Green Lantern Alliance

Last year I read Minh Le's Green Lantern Legend and loved it. As I was looking for a new comic to read this month, I found his Green Lantern Alliance. I knew I had to read it. This story did not disappoint. It was an exciting read and the illustrations were colorful and happy. It made me feel like a kid again. The book was published in October 2022 and is written for the 9 - 12 year old age range.

The publisher's summary:

Tai Pham struggles with balancing school, his work in the family business, his friendships, and his new Green Lantern responsibilities. But Kid Flash arrives on the scene to become the super-hero partner Tai just might need. It’s only been a few months since Green Lantern Tai Pham inherited his ring from his ba and defeated his nemesis, Xander Griffin. But Tai knows their last battle was only the beginning-and even though no one believes him, Tai is determined to prove that Xander is up to his old tricks again. When a string of fires start popping up around Coast City, Tai finds himself stretched thin as he struggles to keep up with school, training, working at the store, and following Xander’s trail. That is, until a new hero, known as Kid Flash, shows up on the scene with an offer to help. Can the heroes find the arsonist before it’s too late?

This volume doesn't focus as much on Tai's Vietnamese heritage as in Green Lantern Legacy. It focuses more on his relationships to his mentor, friends and new ally Kid Flash. I loved reading about Tai's Vietnamese heritage in Legacy and was hoping it would be a big feature of this comic. This disappointed me and I liked Legacy more than Alliance.

Alliance continues the story from before but with more superhero scenes. Concerning characters, the protagonist is Tai Pham. However, he is the least interesting character in the book. We don't read much of anything about his life, personality or ethnic roots. Every time his grandmother Kim Tran is shown with the green ring, I wished that the book included her more.

The art is drawn in bright greens and yellows. I love these colors and they impact my enjoyment of the book big time. I am expecting a 3rd entry in the Green Lantern series. The last page says that the next adventure will be to planet earth. 

3 out of 5 stars.

2025 Net Galley and Edelweiss Reading Challenge

2024 is the first year that I participated in this challenge. It's always nice to read free books so I will be rejoining the challenge next year. 

Challenge guidelines

• The challenge runs from January 1, 2025 – December 31, 2025. There is no deadline to sign up.

• Everyone is welcome to participate – you do not need to have a blog.

• Any genre, release date, length, etc. counts – it just needs to be a book from NetGalley or Edelweiss.

• Books can count for more than one challenge that you are participating in.

• The first day of each month there will be a monthly “link-up” for you to link your reviews. If you forget one month, no worries, just catch up the next month.

The levels of participation are: 

Bronze – 10 Books (my personal challenge)

Silver – 25 Books

Gold – 50 Books

Platinum – 75 Books

Diamond – 100 Books

To sign-up:

Make a blog post stating the level you intend to read in 2025 and link that blog post to Mr. Linky of the challenge post. The first Link should be your name, the url should be the direct link to that blog post, not your main blog page. If you do not have a blog then state your reading level in the comments if the challenge post and how you will be sharing your book reviews. Last but not least, be sure to come back every month and link in those reviews. This is really the hardest part – remember to do the monthly “link-ups”!

2025 Cruisin' Through the Cozies Reading Challenge

I am rejoining the Cruisin' Through the Cozies Reading Challenge next year. While I don't read alot of cozies, I have several favorite authors who write cozies. If you do not know what a cozy mystery is, check out Cozy-Mystery.com. This site is dedicated to cozy mysteries and does a great job of defining them as well as giving a list of cozy mysteries. This challenge is NOT restricted to what is on their list, it's just to be used as a guideline in case you need some hints on what to read.

This cozy mystery reading challenge has two ways to participate and you can choose whichever suits you the best:

A) Read only cozy mysteries of your choice.

Or

B) Read one book from these sub-genres:

• One from culinary (anything dealing with food: restaurants, baked goods, etc.)One from animal related (cats, dogs, birds, etc.)

• One from craft related (any kind of hobbies - knitting, crocheting, scrapbooking, etc.)

• One from paranormal (witches, vampires, etc.)

• One from cozy mysteries based outside the US (example: Belinda Lawrence series (British))

• One career-based cozy mystery (housekeeping, wedding planner, etc.)

• One holiday based (set during any holiday - Christmas, Thanksgiving, Valentines, etc.)

• One travel mystery (character could be on a cruise, touring another area, etc.)

• One historical mystery (any mystery not set in the present)

• One is your choice! (freebie!)

Here are the levels you can join for either A or B…

Level one (Snoop) -(my personal challenge)

A) Read 10 cozy mysteries of your choice.

B) Read one book in each of the above cozy sub-genres (total of 10 books)

Level two (Investigator) -

A) Read 20 cozy mysteries of your choice.

B) Read all the books in level one plus an additional 10 cozy books of your choice (total of 20)

Level three (Super Sleuth) -

A) Read 30 cozy mysteries of your choice.

B) Read two books from each sub-genre in level one plus an additional 10 cozy books of your choice (total of 30 books)

Level four (Sleuth Extraordinaire) -

A)Read 40 cozy mysteries of your choice.

B)Read two books from each sub-genre in level one plus an additional 20 cozy books of your choice (total of 40 books)

Challenge Rules:

1. The challenge runs from January 1, 2025 and ends December 31, 2025.

2. You don't have to choose your books in advance. If you do, you can change your list at any time during the year. Books can overlap with other challenges.

3. Books can be in any format - paper, audio, ebooks...it all counts!

4. You don't have to post a review, but I'm sure others would love to know about the books you are reading and may even want to add it to their reading lists.

