Wrap-Up of the 2023 Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge

One year ago when I signed up for this challenge I agreed to read between 26 and 35 books.  The was the Inspector Level of participation.  I more than met the challenge by reading 61 books!  A few of these were historical mysteries and were also counted for that genre. Below are links to my book reviews:

Date Night by Samantha Hayes

Dead Fall by Brad Thor

The Way of the Wicked by Ellery Adams

The Path of the Crooked by Ellery Adams

Ashes to Ashes Crust to Crust by Mindy Quigley

Good Friday by Lynda Laplante

The Magdalene Reliquary by Gary McAvoy

The Papal Assassin by S. J. Martin

Whisper in the Night by D. K. Hood

Night Shift by Robin Cook

The Blue Bar by Dominate Biswas

Murder in Plain Sight by Marta Perry

Vanish in Plain Sight by Marta Perry

Terror in Topaz by A. M. Stuart

Murder in the Park by Jeanne Dams

Murder on the Beach by Dianne Harman

Death on the Danube by Jennifer Anderson

Girl Forgotten by Karin Slaughter

The Sterling Affair by Nathan Dylan Goodwin

The Avignon Affair by Gary McAvoy

Hide by Tracy Clark

The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes

A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch

Someone Else's Life by Lyn Liao Butler

Five Steps Beyond by Luana Ehrlich

The Last Kingdom by Steve Berry

Sea of Greed by Clive Cussler

Honey Drop Dead by Laura Childs

Tides of Fire by James Rollins

The Lemon Curd Killer by Laura Childs

Key Lime Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke

The Shallows by Holly Craig

The Jerusalem Scrolls by Gary McAvoy

Bulletproof Barista by Cleo Coyle

The Magdalene Veil by Gary McAvoy

Six Feet Deep Dish by Mindy Quigley

Red Queen by Juan Gomez Jurado

Murder Under a Red Moon by Harini Nagendra

His Fatal Legacy by Heather Atkinson

Evil at Alardyce House by Heather Atkinson

Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bake-Off by Darci Hannah

Stolen in the Night by Patricia McDonald

The Cursed Heir by Heather Atkinson

Follow You Home by Mark Edwards

Six Sweets Under by Sarah Fox

Blood Oranges by J. M. Cannon

Fourth of July Forgery by Tonya Kappes

Final Call by Alex Lake

Poison by Charlot King

The Infadel Stain by M. J. Carter

Black River by Matthew Spencer

The Yellow Rambutan Tree Mystery by Ovidia Yu

A Polluted Font by Mel Starr

The Spectacular by Fiona Davis

The Collector by Dan Silva

Party on Laurel Street by Ruth Heald

An Evil Heart by Linda Castillo

Thanksgiving Treachery by Tanya Kappes

DNA Never Lies by Sue George

The Strangler Vine by M. J. Carter

The Magdalene Deception by Gary McAvoy

Favorite Book:  Weyward

Second Favorite Book:  Blood Oranges

Least Favorite Book:  Key Lime Pie Murder

Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bakeoff

Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bake-Off is my final selection for the Calendar of Crime Challenge. It is a lovely cozy mystery with recipes in the back of the book.  It the 2nd of 5 books in the author's Beacon Bakeshop Mystery Series.

The publisher's summary:  

Tucked away inside an old lighthouse in Beacon Harbor, Michigan, bakeshop café owner Lindsey Bakewellis ready to make her first Christmas in town shine bright. But her merry plans crumble fast when murder appears under the mistletoe. 

With the spirit of the holidays wafting through the Beacon Bakeshop, Lindsey thinks she has the recipe for the sweetest Christmas ever—winning the town-wide cookie bake-off. Unfortunately, striving for a picture-perfect December in Beacon Harbor is a lot like biting into stale shortbread. Low on staff and bombarded by visits from family, Lindsey can barely meet demands at work, let alone summon the confidence to face fierce competition . . .

 

Self-appointed Christmas know-it-all Felicity Stewart is determined to take the top spot in the bake‑off, and she’s not afraid to dump a little coal in everyone’s stocking to do it. Just as the competition heats up, everything falls apart when the judge is found dead—and covered in crumbs from Lindsey’s signature cookie!

 

Solving a murder was never on Lindsey’s wish list. But with her reputation on the line during the happiest time of the year, she’ll need to bring her best talents to the table in order to sift out the true Christmas Cookie culprit.

I loved this story. It has everything you want in a Christmas cozy mystery. There are engaging characters, a wintery but cozy setting,  and the smell of freshly baked pastries on every page. When. Lindsay rose at 3:00 a.m. each morning to begin mixing her doughs, I felt like I was there with her.  As a baker myself, I could easily see in my mind her sweet roll dough recipe as well as her cinnamon rolls and caramel pecan rolls.  She baked and fried the doughs before making a variety of danish pastries all hours before her bakery opened for the day.  

