#greatreads – Page 31 – Rosepoint Publishing

Desert Star (Renée Ballard Book 5) by Michael Connelly – #Audiobook Review – #mysteryactionfiction – Little, Brown & Company

in Mystery Action Fiction

Book Blurb:

LAPD detective Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch team up to hunt the brutal killer who is Bosch’s “white whale”—a man responsible for the murder of an entire family.

A year has passed since LAPD detective Renée Ballard quit the force in the face of misogyny, demoralization, and endless red tape. But after the chief of police himself tells her she can write her own ticket within the department, Ballard takes back her badge, leaving “the Late Show” to rebuild and lead the cold case unit at the elite Robbery-Homicide Division.

For years, Harry Bosch has been working a case that haunts him—the murder of an entire family by a psychopath who still walks free. Ballard makes Bosch an offer: come volunteer as an investigator in her new Open-Unsolved Unit, and he can pursue his “white whale” with the resources of the LAPD behind him.

First priority for Ballard is to clear the unsolved rape and murder of a sixteen-year-old girl. The decades-old case is essential to the councilman who supported re-forming the unit, and who could shutter it again—the victim was his sister. When Ballard gets a “cold hit” connecting the killing to a similar crime, proving that a serial predator has been at work in the city for years, the political pressure has never been higher. To keep momentum going, she has to pull Bosch off his own investigation, the case that is the consummation of his lifelong mission.

My Review:

Okay, wait…what is Connelly telling us with Book 5? COME ON! We are talking Ballard and Bosch here! I particularly enjoy it when these two get together.

Read most of his books, I’m a fan; watched all the Netflix episodes. While Welliver sells Bosch in the title role of the TV series, he reinforces Titus Welliver in the audiobooks—makes him real! So what’s with the ending in this installment?!

This installment, though, where Ballard brings Bosch in to help her with her cold case, it also renews his interest in solving a cold case of his own. I was quite surprised when the two so quickly handled her cold case, almost too soon. But Bosch’s “white whale” (that of the odious murder of an entire family) kept the two working.

Yes, Harry had quit the force—hasn’t gotten any younger. Ballard, of course, is eyeing a successful partnership again—they work well together. Have cases to solve. She is eager to keep her funding, her new department active. Ballard has grown in character depth, but there is still a lot to learn about her while we are quite familiar with Bosch.

Connelly is preparing us though—things are going to change—hopefully not in the next episode, but Ballard appears to be gaining in her position. She’s done well under the mentoring of Bosch. Out of left-center field comes a psychic. I’m not at all sure if she is to remain part of the Open-Unsolved Unit and I’m not sold on her yet.

Fast-paced, well-plotted, packed with technology—something new to learn. Always suspenseful, building tension as Bosch navigates treachery and Ballard handles personnel, the department, the funding and budget, the direction, the clues, and dispenses appropriate action. Perhaps this is not the installment to break into this series.

Something’s afoot!

I’ve enjoyed previous episodes, the last Dark Sacred Night and the CE’s review of The Dark Hours. Hopefully, there will still be more.

I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library and again recommend the audiobook with Welliver’s narration. My only reservation with the audiobooks is that it sounds sometimes like he read his parts at some other place or time and it was fitted with the other two narrators. Can’t put my finger on it—but it’s an obvious change in timbre. These are my honest thoughts.

Book Details:

Genre: Mystery Action Fiction, Crime Action Fiction, Police Procedurals
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
ASIN: B09X295Y68
Listening Length: 9 hrs 37 mins
Narrator: Titus Welliver, Christine Lakin, Peter Giles
Publication Date: November 8, 2022
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Links: Desert Star [Amazon]
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

The Author: Michael Connelly is the bestselling author of more than thirty novels and one work of nonfiction. With over eighty million copies of his books sold worldwide and translated into forty-five foreign languages, he is one of the most successful writers working today. A former newspaper reporter who worked the crime beat at the Los Angeles Times and the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, Connelly has won numerous awards for his journalism and his fiction. His very first novel, The Black Echo, won the prestigious Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for Best First Novel in 1992. In 2002, Clint Eastwood directed and starred in the movie adaptation of Connelly’s 1998 novel, Blood Work. In March 2011, the movie adaptation of his #1 bestselling novel, The Lincoln Lawyer, hit theaters worldwide starring Matthew McConaughey as Mickey Haller. His most recent New York Times bestsellers include Desert Star (2022), The Dark Hours (2021), The Law Of Innocence (2020), Fair Warning (2020), and The Night Fire (2019). Michael is the executive producer of Bosch and Bosch: Legacy, Amazon Studios original drama series based on his bestselling character Harry Bosch, starring Titus Welliver and streaming on Amazon Prime/Amazon Freevee. He is the executive producer of The Lincoln Lawyer, streaming on Netflix, starring Manuel Garcia-Rulfo. He is also the executive producer of the documentary films, “Sound Of Redemption: The Frank Morgan Story’ and ‘Tales Of the American.’ He spends his time in California and Florida.

