#TuesdayBookBlog – Rosepoint Publishing

Before She Was Helen by Caroline B Cooney #AudiobookReview #DomesticThrillers

Book Blurb:

Her life didn’t turn out the way she expected―so she made herself a new one

When Clemmie goes next door to check on her difficult and unlikeable neighbor Dom, he isn’t there. But something else is. Something stunning, beautiful and inexplicable. Clemmie photographs the wondrous object on her cell phone and makes the irrevocable error of forwarding it. As the picture swirls over the internet, Clemmie tries desperately to keep a grip on her own personal network of secrets. Can fifty years of careful hiding under names not her own be ruined by one careless picture?

And although what Clemmie finds is a work of art, what the police find is a body. . . in a place where Clemmie wasn’t supposed to be, and where she left her fingerprints. Suddenly, the bland, quiet life Clemmie has built for herself in her sleepy South Carolina retirement community comes crashing down as her dark past surges into the present.

From international bestselling author of The Face on the Milk Carton Caroline B. Cooney comes Before She Was Helen, an absorbing mystery that brings decades-old secrets to life and explores what happens when the lie you’ve been living falls apart and you’re forced to confront the truth.

My Review:

Well, this is an unexpected treat. It appears to start as a cozy mystery, but no, it proves to be a multi-layered mystery, only part of which you’re introduced to. It might begin with a whimper, but it’ll finish with a bang…and a chuckle.

I enjoyed the good-natured pick at the seniors and the descriptions of the agers populating this tale.

Helen is living in a villa in Sun City in South Carolina. Sun City’s are rather exclusive. They are lovely senior communities. The one we lived near in Surprise, Arizona, was a great source of lovely furnishings at the consignment store where I found pieces to fill the apartment I’d found upon selling our RV.

I’m aware that senior communities tend to be much like represented in the novel. When we visited my mother in her senior mobilehome community, the news (gossip) was more about the people in the park rather than any world news.

So this narrative provides a few chuckles—some close to guffaws—and many hit close to home.

Clemmie is the feisty, sharp senior who can take charge of the situation until it comes to her own. In this case, the unwitting share of a piece in a neighbor’s home where she shouldn’t have been. And in this day and age of the internet, didn’t take long to get way out of hand. Especially when the police find the neighbor deceased.

I love it when the main character is taken back some decades ago—back before she was Helen. Clemmie has quite the history! The characters past and present drive the mystery and the plot becomes complex. Solving one thread may only lead to the next.

Will the two versions of Helen collide? This is one of those stories that becomes a delightful round of entertainment while assessing the next possible twist you won’t see coming. There are references to the 50s most seniors will identify with, which may bore the socks off the younger generations. For us, just pleasant memories.

A nicely paced, engaging, and well-plotted storyline. Fun audiobook! Recommended to me and I’m happy to recommend it to you. (You’re welcome!)

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Domestic Thrillers, Women Sleuth Mysteries, Women’s Fiction
Publisher: Random House Audio
ASIN: B085K92P1N
Listening Length: 11 hrs 13 mins
Narrator: Kimberly Farr
Publication Date: September 8, 2020
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Links: Amazon-US
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Author: Caroline B. Cooney is the bestselling author of teen suspense, mystery, and romance novels that have sold over 15,000,000 copies and are published in several languages. Of all her books, she is best known for the young adult novel The Face on the Milk Carton that has sold over 3,000,000 copies and was made into a television movie.

Caroline grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut, and spent most of her life on the shoreline of that state. She currently resides in South Carolina. She enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, playing piano, walking near her home, pottery, jewelry-making, and, of course, reading.

Find Ms Cooney at http://carolinebcooneybooks.com/

#TuesdayBookBlog

Killing Me Softly: A Novel by Sandie Jones #BookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

Killing Me Softly by Sandie Jones

Book Blurb:

What do you do when love turns deadly?

THE PERFECT COUPLE

Charlie and Freya used to be the picture-perfect couple. Happy and in love, Freya enjoyed a rewarding job heading up a charity’s fundraising efforts, and Charlie was fast becoming one-to-watch on the London culinary scene—if you couldn’t be them, you wanted to be with them.

A TERRIBLE TRAGEDY

They had it all . . . until one night a devastating accident tears their lives apart, and they’re awoken by police at their door, asking whether they are aware that their car had been involved in a hit and run.

