Sunday, September 27, 2015

The White Shepherd by Annie Dalton

book cover
The White Shepherd
by Annie Dalton


ISBN-13: 9780727885210
Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Severn House
Released: Oct. 1, 2015

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description from Goodreads:
Anna Hopkins’ daily walk through Oxford’s picturesque Port Meadow is rudely interrupted one autumn morning when her white German Shepherd, Bonnie, unearths a bloodsoaked body in the undergrowth. For Anna it’s a double shock: she’d met the victim previously. Naomi Evans was a professional researcher who had told Anna she was working on a book about a famous Welsh poet, and who offered to help Anna trace Bonnie’s original owner.

From her conversations with Naomi, Anna is convinced that she was not the random victim of a psychopathic serial killer, as the police believe. She was targeted because of what she knew. With the official investigation heading in the wrong direction entirely, Anna teams up with fellow dogwalkers Isadora Salzman and Tansy Lavelle to discover the truth.


My Review:
The White Shepherd is a suspense novel set in Oxford, England. The author did an awesome job of making it clear why the characters acted as they did. Anna isn't always a nice person. She's still struggling after a tragedy in her past and has trouble making friendships. I still cared what happened to her because I could see her struggling between her wants and her fears.

The author gave glimpses into the complex motives of even minor characters. Awesome dog, too. Ironically, it's the death of Naomi--a woman whom Anna thought might become a friend--that is a catalyst for Anna finally making some strong friendships.

Anna and her friends followed up on each new clue as to who killed Naomi, ran into false leads, and tried again. People unexpectedly died or went missing...but is it murder or something less sinister? I had a fair idea of whodunit and why about halfway through so I was not surprised by what Anna finally discovered. However, the author kept me firmly pulled into the story until the end because I wanted to know what happened with the characters.

The crime scenes were not described in a graphic, gory way, but they still felt vivid because of how the people viewing the scene reacted to it. There was no sex, mainly because Anna cannot let herself be vulnerable enough around others to allow such intimate contact. There was a fair amount of bad language of all kinds. The mystery that started with Naomi's death is wrapped up by the end, but the story did end with a "cliff hanger" of an unexplained but important Google alert going off. Overall, I'd recommend this complex suspense novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

Friday, September 25, 2015

The Cactus Creek Challenge by Erica Vetsch

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The Cactus Creek Challenge
by Erica Vetsch


ISBN-13: 9781630589271
Trade Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Shiloh Run Press
Released: July 1, 2015

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description:
For the annual Cactus Creek Challenge, two male contestants switch jobs for a month as a fundraiser event. The one who does the best job wins money for his cause. But this year, two women are a part of the contest. Schoolteacher Cassie Bucknell switches jobs with Sheriff Ben Wilder while the owner of the bakery switches jobs with the man who owns the livery stables.

Ben is challenged by some mischievous twins and a silent girl among his students. Cassie sees excelling as a sheriff as a chance to catch Ben's attention. She's loved him since she was a child, but he still sees her as a little kid. But trouble is coming that might be more than even Cassie can handle.


My Review:
The Cactus Creek Challenge is a humorous romance set in 1888 in a small town in Texas. The humor came from the many funny situations the four contestants faced in their new jobs. I liked the romance between the baker and the stable owner as it progressed slowly and made sense. Each had to build their trust in one another and overcome their reservations about marrying again.

We're told that Ben was nice in the past; he simply didn't realize Cassie was a grown woman now. Well, he was very dense when it came to women, but even Cassie began to doubt Ben was worth winning after a while. He belittled her, dismissed her abilities, wouldn't take her seriously even after she proved her worth, and didn't respect her as a person. Since we never saw what he was like before the contest, I had a hard time liking him. In her turn, Cassie refused help even when she needed it because she wanted to prove Ben wrong. She finally realized her pride was making a mess of things and added maturity to her cleverness. Ben also found some humility. They did a lot better when working together than when fighting each other.

The story wasn't deeply historical or Christian. The Christian element was a few, brief prayers and a few hymns sung to quiet a horse. There was no bad language and no sex. Overall, I'd recommend this novel to fans of humorous romance novels.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Cinderella Six Feet Under by Maia Chance

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Cinderella Six Feet Under
by Maia Chance


ISBN-13: 9780425271636
Mass Market Paperback:
320 pages
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Released: September 1, 2015

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Variety hall actress Ophelia Flax’s plan to reunite her friend Prue with her estranged—and allegedly wealthy—mother, Henrietta, is met with a grim surprise. Not only is the marquise’s Paris mansion a mouse-infested ruin, but Henrietta has inexplicably vanished, leaving behind an evasive husband, two sinister stepsisters, and a bullet-riddled corpse in the pumpkin patch decked out in a ball gown and one glass slipper—a corpse that also happens to be a dead ringer for Prue.

Strangely, no one at 15 rue Garenne seems concerned about who plugged this luckless Cinderella or why, so the investigation is left to Ophelia and Prue. It takes them through the labyrinthine maze of the Paris Opera and down the trail of a legendary fairy tale relic.