The characters were believable. Of course, Lindsay is a great character but the villain seemed all too real to me also.  Felicity, owner of a year-round Christmas shop, is the epitome of every jealous woman I have had to "compete" against when bringing treats to work.  She will sabotage the efforts of other bakers in order to always be first at everything.  A few years ago a co-worker threw my cookies in the garbage because no one was eating hers so I definitely feel Lindsay's pain.  The celebrity judge, Chef Chevy Chambers, is another villain in the story.   His character provides many of the twists and turns because he not only is having an affair with several contestants but he also put a few of them out of business with his scathing newspaper reviews of their restaurants.  When he ends up murdered, there are several possible whodunnits. The howdunnit should be obvious.  It's a rolling pin.

Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bake-Off is simply the best Christmas cozy that I have ever read.  Check it out.  5 out of 5 stars.

Girl Forgotten

Girl, Forgotten is one heck of a page turner.  I read it in one sitting and it kept me up into the early hours this morning until I finished reading it. The story is told in alternating time periods. During the present time, new U. S. Marshal Andrea Oliver arrived in Longbill Beach, Maryland on her first assignment: to protect a judge receiving death threats. In reality, Andrea is there to find justice for Emily Vaughn. Emily is the Judge's daughter who was murdered forty years ago. The killer is still out there and it could be Andrea's biological father. No one knows that part of Andrea's history though. A few  years after Emily’s murder, Andrea's mother agreed to go into protective custody because she feared her ex-husband. Her unborn daughter, Andrea, has had to live this way her entire life.

The initial plot takes place in Longbill Beach in 1982. Emily Vaughn gets ready for the prom. For an athlete, who is smart, pretty and well-liked, this night should be the highlight of her high school career.  However, Emily has been ostracised by her former friends and expelled from high school due to her pregnancy, but she refuses to just disappear. Her only emotional support is her grandmother who unfortunately suffers from dementia. Emily has a secret though and by the end of the evening, that secret will be silenced forever. The present day plot takes place forty years later. Emily’s murder remains a mystery. Her tight-knit group of friends closed ranks. Her respected, wealthy family retreated inwards and the small town moved on from her grisly attack. Andrea needed to be able to bring closure to Emily’s family and finally get Emily’s so-called friends to talk about that night.

I LOVED this book. Girl, Forgotten the first book of Karin Slaughter's that I have read and I will definitely read more from her in the coming months.  The two subplots were told in alternating chapters and each of those chapters ended with a bang. The twists were unique and kept coming.

The characters were quite interesting. Andrea's sidekick, Leonard "Catfish" Bible, is funny guy who was always spouting amusing sayings every time he opened his mouth.  With many years of experience as a Marshal, he gives the plot alot of twists by knowing exactly what should be done in order to advance their investigation. Emily’s friends continued to stick together even though they now hated each other. Something awful seemed to have happened the night of that 1982 party that had to be covered up. They all had toxic personalities and as these personality traits were exposed in the present day plot, it revealed what they were really like all along. One of Emily’s teachers, Dean Wexler, was a sympathetic character in the 1982 plot. However, he became a cult leader later in life and was abusive to everyone in Landbill.

Girl, Forgotten is a fantastic read and I highly recommend it. 5 out of 5 stars.

Bulletproof Barista

Cleo Coyle's Coffeehouse Mystery Series is my favorite cozy mystery series. I have read every book in the series and only have high accolades for each book. Bulletproof Barista , though, was not my favorite installment in the series. The authors have managed to maintain a quality level in their writing over the years but in this 20th novel they faltered.  

Clare Cosi is the main character.  She is the manager of the Village Blend coffeehouse.  She agrees to shut down her business for a week for comedian Jerry Sullivan who is starring in a film that is being shot at the coffee shop.  When the film crew’s location shoot delivers an actual shooting, Clare Cosi finds herself once again at the scene of a true crime.  Only Murders in Gotham, the smash-hit streaming program, is famous for filming in authentic New York locations and using real New Yorkers as extras. For its second season, they’ve chosen to spotlight the century-old Village Blend and its quirky crew of baristas. Clare Cosi is beyond thrilled, especially when her superb bulletproof coffee lands her a craft services contract for the production.

Let me begin my review by saying that I was in a bad mood when I began reading this novel.  I thought it would uplift me.  There was something different about how it started out but I continued reading waiting for someone to get killed.  It didn't happen until over 200 pages into the story. Usually, the murder happens in the first chapter.  I remembered hearing the name of the person who died, Billy Saddler,  but he was not central to the story thus far.  I went back to the beginning searching for his name and did not it until page 99.  There was something else that bothered me while I was reading.  One of the characters, Tina Bird, was referred to over 10 times as "cockadoodledoo."  Again, I went back to the beginning trying to figure out why she gained this description.  It turns out that one of Clare's baristas, Tucker, referred to Bird this way.  When Clare didn't understand why Tucker said this, he said that she should remember the phrase that Kathy Bates used in her 1990 movie Misery.  While I had seen this movie several times I did not remember the phrase.  I then went to Google and found several You Tube videos where her character  described a vehicle as a "cockadoodie car."  She even referred to another character as a "cockadoodie."  With my facts straight about the plot, I returned to reading but promising myself to watch the Misery movie again soon.

