the best in everyone, much to his own surprise. He and the children grow in extraordinary ways, even though it breaks the Rules and Regulations. Linus, Arthur, and island caretaker, Zoe Chapelwhite, are quite a trio of role models too. When his month is up, he feels compelled to return to the city to deliver his recommendation. After hearing the verdict, he decides he has no interest in his position and returns to the island. ]]> 4.42 2020 The House in the Cerulean Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, #1)
author: T.J. Klune
name: Skip
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2020/04/15
date added: 2021/07/10
shelves: fantasy, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:
A truly heartwarming fantasy teaching love and tolerance for the differences in people. Linus Baker is a by-the-book bureaucrat, who works for DICOMY (Department in Charge of Magical Youth), whose job it is to inspect orphanages to ensure they are being properly run. One day, he is summoned by Extremely Upper Management, and sent off with only skeletal information, to report on the Marsays Island orphanage: its six unique, magical children, including caretaker, Arthur Parnassus. Leaving his dreary home and grey, rainy city with his finicky cat, Calliope, Linus finds himself out of sorts, in a color-filled seascape, and then scared out of his wits to learn that one of the kids is the Anti-Christ. As he walks up to the house, he meets Talia, a female bearded gnome, tending her lovely garden. Linus strong feelings about protecting children allow him to bond with the residents one by one: he seems to know what to say to bring out the best in everyone, much to his own surprise. He and the children grow in extraordinary ways, even though it breaks the Rules and Regulations. Linus, Arthur, and island caretaker, Zoe Chapelwhite, are quite a trio of role models too. When his month is up, he feels compelled to return to the city to deliver his recommendation. After hearing the verdict, he decides he has no interest in his position and returns to the island.
]]> Lone Jack Trail 52879424 Could ex-con Mason Burke be a killer? When an athlete's body is found in Deception Cove, Marine veteran Jess Winslow begins to wonder if her friend is capable of murder.
A body washes up on the shore near Deception Cove. It belongs to "Bad" Brock Boyd, a disgraced former professional athlete from Makah County who recently finished a prison sentence for dogfighting. Marine veteran Jess Winslow, now a trainee deputy in Deception Cove, is assigned to help investigate the suspicious death. But when it comes out that her friend, ex-convict Mason Burke, had a run-in with the victim on the day of his death, she's forced to question whether everything she thinks she knows about Burke is wrong.
As prime suspect in the case, Burke is forced to go on the run. Jess is torn between the man she could love and the facts of the case, which seem to point squarely at him.]]> 352 Owen Laukkanen 0316448753 Skip 4
Note: Special thanks to Hatchett Book Group for providing a complimentary copy for me to read.]]> 3.82 2020 Lone Jack Trail
author: Owen Laukkanen
name: Skip
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2020/12/05
date added: 2020/12/13
shelves: series-in-progress, thriller, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:
Lone Jack Trail is an excellent sequel by Owen Laukkanen featuring ex-con Mason Burke, an ex-Marine Jess Winslow, and Lucy, their shared therapy rescue dog. In the first book, they took on the local corrupt police force, and Jess is now the local lawperson. Mason is helping to renovate Jess's house, which was wrecked along with a loner kid he has taken under wing. A local, wealthy hockey hero returns to town having been paroled from prison for a dog fighting conviction, and Mason's disdain is palpable and public (since Lucy was rescued from a dog fighting ring.) When "Bad" Boyd washes up dead on a local beach with a hole in his head, Mason becomes the prime subject, putting Jess in an tenable position. Then, a witness comes forward saying she heard them arguing and the murder weapon is found under the boat where Mason is living. Mason flees, and finds the witness with her throat slashed, bringing in the state police for a manhunt. Initially worried about her judgment, Jess knows Mason would not have killed a witness and sets off to find the culprit and motive, placing herself in grave danger again. 4.5 stars, recommended.

Note: Special thanks to Hatchett Book Group for providing a complimentary copy for me to read.
]]> <![CDATA[The Girl in the Spider's Web (Millennium, #4)]]> 25074850
Late one night, Blomkvist receives a phone call from a source claiming to have information vital to the United States. The source has been in contact with a young female superhacker—a hacker resembling someone Blomkvist knows all too well. The implications are staggering. Blomkvist, in desperate need of a scoop for Millennium, turns to Salander for help. She, as usual, has her own agenda. The secret they are both chasing is at the center of a tangled web of spies, cybercriminals, and governments around the world, and someone is prepared to kill to protect it . . .

The duo who captivated millions of readers in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest join forces again in this adrenaline-charged, uniquely of-the-moment thriller.]]> 400 David Lagercrantz 0385354282 Skip 4 Millenium magazine and Mikael Blomkvist is under attack from many sides. The professor contacts Blomkvist as he is advised of threats to his life, setting off a series of escalating events, forcing Lisbeth to intervene with her usual forceful assistance. She rescues August and somehow manages to connect with him, continuing the breakthrough made by his father. There is substantial action in the second half of the novel, as matters escalate and an old adversary re-emerges from the darkness. More please.
----------------
9/17/2015 Addendum: I won a ŷ giveaway for this book -- hooray!! Since it has not arrived yet, it did not affect this review. ]]> 3.74 2015 The Girl in the Spider's Web (Millennium, #4)
author: David Lagercrantz
name: Skip
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2015/09/13
date added: 2020/08/27
shelves: thriller, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway, foreign-translated
review:
Just as true Deadheads do not appreciate Trey Anastasio playing Jerry Garcia's lead guitar or singing his songs, David Lagercrantz is not Stieg Larsson. He has a different writing style, but Lisbeth Salander remains one of the most innovative and iconic characters in modern fiction: an antisocial goth female hacker, fighting with all her substantial might against injustice, both perceived or actual. The novel gets off to a rather slow start, with a Swedish professor abandoning his quest for self learning artificial intelligence to take custody of his autistic son, August. All is not well at Millenium magazine and Mikael Blomkvist is under attack from many sides. The professor contacts Blomkvist as he is advised of threats to his life, setting off a series of escalating events, forcing Lisbeth to intervene with her usual forceful assistance. She rescues August and somehow manages to connect with him, continuing the breakthrough made by his father. There is substantial action in the second half of the novel, as matters escalate and an old adversary re-emerges from the darkness. More please.
----------------
9/17/2015 Addendum: I won a ŷ giveaway for this book -- hooray!! Since it has not arrived yet, it did not affect this review.
]]> <![CDATA[Arlo Finch in the Lake of the Moon (Arlo Finch, #2)]]> 39073390
For Arlo Finch and the Rangers of Pine Mountain Company, summer camp is more than canoeing and hiking. It’s also a chance to search for ancient forest spirits and discover mysterious messages encoded in tree bark. But when Arlo and his best friends Indra and Wu stumble upon clues about the long-lost Yellow Patrol, Arlo uncovers a stunning history that leads right back to his very own family.]]> 384 John August 162672816X Skip 4 4.34 2019 Arlo Finch in the Lake of the Moon (Arlo Finch, #2)
author: John August
name: Skip
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2020/08/02
date added: 2020/08/09
shelves: fantasy, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:
Like most readers, I liked this book better than the first in the series. The Rangers of Pine Mountain head off to summer camp with other troops. Arlo and his friends are part of Blue Patrol, when their leader is suddenly ill, they are joined by a nice enough Ranger from Texas. Arlo starts seeing ghosts and eventually sees his friends across a chasm, throwing them an old flashlight. When Arlo finds an old scrapbook in the attic of the dining hall with his Uncle and a familiar face, he decides to investigate their Yellow Patrol, which no longer exists and which camped in a now closed section of the campground. Much better adventure, including [spoilers removed] time travel, and character development than the first book.
]]> Elephants In My Room 48717243

Sometimes foul, always funny, and as sharp as a tack, Elephants In My Room reminds you why Christie Nicholls will one day be one of our generation’s favorite leading ladies, maybe. Or, she’ll move to New Zealand and shear sheep. Who knows.]]> 296 Christie Nicholls Skip 2 4.13 2019 Elephants In My Room
author: Christie Nicholls
name: Skip
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2019
rating: 2
read at: 2020/07/11
date added: 2020/08/02
shelves: humor, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway, e-books
review:
Christie Nicholls is pretty funny � sometimes. Her book is split into four sections: her travels abroad (mostly as a child as her father was an oceanographer), jobs, family events, and boyfriends. The first section was strongest and the last was weakest. The summer is Brazil with das hund (German Shepherd) was very funny as was her stand-up routine is Sweden, where she introduced her mother in Swedish and told audience her mother was horny. I liked the value of anything at Marshalls was the difference between the "usually sells for price" and the price at which it was purchased. The section about caring for her MomMom with Alzheimer's was very touching and sometimes amusing, and I was more depressed than anything about her family's drinking exploits.
]]> Lions of the Sky 44419266
Sam Richardson is a fighter pilot’s pilot, a reluctant legend with a gut-eating secret. He is in the last span of his tour as an instructor, yearning to get back to the real action of the Fleet, when he is ordered to take on one last class—a class that will force him to confront his carefully quarantined demons.

Brash, carefree, and naturally gifted, Keely Silvers is the embodiment of all that grates on him. After years of single-minded dedication, she and her classmates can see the finish line. They are months away from achieving their life-long dream, flying Navy F/A-18 fighters. They are smart and hard-working, but they’re just kids with expensive new toys. They’re eager to rush through training and escape to the freedom of the world beyond, a world they view as a playground full of fast jets and exotic locales.

But Sam knows there is a darker side to the profession he loves. There is trouble brewing in the East with global implications. If they make it past him they will be cast into a dangerous world where enemy planes cruise the skies over the South China Sea like sharks, loaded with real weapons and hidden intentions.

