Kobo – Page 7 – Rosepoint Publishing

The Witch’s Orchard: A Novel by Archer Sullivan #BookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

Book Blurb:

A ninth generation Appalachian herself, Archer Sullivan brings the mountains of North Carolina to life in The Witch’s Orchard, a wonderfully atmospheric novel that introduces private investigator Annie Gore.

Former Air Force Special Investigator Annie Gore joined the military right after high school to escape the fraught homelife of her childhood. Now, she’s getting by as a private investigator and her latest case takes her to an Appalachian holler not unlike the one where she grew up.

Ten years ago, three little girls went missing from their tiny mountain town. While one was returned, the others were never seen again. After all this time without answers, the brother of one of the girls wants to hire an outsider, and he wants Annie. While she may not be from his town, she gets mountain towns. Mountain people. Driving back into the hills for a case this old—it might be a fool’s errand. But Annie needs to put money in the bank and she can’t turn down a case. Not even one that dredges up her own painful past.

In the shadow of the Blue Ridge, Annie begins to track the truth, navigating a decade’s worth of secrets, folklore of witches and crows, and a whole town that prefers to forget. But while the case may have been buried, echoes of the past linger. And Annie’s arrival stirs someone into action.

My Review:

Yes! Start with Book 1 of a new series and love it when you discover a debut author and new series that catches your attention.

Annie Gore PI is a former Air Force Special Investigator. She’s taken on a case that sends her back to an Appalachian holler similar to that of her childhood. It’s a cold case. A very old, cold case, but one she couldn’t resist looking into—being close to home in more ways than one.

Of course, the setting is right down the author’s alley—she knows those mountains and those people. These are mountain people, tough, resilient, and generous. Also, closed to any that’s not one of them. The soul of the people pervades the background as another character, subtle, but ever present.

‘”Too proud to whitewash, too poor to paint” comes to mind.’

Annie is a great protagonist, strong, smart, capable. She has an ingratiating nature that gives the reader a connection and an interest in who she is and why. It’s fun to work with her in her investigation as she slowly wheedles more clues, more info, more insight. She’s no bully, but she can get what she needs.

Entertaining, compelling, providing an atmosphere with an engaging main character, it’s a winner. I’m in and looking for Book 2.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Rating: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Small Town & Rural Fiction, Private Investigator Mysteries
Publisher: Minotaur Books
ASIN: B0DDJ8YPX5
Print Length: 320 pages
Publication Date: August 12, 2025
Source: Publisher and Netgalley

Title Link(s):

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

The Author: ARCHER SULLIVAN is a ninth-generation Appalachian. She’s moved thirty-seven times and has lived everywhere from Monticello, Kentucky to Manhattan, New York and from Black Mountain, North Carolina to Beverly Hills, California. Her work has appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Tough, Shotgun Honey, Reckon Review, Rock and a Hard Place, and The Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2024.

#TuesdayBookBlog

Once Upon a River by Bonnie Jo Campbell #AudiobookReview #bookclubs #TBT

Goodreads Choice Award nominee for Readers’ Favorite Fiction (2011)

My first participation with the Y Book Club in our local area. I was thrilled to find an active, dynamic book club and attended on Wednesday for their May selection: Once Upon a River by Bonnie Jo Campbell. This book club meets once a month and is very popular. I could see why—it’s lovely—the moderator did a great job keeping us to script. It was discovered that there were several books by the same name and this was not the one recommended.

Book Blurb:

A finalist for the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award, Bonnie Jo Campbell is a rising star in contemporary fiction. Hailed by Booklist as a female Huckleberry Finn, Campbell’s heroine is 16-year-old Margo Crane. Complicit in her father’s death, Margo flees home for the Stark River. And as she follows the current, she learns the ways of the world from the eccentric characters she meets.

My Review:

I must say that Campbell weaves a spell-binding tale—she is quite the storyteller.