The Forward to the story talks about a movie being filmed near the authors' home in New York City.  They decided to write this installment of the series based on a movie being filmed at Clare's Village Blend.  I believe that this was a mistake.  The plot was not anywhere near as exciting as the authors tried to make their mystery fit into a predesigned idea of what the plot should be.  This affected their creativity.  There were a lot of cliches used in the writing, which I have never seen before, and Clare's investigation was more about who was sabotaging Jerry Sullivan's TV show than solving a murder. The person who was shot in the beginning of the book survived. 

If you have never read a book in this series, do not start with Bulletproof Barista.  All of the earlier books were riveting and Bulletproof Barista is an anomaly in the series.  I recommend, though, that you read this series.  It has been enjoyable for me. When I finished this book I was planning on giving it a 4 star rating.  However, as I was writing this review I realized all of the problems that I had with it. Consequently, I am rating it 2 stars.  It was not up to par with the earlier ones.

The Yellow Rambutan Tree Mystery

The Yellow Rambutan Tree Mystery was published this past June.  It is author Ovidia Yu's 4th Su Lin Series novel but the first book of hers that I have read. I must say I was pleasantly surprised with the story. 

The publisher's summary:

The War may be over but Su Lin's troubles are returning - along with the British - to Singapore...

When two of Uncle Chen's associates come visiting Chen Mansion on the third day of Chinese New Year - an unlucky date in the Chinese calendar - Su Lin doesn't let them in. Not just because of the taboo, but because her uncle has been unwell. But the bad luck has clearly followed them as one of them is soon discovered outside the house, dead, with a strip of dried yellow rambutan peel in his mouth. And the other associate has gone missing.

Could this have anything to do with the recent British ban on opium consumption? Singapore is only just adjusting to the return of British rule and the authorities suspect the dead man was killed for threatening to expose the Chens for processing and distributing the drug. And as Su Lin adjusts to the return of Le Froy to Singapore, being Parshanti's bridesmaid and figuring out why scraps of yellow rambutan peel keep showing up around the mansion, she is forced to think about whether she has a future in the Chen family - and in the new, post-Second World War Singapore.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the Singaporean culture. I picked up most of it from the dialogue between the characters and there was alot of it. However, as a mystery novel the story fell short. There were large gaps in the investigation to make space for wedding preparations for Su Lin's girlfriend Parshanti as well as their interactions with other characters. I feel that the murder investigation should have never stopped once the body was found. The book shined more as historical fiction than as the historical mystery it is advertised to be. Perhaps something was lost in the translation.

The series' protagonist, twenty-six year old Su Lin, is a great character. She lives with her grandmother, uncle, aunt and niece. On the third day of the Chinese New Year, she finds that an old associate of her uncle is at the door. She refused admittance to the house because Lin's uncle was too ill to meet anyone.  The associate was subsequently murdered after leaving Su Lin's home.  In his pocket were some yellow rambutan skins. I thought these skins were an awesome clue.  Having never heard of them before, I headed to Wikipedia for more information.

I have mixed feelings about the book. The setting was exquisite but the murder investigation seemed secondary to the setting. I am rating it 3 out of 5 stars.

Thanksgiving Treachery

Tonya Kappes' Thanksgiving Treachery is her 7th holiday cozy mystery. It was published earlier this month on November 2, 2023.  The story takes place in the quaint town of Holiday Junction, where traditions run deep and festivities are the heart of the community.  When the prominent Harden family is struck by tragedy, everyone becomes a suspect. It’s up to journalist, Violet Rhinehammer of the Junction Journal, to unearth the truths buried beneath layers of deception and old grudges.  As Violet delves deeper, she discovers secrets that entwine the art district with the village in ways she never imagined.  As Holiday Junction gears up for its Friendsgiving festivities, one question lingers—can the town’s cherished unity withstand the weight of treachery?

It took me a few pages to become interested in the story.  After two murders had taken place I was excited about the prospect of a serial killer being on the loose.  However, I was disappointed with the investigation of the murders.  The police did not do any investigation at all.  It was 100% investigated by Violet under her responsibilities as a journalist.  Her interviews with the many characters in the story was the investigation. Violet advised the police when she made discoveries but in the end, there was no arrest.  The reveal of the whodunnit in the last chapter was satisfying but did not make up for the problems of having too many characters to keep track of and corny place names and character names that I found annoying.

1 out of 5 stars.

The Infadel Stain

I selected The Infadel Stain for the Color Coded Reading Challenge as something that denotes a color. When I spill food on my clothes it definitely changes its color so I thought this would fit the category. The book is a part of a new series by Miranda Carter. In this installment of the series, Blake and Avery investigate a serial killer who is stalking the streets of London.

The publisher's summary:  

London, 1841. Returned from their adventures in India, Jeremiah Blake and William Avery have both had their difficulties adapting to life in Victorian England. Moreover, time and distance have weakened the close bond between them, forged in the jungles of India. Then a shocking series of murders in the world of London’s gutter press forces them back together.

The police seem mysteriously unwilling to investigate, then connections emerge between the murdered men and the growing and unpredictable movement demanding the right to vote for all. In the back streets of Drury Lane, among criminals, whores, pornographers, and missionaries, Blake and Avery must race against time to find the culprit before he kills again.

