2.9.2020 - Dead to Her

Many thanks to NetGalley, William Morrow and Sarah Pinborough for the opportunity to read this book - loved it!  4 stars for a very twisty book that will definitely keep you guessing until the very last page!

Taking place in Savannah in the houses of the Uber-wealthy, Marcie is the young second wife to Jason.  As such, while she has youth on her side, the rest of society living and fitting in doesn't come quite as easy.  When Jason's boss, William, brings home a young, wilder new wife, Keisha,  just months after his wife died, Marcie is no longer the youngest.  She watches her husband flirt shamelessly with Keisha and her jealousy flares up.

The rest you need to read to discover because there is a lot going on here and I don't want to give anything away.  Lots of heat, voodoo, questionable people and choices to keep you wondering who's doing what to whom.  Lots of fun between these covers!

2.8.2020 - All the Best Lies

Many thanks to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Joanna Schafflausen for the opportunity to read the next installment of this wonderful crime/police procedural series.  I think Schafflausen is the best at giving us enough information to remember what we read in previous books yet still make a wonderful stand alone if you haven't read the others.  Which you definitely should.

FBI agent Reed Markham has been haunted by who killed his biological mother.  He was adopted into a wonderful family and had advantages that he never would have with his poor, single mother, yet he couldn't rest until he knew what happened to her.  Finally having a window to investigate, he takes Ellery Hathaway with him to Las Vegas to see if he can find out anything about this cold case before it's put away forever.  However, his investigation takes him to look at his adopted family closer and Ellery's own estranged father makes an unwanted appearance.

Enough said - these are fabulous books and I couldn't put them down.  I love these characters and was so glad to get back into their world.  5 stars for a must-read series!

2.7.2020 - Postscript

Many thanks to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and especially Cecelia Ahern for letting us back into Holly Kennedy's life after Ahern's wonderful first novel, P.S. I Love You.

It's been 7 years since Gerry died and Holly found the 10 letters that Gerry left for Holly to find after his death.  She is now in a relationship with Gabriel, working in her sister's shop, and happy.  When her sister, Ciara, convinces Holly to do a podcast from their store about Gerry's letters, the story hits people hard.  Holly is contacted by a woman who wants Holly to write a book and leaves her a business card with the words, P.S. I Love You Club in an envelope after she passes away.  Holly meets with this group of terminally ill people who want Holly to help them write letters to their loved ones.  But this brings Gerry back into the present stronger than ever and threatens Holly's stability and relationships.

This is a must-read book, especially if you were turned inside out by the first one!  Ahern is a master at mixing romance, grief, hope and humor into a book that will make you do some deep thinking about life and death.  5 glorious stars!

2.6.2020 - One Day You'll Burn

Many thanks to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and Joseph Schneider for the opportunity to read and review his debut novel - 4.5 stars!  I'm excited to read more from this author and more adventures for these characters.

Tully Jarsdel is not an ordinary Los Angeles police officer.  He was an English professor working towards his PhD when he decided he needed to make a change.  He joined the police academy and was then fast-tracked to homicide detective under a new program where he was paired with a veteran detective, Morales.  When they are called to a gruesome scene in Thai Town, where a victim was burned alive, Tully's academic background helps him figure out key clues to solving the crime.  But will it be enough?

This is a great police procedural but it also explores many other themes - depression, parental expectations, fitting in.  There is also a very intellectual side to this book, with discussions on philosophy, right/wrong, films.

A great debut novel and hope for more Tully stories!

2.4.2020 - Things in Jars

Thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Jess Kidd for the opportunity to read and review this book.  3.5 stars.

Bridie is a detective, sometimes called quietly to help the police investigate a crime.  She is asked to try and find a child who was kidnapped from a wealthy baron.  However, this is no normal child.  She is held secret in the manor house, her existence known by only a few in the house.  She is thought to have extraordinary abilities and supernatural powers - some of which are very frightening.  Bridie's search takes her through the darkness of London - from collectors of the macabre and unique, to the circus.  She must also confront her past, which is told in alternate chapters.

This one is getting lots of buzz but it was a bit of a difficult read for me.  The writing is beautiful, you can totally envision the grittiness of London in the 1800s, you can see the characters.  But there are just so.many.words.  I found myself wanting to skim through paragraphs to get to the story.  And there was a great story - such interesting and colorful characters.

2.2.2020 - Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes

Many thanks to NetGalley, Berkley and Kathleen West for the opportunity to read and review this novel - I loved it!  This would be a fabulous book club read, especially for parents/teachers dealing with high schoolers.

In the wealthy suburb of Liston Heights, Minnesota, Julia is an intense helicopter mom of Andrew and Tracy.  Julia gave up her journalism career to stay at home and the kids have always been her complete job.  Desperate for Andrew to have a more substantial part in the upcoming school play, she persuades her husband to make a big donation to the costume shop for the drama club and talks to the principal about the fact that Andrew is owed this part.  In her excitement to see what part he is selected for, she sneaks into the school to see the posting and inadvertently hits another student.  Of course, the moment is captured on video and goes viral.

Isobel, an English teacher at the high school, grew up with a cross to bear from her father's actions and is adamant that the kids in her classes will understand the responsibility of their privileged life and encourages them to view the novel's in the curriculum with a more liberal viewpoint than others are comfortable with.  Tracy becomes attached to her teacher and starts questioning women's roles in the world, much to the chagrin of Julia.

Enter social media.  Besides the viral video, there is also a gossip website that encourages parents to talk badly about the teachers in the school.

There is so much to discuss in this book - rank and privilege, helicopter parenting, mean mom attitudes, and a healthy respect for the damage that social media can play in all these.  But the writing is spot on and it made for a very enjoyable, light read while exploring more complicated subjects.

2.1.2020 - A Cold Trail

Many thanks to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Robert Dugoni for the opportunity to read the latest installment in his Tracy Crosswhite series - another 5 star chapter in this wonderful series!  You could easily read this as a stand alone but it's of course much better to be able to understand all the back stories of the characters.

Seattle Homicide Detective Tracy Crosswhite and her attorney husband, Dan, are back in the town they grew up, living in Dan's parents' old home and taking a break to relax and spend time with their newborn daughter.  But it doesn't take long before Tracy is pulled back into investigating the murder of a police officer's wife, a journalist who was looking into a cold case murder.  Dan, meanwhile, is taking on the case of a local businessman who is trying to be forced into selling his business to the town.  But is all this stirring up things that might threaten their own family?

These are such good characters and Dugoni's writing keeps you glued to the pages and involved in the story.  The setting of rural upper Washington in the winter helped set the scene of this cold case perfectly.  As always, highly recommended.