#bookseries – Page 45 – Rosepoint Publishing

Deep in the Forest: A Mystery Novel (Appalachian Mountain Mysteries Book 5) by Lynda McDaniel –#BookReview – @wordwardrobe

Book Blurb:

Hampshire, England, 2006: I should’ve known not to visit Nigel Steadman; trouble followed him closer than his shadow. But I’d finally made it all the way to Dublin, and it seemed a shame not to hop across the Irish Sea to see my old friend. Besides, he’d always said for me to come stay with him in London.

It wasn’t till I called from Dublin that I learned he’d moved to the New Forest in the south of England. Goodbye London before I ever met you—and hello heartache. That’s where Nigel roped me into doing some undercover work checking out the Ownbey gang he was trying to trick into telling the truth. But as you can imagine, things didn’t go the way we’d planned. Gunslingers, kidnappers, and thieves highjacked my vacation and turned it into a nightmare.

So here I am in a makeshift jail, and it feels like I’ll never see Fiona and the boys again. And if the bad guys have their way, I won’t. Even when my best friend Della Kincaid flies over to help, she can’t do much. I’m in so deep, she doesn’t know where to look for me. Time to pray. ~Abit Bradshaw

You’ll love this suspenseful mystery because who hasn’t tried to do the right thing—only to have it all go all wrong?

My Review:

Each of these series entries works well as a standalone and are unique but I have to say taking Abit Bradshaw and wife Fiona to Ireland is definitely a radical departure from their usual setting in the Appalachians.

Fiona is from Ireland and this was a grand chance to visit family. A chance also for Abit to get to London to see his old friend Nigel. He is envisioning the sightseeing until he discovers that Nigel is no longer in London—he relocated to New Forest. Nigel may best be a friend from afar as it doesn’t take long before he coerces Abit into doing a little “spying” for him. He’s always got something going on that could be considered dodgy—or even more—and this one appears to involve Nigel’s “gang” as well. Also, there is another gang which may prove downright dangerous and better left alone.

Abit, who got the childhood nickname from his dad who thought him “a bit slow” has, however, become quite the independent, strong, and actually musically talented adult as well as husband and father. I get the feeling Nigel takes advantage of him and wondered again how their friendship got past the first caper.

As always, Ms McDaniel completely immerses the reader into the locality, the local population vernacular, foods, and way of life. And in this particular narrative, it’s the local colorful characters, both good and bad, that take center stage rather than the overwhelming gorgeous atmosphere of the majestic mountains back home.

The POV switches between Abit and Della, his oldest friend and mentor—the lady who bought the little country store his dad owned back in Laurel Hills, North Carolina. Della is investigating her own drama at the store when she gets the word Abit is missing. I always enjoy references to the talent with his mandolin and Bluegrass music and Abit does get to show off some talents here as well.

I particularly enjoyed the inclusion of Bluegrass music in Book 4, Murder Ballad Blues. I have read several of this author’s works and am definitely a fan. These are engaging characters, stunning atmospherics, clean, down home stories without gore, and unique page-turning mysteries.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author and these are my honest thoughts. I thoroughly enjoy the author’s sense of humor and prose, and I’m always left looking forward to the next novel.

Rosepoint Publishing recommended

Rosepoint Rating: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Religious Mysteries, Heist Crime, Women’s Detective Fiction
Publisher: Lynda McDaniel Books
ASIN: B09HR7SMDJ
Print Length: 254 pages
Publication Date: October 3, 2021
Source: Direct author connection

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: [Lynda McDaniel] I love writing page-turners—both fiction and nonfiction. And I love helping others to do the same, living into their dreams of writing books. I believe my success comes down to a respect for my readers and clients. I know I’m easily bored, so I work hard to engage and inspire my readers.

After all, we’re all busy these days, and I want to deliver value–whether that’s a gripping mystery filled with memorable characters or books on writing that give you the tools to write your own fiction and nonfiction. Both make me happy.

I got my start as a writer in the most unlikely place—a town of 200 people in the mountains of North Carolina. But living there changed my life in so many positive ways. Decades later, I realized that everything I value today, I was introduced to there. My Appalachian Mountain Mysteries–“A Life for a Life,” “The Roads to Damascus,” “Welcome the Little Children”–pay homage to the people of Appalachia who taught me so much. And to Mollie the Wonder Dog, who plays a role in both “The Roads to Damascus” (aka Millie) and in “Welcome the Little Children (as Millie and Mollie).

