Rosepoint Publishing

Rosepoint Reviews – September Recap – Did you catch that Harvest Moon?

Rosepoint Reviews - September Recap

Usually we have a beautiful Harvest moon just about the autumn equinox, but with the crazy early fall weather we’ve had this year, pretty hard to see the moon or stars. Do you have a celebration to welcome in the change to seasons now or later?

Perhaps we are more inclined to celebrate the period around Halloween, although we are not due now a full moon on Halloween night until October 31, 2039. I’ve always been fascinated by the origins of the ancient festival celebrations around the end of October as it felt more like the end of the harvest season to us. I must admit, however, that my garden gave it up early this year and I’ve already spent the time to clean it up. I’ve salvaged a few acorn squash and one lonesome bell pepper.

Because the weather took such a turn, I began preparation to move the little water garden critters inside. You may remember that I mentioned setting up a little water feature in my May Recap. The orange Mystery Snails and Rosy Red Minnows have actually made the move successfully (so far) to a small aquarium. The minnows are hardy, look like goldfish, and withstand both water level and temperature fluctuations. Orange Mystery Snails - breathe both air and water The snails are the clowns of the aquarium, breathe both water and air, will go exploring, eat most any veggie and are tolerated because they clean up algae. The downside, of course, is that they reproduce like rabbits and put a heavy load on otherwise clean water. It’s been an education.

Speaking of education, a gal in one of my exercise classes started talking to me about her participation in Mahjong. Well, Mahjong! Mah Jong tiles I was introduced to the original Mahjong over in Japan when we lived there and, fascinated, went out and bought and brought home, a set of Mahjong tiles. I paid 800 Yen back then, or about $2.20, and now approximately $5.08 USD. Of course, no way, shape, or form could the Asian game be close to the now sanctioned National Mah Jongg League (NMJL) game, not that I remember how we played it back then. Needless to say, I’ll be starting a beginner class shortly. I guess it’s really catching on in the States now.

The first week of October will be our third anniversary with Punkin the Pom, who has finally allowed me to pet her (by invitation only), and has jumped up on the couch if we aren’t there and the bed when we are, though doesn’t stay close longer than to say goodnight. She will turn seven years old two weeks after that. I must say, she is a very easy dog to live with, for the most part undemanding.

Despite all the above and another trip to the VA for the CE, I did manage to read and listen to nine ebooks and audiobooks. Still trying to play catch up and not doing a very good job of it while so much is going on. As always, the link is to my review that also includes purchase links.

#RosepointPublishing - September Recap

EBooks

Every Secret Thing by Susanna Kearsley
How to Kill a Crime Writer by Sarah Lotz

Audiobooks

Whisper Creek by Allison Brennan
Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple (bookclub selection)

Poppy Montgomery Gets Even by Gordon Jack*
The Secrets We Hide by Karin Slaughter*

Dead Men Don’t Play Fetch by David Rosenfelt*
Shadow of the Solstice by Anne Hillerman*

Keep Them Close by David Ellis

Favorite Book of the Month

I went back and forth between Poppy Montgomery Gets Even and How to Kill a Crime Writer, but decided in the end that I enjoyed the unique plot device as well as the paranormal element in How to Kill a Crime Writer by Sarah Lotz just a little more.

Favorite for September – How to Kill a Crime Writer

My Reading Challenges page…Between doctor visits, moving aquatic critters, cleaning up the yard, and trying to learn Mah Jong from YouTube videos, my reading suffered in September. I reduced my Goodreads goal to 125 and posted those audiobook reviews from last month, now showing 98 books completed and 5 ahead of schedule. Hopefully, now I can settle down to an almost indoor reading schedule and complete some goals.

To my readers and fellow bloggers: apologies once again for lagging on blog hopping. I’m also a member of the Amazon Vine community and they are finally beginning to post a few items which I do want and have received, prompting required reviews. A time sink but worth it. Still, I appreciate every view and like and appreciate so much your taking the time to check out my posts and leave your comments.

Audiobooks

*Mini-reviews

Keep Them Close by David Ellis #AudiobookReview #DomesticThriller #TuesdayBookBlog

Book Blurb:

Two siblings. One murder. So many lies.

Siblings Allison and Luke have been through a lot together. They’ve always stood by each other. They’d do anything for each other.

Or so it seems.

When Allison’s husband, Finley, is murdered, the investigation threatens to expose the siblings’ darkest secrets. An illicit affair. A decades-old accident. A stunning deception. How do these events explain Finley’s death? How far will Allison and Luke go to keep their secrets buried? And can the siblings even trust one another anymore?

As the investigation winds tighter and past and present collide, the most shocking betrayal might lie a little too close to home…

My Review:

I usually love legal thrillers written by an attorney who knows the law, the ins and outs, and the manipulation of it. This is one of those, although the law can sometimes be a rather tedious subject also. That might be my problem here, as I have a notoriously short attention span and when it comes to thrillers, I want action, in court or out.

