The Infinity Particle

In this gorgeous graphic novel by Wendy Xu, a young inventor falls for a lifelike AI robot and confronts questions of freedom and autonomy.

The publisher's summary:

Clementine Chang moves from Earth to Mars for a new start and is lucky enough to land her dream job with Dr. Marcella Lin, an Artificial Intelligence pioneer. On her first day of work, Clem meets Dr. Lin’s assistant, a humanoid AI named Kye. Clem is no stranger to robots—she built herself a cute moth-shaped companion named SENA. Still, there’s something about Kye that feels almost too human.

When Clem and Kye begin to collaborate, their chemistry sets off sparks. The only downside? Dr. Lin is enraged by Kye’s growing independence and won’t allow him more freedom. Plus, their relationship throws into question everything Clem thought she knew about AI. After all, if Kye is sentient enough to have feelings, shouldn’t he be able to control his own actions? Where is the line between AI and human? As her past and Kye’s future weigh down on her, Clem becomes determined to help him break free—even if it means risking everything she came to Mars for.

The plot premise is timely. We are just beginning to discuss the challenges AI poses as well as how it can be used to improve life on Earth. In this story, the author had secondary characters that were Asian, Muslim, disabled, African and white. She covered most of the protected classes! There was only one male character and he is the AI created robot that Clem fell in love with. All the inventors were women.

Clem had disagreements with Kye's creator Marcella concerning whether robots are their own people who should be treated with respect and allowed to have their own thoughts and interests. Marcella I was not happy about the romance between Clem and Kye. I  loved that one strip showed a character walking down a staircase and another person in a wheelchair using an adjacent ramp. None of the characters suffered any discrimination on Mars but they did talk about the challenges of life on Earth.

The art in this book is breathtaking and really pops in its minimal blue color palette. The pace was nice and fast but I expected that the plot would be more sci-fi with discussion on creating AI creatures. However, it was predominantly a romance story. That part was a disappointment to me. 

The novel was entertaining and a relaxing read. I am rating it 3 out of 5 stars.

2025 Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge

The Carol's Notebook blog will once again be hosting the Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge again. 

Challenge Rules:

• You can read any book that is from the mystery/suspense/thriller/crime/true crime genres. Any sub-genres are welcome as long as they incorporate one of these genres.
• You don’t need a blog to participate but you do need a place to post your reviews to link up. (blog, Goodreads, Instagram, etc.)
• Make a goal post and link it back here with your goal for this challenge.
• Books need to be at least 100 pages long. Please no short stories.
• Crossovers with other challenges are fine.
• The Challenge will run from Jan. 1st to Dec. 31st. (Sign up ends March 15.)

We still have our facebook group so if you haven’t joined we would love for you to! Here’s the group’s link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/350512171977943/. It’s a closed group so just ask to join and we’ll let you in.

There will be a monthly link-up so we can see what everyone’s reading – and probably add some to our own tbr lists. At the halfway mark and at the end we will have a giveaway for those participating.

We’ll continue to use the hashtag #CloakDaggerChal.

Levels:

5-15 books – Amateur sleuth

16-25 books – Detective

26-35 books – Inspector (my personal challenge)

36 – 55 books – Special agent

56+ books – Sherlock Holmes

To join, add a link to your sign-up post or Goodreads shelf here.

Death at a Scottish Christmas

Death at a Scottish Christmas is the 3rd book in the Scottish Isle Mysteries by Lucy Connelly. I have read the first book An American in Scotland which I adored. I selected this book because it meets the requirements for the Calendar of Crime Reading Challenge. It also counts for the New Release Reading Challenge and the Cruisin' Through the Cozies Reading Challenge. It's always nice when a book counts for more than one challenge!

The publisher's summary: 

Sea Isle, Scotland, is magical during the holiday season, and Dr. Emilia McRoy can’t wait to enjoy everything her village has to offer. But when the lead singer of a famous band is murdered in the village, just as they were about to launch a world tour, her holiday instantly comes to a halt. 

As the band’s future hangs in the balance, Emilia discovers that the victim was working on new music that has since disappeared. Were these new lyrics worth killing for? And if so, who is the culprit? It seems more than one person wanted this music star dead. Shockingly, beloved constable Ewan Campbell becomes the prime suspect in the investigation, putting a damper on the town’s festivities.

With an ever-growing list of suspects, Emilia will need all the help she can get to figure out who is framing poor Ewan. Between a secret Santa that wants her dead, stalkers, and killer holiday celebrations, Emilia must see the devil in the details and discover the truth before it’s too late.

