My Books of 2022

 Happy New Year!

And thank you for letting me have the last year off blogging.  I'll update you all with everything eventually, but for now lets concentrate on the most important things: Books!

I actually read 52 books (1 isn't currently on goodreads), though there were two books that I confess that I didn't finish.  I decided that life it soo short to persevere with books that are either too slow or too boring, when there is so much more out there that I want to read!

I should also say, that though I am going to separate out all the books that I have read this year below, the links won't work until I have written up the reviews.  And I know that some of you are still waiting for the reviews of the books that I read in 2021.  Hopefully, now that I have a bit more time (she says, on the first bank holiday of the year), I'll get around to catching up and filling those in too.

You will notice that some of these books are from my recent A-Z Challenge but that I haven't finished this list.  That's because, when my daughter was going in for her heart surgery, I made sure to download a load of free boxsets.  As they are currently on my kindle, these are what I have been going through more recently.  And I have recently joined my local book club, so I'll be reading two 'random' books each month too.  The first meeting I'm attending is tomorrow, so wish me luck!

So here is the list of books that I read in 2022, though I may have the order slightly wrong in some places. 
For those who prefer visuals, there is a picture below.

Fiction:

• Exodus by Andreas Christensen
• Aurora by Andreas Christensen
• Genesis by Andreas Christensen
• When the Smoke Clears by Lynette Eason
• When a Heart Stops by Lynette Eason
• When a Secret Kills by Lynette Eason
• American Gods by Neil Gaiman
• Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
• The Monarch of the Glen by Neil Gaiman
• Black Dog by Neil Gaiman
• The Last Safe Place by Ninie Hammon
• The Crown of Thorns by Ian C P Irvine
• Hidden byt Megg Jensen
• The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
• A Single Step by Georgia Rose
• Reckoning by Megg Jensen
• Hunted by Megg Jensen
• Before The Dawn by Georgia Rose
• The Wedding Pact Boxset by Denise Grover Swank
• Wicked Words by M J Scott
• Patterns in the Dark by Lindsay Buroker
• Pale-Eyed Mage by Jennifer Ealey
• Torn by O M Faure
• Untied by O M Faure
• Chosen by O M Faure
• Thicker than Water by Georgia Rose
• Soul Blade by Lindsay Buroker
• Dragon Blood 1-3 Boxsetby Lindsay Buroker
• Shattered Past by Lindsay Buroker
• Oaths by Lindsay Buroker
• Raptor by Lindsay Buroker
• The Fowl Proposal by Lindsay Buroker
• Heritage of Power Boxset by Lindsay Buroker
• Playing Dirty by Andrew R Williams
• The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan
• Falling by T J Newman
• Jim's Revenge by Andrew R Williams
• Superior by Andrew R Williams
• Andalusia by David Harvey
• The Dark Insite by Solomon Carter
• The Singapore Grip by J G Ferrell

Non-Fiction:

• English Legal System by Emily Finch and Stefan Fafinski
• Legal Profession - Is it for you? by V Charles Ward
• Watching Neighbours Twice a Day by Josh Widdicombe
• Helping your Child with a Physical Health Condition
• Older and Wider by Jenny Eclair
• Parsnips: Buttered by Joe Lycett
• Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

Christian Inspirational:

• The Secret Message of Jesus by Brian D McLaren
• Jesus Feminist by Sarah Bessey
• The Message: New Testament by Eugene H Peterson

My books of 2021

 

Last year, I set myself the target of reading 50 books, which I hit.  I think I've actually read a couple more than 52, as I still (sorry!) have some reviews to write up, and I don't always add them to Goodreads if I haven't done the review.  If you are a Goodreads user, feel free to click this link to follow me there too.

This next year, I've set myself the even more modest target of 24 books in a year.  This is because I barely wait whilst the girls are dancing anymore, so I have less time to read actually structured into my week.  I also (before last week) hadn't read anything since about October.  I had less free time, and in December you have to watch as many made-for-TV crappy Christmas movies as you can.  It's the law.

Here's a pictorial summary of all the reading I did last year, and I'll give a link to each review below.

