Hidden Peril by Irene Hannon

Hidden Peril by Irene Hannon ISBN-13: 9780800727697 Paperback: 416 pages Publisher: Revell Released: Oct. 2, 2018

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description from Goodreads:
As teenagers, Kristin Dane and her two best friends took a vow to make the world a better place. Twenty years later, she's fulfilling that pledge through her fair trade shop that features products from around the world. All is well until, one by one, people connected to the shop begin dying.

Detective Luke Carter, new to the St. Louis PD, wants to know why. Before he can answer that question, however, the FBI weighs in and Kristin suddenly finds herself in the middle of international intrigue--and in the sights of the ruthless mastermind behind an ingenious and deadly, scheme. Can this cold-blooded killer be stopped before more people die . . . including Kristin?


My Review:
Hidden Peril is a Christian romantic suspense novel. It's the second book in a new series, but it's also a stand-alone novel.

The main characters were likable and acted in realistic ways. Kristin was admirable because she spent her life trying to help others and was willing to face danger to stop the bad people. I can understand why Luke was attracted to her, but first he had to overcome his feeling that he was betraying his dead wife. The suspense came from the danger to anyone involved with the smuggling scheme, whether they were aware of it or not. Multiple people were killed simply because they messed up or were no longer useful.

We mainly saw the character's Christian faith through how they treated people and what they cared about. There were no sex scenes or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable 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.

The Big Book of Female Detectives by Otto Penzler, Editor

The Big Book of Female Detectives by Otto Penzler, Editor ISBN-13: 9780525434740 Paperback: 1136 pages Publisher: Vintage Crime/Black Lizard Released: Oct. 9, 2018

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Edgar Award-winning editor Otto Penzler's new anthology brings together the most cunning, resourceful, and brilliant female sleuths in mystery fiction. A Vintage Crime/Black Lizard Original.

For the first time ever, Otto Penzler gathers the most iconic women of the detective canon over the past 150 years, captivating and surprising readers in equal measure. The 74 handpicked stories in this collection introduce us to the most determined of gumshoe gals, from debutant detectives like Anna Katharine Green's Violet Strange to spinster sleuths like Mary Roberts Rinehart's Hilda Adams, from groundbreaking female cops like Baroness Orczy's Lady Molly to contemporary crime-fighting P.I.s like Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone, and include indelible tales from Agatha Christie, Carolyn Wells, Edgar Wallace, L. T. Meade and Robert Eustace, Sara Paretsky, Nevada Barr, Linda Barnes, Laura Lippman, and many more.


My Review:
The Big Book of Female Detectives is a collection of 74 short mystery stories featuring a female detective. These stories were grouped by when they were written and featured stories from the first fictional female detectives in the mid-1800s up to the modern day. Some of the stories were very short while a few seemed novella length, but most could be read in an hour or two.

Some were essentially the detective telling how she solved the crime. Many told events as they happened and provided clues for the reader to puzzle out. Many of the women were competent, clever private or amateur detectives. A few were criminals intrigued by solving the puzzle or were even the one committing the crime. A whole group of stories had the woman as basically the beautiful sidekick to the real detective. This collection was interesting to read and contained many fun stories. There was no sex. There was a fair amount of bad language, mostly found in the more modern stories.

The Victorians And Edwardians
THE MYSTERIOUS COUNTESS by Anonymous
THE UNRAVELED MYSTERY by Andrew Forrester, Jr.
THE REDHILL SISTERHOOD by C. L. Pirkis
THE DIAMOND LIZARD by George R. Sims
THE STIR OUTSIDE THE CAFÉ ROYAL by Clarence Rook
THE MANDARIN by Fergus Hume
THE OUTSIDE LEDGE: A CABLEGRAM MYSTERY by L. T. Meade and Robert Eustace
THE FREWIN MINIATURES by Emmuska Orczy
CONSCIENCE by Richard Marsh
THE HIDDEN VIOLINby M. McDonell Bodkin


Before World War I
CHRISTABEL’S CRYSTAL by Carolyn Wells
THE BULLET FROM NOWHERE by Hugh C. Weir
AN INTANGIBLE CLEW by Anna Katharine Green
PLANTED by James Oppenheim


