#NetGalleyreader – Page 34 – Rosepoint Publishing

Silent Parade: Detective Galileo Series Book 4 by Keigo Higashino – #BookReview – #policeprocedurals

Book Blurb:

Detective Galileo, Keigo Higashino’s best loved character from The Devotion of Suspect X, returns in Silent Parade, a complex and challenging mystery—several murders, decades apart, with no solid evidence.

A popular young girl disappears without a trace, her skeletal remains discovered three years later in the ashes of a burned out house. There’s a suspect and compelling circumstantial evidence of his guilt, but no concrete proof. When he isn’t indicted, he returns to mock the girl’s family. And this isn’t the first time he’s been suspected of the murder of a young girl, nearly twenty years ago he was tried and released due to lack of evidence. Detective Chief Inspector Kusanagi of the Homicide Division of the Tokyo Police worked both cases.

The neighborhood in which the murdered girl lived is famous for an annual street festival, featuring a parade with entries from around Tokyo and Japan. During the parade, the suspected killer dies unexpectedly. His death is suspiciously convenient but the people with all the best motives have rock solid alibis. DCI Kusanagi turns once again to his college friend, Physics professor and occasional police consultant Manabu Yukawa, known as Detective Galileo, to help solve the string of impossible-to-prove murders.

His Review:

Saori Namiki is missing! She is the eldest daughter of Yutaro and Machiko Namiki. She had a beautiful voice (concert quality) and was absolutely stunning. Where could she have disappeared to? Three years later her body is discovered in a derelict house in the outskirts of a neighboring village.

The writing is very complete and covers all of the characters in the village. Some of them have known Saori since she was a small girl. Everyone in the village felt she was a credit to her family, would go far in life, and she was a talented treasure.

Kanichi Hasunuma is a stranger to the village and is disliked by everyone. He is abrasive and obnoxious. The Namiki’s own a restaurant and put up with his bullying every day. He requires that Saori refill his tea cup each time he drinks his tea and requests demeaning service from the young lady. He has been seen more than once pinching her buttocks and then laughing or smirking at her displeasure. He is finally banned from using the restaurant, however, he continues to come around with his haughty and demeaning attitude.

The whole village suspects Hasunuma has done something to Saori but they have no proof or witnesses. She was such a happy and outgoing young lady. A potential star musical performer! The discovery of her body destroyed her parents and her boyfriend left the village searching for answers. Who would have done such a thing to such a beautiful and gentle creature?

The writer builds this story like the integral detective investigation it took to solve it. Each character in the story is proven to have a solid alibi during the commission of the crime. The novel involves rather intricate devices to dispatch people. When the corpse of Hasunuma is discovered in a closed room the plot thickens. There are very few marks on his body and yet he is dead.

This entire novel reads like a crime investigation primer. How could some of the crimes actually have been committed? I marveled at the intricacies of the various methods and thought processes utilized to complete the crimes. I recommend the book as a way to delve into the minds of Japanese detectives and criminals. 4.5 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 point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: International Mystery & Crime, Police Procedurals
Publisher: Minotaur Books
ISBN: ‎ 1250624819
ASIN: B08R2L9Y3L
Print Length: 345 pages
Publication Date: December 14, 2021
Source: Publisher and NetGalley
Title Link(s): Silent Parade [Amazon]
Barnes and Noble
Kobo

The Author: Keigo Higashino (東野圭吾) is one of the most popular and biggest selling fiction authors in Japan—as well known as James Patterson, Dean Koontz or Tom Clancy are in the USA.

Born in Osaka, he started writing novels while still working as an engineer at Nippon Denso Co. (presently DENSO). He won the Edogawa Rampo Prize, which is awarded annually to the finest mystery work, in 1985 for the novel Hōkago (After School) at age 27. Subsequently, he quit his job and started a career as a writer in Tokyo.

In 1999, he won the Mystery Writers of Japan Inc award for the novel Himitsu (The Secret), which was translated into English by Kerim Yasar and published by Vertical under the title of Naoko in 2004. In 2006, he won the 134th Naoki Prize for Yōgisha X no Kenshin. His novels had been nominated five times before winning with this novel.