NOTE: If you don't have a blog and want to participate, that's fine. You don't have to have a blog, just post in the comments section of the challenge post as you finish books. If you belong to a site like Goodreads and review the books there, that's fine too. Just leave us the link. Also, there is a group for this challenge on Goodreads.

5. If you do have a blog, take the button above, put it on your blog and post about the challenge. Then add your name to Mr. Linky in the challenge post. Please use the link of your challenge post, not the link to your home page.

6. There is one link for signing up, one link for completed reviews and one link for your wrap up posts. There will not be a monthly link, just one for all reviews read for this challenge.

2025 Reading By The Numbers Reading Challenge

2025 will be the fourth year of the Reading by the Numbers Challenge on the My Reader's Block blog! This is the reading challenge at its most basic - just track everything you read. This is the easiest challenge I have ever come across so I will be rejoining the challenge in 2025. Anything counts--graphic novels or comic books, hard copy, e-books, audio novels, etc. If it is a book, it counts. Although the covers shown in the challenge image are all mysteries, you may read from any and all genres that interest you.

• Challenge runs from January 1 through December 31, 2025.

• No pre-set challenge levels. You decide on your personal goal.

• May be used concurrently with other "number" reading challenges (such as the Goodreads Challenge) or with any other challenge.

• A blog and reviews of the books are not required to participate, but if you have a blog, please post your sign-up for the challenge and link the post in the form on the challenge post. You are also welcome to link up other media sites where you log process (Instagram; Goodreads; etc.).

• There will be a challenge Headquarters link in the left sidebar of the My Reader's Block blog at the beginning of the year.

• If you post on Facebook, Instagram, or other social media to log a book, please use #ReadingByNumbers2025.

2025 Color Coded Reading Challenge

The Color Coded Reading Challenge is another one of my favorite challenges. I have been participating in the challenge for many years and it is getting harder to find books with colors in the title. However, I cannot resist rejoining the challenge in 2025.

The challenge is hosted by Bev at the My Reader's Block blog.  She has made the challenge a little easier next year by allowing the color to be in the title, the author’s name or the color to be the dominant color for the cover of the book. 

General Rules:

A) Challenge runs from January 1 through December 31, 2025 and any book read after January 1 may count regardless of when you sign up. You may sign-up any time.

B) Read nine books in the following categories:

1. A book with "Blue" or any shade of Blue in the title/author name/on the cover.

2. A book with "Red" or any shade of Red in the title/author name/on the cover.

3. A book with "Yellow" or any shade of Yellow in the title/author name/on the cover.

4. A book with "Green" or any shade of Green in the title/author name/on the cover.

5. A book with "Brown" or any shade of Brown in the title/author name/on the cover.

6. A book with "Black" or any shade of Black in the title/author name/on the cover.

7. A book with "White" or any shade of White in the title/author name/on the cover.

8. A book with any other color in the title/author name/on the cover.title/on the cover (Purple, Orange, Silver, Pink, etc).

9. A book with a word/image that implies color in the title/author name/on the cover. (Rainbow, Polka-dot, Plaid, Shadow, Paint, Ink, etc). For "implies color" the image implying color should dominate the cover, for instance a large rainbow, a field of flowers, or the image of a painter.

C) Crossovers with other challenges are fine.

D) To Sign Up please fill in the form at the challenge post. If you have a blog, please post about the challenge on your site and enter the url link. You may also enter a link to a Goodreads or Library Thing list, Instagram, etc. If you can't use the form for any reason, you may also sign up by commenting at the challenge post.

E) If you post on Facebook, Instagram, or other social media to log a book, please use #ColorCoded2025.

F) At the beginning of the new year, Bev will put up posts for review links for each color category and the sidebar image will be updated to the new challenge links.

Please join me in the challenge.

2025 Calendar of Crime Reading Challenge

Bev at the My Reader's Block blog will be hosting the Calendar of Crime Reading Challenge once again in 2025. I love reading mysteries so I simply have to rejoin the challenge next year. The challenge allows readers to include any mystery regardless of publication date. If it falls in a mystery category (crime fiction/detective novel/police procedural/suspense/thriller/spy & espionage/hard-boiled/cozy/etc.), then it counts and it does not matter if it was published in 1895 or 2025. 

 

The Rules

• Challenge runs from January 1 to December 31, 2025. All books should be read during this time period.

• Sign up at any time. If you have a blog, please post about the challenge. Then sign up via the form at the challenge post and please make the url link to your challenge post and not your home page. If you don't have a blog, links to an online list (Goodreads, Library Thing, etc.) devoted to this challenge are acceptable OR you may skip that question.

• All books must be mysteries. Humor, romance, supernatural elements (etc.) are all welcome, but the books must be mysteries/crime/detective novels first.

• Twelve books, one representing each month, are required for a complete challenge. You may find the spreadsheet with monthly categories HERE. We will be using the 2024 version again this year.

• To claim a book, it must fit one of the categories for the month you wish to fulfill. Unless otherwise specified, the category is fulfilled within the actual story. for instance, if you are claiming the book for December and want to use "Christmas" as the category, then Christmas figure in some in the plot. Did someone poison the plum pudding? Did Great-Uncle Whozit invite all the family home for Christmas so he could tell them he plans to change his will?

• The "wild card" book is exactly that. If July is your birth month (as mine is), then for category #9 you may read any mystery book you want. It does not have to connect with July in any way--other than a July baby chose it. The other eleven months, you must do the alternate category #9 if you want to fulfill that slot.