Fiction

• The Dark Side of the Sun by Terry Pratchett
  
• Red White and Blues by Rysa Walker
  
• Ember by Jessica Sorensen
  
• Forgotten by Don and Stephanie Prichard
  
• Genesis Code by Eliza Green
  
• Happiness is a Smoking Gun by Alaine Allister
  
• I Spy, I Saw Her Die by Ian C. P. Irvine
  
• Juliette and the Monday ManDates by Becky Doughty
  
• Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
  
• Catriona by Robert Louis Stevenson
  
• The Legacy of the Key by S L Morgan
  
• Mouse Tails by Sonny Collins
  
• Nocturne by Kat Ross (The Fourth Talisman Series)
  
• Out of a Dream by Rosemary Hines
  
• Pancakes and Corpses by Agatha Frost
  
• Quantum by Patricia Cornwell
• Rift by Andreas Christensen
  
• Season of Hope by Dayo Benson
  
• Taste by Mary E Twomey
  
• Ugly Girl by Mary E Twomey
  
• The Vine Witch by Luanne G Smith
  
• The Wave at Hanging Rock by Gregg Dunnett
  
• Yesterday by Amanda Tru
  
• Meadowlark by Melanie Abrams
• Brainrush by Richard Bard

Non-Fiction

• Trim Healthy Mama Plan by Barrett and Allison
  
• I Can Make You Thin by Paul McKenna
  
• The Diet Trap Solution by Beck & Beck
  
• The Obesity Code by Jason Fung
  

Christian Inspirational

• Women Rising by Meghan Tschanz
  
• Finding Intimacy With Jesus Made Simple by Matthew Robert Payne
  

Yesterday by Amanda Tru

This is the last book in my A-Z Challenge (yes, I'm aware it is only Y, but I'm trying not to buy more books until I have finished all the ones I already have, lol).

The blurb says: 

Her yesterday was five years ago. What will her tomorrow bring?

When HANNAH KRAEGER saves a family injured in a car accident, she has no idea she has changed events in the past. Waking the next morning, Hannah discovers her yesterday was really five years ago.

Each trip Hannah takes through time changes the timeline and her own life. With help from DR. SETH MCALLISTER, Hannah must unravel the mystery of why she time travels and who she actually is before the strange ability costs her future, the man she loves, and even her life.

What I found interesting about this time travel book is that the time travel is not instantaneous.  What I mean, is that when Hannah finds herself back in time, the timeline she left continues so to those around her it looks like she has run away or left.  It also means that she ages at the correct rate for her personal timeline, rather than living life in the past, coming back to the present/future and have aged for no reason to her friends and family.

This book is a sweet romance with a time travel twist. I'm not sure whether to class it as Fantasy or SciFi since the time travel is not because of a machine but because of divine intervention - so I've labelled it as both on the side. >>>

I did enjoy this book.  I liked trying to work out how the stories of the different characters interacted.  I liked seeing whether the romance between Hannah and Seth would blossom and how it was impacted due to her changing things in the past.  It's a nice book.

The Wave at Hanging Rock by Gregg Dunnett

 

The Wave at Hanging Rock is my W in my A-Z Challenge.

The blurb says:

Natalie, a young doctor, sees her perfect life shattered when her husband is lost at sea. Everyone believes it’s a tragic accident. But a mysterious phone call prompts her to think otherwise. She sets out on a search for the truth.

Jesse, a schoolboy, is moved half way around the world when his father is blown up in a science experiment gone wrong. 

Two seemingly unconnected tales. But how they come together will have you turning the pages late into the night. And the twist at the end will leave you reeling.

This is a really good book.  It is a bit of a slow burner to begin with, and you randomly flip between each story, but there is enough going on in each of the separate stories to keep you wanting to know what will happen next. 

It is a psychological drama and a mystery and is very cleverly written.  I enjoy it when I'm reading a book, and I think a character is particularly clever (as opposed to having a lot of qualifications, if that difference makes sense?).  I'm keeping this review shorter than usual because I don't want to give anything away.

Definitely recommend it.

