en-US Tue, 25 Mar 2025 02:46:20 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 40657648
Jared Keaton, chef to the stars. Charming. Charismatic. Psychopath . . . He's currently serving a life sentence for the brutal murder of his daughter, Elizabeth. Her body was never found and Keaton was convicted largely on the testimony of Detective Sergeant Washington Poe.

So when a young woman staggers into a remote police station with irrefutable evidence that she is Elizabeth Keaton, Poe finds himself on the wrong end of an investigation, one that could cost him much more than his career.

Helped by the only person he trusts, the brilliant but socially awkward Tilly Bradshaw, Poe races to answer the only question that matters: how can someone be both dead and alive at the same time?

And then Elizabeth goes missing again - and all paths of investigation lead back to Poe.]]> 352 M.W. Craven 1472127463 STE 5 4.40 2019
author: M.W. Craven
name: STE
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves:
review:
Another twisty thriller taking place in Cumbria, England. This time Detective Sergeant Washington Poe will have to try hard to clear himself whwn he is targeted by an imprisoned phsycopath chef. The story keeps the reader's attention till the very last page.
]]> 51545054
New sheriff Bree Taggert is called to a shooting in a campground shuttered for the winter. But she arrives to find a perplexing crime. There is no shooter, no victim, and no blood. No one but Bree believes the sole witness, Alyssa, a homeless teenager who insists she saw her friend shot.

Bree calls in former deputy Matt Flynn and his K-9 to track the killer and search for Alyssa’s friend. They discover the battered corpse of a missing university student under the ice in Grey Lake—but it’s not the victim they were looking for.

When two more students go missing and additional bodies turn up, Bree must find the link between the victims. She knows only one thing for certain: the murders are fueled by rage. When Alyssa disappears, Bree must race against time to find her before her witness becomes another victim.]]> 315 Melinda Leigh 1542015499 STE 5 4.43 2020
author: Melinda Leigh
name: STE
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves:
review:
Bree Taggart, a new sheriff, is facing a mass murderer, a non-existent love life and the crooked cronies of the previous sheriff, while raising her dead sister's children. She will expose the perp, a sociopath plumber with a grudge to society, thus saving several lives - and her own - with the help of ex police officer Matt. Well-written, believable developed characters and a few twists keep the reader guessing till the end.
]]> 53053120
And when a disgraced FBI agent gets in touch things take an even darker turn. Because she doesn't think Poe is dealing with a serial killer at all; she thinks he's dealing with someone far, far worse - a man who calls himself the Curator.

And nothing will ever be the same again...]]> 384 M.W. Craven STE 5 4.41 2020
author: M.W. Craven
name: STE
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/02/08
shelves:
review:
Just finished my second book by M.W. Craven. A dark tale with body parts involving the dark web, where the killer uses a Blue Whale clone challenge to achieve his goals. Poe and Tilly will inevitably shine in the unexpected end. A most satisfying read.
]]> 39346652
When his name is found carved into the charred remains of the third victim, disgraced detective Washington Poe is brought back from suspension and into an investigation he wants no part of.

Reluctantly partnered with the brilliant but socially awkward civilian analyst, Tilly Bradshaw, the mismatched pair uncover a trail that only he is meant to see. The elusive killer has a plan and for some reason Poe is part of it.

As the body count rises, Poe discovers he has far more invested in the case than he could have possibly imagined. And in a shocking finale that will shatter everything he's ever believed about himself, Poe will learn that there are things far worse than being burned alive...]]> 352 M.W. Craven 1472127439 STE 5 4.31 2018
author: M.W. Craven
name: STE
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/02/08
shelves:
review:
I am sorry that I've only now found out about M.W. Craven. Nevertheless, I am enjoying this and several of his books imnensely. Good plot, likable characters, suspence,...
]]> 17348286 It is a time of celebration in the Pingkang Li, where imperial scholars and bureaucrats mingle with beautiful courtesans. At the center is the Lotus Palace, home of the most exquisite courtesans in China...

Maidservant Yue-ying is not one of those beauties. Street-smart and practical, she's content to live in the shadow of her infamous mistress—until she meets the aristocratic playboy Bai Huang. 

