System Collapse by Martha Wells

5 stars for book seven of my favorite series-The Murderbot Diaries. The plot is that Murderbot is not quite itself after the events of the last book. Even so, protecting its humans is still the priority. That its humans are attempting to relocate a human colony on an alien infected planet while a team from yet another nasty corporation is trying to coerce the humans into their labor camps, is just adding to the stress and upping the threat assessment. Lots of fun space-y stuff with dangerous running around, shooting, fighting etc and WOW was it fun. This was another whiz-bang adventure in the series. Fans will love it while newbies may need to read at least book six to get up to speed. Five big fat stars. I was given a copy-this is my opinion.

Obsession, Teddy Fay #6 by Stuart Woods and Brett Battles

3 stars for book six in the Teddy Fay series. Well done with lots of action involving a movie set and a kidnapping. Several subplots kept me guessing as the talented Mr. Fay uses all his skills as an ex-CIA operative to be many different people and keep the story moving. Parts were over the top and unbelievable but fans of the series know what we’re getting, newbies should just relax and enjoy the ride. Brett Battles is a worthy successor to the late Stuart Woods; bringing the reader a fun, fast page turner. I was given a copy-this is my own opinion: you ‘OTTER’ read this one!

Judgment Prey by John Sandford

4 stars. Fantastic entry in the series as US Marshal Lucas Davenport teams up with Minnesota BCA investigator Virgil Flowers in a twisty-turny and action packed thrill ride that will have readers up all night turning the pages. Lucas is ‘almost’ recovered from the shooting in the last book. He is asked to take a look at a triple homicide involving a judge and his sons that is being investigated by local law enforcement and the FBI. Virgil tags along and bam, we are off on an engrossing story that has red herrings and tricky criminals everywhere. The plot is well written as is drawn deeper into the plot which suddenly turns upside down. Maggie, the judge’s widow, has some secrets that could be tied to not just the murders but to a major subplot involving a charitable foundation. Who did it and why are really secondary to watching Lucas and Virgil do their thing; I doubt real life investigations are like this but I bet they talk to each other like this. So much fun and very enjoyable! This is book 33 of the series and I think it’s one of the best. I was worried when Sandford started the Lettie Davenport books that Lucas and Virgil would get pushed aside. I was WRONG! No skimping anywhere in this one as the reader is treated to an author that knows what he is doing with characters that are so good, I almost think (stay with me here), that there is a real life Virgil that helps write the books…maybe this is how 33 books in and it still feels fresh. Hmmm, I’ve had crazier ideas so, who knows?! Nah, Sandford is just this good. I was given a copy and this is my opinion: it’s so good I would have gladly paid for it.

Miss Morton and the Spirits of the Underworld by Catherine Lloyd

3 stars. Intriguing mystery with Lady Caroline and the intrepid Mrs. Frogerton enmeshed in a twisty tale of a medium and a murder (or two or…). Picks up right where book one left off with Dorothy in the midst of her London season, attempting to snare a Duke. There were some creepy bits with the spiritualist and lots of ‘is she for real’ or just a really good fraud. Dr. Harris is still scruffy and the dark horse in the race-I wager he will end up marrying Caroline farther along in the series. This one was a good story, there were quite a few characters that were very well done and added several red herrings to the mystery. I was fooled as usual by who the killer was but my favorite part was the twist at the end-did NOT see that one coming! I’m enjoying the series and can’t wait for more to be released. I did receive a copy of the book (thank you Kensington Publishing) and this is my own opinion.

Pink Lemonade Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke

Fans will ‘eat’ this book up-others, not so much. It took forever for the plot to get going with much chat and cookies; as usual Hannah mixes baking with murder. Sometimes it works and in this book it mostly doesn’t. The plot is basic: unpopular jerk gets murdered which makes every person in town a suspect. There is quite a bit of chit-chat at the Cookie Jar where everyone has coffee & muffins to discuss every detail of everything that just happened and Hannah interviews suspects since apparently the cops defer to her superior wisdom? That was weird and made no sense. The usual plot points we expect from the series are here with characters dropping in to impart wisdom and snark, Hannah still on the fence over Norman vs. Mike, a contrived and unbelievable “Hannah in danger” scene which is quickly wrapped up as the murderer is revealed and we all head out for a celebration dinner. But this odd mess of a book isn’t over yet, dear reader; a plot twist is thrown in at the end that sets up the next book. The whole story was odd with the plot jumping all over the place and Mike was very weird in this one. I think Joanne is ready for Hannah and Norman to make a decision so she is trying to make it work for Mike, too. But, it was just strange. I’ve been a fan of this series since book one so I was disappointed in this entry but will be reading the next one. Only 3 stars. I would like to thank #NetGalley for my copy; this is my own opinion.