The Pulp Era
THE WIZARD’S SAFE by Valentine
THE MADAME GOES DRAMATIC by Perry Paul
RED HOT by Frederick Nebel
THE DOMINO LADY COLLECTS by Lars Anderson
THE LETTERS AND THE LAW by T. T. Flynn
THE OLD MAIDS DIE by Whitman Chambers
TOO MANY CLIENTS by D. B. McCandless
RAT RUNAROUND by Roger Torrey
MURDER WITH MUSIC AND COKE FOR CO-EDS by Adolphe Barreaux
CHILLER-DILLER by Richard Sale


The Golden Age
THE SECRET ADVERSARY by Agatha Christie
DIAMOND CUT DIAMOND by Frederic Arnold Kummer
LOCKED DOORS by Mary Roberts Rinehart
THE TEA-LEAF by Edgar Jepson and Robert Eustace
THE ALMOST PERFECT MURDER by Hulbert Footner
THE LOVER OF ST. LYS by F. Tennyson Jesse
MISOGYNY AT MOUGINS by Gilbert Frankau
INTRODUCING SUSAN DARE by Mignon G. Eberhart
THE BLOODY CRESCENDO by Vincent Starrett
THE WOMAN FROM THE EAST by Edgar Wallace
BURGLARS MUST DINE E. by Phillips Oppenheim
THE MISSING CHARACTER by Phyllis Bentley
MURDER IN THE MOVIES by Karl Detzer
THE GILDED PUPIL by Ethel Lina White
THE CASE OF THE HUNDRED CATS by Gladys Mitchell


Mid-Century
MURDER WITH FLOWERS by Q. Patrick
VACANCY WITH CORPSE by H. H. Holmes
THE RIDDLE OF THE BLACK MUSEUM by Stuart Palmer
MEREDITH’S MURDER by Charlotte Armstrong
FLOWERS FOR AN ANGEL by Nigel Morland
THERE’S DEATH FOR REMEMBRANCE by Frances and Richard Lockridge
MOM SINGS AN ARIA by James Yaffe


The Modern Era
ALL THE LONELY PEOPLE by Marcia Muller
BLOOD TYPES by Julie Smith
A POISON THAT LEAVES NO TRACE by Sue Grafton
DISCARDS by Faye Kellerman
SPOOKED by Carolyn Hart
MAKING LEMONADE by Barbara Paul
LOUISE by Max Allan Collins
STRUNG OUT by Sara Paretsky
BENEATH THE LILACS by Nevada Barr
MISS GIBSON by Linda Barnes
HEADACHES AND BAD DREAMS by Lawrence Block
AN AFFAIR OF INCONVENIENCE by Anne Perry
BEAUBIEN by Deborah Morgan
DOUBLE-CROSSING DELANCEY by S. J. Rozan
THE SHOESHINE MAN’S REGRETS by Laura Lippman
DUST UP by Wendy Hornsby
THE CASE OF THE PARR CHILDREN by Antonia Fraser
FAST by Jeffery Deaver


Bad Girls
THE WINGED ASSASSIN by L. T. Meade & Robert Eustace
THE BLOOD-RED CROSS by L. T. Meade & Robert Eustace
HE ADVENTURE OF THE CARNEGIE LIBRARY by John Kendrick Bangs
SHE KNEW WHAT TO DO by Joseph Shearing
THE FORGERS by Arthur B. Reeve
THE MEANEST MAN IN EUROPE by David Durham
FOUR SQUARE JANE UNMASKED by Edgar Wallace
THE ADVENTURE OF THE HEADLESS STATUE by Eugene Thomas
THE PASSING OF ANNE MARSH by Arthur Leo Zagat
EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES by Joyce Carol Oates



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.

Undercover Memories by Lenora Worth

Undercover Memories by Lenora Worth ISBN-13: 9781335490650 Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense Released: Oct. 2, 2018

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Her most important mission...and she can't remember what it is. After amnesia strands private investigator Emma Langston in Dallas, only Detective Ryder Palladin can stop the men trying to kill her. But protective custody on Ryder's family ranch has its own risks, like falling for the handsome cowboy. Before she can untangle her feelings for Ryder, Emma must recover her memory...because she's sure someone's life depends on it, even if she can't remember whose.