Early Praise for Lions of the Sky "Gripping, fast paced, and authentic. If you want a real, edge of the envelope thriller, look no further!" � Brandon Webb former Navy SEAL, pilot and New York Times bestselling author "A humdinger of a book..." ...a terrific window into a world very few people see. —The Honorable Ray Mabus, 75th United States Secretary of the Navy "An intense, and personal, and thrilling. A must read!" —Lea Gabrielle. Journalist and F/A-18 Naval Aviator "Francesco “Paco� Chierici made flying some of the U.S. Navy’s most treacherous fighters look easy. His eye for detail, salty irreverence, and skill as both an aviator and a writer, make this fictional work very real. Strap in for an unforgettable ride." � Dave Hirschman, Author of Hijacked � The True Story of the Heroes of Flight 705, and AOPA Pilot Editor at Large "An experienced fighter pilot, Chierici knows what he’s writing about here. Fans of military fiction, strap into your favorite ejection seat and get ready for a high speed, G-pulling, missile-shooting thrill ride." � Ward Carroll, author of Punk’s War, Punk’s Wing, and Punk’s Fight "Chierici’s debut novel is an unforgettable story of pride, lust, loss, betrayal and redemption...set today in a carrier-based fighter squadron in combat!" � Kevin Miller, bestselling author of the ‘Raven One� trilogy "A high-octane blend of seawater, adrenaline, and human drama. LIONS OF THE SKY comes off the deck with afterburners roaring and never lets up." � Jeff Edwards, bestselling author of ‘Sea of Shadows� and ‘Steel Wind’]]> 292 Paco Chierici 1640620656 Skip 2 4.40 Lions of the Sky
author: Paco Chierici
name: Skip
average rating: 4.40
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2020/05/27
date added: 2020/07/03
shelves: e-books, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway, thriller
review:
Basically, you're reading the movie "Top Gun" without the eye candy. The book blurb is a very poor summary of this novel, which is ostensibly about women trying to become naval aviators, and the extra challenges facing them because of their gender. Overall, I thought the book was weak in character development, weaker in plot, until the stunning air combat in the South China Sea at the end. The novel could have been significantly improved with a greater focus on the activities of the rogue Chinese general and his mercenary.
]]> Skyscraper of a Man 52650728

]]> 333 Michael Bowe Skip 3 4.23 Skyscraper of a Man
author: Michael Bowe
name: Skip
average rating: 4.23
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2020/06/16
date added: 2020/07/03
shelves: e-books, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:
Relationships and ambition are the focus of this novel - a group of friends who meet each other in college and who build their lives and livelihoods together. Pete Dalton is an average suburban kid, who dreams of becoming a writer, heading to a college because his favorite author went there. His roommate Danny was a star high school athlete, whose knee was ruined causing his football scholarships to D1 colleges to be revoked, but who works diligently to get back on the team. Pete becomes best buddies with Ben Matthews, who wants to make the world a better place, and his wealthy girlfriend Tyler, who is the most ambitious of all. A local kid, Ben and Pete, write a story advocating for a student center that astonishes all, and gets them onto the staff of the college newspaper, run by Stan. Ben wants to make things better in the California town of Cavanaugh, as he and Pete leave college to start a free paper to develop the community, which becomes successful, while Tyler goes onto become anchor at the local TV station. Ben's meteoric rise in the city allows him to get into politics, attracting the right friends and the ire of the incumbent, but dirty mayor. Ever the reporter, Pete starts pulling on a string, eventually unravelling all. At times this book was 5 stars no doubt, but I was disappointed in how things turned out for all.
]]> Suspiciously Simian 39348893 338 Rahul Shrivastava Skip 2 3.50 2018 Suspiciously Simian
author: Rahul Shrivastava
name: Skip
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2018
rating: 2
read at: 2020/06/28
date added: 2020/07/02
shelves: e-books, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:
Ramu is indigent, living in an Indian city slum. His primary source of income is also his best friend, Billu, a trained monkey. Billu disappears after a performance at the train station, leaving his costume, apparently boarding the Chitah Express, a special limited stop train. Ramu is barely able to jump on the train, and then search cars only after each stop because they're not interconnected. Ramu meets people from all walks of life, and gaining friends and wisdom along the way" mystics, guards, army personnel, wealthy, rude, etc. Only at the end, do we learn what happened and why. Ramu was the highlight of the book, and especially some of the ways be helped others, without thought as to his own impoverished circumstances. All he wants/needs is Billu.
]]> Kingston Rocks 24968229 Kingston Rocks, immerses the reader in the social and political ills plaguing much of Jamaican life, all set against the backdrop of reggae's vibrant, ever changing history.]]> 247 Darren Hogarth 0987917536 Skip 4 authentic. As the recording studio falls pray to other technology, the local gang converts it into a bar, drug den, and eventually strip joint, essentially destroying the legacy left to Errol so he plots his revenge. When things don't go as planned, an unexpected savior intercedes. I recommend watching the video interview by a Jamaican TV person with author, Darren Hogarth: ]]> 4.80 2014 Kingston Rocks
author: Darren Hogarth
name: Skip
average rating: 4.80
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2020/06/24
date added: 2020/06/24
shelves: historical-fiction, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway, e-books
review:
Errol "Pinky" Bowen grows up in a Kingston Jamaica ghetto. This book tells a compelling story of triumph and tribulations for a young poor kid and the country in which he lived. Errol strives to help his family, even as gang violence takes its toll on his family. As a youngster, he sells weed to support his family, but gets a big break allowing him to work in a recording studio while his grandmother finds a job helping a high society white family for a period. The book also goes through the music scene (reggae, dance hall), political scene, and the island's unique cross-cultural melting pot. It felt very authentic. As the recording studio falls pray to other technology, the local gang converts it into a bar, drug den, and eventually strip joint, essentially destroying the legacy left to Errol so he plots his revenge. When things don't go as planned, an unexpected savior intercedes. I recommend watching the video interview by a Jamaican TV person with author, Darren Hogarth:
]]> Devoted 48558826 From Dean Koontz, the international bestselling master of suspense, comes an epic thriller about a terrifying killer and the singular compassion it will take to defeat him.

Woody Bookman hasn’t spoken a word in his eleven years of life. Not when his father died in a freak accident. Not when his mother, Megan, tells him she loves him. For Megan, keeping her boy safe and happy is what matters. But Woody believes a monstrous evil was behind his father’s death and now threatens him and his mother. And he’s not alone in his thoughts. An ally unknown to him is listening.

A uniquely gifted dog with a heart as golden as his breed, Kipp is devoted beyond reason to people. When he hears the boy who communicates like he does, without speaking, Kipp knows he needs to find him before it’s too late.

Woody’s fearful suspicions are taking shape. A man driven by a malicious evil has set a depraved plan into motion. And he’s coming after Woody and his mother. The reasons are primal. His powers are growing. And he’s not alone. Only a force greater than evil can stop what’s coming next.]]> 380 Dean Koontz 1542019524 Skip 3 Watchers, about a genetically enhanced golden retriever. A highly functioning autistic, 11-year old Woody Bookman never spoken, but is convinced his father who died in a helicopter accident, was murdered. Meanwhile, his father's successor, Lee Shacket, barely escapes a catastrophic explosion at a research lab, where everyone dies. Shacket knows he needs to disappear, but is experiencing some mental degradation and decides he needs to be reunited with a woman he dated, Megan (Woody's mom.) Kipp, the gifted golden, is able to connect telepathically with Woody, and sensing the pending trouble, sets off to rescue Woody. Horrifically violent at times and mired in Koontz's flowery language, the story is better than his other recent novels, but chooses action over character development outside of Woody and Kipp. The multibillionaire corporate executive and his hired killers were wholly unnecessary, for example.]]> 4.23 2020 Devoted
author: Dean Koontz
name: Skip
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2020/06/04
date added: 2020/06/07
shelves: thriller, horror, e-books, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:
A mostly unsuccessful attempt to capitalize on the fan base, like me, who loved Koontz's novel, Watchers, about a genetically enhanced golden retriever. A highly functioning autistic, 11-year old Woody Bookman never spoken, but is convinced his father who died in a helicopter accident, was murdered. Meanwhile, his father's successor, Lee Shacket, barely escapes a catastrophic explosion at a research lab, where everyone dies. Shacket knows he needs to disappear, but is experiencing some mental degradation and decides he needs to be reunited with a woman he dated, Megan (Woody's mom.) Kipp, the gifted golden, is able to connect telepathically with Woody, and sensing the pending trouble, sets off to rescue Woody. Horrifically violent at times and mired in Koontz's flowery language, the story is better than his other recent novels, but chooses action over character development outside of Woody and Kipp. The multibillionaire corporate executive and his hired killers were wholly unnecessary, for example.
]]> Eight Perfect Murders 52225186 A chilling tale of psychological suspense and an homage to the thriller genre tailor-made for fans: the story of a bookseller who finds himself at the center of an FBI investigation because a very clever killer has started using his list of fiction’s most ingenious murders.

Years ago, bookseller and mystery aficionado Malcolm Kershaw compiled a list of the genre’s most unsolvable murders, those that are almost impossible to crack—which he titled “Eight Perfect Murders”—chosen from among the best of the best including Agatha Christie’s A. B. C. Murders, Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train, Ira Levin’s Death Trap, A. A. Milne's Red House Mystery, Anthony Berkeley Cox's Malice Aforethought, James M. Cain's Double Indemnity, John D. Macdonald's The Drowner, and Donna Tartt's A Secret History.

But no one is more surprised than Mal, now the owner of the Old Devils Bookstore in Boston, when an FBI agent comes knocking on his door one snowy day in February. She’s looking for information about a series of unsolved murders that look eerily similar to the killings on Mal’s old list. And the FBI agent isn’t the only one interested in this bookseller who spends almost every night at home reading. The killer is out there, watching his every move—a diabolical threat who knows way too much about Mal’s personal history, especially the secrets he’s never told anyone, even his recently deceased wife.

To protect himself, Mal begins looking into possible suspects . . . and sees a killer in everyone around him. But Mal doesn’t count on the investigation leaving a trail of death in its wake. Suddenly, a series of shocking twists leaves more victims dead—and the noose around Mal’s neck grows so tight he might never escape.]]> 270 Peter Swanson 0062838202 Skip 3 3.61 2020 Eight Perfect Murders
author: Peter Swanson
name: Skip
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2020/05/16
date added: 2020/05/16
shelves: thriller, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:
Malcolm Kershaw lives in an attic in Boston's Beacon Hill and owns/manages a nearby bookstore specializing in mysteries. FBI agent (Gwen Mulvey) comes to interview Mal, having linked some murders or suspicious deaths to a long ago blog written by Mal, listed what he thought were the eight most flawless murders carried out in mystery fiction. Mal is living day-to-day, having lost his soulmate Claire to an auto accident on her way home from a party, having suffered a relapse and likely under the influence of drugs. Swanson eases us into the psyche of Mal, his two employees, his store cat (Nero), and his few friends and acquaintances, and how his past actions have effected all. Some serious twists in the last 75 pages.
]]> John Woman 39218046 The New York Times bestselling author of the Easy Rawlins novels delivers “a taut, riveting, and artfully edgy saga� of one man’s self-transformation (Kirkus). At twelve years old, Cornelius Jones, the son of an Italian-American woman and a black man from Mississippi, secretly takes over his father’s job at a silent film theater in New York’s East Village—until the innocent scheme goes tragically wrong. Years later, his dying father imparts this piece of wisdom to The person who controls the narrative of history controls their own fate. After his father dies and his mother disappears, Cornelius sets about reinventing himself—becoming Professor John Woman, a man who will spread his father’s teachings through the classrooms of an unorthodox southwestern university and beyond. But there are other individuals who are attempting to influence the narrative of John Woman, and who might know something about the facts of his hidden past. Engaging with some of the most provocative ideas of recent intellectual history,John Womanis a compulsively readable, deliciously unexpected novel about the way we tell stories, and whether the stories we tell have the power to change the world]]> 377 Walter Mosley 0802128416 Skip 4 goodreads-netgalley-giveaway 3.74 2018 John Woman
author: Walter Mosley
name: Skip
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2020/05/12
date added: 2020/05/12
shelves: goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:
A remarkable accomplishment by Walter Mosley, which unfortunately will not appeal to many readers because of the weird discourses within. Almost certainly an ode to his own father, we follow the life of Cornelius (CC) Jones, who basically supports his ailing father Herman by taking over his job as projectionist in an old movie theater. He rushes through school, where he has no friends, to run the movies and be educated by his self-taught father, studying the great books of history and philosophy. Abandoned by his mother, who has run off with a mafioso, Cornelius eventually kills the theater owner when he fires Herman/CC. The lead policewoman investigator and CC start a sexual relationship. When Herman gets sick, she helps bring him home and he imparts final wisdom to CC. One of his gifts is a large sun of money from the ticket-taker, who has been skimming for years, which allow CC to start life anew. We next see CC as Professor John Woman, teaching unorthodox thoughts in history at a small liberal arts school, where he is loved by students and hated by his department colleagues. Eventually, his past catches up with him. A marked departure from his other series, this novel is a thoughtful, erudite story of a young man's journey to self-enlightenment. 3.5 stars, rounded up.
]]> City of Ink (Li Du, #3) 41150405 Jade Dragon Mountain and White Mirror, comes the next Li Du adventure in City of Ink.

