{I've Been Reading} Die, Die Birdie

 Die, Die Birdie by Joanna Campbell Slan 

This is the nineteenth book in the Kiki Lowenstein series and it's absolutely everything I love about crafty cozy mysteries. I've been reading these since almost the beginning (I jumped in with the third book and read the first two that same week) and I'm always happy for a chance to spend time with Kiki and her friends and family. This book has plenty of updates about everyone, combined with a mystery that had me just stressed enough about what was going to happen. Kiki's older son adopts a lovebird from a pet store after its mate is eaten by an escaped boa constrictor that got into their cage. Then the family learn that the bird's previous owner died during a robbery and that their new pet may have swallowed the diamonds the theives were after. This is one of my favorite books in a series where I've got a LOT of favorites.  (If you've been reading the blog for a while, you probably know I'm friends with Joanna. And if one of my friends creates a wonderful thing, I'm DEFINITELY going to tell you about it!)

Our Last Resort by Clémence Michallon

This thriller is a slow burn with a great setting. As I was reading, I could feel the heat of the desert radiating off of the stone patios.  Frida and Gabriel are sharing a room at a luxury resort in the desert in an attempt to reconnect after years apart, but they're both realizing that they aren't nearly as close as they once were. The plot moves back and forth in time between a murder at the resort and the past, where Frida and Gabriel made their way out of an isolated cult and struggled to manage the outside world. I was intrigued by the whole thing until, gradually, I found myself not caring anymore. 

The Unkillable Frank Lightning by Josh Rountree

I don't know quite how to describe this one. Take a gritty Western advenure where a woman is travelling with a pair of hired killers, determined to destroy her husband. Add in the fact that she's the one who pieced him together and resurrected him after he died in battle twenty-five years earlier and that he's performing with a Wild West Show, shot full of arrows at every performance to prove he's "unkillable." It's fast paced and bloody and absolutely entertaining and if you like horror movies and Westerns it's probably for you. 

Eerie Exhibits by Victoria Williamson

The stories in this collection creep up on you and pack more impact than I expected when I started reading them. I never would have imagined a mounted butterfly specimen or a seashell as disturbing...but after these stories, I'm feeling a bit unsettled by both. If you're in the mood for something old fashioned and wonderfully unsettling, this is the read for you. 

Disclosure -- The publishers provided me with advance review  copies. 

{I've Been Reading} There'll be Shell to Pay

 There'll be Shell to Pay by Molly MacRae

The Haunted Shell Shop Mysteries are filled with absolutely everything I adore about the cozy mystery genre -- a picturesque location, a protagonist who is involved in something I'd like to learn more about, entertaining characters, a pirate ghost... By the time I finished this book, I was ready to buy figs for my next grilled cheese sandwich and start researching antique carved conch shells. The book opens with Maureen's arrival back at Ocracoke Island and her inherirted shell shop, but things aren't as she expected to find them. Half of her customers are whispering about murder and showing more interest in the walls of the shop than the shells she has for sale. That's before a tourist is found dead on the island. It's the second book in the series and the author makes just enough references to previous events to remind readers what happened in the first book (or fill in readers who are jumping in with this one) without giving away any important spoilers. 

Runner 13 by Amy McCulloch

The Amerpersands are a series of extreme marathons, coordinated by a man who delights in making his courses as brutal as possible.  Adri left the world of competitive runnings years ago, her reputation in tatters, but she's been lured back in with a promise that if she wins she'll learn the truth about what happened during her last marathon. If that means risking her life on a 250 mile run through the Sahara Desert, she's willing. I really enjoyed this thriller, which gave me a chance to vicariously experience something I'd never get near in real life.

A Catered Bake-Off by Isis Crawford

Before filming even begins, a baking competition inspired by a popular television show is plagued by suspicious accidents. I've got really mixed feelings about this one. It's the eighteenth book in the series, so I'm missing a LOT of backstory (I did read the previous book when it came out and had managed to completely forget it until I went back and checked my notes.) The plot is extremely fast paced, with more time spent on the investigation than the cooking competition. That's probably a good thing, but it was the detailed descriptions of the cooking that I found myself enjoying most. 