When I read the first book in the series I had some difficulty with the Scottish slang terminology. Now I not only understand it but look forward to reading it. The series has become a favorite. The quirky characters are adorable. The banter between Emilia and Ewen is hysterical and I love how they feed off of each other. It's amazing how the townspeople have organized for their needs during the long winters when supplies cannot be delivered to this remote island. Instead of worrying about the situation they got organized but you can tell they are a happy group of people who can slough off the cares of the world.

With Emilia serving as both physician and coroner, the reader sees a viewpoint different from most cozies when she has to investigate a death. Ewen serves as mayor and constable and is the wealthiest person on the island. He has a grumpy persona but makes sure that all of the villagers have everything they need. Of course, this means that he knows everyone's business. 

The howdunit was fascinating. When the band leader's corpse was discovered it was determined that he died from air entering his brain which caused an embolism to form and then burst. How did the air get in the brain? A corkscrew was used to puncture his head. The puncture wound was described as small and I just couldn't picture it as being small. The author was creative in dreaming up this method of killing though. Also, the mystery surrounding the lost notebook with musical scores was entertaining. Resolving this issue was just as gripping as determining the identity of the killer.

I loved this new installment of the series and recommend it to cozy fans. 5 out of 5 stars.

Neptune

Neptune is a graphic novel with a theme of revenge and redemption. It was published in September 2024. The main character is Corey Harrison who has just been released from prison after serving 17 years for a violent crime. Now, Corey is seeking the truth surrounding the recent and mysterious death of his brother, only to discover a vast darkness surrounding his legacy. Corey's friends tell him there are job openings at Neptune and that he should apply. He is hired to work as a supervisor in a chicken factory, the same position that his brother held. On his first day Corey sees alot of young people working under him who work long hours and don't get paid much. They are human trafficking victims. His boss tells him that using traffickees was his brother’s idea. It made the business a success. 

There was a tremendous amount of foul language so I wouldn't recommend the book for children. The characters came from a rough part of town and their dialogue reflected this. It was depressing to read how people live like this. I know that there are lots of folks who have no choice but to live this lifestyle and I am not criticizing them. I just didn't like reading about it. That said, the author presented a realistic portrait about ex-offenders and their difficulty with obtaining employment and adjusting to life outside prison.

3 out of 5 stars.

2025 Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge Author Edition

It's time once again to sign up for the Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge Author Edition. The 2025 challenge will run from January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025. You can join anytime and you do not have to post a review of the book. Books can come from any genre.

Additional Rules:

1) Children’s Books and Novellas are acceptable but they need to be over 50 Pages. 

2) You do not need to link up each spoonful.

3) Grab a notebook or make a page or a post or a GoodReads shelf where you will keep track of your spoonfuls.

4) Crossovers to other challenges are allowed and encouraged!

5) The challenge is to read one book that has an author whose first name, middle, or last name starts with every letter of the alphabet.

A – Make a list on your blog from A-Z. Throughout the year, as you go along, add the authors with the book you read to the list. Towards the end of the year, you can check and see which letters you are missing and find authors/books to fit.

OR

B – Make a list now of 26 books, picking one for each letter of the alphabet.

For example:

A – Donna Andrews – For Duck’s Sake: A Meg Langslow Mystery

B – Bailey Cates – Rituals and Rolling Pins (A Magical Bakery Mystery)

C – Harlan Coben – Nobody’s Fool 

6) This challenge has been added to Storygraph. https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/84d0f727-fbe2-4b96-891c-cf96b30bfef1

7) Books can be read in any order and all formats – print – e-book – and audio – are acceptable for this challenge!

8) Bloggers can grab the image above and make a post about the challenge to encourage others to join! Non-bloggers you can join too! Just keep track any way you wish. You can even set up a special shelf on Goodreads.com to help you keep track! 

9) If you post about your books on Social Media please use this hashtag #AlphabetSoupAuthorChallenge.

10)  Follow Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book as there may be special announcements made about the challenge.

11)  There is also a very active group on Facebook where you can share your books read and converse with others taking part in the challenge. 

12) Sign up using Google Forms. Sign Up Here.

2025 Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge

It's time once again to sign up for the Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge. The 2025 challenge will run from January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025. You can join anytime and you do not have to post a review of the book. Books can come from any genre.

Additional Rules:

1)  Children’s Books and Novellas are acceptable but they need to be over 50 Pages. 

2)  You do not need to link up each spoonful.

