Evil in Emerald by A.M. Stuart

Evil in Emerald
by A.M. Stuart

ISBN-13: 9780593335482
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Berkley Books
Released: March 29th 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Between working at her brother’s school and typing up Inspector Robert Curran’s police reports, Harriet Gordon has little time for personal pursuits and she has been enjoying the rehearsals for her role in the Singapore Amateur Dramatic and Musical Society’s latest production – Pirates of Penzance. But Harriet quickly discovers tensions run deep within the theatre company and when the leading man is found murdered, suspicions abound, exposing scandalous behavior as well as some insidious crimes.

Inspector Curran once again turns to Harriet for help with this difficult case, but his own life begins to unravel as a mysterious man turns up on his doorstep claiming to know more about Curran’s painful past than he himself does. And after the one person he has always counted on delivers him some devastating news, the line between his personal and professional life begins to blur. Now, more than ever, Curran needs Harriet’s steadfast assistance, and when another cast member meets a violent end, Curran and Harriet will have to close in on a killer determined to make this case their final curtain call.


My Review:
Evil in Emerald is a mystery set in 1910 in Singapore. This book is the third book in a series, but you don't need to read the previous books to follow this story and this story didn't spoil the previous mysteries.

The detective asked good questions, looked carefully for evidence, and was able to connect the clues well. Harriet knew many of the suspects because they were working together on the play, so she was able to learn some additional information that helped solve the case. She's also observant and intelligent. Several people had a strong motive, so I wasn't completely sure of whodunit until the very end, but I strongly suspected whodunit over the others based on the clues.

The main characters were complex, interesting people. I cared about what happened to them, and they reacted realistically to events. The historical and setting details were woven into the story without slowing the pacing. These details brought the story alive in my imagination. There were no sex scenes. There was a fair amount of bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this interesting historical 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.

Malicious Intent by Lynn H. Blackburn

Malicious Intent
by Lynn H. Blackburn

ISBN-13: 9780800737962
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Revell
Released: March 1st 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Dr. Ivy Collins, founder and CEO of Hedera, Inc., is ready to begin clinical trials of her company's cutting-edge prosthetic. But someone is trying to break into Hedera's computer systems, but to what purpose--and how far will they go to get what they want?

Meanwhile, U.S. Secret Service Agent Gil Dixon can't believe he's finally been reunited with Ivy, his childhood best friend. Now that he's found her again, Gil intends to spend the rest of his life with her. But it will take all his skill to uncover the truth in time to save Ivy's life's work, her own life, and the innocent lives caught in the crossfire.


My Review:
Malicious Intent is a Christian romantic suspense novel. It's the second in a series, but it works as a stand alone. I liked the first part of the story, but it started to break down for me near the end. The bad guy started off by having lackeys torture Ivy for the password to her computer system so he could steal something (rather than asking her to give them what he ultimately wanted). As time passed, either the author or the bad guy forgot his original plan. Now he wanted to get past her computer security system to download a program that would deny her access to her files unless she paid a ransom. To force her to do this, he kidnaped someone. Rather than just demand the money directly in return for the hostage, he still wanted her to download the ransomware instead. Hm.

Ivy was smart and resilient. Gil was a caring and considerate guy. He made her food, provided physical protection and emotional support, and apologized when Ivy got upset with him for doing his job. I think she was upset that she needed protection. Gil was just doing what she'd been okay with before: planning a way to keep her safe while also keeping her protectors' safe. Gil even made sure she had a gun to protect herself and listened to her concerns, but she kept asserting her independence in unhelpful ways. Like one of Gil's main suspects wanted to meet with her alone in her office, and she did so because she couldn't believe that any of the suspects would harm her. Right or wrong, this expressed her doubts about Gil's judgement and abilities in a way that hurt Gil.

Ivy was ashamed of how her mother wronged Gil's family. Ivy had to accept that he'd really already forgiven her. There was no sex or bad language. The torture was clinically described by Ivy to the police and was somewhat graphic but not in an intense, gory way.


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.