My Review:
Cinderella Six Feet Under is a historical mystery set in 1867 in Paris. This is the second book in the series. You don't need to read the first book to understand this one, but you might understand Penrose's interest in Ophelia better if you read them in order. (They don't exactly get along in this book because Ophelia has trouble accepting his help.) This novel didn't spoil the previous whodunit.

Ophelia was a master of disguise with only some greasepaint, a wig, padding, and her acting skills. While there was some humor, the interactions between the main characters weren't as enjoyable as in the first book. Some of the relationship tensions felt forced to get a certain result. And though we're given a specific date for these events, the date appears to have no significance to the events in the book. It could as easily been set "sometime in the Victorian era."

The mystery was clue-based and guess-able. I got much of it figured out before Ophelia, but the mystery aspect still held my interest until the end. There was no sex. There was a minor amount of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this novel to those who'd enjoy the fairy tale tie-in.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

Sunday, September 13, 2015

The Z Murders by J. Jefferson Farjeon

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The Z Murders
by J. Jefferson Farjeon


ISBN-13: 9781464204913
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Released: Sept. 3, 2015

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description from Goodreads:
Richard Temperley arrives at Euston station early on a fogbound London morning. He takes refuge in a nearby hotel, along with a disagreeable fellow passenger, who had snored his way through the train journey. But within minutes the other man has snored for the last time – he has been shot dead while sleeping in an armchair. Temperley has a brief encounter with a beautiful young woman, but she flees the scene.

When the police arrive, Detective Inspector James discovers a token at the crime scene: a small piece of enamelled metal. Its colour was crimson, and it was in the shape of the letter Z. Temperley sets off in pursuit of the mysterious woman from the hotel, and finds himself embroiled in a cross-country chase – by train and taxi – on the tail of a sinister serial killer.


My Review:
The Z Murders is a suspense novel set in England. It was originally written in 1932, and this is a reprint edition. I enjoyed the Detectives on this one, but the characters were not developed very much. The story was mostly people running around following each other while other people were killed for mysterious reasons. The story was told from several viewpoint characters, but mainly by Richard.

The author seems to like having his main male character fall in love at first sight with an extraordinarily beautiful woman. Though Richard realized he was acting foolishly about the girl, this story pushed it to the edge of reason. A briefly glimpsed girl is a witness--or suspect--for the first murder. The police want to question her, but she disappears. Only Richard knows what she looks like. Rather than tell the police, he follows the girl in an effort to get her to trust him and let him help her. The police follow Richard. As so started the merry chase.

I'm more into puzzle mysteries rather than tense chases, but the story kept my interest. There was no sex. There was some bad language. I'd recommend it to fans of tense chases and men being silly about beautiful women.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Saturday, September 12, 2015

Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Truth Be Told movie

"Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Truth Be Told" is a Hallmark Movies & Mysteries which will show this Sunday on Sept. 13, 2015. The main characters are a bit socially awkward, which creates a mild comedy aspect, but they're devoted to getting dead letters delivered. It's a family-friendly, fun story. Here's the description:

"Signed Sealed Delivered" is a comedic drama series that follows the lives of postal workers who transform themselves into an untraditional team of detectives to track down intended recipients of undeliverable mail. Their missions take them out of the office into an unpredictable world where redirected letters and packages can save lives, solve crimes, reunite old loves and change futures by arriving late but somehow on time.

In "Truth Be Told" the beloved POstables Eric Mabius (“Ugly Betty”), Kristin Booth (“Orphan Black”), Crystal Lowe (“Smallville”) and Geoff Gustafson (“Primeval: New World”) are on mission to uncover the truth from a war torn letter about a soldier missing in action while Oliver gets an unexpected visit from his estranged father (Gregory Harrison) that shakes him to his core.

The next "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" original world premiere movie in the franchise, "Signed Sealed Delivered: The Impossible Dream" will air on Sunday, October 4 at 9pm ET/PT, 8C on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.

Sunday, September 6, 2015

Bathsheba by Angela Hunt

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Bathsheba
by Angela Hunt


ISBN-13: 9780764216961
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Bethany House
Released: September 1, 2015

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
After sending his army to besiege another king's capital, King David sees Bathsheba, a loyal soldier's wife, and forces himself on her. Her resulting pregnancy forces the issue. The king murders her husband and adds her to his harem. Bathsheba struggles to protect her son while dealing with the effects of a dark prophecy on the king's household. Combining historical facts with detailed fiction, Angela Hunt paints a realistic portrait of the beautiful woman who struggled to survive the dire results of divine judgment on a king with a divided heart.


My Review:
Bathsheba is Biblical fiction. The author clearly spent a lot of time researching the biblical text and learning about the culture behind the story. She wove this information into the story to help explain the "why" behind certain scenes. The author carefully followed what we're given in the biblical record but filled out the story with what can reasonably be inferred from that record. Having carefully studied the story previously, I agree with the direction she took the story for the very reasons she gave at the end.

