A Twisted Love Story by Samantha Downing

 

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

My mom used to tell the story of her office romance that wasn't.  Before she had children, she was the receptionist at a major corporation, she would deal with visitors and salespeople.  My mother was quite beautiful, so I'm not surprised they put her out front.  Now stop rolling your eyes.  I know all moms have to say their children are attractive but not the other way around, so just stop moving your eyes like that or they'll stick that way.  She really was stunning (making me question why I was so short sheeted...oh my gosh, if you don't understand that term you need to go to summer camp).  Anyway, Mom caused a scandal.  Seems she was seen often having lunch with an older man, a respected employee that was also a politician...and very married.  When her boss finally gathered his nerve to broach the topic, he explained why that it was not proper behavior.  He demanded she stop meeting with the man, and most definitely having lunch in the corporate cafeteria.  My mother stood her ground and steadfastly refused.  Her now irate boss wanted to know how she could possibly refuse his order; she calmly told him it was easy.  She was well aware that the man she was eating lunch with was married, and she didn't care, she didn't care because he was married to her mother.  My mother was eating lunch with my grandfather, her dad.  Oh to have been a fly on the wall that day!

I recently read A Twisted Love Story by Samantha Downing.  This is the fourth book I've read by Downing and I have enjoyed and reviewed them all.  This is the story of Wes and Ivy.  They have been a couple, on and off, for years.  They have a passionate relationship where they can't stand to be apart, but then once together for a while they burn each other out and break up.  They are like two cogs, trying repeatedly to fit together correctly to make each other spin but they keep missing the perfect alignment.  Because of this constant cycle, they find ways to test each other, often resulting in trouble.  Despite their issues, they will never be far apart because they share a secret.  When the police suddenly become interested in them both, they realize that making their relationship work is the only way to survive what lies ahead.

If you've never had your heart broken, wondered about someone in your past, held a flame for someone longer than you should, or found the person you were meant to be with...well, you might interpret this story as two people dating who can't get it together.  If you've had your fair share of romantic experiences, you will quickly realize that Wes and Ivy's feelings and actions are much more complicated.  The secret they hold, and are being pursued for, drives the story and their relationship forward.

A Twisted Love Story started out slower than the author's other books but once you understand what is going on, the couple's dynamics make it interesting.  When more about the dreaded secret comes out, the book moves quickly towards an unusual but satisfying resolution.  A different type of story for Downing but still very enjoyable.

The Spectacular by Fiona Davis

 

Hello everyone. I hope your day is perfection.

When you are from New York State (notice I capitalize "state" as we consider it a specific place) and we say we're going to the city it doesn't mean Buffalo or Syracuse.  Going to the city means New York City. When I was a kid, we got all "the city" TV channels, along with small town locals. There is a downside to that...Crazy Eddie commercials.  Don't know what they are?  Count yourself lucky!  They were commercials for this guy that sold small appliances.  He was loud, gruff, and screamed at the camera.  He ended each commercial with "Crazy Eddie, his prices are insane!" You can see them on YouTube, but don't say I didn't warn you. 

My parents went to the city often, leaving us kids at home.  Sometimes we would go as a family. One time I went alone with my parents, no sisters. They wanted me to experience something very special, The Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular.  The building itself is amazing, but I don't remember it.  What I do remember is the music, beautiful, room filling, and live.  I remember the stage actually being three stages and they moved up and down.  Most of all, I remember the Rockettes.  They were so pretty and smiling.  They danced perfectly in sync. The costumes were like the best Christmas decoration you could ever imagine, full of color and sparkle. It was wonderful and many decades later, I still remember it.  What a fantastic tribute to those women, that decades later, a little girl (now practically old lady) still remembers them.

I recently read The Spectacular by Fiona Davis. This is the story of a young dancer, Marion, in 1956 who goes through the exhaustive audition process to win a spot as a Radio City Rockette.  She is shunned by her father who wants her to have the life of a lady, married, at home, having a family.  Marion wants to dance and experience independence.  The book includes a cast of interesting characters including a young doctor specializing in mental health.  He believes he has developed a way to profile criminals by their behavior and the clues they leave behind.  This proves useful as he and Marion are pulled into an investigation of a bomber who has been terrorizing the city for 16 years yet remains at large.

This book is historic fiction, but don't let that scare you off. The story is completely engrossing.  Loads of research has been done into Radio City's workings and what it takes to be a Rockette.  In addition, the history of the bomber is real.  This adds a mystery/thriller component to the tale of a young woman trying to follow her heart and live her life and not the one that others want for her. The book reads smoothly and moves along with just the right amount of description to transport you to 1956 Manhattan. You'll cheer for Marion and cry for her, this is the complete storytelling package.  You can kick up your heels for this book, a delight from beginning to end.

Now would be the perfect time for Crazy Eddie as this book is insanely good!

Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge

 

Hello everyone. I hope you're having a wonderful week.