To keep up to date with Abit, Della, and the gang (and receive a free novelette that pulls back the curtain on Abit’s and Della’s lives before they met in Laurel Falls), head over to http://www.LyndaMcDanielBooks.com. No spam, no pestering, just the free novelette, a 12-part serialized preview of my upcoming Book Four (via my blog), and special offers/updates.

Over the years, I’ve written more than 1,200 articles for major magazines, hundreds of newsletters and blogs. I’m proudest of the 18 books I’ve written. My nonfiction books include “Words at Work,” which I wrote straight from my heart, a much-needed response to all the questions and concerns people have about writing today. (It won top honors from the National Best Books Awards.) I’ve also written two Amazon Bestselling Books: “How Not to Sound Stupid When You Write” and “Write Your Book Now!” (with Virginia McCullough).

I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, but I’ve lived all over this country—from the Midwest to the Deep South to Appalachia to the Mid-Atlantic to the Pacific Northwest. Whew! I finally settled in Santa Rosa, California, a place that reflects the values I learned while living in the mountains of North Carolina, all those years ago.

YouTube attribution: Stuche51

Hypnosis Is for Hacks (An Eleanor Wilde Mystery Book 4) by Tamara Berry – #BookReview – #psychicmysteries

Book Blurb:

Though Eleanor is delighted that her brother, Liam, is visiting her in England, she must reluctantly agree that her quiet village lacks something when it comes to sightseeing—namely: sights. True, there’s nearby Castle Hartford, belonging to the family of Ellie’s boyfriend, Nicholas. But even Nicholas’s mother is eager to ditch sleepy, sweltering Sussex for a vacation in Brighton, taking Ellie and a relieved Liam with her. Yet hopes of a breezy seaside holiday quickly turn stormy, in every sense . . .

The ominous change in weather is accompanied by the reappearance of Ellie’s former partner-in-crime, Armand Lamont. Back when Ellie earned a living as a phony medium, Armand’s hypnosis skills helped the pair persuade many gullible marks to hand over their savings. Ellie assumes that Armand has resurfaced with blackmail in mind, but before she can figure out his angle, she and Liam witness a man being pushed from a boat by two shadowy figures who then vanish into midair.

Phantoms? Demons? Though Ellie doesn’t believe in either, the recovered body is real enough, as is a string of thefts plaguing their luxury hotel. Ellie has a theory, and it requires inviting Nicholas to join them under a fake identity. Their evolving relationship is as complex as this case, and Ellie’s authentic supernatural abilities too are developing in surprising ways. But as for whether the outcome will be good or bad, not even her witchy powers can say . . .

His Review:

A couple is walking along a beach during an extremely stormy night. The couple looks out into the tempestuous storm to see two men fighting and throwing a third man off the boat whereby he drowns. Thus begins an investigation by a very renowned psychic and medium! A bit of a bitter pill to swallow as the novel begins.

Eleanor is a gifted psychic with a group of ghosts who help her unravel the mysteries she seems to keep getting. She is surrounded by a group of never-do-wells, cats, and an ugly doll named Brunhilde. She also has a highly respected investigator named Armond Lemont who continues to question her investigation and appears more of a hindrance than a help.

She struggles through the investigation with Armond questioning every assumption. It seems he may have more than a passing interest in Eleanor and her future. Meanwhile her apparitions continue to guide and help her through the investigation. She has another suitor who is hanging in there hoping to win her heart. He is Nicholas Hartford III. Even his name evokes status and wealth. His mother will have to expire before this becomes a reality though.

I found it very difficult at times to believe the narrative. Who can walk on a beach during a stormy night and witness a crime on the water in the dark? Having lived on an island and been out in bad weather, I can assure you something happening in the dark on a stormy night wouldn’t be observed, especially someone fighting in a small boat on the open water.

The story was a fun frollick, however, and featured some interesting concepts and characters. It is a romp into the shadowy world of make believe. 4 stars – CE Williams

We received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author and publisher through NetGalley that in no way influenced this review. These are his honest opinions.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Psychic Mysteries, Witch & Wizard Mysteries, Ghost Mysteries
Publisher: Kensington Cozies
ASIN: B08VF957XH
Print Length: 197 pages
Publication Date: October 26, 2021
Source: Publisher and NetGalley
Title Link: Hypnosis Is for Hacks [Amazon]
Barnes and Noble
Kobo

The Author: Tamara Berry is a part-time author and part-time freelance copywriter/editor. She has a B.A. degree in English Literature from Eastern Washington University. In addition to books, she has mad love for all things TV, movies, and pop culture.

