Books Read - July 2017

Ambrose, Terry

Tough Choices ****

Fiction.  Lei Kindle Worlds book.  Marty Fitch wants to put the bad guys on his video blog, but he gets caught up in a drug deal caper that goes wrong, and the next thing he knows, he’s running for his life.

Arden, Zoe

Witch Cake Murders ***

Fiction.  First in the Sweetland paranormal cozy mystery series.  Ava and her father have been living in New York, and she has been blissfully unaware of who, or what, she really is.  When two women appear and tell her  they’re her aunts and want to take her home, she doesn’t know what to think.  But she goes along with them and finds a whole new world.

Ashford, Lindsay Jayne

The Woman on the Orient Express *****

Fiction.  Agatha Christie has just divorced her husband, and she travels on the Orient Express to Baghdad in an effort to get away from the publicity for awhile.  On the train she meets two women, both of whom also have their secrets.  The three women get to know each other, creating a tie that binds them forever together.

Atreya, Rasana

Valley Isle Secrets ***

Fiction.  Wayne Texeira stumbles over a dead body while out on a  hike, and Barreira, Pono’s  partner, accuses Wayne of murder, though there is no evidence.  When Wayne finds out that a number of grown children from Ailani’s Children’s Home have died, he believes them all  to  be connected.  With the help of Lei, he tracks down the murderer.

Aylward, Malcolm

Dead Flow *

Fiction.  Lei Kindle Worlds book.  Gaby Texeira has just been hired  as a detective on the HPD.  A crazed man is determined to obey Pele and become a god in his own right.  But three women must give their lives for that to happen.

Baylee, Eden

Charade at Sea ***

Fiction.  Lei Kindle Worlds book.  Lainie is on a Hawaiian cruise with Max when she meets Clara, a new bride with a husband twenty years her junior.  When his stories about himself prove suspicious, Lainie and Max worry that he’s up to no good.

Seal of a Monk ***

Fiction.  Lei Kindle Worlds book.  Lainie is on Kaua’i at a meditation retreat, where one of the other participants is her best friend’s daughter, who goes missing a few days into the retreat.  With the help of an ex-SEAL, Lainie goes looking for her.

A Snake in Paradise ***

Fiction.  Lei Kindle Worlds  book.  Lainie is newly divorced and is celebrating her new life by vacationing on the Big Island.  She meets Julian, a younger man who seems too good to be true.  And he is.

Blackwell, Juliet

A Ghostly Light *****

Fiction.  Seventh book in the Haunted Home Renovation paranormal cozy mystery series set in San Francisco.  Mel Turner runs her own construction company, and she’s been hired to work on a lighthouse on a small island off the coast.  When a homicidal ex-husband chases down his former wife, the woman Mel is working with, a ghostly interference might take over.

Bury, Scott

Dead Man Lying *****

Fiction.  Lei Kindle Worlds book.  Vanessa Storm is called out to investigate the death of a famous musician on his estate near Hana.  Lei is there assisting, and as they’re checking the heiau the man seems to have fallen from, a shot rings out and comes close to hitting Vanessa.  A tropical storm brews, trapping everybody on the estate, and Vanessa and Lei end up with more bodies on their hands.

Palm Trees and Snowflakes ***

Fiction.  Lei Kindle Worlds book.  Vanessa Storm works a case of drugs being imported from Asia to the U.S. and reconnects with her old boyfriend.

Torn Roots ****

Fiction.  Lei Kindle Worlds book.  A development company is building a wharf and a subdivision of mansions along the Hana coast, but a group of environmentalists is protesting the development.  Vanessa Storm is alerted to the presence of a rogue Homeland Security officer and has to catch him before someone dies.

Caine, Rachel

Stillhouse Lake ****

Fiction.  Gwen Proctor and her kids are on the run.  Not that the law is after them, but other people are.  After changing locations and names  eight times, Gwen is tired of running and finally starting to feel as if the cabin at Stillhouse Lake could be their home.  But her ex-husband Mel still wants her.  Dead.  Being in prison isn’t stopping him, and Gwen suddenly realizes her family is still in danger, and the danger is even closer than she imagined.

Cassidy, Dakota

Witch Slapped ****

Fiction.  First book in the Witchless in Seattle paranormal cozy mystery series.  Stevie Cartwright has lost her witchy powers and was kicked out of her coven in Texas.  She returns to the only other home she’s ever known, Ebenezer Falls, Washington, with her familiar Belfry in her purse.  He’s a bat.  Running low on funds and not being able to find a job, Stevie is getting desperate when a windfall lands in her lap.  A ghost, Crispin Alaistar Winterbottom, needs her help in solving a murder, but Stevie ends up being the prime suspect.

