Book Review: The Wedding Guest by Jonathan Kellerman

Can you believe this is #34 of the Alex Delaware series???

I still love them. This one was really gripping, it took ages to figure anything out.

Alex is still pretty cool under pressure and Milo is by far my favorite fictional character ever.

There is a wedding, kind of strange. Everyone was supposed to dress kind of slutty. The venue used to be a strip club. It was fun, until a dead body is found. No one knows who this girl is, much less who killed her. And there starts the journey of #34!

Book Review: The Council of Twelve by Oliver Pötzsch

**I received a digital copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

I have said it before, but this is such a unique series! This is book #7 in The Hangman's Daughter series. I read only the 1st book before I read this one. I still plan on tucking into the rest of them. But point being, you can still make it through if you haven't read them all.

They keep you riveted. And this felt like a 2-for-1 deal. There were 2 mysteries happening here - the murdered girls being the biggest, of course!

I think it's interesting the hangmen have their guild meeting in Munich, Germnay! People treat them with such distaste, and yet they are a professional group of men.

Anyway, still a great story dealing with the reality that was the 1600s while trying to be a mystery novel. I love it!

Book Review: Dial Marr for Murder by Karen Cantwell

Is there anything worse than job hunting? Job hunting when you really, really, really need a job! But seriously, it's a constant attack on the ego. You have to act like you are thick skinned, and that you are appreciative of the news that once again you aren't good enough. I was really upset, but Karen Cantwell came through looking for reviewers for her latest Barbara Marr. The timing couldn't have been better.

I just love that Barb's so busy and nosy, and everyone knows it. At this point, the men around her have a code (yellow-orange-red) system to deal with her. They even have the grandma's in place, ready for Barb to be in danger again - lol!

In this one, her oldest is off to college and the town is under siege from the flu. Not to worry, even though she doesn't do much cooking, she has the perfect recipe for her flu bomb that keeps the people around her from getting ill.

Yes there's a dead body, but she tries really hard to stay out of it. There's a lot of different twists in this one that kept my attention.

She is in constant motion helping out her friends, taking care of her family, and trying to avoid stalking her oldest girl. And maybe, just maybe she will get to meet Meryl Streep!!! 

If you haven't read the previous books, you can still jump in here. But then you will want to go back and read them all!  Great price for a fun story.

Book Review: Crime Scene by Jonathan Kellerman and Jesse Kellerman

**I was given a free digital copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

I read The Golem of Hollywood by this father-son duo, and I loved it. Not surprising, my favorite fiction couple is Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis (psychiatrist and police detective duo from the mind of Jonathan Kellerman). 

But I felt like I struggled through more of this story than I  would like. The characters felt one sided and the crime solving was making such big leaps that even the other characters were telling Clay Edison that he needed more.

It had a fairly consistent flow, it just felt so...flat. It was a lot of Clay did this, and did this and then he did that. and neither the characters nor the plot had much development beyond the presentation.

I would give them another chance, but I'm not sure if I will read another Clay Edison. I didn't have a hard time reading this story, and I enjoyed picking it up and working through it. I just expected more, and I really hope that if they do write a 2nd one, that they'll kick it up a few notches.

Book Reviews: The Last Policeman books 2 & 3

Countdown City

by: Ben Winters

Henry Palace is back! He is no longer officially a policeman, but he hasn't given up his detective ways. His old babysitter's husband is a missing person, in a world full of missing people and little infrastructure to find anyone. Henry knows it isn't likely he'll find the guy, and even if he does, he has no authority to force him to come back.

Everyone thinks Henry has lost it. Why is he even bothering? The end is drawing ever closer and chances are the guy just went "bucket list."

But something just feels off about this. And I think that if Henry doesn't keep busy, he knows he'll slowly go mad. I'm glad he gets to visit with his sister in this one. It really was as well paced and well written as the first book.

