#FlashbackFriday – Rosepoint Publishing

Christmas Read – Christmas Movies – #HolidayFiction – #contemporaryfiction – #comedy

Thoughts

Yes, this is the last list of Christmas favorites for the season and then I’ll leave it up to you.

Today I’m presenting two: One is a novel turned into a movie and the other a surprisingly sweet Christmas movie that the CE picked out. (Of course, he is the romantic in the house, so you might suspect it’ll be predictable. It is.)

Christmas Book

The Christmas Train by David Baldacci
October 28, 2014
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
ASIN: ‎ B001GUXJN8

What, you say? A Baldacci Christmas book? Yes, and you know I couldn’t resist requesting this one from my favorite library as I know and enjoy Baldacci books. Well, this one doesn’t disappoint.

It’s Christmas. Don’t expect it to be a heavy thriller. It’s easy reading. Lots of engaging characters from the wacky old lady to the main character, Tom Langdon, a journalist riding the rails of Twain’s historical account.

This is a disillusioned journalist (ex-war correspondent) who is trying to get to LA by Christmas to see his lady but aggravatingly enough, runs into the one he really loves, coincidentally on the same train. (Yeah, I know…but you have to have a little romance.)

I might have enjoyed a bit more on the scenery—it was a fascinating route—but loved the info on trains. Interestingly enough, it’s also my second Christmas review with a train as the first character, Meet Me at the Christmas Train Parade, the first.

It’s supposed to be a feel-good story—it’s the holidays. So it’s full of whimsical characters, a predictable plot, nice pace, and GULP! An avalanche! (Spoiler: The movie? It’s Hallmark. No one will die.)

I kept having to remind myself that this is the same Baldacci who writes “those” thrillers. Who knew? Add this one to your holiday TBR list. Read it—or watch the movie. (I must admit I haven’t seen the movie yet, but that is now on my holiday to be watched list.) So it’s a light-hearted romp on a holiday train—read it for the fun, the characters, and the little mystery that is satisfactorily solved at the end. We do love our happily ever afters!

The Movie – The Christmas Train

November 25, 2017
Starring Dermot Mulroney as Tom Langdon and Kimberly Williams-Paisley as Eleanor Carter with Danny Glover as Max Powers

The Christmas Train – available on the Hallmark Channel as well as streaming services (except Netflix) and subscription services such as Amazon Prime Video, Ruku, and Hulu.

The Movie – The Family Holiday

December 4, 2007
Starring Dave Coulier as Donald “Doc’ Holiday and Alexa Fischer as Elizabeth Rogers

This is supposed to be a “romantic” family comedy about a con man who owes money to the mob. Here’s the rub. He’s supposed to come into a twenty-million-dollar inheritance but must prove he has a family and is now an upright citizen. Oh, gawd…

Don’t look at me—this is a CE pick. I told you he was a romantic! So, how did I manage to get through the hour and a half movie? Really, I’m not sure, but I found myself hooked. It was the kids.

Must have been!

No, really, these are two cute kids. And a dog. yes! The dog!

Entirely predictable: Pretty woman comes to audition for a supposed nanny position, stays for… Well, now she’s stuck. The kids are cute and have more sense. The boy wants to split, but the little girl wants a family. And he needs the 20 mil.

Will this tug at your heartstrings? You betcha. Just look at those eyes. (Yes, the dog.)

This is one you can sit down with your own kids and watch. Silly, predictable, simple, a trope you’ve seen before. But the characters are sweet. Except for Doc of course. His transformation to family man is a bit unbelievable, but, hey, it’s Christmas. Miracles do happen.

The Family Holiday is available on Netflix.

Christmas Reads

All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers – #Audiobook Review – #FlashbackFriday

Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Goodreads Choice Awards

Book Blurb:

Everyone from Wakarusa, Indiana, remembers the infamous case of January Jacobs, who was discovered in a ditch hours after her family awoke to find her gone. Margot Davies was six at the time, the same age as January—and they were next-door neighbors. In the twenty years since, Margot has grown up, moved away, and become a big-city journalist. But she’s always been haunted by the feeling that it could’ve been her. And the worst part is, January’s killer has never been brought to justice.