But what if the murderer is being protected by some of the highest powers in the land?

I preferred the India setting in the first book to the wet and gray London we have in this book. India is exotic but London is rather dull. The investigation into the whodunnit seemed less interesting because the India setting gave me more options for villains and red herrings.  Moving the characters out of India was a mistake in my mind.

The setting change also affected Blake and Avery's relationship and their ability to resolve clues.  While they were in India, Avery needed Blake’s fluency in multiple languages and his extensive knowledge of the cultures. In London, Blake seems to have fewer investigative tools. 

This installment of the series was a miss for me and I will not be reading the series any further. 2 out of 5 stars.

Black River

I have never read any books written by Matthew Spencer and, in fact, never heard of him.  While I was searching for a book with the word "black" in the title for the Color Coded Reading Challenge I found Black River.  It is a serial killer story that takes place in Australia.  Black River is the first book in a duology and it is the author's debut novel.

During a stifling summer in Sydney, the body of a chaplain’s daughter is found wrapped in black plastic on the deserted grounds of an elite boarding school. Eager to find the so-called Blue Moon Killer before he strikes again, Detective Sergeant Rose Riley forms an uneasy alliance with Adam Bowman, a journalist with a valuable, and unsettling, link to the school’s history. As Riley’s investigation takes her deep into the secret lives of Sydney’s prominent citizens, Bowman delves into the darkest places of his own childhood for answers.

I did not care for this book at all. There were too much setting and character descriptions. Also, I did not understand the Australian slang. Riley was always taking panadol and after seeing the word 4 times I went to Wikipedia to find out what it was. It's Tylenol. The book is advertised as "dark, gritty, tense and atmospheric."  I see the dark part but not the tension. It was boring.

I am sad to have to give a low rating of 1 out of 5 stars. The author spent alot of time writing the story but it just didn't suit me.

Terror in Topaz

Terror in Topaz is the 4th and final installment of Alison Stuart's Harriet Gordon Mystery Series. It is set in 1920s Singapore and features amateur sleuth Harriet Gordon. Harriet volunteers her time at brother Julian's school for boys but after her suffragette past became known, she was fired.

The publisher's summary:  

Singapore 1910: Harriet Gordon has been dismissed from the job she loved and finds herself cast adrift. When her brother receives an invitation to visit a prestigious school in Kuala Lumpur, she and Julian decide to leave Singapore behind for a few days, but their pleasant visit takes a dark turn when a visitor to the school is shot dead on the front steps of the headmaster’s bungalow.

After being suspended from the Straits Settlements Police, Inspector Robert Curran has disappeared on a personal quest to find a missing girl, but his suspension is not all it appears and he receives secretive orders to investigate the mysterious Topaz Club, which seems to be at the center of high-level corruption within the colonial government of Malaya.

The uninvestigated death of a woman with links to the Topaz Club brings Harriet and Curran together in a determination to shut down the notorious establishment for good.

But a devious criminal stands in the way and it is going to take Harriet and Curran all their resources to bring justice for the victims of the Topaz Club and in doing so, find what it is they have been looking for in each other.

I loved this series and am sad it has ended. A prequel to Singapore Sapphire was published in August 2023. Umbrella tells the story of Harriet's earlier life. It is just over 50 pages in length. 

The setting for Terror in Topaz moves from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur. Many times when a series author changes the setting, the story suffers. This did not happen here. The plot and writing are superb. It was everything I expected and more. The relationship between Harriet and Inspector Curran grew to be a romantic one. Brother Julian's felt his career was in flux and we see him pondering his options. His usual straightlaced demeanor changes to a softer one. With all of this character growth it is difficult to accept that there is nowhere for the series to continue.

The Kuala Lumpur setting did not seem much different than Singapore. It had the usual clubs and mansions where the British sat for tea on their verandas. Both places share a climate with oppressive heat and the author has shared photographs of both of them on her Pinterest page. If you want to learn more about these novels I recommend checking out the Pinterest page. 

Terror in Topaz is a relaxing read. Historical mystery fans will enjoy it. 5 out of 5 stars.

The Party on Laurel Street

I discovered author Ruth Heald last year and love her fast paced psychological thrillers. The Party on Laurel Street was published in June 2023 and I had to get a copy as soon as I heard about it. It did not disappoint. It is an unputdownable thriller with a shocking ending.

The publisher's summary:  

The party on Laurel Street was meant to be a celebration, of neighbours coming together as friends. But as I look at the shocked faces around me and the wine glass smashed on the floor, I know that our perfect community will never be the same.

I can’t stop thinking about the look on Gabbie’s face when she discovered what her husband had done. Her perfect life, shattered in an instant. She ran from the party as fast as she could but not before locking eyes with my own husband, Luke.

I try to think nothing of it. Gabbie’s probably just had enough, and Luke was being kind and concerned. She’ll be back soon…

But days later, my mind is racing. Gabbie is officially missing. And Luke was the last person to see her alive.