Unfortunately, the ladies in the club didn’t appreciate her brand of raw, rude, and sometimes crude, style of storytelling. This sixteen-year-old was taught by her dad and granddad to hunt and dress game. In fact, she is an excellent shot. Too good. She flees following the death of her father.

What follows is her experience as a teenager left to fend for herself, any way she can. Margo may appear unacceptable to the main population, but this is the 70s and 80s (although it seemed older than that).

I thought it was similar to Where the Crawdads Sing, except this narrative is darker, shocking. Margo Crane, the main character, is a strong fan of Annie Oakley, sees herself in Oakley, and tries to model after the famed nineteenth-century sharp shooter. Having been abandoned at an early age by her mother, she goes on a quest to find her and reconnect.

You might argue that, once again, we have a coming-of-age story not with a male MC, but a female MC, experimenting, pushing boundaries, pushing sexual limits, exploring the limits of her own abilities and reveling in successes.

In any case, you may see the gradual growth of maturity but still refuse to like the character. She is all but feral and essentially retains that essence of wild through the climax. Margo is self-sufficient. She may be looking for love. But she doesn’t need it to survive.

Book Club Thoughts

On the whole, most of the attendees did not like the book, with one commenting, “that is the worse book I’ve ever read.” Others commented they couldn’t identify or engage with the main character, nor any of the support characters. One of the ladies asked how the book club ended up with that book. (Yes, same title but was written by another author.) Lively discussion and as another lady pointed out, salient points noted by other attendees actually raised, perhaps one-half star their original estimate of star rating. Final concensus was approximately 1.75-2 stars by the body.

Book Club Rating

I’m looking forward to attending more book club meetings, the next scheduled book being The One in a Million Boy by Monica Wood. Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Book Details:

Genre: Coming of Age Fiction, Literary Fiction
Publisher: Recorded Books
ASIN: B005HH0KLK
Print Length: 349 pages
Publication Date: August 16, 2011
Source: Local Library

Title Link(s):

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

The Author: Bonnie Jo Campbell is the author of the national-bestselling novels The Waters and Once Upon a River. Her critically-acclaimed short fiction collections include American Salvage, which was a finalist for both the National Book Award and the National Book Critic’s Circle Award; Women and Other Animals, which won the AWP prize for short fiction; and Mothers, Tell Your Daughters. She is also author of the novel Q Road and a poetry chapbook. Her story “The Smallest Man in the World” was awarded a Pushcart Prize and her story “The Inventor, 1972″ was awarded the 2009 Eudora Welty Prize from Southern Review. She was a 2011 Guggenheim Fellow.

#ThrowbackThursday

Parents Weekend: A Novel by Alex Finlay #BookReview #psychologicalthriller

Book Blurb:

From the bestselling author of If Something Happens to Me, comes one of the year’s most anticipated thrillers.

In the glow of their children’s exciting first year of college at a small private school in Northern California, five families gather over dinner and cocktails for the opening festivities of Parents Weekend. As the parents stay out way past their bedtimes, their kids—five residents of Campisi Hall—never show up to dinner.

At first, everyone thinks they’re just being college students, irresponsibly forgetting about the gathering or skipping out to go to a party. But as the hours tick by and another night falls with not so much as a text from the students, panic ensues. Soon the campus police call in reinforcements. Search parties are formed. Reporters swarm the small enclave. Rumors swirl and questions arise.

Libby, Blane, Mark, Felix, and Stella—The Five, as the podcasters, bloggers, and TikTok sleuths soon call them—come from very different families. What drew them out on that fateful night? Could it be the sins of their mothers and fathers come to cause them peril—or a threat to the friend group from within?

Told from each family’s point of view—and marking the return of FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller from Every Last Fear and The Night Shift—Parents Weekend explores the weight of expectation, family dysfunction, and those exhilarating first days in the dorms when friends become family.