3)  Grab a notebook or make a page or a post or a GoodReads shelf where you will keep track of your spoonfuls.

4)  Crossovers to other challenges are allowed and encouraged!

5)  It’s an alphabet challenge!!! The challenge is to read one book that has a title starting with every letter of the alphabet.

6)  You can drop the A’s and The’s from the book titles as shown below. The first main word needs to be the letter you are counting.

Except For that pesky Q, X, AND Z titles then the word that starts with the challenge letter can be anywhere in the title. This year I have decided to allow book titles starting with EX for the X prompt.

So there are two different ways you can set up your own A-Z Reading Challenge.

A – Make a list from A-Z. Throughout the year, as you go along, add the books you are reading to the list. Towards the end of the year, you can check and see which letters you are missing and find books to fit.

OR

B – Make a list now of 26 books, picking one for each letter of the alphabet, and check them off as you read them.

For example:

A – Abduction of a Slave (Eye of Isis) by Dana Stabenow

B – Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

C – The Crash Kindle by Freida McFadden

7)  As requested – the 2025 Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge has been added to Storygraph as another way to keep track of your reads.

https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/6cf5d67b-ad85-4139-ba04-801b20bd648c

8)  Books can be read in any order and all formats – print – e-book – and audio – are acceptable for this challenge!

9)  Bloggers can grab the image above and make a post about the challenge to encourage others to join! Non-bloggers you can join too! Just keep track any way you wish. You can even set up a special shelf on Goodreads.com to help you keep track! 

10)  If you post about your books on Social Media please use this hashtag #AlphabetSoupChallenge

11)  Follow Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book as there may be special announcements made about the challenge.

12)  There is also a very active group on Facebook where you can share your books read and converse with others taking part in the challenge. Alphabet Soup Challenge 

13)  Sign up using Google Forms. Sign Up Here.

Book of the Month: November

Agony in Amethyst may be author Alison Stuart's best entry in her Harriet Gordon historical cozy mystery series. I am hard pressed to determine where it stands against Singapore Sapphire, the first installment of the series. I found it a particularly intellectual read. I had to read each chapter carefully in order to catch all of the clues.

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. Then Lady Cunningham's maid is killed.

If you haven't read this book yet I highly recommend it. 

Book Cover of the Month

Ellie Game, deputy art director at Harper Collins Publishers, designed the cover for Yellowface by Rebecca F. Kuang. The cover features two eyes staring out from a bold yellow background. She was assisted by a team of four created around 75 designs for the cover. The cover was visually striking and helped make the book a success.

Game stated in an online interview that “People want things that feel nice and are worth spending their money on. They want something that is going to sit on their shelf and be a really nice object beyond just being a good book.”  I must agree with her. The cover is what made me buy the book and it does look nice on my bookshelf. I am always asked what the book is about when friends visit me at home. It's just  a stunning cover that makes me happy.

Can't Wait Wednesday #34

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme that spotlights the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally, they're books that have yet to be released. Fiona Davis is one of my favorite authors. I have never read a book by her that I did not enjoy so I am looking forward to reading her latest novel, The Stolen Queen.  It will be published on January 7, 2025.  

The publisher's summary:  Egypt, 1936: When anthropology student Charlotte Cross is offered a coveted spot on an archaeological dig in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, she leaps at the opportunity. That is until an unbearable tragedy strikes.

New York City, 1978: Nineteen-year-old Annie Jenkins is thrilled when she lands an opportunity to work for former Vogue fashion editor Diana Vreeland, who’s in the midst of organizing the famous Met Gala, hosted at the museum and known across the city as the “party of the year.”

 

Meanwhile, Charlotte is now leading a quiet life as the associate curator of the Met’s celebrated Department of Egyptian Art. She’s consumed by her research on Hathorkare—a rare female pharaoh dismissed by most other Egyptologists as unimportant.

The night of the gala: One of the Egyptian art collection’s most valuable artifacts goes missing, and there are signs Hathorkare’s legendary curse might be reawakening. Annie and Charlotte team up to search for the missing antiquity, and a desperate hunch leads the unlikely duo to one place Charlotte swore she’d never return: Egypt. But if they have any hope of finding the artifact, Charlotte will need to confront the demons of her past—which may mean leading them both directly 

The synopsis above sounds like it is a treasure hunt story. I love treasure hunts. Several of my favorite authors write them but the first person to write one is Dan Brown. His DaVinci Code started the ball rolling with this exciting new mystery sub-genre. So, as the name of this weekly meme states, I cannot wait to read The Stolen Queen.