The Devotion of Suspect X was the second highest selling book in all of Japan— fiction or nonfiction—the year it was published, with over 800,000 copies sold. It won the prestigious Naoki Prize for Best Novel— the Japanese equivalent of the National Book Award and the Man Booker Prize. Made into a motion picture in Japan, The Devotion of Suspect X spent 4 weeks at the top of the box office and was the third highest‐grossing film of the year.

Higashino’s novels have more movie and TV series adaptations than Tom Clancy or Robert Ludlum, and as many as Michael Crichton. [Goodeads]

Happy Autumn Weekend to you from Rosepoint Publishing

Darkness Falls: A Kate Marshall Thriller by Robert Bryndza – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

Book Blurb:

An Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling series.

Kate Marshall’s investigation into a journalist’s disappearance sends her down an unexpectedly twisted path in a riveting thriller by the author of Shadow Sands.

Kate Marshall’s fledgling PI agency takes off when she and her partner, Tristan Harper, are hired for their first big case. It’s a cold one. Twelve years before, journalist Joanna Duncan disappeared after exposing a political scandal. Most people have moved on. Joanna’s mother refuses to let go.

When Kate and Tristan gain access to the original case files, they revisit the same suspects and follow the same leads—but not to the same dead ends. Among Joanna’s personal effects, Kate discovers the names of two young men who also vanished without a trace.

As she connects the last days of three missing persons, Kate realizes that Joanna may have been onto something far more sinister than anyone first believed: the identity of a serial killer hiding in plain sight. The closer Kate comes to finding him, the darker it’s going to get.

His Review:

Joanna Duncan, a promising town reporter is missing. A twenty year old cold case because there is nothing but her old cell phone left. Kate Marshall and her brother Tristan are hired as private investigators to solve the mystery. Joanna’s mother could get nothing but condescending lip service for her daughter’s disappearance.

Mr. Bryndza spins an interesting tale which includes some exploration into the male sex scene in rural England. The main focus of the story is to actually find out the reason for the disappearance. Why would an investigative reporter have disappeared in rural England? The police had finally thrown up their hands.

The investigation exposes the ugly truth of the plight of young male exploitation by well to do citizens. One of these winds up as the focus of the investigation. The author seems to turn over each clue with a more onerous one being under the last. I found it hard to set this book down.

Starting an investigation agency in rural England has many pitfalls. Most of the cases include philandering wives or husbands and catching them in ill advised deeds.

A cold disappearance is a whole other endeavor. The tenacity required to delve into a 20 year old case is intriguing. The author handled the case with clever feints and dodges that kept me reading until the end. The ending was particularly unexpected–very clever twist. Read this book and see if you do not agree! 4.5 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. Currently on pre-order

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Private Investigator Mysteries, Serial Killer Thrillers
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
ISBN: ‎ 1542005736
ASIN: B08KQ1Z155
Print Length: 303 pages
Publication Date: December 7, 2021
Source: Publisher and NetGalley
Title Link(S): Darkness Falls [Amazon]
Barnes and Noble

The Author: Robert Bryndza is an international bestselling author, best known for his page-turning crime and thriller novels, which have sold over four million copies in the English language.

His crime debut, The Girl in the Ice was released in February 2016, introducing Detective Chief Inspector Erika Foster. Within five months it sold one million copies, reaching number one in the Amazon UK, USA and Australian charts. To date, The Girl in the Ice has sold over 1.5 million copies in the English language and has been sold into translation in 29 countries. It was nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Mystery & Thriller (2016), the Grand prix des lectrices de Elle in France (2018), and it won two reader voted awards, The Thrillzone Awards best debut thriller in The Netherlands (2018) and The Dead Good Papercut Award for best page turner at the Harrogate Crime Festival (2016).