World of Trouble

by: Ben Winters

I read this immediately after Countdown City. The end of the world is getting even closer. There is no electricity, the water is now gone as well. People are having a hard time finding food, clean water, and anything else they might need. Henry has left the safety of his old coworkers compound and is traveling to find his sister. This really broke my heart. Henry was driving himself psychically and emotionally to the edge. You wonder if he'll even survive.

I loved the point that Henry makes, that as the end draws closer, people become frustrated with sleep. Death is literally at your doorstep, wouldn't you be frustrated at the wasted time of sleep? This book really deals with the end and how different people deal. Henry and his traveling companion mark the towns they go through. Some are deserted, some have people holed up in their homes fully bearing arms, and some people decide to just work together and enjoy the company.

I feel Henry's loneliness. Even though he's traveling with someone, it isn't someone he fully trusts. They are using each other, but to what ends?

Will Henry solve his final mystery before the asteroid hits?

Book Review: The Girl on the Train

by: Paula Hawkins

How did I not know this was a mystery/thriller??? I mean seriously...I was expecting a happy story. Then when I started to read and it wasn't happy, I figured, oh chick lit. She'll get her poop together and then we'll all be happy.

I'd classify this as a thriller.

Rachel rides the train into London every day. Not to work, but to hide that she no longer has a job. When she looks out where she used to live...she focuses on a few houses before her old place. In a way to avoid looking at her old life that she just can't seem to get over. She makes up this whole story of the couple that lives there. Then one day, she sees the woman she has named Jess with another man. Rachel is furious, how could Jess do that to her wonderful husband? When Jess ends up missing, Rachel feels it is her duty to come forward with what she knows.

The story also follows Meagan, the missing woman and Anna the new wife of Rachel's ex-husband. But I feel, after reading it all, that really Rachel is the key figure. Maybe I just like her the best - lol. Oh did I mention Rachel drinks way too much and Anna is about ready to get a restraining order on her? And yet, I still like her better...

This book just whipped by keeping me on the edge of my seat until the very end. In the beginning it's not real exciting, more of laying the groundwork for the true ride at the end. Like Gone Girl, this story just grabbed me and kept me guessing until the very end.

Book Review: The Wicked Flee

By: Matthew Iden

Good God I love this author! I put him right up there with Johnathan Kellerman, and better than Michael Connelly. This is the 5th Marty Singer novel. I've been reviewing these since the first. Marty is a tough, retired detective recovering from Cancer.

In this one, a current officer shows up late one night. His sister is missing, but being that she's a teenager he knows the police, even with his being one himself, won't do anything. She'd be considered a runaway. But Chuck knows something has happened.

What makes this especially exciting is that Chuck's sister, Lucy is incredibly bright. She has listened to all the tips her brother has given her, based on his own experience. He has told her what to do, and she keeps her head throughout the book. There's also another officer from another area working on an intersecting case. She's also quite bright and able to hold her own.

Marty mostly seems to be along for the ride on this one, but his thoughtfulness and insight prove invaluable to Chuck in his search for Lucy before time runs out.

Seriously exciting, and it more than touches on a wide extent of human trafficking that goes on in this country. It's a great value for $4.99. Now I'm stuck waiting for #6.

Book Review: Guilt

by: Jonathan Kellerman

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:
The #1 New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Kellerman’s “psychology skills and dark imagination are a potent literary mix” (Los Angeles Times), and this intensely thrilling blend has never been so powerful as in the acclaimed author’s new novel of murder and madness among the beautiful dreamers, seductive predators, and doomed innocents adrift in the glare of Southern California’s eternal sunshine.

A series of horrifying events occur in quick succession in the same upscale L.A. neighborhood. A backyard renovation unearths an infant’s body, buried sixty years ago. And soon thereafter in a nearby park, another disturbingly bizarre discovery is made not far from the body of a young woman shot in the head. Helping LAPD homicide detective Milo Sturgis to link these eerie incidents is brilliant psychologist Alex Delaware. But even the good doctor’s vast experience with matters both clinical and criminal might not be enough to cut down to the bone of this chilling case—and draw out the disturbing truth.