Crosby, Bette Lee

Esther’s Gift *****

Fiction.  Lei Kindle Worlds book.  Esther Ka’awai is a special woman.  Known by all to be a Kahu Kupuna, knowledgeable in Hawaiian lore and healing.  When John introduces her to his grandson, the Knowing tells her he is a very sick young boy and is in need of medical help.

Doyle, M.L.

Hidden Poppies ****

Fiction.  Lei Kindle Worlds book.  Marcella Scott is partnered up with Ken Yamada for a kidnapping case.  A young girl has disappeared, and a kidnap  message has just been received.

Galenorn, Yasmine

Maudlin’s Mayhem *****

Fiction.  Second in the Bewitching Bedlam urban fantasy series.  Maddy is hit with a Dirt Witch’s hex, and bad things begin happening at the B&B.  She has to find the witch and find a way to break the hex before someone gets hurt.

Garrett, Danielle

Along Came a Ghost ****

Fiction.  Fifth in the Beechwood Harbor paranormal cozy mystery series and first in the Beechwood Harbor Ghost Mysteries.  A ghost named Lenny appears to Holly while she’s working in her greenhouse, and he mentions Earl, Posy’s husband.  She’s been waiting over 100 years for him.  Holly asks Scarlet, the local florist and ghost whisperer, to help find Earl and bring him back to the manor where he is reunited with Posy.

Murder’s a Witch ****

Fiction.  First in the Beechwood Harbor paranormal cozy mystery series.  Holly Boldt is a witch living in Beechwood Manor along with a shifter, a vampire, a ghost, and a mysterious tenant nobody knows anything about.  She works as a barista at a local coffeehouse and is shocked one day when she arrives at work to discover her boss lying dead in the alley.  When her best friend becomes the prime suspect, Holly does whatever she can to find the real murderer.

Twice the Witch ****

Fiction.  Second in the Beechwood Harbor paranormal cozy mystery series.  A new witch, Evangeline, has come to live in the manor, and Holly fears she’s after Adam.  At work, Paisley is upset that her cousin is missing, and her aunt hires Nick to find the girl.  Unfortunately Holly finds her first.  At least she finds her ghost.

Witch Slapped *****

Fiction.  Third in the Beechwood Harbor paranormal cozy mystery series.  The vampires are in town, and when Nick gets caught up with them working on a case, Holly has to come to his rescue while at the same time keeping him blind to the supernatural life.  Harvey comes to stay at the manor, and he catches Holly making illegal potions and hauls her off to jail.  Again.

Witch Way Home *****

Fiction.  Fourth in the Beechwood Harbor paranormal cozy mystery series.  Holly has to go  to court to beg for her potion master’s decree, but it doesn’t look like she’ll win when Harvey disappears in the middle of the hearing.

Gilbert, Julie C.

Never Again **

Fiction.  Lei Kindle Worlds book.  Alana’s best friend is Michael Stevens, and her boyfriend is  jealous of her relationship with Mikey.  But that doesn’t stop her boyfriend from cheating on her with another woman, and when Alana finds them together, she breaks up with the man.  He retaliates by planning to murder Michael.

Grafton, Sue

Writing Mysteries *****

Non-fiction.  Collection of essays by members of the Mystery Writers of America on the craft of writing mysteries.

Hamilton, Laurell K

A Shiver of Light *****

Fiction.  Ninth in the Merry Gentry urban fantasy series.  Merry, a faerie princess living in Los Angeles, has just given birth to the first sidhe triplets to be born in hundreds of years, and her uncle Taranis is claiming one of the children as his own.  He wants Merry as his queen, but she refuses his advances, and her lovers want him dead because of the rape.  His anger is such that he sends sidhe assassins after one of her lovers, who is killed in her arms.

Hamilton, Lyn

The Etruscan Chimera *****

Fiction.  Sixth in the Lara McClintoch mystery series.  Lara is in Italy, hired by a reclusive billionaire to buy an Etruscan hydria from another collector in Paris.  When the collector ends up dead, and the hydria goes missing, Lara figures her job is over.  But when the hydria appears in her car, she panics and drives it over the border back into Italy.