The story is about a woman struggling to deal with what life threw at her, who matures through the pain, and who finds peace. The story followed Bathsheba's life from her marriage to Uriah to David's death. Bathsheba is devastated by her rape, but what could she do? He's the king! The loss of her husband and firstborn child force her to struggle with her faith and with forgiving David. Her life is impacted by David's decisions, and so are her fellow wives and David's sons. The characters and their reactions to the various situations felt realistic. The main characters had both good and bad traits, and the author suggested reasons why they acted the way they did.

There was no bad language. The sex (and rape) scenes were not physically detailed, but it was clear from the lead-up what happened. Overall, I'd highly recommend this as one of the best biblical fiction I've read in a while. It's accurate enough you could even use it as Bible study companion as it showed events from much of David's reign in order and prompts you to think about how those events impacted the people involved.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Amazon's Look Inside feature.

Friday, September 4, 2015

Thirteen Guests by J. Jefferson Farjeon

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Thirteen Guests
by J. Jefferson Farjeon


ISBN-13: 9781464204890
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Released: Sept. 3, 2015

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description from Goodreads:
On a fine autumn weekend, Lord Aveling hosts a hunting party at his country house, Bragley Court. Among the guests are an actress, a journalist, an artist, and a mystery novelist. The unlucky thirteenth is John Foss, injured at the local train station and brought to the house to recuperate – but John is nursing a secret of his own.

Soon events take a sinister turn when a painting is mutilated, a dog stabbed, and a man strangled. Death strikes more than one of the house guests, and the police are called. Detective Inspector Kendall’s skills are tested to the utmost as he tries to uncover the hidden past of everyone at Bragley Court.

This country-house mystery is a forgotten classic of 1930s crime fiction by one of the most undeservedly neglected of golden age detective novelists.


My Review:
Thirteen Guests is a mystery set in England and was originally printed in 1936. The characters came across as realistic people. The author understood human nature, and this added some complexity to the characters. However, the focus was mainly on the mystery. Even the narrative leading up to the investigation was about clues, so pay attention. There are a lot of details to keep track of!

So it's a clue-based puzzle mystery. The story was told from the point of view of several different characters, so we get more information than any of the individual characters. This gives the reader a chance at solving the complex series of events. It really kept me thinking and re-evaluating possible scenarios based on new clues. It was an excellent mind workout!

There was no sex. There was a fair amount of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this complex mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Honorable Mentions From My Mailbox #2

I receive more books than I can read, so sometimes I begin a book but decide not to finish it due to my limited time. These "honorable mention reviews" are initial impressions, not complete evaluations of the books mentioned.

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A Curious Beginning
by Deanna Raybourn


Source: ebook review copy from the publisher.

How Far Got: 90 pages

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
After burying her spinster aunt, the orphaned Veronica Speedwell is free to resume her world travels. As familiar with hunting butterflies as she is fending off admirers, Veronica wields her butterfly net and a sharpened hatpin with equal aplomb. When Veronica thwarts her own abduction, she meets an enigmatic German baron with ties to her mysterious past. The baron offers her temporary sanctuary in the care of his friend Stoker—a reclusive natural historian as intriguing as he is bad-tempered. But before the baron can deliver on his tantalizing vow to reveal the secrets he has concealed for decades, he is found murdered. Veronica and Stoker are forced to go on the run from an elusive assailant.

My Review:
A Curious Beginning is a historical set in London in 1887. I'd have called it a historical suspense, but Veronica didn't take the danger seriously, so I found I didn't, either. It was more a series of humorous interactions, at least as far as I got. I liked the overall tone and vivid descriptions, but the heroine was a thoroughly modern feminist dropped into the past. She traveled abroad by herself, had a job to support herself, and would sleep with any intriguing foreign man. She's also manipulative, coldly calculating, and out for herself. She's very certain that She Knows Best and everyone else is a bit obtuse. I grew tired of her attitude after a bit and quit reading. As far as I got, there wasn't a sex scene. There was a fair amount of bad language of all types.


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Error in Diagnosis
by Mason Lucas, M.D.


Source: Review copy from the publisher.

How Far Got: 162 pages

Book Description from Goodreads:
A mysterious illness with disturbing symptoms is plaguing women across the United States. It begins with memory loss and confusion and ends with the patient falling into a coma. Medical professionals are at a loss for the cause, but one thing remains constant: All of the victims are pregnant.

Called in to consult on the case of his best friend’s wife, neurologist Jack Wyatt has never seen anything like it. Now, with the nation on the brink of panic, Jack and his colleagues are in race against time to find a cure.

The disease they are calling Gestational Neuropathic Syndrome (GNS) is spreading. Patients are dying—and no one can guess what will happen next

My Review:
Error in Diagnosis is a medical thriller, or at least a medical politics thriller. As far as I got, most of the scenes were of meetings where people sat around talking about the disease (and getting nowhere) or scenes of political maneuvering by doctors more interested in their reputation than in cooperating with others. There were hints that the action was about to pick up and maybe some headway made on the disease diagnosis, but I had other books available to review and I'm not very interested in political maneuvering, so I stopped reading. The hero seemed to tick off the females around him, so I doubt there will be any sex scenes. There was occasional use of bad language.