I love having a whole roasted chicken in the fridge, it's so homey and I feel like I can make a million different meals from that one ingredient.  Yes, I know I mention chicken roasting ad nauseam here, but believe it or not I can cook other things.  I can trim a whole beef tenderloin, clean and sectioned, in under 15 minutes.  I can make stuffed, braided bread, chocolate pot de creme, ice creams, seafood, ratatouille, or biscuits that will make you cry out in joy. Surprisingly, I don't have that many cookbooks, preferring books that teach not just feature recipes.  Of course, many people, including me, have the classics like The Joy of Cooking or the ever-famous Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child.  I have my mother's copy of Julia Child's famous book, even in 1970 it was in its 19th printing, it's still going strong today.  Pretty amazing for a book not to be relegated to a backlist, all these years later. Of course, me cooking anything out of this book likely looks like Lucy and Ethel in the chocolate factory, while standing on banana peels and being pelted with eggs, but I imagine I'm a world class chef. The hot, boob-a-licious kind of chef with dazzling smile and great hair, not the grumbling old man with dirty towel tucked under his apron.

I recently read Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge.  The first thing that you'll notice in this mystery is the cover, which looks very much like Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking only with a chef's knife plunged through the middle with blood running down it.  An amusing start without even opening the book.  This is the story of Tabitha Knight and her pal, Julia Child in 1949 Paris.  The book opens the day after a party held at Julia and husband Paul's apartment.  Tabitha and Julia are food shopping.  Julia has undertaken the task of teaching her friend to cook so is introducing Tabitha to various vendors and how to pick the best vegetables.  Upon returning to Julia's apartment, they discover something amiss, one of the guests from the previous night's festivities is dead in the building basement.  Not only is the death of a young woman terrible enough but she has been stabbed in the chest with Julia's own chef's knife.  Quickly, Julia and Tabitha become the main suspects in the brutal murder.  The only way out is to help solve the murder.

This book will be delightful for any fan of Julia Child, post-war Paris, cooking in general, or mystery lovers.  While Julia is present throughout, she does not overwhelm the story nor does the author treat the book as her term paper about all her Child research.  A pleasant read, with plenty of twists, the story will "stir" your imagination as you "strain" through the characters to figure out this "well-seasoned" who-dun-it.  Okay, I'll stop, but seriously, this was lots of fun.

I have to go start making dinner, hope I can find my chef's knife.

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun by Elle Cosimano

 

Hello everyone.  I hope you are having a great day.

I always say something about hope you're having a nice day or week because I mean it.  Watching the news can make you sick these days, so much hate.  No matter what religion you do or do not believe in, we can all agree that humans have been on this planet for thousands of years.  It amazes me that in all those years we haven't learned one simple thing, mean is bad, and kind is good.  How can all this time have passed and we still think hurting each other is a good idea?  No matter where you are from, the United States, France, Iran, Russia, or Singapore, I guarantee you we are ALL the same.  We want nothing more than to have a nice life.  We want to learn, maybe fall in love, have shelter and food, raise our children in a safe pleasant environment.  No matter what our governments or countries are doing, we all, at the core, are the same.  It drives me crazy that we still fight and physically hurt each other.  Wouldn't we be so much better if we treated each other with respect and kindness.  I mean, call me silly, but I'd rather laugh than be blown up.  How wonderful would it be if we could embrace each other's differences and want nothing more than kindness.  Oh, you need oil, no problem...you can't grow grain, we've got you covered.  If we could only drop jokes, smiles and love instead of bombs.  I know I'm getting sappy but bad happenings get annoying quickly.  So, for today, instead of hate let's try love, instead of punishing each other, let's make each other laugh.  Let's try being the humans we should have been a long time ago.  To put that smile on your face, maybe you want to start with a book.

I recently read Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun by Elle Cosimano.  This author has written two other books following the same set of characters, Finlay Donovan is Killing It and Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead.  I have reviewed and loved both previous books.  The series begins when you meet Finlay Donovan, a mother and author, trying to do it all.  Her husband has left her and fired their nanny.  Finlay is late for a lunch meeting with her agent.  While eating and discussing Finlay's new novel, the lady at the next table overhears the plot.  She believes Finlay is a contract killer, a real one.  This woman offers the cash strapped author a bundle to "dispose" of her husband.  The story is off and running.  Finlay and her sidekick nanny, Vero, get pulled into adventure after adventure in the unsavory world of killing people for cash.  The only thing is they don't know what they are doing.  The improvising author and mom along with the super sarcastic nanny, get themselves into all kinds of hilarious situations.  In the latest, Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun, Finlay and Vero get stuck going to a mock police academy, living in a dorm and taking classes in police procedure, all while trying to track down a villain.  As with all the books, you will find yourself laughing out loud and smiling through the whole read.  What else could you ever want?  One more book in the series yet to come, I will be terribly sad when it's over as the world could use more Finlay Donovan and Vero comedy.

By the way, when I think of kindness my mind always goes to Canada on September 11th.  When the US was being attacked and all flights were stopped, Canada let planes land and people took Americans into their homes.  It was so beautiful during something so horrible.  I'll never forget it. The people of Canada set a wonderful example of how we should all be every day.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

Hello everyone.  I hope your day is going well.