The Vine Witch by Luanne G Smith

 

I have to be honest, I thought this was going to be a kids' book, but I was wrong.  The very start of the book is odd, because the protagonist is in the body of a toad who as to eat it's own shedded skin in order to defeat the magic that has cursed it.

The blurb says:

A young witch emerges from a curse to find her world upended in this gripping fantasy set in turn-of-the-century France.

For centuries, the vineyards at Château Renard have depended on the talent of their vine witches, whose spells help create the world-renowned wine of the Chanceaux Valley. Then the skill of divining harvests fell into ruin when sorcière Elena Boureanu was blindsided by a curse. Now, after breaking the spell that confined her to the shallows of a marshland and weakened her magic, Elena is struggling to return to her former life. And the vineyard she was destined to inherit is now in the possession of a handsome stranger.

Vigneron Jean-Paul Martel naively favors science over superstition, and he certainly doesn’t endorse the locals’ belief in witches. But Elena knows a hex when she sees one, and the vineyard is covered in them. To stay on and help the vines recover, she’ll have to hide her true identity, along with her plans for revenge against whoever stole seven winters of her life. And she won’t rest until she can defy the evil powers that are still a threat to herself, Jean-Paul, and the ancient vine-witch legacy in the rolling hills of the Chanceaux Valley.

I did enjoy this book.  It is written really well, and though I wouldn't say I'm particularly interested in historical France, nor wine-making, nor even this type of fantasy (modern fairy tales), it kept my interest, and I wanted to know what happened next.  There is even a twist at the end of the book that I didn't see coming.

This book is the start of a series, but I read and enjoyed it as a standalone.

 

Quantum by Patricia Cornwell

 Q in my A-Z of Fiction Titles is Quantum.  

The blurb says:

On the eve of a top secret space mission, Captain Calli Chase detects a tripped alarm in the tunnels deep below a NASA research center. A NASA pilot, quantum physicist, and cybercrime investigator, Calli knows that a looming blizzard and government shutdown could provide the perfect cover for sabotage, with deadly consequences.

As it turns out, the danger is worse than she thought. A spatter of dried blood, a missing security badge, a suspicious suicide—a series of disturbing clues point to Calli’s twin sister, Carme, who’s been MIA for days.

Desperate to halt the countdown to disaster and to clear her sister’s name, Captain Chase digs deep into her vast cyber security knowledge and her painful past, probing for answers to her twin’s erratic conduct. As time is running out, she realizes that failure means catastrophe—not just for the space program but for the safety of the whole nation.

 I don't think I've read any of Patricia Cornwell's books before, though I'm well aware she is a prolific and well-revered author.

The thriller side of this book I enjoyed.  Trying to work out what is going on with Carme as well as finding out why there was a suicide and the mystery of the tripped alarm.  However, I didn't see the point of the NASA background, the rocket launch and all that side of thing.  I get that it's just the backing for the story, yet it seemed so irrelevant, that the story could have been situated elsewhere and nothing much would be lost.

There is also no ending to the book.  I understand the idea of ending on a cliff-hanger, but I much rather books that have some sort of ending, with an epilogue/final chapter that introduces the cliff-hanger.  This book, however, simply doesn't end.

Overall, I'm just disappointed by this book.  Reading other reviews however, have shown me that even Cornwell fans didn't like this book, so that gives me hope should I ever decide to read one of her other series.

I've put the next book on my wishlist, just because I want to know how the story ends, but there are a load of books on my wishlist that I will be buying before the next one. 
(For new readers to my blog - hello, and welcome!  After discovering I had nearly 1000 unread books on my kindle [I love a freebie!], I'm now working through them, refusing to buy any more books until these are read and down to a decent level.  I'm getting there, with only 660 still to go, lol.  The only exception to my no-buying rule, is if a book is so amazing, then I do tend to buy the rest of the series and live in that world for a week or two...)

Pancakes and Corpses by Agatha Frost

After reading a book that was mildly depressing, it's good to read a cosy murder mystery. 😁

Pancakes and Corpses is a great title for this book and lets you know what is going to be in store for the reader.