The Accidental Medium by Tracy Whitwell

4 big fat stars! Fun, quick read that moves right along. The plot is tight with Tanz taking a job in a new age shop to make ends meet between acting jobs. The twist is it unlocks her own psychic abilities leading to murder, talking to ghosts, and assorted mayhem. There were some seriously creepy parts that were realistically scary. To balance that, there were so many funny bits that just begged to be read aloud! Add in a little romance, a little booze, and some awesome friends and you will be up late devouring this book. The first in a 2 book series. I was given a copy-this is my own opinion.

YIKES-We are broken again

Another issue with a something that is a plug in to do something really important on the site is not playing well with something else and has my web person pulling their hair out! I am fairly tech savvy and this one is way beyond me.

It worked yesterday so who knows. The old site, way back in the dark ages of 2012 worked so well; I guess I got spoiled. This newfangled 2023 technology has me bamboozled! But, we shall persevere and figure it out.

I am continuing to write my book updates and will get them posted to you as soon as I can. There will be an updated post and an email when we are back to our regular Monday/Tuesday/Thursday post schedule.

Thank you for sticking around and following on Facebook and Goodreads. For the next few days, let’s just enjoy another mini vacation. It will be in the 100’s here this week and sitting in the a/c with a book sounds like a great plan. Keep reading!!

First Chapter Friday for July 2023

Welcome back to First Chapter Friday, where I read the first chapter of some random books and tell you what I think.   I’ll do a follow up in a couple of weeks to update you on the ones I actually liked enough to finish.  I always say there is a reader for every book, let’s see if I have one you ‘otter’ be reading…

First up this time is a cozy paranormal The Ghost in My Hotel by Bonnie Elizabeth.  First impressions:  the cover art is awesome and chapter one was interesting.  We are in the Tennessee/North Carolina mountains at a huge resort hotel that wasn’t actually earning its keep as a ski getaway.  At least until the manager (our heroine, Maggie) begins marketing the Neary-Ten as a HAUNTED HOTEL.  The twist is not only is it really haunted-the ghosts are the non see through interactive types.  So we have a bit of a “suspend your disbelief” as we have actual ghosts wandering around the hotel.  It was a little heavy handed but I bought into it.  We do get a big info dump to set up the whole plot of a threatening ice storm, cozy mystery writer’s convention, a park ranger who could be the love interest, and cats.  I felt like the author has been working on this for a while and knows the characters and the backstory so she just throws it all out there to get the reader up to speed so we can get into the story.  I wanted to keep reading after chapter one so let’s keep our fingers crossed; I already know I will give this one at least a few more chapters to see what happens.  

City of Lies is book one in the Counterfeit Lady series by Victoria Thompson.  We all know Victoria Thompson.  She has written everything and been nominated for every award out there.  She is what you call a prolific writer with, for example, 26 books in the Gaslight series alone.  So I was very ready to dive into ‘City of Lies’ which is seven volumes so far.  Chapter one opens with Elizabeth “Lizzie” running a con in Washington City/DC that goes wrong leaving her with no option but to go on the run. The mark, Oscar, is not just greedy, he is vicious and means to track her down.  We know, don’t we dear reader, that money isn’t the only thing he wants to get his nasty hands on.  This was so good, I was way into chapter two before I could put it down.  

First clunker of the week award goes to Dinosaur Lake by Kathryn Meyer Griffith. The cover is K I L L E R.  As you can see we already know what we’re getting into with this one.  I wanted to fall in love with this book since I adored Jurassic Park, Jaws, and (from the way, way back machine) GRIZZLY by Will Collins.  These animals/nature gone wild and rampaging through the citizenry books are the kind of campy violence summer read I was looking for with Dinosaur Lake; but it wasn’t for me.  The series is apparently a huge hit with readers as Griffith has churned out seven books.  The big issue for me was that the first chapter was long-21 pages.  This is a huge commitment for the reader to take on with no action to break up the info dump/setup of the plot.  By the end of it, I was over it.  So many details were crammed into it that I was exhausted.  If you want a ‘you are there’ type of book, this is it.  I felt like I was there in person listening to the park ranger drone on and on about something while I looked at a lake and some rocks with the rest of his hostages, I mean tourists.  So much in this chapter but no actual dinosaurs or anything scary, no carnage, just a boring tour of Crater Lake.  I get it, we have to set up the book so the action can happen but this was excessive.  Not the book for me and I won’t be continuing with the series.

