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The ZigZag Girl

by

Ruth Knafo Setton

 

Atmospheric noir crime fiction with paranormal elements.

 

The ZigZag Girl by Ruth Knafo Setton is a wonderfully moody and atmospheric crime novel with unique paranormal elements, and the engaging young narrator, Lucy Moon, drew me in and under the book’s spell from the start. When the third member of their magic act, Vanessa Kim, fails to show up for a performance, Lucy Moon and Stormy Weather are worried that the mysterious new man in Van’s life is responsible, but despite their unease, the show must go on. However, when her naked body is revealed inside the prop saw box during the highlight of the show, Lucy recognizes a clue the killer left behind as one meant solely for her. 

Lucy is a unique and engaging heroine, and I was invested in her story from the beginning. She’s smart but vulnerable with a past shrouded in secrets and mystery. While her public announcement that she is going to track down her friend’s murderer was an impetuous, emotional outcry, it was the truth, and she never wavered from her mission, even as the stakes got higher and more deadly. 

The author weaves a compelling tale in the eerily moody, atmospheric setting of the Atlantic City Boardwalk and the dark, mysterious Midnight Hotel, and brings in a variety of suspicious characters to keep things interesting and muddy the waters. The storytelling was vivid, placing me in the scene alongside the narrators as if I were experiencing the action firsthand. This is a gripping modern rendition of noir crime fiction with unusual and unique magic and paranormal elements: a true page-turner! 

I recommend THE ZIGZAG GIRL to readers of mysteries and thrillers who enjoy elements of magic and the paranormal in their tales. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.

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Living at the Edge of the World – Spring

Papala Island Adventure, #2

by

S.J. Barratt

 

Viking history and modern-day treasure hunters clash on a small, isolated island.

 

Living at the Edge of the World – Spring is the second book in author S.J. Barratt's Papala Island Adventure series and, once again, excitement visits the tiny, remote island in the Scottish Shetlands. When tween twins Timothy and Tabitha Brown and their friends uncover what may be the most perfectly preserved Viking helmet ever found, their excitement draws unscrupulous thieves to their remote community, and they will stop at nothing to get their hands on the valuable ancient artifact! 

Readers are returned to Papala Island, a small island on the far reaches of Scotland's Shetland Islands, where Tim and Tabitha are nearing the end of their stay with their Great-uncle Tamhas. With only a few weeks left before their departure and return to their London home, mother, and father, the twins are sad to leave their newfound friends and the close-knit community that made them so welcome. While Tim will miss all the opportunities still available to expand his knowledge of life and the island, Tabitha has really grown up during her sojourn, and the place and its people have become her new life. Her innocent announcement of their discovery of the Viking helmet on her social media accounts, though, has unexpected consequences. 

The plot is exciting and full of local lore and nature. Readers who enjoy stories with a lot of interaction with animals will find themselves right at home among the pages. I was glad their leave-taking was gentle, with a proper plan for returning during their upcoming summer break from school. No tearful scenes or traumatic incidents to delay their departure. 

Gill Mills narrates the audiobook, and her performance really brings the twins, their friends, and their family to life. While it took me a little while to connect with Mills's accent (so very different from the voices in my part of the world), once I did, I clearly imagined all the characters and the story's excitement and emotions. 

I recommend LIVING AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD – SPRING to middle-grade readers and listeners, and for reading aloud at home, in the classroom, or at after-school programs.

For this and other reviews, visit my blog, BOYS' MOM READS!

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The Murders at Saint Charles Seminary

A Priest, A Rabbi, and a Baptist Minister, #3

by

Janet A. Brown

 

Mystery and murder at a Catholic seminary!

 

Terror and suspicion grip Saint Charles Seminary as a murderer stalks its dark and hallowed halls!

