Book Review: Day

Day is written with sections including Morning, Afternoon and Evening. Each one is on the date April 5^th. It is the same day, but not the same year. Morning is in 2019, Afternoon is in 2020 and Evening is 2021.

Each segment of the book has the characters evolving in their lives. Morning introduces the characters, blatantly showing all of their flaws. The pains and sorrows of lost chances as well as fleeting time seems first and foremost during the afternoon. Evening brings hope that even though life was nothing like the characters thought it would be, things are seemingly going to work out to each of their satisfactions. The growth of the characters, both children and adults, are much happier than they have been in the past. Throughout the book they are evolving to feel comfortable in where their life choices are taking them, instead of questioning what others may think.

This literary fiction was not a cheerful romp. Dealing with life choices, the characters often seem uncomfortable in their own skin. It makes the reader contemplate the outcome well before Evening arrives. Perhaps that is the intention of the author, whose writing will captivate the readers, wondering how the lives of the characters will turn out.

Day is an interesting book, but in no means a happy go lucky read. That isn’t a bad thing, but part way though the story, I would have liked to have a glimmer of hope for the characters, especially the children. Most likely it is closer to real life than most works of fiction, but as a reader, it made me sad to see how unhappy the characters were in their lives.

This is the first book I’ve read by the Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Cunningham. His accolades include the author of many novels, both fiction and nonfiction. His work has been published in The New Yorker and The Best American Stories. His accolades include wining the PEN/
Faulkner Award and the Pulitzer Prize. Currently living in New York City, he is a senior lecturer at Yale University

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from Netgalley and the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. Copyright © 2024 Laura Hartman

Book Review: Little White Lies

Social Worker Claire Conover Mystery #3

Little White Lies

By Margaret Fenton

As a social worker in Birmingham, Alabama, Claire Conover has seen things other people just hear and talk about. She is a champion for the countless children that find their way into the system. Each of them touches her heart in different ways, but none of them have ever come home with her. That is about to change. A thirteen-year-old runaway, LaReesa Jones has ditched her foster home and has been living on the streets. She turns up at Claire’s office after suffering a beating at the worst possible moment.

Claire immediately wants to help LaReesa, but another emergency child on Claire’s caseload could be in danger. That same morning a bomb exploded in a local election campaign office, killing a young man. Sadly, he was a single father of a baby girl who was at daycare when he died. When Claire discovers the next of kin, she realizes the child is connected to a very rich influential man that would spell disaster for the baby. She needs to find another legal option to save her.

Exhausted from the day and situation, Claire steps up to foster LaRessa. When she arrives home, her boyfriend has no clue what she has done. Claire explains to him that she had no choice. He is sorry for the life LaReesa has led, but feels that Claire should have at least discussed this important step before bringing the troubled teen home.

The fate of the baby, LaRessa and Claire’s relationship hinges on the next few days and weeks. Claire won’t help the situation by poking her nose into places people want to keep secret with her friend, Kirk. He is an investigative reporter that she has worked with many times before. It is evident he wants to be more than friends.

Little White Lies has page-turning action wrapped in lies and deceit. All will be revealed by the end of the book. I really enjoyed the characters and the twists and turns that lead readers to the truth in the end. While this is the third book in the series, it reads well as a stand-alone novel. I have not read the previous books in the series, but plan to do so in the near future.

Author Margaret Fenton knows about the child welfare system as she was a child and family therapist for the child welfare department in her county. She is an avid mystery fan, which is evident by the care she takes to wrap up all of the delicious twists and turns in her novel. Yet, keeps a tiny bit that readers can anticipate reading about in the next book of this series. I can’t wait to read it.

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

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: Never Coming Home

By Kate Williams

Ten social influencers, one remote tropical Island and one killer – will any of them survive? It all starts with an invitation from an anonymous source. What self-respecting influencer wouldn’t jump on board for an all-expenses-paid trip to Unknown Island, which is purported to be a new kind of travel. They claimed that there would be no crowds, just a few curated strangers. Unfortunately, someone else must be on the island because very bad things begin to happen soon after their arrival.

Normally all of these influencers work alone, amassing thousands and sometimes millions of followers on their social media pages. They each have a “specialty”. There is a CEO, DJ, Politician, Athlete, Chef, Rich Girl, Beauty Blogger, Environmentalist, a Superstar and lastly a Gamer. All vastly different, but each has something in common. Someone is trying to kill them.

Will they be able to band together on this sham of a vacation to survive? Each one of them has a secret. Each secret would be the end of their social media followers if found out, and someone is sending messages to the group exposing the thing that will ruin their social influencing livelihood. Can they trust each other? Is the killer a stranger or one of them?

This fast-paced whodunit is deliciously full of twists and turns. It kept me guessing to the very last pages. The characters are plucked right out of the social media scene today, making it relevant to these times of “regular” people becoming superstars with their cell phones and computers. I recommend it to anyone who loves a solid mystery with quirky characters that could be the teenager living next door.

