What Are We Reading And Reviewing in July 2019?

This is the place to let everyone know the books you are reading this month, and then to leave reviews of these books. You can put up a list of the books you are reading for the month or put a post about a book as you start it, or even both.

A review doesn't have to long. It can be something as simple as a sentence about the book or as comprehensive as you want to make it - whatever is good for you. Our love of books is the reason we are all here.

Carol's Not Dead...She's Just Reading

Group Reads
📌An Unhallowed Grave by Kate Ellis - ★
📌Silent Scream by Angela Marson - 5★
📌The Camel Club by David Baldacci - 3.5

Pick A Winner....Make A friend
📌The Missing and The Dead by Stuart MacBride - 5★

Others
📌Snowblind by Christopher Golden - 4★
📌The Suspect by Fiona Burton - 3.5★
📌Night Women by Sara Blaedel - 3★
📌Hangman's Root by Susan Witting Albert - 2★
📌Every Secret Thing by Emma Cole - 4★
📌The Good, The Bad and The Furry by Tom Cox - 5+★
📌Ruff vs Fluff by Spencer Quinn - 4.5★
📌Skin Game by Stuart Woods - 3.5★
📌Sorrow's Anthem by Michael Koryta -5★
📌The Marsh King's Daughter by Karen Dionne - 5★
📌Stranger In The House by Shari Lapena - 4★
📌The Pandora Room by Christopher Golden - 4★
📌Dead Ringers by Christopher Golden - 5★
📌More Than This by Patrick Ness - 4★
📌The Unsub by Meg Gardiner - 5★
📌The Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver - 3★
📌If I Stay by Gayle Forman - 3.5★
📌While You Sleep by Stephanie Merrit - 4.5 ★
📌The Curse of Misty Wayfair by Jaime Jo Wright- 4.5★
📌Daughters of The Lake by Wendy Webb - 3★
📌Day Four by Sarah Lotz- 3★

I'll be back soon. Could someone please remove the knife?

Lynda and Oliver's July Reading Plan

Mystery

🍡Butterfly Kills - Brenda Chapman - 4 Stars - 7/22/19
🍡Camel Club - David Baldacci - 4 Stars - 7/15/19
🍡Cruelest Month - Louise Penny - 4 Stars - 7/4/19
🍡 Dead at First Sight - Peter James - 5 Stars - 7/5/19
🍡 Deep Deep Snow - Brian Freeman - 4 Stars - 7/16/19
🍡 Devil's Workshop - Alex Grecian- 4 Stars - 7/9/19
🍡 Eighth Sister - Robert Dugoni - 4 Stars - 7/11/19
🍡 Hunting Season - Nevada Barr - 4 Stars 7/3/19
🍡 Into the Jungle - Erika Ferencik - 2 Stars - 7/18/19
🍡 Justice - Faye Kellerman- 4 Stars - 7/27/19
🍡 Killer's Mind - Mike Omer - 3 Stars - 7/15/19
🍡 Last Guest House - Megan Miranda - 3 Stars - 7/26/19
🍡 Last Widow - Karin Slaughter - 5 Stars - 7/13/19 - 💝💋💖
🍡 Lost Man - Jane Harper - 5 Stars - 7/14/19
🍡 New Girl - Daniel Silva - 4.5 Stars - 7/20/19
🍡 Salaryman's Wife - Sujata Massey - 3.5 Stars - 7/12/19
🍡Satapur Moonstone - Sujata Massey - 4 Stars - 7/29/19
🍡 Sometimes I Lie - Alice Feeney - 4 Stars - 7/2/19
🍡 Thin Air - Lisa Gray - 4 Stars - 7/7/19
🍡 Unhallowed Grave - Kate Ellis - 4 Stars - 7/1/19

Other Than Mystery

🍡 Ash and Quill - Rachel Caine - 4 Stars - 7/23/19
🍡 In the Kingdom of Ice - Hampton Sides - 5 Stars - 7/8/19
🍡 Map of Salt and Stars - Jennifer Zaynab Joukhadar - 4.5 Stars - 7/6/19
🍡 Unbroken - Rachel Caine - 3.5 Stars - 7/10/19
🍡Vengeful - V. E. Schwab - 5 Stars - 7/19/19 -
💝💋💖

An Unhallowed Grave by Kate Ellis
Wesley Peterson series Book #3
3.5★

When the body of Pauline Brent is found hanging from a yew tree in a local graveyard, DS Wesley Peterson immediately suspects foul play. Then history provides him with a clue. Wesley's archaeologist friend, Neil Watson, has excavated a corpse at his nearby dig - a young woman who, local legend has it, had been publicly hanged from the very same tree before being buried on unhallowed ground five centuries ago. Wesley is forced to consider the possibility that the killer knows the tree's dark history. Has Pauline also been 'executed' rather than murdered - and, if so, for what crime? To catch a dangerous killer Wesley has to discover as much as he can about the victim. But Pauline appears to have been a woman with few friends, no relatives and a past she has carefully tried to hide.

