Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Review: Devotions from the Garden: Finding Peace and Rest in Your Busy Life by Miriam Drennan






Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 32,645 KB
Print Length: 206 Pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (March 31, 2015)

Book Description

Come to the garden alone, and fill your soul with His presence.

There's nothing on earth like the peace and loveliness of a magnificent garden. It's the place where Adam and Eve first fellowshipped with God, and where you, too, can escape from this chaotic world into His loving arms of beauty and serenity. Devotions from the Garden takes you to that place where senses are restored as dewdrops settle and butterflies gather to witness the miracles of God's creation bloom and grow. These ninety devotions explore the parallels of life with the elements of the garden to help you see God, to sense His presence, to soothe your soul, and to rest in knowing He is with you throughout each day. Included are striking photographs with a fresh, contemporary design for timeless appeal.

About the Author

Miriam Drennan is the author of Devotions for the Beach and the Days You Wish You Were There and Soar Above the Madness: Surviving Office Politics Without Losing Your Mind, Your Job, or Your Lunch. She currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where she enjoys gardening and playing with words. Drop her a line at www.that-writer.com.

My Review

Devotions From the Garden: Finding Peace and Rest in Your Busy Life by Miriam Drennan is a lush, beautiful volume filled with gorgeous floral photos and insightful devotions.

There are 90 devotions contained in Devotions From the Garden. Each devotion has a bible verse, a devotion and a prayer. I love gardens and plants. As creations of our Lord, I find that devotions related to plants and flowers so appropriate. I just love looking at the photos of flowers. I find flowers very relaxing and inspiring. Flowers are good for your soul.

In Devotions From the Garden, author Drennan brings together her knowledge of gardening and her biblical wisdom. She assists the reader in escaping into the world of flowers. The mysteries of the garden are intertwined with God's Word to relax and encourage the reader.
The perfect gift for the Christian gardener!





Review: Butterfly Kills: A Stonechild and Rouleau Mystery (Stonechild and Rouleau Mystery #2) by Brenda Chapman



  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 722 KB
  • Print Length: 377 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1459723147
  • Publisher: Dundurn (Jan. 10 2015)
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B00I4XXVI8

Book Description

Jacques Rouleau has moved to Kingston to look after his father and take up the position of head of the town's Criminal Investigations Division. One hot week in late September, university student Leah Sampson is murdered in her apartment. In another corner of the city, Della Munroe is raped by her husband. At first the crimes appear unrelated, but as Sergeant Rouleau and his new team of officers dig into the women's pasts, they discover unsettling coincidences. When Kala Stonechild, one of Rouleau's former officers from Ottawa, suddenly appears in Kingston, Rouleau enlists her to help. Stonechild isn't sure if she wants to stay in Kingston, but agrees to help Rouleau in the short-term. While she struggles with trying to decide if she can make a life in this new town, a ghost from her past starts to haunt her. As the detectives delve deeper into the cases, it seems more questions pop up than answers. Who murdered Leah Sampson? And why does Della Monroe's name keep showing up in the murder investigation? Both women were hiding secrets that have unleashed a string of violence. Stonechild and Rouleau race to discover the truth before the violence rips more families apart.

About the Author

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1287502.Brenda_Chapman
 I'm an Ottawa author with 14 published novels, including the Jennifer Bannon mysteries for ages 10+, a full length adult murder mystery In Winter's Grip (Dundurn 2010), and a Rapid Reads mystery The Second Wife (Orca 2011), which was shortlisted for a Golden Oak award. Second Chances, a YA novel for ages 13+ was released by Dundurn in September 2012.

I am currently writing two adult mystery series: The Stonechild and Rouleau police procedurals from Dundurn include Cold Mourning (2014) and Butterfly Kills (Jan. 2015).

The Anna Sweet mysteries are novellas from Grass Roots Press for adult literacy or those wanting a quick read. My Sister's Keeper and The Hard Fall were both released in 2013. To Keep a Secret was published in September 2014 and A Model Death in December 2014. My Sister's Keeper was shortlisted for an Arthur Ellis award and The Hard Fall is up for a Golden Oak Award.

I grew up in a small pulp mill town on the north shore of Lake Superior and earned degrees in English literature and teaching. I spent fifteen years as a special education teacher before becoming a senior communications advisor in the federal government.


My Review

If you kill a butterfly you will change someone's fate. 

Gotta love a Canadian-set mystery! Butterfly Kills provides a vivid picture of the area around Kingston, Ontario. It is an area that I am not familiar with so it was very interesting.

Butterfly Kills is the second book in the Stonechild and Rouleau Mysteries featuring Sergeant Rouleau and police officer Kala Stonechild. I had not read the first book in the series however I was still able to read Butterfly Kills as a stand-alone. Both officers were previously based in Canada's capital, Ottawa. Stonechild is First Nations.

There is a lot going on in Butterfly Kills but the different stories make for an interesting read. I found the storylines to be very contemporary. There is murder, marital rape and differing customs that make up the mosaic that Canada is. Secrets abound in this police procedural. Follow the mysteries and learn the secrets going on in Kingston, Ontario.





Monday, March 30, 2015

Review: Lowcountry Boneyard (Liz Talbot Mystery #3) by Susan M. Boyer




  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 609 KB
  • Print Length: 292 pages
  • Publisher: Henery Press; First edition (April 21 2015)
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B00SHNYOWW

Book Description

USA TODAY Bestselling Author - The AGATHA AWARD-WINNING Liz Talbot Mysteries

“Has everything you could want in a traditional mystery: a credible and savvy protagonist, a meaty mystery, and setting that will make you want to spend time in South Carolina. I enjoyed every minute of it.” – Charlaine Harris, New York Times Bestselling Author of Day Shift

“This brilliantly executed and well-defined mystery left me mesmerized by all things Southern in one fell swoop. Boasting a superb cast of characters, engaging conversations, a feel good atmosphere and all-around entertaining whodunit, this is the best book yet in this wonderfully charming series.” – Dru’s Book Musings

“This third in the series continues to smoothly combine elements of the paranormal and romance with a strong investigative plot that delves into the deeply hidden secrets of families…The charming setting, strong writing, and extremely engaging characters that have become hallmarks of this series never cease to entertain.” – Kings River Life Magazine

“Lovely writing with well-developed characters, a believable plot and plenty of interesting detail…Boyer may be unstoppable in conjuring mystery as she travels the social circles and back roads of the fascinating southern landscape.” – Speakers International

Where is Kent Heyward?