A BITTER FEUD

Torn apart by accusations and guilt, the trust that Freya and Charlie once shared is shattered as they turn on each other, looking for someone to blame for the fallout. Told from both Freya and Charlie’s perspectives, a cat and mouse game ensues, both of them desperate to have someone to point the finger at. But is it more important to be right, or to win? Can Freya stay one step ahead of the man who knows her best? Or will Charlie’s stoic conviction to get what he wants be the death of her?

Sandie Jones’s next addictive novel is a wickedly twisty tale of obsession, and the deadly consequences of loving someone too much.

My Review:

Can you say, “unreliable narrator?”

Many threaded, POV flips back and forth between Charlie and Freya, neither of which are truly engaging characters and I flat didn’t like Freya. Actually, I found few characters in which I could engage and I’m still scratching my head over Nina.

A fragile marriage between two damaged individuals treading water. With what happens following a row at Charlie’s boss’s house, any life jackets holding them up begin to take on water. Neither is particularly trusting of the other and with good reason. Charlie has his secrets and Freya a chilling history.

I struggled with a good portion of the book, slow pace and chaotic. Flipping between POVs kept me trying to catch up and I’m no longer interested in going back to find the linking thread. The characters are toxic and the drama is over the top. It’s confusing and the big reveal is just overkill and eye-rolling. “It’s what?” “She’s what?” No. Just–no.

I know this author has a fan base and I appreciate that they may find this one of interest. My first experience, however, and I’m not sure I’ll be looking for another with this author very soon.

I received an invitation to read the Uncorrected Digital Galley from Angelica at Minotaur Books. Many thanks to her and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Rating: Three Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Domestic Thrillers, Psychological Thrillers
Publisher: Minotaur Books
ISBN: 978-1250910080
ASIN: B0F5PDVKLN
Print Length: 320
Publication Date: March 31, 2026
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

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

The Author: Welcome to my Amazon Author Page which I’m guessing you’ve stumbled upon in the search for your next thrilling read, and I hope you find something here that whets your appetite. My debut novel, The Other Woman, is a Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick and a New York Times Bestseller. But I’ve got five other titles to choose from; each of them offering something a little different from the other – though with one thing in common; they’ll all have you questioning who you should trust and who’s taking you for a ride! From husbands to sisters, and work colleagues to mother-in-laws – you could be forgiven for thinking that they’re all perfectly ordinary people…..until something extra-ordinary happens!

My next novel, I Would Die For You, is a dual timeline suspense novel alternating between the present day in California and 1986 in London, back when I was a 16 year old, obsessed with Duran Duran. I truly believed Simon Le Bon was going to see me in the front row of a concert and instantly fall in love. Sadly it didn’t happen for me, but it does for Nicole, when the lead singer of Secret Oktober spots her and they embark on a clandestine affair. But where there’s cloak and daggers, there’ll invariably be blood – but whose will it be?

Pre-order now for delivery on publication day and click the ‘follow’ button for special deals. Catch me on Instagram @sandiejones_author and Facebook @realsandiejones for updates, recommendations and author chat.

Have a merry Tuesday!

We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter #BookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

A Chilling Psychological Thriller Where Secrets Lead to Deadly Consequences

A North Falls Thriller Book 1

Best Books of the Year 2025

Book Blurb:

An instant #1 New York Times bestseller!

The first thrilling mystery in the new North Falls series from Karin Slaughter, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Pretty Girls and the Will Trent Series.

Welcome to North Falls—a small town where everyone knows everyone. Or so they think.

Until the night of the fireworks. When two teenage girls vanish, and the town ignites.

For Officer Emmy Clifton, it’s personal. She turned away when her best friend’s daughter needed help—and now she must bring her home.

But as Emmy combs through the puzzle the girls left behind, she realizes she never really knew them. Nobody did.

Every teenage girl has secrets. But who would kill for them? And what else is the town hiding?

My Review:

Well, okay. More than read the blurb, I really should research my own reviews to see how much I enjoyed (or didn’t) the last book I read by this author, Pretty Girls.

I’ve no doubt Ms. Slaughter has a way with words; she can get downright poetic at times. Unfortunately, this is a book regarding two teens who go missing during fourth of July celebrations. Since I’m not a big fan of plots regarding missing kids and torture, I accept it’s a book I should not have requested nor attempted to read.