Robert has released a further five novels in the Erika Foster series, The Night Stalker, Dark Water, Last Breath, Cold Blood and Deadly Secrets, all of which have been global bestsellers, and in 2017 Last Breath was a Goodreads Choice Award nominee for Mystery and Thriller.

Most recently, Robert created a new crime thriller series based around the central character Kate Marshall, a police officer turned private detective. The first book, Nine Elms, was an Amazon USA #1 bestseller and an Amazon UK top five bestseller, and the series has been sold into translation in 15 countries. The second book, Shadow Sands was published in November 2020.

Robert was born in Lowestoft, on the east coast of England. He studied at Aberystwyth University, and the Guildford School of Acting, and was an actor for several years, but didn’t find success until he took a play he’d written to the Edinburgh Festival. This led to the decision to change career and start writing. He self-published a bestselling series of romantic comedy novels, before switching to writing crime. Robert lives with his husband in Slovakia, and is lucky enough to write full-time.

You can find out more about Robert and his books at http://www.robertbryndza.com

13 ½: A Novel by Nevada Barr – #BookReview – @nevadabarr

Book Blurb:

In 1971, the state of Minnesota was rocked by the “Butcher Boy” incident, as coverage of a family brutally murdered by one of their own swept across newspapers and television screens nationwide.

Now, in present-day New Orleans, Polly Deschamps finds herself at yet another lonely crossroads in her life. No stranger to tragedy, Polly was a runaway at the age of fifteen, escaping a nightmarish Mississippi childhood.

Lonely, that is, until she encounters architect Marshall Marchand. Polly is immediately smitten. She finds him attractive, charming, and intelligent. Marshall, a lifelong bachelor, spends most of his time with his brother Danny. When Polly’s two young daughters from her previous marriage are likewise taken with Marshall, she marries him. However, as Polly begins to settle into her new life, she becomes uneasy about her husband’s increasing dark moods, fearing that Danny may be influencing Marshall in ways she cannot understand.

But what of the ominous prediction by a New Orleans tarot card reader, who proclaims that Polly will murder her husband? What, if any, is the Marchands’ connection to the infamous “Butcher Boy” multiple homicide? And could Marshall and his eccentric brother be keeping a dark secret from Polly, one that will shatter the happiness she has forever prayed for?

My Review:

Okay, I’m one of those caught up in the author’s name and just blindly grabbed the book written by Nevada Barr, too late to notice it was NOT part of the Anna Pigeon series. Oh, dear.

And I’m having a seriously difficult time trying to visualize that the same author who writes about Anna Pigeon and her experiences in the park service is the same beautiful lady whose author photo is shown below. I might be more inclined to believe the author might have been Dean Koontz, but come to think of it, I’ve not read a Koontz book quite so viciously, violently graphic (and with children as well?).

Not a book to undertake without some trigger warnings—it’s twisted, dark, and suspenseful and (perhaps just a King horror novel) difficult for me not to just DNF. This reader needed to see a meaningful conclusion, although I’d certainly predicted from the beginning the revelation. Not a big surprise at that point.

Then Polly comes along and with her two young daughters discovers a kindred spirit in Marshall, easy going, pleasant, loving, concerned. What more could a young mother need or want?

“Most had made lives they enjoyed and would only compromise for a very shiny white knight with a particularly breathtaking steed. And a very long lance…”

The setting in post-Katrina in New Orleans was interesting and lent an atmospheric touch, until Polly meets a tarot card reader who provides dark warnings that trigger her investigation. Noooo, you say… Don’t go down into the basement—or in this case—to the slum residence of the Woman in Red.

Oh, and by the way, 13 ½ is a tat described as meaning “One judge, twelve jurors, half a chance.”

