Today I have The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill for Book Beginnings on Fridays, which ironically I picked up at the library. Book Beginnings is a fun meme hosted by Rose City Reader blog. To participate, share the first sentence or so of a novel you are reading and your thoughts about it. When you are finished, add your URL to the Book Beginnings page linked above. Hope to see you there!   The Woman in the Library* by Sulari Gentill (*Amazon Affiliate link- As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.) Summary:   The Woman in the Library  is a complex ..read more

  I found the first novel delightful, so I can’t wait to read The Man Who Died Twice: A Thursday Murder Club Mystery by Richard Osman for Book Beginnings on Fridays. Book Beginnings is a fun meme hosted by Rose City Reader blog. To participate, share the first sentence or so of a novel you are reading and your thoughts about it. When you are finished, add your URL to the Book Beginnings page linked above. Hope to see you there!     Summary:  Amateur sleuths Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim return in this sequel to the hugely popular novel, The Thursday Murder Club. This t ..read more

Let’s take a look at the brand new mystery One Step Too Far by Lisa Gardner for Book Beginnings on Fridays. Book Beginnings is a fun meme hosted by Rose City Reader blog. To participate, share the first sentence or so of a novel you are reading and your thoughts about it. When you are finished, add your URL to the Book Beginnings page linked above. Hope to see you there!   One Step Too Far* by Lisa Gardner (*Amazon Affiliate link- As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)   Summary:  Frankie Elkin is a regular woman with one superpower:  she can find peopl ..read more

  With the huge popularity of true crime — particularly true crime podcasts– it isn’t surprising that authors would want to explore the genre in their fiction.  For example, I already talked about how a true crime podcast drives the action in the novel Conviction by Denise Mina (previous post). Today let’s take a look at a novel that takes things a step further, True Crime Story:  What Happens to All the Girls Who Go Missing? by Joseph Knox. The paperback is coming out on December 7, 2021. The first chapter starts with a black and white photograph of a young woman and the words ..read more

  Looking forward to reading Girl Gone Missing by Marcie R. Rendon for Book Beginnings on Fridays. Book Beginnings is a fun meme hosted by Rose City Reader blog. To participate, share the first sentence or so of a novel you are reading and your thoughts about it. When you are finished, add your URL to the Book Beginnings page linked above. Hope to see you there!   Girl Gone Missing* by Marcie R. Rendon (*Amazon Affiliate link) Summary:  Nineteen-year-old Cash Blackbear goes to Moorhead State college during the day and drives trucks delivering crops at night. She has little time ..read more

Time to return two recent Denise Mina novels to the library, but let’s take a few minutes to discuss them first. Conviction* by Denise Mina (2019) (*Amazon Affiliate link) Brief Summary:   Anna McDonald listens to true crime podcasts to distract herself from her personal problems. When she realizes she has a connection to one of the crimes and that she might be able to solve it, the stars align to send her in search of the truth.   Review — With Spoilers: Anna McDonald’s life is in crisis. One morning her best friend Estelle shows up at the door and announces that she (Estelle ..read more

After seeing this incredible ZOOM video, I knew I had to get started reading Kathy Reichs novels again. Wow, she had the manuscript for her first novel accepted after her very first submission to a publisher. That never happens! Years ago I read several of the series from the library, but I didn’t keep a record of which ones. It is time to start over. The Temperance Brennan series 1. Déjà Dead (1997) 2. Death du Jour (1999) -shelf 3. Deadly Decisions (2000) 4. Fatal Voyage (2001) 5. Grave Secrets (2002) -shelf 6. Bare Bones (2003) 7. Monday Mourning (2004) -shelf 8. Cross Bones (2005) 9. Brea ..read more

  This week let’s listen to The Deep, Deep Snow by Brian Freeman for Book Beginnings on Fridays. Book Beginnings is a fun meme hosted by Rose City Reader blog. To participate, share the first sentence or so of a novel you are reading and your thoughts about it. When you are finished, add your URL to the Book Beginnings page linked above. Hope to see you there!   The Deep, Deep Snow* by Brian Freeman (*Amazon Affiliate link) The Deep, Deep Snow is a standalone novel. Because I received a free audiobook, I listened to it rather than read it. Summary:  When Deputy Shelby Lake was ..read more

Let’s take a look at Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz for Book Beginnings on Fridays. Book Beginnings is a fun meme hosted by Rose City Reader blog. To participate, share the first sentence or so of a novel you are reading and your thoughts about it. When you are finished, add your URL to the Book Beginnings page linked above. Hope to see you there!   Magpie Murders* by Anthony Horowitz (*Amazon Affiliate link)   A few weeks ago  I dipped my toe into metafiction with The Eighth Detective.  It is an interesting take on a mystery novel, so I dug up another example. Anthon ..read more

  In a real visit to the library, I picked up The Eighth Detective by Alex Pavesi to read for Book Beginnings on Fridays. Book Beginnings is a fun meme hosted by Rose City Reader blog. To participate, share the first sentence or so of a novel you are reading and your thoughts about it. When you are finished, add your URL to the Book Beginnings page linked above. Hope to see you there!   The Eighth Detective by Alex Pavesi (*Amazon Affiliate link) Summary:   When editor Julia Hart contacts retired mathematics professor Grant McAllister about republishing the book of seven ..read more