©CE Williams – V Williams

Daughter of the Morning Star: Longmire Mysteries Book 17 by Craig Johnson – #Audiobook Review – #westerns

in Westerns

Book Blurb:

When Lolo Long’s niece, Jaya, begins receiving death threats, Tribal Police Chief Long calls on Absaroka County Sheriff Walt Longmire along with Henry Standing Bear as lethal backup. Jaya Longshot Long is the phenom of the Lame Deer Lady Stars High School basketball team and is following in the steps of her older sister, who disappeared a year previously, a victim of the scourge of missing Native Woman in Indian Country. Lolo hopes that having Longmire involved might draw some public attention to the girl’s plight, but with this maneuver, she also inadvertently places the good sheriff in a one-on-one with the deadliest adversary he has ever faced in both this world and the next.

My Review:

Well, forgive me, but I do so enjoy a Walt Longmire novel and deemed it long enough since the last I’d read and reviewed (Land of Wolves) that I could post his newest release.

This one, however, seemed a bit of a departure from his usual and I missed a few of my favorite well-developed support characters.

Walt Longmire, Sheriff of (fictional) Absaroka County, Wyoming has been contacted by Tribal Police Chief Lolo Long to investigate death threats that Jaya is receiving. Jaya is a high school senior well on her way to a real basketball career track via scholarship. She’s that good and she is being recruited. The problem is that she fails to be a real leader or a team player.

An additional wrinkle is that she is following in her older sister’s footsteps, who was also threatened and then disappeared. Sure that the two are connected, Walt brings along Henry Standing Bear to provide liaison and support with the tribal community. He also takes Dog and no one will mess with Dog.

ARGH! Well, potty mouth or no, I do miss Vic Moretti (his under-sheriff), and to a lesser degree his daughter, Cady.

Okay, a couple things: In most Longmire novels, there is a lot of Native American involvement (it’s Montana after all), the Bear usually featured prominently, and the author tends to include a lot of info about reservation life as well as supernatural or mystical stories handed down through the families by the separate tribes as to their beliefs, spiritually driven. And this one no different. Fascinating this.

Also, he loves to give equal time to the (historical) stories, allowing for the POV of both sides—native and non-native. In this one, he divulges the still currently deplorable stats on acts against Native American women (and girls), noting numbers of violence or disappearances far exceed those of female averages for the same crimes off the reservation.

This book takes on disproportional story time issuing play-by-plays of the basketball games with Jaya, the obstinate athletic teen, and the struggle to remain in the play-offs leading to championships.

While most of the Longmire books could be read as standalones, there have been a few recent examples of a thread brought forward and I wonder if that is what is occurring here as there are unresolved mysteries, questions to be answered at the conclusion.

I’m a die-hard fan (loved the Netflix series!), and most especially the audiobooks as George Guidall does a bang-up job of narrating, putting himself in the shoes of Henry Standing Bear and firing off glib philosophical spikes at Longmire, holding his own beautifully (love the dialogue between the two). But this one fell just a little bit short for me this time. No bother. I’m looking forward to Book 18.

Book Details:

Genre: Western Fiction, Police Procedural Mysteries
Publisher: Recorded Books
ASIN: B091QCLR89
Listening Length: 8 hrs 25 mins
Narrator: George Guidall
Publication Date: September 21, 2021
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: Daughter of the Morning Star [Amazon]

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

The Author: Craig Johnson is the New York Times bestselling author of the Longmire mysteries, the basis for the hit Netflix original series Longmire. He is the recipient of the Western Writers of America Spur Award for fiction, the Mountains and Plains Booksellers Award for fiction, the Nouvel Observateur Prix du Roman Noir, and the Prix SNCF du Polar. His novella Spirit of Steamboat was the first One Book Wyoming selection. He lives in Ucross, Wyoming, population 25.

The Narrator: George Guidall is a prolific audiobook narrator and theatre actor. As of November 2014, he had recorded over 1,270 audiobooks, which was believed to be the record at the time. Wikipedia

V Williams

Happy Thursday!