Some people walk through life (literally) with grace.  Not me, I walk through everything with an eternal sense of clumsiness.  Sadly, some of my lack of walking on clouds has rubbed off on my husband.  Now some of his troubles he deserves.  Hubby constantly leaves glasses, bowls, everything, halfway on and halfway off the counter or table.  It's begging mean old Mr. Gravity to do his job, while he laughs maniacally and twists his handlebar mustache.  This time, I'm talking about accidents.  One time after my grandfather had died, my sisters and I rented a house on the beach in Nags Head, on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  We invited my grandmother, thinking it would be a great escape for her and reenforcing that we were still a family of which she was a big part.  One day while helping my grandmother in her room, hubby had to get something that had fell behind a set of drawers.  They were about hip high, and he didn't realize that the top drawer was slightly open.  As he bent over the top to pull her item from behind the dresser, um...some very personal part of his body traveled into the top of the drawer (yes, he was dressed), at the same time he was leaning against the drawer.  Yes, he gave himself a major pinch, all the while not letting on to my grandmother what had happened.  Yep, that's one of my memories of renting a house for a family vacation.

I recently read The Villa by Rachel Hawkins.  I've reviewed several of her books before, enjoying them.  In addition, she writes The Ex Hex series under the name Erin Sterling, also reviewed here.  The Villa is about Emily and Chess, both authors and best friends from Asheville, NC.  When reunited for a visit they decide to spend the summer in Italy in a famous villa with an interesting history.  The story moves in dual timelines between the present and 1974 where five people are also renting the same villa for the summer.  They are musicians and a writer.  All hoping the setting will improve their creativity. Sadly in 1974 one of the five ends up murdered.  The crime is solved and one of them goes to jail, but when in the present-day Emily does some research, it appears things may not have been as it seemed.  As the book moves through everyone's time on their vacation, parts of their histories start to match up.  Will Emily solve what really happened in 1974, will the cursed house tear Em and Chess apart or worse?  

While I have enjoyed Rachel Hawkins past books this one is so superior.  The story is multi layered, interesting, moves at a thoughtful pace.  While not a heart pounding thriller, you'll be thrilled to keep those pages turning.  Highly entertaining, this book is hard to put down.  Don't miss it.

Now that I've told you about my husband and his hurt...um...pride...I better go make sure all the kitchen drawers are closed.   

You Can Hide by Rebecca Zanetti

Hello everyone.  I hope you are having a great day.

I was recently listening to an interview given by a major thriller author.  He was talking about doing ample research. As he discussed having to pull strings to get access to a Secret Service agent, I had to smile.  Although I am the lowly, cookie baking, dog butt trimming, compulsive list making, recipe testing, popular fiction reading, unknown to everyone, housewife....I have had lunch with a Secret Service agent.  As I've explained in the past, this occurred while I was still working, prior to my glorious wifery ways.  I had a chuckle at the expense of this huge writing talent, constantly on the NY Times Bestseller list.  I, yes, me, know an FBI agent.  Gasp!  Did you gasp?  Come on, given my constant complaints on egg and butter prices, tales of dishwasher failures, or chicken baking, this is the good stuff.  I'll try again, I have had lunch with a Secret Service agent and know an FBI agent.  Now...all together...gasp!  How shocking.  How unusual.  How impressive.  Ah forget it, people today are so jaded and impressed by nothing but money.  

I recently read You Can Hide by Rebecca Zanetti.  This is part of a series, but I didn't know that, and it didn't matter.  This is the story of a FBI agent Laurel Snow, who works with Fish and Wildlife Captain Huck Rivers, as they try to catch a serial killer.  Someone is hunting accomplished women, bashing their brains in, cutting off their hands, and leaving them outside in the winter in northern Washington state.  All the women are surrounded by black dahlias, symbolizing betrayal.  As Laurel and Huck work together, the reader is presented with several viable candidates for killer.  The need for speed in solving this case is urgent to prevent another woman from meeting such a horrible fate.  The pace is magnified when Laurel's own sister finds her own front yard sprinkled with black dahlias.

This book was fun and interesting.  While more mystery than thriller for me, the construction of the story kept me guessing and interested.  Not overly wordy and maintaining pacing throughout, I enjoyed this one.  Not to mention, it surprised me, all the way to the last page.  Gotta love that.  

By the way, I didn't meet an FBI agent when I did hard time for letting chicken stock boil over on the stove.  He was our neighbor at our last house, making for an interesting neighborhood watch!

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

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

Years ago, I had all my parent's slides, they took gobs of photos.  The slides were starting to degrade and were hard to look at without setting up a lot of equipment.  Despite it being more overwhelming than cooking Thanksgiving dinner for a family of twenty with a picky Aunt Sue and cranky Uncle Hank, I scanned all the slides into my computer.  Within those family slides is an engineering drawing that I have no idea what it is.  When I was a kid, I was convinced my dad was a spy due to his wearing sunglasses, hey I was little and I'm quite certain that all spies covet an extensive sunglass wardrobe (they probably have cameras in them).  Of course, my dad was a regular person, but that miscellaneous slide had me wondering about him and his job that took him to top secret sites.

I recently read Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn.  This is the story of four aging women, spies, well assassins is more accurate.  The group these ladies work for has sent them on a fantastic all expenses paid cruise to mark their retirement. While trying to enjoy their relaxing gift they realize that someone is on the cruise that shouldn't be, in fact, it is someone they work with...a fellow assassin.  The four women quickly realize that this time they aren't the killers but the targets.   Why would an organization they have been so loyal to suddenly turn on them?  How do they come out alive when those after them are as well trained as they are?