 

The Murders at Saint Charles Seminary is the third book in author Janet A. Brown's cozy A Priest, A Rabbi, and a Baptist Minister mystery series featuring Father Brendan O'Clery, his homicide detective niece, Maureen, and his close friends in the clergy, Rabbi Ezra Lieberman and Pastor Langdon Boothe, who use their unique expertise and insights to solve murders. The story hits close to home for Father Brendan when a murderer kills a young seminarian, with a vow of more death to come at the Saint Charles Seminary, where his young nephew, Aiden, is also enrolled. Since his niece, Detective Maureen McNeely, is supposed to be on vacation, the case is assigned to her untested coworker, Deputy Caleb Martinez. Maureen sticks around, off the books, to help guide Caleb through his first homicide investigation and avoid the confusion and wrath of their vindictive supervisor that she experienced during her first case. Still, as Aidan was the one who found the body of the murder victim, Caleb's suspicion naturally falls on him as the possible killer, raising the stakes for the O'Clery clan. 

Told from multiple points of view, readers have a front row seat to what's not being told the police as they question the residents of Saint Charles, as well as the terror the young men there are experiencing as the killer strikes again. Aiden O'Clery is only three months into his studies and is a kind and gentle soul, and friends with most of the others in his year, one of whom may very well be the murderer. As this is the same seminary Father Brendan attended, he is able to come and go at will and enlists Aiden to be his eyes and ears on site. 

Father Brendan's two close friends, Ezra and Langdon, are only on the fringes of the case; Brendan uses them as sounding boards for his theories and as backup observers when they visit the seminary. They are so peripheral to the story that if they'd been omitted completely, they wouldn't have been missed. Even though I love this trio of clerical sleuths, Father Brendan has always been my favorite, and the series is really his. Also, the banter between Ezra and Langdon regarding Ezra's purported diminutive size and Langdon's prodigious appetite quickly palled. 

The charm of the book lies in the O'Clery family relationships. Family matriarch Eabhe O'Clery has been moved to assisted living, and, as expected, is not happy about it. She is lovable but sly, crabby, and manipulative, and knows exactly what buttons to push or cards to play to get exactly what she wants. Her scenes are delightful as she pointedly proclaims whatever is on her mind or wants to know. Her favorite son and golden boy, Archbishop Malachy O'Clery, stirs the pot as the older brother he is. 

The resolution of the case was exciting, and I didn't catch on to who the killer was until it was revealed, much like most of the characters of the book, although there was a big old hint right in front of our eyes that no one considered. The plot delves into Father Brendan's continued struggles with PTSD from his Gulf War and Afghanistan service and his worrisome reliance on his prescription medications to survive, but there may be light at the end of this tunnel for him, too. 

I recommend THE MURDERS AT SAINT CHARLES SEMINARY to readers of mysteries and thrillers, especially those who enjoy amateur sleuths with a religious vocation. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.

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The Dead Certain Doubt

Ed Earl Burch, #4

by

Jim Nesbitt

 

Hard-boiled under the Texas sun.

 

The Dead Certain Doubt is the fourth book in author Jim Nesbitt's Ed Earl Burch series, and a reader would be hard-pressed to find a more robust and gritty crime fiction tale. Along with its riveting plot, the book is packed with fascinating, specific details about the local area's past, flawlessly woven into the current story and made relevant. This story simmers with bad men doing bad things, so be prepared for ugliness and the need for the protagonist to do something about it. 

Ed Earl Burch, Double-E to the like-minded with similar pasts at Louie's, has seen too much and is close to gaining the 1,000-yard stare of military lore. But he's not that far gone to take on the request to find a dying woman's missing granddaughter, hellbent on not being found and exacting vengeance against the people responsible for her lover's horrific murder. 

The story is as densely packed as they come, and the author's writing is compelling. Violent and graphic descriptions create powerful images that will set a reader smack down inside the story. The tale unfolds in the present but often returns to past events, so while the book stands alone, having read the prior novels would be a plus. The research that must have been done to authenticate the time and place, and to explain how those involved got to where they are in the book, is impressive, and readers will reap the benefits. 

I recommend THE DEAD CERTAIN DOUBT to readers who favor harder, tougher stories, grittier crime fiction tales, fans of the previous books in the series, and stories set in West Texas, Texas, and the DFW area. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.