I really like this series and this author. There is always two stories in these books...one that requires an archaeologist and one that requires the skills of a detective...both are provided by Ms. Ellis. I found the parallels presented by the two murders that were separated by 500 years a bit too coincidental to ring true. Never the less it was a very entertaining read and a great addition to this series.

Every Secret Thing by Emma Cole (Susanna Kearsley)
4★

When an old man strikes up a conversation with her on the steps of St. Paul’s and makes a mystifying mention of murder and an oddly familiar comment about her grandmother, Kate Murray is intrigued. But she never gets to hear the rest of Andrew Deacon’s tale. Shocked by his unexpected death, she wonders whom this strange, old man is, and what the odd reference to her grandmother could mean. Interest piqued by the story never told, Kate becomes drawn into an investigation, uncovering secrets about the grandmother she thought she knew and a man she never did. Soon she is caught up in a dangerous whirlwind of events that takes her back into her grandmother’s mysterious wartime past and across the Atlantic as she tries to retrace Deacon’s footsteps. Finding out the truth is not so simple, however, as only a few people are still alive who know the story…and Kate soon realizes that her questions are putting their lives in danger. Stalked by an unknown and sinister enemy, and facing death every step of the way, Kate must use her tough journalistic instinct to find the answers from the past in order to have a future.

It was one of those books that I didn't want to end. The mystery is well plotted,with plenty of twists and turns while the characters...both past and present...keep the plot moving along without taking anything from the story. War-time New York and Lisbon come to life with just the right amount of detail for the period. Kate...the heroine, is motivated and easy to cheer for as she unravels the past while trying to keep herself alive. I especially liked the way the author dropped subtle hints throughout the story. A very enjoyable read.

Stranger In The House by Shari Lapena
4★

Karen and Tom Krupp are happy—they’ve got a lovely home in upstate New York, they’re practically newlyweds, and they have no kids to interrupt their comfortable life together. But one day, Tom returns home to find Karen has vanished—her car’s gone and it seems she left in a rush. She even left her purse—complete with phone and ID—behind. There's a knock on the door—the police are there to take Tom to the hospital where his wife has been admitted. She had a car accident, and lost control as she sped through the worst part of town. The accident has left Karen with a concussion and a few scrapes. Still, she’s mostly okay—except that she can’t remember what she was doing or where she was when she crashed. The cops think her memory loss is highly convenient, and they suspect she was up to no good. Karen returns home with Tom, determined to heal and move on with her life. Then she realizes something’s been moved. Something’s not quite right. Someone’s been in her house. And the police won't stop asking questions. Because in this house, everyone’s a stranger. Everyone has something they’d rather keep hidden. Something they might even kill to keep quiet.

This is the 3rd book that I have read by this author. I enjoyed the book but so far nothing has taken the place of her first book The Couple Next Door. The thing that bugged me is teh same thing that bugged me in the first book and the second book...this authors love of the short sentence. I guess it is just her writing style and I will eventually get used to it. The story was predictable if you read many mystery & suspense novels but it did have some surprises. I really didn't form any real attachments to any of the characters but still it was a worthwhile read.

Skin Game by Stuart Woods
Teddy Fay series Book #3
3.5★

When Teddy Fay receives a freelance assignment from a gentleman he can't refuse, he jets off to Paris on the hunt for a treasonous criminal. But as Teddy unearths more information that just doesn't seem to connect, his straightforward mission becomes far bigger--and stranger--than he could imagine. The trail of bread crumbs leads to secrets hidden within secrets, evildoers trading in money and power, and a global threat on an unprecedented scale. Under the beautiful veneer of the City of Lights, true villainy lurks in the shadows...and Teddy Fay alone can prevent the impending disaster.

I really like the Teddy Fay character. I've read the Stone Barrington series for more years than I care to count and have lately found that I am dissatisfied with what Stuart Woods has made of him, Teddy Fay brings back what the books were to begin with. He's bright...he's daring...he doesn't take anything off of anybody...and he has integrity. He always does things his way but he gets the job done. Woods blended the story with the characters of Stone and Dino. It would have been better if he had just let Teddy work his magic.

The Missing and The Dead by Stuart MacBride
Logan McRae series Book #9
5★

When you catch a twisted killer there should be a reward, right? What Acting Detective Inspector Logan McRae gets instead is a ‘development opportunity’ out in the depths of rural Aberdeenshire. Welcome to divisional policing – catching drug dealers, shop lifters, vandals and the odd escaped farm animal. Then a little girl’s body washes up just outside the sleepy town of Banff, kicking off a massive manhunt. The Major Investigation Team is up from Aberdeen, wanting answers, and they don’t care who they trample over to get them. Logan’s got enough on his plate keeping B Division together, but DCI Steel wants him back on her team. As his old colleagues stomp around the countryside, burning bridges, Logan gets dragged deeper and deeper into the investigation. One thing’s clear: there are dangerous predators lurking in the wilds of Aberdeenshire, and not everyone’s going to get out of this alive.