This book is smart, fun, quick moving, interesting and laugh out loud funny.  Anyone will enjoy this book but if you are forty or older you will start to recognize some of their aches and pains, along with other "hormonal things" going on with their bodies.  All of this commentary on aging and the actual story of hunting assassins is told with so much humor, if was a pleasure to read.  My only regret is that this book isn't the beginning of a series, as I could do with a whole lot more of these wise-cracking ladies.

Hey, my dad went on a cruise once...hmmmmm...

The Last to Vanish by Megan Miranda

Hello everyone. I hope your day is going well.

As you lose people in your family, ultimately many of their belongings are divided up among those that are left grieving their absence.  My parents and grandparents had some nice dishes. With four of us all wanting certain pieces, despite losing these family members long ago, we still argue over who has what. Right now, the issue is these gigantic yellow Pyrex bowls.  My mother had one so did my grandmother.  One of my sisters has both of them.  This has become an issue of cataclysmic importance.  My mother made great potato salad and always served it in the humongous yellow bowl. None of my three sisters....NONE...have ever even made potato salad.  I, however, make fantastic potato salad (which I'm currently eating, hence this story), in fact, I make my mother's potato salad.  My potato salad and the elusive yellow Pyrex should be together, it is how the world should be.  I know there are terrible things going on in the world, heck plenty in the US alone and we have it better than so many others.  Yet, I implore you to consider my bowl dilemma, it is unfair that I am the only one able to use the yellow bowl as intended by family tradition, yet my sister holds TWO of them and feels not a twinge of guilt over her ceramic gluttony!  While I usually try and tie the opening of this post with the book, but I have little to say about hiking and have potato salad in my mouth.  Eh, it's free, take what you can get.

I recently read The Last to Vanish by Megan Miranda. This is the story of a woman, Abby, who works at an inn in western North Carolina.  The big draw of this picturesque vacation spot is the hiking, rafting, general outdoorsiness.  In the past, there have been problems when people have gone missing on the hiking trails.  When a mysterious guest checks in, Abby's curiosity is peaked.  She discovers that the guest, Trey, is the brother of one of those who had disappeared.  As Trey begins his exploration of his brother's actions Abby is surprised by what she discovers while trying to assist him.  All is not right at the inn and the evidence is mounting that something is very wrong.

While I don't really consider Megan Miranda's books heart pounding thrillers, this is more thriller than usual.  The mystery is interesting and complicated. The story is intriguing and grabs you quickly.  The writing is pleasant, as always.  I wished it was a bit shorter, but at 336 pages the length doesn't seem outrageous. Overall, this was very enjoyable and my favorite by this author so far.  Can't wait until the next. 

You know what would be great to take on a hike?  Potato salad!

Look Closer by David Ellis

Hello everyone.  I hope you are having a good day.

Does your family have odd sayings?  They were probably mainstream at one time and have fallen out of favor, or maybe it's something wacky Aunt Marge made up.  With hubby and I, our sayings are often based on movie lines.  My mom had some doozies.  If something was complicated she would say you had to "go around your elbow to get to your knee."  During something frustrating I often expand on that saying you "have to go around your elbow, behind your left knee, under the coffee table" and if it's really an annoying issue it may include a reference to having to go "under the neighbor's fence."  Mom's favorite, however, was "around Robin Hood's barn."  First of all, did Robin Hood actually have a barn?  I'm pretty sure he was too busy with all that steal from the rich and give to the poor stuff to mess with growing crops and milking cows.  Then there are the arrows, the short pants with tights, and all those merry men.  Definitely no time for milking cows. With or without a barn, life is complicated.

I recently read Look Closer by David Ellis. This is the story of a wealthy married couple, Simon and Vicky.  The book opens with Lauren, dead, hanging by the neck in her house and Simon fleeing from the scene. As the police try to piece together how Lauren died, they discover some interesting clues indicating this may be much more complicated than a simple suicide.  As they try to build a case, the reader is sent back a few weeks to discover what really happened.  Simon and Vicky both have secrets of their own, which are starting to unravel.

This book is a monster, at 464 pages, it literally hurt my hands to hold.  Every bit of future arthritis inducing pain it caused was worth it.  Despite its length, this novel reads in a breeze, don't be intimidated, you'll swear it's only 200 pages.  The writing is pleasant and easy to follow.  The story is complicated, yes, I'm using that word yet again.  It's all the mayhem going every which way that makes this story so interesting. David Ellis is a master of misdirection.  He will have you looking one direction then the other, and you'll still miss what is actually going on.  I considered rigging up one of those maps on a wall, with the topics and people attached to each other with string.  This book is so good, I'd end up trapped against the wall like a giant spider's web.  While this is more mystery than thriller, if you like trying to figure books out...beat the author....I promise you'll never win against David Ellis.  So fun!

When I think of Robin Hood, I think I'm picturing Peter Pan.  Same tights, difference sidekicks.