His Review:

Parents are going to be spending a weekend with their students at Santa Clara University. There are five families with varying levels of enthusiasm waiting to join their offspring. The festivities begin but there is a problem, where are the students?

The book examines each of the families and their inter-reactions and expectations.

The event falls apart because none of the students show up at the event. At first, it is considered a college prank but then one of the students’ bodies is found drowned in a cave near the ocean. All the adults become frantic. Are the students OK?

The book is very well written but the format of the story left me flummoxed. The author presented each of the different families’ perspective and point of view. I found myself torn wanting a more consistent dialogue regarding each of the families. I was left wanting answers before a second set of family attitudes were presented.

Because there are five families with ten adults each having their own issues, I could not maintain a logical thread in my reading. Therefore, for me, the story fell through the cracks in the narrative. 4 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. Any opinion expressed here is my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Psychological Thrillers, Suspense Thrillers
Publisher: Minotaur Books
ISBN: 1250360722
ASIN: B0DBVV6PMG
Print Length: 308 pages
Publication Date: May 6, 2025
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

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

The Author: Alex Finlay is the bestselling author of several acclaimed novels, including the 2021 breakout EVERY LAST FEAR, the 2022 GoodReads Choice nominee for Best Mystery & Thriller, THE NIGHT SHIFT, the 2023 LibraryReads Hall of Fame recipient, WHAT HAVE WE DONE, and his latest 2024 release, USA TODAY bestseller, IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME. His novels regularly appear on best-of-the-year lists and have been translated into twenty-four languages and are sold around the world. Alex’s books are optioned for film and television, and EVERY LAST FEAR is in development for a major series. Alex lives in Washington, DC and Virginia, where he is at work on his next novel.

Have a Great Sunday

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Hunting the Truth by Kathleen Donnelly #BookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

National Forest K-9 Book #2

Book Blurb:

“Hide, Maya. Don’t let the bad people find you.”

Those are the last words Forest Service law enforcement officer and K-9 handler Maya Thompson ever heard her mother say.

Returning to the Colorado mountains, ex-soldier Maya is no longer a scared little girl. She’s here to investigate her mother’s cold case, but fear creeps in when it comes to her personal life—things are getting serious with sheriff deputy Josh Colten.

After new DNA evidence surfaces, both her beloved grandfather and Josh warn her away from the case, suspecting that she could be the next victim. But Maya doesn’t listen.

Instead, Maya and her K-9 partner, Juniper, track a suspect deep into the forest and directly into grave danger…

My Review:

I read and reviewed Chasing Justice recently and greatly enjoyed Book 1 of the series which introduced the Malinois Justice and main character Maya with the projected romance character Josh.

Maya is ex-military and has issues connected with her service. Josh has his own issues given his previous involvement in the Chicago Police Department. He’s the new deputy in town and quickly caught the eye of everyone including Maya, who tries hard not to act on the tension between them.

Maya is a US Forest Service Law Enforcement officer for the Pino Grande National Forest in Colorado. Maya begins to dig deep into the deaths of her mother and grandmother, their cases never solved. As Maya digs deeper into those cases, however, secrets begin to surface that scar.

Pops, her grandfather is prominently featured as well as Juniper, and the atmospheric description of the forested areas of Colorado is a beautiful character as well, lending mystery to searches.

I enjoy the explanation of training techniques, the special qualities attributed to the breed, and the strong bond that is developed between the two. Fortunately, the storyline weaves canine details and twists into the plot and the pacing is fairly even.

The romance angle between the two, Maya and Josh, tends to overshadow the main thrust of the narrative which is brought up short by the intrusion of Juniper. Finally, it just gets a bit heavy on the romance for me. While I’d intended to read the series, I’m now backing off that plan.

Still, for most that enjoy romance in their books, and specifically in this one, police romance, then this novel coupled with an amazing dog should add even more spice to pique your interest.