We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter — We Are All Guilty Here–UK cover

Ms. Slaughter has some heavy fingers when it comes to her writing style and length of narratives. This is Book 1 of a new series and introduces Officer Emmy Clifton who has a number of personal issues she’s grappling with. Her issues shut down a teen in trouble looking for a responsible, trustworthy adult. That’s a big mistake and leads to the entire plot while also setting up the development of a new protagonist.

The novel also introduces a number of support characters, some we get to know ad nauseum while others we can’t muster up any kind of engagement. I’m not sure I’m supposed to like the FBI gal—she being family and all—but I found Jude most interesting. Of course, there are the whispers of a romance dancing in and out of scenes.

The hook at the beginning provided initial engagement, but then came the long tedious investigation, often punctuated with interpersonal relationship drama. I thought too long in the tooth on the personal side, too short on the police procedural side, and it sagged for me quite a while before the last twist that may or may not come as a surprise. Well, not one surprise, perhaps a couple.

In the meantime, the graphic descriptions the girls suffered was too much, the chapters too long, the plot undergoes a distracting timeline change, the pacing slows, and it tends to repetition.

This is not a book for me, nor could I recommend.

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

Rosepoint Rating: Three Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Police Procedurals, Psychological Thrillers, Suspense Thrillers
Publisher: William Morrow
ISBN: 978-0063336803
ASIN: B0DN6K594T
Print Length: 448 pages
Publication Date: August 12, 2025
Source: Local Library

Title Link(s):

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

The Author: Karin Slaughter is the author of more than twenty instant NEW YORK TIMES bestselling novels, including the Edgar–nominated COP TOWN and standalone novels THE GOOD DAUGHTER, PRETTY GIRLS, and GIRL, FORGOTTEN. She is published in 120 countries with more than 40 million copies sold across the globe. PIECES OF HER is a #1 Netflix original series starring Toni Collette. The Will Trent Series is on ABC (and streaming on Hulu in the U.S, and Disney+ internationally). THE GOOD DAUGHTER and FALSE WITNESS are in development for film/tv. Slaughter is the founder of the Save the Libraries project—a nonprofit organization established to support libraries and library programming. A native of Georgia, she lives in Atlanta.

http://www.karinslaughter.com

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/AuthorKarinSlaughter/

Instagram http://www.instagram.com/karinslaughterauthor/

Twitter @SlaughterKarin

https://linktr.ee/karinslaughter

Have a merry Tuesday!

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid #AudiobookReview #FictionSagas

Goodreads Choice Award – Winner for Readers’ Favorite Historiacal Fiction (2025), Nominee for Readers’ Favorite Audiobook (2025)

Book Blurb:

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK From the author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six comes an epic new novel set against the backdrop of the 1980s space shuttle program about the extraordinary lengths we go to live and love beyond our limits.

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Time, NPR, Good Housekeeping, Them, Marie Claire, Book Riot, Library Journal, Chicago Public Library, She Reads

Joan Goodwin has been obsessed with the stars for as long as she can remember. Thoughtful and reserved, Joan is content with her life as a professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University and as aunt to her precocious niece, Frances. That is, until she comes across an advertisement seeking the first women scientists to join NASA’s space shuttle program. Suddenly, Joan burns to be one of the few people to go to space.

Selected from a pool of thousands of applicants in the summer of 1980, Joan begins training at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, alongside an exceptional group of fellow candidates: Top Gun pilot Hank Redmond and scientist John Griffin, who are kind and easygoing even when the stakes are highest; mission specialist Lydia Danes, who has worked too hard to play nice; warmhearted Donna Fitzgerald, who is navigating her own secrets; and Vanessa Ford, the magnetic and mysterious aeronautical engineer, who can fix any engine and fly any plane.

As the new astronauts become unlikely friends and prepare for their first flights, Joan finds a passion and a love she never imagined. In this new light, Joan begins to question everything she thinks she knows about her place in the observable universe.

Then, in December of 1984, on mission STS-LR9, it all changes in an instant.

Fast-paced, thrilling, and emotional, Atmosphere is Taylor Jenkins Reid at her best: transporting readers to iconic times and places, creating complex protagonists, and telling a passionate and soaring story about the transformative power of love—this time among the stars.

My Review:

Well, phooey. Not what I expected. But it says right up top that it’s a love story. Obviously, not one of my favorite genres.

I really enjoyed Daisy Jones and The Six, and somehow expected that same level of realism in the space industry turned fiction for the consumption of the masses.

