Review: Shiver Hitch (A Jane Bunker Mystery #3) by Linda Greenlaw

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 887 KB
• Print Length: 289 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1250107563
• Publisher: Minotaur Books (June 6 2017)
• Sold by: Macmillan CA
• Language: English
• ASIN: B01N74PL2T

Book Description


 Jane Bunker thought she d escaped the pollution, noise, and dead bodies of the big city when she left her job as a Miami homicide detective and moved back to the idyllic town of Green Haven, Maine. But through her work as a marine insurance investigator, it appears she s left behind the bustle of the city, but not the murder.

When Jane is called to the remote Acadia Island to assess the damages from a house fire, she also finds a badly burned body in the charred rubble, and it turns out that the victim is the owner of the house, a wealthy woman who just happens to be one of the most hated women in town. As Jane investigates further, she becomes embroiled in a plot as thick as New England clam chowder, which involves convicted felons, a real estate scam, and the deep conflicts between the locals and the summer folks. On top of trying to find what might be a murderer on the loose, Jane is still living with her bonkers landlords, the Vickersons, who are delighted when Jane finds out that her brother Wally (who has Down s syndrome) is going to move in with them, after losing his assisted living arrangement. It s all Jane can do to keep all the moving pieces together, much less figure out who would want to burn someone alive and why.

About the Author


Linda Greenlaws three bestselling books about life as a commercial fisherman -- THE HUNGRY OCEAN (1999), THE LOBSTER CHRONICLES (2002) and ALL FISHERMEN ARE LIARS (2004) -- have climbed as high as #2 on the New York Times bestseller list. She is the winner of the U.S. Maritime Literature Award in 2003, and the New England Book Award for nonfiction in 2004. Time Magazine called her 2005 RECIPES FROM A VERY SMALL ISLAND, co-authored with her mother Martha Greenlaw, a "must-have cookbook".

Before becoming a writer, Linda Greenlaw was the captain of a sword boat, the career that earned her a prominent role in Sebastian Junger's THE PERFECT STORM and a portrayal in the subsequent film. She has been featured onGood Morning America,Today,CBS Sunday Morning,The Martha Stewart Show, andNational Public Radio. She now lives on Isle au Haut, Maine, where she captains a lobster boat.

When Linda Greenlaw confessed a desire to write fiction readers responded with an enthusiastic "Please do!" At last, she satisfies their hunger with SLIPKNOT, a sharp-witted, compulsively readable mystery, the first in a series featuring marine investigator Jane Bunker. As she proved in THE HUNGRY OCEAN, no one knows the sea like Linda Greenlaw. And as she proved in THE LOBSTER CHRONICLES, no one has a better way with the telling details of Maine village life. SLIPKNOT delivers everything readers want: a great setting, wonderful characters, an authentic and original detective -- and a story that will keep them on the edge of their seats. (from the author's website)"

My Review

 Shiver Hitch is the third book in the A Jane Bunker Mystery series by Linda Greenlaw. This is the first book in the series that I have read. It is also the first book of Greenlaw's that I have read. You do not need to read the first two books in the series to enjoy Shiver Hitch.

Jane Bunker lives in small town Green Haven, Maine. She is employed as both a deputy and as an insurance investigator. In the midst of the cold Maine winter, Jane is called out to remote Acadia Island to investigate a house fire as part of her job as an insurance investigator. Soon she has to don her deputy hat as she discovers a body in the ruins of the fire. The body is that of the home owner. Who would want to kill her?

There is a story about Jane Bunker that has not been explored at all yet. Jane moved with her mother to Florida as a small child and knows nothing about her relatives on Acadia Island. The subject was touched on but Jane did little to find out about them. I hope that story is being saved for a later book in the series.

I really enjoyed Shiver Hitch and am definitely looking forward to more books in the series! Highly recommend.

Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour: Watching the Detectives (The Country Club Murders #5) by Julie Mulhern

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 652 KB
• Print Length: 210 pages
• Publisher: Henery Press (May 23 2017)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
• Language: English
• ASIN: B06WWF1PWQ