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The Quantum Revelations

by

Stuart Heinrich

 

Fascinating and frightening and completely absorbing!

 

The Quantum Revelations by Stuart Heinrich is a riveting science fiction tale that is fascinating, frightening, and completely absorbing. Teasing and teaching, with its plot of humanity on the path to the end times, I couldn’t put this book down. 

The main character, Skyler Wexler, is a doctoral student in quantum physics, working on a classified, grant-supported project at the MIT Lincoln Laboratory, when he makes a breakthrough that could advance his field of study and garner him global recognition, and maybe even the approval of his renowned but emotionally distant physicist father. But what he thinks he’ discovered and what the reality is may be two very different things. But with society on the brink of collapse due to an accelerating climate crisis, it may not matter. 

Skyler’s story is compelling reading, from the book’s explosive opening to its almost gentle, eye-opening conclusion. The author presents a vividly wretched picture of the U.S., suffering from the effects of an accident in the Arctic ice and the denial of impending doom cultivated by an all-too-powerful president and news media, and the many parallels to current conditions lend the tale a definite feeling of realism. Skyler and his lab partner, Zara, are relatable, regular students, and I was quickly invested in their stories: Skyler with his desire for parental approval and Zara with her hospitalized, comatose mother. 

While there is plenty of action, investigation, and plot twists, there is a lot of discussion about the hypotheses that make up quantum physics and much of that are Skyler’s internal monologues as he struggles with determining what his experiment has produced, the current state of the field, discarded alternate hypotheses, which are then repeated when he has someone to argue with or share his thoughts. His ruminations help clarify what’s at stake for those not conversant with the science, and they lay out Skyler’s thought processes. But if long passages of theoretical head-scratching are not your thing, just know the payoff is coming. I loved that Skyler had his own breakthrough after a casual observation by the girl next to him on his flight home from a professional conference that netted him nothing in the way of insight into his research problems. 

I recommend THE QUANTUM REVELATIONS to readers of hard science fiction. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tours.

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Living at the Edge of the World – Winter

Papala Island Adventures, #1

by

S.J. Barratt

 

Fun, middle-grade fish out of water story.

 

Living at the Edge of the World – Winter by S.J. Barratt introduces readers to Timothy and Tabitha Brown, twin tweens from London, sent to spend a couple of months with their Great-uncle Tamhas, who lives on the isolated island of Papala in the Scottish Shetland Islands, while their parents take a round-the-world cruise. While Tim is delighted, excited by the prospect of exploring the small island and learning as much as he can about his temporary home, Tabs is completely out of sorts with the lack of amenities and WiFi that are always available in London. 

Although the twins, brother and sister, are temperamentally opposites and there’s very little crossover in their interests, they get along very well, and their casual banter is cause for quite a few laughs. They are close and obviously love each other. Problems arise from Tabitha’s privileged attitudes, which lead her to believe she knows better than their local friend, Fenella, and her refusal to listen puts them all in a dangerous situation. Eventually, she comes to acknowledge her responsibility for her actions. I enjoyed how she grew up and came to love the island as much as her brother and the 30-odd souls who call Papala home. I loved how her Uncle Tamhas was so low-key, patient, and, I think, deliberately obtuse about her TikSnap social media obsession and desire to become a successful influencer. However, it was her special expertise that helped her foil a dangerous scheme by a group of older boys on the mainland later in the story. 

The story handles the children’s separation from their parents, friends, home, and the only life they’ve ever known gently, and Tabitha’s change in attitude is subtle and gradual. There are plenty of places for discussion, not only of Tabitha’s behavior, but of the culture and nature of the Shetlands, and there’s never a feeling of being lectured to in the narrative. 

The audiobook edition, narrated by Gill Mills, was initially a little difficult to follow because I was unaccustomed to her accent and the Shetlandic dialect. But once I synced with the cadence and delivery, I was absorbed by the story. However, Tabitha’s whining and complaining at the start of the book was so strident and shrill, I worried I wouldn’t be able to stick with it for long. Thankfully, Tabitha’s voice mellowed as she settled into life on Papala. 