Girl, 11

Girl, 11 is a heart-pounding thriller that is difficult to put down. It is a serial killer story where young teen girls are kidnapped and killed six days later. The main character is Elle Castillo, a retired child social worker who operates a true crime podcast called Justice Delayed. The book meets the requirements of the Clock Reading Challenge for November which I am furiously trying to finish. I loved the story so I will be looking for future novels written by the author Amy Suiter Clarke. Girl, 11 is her debut novel.

The publisher's summary:

Elle Castillo once trained as a social worker, supporting young victims of violent crime. Now she hosts a popular true crime podcast that focuses on cold cases of missing and abducted children.

After four seasons of successfully solving these cases in Minnesota’s Twin Cities, Elle decides to tackle her white whale: The Countdown Killer. Twenty years ago, TCK was terrorizing the community, kidnapping and ritualistically murdering three girls over seven days, each a year younger than the last. Then, after he took his eleven-year-old victim, the pattern—and the murders—abruptly stopped. No one has ever known why.

When Elle follows up on a listener tip only to discover the man’s dead body, she feels at fault. Then, within days, a child is abducted—a young girl who seems to fit suspiciously into the sequence halted decades before. While media and law enforcement long ago concluded that TCK had suicided, Elle has never believed that. She’d hoped her investigation would lay that suspicion to rest—but instead, her podcast seems to be creating new victims . . .

The mystery is revealed and solved via information given by the guests on Elle's podcast as well as in narrative by Elle to friends and family. Most chapters begin with a transcript of a podcast. The rest of the chapter has Elle following up on leads that either she discovers or her assistant Tina Nguyen discovers. There are also chapters from Elle's perspective and TCK's perspective. I have never read an epistolary novel before. It was uncomfortable initially but I eventually became accustomed to the format. By the middle of the book I looked forward to reading the podcast transcripts as plenty of clues were contained in them. I am calling this an epistolary novel even though the definition is one where letters reveal the story. It seems to fit in my mind.

So who is Girl, 11? Eleanor Watson was 11 years old when she was abducted by TCK. She was the only victim to escape his clutches. After her escape there was a twenty year period where TCK stopped killing. Some people thought he was dead or in jail but Elle was convinced that he was still alive. She devoted the entire fifth season of her podcast into catching him. 

Elle is a strong female character. She is a favorite among local police officers for finding evidence on cold cases. On some cases she worked alongside them and was a frequent visitor at the police station. Elle is married to Martin who was formerly married to Elle's best friend Sash. Together Sash and Martin have a 10 year old daughter Natalie. Martin works at the medical examiner's office performing autopsies. Now we all know both of them are supposed to keep their cases confidential. We all also know that it probably doesn't happen that often. I think Elle and Martin make a great team and would be perfect for a series of their own. 

All in all this was a gripping read and I am rating it 5 out of 5 stars.

Such a Loving Couple

I selected this book for the Monthly Key Word Reading Challenge. The word "couple" is one of the choices for November. This psychological thriller was published in November 2023.

The publisher's summary:

A man smiles warmly at me from the end of my bed. ‘Honey, I’ve been so worried,’ he says gently. ‘Do you remember me? I’m your husband.’ My blood runs cold. I don’t know where I am, or who I am. All I know is I’ve never seen this man before…

As he packs my things, the nurses tell me Freddie hasn’t left my bedside since the accident. He’s so loving, so kind, we seem like the perfect couple. But deep down I know something isn’t right.

Then flashes of memory come back. First my name, then the terrifying moments before the crash – the pouring rain, a sudden scream. But most heartbreaking of all are the haunting images of a blue-eyed little girl,who is nowhere to be seen…

Freddie is determined to keep me safe. But if we aren’t the really loving couple he wants us to be, why am I here? What does Freddie want? Who is the child? And how far will I have to go, to discover the truth?

Wow is my first reaction to finishing the book. It was an intense, fast paced thriller that kept me guessing about the outcome. The beginning was slightly slow but now that I have finished reading it, I see that the most important clues were there. The pace picked up around page 80 of this 315 page novel when I was in a restaurant eating breakfast. I think I stayed long after my welcome but I had to finish reading before starting my daily errands. My gosh this was such a good book!