The twenty-three-year-old heiress from one of Charleston’s oldest families vanished a month ago. When her father hires private investigator Liz Talbot, Liz suspects the most difficult part of her job will be convincing the patriarch his daughter tired of his overbearing nature and left town. That’s what the Charleston Police Department believes.
 
But behind the garden walls South of Broad, family secrets pop up like weeds in the azaleas. The neighbors recollect violent arguments between Kent and her parents. Eccentric twin uncles and a gaggle of cousins covet the family fortune. And the lingering spirit of a Civil-War-era debutante may know something if Colleen, Liz’s dead best friend, can get her to talk.

Liz juggles her case, the partner she’s in love with, and the family she adores. But the closer she gets to what has become of Kent, the closer Liz dances to her own grave.

Related subjects include: women sleuths, private investigators, cozy mysteries, murder mysteries, book club recommendations, Southern fiction, Southern humor, Southern living.

Books in the Liz Talbot Mystery Series:

  • LOWCOUNTRY BOIL (#1)
  • LOWCOUNTRY BOMBSHELL (#2)
  • LOWCOUNTRY BONEYARD (#3)
  • LOWCOUNTRY BORDELLO (#4) November 2015
Part of the Henery Press Mystery Series Collection, if you like one, you'll probably like them all…

About the Author
 
Susan M. Boyer has been making up stories her whole life. She tags along with her husband on business trips whenever she can because hotels are great places to write: fresh coffee all day and cookies at 4 p.m. They have a home in Greenville, SC, which they occasionally visit.

Susan’s debut novel, LOWCOUNTRY BOIL (a Liz Talbot Mystery) is an Agatha Award winner for Best First Novel, a 2012 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense recipient, a Macavity nominee, and a 2012 RWA Golden Heart® finalist. Lowcountry Bombshell (Liz Talbot Mystery #2) was released September 3, 2013. LOWCOUNTRY BONEYARD will be released in April 2015.

Susan’s short fiction has appeared in moonShine Review, Spinetingler Magazine, and Relief Journal, among others.


My Review

Only $4.99 on Amazon

Do you love Charleston, South Carolina? I do and that is what initially grabbed my attention. I enjoy writers who intimately know and understand the region they are writing about. Author Susan Boyer transports the reader to the Low Country of South Carolina in her latest novel Lowcountry Boneyard.

Our sleuth, Liz Talbot, lives in the family vacation home on a barrier island that she inherited from her grandmother. Liz had been living in Greenville, SC before moving back to the Charleston region. She loves the area, her family is close by and a resident ghost needs her to help save their island from developers. It is too bad that her boyfriend and business partner wants her back in Greenville...what is she going to do about that?

Charleston heiress Kent Heyward is missing. Did she disappear due to her own volition? Or did a greedy family member make her disappear? The Boyfriend? Liz is on the case.

I really enjoyed Lowcountry Boneyard. The writing style was easy to read. The mystery aspect was good. There were realistic relationships among the characters in the book. Liz Talbot is very likeable.  If you are a mystery fan then Lowcountry Boneyard is for you!

Review: ACTS: EP Bible Commentary by Guy Prentiss Waters





  • Paperback: 600 pages
  • Publisher: Evangelical Press (June 20 2014)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1783970030
  • ISBN-13: 978-1783970032

Book Description

Study Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles is exegetically and theologically sound, cogently reasoned and clearly written. Demonstrating Luke's competence as a historian.

Guy Waters’s Study Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles is exegetically and theologically sound, cogently reasoned and clearly written. I highly recommend this commentary to pastors and teachers preparing to preach and teach Acts, and to anyone interested in a readable exposition of Luke’s unique account of the risen Lord Jesus’ words and deeds through his chosen witnesses.
Dennis E. Johnson Ph.D., Professor of Practical Theology, Westminster Seminary California

In an age of multiplying commentaries, some of them very technical and some exceedingly popular, Guy Waters has contributed a mid- level work that is robustly theological, written in straightforward English, and designed to be edifying. This is a commentary that will make many friends among serious Bible readers.
D. A. Carson Research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and co-founder (with Tim Keller) of The Gospel Coalition 


Dr. Waters is the ideal commentator on Acts. Scholarly, pastoral, theological — all these and more combine in making this my first resource for Luke’s second volume. An outstanding contribution to the series and deserving of the appellation, “Essential”!
Derek W. H. Thomas The Robert Strong Professor of Systematic and Pastoral Theology, RTS Atlanta; Senior Minister, First Presbyterian Church, Columbia, SC




About the Author

Guy Prentiss Waters is Professor of New Testament, Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, Miss., USA. He received his B.A. in Greek and Latin from the University of
Pennsylvania;  his M.Div. from Westminster Theological Seminary; his Ph.D. in Religion from Duke University. From 2002 to 2007, he was Asst. Prof. of Biblical Studies at Belhaven University, Jackson, Miss., and has served at RTS since 2007. Guy is a Teaching Elder in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). He is the author of several books, articles, chapters, and reviews. Guy and his wife Sarah have three children and reside in Madison, Miss.



My Review

Acts: EP Study Commentary by Guy Prentiss Waters is an in-depth study of the Book of Acts.

This book proves excellent introductory background information for each chapter. Each chapter of Acts is explored in great detail. Dr. Prentiss provides introspective commentary and helpful application information. It is an incredibly insightful look at the Book of Acts. It is written in easy to understand language.  While I plan to use it for my own personal bible study, this would be an excellent book for pastors and for those who are teaching Acts.

Acts: EP Study Commentary is an insightful volume that I will use extensively when studying the Book of Acts for bible study. Great addition to my research library. It is currently available in paperback format only.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Review: Silent Scream (D.I. Kim Stone #1) by Angela Marsons





  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 2479 KB
  • Print Length: 390 pages
  • Publisher: Bookouture; 1 edition (Feb. 20 2015)
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B00S5K0CAU

Book Description

 Even the darkest secrets can’t stay buried forever…

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 realises 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?


