murder

REVIEW:  Hysteria by Megan Miranda

REVIEW: Hysteria by Megan Miranda

Dear Megan Miranda: I read and loved your debut novel, Fracture. It was such an unusual novel that contained some of my favorite tropes along with some elements I don’t usually see in the YA genre. So I’ve been looking forward to your future works. When I saw that you had a new book coming(…)

REVIEW:  Hanging by a Thread by Sophie Littlefield

REVIEW: Hanging by a Thread by Sophie Littlefield

Dear Ms. Littlefield, Your name’s been on my radar for a while now. Alas, I’m teetering on burnout when it comes to post-apocalyptic novels so I’ve consistently given your Harlequin Luna series a pass. This is no fault of your own. It’s all on me. But when I saw your new novel, a YA, on(…)

REVIEW:  A City of Broken Glass by Rebecca Cantrell

REVIEW: A City of Broken Glass by Rebecca Cantrell

Due to the nature of the plots of this series, spoilers in the reviews are unavoidable. Dear Ms. Cantrell, Each summer I eagerly look forward to the newest installment of this series. So far Hannah Vogel has ducked and dodged her way through the increasing tension and rising tide of National Socialism of 1930s Germany,(…)

REVIEW:  The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman

REVIEW: The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman

Dear Ms. Wasserman, I’m a sucker for an evocative title, even more so than I am for a striking cover. And for me, you don’t get more evocative than The Book of Blood and Shadow. It caught my eye immediately on NetGalley. On top of that, the premise sounded different. That’s not something you can(…)

REVIEW:  The Girl in the Park by Mariah Fredericks

REVIEW: The Girl in the Park by Mariah Fredericks

Dear Ms. Fredericks, I was in the mood for something different when I ran across your novel. A reader can take only so many paranormal and dystopian YAs before she loses it. A YA mystery/thriller sounded right up my alley. Your novel delivered what I needed, along with something more. Rain was once best friends(…)

Friday Film Review: Arsenic and Old Lace

Friday Film Review: Arsenic and Old Lace

Arsenic and Old Lace (made 1942, released 1944) Genre: Screwball Comedy Grade: B “This is developing into a very bad habit!” – Mortimer Brewster I had always heard great things about “Arsenic and Old Lace,” but the first time I sat down and tried to watch this film years ago my reaction was a rip(…)

REVIEW: Clarity by Kim Harrington

REVIEW: Clarity by Kim Harrington

Dear Ms. Harrington, I admit I hadn’t heard at all about either you or your debut novel until I saw it mentioned during the Scholastic preview webcast a few months ago. I made a mental note to request Clarity, but I’m afraid it fell through the cracks. Thankfully, Scholastic sent along a copy anyway and(…)

REVIEW: Something About You by Julie James

Dear Ms. James, Something About You begins with a hilarious scene in which Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron Lynde, wanting nothing more than a little sleep, overhears some raunchy sex from the hotel room next door to her own. “Such a big, bad man! Right there, oh yeah-’right there, don't stop!” The pillow over her heard(…)

REVIEW: Zero at the Bone by Jane Seville

REVIEW: Zero at the Bone by Jane Seville

It came to the reviewer’s attention that this story is fan fiction of Brokeback Mountain (Original posting.). This was unknown to the reviewer at the time of the review. Dear Ms. Seville. Denise Rossetti recommended this book to me late last year, but it took Maili ALSO recommending it to me recently to finally make(…)

REVIEW: Something About You by Julie James

REVIEW: Something About You by Julie James

Dear Ms. James, How do I like this book? Let me count the ways. I do like contemporaries and even the occasional romantic suspense but rarely do they combine as well as you’ve done with “Something About You.” And wow, even the cover model kinda looks like she’s wearing the dress you described. And how(…)

REVIEW: Kindred in Death by J.D. Robb

REVIEW: Kindred in Death by J.D. Robb

Dear Ms. Robb: It’s been a while since I purchased one of the In Death books in hardcover (I prefer digital these days), so when I received my ordered paper copy of Kindred in Death in the mail I immediately noticed a couple of changes. Not only has the author photo been removed, but the(…)

REVIEW: Smokin’ Six-Shooter by BJ Daniels

Dear Ms. Daniels, I haven’t read a book from the “Intrigue” line in a long time and decided to check out the latest offerings. While I usually try to avoid stepping into a series midway through, this time it didn’t affect my overall enjoyment of the book. Plus the mention in the blurb about the(…)

REVIEW: Breaking Faith by M. King

REVIEW: Breaking Faith by M. King

Dear Ms. King. Although brilliantly written, with stunningly well-drawn characters, and a very compelling plot, this book was difficult to read. It wasn’t a happy-go-lucky, care-free, lift-you-up read. It was difficult and depressing. So while I couldn’t put it down, and I thought about it for days and weeks after I read it, I would(…)

REVIEW:  Salvation in Death by J.D. Robb

REVIEW: Salvation in Death by J.D. Robb

Dear Ms. Robb: I’m of two minds about this book. The mystery was excellent. This was no thriller with marauding serial killers, but a police procedure story in which the principal officers unpeeled the layers of a crime step by step to find the surprising and somewhat convoluted truth. These stories also move on emotion(…)

REVIEW: Edge of Desire by Stephanie Laurens

Dear Ms. Laurens: I’ve taking to reading a Laurens book every other release because I find that a year is a good buffer between books. There’s a certain, well, similarity between your novels and while your writing is quite good, sometime the stories seem to be copies (and not in the plagiaristic sense, but in(…)