The Kingdom of Savannah by George Dawes Green

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

I have a soft spot in my heart for Savannah.  If you are not from the US, Savannah is an old city in Georgia.  I read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, when it first came out.  My niece went to the prestigious Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).  They appreciated her talents, which are unending.  When traveling to Disney World, we would spend the night in Savannah as it's a hefty drive from home yet not exhausting.  Years ago, my parents went to the city for several days, doing the whole tourist thing, and loved it.  Most importantly, we had a beloved dog named Savannah, one of the sweetest Scottish Terriers ever.  Yep, I definitely have a soft spot.

I recently read The Kingdoms of Savannah by George Dawes Green.  I've never read anything by him before but he's quite famous. He wrote the award winning The Caveman's Valentine, which went on to become a movie with Samuel L. Jackson.  He also wrote The Juror, which was an international bestseller and also became a movie, featuring Demi Moore and Alec Baldwin.  I have been missing out. 

The Kingdoms of Savannah is about a woman that disappears and a man that is found dead.  Looking into these ominous events is the Musgrove family.  The matriarch is a bit of an investigator and her children have varying degrees of career sucess, lending their talents toward a solution.  The book features tons of characters as we are introduced to many citizens of Savannah.  Still the reader quickly catches on that while they add to the story, the only characters you really must keep track of are the Musgroves with a couple of exceptions.  While the public image, and certainly my image, of Savannah is mint julips in sizable stately old homes, this story explores another side.  Green expertly shows us the dark side, the forgotten people, the marginalized.  Does it preach about topics, no.  It does, however, have a dark, gritty feeling.  Atmosphere is a huge part of the story, and it is remarkably well done without "it was a dark and stormy night" type of descriptions. The story was involved yet easy to follow and kept me interested the entire way.  A great read that will linger for weeks to come and may have you calling your travel agent.  Have a mint julep for me.

The It Girl by Ruth Ware

Hello everyone.  I hope you are doing well in the heat wave that is hitting much of the planet.

There are a few things I have a love-hate relationship with, pancake batter for example.  Oh yes, pancakes and waffles do make their very own delightful food group, absorbing all the sticky goodness of maple syrup.  Ever try and clean dried batter off your counter tops?  I'll make it short, you have two options, move or dynamite.  Disney World is another topic drawing great passion.  While I'm there under their possibly subliminal spell, I'll hand over all my money.  All I care about is one more time on Pirates of the Caribbean, hearing the Yo Ho song and seeing that little guy sitting on the door frame hanging his hairy leg down...you know the one.  Perhaps it's the "ghost host" or hearing the "Welcome to the Walt Disney World monorail" fellow.  I am putty in their hands, poor putty.  I get home and realize I just spent the equivalent of an addition to my house on some moving dolls in a warehouse with a fake front on it.  What about the time I taught my niece how to create a vacuum in her drink straw and dump the contents on the table, but then my sister yelled her head off?  No, sorry, that doesn't work, not love-hate, still totally worth it.

I recently read The IT Girl by Ruth Ware.  I have a love-hate relationship with Ruth Ware's books.  In general, I have loved all her books, with my all-time favorite being The Death of Mrs. Westaway.  However, I really disliked (mom said don't say hate) One by One.  I knew who "did it" in the first ten minutes and the descriptions of snow almost drove me to the booby hatch.  The It Girl, I really enjoyed.  It is the story of a bunch of kids at Oxford and one of them, April, is murdered.  In a dual timeline, we also follow the kids years later. Hannah and Will are expecting their first child.  Hannah was the key witness in convicting Neville of April's murder.  After learning that he has died in prison, she is contacted by a reporter who believes that Neville was innocent.  Hannah becomes obsessed with wonder.  Could she have made a mistake?  She must find out.  This is the story of what happened in the past and Hannah's present-day discovery of the startling truth.

I have heard this called a thriller, fast paced, a quick read.  I don't think it's any of those.  For me, this is a mystery.  There is not much heart pounding, page flipping here.  However, this book is loaded with character development.  You really get to know each person, because of that, the book kept calling me back.  I'd put it down and find myself picking it up just five minutes later, I couldn't resist.  While it could have been a bit shorter than it's more than 400 pages, it somehow is an engrossing read.  If you are a mystery lover, this is a must.  My faith in Ruth Ware restored, I am certainly all in for the next.

Darn, now I want pancakes.

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.

The Homewreckers by Mary Kay Andrews

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

Well, I can't say anything sarcastic about my husband.  A huge arrangement of flowers just arrived.  This weekend is our anniversary.  We had the sweetest wedding.  It was in upstate New York, in a tiny white church from the 1800's.  Then our reception was in a hotel near my dad's office.   Besides ballrooms, the hotel has a pretty restaurant on the banks of a river. Every year we would all go there for lunch at the holidays.  Of course, the restaurant would be packed with his coworkers and my dad would be so proud as my mom and us four girls were shown to our table.  He kept pointing to us, talking to people as we went by...he actually claimed us as his daughters. Pretty good for a guy that really wanted a son.  Anyway, our reception was at that hotel.  We had a sit-down dinner, open bar, live jazz band, the works. Best of all we had our loved ones, so many of which are now gone.  Sadly, this weekend also is the anniversary of my mother's death.  It's always an odd time, both happy and terribly sad. As always, when there is something sad or housework I want to procrastinate on, I read.  I've been reading lots!