Indigo by Paula Berinstein – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

Book Blurb:

What would you do if you suddenly found yourself mistress of an 18th-century plantation?

Esther Rubens is looking forward to getting to know her new community in South Carolina and repairing her troubled marriage. But as soon as she arrives in Charleston her life begins to diverge from the idyllic picture in her mind. Her physicist husband, Melvin, is arrested for driving while black, she inherits a strange English property from a cousin she didn’t know existed, and she learns that her great-grandmother Sophie, a brilliant scientist kidnapped by the Nazis, discovered the secret of time travel of all things.

Intrigued by Sophie’s cryptic journal Melvin begins to experiment with time travel, but his anger at the police makes him careless. The process backfires, killing him and throwing Esther back to 1750. Attacked by an unknown assailant the moment she arrives, she seeks protection at an indigo plantation belonging to a dashing planter with a dangerous secret, negotiating a deal that guarantees her safety. But she soon realizes she’s made a terrible mistake. What she discovers on the plantation is far more horrific than anything she could have imagined.

Overwhelmed, she attempts to flee just as the planter’s mysterious, handsome brother arrives from England seeking refuge-and offering an opportunity that’s too compelling to turn down. But can he be trusted? And are the two of them strong enough to vanquish the evil that’s pervading the lowlands? Only time will tell.

The first title in the Indigo series.

My Review:

Not the first time I’ve read a time travel romance, but must admit this one is a bit different.

Esther and Melvin, a mixed race couple move from California to South Carolina. Their relationship had become strained and after he is offered a prestigious position at a university, they jump at the chance to start anew. She accepts a librarian position at the same institution—but he becomes increasingly unhappy.

Esther inherits an English property from a distant, unknown cousin in England, and she makes the trip to inspect the crumbling estate coming home with her great-grandmother Sophie’s well-documented personal and scientific journal.

Sharing with Melvin that Sophie’s journal had chronicled a time travel experiment, Melvin jumps at the chance to travel with her, but something goes terribly wrong and he is killed in the same incident in which she discovers herself in 1750 South Carolina, the victim of an attack. She is rescued by indigo plantation owner Daniel Peacock and following a period of recovery from the attack, agrees to marry Daniel in a bid to give him credibility and she time to figure out how to find the time portal and return to her own century. Then she meets his brother, Jesse. (All bets are off.)

Okay, so far. Now it’s going to turn complicated, and the storyline becomes complex adding multi-layers to the plot. There is the plight of the slaves, the barbarism of the eighteenth century. Issues run from racism, anti-Semitism, hidden agendas, treachery, and conflict.

Esther’s character is empathetic to her surroundings, she’s smart, educated, and eager to right wrongs. Daniel is a greedy and vile character, unpredictable, greedy, and narcissistic. Jesse is soft-spoken, gorgeous, and hot. (Guess who becomes the romantic partner.)

The twists start coming and eventually introduce a thread to twentieth century Nazis. Huh? The twists, threads, storyline becomes overwhelming and begins to require a comprehensive score sheet. Threads are introduced, then put on the back-burner and forgotten until some time later. Threads are left open-ended, perhaps to be picked up in a subsequent book of the new series, sympathetic characters fleshed and then sacrificed.

Added to the complexity is her drive to conceive and begin a family. (Well, okay, maybe these things can’t always be timed well, but…) The final twist in the conclusion is a douzy and I’ll bet you won’t see that one coming!

The author’s writing style is unique, picking up and utilizing colloquialism, modern slang, and unusual words possibly unfamiliar to a younger generation. It is a story that is being related in a one-on-one personal manner (writer to reader) with a lapse from time to time to involve eighteenth century diction. Also, there seemed to be a bit of contradiction, timeline problem, and edit misses.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author and these are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Three point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Time Travel Romance, US Historical Fiction
Publisher: The Writing Show
ASIN: B084DC6VSS
Print Length: 399 pages
Publication Date: February 14, 2020
Source: Author request

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Author: Paula Berinstein loves to ponder “what if” questions, which is why she writes so many different kinds of books. That’s what happens when you spend your life reading . . . and dreaming. She invites you to join her on her journeys of the imagination.

Silent Title Books – Are Any of These on Your #TBR ?

Rosepoint Pub-Silent title books

Silent book titles are popular lately—I currently have four—two already read and reviewed, two on the radar. Seems they come in waves—before “silent” was “secret.” Must be a title trigger. [Thumbnails below are linked to the Goodreads entry.]

