Tag Archive: mystery



Grannies, Guns and Ghosts
Grannies, Guns and Ghosts by Madison Johns
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Though I am giving this book a separate review, I am actually reading the boxed set with books one through three. I want the credit toward my reading goal of individual books while having the convenience…

That went nowhere. On to the actual review.

Ghosts. Really? Sigh. I don’t want to give any spoilers so I won’t get into it. This was a shorter book than the first one, maybe a novella rather than a novel. I was glad. This book felt less put together than the first. Editing is badly needed.

What did I like? I like Agnes and Eleanor. Those crazy ladies are fun even though they get into more trouble than they solve. There is a lot of humor in spite of the story being about murders. I am so glad someone has taken the time to write stories about senior womyn. For that reason alone I plan to read all these Senior Snoopers.

In fact… I’m off to read the next book.

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Armed and Outrageous
Armed and Outrageous by Madison Johns
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Though I am reading the three-book boxed set, I think it is fair to give a review of each individual book. Since I did buy both, and as I want to encourage writing for seniors, the reals ones not the ones in twelfth grade in high school. Besides, it doesn’t hurt my reading goals to review individually. 😉

It is so exciting to actually read something that includes people, womyn, who are not teens. Was it as well-written as I would like? Not so much. I would give this three and a half stars. This needed more editing. And did we have to fall into the trap of the romance? I like when womyn can think for themselves and stand without a man coming to their rescue. Agnes did that for the most part, but she got all weak kneed and girlie when the man of her dreams comes into view. I loved Eleanor, the ninety-something sex crazed side-kick better than the main character. She pulled no punches and got what she needed from the world.

That world is Tawas, Michigan. I’ve never been there so it seemed like another country, to me. The author did make it sound like the kind of place I’d like to visit sometime.

I love how Madison Johns, the author, captures all kinds of senior citizens within this book. She laughs at some who seem like they would enjoy the joke while holding respect and sympathy for those not so blessed or able. And I love how Ms. Johns addresses fem issues. You wouldn’t think that the issues would be so strong once womyn were no longer in the work force, but it seems to affects us all a lot more. Ms. Johns doesn’t draw attention to these issues, but rather, states them as is and moves on, leaving the reader to draw their own conclusions.

The tags ‘mystery, thriller, suspense’ are the most accurate. Chic-lit or cozy mystery seem too light for the contents. Rape, murder, and sex-trafficking are some topics involved which are dealt with in a serious manner. I found that fact a little too much to deal with. I don’t like reading stories that are too realistic. I get that on the news. Give me a good sci-fi or fantasy to get lost in, any day. But all in all this was a good read and I will continue the series with delight. Go, Seniors!

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Tears of the Giraffe
Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the second book in the series. For my review of the first book go here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/395919607

I didn’t think I would go on and read the next book. But I saw that my library had the Kindle version AND the audio CDs to go along with it. And as luck would have it I was able to check them out at the same time!

I can’t tell you how marvelous it is to listen to the narration of Lisette Lecat and her accent. Yes, I could have read the Kindle version without the text-to-speech and no audio version to help me. After all, I did read three chapters before the CDs showed up for me to check out. But that voice brought a reality to the characters of Botswana’s No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency.

What a beautifully told story! It does stray from my goal of reading books written by females with strong female characters. By the way, that goal is swiftly narrowing down to wanting to read mostly OLDER females. I’m tired of Young Adult books. But, though this is written by a male, I find the older female and her co-characters written so well that I dearly love this series.

I hear that it has been made into HBO series. I can understand why. Yet I can’t imagine it is as wonderful as these books. How can visual arts capture inner thoughts? But I will watch them and give them a chance.

Since I can’t afford to buy this series I will have to take it slowly as the library has the copies of Kindle and audio available.

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The Girl in the Green Raincoat
The Girl in the Green Raincoat by Laura Lippman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the mystery book. I do not know how it came into my hands. It just appeared. I had let it sit on the shelf for a while and then finally decided that I could try with very good lighting and short reading times, that I could read it.For someone with good eyesight this may actually be a short read. But for me it took longer. I liked that the spaces between lines made it easier than most paperbacks. In fact, this is the perfect book for a summer read, or plane ride.

It was fun, even though there was murder involved. At least the blood and gore was kept to a minimum. As the author points out it was fashioned from the movie, Rear Window. One of the few Hitchcock movies that didn’t leave me shaking.

The characters were believable and likable. The stories within the story were all great asides without taking over and took me in. All in all, a fun short read (well not for me, but you know what I mean).

