Saturday, June 25, 2022

The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark




Hello everyone.  I hope you're enjoying the beginning of summer.

Before I had the luxury of becoming a housewife, and the queen of the vacuum and chicken roasting, I actually had a job.  Don't laugh, now that's not nice. Yes, someone would hire me.  I worked in banking, specifically in the credit card industry.  You know how you finally pay off your credit card and the next statement you still are charged interest?  I can tell you why AND do the extensive math to show you how it is calculated.  Want to set up a new account? No problem.  Fraud on your card, I'm your girl.  Are you a merchant in need of a great discount rate and need your accounts set up, I gotcha there too.  It was quite an education. 

One time the entire area was being bombarded by fake applications.  I was very lucky and got to go to a seminar and have lunch with a Secret Service agent.  Yes, they do more than protect people.  A gang of con men had hit the area and the Secret Service had lots of information on what was going on, including how to spot fake applications.  Surprisingly, the apps all had things in common. First, you are paying me to be out of the office, and you're feeding me, and I get to meet someone kind of interesting.  If only all days could be like that. Well, okay, maybe not, it was fraud, and I do get to stay home now.

I recently read The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark.  I was excited to read this as I read The Last Flight by Ms. Clark.  At that time, I had read 842.3 thrillers in a row, all set in a neighborhood.  The last flight is set in an airport.  Relief! While I never got around to reviewing it, I really liked the book.  I was hoping this new book would deliver the same, great thriller and something different.  I am happy to say that it does.

This is the story of Meg, who is a con artist that disappears and reinvents herself when the game is over.  Then she is on to the next victim.  Kat is a journalist who has a connection to Meg.  She is working to expose the truth about the cons and show Meg for what she truly is.  There is a problem, the closer Kat gets to Meg, the less she understands her.  Leaving her with more questions not only about Meg but herself.

This book is a quick read.  While it's not a heart racing thriller, you will find well defined characters that you will hold your attention long after the book is over.  Very interesting.  I can't imagine what Julie Clark will come up with next, but no doubt I'll be begging her to take my money.

Sunday, June 12, 2022

Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier




Hello everyone.  I hope your day is going well.

I just got off the phone with my sister, one of the triplets.  She would like to remain nameless, so I'll call her....Broomhilda.  Broomhilda is upset because she is making one of my grandmother's recipes for chicken that called for a small cheese cracker, like Cheese Nips.  Apparently, the company has reduced the size of the box and what used to cover several chicken breasts with ease now has left her short.  She has her mouth set for some of my grandma's cooking but feels persecuted by the ever-shrinking grocery sizes.  Staying on the grocery palooza topic, Broomhilda still has her Christmas cookie dough still in her freezer as she ran out of time to bake during the holidays.  It seems that getting your hands on Hershey Kisses in June isn't as easy as you might think.  Hey, what are you giving me the stink eye for?  I'm 600 miles away, and I did, after all, give her the lovely name of Broomhilda.  Please don't write to me saying your name or your favorite aunt's name is Broomhilda.  I mean no disrespect.  My parents apparently were experiencing a hippie moment naming me after a month.

I recently read Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier.  I've never read anything by this author before, despite people raving about her for years.  This is the story of a woman, Paris, married to an older man.  Her celebrity husband used to be a famous comedian, who appeared on a very successful television show.  When he is found dead and the police believe that she killed him, the story really jumps into high gear.  We discover that Paris isn't really who she says she is, then wonder how that will affect her case.

Ruby, a murderer, who has been in prison for twenty-five years is about to be unexpectedly released.  Ruby knows all about Paris and is threatening to tell all her secrets.  Now Paris must confront an evil past and figure out how to live in the present.

This book was so entertaining.  The writing is smooth, concise, and stays on topic.  I can't believe I waited this long to read something by Jennifer Hillier.  I am a fool and have been missing out.  I grabbed this book, while in the middle of another, thinking I would read just the first paragraph or two to get an idea of the writing style.  A day later, I can't put Things We Do in the Dark down until I've finished every last word.  Like the old Maxell House commercial, it was good til the last drop. Now, I'm hunting down the back list for this author as I must read them all.

Just for the record, by the time you've read this, my sister likely won't be talking to me. In addition, she'll be frantically creating her own blog and thinking of a substitute name for me.  I prefer something classic, with a sparkly dress and a wand with a star on the end, Broomhilda you can call me Glenda the good.

Tuesday, June 7, 2022

The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd




Hello everyone. I hope you're having a great day.

Can you read a map or do you depend only on GPS?  Heck, I remember when maps where huge, fold out, and free.  When was the last time you heard about anything useful being free?  A long time!  A few years ago, we bought our first car with GPS.  Shortly after getting it, we were going from Raleigh, North Carolina to Cape May, New Jersey.  We decided to let the GPS get us there.  It was a bit of an adventure.  Our first place to stop and get gas was surrounded by big huge buzzards.  Too bad I didn't look as beautiful as Tippi Hendren because I sure felt like her, there were dozens and dozens of the birds on top of each surface...waiting and watching for someone to keel over. They would surely devour that person in under thirty seconds. Then we were in northern Virginia, naturally it took us right through Washington.  Heck, it was a weekend so the roads weren't too crowded and we got a side show getting to see the Washington Monument under repair.  Oh yes, it was all urban-ly scenic until the football game got out and the roads became mass panic.  Next to cut over to the coast, GPS has us go through Philadelphia. I don't mean skirt Philly, I mean I could practically land a big old juicy kiss on the liberty bell as we drove (ever so slowly) by. New Jersey never looked so good. 

I recently read The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd.  This is the story of Nell, who loves maps.  She works in cartography in the New York Public Library and loves it.  Her father works there too.  All becomes unpleasant when Nell has a fight with her father about a cheap old fold out map.  He has her fired, causing a huge rift between them.  After resettling in a new life, Nell is suddenly called back to the library, where her father has been found dead.  Imagine Nell's surprise when she finds hidden in his belongings that old gas station map that had caused their estrangement.  Things get even more odd when she finds that there are very few of these gas station maps left in existence and someone is hunting down every last copy.

This book draws you in right from the beginning.  You'll find the book calling you back to read more every time you try and put it down. This mystery draws heavily from fantasy, so if you need everything to be realistic then this isn't the book for you.  If you want an interesting escape, this book will map out a journey to some unusual places (see what I did there?).  While I don't read fantasy in general, this really was an enjoyable story.

My negative sense of direction has me wondering what happens to GPS in bad weather or in a deeply wooded area?  It goes out?  I'll end up in another country!  Maybe paper back ups would be advisable for me.