Many thanks to my favorite fully stocked library that provided the ebook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Rating: Four Stars 4 stars

Book Details:

Genre: Police Romance eBooks, Animal Fiction
Publisher: Carina Press
ASIN: B0B72FJLHJ
Print Length: 324 pages
Publication Date: September 26, 2023
Source: Local Library

Title Links:

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

The Author: Award-winning author, Kathleen Donnelly is a handler for a private narcotics K-9 detection company. She enjoys using her experience to craft realism into her fictional stories. Kathleen loves the beauty of the mountains, which inspired her choice of setting for her series. She lives near the Colorado foothills with her husband and her four-legged co-workers. Visit Kathleen on her website at http://www.kathleendonnelly.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/AuthorKathleenDonnelly/, follow her on Twitter @KatK9writer or find her on Instagram @authorkathleendonnelly.

Happiness is a reading buddy. — AI generated graphic courtesy Gemini

The Paris Express: A Novel by Emma Donoghue #AudiobookReview #WorldLiterature

Book Blurb:

Based on an 1895 disaster that went down in history when it was captured in a series of surreal, extraordinary photographs, The Paris Express is a propulsive novel set on a train packed with a fascinating cast of characters who hail from as close as Brittany and as far as Russia, Ireland, Algeria, Pennsylvania, and Cambodia. Members of parliament hurry back to Paris to vote; a medical student suspects a girl may be dying; a secretary tries to convince her boss of the potential of moving pictures; two of the train’s crew build a life away from their wives; a young anarchist makes a terrifying plan, and much more.

From an author whose “writing is superb alchemy” (Audrey Niffenegger, New York Times bestselling author), The Paris Express is an evocative masterpiece that effortlessly captures the politics, glamour, chaos, and speed that marked the end of the 19th century.

My Review:

Oh, mercy, I’m so not a fan of slow burn starts, and this one is a bit angonizing—at least for me.

I usually enjoy historical fiction and have read and reviewed a couple books recently on disasters (both manmade and natural) in the US. Thinking this would read roughly the same, managed this audiobook from my local library.

This novel recounts the disastrous train crash packed with people riding the rails into Paris back in 1895. There are characters I specifically enjoyed, including two of the train crew, but as the storyline progressed and the addition of more characters jammed the train, their voices created a cacophony that was a bit difficult to separate.

The characters are persons from countries as far away as the US and Russia and those innocent to the sinister, one of whom has hatched a deadly plan and is simply waiting for the most appropriate time to implement it.

The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue — The Paris Express – UK Kindle cover

Because of the divergence in persons (including historical figures), their backgrounds are examined along with their purposes for traveling to Paris. As the train hurtles toward a shocking but not unexpected end, the pace speeds up as well, and the explanation of the mechanics of the old train, obviously well researched and quite spellbinding, provides a heart-pounding account of the speed, power, and limitations of the locomotive.

The characters drive the dialogue from the political to economics and the reader is offered a peek into some long and plot grinding discussions. There is tension building in those discussions, although for some of the lesser interesting easy to read-skip over. The thoughts of the anarchist who is now seeing individuals, rather than a faceless body of persons, revealed just the tiniest stumble of well laid plans.

In the end, I found it a bit anti-climactic and rather abrupt and was caught off guard even as I was speeding along with it to the station at Montparnasse knowing the outcome. Not a wholly satisfying denouement. But then, again, it is an historical event. How else?

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

Rosepoint Publishing: Three point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: World Literature, Historical Fiction, Genre Fiction
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
ASIN: B0D67V6PQL
Listening Length: 7 hrs 15 mins
Narrator: Justin Avoth
Publication Date: March 18, 2025
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)

Title Links:

Amazon-US
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Author: Born in Dublin in 1969, Emma Donoghue is a writer of contemporary and historical fiction whose novels include the international bestseller “Room” (her screen adaptation was nominated for four Oscars), “Frog Music”, “Slammerkin,” “The Sealed Letter,” “Landing,” “Life Mask,” “Hood,” and “Stirfry.” Her story collections are “Astray”, “The Woman Who Gave Birth to Rabbits,” “Kissing the Witch,” and “Touchy Subjects.” She also writes literary history, and plays for stage and radio. She lives in London, Ontario, with her partner and their two children.