A Whale of a Crime by Mona Marple 

The first in a new series, this book has a great setting. The decriptions of the seaside bookshop and the smell of old books pulled me right in. Chapters alternate between several characters with an occasional long string of social media messages.... and that's where I found myself a bit lost. Either I missed a detail early on, or I was supposed to piece it together  from the online messages.  

{I've Been Reading} Strange Houses

 

Strange Houses by Uketsu 

It starts with the floorplan of a seemingly normal house and an odd sealed space between rooms. An author and an architect consider what purpose their might be for that space and the house's other unusual features, quickly developing dark theories about the family that lived there. This short book is a quick, intriguing read that reminded me  of online posts where someone sees something, decides it's "off" and immediately leaps to wild conclusions. I've never read anything quite like it and I'm definitely eager to check out the author's previous book, not to mention their Youtube page. 

Deep Waters by NW Bulfin

In a near future plauged by pandemics and flooding, Eoin Ryan acccepts a job teaching history at an isolated island commune. Contact with the outside world is severely limited and the members are seeking a more natural lifestyle.  As much as I love folk horror, this one fell flat, despire the prehistoric stone structures and indecipherable writings.  I never did figure out why the commune supposedly wanted or needed a history teacher. Their real purpose behind bringing him to the island becomes clear, but the job offer itself never made sense to me. The plot moves very, very slowly and once the author reveals what's really going on, it didn't feel worth the wait. 

Disclosure -- The publishers have provided me with advance review copies. 

{I've Been Reading} Smile for the Camera

 Smile for the Cameras by Miranda Smith 

The original cast of an iconic slasher film gathers at an isolated cabin to film a reunion documentary, the first time they've all been together in years, but this time the deaths are real. Told from the point of view of Ella, the film's final girl, the book moves back and forth between the past and present. I enjoyed the writing, but there's nothing particularly new or suspenseful here. 

One Sharp Stitch by Allie Pleiter

Shelby grew up in her mom's needlepoint shop. She knows the techniques and the customers and has the skills to take over for a month while her parents are travelling, but she wishes they'd chosen her almost too perfectly organized sister instead. Everything is working out until she finds the featured artist of the shop's monthly trunk show dead. That probably should have been the end of Shelby's involvement with what at first looks like a tragic accident, but the artist's family insists that she continues to sell her scissors and canvases in the shop.  Fans of crafty cozies will enjoy this one, which has a nice balance of murder mystery and needlework. 

So Happy Together by Olivia Worley

Jane isn't an unreliable narrator. We know from the beginning that she's been stalking Colin, a man she had a brief relationship with and isn't ready to let go. Throughout the book, the reader knows almost everything Jane knows. There are plenty of revelations, but they're all new information to Jane. It's a little like "You" and a little like "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" and keeps twisting in unexpected directions that I wasn't expecting it to go. 

For You and Only You by Caroline Kepnes

So Happy Together reminded me that this one had been sitting in my TBR pile for far too long. I loved the author's previous books so much that I'm not sure how this one managed to fall through the cracks. Joe has found himself another "you" to obsess over, this time at a Harvard writer's fellowship. Wonder has so much in common with him (at least in Joe's mind) that they're obviously meant to be together. I'd forgotten how easy it is to slip into his thoughts and the plot is as entertaining as ever, especially when complications start to threaten his budding new relationship. 

Wicked Fun by Dave Pasquantonio

Twenty years after Jane Hawkins's last real life murder, she only kills people in the pages of her mystery novels. A well liked member of her small community, she lives a quiet and predictable life. Then a true crime podcaster shows up at her book signing wanting to interview her about her husband's unsolved murder. No one has ever suspected her before, which puzzles me because she seems to be just figuring out how things work. It's an entertaining read with an ending hook that has me looking forward to a sequel. 

