Broken Summer by J. M. Lee

November 21, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Broken Summer by J. M. Lee
Publisher: Amazon Crossing
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Contemporary
Rating: 4 stars
Review by Snowdrop

A death, a lie, a secret. For twenty-six summers he didn’t have the courage to face the past.

Lee Hanjo is an artist at the peak of his fame, envied and celebrated. Then, on his forty-third birthday, he awakens to find that his devoted wife has disappeared, leaving behind a soon-to-be-published novel she’d secretly written about the sordid past and questionable morality of an artist with a trajectory similar to Hanjo’s. It’s clear to him that his life is about to shatter and the demons from his past will come out. But why did his wife do it? Why now?

The book forces Hanjo to reflect on a summer from his youth when a deadly lie irreversibly and tragically determined the fates of two families.

What if you were 40+ years old and found what you thought had been a good marriage, was not that at all? What if you found out because your wife was missing? Even more so, what if your wife left a note making it quite clear that she was aware of your past. Definitely not the good part of your past.

This book slips from one POV to another. It also weaves back and forth in time. Usually, I would say this was irritating, but here, the author seems to handle it well. It flows so well that you don’t realize the breaks. More importantly, it never seems to be confusing.

As far as the genre is concerned, this is a quick read with some tension, but I would label it more a suspense than a thriller. This is actually a point that made it more enjoyable to read as far as I’m concerned. If you’re in the mood for an easy read that will make your mind work a little too, Broken Summer is the perfect solution.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Danger To Others by Martha Crites

November 7, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Danger To Others by Martha Crites
Publisher: Northwest Corner Books
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Contemporary
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Snowdrop

Late October in the Pacific Northwest foothills brings more than a change of season. Psychiatric evaluator Grace Vaccaro is on edge. A field evaluation gone wrong leads to a shooting, Grace’s mother has died and ghosts from her family past are everywhere.

When Laurel, a young psychiatric patient, says she killed her therapist, Grace suspects it’s a delusion and sets out to prove her innocent. Then Laurel escapes from a locked unit and suspicions abound. Her parents have secrets too. Laurel is reuniting with her father, a recovering heroin addict. Just how much does he oppose mental health treatment and why? Laurel’s mother doesn’t trust him. The mother may have a disturbing past of her own-someone is following her.

Grace’s work partner disappears next. Is it related to the case? Grace’s search leads to the Seattle music scene, an abandoned mental hospital in the North Cascades and a group of cloistered nuns on a remote island. Whenever Grace believes she’s identified the killer, new information points to someone else. As Grace digs deeper, she must face both the hope and inadequacies of medical treatment of mental health in the last sixty years.

Working in the mental health field can most likely be satisfying and frustrating. I imagine there are many times that it is difficult to know whether your client is telling the truth or not. Sometimes we have seen things so horrid that we begin to wonder if it was real or not. Trying to help people with these problems is not something I have personal experience with. In this story, Grace Vaccaro has plenty of experience as an evaluator, and it is with this type of character that the author weaves a good story.

There is a very good picture of the Pacific Northwest here. I think the author’s descriptive writing only helps to make the scene even more real. However, it was not descriptive writing nor characters that drew me into the story. It was the suspense. The taut “sit on the edge of your seat” bits were my favorite. This is the kind of book that will keep you reading long into the night.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Deadly Thanksgiving by Maureen Fisher

October 4, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Deadly Thanksgiving by Maureen Fisher
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Cozy Mystery, Contemporary
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Snowdrop

The Foster sisters had inherited Grizzly Gulch Guest Ranch at an age when most sensible women contemplated retirement. No one ever called them sensible.

In Book 2 of The Senior Sleuth Mystery Series, events manager Clara Foster must ensure the success of a week-long getaway for lonely retirees—a Boomers’ Thanksgiving Festival. Too bad the arrival of a mini-coach loaded with tipsy seniors gets the event off to a shaky start, especially when one of the guests turns out to be a corpse. Worse, the Mountie assigned to the case is none other than one Hawk McDougall, the man Clara dumped via text message.