Backtracking six decades into the past stirs up tales of a beautiful nurse with a mystery lover, a handsome, wealthy doctor who seems too good to be true, and a hospital with a notorious reputation—all of them long gone, along with any records of a newborn, and destined for anonymity. But the specter of fame rears its head when the case unexpectedly twists in the direction of the highest echelons of celebrity privilege. Entering this sheltered world, Alex little imagines the macabre layer just below the surface—a decadent quagmire of unholy rituals and grisly sacrifice.

Before their work is done, Alex and Milo, “the most original whodunit duo since Watson and Holmes” (Forbes), must confront a fanatically deranged mind of such monstrous cunning that even the most depraved madman would shudder.

---

Let's see...it's the 28th novel in the Alex Delaware series. I think it rocks, honestly. The main characters are Alex Delaware (duh) and Milo Sturgis, Milo is the detective that Alex helps out on occasion (in every single book - *giggle*). There was much more tension between Alex and Milo in this book. In the last novel Alex had saved Milo's life, add to that all the extra footwork Alex put into this one that the captain noticed and commented on while criticizing Milo.

We also got to see a few of Alex's buttons get pushed. He had a rough childhood and it's really colored his life as an adult. But basically Alex is a retired child psychologist. He did the hardest work for years, working with children with terminal illness, usually cancer. He had invested wisely, so now he works when he wants too. Yeah, I'm jealous. lol

I love these novels because it's like reading an episode of Law and Order. I don't have to worry about the kids seeing it, they don't read over my shoulder yet. It has all the crime, tension and interpersonal drama that one could ask for. Being that it's a series, it includes the loves of both Alex and Milo.

"She didn't die pretty."
An outraged activist might call that blaming the victim. Anyone with homicide experience would call it logic."

Hey all, did you know that Milo is a gay lieutenant who is basically given free reign to solve whatever he wants because he has the highest solve rate ever? It's a good thing, because being gay in a police department can't be easy. Kudos to Mr. Kellerman for including that bit of reality in this series.

Book Review: Tiger's Eye

by: Barbra Annino

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:
Stacy Justice is looking forward to a lazy summer of hot dogs and beer; swims in the lake with her Great Dane, Thor; and hanging with her rekindled old flame, Chance. But when she gets a creepy anonymous call hinting that her father’s “accidental” death fourteen years ago was actually a murder, she’s too unsettled to relax. Stacy has blamed herself for his death all along—in fact, it’s the reason she’s fought so hard against being a witch. But who’d want to kill an innocent small-time newspaperman?

That’s the question on Stacy’s mind when she casts a spell that goes horribly wrong. And between the white tiger that keeps appearing out of thin air, the body in the lake, the feisty razor-toothed Chihuahua, and the gun-toting maniac, she suddenly has her hands full once again. But solving the mystery of her father’s death is Stacy’s number-one priority…and avenging it, if necessary, is a very close second.

Continuing the thrilling Stacy Justice saga, Tiger’s Eye drives the reluctant witch deeper into the mysteries of her family’s past…and the darker regions of her soul.

---

I've had the pleasure to review the previous Stacy Justice tales. I would say Stacy Justice is like Stephanie Plum, but that's not really true. Stacy Justice is smart, competent and a witch. She's better! And Tiger's Eye is the best one yet. There's some awkwardness with Leo, but Stacy has really settled down with Chance. So her love life is less of a mess, but her family still needs fixing.

Her father died when she was young, and her mother is in witch jail in Ireland, I think. They just say "The Old Country" but I think that's what they mean. Before Stacy has been reluctant to acknowledge her status as a witch and start training with the Geraghty Girls, her grandmother and 2 great-aunts. In this novel she finally accepts her purpose. She is happy to get trained by her family so she can save her mother. But first, she has to figure out who murdered her father.

There are no shortages of surprises and mysteries. We also learn more about Stacy and her family. I really enjoyed this one and I stand by what I said, best one yet!