My Review:
Undercover Memories is a Christian romantic suspense novel. The detective rescues and protects Emma, a private investigator, from repeated attacks. She initially can't remember why she was asking questions at the bar where she was beaten, but she feels an urgency to go back there again. She recovers her memory pretty quickly, only to realize that she's trying to find a kidnapped teenager and time may be running out. She has little to go on and feels desperate, which makes her reckless.

The detective just wants her to cooperate with him as he helps her, but they're constantly frustrated with each other. They're also physically attracted, despite personality conflicts and past relationship hangups. The race to find clues and save the teenager kept my interest, but the romance just didn't work for me. They can barely work together as a team. After knowing each other for only a few days, the story ended with a scene that basically goes: you want to try dating despite everything? Yup. What about let's get married? Yes!

There was no sex or bad language. The Christian element was Emma's trust that God had a purpose to everything.


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.

The Christmas Heirloom by Karen Witemeyer; Kristi Ann Hunter; Sarah Loudin Thomas; Becky Wade

The Christmas Heirloom by Karen Witemeyer; Kristi Ann Hunter; Sarah Loudin Thomas; Becky Wade ISBN-13: 9780764230783 Paperback: 384 pages Publisher: Bethany House Released: Oct. 2, 2018

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
In Kristi Ann Hunter's "Legacy of Love," Sarah Gooding never suspected returning a brooch to an elderly woman would lead to a job . . . and introduce her to the woman's grandson, a man far above her station.

In Karen Witemeyer's "Gift of the Heart," widow Ruth Albright uses the family brooch as collateral for a loan from the local banker. But the more she comes to know the man behind the stern businessman, the more she hopes for a second chance at love.

In Sarah Loudin Thomas's "A Shot at Love," Fleeta Brady's rough-and-tumble childhood means she prefers hunting to more feminine activities. She never expected her family's brooch might be how a fellow hunter turns her attention from competition to romance.

In Becky Wade's "Because of You," Maddie Winslow has spent years in love with a man whose heart was already spoken for. When a church Christmas project brings them together and she stumbles upon an old family brooch, might it finally be her turn for love?


My Review:
The Christmas Heirloom is a collection of four Christian romance novellas, spanning from 1827 in England to modern day America. It's hard enough to create a naturally-paced romance in a novel length, so I was pleasantly surprised that three of these stories felt like the couple had really gotten to know each other and were well-suited matches. I also liked that they were attracted to the other's character and not simply the other's good looks.

While Fleeta's story was enjoyable, the focus was more on her feeling like she wasn't loved and didn't belong. As a consequence, it felt like she suddenly changed her mind about marrying because her lifelong dream hit a snag. He was interested in her and kind, and they shared an interest in guns, so, hey. But they hardly knew each other.

The characters believed in God and we see how God provided in their lives, etc. None of the stories were preachy, and the mentions of God were worked in naturally. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable collection.


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.

Redeeming Lies by Samantha St. Claire

Redeeming Lies by Samantha St. Claire ISBN-13: 9781732736702 ebook: 242 pages Publisher: River's End Books Released: Sept. 20, 2018

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from NetGalley:
Maddie Jennings' father is a scam artist who has used his daughter’s talent for reading people. When her father’s fortunes improve, he enrolls her in Miss Emma Willard’s School for Young Ladies where she begins a progressive education in both academics and society. Then her father unexpectedly withdraws her, taking her with him on a desperate flight from deadly repercussions for a scam gone wrong.

Her father hurriedly explains that they are being pursued by both the Pinkerton Agency and the vindictive Sicilian family. When a heart attack takes his life at a small station in Idaho Territory, she must change her identity, take the money, and run for her life. On the north-bound train to Ketchum, Maddie meets a young doctor, David Reynolds, who is also running from something-a woman he can never possess. Maddie, now trapped in her false identity by the indiscretions of her father, can neither afford to reveal her true nature nor allow her attraction to the doctor to distract her from the need to simply survive.