A superb debut by an assured new writer. Blending sharp wit with emotion, I thoroughly enjoyed the ride alongside DI Kim Stone and look forward to the next outing.’ Mel Sherratt

'Stunning' Mail on Sunday

'I absolutely loved it! ... This one is one of the best crime thrillers I've read in a long time, and that includes mainstream authors such as James Patterson! I would seriously put this book in the same league.' Fiona’s Book Reviews

I have not been so impressed by a debut novel in a long time, and I'm actually now itching for more …D.I. Kim Stone is like the British Jane Rizzoli. She's so ballsy and doesn't understand the meaning of the word no. I LOVE heroines who just do what they want and sod the consequences and Kim did that, right from the beginning... I can't wait for the second book, because this one was a top-notch crime thriller.Leah Loves

’I don't think I've been so hooked by a new author since the discovery of Mark Edwards or Mark Billingham… Silent Scream gets 5 stars from me - if you finish a crime thriller feeling like you just need to have a lie-down and a cup of tea to get your breath back, then the writer has done their job. Angela Marsons, I still don't have my breath back.’ Reading Room with a View

‘Normally when I see everybody rating a book five stars I think 'Is it really that good?' Silent Scream is that good, and then some… The only problem Angela now faces is keeping up this standard as the series progresses, but if she does than she's going to be an author to watch and a huge star within the genre.’ Book Addict Shaun

‘I started reading ‘Silent Scream’ thinking I would just read a few chapters. I ended up reading it all… An excellent read and one I would happily recommend.Northern Crime

‘This is a fantastic debut novel by Marsons. The blurb said that if you were a fan of Val McDermid and Mark Billingham you would love this book and being a huge fan of both I thought I would give it a go and I was pleasantly surprised… With lots of twists and turns this is a real page turner.’ The Laughing Librarian

It's highly unusual for me to find a book that leads me to put my life on hold. But Angela Marson's Silent Scream has led me to virtually abandon work for the last day, even with deadlines looming… ticks all the boxes for a 5* rating from me: a well written flowing story; strong but vulnerable protagonist; fast pace; intrigue; twists and turns until several final OMG moments; plenty of action; and the revealing of a brutal murderer.’ Off the Shelf 



About the Author

 Angela Marsons discovered a love of writing at Primary School when a short piece on the rocks and the sea gained her the only merit point she ever got.

Angela wrote the stories that burned inside and then stored them safely in a desk drawer.
After much urging from her partner she began to enter short story competitions in Writer's News resulting in a win and three short listed entries.


She used the Amazon KDP program to publish two of her earlier works before concentrating on her true passion - Crime.


After many, many submissions Angela was signed in a 4 book deal to http://bookouture.com as their first crime author.


Her first book SILENT SCREAM will be published in February 2015.



My Review

Amazon Kindle - 99 cents - very much worth it!

Fabulous debut crime thriller! I really enjoyed this book. I thought that the main character, D.I. Kim Stone, is an interesting woman with a fascinating back story. She is supported by a good group of reliable colleagues. I liked the setting of the West Midlands in the UK. It was pretty new to me.

The mystery component of Silent Scream was dead on. I had part of it figured out...probably because I have twins...but there were plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader enthralled. I am really fond of mysteries set in England (think Sharon Bolton) and Silent Scream was very satisfying.

I highly recommend Silent Scream.

Looking forward to Evil Games - Book 2 in the series is out May 29th!

Monday, March 23, 2015

Good Bye Glee: GLEE "I Lived" (Full Performance)

I really enjoyed Glee. Each episode brought a lot of joy to my heart. I know it was time for it to end as all good things do come to an end. However, I know I'll enjoy re-watching my favorite episodes over time. This was the final song from the final episode:



Thursday, March 19, 2015

Review: Memory House by Bette Lee Crosby








  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 1757 KB
  • Print Length: 189 pages
  • Publisher: Bent Pine Publishing (April 14 2015)
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B00U6W3VWQ

Book Description

 IS IT POSSIBLE FOR A MEMORY TO OUTLIVE ITS OWNER?

Ophelia Browne knows the answer is yes. She knows because she’s been granted the unique gift of finding and caring for those forgotten memories. But now she’s nearing ninety, and Browne women seldom live beyond ninety.

Before time runs out Ophelia must find a successor. Someone who can take hold of the gifts and keep the memories from fading.

When broken-hearted Annie Cross shows up on the doorstep of The Memory House Bed and Breakfast, Ophelia knows she is the one. The two women forge a bond of friendship as they sip magical dandelion tea and share stories. When Annie starts to sense the memories Ophelia is delighted, but then a thread of violence begins to unravel and Ophelia fears things have gone too far.


About the Author

 USA Today bestselling and Award-winning novelist Bette Lee Crosby's books are "Well-crafted storytelling populated by memorable characters caught up in equally memorable circumstances." - Midwest Book Review

The Seattle Post Intelligencer says Crosby's writing is, "A quirky mix of Southern flair, serious thoughts about important things in life and madcap adventures."

Samantha from Reader's Favorite raves, "Crosby writes the type of book you can’t stop thinking about long after you put it down."

"Storytelling is in my blood," Crosby laughingly admits, "My mom was not a writer, but she was a captivating storyteller, so I find myself using bits and pieces of her voice in most everything I write."

It is the wit and wisdom of that Southern Mama Crosby brings to her works of fiction; the result is a delightful blend of humor, mystery and romance along with a cast of quirky charters who will steal your heart away. Her work was first recognized in 2006 when she received The National League of American Pen Women Award for a then unpublished manuscript. She has since gone on to win twenty awards for her work; these include: The Royal Palm Literary Award, the FPA President's Book Award Gold Medal, Reader's Favorite Award Gold Medal, and the Reviewer's Choice Award.

Crosby's published works to date are: Blueberry Hill (2014), Previously Loved Treasures (2014), Jubilee's Journey (2013), What Matters Most (2013), The Twelfth Child (2012), Life in the Land of IS (2012), Cracks in the Sidewalk (2011), Spare Change (2011). A Cupid inspired romance, Wishing for Wonderful, is scheduled for release in November 2014 and Book Three of The Wyattsville Series, Passing through Perfect, will be be available in January 2015


My Review

 Memory House by Bette Lee Crosby is only 99 cents for the Kindle. Available to pre-order now. Apparently the price will go up shortly after its release.