I try to help with the search, but deep down, I am terrified. Though not because of my husband… But because this isn’t the first time someone close to me has gone missing. Gabbie knows what happened all those years ago. And I know that if she isn’t found soon, then my secret is no longer safe.

So as I think back on all the faces at our perfect party on Laurel Street, I have to ask, is someone making me pay for what happened all those years ago? Will I be next to disappear? Or can I find Gabbie before it’s too late?

This story is one wild ride. I was hooked from the first page all the way through the end. Heald's books are always extremely fast paced and Party is no different. In fact, I would say that her stories are the fastest paced among all current authors. The possible whodunnits that I was looking at throughout the story were all wrong. The reveal of the killer was a total surprise and made for a satisfying ending. 

The setting is one street:  Laurel Street. The reader learns that it is not what it appears to be. On its face, Laurel Street is inhabited by wealthy people living in exquisite mansions. However, there is a darkness obscuring the facade. The reader feels it from the start of the story. While there is a scary wooded area surrounding the street, the houses also seem to be covered with gloom. The characters living here all have pasts that they want to hide from each other, furthering the mystery of the novel.

The Party on Laurel Street is fantastic. Mystery and thriller lovers will definitely want to read it. 5 out of 5 stars.

A Polluted Font

A Polluted Font is the 16th installment of the Chronicles of Hugh de Singleton, Surgeon series by Mel Starr.  I have read every book in the series and all of them were captivating stories. A Polluted Font is no different. I loved it!

The publisher's summary:  

When Hugh and Kate's new-born son is taken to the church to be baptized, they are astounded to find that the locked font is completely dry. The possibility of a leak is quickly ruled out, and just as Hugh is beginning to wonder if there may be a sinister explanation for the stolen holy water, Fr Robert is found lying motionless by the rood screen in a pool of blood . . .

Meanwhile, parliament has passed a poll tax, stipulating everyone above the age of 14 is to be taxed equally. Folk are soon scrambling to find the money to pay and, inevitably, unscrupulous elements in society see an opportunity to feed off people’s desperation and make some cash . . . But what connection can there possibly between this and events at Bampton?

After reading the first couple of chapters I thought maybe the plot wasn't up to par with earlier books in the series. It seemed the only crime for Hugh to solve was the theft of holy water from the baptismal font at St. Beornwald's Church.  The presumption was that the water would being used for the black arts. When Father Robert was found near death in the sanctuary, I was excited. I hoped he would die and there would be a murder to solve. That sounds mean but Father Robert survived not only the attack to his head but he survived Hugh's brain surgery. I thoroughly enjoyed how Hugh removed a blood clot under the skull as well as remove a loose bone that he was not sure where it belonged. He operated with the limited knowledge of medicine in the medieval era but also used common sense to treat his patient. Wine was used as the antiseptic to clean the head both before and after the surgery. Lo and behold Father Robert recovers!  

Hugh’s investigation of the theft and attempted murder were one and the same. If he discovered who was stealing the holy water he would discover who whacked Father Robert over the head. Hugh had to  travel on horseback, usually at night, over unsafe roads where robbers were prevalent. However, with the death of the king, the coronation of his 10 year old heir Richard brought more crooks out in full force. There were frequent all night watches at the church to catch the thief but the thief was wily. He continued to steal holy water and not get caught. Until he did. 

You gotta love a character who doesn't know what to do with a bone inside a brain so he throws it out. The Hugh de Singleton series is a fun read and I highly recommend it to historical mystery fans. I am rating A Polluted Font 5 out of 5 stars.

DNA Never Lies

DNA Never Lies is the first book in a new series featuring Karen Copperfield as a genetic genealogist. Karen helps people make sense of the dark family secrets that are revealed by DNA tests as they ask: ‘what happens when nothing you believed is true?’ It was published in 2022.

The publisher's summary:  

As an ambitious young woman in the years following the Second World War, Barbara made some hard choices, decisions changing everything that came after. She had to fight for what she wanted; then the stakes got so much higher.

A continent away, and decades later, Barbara’s daughter hires genealogist Karen Copperfield to make sense of the family’s DNA tests. Nothing about the results ties in with what Barbara’s children believed, and the shock is tearing the family apart. Barbara seems to prefer death to revealing the truth, and Karen soon discovers there is more than one secret she intends to take to her grave.

But when threats start to come from both sides of the Atlantic, it soon becomes clear that Barbara is not the only person who wants the past to stay that way.

I was hooked on this story from the first page. It is told in an alternating format from California in the 1950s and England in 2018. The story begins with ninety-year-old Barbara Pendleton and her three adult children receiving DNA testing kits for Christmas. It was meant to be fun and if the family learned something new about their national origin it would be worth it. No one was expecting any controversial information to be revealed except for Barbara. Consequently, she threw her test kit in the garbage.

As the story continues we read about Barbara’s past as well as a girl named Jean Woods, an artist wannabe. Jean grew up in Lake View, California in a traditional post-war nuclear family. Church attendance was a must and alcohol forbidden. After high school graduation, Jean enrolls in a local college for art classes. She still lives at home, though, and continues to be sheltered by her parents. The lives of these two ladies are told as well as that of Barbara’s daughter Lynne.