Our Logan McRae is a Sergeant in this book. As a part of his "promotion" he is sent to an outlying division to gain "experience". It's not a very nice area and he soon becomes caught up with drug runners, domestics violence investigations, and anything else they might want to throw at him. Of course he should have time to investigate just one more case. Logan's life soon becomes darker and much more confused. His relationship with Roberta Steele gets more complicated also. Actually I wish they would transfer her somewhere else...Mars or Jupiter would be great. The sad part of the story is that a little girl is found dead...and a horrible mutilation occurs. The story is both shocking and sad but is filled with surprises.

The Lewis Man by Peter May
4 ★

An unidentified corpse is recovered from a Lewis peat bog in Scotland; the only clue to its identity being a DNA sibling match to a local farmer. But this islander, Tormod Macdonald - now an elderly man suffering from dementia - has always claimed to be an only child. When Tormod's family approach Fin Macleod for help, Fin feels duty-bound to solve the mystery.

This was a well-written story that was more about the elderly man, Tormod, remembering his childhood as an orphan than the mystery, although that does play out and get resolved in the end. Throughout the story, there is a moody and somewhat dark feeling as Tormod has difficulties as an orphan and Fin has difficulties interacting with his former girlfriend and their son. This wasn’t fast-paced and only a bit suspenseful but the well-developed characters and the feeling of the island kept me interested throughout.

>9 gaylebutz: We read this trilogy as a group read on Leafmarks and everyone loved it.

Sorrow's Anthem by Michael Koryta
Lincoln Perry series Book #2
5★

Once Lincoln Perry and Ed Gradduk were friends. Then Perry became a cop, Gradduk turned dangerous, and their friendship imploded. Now, Gradduk is dead. And Perry wants to use his PI license to prove that whatever else his childhood friend might have been, he wasn't a murderer.
For the police, this case is over. The woman Gradduk is alleged to have killed can't tell her side of the story, and the building she entered with him has burned to the ground. But Perry is making connections to a wave of arson that struck Cleveland seventeen years ago-fires that lit up the dark secrets of two families, a local power-broker, and at least one crooked cop. Now Perry and his partner can see ties between the past and present, between innocents and criminals-and sirens that keep playing.

I first read Michael Koryta when I found his book The Prophet at a library fund raising sale. From that first book I was hooked on this author and I loved his writing style. It was even more impressive when I found out that at the time he wrote that book he was 22 years old. Koryta paints a picture with words that makes the reader truly feel what is happening to the characters. This is the story of two best friends that chose entirely different paths in life and how Perry must now struggle to understand and accept what has happened to his friend. This is an author that just can't disappoint.

Snowblind by Christopher Golden
4★

Once upon a time, Coventry weathered a horrific blizzard, one that left many people dead―and others mysteriously lost. Twelve years later, the town is still haunted by the snow that fell that one fateful night…and now a new storm is on the way.

A chilling offering featuring a group of spirits that visit a small Connecticut town during a major blizzard. It seems for the last 12 years there is a blizzard with bizarre happenings that noone can explain taking place. The reader encounters the horrors in the beginning of the story with the original horror-show inflicted on the town and then the aftermath. The question for the town folk is what will come out of the blizzard this time and who will be left?

Hangman's Root by Susan Wittig Albert
China Bayless series book #3
2★

When a prominent animal researcher is found hanged in the midst of angry protests against his experiments, suspicion falls on biology professor Dottie Riddle. Known as the Cat Lady of Pecan Springs, Dottie's sympathy for strays—and the victim's distaste for them—gives the police reason to think she may be capable of murder. But China doesn't think so. She hires a lawyer for Dottie and starts looking around for clues. But she soon discovers that digging up old evil is a dirty and dangerous business.

The story centers around Dottie Riddle...a serious animal lover... who is accused of murdering her co-worker and neighbor, Miles Hartwick. I say good for Dottie for even thinking of killing him!!! China Bayless is quick to come to her friends defense. The only "crime" Dottie...the "cat lady....was guilty of was to provide a home for the homeless cats who found their way to her backyard. Meanwhile a series of nasty neighborhood incidents centering on the stray cats caused a number of people to believe that the kind hearted Dottie could have caused his death. Not a lot really happens after that except a lot of speculation. Cozy mystery people probably will, or already, love this series. I thought after the hanging that the book was just begging to end.