The blurb says:

Soon to be divorced Julia South never expected to be caught up in solving a murder, until she discovered the body of her cafe's most awkward customer. With a new smug Detective Inspector in town who underestimates her every move, Julia makes it her mission to discover the real murderer, before her village friends are dragged into the frame, and more bodies are discovered.

This is a lovely little story, that introduces you to Peridale Cafe and all the characters in the village.  As cosy mysteries go, this one wasn't predictable which made the read all the more enjoyable.  It's a light read, so is accessible for bookworms like me (I read it in a day as I couldn't put it down) or for people who want to get back into reading and want a fun romp.

The sequel, Lemonade and Lies, is already on my wishlist.

Book Organisation

Ok, so I have gone through all my past Book Reviews and tried to classify them, so that if you wanted to find a certain type of book that would be easy to do now.  All you have to do is look at the Word Cloud on the right, squint a bit, and then choose the genre you're looking for.

If you have read something based on my recommendation and think that I have missed a classification (from the list below), please comment and I will add it.  Depending where you read, there are 7 or 8 main classifications of genre (I have made sure I covered them all) but there are also 150+ subgenres and classifications that I can't always see the difference between.  As such, some things you'll have to give me artistic license for, such as grouping Paranormal under Fantasy, rather than giving it its own classification.  And I'm surprised to see that despite reading a load of Stephen King and James Herbert as a teen, I haven't got any Horror listed.  That's probably the only addition that I would make.

And, you will notice that some of the links give more than just books listed, especially in the non-fiction list, but you'll just have to cope with scrolling down to find the books for those.

So here is the list of classifications, so that if you did want to find something quickly, you can either click the link below, or the word cloud.

Fiction:
Adventure
Chick-Lit
Childrens
Classic
Cosy
Dystopia
Fantasy
Horror (No link yet, as there are no books yet)
Mystery
Romance
Sci-Fi
Thriller
YA

Non-Fiction:
Bible
Childrens
Christianity
Feminism
Non-Fiction
Real Life
Recipe
Weightloss

Happiness is a Smoking Gun by Alaine Allister

This is H in my list of A-Z of Fiction Titles.

Happiness is a Smoking Gun is a cosy murder mystery about a woman called Clarissa who decides to start her own newspaper and her first story will be solving the murder of the town mayor.

The Blurb says:

Out of work reporter Clarissa Spencer is being stalked by a stray cat. She can’t cook to save her life, her garden is an overgrown mess and her chocolate chip cookie addiction is out of control. Then to top it all off, she gets struck by lightning!

Clarissa thinks she has it bad - until she learns the town mayor has been shot to death and his widow has been falsely accused of killing him. Okay, so it could be worse...

Clarissa makes it her mission to expose the true killer before her arch nemesis - an infuriatingly handsome reporter from the city newspaper - can. Unfortunately, solving a murder is easier said than done...especially with the lunacy in Clarissa's life!

This wasn't a bad book and story, however (as you can see by the front cover [and which I didn't see when choosing the book on my kindle]) there is a witchiness about the book.  Now, you know if you have read my other reviews, I don't mind a bit of paranormal or supernatural, but in this book it just seemed unnecessary, and her new powers didn't actually help her solve the crime either.  I'm guessing, because this is the first book in a series, it will be a bigger part of the plot in future books, however, for me, I don't feel inclined to read the rest.

A good book to while away a few hours, and (unusually for me), I didn't predict who the killer was going to be.

 

Forgotten by Don and Stephanie Prichard

 

This book is F in my A-Z of Fiction Titles.  

What I found most interesting in this book, is that a helluva lot happens in quick succession, and yet it doesn't feel rushed.  Similarly, there are periods when time moves on, and it doesn't feel like the authors had ran out of things to say so jumped to the next bit of action.  It's very well written.

Forgotten starts with Eve waking up in a hospital, having been in some kind of accident. Outside waking for her are Jake, Betty and Crystal, who survived a whole year with Eve on a jungle island.  Jake then gets taken to one side and informed that Eve has been arrested for murder.  It's not long, however, before the tables have turned and it is Jake that gets imprisoned and the only person who can save him has lost her memory of the entire year.