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid — Atmosphere – US cover

Joan Goodwin has always been fascinated with the stars and space, and though she is a successful professor at Rice University is immediately consumed with the desire to become an astronaut when she reads an advertisement looking for women scientists to join NASA’s space shuttle program.

Despite all the odds, she and a select few other women complete the training and are now vying for the upcoming scheduled missions with the few men also selected. These are the elite of the elite: scientists, engineers, and military combat pilots.

The storyline, which is told in a split timeline, details Joan’s story, her family, and her academic achievements. She is singularly devoted to her little niece, Frances, with whom she’s at times at odds with her sister, Barbara. Lots of support characters, mostly lightly developed, who run the gamut from the light-hearted to the back-stabbing Lydia.

I enjoyed some of the discussions regarding the stars, their positions, and history. Somewhere in the middle, however, the storyline veered away from the original mission and strongly into the love story. Once started as an ode to the stars, now drowning in emotional philosophical discussions.

I felt like I was promised an explosive, cutting-edge women in space piece with a double-edged sword. Also, the ending was too predictable. Too much personal development; too little in the aerospace industry. (I think it’s a 3-star effort, but I’m adding a half-star for the subplot with her sister. A well-written antagonist—kept me listening.)

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Three point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Fiction Sagas, Family Saga Fiction, Women’s Fiction
Publisher: Random House Audio
ASIN: B0DKZMG16C
Listening Length: 9 hrs 52 mins
Narrators: Kristen DiMercurio, Julia Whelan, Taylor Jenkins Reid
Publication Date: June 3, 2025
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Links: Amazon-US
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

Taylor Jenkins Reid is the New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & The Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, as well as One True Loves, Maybe in Another Life, After I Do, and Forever, Interrupted. Her newest novel, Malibu Rising, is out now. She lives in Los Angeles.

You can follow her on Instagram @tjenkinsreid.

Tis the Season!

The Snow Lies Deep by Paula Munier #BookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

A Mercy Carr Mystery Book 7

Book Blurb:

Mercy and Troy are looking forward to baby Felicity’s first holiday season, and they’re determined to make it a Christmas to remember. At Northshire’s annual Solstice Soirée, hosted by Northshire’s finest and funded by Mercy’s billionaire pal Feinberg, Amy’s little girl Helena is sitting on Santa Claus’s lap. She’s telling him she’d like a Bitty Baby doll just like little Felicity when the bearded man leaps up, thrusts the toddler at her mother Amy, and staggers away from the festivities. He disappears into the woods. By the time Elvis and Mercy find him, Santa Claus aka the town mayor, is lying on his back, dead. A yule log made of oak sits on his chest, burning bright, a beacon of light on the darkest day of the year.

This strange murder is the first of a series of similar Solstice-themed killings targeting the town’s most prominent citizens. Beloved family friend Lillian Jenkins, the grande dame of Northshire, could be next. Mercy and Troy and the dogs must team up with Thrasher and Harrington to capture The Yuletide Killer before he strikes again, this time far closer to home.

My Review:

I’ve been a fan of the author and this series since the first Mercy Carr mystery I stumbled across, the last one being Home at Night (#5) read and reviewed in July 2023. (Dang! I missed number six!) And I greatly enjoyed them all, so grabbed this one as soon as I saw it offered on NetGalley.

Last I read, Mercy and Troy (her game warden hubby) had bought an old Victorian called Grackle Tree Farm as they were expecting to expand their family beyond their respective working dogs, Elvis (the Malinois) and Suzy Bear (the Newfoundland). “A fed bear is a dead bear.”

I still trip over that name every time I see it printed, but this installment has the couple looking forward to baby Felicity’s first Christmas. They are preparing for the Solstice Soirée, as well as other activities, including choirs and Santa.

Unfortunately, Elvis finds Santa (the town’s mayor) dead in the woods with a Yule log burning on his chest. It’s followed shortly by the second murder, and soon the Druid-inspired celebration and ensuing village festivities are not looking so jolly.

I still love those dogs, complementary to each other, and look forward to their contributions to the plot line. However, this novel, meant to be a Christmas-themed narrative, tries to keep the spirit of the season at the forefront.