First read and reviewed the middle of September by the CE was Silent Witness by Carolyn Arnold. He gave it five stars and it was not the first book by the author we’d read. Ms Arnold does a great job with a #policeprocedural and this one is rated at 4.6 stars on Goodreads.

The second read and reviewed the first week of October also by the CE was Silent Island by Dana Perry. He gave four stars for this police procedural also rated at four stars on Goodreads.

Next up will be my read (if I can keep it away from the CE during his recuperation), These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant. Due to be released on October 26, this mystery-thriller is expected to be a humdinger with over 330 ratings already on Goodreads riding at just over four stars.

Of course, one of my favorite authors, Robert Dugoni, will be releasing The Silent Sisters next year on February 22, a Tuesday, of course. This is part of the Charles Jenkins series, Book 3, International Mystery and Crime currently running over four stars on Goodreads. We both read Book 2, The Last Agent in April, 2020 (five massive stars!). (And I read the Tracy Crosswhite series.)

Funny how often titles seem to run a similar theme, but then I tend to read mystery/thriller. Maybe no surprise. Do any of these titles interest you? Have you read or have them on your #tbr? Hopefully, I interested you in one!

Enjoy your weekend!

PS: Okay, yeah, I knew there was another “silent” and after trying to find it and giving up, got the approval from St. Martin’s Press (Minotaur Books) for Silent Parade by Keigo Higashino, A Detective Galileo Novel (Detective Galileo Series Book 4), International Mystery and Crime. It is scheduled to release December 14, 2021. It is apparently ahead of the game on Goodreads at over 275 ratings with an average of four stars. You might want to check this one out as well.

Enjoy Your Weekend!

All the Devils Are Here: A Novel: Chief Inspector Gamache Novel Book 16 by Louise Penny – #Audiobook Review – #TBT

Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Book Blurb:

The 16th novel by #1 bestselling author Louise Penny finds Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Quebec investigating a sinister plot in the City of Light

On their first night in Paris, the Gamaches gather as a family for a bistro dinner with Armand’s godfather, the billionaire Stephen Horowitz. Walking home together after the meal, they watch in horror as Stephen is knocked down and critically injured in what Gamache knows is no accident, but a deliberate attempt on the elderly man’s life.

When a strange key is found in Stephen’s possession it sends Armand, his wife Reine-Marie, and his former second-in-command at the Sûreté, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, from the top of the Tour d’Eiffel, to the bowels of the Paris Archives, from luxury hotels to odd, coded, works of art.

It sends them deep into the secrets Armand’s godfather has kept for decades.

A gruesome discovery in Stephen’s Paris apartment makes it clear the secrets are more rancid, the danger far greater and more imminent, than they realized.

Soon the whole family is caught up in a web of lies and deceit. In order to find the truth, Gamache will have to decide whether he can trust his friends, his colleagues, his instincts, his own past. His own family.

For even the City of Light casts long shadows. And in that darkness devils hide.

My Review:

I know I was supposed to love this book but truthfully had a difficult time keeping an ear on my cell phone earbud and/or my little portable speaker. Goodness. I was so lost!

My fault, obviously, for trying (once again) to jump into a beloved series at Book 16 no less where the reader was supposed to know who all the players were and why.

Gamache and his wife, Reine-Marie is supposed to be in Paris to celebrate the birth of a grandchild—and visit with the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache’s godfather. Certainly out of their Three Pines, Quebec element, but seems no problem as they search Paris high and low for the person who plowed into his godfather, Stephen Horowitz following their dinner. Intensionally.

The plot seemed all over the board from priceless art to corporate crimes, getting deeper and deeper into rare earth minerals. Meanwhile, Horowitz comes under scrutiny for his possible WWII activities. Wayyy too much going on for this device to work for me. Would it please just settle on one, or even two, main plot points?

Gamache routinely bounces all his theories off his wife, who manages to insert some calming sense into each, after a man is found murdered in Stephen’s Paris apartment.

I greatly enjoyed the narrator, managing voices and French pronunciations with ease, sliding effortlessly over the Paris street names, restaurants, foods, and attractions. The author includes some harrowing tidbits and facts about the fanatical post WWII Paris atmosphere that unsettles—lost in some of the more horrific stories and pictures of the time. (I still marvel that there are any monuments left standing and weep over the loss of Notre Dame in the fire of April 2019. I will never forget our singing experience there and am amazed at their restoration progress.)

