{I've Been Reading} Down in Flames

Down in Flames by Cheryl Hollon

Savannah is teaching her students flame-working, a complicated technique that they can use to create glass beads. As always, we get a vicarious lesson in working with glass. That chance to learn about a craft I'm unlikely to tackle in real life is one of my favorite elements of this series, along with the cast of characters I always enjoy spending more time with. As her students are leaving the building, Savannah hears a thud and a scream. A hit and run driver has struck a pedestrian, leaving no evidence at the scene.

Unlike many cozy mysteries, where the victim is someone unpleasant or barely known to the protagonist, this murder hits close to home. The grief is real, and it's intense. I highly recommend this one.



Lies by T. M. Logan

Joe turning into a hotel parking garage after spotting his wife's car, intending to surprise her and let their young son show her the award he got at school that morning. Within minutes he's let another man unconscious and bloody in the parking lot and his life is beginning to unravel.  I liked that the entire book is told fist person from Joe's point of view, with no jumping back and forth in time. From the moment he follows his wife into the parking garage, the plot is moving forward. It bogged down for me a bit in the middle, just as I think things were supposed to be escalating for the reader, but overall it was an enjoyable read.




The Bone Jar by SW Kane

The body of an elderly woman is found in a condemned asylum and even before the autopsy confirms that she was murdered, the authorities have no idea how she could have gotten into the old building.

Police procedurals aren't usually my thing, but this one includes a derelict asylum and urban exploration. Those are the sort of thing that always catches my interest and I found myself really enjoying the book. The setting is seriously creepy and most of the characters are intriguing, especially the former patient who still lives on the asylum grounds. I did get two of the characters confused near the end of the book.


Disclosure -- The publishers provided me with advance review copies. This post contains affiliate links.