I had a lot of fun reading “Trouble is a Friend of Mine.” Trouble is a guy named Philip Digby who suddenly forces his way into Zoe Webster’s life. Zoe has recently moved from New York City to a small town in upstate New York with her mother after her parents divorce.
I didn’t realize that “Broken Promise” was part of a series of books until I had started reading it. It refers to many things that have happened in previous books and ends with a cliff-hanger to be resolved in a future book. While I was able to read the book as a standalone novel, it felt as if I had stepped into the middle of a story and needed a little more background information to understand what was going on.
There is a basic story in this almost 500 page book with a mystery that I had solved in less than 100 pages (although not really the whodunnit which is part of the cliff-hanger.) As a mystery, it was a little lacking for me. I like to figure out the ending just ahead of or just behind the main sleuth in the story. In this case, it was pretty much evident what had happened almost as soon as the friction was introduced.
This is the second book by Julia Heaberlin I have read and enjoyed. I actually enjoyed reading “Black-Eyed Susans” even more than “Lie Still” – which surprised me as I really enjoyed the first book. I will certainly be looking for this author again in the future and will make a point of buying her first book “Playing Dead” as I will probably like it as well as the others.
The setting for the story is the Ft. Worth area of Texas. I’ve lived in Texas for more than 10 years now – most of it in the Hill Country near Austin but most recently in the Northern Dallas suburbs. I can attest that the author’s descriptions of the locale and the people who inhabit the area are absolutely spot on. Picking up her book and reading some of the conversations mimic ones that I have with my neighbors. Not, thankfully, the ones about murder, but the rhythm and cadence of the conversations strike a familiar cord. Her descriptions of the landscape are spot on. There is a terrible beauty to the vastness of the land and the heat that scorches it year in and year out. The author has even put what we call cold and ice and snow in its place. Minimal compared to the Northern states but deadly here.
“Modular Crochet” by Judith Copeland is a reprint of a book originally published in 1978. Usually, one would think that a book that old would be out of date. This is not the usual book. It is a perfect example of what was old is new again. Before I had even finished reviewing the temporary digital version I had been provided by the publisher, I had gone back and ordered a paper version not only for myself but a second copy for my younger daughter who also loves to crochet. The original book is still around in the secondary market but the price is high and out of reach of many crocheters. By re-publishing this book, Dover has brought the price point down to a reasonable and doable amount for most of us.
“The Second Sister” is a touching story about a young woman who has lost her way and the road she takes in order to find home again. It is the first book I have read by Marie Bostwick though it is her tenth full length novel.
I was entranced by the author’s use of language – she is able to paint a visual scene just by use of letters on a page. I could see the town of Nilson’s Bay though I have never been to that part of the country. I could envision each of the individuals as if I had met them. The image of the town and the inhabitants will stay with me for a long time, I am sure.
“Fixed in Blood” was a high speed mystery thriller of a read. It turns out that it is the fourth in a series; however, it is the first book that I have read by T. E. Woods. I often read books out of series to see if they can be read as a stand-alone book. This one is easily read by itself; however, it is so well-written that you, like me, will probably want to read the whole series. It does contain information that can probably be construed as plot spoilers for the first books. I skimmed over those portions as I fully intend the read the prior three books. As soon as I finished reading “Fixed In Blood”, I purchased the three-book bundle which is available for the Kindle.
“Chilling Effect” is the second book in the new Aroostine Higgins series by Melissa F. Miller. The character seems to have been introduced in a previous series by the author but I have yet to read that series. I did read the first book in this series, “Critical Vulnerability”. While I enjoyed the first book and I believe that it enhanced my reading of this book, I don’t think it is necessary to read the books in order to enjoy this story. There is enough background information given in this book to have it make sense and while there is information about the first book, I don’t consider the information to be a “spoiler” problem.
I had been looking for a great book of amigurumi fairy tale characters when I came across “Once Upon a Time in Crochet” by Lynne Rowe. I pre-ordered it a month or two ago and when it arrived, I was thrilled with both the selection and the imagination used to create the characters.
To start with, the cast of characters: The Princess and the Pea (including bed and blankets), The Ugly Duckling, Three Billy Goats Gruff (and troll), Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Puss in Boots, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Little Red Riding Hood (and standing wolf), The Three Little Pigs (and sitting wolf), The Frog Prince, Hansel and Gretel (and witch), and to finish, Rapunzel (and her castle.)
“Critical Vulnerability” is the first book I have read by Melissa F. Miller. While it appears to be the first in a new series of books featuring Aroostine Higgins, it also seems that Aroostine and her husband Joe have been characters in a previous series of books by Ms. Miller. It did not seem necessary to have read that series to enjoy this new one but there are enough hooks in the story that to make me think that, as I enjoyed this book, I would also enjoy going back and reading the previous legal series featuring a character named Sasha McCandless.
This is an engrossing psychological murder mystery by an author I have not read before. After having read the book and enjoyed it, I still do not understand the meaning of the title “The Bones of You.” I may be having a dense moment as I am definitely in the middle of a bad cold but it just doesn’t mean anything to me as there were no bones found. Apart from that, I was able to connect and appreciate the story and the story telling of the book.