• Chinese Zodiac: Animal must be important to the book in some way. Examples: animal name appears in title (stand-alone, not part of another word); animal itself is important to the story; animal appears on cover; important character is associated with the animal (nickname--for instance, owns one as a pet, etc.) OR book may have been published in a year that corresponds to the Zodiac year.

• Books may only count for one month and one category, but they may count for other challenges (such as my Vintage Scavenger Hunt Challenge). If it could fulfill more than one category or month, then you are welcome to change it at any time prior to the final wrap-up.

• Books do not have to be read during the month for which they qualify. So--if you're feeling like a little "Christmas in July" (or May or...), then feel free to read your book for December whenever the mood strikes.

• A wrap-up post/comment/email will be requested that should include a list of books read and what category they fulfilled. [Example: January: The House of Sudden Sleep by John Hawk (original pub date January 1930)]

• The headquarters link in the left-hand sidebar of the My Reader's Block blog will be updated in January for 2025 for easy access to this original challenge post, monthly review link-ups, and the final wrap-up. The final wrap-up link will not go live until the end of 2025, so please save your notification until that time.

• If you post on Facebook, Instagram, or other social media to log a book, please use #CalendarOfCrime2025.

2025 Key Word Reading Challenge

 

Kim and Tanya at the Chapter Adventure blog are once again hosting the Key Word Reading Challenge. It is one of my favorite challenges so I will be rejoining the challenge in 2025.

The challenge Rules are simple: 

1) Read a book each month with one (or more) of the key words in the title. Variations of key words are allow. For example: Drown, Drowning, Drowned are all okay for the key word ‘drown’.

2) Follow @chapter_adventure on Instagram and Threads if you’re on there. And/or join our Goodreads Group (GXO Reading Challenges). The challenge has also been added to Storygraph if you prefer to track your progress there! Post about your read for that month on our monthly check-in post here or at any of the platforms previously mentioned with the hashtag #keywordreadingchallenge⁠.

3) The challenge runs the calendar year.

4) Link your book reviews on the Chapter Adventure site.

The 2025 key words are below:

JAN– Storm, Time, Know, Return, Break, Hour, Twist, Silence

FEB– Art, Golden, Dream, First, Club, Went, Stay, Live

MAR– Deep, Clever, Sand, Little, Happy, Date, Guest, Over

APR– Rest, Days, Upstairs, Sing, Shell, Starlight, Life, Couple

MAY– Lost, City, Wind, Hide, Lie, Fan, Room, Clear

JUN– Great, Wander, Child, Mine, Book, Watch, Heart, Save 

JUL– Sunrise, Deepen, Story, Sweet, Resort, Good, Left, Ever

AUG– Side, World, Sound, Trial, Word, Hotel, Now, Say⁠

SEP– Borrow, Survive, Listen, Where, Sleeping, Crash, Please, Count

OCT– Bury, Ghost, Chain, Glass, Moon, Last, One, Street

NOV– Tale, Final, Feast, Bloom, Cliff, Wide, Memory, Always

DEC– Fable, Flirt, Truly, Shop, Winter, Yours, Warm, Love

She's Running on Fumes

She's Running on Fumes is a 2024 Comixology Original comic book. The book I read contained all 6 releases of the comic. The story takes place in Deepwater, Missouri in 1984. Note that this is a book for adults only as there is a ton of foul language, violence and dialogue about sex.

The publisher's summary is short:

When I was 3-years-old, my mother started a chop shop with a junkyarder named Corn Dog. My criminal father’s brain was damaged in a wreck that almost killed him. With hospital bills piling, us kids to feed and fifty-thousand dollars of biker cocaine gone missing, grand theft auto was Mom’s best shot at survival.

While the comic has an extensive plot that is well-written, I did not like how the characters spoke to each other. They were rude and crude with each other which created a stressful atmosphere. While I am aware that there is a segment of society that behaves this way, I wouldn't want to socialize with this group. That said, the author wrote a realistic portrait of this particular fringe group of hoodlums. The narrator was the son of Jody and Jeanne. Jody is the character whose brain was damaged in a car wreck. I feel that Jeanne should have left Jody long before she ended up with two rowdy kids. She is stuck accepting lousy, small paying jobs for the foreseeable future. I would have never put myself in this situation. 

The story was inspired by the author’s family history. Dennis Hopeless stated in an online interview with IGN:

“When I was 3-years-old my mother started a chop shop with a half-wit junkyarder named Corn Dog,” said Hopeless in a statement. “Dad was the criminal. Mom had never broken a law in her life, but with him brain-damaged, fifty-thousand dollars of cocaine gone missing and hospital bills piling up, grand theft auto was our only hope.”

Hopeless continued, “She’s Running on Fumes is based on the true story of how my mom lied, cheated and stole her way through dad’s tire fire and the freedom she found out the other side. The story is based on family stories and my father’s near-fatal accident from when I was a toddler. As I grew older, details were added that made it clear my father was a criminal and many of the events of my childhood were driven by his criminal dealings. The seeds of the idea came from asking my mother about these old stories as an adult and getting the real dirt.”

The illustrations were drawn by Tyler Jenkins with watercolor art painted by Hilary Jenkins. The letters were written by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.  The drawings looked sketchy to me but I believe that they matched the type of story that was told. 

4 out of 5 stars.

The Fox Maidens

Robin Ha, author of Almost American Girl, is one of my favorite graphic novelists. Her 2024 graphic novel, The Fox Maidens, is based on a famous character from Korean mythology, Gumiho. The story takes place 400 years ago in Korea during the reign of the Joseon Dynasty and it was a fun read.