Titus Welliver - actor, narrator — Titus Welliver–Compliments of Wikipedia–thank you!

The Narrator: Titus B. Welliver is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayals of the Man in Black in Lost, Silas Adams in Deadwood, Jimmy O’Phelan in Sons of Anarchy, and the title role in the television series Bosch. Wikipedia Born: March 12, 1962, New Haven, CT.

Cheers

Retribution (Koa Kane Hawaiian Mystery Book 5) by Robert McCaw – #BookReview – #TerrorismThrillers – Oceanview Publishing

Book Blurb:

As people around him come under attack, Chief Detective Koa Kane wonders if he might be the real target

In the back alley of a bar on Hawaii Island, a young man is found stabbed to death. When Hilo Chief Detective Koa Kane begins investigating the crime, the murder weapon is recovered only a few feet away from the body. Crime scene technicians find fingerprints on the knife¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ — they are a perfect match for Koa’ s younger brother, Ikaika.

As the brothers scramble to prove Ikaika’ s innocence, another crime sends shockwaves through the Hilo police force. A sniper tries to take out Makanui, Koa’ s closest colleague. As Koa tries to figure out whether these crimes are linked, the sinister force continues their killing spree, threatening Koa and his loved ones at every turn.

Could Koa be the real target? If so, who is behind this trail of retribution? With his own secret criminal past, Koa confronts an all-out offensive against those closest to him and his police force to which he has devoted his life. As the bodies pile up, Koa finds himself the ultimate target of a ruthless adversary and must risk it all to survive.

His Review:

Something is amiss at the police department in Hilo. More murders are happening on the big island than have ever been witnessed before. Koa Kane is the Lead Detective and he is determined to find the killer.

His good friend Ikaika has been tagged for the killings but Koa knows that is not possible. Ikaika was on the volcano for a getaway with Maria when the crime occurred. The problem is that Ikaika has a criminal record and is the prime suspect.

International intrigue and espionage are woven into this tale with the culprit’s true identity carefully camouflaged. The person seems to be rising quickly through the ranks despite little actual experience in law enforcement. Money seems to be a prime prerequisite for advancement in the police department! Cliques within law enforcement make solving crimes a personality test.

Robert McCaw has developed a very twisted narrative of deceit within the Hilo Police Department. The novel is entertaining and at times frustrating, but certainly engaging. Enjoy! 4.5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Terrorism Thrillers, Vigilante Justice Thrillers, Police Procedurals
Publisher: Oceanview Publishing
ASIN: B0B922ZDXZ
Print Length: 334 pages
Publication Date: June 6, 2023
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Robert B. McCaw is the author of Death of a Messenger (2016) and Off the Grid (to be published July 2, 2019).

He grew up in a military family traveling the world. After graduating from Georgetown University, he served as a lieutenant in the US Army before earning his JD degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. Upon graduation from law school he spent a year as a judicial clerk for Supreme Court Justice Hugo L. Black. He practiced law in Washington, DC, and New York City, representing investment banks, lawyers, directors, and other clients in complex civil and criminal cases, including many that generated significant press coverage.

For a number of years, Bob maintained a home on the Big Island of Hawai‘i, studying its history, culture, and peoples. Archaeology and astronomy are among his many interests. In researching his books, he talked story with Hawai‘i County cops and walked the streets where his stories take place. He and his wife live in New York City.

robertbmccaw.com

Facebook: RobertBMcCaw

Twitter: @RobertBMcCaw

March!