As much as I was impressed by Allison, sharp, intelligent, and quick witted, she also annoyed the socks off me sometimes. I often viewed her as entitled and there were a few times when she exhibited that arrogance to prove her point.

Several plot points going on in this domestic thriller. Turns out, between the two partners, she is the successful and, shall we say, more powerful person in this marriage. Given her husband is unfaithful and a waste at any of his get-rich schemes, perhaps it’s not wholly shocking that he should be the one who becomes the victim.

When Allison becomes the target of road rage, it appears to kick off a random list of unexpected twists. Allison has a great support team who adds an authenticity depth to the narrative and I enjoyed them. The plot turns complex with split POVs and timelines.

I felt the pacing waxed and waned a bit for me, the twists pushed boundaries of disbelief, but the ending may supply the gotcha you thought avoided. The ending neatly provides acknowledgment but left me angry with Allison.

Domestic history plays a heavy part in the denouement as well as sibling rivalry and tension. Allison plays her cards close, she knows the law, she can handle more than one case—that of her brother—and still handle a couple other nagging issues. Will one of those nagging issues spell the end of her storied career or end her relationship with her brother Luke?

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Three point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Domestic Thrillers, Psychological Thrillers
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Narrators: Robin McAlpine, Sean Patrick Hopkins, Kelli Tager
Release Date: June 30, 2026

Title Links:

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: David Ellis is a lawyer and the Edgar Allan Poe Award winner for Best First Novel for Line of Vision. Ellis attended Northwestern Law School and began his legal career in private practice in Chicago in 1993. He served as the House Prosecutor who tried and convicted Illinois Governor Blagojevich in the Impeachment Trial before the Illinois Senate. He was elected to the Illinois Appellate Court in 2014 and took office December 1, 2014. Ellis currently lives outside Chicago with his wife and three children.

Find David at David Ellis.com.

#TuesdayBookBlog

Two Audiobook Mini-Reviews ––Dead Men Don’t Play Fetch – Shadow of the Solstice – Animal Cozy Mysteries and Indigenous Fiction – #TBT

Two reviews of audiobooks; short and sweet, that will hopefully pique your interest. (Links on individual covers are to Amazon.)

Quite the opposite of genres, one an easy fast read and the other a serious topical and unique storyline with several familiar characters from one of your favorite TV series.

Dead Men Don’t Play Fetch by David Rosenfelt
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Narrator: ‎ Grover Gardner

My Thoughts

I try not to miss any of the Andy Carpenter Mystery series since discovering them in 2016. The last I read turned out to be a prequel to the series he called Dogged Pursuit. Andy is a wise-cracking but extremely sharp defense attorney who has been trying to retire for years but keeps getting cases of the wrongly accused. Carpenter’s side hustle is a dog shelter and in this case, it’s the dog of the newly gained defendant that goes to his rescue.

The Andy Carpenter series seems to begin on a simple whodunnit (we already know he must be innocent), but usually escalates into a complex and many layered plot.

The attorney has surrounded himself with a cadre of experts in the field from ex-cops (one being his wife) to a man who does the “heavy” work as well as a computer hacker (not always white hat) who wants to do more than hack. (He envisions himself a dark detective.) Love the support characters—they are always fun.

Still, I think it’s the courtroom scenes I might enjoy second only to the inclusion of the canines. It’s a song and dance that must come off perfectly if he’s going to win.

If you enjoy cozy animal mysteries, legal thrillers, and a sarcastic sense of humor, this might be your next read. These are fun, fast books—and certainly addicting. Released in July, it’s in your library. For the best experience (you’ve heard that one before but this time it’s accurate), don’t miss the audiobook narrated by Grover Gardner. Just the best! Totally recommended.

Shadow of the Solstice: A Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito Novel by Anne Hillerman
Publisher: Harper
Narrator: Jessica Matten

Leaphorn & Chee #28

The series originally created by Tony Hillderman continues with the Navajo Nation police notified of a visit to Shiprock by the US Cabinet Secretary. At the same time, they are facing a resumption of uranium mining along the border where a body is found near a radioactive uranium waste dump site.

If that isn’t enough, there are indigenous people disappearing during their quest for help and a group shows up claiming to be peaceful but may have more sinister plans than meditation.

I must admit that I requested this book on the basis of the Leaphorn character noted in the title. I loved the Dark Winds series, originally created for TV by Graham Roland, from novels written by Tony Hillderman. My favorite character in the series is Joe Leaphorn, well played by Zahn McClarnon. In this episode of the series, Leaphorn has retired and presents only cameo appearances.

The book dives into complexity by tackling several current topical issues including poverty, addiction, and education. I was appalled that people could take advantage of the government effort to offer recovery services for addicted indigenous. Several topics had me in disbelief, not that it couldn’t happen but that it was.

The book is generally classified as a western noir thriller or crime drama. It is dark, authentic, disturbing, and atmospheric. A drama that captures the essence of Native American life as they navigate living in a capsule that challenges their spiritual beliefs.

It’s excellent and highly recommended.

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to these audiobooks. Any opinion expressed here is my own.

Audiobooks