Memory House is a magical book about storytelling. It is Book One of the Memory House Collection. Fans of Bette Lee Crosby will devour this book as it has elements from her other stories. This can also be read as a stand alone.

Ophelia Browne has a gift. She has an amazing memory. She can touch an object and feel the memories attached to it. She will soon be ninety and needs to find a replacement to carry on this gift...the gift of memories.  Then Annie arrives at her inn...

Great writing, beautiful story...you'll enjoy it!



Review: Cold Betrayal (Ali Reynolds #10) by J.A. Jance





  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 2329 KB
  • Print Length: 353 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1476745048
  • Publisher: Touchstone (March 10 2015)
  • Sold by: Simon & Schuster Canada, Inc.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B00LD1OUPQ

Book Description

 Revenge isn’t the only dish served cold...

Ali Reynolds’s longtime friend and Taser-carrying nun, Sister Anselm, rushes to the bedside of a young pregnant woman hospitalized for severe injuries after she was hit by a car on a deserted Arizona highway. The girl had been running away from The Family, a polygamous cult with no patience for those who try to leave its ranks. Something about her strikes a chord in Sister Anselm, reminding her of a case she worked years before when another young girl wasn’t so lucky.

Meanwhile, married life agrees with Ali. But any hopes that she and her husband, B. Simpson, will finally slow down and relax now that they’ve tied the knot are dashed when Ali’s new daughter-in-law approaches her, desperate for help. The girl’s grandmother, Betsy, is in danger: she’s been receiving anonymous threats, and someone even broke into her home and turned on the gas burners in the middle of the night. But the local police think the elderly woman’s just not as sharp as she used to be.

While Ali struggles to find a way to protect Betsy before it’s too late, Sister Anselm needs her help as well, and the two race the clock to uncover the secrets that The Family has hidden for so long—before someone comes back to bury them forever.

From the New York Times bestselling author hailed for her “inimitable, take-no-prisoners style” (Kirkus Reviews), Cold Betrayal forces Ali to confront the face of evil, and the women who are being hunted.


About the Author

 Judith Ann Jance is the top 10 New York Times bestselling author of the Joanna Brady series; the J. P. Beaumont series; three interrelated thrillers featuring the Walker family; and Edge of Evil, the first in a series featuring Ali Reynolds. Born in South Dakota and brought up in Bisbee, Arizona, Jance lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington, and Tucson, Arizona.

My Review

Cold Betrayal is the tenth book in the Ali Reynolds series by author J.A. Jance. I have read every book in the series and have found it to be a great series. Cold Betrayal is a great addition to the series.

Ali Reynolds is involved in two different issues in Cold Betrayal. The issue of elder abuse was tackled in that Ali's daughter-in-law was dealing with her parents financially abusing her grandmother. I found this story to be very interesting. The issue was polygamous sects in Arizona and the abuse of girls and women by the sect. In a story ripped from the headlines, I found this story to be very similar to the Mt. Carmel incident in Texas. Betty Webb has been doing an amazing job writing stories about the polygamous sects in Arizona already.

Cold Betrayal was a very enjoyable read. I always look forward to reading J.A. Jance's books. I continue to be astounded that polygamous sects are even allowed to exist to the US (and in Canada - Bountiful, BC). Cold Betrayal highlights the horrors that can happen to women in a closed society where women are treated as second class citizens.

Always enjoy reading J.A. Jance. The Ali Reynolds series is my favorite of hers. Be sure to give Cold Betrayal a read.




Monday, March 16, 2015

Review: The Winter Foundlings (Alice Quentin #3) by Kate Rhodes










  • Hardcover: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Mulholland Books (Oct. 7 2014)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1444738828
  • ISBN-13: 978-1444738827



Book Description

Psychologist Alice Quentin has been looking forward to a break from her hectic London life. She has vowed to stay clear of police work. The previous cases she helped the police with have left her scarred. So, when Alice is given the rare opportunity to study treatment methods at Northwood high-security hospital outside of London, she is eager to get to work.

But then a young girl is discovered, dressed all in white, on the steps of the Foundling Museum. Four girls have recently gone missing in North London—this is the third to be found, dead. The fourth may still be alive, and Alice Quentin may be able to help. Britain's most prolific child killer, Louis Kinsella, has been locked up in Northwood for over a decade. Yet, these recent kidnappings and murders are clearly connected to Kinsella's earlier crimes. It seems that someone is continuing where he left off. So, when Detective Don Burns comes asking for Alice's help, how can she refuse? Alice will do anything to help save a child—even if that means forming a relationship with a charismatic, ruthless murderer. But Kinsella is slow to give away his secrets, and time is running out for the latest kidnap victim, who is simply trying to survive. In her quest to save a life, Alice finds she has put her own life on the line.

The Winter Foundling is Kate Rhode's exciting thriller featuring Alice Quentin following Crossbones Yard and A Killing of Angels.



About the Author


Kate Rhodes was born in London. She completed a doctorate, then taught English at universities in Britain and the United States. She writes full-time now, and lives in Cambridge with her husband, a writer and film maker.Kate is the author of two collections of poetry, Reversal and The Alice Trap. She has been awarded English Speaking Union and Hawthornden Fellowships for poetry, and shortlisted for a number of other prestigious prizes, including the Bridport and Forward Prizes. Her poems have been anthologised and published in newspapers including the Guardian and the Independent. CROSSBONES YARD is her first novel and the first in the Alice Quentin series.


My Review


Awesome book!  I just loved The Winter Foundlings by Kate Rhodes. I had not read the first two books in the Alice Quentin series and it certainly didn't matter to my enjoyment of this wonderful psychological thriller.

The Winter Foundlings is set in London. Kate Rhodes was able to inspire such a sense of place that I decided I wanted to go to London again! Right now!