The publisher's summary:

Kai Song dreams of being a warrior. She wants to follow in the footsteps of her beloved father, the commander of the Royal Legion. But while her father believes in Kai and trains her in martial arts, their society isn’t ready for a girl warrior.

Still, Kai is determined. But she is plagued by rumors that she is the granddaughter of Gumiho, the infamous nine-tailed fox demon who was killed by her father years before.

Everything comes crashing down the day Kai learns the deadly secret about her mother’s past. Now she must come to terms with the truth about her identity and take her destiny into her own hands. As Kai desperately searches for a way to escape her fate, she comes to find compassion, and even love, in the most unexpected places.

Set in sixteenth-century Korea and richly infused with Korean folklore, The Fox Maidens is a timeless and powerful story about fighting for your place in the world, even when it seems impossible.

First of all, I cannot be more excited about a comic's illustration than with The Fox Maidens. The color palette is gorgeous. Most of the comic book strips are drawn and colored with cool tones of every color but with a splash of bright colors such as red. It's very appealing.

Concerning the writing, it is fast paced with compelling characters and an action packed plot. Kai is the main character. She is presented as a feminist by her desire to fight alongside the men in her village. She is fearful of marrying and having children and hopes that her parents won't force her into marriage. At the end of the story we see her love for another female character. Kai's mother, Meorhu, is a physically fragile woman with a surprising past as a fox maiden. She hopes that her daughter will be able to escape the same fate. Then there is Gumiho. Gumiho is the deadly fox spirit who destroys the lives of all the others with her magic. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this story but must say that the first half was more exciting. During this part of the story we read about Kai as a human being. Her life in the village depicted the type of life a girl in Joseon Korea would live. In the second half she becomes a fox and here we really see the fantasy aspect of the story. The author’s note at the end explains her inspiration for writing this graphic novel. I found it as fascinating as the story itself.

4 out of 5 stars.

The Woman in Cabin 10

The Woman in Cabin 10 is my selection for October's Clock Reading Challenge entry. Yes, I am late reading and reviewing this one but I was traveling in Japan last month. The story is advertised as a gripping psychological thriller but I beg to differ.

The publisher's summary:

In this tightly wound, enthralling story reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s works, Lo Blacklock, a journalist who writes for a travel magazine, has just been given the assignment of a lifetime: a week on a luxury cruise with only a handful of cabins. The sky is clear, the waters calm, and the veneered, select guests jovial as the exclusive cruise ship, the Aurora, begins her voyage in the picturesque North Sea. At first, Lo’s stay is nothing but pleasant: the cabins are plush, the dinner parties are sparkling, and the guests are elegant. But as the week wears on, frigid winds whip the deck, gray skies fall, and Lo witnesses what she can only describe as a dark and terrifying nightmare: a woman being thrown overboard. The problem? All passengers remain accounted for—and so, the ship sails on as if nothing has happened, despite Lo’s desperate attempts to convey that something (or someone) has gone terribly, terribly wrong…

I really hated to feel I had to read the book in its entirety. The pace of the story was slow. If I remember correctly this author writes atmospheric mysteries. In this mystery sub-genre,  action takes second place to atmosphere. It definitely shows in this novel. I can see how it could be a nice psychological thriller if the pace was faster but gripping?  I don't think so. 

The main character, Lo, was too wretched to be able to conduct any investigation. She couldn't think straight because of lack of sleep and she was constantly drinking an alcoholic beverage. Experience tells me that there is no such thing as a lovable drunk so I could not like the protagonist. When a reader does not like the protagonist, it bodes a death knell for the book.

Sorry Ruth Ware. I just did not like this novel and cannot give it any rating.

The Last One at the Wedding

The Last One at the Wedding was my choice for the Calendar of Crime Reading Challenge last month. Due to my trip to Japan, I just got around to reading it this week. The book was published on October 8, 2024 and is a suspense novel about a father trying to save his daughter from a life-altering decision that will put everything he loves on the line.

The publisher's summary:

Frank Szatowski is shocked when his daughter, Maggie, calls him for the first time in three years. He was convinced that their estrangement would become permanent. He’s even more surprised when she invites him to her upcoming wedding in New Hampshire. Frank is ecstatic, and determined to finally make things right.

He arrives to find that the wedding is at a private estate—very secluded, very luxurious, very much out of his league. It seems that Maggie failed to mention that she’s marrying Aidan Gardner, the son of a famous tech billionaire. Feeling desperately out of place, Frank focuses on reconnecting with Maggie and getting to know her new family. But it’s difficult: Aidan is withdrawn and evasive; Maggie doesn’t seem to have time for him; and he finds that the locals are disturbingly hostile to the Gardners. Frank needs to know more about this family his daughter is marrying into, but if he pushes too hard, he could lose Maggie forever.

The title insinuates that the person who was the last guest at a wedding was the main character. This is not so. There was a character shown to be the last guest but she was a secondary character. The reason for the title is unclear to me. Perhaps I am missing something. The main characters were Frank and his daughter Maggie. Maggie did not seem realistic to me. All of the scenes that she was in were with her father Frank and she tried to avoid having any conversations with him, all while demanding that they spend time together. While that does not appear to be any different than other father/daughter relationships, Maggie had an aura of the supernatural. I am sure that the author was trying to create some suspense with Maggie's behavior but Maggie's behavior was off.