Book Review: Blueblood

by: Matthew Iden

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:
Four unrelated murders. Nothing special in Washington DC. Not even good enough to make the evening news. But then a concerned police lieutenant approaches retired homicide detective Marty Singer with a simple fact that changes everything.

They were all cops.

In a race to stop the killings, Marty tackles the case from the outside, chasing the killer from deadly Southeast DC to the heart of the Virginia gangland, on a mission to stop the spilling of yet more Blueblood.

---

I beta-read and reviewed the first Marty Singer book, A Reason to Live. I thought it was excellent. I went through a phase of reading all the Michael Connelly books I could get my hands on. I also adore Jonathan Kellerman. My point being I love a well-written, gritty, crime novel. Iden does not disappoint. I honestly would put him up there with those 2 authors, and better than some others. Any publisher that didn't sign this guy should be regretting it now. The Marty Singer novels are superb.

Marty Singer, if you remember from the 1st novel, is a retired homicide detective fighting cancer. It means, our hero is unique. He has the knowledge and the experience as a 1st rate detective, but his illness leaves him easily tired and weakened overall. It means that, not only are you on the edge of your seat wondering who-done-it, but you are wondering if Marty is going to be able to complete the case with or without assistance. Not to mention wondering how his cancer is doing.

And I'm not lying when I say I was on the edge in this one. At one point I thought I was to the wrapping up stage. And this tends to be where I get bored. And I started relaxing and just wanted to see what Marty still had to do and if there'd be more news from his Doctor, when something so shocking took place I literally jumped.

It's the 2nd novel in the Marty Singer series, and fully worth the read. And BTW folks, that's not all he's done. He has several short story collections and other books that I found free at Amazon. Probably not free anymore, but reasonably priced since he's a self-published author. A diamond in the ruff, for sure!

Book Review: The Last Policeman

by: Ben Winters

**I received a review copy from Quirk Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

Some people like Jersey Shore, and some like Survivor...me, I secretly love Post-Apocalyptic stories (movies or books). This is unique, it's Pre-Apocalyptic. There is a meteor heading for the Earth, and scientists know it's pretty much going to wipe everything out.

So the question becomes, what would you do? People that have gone off to do the things they always wanted to before they die are said to have "gone bucket list." And there are tons of suicides and people quitting their jobs left and right. Personally I enjoyed all the corporations folding.

The thing is, you still gotta eat and everything of course gets really expensive. So there are also a lot of people still working. The central character in The Last Policeman is a young man who really isn't long out of the academy. He is promoted to detective because...well...who else is there? He comes upon a suicide that just doesn't sit right with him. But we are kept guessing, is it a murder or is this cop just looking to investigate before the end comes?

It's well written, fast paced and way better than the Jane Austen mash-ups. His book Bedbugs was really good too. This guy does a much better job on his own, that's all I'm saying. So go pick up a copy if you think you can handle this dark and lonely tale.

This is the first book in the Last Policeman Trilogy - see my reviews of 2 & 3 here.

**This post was originally published on January 4, 2013, it was updated to fulfill a new review request**

Book Review: The Last Policeman

by: Ben Winters

**I received a review copy from Quirk Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

Some people like Jersey Shore, and some like Survivor...me, I secretly love Post-Apocalyptic stories (movies or books). This is unique, it's Pre-Apocalyptic. There is a meteor heading for the Earth, and scientists know it's pretty much going to wipe everything out.

So the question becomes, what would you do? People that have gone off to do the things they always wanted to before they die are said to have "gone bucket list." And there are tons of suicides and people quitting their jobs left and right. Personally I enjoyed all the corporations folding.

The thing is, you still gotta eat and everything of course gets really expensive. So there are also a lot of people still working. The central character in The Last Policeman is a young man who really isn't long out of the academy. He is promoted to detective because...well...who else is there? He comes upon a suicide that just doesn't sit right with him. But we are kept guessing, is it a murder or is this cop just looking to investigate before the end comes?

It's well written, fast paced and way better than the Jane Austen mash-ups. His book Bedbugs was really good too. This guy does a much better job on his own, that's all I'm saying. So go pick up a copy if you think you can handle this dark and lonely tale.