Normally Dr. Alice Quentin is a forensic psychologist at Guys Hospital in London. However Alice has started a  six month term at Northwood high security hospital.  Northwood houses the worst of Britain's mentally unstable killers. The Winter Foundlings focuses on the child killer Louis Kinsella. He is a horrible man but Alice is able to get through his thick shell. He freakishly looks almost exactly like her deceased alcoholic abusive father. He picks up on that and is able to play and taunt Alice. But she perseveres in the hope of discovering who is influencing on the outside...who is Louis getting to continue his reign of terror in London?

Alice is a very believable character as are the those in her world. Her friends and family are very believable as are the new people in her life at Northwood. It was interesting to see her relationship with Detective Don Burns as well.

Great book! I cannot wait until the next one, River of Souls, which is out in June. I now need to read the first two in the series! Highly recommend!


Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn









  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 1694 KB
  • Print Length: 368 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0307341569
  • Publisher: Broadway Books (May 5 2009)
  • Sold by: Random House Canada, Incorp.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B0027MJU00


Book Description

 Libby Day was just seven years old when her evidence put her fifteen-year-old brother behind bars.

Since then, she has been drifting. But when she is contacted by a group who are convinced of Ben's innocence, Libby starts to ask questions she never dared to before. Was the voice she heard her brother's? Ben was a misfit in their small town, but was he capable of murder? Are there secrets to uncover at the family farm or is Libby deluding herself because she wants her brother back?

She begins to realise that everyone in her family had something to hide that day... especially Ben. Now, twenty-four years later, the truth is going to be even harder to find.

Who did massacre the Day family?


NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Named one of the Best Books of 2009 by Publishers Weekly

A Weekend TODAY “Top Summer Read”

The New Yorker's Reviewers' Favorite from 2009

A 2009 Favorite Fiction Pick by The Chicago Tribune

“[A] nerve-fraying thriller.”
The New York Times

“Flynn’s well-paced story deftly shows the fallibility of memory and the lies a child tells herself to get through a trauma.”
The New Yorker
“Gillian Flynn coolly demolished the notion that little girls are made of sugar and spice in Sharp Objects, her sensuous and chilling first thriller. In DARK PLACES, her equally sensuous and chilling follow-up, Flynn…has conjured up a whole new crew of feral and troubled young females….[A] propulsive and twisty mystery.”
Entertainment Weekly“Flynn follows her deliciously creepy Sharp Objects with another dark tale . . . The story, alternating between the 1985 murders and the present, has a tense momentum that works beautifully. And when the truth emerges, it’s so macabre not even twisted little Libby Day could see it coming.”
People (4 stars)

“Crackles with peevish energy and corrosive wit.”
Dallas Morning News

“A riveting tale of true horror by a writer who has all the gifts to pull it off.”
Chicago Tribune
"In her first psychological thriller, Sharp Objects, Flynn created a world unsparingly grim and nasty (the heroine carves words into her own flesh) written with irresistibly mordant humor. The sleuth in her equally disturbing and original second novel is Libby Day....It's Flynn's gift that she can make a caustic, self-loathing, unpleasant protagonist someone you come to root for.”
New York Magazine“[A] gripping thriller.”
Cosmopolitan"Gillian Flynn is the real deal, a sharp, acerbic, and compelling storyteller with a knack for the macabre.”
–Stephen King
“Another winner!”
Harlan Coben“Gillian Flynn’s writing is compulsively good. I would rather read her than just about any other crime writer.”
Kate Atkinson“Dark Places grips you from the first page and doesn't let go.”
Karin Slaughter
“With her blistering debut Sharp Objects, Gillian Flynn hit the ground running. Dark Places demonstrates that was no fluke.”
Val McDermidDark Places' Libby Day may seem unpleasant company at first–she's humoring those with morbid curiosities about her family's murders in order to get money out of them–but her steely nature and sharp tongue are compelling. 'I have a meanness inside me,'she says, 'real as an organ.'Yes she does, and by the end of this pitch-black novel, after we've loosened our grip on its cover and started breathing deeply again, we're glad Flynn decided to share it.”
Jessa Crispin, NPR.org
“Flynn returns to the front ranks of emerging thriller writers with her aptly titled new novel . . . Those who prefer their literary bones with a little bloody meat will be riveted.”
Portland Oregonian

“Gillian Flynn may turn out to be a more gothic John Irving for the 21st century, a writer who uses both a surgeon's scalpel and a set of rusty harrow discs to rip the pretty face off middle America.”
San Jose Mercury News

“The world of this novel is all underside, all hard flinch, and Flynn’s razor-sharp prose intensifies this effect as she knuckles in on every sentence. . . . The slick plotting in DARK PLACES will gratify the lover of a good thriller–but so, too, will Flynn’s prose, which is ferocious and unrelenting and pure pleasure from word one.”
Cleveland Plain Dealer

“Gillian Flynn’s second novel, DARK PLACES, proves that her first – Sharp Objects – was no fluke. . . . tough, surprising crime fiction that dips its toes in the deeper waters of literary fiction.”
Chicago Sun-Times"Flynn fully inhabits Libby—a damaged woman whose world has resided entirely in her own head for the majority of her life and who is prone to dark metaphors: 'Draw a picture of my soul, and it’d be a scribble with fangs.' Half the fun of DARK PLACES is Libby’s swampy psychology, which Flynn leads us through without the benefit of hip waders.”
Time Out Chicago“Clever, engrossing and disturbing….[DARK PLACES] should cement [Flynn’s] place in the great authors of crime fiction.”
Crimespree

“[D]eliciously creepy...Flynn follows 250-some pages of masterful plotting and character development with a speedway pileup of pulse-pounding revelations.”
Chicago Reader

“A genuinely shocking denouement.”
Romantic Times

“Sardonic, riveting . . . Like Kate Atkinson, Flynn has figured out how to fuse the believable characters, silken prose and complex moral vision of literary fiction to the structure of a crime story. . . . You can sense trouble coming like a storm moving over the prairie, but can't quite detect its shape.”
Laura Miller, Salon.com