I recently read The Homewreckers by Mary Kay Andrews.  I've read and reviewed books by this author before, The Santa Suit just a few months ago.  Usually, I get her holiday books.  I'm always stressed, they look smaller, like a quick read, and they always have very festive holiday covers.  While I'm not normally one of those people that buys books based on covers, I do allow myself to be a bit sucked in at Christmas.  It's actually become a tradition.  While the holiday books are always wonderful, I wasn't sure about a 400+ page novel.

The Homewreckers was charming.  The story is about Hattie, who restores houses in Savannah.  She is convinced to star in a tv show, sharing her contractor abilities with the world.  The project is plagued by disaster after disaster, but when questions arise about a beloved teacher's disappearance years ago and how it might be tied to her new restoration, things get really troubling. This book has something for everyone, a romance, old houses, and a mystery. 

A word about the writing, it is very nice.  I have a pet peeve when someone describes xyz happening.  Then someone walks up, and they tell every detail of xyz again.  The two chapters later someone asks when happened and xyz gets explained in detail for a third time.  Mary Kay Andrews does NOT do that.  When an opportunity exists for an author to describe a series of events multiple times and they don't, I feel like they really respect their readers time which I appreciate.

This book, while not tense like my adored thrillers, is a very pleasant read. It would be great on a vacation or as a gift for someone buying a new house or moving to Savannah, or for any day of the week with a "d" in it.  With a tag line of "Love, murder, and faulty wiring," how could it not be fun? 

The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James

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

Do you have a hobby?  Reading, I suppose.  My husband has the worst hobby, model *!@#$ trains!  Oh yes, you heard me correctly, you read the implied curse word.  I meant every upper number key stroke too! First of all, let's face it....they are trains, that is strike one.  Two, they are super expensive, his train money I could use for my cool hobbies, like reading or paper crafting.  Third strike, they take an enormous amount of room.  Again, room I could be using for some other purpose.  In addition, those rail riders have dictated every house we can buy as we must have a large third floor or room over garage. So young parents, when your child wants a Thomas the Tank toy, I beg of you....run.

I recently read The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James.  I've read two other books by her, The Broken Girls, which I loved, and The Sun Down Motel, which I didn't.  My issue with The Sun Down Motel is that as with both earlier books and the current offering, there is a mystery to be solved and something spooky. In The Sun Down Motel, there was just too little of each for me and I guessed the ending during the first ten minutes.  So, I was apprehensive but hopeful going into The Book of Cold Cases.  My faith has been restored as I liked this book very much, it might even be my favorite of St. James', which is saying something since I really enjoyed Broken Girls.  

The Book of Cold Cases basically revolves around two people, Shea and Beth.  Shea is a blogger whose hobby is running a true crime website called The Book of Cold Cases.  Beth is a rich socialite, who lives in the same town. Beth had once been on trial for three murders, one of which was her own father.  After a chance meeting Beth decides it is finally time to tell the truth and get everything out in the open and decides Shea is just the person to help her. The story is told from both characters' perspectives, with Beth's being both current day and from her childhood.  While Shea is at Beth's elaborate mansion on several occasions for interviews, she begins to notice all is not right with the house.  Beth hides nothing and invites Shea to explore the building that seems every bit as alive as they are.  

This story is a breeze to read, the writing solid and plot clear.  This time St. James has a mystery you won't figure out and a house that will truly have you listening for noises at night.  If you are new to this author but liked the style of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and enjoy haunted house author Darcy Coates, this book will be one of your new favs.

I wonder how many model trains Beth's house would hold?

Quicksilver by Dean Koontz

Hello everyone.  I hope you are having a great day.

Usually, I ramble on about my sisters or housework.  Today I want to address my husband.  Yes, I've told you about him before, how he is such a prince.  Ahhh, now let me tell you about the other side.  If we go to a restaurant, he barely says a word.  We sit eating it utter silence like two people on a terribly awkward first date.  However, if you have something you want to watch on tv, perhaps a long movie you have hours invested in, you can count on my husband to come parading in during the last ten minutes.  It's right when the guy is about to tell the girl he loves her and there is the big kiss.  Or you've watched 85 people killed Agatha Christie style on the remote island and you're about to learn who the killer is, THAT boys and girls is when my husband wants to chat.  Not only chat, he wants to stand squarely in front of the screen so I am denied the flowery wedding proposal or the bad guy falling off a cliff.  AND, if he turns around and sees some part of the movie, he instantly has to know who each person is and what has happened.  Honey, I've been watching this complicated who done-it, turned Radio City Rockettes show that has blossomed into a Brady Bunch reunion for hours... please don't ask me to explain.  Just thinking about it is making me roll my eyes like a teenager with an attitude. I'm convinced he is a Marvel superhero, Chatty Carl, ready to leave you sitting silently in a restaurant or voice bombing your movie ending in a single bound.  Yup, that's my punkin.