There are four main characters: Toby, Freddie, Magdalena and Becka, the protagonist. Their relationships are seriously messed up. Toby and Becka are married. Freddie is single but allows Magdalena, Mags, to move in to his home. Freddie is a successful photographer and is frequently away from home. While Mags is in his home she begins a cake baking business but also makes goodies for her elderly neighbor across the street. Freddie, Mags and Becka were close friends in high school. Freddie had been dating Mags at that time but Becka stole him away. Becka also destroyed Mags' art portfolio which resulted in Mags being denied entry into art school. Becka was involved with watercolors and she had the opportunity to go herself and she was admitted. The three of them went their separate ways after high school.

Twenty years later Becka and Toby are married and struggling to stay together. Mags had happened to run into them in a parking lot and not long after that Mags is having an affair with Toby. Then the accident happened. The novel began with the flooding that caused Becka to be submerged in the waters. She was rescued and the story unfolds from there. There was an incredible ending that kept me reading at the restaurant until I finished the book.

If you like intense, gripping psychological thrillers then you must read this book. 5 out of 5 stars!

The Black Ghost: Hard Revolution

This graphic novel is a short, 135 page super-hero story. I selected it for the Color Coded Reading Challenge. I have been struggling to finish my reading challenges this year and am thrilled to find a short read that meets the requirements of the challenge. This Season One edition collects releases 1 through 5 in a print for the first time. It was published in 2020.

In the story Lara Dominguez is a troubled City of Creighton police reporter who is obsessed with the city's debonair vigilante, the Black Ghost. With the help of a mysterious cyber-informant named Lone, she is getting closer to uncovering the Ghost's identity. But as she searches for the breakthrough story that she desperately needs, Lara will have to navigate the corruption of her city, the uncertainties of virtue, and her own personal demons. The question is whether she will have the strength to be part of the solution or will she become the problem?

There was plenty of suspense in this mystery. Each release ended with a bang and that kept me interested enough in the plot to continue reading. The book is a blend of the crime noir and vigilante superhero genres. Lara is an alcoholic, lesbian vigilante who takes on the Black Ghost identity after the previous Black Ghost was killed in action. Our heroine is always drunk or has a hangover. She abandoned all her other journalist assignments to pursue the vigilante in the night and loses her job as a result. Also, Lara has a lot of family history to process concerning the death of her brother and all of this impedes her judgement. In addition, Lara also finds time to teach night GED classes and this where she meets Ernesto, who becomes her unlikely partner. 

Lara is a great character. She is tough physically and is a fabulous investigative rreporter. I also liked Ernesto. He played a small role on these releases but I can see he is going to be a good sidekick for Lara. He met Lara in a GED class that she was teaching. This is an odd dimension to her character but I assume it will be drawn upon in later editions. Other characters were either co-workers or the villains the Black Ghost is fighting.

The story had a light feel and was a fun, relaxing read. Season 2 of the story is out and I am definitely going to read it.  5 out of 5 stars.

Death and the Conjuror

I selected this novel for the Monthly Key Word Reading Challenge. The word "death" is one of the options for October. Due to my vacation last month, I am just getting around to my October reads and I am desperately trying to catch up. The book was in Publisher Weekly's top ten mysteries of 2022 and it is a locked room mystery. Death and the Conjuror has a macabre atmosphere and plenty of period detail.

The publisher's summary:

In 1930s London, celebrity psychiatrist Anselm Rees is discovered dead in his locked study, and there seems to be no way that a killer could have escaped unseen. There are no clues, no witnesses, and no evidence of the murder weapon. Stumped by the confounding scene, the Scotland Yard detective on the case calls on retired stage magician-turned-part-time sleuth Joseph Spector. For who better to make sense of the impossible than one who traffics in illusions?

Spector has a knack for explaining the inexplicable, but even he finds that there is more to this mystery than meets the eye. As he and the Inspector interview the colorful cast of suspects among the psychiatrist’s patients and household, they uncover no shortage of dark secrets—or motives for murder. When the investigation dovetails into that of an apparently-impossible theft, the detectives consider the possibility that the two transgressions are related. And when a second murder occurs, this time in an impenetrable elevator, they realize that the crime wave will become even more deadly unless they can catch the culprit soon.

I enjoyed this story somewhat. It is a British detective story and I don't like this genre much. A reader has to really like this kind of storytelling where, in the end, the explanation for everything that happened is long and detailed. I had a hard time concentrating on the plot because the writing was tiresome. I literally became sleepy every time I picked the book up. It's a shame because I love locked room mysteries. The plot was exciting though. I love that the suspects were Rees' patients. There were plenty of twists from these eccentric characters.  

I don't know how to rate this novel. It has good qualities but I couldn't get past the writing style. I guess I will just say that if you like classic British detective stories then this book is for you.