Predictable, yes, (see paragraph three above), an unusual read for me, yes, I would classify as horror. But you don’t have to take my word for it, if you are willing to take a chance. Granted, the author does have a rather poetic turn of phrase, descriptive prose, tension-building expertise. But this author also writes, as mentioned now several times, the Anna Pigeon series, including my last couple reviews Destroyer Angel and Track of the Cat, as well as several prior to those. I particularly enjoy the audiobooks narrated by Barbara Rosenblat (she’s awesome). This novel is a standalone—a good thing. However, as you’ve no doubt understood by now, I’d recommend her series.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author and publisher through @NetGalley that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Three point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Legal Thrillers, Murder Thrillers, Suspense
Publisher: Crossroad Press
ASIN: B07L19Y98Z
Print Length: 253 pages
Publication Date: November 30, 2018
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Nevada was born in the small western town of Yerington, Nevada and raised on a mountain airport in the Sierras. Both her parents were pilots and mechanics and her sister, Molly, continued the tradition by becoming a pilot for USAir.

Pushed out of the nest, Nevada fell into the theatre, receiving her BA in speech and drama and her MFA in Acting before making the pilgrimage to New York City, then Minneapolis, MN. For eighteen years she worked on stage, in commercials, industrial training films and did voice-overs for radio. During this time she became interested in the environmental movement and began working in the National Parks during the summers — Isle Royale in Michigan, Guadalupe Mountains in Texas, Mesa Verde in Colorado, and then on the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi.

Woven throughout these seemingly disparate careers was the written word. Nevada wrote and presented campfire stories, taught storytelling and was a travel writer and restaurant critic. Her first novel, Bittersweet was published in 1983. The Anna Pigeon series, featuring a female park ranger as the protagonist, started when she married her love of writing with her love of the wilderness, the summer she worked in west Texas. The first book, Track of the Cat, was brought to light in 1993 and won both the Agatha and Anthony awards for best first mystery. The series was well received and A Superior Death, loosely based on Nevada’s experiences as a boat patrol ranger on Isle Royale in Lake Superior, was published in 1994. In 1995 Ill Wind came out. It was set in Mesa Verde, Colorado where Nevada worked as a law enforcement ranger for two seasons.

The rest is, shall we say, HISTORY! Nevada’s books and accomplishments have become numerous and the presses continue to roll, so in the interest of NOT having to update this page, books, awards, status on the New York Times Best Seller List — and more — will be enumerated with the relevant books else where on this website.

©V Williams

Have a great week!

Fallen Angel (Detectives Kane and Alton Book 13) by D K Hood – #BookReview – Organized Crime Thrillers

Book Blurb:

Hurrying along the dark, snow-covered path, she knows she’s not alone when she hears the light tread of someone behind her. Panic rising in her chest, she picks up the pace. But she doesn’t even have a chance to scream before everything goes black.

When a beautiful young woman is reported missing from her hotel room on the outskirts of Black Rock Falls, Sheriff Jenna Alton and her deputy David Kane are devastated to discover her pale, lifeless body trapped beneath a frozen lake nearby. It’s Jenna who finds the single pearl earring buried in the frosted grass that gives them their first lead.

Just as Jenna has the remaining hotel guests safely back in their rooms, the killer strikes again, and another victim is found in one of the hotel’s lakeside cabins. Next to his bloodied body is a second pearl earring. What does it mean, and why is the killer leaving them for Jenna to find?

Interviewing witnesses, Jenna discovers that both victims were seen arguing with other residents hours before their deaths. Could the murderer be out for revenge, and how many more bodies will follow before they are truly satisfied?

As a blizzard cuts the hotel off from Black Rock Falls, Jenna and her team are trapped with the killer. Then she receives a terrifying call from a teenage girl who thinks the murderer was in her room as she slept. Can Jenna save her from becoming the next victim? And how many more innocent lives will be taken before the snow thaws?

Fans of Lisa Regan, Melinda Leigh and Kendra Elliot will love this gripping and addictive thriller from USA Today bestselling author D.K. Hood. Prepare to stay up all night!

His Review:

Mother was anything but a loving nurturer, she was a monster. And she allowed strange men to do things to her child for the shear joy of knowing it was happening! Could anyone fault the child for becoming what she had pre-ordained?

But the antagonist is a study in psychopaths and the reasons they become who they are.

