Grayson (Gray) is an up and coming Private Investigator. She has her first real case - that of finding out if her client's girlfriend is alive or dead and to make sure his dog is returned unharmed. What she uncovers instead is a multi layered mess that could mean Isabel ran from an abusive relationship with her client, she could be into some really bad stuff herself or she could just be dead. As Gray digs deeper her own past could come back to give her trouble. She may be in great danger of being found again despite moving around and an identity change. This is a smart crime thriller with an even smarter main character. Gray serves up equal amounts of sass and street smarts. The pace is pitch perfect playing with your sense of right and wrong and who the bad guys really are. This is a perfect recommendation for readers of crime novels featuring strong, smart women who don't wait for the white knight to come save them.
0 Comments
Hercule Poirot and his friend, Inspector Catchpool are on their way to Kingfisher Hill summoned by the owner who needs Poirot to get his fiancee off the hook for the murder of his brother. Things get off to a shaky start as they meet a crazed woman who is convinced she will be killed if she doesn't change seats. The strangeness continues at Kingfisher Hill where Poirot must solve the case without anyone knowing why he is there. Sophie Hannah once again channels the voice of Agatha Christie and takes a beloved character on another exciting mystery. The wit is sharp, the mystery is solvable but not given away easily and the characters are authentic. 4 stars
Kira is an xenobiologist working in space and her life is forever changed after she finds an alien ruins and a lifeform attaches itself to her by encasing her in a skin suit that works with her emotions and impulses. The being/suit called "The Soft Blade" takes some getting used to and it can send its memories to Kira's brain and cause great violence both a good thing and bad. It is an interesting partnership to say the least and one that will lead her and a ragtag spaceship crew to where another alien species is threatening to take out most of the Universe. This is a bit of a mashup between Star War's Princess Leia and the rebels, meets superhero spacesuit, meets the mind take over of Stephanie Meyer's THE HOST. There is enough action to satisfy the space junkies, wicked good banter of a ship's intelligence ( ala Hal from 2001 SPACE ODDESY) and Paolini does a good job of world building. I don't know if his earlier fans will be disappointed that there are no dragons here (spoiler!) but he has proven that he can write for an adult audience. 4 stars
This has to be the most unusual and difficult book to pin a genre on and that makes it glorious. Piranesi is a caretaker of sorts of an elaborate multi-level, multi-wing, multi corridor dwelling that seems to go on forever. Each hall is filled with statues that reminded me a bit of that weird house in Game of Thrones - The House of Black and White. There is no real way of telling time other than the one that Piranesi has developed but he is given some guidance and notice of disasters during his meetings with THE OTHER (all knowing big man in charge). Piranesi becomes aware of another who he is forbidden to talk to but starts communicating with anyway and falls deeper down the Alice in Wonderland rabbit hole. Reading this book you begin to take on the role of an anthropologist studying a new culture searching for clues. It is a wonderful unique romp down a rabbit hole and Piranesi is instantly endearing. Fans of Erin Morganstern will enjoy the twists. 4 stars
A simple yet elegant look at giving meaning to the little nuances of our lives. Jenkins has an easy going style and peppers his observations on ego, family, work, love and the end with personal experiences and anecdotes. He has not had an easy life coming from a conservative Christian family and struggling with faith and sexual identity. He is able to look at his strengths and flaws that make us understand without feeling bad about our own. His essays on how he is searching for ways to lead a more authentic life hopefully help us be more authentic as well. 4 stars
A horrible accident changes a family forever. Molly can't get over the fact that her youngest daughter is dead and that she was driving the car that killed her and neither can her two other kids or her husband. Maybe that is why they don't find it odd that one night on her way home from her son's school she runs out of gas in a storm and disappears leaving a note saying not to look for her. Nicole just can't let her mom's sudden disappearance go and is still searching for clues in the small town where she was last seen. Someone else is watching too and the more Nicole digs the more danger she is in. Her mom is being held and is just as desperate to have someone still looking for her. Perfectly paced and filled with clever misdirection, this speeding train will have you reading through the night. If you enjoy a lot of tension and want a clever whodunnit that will have you guessing wrong more often than not, this is for you.
4 stars 3 1/2 stars
Antonia is surprised to meet and greet her brother's wife and young daughter on the doorstep of the family estate in Scotland. She has seen her brother only a few times in between botany expeditions and only knew they were living in India. Soon Antonia and Cicely find some common ground and it is nice to have a child living with them but there is still a lingering kernel of unease as to why they are there at all. Cicely is trying to balance her husband's quest for a new species with the very necessary costs of living and is doing whatever she can to acquire and sell new plants. Mainly it is a story of resourceful women who feel hindered by marriage. Botany and the fever to find and name new plants is a secondary story that strengthens and destroys relationships. 3 1/2 stars
Beginning in 1959 forward thinking people began to ask a key "what if" question. What if computers could predict how people would act based on algorithms? Then they asked what if they could use that information to influence people to act a certain way? Simulatics Corp. did just that with Kennedy's presidential campaign and later to disseminate information released about the unpopular Vietnam War. This group laid the groundwork for all the social media platforms and advertising . It includes a second story about the women behind the scene who , like the space program, were instrumental in the success of this company. Anyone who is interested in very early computing and promotion will be riveted. The author has a very easy going style and adds a human element making it an easy and enjoyable non-fiction read. I am a huge fan and this book just reinforced that ten-fold. At first, the stories and people feel disjointed but as the book progresses, those loose threads magically knit together. A near suicide, an unlikely bank robber who ends up an unlikely hostage taker, a father/son police team and a group of odd balls who came to view an apartment for rent and end up as hostages. What do these people all have in common? Each chapter dissects what is happening at that moment and gives you insight into the character. In true Fredrik Backman fashion, they are all unusual yet very ordinary and have a story with a twist and they are all very anxious. Funny, heartbreaking, insightful and extremely clever - the adjectives could go on forever. Once again, Fredrik Backman has made us appreciate what it means to be human and has allowed us to laugh at ourselves just a little. 5 stars
What if there was a machine that told you with a swab of your DNA, what you were meant to be doing in your life? Overnight, the little town of Deerfield Louisiana is taken over by people wielding tiny slips of blue paper, giving up their day jobs to pursue what should have been their life's purpose. But how many carpenters, astronauts, cowboys and magicians does the little town need? On a more serious side, two teens are trying to get past the drunk driving death of a boyfriend and brother one wanting closure and the other revenge. Clever, funny and heartwarming in the style of Fannie Flagg, Billie Letts, Fredrik Backman and Katarina Bivald - this is a feel good story about living up to your best potential and potentially just living your best life. 4 stars |
I love to read good books and share the new books that are available and those that are coming soon
Adult Genres
General Fiction Historical Fiction Thriller / Mystery Fantasy / Sci-Fi Non-Fiction All Adult Genres Other Genres Young Adult Genre Kids Books Genre Follow Kim
Review Archives
April 2024
|