{I've Been Reading} Dormant

 

Dormant by D. L. Forge 

I thouroughly enjoyed this short horror novel, which pulls you into the plot without any unnecessary backstory or details. The author does a fantastic job of introducing us to Marcy and Owen Parker, newlyweds who are excited about their new home, a fixer upper with a lush garden. The book's promotional materials described it as "found-footage ecohorror/creature feature" which is a good way to give you the gist of it without any spoilers. It's creepy, well-paced, and entertaining. 

The War of the Roses by Warren Adler 

There's a new movie adaptation of this one coming out and I probably won't get to see it until it hits streaming, so I did what I frequently do and got my hands on the book. Originally published in 1981, this is a dark, wild ride that's (in my opinion) aged well. Jonathan and Barbara rose both want new lives away from their marriage -- but they both refuse to give up their house and the trappings of the life they've build together. Their rapidly escalating battle is extremely entertaining and had me wondering just how far they'd go as their actions got worse and worse. 

Disclosure -- The publishers provided me with advance review copies.  

{I've Been Reading} A Proposal to Die For

 A Proposal to Die For by Molly Harper

I can't get over how much I loved this book. It's somewhere between a cozy mystery and a more intense thriller, with a protagonist and cast of characters that I really wish I could spend more time with. Jess is a professional proposal planner with a quick mind and an eye for details. So when guests start dropping dead at a luxurious but isolated resort, she's paying attention to every little thing. It's not so much that she's an amateur sleuth trying to solve the mystery -- she's just trying to deal with complelety unreasonable clients who keep sabotaging their own plans. I read the whole thing in one sitting and, while the ending is extremely satisfying, I wasn't ready for it to end. I've got my fingers crossed that the author will write another mystery and for now I guess I'll look for some of her romance novels. 

A Fashionably French Murder by Colleen Cambridge 

Tabitha Knight and her best friend Julia Child are tangled up in another murder, this time involving two exclusive clothing designers. Going into this book I knew nothing about haute coture -- or Christian Dior's "new look" -- but I quickly found myself fascinated by the exclusive ateliers. The series so far has been absolutely delightful. One of the things that first attracted me to cozy mysteries was the chance to vicariously enjoy different hobbies and settings and this book is an absolutely perfect example of that. 1950s Paris, especially thorough the eyes of Tabitha and Julia, is a whole lot of fun, even when the book explores serious subject matter. 

Cat Got Your Tongs by Victoria Hamilton 

The first books in the Vintage Kitchen Mysteries were a lot of fun, then somehow I drifted away from and missed a bunch of releases before finding my way back. This isn't my favorite book in the series. One of the main plot elements involves a colony of feral cats and the book goes pretty deep into the controversies surrounding feeding and caring for strays, to the point that it overshadowed the murder mystery. There's a character who would be much more interesting if his dialogue, which was filled with unfamiliar slang  terms apostophes and missing sounds, wasn't so difficult to read. 

{I've Been Reading}

 I'm still here, still knitting and quilting and stitching and reading and as busy as ever with everything except for the blog. More of my creative stuff is over on my Youtube channel these days. I plan to start posting some of it here again, but haven't figured out photo editing on the new laptop. 

Joanna Campbell Slan (full disclosure -- she's a friend of mine and has guest posted here on the blog quite a few times over the years) has a new book out, Death at the Dog Park. It contains two novellas, one by Joanna and one by Neil S. Placky. I hadn't read any of his mysteries yet, but I loved his novella, which deals with the murder of a dog trainer with unpopular methods. I may check out his Golden Retreiver Mysteries, but first I'm going to read The Smiling Dog Cafe because I'm intrigued by the idea of "healing fiction." Joanna's novella is about Kiki Lowenstein and her great dane Gracie, who digs up a human hand on their first trip to the dog part. So much for Kiki's plan to get them both in better shape! Both mysteries are complex and satifying and I can't recommend them enough. If you use Facebook and are looking for lots of positive inspiration, check out Joanna's Readers Group, which is full of positive inspiration. I've found so many new-to-me mystery authors to add to my TBR pile and I always enjoy the discussions there. 