“These characters are fully realized—so true they could step off the page….hints of what truly happened to the Day family feel painfully, teasingly paced as they forge an irresistible trail to the truth….Could. Not. Stop. Reading.”
Bookreporter.com
“Libby’s voice is a pitch-perfect blend of surliness and emotionally charged imagery. . . . The Kansas in these pages is a bleak, deterministic place where bad blood and lies generate horrifically unintended consequences. Though there’s little redemption here, Flynn manages to unearth the humanity buried beneath the squalor.”
Bloomberg.com

“Set in the bleak Midwest of America, this evocation of small-town life and dysfunctional people is every bit as horribly fascinating as Capote’s journalistic retelling of a real family massacre, In Cold Blood, which it eerily resembles. This is only Flynn’ s second crime novel–her debut was the award-winning Sharp Objects–and demonstrates even more forcibly her precocious writing ability and talent for the macabre.”
Daily Mail (UK)“Flynn’s second novel is a wonderful evocation of drab small-town life. The time-split narrative works superbly and the atmosphere is eerily macabre—Dark Places is even better than the author’s award-winning Sharp Objects.”
The Guardian (UK)
“A gritty, riveting thriller with a one-of-a-kind, tart-tongued heroine.”
Booklist, starred review

“Flynn’s second crime thriller tops her impressive debut, Sharp Objects…When the truth emerges, it’s so twisted that even the most astute readers won’t have predicted it.”
Publishers Weekly, starred review
“The sole survivor of a family massacre is pushed into revisiting a past she’d much rather leave alone, in Flynn’s scorching follow-up to Sharp Objects . . . Flynn intercuts Libby’s venomous detective work with flashbacks to the fatal day 24 years ago so expertly that as they both hurtle toward unspeakable revelations, you won’t know which one you’re more impatient to finish. . . . every sentence crackles with enough baleful energy to fuel a whole town through the coldest Kansas winter.”
Kirkus Reviews
“Once in a while a book comes along that puts a new spin on an old idea. More than 40 years ago, Truman Capote took readers inside the Clutter farmhouse in Holcomb, KS, to show them what it was like to walk in a killer's shoes. Flynn takes modern readers back to Kansas to explore the fictional 1985 Day family massacre from the perspective of a survivor as well as the suspects. . . . tight plotting and engaging characters.”
Library Journal


About the Author

 Gillian Flynn is an American author and television critic for Entertainment Weekly. She has so far written three novels, Sharp Objects, for which she won the 2007 Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for the best thriller; Dark Places; and her best-selling third novel Gone Girl.

Her book has received wide praise, including from authors such as Stephen King. The dark plot revolves around a serial killer in a Missouri town, and the reporter who has returned from Chicago to cover the event. Themes include dysfunctional families,violence and self-harm.

In 2007 the novel was shortlisted for the Mystery Writers of America Edgar for Best First Novel by an American Writer, Crime Writers' Association Duncan Lawrie, CWA New Blood and Ian Fleming Steel Daggers, winning in the last two categories.

Flynn, who lives in Chicago, grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. She graduated at the University of Kansas, and qualified for a Master's degree from Northwestern University.

Review Quotes:
"Gillian Flynn is the real deal, a sharp, acerbic, and compelling storyteller with a knack for the macabre."
–Stephen King


My Review

I have previously read Gone Girl which I devoured. Dark Places will be released as a movie this year starring Charlize Theron in the title role so I though I would read the book before the movie came out.

I found the main character Libby Day to be absolutely fascinating. A young victim of crime who has grown up but has no support system. She is an incredible mess. I was immediately worried about her! I enjoyed how the story kept building up, both in the present and in the past. Dark Places is a great thriller that was impossible to put down. I loved the twists in the ending. Thought I had things figured out but was only half right.

Excellent book! I hope the movie will be as good. What a story!


Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Review: The Sirena Quest (The Sirena Quest #1) by Michael A. Kahn









  • Paperback: 287 pages
  • Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press; 1 edition (Jan. 6 2015)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1464203520
  • ISBN-13: 978-1464203527

Book Description


 The New York Times Sunday Magazine piece famously opened: She has pouting lips and high round breasts. Thousands of men have dreamt of her. Hundreds have chased after her. Two have died in pursuit. Her name is Sirena, she weighs 193 pounds, and she vanished in 1959. Without a trace. Barrett College s legendary Greco-Roman sculpture s fate was still a hot topic in 1970 when four roommates began their freshman year at the New England school. They ve gone their separate ways for years. But as the 1994 commencement approaches, they are about to reunite to meet a challenge thrown down by a Class of 59 hedge-fund billionaire. He has pledged a $25 million endowment plus a $3 million purse to her finder(s) if Sirena is restored to Barrett by June 17th, the date of his 35th reunion, the college s sesquicentennial celebration and our foursome s 20th class reunion. Although they are not alone in their pursuit groups of alumni, including a pair of aggressive and highly-financed classmates, are running down leads across the world St. Louis lawyer Lou Solomon and his crew come upon an obscure but intriguing clue. It leads them to Chicago where a young lawyer called Rachel Gold may hold key information. As the men race to crack the Sirena puzzle, their quest will transform their lives in unexpected ways."


About the Author

 Pseudonym for Michael Baron.

Michael Kahn is a trial lawyer by day and an author at night. He wrote his first novel, GRAVE DESIGNS, on a challenge from his wife Margi, who got tired of listening to the same answer whenever she asked him about a book he was reading. "Not bad," he would say, "but I could write a better book than that." "Then write one," she finally said, "or please shut up." So he shut up for a few months--no easy task for an attorney--but finally wrote one.

Kahn is the award-winning author of: seven Rachel Gold novels; an eighth novel, THE MOURNING SEXTON, under the pen name Michael Baron; and several short stories.

In addition to his day job as a lawyer, he is an adjunct professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis, where he teaches a class on censorship and free expression. Married to his high school sweetheart, he is the father of five and the grandfather of, so far, four.


http://www.michaelakahn.com/ 


My Review

I have to agree with Publishers Weekly who called The Sirena Quest by author Michael A. Kahn "equal parts rollicking adventure, existential and spiritual quest , and coming of (middle) age tale..this heartwarming misadventure isn't so much about four middle-aged men finding a statue as about finding themselves."