Bai Huang lives in a privileged world Yue-ying can barely imagine, yet alone share, but as they are thrown together in an attempt to solve a deadly mystery, they both start to dream of a different life. Yet Bai Huang's position means that all she could ever be to him is his concubine—will she sacrifice her pride to follow her heart?]]> 378 Jeannie Lin 0373777736 STE 0 to-read 3.78 2013
author: Jeannie Lin
name: STE
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 59124891 A thrilling standalone science fiction space adventure from Philip K. Dick award-winning author S.J. MordenStrange radio signals are coming from Jupiter's largest moons. A natural phenomenon, or something else?Commander Mariucci and his hand-picked research team know they will have to muster all of their expertise, creativity and teamwork to survive the very harshest of conditions in orbit around the king of planets. But when they intercept a peculiar radio transmission, they have to investigate. Nothing should work in these impossible conditions, so what is sending the signal . . . and why? With a degrading ship and crew at breaking point, there's every chance they will tear themselves apart before they ever find the answer to the ultimate question - are we alone in the universe?And more importantly - what do we do if we aren't?]]> 326 S.J. Morden 1473228603 STE 4 3.76 2022
author: S.J. Morden
name: STE
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/09/27
shelves:
review:
A space novel that sounds pessimistic claustrophobic and dark. It is an intriguing read, remindng us the perils of space travel and the inevitable frailty of human nature.
]]> 35605432 Never cut the drugs--leave them pure.
Guns are meant to be shot--keep them loaded.
Family is everything--betray them and die.

Harley McKenna is the only child of North County's biggest criminal. Duke McKenna's run more guns, cooked more meth, and killed more men than anyone around. Harley's been working for him since she was sixteen--collecting debts, sweet-talking her way out of trouble, and dreading the day he'd deem her ready to rule the rural drug empire he's built.

Her time's run out. The Springfields, her family's biggest rivals, are moving in. Years ago, they were responsible for her mother's death, and now they're coming for Duke's only weak spot: his daughter.

With a bloody turf war threatening to consume North County, Harley is forced to confront the truth: that her father's violent world will destroy her. Duke's raised her to be deadly--he never counted on her being disloyal. But if Harley wants to survive and protect the people she loves, she's got to take out Duke's operation and the Springfields.

Blowing up meth labs is dangerous business, and getting caught will be the end of her, but Harley has one advantage: She is her father's daughter. And McKennas always win.]]> 416 Tess Sharpe 1538744090 STE 5 4.09 2018
author: Tess Sharpe
name: STE
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/08/17
shelves:
review:
A feminist tale well-worth reading about the ugly realities of life in rural America. Tweekers, meth labs, running guns told in the first person by a talented author.
]]> 311150
On her way to London Arabella's carriage breaks down outside the hunting lodge of the wealthy and socially prominent Robert Beaumaris, fate cast her in his path. Arabella's only fault is impetuosity, and her pride stung when she overhears a remark of her path of arrogant host, who accused her of being another petty female after his wealth, the proud, headstrong ingenue made a most startling claim -- she was an heiress! A pretense that deeply amuses the jaded Beau. To counter her white lie, Beaumaris launches her into high society and thereby subjects her to all kinds of amorous fortune hunters in London and other embarrassments.

Suddenly Arabella found herself the talk of the ton and pursued by some of the most eligible young men of the day. But only one caught Arabella's fancy: Beaumaris, the handsome and dedicated bachelor. She should know better than to allow herself to be provoked by nonpareil Beau. But would her deceitful charade destroy her one chance for true love...?

Beaumaris, however, although a most artful matrimonial dodger, badly underestimated his seemingly naive adversary... When compassionate Arabella rescues such unfortunate creatures as a mistreated chimney sweep and a mixed-breed mongrel, she foists them upon Beaumaris, who finds he rather enjoys the role of rescuer and is soon given the opportunity to prove his worth in the person of Bertram Tallant, the also impetuous young brother of Arabella....]]> 280 Georgette Heyer 0099465620 STE 4 4.04 1949
author: Georgette Heyer
name: STE
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1949
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/08/05
shelves:
review:

]]> 56978115 Joseon (Korea), 1758. There are few options available to illegitimate daughters in the capital city, but through hard work and study, eighteen-year-old Hyeon has earned a position as a palace nurse. All she wants is to keep her head down, do a good job, and perhaps finally win her estranged father's approval.