Another cozy I picked up in anticipation of the next book in the series coming out soon was the Baker Street series by Valerie Burns:  Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder.  The premise is that social media influencer, Maddy is left at the altar during her live streamed wedding.  But it’s all good because her great aunt has passed and she is off to Michigan to claim her inheritance and hope everyone soon forgets the wedding debacle.   Maddy is a hoot as a privileged girl finding her way in the ‘real’ world.  Chapter one is the perfect setup to this fun book.  According to the Goodreads blurb there will be a bakery, a dog, and a murder!  There were several moments of rich girls who can’t relate to regular people, but done in a fun way.  Think Paris Hilton instead of mean girls. Lots of hashtags and selfies, I can’t wait to finish this one.

Lastly I have book one in the NeoG series by K.B. Wagers:  A Pale Light in the Black. The blurb promised a “rollicking first entry in a unique science fiction” and the Near Earth Orbital Guard (NeoG).  OK, sign me up-this sounds like it is right up my space alley and the reviews were off the charts. Book three is coming out this summer so I am ready to tuck into this series.  

Then I read the first chapter…well that was disappointing, so I read the next two chapters and what the heck happened?  I was misled, dear reader!  There was no rollicking, not even a tiny bit of it, despite the promise of a lost spaceship, space pirates and swords in space!  None of this fun stuff ever materialized or if it did it was after I gave up .  It was sooooo slow and too disjointed with too many characters wandering through a confusing set up about the NeoG (Near Earth Orbital Guard) crew that is sort of like the US Coast Guard protecting Earth but out in space.  

There is also some sort of competition between I’m guessing other teams of NeoG people? It wasn’t explained very well so I’m not sure how it will all come together.  At least the chapters are those short ones like James Patterson perfected but here it just made me more confused by the time jumps and lack of coherent plot. 

Having said all that, the reviews for the entire series are extremely positive and readers that love the series REALLY love it, so if you enjoy space-y stuff this might be the series for you.  My copy of book one came from the library and there were plenty available. 

And there you have it, dear reader, five first chapters that may lead to some new favorite reads. I will follow up in a couple of weeks with any I managed to read all the way to the end!

Holmes on the Range by Steve Hockensmith

Are you a fan of WESTERNS? How about SHERLOCK HOLMES? Readers are in luck as the excellent Holmes on the Range series is being re-released with brand new, awesome cover art.

The Amlingmeyer brothers (Old Red/Gustav and Big Red/Otto) are cowboys with a twist-Gustav can’t read but he has embraced the Sherlock Holmes stories read to him by brother Otto. When they encounter murder and mayhem (as one does in the old, wild west), Gustav provides the brains and crime solving acumen with Otto doing the heavy lifting. I have read this series before and it is very well plotted, the stories move right along and are very focused. If you think it’s a clue, it probably is; there is very little fluff or filler nonsense added.

What you will get in BOOK ONE is an engrossing locked door murder mystery at a mysterious cattle ranch. Sherlock is worked into the story perfectly as Gustav uses his methods to work out who done it and why. There is lots of appropriate violence, cattle stampedes, and fun characters that do their part to drive the plot to a very satisfying conclusion. I highly recommend this series.

President Garfield by C.W. Goodyear

Solid 4 stars. I am absolutely stunned by this book. We all know about President Garfield, he was elected, he was shot, Alexander Graham Bell turns up, Garfield dies. But, there is much, much more to the story. I consider myself an educated person but the depth of my lack of knowledge of our 20th President is staggering. C.W. Goodyear has written a meticulously researched and detailed biography that gives not just facts and history but a comprehensive view of one of our most interesting Presidents. His life before the White House was amazing-Garfield is up there with Teddy Roosevelt for “Are you kidding me? What?” moments. As one of the four assassinated American Presidents, Garfield is the ‘sleeper’, never given the attention of the others but he richly deserves a book like this one. I highly recommend this book; I was engrossed in it for over three weeks.

A copy was given to me and here is my own opinion: get this book and read it!