Tour Participants

May 22 – View from the Birdhouse – SPOTLIGHT
May 22 – Christa Reads and Writes – REVIEW
May 23 – Queen of All She Reads – REVIEW
May 23 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – INTERVIEW
May 24 – I Wish I Lived in a Library – REVIEW
May 24 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
May 25 – A Cozy Experience – REVIEW
May 25 – Books,Dreams,Life – SPOTLIGHT
May 26 – MysteriesEtc – REVIEW
May 26 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT
May 27 – Author Annette Drake’s blog – INTERVIEW
May 28 – 3 Partners  in Shopping, Nana, Mommy. &, Sissy, Too! – SPOTLIGHT
May 29 – I Read What You Write – REVIEW
May 29 – Books Direct – GUEST POST
May 30 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
May 30 – Cozy Up With Kathy – INTERVIEW
May 31 – Back Porchervations – REVIEW
May 31 – Island Confidential – GUEST POST
June 1 – Community Bookstop – REVIEW
June 1 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
June 2 – Bibliophile Reviews – REVIEW  
June 3- Girl with Book Lungs – REVIEW
June 3- Bookworm Café – CHARACTER GUEST POST
June 4 – Brooke Blogs – REVIEW, GUEST POST

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Book Description

USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR

Ellison Russell wanted a decorator, not a corpse. Too bad she finds Mrs. White in the study killed with a revolver. Things go from bad to worse when she finds Mr. White in the dining room killed with a candlestick. With so many bodies, is it any wonder Detective Anarchy Jones’ new partner considers Ellison a suspect?

With the country club gossips talking a mile a minute, an unexpected cocktail party, a visit from Aunt Sis, and a romantic decision, Ellison hardly has time to think about murder. Unfortunately, the killer has plenty of time to think about her.

“This series has become so enjoyable precisely because Ellison strives against the norms no matter how many times she is told how to behave. It is her sharp wit and humor that allows her to prevail, and attempting to teach the same to her daughter further cements her place as an admirable and extraordinarily likable heroine. As entertaining as it is for readers to romp through 1970s country club society, far more enthralling are the adventures of such a resilient and stalwart woman.” – Kings River Life Magazine

Related subjects include: cozy mysteries, women sleuths, murder mystery series, whodunit mysteries (whodunnit), amateur sleuth books, book club recommendations, humorous murder mysteries, historical mysteries.

Books in the Country Club Murders Humorous Mystery Series:

THE DEEP END (#1)
GUARANTEED TO BLEED (#2)
CLOUDS IN MY COFFEE (#3)
SEND IN THE CLOWNS (#4)
WATCHING THE DETECTIVES (#5)

Part of the Henery Press Mystery Series Collection, if you like one, you'll probably like them all...

About the Author

Julie Mulhern is the USA Today bestselling author of The Country Club Murders. She is a Kansas City native who grew up on a steady diet of Agatha Christie. She spends her spare time whipping up gourmet meals for her family, working out at the gym and finding new ways to keep her house spotlessly clean–and she’s got an active imagination. Truth is–she’s an expert at calling for take-out, she grumbles about walking the dog and the dust bunnies under the bed have grown into dust lions.

Author Links
Webpage – www.juliemulhernauthor.com
FB – https://www.facebook.com/juliekmulhern/?ref=hl
Twitter – https://twitter.com/JulieKMulhern
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8573907.Julie_Mulhern

Purchase Links

Amazon Paperback  Amazon Kindle  kobo  B&N

My Review

Watching the Detectives is the fifth book in The Country Club Murders by Julie Mulhern. I have read the earlier books in the series and enjoyed them all. Watching the Detectives was a fun read as well!

Watching the Detectives had Ellison Russell continuing to discover bodies, two of them in her house. Everyone is back from the previous books such as Detective Anarchy Jones who Ellison has developed quite a fondness for. Good mystery and well written.

Enjoyable read! Great book for fans of fun cozy mysteries!

Review: The Book of Summer by Michelle Gable

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 1339 KB
• Print Length: 417 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1250070627
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books (May 9 2017)
• Sold by: Macmillan CA
• Language: English
• ASIN: B01MAXRMG0

Book Description

 Physician Bess Codman has returned to her family's Nantucket compound, Cliff House, for the first time in four years. Her great-grandparents built Cliff House almost a century before, but due to erosion, the once-grand home will soon fall into the sea. Though she s purposefully avoided the island, Bess must now pack up the house and deal with her mother, a notorious town rabble-rouser, who refuses to leave.

The Book of Summer unravels the power and secrets of Cliff House as told through the voices of Ruby Packard, a bright-eyed and idealistic newlywed on the eve of WWII, the home's definitive guestbook, and Bess herself. Bess's grandmother always said it was a house of women, and by the very last day of the very last summer at Cliff House, Bess will understand the truth of her grandmother s words in ways she never contemplated.

About The Author

http://michellegable.com/

 Michelle Gable is the NY Times bestselling author of A PARIS APARTMENT, I'LL SEE YOU IN PARIS and the forthcoming THE BOOK OF SUMMER. A College of William & Mary graduate, Gable currently resides in Cardiff by the Sea, California with her husband, two daughters, one lazy cat, and a very feisty rabbit. 