The Blurb says:

It’s frightening to lose your memory. Even scarier is to forget what’s at stake.

Federal prosecutor Eve Eriksson disappears under mysterious circumstances and shows up a year later in a coma. What happened, and where has she been? She can’t remember, and her life is in jeopardy. Four people are hunting her down. Three claim to have been stranded on an island with her. The fourth is her old nemesis, Chicago drug lord Danny Romero, who still wants her dead.

Jake Chalmers is shocked to discover his fiancé is a federal prosecutor. Why did she hide this from him on the island, and who is going to such great lengths to prevent their reunion? If she doesn’t regain her memory, he’ll be thrown into prison for murder.

I really liked this book, and couldn't put it down.  There is such a lot going on (and it spans several years), but as I said before, it does not feel rushed, rather the passage of time is natural.  The topics within this book include survival, murder, human trafficking, spies, revenge, justice, forgiveness, love and probably more too.  It is packed. 

Definitely one to read if you have a few hours spare!

The Lanvin Murders by Angela M Sanders

 The Lanvin Murders was my S in my list, and is first in the Vintage Clothing Mysteries

It follows Joanna, the owner of an independent vintage clothing store.  She is doing her best to eke out an existence, and has a few regular customers and sellers that she builds a relationship up with.  One of these characters sells Joanna an authentic Lanvin coat, and ends up dead in the store after asking for it back.  Seeing the police decide that it's not a suspicious death, Joanna takes it upon herself to find out about her customer's friends and family, to find out why her friend was murdered.

The blurb says:

All Portland vintage clothing store owner Joanna Hayworth wants to do is turn her back on the modern world and retreat into a carefully curated life of satin cocktail gowns, icy martinis, and old movies.

But when Joanna finds a key in a 1930s Lanvin coat cast off by an ex-showgirl, everything changes. The elderly woman turns up dead, and Joanna is pulled into a long-ago drama of back room deals, blackmail, and lost love. She must find a very real—and present day—killer before she becomes his next victim.

This was an enjoyable read.  There were a few absurdities (but I don't know the life of a show-girl, so maybe they are realistic), and there were some characters that I would have wanted to find out more about and be investigated earlier, but overall that didn't detract from the story too much.  As far as amateur sleuthing goes, this was interesting and at times you felt compassion and other times you were on the edge of your seat.  An easy summer read.

Foreclosed by Traci Tyne Hilton

Foreclosed was an enjoyable story to read whilst sunbathing during lockdown.
It follows the story of Mitzy, an estate agent (or realtor in American, lol) who is trying to keep her business afloat and start the local economy moving again by helping people manage their money on a local radio show after the 2007 economic crash.  Meanwhile, she gets entangled in a mystery surrounding a house that has been foreclosed, but the previous owner is illegally selling off fittings and fixtures, and some jewellery that has been stolen from the museum her sister-in-law works at.

The blurb says:

Mitzy Neuhaus is the top selling Realtor in Portland, but even her office is dead in this economy. Foreclosed is the word no homeowner wants to hear and Mitzy is determined to save the incredible mansion on her street from that fate. But with the homeowner desperate to keep Mitzy away from his property and Alonzo, the dangerously hot rival investor trying to snatch it out from under her, Mitzy knows she has to work fast, or the economy won’t be the only thing dead…

It is a cozy mystery, so whilst it keeps you on the edge of your seat, there is no great violence nor horrifically gory scenes.  The author manages to keep you intrigued in the story, as the various twists and turns develop.  I will say, though, that because it is subtitled "A Mitzy Neuhaus Mystery" I was expecting Mitzy to be an amateur detective solving the mystery, rather than getting embroiled in it herself.

Enjoyable, light reading.

Murder under Construction by Maddie Cochere

This was the book I chose based on AuthorName = C.  It is the first book in the Two Sisters and a Journalist series and still seems to be free on Amazon.

The blurb says:

Jo Ravens is thirty-two, divorced, and stuck in a rut. She wants two things in life - a new career as a private investigator and to lose the sixty pounds she packed on after her divorce.