This is the first book I have read by Kate Williams. She has written for several magazines, including Cosmopolitan and Bustle, as well as brands such as Urban Outfitters and Vans. She is the author of the Babysitters Coven series.

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: Does My Body Offend You?

By Mayra Cuevas and Marie Marquardt

In 2017, amid the devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Maria in the U.S. Territory of Puerto Rico, more than 135,000 Puerto Ricans left the island, moving to the United States. Many were students, assimilating into a different culture and daily routines and expectations.

Malena, an honor student, is one of those displaced by Maria. She now lives in Miami with her mother, close to other family members that have lived there long before the upheaval in Puerto Rico. Her father stayed on the island, helping with the restoration of basic necessities such as power and water.

Life is different, but Malena is an honor student trying to learn the culture and assimilate as best she can. Things were going pretty well until the day she was so sunburn she could not wear a bra to school. Her mother insisted it would be fine to go braless, but one of the teachers thought differently. She was sent to the principal’s office and the nurse’s office. Eventually she was humiliated by the nurse insisting that she wear panty liners taped to her nipples. She was given detention because they said it was against the dress code to go braless – which eventually is found to be false. When one of the popular girls, Ruby, finds out about what happened to Malena, she begins the rebellion. Standing up for her rights was not what Malena bargained for, yet she ends up being the poster girl for the revolution.

Does My Body Offend You? Is an interesting coming of age novel for teens and adults. There are situations that would not be appropriate for younger readers. That being said, it is beautifully complex. The melding of cultures is interesting and informative. The characters are fully developed and complex. Both authors have created a seamless collaborative novel about difficult situations that will make you think of the characters and situations long after the last pages are read.

Author Myra Cuevas was born in Puerto Rico and is a professional journalist and fiction writer. Does My Body Offend You? is her second novel, the first, Salty Bitter Sweet, is a YA aswell. Award winning author Marie Marquardt is an author of young adult novels, a college professor, and an immigration advocate. Marquardt’s second novel, The Radius of Us is also a novel of Latin American teenagers seeking asylum in the United States.

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: Striking Range – Page Turning Mystery

Striking Range

A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery

By Margaret Mizushima

Deputy Mattie Cobb is finally going to get answers from the man in prison that is responsible for the death of her father. Upon arrival at Colorado state prison, the closure she needs is ripped from underneath her as the killer is found dead in his cell. The only clue she has is a map that is discovered in the dead man’s sparce belongings. Hopefully the answers she seeks will be brought to light.

With the help of her canine partner, Robo, she will be part of the search team looking for evidence in the long-ago crime. The weather is against them but even worse, something sinister awaits them on Redstone Ridge. When Cole, the local veterinarian who is Mattie’s boyfriend goes missing in a storm, Mattie is determined to find him at any cost. Unfortunately, that means putting herself and her beloved dog in grave danger.

Striking Range is the sixth book in the Timber Creek K-9 Mystery series. I have been fortunate enough to read every book in the series and I have loved each and every one of them. The characters are fully developed and the plots are solid. It is interesting to learn about K-9 dogs, how they train and work. The added storyline of Cole’s vet practice also adds depth to the novel. This particularly comes to light in the latest book because Robo becomes a father.

I highly recommend Striking Range as well as the rest of this series. The plots are solid, the characters interesting and the action is page-turning. Each of the books in this series is written as a stand-along novel, so you can read them in any order. I enjoyed each of them, especially the ending of Striking Range – but I’m not telling you what happens – that is for you to discover when you read it.

Margaret Mizushima is an award-winning author – she was awarded the 2019-2020 Writer of the Year by the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers of America. Her award-winning Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries are internationally published, which is no surprise to her fans. The realism in her writing comes from her own experiences. She is married to a veterinarian and was raised on cattle ranches in Colorado and Texas.

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

Audio Book Review: The Guilt Trip – Fabulous New Suspense Novel by NYT Best Selling Author

The Guilt Trip

by Sandie Jones

Narrated by Clare Corbett

The thought of a destination wedding to Portugal sounds fabulous but quickly becomes complicated. Everyone has secrets that they are determined to keep hidden from the people closest to them.

The bride and groom, Will and Ali, are excited to begin their new lives as husband and wife, but Ali may not be telling the entire truth to her new husband. Meanwhile, Will’s brother Jack and his wife Rachel are at odds with each other when suspicion of cheating comes to light. Noah and his wife Paige, who are best friends with Jack and Rachel, are having marital problems. Could it be that the relationship between Noah and Rachel has reverted back to their college days when they were more than friends?

Deceit and betrayal, lies and suspicion swirls around six main characters, coming to a boiling point the day of the wedding. The answers to all of the questions will not be revealed until the wedding is over – but will it be too late for any of them to survive? The Guilt Trip is full of twists and turns that keeps readers guessing until the final chapters. Who, if anyone, is lying?

This fast-paced suspense filled novel is perfectly plotted to keep the reader engaged from the first pages to the last. The characters are interesting and fully developed. It was fun to try and figure out who was lying and who was cheating – and who wasn’t. I loved to hate some of the characters and felt sorry for others. The last chapter let me know if I was a good judge of character or completely mistaken. I loved it.