Frank, on the other hand, was an excitable person. Every time he spoke with Maggie he shared something negative, or someone, that she needed to avoid. Frank's instincts were spot on but his warnings to her were overkill. I can see people whom I know who have this trait and I try to avoid them just as Maggie avoided Frank, who was a realistic character in my mind.

The Gardner family characters all had something to hide. The mystery of the novel is slowly revealed as we read about their activities. Aiden Gardner, the groom, did not seem to want to marry Maggie and we don't know why until the end of the story. He was an odd ball character with much to hide. Aiden's father Errol is your typical billionaire. He also has a lot to hide and initially I thought that his business activities were the crux of the plot. This panned out somewhat but there is so much more about Errol than meets the eye. These two characters were the villains in the novel. Aiden's mother Catherine was also a mysterious character and I expected this mystery to be key to the plot. Once again, I was wrong but the author did a great job with her red herrings concerning the Gardners.

The setting was the Gardner's estate in Osprey Cove. The estate was hidden behind long roads that seem to go nowhere for several miles before you see the entrance. You did not even see the main house until you drove another mile inside the entrance. There was heavy security at the estate which felt odd to me. It was almost like the security that you would expect at a Middle East terrorist facility. All this security added another measure of mystery. After passing all of this security the reader sees the beautiful buildings, rolling green hills and a private lake. You expect to see perfection in the decor of the buildings and there is some of that. However, Frank's room had a lot of spiders. This dissonance created more mystery. 

All in all, this book was a fun read. I still have some questions about the title, Maggie's character and those spiders and I am still thinking about what they could mean. I am rating this  novel 4 out of 5 stars.

The Butcher Game

The Butcher Game was published in September 2024. It's the second book in a new serial killer series featuring Dr. Wren Muller as the main character. I reviewed the first book in the series, The Butcher and the Wren, here. The story has an alternating format where the reader sees the perspectives of both the serial killer and the medical examiner Dr. Wren Muller, a format I love.

The publisher's summary: 

Destruction follows the ruthless serial killer, Jeremy Rose, the Bayou Butcher, as he heads north to evade capture for his horrific crimes. As he seeks safe harbor with a former friend, he remains focused on unfinished business with forensic pathologist Dr. Wren Muller, the only target who’s ever escaped him—twice. But not this time. He’s determined to make Wren suffer, and he’s promised to make her play by his own twisted rules.

Still in shock over the harrowing encounter with her old nemesis, Wren is on forced medical leave in New Orleans, attempting to mend the deep scars of her traumatic past. But with growing evidence that Jeremy is leaving a fresh trail of mutilated victims across Massachusetts, Wren realizes the best way to heal is to renew her pursuit of this vicious killer. She sets her sights on Jeremy, only to discover that she may have walked directly into his trap. As their twisted cat-and-mouse game rachets up to a violent clash of good versus evil, Wren prepares to sacrifice everything to bring Jeremy to justice.

With intense true-to-life details from autopsy technician and Morbid podcast cohost, Alaina Urquhart, The Butcher Game is a gripping addition to the New York Times bestselling Dr. Wren Muller series.

As I mentioned above  the story is told from a dual point of view. Every other chapter alternated between Jeremy and Wren's perspective. This format is what made the book a page turner. I had to keep reading to find out what happened at the end of every chapter. Mentally I was telling myself to keep reading just one more chapter until I finished the book. 

I enjoyed reading Jeremy's backstory, how he came to be a killer. Learning what makes these people tick has always been intriguing for me. For Jeremy, his abusive mother affected him deeply. However, there is a clue that Jeremy may have been born a bad seed because his mother used to tell him from a young age that he became too obsessed with things. Can you be born with an obsessive trait? Does obsession drive serial killers?  Beats me. Wren on the other hand had a lifetime of trauma to process. In many ways she and Jeremy are similar. It was interesting that they grew up in the same community and even enjoyed each other’s company. While Wren is not a killer, she seemed more messed up than Jeremy. Even with all the information on Jeremy's backstory, we are not told how his personality split into making him a killer. We read more about Wren's traumatic past and how it made her what she is today.

Wren is a medical examiner. As such I was expecting to receive clues from the autopsies performed on the victims. There weren't any. All of the forensic information came from the scene of the crime. Basically, this amounted to Jeremy's calling cards. He always removed an organ from his victims and stabbed them in a particular manner. The descriptions were graphic. It would have been nice to read what these calling cards revealed about Jeremy and how the police used, or could have used, this information to find him. The information was not part of the reveal so I believe the author made a mistake in not pursuing this avenue.

All in all the book was a great read. It was a little dark in several places but I found it easy to overlook. 4 out of 5 stars.

Agony in Amethyst

Agony in Amethyst is the 5th book in the Harriet Gordon historical cozy mystery series. The series takes place in Singapore during the 1910s. It was a fantastic finale to the series and was published last month on October 28, 2024.

The publisher's summary:

Harriet Gordon, newly settled in her new role as a teacher at a girls' school in Singapore, faces uncertainty in her budding relationship with Robert Curran, who has just returned from months in Kuala Lumpur. Curran's expected promotion turns sour when the position is given to an old adversary from his Scotland Yard days.

The arrival of the Colonial foreign secretary, Sir Henry Cunningham, revives memories of one of Curran's unresolved cases. The death of a schoolgirl at a lavish ball, hosted by the Governor in honour of the visitor, brings Curran into direct conflict with his new superior officer. When he confides his suspicions to Harriet, she inadvertently betrays his trust, threatening his already shaky career.