The Tradwife's Secret by Liane Child 

As soon as I saw the description of this one, I was ready to start reading. The whole mommy-influencer idea (at leas the fictional variety) fascinates me and this one is done very well. Alternating between the apparently perfect life of Madison March and another woman who isn't doing nearly as well, it kept me turning pages. The way the plotlines finally tied up together was extremely satisfying. My only complaint was the ominious door in the hillside and one character's reaction to it -- why wouldn't her first thought be "root cellar" or another equally harmless assumption? 

Such Quiet Girls by Noelle West Ihli

Ten students and their bus driver, buried in a shipping container at an isolated quarry... A desperate mother, ransome note in hand...The two desperate kidnappers, arguing about their next step... This thriller alternates between multiple points of view. They're all necessary, but the plot moves slowly and I had a hard time picturing what was acutally happening in the buried shipping container. The dimensions I was picturing in my head didn't seem to match up with the author's intent and it was a constant distraction. Things moved slowly until the end when I finally started to worry about the characters and their fate. 

The Cut C. J. Dotson 

Sadie desperately needs her job at the rundown L'Arpin Hotel.  As much as she can't afford to draw attention to herself or the fact that she's hiding her preschooler in her attic room while working her housekeeping shifts, she can't ignore that guests are vanishing or that something ominous is squelching and dripping in the building itself. I enjoyed this one. Sadie's situation required some suspension of disbelief, but the horror element was entertaining if not scary. 

Disclosure -- The publishers provided me with advance review copies. 

 

{I've Been Reading} Follow Me

 Fudge and Marriage by Nancy Coco

I've only read a couple of the Candy Coated Mysteries. Allie's life as a fudge maker on Macinac Island and her chocolate shop in a historic hotel really appeal to me, but I hadn't made time to go back and read the dozen or so books I'd missed. This is the one that's going to change that. I LOVED it. The mystery element is intriguing, but even more than that, I loved the drama leading up to Allie's wedding. The conflict with her mother was established in previous books, but wow did it escalate here. The wedding her mother wants is nothing like the community wide celebration that Allie and her husband-to-be have planned. This book is everything that's wonderful about small town cozy mysteries. 

Follow Me by Elizabeth Rose Quinn

The word "coMOMmunity" makes my brain hurt. The whole world of Momfluencers presented in this book is grating enough to make me want to swear off of social media -- and I like mommy blogs! Somehow, Chiara got herself invited to this thing after a post about her twins went viral. The other moms hate her. She's feeling left out and miserable and then things get worse. 

A year later, Chiara is still missing and her sister has signed up for the retreat, desperate to find some answers. A recovering addict who doesn't even have kids of her own, Adrienne has only the flimsiest cover story and isn't fitting in with the perfect instamoms any better than her sister did the year before. The second half of this book is absolutely wild and I wasn't surprised to read in the author's bio at the end that it's being made into a movie. I honestly think I'll enjoy watching this story more than I enjoyed reading it. 

Falls to Pieces by Douglas Corleone

What drew me to this book was the idea of a woman and her daughter living off grid in Hawaii, desperate to hide from their past. That secrecy is an important element of the plot, but the "off the grid" part really isn't. They could have just as easily been living in a regular neighboorhood. I loved the parts of the book that focused on the islands and the unique dangers they present, but that's only a small part of the book. There's a lot of unrelated drama and conflict that comes together to create a roller coaster of a plot. 

American Housewife by Anita Abriel 

The star of the Maggie Lane Baking Show can't cook. She's newly married herself and suddenly she's advising the women of 1950s America, hoping that the skeletons in her closet won't be revealed as her fame grows. I really enjoyed this novel, which provides a quick glimse into a time gone by. I found myself looking up some details that didn't sound right (and discovering that they were accurate.) There's lots of attention given to the furniture and food and fashions, but if you're looking for details about the early days of television you won't find many. 

Disclosure -- The publishers provided me with advance review copies. 