Ruff vs Fluff by Spencer Quinn
4.5★

From the outside, Queenie the cat and Arthur the dog appear to have a lot in common. Both pets live in the charming Blackberry Hill inn. They both love their humans, twins Harmony and Bro. They both have a fondness for sausage. But that doesn't change the fact that they are mortal enemies. Goofy, big-hearted Arthur loves everyone he's ever met . . . except the snobby, scheming cat who's devoted her life to ruining his. Queenie is a bit choosier. And who can blame her? When you're brilliant AND exquisitely beautiful, you can't be expected to rub tails with commoners. Especially not slobbery dogs. But when the twins' beloved cousin is framed for murder, Queenie and Arthur must work together to clear his name . . . something Queenie finds even more distasteful than inexpensive caviar. Can two enemies put aside their differences long enough to solve the mystery?

Yeah... I know....it's a kid's book. But hey... it had a dog...and a cat...on the cover. Not just any dog and cat but a CUTE dog and cat. Queenie and Arthur. One chapter is the dog "speaking" and the next one we hear from the cat. They very much have their own insights about their humans, the murder, It's 304 pages of pure delight. I just wish Spencer Quinn had written the two little balls of fur to be able to communicate with one another.

The Pandora Room
A Ben Walker novel
4★

Ancient lore soon turns into a modern-day horror. In one variation on the myth of Pandora’s Box, there were two jars, one for Pandora and one for her sister. One contained blessings of the gods, the other all the world’s curses. Archaeologist Sophie Durand has spent her life studying ancient mythology and languages. Years of work have led her to the greatest discovery of her career, a subterranean city deep in the heart of Northern Iraq. When Sophie’s team uncovers a secret chamber whose walls are covered in cuneiform, along with a warning from Alexander the Great, history and mythology begin to merge. The writings confirm the Pandora tale of two jars, but the chamber guards only one. It’s a find that could make history, or start a war. Weird-science expert Ben Walker is called in as the mystery grows ugly. Those who believe the myth want to know which jar was found, the one containing blessings or the one full of curses. Governments rush to lay claim, but jihad forces aren’t waiting for the dust to settle. Whatever the jars contain, they want it, no matter the cost. For Sophie, Walker, and the others, the Pandora Room may soon become their tomb.

I really liked his first Ben Walker book..Ararat. This one was based on an interesting idea and to some extent the author carried it along great...and then it started to drag. There was way too much fighting...although that type of find...and considering where it was found...would probably produce nothing short of an all out war. The story just needed to move forward and begin to reveal what was in the two jars and how the team was going to deal with it. The ending left the reader wondering what the future would hold for Ben Walker and Sophie. I gave the book a 4 for the originality of the plot and plenty of suspense

Night Women Formally published as Farewell To Freedom by Sara Blaedel
3★

A journey to a new life or a prison of despair and death? A shocking murder on Copenhagen's idyllic streets and an abandoned child reveal a perverse criminal underworld that crosses international borders. A young woman's body is found on the street with her throat slit, and the media is clamoring for the grisly details. Detective Louise Rick is investigating the gruesome murder when her friend Camilla Lind calls. Louise assumes it is because Camilla, a crime reporter, wants to be the first to hear of any juicy new developments. Instead, her distraught friend reveals that her ten year-old son found an abandoned baby on his way to school. As Louise digs deeper into the murder and the mysterious foundling, every clue uncovered points to organized human trafficking from Eastern Europe, run by ruthless gangsters who won't hesitate to kill anyone who gets in their way.

I liked the cast of strong women characters and the fact that this author doesn't see the need to describe every tiny detail to be a big selling point on her books. I have read two of her other books but this one I found to be somewhat tedious with way too much going on making the story somewhat hard to follow. The editors...or rather the lack of...was partly to fault. I know translation is sometimes difficult from some languages to English but it seems they could have done a better job.

The Marsh King's Daughter by Karen Dionne
5★

Helena Pelletier has a loving husband, two beautiful daughters, and a business that fills her days. But she also has a secret: she is the product of an abduction. Her mother was kidnapped as a teenager by her father and kept in a remote cabin in the marshlands of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Helena, born two years after the abduction, loved her home in nature, and despite her father’s sometimes brutal behavior, she loved him, too...until she learned precisely how savage he could be. More than twenty years later, she has buried her past so soundly that even her husband doesn’t know the truth. But now her father has killed two guards, escaped from prison, and disappeared into the marsh. The police begin a manhunt, but Helena knows they don’t stand a chance. Knows that only one person has the skills to find the survivalist the world calls the Marsh King—because only one person was ever trained by him: his daughter.

The book excels on a couple of counts. First, the author creates suspense by alternating chapters between the past and present. Sometimes that is a little confusing but in this case it works very well. Secondly, the characters are excellent...especially Helen. As she learns more about her parents her character grows and develops into someone that you can't help but like and admire. The story is chilling and psychological, but one of the most original...gripping... and beautifully told that I have read in some time.

>17 Carol420: That sounds interesting and a little different. Living in the marsh reminds me a bit of Where the Crawdads Sing which I enjoyed. So I'm adding this to my list!