When she crashes her nephew's bike in a construction site, she lands on a girl with a large knife in her chest. Jo enlists her sister Pepper and journalist friend Jackie to help solve the girl's murder. Things become creepy for Jo when the girl appears to her in dreams and offers unusual clues to her death.

Murder Under Construction is a humorous mystery with Jo's family adding to the antics of the three women. Mama caterwauls, Jackie's two children offer sleuthing assistance, and her brother Hank laughs at all of them from the sidelines.

This cozy mystery was an enjoyable romp.  The book does allude to previous murders that Jo has solved, but unlike some books, the author does go on and explain what happened, so you feel confident that this is the first of the series.  As well as the dead girl appearing in Jo's dreams (which doesn't get explained, so I don't know if that'll be a recurrence in future books?), there are romantic interests for Jo and comical situations she finds herself in.

I did enjoy this book.  If I wasn't trying to read all the books I currently have, I would buy the next one in the series, however I have opted for adding the next book on to my wishlist. 

A Flair for Chardonnay by Deborah Garner

This is the first book I have read this year, and I enjoyed it.  It is about a woman who owns a fashion shop notices one of her shop-neighbours, a chocolatier called Matteo, has had an argument with his family and decides to investigate.  Before long, a murder has occurred and it looks like Matteo may be the guilty party.

The blurb says:

When flamboyant senior sleuth Sadie Kramer learns the owner of Cioccolato, her favorite chocolate shop, is in trouble, she heads for the California wine country with a tote-bagged Yorkie and a slew of questions. The fourth generation Tremiato Winery promises answers, but not before a dead body turns up at the vintners’ scheduled Harvest Festival.

All four Tremiato siblings have possible motives, as well as a few peripheral acquaintances, but only one could be the guilty party. As Sadie juggles truffles, tips and turmoil, she’ll need to sort the grapes from the wrath in order to find the identity of the killer.

This was an enjoyable book, a cosy murder mystery, with a laid-back pace of Sadie and her dog Coco.  It kept me reading, as I wasn't sure who the real murderer was, and all loose ends were neatly tied up at the end of the book.
The only negative to this book was that it referred to Sadie's sleuthing, and the fact that detectives were refusing to come to her for guidance, - making me think I had started halfway through a series - when in fact this is indeed the first of 4 books.  I think it just means that rather than a flamboyant senior sleuth, Sadie Kramer is a nosey-parker who likes to get involved in other people's business.
I'm glad I read it, nonetheless.

Against the Odds by Mara Jacobs

Anna Dawson is a professional gambler.  She has bought her own home, a vehicle and gifts for friends from her winnings.  Unfortunately she also has a gambling problem and often gets into debt, causing her to bring back her alter-ego JoJo to pay off the debt quickly by less-than-legal means. Then one friend is murdered, and she has to team up with Detective Jack to try and find the killer, whilst keeping JoJo a secret.

The synopsis of Against the Odds says:

My name is Anna Dawson, and I'm a gambler.

And like any gambler will tell you, sometimes that's good, and sometimes...not so much. And sometimes it's an outright problem.

I love Vegas, and I love the life I've built, but when one of my friends is murdered, and another one shot at, I know I need to take a serious look at myself. And I need to call in the big guns. Even if that means teaming up with Detective Jack Schiller, a man who's dealing with his own demons.

Right now I'm just trying to juggle protecting my friends, helping Jack while not letting him get too close, and finding a murderer. And, oh yeah, no one can learn about my gambling.

Or this will be the last hand I'm dealt.

I quite liked this book.  Anna isn't some super sleuth, she is not a goody-two-shoes, and she is not a card counting geek.  Rather she is a normal girl who discovers she has a good poker face, and with the help of a bunch of friends, learns how to bet comprehensively on various sporting events.  As someone who is good at maths, I do wish I had learned to play poker when younger, though it is probably better for my bank balance that I didn't.  I often wonder how people become professional gamblers. 

The book is well written and moves at a good pace.  Another book I couldn't put down and read in a day.  I have again, added the sequel to my wishlist.