With their relationship on the brink of irreparable damage, a second death changes the course of the investigation. Can Harriet and Curran bring justice to a grieving family and emerge from this ordeal with their connection intact?

I loved this novel! The past of the new foreign secretary Sir Henry Cunningham is the basis for the three deaths that occur in the story.  The first death is the murder of sixteen-year-old Amelia Hardcastle while at a ball celebrating the coronation of King George and the arrival of the Cunninghams. Amelia was thrown off of a balcony while wearing a beautiful amethyst colored dress and it was initially thought to be either a suicide or an accident. However, the position of the body doesn't show suicide. Her autopsy shows injuries to her head which happened before she fell.

Sir Henry dies in his sleep a few days later. Again, the position of his body shows he probably was killed and poison becomes the leading reason for his death. The powers that be would like these deaths to be swept under the rug but Curran will not let that happen. Then Lady Cunningham's maid is killed, further intensifying Curran's investigation.

There’s also a secondary plot that involves the search for some jewel thieves that will be fraught with personal danger for Robert Curran which is a given in the series. Curran always gets injured at least once in each book in the series. The personal relationship between Harriet and Curran has been developed over the course of 5 books and reaches new heights in Agony in Amethyst. I don't want to be a spoiler but the author gives us a very satisfactory finish for these characters.

The writing is superb as usual. You have to think hard about the evidence as it is presented and wonder how the clues come together. The perpetrators are not obvious until the end of the book, mainly because there are alot of villains to choose from. Through Curran we get to see a thorough police investigation.  There are several intriguing twists to weigh in determining the whodunnit, which I was unable to figure out. 

I am sad that the author has no plans to continue this series. She made this same statement after book number 3 but we are lucky to have received books 4 and 5. She did not say that we have seen the last of the Harriet and Curran characters though. Perhaps we will see them again in the future. The author has left that possibility open. 

5 out of 5 stars.

Pike Island

Pike Island is a political mystery set in Washington DC and Minnesota. It is about a young rising congressman from Minnesota whose shadowy past threatens to end his career and his future shot at the presidency. It was published on November 1, 2024.

The publisher's summary:  

Andrew Harrison “Harry” Leonard is destined for politics. Getting his start on the Rochester City Council, he quickly rose to become the youngest representative in Congress. Now the up-and-comer from Minnesota is on the brink of something big. If all goes well, he’ll be in perfect position to aim for the presidency.

Then a postcard arrives, blank except for the name on the address: Andy Leonard. Harry hasn’t used that name since high school. Krista Walsh, Harry’s chief of staff, recognizes his old moniker, and when he dodges questions about it, she wonders what he’s trying to hide. She soon discovers the lake pictured on the postcard holds secrets too.

Krista’s investigation into Harry’s past uncovers the truth of what happened one fateful teenage summer. But as disturbing details come to light, how far will Krista go to keep Harry’s career—and her own—headed to the top?

This story is told in an alternating format with one plot dated back 20 years ago and the other in the current time period. I must admit the subplot from 20 years ago was more interesting than the present where Congressman Leonard and his staff set about covering up something he was involved in after high school graduation. Shortly after their high school graduation Harry Leonard and his three best friends went on a weeklong vacation to friend Jake Nelson's family lake house on Cedar Lake. Along with Harry, known as Andy at the time, and Jake were Ryan and Seth. This foursome had no real plans for the week other than drinking, boating and sunning. Their curiosity got the better of them when they decided to sail to Pike Island which had been uninhabited during its entire history.

Jake tells his buddies about an old abandoned mansion on the island that had been built by a wealthy man who died before he could move in. The mystery surrounding the home included lore about furniture being delivered there as well as clothing in the closets. One room had several pairs of children's shoes neatly lined up. However, the owner had never married or had kids. The teens' immaturity and drunkeness sent them to the island but they were stopped by a MN Department of Natural Resources cop who questioned them. Officer Schroeder let them go with a warning not to encroach on the island. However, they did just that and regretted it later.  

It seemed like Andy was the main character in the early plot but I feel that it was Jake. The mystery surrounding the island is revealed by him and he was in control of the vacation because the teens were lodging at his family's home. Also, his character brought us the mystery surrounding the hate mail Andy's Congressional office was receiving. Jake is furious with Andy over what Andy did on that island. Andy's actions are the basis of both subplots and it was a riveting tale that kept me reading the story.

Seth and Ryan don't play much of a role in the plot. Jake, Andy and Andy/Harry's chief of staff Krista are the prominent characters that pushed the story forward. The mystery of what happened on the island is slowly revealed by Krista’s investigation into her boss. She did some internet and library research as well as interviewing the other three teens, now adults. Her reaction to what she discovered is classic Washington. I liked her much more at the end of the book. 

I enjoyed reading this novel and am rating it 4 out of 5 stars. While the mystery was entertaining I don't feel that it is a thriller which it is advertised as being. 

An Age of Winters

An Age of Winters is a historical mystery set in Germany in 1625. The plot concerns the witch trials that occurred in Germany and the execution of those found guilty. It was published yesterday. 

The publisher's summary:

In 1625, the Franconian village of Eisbach has been plagued by disease, famine, heinous crimes, and a merciless winter. Katarin Jaspers is the maidservant to the enigmatic Reverend Zacharias Engel, appointed by Rome to cure the village of suspected diabolism and save every God-fearing soul.

Zacharias soon finds his first witch, and the public burning of a local man could spell the end of misfortune. As a sense of peace settles over the village, Katarin finds herself increasingly infatuated with Zacharias, who is a disruption to her predictable existence and a balm for her cruel past. But peace for Katarin is short-lived. Margaretha Katz—the new midwife—is seen as a rival for the reverend’s attention. Fear and recrimination reach a fever pitch when a great tragedy sets the town fully on edge.