I See You by Clare Mackintosh
3.5

Every morning and evening, Zoe Walker takes the same route to the train station, waits at a certain place on the platform, finds her favorite spot in the car, never suspecting that someone is watching her. Then she sees her image in a classified add with a phone number and website address and she is determined to find out why it's there but the photo in the advertisment changes daily. Is it a mistake? A coincidence? Or is someone keeping track of every move they make?

As a former commuter via subway, I thought the premise was interesting and a little different. Zoe’s live-in boyfriend, boss, daughter’s boyfriend, son and good friend’s husband all seemed suspicious to me and I enjoyed trying to figure out which might be the culprit. Unfortunately, there was a lot of family bickering which got a bit annoying. Also, the ending was far-fetched and disappointing. This was a mixed bag for me but I might try another by this author.

>18 gaylebutz: I want to read Where The Crawdads Sing. I though it would be interesting. Hope you like The Marsh King's Daughter.

The Good The Bad and The Furry by Tom Cox
5+ ★

The Good, the Bad and the Furry is a heartwarming memoir about a man at the mercy of his unpredictable, demanding and endlessly lovable cats. Meet The Bear―a cat who carries the weight of the world on his furry shoulders, and whose wise, owl-like eyes seem to ask, Can you tell me why I am a cat please? Like many intellectuals, The Bear would prefer a life of quiet solitude with plenty of time to gaze forlornly into space and contemplate society's ills. Unfortunately, he is destined to spend his days surrounded by felines of a significantly lower IQ. There is Janet, a large man cat who often accidentally sets fire to his tail by walking too close to lighted candles; Ralph, a preening tabby who enjoys meowing his own name at 5AM; and Shipley, Ralph's brother, who steals soup but is generally relaxed once you pick him up and turn him upside down. And then there's Tom Cox, writing with wit and charm about the unexpected adventures that go hand-in-hand with a life at the beck and call of four cats.

I had the pleasure and the privilege to be owned by a cat...little gray stripped Margie, for 18 wonderful fun-filled years. Although we never quiet lived up to her expectations of us...after all we only had two legs and couldn't climb a tree or bat a ball around worth a darn and we just reeked of inadequacy, but she loved us any way and allowed us to co-exist in her world. Tom Cox has our situation x 4. How I would love to meet his fur babies. Some authors you read for the subject...some for the writing style... Tom Cox has excelled the art to where you are entranced by both. If you love cats or just enjoy a moment of humor you'll love Tom Cox...and I guarantee you'll love his cats.

Away from home (and my book) at the moment but for the first day of the Group Read of The Camel Club by David Baldacci today, we will Read the Prologue and Chapters 1 - 13. Will post the schedule for the full read later tonight when I get home.

The Suspect by Fiona Burton
3.5★

When two eighteen-year-old girls go missing in Thailand, their families are thrust into the international spotlight: desperate, bereft, and frantic with worry. What were the girls up to before they disappeared? Journalist Kate Waters always does everything she can to be first to the story, first with the exclusive, first to discover the truth—and this time is no exception. But she can’t help but think of her own son, whom she hasn’t seen in two years, since he left home to go travelling. As the case of the missing girls unfolds, they will all find that even this far away, danger can lie closer to home than you might think.

The writing wasn't the easiest to follow which is quiet unusual for Fiona Burton. I loved "The Widow" and "The Child" but this one wasn't on the same level.. It was suspenseful enough but really easy to figure out, and some some levels repetitive. Not a bad book but not up to this author's usual fare.

More Than This by Patrick Ness
4★

Seth drowns, desperate and alone. But then he wakes. Naked, thirsty, starving. But alive. And where is he? The street seems familiar, but everything is abandoned, overgrown, covered in dust. He remembers dying, his skull bashed against the rocks. Has he woken up in his own personal hell? Is there more to this life, or perhaps this afterlife?

I read Patrick Ness's A Monster Calls and remember really enjoying the way this author portrays his characters and messes with their minds. More Than This is certainly no exception. From page one the adventure begins on a high note. Well...maybe not so much for our main character Seth since he drowns. Have no fear...in the next chapter he wakes up and discovers he is in the dusty and deserted house where he grew up in an English suburb. To make his ordeal worse...the house is across the world from where he died in the Pacific Northwest. Seth just assumes this must be hell. The book is split into four parts and each drastically changes the dynamic of the story, unraveling more and more layers. The book is a YA novel but it is a well told, well written story that stays with you long after you close the covers of the book.

Dead Ringers by Christopher Golden
5★

What happens when you can’t even trust the face in the mirror? Tess Devlin runs into her ex-husband, Nick, on a Boston sidewalk, and is furious when he pretends not to know her. Afterwards, Tess calls his cell to have it out with him…only to discover that he’s in New Hampshire with his current girlfriend. But if Nick’s not in Boston, who was the man she encountered on the street? Then there’s Frank Lindbergh, who left his grim past behind and never looked back. But now that both of his parents are dead and he’s back in his childhood home, he’s assaulted by an intruder in his living room―a man who could be his brutal, violent twin…if it weren’t for the fact that Frank is an only child.