Praise for Michelle Gable

"A sure bet for women's-fiction fans of Elin Hilderbrand and Nantucket novels." ―Booklist, on The Book of Summer

"Gable cleverly illuminates the past, revealing how it mirrors the present. This is a splendid multigenerational novel about the strength of the women of Cliff House." ―Publishers Weekly, on The Book of Summer

"Gable develops fully rounded characters that readers feel as if they could reach out and touch. We want to know more about them and Gable gives us plenty." ―Richmond Times-Dispatch, on The Book of Summer

"This time of year is meant for books to devour. Vacations, the beach, lazy afternoons all call for a good book that allows you to escape. Michelle Gable knows how to deliver." ―Newport News Daily Press, on The Book of Summer

"It's Gable's ability to weave a family's tale through the musings of summer visitors, war, relationship drama and a smattering of sexual tension that makes it a must for any summer reading list." ―Fort Worth Star- Telegram, on The Book of Summer

“Plot-master Gable’s (I'll See You In Paris) affection for hidden treasures emerges again in her second absorbing novel. Readers are kept guessing ’til the end in this sweet story of love, mystery, art, literature, and Paris. As complex and moving as Naomi Wood’s Mrs. Hemingway and Liz Trenow’s The Forgotten Seamstress.” ―Booklist
"Gable (A Paris Apartment) writes an engaging story, and both worlds―Annie's in 2001 and Pru's in 1973―are easy to slide into. Readers will root for both women as they uncover family secrets and discover hidden aspects of themselves. Readers of Kate Morton and those who enjoy family-centered mysteries will approve highly of this book." ―Library Journal

"Gable (I'll See You In Paris) has crafted another page-turner of a good read, filled with history, mystery and a dash of romance. This is the sort of fun, escapist read that is beloved by books clubs. There are characters to love, characters to hate, enticing settings and a requisite amount of plot twists." ―Fort Worth Star-Telegram

“Michelle Gable (I'll See You In Paris)...elegantly navigates the narratives of the generations, making each set of characters complex and likable.” ―Richmond Times Dispatch

“Gable’s (I'll See You In Paris)novel provides a wonderful, highly literate mystery...stories within stories, an almost Wuthering Heights narrative complexity.” ―The Roanoke Times

"Gable (A Paris Apartment) tells an engaging story of a fascinating, largely forgotten historical figure against the backdrop of two fledgling romances." ―Kirkus Reviews



My Review

 The Book of Summer is the first book by author Michelle Gable that I have read. The cover is gorgeous. It caught my attention right away.

Set in Nantucket, The Book of Summer is a great summer read and I think fans of Elin Hilderbrand will love it.

This is the story of a family and of friendships. It is the story of a family of women and the strength of women. It is filled with the ups and downs of the family that inhabits a lovely summer home on Nantucket.

Dr. Bess Codman returns to Nantucket to try to convince her mother to leave their family's summer home that is in danger of collapsing into the sea. It is also the story of Ruby, Bess's grandmother and the events in her life around World War II that shaped her life and her family's life forever.

I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend The Book of Summer.

Review: Silent Rain (Macy Greeley Mystery #4) by Karin Salvalaggio

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 1109 KB
• Print Length: 288 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books (May 9 2017)
• Sold by: Macmillan CA
• Language: English
• ASIN: B01M656YZP

Book Description

 Grace Adams has spent three years trying to move on--mentally, physically, emotionally--from the traumatizing events of her past. But it's not easy when the world is morbidly curious about the crimes that shaped her childhood, when despite her changed name, people still track her down for the sensational details. Now in college in Bolton, Montana, the one person Grace has trusted with the truth about her past has betrayed her. The bestselling novelist Peter Granger wants to use Grace's story in his next book, regardless of how desperate Grace is to keep the details to herself. And then, on Halloween night, Peter Granger's house burns to the ground and his and his wife's bodies are found inside.

Montana state detective Macy Greeley is sent to Bolton to handle the investigation into the fire and deaths...which soon appear to be arson and murder. It doesn't take Macy long to realize that Grace isn't the only one whom Peter Granger has betrayed, and there are no shortage of others in town who took issue with him and his wife. What at first looked like a straightforward investigation is poised to expose some of Bolton's darkest secrets, and the fallout may put more than one life in danger.