Li Du was prepared to travel anywhere in the world except for one place: home. But to unravel the mystery that surrounds his mentor’s execution, that’s exactly where he must go.

Plunged into the painful memories and teeming streets of Beijing, Li Du obtains a humble clerkship that offers anonymity and access to the records he needs. He is beginning to make progress when his search for answers buried in the past is interrupted by murder in the present.

The wife of a local factory owner is found dead, along with a man who appears to have been her lover, and the most likely suspect is the husband. But what Li Du’s superiors at the North Borough Office are willing to accept as a crime of passion strikes Li Du as something more calculated. As past and present intertwine, Li Du’s investigations reveal that many of Beijing’s residents � foreign and Chinese, artisan and official, scholar and soldier � have secrets they would kill to protect.

When the threats begin, Li Du must decide how much he is willing to sacrifice to discover the truth in a city bent on concealing it, a city where the stroke of a brush on paper can alter the past, change the future, prolong a life, or end one.]]> 352 Elsa Hart 1250209323 Skip 4
In the third book of this series, protagonist scholar Li Du has returned to Beijing where he would is a district office as a secretary to the Chief Inspector. He is biding his time to research the suicide of his mentor, and has asked his storytelling friend Hamza to join him after retrieving a rare book. Chief Inspector Sun and Li Du are called to the Black Tile Factory, where a Ministry official and the owner's wife have been murdered, with suspicion immediately falling on the drunkard husband. The Magistrate is all set to set the husband free as jealous rage (temporary insanity) is an allowable defense, when the husband commits suicide in jail. Li Du asks to prepare the final report, and sees several inconsistencies, a missing bag of silver and the autopsy report. Meanwhile, the city is getting ready for a many day exam to determine the scholars, who will be chosen for better lives. Li Du and Hamza unravel twisted threads, eventually landing Li Du back in front of the Emperor, where his very unorthodox theories surrounding the crime are vindicated. 4.5 stars.]]> 3.64 2018 City of Ink (Li Du, #3)
author: Elsa Hart
name: Skip
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2020/04/25
date added: 2020/04/25
shelves: crime-detective, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway, series-in-progress, historical-fiction
review:
For those folks that read to be transported to a place and time, this book will be right up your alley. Author Elsa Hart does an admirable job describing 18th century Beijing.

In the third book of this series, protagonist scholar Li Du has returned to Beijing where he would is a district office as a secretary to the Chief Inspector. He is biding his time to research the suicide of his mentor, and has asked his storytelling friend Hamza to join him after retrieving a rare book. Chief Inspector Sun and Li Du are called to the Black Tile Factory, where a Ministry official and the owner's wife have been murdered, with suspicion immediately falling on the drunkard husband. The Magistrate is all set to set the husband free as jealous rage (temporary insanity) is an allowable defense, when the husband commits suicide in jail. Li Du asks to prepare the final report, and sees several inconsistencies, a missing bag of silver and the autopsy report. Meanwhile, the city is getting ready for a many day exam to determine the scholars, who will be chosen for better lives. Li Du and Hamza unravel twisted threads, eventually landing Li Du back in front of the Emperor, where his very unorthodox theories surrounding the crime are vindicated. 4.5 stars.
]]> When We Were Brave 44791171
2020 Independent Press Award -Distinguished Favorite

2020 TYLER R. TICHELAAR AWARD for BEST HISTORICAL FICTION � MARQUETTE FICTION

2020 First Place Award, Historical Fiction for Reader's View Contest

2020 Book Excellence Award for Historical Fiction

2019 Distinguished Favorite for the New York City Big Book Award.

2019 Silver Medal Winner, Historical Fiction, Readers Favorite Contest. Combining excellent historical research with a compelling storyline, the hard work of author Karla M. Jay really pays off the more deeply involved you become with the characters in her plot...As the plot threads and connections slowly come together, the conclusion marks the realities of war and sticks in your mind for a long time after. When We Were Brave is a highly recommended historical read.

2019 FINALIST in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards- Adult Fiction

Aug. 2019 Silver medal winner in Reader's Favorite Contest for historical fiction.

Nov. 2019 New York City Big Book Award® Distinguished Favorites

In WHEN WE WERE BRAVE, we find a conflicted SS officer, Wilhelm Falk, who risks everything to escape the Wehrmacht and get out the message about the death camps. Izaak is a young Jewish boy whose positive outlook is challenged daily as each new perilous situation comes along. American citizens, Herbert Müller, and his family are sent back to the hellish landscape of Germany because of the DNA coursing through their veins. In the panorama of World War II, these are the high-stakes plots and endearing characters whose braided fates we pray will work out in the end.]]> 413 Karla M. Jay Skip 3 4.58 2019 When We Were Brave
author: Karla M. Jay
name: Skip
average rating: 4.58
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2020/04/21
date added: 2020/04/25
shelves: historical-fiction, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway, e-books
review:
Not as impressed by this as most readers. There are three stories that kind of intertwine. First, the main story is about an SS officer horrified by the Nazi atrocities, who sends information to a pastor friend in the U.S. before assuming the identity of a German soldier to reach the U.S. to get help. He faces many obstacles along the way, initially from fellow countrymen and then by U.S. law enforcement. Second, a Jewish mother and son in the Netherlands trying to escape the Nazi's and reunite with the husband/father are captured and passed through various work camps. A very common story. Third, the story of a German family in Pennsylvania, who are harassed by the locals, and when the patriarch is falsely arrested for being a spy, the son goes along, eventually ending up with the family being deported back to Germany, after a harrowing experience interred on Ellis Island, where they meet the pastor. I did not connect with the characters, except for the pastor. 2.5 stars, rounded up.
]]> <![CDATA[We Were Kings (The Boston Saga, 2)]]> 27161832
When a body is discovered at the Charlestown locks -- tarred, feathered and shot to death -- it appears to be a gangland killing, and is almost immediately dismissed. However, Cal O'Brien's cousin, Boston PD detective Owen Lackey, recognizes the murder style as the typical retribution for IRA informers. Combined with a tip-off about a boat coming into Boston weighed down with stolen guns and ammunition, the body in the locks hints that much more may be at stake than a one-off hit.

Serpents in the Cold introduced us to Cal and Dante, whose previous investigation brought them to the highest ranks of Boston's political elite. This time, Cal and Dante descend into the city's shadowy underbelly -- a world of packed dance halls, Irish wakes, and funeral parlors. There they discover a terrorist plot that will shake the city to its core and bring them head-to-head not only with Cal's past, but with the IRA Army Council itself.]]> 384 Thomas O'Malley 0316323535 Skip 2
Imagine walking into an episode in the middle of the television series Sons of Anarchy not knowing any of the main characters. Lots of seemingly senseless violence with no ability to appreciate why. While we learned a little about the backgrounds of the main characters, there was little explanation of how they related to each other. Also, the resolution of main mystery [spoilers removed]was too obvious. I liked Cal and how protective he was of little Maria, and his sister. Maybe 2.5 stars.]]> 3.52 2016 We Were Kings (The Boston Saga, 2)
author: Thomas O'Malley
name: Skip
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2016
rating: 2
read at: 2016/08/16
date added: 2020/04/12
shelves: thriller, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:
I won this book in a ŷ giveaway, but this did not influence my opinion.

Imagine walking into an episode in the middle of the television series Sons of Anarchy not knowing any of the main characters. Lots of seemingly senseless violence with no ability to appreciate why. While we learned a little about the backgrounds of the main characters, there was little explanation of how they related to each other. Also, the resolution of main mystery [spoilers removed]was too obvious. I liked Cal and how protective he was of little Maria, and his sister. Maybe 2.5 stars.
]]> The Blood Throne of Caria 41743350
When the Persian Emperor demands a hostage, Artemisia's father sends his thirteen-year-old daughter in her brother's place. Instead of succumbing to loneliness, Artemisia charms the Imperial Court and converts her exile into her own private tutelage.

Three years later, she returns to Caria as the heir to her father's throne. Princes pile upon each other to marry her. Dreading a life of submission, Artemisia delays the wedding--only to discover that her suitors are willing to kill for her hand. Brutally forced into wedlock, she outmaneuvers the kings of Caria in the palace and on the field of battle, cleaving the ramparts of patriarchy to become one of history's fiercest heroines.]]> 354 Roy Casagranda 1732477507 Skip 2
Unfortunately, the book suffers from too many places, an unreadable map that does not show enough detail to determine where it it, and many too many characters. It was simply impossible to keep track of who was who. Other than Artemsia and her handmaiden, characters are not sufficiently developed, choosing history over the story. Also, Artemesia's words were too modern and I think not consistent with the way women process information and make decisions. Am I glad I read the book? Yes. Would I recommend it? No.
]]> 3.91 The Blood Throne of Caria
author: Roy Casagranda
name: Skip
average rating: 3.91
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2019/05/09
date added: 2019/05/12
shelves: goodreads-netgalley-giveaway, historical-fiction
review:
Kudos to Roy Cassagranda for writing a book about a strong woman leader from a bygone age. Artemsia lived in the era of 500 B.C., and was the daughter of a king in Caria, who had managed to rule well following turbulent times. She is sent as a hostage to Persia, and in treated as a royal guest; however, she is bored by the role of women, and cajoles her bodyguard to teach her to ride a horse and fight with a sword. Then, she starts sneaking into the royal chamber, hiding under the throne to listen to how the king rules his kingdom, where she learns much and becomes a source of pride for the king. When her brother Pissindelis (hilarious name) is killed, she is returned to Caria and wants to rule, but there is much controversy because she is a woman.