But Hyeon is suddenly thrust into the dark and dangerous world of court politics when someone murders four women in a single night, and the prime suspect is Hyeon's closest friend and mentor. Determined to prove her beloved teacher's innocence, Hyeon launches her own secret investigation.

In her hunt for the truth, she encounters Eojin, a young police inspector also searching for the killer. When evidence begins to point to the Crown Prince himself as the murderer, Hyeon and Eojin must work together to search the darkest corners of the palace to uncover the deadly secrets behind the bloodshed.]]> 321 June Hur 1250800552 STE 5 4.13 2022
author: June Hur
name: STE
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/08/04
shelves:
review:
Based on the life and death of Crown Prince Jangheon, infamous for his homicidal acts, as he allegedly murdered a hundred people. Ms Hur writes with a clarity and force that make her book unputdownable.
]]> 17983396 456 Stephen Baxter 0575116838 STE 0 currently-reading 3.79 2013
author: Stephen Baxter
name: STE
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/08
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 28187230 341 Ruth Ware 1501132938 STE 4 3.73 2016
author: Ruth Ware
name: STE
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/02/08
shelves:
review:
Despite having a not very amiable or sharp witted heroine, Lo Blacklock, the story is well-paced, and high tension makes it a good read.
]]> 311163 288 Georgette Heyer 0099465590 STE 4 3.91 1941
author: Georgette Heyer
name: STE
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1941
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/22
date added: 2024/01/22
shelves:
review:
An entertaining read with a lively plot involving card games, a curricle race, kidnapping. Not Ms Heyer's best-liked novel. Max Ravenscar fails to see through Deb Grantham's schemes till the very end, perhaps because he is besitted with her. Still, Ms Heyer writes in excellent English that comes closest to reminding of the legendary Jane Austen.
]]> 36642458 513 Brandon Sanderson 1473217857 STE 5 4.45 2018
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: STE
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/02
date added: 2024/01/02
shelves:
review:
I've been reading all my life, mostly books I've enjoyed. Then, a book comes I don't want it to finish. It's happened before and I hope it will happen again. Soon.
]]> 16248223 A startlingly original voice makes her literary debut with this wondrous coming-of-age story infused with Chinese folklore, romantic intrigue, adventure, and fascinating, dreamlike twists.

'One evening, my father asked me whether I would like to become a ghost bride...'

Though ruled by British overlords, the Chinese of colonial Malaya still cling to ancient customs. And in the sleepy port town of Malacca, ghosts and superstitions abound.

Li Lan, the daughter of a genteel but bankrupt family, has few prospects. But fate intervenes when she receives an unusual proposal from the wealthy and powerful Lim family. They want her to become a ghost bride for the family's only son, who recently died under mysterious circumstances. Rarely practiced, traditional ghost marriages are used to placate restless spirits. Such a union would guarantee Li Lan a home for the rest of her days, but at a terrible price.

After an ominous visit to the opulent Lim mansion, Li Lan finds herself haunted not only by her ghostly would-be suitor, but also by her desire for the Lims' handsome new heir, Tian Bai. Night after night, she is drawn into the shadowy parallel world of the Chinese afterlife, with its ghost cities, paper funeral offerings, vengeful spirits, and monstrous bureaucracy—including the mysterious Er Lang, a charming but unpredictable guardian spirit. Li Lan must uncover the Lim family's darkest secrets—and the truth about her own family—before she is trapped in this ghostly world forever.]]> 368 Yangsze Choo 0062227327 STE 4 3.79 2013
author: Yangsze Choo
name: STE
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2023/11/12
date added: 2023/11/12
shelves:
review:
An atmospheric novel full of myths and legends set in 1890s Malaysia.
]]> 59149042 A high-altitude thriller that will take your breath away—Cecily Wong is on her most dangerous climb yet, miles above sea level. But the elements are nothing compared to one chilling truth: There's a killer on the mountain.