With the walls of winter closing in around Eisbach once again, rumours flourish and villagers turn on each other. Now, no one is safe from the pyre.

The book had an interesting plot but the action was low-key. While many residents of Eisbach were accused and executed for witchcraft, there was no overriding concern to find one person responsible for the several child murders that had occurred. Everyone assumed the devil took their lives because their bodies were mutilated. We read about out one wealthy townsperson after another accused of witchcraft by those who wanted their property. Although there was no search for one villain as you would see in a typical mystery, the story kept me interested and reading even though there was no suspense ending the chapters. The historical part of the book was more prominent than the plot. Even so, I enjoyed the book despite it's dark storyline. 

4 out of 5 stars.

The Real Watergate Scandal

I have been a follower of the America's Untold Stories You Tube Channel. The channel hosts recently interviewed Geoff Shepard who wrote this book on the Watergate scandal. Shepard worked in the Nixon White House and has an intriguing viewpoint on the scandal. This book was published in 2015.

The publisher's summary:

“The system worked’—Carl Bernstein’s famous assessment of Watergate—turns out to be completely wrong. Powerful new evidence reveals that in the prosecution of the most consequential scandal in American history, virtually nothing in the justice system worked as it should.

The roles of heroes and villains in Watergate were assigned before Marine One carried Richard Nixon into exile on August 9, 1974. But Geoff Shepard’s patient and persistent research has uncovered shocking violations of ethical and legal standards by the "good guys”—including Judge John Sirica, Archibald Cox, and Leon Jaworski.

The Watergate prosecutors’ own files reveal their collusion with the federal judges who tried their cases and heard their appeals—professional misconduct so extensive that the pretense of a fair trial is now impossible to maintain.

Shepard documents that the Watergate Special Prosecution Force was an avenging army drawn from the ranks of Nixon’s most ardent partisan foes. They had the good fortune to work with judges who shared their animus or who quickly developed a taste for the media adulation showered on those who lent their power to the anti-Nixon cause.

In the end, Nixon’s fall was the result of the “smoking gun” tape recording in which he appeared to order a cover-up of the Watergate burglary. Yet in a stunning revision of the historical record, Shepard shows that that conversation, which he himself was the first to transcribe, was taken out of context and completely misunderstood—an interpretation with which Nixon’s nemesis John Dean concurs.

Crimes were committed, and an attempt was made to cover them up. But by trampling on the defendants’ right to due process, the Watergate prosecutors and judges denied the American people the assurance that justice was done and destroyed the historical reputation of an exceptionally accomplished president and administration. This book will challenge everything you think you know about the Watergate scandal.

Author Geoff Shepard believes that the Nixon resignation was a coup d'etat and that Nixon should not have had to resign the presidency. Normally I would reject such a notion as a conspiracy theory. Having lived through Watergate I believe that I know everything about it because I read many newspapers around the time that it occurred. However, since Shepard worked in the White House as a lawyer at the time of the scandal, I believe that his opinion matters. Shepard's main argument is that the judges hearing separate Watergate cases met together several times with prosecutors and colluded to bring down a president that they opposed politically. This reasoning does not ring true for me. 

Leon Jaworski and John Sirica were at the juxtaposition of the case. Leon Jaworski served as the second special prosecutor during the Watergate scandal. John Sirica,  as a D.C. District Court judge, was responsible for hearing a request by Jaworski to force Nixon to turn over evidence. Jaworski had issued a subpoena for the tapes of 64 presidential conversations to use as evidence in the criminal cases against indicted former Nixon administration officials. Sirica issued an order granting the request. Nixon refused and Jaworski followed up with an appeal to the U. S. Supreme Court and won the appeal. Nixon, with his back to the wall and having been impeached by the House of Representatives, chose to leave office.

Years later the author obtained full copies of the judicial record of each case. Inside those boxes of documents he uncovered contact between the prosecution and the Judiciary that the defendants were not aware of. It is true that if one party in a lawsuit contacts a judge, that a copy of the request to see the judge must be given to all parties and all the parties must be present together with the judge in any meeting. Also, there is alot of case law overturning convictions based on this type of due process violation. However, it happens all the time in the U. S. and usually to people no one will ever know or care about.

My question for the author is "who cares" if this happened to Nixon. Shepard acknowledges in the book that crimes were committed and that Nixon was "flawed." OK. He admits Nixon is guilty. So what if there was a technical violation of the law. It happens every day in this country and to people who are not guilty of a crime. It is hard to feel any pity for Nixon who was guilty. Not only was he guilty of several crimes but he tarnished the office of the presidency. I feel no compassion for him and reject the author’s premise that the resignation was a coup d'etat. 

Nixon resigned in order to receive a pension. If he stayed in office and was removed after a trial in the Senate, then he would lose his pension based on official misconduct. Nixon did not want to risk losing his pension. That was his decision to make. It was not forced upon him. It was not scandalous for him to choose this path and was not the "real" scandal in this matter. Therefore, I reject the author’s premise that the resignation was a scandal and a coup d'etat.

I am rating the book 3 out of 5 stars mainly because the material was not presented in chronological order. I understand what Shepard is saying because I lived through Watergate. Younger generations may not understand and will need to have the facts laid out in order.