Audiobooks

The Stranger Diaries Book 1 of Harbinder Kaur by Elly Griffiths #AudiobookReview #GothicHorrorFiction

Editors’ pick Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Book Blurb:

Clare Cassidy is no stranger to murder. A high school English teacher specializing in the Gothic writer R. M. Holland, she teaches a course on it every year. But when one of Clare’s colleagues and closest friends is found dead, with a line from R. M. Holland’s most famous story, “The Stranger”, left by her body, Clare is horrified to see her life collide with the story lines of her favorite literature.

My Review:

Having ventured into a Ruth Galloway book, I thought I’d try another first in the series. This series, however, leads the reader into a totally different experience and, actually, as a girl, I loved gothic stories.

Not so much this one.

I don’t have a problem with multiple POVs, usually enjoy them. In this case, it changed the vibe of the book for me. Stopped what might have been an interesting flow to begin another and one not so engaging.

This novel begins a slow burn for me perhaps because I always found English classes dry and lacking connection. While we aren’t exactly talking classics here, I struggled with the academia side of the narrative, found most characters haughty and arrogant, and a couple I actively disliked. The plot centers around Clare and her teenage daughter, Georgia (Yet another snotty teen?) Clare’s best friend is murdered. Enter DS Kaur, I thought a bit too intense and forceful. My favorite character is the little dog, of course.

The author R M Holland lived in the particular old school building where he wrote his best known works. He is surrounded by myth and the story of the death of his wife. He left an extract that becomes a mantra throughout the book, and as it was an audiobook, became a bit much.

“Hell is empty, all the devils are up here.”

At first the passage jolted me as it sounded much like something my grandfather once said. But then it was repeated, over and over.

The plot becomes quite complex. The atmospheric gothic quality of the campus descriptions of the area lends a strong character quality to the Victorian storyline, building tension and adding to the “creep” factor. Lots of threads pulled up in the denouement. Sometimes though the motive for a murder feels a bit weak, but okay, everything buttons up in the end.

I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts. Did you read this one?

Rosepoint Publishing: Three point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Gothic Horror Fiction, Police Procedural Fiction, Gothic Fiction
Publisher: Recorded Books
ASIN: B07MKZFRQT
Listening Length: 10 hrs 32 mins
Narrators: Andrew Wincott, Esther Wane, Sarah Feathers, Anjana Vasan
Publication Date: March 5, 2019
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)

Title Links:

Amazon-US
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

Elly Griffiths - author — Elly Griffiths – author

The Author: Thank you for visiting my Amazon author page! I’m the author of the Dr Ruth Galloway books, the Brighton Mysteries and four standalone titles featuring DI Harbinder Kaur. I’ve also written a middle grade mystery series, A Girl Called Justice. My new series, about time-travelling detective Ali Dawson, started in 2025 with The Frozen People.

I was born in London but moved to Brighton when I was five. I always wanted to be an author and wrote my first detective story, The Hair of the Dog, when I was 11. I studied English at King’s College London and worked in a library before joining HarperCollins as a publicity assistant, eventually becoming editorial director for children’s fiction. I wrote my first published novel, The Italian Quarter, whilst on maternity leave expecting my twins. Three other books followed, all written under my real name, Domenica de Rosa. When I wrote my first crime novel, The Crossing Places, I was advised to get a ‘crime name’. I chose Elly Griffiths, after my grandmother, and have now published 32 books under that name..

I live near Brighton with my husband, Andy. We have two grown-up children and a cat.

Have a happy Easter! — AI generated graphic compliments of Dream Lab, Canva.