This is the first book in the Last Policeman Trilogy - see my reviews of 2 & 3 here.

**This post was originally published on January 4, 2013, it was updated to fulfill a new review request**

Book Review: The Last Policeman

by: Ben Winters

**I received a review copy from Quirk Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

Some people like Jersey Shore, and some like Survivor...me, I secretly love Post-Apocalyptic stories (movies or books). This is unique, it's Pre-Apocalyptic. There is a meteor heading for the Earth, and scientists know it's pretty much going to wipe everything out.

So the question becomes, what would you do? People that have gone off to do the things they always wanted to before they die are said to have "gone bucket list." And there are tons of suicides and people quitting their jobs left and right. Personally I enjoyed all the corporations folding.

The thing is, you still gotta eat and everything of course gets really expensive. So there are also a lot of people still working. The central character in The Last Policeman is a young man who really isn't long out of the academy. He is promoted to detective because...well...who else is there? He comes upon a suicide that just doesn't sit right with him. But we are kept guessing, is it a murder or is this cop just looking to investigate before the end comes?

It's well written, fast paced and way better than the Jane Austen mash-ups. His book Bedbugs was really good too. This guy does a much better job on his own, that's all I'm saying. So go pick up a copy if you think you can handle this dark and lonely tale.

This is the first book in the Last Policeman Trilogy - see my reviews of 2 & 3 here.

**This post was originally published on January 4, 2013, it was updated to fulfill a new review request**

Book Review: Saturday Night Cleaver

by: Karen Cantwell

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:
Poor Barb. She just can't stay out of trouble, no matter how hard she tries. But this time she has a good reason: family friend Colt Baron has gone missing. When soccer mom, Barbara Marr, and her ex-FBI husband, Howard, begin following clues in a search for their treasured pal, they find themselves crashing a rather racy sort of party – a soiree for swinging couples. Awkward. What they learn there is...interesting. But the question is, does the information lead them to Colt?

This fourth book in the Barbara Marr Murder Mystery Series teams Barb with her handsome husband Howard in yet another rollicking and hilarious suburban fiasco..

---

If you've been a follower of this blog, or my Facebook page, then you already know I love Karen Cantwell. She's a wonderful lady and a wonderful author. I look forward to her Barbara Marr mysteries more than any other series I can think of.

Want to know a big moment for me? I was asked to Beta read this one. Oh yeah, I was squealing like a little girl. But she ran out of time so I only got a review copy. Yeah, I'm not complaining.

It's great. Barbara finds herself in trouble, again. But this time she's with her husband. And he's not telling her no, or keeping her out of it. He has her help him. I think he's stir crazy, honestly. There are more surprising angles than ever before, and you will be shocked right to the very end. And best of all? It also stays pretty silly.

So you will laugh and laugh and gasp. ;) Right now it's only $1.00, easy investment for some relaxation during these holidays.

Library Fun

I've slowed things down on my blog lately, and I discovered something. I miss going into my library, finding a book I WANT to read and checking it out. Don't get me wrong, with the book reviews I get to read a lot of great stuff. Some of them even coming my way by my own shameless begging. But to look through a bunch of books and choose some, discard others. My other voracious readers know what I'm talking about, it's what drives us to visit the bookstore even though we have an e-reader and a TBR list a mile long!

So, what have I made my way through?

Little Night by Luanne Rice, a story about a woman who has been finding her way after being released from prison for attacking her sister's abusive husband. She never stopped loving her sister, even when her sister stood up in court and said her sister was unprovoked. Who then took her children and fled the country with this man. Who physically abused her own daughter under this man's thumb. These kinds of stories break my heart for everyone involved, but I also think they are important. These things happen in the real world, and this is the only way to really experience what they are feeling and thinking in the moment.