About the Author


 Karin Salvalaggio was born in West Virginia in the 1960s. Her father was career military and her mother was a homemaker. Karin has fond memories of her nomadic childhood. She’s lived in places as climatically diverse as Alaska and Florida and as culturally distinct as California and Iran. Early on, she found companionship in books. Karin attended the University of California Santa Cruz, graduating in 1989, but aside from two years in Italy, she has lived in London, England since 1994. She has an MA in Creative Writing from Birkbeck, University of London. Her short story “Walleye Junction” was published in the Mechanics Institute Review 8 in 2011. Her debut novel, a thriller entitled Bone Dust White, has received critical praise. Burnt River, the follow up in the Macy Greeley Mystery Series, was published on May 12th 2015 and Walleye Junction came out in May 2016. Silent Rain, the fourth novel in the series, will be published in May 2017.

My Review

 Silent Rain is the fourth Macy Greeley Mystery by Karin Salvalaggio. I have been really enjoying this series set in Montana.

Macy Greeley is a Montana state detective who is sent all over the state to assist with crimes. This time out she is sent to Bolton, a town that has detectives but needs extra assistance with a case involving a house fire and murders involving a famous author.

Macy comes across Grace Adams from an earlier book. It seems the famous author, Peter Granger whose body is found in his burnt out house, was planning on writing a book about Grace's past without her permission. This of course sets up Grace to be the main suspect.

The author Salvalaggio keeps the reader in suspense until the end with the novel Silent Rain's plot twists. Enjoyable read. Definitely recommend this series.

Review: A Darkness Absolute (Casey Duncan #2) by Kelley Armstrong

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 7208 KB
• Print Length: 397 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1250092175
• Publisher: Random House Canada (Feb. 7 2017)
• Sold by: Random House Canada, Incorp.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B01JEMNR2M

Book Description

The follow-up to #1 NYT bestseller Kelley Armstrong’s acclaimed City of the Lost, Rockton town detective Casey Duncan makes a terrible—and dangerous—discovery in the woods outside of town.

When experienced homicide detective Casey Duncan first moved to the secret town of Rockton, she expected a safe haven for people like her, people running from their past misdeeds and past lives. She knew living in Rockton meant living off-the-grid completely: no cell phones, no Internet, no mail, very little electricity, and no way of getting in or out without the town council’s approval. What she didn’t expect is that Rockton comes with its own set of secrets and dangers.

Now, in A Darkness Absolute, Casey and her fellow Rockton sheriff’s deputy Will chase a cabin-fevered resident into the woods, where they are stranded in a blizzard. Taking shelter in a cave, they discover a former resident who’s been held captive for over a year. When the bodies of two other women turn up, Casey and her colleagues must find out if it’s an outsider behind the killings or if the answer is more complicated than that...before another victim goes missing.

Casey Duncan returns in another heart-racing thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong.

About the Author

Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed.

Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.

My Review

 A Darkness Absolute is the second book in the Casey Duncan by Kelley Armstrong. I love this series. I read City of the Lost then immediately followed with A Darkness Absolute which takes place about four months later.

Casey is still in the isolated and secret village of Rockton in Canada's Yukon Territory. She is the town's detective and is in love with the town's sheriff. Despite being small in size, Rockton is filled with danger and misdeeds. Everyone there is only there for two to five years and many take on a much different persona than what they were in their previous lives. And the secretive and bizarre council that governs Rockton is quite menacing to me. 

I would definitely suggest reading City of the Lost first then follow with A Darkness Absolute which is a great follow up. Please keep them coming Kelley Armstrong! Great book and great series.

Highly recommend!

Review: City of the Lost (Casey Duncan #1) by Kelley Armstrong

• File Size: 3281 KB
• Print Length: 482 pages
• Publisher: Random House Canada (January 12, 2016)
• Publication Date: January 12, 2016
• Sold by: Random House LLC
• Language: English
• ASIN: B015VA8OAG

Book Description

Casey Duncan is a homicide detective with a secret: when she was in college, she killed a man. She was never caught, but he was the grandson of a mobster and she knows that someday this crime will catch up to her. Casey's best friend, Diana, is on the run from a violent, abusive ex-husband. When Diana's husband finds her, and Casey herself is attacked shortly after, Casey knows it's time for the two of them to disappear again.

Diana has heard of a town made for people like her, a town that takes in people on the run who want to shed their old lives. You must apply to live in Rockton and if you're accepted, it means walking away entirely from your old life, and living off the grid in the wilds of Canada: no cell phones, no Internet, no mail, no computers, very little electricity, and no way of getting in or out without the town council's approval. As a murderer, Casey isn't a good candidate, but she has something they want: She's a homicide detective, and Rockton has just had its first real murder. She and Diana are in. However, soon after arriving, Casey realizes that the identity of a murderer isn't the only secret Rockton is hiding—in fact, she starts to wonder if she and Diana might be in even more danger in Rockton than they were in their old lives.