“As she spoke, she was struck by the contrasts that marked their lives: crime and crib, poaching and playtime, murder and motherhood…a seemingly random and yet eternal cycle of hope and despair, happiness and sorrow, light and dark.“

The storyline appears to put the domestic themes in front of the mystery. Mercy tends to find babysitters easily enough when she wants to dash off on another clue in the murders. (So much for “just being a mom” now.) Also, while I was fascinated with the Druid folklore and practices, I became a bit disillusioned that the antagonists reverted to the Russian oligarch thing. (There’s gotta be other bad guys out there.)

“The neo-pagan legend recounted the story of two brothers, the Holly King and the Oak King, and their endless battle of the seasons. The Holly King ruled winter…the winter solstice marked the victory of the Oak King…until the summer solstice when the Holly King won the crown…”

I do enjoy the author’s writing style, which includes quotables and prose:

“May the log burn,
May the wheel turn,
May evil spurn,
May the Sun return.”

While I was a bit disappointed in this installment, I look forward to the next, and indeed will go back and see if I can find the one I missed.

“The past is prologue.”

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 Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Cozy Animal Mystery, Cozy Animal Mysteries, Police Procedurals
Publisher: Minotaur Books
ISBN: 978-1250389992
ASIN: B0DPTMPYYZ
Print Length: 308 pages
Publication Date: December 2, 2025
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

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

The Author: PAULA MUNIER is a literary agent and the USA TODAY bestselling author of the Mercy Carr mysteries. A BORROWING OF BONES, the first in the series, was nominated for the Mary Higgins Clark Award, and was recently named the Dog Writers Association of America’s Dogwise Book of the Year. The second, BLIND SEARCH, pubbed in November 2019. The third, THE HIDING PLACE, will debut in March 2021.

Paula was inspired to write the series by the hero working dogs she met through Mission K9 Rescue, her own rescues, Newfoundland/retriever mix Bear, Great Pyrenees/Australian cattle dog mix Bliss, and Malinois mix Blondie, and a lifelong passion for crime fiction.

Paula also written three popular books on writing: PLOT PERFECT, THE WRITER’S GUIDE TO BEGINNINGS, and WRITING WITH QUIET HANDS, as well as the acclaimed memoir FIXING FREDDIE: A True Story of a Boy, a Mom, and a Very, Very Bad Beagle, and HAPPIER EVERY DAY: Simple ways to bring more peace, contentment and joy into your life.

She lives in New England with her family, her three rescue dogs, and a rescue torbie tabby named Ursula. Find Paula at http://www.paulamunier.com.

Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger #AudiobookReview #ComingofAgeFiction

Best Mystery, Thriller and Suspense

Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Readers’ Favorite Mystery & Thriller-2013

Book Blurb:

Award-winning author William Kent Krueger has gained an immense fan base for his Cork O’Connor series. In Ordinary Grace, Krueger looks back to 1961 to tell the story of Frank Drum, a boy on the cusp of manhood. A typical 13-year-old with a strong, loving family, Frank is devastated when a tragedy forces him to face the unthinkable – and to take on a maturity beyond his years.

My Review:

Krueger has found his chops and he’s using them again—or perhaps this is the one that started it, given Ordinary Grace was published in 2013. This Tender Land (set during the Depression) was published in 2019, The River We Remember in 2023 (Iron Lake in 2010. The latter is the only one whose main character is not a child and the start of a series.)

The characters are richly developed, become real, and easy to care about them all. The settings describe 50s or 60s landscapes, people, and morality. Frank, at thirteen, is growing up in an average household in an average small town, Minnesota. It’s so easy to visualize the area and feel the upper Midwest weather, almost like a cloak.

While his mother does not have a career, she is an accomplished musical director, musician. Frank has a younger brother, Jake, who has an unfortunate stutter and an older sister.

When eighteen-year-old Ariel is murdered, it spells the end of innocence as the boys knew it, and pretty much destroys their mother. Only their father, a local minister who lives the faith he preaches, manages to hold on and struggles with keeping his family together. The impact the death has on the little town is enormous and most have an unsubstantiated idea of who was responsible.

Once again, in Kreuger’s story, there is a sympathetic Native American that is the accused, although he manages to disappear before they can apprehend him. Also, as in This Tender Land, the narrator is a pre-teen or early teen on the cusp of losing his innocence in people and the world.

Themes of discrimination, intolerance, heart-crushing circumstances. The plots between his books are eerily similar, multi-layered, and complex. The author also examines love and faith, the latter of which plays a heavy part in the storytelling.