Journalist Cecily Wong is in over her head. She's come to Manaslu, the eighth-highest peak in the world, to interview internationally famous mountaineer Charles McVeigh on the last leg of a record-breaking series of summits. She's given up everything for this story—her boyfriend, her life savings, the peace she's made with her climbing failures in the past—but it's a career-making opportunity. It could finally put her life back on track.

But when one climber dies in what everyone else assumes is a freak accident, she fears their expedition is in danger. And by the time a second climber dies, it's too late to turn back. Stranded on a mountain in one of the most remote regions of the world, she'll have to battle more than the elements in a harrowing fight for survival against a killer who is picking them off one by one.]]> 343 Amy McCulloch 0593315499 STE 5 3.60 2022
author: Amy McCulloch
name: STE
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/10/27
date added: 2023/11/04
shelves:
review:
A high-altitude thriller that is difficult to put down. Ms McCulloch informs us that she she has summited Manaslu, so her descriptions ring true.
]]> 43903354
This isn’t one of those times.

Reacher is on a Greyhound bus, minding his own business, with no particular place to go, and all the time in the world to get there. Then he steps off the bus to help an old man who is obviously just a victim waiting to happen. But you know what they say about good deeds. Now Reacher wants to make it right.

An elderly couple have made a few well-meaning mistakes, and now they owe big money to some very bad people. One brazen move leads to another, and suddenly Reacher finds himself a wanted man in the middle of a brutal turf war between rival Ukrainian and Albanian gangs.

Reacher has to stay one step ahead of the loan sharks, the thugs, and the assassins. He teams up with a fed-up waitress who knows a little more than she’s letting on, and sets out to take down the powerful and make the greedy pay. It’s a long shot. The odds are against him. But Reacher believes in a certain kind of justice . . . the kind that comes along once in a blue moon.]]> 364 Lee Child 0399593551 STE 5 4.02 2019
author: Lee Child
name: STE
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2023/10/22
date added: 2023/10/22
shelves:
review:
Typical Lee Child excellence. Jack Reacher is depicted better in a book than in a film. Medium-sized superstar actors do not really do credit to Jack Reacher.
]]> 34523174
Now, a new crew has been assembled. But this time they’re not out to entertain. Some seek to validate their life’s work. Some seek the greatest hunt of all. Some seek the truth. But for the ambitious young scientist Victoria Stewart this is a voyage to uncover the fate of the sister she lost.

Whatever the truth may be, it will only be found below the waves. But the secrets of the deep come with a price.]]> 448 Mira Grant 0316379409 STE 0 3.94 2017
author: Mira Grant
name: STE
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at: 2023/10/06
date added: 2023/10/06
shelves:
review:
Too much gore, still difficult to put down. Inconclusive ending leaves space for a sequel.
]]> 38900434 The daring, dazzling and highly anticipated follow-up to the New York Times bestseller The Song of Achilles
One of the Most Anticipated Books of 2018

"An epic spanning thousands of years that's also a keep-you-up-all-night page turner." - Ann Patchett

In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child--not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power--the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.

Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.

But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.

With unforgettably vivid characters, mesmerizing language and page-turning suspense, Circe is a triumph of storytelling, an intoxicating epic of family rivalry, palace intrigue, love and loss, as well as a celebration of indomitable female strength in a man's world.

]]> 29 Madeline Miller 0316421146 STE 0 4.28
author: Madeline Miller
name: STE
average rating: 4.28
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/03
shelves:
review:

]]> 32768520
But when adventure comes for Amani, it is not what she expects: she is kidnapped by the regime and taken in secret to the royal palace, where she discovers that she is nearly identical to the cruel half-Vathek Princess Maram. The princess is so hated by her conquered people that she requires a body double, someone to appear in public as Maram, ready to die in her place.

As Amani is forced into her new role, she can’t help but enjoy the palace’s beauty—and her time with the princess� fiancé, Idris. But the glitter of the royal court belies a world of violence and fear. If Amani ever wishes to see her family again, she must play the princess to perfection...because one wrong move could lead to her death.]]> 320 Somaiya Daud 1250126428 STE 0 to-read 3.73 2018
author: Somaiya Daud
name: STE
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/15
shelves: to-read
review:

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