Tensions mount when the death appears to be deliberate and the prime murder suspect is Clara’s cousin.

As more suspects emerge, mysterious “accidents” force Clara to join forces (and possibly more) with Hawk to find a killer on the rampage.

Non-stop action bounces from a cantankerous cat named Snuggles to an unfortunate goat yoga incident, a perilous nature walk to a mechanical bull gone rogue, a disastrous wardrobe malfunction to a spitting llama, all culminating in a memorable takedown followed by a Thanksgiving feast the guests will never forget.
Warning: This book may contain nuggets of naughty boomer humor.

Very cute read. Lots of humor and sarcasm which I loved. The match ups and the love hungry residents coming from Lifestyle Manor make for some interesting tete-a-tetes. Nonetheless this is as clean as can be.

Author Maureen Fisher made me feel as if I were there participating in goat yoga, on a hike, or even living in a rather rustic atmosphere at Grizzly Gulch. She didn’t just make me feel I was there; she made me wish I was there having fun. I even enjoyed the new temperamental Chef Armand and his showy culinary delights. I especially enjoyed his alternative choices for a dark Thanksgiving.

A light but very enjoyable read.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Fragrance of Death by Leslie Karst

August 26, 2022 By Leave a Comment


The Fragrance of Death by Leslie Karst
Publisher: Severn House
Genre: Historical, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Review by Snowdrop

Restaurateur Sally Solari has a nose for trouble, but when her sense of smell goes missing, it’s not just her career on the line . . . it’s her life.

Restaurateur Sally Solari is a champion, both in the kitchen and on the case, but after getting mixed up in one too many murders, she’s noticed her nonna’s friends have now taken to crossing themselves when they see her in the street. Adding to her woes, a sinus infection has knocked out her sense of smell, making cooking on the hot line difficult, indeed. Nevertheless, Sally is determined to stay out of trouble and focus on her work.

But then her old acquaintance Neil Lerici is murdered at the annual Santa Cruz Artichoke Cook-Off, and her powers of investigation are called into action once more. Could Neil have been killed by the local restaurant owner who took his winning spot at the competition? Or maybe by one of his siblings, who were desperate to sell the family farm to a real estate developer?

Sally plunges headfirst into the case, risking alienating everyone she knows – including the dapper Detective Vargas, who finds her sleuthing both infuriating and endearing. And soon it’s not only her restaurant and tentative new relationship that are on the line – it’s her life . . .

If you’re a food and cooking fan, this is a delightful book. Actually, it was pretty enjoyable, period. It would be difficult to ignore the descriptions of cooking and excellent dishes. You might try it out and see what happens if you can’t smell any of it. Nope…not even a whiff. That’s what happens to our main character in this book of the Leslie Karst series. Sally Solari can’t smell a thing, not even the rat who offed her fiercest competitor. Friend or foe, Sally still has to sniff out the murderer (sorry I could not leave out that pun).

Anyway, this is a fun, well-written cozy set right in California on the coast. Karst is as good at describing the beautiful scenery settings as she is at describing the dishes. The idea of a cozy theme being about a chef who has no sense of smell just cracks me up, and I loved the book.

The Fragrance of Death is my first Leslie Karst mystery. If it is any example of the rest, they must all be able to be read as a stand-alone. Since this one, Book 5, was so fun, I think I’ll go back and read them all.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The Salt Path by Raynor Winn

August 22, 2022 By Leave a Comment


The Salt Path by Raynor Winn
Publisher: Penguin Books
Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir
Rating: 5 stars
Review by Snowdrop

The true story of a couple who lost everything and embarked on a transformative journey walking the South West Coast Path in England

Just days after Raynor Winn learns that Moth, her husband of thirty-two years, is terminally ill, their house and farm are taken away, along with their livelihood. With nothing left and little time, they make the brave and impulsive decision to walk the 630 miles of the sea-swept South West Coast Path, from Somerset to Dorset, through Devon and Cornwall.