The Strange Courtship of Kathleen O’Dwyer by Robert Temple – #BookReview – #Westerns – Five Star Publishing

Book Blurb:

“What would drive a woman in 1828 to head west across the Great Plains into the Rocky Mountains, risking death among hostile Native Americans, brutish mountain men, and wild animals? Why, the same reason as a man, of course–freedom. Like fur trappers of the early western frontier, Kathleen is a misfit. Growing up in the Irish slums of Boston and watching her mother die giving birth to a dozen children, Kathleen has decided to escape into a career as a school teacher, free of men; but when she sets out along the Santa Fe Trail for distant Nuevo Mexico, she finds that dry powder and steady aim are as important as reading, writing, and arithmetic.”

His Review:

A woman alone in the western territories is a dangerous endeavor. Kathleen O’Dwyer has ventured out west to pursue a teaching career in Taos. Romantic is not a word to describe the adventure. Wild animals, Apache, other tribes as well as lawless men all looked at Kathleen with admiration. At 5 feet 9 inches, she is tall for a woman and well-built.

Colson is a drifter who helps her along the way. He is a true western gentleman who does not take advantage of his size or looks. Kathleen is smitten but holds back her admiration feeling it may show weakness. She regrets being standoffish later. Her post at the schoolhouse in Taos was meant for a man. The town treasurer tries to bully her out of her salary and signing bonus. She will have none of it!

The environs around Taos and Santa Fe are wild with Osage and other Plains Indians the primary citizens. The Apache are particularly fierce and feel that dying in battle is a badge of honor to take into the afterlife. They take no prisoners except young girls and children. The others are simply killed, and their bodies left to the wild creatures and buzzards.

This story is well-written and contrasts the life of a married woman with that of a single woman. Survival is a constant struggle and the town’s people expect Kathleen to turn and run back to the east from whence she came. They do not know the real Kathleen! I enjoyed this book immensely and the comparison of her life to our lives today is remarkable. Enjoy the story and the read. 4.5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to the author for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Westerns, Action & Adventure Fiction, Historical Fiction
Publisher: Five Star Publishing

ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1432895664
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1432895662

Print Length: 228 pages
Publication Date: December 21, 2022
Source: Author request

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Author: (No info on this author)

Rosepoint Reviews – February Recap – If It’s March—Is It Spring Yet?

Rosepoint Reviews-February Recap

February, as always, short and sweet with Valentine’s Day and one day warm enough we got our bikes out. So lovely, followed almost immediately, of course, by snow and freezing temps. This will continue for long enough to surprise the trees in bloom in March. It always does.

Besides the loss of a beloved pet and the weight on my heart, there is still the habit of feeding or walking the dog, engrained after seventeen years to overcome. It’s not an easy transition. Concentrating instead on juicing apples from the fruit market, making my own juice. There are abundant oranges as well, although this variety (Valencia) is neither the sweetest nor the juiciest. I’ve finally begun having successful air-fried offerings from the air fryer and whole meals from my pressure cooker—a real learning curve. Perhaps you can teach an old dog!

We managed to read or listen to a total of thirteen books in February, a mix of NetGalley reads, audiobooks, Indie authors, and requests from publishers. (Links below are to my reviews that include purchase info.)

February review book covers

The Last Camel Died At Noon by Elizabeth Peters (audiobook)
Sons of Liberty by Matthew Speiser
The Drift by C J Tudor (CE review)
Good Dog, Bad Cop by David Rosenfelt (my 5*)
Hearts and Dark Arts by Trixie Silvertale (audiobook)
All That Is Mine I Carry With Me by William Landay (CE review)
Welcome Aboard by Jessie Newton, Tammy L Grace (and six more)
Who Killed Jerusalem? by George Albert Brown (CE review)
The Bark of Zorro by Kathleen Y’Barbo
A Silent Understanding by Jean Grainger
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz (audiobook)
Path of Peril by Marlie Parker Wasserman (CE 5*)
Bakeries and Buffoonery by Elizabeth Pantley

Have you read any of the above? There is a variety as usual of genres that include historical fiction, legal thriller, fantasy, crime, women’s fiction, cozy mysteries, and even a touch of horror (Koontz). (I don’t normally read horror but am a Koontz fan.)

Favorite Book of the Month

Feedback from the CE regarding the books I’ve given to him has resulted in one he DNF’d (I finished) and one he couldn’t stop talking about or reading parts to me. I had several good books, but felt none gave me quite the rah-rah that Path of Peril gave to him. So that is February’s choice for Book of the Month.