Unfortunately, the book suffers from too many places, an unreadable map that does not show enough detail to determine where it it, and many too many characters. It was simply impossible to keep track of who was who. Other than Artemsia and her handmaiden, characters are not sufficiently developed, choosing history over the story. Also, Artemesia's words were too modern and I think not consistent with the way women process information and make decisions. Am I glad I read the book? Yes. Would I recommend it? No.

]]> Cemetery Road 40604813
Bienville, Mississippi, is no longer the city Marshall remembers. His family's 150-year-old newspaper is failing, and Jet Talal, the love of his youth, has married into the family of Max Matheson, one of a dozen powerful patriarchs who rule the town through the exclusive Bienville Poker Club. The city's only hope of economic salvation is a new, billion-dollar Chinese paper mill. But on the verge of the deal's consummation, two deaths rock Bienville to its core.

Joining forces with his former lover, Marshall begins digging for the truth. But he and Jet soon discover that the soil of Mississippi is a minefield where explosive secrets can be far more destructive than injustice.]]> 587 Greg Iles 0062824627 Skip 4
Winner of a Pulitzer Prize for a war story, Marshall McEwen returns to Bienville to help his mother with his ailing father, who owns the local newspaper. Marshall is living dangerously though, sleeping with Jet, the wife of a boyhood rival, a former black ops contractor, and son of a town scion. Terrible (depressing) things have happened to both Marshall and Jet in the past, damaging both of them. Things really collapsing when the murder of Marshall's mentor threatens the construction of a Chinese manufacturing facility. The Poker Club and Marshall spend much of the book making and breaking arrangements to allow the deal to proceed based on reparations.

Once I got over the really depressing stuff, I enjoyed the story more, but the accelerating violence and number of dead bodies was a little extreme. Iles remains a favorite of mine.

]]> 4.02 2019 Cemetery Road
author: Greg Iles
name: Skip
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2019/04/25
date added: 2019/04/27
shelves: goodreads-netgalley-giveaway, thriller
review:
Like his Penn Cage series, this is classic Greg Iles: the main character is a writer, it is set in a small Southern city (Bienville), with a plot combining long-buried secrets, southern culture, complicated family dynamics, and nasty politics. Bienville is struggling with socioeconomic depression, corruption, murder, scheming politicians, and powerful, rich, white businessmen with no scruples (the Poker Club.)

Winner of a Pulitzer Prize for a war story, Marshall McEwen returns to Bienville to help his mother with his ailing father, who owns the local newspaper. Marshall is living dangerously though, sleeping with Jet, the wife of a boyhood rival, a former black ops contractor, and son of a town scion. Terrible (depressing) things have happened to both Marshall and Jet in the past, damaging both of them. Things really collapsing when the murder of Marshall's mentor threatens the construction of a Chinese manufacturing facility. The Poker Club and Marshall spend much of the book making and breaking arrangements to allow the deal to proceed based on reparations.

Once I got over the really depressing stuff, I enjoyed the story more, but the accelerating violence and number of dead bodies was a little extreme. Iles remains a favorite of mine.


]]> <![CDATA[Buried in Black (Task Force Orange #1)]]> 40580153
In this explosive new series, former intelligence expert J.T. Patten takes you deep inside the top-secret operations you’ll never see on the news: our deadliest weapons in the war against terror . . .

BURIED IN BLACK

In the clandestine world of shadow ops, he’s known as The Man From Orange. A master of surveillance, signals intelligence—and silent killing—special operative Drake Woolf has been groomed and trained by the old-guard intel community after his CIA father and mother were murdered in Tunisia. Now he works for Task Force Orange, handling cases the government doesn’t want its fingerprints on. Woolf can always be relied on to carry out an assignment with surgical precision—and exterminate a threat with extreme prejudice. But his latest mission is different. Woolf knows the targets personally. He trained them in Iraq to be the perfect killing machines. Known as the “Mohawks,� these Iraqi rebels know our secrets, our strengths, and our weaknesses. And they’re using this knowledge to launch the deadliest attack the world has ever seen—on American soil . . .]]> 300 J.T. Patten Skip 3 4.14 Buried in Black (Task Force Orange #1)
author: J.T. Patten
name: Skip
average rating: 4.14
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2019/03/23
date added: 2019/03/28
shelves: e-books, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway, thriller
review:
Drake Woolf is raised by his aunt and uncle after his parents are killed by insurgents while on assignment in Africa. After a long recovery from this major trauma, Drake is raised by his aunt and uncle, who is a major CIA spook. Drake is a technological wizard and watcher, who likes getting his hands dirty on assignment while always seeking vengeance for his parents' deaths. Drake is called home to stop the "Mohawks": a group of U.S.-trained Iraqi rebels now murdering their trainers and families. Drake is a weapon, but also on a regimen of medications, some of which are taken to provide an edge. As Drake tracks down the bad guys, another rulebreaker (female FBI agent) is on his trail, not sure whether he is the problem or the solution. I was not nearly as impressed by this one as most reviewers as Drake's unstable personality, while understandable, grated on me.
]]> <![CDATA[A Steep Price (Tracy Crosswhite, #6)]]> 36392840 New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni’s thrilling series continues as Seattle homicide detective Tracy Crosswhite is plunged into a case of family secrets and murder�

“Another outstanding novel from one of the best crime writers in the business.� —Associated Press

Called in to consult after a young woman disappears, Tracy Crosswhite has the uneasy feeling that this is no ordinary missing-persons case. When the body turns up in an abandoned well, Tracy’s suspicions are confirmed. Estranged from her family, the victim had balked at an arranged marriage and had planned to attend graduate school. But someone cut her dreams short.

Solving the mystery behind the murder isn’t Tracy’s only challenge. The detective is keeping a secret of her she’s pregnant. And now her biggest fear seems to be coming true when a new detective arrives to replace her. Meanwhile, Tracy’s colleague Vic Fazzio is about to take a fall after his investigation into the murder of a local community activist turns violent and leaves an invaluable witness dead.

Two careers are on the line. And when more deadly secrets emerge, jobs might not be the only things at risk.]]> 377 Robert Dugoni 1503952460 Skip 4 A Cold Trail.]]> 4.39 2018 A Steep Price (Tracy Crosswhite, #6)
author: Robert Dugoni
name: Skip
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2019/03/18
date added: 2019/03/19
shelves: e-books, crime-detective, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:
Another excellent book in the Tracy Crosswhite series. Two investigations in this one: a neighborhood activist is gunned down, presumably ordered by the local drug dealer (Little Jimmy), with Faz and Del as lead detectives, and Tracy and Kins are asked by a mentee to look into a missing person case. A young Indian women interested in becoming a doctor, not being forced into a traditional arranged marriage, has disappeared in the wake of her best friend's announcement that she got married during a visit to India. Sadly her body is discovered in a park in nearby Bellevue, and the culprit was obvious to me about 1/2 way through. Tracy is also fearful for her job because she is pregnant, Captain Nolasco dislikes her, and a new female detective is assigned to their team under questionable circumstances. Some intense family drama in this sixth book in the series. (Don't want to wait until 2020 for the next one: A Cold Trail.
]]> <![CDATA[Close to Home (Tracy Crosswhite, #5)]]> 33845132
While investigating the hit-and-run death of a young boy, Seattle homicide detective Tracy Crosswhite makes a startling discovery: the suspect is an active-duty serviceman at a local naval base. After a key piece of case evidence goes missing, he is cleared of charges in a military court. But Tracy knows she can’t turn her back on this kind of injustice.

When she uncovers the driver’s ties to a rash of recent heroin overdoses in the city, she realizes that this isn’t just a case of the military protecting its own. It runs much deeper than that, and the accused wasn’t acting alone. For Tracy, it’s all hitting very close to home.

As Tracy moves closer to uncovering the truth behind this insidious conspiracy, she’s putting herself in harm’s way. And the only people she can rely on to make it out alive might be those she can no longer trust.]]> 414 Robert Dugoni 1542095018 Skip 3 4.31 2017 Close to Home (Tracy Crosswhite, #5)
author: Robert Dugoni
name: Skip
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2018/12/18
date added: 2019/03/18
shelves: crime-detective, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway, e-books
review:
The first 70% of this book was D-U-double hockey sticks. At best two stars; however, the last 30% rocked, perhaps 4.5 stars. What's the deal? First of all, Tracy Crosswhite is practically absent until the end. She is investigating a vehicular homicide of young black kid on his way home from playing basketball at a local gym. The other primary story involved fellow homicide detective Del, whose niece died of a heroin overdose. Secondly, the book seems to repeat itself, told in real time and at trial. Third, while timely and well-researched, it's a bit too preachy about the opiate epidemic affecting all stratum of society. The story about the JAG officer Battles was pretty good, and become very good when the two storylines fused, and Tracy brought it all together, using her mad skills as a detective.
]]> <![CDATA[Wolf Sanctuary: The Wolves of Speedwell Forge]]> 36701270 128 Chuck Rineer 0764354906 Skip 4 goodreads-netgalley-giveaway 4.38 Wolf Sanctuary: The Wolves of Speedwell Forge
author: Chuck Rineer
name: Skip
average rating: 4.38
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2019/02/09
date added: 2019/02/09
shelves: goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:
Beautiful photographic tribute to the Wolf Sanctuary of PA. Majestic animals. Thanks Chuck!!
]]> <![CDATA[The Girl from Berlin (Liam Taggart & Catherine Lockhart, #5)]]> 37638148
Ada Baumgarten was born in Berlin in 1918, at the end of the Great War. The daughter of an accomplished first-chair violinist in the prestigious Berlin Philharmonic, she herself was a violin prodigy, Ada’s life was full of the rich culture of Berlin’s interwar society. She formed a deep attachment to her childhood friend Kurt, but they were torn apart by the growing unrest as her Jewish family came under suspicion. As the tides of history turned, it was her extraordinary talent that would carry her through an unraveling society turned to war, and make her a target even as it saved her, allowing her to move to Bologna―though Italy was not the haven her family had hoped, and further heartache awaited.

