"I don't know if the Maisie Dobbs books fall in the 'chicklit' category or not, but I have a secret weakness for them. I am reading this one on my fancy new Kindle, which is skinnier than I would ever have thought possible. Life is good.

The burning question, of course, remains the same. Will this be the book where Maisie finally gets laid? Will she even get a chaste peck on the cheek? Lord knows, it's time - it's been 14 years since the end of the Great War, and the shell-shocked fiance who was confined to the loony bin was killed off a few books back. Surely, even the virtuous, feisty, wise Maisie HAS NEEDS.

But I'm not holding my breath. Much as I enjoy Jacqueline Winspear, it's clear by now that she's more interested in studding her books with those colorful period details mined from the bowels of the Bodleian than broaching a topic as indelicate as allowing Maisie a bit of nookie more than once a decade.

Not that we don't enjoy those lovingly researched period details - they warm the cockles of our BBC/Masterpiece Theatre/PBS-loving hearts. In general, Ms Winspear has a fairly light touch. Her books are fun to read, and this latest instalment is no exception. It seems churlish to point out that it would have been better to relegate the whole dead baby/bereaved mother subplot to whatever Dickens story it escaped from. A writer as talented as Ms Winspear has no need to resort to that kind of emotional manipulation.

added, July 16th, 2010:

Now that I've had a few days to digest "Among the Mad", I feel I should add that I think it's one of the best in the series. The main plot (escalating acts of terrorism by a wounded WWI veteran, involving the release of nerve gas, first targeting members of the government, then the general public, with a down-to-the-wire manhunt to find him before his planned New Year's Eve finale) could be taken from today's headlines. The slow buildup of tension is extremely well done - Winspear has a gift for pacing, and her account of the interactions among the various parties involved in the chase (Scotland Yard, the Special Branch, government research labs, Maisie and her assistant) is entirely convincing.

You could turn on your TV on any given Tuesday evening and find an episode of NCIS* whose plot is virtually identical to that of "Among the Mad". The forensics would be much glitzier, and the threat would be some kind of bio-weapon, but the themes and issues explored would be remarkably similar. We are used to thinking of Ms Winspear as someone who brings the past to life in her stories - the themes explored in this particular story still resonate in 2010.

*: another guilty pleasure of mine; comparison with NCIS should be considered as high praise (but it's frankly a relief that Maisie Dobbs doesn't have an iphone, particularly if you're a closet Luddite like me).

"

"The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill
Narrated by Katherine Littrell

I was thoroughly entertained by this story or stories...just how many stories do we have here? The story starts with Aussie Winifred AKA Freddie, living in Boston on a scholarship, sitting at a library table with three strangers. And then there is a scream! The ensuing chaos leads to Freddy and her tablemates becoming friends. Friendship out of chaos and tragedy, funny how the world works.

Freddy is writing a book and she decides to incorporate these three people into her book, a sort of writing what she sees. But there is another book being written and I don't mean the book being written by the guy who was sitting across from her, the guy she labels Handsome Man. I'm still thinking about this story and the layers upon layers and how one author takes the advice (or doesn't) of a beta reader. How events or suggestions can drive an author and a story but not always the way we expect it to be driven.

The narration was very good although I did stumble over a few Aussie accented words and would laugh when I figured out what I was really hearing because I was so off base. But an Aussie being in the US is part of the fun of this story. There is so much to think about here.

Pub June 7th 2022

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for this ARC."

" Book Review
4 of 5 stars to Finger Lickin' Fifteen, the 15th book in the Stephanie Plum mystery series, written by Janet Evanovich and published in 2009. Evanovich packed a lot of action into this installment, covering more than usual in Stephanie's crazy life. To start off, she's moonlighting for Ranger to help him figure out who's stealing from his business. Not for nothing, and though she may be getting better a bounty hunter and detective, how can Ranger not solve this on his own? And who would seriously take the risk of his punishment, if ever caught. It's certainly just a plot device to bring Ranger and Stephanie closer, building the sexual tension and pushing her towards him and away from Morelli in this book.

But then again, her momma is still setting up blind dates for Stephanie, so she's got more than enough men to go around, even if some of them are scarier than the criminals she's chasing. And in this one, Lula asks her to help find the two killers she saw decapitate a celebrity chef. All because she wants the $1M finders fee. But we know that ain't gonna happen because there'd be no story if Stephanie collected half of that fee. She'd not need to work again, at least as a bounty hunter.

The fun part is the cooking concepts baked into this book... and the spice of all the zany characters. The mysteries got stronger, in part because there were a few going around in this installment. And you've got the normal shenanigans with Stephanie's family and friends. All in all, this is one of the better ones and when I was thinking of putting the series down for a bit, this convinced me to give it a few more books before I decided.

About Me
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at , where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by. Note: All written content is my original creation and copyrighted to me, but the graphics and images were linked from other sites and belong to them. Many thanks to their original creators."

"Another fantastic book from J.D.Robb and I highly recommend this series to you! <3

And let me tell you this (again and again), OMG I'll never, ever get tired of reading this series because I love Roarke & Eve so freaking much. :)

Ps. Oh let's not forget Peabody & McNab too! I cannot wait to read how their relationship will go grow... :D

----------------

I love everything about between Roarke & Eve but I love him more when he does this kind of things.... Ah I better just shut up, pls do me a favor and read this part ok? ;)

“Stop that." Mortified, she reached out to slam the door shut. "Somebody could come in." "Then stop squirming," he suggested, and gently peeled back the bandage. He nodded in approval. "You did a decent job." Even as she hissed at him, he lowered his head and touched his lips to the cut.
"All better," he said with a grin just as the door opened. Peabody gaped, flushed, then stammered out, "Excuse me."
"Just leaving," Roarke said, patting the bandage back in place while Eve ground her teeth.
"How did you come through this morning's excitement, Peabody?"
"Okay, it was... well, actually." She cleared her throat and shot him a hopeful glance. "I got this little nick right here." She rubbed her finger at her jawline, heart fluttering pleasantly when he smiled at her.
"So you do." He stepped to her, angled his head, and touched his lips to the tiny cut. "Take care of yourself."
"Man, man, oh man," was the best she could manage when he'd left.
"He's got such a great mouth. How do you stop yourself from just biting it?"
"Wipe the drool off your chin, for Christ's sake. And sit down. We've got a report to write for the commander."
"I almost got blown up and got kissed by Roarke all in the same morning. I'm writing it on my calendar."
"Settle down."
"Yes, sir." She took out her log and got to work. But with a smile on her face.

ROARKE <3
"