Blogger Post

I didn’t have a lot of time to do blog hopping in February, but I did catch several of my favorites, including those from Jill at Jill’s Book Café. I particularly enjoy her feature “Five on Friday” in which she posts an interview with an author you may or may not know or read. Love the answers particularly to the question “Which five pieces of music/songs would you include in the soundtrack to your life and why?” Some very surprising choices!

My Reading Challenges page…As I mentioned last month, I managed to lose my entire 2022 Challenges page. Definitely doing an abbreviated page this year and still trying to keep it current. I have 25 books of a goal of 145 in Goodreads (two books ahead of schedule) and keeping a 97% feedback ratio in NetGalley.

March begins Reading Ireland Month 2023. I love participating in this challenge and usually include a poem (from my grandfather) or recipe along with reviews about Ireland or written by an Irish author. If you haven’t signed up yet, now’s the time!

Once again, thank you as always for reading and commenting on my posts. I appreciate the participation!

k-luv-u-bye

Bakeries and Buffoonery: Magical Mystery Book Club by Elizabeth Pantley #BlogTour #BookReview #Giveaway #ParanormalCozyMystery

I am so delighted today to provide a review for you at my blog stop for Bakeries and Buffoonery by Elizabeth Pantley on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour.

Scroll down to enter your chance to win the Giveaway!

Book Details

Bakeries and Buffoonery: Magical Mystery Book Club
Paranormal Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Setting – Small Midwestern Town
Independently Published (February 15, 2023)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 310 pages
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BLLCTKCM

Book Blurb

It’s a magical book club! When this group chooses a book, magic happens. The mystery comes to life, and they find themselves part of the story. To exit the book and get back home, they need to solve the mystery and reach The End.

This time, the club chooses a book called The Great Cake Rivalry, because, well … cake! They read the back cover and it’s unanimous. So off they go into another grand adventure into a town aptly named Frosting.

Frosting is a rural town in an idyllic setting. The people live quiet lives most of the year. But in the spring, things change. The Annual Cake Competition becomes the focus of every man, woman, and child. They take this competition seriously. The cakes are spectacular. The festival is fabulous. For a week there are contests featuring all kinds of cakes. The people of the community become official tasters and vote for the winning cakes in each category.

The grand finale is a display of finely decorated cakes, made by the town’s bakeries. The winner of the best design receives a prize package that would make any baker dizzy.

Sadly, this event has been tainted. Once a year, each one different, but all somehow related to this event, a person is murdered. The main investigator is stumped, but that could be because he’s an inept buffoon.

Can the book club help the people of this community figure out who is causing this disturbing pattern of deaths, and stop another murder from happening? Can they figure out why some of the citizens dress so oddly, and why they always wear those unique backpacks? All while they fill themselves to the brim with cake, of course.

My Review

My first book in this series, Book 4, was quite the intro to the Magical Mystery Book Club! Not just a book club whose members must choose a new book to discuss, but one that would present a challenge in solving a mystery as each of the eight members will journey to the actual setting and become part of the characters of the book. They cannot return home until they solve the mystery.

This book lands them in a little town called Frosting where they are gearing up for their annual bake competition. While that sounds deliciously fun, it gets serious as they begin the investigation into the who or why someone connected to the competition is murdered.

The author reaches deep into folklore with this installment, borrowing ancient myths, then adds her own boundless imagination to create a fantasy so well described you could almost believe it’s real. (I’ve read of the phenomena in other books, but these depictions add chilling depth to the vision.)

The characters are brought to life in relatable scenes while descriptions of the baked masterpieces leave you drooling, imagining the confection’s beauty and taste. The characters vary wildly, including Frank, the Siamese who easily converses with people who don’t even blink at the prospect. Mollie, the ghost who is still discovering new and wonderful modern-day accruements.

Of course, it was easy for me to identify with the character of Vee who loves riding her motorcycle (didn’t that hit close to home!) and meets someone with the same love.

Yes, there are the twists and turns that have you considering multiple suspects. But even then, it’s hard to reach out and grab that one piece of evidence that would lead the reader to a viable perp. A baker who could kill the competition? Can this cake-baking competition be that serious?

Absolutely!

“…the main reasons for murder are love, lust, loathing, or loot,”…

I thought it amazing, the number of cake samples they could eat and still look forward to more cake. However, the aroma descriptions had me looking for something sweet too, so, yeah, I could see how that might happen.

It’s a well-paced and plotted narrative filled with wonderfully imaginative scenes, some paranormal as well as fantasy, but it all works so well it almost becomes normal. The banter and dialogue often include believable humorous back and forth.