Along the Rio Grande by Tracie Peterson

Along the Rio Grande
by Tracie Peterson

ISBN-13: 9780764237294
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Bethany House
Released: March 1st 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Recently widowed Susanna Jenkins has decided to follow her family to the booming town of San Marcial, New Mexico, for a fresh start and to aid in her family's sudden change in fortune. They are tasked with managing her uncle's new Grand Hotel, and it takes all her patience to try to help her parents see the good of their circumstances and relinquish their sense of entitlement.

Owen Turner works as a boilermaker for the Santa Fe's train shops in San Marcial. He's immediately attracted to Susanna upon meeting her, but he hesitates to risk opening his heart again. Especially as painful memories are stirred up of his own late sibling when Susanna's brother is assigned to work under him.

When misguided choices put Susanna's family in an even more precarious situation. But if Owen can't face the past, he'll miss out on his greatest chance at love.


My Review:
Along the Rio Grande is a Christian romance set in 1899 in New Mexico. Susanna's father is addicted to gambling and high risk investments, but he has poor judgment and lost his fortune. Her mother gets her way by throwing temper tantrums. Her brother resents their father and wants to earn his own way rather than work at the hotel they're supposed to run. Susanna has money of her own, but she sweetly does the hard labor at the hotel and makes new friends. She struggles to stand up to her mother's whining and so enables her parents to resist learning that they're not entitled to money and respect. Owen helps her brother find a job he's good at and helps her look beyond her parent's expectations that she support them.

Owen and Susanna respected and built each other up. They're kind, hard-working people. Together, they grew beyond the emotional legacies passed down to them by their families. Historical details about the job, place, and people were woven into the story, bringing it alive in my imagination. Susanna prayed that God would cause her parents to see the truth about themselves and their situation (and He did through a series of events that forced them to take a hard look at their behavior). There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting historical with an enjoyable romance.


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.

Her Easter Prayer by Lee Tobin McClain

Her Easter Prayer
by Lee Tobin McClain

ISBN-13: 9781335759177
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Love Inspired
Released: March 29th 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
After a tragic loss, reading teacher Emily Carver dedicates her life to educating troubled boys with the help of service dog Lady. Tutoring new school handyman Dev McCarthy’s struggling son reminds Emily of everything she’s missing. Time spent with them could heal her heart—only, Dev has a secret. Can she see past what he’s hiding and forgive herself?


My Review:
Her Easter Prayer is a Christian romance. Emily's in-laws blame her for taking a break for a night out with friends. She returned to her house on fire, her husband and baby dead, and was barely able to rescue her own mother. The grief and guilt were so terrible that she needed an emotional support service dog. She also uses the dog to help boys at the troubled boys school where she works. (The dog simply cuddles with anyone who's upset, so don't expect much about service dogs.) Both Dev and his son have trouble reading, so he hires Emily to tutor his son while he hides his own difficulties. They grow closer as they spend time together.

Dev was much more thoughtful and kind than her dead husband, so Emily's attracted to him. Dev tended to make quick, condemning judgements of others then apologized when he realized he's wrong. He once did this when Emily really needed support, not someone else condemning her for something that's not really her fault. Emily took him back, though, because he apologized and no one's perfect. While Dev realized that he held a double standard and that he jumped to conclusions without all of the needed information, I wish his pastor cousin had pointed him toward letting God change this tendency. Ah, well.

Emily made progress at forgiving herself as God forgave her. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable romance.


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.

Danger Unknown by Kathi Oram Peterson

Danger Unknown
by Kathi Oram Peterson

ISBN-13: 9781524419691
Paperback: 264 pages
Publisher: Covenant Communications
Released: March 1st 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
The small desert town seemed like the perfect place to disappear—until Brooke Steward’s worst nightmare walks into the diner where she works. The man who murdered her husband has found her—again. Desperate to protect her young daughter, Brooke has no choice but to run for their lives.