The twist at the end caught me by surprise—never really a person of interest—nor one I gave thought to. It’s tragic and forever.

Still, how would I rate this one, compared to the three others I’ve read by the same author? This one holds the interest, it’s engaging, and you must know who and why.

I can recommend this one. But I prefer This Tender Land.

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Coming of Age Fiction, Literary Fiction
Publisher: Recorded Books
ASIN: B00BPA1T8G
Listening Length: 10 hrs 59 mins
Narrator: Rich Orlow
Publication Date: March 26, 2013
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)

Title Links: Amazon-US
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Author: Raised in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon, William Kent Krueger briefly attended Stanford University—before being kicked out for radical activities. After that, he logged timber, worked construction, tried his hand at freelance journalism, and eventually ended up researching child development at the University of Minnesota. He currently makes his living as a full-time author. He’s been married for over 40 years to a marvelous woman who is a retired attorney. He makes his home in St. Paul, a city he dearly loves.

Krueger writes a mystery series set in the north woods of Minnesota. His protagonist is Cork O’Connor, the former sheriff of Tamarack County and a man of mixed heritage—part Irish and part Ojibwe. His work has received a number of awards, including the Minnesota Book Award, the Loft-McKnight Fiction Award, the Anthony Award, the Barry Award, the Dilys Award, and the Friends of American Writers Prize. His last five novels were all New York Times bestsellers.

“Ordinary Grace,” his stand-alone novel published in 2013, received the Edgar Award, given by the Mystery Writers of America in recognition for the best novel published in that year. “Manitou Canyon,” number fifteen in his Cork O’Connor series, was released in September 2016. Visit his website at http://www.williamkentkrueger.com.

Read with a friend.

Judge and Jury by Stephen Penner #BookReview #LegalThrillers #TuesdayBookBlog

in Murder Thrillers

Book 7 A Rain City Legal

Book Blurb:

Seattle attorney Dan Raine is hired by an old friend, Judge Michael Hawkins, to help with a delicate family matter. Hawkins’s son has been romancing Lydia Szabo, the daughter of a local crime lord, and now owes her brother a large sum of money.

The Szabo family is using this debt to blackmail the judge into a favorable verdict on an upcoming case. Raine’s job is to scare them off by digging up some serious dirt on their criminal empire. But before he can do it, Lydia is murdered and Judge Hawkins is found standing over her body, a smoking gun in his hand.

Despite overwhelming evidence, Raine believes Hawkins’s claim that he is innocent and throws himself into finding the real killer. His investigation leads him deep into the Szabos’ organization, where human trafficking, corrupt cops, and deadly secrets lurk around every corner.

But the closer he gets to the truth, the more dangerous the game becomes. And when the real killer is finally revealed, Raine discovers that the deadliest betrayals are the ones you don’t see coming.

My Review:

Not our first experience with this author and, of course, we enjoy the Seattle location of the novel. My motobuddy always called it the “great Northwet” and heaven knows the protagonist as well as the series is named well with an average annual rainfall in the area of 37-39 inches per year.

In this installment, attorney Dan Raine has been retained by an old friend, a judge, who appears to have a sticky wicket with the apparent death of his son’s girlfriend in his upstairs study. Unfortunately, his son’s girlfriend is part of a large local crime family thought to run a number of deadly secrets.

An experienced attorney himself, the author knows his way around the legal system and courtroom procedure, and his main character reflects that expertise. In his years of practice, the MC has also accumulated a number of valuable contacts, a few of whom are happy to return a favor when requested. He is also friends with a bail bondsman with deep pockets and a clever way of negotiation.

The courtroom drama puts you square in the jury box, the legalese explained, and the maneuvering suspenseful. Raine comes off as an intelligent and competent attorney as well as investigator. His moral compass both in and out of the courtroom is held in high regard.

I thought we had a solid verdict and conclusion when the author threw a gotcha at the end I didn’t see coming and almost had to chuckle.

Okay, that was a good one. If you’re a fan of legal thrillers, this one is for you. The CE read two of the installments in this series, the last one being Body of Evidence and loved it. Even if you aren’t, there are always enlightening moments and the plot and pace are programmed to keep your interest in moving pages. It can be read as a standalone.