One of my favorite movies of all time is It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World which has competing groups searching for a treasure. The Sirena Quest involves college alumni groups searching for a missing statue named Sirena. The Greco-Roman statue vanished in 1959 from the campus of Barrett College. A rich alumni has pledged a $25M endowment to the college as well as $3M to the finders. It needs to be returned to the college for the 35th reunion of the rich alumni in 1994.

1994 is also the 20th reunion for lawyer Lou Soloman and his classmates. Lou along with three of his former classmates accept the challenge to search for Sirena. The Sirena Quest is a mystery but more importantly it is an adventure-filled male-bonding experience!

Fun book! Well written and enjoyable read!





Saturday, March 7, 2015

Review: The Stranger by Harlan Coben




  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 1307 KB
  • Print Length: 396 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1409144631
  • Publisher: Dutton (March 24 2015)
  • Sold by: Penguin Group USA
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B00NMPN46W


Book Description

 #1 New York Times bestselling master of suspense Harlan Coben delivers his most shocking thriller yet, proving that a well-placed lie can help build a wonderful life-- and a secret has the same explosive power to destroy it.

The Stranger appears out of nowhere, perhaps in a bar, or a parking lot, or at the grocery store. His identity is unknown. His motives are unclear. His information is undeniable. Then he whispers a few words in your ear and disappears, leaving you picking up the pieces of your shattered world.

Adam Price has a lot to lose: a comfortable marriage to a beautiful woman, two wonderful sons, and all the trappings of the American Dream: a big house, a good job, a seemingly perfect life.

Then he runs into the Stranger. When he learns a devastating secret about his wife, Corinne, he confronts her, and the mirage of perfection disappears as if it never existed at all. Soon Adam finds himself tangled in something far darker than even Corinne’s deception, and realizes that if he doesn’t make exactly the right moves, the conspiracy he’s stumbled into will not only ruin lives—it will end them.

Praise for The Stranger

"Coben can always be relied on to generate thrills from the simplest premises, but his finest tales maintain a core of logic throughout the twists. This 100-proof nightmare ranks among his most potent." -- Kirkus, starred review

About the Author

 Harlan Coben is the internationally bestselling author of more than twenty previous novels, including the #1 New York Times bestsellers Missing You, Six Years, Stay Close, Live Wire, Caught, Long Lost, and Hold Tight as well as the Myron Bolitar series and, more recently, a series aimed at young adults, featuring Myron's nephew, Mickey Bolitar. The winner of the Edgar, Shamus, and Anthony Awards, he lives in New Jersey.


My Review


Wow! Impossible to put this book down! I look forward to Harlan Coben's annual book release with tremendous anticipation. Because I know it will be riveting. And The Stranger is definitely riveting.

Adam and his wife Corinne live in upper middle class suburban New Jersey. Adam is a successful lawyer and Corinne is a teacher. They live in a lovely home and are raising two sons. Everything is perfect. Or is it?

Adam is approached by The Stranger in a bar. What The Stranger tells Adam sets off a series of events that will change his life forever. Everyone has secrets. Secrets fester until they are exposed and then burn people. In today's digital age we need to ask ourselves if we are ever really anonymous on the internet.

The Stranger is a fast moving novel that keeps the reader enthralled until the end. I did not see the ending coming at all. What a great ride! Another winner from Harlan Coben.






New from Max Lucado: ‘Miracle at the Higher Grounds Cafe’ and iPad Giveaway




  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 888 KB
  • Print Length: 189 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0718000889
  • Publisher: Thomas Nelson (Feb. 10 2015)
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B00KQ2G218


In Max Lucado's new fiction release, Miracle at the Higher Grounds Cafe, he asks, If you could ask God anything, what would you ask—and how would he answer? When a catastrophe strikes and her ex comes calling, Chelsea begins to wonder if the whole universe is conspiring against her quest to make it on her own. After a shocking discovery opens her eyes to the unseen world around her, Chelsea finds the courage to ask, and heaven answers in a most unexpected way.

Join Max in celebrating the release of his new fiction book by entering his iPad giveaway!

higherground-400


One grand prize winner will receive:
  • An iPad Mini
  • A copy of Miracle at the Higher Grounds Cafe
Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on March 23rd. Winner will be announced March 24th on the Litfuse blog.

highergrounds-enterbanner


{NOT ON FACEBOOK? ENTER HERE.}


Book Description

What if you could ask God anything? What would you ask? And how would he answer?

Chelsea Chambers is on her own. After a public split from her NFL superstar husband, Chelsea takes a bold step out of the limelight and behind the counter of the Higher Grounds Café, an old-fashioned coffee shop in dire need of reinvention. But when her courage, expert planning, and out-of-this-world cupcakes fail to pay the bills, this newly single mom finds herself desperate for help. Better yet, a miracle.

Then a curious stranger lands at Chelsea's door, and with him, an even more curious string of events. Soon, customers are flocking to the Higher Grounds Café, and not just for the cupcakes and cappuccino. They've come for the internet connection to the divine. Now the café has become the go-to place for people in search of answers to life's biggest questions.

When a catastrophe strikes and her ex comes calling, Chelsea begins to wonder if the whole universe is conspiring against her quest to make it on her own. After a shocking discovery opens her eyes to the unseen world around her, Chelsea finds the courage to ask, and heaven answers in a most unexpected way.


About the Author


Max Lucado has touched millions with his signature storytelling writing style. Awards and accolades follow Max with each book he writes. Max is the first author to win the Gold Medallion Christian Book of the Year three times—1999 for Just Like Jesus, 1997 for In the Grip of Grace and 1995 for When God Whispers Your Name. In 2005, Reader’s Digest dubbed him “America’s Best Preacher.” In addition, he has been an ECPA Gold Medallion finalist with more titles than any other author in the industry.

In 1994, he became the only author to have 11 of his twelve books in print simultaneously appear on paperback, hardcover and children's CBA bestseller lists. Lucado set a new industry record by concurrently placing nine different Word Publishing titles on the CBA Hardcover Bestseller List in both March and April 1997. Max Lucado is a fixture on the national bestseller lists – a Max Lucado title has appeared on the CBA hardcover bestseller list every month for the past dozen years. He has appeared on the Publishers Weekly, USA Today and New York Times bestseller lists. He has won eight ECPA Gold Medallion awards.