Awakened by a haunting nightmare that has plagued him for years, Michael Calder is startled by a knock at the door of his remote Montana ranch. He is even more shocked when he finds a disheveled child on his steps, who silently leads him to her injured mother. In making the split-second decision to bring Brooke and her daughter into his home, Michael is unwittingly drawn with them into the path of danger. In their quest to survive, Brooke and Michael come to trust each other completely, their relationship deepening into something more. But even as the lines between friendship and love blur, the explosive secrets of the past are finally revealed.


My Review:
Danger Unknown is a romantic suspense. The main characters were interesting, likable, and reacted realistically to events. The mild suspense came from danger to Brooke and her daughter. A corrupt detective was hunting them, and they were barely keeping ahead of him (until the end). Brooke knew who had hired the assassin, but she had no proof and didn't know how to get it. She strongly didn't trust anyone in law enforcement because she didn't feel like they'd believe her. Michael and his friends not only protected her and her daughter but helped her to stop running and get the needed proof. Michael and Brooke generally worked well together and came to care for each other as they spent time together.

There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this romantic 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.

Under Lock & Skeleton Key by Gigi Pandian

Under Lock & Skeleton Key
by Gigi Pandian

ISBN-13: 9781250804983
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Released: March 15th 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
After a disastrous accident derails Tempest Raj’s career, and life, she heads back to her childhood home in California to comfort herself with her grandfather’s Indian home-cooked meals and working for her father’s company. Secret Staircase Construction specializes in bringing the magic of childhood to all by transforming clients’ homes with sliding bookcases, intricate locks, backyard treehouses, and hidden reading nooks.

When Tempest visits her dad’s latest renovation project, her former stage double is discovered dead inside a wall that’s supposedly been sealed for more than a century. Fearing she was the intended victim, it’s up to Tempest to solve this seemingly impossible crime. But as she delves further into the mystery, Tempest can’t help but wonder if the Raj family curse that’s plagued her family for generations—something she used to swear didn’t exist—has finally come for her.


My Review:
Under Lock & Skeleton Key is a cozy mystery. This is not a "how are the tricks done" story as only two magic tricks were explained. Usually it was "she made the cards disappear" or "she pulled the book and the bookshelf door opened." I didn't expect a magic instruction book, but it turns out that being told a trick had been done had less appeal than actually seeing it done. The story was as much about backstory as the current mystery. The author destroyed the suspense several times by things like having a body fall out of a wall, then spending pages describing the background of everyone on her dad's crew (which had nothing to do with the body). Or being shocked to learn who the dead person was only to spend a chapter explaining the family curse to the reader rather than showing her reaction.

Tempest was a nice, talented gal who was willing to apologize to save a friendship. The mystery was guessable from the clues. I was distracted by false clues in the beginning, but so was everyone else. Once Tempest's charm bracelet was stolen, it was easy for me to figure out who took it and, from there, to see further connections in the mystery. While I did guess whodunit before the reveal and some of why, the mystery was complex enough to kept me guessing about various elements until the confession.

There was no sex or 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.

Detection Detail by Terri Reed

Detection Detail
by Terri Reed

ISBN-13: 9781335554918
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense
Released: March 29th 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Evidence at a fiery car crash leads K-9 officer Nelson Rivers and his accelerant-detection dog, Diesel, to Mia Turner—a woman previously accused of arson. But when a gunman targets Mia during their first meeting, Nelson suspects she might actually be innocent. Only Mia’s hiding something, and Nelson’s been burned before. Can they trust each other to catch a killer…before the threat engulfs them both?


My Review:
Detection Detail is a romantic suspense novel. It's a start of a new series and brings up other mysteries to be solved (like the burned car) as well as the mystery that was solved in this book. Mia's determined to prove her friend innocent of arson and free her from prison, but she can't seem to make any progress. Just as Nelson drops by to question her about her hair being found at a crime scene, someone attacks her--a rival who wants her to close her business, or someone worried she might find that proof?

The suspense was created by repeated attacks on Mia, including a few attempts thwarted by the accelerant-detection dog. The main characters were likable and reacted realistically to events. Mia and Nelson worked together to solve who really set the long-ago fire while Nelson helped keep Mia alive. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable romantic suspense.


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.