D. K. Hood builds an interesting profile of the killer as an adult. Despicable and frightening.

Trapped in a snowbound ski resort with a couple of hundred writers and publishers is the perfect target element. The victims are chosen with relish, particularly those who have dismissed who is perceived a hack writer. Sure they have no redeeming qualities and wouldn’t know a good book if it fell off the shelf on them, oh yes, they have it coming!

Two of the local law enforcement members of a small mountain bound town are trapped in a blizzard when the deaths keep mounting up. The attendees at a writer’s teaching seminar are the targets of ire. In the beginning they believe that it is a game set up by the seminar sponsors.

I found the approach to the novel interesting in the authors’ attempt at getting into the head of the killer. The ending is poignant as the killer explains that the commission of these crimes fill a need more pressing than food!

Read and enjoy this book, but make sure you have the doors and windows properly secured. Checking and rechecking these items may give you a modicum of security! 4.5 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. Currently on pre-order, this book releases next Tuesday (November 23^rd).

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Organized Crime Thrillers, Serial Killer Thrillers, Police Procedurals
Publisher: Bookouture
ASIN: B09CH7LYGF
Print Length: 346 pages
Publication Date: November 23, 2021
Source: Publisher and NetGalley
Title Link: Fallen Angel [Amazon]
Barnes and Noble
Kobo

The Author: D.K Hood is THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, USA TODAY, and Amazon Bestselling Author of The Kane and Alton Series. She is a member of International Thriller Writers, Australian Crime Writers Association, and Sisters in Crime Australia.

Where Angels Fear and Her Broken Wings, are listed as the Best Thriller and Best Detective Books Of All Time by The Book Authority.

D.K’s books have been or are currently being translated into many different languages.

D.K. lives very quietly with her husband and enjoys a beautiful garden filled with wild birds and water dragons. The dogs and cats in her stories are reminiscent of the wonderful companions from her past.

She started her writing journey to assist with drug free pain management and has continued to use the stories as an escape from intolerable pain. She likes to highlight current themes in her books and is a strong advocate against all forms of abuse.

D.K says,

“Writing crime thrillers for Bookouture (Hachette) is a dream come true for me. I really love writing the Kane and Alton Series.

It’s great to “meet” so many wonderful readers from all over the world through my Facebook pages. Their support and friendship is inspirational.

I’m currently writing more books in the series.

I love writing about the rugged beauty of Montana and my interest in the development of forensic science to solve crime goes back many years. It was one subject I enjoyed studying and with the constant advances, it never gets boring.

With many stories, waiting for me to write, I’ll look forward to sharing more exciting crime thrillers with you.”

Join me for a chat:

Twitter

@DKHood_Author

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/dkhoodauthor

Web:

http://www.dkhood.com

Happy Autumn Weekend to you from Rosepoint Publishing

The Deathwatch Beetle (Ann Lindell Mysteries Book 9) by Kjell Eriksson –#BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

Book Blurb:

Kjell Eriksson’s next Ann Lindell book, The Deathwatch Beetle is an atmospheric thriller and a tender depiction of the countryside and the people of Roslagen.

Four years have passed since Cecilia Karlsson disappeared from the island of Gräsö in Roslagen. When Ann Lindell receives a tip that she has been seen alive she cannot help getting involved, even though she is no longer with the police.

The black sheep of the island, Nils Lindberg, has never forgotten Cecilia Karlsson, with whom he was in love as a teenager. And he carries a secret. He may not be completely sober all the time, but he has no doubt of what he saw out on the bay just before Cecilia disappeared. Cecilia’s parents are desperate, not knowing what happened to their daughter. Yet their silent house contains many things that have been left unsaid.

While Ann struggles to put the jigsaw puzzle together, she is trying to establish herself in her new life together with her lover Edvard who, like herself, is marked by life. At the same time, someone is hiding in a cottage in a remote part of the island. Someone who is looking for revenge…

My Review:

Such an unusual title and a story that takes place in the country of one my ancestors, I thought this might be an interesting departure from the crime mysteries we typically pick up. Described as an atmospheric thriller, I could agree with one part of that characterization. It was atmospheric.