Of the immediate family characters, including Daniel their son, I most enjoyed Reine-Marie as being authentic. At Book 16, I’m quite sure I’ve missed the all-important development of Armand but coming into a city not of his domain and taking on the investigation seemed a bit sleuthish, especially given the extent of this plot. He has no authority; how much latitude would he be allowed by the Paris authorities?

Thinking I’ll try another Louise Penny book, but not sure it will be Book 17 of this series. Any of you die-hard Canadian author readers read this series? Did you also have a problem with this narrative?

Book Details:

Genre: Traditional Detective Mysteries, International Mystery & Crime
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
ASIN: B0842XLN7Z
Listening Length: 13 hrs 59 mins
Narrator: Robert Bathurst
Publication Date: Sept 1, 2020
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: All the Devils Are Here [Amazon]

Rosepoint Publishing: Three point Five Stars

The Author: LOUISE PENNY is the #1 New York Times and Globe and Mail bestselling author of the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novels. She has won numerous awards, including a CWA Dagger and the Agatha Award (five times) and was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Novel. She lives in a small village south of Montréal.

The Narrator: Robert Guy Bathurst (born 22 February 1957) is an English actor. Bathurst was born in Gold Coast (now Ghana) in 1957. In 1959 his family moved to Ballybrack, Dublin, Ireland and Bathurst attended school in Killiney, later enrolled in an Irish boarding school. He is married to Victoria Threlfall and they have four daughters. [Wikipedia]

September Rosepoint Reviews Recap—Hello October!

Yes, the house closed the third week of September and they are moved and into their new home still crammed with boxes. I haven’t seen it yet but we are due to see it this weekend. She is loving it and very excited to start her new adventure and create memories in that lovely area of Illinois.

In the meantime, the tension and stress apparently hit the CE with more stress than he shows and was attacked with a horrendous case of shingles. In pain for days and no help from the local doc, we finally resorted to the emergency room who diagnosed him. However, with Covid19 still rampant in all it’s forms, have we had one call back from our doctor despite numerous calls for pain relief? Nope. Nada. Zip. We’re talking nerve pain which is not easily quelled and after three weeks, he’s still down. Even Frosty, our Bichon, got sick. I think that’s taking canine-human sympathy too far, and she’s been back and forth to her doctor. At least she is doing better.

Still resorting to shortcuts, not doing as much social media, and difficulty reading, but still managed fourteen book reviews for September. As usual from NetGalley and author requests, as well as audiobooks from my library. (My review links listed below.)

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena (audiobook)
Regardless of the Consequences by L D Lauritzen (a CE review)
Hemlock for the Holidays by Paula Darnell
Crossing Lines by Adrienne Giordano (a CE review)
False Witness by Karin Slaughter (audiobook)
Keep Me Close by Jane Holland (a CE review)
Gamblers Fools and Fate by Michael Reisig
The Silent Witness by Carolyn Arnold (a CE review)
Fatal Solutions by Becky Clark
Traveller Probo by Rob Shackleford (three parts)
Look Twice by Ingrid Skyberg (a CE review)
Mind Trap by Matt Cost (a CE review)
The Cure for What Ales You by Ellie Alexander
The Guest List by Lucy Foley (audiobook)

Eventually I expect to catch up my reading challenges! You can check out my challenges progress (however far behind it is) by clicking on my Reading Challenges page. However, I have achieved my Reading Challenge goal for Historical Reading Fiction (10) and the Audiobook challenge (30). I feel I have also achieved the NetGalley challenge (75), but I’ll have to catch it up to confirm. And, I’m on track for hitting the Goodreads challenge of 175 at 140. Now, I’m looking at setting up a goal next year for the 500 reviews badge on NetGalley.

I’m still struggling with the widgets and the update of the most dynamic of them, finally getting an answer from one of the engineers that steered me right into doing a block widget. Seems there is no way I can continue to do classic widgets and if the widgets look like a fifth grader did it, perhaps you’ll understand. Wait! A fifth grader would probably have done better. But at least I’ve made a little progress and no, I still don’t like the block editor.

Apologies for the erratic postings, the possible edit errors I’ve missed. September has been difficult. Still, I do so appreciate my new followers and thank you again to all my active followers. I hope you and yours are doing well!