It's both a scary and an exciting read. The story is told through a few different characters' perspectives. Even though there were multiple characters...each one had a unique voice...so it wasn't too difficult to keep them straight. The doppelganger story-line was also a unique twist. You hope that you know where the story is headed but just when you think one thing is going to happen you find out you were wrong. I only recently discovered this author and thus far the 4 books that I have read have all been 4.5 and 5 star reads.

Unsub by Meg Gardiner
The Unsub series Book#1
5★

Caitlin Hendrix has been a Narcotics detective for six months when the killer at the heart of all her childhood nightmares reemerges: the Prophet. An UNSUB—what the FBI calls an unknown subject—the Prophet terrorized the Bay Area in the 1990s and nearly destroyed her father, the lead investigator on the case. The Prophet’s cryptic messages and mind games drove Detective Mack Hendrix to the brink of madness, and Mack’s failure to solve the series of ritualized murders—eleven seemingly unconnected victims left with the ancient sign for Mercury etched into their flesh—was the final nail in the coffin for a once promising career. Twenty years later, two bodies are found bearing the haunting signature of the Prophet. Caitlin Hendrix has never escaped the shadow of her father’s failure to protect their city. But now the ruthless madman is killing again and has set his sights on her, threatening to undermine the fragile barrier she rigidly maintains for her own protection, between relentless pursuit and dangerous obsession. Determined to decipher his twisted messages and stop the carnage, Caitlin ignores her father’s warnings as she draws closer to the killer with each new gruesome murder. Is it a copycat, or can this really be the same Prophet who haunted her childhood? Will Caitlin avoid repeating her father’s mistakes and redeem her family name, or will chasing the Prophet drag her and everyone she loves into the depths of the abyss?

We have a highly intelligent Unsub who is patient enough that his terror has reigned for over two decades. He has a plan and is very meticulous...leaving cryptic clues while sitting in the background enjoying his successes. He can't think of any better pawn in his game than the daughter of the one he got the best of decades ago. If you love the show Criminal Minds...behavioral analysis and/or a just a gruesome and well thought out serial killer rampage...then you are going to be more than pleased with this book. Just what I need...another series that I can't resist:)

The Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver
3★

Dara and Nick used to be inseparable. But that was before the accident that left Dara's beautiful face scarred and the two sisters totally estranged. When Dara vanishes on her birthday, Nick thinks Dara is just playing around. But another girl, nine-year-old Madeline Snow, has vanished, too, and Nick becomes increasingly convinced that the two disappearances are linked. Now, Nick has to find her sister—before it's too late.

Nick and her younger sister, Dara, are as different as two sibling can be...in every aspect. An accident that leaves her sister permanently scarred both physically and emotionally...sees Nick walking away and for all purposes abandoning her sister. The story is told from both Dara’s and Nick’s points of view through alternating past and present day accounts as well as diary and blog entries. Unfortunately the essence of the story becomes lost in a story that simply tries to hard to be too much. The author unsuccessfully makes an attempt to weave the sister's story together by using a plot line about the disappearance of a 9-year-old girl. This drags the story down by taking way too long for the reader to sort out how the two different stories are related and it simply becomes a distraction. I did enjoy Oliver's writing style and I wouldn't say it's a bad book...it just wasn't the book I was expecting or hoping for.

A Fierce Radiance by Lauren Belfer
4.5 ★

Claire Shipley is a single mother haunted by the death of her young daughter due to infection from a scratch. She is also an ambitious photojournalist, and in the anxious days after Pearl Harbor, the talented Life magazine reporter finds herself on top of one of the nation's most important stories. In the bustling labs of New York City's renowned Rockefeller Institute, some of the country's brightest doctors and researchers are racing to find a cure that will save the lives of thousands of wounded American soldiers and countless others—a miraculous new drug they call penicillin. Little does Claire suspect how much the story will change her own life.

This was an intriguing story of how penicillin was developed in the early 1940s, the difficulties in producing it, and the trials performed on sick people and later on sick and wounded soldiers. Amid this was an evolving romance between Claire, working at Life magazine, and Dr. Jamie Stanton, overseeing penicillin trials. WWII was a constant throughout whether Claire was worried about New York City being bombed or Jamie was assigned to work overseas on penicillin trials on soldiers. The big business of pharmaceutical companies getting involved in penicillin and similar drugs was also an important part of the story, along with the US government’s involvement. Throw in a murder or two and a few spys and there was never a dull moment. There was a lot going on in this story but it was easy to follow and kept me turning pages to the end.

The Darling Dahlias and the Unlucky Clover by Susan Wittig Albert
3 ★

It looks like the music has ended for Darling's favorite barbershop quartet, the Lucky Four Clovers - just days before the Dixie Regional Barbershop Competition when a car accident kills one of singers.