My first experience with the series, in this particular episode (former?) protagonist Ann Lindell has retired from the police force and lives on the island of Gräsö off the eastern coast of Sweden. (My relatives still live on the western coast.) When Lindell gets a tip that Cecilia Karlsson was sighted alive, she can’t resist pursuing the lead.

It’s an island. People know each other and there are secrets. Some not meant to be revealed. The opening scene hooked the reader then basically foundered for the remaining portions of the book, introducing relatives and friends, chasing down little leads but at such a slow pace it was difficult to continue reading.

I’m not sure—is Ann still meant to be the main character? The narrative comes back to her often, but… It might have been helpful at the beginning of the chapters to explain who was up front and speaking that chapter. Not first person, but it often took me a couple pages to figure out who was making an appearance and his/her connection to the whole thing.

Ann didn’t come across in this episode as being a fully developed person, nor did I really engage in her boyfriend. I did come across, however, an explanation for the title.

“…something was scratching and gnawing in the wall, deathwatch beetle she thought it was called…”

Granted, I came in on Book 9 of the series, having lost, I’m sure a large part of setting the scene and characters as well as her earlier experience as a police person. But was something lost in translation? This one lost my interest fairly early on and it was never really regained.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author and publisher through @NetGalley that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Two point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: International Mystery & Crime, Police Procedurals
Publisher: Minotaur Books
ISBN: ‎ 1250766168
ASIN: B08R2KR132
Print Length: 279 pages
Publication Date: November 23, 2021
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Karl Stig Kjell Eriksson is a Swedish crime-writer, author of the novels The Princess of Burundi and The Cruel Stars of the Night, the former of which was awarded the Swedish Crime Writers’ Academy Best Swedish Crime Novel Award in 2002. They have both recently been translated into English by Ebba Segerberg.

Déjà Boo: A Chantilly Adair Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series Book 6 by Carolyn Ridder Aspenson – #BookReview – #cozymystery

Book Blurb:

Sometimes, an innocent person is convicted of a crime they didn’t commit. And sometimes, after the real guilty person dies, they fess up.

To me…

Because I can communicate with the dead.

I try hard to help the restless dead find closure. And usually, I succeed. But this time my detective boyfriend is throwing a wrench into my efforts. I might be able to take the word of a dead guy, but the police sure can’t.

And as always, things don’t turn out as planned. Now I’m stuck in the middle of a double murder—one from the past—and one from now.

Because someone doesn’t want me to discover the truth…and it looks like they’ll do whatever it takes to make sure this secret stays in the grave!

My Review:

Well, phooey, coming late to the party again, starting with Book 6, and perhaps this is one series best begun from the beginning. Chantilly Adair can see (and sometimes hear) ghosts since she took a bad fall. She’s been helping those who contact her when they are stuck in limbo until something pertaining to their death is resolved. True to many cozy mysteries, her boyfriend Jack is a Castleberry police detective although in this case he has a new boss not hot to listen to his detective’s leads from a girlfriend’s ghost.

In this episode, she is told by a ghost that he is responsible for the death of someone that saw another taking blame and is now sitting in jail for the crime. Trying to take on the mystery of the ghost to set things right, another murder occurs that she is sure is linked to the old case. Of course, she is repeatedly told by her boyfriend to stay out of it. Which she doesn’t.

I usually enjoy some paranormal in mysteries, particularly cozy mysteries, but in this case had a problem with Chantilly’s attitude and never really did warm up to her. She apparently works at the local (Castleberry) historical society and has a number of pertinent contacts. Nor did I find the plot to be a barn-burner. There are numerous characters and flipping between the old case and new had my head spinning trying to remember similar names and relationships and not caring too much if I didn’t.

The author, however, does have an interesting writing style and I know the series is popular. I did note two interesting quotables, especially the first I can totally relate to:

“Del has a hard time letting other people do what she believes she does best.”