Mind Trap (A Clay Wolfe/Port Essex Mystery Book 2) by Matt Cost – #BookReview – #privateinvestigatormysteries

Book Blurb:

“You say your daughter is missing?” Clay Wolfe asked. The man in front of him was slightly disheveled. Red eyes. Fear creased his features.

What is the End Game?
It was as close to ecstasy as the woman had ever been in her life. It was enlightenment. She was no longer Martha Abbott. She was a warrior of Marduk engaged in a war of purity.

What is going to happen on Leap Day?
“We have allowed sin to fill our homes, and it is our divine labor to cleanse that filth from our streets.” Marduk’s voice boomed through the cavernous temple.

Something evil is lurking in the streets of Port Essex. A missing girl. Violent attacks. It is up to Clay Wolfe, his partner Baylee Baker, and a colorful assortment of friends to get to the bottom of these odious occurrences before it is too late.

His Review:

Could a splinter group plan to poison an entire community? Twelve disciples are involved in an attempt to control civilization. Their leader is a man considered the “Chosen One” who was a pre-Messiah nearly two centuries before Christ. He had four women who were helping him and were designated as whores of the group.

Marduk is the self-proclaimed savior whose group will enter into the end times and he will shepherd them into heaven. He has engaged seventy-two disciples to assist in this evolution. His followers have elevated him to demi-god status and follow him blindly in whatever goal he sets.

Mr. Abbott is a confirmed wife beater. He engages Clay Wolfe, a private detective, to find his teenage daughter. The beating and mistreatment of his wife is well documented. His daughter is in hiding to avoid her father. He really never divorced his wife but just went off with another woman.

Marduk is grooming Mrs. Abbott to become one of his high priestesses. The transformation of Mrs. Abbott is dramatic. She shaves her hair and uses wigs, loses around thirty pounds and becomes attractive and self-assured. The end game is to make a very profound statement regarding the perceived degradation of society. They know their rights under the constitution and inform the police that they have no right to stop them or even arrest them. They simply walk past the police and go about their business.

The goal is to make a very powerful political statement. Like David Koresh and the Branch Davidians, they will commit group suicide to enter heaven. They are the ones who will determine the end times. A town of 16,000+ individuals are on their path to heaven.

Matt Cost writes a very convincing tale of debauched demi-gods. It is sad that this event has actually occurred in our past. The mistreatment of a wife and cruelty by a mean husband leads the woman to find fulfillment and appreciation elsewhere and splinters the family. It’s a sad commentary, well written, engaging and realistic. Currently on pre-order. 4.5 stars – CE Williams

This reviewer also reviewed the first novel in this new series, Wolfe Trap, in June and greatly enjoyed it. We’ve also read his Mainely Mystery series as well. Each one grows in intensity, strength of narrative, and character. We received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author that in no way influenced this review. These are his honest opinions.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Small Town & Rural Fiction, Private Investigator Mysteries, Suspense
Publisher: Encircle Publications
ASIN: B09H3X6RBR
Print Length: 313 pages
Publication Date: October 6, 2021
Source: Direct author request
Title Link: Mind Trap [Amazon]
Barnes and Noble

The Author: Matt Cost was a history major at Trinity College. He owned a mystery bookstore, a video store, and a gym, before serving a ten-year sentence as a junior high school teacher. In 2014 he was released and began writing. And that’s what he does. He writes histories and mysteries.

“Love in a Time of Hate” is the third historical by Cost. “Joshua Chamberlain and the Civil War; At Every Hazard”, was published in 2015, in which Emmett Collins grows into manhood during the Civil War. “I am Cuba; Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution” was published in 2020. It was recently awarded the silver award for historical fiction from Kops-Fetherling.

Cost has also published the Mainely Mystery series including “Mainely Power” (the MHC Read ME fiction book of the year), “Mainely Fear”, and “Mainely Money”. The fourth book in the series, “Mainely Angst”, will be published in January of 2022.

He has begun the Clay Wolfe/Port Essex Trap series with “Wolfe Trap”. “Mind Trap” will be published in October of 2021 and “Mouse Trap” in the spring of 2022.

Cost now lives in Brunswick, Maine, with his wife, Harper. There are four grown children: Brittany, Pearson, Miranda, and Ryan. A chocolate Lab and a basset hound round out the mix. He now spends his days at the computer, writing.