Fast, unusual, engaging and entertaining. If you enjoy cozy mysteries, you’ll surely find this one unique with a paranormal element.

Giveaway

Sign up for your chance to win two books—the first book in each series, paperback or eBook in this Rafflecopter giveaway.

About the Author

Elizabeth Pantley is the internationally bestselling author of The No-Cry Sleep Solution and twelve other books for parents, published in over twenty languages.

She simultaneously writes the well-loved Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic book series and the new Magical Mystery Book Club series.

Elizabeth lives in the Pacific Northwest, the gorgeous inspiration for the setting in many of her books. Visit her and sign up for her newsletter at www.nocrysolution.com

Author Links:

Website: https://www.nocrysolution.com/books/
Newsletter Sign-up: https://www.nocrysolution.com/mailing-list/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DestinyFallsMysteryandMagic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/destinyfallsmystery/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/elizabeth-pantley

Purchase Link – Amazon

Thank you for visiting my stop on the tour!

Thanks to Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for the opportunity to read and review this cozy mystery!

Book Tour

Map courtesy Free Images

Path of Peril by Marlie Parker Wasserman – #BookReview – #TraditionalDetectiveMysteries – Level Best Books

Rosepoint Publishing: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

Would the assassins plotting to kill Theodore Roosevelt on his visit to the Panama Canal succeed? Until this trip, no president while in office had ever traveled abroad. White House secretary Maurice Latta, thrilled to accompany the President, could not anticipate the adventures and dangers ahead. Latta befriends watchful secret service agents, ambitious journalists, and anxious First Lady Edith Roosevelt on their hot and humid trip, where he observes a country teeming with inequalities and abounding in opportunities. Along the way he learns about his own strengths-what he never imagined he could do, and what he discovers he can’t do.

Theodore Roosevelt did visit Panama in 1906, accompanied by White House staffer Maurice Latta. Interweaving the stories of real-life characters with fictional ones, Path of Peril imagines what the newspapers feared to report and what historians never discovered about Roosevelt’s risky trip.

His Review:

Being an Under Secretary to a U.S. President is not an easy task. The title secretary connotes a person setting down with the president to take dictation and process correspondence but Theodore Roosevelt was a dynamic individual who found it very difficult to stay in one place. Noted for his exploits in Cuba with the Rough Riders among other adventures, he ran most of his staff ragged.

France has failed to complete the Panama Canal and Teddy went with a cadre of Secret Service Agents and other dignitaries to assess the progress of the canal. This was the first time a standing president departed from the continental United States. The trip was fraught with peril as many people felt that no government was the best government. Anarchists around the world planned ways to eliminate this bothersome President.

Ms. Wasserman develops a very intriguing tale of intrigue as a number of people try to eliminate this dynamic President. The problem for his security details was his penchant for rushing off in different directions with his security detail in tow attempting to keep him safe. Assassins could be anywhere and vigilance is the name of the game.

Panama during the visit is a virtual sweatshop and enjoys rain every day. Mud is everywhere and the project is monumental. Many of the workers are from the islands around Panama and the workers are divided into segregated groups. The golden group is the whites and the silver group is those other than whites. Panama is an independent country and diplomatic relationships between Panama’s government and the President need to be maintained. Meanwhile, the anarchists are plotting to eliminate this up-start President.

C E Williams This book does not disappoint in the movement of events. Read and enjoy this writer’s talents. 5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

Book Details:

Genre: Traditional Detective Mysteries, Historical Thrillers, Historical Mysteries
Publisher: Level Best Books

ISBN-10: ‎ 168512240X
ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1685122409

ASIN: B0BSXWCQ1F
Print Length: 320 pages
Publication Date: January 17, 2023
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Marlie Parker Wasserman writes historical crime fiction. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, hiking, and sketching. After spending decades in NJ, she has settled in Chapel Hill, NC with her husband Mark.

Blogger, Bookblog, Bookblogger

Odd Thomas (Odd Thomas Book 1) by Dean Koontz – #Audiobook Review – #TBT – #thriller #suspense

Book Blurb:

Meet Odd Thomas, the unassuming young hero of Dean Koontz’s dazzling New York Times bestseller, a gallant sentinel at the crossroads of life and death who offers up his heart in these pages and will forever capture yours.