{I've Been Reading} Nameless Things

 Nameless Things by Ernest Jensen

A meteor strike triggers a landslide, blocking the trails leading into a volcanic caldera and trapping everyone who was hiking in the park at the time...but that's just the beginning. This is an entertaining creature feature that explores what might happen when a bunch of strangers are isolated with an unknown threat and limited supplies.  I did find myself losing track of which characters were still alive (the numerous dream sequences didn't help with that.)

The Socialite's Guide to Sleuthing and Secrets by S. K. Golden

After some initial confusion about what decade the book was set in (that cover looks Art Deco to me and there was a diamond tiara, so I jumped to a wrong conclusion until a couple of references had me check the book's description) I really enjoyed this book. Evelyn is an intriguing protagonist and even though I haven't yet read the first two books in the series there's just enough backstory for me not to feel completely lost. The Pinnacle Hotel is an fun setting and the mystery itself invovles an early multi level marketing company. 

Disclosure -- The publishers provided me with advance review copies. 

{I've Been Reading} White Line Fever

 

White Line Fever by K C Jones

County Road 951, a fifteen mile stretch of scenic curves responsible for more deaths than any other road in Oregon, has been gated off at both ends for years. But sometimes GPS suggests unsuitable detours and someone else had already cut the gate before Liva and her friends turned off the main road to get away from a threatening tow truck. I was hooked by this one, maybe because I live in the area and can picture exactly the stretch of mountain range that the road must cut across. I'm used to hearing sirens on the way to accidents. It's far too easy to imagine The Devil's Driveweay and what it would be like to be trapped there by supernatural forces. The plot alternates between Olivia's traumatic childhood and what's happening on the road and it does start to bog down at a few points, but for the most part I aboslutely loved it. 

Disclosure -- The publisher provided me with an advance review copy. 

{I've Been Reading} Claire, Darling

 Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi

In one moment, Claire's life has been turned upside down. She took lunch to her fiancé only to be told that he doesn't work for the company. He's not returning her calls or texts, he doesn't return to their shared apartment, and she's reeling from the shock of the whole thing. What happened? Why did he leave her? It's the structure of this thriller that made it work so well for me. We only know what Claire knows, when she knows it. There are a few brief scenes from her childhood and diary entries from the early days of her relationship with Noah, but the plot goes in a straight line from beginning to end and I kept trying to make sense of it. The pieces just weren't fitting together no matter how badly I wanted them to. I genuinely liked Claire as a character and wanted her to be okay, but I couldn't see how that was going to be possible. I love this one from beginning to end. 

Disclosure -- The publisher provided me with an advance review copy. 

{I've Been Reading} The Night Shift

 The Night Shift by Gemma Rogers

Nina has the perfect job, working overnight alone at Storage Queen. All she has to do is keep track of a few customers as they enter and leave and do an occasional walk through to make sure that none of the units were left unlocked. The rest of the night, she has free to concentrate on her studies. Until a man drags in a bulky suitcase and deposits it in an otherwise empty unit and her boring job becomes a fight for survival. This one is fast paced and suspenseful and I love the way the author kept coming up with ways to up the stakes. Not that I think any of it could actually happen...but for a work of thriller fiction most of it felt plausible enough. By the very end, it was starting to feel a bit repetitive, but for the most part it's a fast paced and engaging read. 

It Will Only Hurt for a Moment by Delilah S. Dawson

This is an absolutely fantastic, disturbing nightmare of a book. A secluded artists' colony holds dark secrets in the abandoned hotel on the property and Sarah has nowhere else to go. This was her escape, her first step towards a new future. She never expected to find a dead animal rotting in her bed or an absolutely horrible misogynist sharing the pottery studio or a long buried coffin at the site where she's digging a pit kiln. She never expected the other residents to be descending into madness or to unearth awful secrets from a past century. By the last chapter, I was completely rattled, something that rarely happens. This one hit me HARD. 

Disclosure -- The publisher provided me with an advance review copy. 