Carrying only the essentials for survival on their backs, they live wild in the ancient, weathered landscape of cliffs, sea, and sky. Yet through every step, every encounter, and every test along the way, their walk becomes a remarkable and life-affirming journey. Powerfully written and unflinchingly honest, The Salt Path is ultimately a portrayal of home—how it can be lost, rebuilt, and rediscovered in the most unexpected ways.

Do you think you could come to a point in your life where you lose your home? Could that happen? How could it be possible? Was it irresponsible? Could you just take off and wild camp with very few plans? For that matter is hiking and wild camping along the 630 mile coastal path near Cornwall even a plan?

Each of these thoughts were a few of those running through my mind when I began this memoir by Raynor Winn. The story seemed far-fetched to me. What couple, at fifty years of age, would decide to take off to hike a trail with very little money and backpacks on their backs. Packs that I’m sure I couldn’t even carry. Just take off and leave the area they had lived in, the familiarity of their surroundings, and their family.

But all the while this fog of questions was swirling around my head, the author snuck up on me. She snatched up my interest, and I was off and running with a book I couldn’t put down. I’m not even sure how to explain it to you. It’s well written and the reading flows well. It is not a descriptive account of the beautiful coastal path of Wales. There isn’t even a map in the book to give you an idea of the beautiful, rugged places and the quaint villages this National Trail passes. It is more the bare bones story of two people trying to hike a 630 mile path while knowing one of them is very sick and both hoping that a plan will come to them in the end. At times it seemed as if it couldn’t be non-fiction. I was on the edge of my seat, hanging on at every twist and turn. As sad as could be that they couldn’t afford a lovely cream tea in a small village. Horrified that they had to walk wet for days or couldn’t shower for weeks at a time.

This is an extraordinary book. It is an honest accounting of a search for “what’s next.” Sometimes we fall into trouble, and we aren’t sure what step to take. That’s what this book is about. It most certainly isn’t something I would decide to do, but I loved reading about the experience.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Other, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Bats, Bandits, and Buggies by Nancy Oswald

August 18, 2022 By 2 Comments


Bats, Bandits, and Buggies by Nancy Oswald
Publisher: Burro Books
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.) Historical, Fiction, YA
Rating: 5 stars
Review by Snowdrop

Bat, Bandits & Buggies is the fourth book in the Ruby and Maude Adventure Series. These books can be read in any order.

In Colorado Springs, the summer of 1898, thirteen-year-old, Ruby is bored, bored, bored. What starts out as a plan to train her donkey, Maude, to pull a buggy, ends up in a prickly business deal with her friend Roy, who has run away from Cripple Creek to escape his misery of working in the mines.

Roy lives with his peculiar Aunt Agnes, the caretaker of a mansion where things go bump in the night. Ruby suspects his aunt is involved with two bandits who dress in black and appear and disappear without a trace.

After eavesdropping on a mysterious couple, Ruby is terrified Roy may be the bandits’ next target. Her suspicions come true when the gun-brandishing bandits capture her and Roy.

Will the two escape? Is there a connection between the bandits, Aunt Agnes, and the mansion? What other surprises await Ruby and Roy in their seemingly sleepy little town? Find out in Bats, Bandits, & Buggies.

While I am not of this reading age anymore (9 to 12), who could possibly ignore a book with this title? Regardless of age, I had a blast. Set in the late 1800’s, this middle grade children’s historical fiction story would be a quick and fun read for anyone. Ruby and Roy with her donkey Maude, decide to run from bad personal situations and end up right in the middle of a mystery. In some ways, out of the fire and into the pot, a possible very dangerous place to be.

What a neat change in genre this is. It’s almost a cozy mystery for middle grade readers. I love the historical fiction setting. This is clearly written and very easy to follow, but it sure never lets up on suspense.

Of course, it’s biggest draw is what I mentioned previously. Who can resist two kids, a donkey, some bandits, and a mystery?