I recommend LIVING AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD – WINTER to middle-grade readers and listeners who enjoy exciting and warm adventure tales, and for use at home, in the classroom, or after-school programs. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Silver Dagger Book Tours.

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In the Frame

Rosedale Investigations, #3

by

Lyn Farrell

 

The Rosedale team is back with several interesting and exciting cases to solve.

 

In The Frame is the 3rd book in author Lyn Farrell's mystery series featuring the good folks at Rosedale Investigations. This time, the small firm is investigating, first, a missing person, then later, a suspicious death, concurrently with the fascinating search for the provenance of a valuable painting rumored to be cursed. The cases proved exciting, and the detectives' detailed activities held my attention from start to finish. 

Its recurring cast of characters, the Rosedale team, is a diverse group of individuals and over the course of the series, have developed into a close-knit "family." Besides the cases the company is being paid to investigate, certain members are going through some stressful life changes. I enjoyed all the subplots woven into this story. The bottom line is they all love each other beyond a workplace relationship and always have each other's backs. 

PD is distracted and on edge as the book opens. He's reacting to a real eye-opening discovery from his past and tends to take out his anxieties on his unofficial granddaughter, Billy Jo. She is also deeply affected by these revelations, and there are some emotional moments as she tries to find her place in life and on the investigative team. Her desire for greater involvement leads to the art provenance job and places her in jeopardy. 

Wayne and Lucy's impending nuptials provide some fun moments and some emotional ones as he searches for the younger sister with whom Lucy had lost touch. But I had to smile over the references early in the story about Wayne and PD getting their COVID vaccinations, and when it was revealed the needles made the groom-to-be somewhat nervous. 

The investigations are continually in motion, with several interesting and exciting storylines finely meshed together. The author maintains a steady, productive pace, so there is never a dull moment for the team or the reader. There are some surprising twists and turns as the cases wend their way to resolution, though, and that had me invested in the story from the first page to the last. Although readers are recommended to begin the series with the first book, this one can stand on its own. 

With its found family of engaging main characters and several solid mysteries to consider, I recommend IN THE FRAME to mystery readers who enjoy complex family dramas, stories set in the Nashville area or Erie, Pennsylvania, and especially to fans of the previous books in the series. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.

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Elmer Kelton’s The Familiar Stranger

by

Steve Kelton and John Bradshaw

 

A round-up of Hewey Calloway tales told as his adventures during a long trail ride to Canada.

 

Elmer Kelton’s The Familiar Stranger is the fifth Hewey Calloway volume, a collaboration of the unpublished writings of Kelton himself and his son, Steve Kelton, and was finally brought to completion by John Bradshaw. In this book, Hewey Calloway is at loose ends in Durango, Colorado, left there after his last wrangling job went sideways. He decides to visit a friend, a retired Texas Ranger, as he considers his next move. Along the way to Hanley’s, a chance encounter at a remote cabin with a young man with smallpox puts Hewey’s conscience and health to the test. 

Hanley Baker is living in the mountains in a cabin left to him by a fond uncle, and he is not terribly enamored of the situation: the place is too difficult to farm or do much else with. So, when Hewey gets a wild hair to check out Canada, he doesn’t have to do much convincing for Hanley to come along as well. On the trail to Canada, Hewey rubs up against a diverse range of characters. While some are just down on their luck, others are in trouble of another shape and kind, and his past kindness to the sick young man and his consideration in return come back for a second round. 

The storytelling is compelling, even when the writer is only recounting a simple day in the lives of the two old friends as they make their way north through the wild, untamed wilderness. More adventurous scenes are handled equally well and choreographed to convey the ongoing action vividly and to perfection. What results is a well-told tale of cinematic quality. 

Although the fifth book in the series, readers new to Hewey’s adventures should have no trouble reading and enjoying this one as a standalone. I recommend ELMER KELTON’S THE FAMILIAR STRANGER to readers of western action and adventure stories. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy through RABT Book Tours and PR.

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Apple Dumpling Murder

Christmas Catastrophe Mysteries, #2

by

Trixie Silvertale

 

Sugar and spice and murder!