{I've Been Reading} Something in the Walls

 Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce

An inexperienced child psychologist travels to an isolated village to assess a girl whose family and  community believe is possessed by a witch. The first thing she notices upon her arrival are odd stones hanging from every building. Hagstones, she's told. That's her first sign that she's stepped into a place that's far different from the world she's accustomed to. This folk horror is a slow, slow burn and at first it felt similar to other books I've read with similar premises. But this one finally gets going and when it does, it's something else entirely.  I don't want to risk spoilers, but if you enjoyed Midsommar or The Lottery, this is in that vein. 

Killing Me Soufflé by Ellie Alexander 

I'm not sure if I've read any of the other  twenty Bakeshop mysteries  by Ellie Alexander, but after reading this one I can't wait to track them down. It was a fun read with a fantastic setting and interesting mystery. Jules and her family travel to the Oregon coast where two employees from her Ashland bakery have been hired to run the restaurant at a an aging resort. Opening night is a wild success, but then the resort's manager is found dead at the foot of a rocky cliff. I love the coast and this book does an amazing job of capturing the atmosphere. There's lots of focus on the delicious sounding food, which never slows the plot because they're preparing it while talking over elements of the murder mystery. 

Disclosure -- The publishers provided me with advance review copies. 

{I've Been Reading} Tell Me You Trust Me

 Tell Me You Trust Me by Elle Owens 

This thriller had me immediately hooked. "Tell me you trust me" was the last thing Marissa's husband said to her before leaving that morning. He didn't take his car, didn't go to work, is nowhere to be found. Her loving family is absolutely everywhere, determined to take care of her. They're in the security business, after all, and they want to help her. What they won't give her is a moment to herself, a moment she desperately needs to figure out the message her husband seems to have sent her through a song title that's just appeared on their shared playlist. 

I read this through one one sitting. Marissa's desperation to figure things out kept me turning pages and the author tells the story of their marriages through the messages they're leaving one another. It's a suspenseful read that had me on the edge of my seat and trying to figure things out until the very end.

Sick Houses - Haunted Homes and the Architecture of Dread by Leila Taylor

Haunted houses, the homes of notorious series killers, those places you pass and just wonder about because they're a little odd -- that's what this book is about. And I LOVED it. The author delves into well known properties, both fictional and real, and also several that I'd never heard of. I came away from it with a fairly long list of movies I want to watch (surprising, because I love haunted house movies and have watched so many) and some new insight into movies I'd already watched. There are plenty of spoilers in the detailed plot discissions, but I don't really mind because I probably wouldn't have watched them if I hadn't read about them here. A few, I'll watch anyway. Another I'll go out of my way to avoid. The book sent me down quite a few interesting rabbit trails and I'm glad I picked it up.  

 

Fondue or Die by Korina Moss

Willa Bauer and her friends are always fun to spend some time with. In this mystery, they're running a  booth at the local Dairy Days festival, selling carefully curated snack boxes of different cheeses.  And, after the woman running the annual bauty pageant is found dead under a pile of milk jugs, they're investigating whether it was an accident or a murder. While this isn't my favorite book in the series so far, it was an enjoyable read.

Disclosure -- The publisher provided me with an advance review copy. 

{I've Been Reading} Listen to Your Sister

 Listen to Your Sister by Neena Viel

If you've ever wondered how characters wind up in those isolated horror movie cabins, and why on earth they stay once they see the place, this book makes sense of it. Things went wrong for Calla and her brothers long before they booked the reservation. By the time they reach the cabin, they have nowhere else to turn. Between the sibling dynamics, their real world problems, and whaetever the supernatural nightmare is that surrounds them, this horror novel is a LOT. At times I felt like the nightmare scenes were all dragging on for a bit too long, but it all does come together....and I've never read anything quite like it. There's a lot of strong language and intense imagry here, but it works with this book. (And I'm feeling way too old because I have no idea which Sponge Bob scene they keep referring to...) 