Bats, Bandits, and Buggies is Book 4 in a series titled “Ruby and Maude Adventure”. Check it out.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Forever Past by Marty Ambrose

July 29, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Forever Past by Marty Ambrose
Publisher: Severn House
Genre: Historical, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Snowdrop

Claire Clairmont’s perilous quest to learn the fate of her daughter with Lord Byron enters its final stages in this last in a captivating historical trilogy based on the ‘summer of 1816’ Byron/Shelley group.

Italy, 1873. Claire Clairmont, one of the last surviving members of the Byron/Shelley circle, is determined to uncover the true fate of Allegra, her daughter conceived with Lord Byron. But her quest so far has been fraught with danger, and Claire knows she has enemies who will stop at nothing to keep past secrets hidden.

When she learns of a stunning revelation involving the abbess and Allegra, Claire returns to the convent of Bagnacavallo with her close companions to confront the abbess, and soon finds herself grappling with a series of chilling and threatening events.

As Claire finally closes in on the truth, could someone in her closest circle be plotting against her? And can she survive long enough to get the answers she craves for?

I have not found such an easy reading historical fiction book that is a mystery in quite some time. There is a little bit of everything here. This story contains mystery, danger, even a hint at romance. This is basically classified as historical fiction because Lord Byron, the poet, and Mary Shelley, from the Frankenstein novel, are a part of the story line.

Clair, a character in the story, has been present in the previous series. She is searching for her daughter with all hopes that she is still alive. Their journey, she and her companions, is fraught with danger. Claire begins to wonder just who she can trust.

As you can see, there is a lot more to this book than one might think of in an historical mystery. All of it is very readable and enjoyable. Forever Past is Book 3 in a series titled “A Lord Byron Mystery”. I enjoyed the book a lot, and I think it could be read as a stand-alone. It might have been nice to have known a little more about Claire and the previous threads of the story. However, I think the reason for this is because Marty Ambrose has made the story so interesting that you want more, not because you need more background to enjoy the story.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

A Country Road, A Tree by Jo Baker

July 14, 2022 By Leave a Comment


A Country Road, A Tree by Jo Baker
Publisher: Knopf Books
Genre: Historical, Fiction
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Snowdrop

From the best-selling author of Longbourn, a remarkable imagining of Samuel Beckett’s wartime experiences. In 1939 Paris, the ground rumbles with the footfall of Nazi soldiers marching along the Champs-Élysées, and a young, unknown writer, recently arrived from Ireland to make his mark, smokes one last cigarette with his lover before the city they know is torn apart. Soon he will put them both in mortal danger by joining the Resistance.

Through the years that follow, we are witness to the workings of a uniquely brilliant mind struggling to create a language to express a shattered world. A story of survival and determination, of spies and artists, passion and danger, A Country Road, A Tree is a portrait of the extremes of human experience alchemized into one man’s timeless art.

Was this book rather academic? I have waffled back and forth about that question. It has been a topic of discussion many times. In my opinion, there are two ways to read this book. One is as merely a story, which is what I did. It is an interesting tale of a writer and his girlfriend leading a somewhat Bohemian lifestyle in Europe. Its setting in the European countries during the tough war years of WW2 describes the hardships many of the people in those countries lived with.

However, being the curious person that I am, seeing James Joyce as a character in the book made me do a little research. During that research, I found that this is really not just historical fiction as it is classified, but rather a sort of fictional biographical picture of Samuel Beckett’s life and his time in France during the occupation. This somehow made me feel differently about the book. Was I supposed to just enjoy it as a story or was I supposed to learn more about Beckett? Maybe it doesn’t matter.

It may be that my previous ramblings are what made this book read somewhat slow at the beginning for me. It sped up and flowed quite smoothly as I continued to read. In fact, it became that story I was talking about in the first paragraph. A well-written story of a young man with writer’s block and a young girl wanting very much to help him, both living with a couple trying to make it through the occupation. Jo Baker seems to be an author who is able to write so that the frightening times, the hunger, and the cold and uncertainty, are vividly felt.