What became of Ada? How is she connected to the conflicting land deeds of a small Italian villa? As they dig through the layers of lies, corruption, and human evil, Catherine and Liam uncover an unfinished story of heart, redemption, and hope―the ending of which is yet to be written.]]> 384 Ronald H. Balson 1250195241 Skip 3 4.39 2018 The Girl from Berlin (Liam Taggart & Catherine Lockhart, #5)
author: Ronald H. Balson
name: Skip
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2018/12/07
date added: 2018/12/09
shelves: goodreads-netgalley-giveaway, historical-fiction, thriller
review:
Gabi Vincenzo has lived on her family’s vineyard in Tuscany for 70+ years when a sleazy lawyer, representing the corporation which owns the surrounding land, serves an eviction notice. Her nephew, Tony, asks his good friends Liam Taggert and Catherine Lockhart for help, promising them a free trip and lodging. Gabi provides a translated manuscript to read, without explanation. It is the memoir of Ada Baumgarten, a virtuoso Jewish violinist who lived in Berlin while the Nazis rose to power. Most of the novel is Ada's story, her friendship with fellow violinist Kurt Koenig, whose father forces him to join Hitler Youth, and her narrow escape to Bologna. Sadly, Liam and Catherine are mostly absent in this fifth novel in the series.
]]> The Slave Players 35819070
The story winds and unwinds as it coils around the reader like a great serpent. At times it will be a love story, with warmth, humor and human kindness. But mostly it will slap hard at the Wall-Builders, and those who would be king at the expense of others, who would be prey. And a man will arrive on this tiny speck of land in the heart of Alabama. He will bring with him a whip, and a lesson of what tyranny and oppression can do to the human spirit.]]> 336 Megan Allen Skip 4 goodreads-netgalley-giveaway 4.27 2017 The Slave Players
author: Megan Allen
name: Skip
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2018/09/12
date added: 2018/09/15
shelves: goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:
A bus carrying a group of midwestern black Church members on a retreat takes a very unfortunate turn in the Deep South of Alabama. A pair of white rednecks intercept the bus, and the resulting violence is covered up as a tragic accident. When the local coroner sees the damaged bodies, including some bullet wounds, a massive cover-up ensues, starting with the local Sheriff all the way to the Governor's office. The coroner's righteous daughter stands tall in the face of threats, bringing the story to the press and President, who dispatches his closest advisor to manage the volatile situation. Then, a black colonel decides to make a stand for race relations and racism, and takes over the small town as political tensions are creating protests/riots in the big cities. In a case of role reversal, the racist whites become enslaved to the blacks, including the daughter of the largest plantation owner. Good characters, an interesting storyline, and a moral about current race relations combine to make a compelling read.
]]> Sophie 38189974 217 Tal Tsfany Skip 4 3.95 2018 Sophie
author: Tal Tsfany
name: Skip
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2018/06/30
date added: 2018/06/30
shelves: goodreads-netgalley-giveaway, e-books
review:
An endearing story of two 13-year olds: Leo, a middle-class, fair-haired hometown boy, and Sophie, a poor but self-assured Syrian immigrant. Leo loves to draw and write stories while Sophie is brilliant, hard-working, and opinionated and yet the two seem to click. Sophie's mother is ill, and Sophie works for the money they need to pay rent, eat, and pay an immigration lawyer so they can become citizens. While Sophie does not want nor seek charity, some people are kind hearted while others seek to take advantage: both classmates and adults and Sophie is eventually manipulated into an untenable situation, where she refuses to become a pawn. The storyline and illustrations are very good, but this is a book that can be read as a story or one requiring a lot of thought, especially around redistribution of wealth and the proper role of government. My only criticism is that Sophie is too adult for 13-years old, regardless of the hardships she and her family have faced.
]]> Searching for Pilar 39927015
Searching for Pilar breaks open the secretive and dangerous world of sex trafficking, while exploring human nature and our connections to each another. Diego’s guilt transforms him from a rudderless youth into a man of purpose, and courage. While he searches, Pilar finds a strength that could save herself and a young girl who needs her. The themes of family, love, faith and the law intertwine in this action-packed tale of the Bayou City.]]> 320 Patricia Hunt Holmes 1632991535 Skip 4 4.18 2018 Searching for Pilar
author: Patricia Hunt Holmes
name: Skip
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2018/05/25
date added: 2018/05/26
shelves: goodreads-netgalley-giveaway, e-books
review:
Gripping, but too depressing for five stars. This well-researched book centers on the horrors of sex trafficking. Pilar, is happily married to her childhood sweetheart, Alejandro, and has a young daughter. When her husband loses his job, painting pottery, because the factory is closed and cannot find employment, Pilar secretly goes to a job interview in Mexico City seeking a more lucrative job. Sadly, the ad she was given is a ruse to lure unsuspecting women into the hands of sex traffickers. The details of Pilar's enslavement are explicit and brutal as she is smuggled from Mexico City to Houston, where her johns are initially businessmen and eventually rough men from the local barrio, with an attendant rise in violence. Despite these circumstances, Pilar shows courage, resilience, and sympathy for her fellow victims, especially Josefina. Holmes integrates the story of Pilar's brother, Diego, whose guilt for taking her to Mexico City is enormous and who never gives up his search for her. He dedicates himself to becoming a soccer star, first joining a leading club in Mexico City to continue his search, and then joining the MLS team in Houston, where he thinks Pilar ends up. Diego connects with distant relatives, a local PI, and the team owner's daughter, to try to find Pilar [spoilers removed].
]]> <![CDATA[Dropping Into Darkness (The Illyrian Voyages, Book 1)]]> 38895172
After three eco-catastrophes, the world has reverted to a feudal, agricultural society. Led by a ruthless Duke and some very strange cults ... The Monks of St. Bacchan brew a wine with famously unpredictable effects. The Monks of St. Ephebius enlighten the world to the opposing powers of dark and light. The Monks of Han-Bu want to destroy the world. The Tectonic Monks want to save it.

Nyx thinks she's escaped the Duke's vengeance. She's wrong. Sal thinks he's escaped an assassination attempt. Now he's on a journey that will probably kill him anyway, accompanying a physician with a violent past.

Includes a preview of Book 2 of the series.

(Available in mobi format for Kindle, epub format for Kobo and Nook, and in paperback)]]> 241 Peter Staadecker 199904262X Skip 4 4.22 Dropping Into Darkness (The Illyrian Voyages, Book 1)
author: Peter Staadecker
name: Skip
average rating: 4.22
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2018/05/18
date added: 2018/05/20
shelves: goodreads-netgalley-giveaway, e-books
review:
Following some eco-catastrophes, society has become agrarian-feudal again. In Tarsis, a new Duke has risen to power, who is suppressing dissent, and a rebel sends his daughter Nyx into the mountains to study with a herbalist/healer, Elsin. Meanwhile, in the nearby Killiman Islands, the new Queen tries to murder the King's young son, who joins a monastery in nearby Illyria. Staadecker has written a fun story, with humor and butchered idioms, and some memorable characters, such as Commander Zlod, Dom Uss, and Bach, the pirate. The 241-page book could have used a little more world building and character development. 3.75 stars, rounded up.
]]> Mercy Dogs 36470952 How can a shattered ex-cop follow the rules when he’s no longer sure of them?

For sixteen years, Ben Shepard loyally served the Long Beach Police Department. Then he took a bullet to the head, and his life was shattered. No one expects much of anything from him anymore—except his father, an old man receding into a fog of his own. And except maybe his tenant, Grace, who’s been a warm and friendly constant in his and his father’s bleak lives.

Until the day she vanishes.

After an official investigation stalls, Ben moves forward on his own. But stepping into Grace’s past—and all she was hiding—is a dangerous move for a man who can’t trust his memories from one day to the next. The deeper he gets, the more he has to question whether he’s being driven by the gut instincts of a suspicious former cop or by paranoia.

Recognizing what’s real can save Grace’s life. If only he can trust himself to do it…]]> 301 Tyler Dilts 1503939588 Skip 4 4.27 2018 Mercy Dogs
author: Tyler Dilts
name: Skip
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2018/05/01
date added: 2018/05/04
shelves: thriller, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway, e-books
review:
Author Tyler Dilts crafts a story of compassion and humanity around a retired cop, forced to retire with a traumatic brain injury after being shot in the head, and his aging father, who suffers from early stage dementia. Their daily struggles to get through the day, with meals, medicines, doctor's appointments are disrupted when their tenant and friend Grace disappears, and we slowly learn how she came to live with them and why. She fits in with them, and her sudden absence is palpable. We see retired cop Ben begin to heal by working on the missing persons case, despite his formidable mental obstacles. The story is well done, and even minor characters, like the dog-walking neighbor, are meaningful and developed.
]]> Monkey Man: a crime story 28324394 ...but he sure likes it.

After his Mary leaves him, Ike is desperate for an idea, a plan to impress her and win her back. He turns to his childhood friend, Fritz Moeller, and soon finds himself drawn into a violent world of drug dealers and at the center of the money laundering empire that his friend has created.

Once he dominates this new, thrilling world can he ever go back?

Full of dark humor and unforgettable characters, Monkey Man takes the reader on a wild ride through an underworld that lies beneath the affluent surface of a place called Greenwich, Connecticut.]]> 236 David Scott Moore 1519784740 Skip 1 goodreads-netgalley-giveaway 3.80 Monkey Man: a crime story
author: David Scott Moore
name: Skip
average rating: 3.80
book published:
rating: 1
read at: 2018/03/22
date added: 2018/03/24
shelves: goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:
Almost gave up about halfway through, but managed to finish it with the unfulfilled wish that it would improve. Vapid story, with mostly underdeveloped characters, except for Ike. Unable to connect with the characters or their inane situations, I did not care what happened nor did I find very much to be funny nor did I learn anything interesting about financial manipulation/money laundering (Moore's professional background.) Even the excess amount of gratuitous sex could not save this one. Skip it.
]]> The Demon Crown 34668295 To save mankind’s future, the members of Sigma Force must make a devil’s bargain as they join forces with their most hated enemy to stop an ancient threat in this gripping adventure from #1 New York Times bestselling author James Rollins.

THE DEMON CROWN

Off the coast of Brazil, a team of scientists discovers a horror like no other, an island where all life has been eradicated, consumed and possessed by a species beyond imagination. Before they can report their discovery, a mysterious agency attacks the group, killing them all, save one, an entomologist, an expert on venomous creatures, Professor Ken Matsui from Cornell University.

Strangest of all, this inexplicable threat traces back to a terrifying secret buried a century ago beneath the National Mall: a cache of bones preserved in amber. The artifact was hidden away by a cabal of scientists—led by Alexander Graham Bell—to protect humankind. But they dared not destroy it, for the object also holds an astonishing promise for the future: the very secret of life after death.

Yet, nothing stays buried forever. An ancient horror—dormant in the marrow of those preserved bones—is free once more, nursed and developed into a weapon of incalculable strength and malignancy, ready to wreak havoc on an unsuspecting world.

To stop its spread, Commander Grayson Pierce of Sigma Force must survive a direct attack on the island of Maui. To be there first has always been the core mission of Sigma Force, a covert team forged to be America’s front line against emerging threats. But this time, even Sigma may not be able to decipher this deadly mystery, one that traces back to the founding of the Smithsonian Institution.