Her Hiding Place by Shannon Hollinger

This fast paced thriller kept me turning pages until the very end. It's not bad enough that Charlotte is in the path of a hurricane, unable to leave her job at a luxury island resort. She's got to survive while keeping the prescence of a three year old girl hidden. Bits of backstory are woven in, just enough to hint at how she got herself into such dire straits, but the bulk of the plot is set in the days leading up to the storm. I got quickly caught up in the plot and writing style and I look forward to tracking down the author's other books. 

Dead Air by William Elliott Hazelgrove

I was more familiar with Orson Welles's radio show The Shadow than his notorious War of the Worlds broadcast (and I've somehow never seen Citizen Kane at all.) Dead Air: The Night that Orson Welles Terrified America tells the story of the program and its aftermath and, while it's a bit dry at time, it's also absolutely fascinating. I know what I've heard over the years, but I'd never stopped to really thnk of what was going on in the world at the time the show aired. It's easy to imagine those radio listeners as foolish -- but we're part of a generation that fell for The Blair Witch Project and that documentary about real mermaids. If you like historical non-fiction, this is worth a read. 

Disclosure -- The publisher provided me with an advance review copy. 

{I've Been Reading} An Insidious Inherirtance

Tell Me What You Did by Carter Wilson 

Poe Webb's podcast is made up of confessions. She gives her guest fifteen minutes to talk, then questions them about what they've just revealed.  Whatever the police or her listeners will do with those revelations is out of her hands. The format has made her famous -- but now she's got a man on the other end of her internet connection claiming to have impossible information about her mother's murder. The first confession in the book had me on the edge of my seat. After that, it took a little while for me to figure out the format, but once I did I was hooked and the book held my attention until the last few chapters. I'd recommend this one if you're intrigued by the world of true crime podcasts. 

The Family Inside by Katie Garner 

Iris's husband was murdered, then she lost her house to forclosure, then she lost her job. She's about to become homeless with her eighteen-year-old daughter...then her new love interest suggests that they move in with him. And his mother. He's making repairs to her dilapidated old mansion and there's plenty of extra room. There are also plenty of other family members living there. The old house is creepy and Hugh's siblings are weird and unpleasant. And the plot is a fast paced roller coaster of crazy that just keeps speeding up and finding new ways to twist. I'm not sure how I feel about the whole thing. None of it is plausible, but it was oddly entertaining once I figured out what was actually going on.  

An Insidious Inheritance by Amelie West

This mystery, set in 1930s New York State, conjures up imagery of old black and white movies and Nancy Drew books. When Clara Dawson inherits a dilapidated inn from her estranged father it could be the solution to her problems, or just another source of debt. It was a fun read, but I found myself wishing for a little more detail (did the inn not have electricity because it was an isolated building in 1933....or because it had been shut off?) Clara is smart and self sufficient and I look forward to reading more about her in future books. 

Devil's Island by Midge Raymond and John Yunker

By far the best part of this thriller is the setting. I wish the characters had been as interesting as the wildlife. With an inexperienced guide who has already proven that she's not quite up to the job, dangerous weather, and a missing camper, I expected this to be a lot more suspenseful than it actually was. 

Disclosure -- The publishers provided me with advance review copies. 

{I've Been Reading} Murder in Bloom

 Murder in Bloom by Rosie Sandler 

Steph and her dog, Mouse, are back in the garden, this time as part of a prestigious competition. I loved the first two books in the series, but this one didn't hold my interest in the same way. I found myself missing Steph's previous jobs which had her restoring historic gardens to their former glory. Building a temporary garden from scratch wasn't nearly as interesting. Mouse is always fun to read about and Steph's relationship with her family is explored further so there's plenty to enjoy. 

Pretty Dead Things by Lilian West 

A jar of sparkly baubles that Cora bought for five bucks from an estate sale reveals what appears to be a family heirloom and she decides to return it to the family because she's sure they'll want it back. Sure enough that she won't take no for an answer and insists on contacting several different family members and dredging up unwanted memories. I didn't love this one. The mystery isn't that compelling and it has  which had a small town, Hallmark Movie sort of fee to it, without the fun. Cora is insensitive to anyone else's feelings and feels like a two dimennsional character. 