This cozy mystery took place in Darling Alabama and was a little too cutesy for my taste with references to “Darling” this and that. But there was a decent murder mystery and investigation that involved the help of some of the members of the ladies garden club, the “dahlias”.

The next Group Read will be the first book in the Detective Kim Stone Series, Silent Scream by Angela Marsons.

We’ll start this on Saturday 27th July.

The Camel Club by David Baldacci
The Camel Club series Book #1
3.5★

Welcome to THE CAMEL CLUB.: Existing at the fringes of Washington, D.C., the Club consists of four eccentric members. Led by a mysterious man known as "Oliver Stone," they study conspiracy theories, current events, and the machinations of government to discover the "truth" behind the country's actions. Their efforts bear little fruit--until the group witnesses a shocking murder...and becomes embroiled in an astounding, far-reaching conspiracy. Now the Club must join forces with a Secret Service agent to confront one of the most chilling spectacles ever to take place on American soil-an event that may trigger the ultimate war between two different worlds. And all that stands in the way of this apocalypse is five unexpected heroes.

I read some of this series 10 or so years ago and really didn’t care much for it. It has always been my least favorite of everything David Baldacci…one of my favorite authors of all time… ever wrote. The essence of the series is politics and more politics. The characters though, are another matter. Oliver Stone and Agent Ford are what would keep most people reading and coming back for more. Ten years later…I’m back for more…and it was all because it was a group read for the Mystery & Suspense group on LibraryThing…people that make everything worth reading. I still didn’t care for all the politics but the action was superb…especially the last few chapters. If any American, or any other world citizen can read or listen to these last 6 or 7 chapters and not find themselves holding their breath and their heart rate accelerated…then they are already ready for that granite stone. Well done…reading group. I think I’ll join you for the next one.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman
3.5★

Choices. Seventeen-year-old Mia is faced with some tough ones: Stay true to her first love—music—even if it means losing her boyfriend and leaving her family and friends behind? Then one February morning Mia goes for a drive with her family, and in an instant, everything changes. Suddenly, all the choices are gone, except one. And it's the only one that matters. If I Stay is a heart-achingly beautiful book about the power of love, the true meaning of family, and the choices we all make.

It's a book about family...tragedy....and unthinkable choices. Choices we should hope that we never have to make. Even though there decisions were a part of the story it wasn't by any means the main focus. Most of the book is about Mia's back story... her relationship with her parents...her best friend and her boyfriend...
her love for the cello and her music. The back and forth between the past and the present was sometimes a bit hard to follow but it didn't distract from the story. If you like a good, emotional read that isn't all perfect happy endings...then this is certainly your book.

False Step by Victoria Helen Stone
★ ★ ★ 1/2 - 279 pages

Veronica Bradley does a double take when she glances at the tv and sees her husband Johnny rescuing missing toddler Tanner Holcomb. Johnny, naturally outgoing, basks in the media attention his good deed brings, but Veronica is afraid all of that attention will focus on the flaws in her marriage - and on Johnny's role in the boy's disappearance.

A good mystery and psychological thriller, although I had it figured out early on. Not quite up to par of Stone's other work. Veronica spend too much time comparing herself to her philandering father. I really didn't find any of the characters likable, although i did find them quite real. Nice twist at the end.

Day Four by Sarah Lotz
3★

Hundreds of pleasure-seekers board The Beautiful Dreamer cruise ship for relaxation and fun in the Caribbean. For three sun-filled days, the journey seems to deliver all that the brochure promised. Until Day Four. Without warning, the ship stops dead. Electricity and communications are cut off. Smoke pours out of the engine room. The passengers and crew have no way to call for help and are stranded in the Gulf of Mexico. At first, all aboard are certain that rescue teams will come looking for them soon. All they have to do is wait. Supplies soon run low, the toilets stop working and a virus plagues the ship, but when the body of a woman is discovered in her cabin, irritation escalates to panic. There's a murderer on board The Beautiful Dreamer...and maybe something worse.

In the description it said that there was a murderer aboard the ship ...or Something Worse. It was the premise of Something Worse that demanded that I take this book home from the library. I really never saw the Something Worse. I thought that the toilets having stopped working might be IT...that would probably do IT for me. The electricity also went off...that also could have been the IT. Hard to read my book in the dark. The entire book was a lead up...but it ended and I still haven't seen the Something Worse. Maybe just that it left me hanging after the build up was the IT Oh well 3 stars for getting me to read the entire 415 pages if the book:)

Schedule for Group Read of Silent Scream by Angela Marsons, Book 1 in the D I Kim Stone Series.