With each new discovery, the menace they hunt is changing, growing, spreading—adapting and surviving every attempt to stop it from reconquering a world it once ruled. And each transformation makes it stronger . . . and smarter.

Running out of time and options, Commander Grayson Pierce will be forced to make an impossible choice. To eradicate this extinction-level threat and expose those involved, he will have to join forces with Sigma’s greatest enemy—the newly resurrected Guild—even it if means sacrificing one of his own.]]> 464 James Rollins 0062692003 Skip 3 The Seventh Plague, mostly because of the great settings in Hawaii, the Balkans, and Wieliczka salt mine in Poland. This series has stagnated, with little character development, and most new ones getting whacked. As payback for Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the death of his beloved ninja, an aging Japanese pharmaceutical magnate looses a nightmare invasive species after liberating it from its amber cage for several millennia. The Sigma Force is divided into teams to battle the scourge, and an old adversary makes an appearance; however, the uncharacteristic and pivotal switch of sides, as the walls starting crumbling, made no sense. ]]> 4.02 2017 The Demon Crown
author: James Rollins
name: Skip
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2017/12/28
date added: 2017/12/30
shelves: goodreads-netgalley-giveaway, thriller
review:
Marginally better than The Seventh Plague, mostly because of the great settings in Hawaii, the Balkans, and Wieliczka salt mine in Poland. This series has stagnated, with little character development, and most new ones getting whacked. As payback for Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the death of his beloved ninja, an aging Japanese pharmaceutical magnate looses a nightmare invasive species after liberating it from its amber cage for several millennia. The Sigma Force is divided into teams to battle the scourge, and an old adversary makes an appearance; however, the uncharacteristic and pivotal switch of sides, as the walls starting crumbling, made no sense.
]]> <![CDATA[The Midnight Line (Jack Reacher, #22)]]> 33378951 So begins a harrowing journey that takes Reacher through the upper Midwest, from a lowlife bar on the sad side of small town to a dirt-blown crossroads in the middle of nowhere, encountering bikers, cops, crooks, muscle, and a missing persons PI who wears a suit and a tie in the Wyoming wilderness.

The deeper Reacher digs, and the more he learns, the more dangerous the terrain becomes. Turns out the ring was just a small link in a far darker chain. Powerful forces are guarding a vast criminal enterprise. Some lines should never be crossed. But then, neither should Reacher.

]]> 368 Lee Child 0399593489 Skip 4 3.95 2017 The Midnight Line (Jack Reacher, #22)
author: Lee Child
name: Skip
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2017/11/08
date added: 2017/11/12
shelves: goodreads-netgalley-giveaway, thriller
review:
Wanderer Jack Reacher finds a tiny West Point class ring in a pawn shop, far too small even to slip on his pinky, and decides its owner must be in trouble. He calls West Point, eventually getting to the "supe," who after checking Jack's record as a distinguished member of the 110th military police, helps him. Jack bullies the pawn shop owner, and then beats up a small group of bikers who finger a South Dakota criminal, who sends him to nowhere, Wyoming. Along the way, Jack finds a P.I. and his client, who are seeking the same person, who does not want to be found. She is fearful of retribution for her boyfriend's efforts [spoilers removed] and her own illegal activity. Jack figures it all out, showing his great compassion for fellow veterans, and keeps her out of trouble, one step ahead of the law. Good one.
]]> <![CDATA[The Lost Order (Cotton Malone, #12)]]> 29939076
The Lost Order continues renowned New York Times top 5 bestseller Steve Berry’s Cotton Malone series with another riveting, history-based thriller.
The Knights of the Golden Circle, founded on July 4, 1854, was the largest, most dangerous clandestine organization in American history. It formulated grand plans—to expand the United States, change the constitutional landscape, and forge a Southern empire, enslaving a ‘golden circle� spanning two continents. To finance its goals, the Order amassed an amazing trove of stolen gold and silver, which they buried in hidden caches across the United States. Treasure hunters have searched for decades, but have never found any of the Order’s major hoards.

Now, 160 years later, the knights still exist. Two factions within the Order want the treasure—one to spend it, the other to preserve it. Thrust into that civil war is former Justice Department agent Cotton Malone.

Starting with a hunt for clues inside the Smithsonian Institution, Malone discovers that an ancestor within his own family may hold the key to everything: a Confederate spy named Owen “Cotton� Payne. Complicating matters further are the political ambitions of a ruthless Speaker of the House and the widow of a United States Senator, who have plans of their own—plans that conflict in every way with the Order.

From the quiet back rooms of the Smithsonian, to the dangers of rural Arkansas, and finally into the rugged mountains of northern New Mexico, The Lost Order is a perilous adventure into our country’s dark past, and a potentially darker future.

]]> 493 Steve Berry 125005625X Skip 3
P.S. I won this book as a ŷ giveaway, but it did not affect my opinion]]> 4.00 2017 The Lost Order (Cotton Malone, #12)
author: Steve Berry
name: Skip
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2017/05/11
date added: 2017/05/14
shelves: thriller, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:
Cotton's help is requested to seek a huge horde of Confederate gold, when the prior person is scared off by one of the guardians. Meanwhile, ex-President Danny Daniels discovers a parallel plot for the Speaker of the House to become as powerful than the President by changing House Rules, relegating the Senate to the minor role it had following independence from Great Britain. I liked the role played by Cotton's grandfather, Danny finagling himself to become a Senator, and learning about the Smithsonian (and founder James Smithson, who $500,000 gift was made without his ever visiting the U.S.) However, the resolutions of the storylines were both protracted and, in one case, a complete fizzle. Kind of an average book for Steve Berry.

P.S. I won this book as a ŷ giveaway, but it did not affect my opinion
]]> <![CDATA[Post-apocalyptic Adventures of Ott & Ren: Bay of Wolves]]> 25355459
Ott and Ren are making good time on their trip to Denver to drive in a city sponsored death race that could keep them in food, ammo, and fuel for months when their car breaks down. They find themselves stuck on the poisoned shore of what had been the west coast of Canada with only one way forward: infiltrate a cannibal infested island and retrieve the one thing that will fix their vehicle...if it's still there.]]> 108 Jeremiah Donaldson 9781508518 Skip 3 Male teenagers would like this. I was confused twice by story characters suddenly appearing whom did not seem to be in the present situation. ]]> 3.60 2015 Post-apocalyptic Adventures of Ott & Ren: Bay of Wolves
author: Jeremiah Donaldson
name: Skip
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2017/04/22
date added: 2017/04/22
shelves: goodreads-netgalley-giveaway, science-fiction
review:
For a novella, Jeremiah (was a bullfrog) Donaldson does a credible job delivering a full story. Ott and Ren are the classic pair of post-apocalyptic pals: the former a physical brute interested in food and women, the latter a smaller, cerebral type, guiding the pair. Their car breaks down in Vancouver, which is a polluted wasteland, and in order to obtain the necessary caulking for repairs, they must travel over poisoned water to Vancouver Island, now populated by cannibals, from where nobody has ever returned. Lots of mayhem, intervened by humor. Male teenagers would like this. I was confused twice by story characters suddenly appearing whom did not seem to be in the present situation.
]]> The Covens of Elmeeria 34323291
The Covens of Elmeeria centers on Crown Princess Nia and the beautiful garden kingdom of Elmeeria. Nia and her parents, King Roo and Queen Bloom, are loved and celebrated by their people, but are also guarding a grave secret. Both Queen Bloom and Princess Nia are witches, and are terrified that the people of their kingdom will find out about them. What makes matters worse is that outside the great wall that surrounds Elmeeria is a banished coven of sorceresses, despised and ridiculed by the populace for their strange, dark powers. The popular royals want no association with the isolated enchantresses, but after their realm is invaded, Nia must travel through forbidden and treacherous lands to find the coven's lair and beg them for their help.

Nia desperately wants to prove that she can be a strong, capable leader, but what she doesn't realize is that all power comes with sacrifice, and that to save the lives of her family she might have to lose the love of her people.]]> 148 Miguel Lopez de Leon 0692832831 Skip 4
A fairy tale novella about an 18-year old princess, Nia, whose mother seems obsessed with finding her a husband by hosting a grand ball with eligible princes from neighboring kingdoms. Nia is a free spirit, who wants to be taken seriously, and whose closest friend is a dog named Fetch. They enjoy exploring outside the palace, in the forest where witches live. When disaster strikes, Nia has to find and convince non-traditional allies to come fight and rescue the kingdom, unveiling the surprising guilty parties.]]> 3.79 The Covens of Elmeeria
author: Miguel Lopez de Leon
name: Skip
average rating: 3.79
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2017/04/11
date added: 2017/04/15
shelves: fantasy, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:
Won as a ŷ giveaway, but this did not affect my opinion nor review.

A fairy tale novella about an 18-year old princess, Nia, whose mother seems obsessed with finding her a husband by hosting a grand ball with eligible princes from neighboring kingdoms. Nia is a free spirit, who wants to be taken seriously, and whose closest friend is a dog named Fetch. They enjoy exploring outside the palace, in the forest where witches live. When disaster strikes, Nia has to find and convince non-traditional allies to come fight and rescue the kingdom, unveiling the surprising guilty parties.
]]> History of Wolves 30183198
And then the young Gardner family moves in across the lake and Madeline finds herself welcomed into their home as a babysitter for their little boy, Paul. It seems that her life finally has purpose but with this new sense of belonging she is also drawn into secrets she doesn’t understand. Over the course of a few days, Madeline makes a set of choices that reverberate throughout her life. As she struggles to find a way out of the sequestered world into which she was born, Madeline confronts the life-and-death consequences of the things people do—and fail to do—for the people they love]]> 288 Emily Fridlund 0802125875 Skip 2 goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
While I liked the descriptive style of Fridlund's writing, I did not care for her characters, nor her disjointed (and sad) story. Why does her main character need two names, for example? Answer: she doesn't. I felt really terrible about what happened, but just did not feel engaged. Skip this one.
]]> 3.39 2017 History of Wolves
author: Emily Fridlund
name: Skip
average rating: 3.39
book published: 2017
rating: 2
read at: 2017/04/04
date added: 2017/04/08
shelves: goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:
I won this book as a ŷ giveaway, but as you can plainly see from my rating, it did not affect my view.

While I liked the descriptive style of Fridlund's writing, I did not care for her characters, nor her disjointed (and sad) story. Why does her main character need two names, for example? Answer: she doesn't. I felt really terrible about what happened, but just did not feel engaged. Skip this one.