Disclosure -- The publishers provided me with advance review copies. 

{I've Been Reading} The Business Trip

 The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia 

Stephanie and Jasmine share a brief encounter on a flight to San Diego. The two women have nothing in common, but before long both have vanished after sending eerily similiar text messages about a man named Trent, alarming their friends at home. I absolutely loved this thriller with its unique, fast paced structure. It switches frequently between characters so you absolutely have to read the name at the top of each chapter, but it's absolutely worth keeping track of who is talking. I couldn't put it down and definitely didn't guess at what had happened to the two women. 

Disclosure -- The publisher provided me with an advance review copy. 

{I've Been Reading} Missing in Flight

 Missing in Flight by Audrey J Cole

Makayla left her infant son sleeping alone in the bassinet just long enough to dash to the airplane's restroom, afraid that if she took him with her he'd take ages to settle back down. She asked the girl in the pink headphones to keep an eye on him and was as quick as she could possibly be, but when she returned  to her seat Liam was gone. I wasn't sure how this one was going to work -- how long could it take to search a plane? The author manages to stretch the concept into a full length thriller, partially by switching point of view back and forth between every possible character including Makayla, her husband, the pilot, and the officers investigating the case.  At first the premise made sense, but things got less and less plausible as the book progressed.

Death Among the Stitches by Betty Hechtman

I can see a lot of potential in this new mystery series, but it took time for this first book to get going. Annie Hart is a very young protagonist who works in a Los Angeles boutique as assistant to a movie star's daughter. When she inherits a building from her uncle, she's excited to have something of her own and immediately flies across the country to see it, not realizing that the old schoolhouse was actually a yarn shop. (It's an amazing coincidence that the building her uncle bought to convert to a restaurant just happens to be full of supplies for Annie's favorite hobby.) The local knitters are delighted  that the shop has a new owner, but Annie plans to sell the building and its contents and head back to California as soon as she can. It's a fun read if you don't worry about things like whether Annie owns the business or just the building, or how the bugs that destroyed half othe yarn in the shop left the rest in good enough condition to sell. The mystery behind the death of the original shop owner is great and I really enjoyed trying to piece together the clues, but a lot of the plot is focused on Annie's determination to sell the shop -- which doesn't leave a whole lot of suspense if this is the first book in the series. 

The Apartment Across the Hall by Jack Dane 

Affordable apartments are hard to find in New York, so Salem Ripley takes what she can get, especially after potential landlords see her background check. The place has a lot of problems, but she needs a place to live, as unpleasant as the building is. One neighbor plays deafeningly loud cop shows all night long. The guy across the hall brings new women to his apartment one after another -- and no matter how closely she watches his door, she never sees a single one of them leave. This short, fast paced thiller is absolutely wild. I found Salem hard to like, but it was an interesting read. 

The Book of Witching by C. J. Cooke

This book is an atmospheric slow burn that weaves together two stories -- a nineteen year old girl suffers in a burn unit after a hiking trip with friends went horribly wrong and the a woman is accused of witchcraft four hundred years earlier. It took a while for me to get into this one and I definitely found the historical scenes more interesting than the contemporary ones even if I didn't know enough about the daily life of the Orkneys in the sixteenth century to fully understand what was going on. (The author's note at the end cleared a lot of things up for me.) 

The Perfect Home by Daniel Kenitz

This domestic thriller immediately caught my attention and held it the whole way through. Dawn Decker is the less beloved half of the celebrity couple behind the reality show A Perfect Home. Everyone adores Wyatt and his easy smile and charming personality. She's less comfortable in the spotlight, less adept at manipulating public opinion. When she finds handwritten notes outlining his plans to exploid a family tragedy - one that hasn't actually happened yet - she packs up their newborn twins and runs, knowing that she's instantly recognizable and that the public will be firmly on Wyatt's side. I loved this book. The plot might not be plausible, but it was definitely entertaining. 

Disclosure -- The publisher provided me with an advance review copy.