“The dead don’t talk. I don’t know why.” But they do try to communicate, with a short-order cook in a small desert town serving as their reluctant confidant. Sometimes the silent souls who seek out Odd want justice. Occasionally their otherworldly tips help him prevent a crime. But this time it’s different.

A stranger comes to Pico Mundo, accompanied by a horde of hyena-like shades who herald an imminent catastrophe. Aided by his soul mate, Stormy Llewellyn, and an unlikely community of allies that includes the King of Rock ’n’ Roll, Odd will race against time to thwart the gathering evil. His account of these shattering hours, in which past and present, fate and destiny, converge, is a testament by which to live—an unforgettable fable for our time destined to rank among Dean Koontz’s most enduring works.

My Review:

So good it was brought back a second time?

Not sure, but it appears this originally released in 2003 in print form. I can find no current audiobook cover (although there are numerous print covers) and a new release is now dated May 2, 2023. I’m a Koontz fan, not necessarily a horror fan and read his Jane Kawk series as well as (most recently) The Darkest Evening of the Year and The Good Guy. (Neither of the latter was part of a series and they released in 2007.) Both of those were heavily pocked with the Koontz sense of humor as well as his uncanny sense in the development of his characters, a nuance at a time, right down to nervous tics and tells.

Well!

Then I get into this one, a series with seven books, several at the fourth installment level, and once again find a storyline that I’m hard-pressed to turn off. Narrated superbly by David Aaron Baker who also narrated the others in the series as well as Steinbeck’s The Winter of Our Discontent, he manages to convey the voices, inflections, and tension beautifully.

Poor Odd Thomas, aptly named, and obviously a throwback, as a twenty-year old who is definitely older than his years. He is a short-order cook in Pico Mundo and a darned good one with a rep to uphold. His soul mate, Stormy Llewellyn, is aware of his “gifts.” He has a contingent of allies that includes Elvis. (Yes, Elvis, who this August is mourning his mother.) He has a penchant for seeing ghosts. He knows things. He gets messages. Some are not good. This one is horrible.

He must do something.

Fortunately, he is not unknown to the local police and one in particular listens to Odd. He’s previously provided help. Hopefully, Odd will be able to help prevent the promised carnage. He’s seen The Fungus Guy. He’s alarming and a serious problem.

Despite his being Odd, very odd, he is likable, immensely empathetic.

I suppose you could call this a horror genre. It has a high creepy factor that includes supernatural beings (called bodachs), and of course, there is Odd’s own unique abilities that he uses for good. I liked both he and Stormy, but then again, Koontz isn’t known for his romances, so something’s going to change. And you won’t like it.

Or perhaps I’m the only one that didn’t see this book back in 2003, or the movie that subsequently came out in 2013 starring Anton Yelchin—so cute—I can see he is the perfect Odd Thomas. (Unfortunately, Yelchin died in 2016 at the age of 27.)

Will I seek a second in this series? Most likely. I’m definitely intrigued. Did you read the books? See the movie? Did it turn you into a Koontz fan?

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

Book Details:

Genre: Supernatural Thrillers, Suspense
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
ASIN: B0BRBNQ2KJ
Listening Length: 11 hours
Narrator: David Aaron Baker
Publication Date: May 2, 2023 (huh?)
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: Odd Thomas [Amazon]

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

The Author: Dean Koontz, the author of many #1 New York Times bestsellers, lives in Southern California with his wife, Gerda, their golden retriever, Elsa, and the enduring spirits of their goldens, Trixie and Anna.

The Narrator: David Aaron Baker (born August 14, 1963) is an American actor whose credits stretch across theater, film, television and audiobooks.

#ThrowbackThursday

David Aaron Baker photo courtesy Playbill

A Silent Understanding: The Kilteegan Bridge Story Book 5 by Jean Grainger – #BookReview – Historical Irish Fiction

in Historical Irish Fiction

Book Blurb:

Kilteegan Bridge, Co Cork, Ireland. 1975

Lena Kogan is thrilled when her son Emmet invites her to the opening of his first building in San Francisco. It’s awkward that she will be staying with Emmet’s father Malachy Berger, but he’s in a serious relationship now, and anyway, he knows how Lena feels about Eli, so surely they can just be friends.

Her sister Emily, is less adventurous. She’s happy to stay at home with her family and a thriving business, that is until her daughter Nellie drops another bombshell on her about what she plans to do next. A move nobody could have anticipated and few support.