The Thai Amulet *****

Fiction.  Seventh in the Lara McClintoch mystery series.  Lara is in Thailand on a buying trip.  She was asked by a woman to find her ex-husband, who lives in Thailand but has gone missing.  Lara meets up with Jennifer and her Thai boyfriend and is invited to stay with his very wealthy family.  While tracking down the missing man, Lara discovers that Jennifer’s boyfriend’s family is involved, and whatever she finds will affect Jennifer.

Herbert, A.L.

Murder with Fried Chicken and Waffles ****

Fiction.  First in the Mahalia Watkins cozy mystery series set in Washington, D.C.  Halia owns Sweet Tea, a soul food restaurant, but when she finds her business partner dead in her kitchen, the victim of murder, she panics and convinces her cousin to help her move his body out into the alley behind the restaurant.  When his body disappears and her cousin becomes the prime suspect, she is determined to solve the mystery.

Murder with Macaroni and Cheese ***

Fiction.  Second in the Mahalia Watkins cozy  mystery series.  Mahalia is contacted by an old classmate to cater a reunion.  The woman, Raynell Rollins, was extremely popular in high school, but she was also an incredible bully, and Halia doesn’t have fond memories of her.  When she finds Raynell dead on the bathroom floor, Halia tries to figure out which of their acquaintances could be the culprit.

Hoffman, Alice

Blackbird House *****

Fiction.  Collection of short stories centered around a farm on the Cape in Massachusetts.  For over 200 years people have lived and died here.  These are their stories.

Green Angel *****

Fiction.  First book of Green.  Green lost her family on the day of the fire.  She was left with ashes, and that’s how she wanted it.  Time passed, and she slowly grew back into herself, and she knew her family was there still with her.

Green Witch *****

Fiction.  Second  book of Green.  Green is in search of the future.  She finds the present.

Faithful *****

Fiction.  Shelby struggles with the memory and guilt of a car accident that left her best friend  in a coma, and at first she takes it out on herself.  Ben is also a lost soul, but he falls in love with Shelby, and they move to New York together.  Shelby feels she is unworthy of Ben’s love and sabotages herself in an effort to lose Ben.  But as she lives her mundane life, we see another side  to Shelby as she slowly works her way to acceptance of what went before.

The Marriage of Opposites *****

Fiction.  Rachel Petit Pizzarro was born and raised  in St. Thomas.  She was a strong woman who went against her religion and community in marrying the man of her dreams, and she ran her family with an iron fist though based in love.  When her son, Camille, wanted to live his life as an artist, she fought against him but finally gave in, and he became one of the founders of 

Impressionism.

Nightbird *****

Fiction.  Twig and her family  live on a farm in Sidwell, Massachusetts.  They’re in hiding.  People know they’re there, but they want no contact with anyone else.  But when Twig meets the family who live down the road, she befriends Julia, who is her  own age, and that one act leads  to the entire town discovering the Fowler secret.

The Probable Future ****

Fiction.  Stella comes from a long line of Sparrow women, each of whom receives a special talent on her thirteenth birthday.  Stella’s is that she can see people’s deaths.  Her vision lands her father in jail when she foresees a woman’s murder and insists that her father tell the police.

Property Of ****

Fiction.  She wants McKay.  No matter what it costs  her, she want him.  The President of the Orphans.  She competes against the gang, and against the Dolphin, and against the drugs.  She survives.

Howey, Hugh

Casting Off *****

Fiction.  Third in the Wool dystopian series.  Although Juliette at first refuses to take the sheriff’s job, she eventually relents and agrees, hoping to do more good up top than she can down deep.  But her curiosity makes her a target, and she doesn’t last long at her job.

Proper Gauge *****

Fiction.  Second in the Wool dystopian series.  A new sheriff is needed, and the mayor’s choice is a woman from deep down working in Mechanics named Juliette.  But the powerful head of IT has promised the job to someone else, and when he doesn’t get his way, he gets rid of those in his way.

The Stranded *****

Fiction.  Fifth in the Wool dystopian series.  Fighting continues in Silo 18, but as Juliette finds her way to Silo 17, she feels as if someone is watching her.

The Unravelling *****

Fiction.  Fourth in the Wool dystopian series.  Juliette has been sentenced to the cleaning, and her friends in Mechanics are feeling her loss, knowing that the sentence is undeserved.  They begin a new rebellion that shakes the entire silo.

Wool *****

Fiction.  First in the Wool dystopian series.  Thousands of people are living in a concrete silo sunken deep into the earth.  A winding staircase is how they travel from one level to another, and there are 148 levels in total.  Life seems good, but there are some things you cannot speak about.  It’s not even safe  to wonder about them.  If you do, bad things will happen.