My Review:
Redeeming Lies is a romance set in 1889 in the Idaho Territory. This novel is the fourth in a series. Characters from the previous novels play a role in this one (so you may be interested in Alena's continuing story), but you don't need to read the previous novels to understand this one.

Much of the story was about Maddie settling into a little town under an assumed name and making good friends that help her to trust others. She used her skill to read people to help her friends, but she feels burdened by her father's guilt--especially since people are after the stolen money in her possession. The ending was an exciting sequence of people trying to get the money and her friends helping keep her safe while bringing bad guys to justice. Very fun. The characters were likable and acted realistically. Historical details like the Pinkerton's and the teachings at the Willard’s School were woven into the story.

There was no sex. There was no bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable story.


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.

Miss Kopp Just Won't Quit by Amy Stewart

Miss Kopp Just Won't Quit by Amy Stewart ISBN-13: 9781328736512 Hardcover: 320 pages Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Released: Sept. 11, 2018

Source: ARC review copy from the publisher through Amazon Vine.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
With wit and verve, Amy Stewart brilliantly conjures the life and times of the real Constance Kopp. After a year on the job, New Jersey's first female deputy sheriff has collared criminals, demanded justice for wronged women, and gained notoriety nationwide for her exploits. But on one stormy night, everything falls apart.

While transporting a woman to an insane asylum, Deputy Kopp discovers something deeply troubling about her story. Before she can investigate, another inmate bound for the asylum breaks free and tries to escape.

In both cases, Constance runs instinctively toward justice. But the fall of 1916 is a high-stakes election year, and any move she makes could jeopardize Sheriff Heath's future--and her own. Although Constance is not on the ballot, her controversial career makes her the target of political attacks.


My Review:
Miss Kopp Just Won't Quit is a historical novel set in 1916 in New Jersey. It's the fourth book in a series, but it works as a stand-alone. The Kopp sisters were real people, and Constance Kopp was New Jersey's first female deputy sheriff. Most of the events involving Norma and Fleurette were fictional, but the author worked true historical events involving Constance, the elections, and inmates at the jail into the story. The story provided a taste of what it was like to be a female deputy sheriff at that time.

The author worked interesting historical details into the story and portrayed the difficulties faced by women. The characters were interesting and acted realistically. There was some suspense about the upcoming elections (and a question if Constance will still have a job afterward) and a mystery to solve involving why a sane woman was sent to an asylum when she clearly wasn't insane.

There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this enjoyable story.


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.

Making Friends by Kristen Gudsnuk

Making Friends by Kristen Gudsnuk ISBN-13: 9781338139211 Paperback: 272 pages Publisher: Graphix Released: July 31, 2018

Source: ARC review copy from the publisher through Amazon Vine.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Sixth grade was SO much easier for Danielle. All her friends were in the same room and she knew what to expect from her life. But now that she's in seventh grade, she's in a new middle school, her friends are in different classes and forming new cliques, and she is completely lost.

When Danielle inherits a magical sketchbook from her eccentric great aunt Elma, she draws Madison, an ideal best friend that springs to life right off the page! But even when you create a best friend, it's not easy navigating the ups and downs of relationships, and before long Danielle and Madison are not exactly seeing eye-to-eye.

To make matters worse, Danielle has drawn the head of her favorite (and totally misunderstood) cartoon villain, Prince Neptune. He's also come to life and is giving her terrible advice about how to make people like her. When she rejects him and he goes on a rampage during a school pep rally, Danielle and Madison have to set aside their differences to stop him!


My Review:
Making Friends is a full-color graphic novel for female tweens. All of Danielle's old friends are in different classes than her. She feels very un-cool and lonely. When she inherits a magic sketchbook, she draws her favorite (evil) anime character's head. Out pops the character's head, alive despite a lack of a body. She also draws a cool girl to be her best friend, only the girl notices that she doesn't have parents. The evil character tries to help Danielle by directing her to be cruel to others. The cool girl isn't sure she wants to be Danielle's friend. Danielle learns what to do and not do to make friends. Plenty of laughs. There was no sex or written out bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable 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.