Garden Girls Cozy Mysteries by Hope Callaghan

I read the first of these three books years ago (probably because it was free for Kindle) and had presumably put the box set on my wishlist because it was cheaper than buying books 2 and 3 separately.  When I chose this book to read on holiday, I only had the title to go by, and thought reading 3 books would take me some time, not realising that I had already read the first.

The blurb says:

BOOK 1: Who Murdered Mr. Malone? 

Nothing exciting ever happens in the small town of Belhaven. Nothing that is, until a body was found in the woods behind the local elementary school. 

With the entire town in an uproar, "Garden Girl" Gloria Rutherford makes it her personal mission to find the killer or killers and solve the mystery with some help from her friends. 

With a little amateur detective work, Gloria is able to uncover enough clues that point right to the murderer. She's about to discover, however, things aren't always as clear cut as they would appear. 


BOOK 2: Grandkids Gone Wild 

"Garden Girl" Gloria Rutherford, has her hands full. Her mischievous and energetic grandsons are coming for a weekend visit. To top things off, she discovers someone is living in her barn. But who and why? 

As this amateur sleuth investigates what's going on in her own backyard, another murder victim turns up in their sleepy little town. 

Hot on the trail of a murderer, trying her best to make sure her grandkids don't end up in the ER and facing a budding romance, Gloria and her small town of Belhaven are once again about to be turned upside down.


BOOK 3: Smoky Mountain Mystery 

Life is good for "Garden Girl" Gloria Rutherford. Spring has finally sprung, love is in the air, and no dead bodies have turned up in the small town of Belhaven...lately.

It seems as if it's almost too good to be true. Just as Gloria starts to get settled into her familiar routine, she receives a mysterious message from her older sister, Liz. 

Certain that her sister, the drama queen, is once again bent on turning Gloria's life upside down for no good reason, she almost chooses to ignore the dire message that she may be in danger. 

When a key to her sister's place shows up in her mailbox after Liz mysteriously vanishes, Gloria jumps in with both feet to track her down. 

Crisscrossing the country with one of the other Garden Girls in tow, the two amateur sleuths find themselves on an adventure of a lifetime. 

Gloria soon discovers her sister's mysterious disappearance is the least of her worries.

When books describe themselves as clean/cozy/sweet or other adjectives of that nature, it means that there is no swearing or sex or gore or anything else that may be considered 'adult'.  I like them because sometimes I want to read a thrilling mystery without having to delve into the dark/seedy side of murder (if that makes sense, lol).

The main character, Gloria, is a bit of a character - she is an older woman with a penchant for sticking her nose into other people's business, not offensively, but definitely likes to know what is going on in her small town.  As time goes on, she is on the other end of the gossip grapevine when she starts a romance with a local cop.  The stories are not too far-fetched (if you are happy with the idea of an amateur sleuth getting involved in this type of thing!), and thrilling enough to keep me interested.  I will be putting book 4 on my wishlist to read when I start buying books again!

Dev Haskell Private Investigator by Mike Faricy

I read this book on holiday last week.  Actually, that's not strictly true.  I read most of this book before I went on holiday.  On holiday, however, I did finish the book, and continue to read books 2-14 in the series!

These books centre around Dev Haskell, a PI who I guess to be late 30s/40s (it may have said, I can't remember, but that's how I imagine him).  He's a bit of a ladies man to say the least, but not successful in love at all.  He shares his office with his lawyer, Louis, and together they spend much of their time in the pub opposite.  That said, he does keep getting employed for short-term contracts, which inevitably end up not being as easy as expected and he sometimes ends up on the wrong side of the law.  Whilst there are adult themes and violence, this isn't actually heavy or gruesome, but very enjoyable and funny in places.

The blurb reads:

The FIRST in the Dev Haskell series, Russian Roulette is an entertaining tale of intrigue, rank ineptitude and one night stands. Dysfunctional Private Investigator, Dev Haskell wakes up in bed with his latest client only to learn she's signed him up with the Russian mob. Their 'special' relationship quickly finds Dev at odds with the local police and an FBI task force. In the process Dev is forced to place one foot on both sides of the law.

The books are a very easy read, perfect for when relaxing by the pool, and were gripping and interesting enough for me to keep wanting more. If you want a serious(ish) insight into the life of a PI, these books are probably not for you, but if you want an enjoyable romp, then get yourself a copy.  As I said, I did read books 1-14 in less than a week, and thoroughly enjoyed them; I have put the next books (15 onwards) on my wishlist so that when I do start buying books again, I can continue to read about Dev's escapades. What I particularly liked is that some characters keep making an appearance, not only FWB Heidi or Detective Manning, but Swindle Lawless, Donna and Luscious, bit-parts who play key roles in helping (and hindering) Dev as he endeavours to solve crimes without ending up in jail himself.

Centrestage: Magnolia Steele Mystery #1 by Denise Grover Swank

I've just spent the weekend caught up in this series.  Pretty much as soon as it starts you get sucked in, and can't put it down.

It's about a woman named Magnolia Steele who returns to her hometown in shame after an incident that occurred on Broadway was filmed and went viral.  Her first night returning to work for her mother's catering company, Magnolia stumbles across the body of a music agent who she had publicly argued with minutes beforehand.

Not only does Magnolia have to prove her own innocence, we walk with her as she starts to remember what happened in the past to cause her to leave home in the first place.

The blurb says:

Ten years ago, Magnolia Steele fled Franklin, Tennessee after an incident that left her with

hazy memories and a horror of the place where she had been born and bred. Though her abrupt departure destroyed most of her treasured relationships, she vowed never to return . . . until she has no choice. When Magnolia’s breakout acting role in a Broadway musical ends in disgrace, there’s only one place she can go. She finds herself on her momma’s porch, suitcase in hand.

Drama follows Magnolia around like a long lost friend. She reluctantly agrees to help her momma’s catering company at a party for a country music star, only to find herself face-to-face with a sleazy music agent from her past. After a very public spat, Magnolia not only finds him dead but herself center stage in the police’s investigation. Now she must scramble to prove her innocence, relying on the help of acquaintances old and new.

But the longer Magnolia stays in Franklin, the more she remembers about the big bad incident that chased her away. The past might not be finished with her yet, and what she doesn’t remember could be her biggest danger.

I really enjoyed this series.  I have read books by Denise Grover Swank in the past and have always become quickly absorbed in the stories.  They are easy to read, but have enough content that keeps you wanting more.  This series is mystery/thriller, but there's a healthy dose of romance too.

A Cross to Bear by Vince Vogel

This is a detective/thriller/suspense book.  Fifteen years past a cop is murdered, crucified outside his police station and had his throat cut.  Today the cop's daughter is found brutally murdered in similar circumstances.  The story winds around different threads and looks to involve criminal gangs who smuggle sex workers into the country.  Containing adult themes, this is certainly not a book for children or the faint hearted, but draws you in as you try to solve the crime for yourself and see that justice is served.

The blurb says:

Once the star of Scotland Yard, burnt out East London detective Jack Sheridan is now a washed up cop working a low end station, estranged from his family and haunted by his past. The discovery in woodland of a young woman nailed to a wooden cross sends Jack spiralling into a direct confrontation with that past when the woman is identified as the daughter of a murdered cop he once knew. With a serial killer the media are dubbing the ‘Crucifix Killer’ slaying working girls on his patch, Jack must face his own demons and uncover a series of terrible secrets if he is to find the twisted killer.

On his way to the Tunisian border, Alex Dorring is informed that his sister has been murdered. Dorring is Agent 192 of Uriel, a clandestine assassins wing of MI6. With revenge on his mind, Dorring makes his way to London and begins investigating her death in his own special way. As he moves like a ghost through the underbelly of the city, he meets Chloe, a troubled nineteen year old trying to escape the very people Dorring has come to hunt. Could this girl be the key to leading him to the killer?

As both men operate under entirely different rules, the death of one girl sees a bed of lies, sexual violence, murder and corruption come rising to the surface as East London descends into chaos.

This book is actually the start of a trilogy, but I read it as a stand-alone.  I really enjoyed it (and is currently free on Amazon), but a bit heavy/dark for me to read as a trilogy.  I have added the second two books to my wishlist, but will read something lighter in between.