In addition to his nonfiction books, Lucado has authored several award-winning children's titles including, Just In Case You Ever Wonder, The Crippled Lamb, Alabaster's Song and the award-winning You Are Special. Max is also the author of Hermie: A Common Caterpillar, and the Max Lucado’s Hermie and Friends collection of books and DVD’s are quickly becoming a fixture on bestseller lists. He also served as the general editor for the best-selling Lucado Study Bible and God's Inspirational Promise Book.

In the Fall of 2006, he released Facing Your Giants, followed by Every Day Deserves a Chance in April of the 2007.

For over twenty years, Max has served as the Senior Pastor of the Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas. But he says his greatest accomplishment is finding a one-in-a-million wife in Denalyn and having three unbelievable daughters: Jenna, Andrea, and Sara.


My Review

In Max Lucado's latest book, Miracle at the Higher Grounds Cafe, Chelsea Chambers is in need of a miracle to keep the Higher Grounds Cafe open. A mysterious stranger arrives and the next thing you know, customers are arriving at the cafe in droves. Could the cafe really have an internet connection straight to God?

What if you could ask God anything? What would you ask? And how would he answer?

Miracle at the Higher Grounds Cafe is a charming book that I know you'll enjoy!

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Review: Where the Bones Are Buried (A Dinah Pelerin Mystery #5) by Jeanne Matthews



  • Paperback: 290 pages
  • Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press; 1 edition (Jan. 6 2015)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1464203482
  • ISBN-13: 978-1464203480



Book Description

Dinah Pelerin has finally put her life in order. Living in Berlin with her boyfriend Thor, she has landed a job teaching Native American cultures at the university. She's never felt happier. And then her Seminole mother Swan shows up with a crazy scheme to blackmail a German tax dodger and dredges up a secret Dinah has kept hidden from the IRS and from straight-arrow Norwegian Thor, a former cop now with hush-hush international duties. Germans harbor a century-long fascination with the American Wild West and American Indians. Some enthusiasts dress up as Indians and adopt Indian names. Like Der Indianer Club which has invited Swan to a powwow where she plans to meet her blackmail victim. Dinah tries to head her off, but arrives at the scene too late. A man has been killed and scalped and Swan quickly becomes the prime suspect. Torn between love for her mother and dismay at her incessant lies, Dinah sets out to find the killer hoping the killer doesn't turn out to share her DNA. But Swan isn't the only liar. Everyone is lying about something. Margaret, Swan s dead ex-husband s former wife, come to the city with Swan. Dinah s teen-age ward. Thor. Especially Dinah. Ghosts of Germany's terrible history haunt Berlin while she faces exorcising a hateful ghost of her own."

Matthews’s intricately plotted fifth Dinah Pelerin mystery (after 2013’s Her Boyfriend’s Bones) finds the American anthropologist living happily in Berlin with her Norwegian lover, counterintelligence agent Thor Ramberg, and lecturing on Native American cultures at Humboldt University. Then Dinah’s Seminole mother, Swan Calms, and Margaret Dobbs, both of whom were once married to drug dealer Cleon Dobbs, arrive to do a “little detective job.” The two women are seeking money from a criminal partner of Cleon’s, Reiner Hess, who belongs to a local club devoted to American Indians. Two attempts to kill or injure Swan and Margaret increase the pressure on them to find the elusive Hess. When a member of the Indian club is shot and scalped at a drumming ceremony, Swan becomes the prime suspect. Dinah’s subsequent sleuthing may expose her own dark secrets. Matthews makes fine use of Berlin’s turbulent history and the enduring German fascination with Indian culture. (Publishers Weekly)

About the Author

Jeanne Matthews was born and raised in Georgia. She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Journalism and has worked as a copywriter, a high school English and Drama teacher, and a paralegal. She currently lives in Renton, Washington with her husband, who is a law professor, and a West Highland terrier, who is a prima donna.

My Review

I have read several books in the Dinah Pelerin Mystery series and I have always enjoyed them. Where the Bones Are Buried is no exception. One thing you can always count on, when you read a Poisoned Pen Press book, you know it will be well written and have a great story.

Who knew that Germans were fascinated with Native Americans to the point where they have Indian Clubs and reenactments. I enjoyed the setting of Berlin in this novel because I haven't read a lot of contemporary novels that are set there. Dinah has the most craziest families imaginable. And that does make the novel interesting! And the secrets...amongst the family and between Dinah and her boyfriend Thor. Loved when Thor's secret showed up. Plenty of plot twists to keep the reader interested. The characters are all interesting but I had a bit of trouble keeping track of all the Germans. Great ending.

Another great book in this series. Already looking forward to the next one.



Review: Deadly Desires by Joyce Lavene and Jim Lavene








  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 178 KB
  • Print Length: 32 pages
  • Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
  • Publisher: J. Lavene (Feb. 22 2015)
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B00TXQQ7R2

Book Description

 Deadly Desires is a buffet of delicious and unique recipes and the mysteries they came from by National Best-selling authors Joyce and Jim Lavene. From their first mystery series, Sharyn Howard Mysteries in 1999, the authors have been writing recipes into their books and adding to food blogs across the Internet.

Their series of mysteries include the Peggy Lee Garden Mysteries, Renaissance Faire Mysteries, Missing Pieces Mysteries, Pie in the Sky Mysteries (under the name Ellie Grant), Biscuit Bowl Mysteries and Sweet Pepper Fire Brigade Mysteries (under J.J. Cook), and The Retired Witches Spell Book Mysteries.

Each recipe contains a small vignette of the books and the characters they come from.

With a forward by the authors.

About the Author

 Joyce Lavene and Jim Lavene are a wife and husband team who have written and published more than 70 books since 1999. They live in North Carolina with their family and enjoy cooking, photography and ghost hunting. 



My Review

 FREE ON AMAZON

Great little cookbook featuring recipes from the mystery series that are written by Joyce and Jim Lavene. There are instructions on how to make the biscuit bowls featured in the Biscuit Bowl Mysteries! Mmmmm, the spicy gumbo recipe! You'll learn some tidbits of information...for example, the sweetest jalapeno peppers come from Tennessee.

Be sure to download this free cookbook! What a deal!