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: Legal Thrillers, Murder, Murder Thrillers
Publisher: Inkubator Books
ISBN: 978-1837566495
ASIN: B0FYHGK6TV
Print Length: 246 pages
Publication Date: November 16, 2025 – Just Released!
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK

The Author: Stephen Penner is an author, artist, and attorney from Seattle, Washington. He has written more than 30 novels and specializes in courtroom thrillers known for their unexpected twists and candid portrayal of the justice system. He draws on his extensive experience as a criminal trial attorney to infuse his writing with realism and insight.

Stephen is the bestselling author of several top-rated legal thriller series. The RAIN CITY LEGAL THRILLERS deliver the adventures of Seattle attorney Daniel Raine and his unlikely partner Rebecca Sommers. The DAVID BRUNELLE LEGAL THRILLERS feature Seattle homicide D.A. David Brunelle and a recurring cast of cops, defense attorneys, and forensic experts. And the TALON WINTER LEGAL THRILLERS showcase tough-as-nails Tacoma criminal defense attorney Talon Winter and her closest allies. Stephen is also the author of the MAGGIE DEVEREAUX PARANORMAL MYSTERIES, recounting the exploits of an American graduate student in the magical Highlands of Scotland, and several other stand-alone works.

In his spare time, Stephen enjoys painting, drawing, and spending time with his family.

#TuesdayBookBlog

Muddled Through by Barbara Ross #BookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

A Maine Clambake Mystery Book 10

Book Blurb:

Mud season takes on a whole new meaning in the coastal town of Busman’s Harbor, Maine, when local business owners sling dirt at one another in a heated feud over a proposed pedestrian mall. Vandalism is one thing, but murder means Julia Snowden of the Snowden Family Clambake steps in to clean up the case . . .

When Julia spots police cars in front of Lupine Design, she races over. Her sister Livvie works there as a potter. Livvie is unharmed but surrounded by smashed up pottery. The police find the owner Zoey Butterfield digging clay by a nearby bay, but she has no idea who would target her store. Zoey is a vocal advocate for turning four blocks of Main Street into a pedestrian mall on summer weekends. Other shop owners, including her next-door neighbor, are vehemently opposed. Could a small-town fight provoke such destruction? When a murder follows the break-in, it’s up to Julia to dig through the secrets and lies to uncover the truth . . .

My Review:

When last I tuned in to the Snowden Family Clambake mysteries, the family had decided to renovate the mansion on the Busman’s Harbor land where they hold their seasonal popular clambakes.

Julia Snowden has not quite started prep for another clambake season when the owner of the pottery shop where her sister Livvie works is arrested for the murder of Phinney Hardison in the unit on the other side of her shop. Zoey Butterfield is rather new to Busman’s Harbor and is lobbying for an unpopular pedestrian mall proposal. She and the ole boy had a big row at the town hall meeting the previous evening. Livvie asked Julia for help in the investigation as having found the guy in their shared basement makes it look like a done deal for the cops.

Well, shucks. Where’s my fish story? No fight over lobster traps or clam field? Where’s my perfumed ocean scent hanging in the air over fire coals? I rather missed that.

Okay, well, of course, there are other issues going on, not the least of which the recent breakup with Chris. I was rather ambivalent about him—but now it looks like there might be another prospect in the wind. Julia, however, does have a new friend in Zoey that I assume will appear in future series installments.

I loved Book 9, Shucked Apart, and later read Book 11, Hidden Beneath, and have read a number of her other Maine Clambake mysteries as well as another of her series, but keep coming back to this series with the atmospheric odors of the coast, the vision of the area, and the food—oh my stars—the food! You just can’t get fresh seafood in the Midwest and we must live vicariously through these delightful cozy series.

So, although I understand there is a mud season in Maine, it just didn’t compare to those clambake seasons for me. Mind you, there were recipes in this one as well at the end of the narrative. Somehow, this installment didn’t capture that ocean breeze excitement for me.

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

Rosepoint Rating: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Amateur Sleuths, Women Sleuths, Amateur Sleuth Mysteries
Publisher: Kensington Books
ISBN: 978-1496735706
ASIN: B09HRCJYXF
Print Length: 274 pages
Publication Date: June 28, 2022
Source: Local Library

Title Link(s):

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The Author: Barbara Ross is the author of the Maine Clambake Mysteries and the Jane Darrowfield Mysteries. Her books have been nominated for multiple Agatha Awards for Best Contemporary Novel and have won the Maine Literary Award for Crime Fiction. She lives in Portland, Maine. Readers can visit her website at http://www.barbararossauthor.com