]]> Na Akua 31869714 243 Clayton Smith 0996512160 Skip 4
Na Akua is a novel filled with folklore, humor, adventure, romance, suspense, and friendship. Grayson Park is on his honeymoon in Maui, except that his bride ditched the wedding and he had already paid for the holiday. Drinking his sorrows away, he is approached by the beautiful Hi'iaka, who fears for her life, and then disappears. Sending a magical message for help, Gray meets a local named Polunu, who is a gentle-giant and whose beliefs and humor anchor the story. Together,they meet the old gods, including Pele in her volcanic home and gather the tools they need to attempt the rescue of Hi'iaka from the evil Kamapua’a, who seeks to capture her powers by the light of the pending full moon. Gray's inner strength and the truths he learns about the beliefs, culture, and way of life of the Hawaiian people, courtesy of Polunu, are the centerpiece of this novel.

The glossary at the front was most helpful.]]> 4.15 Na Akua
author: Clayton Smith
name: Skip
average rating: 4.15
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2017/03/03
date added: 2017/03/07
shelves: fantasy, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:
I won this book as a ŷ giveaway, and it was signed by author Clayton Smith. This did not affect my review.

Na Akua is a novel filled with folklore, humor, adventure, romance, suspense, and friendship. Grayson Park is on his honeymoon in Maui, except that his bride ditched the wedding and he had already paid for the holiday. Drinking his sorrows away, he is approached by the beautiful Hi'iaka, who fears for her life, and then disappears. Sending a magical message for help, Gray meets a local named Polunu, who is a gentle-giant and whose beliefs and humor anchor the story. Together,they meet the old gods, including Pele in her volcanic home and gather the tools they need to attempt the rescue of Hi'iaka from the evil Kamapua’a, who seeks to capture her powers by the light of the pending full moon. Gray's inner strength and the truths he learns about the beliefs, culture, and way of life of the Hawaiian people, courtesy of Polunu, are the centerpiece of this novel.

The glossary at the front was most helpful.
]]> The Rising Black Star 30806047 194 Nadine Wright 1940354390 Skip 2
I won this book as a ŷ giveaway, but that did not affect my opinion. ]]> 3.00 The Rising Black Star
author: Nadine Wright
name: Skip
average rating: 3.00
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2017/02/18
date added: 2017/02/21
shelves: goodreads-netgalley-giveaway, historical-fiction
review:
This is the usual story of star-crossed teenage lovers: Ani Baknu and Deka, set in Ghana in the late 1940s. Their fathers were business partners, but had a acrimonious parting of the ways, including politically. Ani and his father are themselves struggling with Ani's wish to determine his own future as he becomes a man: his career, his girlfriend, his social life. In the deep background is Ghana's own struggles for independence, but Nadine Wright misses the chance to develop the two stories together. I thought there was too much of Ani's feelings and not enough story, especially the secondary status accorded the mystery of responsibility for the [spoilers removed], and Deka's unexplained change of mind after she decided dating Ani was untenable because of his father's disapproval and violent nature.

I won this book as a ŷ giveaway, but that did not affect my opinion.
]]> The Night the Rich Men Burned 26245035 "Malcolm Mackay has created his own world." --The Sunday Times [UK]

"A sharp-edged morality play delivered with the relentless intensity of machine gunfire."--Library Journal

Oliver Peterkinney and Alex Glass, two friends from Glasgow's desperate fringes, become involved in one of the city's darkest and most dangerous trades: debt collection. While one rises quickly through the ranks, the other falls prey to the industry's addictive lifestyle, accumulating steep debts of his own.
Meanwhile, the three most powerful rivals in the business--Marty Jones, ruthless pimp; Potty Cruickshank, member of the old guard; and Billy Patterson, brutal newcomer--vie for prominence. And now Peterkinney, young and darkly ambitious, is beginning to make himself known.

Before long, violence will spill out onto the streets, as those at the top make deadly attempts to out-maneuver one another for a bigger share of the spoils. Peterkinney and Glass will find themselves at the very center of this war; as the pressure builds, each will find their actions--and in-actions--coming back to haunt them. But it is those they love who will suffer most . . .

The Night the Rich Men Burned is a novel for our times, and Mackay's most ambitious work to date, proving that in Glasgow's criminal underworld, there's nothing so terrifying as money.]]> 352 Malcolm Mackay 0316271764 Skip 2 goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
This is the story of two young thugs in the Glasgow underworld: Alex Glass and Oliver Peterkinney, who are on diverging paths. Alex falls in love with a party girl (prostitute) and cannot find steady work, while Oliver's quiet but firm personality allows him to find jobs and start his own nefarious business as a lender/collector (although there is no explanation as to how he gets the necessary money.) Underlying their stories is a battle among the criminal bosses for control of various enterprises, primarily loan sharking. I found there were too many characters introduced, leaving too little time to develop the protagonist's characters. Oliver's grandfather was the best character in the novel.
]]> 3.62 2015 The Night the Rich Men Burned
author: Malcolm Mackay
name: Skip
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2015
rating: 2
read at: 2016/05/20
date added: 2017/02/18
shelves: goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:
I won this book as a ŷ giveaway, but did not affect my opinion.

This is the story of two young thugs in the Glasgow underworld: Alex Glass and Oliver Peterkinney, who are on diverging paths. Alex falls in love with a party girl (prostitute) and cannot find steady work, while Oliver's quiet but firm personality allows him to find jobs and start his own nefarious business as a lender/collector (although there is no explanation as to how he gets the necessary money.) Underlying their stories is a battle among the criminal bosses for control of various enterprises, primarily loan sharking. I found there were too many characters introduced, leaving too little time to develop the protagonist's characters. Oliver's grandfather was the best character in the novel.

]]> <![CDATA[Salvation Lake (Leo Waterman, #9)]]> 28958434
With help from Rebecca and surveillance expert Carl Cradduck, Leo begins to put the pieces of the puzzle together. While a pair of goons do their best to chase him off the case, Leo painstakingly retraces the victims� final days, charting their unusual search for redemption—from a downtown homeless encampment to suburban McMansions to the shores of Salvation Lake. There Leo must confront an opponent hell-bent on retribution in order to get to the twisted truth about the killings.]]> 226 G.M. Ford 1503991849 Skip 4
This is the second or third Leo Waterman series book I've read by G.M. Ford. I need to read more. Leo is a Seattle P.I., whose father was a well-known, wealthy local politician. Two dead bodies turn up in the trunk of a car, wrapped in his father's topcoat: one is a homeless person and the other a wealthy socialite. Leo cannot help himself, but to start asking questions. The two have something in common, [spoilers removed] His investigation into their deaths leads him into tangling with a religious cult, the Mafia, and accidentally puts a family at risk. I liked the twists and pace of the book, and look forward to reading more in the series.]]> 4.21 2016 Salvation Lake (Leo Waterman, #9)
author: G.M. Ford
name: Skip
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2016/09/20
date added: 2017/02/18
shelves: crime-detective, e-books, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:
I won this book in a ŷ giveaway, but that did not affect my opinion.

This is the second or third Leo Waterman series book I've read by G.M. Ford. I need to read more. Leo is a Seattle P.I., whose father was a well-known, wealthy local politician. Two dead bodies turn up in the trunk of a car, wrapped in his father's topcoat: one is a homeless person and the other a wealthy socialite. Leo cannot help himself, but to start asking questions. The two have something in common, [spoilers removed] His investigation into their deaths leads him into tangling with a religious cult, the Mafia, and accidentally puts a family at risk. I liked the twists and pace of the book, and look forward to reading more in the series.
]]> The Cost of Courage 23395771 This heroic true story of the three youngest children of a bourgeois Catholic family who worked together in the French Resistance is told by an American writer who has known and admired the family for five decades

In the autumn of 1943, André Boulloche became de Gaulle’s military delegate in Paris,coordinating all the Resistance movements in the nine northern regions of France only to be betrayed by one of his associates, arrested, wounded by the Gestapo, and taken prisoner. His sisters carried on the fight without him until the end of the war.André survived three concentration camps and later became a prominent French politician who devoted the rest of his life to reconciliation of France and Germany.His parents and oldest brother were arrested and shipped off on the last train from Paris to Germany before the liberation, and died in the camps. Since then, silence has been the Boulloches’s answer to dealing with the unbearable. This is the first time the family has cooperated with an author to recount their extraordinary ordeal.]]> 178 Charles Kaiser 1590516141 Skip 3 3.70 2015 The Cost of Courage
author: Charles Kaiser
name: Skip
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2015/08/10
date added: 2017/02/18
shelves: biography-memoirs, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:
I won this book as a ŷ giveaway (yay!) It is non-fiction book about Occupied France, although the central focus is the Boulloche family, who three children were members of the French resistance, who actively opposed the German occupation and Vichy government. I would have preferred more details about the family's activities and less history, but I think their modesty kept much of their contributions secret. In fact, Kaiser's perseverance in gaining the family's trust was extraordinary by all accounts. I was less interested in the Normandy invasion and the key role the resistance played in distracting the Germans and disrupting the flow of trains and tanks to battle the Allies.
]]> <![CDATA[Journey: Based on the True Story of OR7, the Most Famous Wolf in the West]]> 28588162 32 Emma Bland Smith 1632170655 Skip 3
Journey is the true story of a wolf, who migrated almost 2,000 miles from northeast Oregon's long trek into Northern California and eventually settling in southern Oregon, where he found a mate. I really liked the story of the wolf, which was based on actual sightings, but did not care for the alternating pages which followed a young girl Abby's attempts to aid the wolf, who she helped name. Similarly, I loved illustrator Robin James' nature shots, which were beautiful versus her mundane pictures of Abby's home. Even though this was a children's book, I think Emman Smith could have done more to develop the human characters and plight of wild wolves.
]]> 4.25 2016 Journey: Based on the True Story of OR7, the Most Famous Wolf in the West
author: Emma Bland Smith
name: Skip
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2016/10/22
date added: 2017/02/18
shelves: childrens, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:
I won this book as a ŷ giveaway, but this did not affect my opinion.

Journey is the true story of a wolf, who migrated almost 2,000 miles from northeast Oregon's long trek into Northern California and eventually settling in southern Oregon, where he found a mate. I really liked the story of the wolf, which was based on actual sightings, but did not care for the alternating pages which followed a young girl Abby's attempts to aid the wolf, who she helped name. Similarly, I loved illustrator Robin James' nature shots, which were beautiful versus her mundane pictures of Abby's home. Even though this was a children's book, I think Emman Smith could have done more to develop the human characters and plight of wild wolves.

]]> Freaks I've Met 26059449 208 Donald Jans Skip 3 Disclosure: I won this book in a ŷ giveaway, but did not affect my opinion.