“People like you think the sun comes up just to hear you crow.” [ha! Now that’s funny!]

So there is a sprinkling of humor and the conclusion here was drawn quickly and neatly. No doubt her followers will enjoy this one; it just wasn’t my cup of cozy tea.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author and publisher through @NetGalley that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Three point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Mystery Series, Cozy Crafts & Hobbies Mystery, Amateur Sleuth
Publisher: Severn River Publishing
ASIN: B092MS48ND
Print Length: 178 pages
Publication Date: November 16, 2021
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link: Déjà Boo [Amazon]

The Author: USA Today Bestselling author Carolyn Ridder Aspenson writes cozy mysteries and thrillers featuring strong female leads. Her stories shine through her dialogue, which readers have praised for being realistic and compelling. Her first novel, Unfinished Business, An Angela Panther Mystery was a Reader’s Favorite finalist and reached the top 100 Kindle books sold on Amazon.

Prior to writing fiction, Carolyn was a freelance journalist covering local and national affairs in the metro Atlanta area.

Now an empty-nester, Carolyn lives in the North Georgia mountains with her husband, two Pit Bull-Boxer mix dogs and a cantankerous cat. You’ll often find her at a local coffee shop people watching and listening while she writes her next novel.

Like and chat with Carolyn on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/carolynridderaspensonauthor

Find Carolyn on BookBub at Carolyn Ridder Aspenson

Visit Carolyn’s website and sign up for her newsletter at carolynridderaspenson.com

Follow Carolyn at CarolynRidderAspenson on Instagram

The Night Thief (Jackman & Evans Book 8) by Joy Ellis – #BookReview – #noircrime

Book Blurb:

FROM #1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR JOY ELLIS, A TOTALLY ABSORBING CRIME THRILLER FULL OF STUNNING TWISTS AND TURNS. YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO PUT IT DOWN.

Discover the author who’s sold over two million books globally.

When everyone is sleeping, he comes into their houses.

He takes one thing. A photo of their child.

A thief on a power trip or something even darker and more sinister?

Detectives Jackman and Evans find themselves on the hunt for a highly unusual burglar who seemingly only steals photographs. But then, late one night, an elderly woman falls to her death after seeing someone in her home.

Did she really fall, or was she murdered?

And just how many mysterious intruders are there on the Fens?

With the body count rising, Jackman and Evans have their work cut out for them to track down the night thief — before it’s too late.

Full of twists and turns, this is a crime thriller that will keep you turning the pages until the shocking ending.

His Review:

Waking with a start and finding someone standing at the foot of your bed is one of life’s ongoing terrors. Usually, it is just a voyeur getting his jollies off without doing any harm. The opening chapter of this book shatters that illusion. A lonesome widow loses her life thinking her long dead husband has come back to her.

A series of deaths of middle aged or senior ladies follows. There are no signs of entry into the houses. How could this have occurred? This author paints a graphic picture of a cat burglar who has left his usual non-violent mid-night wanderings to commit murders during his roaming.

Ms. Ellis has developed a very interesting psychological profile of a very disturbed younger individual. Her portrayal of the culprit is developed as a result of a very bad and tragic childhood. Certainly, mothers are integral to the education and experience of both young boys and young girls’ development. The youngsters in this case are mentally abused to the point of a total non-traditional approach to reality.

Life is a series of hardships to be overcome by these victims. Striking out is a defense mechanism that helps to cope with reality. The story developed a very engaging psychological profile of the voyeur/killer. One could have sympathy to some extent for the killer except for the lives the person has taken and shattered. Add to that a moral compass that was totally destroyed in childhood and this tale becomes extremely scary.