 

Apple Dumpling Murder is the second book in author Trixie Silvertale’s fun and festive Christmas Catastrophe Mysteries, a cozy mystery series featuring none other than Santa’s daughter, Cindy Claus. With its naïve but good-hearted and oftentimes literal-thinking main character and the murder of a beloved community figure, I was compelled to get to the bottom of this dirty deed, rooting for Cindy, Keith, and Arti the entire time. 

Cindy Cherubim Claus is the main character and the daughter of the famous Claus at the North Pole. She’s a half-elf, a quarter human, and a quarter angel, and has settled in Silver Shoals to open a bakery and do what she loves doing more than anything else: bake delicious pastries and treats. Cindy (and everyone else in the bakery) is shocked and surprised when her landlord, Ronnie Schmenkel, announces he’s going to leave her the building she’s leasing from him in his will. Uncomfortable with this generous intention, she goes to Ronnie’s house to ask him to reconsider this gift. However, someone else has been there before her, and Cindy finds Ronnie dead on the floor of his home, the victim of a deadly bash on the head with a rolling pin. When the murder weapon has her fingerprints on it, she becomes suspect number one. 

The characters in this Christmas-centric town are, for the most part, a warm and charming bunch, and her relationship with Keith, the medical investigator, is getting even warmer. The little glimpses of Silver Shoals give close-knit, small-town vibes and a perpetual holiday spirit. With some good suspects to rule out before reaching the final, surprising resolution, the plot offers exciting, intense moments alongside its delightful charm. 

I recommend APPLE DUMPLING MURDER to cozy mystery readers who enjoy culinary or holiday-themed stories. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.

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With One Kiss

A Sisters Duet, #2

by

Cheryl Holt

 

Another nobleman's mother behaving badly!

 

In With One Kiss, author Cheryl Holt concludes the two-book set of A Sisters Duet, wonderful Regency romances filled with excitement, angst, love and lust, and a double dose of perfidious moms! The intertwined stories were robustly plotted with randy, confirmed bachelors who meet their matches in the Cronenworth sisters. 

Charlotte, the younger of the two Cronenworth sisters, reacted much differently to their change in fortunes on the death of their father than her older sister, Theodora. While Theo had gone with the flow and acted as the peacemaker of the surviving family members, Charlotte had burned with constant rage. She'd railed against her fate and had willfully forged her own path, escaping her stepmother's control at the earliest opportunity. She'd quarreled with Theo and taken a low-status teaching position at a boarding school, much to the toplofty family's chagrin. It was not the first, nor would it be the last scandal to beset the Cronenworths. 

Winston Wainwright, Lord Dartmouth, is the spoiled young patriarch of one of the kingdom's oldest and noblest lineages, a member of the inner circle surrounding the throne. An established roué, he's soon to give up his bachelorhood to wed the icy and conniving Lady Jasmine Clement. Win meets Charlotte Cronenworth when she shows up on his doorstep with an abandoned young pupil when their boarding school abruptly closes, the only clue to her origins being the name of his coastal estate in her file. He assumes the girl is his deceased younger brother's love child. Feeling responsible for Holden's death, he is determined to do right by the young girl, but his desire for Charlotte is anything but noble. While used to his pleasures and the adoration of every woman he meets, he has become besotted with Charlotte, who doesn't immediately succumb to his charms. 

The main romantic plot contains a couple of great secondary storylines and circles back to events left unresolved in the previous book. I enjoyed Charlotte's and Win's initial meeting; he's rude, imperious, and entitled, and she stands up to him. Her dialogue is clever, biting, and priceless. As in the previous book, the Dowager mom is a devious force to be reckoned with, but she's also met her match in Charlotte and Win's eventual determination to get what he truly wants. Jasmine is a scheming shrew without a heart, and I was shocked when Jake Boggs's true position in the Wainwright family was initially revealed. However, the resolution to the duet of tales is ultimately satisfying. 

I recommend WITH ONE KISS to romance readers who enjoy strong female protagonists, conniving noble ladies, and a touch of spice in a Regency setting. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.