Kimelman, Emily

Warrior Dog *****

Fiction.  Kindle Worlds book.  Keiki, the Rottweiler, loves her masters and takes her job as protector very seriously, but when a man arrives and starts a fire under their house, Keiki feels as if she’s failed her masters.

Llewellyn, A.J.

Bullets and Birthday Lu’aus ****

Fiction.  Kindle Worlds book.  A baby is up for adoption, but the mother keeps telling lies.  Abe and Lei are trying to figure out what’s going on and how they can keep the baby safe.

Coffee and Kukui Nuts ****

Fiction.  Kindle Worlds book.  Abe Torufu is on O’ahu to help his sister taste test cakes for her wedding.  While at the bakery, he spies a man putting a bomb into a woman’s car.  The killer then comes after Abe while he’s under protection by Tony, a detective with the HPD.

Hula Pie and Coconut Bras ****

Fiction.  Kindle Worlds book.  Abe and Lei are on O’ahu to take a training course, and while there they get a case of a woman who was found strangled.  While out with his sister, they buy a starving dog from a homeless couple, but when he sees the couple selling another dog the next day, he becomes suspicious.  They’re somehow tied to the dead woman.

Ti Leaves and Moon Cakes ****

Fiction.  Kindle Worlds book.  Abe’s sister is getting married, but when Abe sees a familiar young boy in a photo taken at the wedding site, he and Tony tie him to a missing-child case on the Mainland.

Mahkovec, Linda

The Garden House ****

Fiction.  Miranda’s children have grown and gone, and she’s struggling with trying to figure out what to do with all her time.  Her husband is very supportive, except when it comes to the strange dreams she’s been having.  Their new tenant living in the garden house is secretive, and Miranda is worried that her dreams are tied to him.

McNeal, Laura

The Practice House *****

Fiction.  Aldine leaves Scotland to move to America.  After spending some time with her sister in New York, she accepts a job as a teacher in Kansas.  She boards with a local farm family but soon finds herself falling in love with the husband.  And he with her.  When the family moves to California, Aldine takes work as a waitress at a Harvey House.  She spends her days daydreaming of Ansel but expects to never see him again.

Neal, Toby *****

Fiction.  Sixth in the Scorch series.  Lucy is in love with Roan, but he keeps pushing her away.  When she is kidnapped by Kane, Roan rushes out to recover her on his own without waiting for the Luciano men.  When he fails, he realizes that his effort put Lucy into even more danger and is determined that once she is safe, he’ll leave forever.

Nolfi, Christine

The Shell Keeper ***

Fiction.  First in the Lei Texeira Magic series.  Lei in on vacation in South Carolina before she begins her job as a police officer in Hilo.  Pixie, the B&B’s hostess, tells Lei she’ll meet a woman on the beach at night.  Mystified, Lei does in fact meet with a strange woman, who seems to have psychic skills.

The Shell Seeker ****

Fiction.  Second in the Lei Texeira Magic series.  Lei is waiting to join the Hilo PD, but on vacation in South Carolina, a new friend asks for her help in solving a robbery.  An expensive Pirate Necklace has gone missing, and Lei needs to find it before her vacation is up.

O’Flynn, Corinne

Half-Moon Girls ****

Fiction.  Lei is called out on a case of a murdered woman who has a half-moon brand on her ankle.  When she finds out the woman was with a missing friend, Lei is doubly invested in solving the case and hopefully finding her friend.

Tell the Truth *****

Fiction.  Lei is waiting to testify in the trial for the man responsible for her kidnapping the year before.  She learns  that a prison guard has attempted to kill him in prison and realizes the Oasis Group wants to silence all the witnesses to the crimes, and they’re coming after Lei and Alicia.

Oakley, J.L.

The Christmas Well ***

Fiction.  Short story about a community coming together around a well at Christmas.

Coconut Island *****

Fiction.  In 1946 at tsunami wiped out much of Hilo, and Wendy Watanabe’s grandfather’s family was split in two with the deaths of his siblings.  Wendy’s Auntie Bee remembers vividly her experiences, and after some bones were found and determined to have been a family friend, she begins to remember darker secrets of murder.

Saddle Road *****

Fiction.  A vet has been murdered, and it’s up to Lei, Michael, and Pono to find the murderer.  Their journey takes them to the Big Island, where Michael and Pono end up being stalked by the killer and stranded in the fog.

Volcano House *****

Fiction.  Auntie Bee is getting ready to celebrate her 80th birthday, when someone leaves a box in the back of her car.  When she unpacks it at home, she finds a haversack filled with old magazines and papers left by Robert Louis Stevenson who had written a story during his stay on the Big Island.  But someone is after those papers, and when they’re tied to an old murder case, her niece, Wendy, gets involved with saving her aunt.

Books Read - June 2017

Archer, Connie

A Clue in the Stew ****

Fiction.  Fifth book in the Soup Lover’s cozy mystery series set in Snowflake, Vermont.  Lucky hires a new waitress on a temporary basis, who starts cozying up to Lucky’s grandfather, Jack.  The soup shop is hosting an evening with a famous mystery writer, but when the author is found strangled, Lucky and her friends begin investigating.

Ash, Maureen

Sins of Inheritance *****

Fiction.  Ninth in the Templar Knight historical mystery series.  An emissary from Italy arrives with the news that Gianni is the son of an Italian nobleman, and he wants to take the boy back to Italy to his family.  Gianni doesn’t believe this is true and tells the castellan that he doesn’t want to go.  Meanwhile a draper has been murdered, and Nicholaa sends Miles and Gianni to discover who the murderer is.  When Gianni is kidnapped, Bascot de Marins chases his abductor, hoping to catch him before the boy is taken out to sea.

Ashley, Jennifer

Bodyguard *****

Fiction.  Fourth in the Shifters Unbound series.  Elizabeth is being held up by a gunman in her novelty shop, when a huge Kodiak bear brushes past her to attack the man.  Ronan sees the woman in danger and reacts naturally, taking down the robber while suffering a bullet wound to his arm.  Their fates intertwine, and he becomes her Bodyguard.

Primal Bonds *****

Fiction.  Third in the Shifters Unbound urban fantasy series.  Sean and Andrea are dealing with their growing feelings for each other.  Sean is determined to let Andrea have the time and space she needs to decide whether she will go through with the mate blessing or reject his mate-claim.  Tension grows in Shiftertown when humans shoot up the bar, and they soon hear of another attack against shifters.  The can’t retaliate against humans, but when they learn that a group of shifters has hired the humans, Liam and Sean go after them.  Andrea is having nightmares that someone is calling to her, and they terrify her.  Sean wants to help but doesn’t know what to do.

Bassett, JoAnn

Hilo, Goodbye *****

Fiction.  Final book in the Islands of Aloha cozy mystery series.  Pali is hired to work on a reality show.  The star and her fiancé want to get married on the Big Island, but they’re being plagued by paparazzi.  The bridezilla flaked out on their previous wedding, but the groom is willing to give her another chance.  When she’s found dead in the park, he asks Pali to look into it.  Hatch has shown up to tell Pali he’s getting married, and she’s sad but relieved.

I’m Kona Love You Forever ****

Fiction.  Sixth in the Islands of Aloha series.  Pali is hired by two teenagers to plan their wedding, but when the girl’s birth certificate comes back as false, Pali travels to the Big Island to sort out the problem.

Kaua’i Me a River ****

Fiction.  Fourth in the Islands of Aloha cozy mystery series.  Pali Moon is a wedding planner living on Mau’i.  Her father had disappeared when she was a baby, and her mother died in her twenties, so Pali was raised by her Auntie Mana.  When she receives a letter from a lawyer on Kaua’i, she believes it has something to do with her mother but is shocked to find out that her father has left her something in his will.  When Pali begins researching her mother’s death, she unlocks secrets many wish she would forget.

Lana’i of the Tiger ****

Fiction.  Third in the Islands of Aloha cozy mystery series.  Pali is being held in the Witness Protection Program on Lana’i.  Bored, she gets a job working at a B&B while the owners are away on O’ahu having a baby.  A famous producer is staying at the inn, and he asks her to set up a small wedding for his fiancee and him in the greenhouse.  One evening he shows up disheveled, telling Pali that his fiancee is dead, and he’s being hunted as the main suspect.  Since he was with her at the time of the murder, Pali is left in a dilemma, does she tell the police what she knows, or does she remain incognito in the WITSEC program?

Lucky Beach **

Fiction.  Second in the Escape to Mau’i series.  Monica has recently won a fortune and moved to Mau’i to escape from all the media coverage.  Bored with no work, she spends time volunteering at a food bank.  When her realtor introduces her to a wealthy oil speculator, she falls for him.  He turns out to be mentally deranged and holds her captive.  But in the end she is saved and changes the focus of her life from spending money to caring for the poor.