************** 


"One of the best new series debuts this year! With its compelling characters and completely original set up, "Omens "delivers a powerful combination of suspenseful thrills and supernatural chills. I can't wait to read more!"-Lisa Gardner

"Through a series of surprises and sleights of hand, [this book] had me conspiring for ways to get back to the gripping story, the colorfully bizarre cast of characters, and the clever, strong, smart heroine at its center."-Lisa Unger on "Omens"

"Fast-paced and mysterious."-"USA Today" on "Visions"

"[A] locked room mystery on steroids; readers should prepare for an all-nighter to finish it." "Booklist"

"Excellent first in a new thriller series... A highly unusual set-up sets the stage for a distinctive cast of characters and a page-turning plot." "Publishers Weekly "(starred review)


About the Author

Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed.

Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.

My Review

City of the Lost is the first book in the Casey Duncan series by Kelley Armstrong. This is the first book that I have read of Armstrong's.

 City of the Lost is the first mystery thriller by author Kelley Armstrong. She has had great success with urban fantasy novels. I think City of the Lost is a fabulous mystery thriller. I was fascinated by the story and the writing style is easy to follow. There were plenty of twists in the tale. The characters are all interesting and complex. The setting of the middle of the bush in the Yukon is mesmerizing. I live in BC near the bush and the bush is full of wonders and terrors!


I loved City of the Lost and cannot wait to read the second book in the series, A Darkness Absolute. Highly recommend.

Review: Until Tomorrow (Boot Creek #3) by Nancy Naigle

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 2764 KB
• Print Length: 274 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1477848606
• Publisher: Montlake Romance (May 2 2017)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
• Language: English
• ASIN: B01N8UF99G

Book Description


After yet another heartbreak, Flynn Crane is pretty much done with dating. She’s not even sure she can keep her grandparents’ struggling bed-and-breakfast afloat. But just as she’s about to give up on both her business and her dream of settling down in Boot Creek, Ford Morton walks back into her life.
Even from thousands of miles away, Ford never forgot the spark that ignited when he first met Flynn. Now a monthlong artists’ residency near Boot Creek gives him the perfect opportunity to find out just how intense the fire between them can get.

Neither of them expected just how that little spark would turn into heated passion. With Ford’s return to Alaska looming near, Flynn is torn between her life in Boot Creek and a chance to move to the wilderness for love. Can Ford and Flynn find a way to share tomorrow together—before they both lose their hearts in Boot Creek?



About the Author

 USA TODAY Bestselling author, Nancy Naigle, writes love stories from the crossroad of small town and suspense.

With a career spent on the cutting edge of technology in the banking industry, she never let go of her dream to write. Now she works full-time writing stories that are a calming blend of community, family, and the simple things in life. She writes the kind of stories she hopes will provide an escape from the hectic day-to-day in the make believe worlds she creates.

Look for Nancy's titles in the Adams Grove series.
Sweet Tea and Secrets
Out of Focus
Wedding Cake and Big Mistakes
Pecan Pie and Deadly Lies
Mint Juleps and Justice
Barbecue and Bad News
~coming in 2016 Porch Swings and Promises

Nancy also has co-written books with:
Phyllis C. Johnson ~ inkBLOT
Kelsey Browning ~ The Granny Series
Book 1- In For A Penny
Book 2 - Fit To Be Tied
Book 3 - In High Cotton
Book 4 - Under The Gun

Coming August 30th, don't miss the second book set in Boot Creek, EVERY YESTERDAY. (The followup book to Life After Perfect.)

Also, this October, look for Christmas Joy. A heartwarming Christmas novel.

Aside from writing she enjoys hunting for treasures in junk and antique shoppes, and getting crafty no matter what the medium from painting and digitizing embroidery designs, to weaving pine needle baskets.

A Virginia native, and spending most of her life in the Tidewater area, she now calls North Carolina home.

My Review

 Until Tomorrow is the third book in the Boot Creek series by author Nancy Naigle. I read the first two books in the series and enjoyed both of them.

Until Tomorrow is set in Boot Creek, North Carolina but also in a small town in Alaska...think Skagway or Juneau. Flynn lives in Boot Creek and owns the local B&B. Ford is a glassblower who lives in Alaska. They had met at their friend's wedding the year before. Now Ford is in town for a month to teach at a glassblowing workshop. Both have deep roots in the community they live in so the biggest hurdle to their relationship is geography.

As always Nancy Naigle writes a well written and clean romance. Her novels are always a pleasure to read. I particularly enjoyed the Alaska scenes in the book.

Highly recommend Until Tomorrow.