Some Like It Hawk by Donna Andrews. I adore the Meg Langslow mysteries. Years ago when I first discovered one thanks to my sister-in-law, I read through them all in a matter of months. Now I wait, very impatiently, for the next book to come out. This does not disappoint. Meg now has 2 toddlers, but her life is as crazed as ever. The town's ex-mayer took out loans on all the town buildings, pocketed the cash, then stepped aside as the lender came in and took ownership of them all. Now the Library is in her library, and she doesn't even have after-hours access! When one of the lenders is murdered in city hall, things come unglued and secrets are revealed.

The Next Best Thing by Jennifer Weiner. Oh I loved this story! It's a close look at the inside of Hollywood, but giving it some grace. Yes those Hollywood people are weird, and yes the execs are ruining more than they are helping, but there are a lot of regular people just trying to make it by. Ruth, who was scarred by the car accident that killed her parents, has spent her life writing. Couple that with the comfort she found in watching TV, especially The Golden Girls, she wants to pursue her career as a television writer. But, can she make it through Hollywood without selling her soul?

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling. I was excited when this came out, but the e-book was like $17.99! So I did what I usually break down and do...(and yes I did ask the publisher but wasn't given a response) I reserved a copy at my local library. Honestly, I couldn't stand it. It was BORING! A guy dies early on, and the next 50 pages are townspeople reactions. It started driving me mad, so I quit. I gave it to Carlyn, and she read it but she didn't like it either. "She was too liberal with the F-word" she said. And that was about all she had to say about it. So, sorry Ms. Rowling, but as much as I adore Harry Potter, this fell flat.

Book Review: Perfect is Overrated

by: Karen Bergreen

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
What the best cure for post-partum depression? After years of barely moving, Kate springs back to life when the mothers-youlove- to-hate in her daughter’s preschool begin to turn up dead. Murder as a cure for sadness? Sounds evil, but it’s not. In Perfect Is Overrated, stand-up comedian and author of Following Polly Karen Bergreen presents a lovable heroine who is so at sea she’s still not sure whether what she suffers has to do with the birth of her little girl or with the fact that her handsome hunk of a detective husband doesn’t live with her anymore. She might fall back in love, she might find a killer, but she sure won’t be spending all day in bed anymore.

---

Karen's writing is conversational, her characters are charming and deep. You get to know Kate really well, and through her all the people in her life. As a person who battles depression, I can say that Karen did a great job capturing the feelings and the actions. While she gets it together to take care of her daughter, she doesn't get it together for much else.

So as she starts coming out of her deep depression, it's funny how Karen throws in a detail here or there about something that was left undone for too long.

And this is a mystery, so you follow Kate as she collects evidence and tries to find out who the murderer is. I will say, you won't see it coming. I had a hard time putting it down, but the last 20 pages had me so griped I ended up letting my children stay up too late just so I could finish it!

You never know if the 2nd book will be just as good as the first, or if a person just had the one good story. I will now say that Karen Bergreen is a favorite author, and this was even BETTER than Following Polly.

Book Review: A Reason to Live

by: Matthew Iden

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Synopsis: (Goodreads)
In the late nineties, a bad cop killed a good woman and DC Homicide detective Marty Singer got to watch as the murderer walked out of the courtroom a free man.

Twelve years later, the victim's daughter comes to Marty begging for help: the killer is stalking her now.

There's just one problem: Marty's retired...and he's retired because he's battling cancer. But with a second shot at the killer--and a first chance at redemption--Marty's just found A REASON TO LIVE.

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The story is classic detective mystery book. Iden's writing has a natural ease to it, and his characters are deep and well rounded. Just look at Marty, a retired homicide detective. Kind of cliche until you see that he's battling cancer.

I don't think Marty likes being retired either. He's a lonely man who is forced to look death in the face. This was a brilliant move because here is a guy who has dealt with the ugly side of death his entire career, now he has to deal with the possibility of his own.

Amanda, the daughter of one of his unsolved cases, showed up at the perfect time. He needed a project, to be needed. She needed help, and the police weren't an option. She knew the murderer was back, but it wasn't anything concrete and basically the police failed her the first time around.

This is a great book. If you like Michael Connelly or Jonathan Kellerman, you will love this.