Jo Baker has other publications, one has more than 3000 reviews on Amazon. I think everything she has written is worth checking out.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Other, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Wolf Point by Ian K. Smith

June 24, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Wolf Point by Ian K. Smith
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Snowdrop

A Cadillac, a pistol, and a corpse make for another morning in Chicago. The body belongs to Walter Griffin, a prominent Black Chicagoan insider hailing from the city’s West Side. He ascended to the upper echelons of the mayor’s office only to meet his end in a watery grave at Wolf Point. Forensics finds his prints on the gun; it’s ruled a suicide.

But grizzled private investigator Ashe Cayne knows better.

Griffin’s children plead with a reluctant Ashe to hunt their father’s killer. They know their dad wouldn’t have taken his own life without a goodbye. And Ashe knows this town’s dark secrets often mean murder is not too far away.

Ashe decides to take on the case and navigate a city rotting with corruption, racial tensions, and sketchy backroom deals. On the bleak streets of Chicago, it’s every man for himself—and that makes everyone a suspect.

A great suspense read with a great main character. If you like well-crafted Private Investigator characters, Ashe Cayne is it. He’s practical and tough and he does what he has to in order to get things done.

I loved this Chicago setting and if you have ever been there, you would really love some of the description. The plot swirls around a city known for its beauty and for its corruption.

There are quite a few characters in this story, but I didn’t have any trouble keeping them straight. I think it’s because this is an author that is extremely detail oriented. Describing his characters or better said, painting a picture of them, makes them clearly identifiable while reading. After all, this author is a doctor who has written a wildly popular two book series and also one who has some diet books that have great reviews. From one type of detail to another. Seems he is as good at describing food detail as he is creating a great character in a suspenseful thriller. I sure hope Ashe Cayne shows up in a third book.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer

May 19, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
Publisher: Mariner Books
Genre: Historical, Fiction
Rating: 3 stars
Review by Snowdrop

With only a yellowing photograph in hand, a young man—also named Jonathan Safran Foer—sets out to find the woman who might or might not have saved his grandfather from the Nazis.

Accompanied by an old man haunted by memories of the war, an amorous dog named Sammy Davis, Junior, Junior, and the unforgettable Alex, a young Ukrainian translator who speaks in a sublimely butchered English, Jonathan is led on a quixotic journey over a devastated landscape and into an unexpected past.

As their adventure unfolds, Jonathan imagines the history of his grandfather’s village, conjuring a magical fable of startling symmetries that unite generations across time. As his search moves back in time, the fantastical history moves forward, until reality collides with fiction in a heart-stopping scene of extraordinary power.

This is a book about a young boy who finds an old, yellowed photo and is determined to find a lady in it who possibly saved his grandfather. It’s a look back upon a time of war and of the Nazis obliterating everything. It leads to many old memories, good, funny, and sad.

Everything is Illuminated has won many awards. It’s praised by the NY Times, Library Journal, the Washington Post, and many more. The author, Jonathan Safran Foer, was only 21 when he wrote it. In that view, it is amazing that such a work was written and published. It was even made into a movie. I found it difficult to read. Not because of its vulgarisms although there are many, but more so due to the broken English spoken by their translator who travels with them to the place where his grandfather lived. There are times it is hard to read because of the Holocaust and the treatment of the Jews, but that is not badly written, only hard to read because of the subject.

The author named the main character after himself. It caused me to wonder if the story was in its own way autobiographical as well as fictitious? There are some very poignant moments in Jonathan Safran’s journey. I wonder if the author has experienced the same feelings, the same sadness? It may be why although somewhat difficult to read, there can be no question the book is well-written. There are moments that come together and make you feel ashamed that you did not have to share the horror the Jews did during the war. Moments so well-written that you feel that you understand and yet know that you can never understand what the Jewish people experienced.

Is this a book you should read? I think it’s an experience many would gain from. It might be a story you shouldn’t pass by.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Other, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »