Book Review: Standing Dead – Fabulous Mystery

A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery

By Margaret Mizushima

Sheriff Deputy Mattie Cobb and her K-9 partner Robo are on a case and it is personal. The body of Mattie’s step-father is discovered in her town, Timber Creek. The last time Mattie saw her mother, she and her second husband were living in Mexico. It is disturbing to find his dead body in the town Mattie lives and works in, and where was her mother?

It becomes evident to Mattie and her fellow law enforcement colleagues that they need to find her mother before she suffers the same fate as her husband. The entire Sherriff’s department is looking for the killer and trying to keep Mattie safe. She feels she must be in on the investigation, but will she become a victim as well? Mattie is willing to stake her life on saving her family, but at what cost?

This is the seventh book in the Timber Creek K-9 mystery series. Mizushima draws in readers from the first pages with the depth of her fast-moving plot with twists and turns throughout the book. Her characters are fully developed, and as a reader of all of her books, it is like catching up with old friends with each new book in the series.  There are a couple of interesting sub-plots that are satisfyingly finished up at the end as well.

Margaret Mizushima is one of my favorite authors and her characters come to life on the pages. They are like old friends and sometimes crazy relatives to readers of the series. I have read all of the books in this series and cannot wait for the next one. If you have not discovered this fabulous author and series, Standing Dead works well as a stand-alone novel. I highly recommend reading the entire series.

Ms. Mizushima’s Timber Creek K-9 mysteries are award-winning in the states and internationally. She is a member of several writing groups, notably Sisters in Crime, Pikes Peak Writers and is the President for the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America to name a few.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from the Author and Publicist Maryglenn McCombs and the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. Copyright © 2023 Laura Hartman

Book Review: Come Sunrise – Third Book in an Action Filled Series

Come Sunrise – A Hannah Tree Detective – Book 3

Three Times the Cases, Three Times the Action!

By D M Macdonald

Come Sunrise, book 3 in the Hannah Tree Detective Series has three times the cases and three times the action. Hannah is evolving as a private detective. But more importantly, as a person she is beginning to interact with the people she cares about without putting up quite as many walls. She remains a work in progress, but aren’t we all?

Working a case about a missing son – one that is grown up – is tedious, but it helps Hannah pay the bills. Beryl Edgar has a son that is under the care of a domineering daughter-in-law. With all of her money, Ms. Edgar has not been able to contact her son and is worried about him. In her defense, he is mentally unable to be left to his own devises, and she just wants to verify that he is okay. Little does Hannah know this seemingly simple case of a missing person will end up a twisted tale that no one could have predicted.

While working for Ms. Edgar, Hannah receives a phone call from a young girl stating someone is trying to kill her. Hannah thinks it is a hoax. The girl, who is an actress, turns up at Hannah’s apartment, and confirms the fact that someone killed her mother and is now trying to murder her. Hannah is anything but a softy, but she cannot allow someone to kill this innocent girl. So begins the dark journey into an acting school that is teaching much more than the young people there need to know.

All the while those cases are twisting and turning, Gary, one of the guys working at the club, is being stalked. At first it is just irritating, but when the stalker becomes violent, Hannah ramps up her investigation. It appears that stalker may have auditioned for the club, but was not hired. This hardly seems like motive for violence. But what kind of person attacks not only people but shaves a cat?

All three of these cases intermingle in the most devious way, much to the delight of the readers. The characters come to life in the pages and the storylines twist and turn while keeping up the fast-paced action. I love a novel that surprises me, and this one did more than once. I highly recommend reading this book as well as the others in the series. It works well as a standalone novel, but I like the depth of the characters that comes from reading the story from the first book.

Author D M MacDonald is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors, joining the ranks of those writing interestingly twisted tales that are easy to read, yet unforgettable once finished. I cannot wait for the next book in this series.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from Reedsy Discovery in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Copyright © 2022 Laura Hartman

Book Review: Black Cake – Amazing Debut Novel

by Charmaine Wilkerson

Benedetta (Benny) and her brother Byron used to be inseparable, but have grown apart after a blow out Benny and her parents had on Thanksgiving Day. She was more hurt than angry, but didn’t know how to fix the rift or if she wanted to. Sadly, it became a wall between her and her family. Eventually she mellowed, but it was too late. Her father died and her mother, Eleanor, became very ill, then succumbed to her illness before Benny came back home. Her mother’s dying words are in a message to her children. The lawyer has strict instructions for the siblings. They are to listen to an audio file their mother prepared for them and eat the black cake she has left for them in the freezer. They must do this together.

Their mother’s words remind them that black cake is a family tradition. It was served for all special occasions, and had been for as long as she (and her children) could remember. She made it on the small island she grew up on, celebrating holidays and special occasions even when they had scarcely enough food to survive. She shared the tradition with her children.

As the siblings listen to their mother’s words, they find that their parents held many secrets. How could they not have known the hardships and dangers their successful parents weathered? Eleanor’s final confessions about all of her past is pinned to the hopes that her children will reconcile. All three of them.

This book is an emotional ride of family, betrayal, secrets and lies. It is also a heartwarming story of love, forgiveness and the survival against all odds. The characters are fully developed and interesting. Some are scary, others make very bad choices leading to disaster. As we listen to Eleanor’s story, it is impossible to forget her courage, strength and determination. She is one of the strongest characters I have read about in a long time. I highly recommend this book.

Black Cake is author Charmaine Wilkerson’s debut novel. Her words and characters will not be forgotten on the last pages, they will pop up in your thoughts and you’ll share them with fellow readers. I daresay it is destined to be one of my favorite books of all time, and hopefully yours. I’m impatiently waiting for Ms. Wilkerson’s next novel.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from the Author and Netgalley and the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. Copyright © 2022 Laura Hartman

Book Review: Good Rich People – How Far Will The Game Take Them?

Good Rich People

By Eliza Jan Brazier

Graham and his mother Margo are filthy rich. Bored and entitled, they like to play games. Not the kind of games most people play, but those in which lives are ruined and ultimately lost. Lyla became a player in these games when she had the misfortune of marrying Graham. Playing the game is not optional. She must play and win in order to survive.

It always begins with a rental unit that is on the property. Graham has arranged for a woman to move in, and notifies Lyla that it is her turn to run the game. She knows that this means life or death for someone and she is determined to win, no matter how heinous the outcome.

Beginning the game is tricky, she must befriend the victim. It might seem simple, but the woman that has moved into the rental is skittish when Lyla tries to get close to her. There is something she is hiding, and Lyla really doesn’t care what it is as long as she can win the game to continue living the life she has created for herself, no matter how bizarre it has become. It’s the money. It is always about the money.

The game commences, but not in the way Lyla wants it to. Her plans have been thwarted, so she decides to go big or go home. A huge party is planned for Graham’s birthday. His wife has planned a party only the rich could afford. By the end of the night someone will most likely die and Lyla hopes to win the sadistic game she has agreed to play.

Good Rich People is a deadly game of cat and mouse. The author, Eliza Jane Brazier, pulls readers in on the first pages, twisting and turning the plot in unexpected ways. This is the second book she has published. Her debut novel is If I Disappear published in 2021. If you like a fast-paced novels, Good Rich People is the book for you.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from the Author and Netgalley and the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. Copyright © 2022 Laura Hartman

Book Review: The Rusted Dream – A Fast-Paced Thriller

The Rusted Dream (Dr. Dan Trix Mystery Series #11)

By: Rodney Romig

Dr. Dan Trix and his lovely wife Elaine live in a posh neighborhood known as Naughty Pines. This country club community enables the Trix family to rub elbows of the elite bunch that like to drop by and drink his expensive wines. But the visitor today is more surprising than most of his guests. It is Pamela, his ex-wife. She has a problem.

It seems as though her husband, Bronco J, is missing. It is not like him to disappear and Pamela is worried. He is a wealthy man, so anyone could be after him, but his investment in a private college must be linked somehow. Especially since other investors have turned up dead.

Pamela obviously needs protection. So Trix and his sidekick Lester Ponzolli – whom he met while serving in the Army – are on the hunt for Bronco J. Meanwhile, Elaine and Pamela bone up on their martial arts training, after someone attacked the two women when they were alone in the house. The hunt for Bronco J is far flung, requiring trips both in and out of the United States. It is a race to see if the good guys or the bad guys will get to Bronco J first – peppered with the pitfalls of surprise attacks by the men who want to see Bronco J and possibly Ponzolli and Trix dead.

To say this book was fast-paced would be an understatement. Fast-talking, fast moving and exhausting action defines this page-turning mystery. The characters are clever, quirky and gave me a long list of fabulous wines that are, if they are not fictional, most likely out of my price range.

At times the dialog was so prolific, it read like a screen-play instead of a novel. That doesn’t bother me in small doses, but I needed more meat with details of the story than pages of witty banter. When there was action, it was explosive, but I wanted more. I feel readers need to digest what is happening rather than flip pages at a breakneck pace while the characters amuse themselves with inside jokes. Perhaps it is because this is book 11 in the series and not having read the previous 10, I might feel differently – which isn’t the author’s fault.

This is the first book I have read by Rodney Romig. He has led a global life. After his graduation in Nebraska, armed with a B. A. in English and a Ph.D. in Economics, he lived and worked in Asia and Europe, then landed in Hawaii. His knowledge of the world shines through his characters as they travel on their adventures. Roming’s novel Lakeside was chosen as the 2013 Royal Palm Award winner for best published literary novel. If you love fast talking, fast paced novels, The Rusted Dream is definitely the book for you.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from Reedsy Discovery in exchange for a fair and honest review. Copyright © 2021 Laura Hartman

Book Review: Christmas Ornaments to Crochet – Create Beautiful Christmas Decor

Christmas Ornaments to Crochet

By Barbara Christopher

Deck your halls by creating these lacy, delicate ornaments for your Christmas tree. You can use them instead of bows on packages or hang them just about anywhere throughout your home to brighten up the season for pennies. You will be able to make a flurry of snowflakes in an afternoon or while you are watching your favorite Christmas movie.

There are step-by-step instructions for each of the patterns. From snowflakes to tiny stockings, each ornament works up quickly. By changing the size of thread you use, the size of the ornament can be adjusted without changing the pattern. The author suggests that the designs look best if they are crocheted tightly, so you may have to go down a size needle to make sure your stitches are tight enough.

Once the ornaments are finished, you will need to starch them to make them stiff enough to use them for decorating. Ms. Christopher explains how to make your own sugar starch, but recommends commercial boilable starch. Don’t let this necessary step deter you from creating these delicate designs. My grandmother made doilies much the same as these ornaments. Having watched her starch and block them in my childhood is a warm and comforting memory, so I honestly cannot wait to crochet and starch some for Christmas this year.

I recommend this book for experienced crocheters only because of the size of the project. If you are a novice, I would suggest that you make a scarf or hat with yarn and a larger hook before using thread and small metal hooks. But don’t let me rain on your parade if you want to jump in with both feet and create some of these beautiful ornaments no matter where your skill level.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy from Dover Publications in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Copyright © 2020 Laura Hartman

 

 

Book Review: Butterflies in Origami – Simple Beauty Made from Paper

Butterflies in Origami

By: Nick Robinson

The beauty of butterflies is indisputable. Robinson brings them into your homes with the ancient art of origami. He gives us detailed, illustrated instructions to create 20 projects, each one more delightful than the next.

Step-by-step he walks you through folding each butterfly. With written instruction as well as diagrams with arrows showing you how to fold each piece, your butterflies will come alive.

The paper is not included in this book, but there are clear instructions for choosing the proper paper to ensure success. Origami paper is inexpensive and easily purchased at craft stores or on the internet. The most import thing is that it has to be perfectly square. You can use other types of paper if you choose, as long as it is “crisp” and will be able to “remember” a crease.

If you are into butterflies, this is the origami book for you. Perhaps you have a young child that would love having them hanging from their bedroom ceiling, floating with the breeze. It is an inexpensively beautiful way to brighten up a room.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy from Dover Publications in exchange for a fair and honest review. Copyright © 2019 Laura Hartman

 

Book Review: Beginner’s Guide to Colorwork Knitting – Fun for Experienced and New Knitters

Beginner’s Guide to Colorwork Knitting

By Ella Austin

New and seasoned knitters will enjoy the patterns and techniques in Beginner’s Guide to Colorwork Knitting. Basic patterns are included for items such as a scarf, socks, hat and reversible cowl. The key to this informative book is how to work with color and master new techniques to create beautiful knit items.

My favorite part of this book is the depth in which the author goes to ensure success with colors. If you have ever knitted with two colors that are both beautiful, yet find the finished product not pleasing to your eye, Ms. Austin gives you the tools to create the color combos you are searching for. To start, look for things in nature, art, food or honestly anything that catches your eye. I don’t know anyone that likes to swatch, but swatch the colors together and see if they are pleasing to your eye.

Easy to read info regarding hue, value, saturation will make you look at your yarn in a different light. Tidbits of information will help you create the knitted fabric you are picturing. My favorite is to take a black and white photo of your two colors to see if the combination has enough contrast to make the pattern pop. It is easy to do with your smart phone. Most of them have the option of turning your photo to black and white. On my Samsung, I just take a picture, go to edit, and then click on the icon on the bottom that shows three connected circles. It will then change the colors of the picture across the bottom of the screen and one of them is black and white. If your colors bleed into each other making it all look the same, you may want to try another swatch.

All of the patterns are written out and charted so no matter which you prefer to use, the author has you covered. The tutorials on what could be confusing instructions in other publications are perfectly clear and easy to follow. Pictures are included as well as step by step instructions to ensure your success. It is always beneficial for me to see an actual picture instead of a drawing when learning a new technique or in the tricky part of a pattern. The patterns are great, but the star of this book is colorwork and the color techniques you will learn.

Adding the new dimension of color to your knitting will make it pop in ways you may not have imagined. A simple or difficult pattern will transform with the colors you use. Armed with the information in Beginner’s Guide to Colorwork Knitting you will be creating works of art with your needles and yarn.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Copyright © 2019 Laura Hartman.

Book Review: Hitting the Books – Perfect for Cozy Mystery Fans

Hitting the Books

By Jenn McKinlay

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Librarian Lindsey Norris is back for the ninth book in Jenn McKinlay’s Library Lover’s Mystery series. Lindsey is a full time librarian and a part-time amateur sleuth. Lucky for her, the small town she lives in has its full share of nosy-rosies that feed her obsession with solving crimes. The only person it town that does not support her sleuthing is her friend Emma Plewicki, the chief of police.

Emma does not encourage Lindsey’s need to poke her nose in police business, but seems to tolerate it. As the top cop, Emma appreciates the help Lindsey gives her when solving cases. Of course the librarian is instrumental in finding crucial information to help solve the mysteries in this tiny town.

To be honest she doesn’t seek out drama. As Hitting the Books begins, Lindsey is working at the library, minding her own business, when someone runs down a friend of hers right outside. The case takes a nastier turn when someone tries to suffocate the convalescing friend; Lindsey is determined to get to the bottom of the murder attempts.

Aside from the mysterious attacks on her friend, Lindsey has a full personal life. She has recently moved in with Captain Mike Sullivan. Sully as he is called is an ex-Navy man, who loves her, but does not especially like the danger she flirts with while poking around in attempted murders. Lucky for Lindsey, he is supportive of all her endeavors and seems to always be in the right place and the right time to keep her safe.

It may sound like Lindsey is so busy solving crimes that she doesn’t spend any time in the library. That is far from true. She is busy managing the quirky characters that work for her. I would love to visit their library. They have a group that meets for “Crafternoons”. Think a book club on steroids.

The Crafternooners discuss a book they’ve all read, enjoy a delicious lunch and create a craft. I love the bond that is created in these gatherings. The characters share their lives and loves, worries and concerns all the while supporting each other. It is a great way for the reader to learn about the personalities and quirks of the characters.

enn McKinlay has written several different books in addition to the Library Lover’s Mysteries. This is the first book I have read by this author. Even though it was the ninth in the series, I did not feel lost or confused. If you are a fan of cozy mysteries, I highly recommend Hitting the Books, as well as checking out McKinlay’s other books. There is nothing more fun than finding a new author with a long list of interesting books to enjoy.

Copyright © 2018 Laura Hartman

Book Review: Blood Wedding – Superb Psychological Thriller

Blood Wedding

By Pierre LeMaitre (translated from French by Frank Wynne)

Sophie is a woman in conflict. At the very least she is mentally unstable, but she is quite possibly a murderer. Somehow she goes from being a happily married career woman to a fugitive in the blink of an eye and she cannot understand how the whole thing happened to her.

It starts with little things. Missing items, forgetting to do small errands, lost birthday gifts that turn up months later. These lead up to horrible mistakes at work. Soon Sophie begins to lose more than everyday items; she is also missing parts of her day. She finds herself in places and situations and doesn’t have a clue as to how or why she is there. Her husband is losing his patience and she is sure she has lost her mind.

Each slip of memory chips a sliver of her psyche away until she doesn’t know who she is anymore. It isn’t hard to disappear and reinvent herself when it became necessary, she does what she has to do.  What is hard is finding a new husband whose name she can take to solidify her new persona. But she has always known somewhere inside herself there is a strong, smart woman behind the façade she has built to hide behind. But is there enough of that woman left to save her?

Enter Frantz, the shy military man Sophie meets through a dating service. Frantz wants to help Sophie and she is so exhausted all of the time she is relieved to find someone she can trust to take care of her. Even if she doesn’t really love him, she needs him. He just might be her ticket out of the crazy life hers has become – or is she jumping from the frying pan into the fire by making a pact with the devil himself?

A catalyst, unbeknown and barely associated to Sophie, sets off a series of life changing events. The scariest thing is that any or all of the things that happen to her could happen to anyone if they are in the wrong place at the right time. It is terrifying to realize how easily Sophie’s life turned upside down and out of control.

If you look up Suspenseful Thriller Blood Wedding should be at the top of the list. I could not turn the pages fast enough to see what happened next. The plot is so solid I could not find an unanswered question.

The supporting characters have depth and are memorable without overshadowing but always important to the story.  Their interaction with the main characters enhanced and advanced the plot. The main characters are fully developed, multi-dimensional and seem to jump off the page to grab the reader’s attention. Sophie pulls you into her descent into madness, from which I fervently hoped she would be able to claw her way back to the person she used to be.

Nothing or no one is what or who they seem to be as the plot swirls around Sophie and Frantz. LeMaitre expertly grabs the reader, dragging you into the depth of Sophie’s despair and into the plotting mind of Frantz. Then he takes you on a roller coaster ride through a house of mirrors at breakneck speed, making you question the ideas you had when you met Sophie and Frantz. This adventure is one that readers live for. You will not be disappointed.

From the first page to the last the suspense never stops. I love this book. The lightning fast pace, perfect plot and characters that are unerringly realistic are reminiscent of a Hitchcock movie. Each page helps build the tension until the momentum explodes in the final chapters. The ending is satisfying, with no loose ends begging for explanation, which is perfection.

Pierre LeMaitre is an acclaimed, award winning author and screenwriter. His books are written in French, but many have been translated to English. Blood Wedding is the first novel I’ve read by LeMaitre, but it will not be the last.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from the publisher/author in connection with Killer Nashville in return for my review. Copyright © 2017 Laura Hartman