Because no one claimed the book I registered it on BookCrossing.com
BCID: 393-12573558

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Sacrificed in Shadow
Sacrificed in Shadow by S.M. Reine
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The first time I read this book I hadn’t read the Cain Chronicles or any of the Descent series and maybe even a book or two from Seasons of the Moon. It was a great read and I loved the characters. But now that I have read everything in the right order this book makes a lot more sense. The personal histories of the characters and places are solid rather than leaving me with a vague feeling that I was missing something.

I was unhappy this time because it isn’t centered in Reno, NV. Nevada is mentioned a few times but this is on the east side of the country where I have no frame of reference. Still not a problem as I have never been to Heaven, Haven or Hell but I still have a relative idea about those places. 🙂

Elise Cavanaugh is still absolutely fascinating to me and I can’t wait to read more about her and her people.

Since I have already written a review on this book you can read it here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/622966616

I love Sara Reine’s books!

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Review: Submerged


Submerged
Submerged by Cheryl Kaye Tardif
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a ride! Submerged was like the scariest roller-coaster ride. You swear as you stand in line, that you might not even get on. You might turn around and watch everyone else ride. You read the warning signs about bad backs and weak hearts. But you like the author. You like her writing. Kind of like watching your friends get on the ride for the umpteenth time and egging you on. So you get on the ride and make sure the safety bar is down tight. You take a deep breath and hope you don’t barf, or get barfed on.

As usual, with a Cheryl Kaye Tardif novel, you know that there will be realistic situations with a cloud of mystery and macabre. There are lessons to be learned, like how to use the ResQme tool. I was fortunate to win one in a Submerged contest. I hope I never have to use it, but I feel a little safer by having it.

There are so many layers of story in this book. There is romance and terror, divorce and humor and in the middle of that there is family love and addictions. And even though it has some scary moments, I found that the author kept it from bogging down in the terrors. I doubt it will give me nightmares. But I will remember this book for a long, long time. I may even reread it someday. I highly recommend any of Ms. Tardif’s novels, but this may be her best yet.

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Review: Thin Places


Thin Places
Thin Places by Diane Owens Prettyman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Interesting. I was drawn into the story right from the beginning. At first I was disappointed that the main character isn’t a female, rather is a male inmate. He is an interesting character, though, flawed but with sparks of goodness fighting to get out. Somehow I liked him enough to keep reading.

Then I met the strong female, Chloe. Wow, she’s impressive! Boat captain extraordinaire!

I loved feeling like I was there in Washington enjoying time out on the ocean.

The story kept me engaged and wondering how all the bits and pieces would fit together. Even when I had figured out the ending, I didn’t know how the author was going to get there. I enjoyed the ride.

If you’re looking for a nice adventure, I recommend Thin Places.

Full disclosure: I was given this book for honest review.

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Broken Star
Broken Star by Joann Lee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a fun book. I loved the characters, plots, and sub-plots. It was very sexy, romantic. If you don’t like lesbian romance this isn’t for you. I believe love is love and found this delightful.

I especially liked the little daughter. The author made her so realistic. I wanted to give her a hug and kiss on the forehead.

For those who might feel hesitant to read a mystery/thriller, know that the levels of anxiousness are not too high. I don’t think I will have any bad dreams about this book. The good feelings far outweigh the bad.

At midnight, I finished the book yet wasn’t ready to go to sleep, so I started book 2. Book 1 didn’t end with a cliffhanger, so it could be read and left behind until you are ready to read the next book. All threads were nicely tied up.

One small thing, there were a lot of places that could have used better editing. But that didn’t detract from the story; plot and character kept me engaged.

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Review: Idolmaker


 

Idolmaker
Idolmaker by Jonelle Patrick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

 

Disclaimer: I was given this complimentary copy of Idolmaker by the author, Jonelle Patrick for an honest review.

 

I can’t believe I am finished with yet another of the Tokyo Mysteries. I so love this series. Though I have tagged this as romance, it isn’t led by that squishy, gooey stuff rather, these are people and caring is a part of their being.

 

These books do start with a murder and a wonder as to who did it and why. But the most important feature of the books is the character driven adventure of the two main characters, Yumi and Kenji. Thrown in the recent historical event of earthquake and tsunami, the criminal investigation is thrown for a loop.

 

The characters are believable and likable. I feel I have become friends with them through Jonelle Patrick’s ability to write from each character’s point of view.

 

Oh, what the couple goes through! Then the book wraps up nicely with only a small thread that gives promise that I don’t have to give up on my favorite Japanese couple. 🙂

 

Thanks for letting me read this, Jonelle!

 

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Location of Tokyo within Japan

Location of Tokyo within Japan (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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