I have read several geneology mystery series in the past but they are about historical research genealogists. This series delves into genetic geneology. I don't know how this type of geneology is done but am intrigued. Can I presume it's similar to murder mysteries where genetic information is used to solve crimes? Maybe. Nevertheless I am excited to learn more about it through this series.

DNA Never Lies is a page turner. I highly recommend it. 5 out of 5 stars.

The Shallows

The Shallows is a gripping novel about two women who are neighbors in one of Sydney’s most exclusive suburbs. Emma and Ariella appear to have it all. They have expensive five story homes, wealthy husbands, and seemingly perfect lives. Both of them have dark secrets about their marriages that lurk beneath the surface. Ariella's secrets aren't too heavily buried. Her husband has a minder with her 24/7 and other neighbors have noticed. Mateo owns several strip clubs while Emma's husband Charles works for a security company. The two ladies slip notes to each other and share secrets when the minder isn't looking. Ariella's last message says she has a secret to share with Emma. However, Ariella was found murdered the next day after Emma’s daughter Kiki unknowingly filmed the killing while she made a You Tube video that she posted immediately. When Emma’s husband Charles forces the family to leave their perfect life and escape on their yacht, Emma feels trapped and tries to get answers from him. What or who are they hiding from? What did Ariella have to tell her? Does anyone else knows Emma’s own secret?

This story is a page turner. It is told from two perspectives. One is told three months in the past and the other is told in the current date. As the novel progresses three months become two, then one and then weeks. The suspense is ratcheted up from this literary device. Halfway through the book the story is only told in the present day. 

I loved the characters. Both Emma and Ariella were sympathetic ladies. Both of the husbands were villains but Mateo is the ultimate villain. He runs a string of strip clubs where teenagers work and people regularly disappear. He cannot even trust his own wife although he probably had no idea she wanted to leave him. They married when she was just 18 and had no idea what life had in store for her. Ariella did not know much about Mateo's business but she knew enough to fear him. Emma’s two kids, Kiki and Cooper, are a big part of the plot too. 

The Shallows is the debut novel of Holly Craig. It's amazing to me that her first book is this good. 5 out of 5 stars.

Dead Fall

Dead Fall is the 22nd Scot Harvath spy thriller by Brad Thor. I have read every book in this series and all of them were captivating. I also recently discovered the Libby app. Libby allows me to not only read from 4,000 different monthly magazines in digital format but also take ebooks out from my public library. Dead Fall was one of the ebooks that I was lucky to obtain an early copy of. If I had to wait for a physical copy it may have taken months to be able to withdraw it. 

The publisher's summary:  

In the war-ravaged borderlands of Ukraine, a Russian mercenary unit has gone rogue. Its members, conscripted from the worst prisons and mental asylums across Russia, are the most criminally violent, psychologically dangerous combatants to ever set foot upon the modern battlefield.

With all attention focused on the front lines, they have pushed deeper into the interior to wage a campaign of unspeakable barbarity. As they move from village to village, committing horrific war crimes, they meet little resistance because all able-bodied men are off fighting the war.

Simultaneously, a team of Russian soldiers has been dispatched by the Kremlin to loot truckloads of art and priceless cultural treasures hidden away in a host of churches, museums, and private homes.

When multiple American aid workers are killed, America’s top spy, Scot Harvath, is sent in to settle the score. But in a country so vast, will Harvath be able to find the men in question, and, more important, will he be able to stop them before they can kill again?

The story begins with a bang and the thrill continues until the final chapter. Although the plot premise was taken from recent news stories about the Ukraine War, don't assume that this is all you will get from reading the book. The Ukraine War is merely the framework for the story. The reader gets an original, spine tingling story with plenty of action from the author's imagination. 

The series main character is Scot Harvath. He has always been bold, brash and lethal. In Dead Fall Harvath is surprisingly underequipped with weapons and doesn't have his usual team of spies to help him. Dare I say that he seems somewhat humble from finding himself in this situation? I was not surprised, though, to see him finding the resources that he needs to get the job done. The reader sees more of Harvath's intelligence here as he figures out what each of his steps are going to be in order to finish the mission.

The Ravens are Thor's fictional version of the Wagner Group. While we all have read about Wagner's barbarity from the news, the information we get about the  Ravens is complete. The reader learns more about their movements and how they make decisions. Even the barbarity of their treatment of the Ukrainians has much more detail than what we read in the news concerning the Wagner Group.

Dead Fall is a gripping novel and I highly recommend it. 5 out of 5 stars.

Tides of Fire

Tides of Fire is James Rollins' 17th  Sigma Force novel. It was published two weeks ago on August 15, 2023. I was lucky to get one of the first copies of the book from my library. Currently there are 43 people who are waiting to get a copy so this is a popular book.

The publisher's summary:

The Titan Project—an international research station off the coast of Australia—discovers a thriving zone of life in an otherwise dead sea. The area teems with a strange bioluminescent coral that defies science, yet holds great promise for the future. But the loss of a military submarine in the area triggers a brutal attack and sets in motion a geological disaster that destabilizes an entire region.