I recently read Quicksilver by Dean Koontz.  This is the story of a baby left abandoned on the middle of a highway.  He's taken to an orphanage but sadly never adopted.  We are following him now that he is out of high school and has a job as a writer, telling people about the state of Arizona.  For some reason I put this book to the back of my "read stack."  Something about it just didn't appeal to me.  Feeling obligated since I spent good money on it, I started to read.  Oh my gosh, this young man discovers he possesses some sort of magnetism.  Not like spoons go flying, sticking to his forehead.  He can be out driving and will be pulled to something for an unknown reason.  In the beginning he is pulled to an old building where he discovers a valuable gold coin.  The story really takes off.  It holds your interest the whole way through.  If you're thinking Arizona, dessert, dry, maybe dry story, then stop, because you are wrong. This story is surprising and went to places I had no idea were coming.

The reading is easy with short chapters often ending with a revelation.  This book is fun, and Koontz has some cute little sarcastic zingers added for good measure. 

Don't be like me, pull it to the front of the class, I promise it isn't the dunce.

ps.  hubby is now pouting

Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead by Elle Cosimano

Hello everyone.  I hope you are having a nice day.

You know how when you were a kid your mother told you not to touch anything when you went into a store with lots of breakable items?  Well, she did that because of people like me.  Some people are born to move like a tiger.  Some are born to walk like a ballerina, floating on a sea of cotton.  Let's face it, some people are just born with a natural grace.  Me?  I was born as clumsy as can be.  Seriously, I can touch a tomato and it will squirt juice all over me, if I reach across the table, I'm certain to hit my sleeve on the freshly poured cup of scalding hot tea sending it everywhere.  I am the person who special ordered a convection oven, then roasted an upright chicken.  A word of advice, don't!  The fan splatters grease everywhere, you have to give the oven the full Silkwood scrub down.  That wasn't even the time I set the oven on fire.  Yes, my fate in life is to be a klutz.

I recently read Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead by Elle Cosimano.  This is the sequel to Finlay Donovan is Killing It.  This book takes up where the first left off, will all the same characters and goings on.  No, you don't have to read the first but why wouldn't you...it was a blast.  These books are kind of mysteries...I say kind of because Finlay Donovan is the hit woman.  She is an author and is explaining her book plot to her agent in a restaurant when she is overheard by someone who thinks her story outline is real...that she is a killer for hire and tries to hire Finlay.  That is the very beginning of the first book.  Now we resume with Finlay, her family and Vero, the crazy nanny.  Something has gone very wrong as Finlay discovers someone has put a "hit" out on her so to be ex-husband Steven.  While Vero wants to jump for joy that cheating scoundrel could soon be out of the picture permanently, Finlay decides she needs to find out who wants him dead and why.  

This book is different from the first, it's not quite so bumbling.  Oh, there is plenty that goes awry and loads to laugh at but this time much of it comes from Vero's "told you so" sense of humor. It's fast, easy reading that will have you laughing out loud and craving more...just like the first book.  The only bad thing about this is that it came to an end.  More laughs I can always use!

The Maid by Nita Prose

Hello everyone.  I hope you are well.

During this time where we have found ourselves at home more due to pandemic and weather, have you found yourself cleaning more?  I know there was a huge rush of people cleaning out closets when Covid first hit, as if that was adequate entertainment.  I am sorry to say that if you open any of my closets you best duck as you're likely to get beaned with a flying sneaker.  Oh, don't get me wrong, I love the house to be perfect, I just don't want to be the one to make it that way.  I admit, after seeing news stories about industrious people organizing their homes, making good use of their time, I was inspired.  I cleaned out a drawer in our dining room buffet.  Yep, that's as far as I got.  I don't know, it all lost its appeal as soon as I found the exploded fifteen-year-old batteries that put acidy white powder over everything.  I mean there is cleaning, then there is real cleaning.  I am more of a "wave a sponge around and light a good smelling candle" girl.

I recently read The Maid by Nita Prose.  This is the story of a young woman named Molly.  She leads an orderly life.  She lost her best friend, mentor and roommate, her beloved grandmother a few months ago.  Gran had helped Molly navigate through life as Molly is a bit awkward with social situations. What is Molly good at? Cleaning.  Molly loves and is great at cleaning.  She is one of those people who is fortunate to do what she loves as Molly works at a grand hotel as a maid.  Yes, you read that correctly she loves to clean and return rooms to a state of perfection.  One day, she tries to service the suite of a wealthy couple only to find the husband dead.  What happened? Was he killed?  Who did it?  

This book was interesting and fun.  Some have described it like the game Clue, which is accurate.  I swear as I read even the book looked cleaner than most, with crisper printing and more accurately cut book pages.  Molly is so contagious she actually gave me a physical book in the "state of perfection".  The writing is wonderful and characters complex, you won't be disappointed with this classic who-dun-it.

So, take off your maid costume (I won't judge) and put down your feather duster and go get this book.

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

Hello everyone.  I hope you enjoyed some nice holiday time.

I often tease my family here...hey, who wouldn't?  Especially if you met them, believe me, there is a lot to joke.  In fact, when we were at our first appointment for premarital counseling all those years ago, the minister asked what hubby and I saw as one of our major issues.  I said, "He thinks he's funnier."  My husband jumped in insisting that, in fact, he was the more humorous between us.  We had a lighthearted argument about it in front of the woman to marry us.  After that session she pronounced us ready to wed, even telling my mother we "would be fine" for the future. That was decades ago, and I don't know about us being "fine", but I will tell you that my husband still draws breath (for the time being), so I guess that is something.  