Saturday 27th July : Prologue, Chapter 1 - 14
Sunday 28th July : Chapter 15 - 28
Monday 29th July : Chapter 29 - 43
Tuesday 30th : Chapter 44 - 59
Wednesday 31st July : Chapter 60 - 78

Daughters of The Lake by Wendy Webb
3★

After the end of her marriage, Kate Granger has retreated to her parents’ home on Lake Superior to pull herself together—only to discover the body of a murdered woman washed into the shallows. Tucked in the folds of the woman’s curiously vintage gown is an infant, as cold and at peace as its mother. No one can identify the woman. Except for Kate. She’s seen her before. In her dreams. One hundred years ago, a love story ended in tragedy, its mysteries left unsolved. It’s time for the lake to give up its secrets. As each mystery unravels, it pulls Kate deeper into the eddy of a haunting folktale that has been handed down in whispers over generations. Now, it’s Kate’s turn to listen. As the drowned woman reaches out from the grave, Kate reaches back. They must come together, if only in dreams, to right the sinister wrongs of the past.

I really thought...and hoped... that this historical, ghostly murder mystery would be absolutely perfect for the ghost story junkie in me...and it almost was. "Almost" is the key word here. The book is more supernatural in tone than it is paranormal and the two story lines didn't merge as they were obviously meant to. Still...it was entertaining even if it was predictable from almost the first line. A lot of the story was told from dreams which began to blend and then blur making the reader have to pause to try to figure out what the author was trying to say. Not a bad book by any means and well worth 3 stars.

While You Sleep by Stephanie Merritt
4.5★

It begins, they say, with a woman screaming . On a remote Scottish island, the McBride house stands guard over its secrets. A century ago, a young widow and her son died mysteriously there; just last year a local boy, visiting for a dare, disappeared without a trace.
For Zoe Adams, newly arrived from America, the house offers a refuge from her failing marriage. But her peaceful retreat is disrupted by strange and disturbing events: nighttime intrusions; unknown voices; a constant sense of being watched. The locals want her to believe that these incidents are echoes of the McBrides’ dark past. Zoe is convinced the danger is closer at hand, and all too real—but can she uncover the truth before she is silenced?

It had all the elements you would expect from a psychological thriller with a strong supernatural overtone…the remote island…the bad weather…people cut off from the authorities…ghost stories…weird folklore…and sinister characters you are not sure can be trusted. Throw in a less than perfect main character who is escaping from something in their life… and some locals who don't care at all for strangers and you have the makings of great ghost story. This didn’t disappoint in the least.

The Curse of Misty Wayfair by Jaime Jo Wright
4.5★

Left at an orphanage as a child, Thea Reed vowed to find her mother someday. Now grown, her search takes her to Pleasant Valley, Wisconsin, in 1908. When clues lead her to a mental asylum, Thea uses her experience as a post-mortem photographer to gain access and assist groundskeeper Simeon Coyle in photographing the patients and uncovering the secrets within. However, she never expected her personal quest would reawaken the legend of Misty Wayfair, a murdered woman who allegedly haunts the area and whose appearance portends death. A century later, Heidi Lane receives a troubling letter from her mother--who is battling dementia--compelling her to travel to Pleasant Valley for answers to her own questions of identity. When she catches sight of a ghostly woman who haunts the asylum ruins in the woods, the long-standing story of Misty Wayfair returns--and with it, Heidi's fear for her own life. As two women across time seek answers about their identities and heritage, can they overcome the threat of the mysterious curse that has them inextricably intertwined?

It carries a duel story line that follows the lives of two women born a century apart. I thought to start with that it was a ghost story but found that even though there was a ghost...and one of the women goes door to door taking photographs of the recently dead...it is more a case of reincarnation than an actual case of a haunting. Both Thea and Heidi share similar lifestyles. Other than looks they are both lonely...they both often display unorthodox behaviors...both had similar sad childhoods with mothers that shared a type of mental illness. The missteps that Thea made in the past have impacted Heidi's present and may still impact dead Thea. I found the book only somewhat creepy but high on suspense. The only problem I had with it was that the ending was very predictable if you read very many of these type of books. It was well written...engaging and well worth the 4.5 star rating.

Silent Scream by Angela Marsons
DI Kim Stone series Book #1
5★

Five figures gather round a shallow grave. They had all taken turns to dig. An adult-sized hole would have taken longer. An innocent life had been taken, but the pact had been made. Their secrets would be buried, bound in blood . . . Years later, a headmistress is found brutally strangled, the first in a spate of gruesome murders which shock the Black Country. But when human remains are discovered at a former children's home, disturbing secrets are also unearthed. D.I. Kim Stone fast realizes she's on the hunt for a twisted individual whose killing spree spans decades. As the body count rises, Kim needs to stop the murderer before they strike again. But to catch the killer, can Kim confront the demons of her own past before it's too late?

I absolutely love everything about this series...from the plot to the characters. I am really impressed with how they support one another. There's no bickering or back stabbing in the police force. Not everyone necessarily agrees with everyone but they respect their right to say it or believe it. I have read so many of these books... both British and American... that the entire story is taken up with fighting in the ranks and not enough investigating and solving the crime. If you want real down to earth police work...this series is diffidently your "cuppa tea".