Clare Corbett did a marvelous job narrating this audiobook. She speaks clearly, making the book come to life for listeners. Audiobooks are perfect for busy people. There is nothing better than listening to an interesting book like The Guilt Trip while cleaning house, knitting or just relaxing.

I’ve read several books by Sandi Jones, and have enjoyed all of them. She is a New York Times bestselling author and deservedly so. I highly recommend all of her books, especially her latest, The Guilt Trip.

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 © 2021 Laura Hartman

Book Review – A Marvelous Mystery! – Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche

By Nancy Springer

Sherlock Holmes’ younger sister Enola was born when he was leaving home to pursue his studies. They do not cross paths until July of 1888 when she is left motherless and on her own at the tender age of 14. Upon the disappearance of their mother, Enola sends word to her two brothers, Sherlock and Mycroft. They arrive unsure of what to do with a young girl, but soon realize that their mother has taught Enola how to take care of herself in any situation.

Soon after their reunion, Enola receives a letter from Dr. Watson, stating Sherlock was in a state deep depression.  She immediately goes to his apartment to see what she can do to help him. Whilst there, a young woman, Miss Letitia Glover, arrives in search of Sherlock’s help. Her twin sister has been reported as dead. The widowed husband states she died and there was no funeral or burial. Due to the state Sherlock is in, Enola immediately steps in to find the missing woman. Meanwhile, Sherlock is intrigued by the case and rouses to help his sister. Together they work tirelessly to find the answers Miss Glover needs to hear.

This fast-paced mystery is a delight to read. Sherlock is a character most of us know and love, Enola is just who you would imagine his sister would be. Both of them are masters of disguise, highly intelligent and resourceful. Set in the late 1800s Enola has to work under the constraints of the time, which makes her job more difficult, but she is up for the challenge.

This is book 7 in the Enola Holmes series by author Nancy Springer. It works very well as a stand-alone novel, but if you are like me, you will want to read the previous six books in the series as soon as you finish this one.

Ms. Springer is an award-winning prolific writer of many other books and series. While the Enola Holmes series is classified as a teen/young adult mystery series, it was a fun, interesting and fast read. I have watched the series on my local PBS station and have enjoyed it immensely – but the book is always better and that holds true with the Enola Holmes series as well.

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 © 2021 Laura Hartman

Book Review: The Glitter End – Fast and Fun Cozy Mystery

The Glitter End by Vivian Conroy

Delta Douglas has an idea to bring more people into the stationery shop that she owns with her close friend Hazel. She has agreed to have Tilly Tay, a famous miniature artist, bring one of her works to the shop. It is a tiny world showcasing the small town’s gold rush history, featuring tiny replications of actual structures from the Old West days.

Unfortunately, Tilly is an eccentric character that quickly irritates the town folks. Shortly after arriving she is arrested for murder. Delta thinks Tilly is quirky, but doesn’t believe she is a killer. Ray Taylor, a man that Delta would love to be more than friends with, agrees with her. He is a retired football player with ties to law enforcement so they quietly begin to investigate the case running under the radar of the cops. Hopefully no one will get hurt if and when the killer catches on to their plan.

This cozy mystery is a fast and fun read. The setting is beautifully brought to life and the characters are interesting. Like most cozy mysteries there is a hint of romance, however difficult it is for the main characters to connect and share their feelings.

Ms. Conroy is a prolific cozy mystery writer, having written several series in addition to this series, the Stationery Shop Mysteries. This is the first book I have read by her and thoroughly enjoyed it. This is the second book in the series but reads well as a standalone cozy. I can’t wait to check out her other series.

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

Copyright © 2021 Laura Hartman

Book Review: Somebody Else’s Troubles – Must Read Literary Fiction

Somebody Else’s Troubles

By J. A. English

 

Travers Landeman is not a happy man. He has always done what is right, often at the expense of his own peace of mind and happiness. On the day he decides to disappear he doesn’t hesitate or have regrets about leaving. He does have regrets for some of the choices he made in life. Guilt can be overwhelming and is one of the demons that haunts him. Becoming a man of action instead of reaction was not an easy journey, but he is willing to take the first step. While most of the people in his former life don’t really care that he is gone, there is one man that is determined to find him. If he succeeds, this could ruin the new life that Travers has created.

On the tiny island of Mabuhay, he meets Marguerite. She spent time in the United States going to school and learning how cruel life can be. She does not talk about what happened, but does not trust white men.

Somebody Else’s Troubles is interesting and complicated. Amidst self-loathing and regret, peace is found by forgiveness and love. It is easy to read but hard to forget. J. A. English brings his characters into controversial situations, then shows the consequences of how they deal with them. He makes the reader think about situations they may have encountered or will encounter; he brings a realism into the story that will resonate with readers on a deep level. This is the best work of literary fiction I have read in years, I loved it.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy from publicist Maryglenn McCombs in exchange for a fair and honest review. Copyright © 2020 Laura Hartman