When Margot returns home to help care for her uncle after he is diagnosed with early-onset dementia, she feels like she’s walked into a time capsule. Wakarusa is exactly how she remembers—genial, stifled, secretive. Then news breaks about five-year-old Natalie Clark from the next town over, who’s gone missing under circumstances eerily similar to January’s. With all the old feelings rushing back, Margot vows to find Natalie and to solve January’s murder once and for all.

But the police, Natalie’s family, the townspeople—they all seem to be hiding something. And the deeper Margot digs into Natalie’s disappearance, the more resistance she encounters, and the colder January’s case feels. Could January’s killer still be out there? Is it the same person who took Natalie? And what will it cost to finally discover what truly happened that night twenty years ago?

Twisty, chilling, and intense, All Good People Here is a searing tale that asks: What are your neighbors capable of when they think no one is watching?

My Review:

So few books actually take place in Indiana that when I saw this did, I bit. Also, because it is mystery, thriller. And, the premise sounded good. Liked the cover. Did the book deliver?

Gees, it’s a debut novel by a true crime podcaster. Gotta be good, right? Some people thought so—many others did not.

Not to beat a dead horse, but it does sound strikingly familiar with another (real life) story that refuses to leave the hearts and minds of the people of another beautiful little girl. In this case, the stories of two little girls, twenty years apart and Margot Davies, the former little girl’s neighbor.

Margot returns to help take care of her uncle in Wakarusa. She is now a journalist and soon after her return another little girl goes missing—found days later under similar circumstances to January Jacobs, twenty years before. Coincidence? Maybe. Maybe not.

Naturally, Margot feels compelled to solve the mystery, find the perp, possibly put an end to it happening again. And, of course, it would appear her career could very well depend on the story she would reap from the reveal.

It’s amazing the doors and info Margot can glean from those who would not normally speak with a journalist. She goes about it step by step, after all, she’s done this before, crime beat reporting. Only this time it’s much more personal.

There are twists, a build-up of suspense with the story of the girls and their family circumstances as well as her own struggle with her uncle, diagnosed with dementia. I enjoyed the deep dive into the people and the rural countryside creating a depth to the bucolic nature of the area.

What I didn’t enjoy, as so many others noted, was that abrupt ending and multi-tasking as I generally do with an audiobook, thought I’d missed something. Apparently not. So yes, strongly suspected the who—but then what went down? I guess it’s up to you.

Did you read this one? I thought the audiobook was well done, kept my interest, with the author herself participating in narration. Still…

I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.

Book Details:

Genre: Murder Thrillers, Women Sleuth Mysteries
Publisher: Random House Audio
ASIN: B09QQVLPJC
Listening Length: 10 hrs 35 mins
Narrators: Ashley Flowers, Brittany Pressley, Karissa Vacker
Publication Date: August 16, 2022
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: All Good People Here [Amazon]

Rosepoint Publishing: Four Stars

The Author: Ashley Flowers is the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of audiochuck, the award-winning, independent media and podcast production company known for its standout content and storytelling across different genres, including true crime, documentary, fiction, comedy, and more. Ashley is the author of New York Times Bestseller, All Good People Here, a fiction crime thriller released in August, 2022.

As CCO, Flowers works with her team to create an overarching content strategy and vision for the network of shows and company growth. She also hosts several audiochuck podcasts, including Apple Podcast’s #1 show of 2022, Crime Junkie, The Deck, and The Deck Investigates. At the core of the company and all its podcasts, Ashley and her team are committed to developing responsible true crime content.

Through her work at audiochuck, Ashley is passionate about advocacy work and established the nonprofit Season of Justice to provide financial resources to both law enforcement agencies and families in order to help solve cold cases.

Ashley Flowers was born and raised in Indiana, where she lives with her husband, her daughter, and their beloved dog, Chuck. She received a Bachelor of Science in Biological Services from Arizona State University.

Have a good Weekend!