A Lesson in Dying: The First Inspector Ramsay Novel by Ann Cleeves #BookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

Inspector Ramsay Series Book 1

Book Blurb:

Before Shetland and Vera, Ann Cleeves wrote the Inspector Ramsay series featuring a talented, brilliant detective—now in print for the first time in the US.

Who hung the headmaster in the playground on the night of the school Halloween Party?

Almost everyone in Heppleburn either hated or feared the viper-tongued Harold Medburn. Inspector Ramsay is convinced it was the headmaster’s enigmatic wife but Jack Robson, school governor and caretaker, is determined to prove her innocence.

With the help of his restless daughter Patty, Jack digs into the secrets of Heppleburn, and uncovers a cesspit of lies, adultery, blackmail and madness . . .

My Review:

I once asked if Ann Cleeves was an acquired taste. Perhaps I fall into that category, totally mystified by not only her prolific writing history, but the lengths at which one of her bestselling series has gone. One I haven’t even tapped yet, the Shetland books. And, good grief, it’s a critically acclaimed series of crime novels appearing on BBC in it’s ninth season. Whaa??

Admittedly, her books, what I’ve read so far, haven’t exactly hooked with a sensational start. These are generally a slow build up and sometimes even sag in the middle. So why did I return to Vera Stanhope, for instance?

This novel begins the Inspector Ramsay series, first published in 1990. Goodness! One of her first or just one of her shortest? (Thank heaven.) Perhaps this wouldn’t be a good example of her later writing style as it fails to dig deeply into developing main (or multiple) characters but I like getting into a series with Book 1 where I can, so I downloaded this one.

The atmosphere is rather dreary and the storyline fairly simple, doesn’t lapse into a complex plot. The supporting characters are about as strong as the inspector, small village, lots of gossips. Inspector Ramsay just didn’t have the punch, and really, I didn’t particularly like him.

Of course there is a quick and easy perp arrested for the crime (among all the others who hated him equally), and Inspector Ramsay isn’t exactly a fireball and appears to let others do his job. The plot is rather dull, predictable, and in the end (for me) a snoozer. The first of six. Disappointing. Yes, I recommend Ann Cleeves; no, I don’t recommend the first of this series.

Okay, it’s an early effort and I can attest she later developed a compelling writing style. I enjoy the Vera Stanhope books, the last I read being The Rising Tide. Love that the character is a mature woman, isn’t a boozer, a bed-hopper, and damaged by calamitous history.

Well, obviously, I’m going to have to find Raven Black, the first in the Shetland books. What have I missed? I’m going to find out. Are you a diehard fan of Ann Cleeves? Did you read this one?

I downloaded this copy from my local library and appreciate the opportunity to read and review this book. The thoughts expressed here are my own opinions.

Rosepoint Rating: Two point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Traditional Detective Mysteries, Amateur Sleuth Mysteries
Publisher: Minotaur Books
IASIN: B0DJZ54RXJ
Print Length: 227 pages
Publication Date: March 25, 2025
Source: Local Library

Title Link(s):

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

The Author: Ann (born October 1954) is the author of the books behind ITV’s VERA, now in it’s third series, and the BBC’s SHETLAND, which will be aired in December 2012. Ann’s DI Vera Stanhope series of books is set in Northumberland and features the well loved detective along with her partner Joe Ashworth. Ann’s Shetland series bring us DI Jimmy Perez, investigating in the mysterious, dark, and beautiful Shetland Islands…

Ann grew up in the country, first in Herefordshire, then in North Devon. Her father was a village school teacher. After dropping out of university she took a number of temporary jobs – child care officer, women’s refuge leader, bird observatory cook, auxiliary coastguard – before going back to college and training to be a probation officer.

