Books Read - November 2019

Bevill, C.L.

• Dragon Moon ****

Fiction.  Sixth in the Cat Clan novella series.  A dragon shifter princess falls in love with a bear shifter, but when he disappears, her mother arranges for her to marry a wealthy French dragon shifter.  When her love returns, he must fight to stop the wedding.

Brackston, Paula

• The Little Shop of Found Things ****

Fiction. First in the Found Things time travel series.  Xanthe and her mother have bought an antique shop in Marlborough.  Xanthe is skilled in psychometry, and when an old chatelaine she bought at auction sings to her, she’s swept back in time to solve a mystery.

Dacus, Rachael

• The Invisibles ****

Fiction.  Tale of two estranged half-sisters who reunite in Italy upon their father’s death.  They’ve inherited his home and a mystery to solve, but they each are searching for a way to bring a closeness back into their relationship.

French, Tana

• In the Woods *****

Fiction.  First in the Dublin Murder Squad mystery series.  Detective Rob Ryan gets handed a case of a dead girl who is found on the estate he grew up on.  It brings back memories of his time spent there with his two best friends, both of whom disappeared one day never to return.  Wanting to stay on the case, he fails to tell his boss that he was that little boy, the only survivor, from back then.  But his partner Cassie knows.

Hambling, Michael

• Silent Crimes ***

Fiction.  Police mystery of two murders surrounding an old commune.

Hamilton, M.L.

• Americano ****

Fiction.  Fifth in the Zion Sawyer cozy mystery series.  A man is found dead in the freezer at the Indian casino, and Tate is chosen to lead the investigation to find the killer.  Logan is nervous about his 18th birthday, not knowing what will happen to him once he’s out of the foster care program.  Zion and Tate are ready to move on to the next step in their relationship.

• Caffe Macchiato ****

Fiction.  Fourth in the Zion Sawyer cozy mystery series.  Logan’s long lost father comes back into his life claiming to wants to get to know his son, but when he is found dead, Logan becomes the prime suspect in his murder.

• Espresso ****

Fiction.  Third in the Zion Sawyer cozy mystery series.  A fellow LAPD cop arrives in Sequoia to visit Tate, but trouble follows him in the form of several gangbangers, and Tate has to face the darkness surrounding his partner’s death all over again.  Rebekah moves in with Zion bemoaning her most recent breakup but decides to stay in town and open her own business.

• February ****

Fiction.  Second in the A Year of Discovery series.  Destiny is raising her child alone after her husband was killed, and she’s afraid to trust in her dream to become a singer.  It takes another soldier who lost his legs to convince her to try.

• Swift as a Shadow ****

Fiction.  First in the Avery Nolan adventure series set in Tahoe.  Avery, a newly-divorced school teacher moves into a cabin in the woods left to her by her grandmother and begins a job teaching first graders at the small local school. One of her students is unusual, and at first she believes him to be challenged.  His handsome father, however, intrigues her.  He too is very different from anyone she’s met before.  When she discovers a set of standing stones in a clearing in the woods, her adventure is just beginning.

Maher, Tegan

• Curses and Candy Canes ****

Fiction.  Anthology of paranormal cozy mysteries.

May, W.J.

• Christmas Before the Magic ****

Fiction.  First in the prequels to the Chronicles of Kerrigan series.  Simon Kerrigan arrives at Guilder and receives his tatu, a very rare one depicting a warlock.  On Christmas break, he meets Argyle’s sister, Beth, and promptly falls in love, much to the anger of her father.

• Into the Darkness ****

Fiction.  Second in the prequels to the Chronicles of Kerrigan series.  Simon is back at school and still trying to decipher his tatu.  He begins training with Jason, and is warring with Tristan, the golden boy of the campus.

• Question the Darkness ****

Fiction.  Third in the prequels to the Chronicles of Kerrigan series.  Simon is starting to gather other students who feel as he does, even though this might cost him friendships and the trust of his mentor.

McGuire, Shawn

• Kept Secrets *****

Fiction.  Second in the Whispering Pines mystery series.  A circus performer dies, and Jayne is determined that an investigation is required, but the new sheriff in town is unequipped to do the job, and Jayne decides to do some investigating on her own.

• Family Secrets *****

Fiction.  First in the Whispering Pines witchy cozy mystery series.  Jayne returns to Whispering Pines to close up her grandmother’s house, but as soon as she arrives, she finds a dead body on the property, followed by the ransacked house.  She hadn’t been a cop for six months, but when the Sheriff proposes she work for him part-time while she works on the house, she takes the job, not knowing that he was trying to keep her from solving the crimes.

Novik, Naomi

• Spinning Silver ****

Fiction.  Tales of silver turned into gold as a group of intrepid folk work to rid themselves of evil and take back their land.

White, Karen

• The House on Tradd Street  *****

Fiction. First in the Tradd Street paranormal mystery series.  Melanie suddenly inherits an old house from a man she met just the day earlier, and as she proceeds with the renovation, ghosts of the old families return to bet her to solve the mystery surrounding the house.

Wood, Mae

• Genealogy ****

Fiction.  Based on a true story.  Elliot meets Alice on a train bound to Seattle.  After five whirlwind days together, he sets off back home to the Philippine Islands where he works with his uncle.  Alice is settled in Seattle with a teaching job.  Elliott plans to return to her within two years so they can be married.  His love letters to her are found a century later by Alice’s great-granddaughter, Ali.  As Ali reads Elliot’s letters, she pieces together a love story long past.