I recommend this book to anyone who wishes to understand some of the deviants in society. The criminology methods followed to find the killer or killers is very thorough and at times aggravatingly slow. As I read the book I continually hoped for some kind of resolution to this person’s mental deficiencies. Read the book and see if you have the same effect. 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: Noir Crime, Serial Killers, Murder
Publisher: Joffe Books
ASIN: B09HCKJRST
Print Length: 371 pages
Publication Date: November 18, 2021
Source: Publisher and NetGalley
Title Link: The Night Thief [Amazon]

The Author: Joy Ellis grew up in Kent but moved to London when she won an apprenticeship with the prestigious Mayfair flower shop, Constance Spry Ltd.
Many years later, having run her own florist shop in Weybridge, Ellis took part in a writer’s workshop in Greece and was encouraged by her tutor, Sue Townsend to begin writing seriously. She now lives in the Lincolnshire Fens with her partner Jacqueline and their Springer spaniels, Woody and Alfie.

Songbird (Jax Diamond Mysteries Book 1) by Gail Meath –#BookReview – #historicalmysteries

Book Blurb:

Meet Jax Diamond, a sharp, sophisticated, skilled, no-nonsense private detective. Or is he? Glued to his side is his canine partner, Ace, a fierce and unrelenting German Shepherd whose mere presence terrorizes criminals into submission. Well, maybe not.

But the two of them are a whole lot smarter than they look. And they have their hands full when a playwright’s death is declared natural causes, and his new manuscript worth a million bucks is missing.

Laura Graystone, a beautiful rising Broadway star, is dragged into the heart of their investigation, and she’s none too happy about it. Especially when danger first strikes, and she needs to rely on her own ingenuity to save their hides.

Join Jax, Laura and Ace on a fun yet deadly ride during the Roaring Twenties that takes twists and turns, and a race against time to find the real murderer before he/she/they stop them permanently.

My Review:

I was absolutely taken by this gorgeous book cover and I love the period of the twenties. Women were just beginning to break out, jazz, blues, and the Charleston were the rage, prohibition in 1920 caused the rise of “speakeasies” (illegal taverns). A very colorful time in American history. And, of course, I enjoy historical fiction.

Laura Graystone is the songbird, rising quickly in the musical theatre. She has the opportunity of filling the limelight when the production’s leading lady is mysteriously murdered.

Jax Diamond (what a perfect name!) is the PI, former detective, who is sure that the death of a playwright who has written a musical especially with her talent and voice in mind dies with what looks like natural causes. Not.

The first book in the series, we are gradually introduced to their backgrounds and the twenties atmosphere of New York. Jax has a formidable looking GSD he named Ace and the dog figures prominently in the storyline (which, of course, I also enjoy). Jax is multi-talented and mysterious—not revealing all about himself.

The author has tried to keep the authentic feeling of the period with both the speech (vernacular), and the sights and sounds of the prohibition era, including historic Coney Island. There are subtle sub-plots and twists and turns that keeps the reader pursuing justice.

There is a romance between the two with a cautious exploration of their relationship. Jax, however, lost his usual cool persona when there was a perceived threat to Laura, which seemed an over reaction to the situation.

The copy I received from NetGalley seemed to be an uncorrected proof as there were so many edit misses it sometimes slowed the read to visually correct either missing words, punctuation, or words used incorrectly. Otherwise, I found the storyline interesting, well-plotted and fast-paced, the characters well on their way to development, and the conclusion fitting.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author and publisher through @NetGalley that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Three point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Historical Mysteries, Cozy Animal Mystery
ASIN: B09HMRCVCL
Print Length: 212 pages
Publication Date: November 11, 2021
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Indie Bookstore

The Author: Award-winning author Gail Meath writes historical romance novels that will whisk you away to another time and place in history where you will meet fascinating characters, both fictional and real, who will capture your heart and soul. Meath loves writing about little or unknown people, places and events in history, rather than relying on the typical stories and settings.

The subgenres of her books vary from action-packed westerns, plot twisting murder mysteries and biographies of powerful women who defied the strict rules of society fighting for the freedom of their countries. Her romances may exclude steamy sexual scenes, yet the intensity between heroine and hero will satisfy your deepest fantasies.

Outside of writing, she spends loads of time with her husband, children and grandchildren. http://www.gailmeath.com

Enjoy Your Weekend!