Seriously, my husband is a keeper.  He is strong but tender, unbelievably sweet yet equally annoying, he is way too smart when he wants to be.  Yep, he is one of the kind of men that I adore, those that are completely secure in their manhood.  They can go buy lipstick and lumber, carry heavy furniture one minute and cradle a tiny puppy the next. The kind of man that knows your pain or joy by just looking in your eyes.  I chose wisely.  Some do not.

I recently read The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner.  This is the story of Caroline, whose marriage is crumbling.  She escapes to London for a break, while there Caroline discovers an old bottle from a centuries old apothecary.  Since she is interested in history, she becomes determined to find the source of the unusual glass relic.  This story is also told from back when the apothecary is still operating.  It holds many secrets, including that its mission is to sell poison for women to use against their deserving husbands.

This clever story is a joy to read.   It is hard to put down as betrayal and mystery abounds.   As the present day and past stories start to mirror each other, you'll find yourself desperate to get to the finish, not wanting the storytelling to stop but to discover answers.  The end, both surprising and satisfying, left me wanting more. This sweeping tale is a pleasure and not to be missed.

How about The Lost Tavern next?  No, no, The Lost Bookstore!

Our Trespasses by Michael Cordell

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

I often mention my sisters, I can't help it, they have been and are a huge part of my life.  But, no matter what I do, the relationship I have with them will never be what they have with each other.  They are triplets.  They have the normal sibling attachment, but there is something else...something different.  I would say it's abnormal, they would say "abbie-normal" from Young Frankenstein and then tell me I was full of bunk.  Seriously, there is a connection between them that I will never share.  Every once in a while I'll get a phone call saying they had an uneasy feeling about the other, as if someone was in trouble, and after clearing each other they check on me (gee thanks). One time my husband decided to buy a lottery ticket for the whole family, having each person give a number.  Despite living up to five hundred miles apart, they gave the same number. I've always thought this unusual link between them was a gift, now I'm not so sure.

I recently read Our Trespasses by Michael Cordell.  This is the story of two adult male twins who have shared a special connection and what happens when one of the twins dies yet the connection remains.  Such an interesting question and given my family history, I was intrigued.  This book is fiction but I'm telling you that while not to the extent portrayed in this book, the link is real.  Our Trespasses is being sold as a paranormal thriller.  I would completely agree with that and add perhaps it has a toe dipping into horror

I loved this book.  Not only did I love it, but it might be one of my all time favorites.  While the story had me engrossed it was the least this book has to offer.  The writing is wonderful.  I hate when stories tell you instead of show you, or run on about a topic, or repeat something but Michael Cordell does none of that.  He has a story to tell and he blasts through it from beginning to end.  He doesn't waste one second of the readers time, very appreciated.  In addition, the descriptions are so rich that the author transports you into the story with ease, all without being too wordy.  What I've seen done occasionally in movies but never really done well in a book is when the tension and fear is kept below the surface.  You know it's there, lurking, waiting patiently to appear but the anticipation of what is to come is kept brilliantly at bay.  When "things" happen, the story remains controlled and not over the top, making it all the creepier and really driving the story.  Mr. Cordell has sold several screenplays and I can see why.  Anything he writes, in any form, I want to see.

This book is 193 pages, yet packs more into it than many 500 page bestsellers.  Michael Cordell is an expert storyteller and if you are a lover of books you certainly don't want to miss Our Trespasses.  This is a perfect example of how all books should be written!

To buy the book, learn more about the author and publisher:

Our Trespasses: A Paranormal Thriller - Kindle edition by Cordell, Michael. Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Michael Cordell – Novelist/Screenwriter (michaeljcordell.com)

TCK Publishing - Independent Fiction and Nonfiction Book Publisher

Not A Happy Family by Shari Lapena

Hello everyone.  I hope your day has been pleasant.

If you had wealthy parents would you consider killing them for their money?  Please note, I'm assuming you would all say no or run along as you have totally creeped me out.  Now, if your parents turned up dead would you throw your siblings under the bus to collect their share of the money? For me...absolutely.  I'll be getting phone calls tomorrow but let it be known that they are all goners!  Time to get even for my parents going with "what the majority wanted" and there being three of them (my sisters are triplets).  What they wanted always won.  Unfair.  So, if it comes down to it, up the river they go.  I'll even put my palms together and repeatedly curl my fingers, with an evil laugh, Disney villain style. Forget pricking your finger on that spinning wheel, you're prison bound! (Sleeping Beauty, must I tell you everything.)

I recently read Not A Happy Family by Shari Lapena.  I love that Shari Lapena writes about upstate NY since that is where I grew up.  In this case, the story is about a family that lives in the Hudson Valley.  The very wealthy parents of three children are murdered.  The entire book is about who did it and why.  Lapena is an expert at convincing the reader that someone is guilty only to accomplish the same thing in the next chapter with another person.  A very fun read.  Not really thrillery but a great mystery.  Think the movie Knives Out, but much better.  The book features interesting character development which is revealed slowly, allowing our feelings toward each person to remain fluid.  Compounded with short, cliff hanger chapters and you've got a book that will fly by.  A great one to read on vacation.

By the way, to any reading siblings, expect no cakes with files from me.  You'll be lucky to get a cupcake!