October Reading Update

I will not be publishing any more reviews this month because I will be traveling. There are three books that will be my top priorities for November. They are selections for monthly challenges that I signed up for: the Clock Reading Challenge, the Monthly Key Word Reading and the Calendar of Crime Challenge. I will return to blogging in November.  See you soon!

Family Money

I woke up at 2 am last night and couldn't go back to sleep. I found the synopsis of Chad Zunker's Family Money on Kindle Unlimited. I loved the summary and immediately picked up a copy of it. I read the book right away. It was absolutely wonderful! 

The publisher's summary:

Alex Mahan is married to his high school sweetheart, Taylor. They have two daughters and a beautiful home, and Alex’s startup business is about to explode thanks to massive private funding from his compassionate and supportive father-in-law, Joe. With millions more to come, all is perfect—until Joe is abducted and murdered during a family trip in Mexico.

Alex’s world is about to be turned upside down. He can’t bear to tell his grieving wife why. The man they’ve both idolized has been keeping secrets. The pledged millions are nowhere to be found. The source of the original investment is a mystery, even to Joe’s financial adviser. No one, it seems, has any idea who the man they knew, loved, and trusted really was.

As Alex digs deeper into Joe’s shadowy life, the most shocking surprises are yet to come. Deadly ones, too, because every lie that Alex uncovers in Joe’s dark past puts his family in more danger.

There was so much suspense in the first chapter that I was completely hooked. This story was so, so good. Every chapter ended with a cliffhanger that kept me reading. The characters were realistic and I loved all of them, except for the two "adorable" screaming kids. Alex's thought process on how to protect his family was believable but I knew that some of his decisions would not turn out well. I could almost hear violins playing in the background as there is a Twilight Zone feel to the story. Taylor was a dull character. Her father Joe on the other hand was uber pleasant. He was such a lovely man that it was hard to believe later on in the story that he had secrets. Joe did not seem to be that kind of guy. He was solid. As Alex kept researching Joe's life he found puzzling facts and that ratcheted up the suspense a notch or two. The ending was shocking as I expected it would be given the plot. 

This is an amazing thriller. Readers of all genres will love this novel. 5 out of stars.

Art Club

Art Club Dare to Create was published on February 6, 2024. The story was inspired by the author’s own childhood and paints a picture of an aspiring young artist on a mission to prove that the arts are worth fighting for. The book was written with 8 - 12 year olds in mind and it is a graphic novel.

The publisher's summary:

Dale Donavan has heard the same lecture over and over again: Art will get you nowhere in life. A kid with a creative streak, Dale wants nothing more than to doodle, play video games, and create comics forever—maybe even as a full-time job one day. But between his grandfather pushing him to focus on his studies and a school with zero interest in funding arts programs, Dale feels like his future has already been decided for him. 

That is, until he comes up with the perfect plan: What if he starts an after-school art club, gathers a team of creative students like himself, and proves all the naysayers—his stubborn vice principal in particular—wrong? This might just work, but if the club isn’t financially successful by the end of the semester, the school with shut them down. This may be Dale’s only chance to show the adults in his life that a career as an artist is not just a dream but a possibility! 

The club doesn't get going until the halfway point in the story. The first half sets up the reason it was created as well as all of the obstacles that were put in the kids' way. The main obstacle is Mr. Ruffins, the school vice principal. He tasked the students with researching and writing a paper on a well paying career they are interested in. He hopes students will pursue math or science. Dale only likes reading comics so he takes a risk in writing his paper on the cartoonist field. This backfires on Dale but he convinces another teacher to sponsor an art club to show Ruffins that it can be profitable. If the club fails, Dale will flunk his class. 

The book teaches that there are many choices a student has to make before pursuing an art career. Dale is interested in becoming a comic book creator who does his own illustrations. Other students in the club like creating video games, drawing and fundraising. Their sponsor, Miss Jen'ae, begins with teaching the club members about different types of art and even takes them on field trips to art shows and comic conventions. Dale ultimately hopes that his school will resume teaching art classes.

Of course, there is a happy ending. Art Club is a fun read and is an ideal reading choice for a youngster interested in art. 5 out of 5 stars.

Saving Sunshine

Saving Sunshine is a graphic novel about Muslim American siblings who must learn how to stop fighting and support each other in a world that is often unkind to them. They are always being teased for having a funny sounding name or wearing a hijab. It was published in 2023 and won several awards including a Kirkus Best Book of the year and the New York Public Library Best Book for Kids for the year.

Zara and Zeeshan Aziz are twins who really can't stand each other. During a family trip to Florida where their mother received an award for best pediatrician of the year, their bickering, shoving, and insults reached new heights of chaos. As punishment, their parents sentenced them to the worst possible fate: confiscation of their cell phones and each other’s company! They are instructed to always stay together while their parents attend a medical conference. They are depressed beyond belief. Zeeshan loves to watch NASA videos on his phone while Zara takes photos of animals for her animal rescue group. However, when the twins find an ailing turtle whom Zara named Sunshine, it presents a rare opportunity for teamwork if, of course, the two can put their differences aside.

The book was written for kids aged 8 - 12. It's a sweet story with gorgeous watercolor drawings in muted tones. The Aziz family has to deal with alot of Islamophobia. The parents were born in Pakistan but emigrated to the U. S. as adults. The twins were born in New York but their classmates didn't accept them as true Americans. Mrs. Aziz wears a hijab and always encounters alot of stares and rude comments.

There were many facts about animals and outer space interspersed throughout the story which I enjoyed. It's always nice to learn something from a book. The book is a fast read and I recommend it for adults as well as kids of any age.

5 out of 5 stars.