While she was cooking in the Bird Observatory on Fair Isle, she met her husband Tim, a visiting ornithologist. She was attracted less by the ornithology than the bottle of malt whisky she saw in his rucksack when she showed him his room. Soon after they married, Tim was appointed as warden of Hilbre, a tiny tidal island nature reserve in the Dee Estuary. They were the only residents, there was no mains electricity or water and access to the mainland was at low tide across the shore. If a person’s not heavily into birds – and Ann isn’t – there’s not much to do on Hilbre and that was when she started writing. Her first series of crime novels features the elderly naturalist, George Palmer-Jones. A couple of these books are seriously dreadful.

In 1987 Tim, Ann and their two daughters moved to Northumberland and the north east provides the inspiration for many of her subsequent titles. The girls have both taken up with Geordie lads. In the autumn of 2006, Ann and Tim finally achieved their ambition of moving back to the North East.

[Truncated—please see her published bio on Amazon and Goodreads.]

Ann’s books have been translated into sixteen languages. She’s a bestseller in Scandinavia and Germany. Her novels sell widely and to critical acclaim in the United States. Raven Black was shortlisted for the Martin Beck award for best translated crime novel in Sweden in 200.

Bio and photo from Goodreads.

Follow her on Twitter (X): https://x.com/anncleeves?lang=en

Where will your books take you this month?

Watchers by Dean Koontz #BookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

Rosepoint Rating: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

On his thirty-sixth birthday, Travis Cornell hikes into the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains. But his path is soon blocked by a bedraggled Golden Retriever who will let him go no further into the dark woods.

That morning, Travis had been desperate to find some happiness in his lonely, seemingly cursed life. What he finds is a dog of alarming intelligence that soon leads him into a relentless storm of mankind’s darkest creation…

My Review:

Yeah, so I’ll admit it—the cover got me first—and then, despite my son’s admonition about my reading choices (“Koontz is a horror writer, mom”), I grab a Koontz book when I see one.

Watchers by Dean Koontz — Watchers cover posted on Goodreads

Well, mercy, first we are introduced to Travis and the golden retriever (Koontz’ favorite dog) whom he later names Einstein. Travis is an ex-Delta Force now reduced to a lonely, lost soul without much that’ll get him up in the morning. Whether PTSD or the losses he’s suffered and, inexplicably, blames himself (it’s a curse), he’s lost any macho he ever had.

It’s the dog that saves him from a lonely walk in a deserted forest that hides an unnamed monster. Explaining to the dog that he can’t keep him (he’s cursed), he notices this is not your average dog at the outset. Yeah, he keeps him.

In the meantime, we are introduced to Nora, and it’s pretty obvious this will be a romantic match—these two severely damaged persons are made for each other. Nora, never having had a pet is not put off by the dog or his size and quickly realizes that he must be special.

So, wait…

Have you read this? It’s not like it’s a new book and there was quite some sentiment about it. Admittedly, there were a few problems that even I discerned.

Still, I got so involved in the storyline that I couldn’t stop flipping pages. Yeah, I read it—this was not one of my audiobooks. So, I’m flipping pages, and I just LOVE this dog. Unfortunately, he has a history, and the history is trying to catch up with him.

He’s a lab dog. I don’t mean Labrador—I mean laboratory. And the same lab that spawned him also spawned his opposite. Not a dog—but a brutal, nasty animal. Travis (even Travis) realizes this is not a dog he can return to the lab. Poor doggy.

Also, did I mention there’s a hit man out there on a mission?

If you haven’t read it, I don’t want to spoil it for you. You’ll just have to trust me. It’s a wild ride whether or not you have to suspend some disbelief. Just go with it and enjoy the story.

I received the eBook loan from my local library for the opportunity to read and review this book. The thoughts expressed here are my own. I do enjoy a Dean Koontz doggy story! Recommended.

Book Details:

Genre: Ghost Suspense, US Horror Fiction, Horror Suspense
Publisher: Berkley (reprint edition)
ISBN: 0425221806
ASIN: B001974DG0
Print Length: 402 pages
Publication Date: May 6, 2008
Source: Local Library

Title Link(s):

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

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.