Her brother Jack is living contentedly on his farm with Skipper, until a couple of late-night visitors cause them to risk everything they’ve guarded so carefully. Intervening to help could mean exposure in a state where men like them are on the wrong side of the law, but some things are just too important to ignore.

In this final book of The Kilteegan Bridge Story, the O’Sullivans come to a silent understanding of each other and of themselves.

My Review:

I’ve read each of the episodes in this series and must admit that Book 4 (When Irish Eyes are Lying) hit hard and unexpectedly. So it was with some trepidation that I began Book 5.

This installment in the Kilteegan Bridge series brings back the tragedy with Lena and Eli, the story of Nellie and her ill-fated visit to San Francisco and continued the sweet and tentative interest between Emmet and Wei. It also sees additional development with Rosa Abramson and her pursuit of WWII reparations for Jews. Following Malachy’s new knowledge of his father’s and grandparents’ involvement in the theft of property during that time, he volunteers a project that would benefit the people as well as involve his biological son, Emmet.

In the meantime, new characters Katie and Maggie O’Neill are runaways from the local Catholic orphanage where their treatment is less than loving. But they cannot continue to hide with Jack and Skipper, two bachelors, and given their relationship must find other safe quarters for the young girls.

While the author’s books can get complex with multiple sub-plots, each is interwoven within the tight family and small rural, primarily Catholic-based community. Nellie has decided on a vocation unexpected that shocks her mother. Nellie’s new BFF, Sister Martina becomes a solid sympathetic character as well as one who provides a consistent story with that sense of humor we’ve come to expect of a Jean Grainger novel. (Wish I’d known about St Columbanus, the patron saint of motorcycles, back when I was riding my motorcycle, but have to admit St Michael kept his hand on me more than once.)

The atmospheric visions of rural Irish life that include an enormous family line that extends in all directions provide a gripping and emotional plot. It is a well-paced and complicated storyline that manages to confront a number of topical domestic issues.

At this point, having fully engaged in previous installments, there are issues most readers will want to see settled as they hope. The conclusion neatly gathers all remaining strings left hanging or unresolved and carefully addresses each issue and in the Epilogue quietly closes all disturbing threads. As with all families, particularly large extended ones, there are multiple and private issues, and within the family perhaps while quietly acknowledged—still remain private.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the author and publisher that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts. Currently on pre-order.

Rosepoint Rating: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Historical Irish Fiction, Historical Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Fiction, Family Life Fiction
Publisher: Gold Harp Media
ASIN: B0BRNYGRM5
Publication Date: March 1, 2023
Source: Author ARC

Title Link: A Silent Understanding (Amazon)

The Author: JEAN GRAINGER

USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR

SELECTED BY BOOKBUB READERS IN TOP 19 OF HISTORICAL FICTION BOOKS.

WINNER OF THE 2016 AUTHOR’S CIRCLE HISTORICAL NOVEL OF EXCELLENCE

Hello and thanks for taking time out to check out my page. If you’re wondering what you’re getting with my books then think of the late great Maeve Binchy but sometimes with a historical twist. I was born in Cork, Ireland in 1971 and I come from a large family of storytellers, so much so that we had to have ‘The Talking Spoon’, only the person holding the spoon could talk!

I have worked as a history lecturer at University, a teacher of English, History and Drama in secondary school, a playwright, and a tour guide of my beloved Ireland. I am married to the lovely Diarmuid and we have four children. We live in a 200 year old stone cottage in Mid-Cork with my family and the world’s smallest dogs, called Scrappy and Scoobi..

My experiences leading groups, mainly from the United States, led me to write my first novel, ‘The Tour’. My observances of the often funny, sometimes sad but always interesting events on tours fascinated me. People really did confide the most extraordinary things, the safety of strangers I suppose. It’s a fictional story set on a tour bus but many of the characters are based on people I met over the years.

[truncated—please see her full bio on her Amazon author page]

Many of the people who have reviewed my books have said that you get to know the characters and really become attached to them, that’s wonderful for me to hear because that’s how I feel about them too. I grew up on Maeve Binchy and Deirdre Purcell and I aspired to being like them. If you buy one of my books I’m very grateful and I really hope you enjoy it. If you do, or even if you don’t, please take the time to post a review. Writing is a source of constant contentment to me and I am so fortunate to have the time and the inclination to do it, but to read a review written by a reader really does make my day.

Enjoy your day