Massive quakes, volcanic eruptions, and deadly tsunamis herald a greater cataclysm to come—for something is stirring miles under the ocean, a threat hidden for millennia.

As seas turn toxic and coastlines burn, can Sigma Force stop what has been let loose—especially as an old adversary returns, hunting them and thwarting their every move? For any hope of success, Commander Gray Pierce must search for a key buried in the past, hidden deep in Aboriginal mythology. But what Sigma could uncover is even more frightening—something that will shake the very foundations of humanity.  

 

The book started out great with volcanoes erupting at a quickening pace in Indonesia, water turning into to fire and dead human bodies that have turned into stone. A similar event took place in the region in 1815 when earthquakes and an eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia and its dark summer killed an enormous amount of people around the world. I was riveted by the work that marine biologists Phoebe Reed and Jazleen Patel were doing in the Coral Sea off the coast of Australia. Reading about their study of coral was fascinating and kept me reading to the halfway point without taking a break. 

When the Sigma Force folks became involved in the story I began to get bored. I couldn't see any connection between their subplot with the scientist's subplot. As the summary above states, this is supposed to be a story about geology and the biodiversity in the oceans. I did enjoy, though, Commander Gray Pierce's historical research into the massive earthquakes in Indonesia. With this subplot the story became a treasure hunt for the records of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles. Raffles lived through the volcanic eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia in the early 1800s.  As for the rest of the Sigma Force crew, why were they in the book? The subplot with characters Seichan, Monk Kokalis, and Joe Kowalski gives the reader an update about their lives but none of them were central to the other subplots. It seemed to me that they were added into the story only because they were featured in prior books in the series.

3 out of 5 stars.

Key Lime Pie Murder

August 1 is National Homemade Pie Day. It occurs every year. Since I am too lazy to bake, I have substituted reading the Key Lime Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke. It counts as a selection for the Calendar of Crime Challenge as an August holiday.

The publisher's summary:  

It promises to be a busy week for Hannah Swensen. Not only is she whipping up treats for the chamber of commerce booth at the Tri-County fair, she's also judging the baking contest; acting as a magician's assistant for her business partner's husband; trying to coax Moishe, her previously rapacious feline, to end his hunger strike, and performing her own private carnival act by juggling the demands of her mother and sisters.

With so much on her plate, it's no wonder Hannah finds herself on the midway only moments before the fair closes for the night. After hearing a suspicious thump, she goes snooping–only to discover Willa Sunquist, a student teacher and fellow bake contest judge, dead alongside an upended key lime pie. But who would want to kill Willa and why? 
 
Now Hannah needs to crank up the heat, hoping that Willa’s killer will get rattled and make a mistake. If that happens she intends to be there, even if it means getting on a carnival ride that could very well be her last…

The book is one of the older books in the series. Hannah isn't even married yet but thinks that the man she eventually marries is interested in her.  Key Lime Pie Murder did not seem to be a cozy mystery but rather just a cozy.  There was not much of a mystery here to be solved. No twists, no turns, no nothing. What the reader gets is the social life of the main character Hannah Swenson. I have a few of the later novels in the series and the plots were pretty thin also. I am sure there is a demographic for this type of a story. It just isn't me.

No rating.

Date Night

Date Night is a psychological thriller featuring married couple Libby and Sean Randell. Libby thinks that she has a solid marriage to Sean. Then one morning there's a note on her windscreen telling her that her husband is having an affair. She confronts him and of course, he denies it. She doesn't believe him but they go on a date night for dinner to try and ease the tension. The date does not go to well, so they return home. When they get there babysitter Sasha is missing. A few days later Libby is arrested under the suspicion of murder. 

The story alternates from the recent past to the present. This confused me in the first couple of chapters until I noticed the pattern. The writing, however, made the book a breeze to read and I couldn't put the book down until I finished reading it. There are numerous twists in the story that all lead up to the reveal of the murderer. With all of the characters having secrets, and the need to lie about them, I couldn't figure out the whodunnit. It was a total surprise when the killer was finally revealed. The whydunnit was not revealed until the last page and it was a shocker. Date Night is the perfect psychological thriller that reads like an Alfred Hitchcock story.

If you want to read something you know you will enjoy, pick up Date Night. 

5 out of 5 stars.

Honey Drop Dead

Honey Drop Dead was published earlier this week on August 8, 2023. I had pre-ordered an ebook from my local library and read the book as soon as it hit my screen. In this 26th installment of the Indigo Teashop Series our heroine Theodosia Browning is catering a specialty tea for Charleston’s Imago Gallery at Petigru Park. The park has plenty of native grasses and a community beekeeping project. During the event, a fully suited up beekeeper showed up and sprayed toxic smoke at all of the guests. Then a gunshot was heard and Osgood Claxton III, a candidate for the state legislature, fell to the ground dead. Theodosia saw the beekeeper run away from the scene and ran after him. She couldn't catch him though. The next day Holly Burns, the owner of Imago Gallery, asks Theodosia to investigate the matter. Not only did someone get killed but several paintings were destroyed by the fumes that were sprayed and artists were cancelling their contracts with the gallery. As is usual with the series, almost everyone in Charleston disliked the deceased and leaving Theodosia with a long list of suspects to look into.