Years ago, I had a coffee mug which said: "You're sick, twisted and perverted. I like that in a person." It's a shame I cannot find it for author, Donald Jans, who really deserves such accolades. I loved the first 50-60 pages of the book: just hysterical! Great stuff. However, once Jack starts his career selling zero-coupon bonds, the book was just too much like The Wolf of Wall Street. Then, again at the end, when Jack's dating escapades became the focal point, it was very funny again. Worth a read, if you need to laugh. 3.5 stars.

P.S. Whomever proofread this book should have caught the mistake in defining STRIPS: it's principal, not principle.

]]> 3.60 2015 Freaks I've Met
author: Donald Jans
name: Skip
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2017/01/04
date added: 2017/02/18
shelves: humor, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:
Disclosure: I won this book in a ŷ giveaway, but did not affect my opinion.

Years ago, I had a coffee mug which said: "You're sick, twisted and perverted. I like that in a person." It's a shame I cannot find it for author, Donald Jans, who really deserves such accolades. I loved the first 50-60 pages of the book: just hysterical! Great stuff. However, once Jack starts his career selling zero-coupon bonds, the book was just too much like The Wolf of Wall Street. Then, again at the end, when Jack's dating escapades became the focal point, it was very funny again. Worth a read, if you need to laugh. 3.5 stars.

P.S. Whomever proofread this book should have caught the mistake in defining STRIPS: it's principal, not principle.


]]> Spark 20587907 The Traveler, The Dark River, The Golden City) features an assassin-narrator unlike anyone we've seen before, set in a present-day dystopia.

Jacob Underwood is a contract employee of the Special Services Section, a shadow department in the faceless multinational corporation DBG. Jacob is not a businessman…he is a hired assassin…and his job is to neutralize problems deemed unacceptable by the corporation. Jacob is not like other employees, nor is he like other people. Suffering from Cotard's syndrome-a real condition that causes people to believe they are dead-Jacob perceives himself as nothing but a Shell with no emotion and no sense of right or wrong. Emily Buchanan is a bright young second-year associate for DBG, and she has disappeared without a trace. Suspecting she may have stolen valuable information and a fortune from the company, Miss Holquist-Jacob's handler at DBG-assigns him the task of tracking her down and neutralizing her. Jacob's condition allows him to carry out assignments with ruthless, logical precision-devoid of guilt, fear, or dishonor. But as his new assignment draws him inside a labyrinthine network of dark dealings, Jacob finds himself up against something he is completely incapable of understanding. Spark is an ingenious and chilling vision of modern-day humanity under constant, invasive surveillance and a pulse-pounding game of cat and mouse.]]> 320 John Twelve Hawks 0385538677 Skip 4 I won this book as a ŷ giveaway, but that had no effect on my review.

Jacob Underwood works for the Special Services Section of a large NY investment bank. His job is to take care of problems unconventionally: he is a contract killer. Jacob was recruited by Ms. Holquist, following a near fatal motorcycle accident, in which he was transformed into an unfeeling, unemotional shell that thinks he’s dead (called Cotard's syndrome.) He lives in a society where "Big Brother" watches everyone to detect abnormal behavioral patterns. After a mundane job or two, he is asked to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a banking analyst, who was given some secret information by a guy from India she met at a conference and told to release it if she does not hear from him. As Jacob investigates, he begins to question his instructions, and draws the attention of a rival when he does not follow orders, starting with his refusal to [spoilers removed] I liked Hawk's creativity and the development of Jacob's character. Not quite 4 stars, but I rounded up.
]]> 3.68 2014 Spark
author: John Twelve Hawks
name: Skip
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2016/07/21
date added: 2017/02/18
shelves: science-fiction, thriller, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:
I won this book as a ŷ giveaway, but that had no effect on my review.

Jacob Underwood works for the Special Services Section of a large NY investment bank. His job is to take care of problems unconventionally: he is a contract killer. Jacob was recruited by Ms. Holquist, following a near fatal motorcycle accident, in which he was transformed into an unfeeling, unemotional shell that thinks he’s dead (called Cotard's syndrome.) He lives in a society where "Big Brother" watches everyone to detect abnormal behavioral patterns. After a mundane job or two, he is asked to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a banking analyst, who was given some secret information by a guy from India she met at a conference and told to release it if she does not hear from him. As Jacob investigates, he begins to question his instructions, and draws the attention of a rival when he does not follow orders, starting with his refusal to [spoilers removed] I liked Hawk's creativity and the development of Jacob's character. Not quite 4 stars, but I rounded up.

]]> Signal (Sam Dryden, #2) 21853640
It's then that Sam Dryden learns the real secret behind this mission. His former teammate has been working security of a very special, very secret government project. A project that led to the development of a device which revealed what would have happened to the kidnapped girls if they hadn't intervened as they did. But as Newton's laws predict, for every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction. There are some very bad people determined to get their hands on this device, and every time Sam uses it, now matter how well intentioned, there are hidden and unintended consequences. Consequences that threaten to rip apart his very world and everything that he holds dear.]]> 320 Patrick Lee 1250030781 Skip 4 4.01 2015 Signal (Sam Dryden, #2)
author: Patrick Lee
name: Skip
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2015/06/03
date added: 2017/02/18
shelves: thriller, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:
I won an advanced reader's copy from ŷ, which is kind of poetic justice to see this book ahead of its July 2015 publication. Retired Special Forces operative Sam Dryden is called by a close friend to help, and arrives in time to save kidnapped girls from a burning home. However, his friend is captured and Sam barely escapes to find himself as the target of a manhunt. Sam is then joined by an FBI agent who decides his fingerprints at the crime scene do not make him complicit. High octane thriller.
]]> <![CDATA[The Eye of Zoltar (The Last Dragonslayer, #3)]]> 20256556
But the Mighty Shandar doesn't do refunds, and vows to eliminate the dragons once and for all - unless sixteen-year-old Jennifer Strange and her sidekicks from the Kazam house of enchantment can bring him the legendary jewel, The Eye of Zoltar.

The only thing that stands in their way is a perilous journey with a 50% Fatality Index - through the Cambrian Empire to the Leviathan Graveyard, at the top of the deadly Cadir Idris mountain. It's a quest like never before, and Jennifer soon finds herself fighting not just for her life, but for everything she knows and loves . . .]]> 405 Jasper Fforde 0547738498 Skip 3
Jennifer Strange, now Court Mystician to the King, is summoned to the palace and asked to help the rude and spoiled princess become a humble ruler. Then, the Mighty Shandar threatens to kill the two remaining dragons (Feldspar and Colin) that Jennifer has spared from extinction (in an earlier book) unless Jennifer finds the mysterious Eye of Zoltar. She and her assembled team, including the princess, have to go to the Cambrian Empire, a place where perilous tourism keeps the national economy stable and everything can kill you. Unlike
the first two book were an escalating juggling act, this book is linear, as Jennifer's expedition gains and loses members and fights through more travails and dangers than can be described here. Highlights were the princess, who was bright and matured during the quest, and the tour guide, Adele.

Other things I liked were: (1) All-Rise, the combined bakery/courthouse in Llangurig, (2) "Being a clairvoyant is 10% guesswork and 90% probability mathematics," and (3) the grading system for reality: Grade I "proven non-existent", Grade II "no proof of existence", Grade III "really not very likely at all", Grade IV "not very likely, to be honest", and Grade V "okay some basis in fact, but still partly unexplained."]]> 4.07 2014 The Eye of Zoltar (The Last Dragonslayer, #3)
author: Jasper Fforde
name: Skip
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2015/02/07
date added: 2017/02/18
shelves: fantasy, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:
I received an advanced readers copy (after publication) as my first ŷ giveaway. YAY!!

Jennifer Strange, now Court Mystician to the King, is summoned to the palace and asked to help the rude and spoiled princess become a humble ruler. Then, the Mighty Shandar threatens to kill the two remaining dragons (Feldspar and Colin) that Jennifer has spared from extinction (in an earlier book) unless Jennifer finds the mysterious Eye of Zoltar. She and her assembled team, including the princess, have to go to the Cambrian Empire, a place where perilous tourism keeps the national economy stable and everything can kill you. Unlike
the first two book were an escalating juggling act, this book is linear, as Jennifer's expedition gains and loses members and fights through more travails and dangers than can be described here. Highlights were the princess, who was bright and matured during the quest, and the tour guide, Adele.

Other things I liked were: (1) All-Rise, the combined bakery/courthouse in Llangurig, (2) "Being a clairvoyant is 10% guesswork and 90% probability mathematics," and (3) the grading system for reality: Grade I "proven non-existent", Grade II "no proof of existence", Grade III "really not very likely at all", Grade IV "not very likely, to be honest", and Grade V "okay some basis in fact, but still partly unexplained."
]]> Hard Road (Jon Reznick, #1) 30978496
But the target is not the man Reznick expected. The whole setup is wrong. In an instant the operation is compromised, and Reznick is on the run with the man he was sent to kill. A man wanted by the FBI, and by a mysterious terrorist organization hell-bent on bringing the United States to its knees. FBI Assistant Director Martha Meyerstein is determined to track him down, and to intercept whatever it is Reznick was sent to do.

When Reznick’s young daughter becomes a pawn in the game, he has to use more than his military training to stay one step ahead of those responsible. Meanwhile, he is the only person who knows the true extent of the threat to national security—and has the stealth and determination to stop it.

Revised edition: This edition of Hard Road includes editorial revisions.]]> 322 J.B. Turner 1503991547 Skip 3
Jon Reznick is a government contractor that makes problems go away. He is dispatched to eliminate a threat, but something is wrong, as he finds a dead agent stuffed in a closet and a set of dog tags on the target, with a different name. Jon grabs the guy and goes on the run, with various groups trying to capture his prize, who is a scientist working on a secret government program. While the action is fast and furious, with casualties piling up, JB Turner takes his time unveiling the threat. Eventually, Jon has to choose a side because he needs some outside help; however, the trust that develops between him and an FBI Assistant Director seems artificial as does Jon's forcing his way back into the game, after being told many times that he is not wanted. 3.5 stars, good enough that I will read book #2. ]]> 4.22 2013 Hard Road (Jon Reznick, #1)
author: J.B. Turner
name: Skip
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2017/01/23
date added: 2017/02/18
shelves: thriller, goodreads-netgalley-giveaway
review:
I received this e-book in a ŷ giveaway.

Jon Reznick is a government contractor that makes problems go away. He is dispatched to eliminate a threat, but something is wrong, as he finds a dead agent stuffed in a closet and a set of dog tags on the target, with a different name. Jon grabs the guy and goes on the run, with various groups trying to capture his prize, who is a scientist working on a secret government program. While the action is fast and furious, with casualties piling up, JB Turner takes his time unveiling the threat. Eventually, Jon has to choose a side because he needs some outside help; however, the trust that develops between him and an FBI Assistant Director seems artificial as does Jon's forcing his way back into the game, after being told many times that he is not wanted. 3.5 stars, good enough that I will read book #2.
]]>