The story started out with a bang, pun intended. The murder happened early in the first chapter and wasn't solved until the final chapter, leaving alot of pages for plot twists. The deceased was a politician who everyone hated, including his wife. This gave Theo many more than the usual number of suspects to investigate and, as a result, more plot twists for the reader to enjoy. The pace was much faster than other books in the series. Was that due to the complex plot or the absence of secondary character involvement? I am not sure. I am glad, though, that I did not have to hear about Delaine Dish. She is an obnoxious character that I cannot stand. Even baker Haley had only a short mention albeit one which landed her under arrest. Theo, tea sommelier Drayton, and Riley, Theodosia's new policeman boyfriend, were the only main characters returning in Honey Drop Dead. All of the others were new to the series which I think is a plus. When a series is as long as this one, it is nice to upset the applecart every now and then.

5 out of 5 stars.

An Evil Heart

 a detec 

I was able to get a copy of Linda Castillo's newest book An Evil Heart from my public library.  I recently discovered this author and love her take on Amish fiction. Her sleuth is a police detective who investigates murders. This is not your typical Amish story but it has an Amish flavor. Painter's Mill Police Chief Kate Burkholder receives a call one autumn morning about a DB, "dead body," abandoned on a dirt road. The victim is an Amish boy named Aden Karn, just twenty years old and from an upstanding Amish family. As Kate delves into his past, she begins to hear whispers about a dark side of him.  Her investigation spirals out of control when a young Amish woman comes forward with a horrific story that pits Kate against a dangerous opponent. When the truth is uncovered, Kate comes face to face with the consequences of a life that has been lived in all of the dark places.

This story is unputdownable. It kept me on the edge of my seat, trying to figure out who the killer was. I was not too surprised but the whydunnit was interesting. Interspersed with the police investigation are scenes concerning Kate's upcoming wedding to her fellow officer Tomasetti. Tomasetti works for the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the two of them have worked on cases together in the past. Most of these scenes were with Kate and her Amish sister Sarah. Sarah sewed Kate's wedding dress which was an Amish dress. Since Kate left the Amish way of life almost twenty years ago it was a little surprising that this is the wedding dress she wanted to wear. After the murder has been completely resolved, we see Kate's Amish family baking up a storm for the wedding. 

The investigation of the murder itself was suspenseful and fast paced. While I do not typically like police procedurals, this series has captured my attention. I have only read one other book in this 15 book series but plan on getting through them all at some point in the future.

5 out of 5 stars.

The Collector

The 23rd Gabriel Allon spy novel is finally here! I wasn't sure if this book would be able to maintain my interest given that last year the main character retired from his spy job for the State of Israel. Last year's entry for the series, Portrait of an Unknown Woman, was fantastic but our spy hero retired. How could the series survive? After reading The Collector I have a bad feeling about this.

The publisher's summary:

Legendary art restorer and spy Gabriel Allon joins forces with a brilliant and beautiful master-thief to track down the world’s most valuable missing painting but soon finds himself in a desperate race to prevent an unthinkable conflict between Russia and the West. 

 

As you can tell from the above, the publisher didn't have much to say about the book. Silva's publisher summaries have always been 5+ paragraphs long. This should have been my first clue that the story was somewhat lacking. However, I missed the clue. I would have read the book anyway because I have enjoyed every book in the series. 

In The Collector, Vermeer's painting "The Concert," painted in 1664, was cut from its frame in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990 and stolen along with 12 other works. It could be the most valuable stolen object. There have been boasts about the whereabouts of the painting and leads over the years, and they've led nowhere. When a South African shipping tycoon murdered in Amalfi turns out to have a secret vault holding an empty frame that matches the dimensions of the purloined masterpiece, the Italian art police call Gabriel Allon for assistance. 

The first half of the novel was a gripping art heist story. I thought it was a good place for the series to continue. Our protagonist, Gabriel Allon, was the consummate spy. He had a side interest in art and painting that he was tremendously talented in pursuing. He was able to create fakes of famous paintings from almost any artist.

The art heist story introduced a new series character. Ingrid Johansen is a brilliant computer hacker. She is an extraordinarily talented thief. She accepted a $10 million payment to steal the Vermeer from a palazzo in Amalfi, not realizing that there's a much broader conspiracy. Ingrid ends up working with Gabriel to find the painting that she stole.

This fantastic art heist story abruptly ends halfway into the novel. The international spy trade picks up the remainder of the story with no apparent connection to the first half with the exception that one of the bad actors in the heist is connected to the Russian government. I did not care for this part of the book. While the last two chapters try to connect the two, it didn't work for me. Silva has also incorporated the Ukraine-Russia War into the story along with a threat of nuclear war. It was not plausible given that half of this 400+ page book was solely an art theft story.

I am disappointed with The Collector. I am rating it 2 out of 5 stars.