- Mai Tai Lullaby ***

Fiction.  First in the Escape to Mau’i series.  Nola escapes to Mau’i after finding out her husband has been cheating on her, and she finds a ohana and a new life.

- Moloka’i Lullaby ****

Fiction.  Seventh book in the Islands of Aloha cozy mystery series.  Pali is hired by a spoiled young woman and her octogenarian fiancé to plan a wedding on Moloka’i.  The wedding is to be held at a wealthy man’s house on the beach, and when Pali goes to scope out the site, she meets Lono, the caretaker of the estate.  After the bride and groom arrive on the island, Lono is charged with the groom’s murder, and Pali is determined to solve the case.

O’ahu Lonesome Tonight? ***

Fiction.  Fifth in the Islands of Aloha cozy mystery series.  Pali is in Honolulu visiting with her brother, Jeff, who flew over from the mainland for a week.  While on O’ahu, Pali’s half-brothers Stuart and Moku invite her to tea and to get to know them.  A few days later Pali gets a phone call from Moku saying that Stuart is in the hospital with a bad bacteria infection caused by a fall into the Ala Wai Canal.  Pali has to find out whether it was an accident or murder.

Battista, Jeanette

Fox Hunt ***

Fiction.  Fifth in the Moon shapeshifter urban fantasy.  Finn travels to New Orleans to meet her parents and is feeling a case of the nerves.  But first she wants to introduce him to her sensei, Master Toshi, an ancient kitsune.  When they arrive at the dojo, they find the place in a shambles, and Toshi is not there.  Finn picks up his scent, along with a strange sulphur smell and traces it to a cemetery.

Hunter Moon *****

Fiction.  Fourth in the Moon shapeshifter urban fantasy series set in Florida.  A hunter is on the loose and looking for the ultimate trophy...weres.  He sets his sites on Kess, and it will take all of her friends to keep her safe.

Hyena Moon ****

Fiction.  Third in the Moon shapeshifter urban fantasy series.  Kess is head of the leopard clan and trying to hold onto the Miami territory against the larger hyena clan led by Samara.  Samara has left her son, Rafe, at Kess’ mansion, angering Cormac, who doesn’t trust him.  Kess keeps an open mind about the boy.  Rafe is torn between craving acknowledgment from his mother and trying to prove his worth to Kess.  When Mac’s sister, Lenore, arrives, Rafe makes his choice.

Boneham, Sheila Webster

Catwalk ***

Fiction.  Third in the Animals in Focus cozy mystery series set in Indiana.  When a friend asks for Janet’s help in finding a stray cat who has disappeared, Janet is happy to help.  Using her dog’s tracking skills, they find the cat with a litter of newborn kittens in a shed in the backyard of a nearby house.  The owner confronts them and threatens to kill the kittens, but the two women are able to save the cats.  When the house owner is later found murdered, Janet is looked at as a potential murderer.

Cahoon, Lynn

Guidebook to Murder ****

Fiction.  First in the Tourist Trap cozy mystery series.  Jill owns a coffee/book shop in a small California coastal town.  A close elderly friend of her dies, and she suspects murder.  Jill is surprised to find that her friend, Emily, has left her almost everything she owns, and Jill becomes the new owner of Emily’s house.  With all of the funeral preparations and house renovations to deal with, Jill invites her aunt to come run the store for her.  Jill is determined to find out who killed her friend, but when she begins receiving death threats of her own, she turns to the local police detective for help.

If the Shoe Kills ****

Fiction.  Third in the Tourist Trap cozy mystery series set in South Cove, California.  The town is getting ready for the holiday season, and Jill has been roped in to help the mayor’s wife with the preparations, but she’s busy dealing with some new temporary workers assigned to work in several of the businesses in town.  The man in charge of the work program is rude and obnoxious, and soon he and Jill cross paths.  After they argue, Jill finds him dead in his car, a bullet through his head.

Mission to Murder ****

Fiction.  Second in the Tourist Trap cozy mystery series.  Jill is trying to get the stone wall behind her house declared a historic site, but two men in town are opposing her.  She and one of the men have an acrimonious confrontation, and when he is found dead, Jill becomes a suspect in his murder.

Child, Lee

MatchUp *****

Fiction.  ITW anthology of female vs. male co-authoring short stories in the thriller genre.

Dobbs, Delia

The Color of a Ghost *

Fiction.  First in the Secret Coloring Book for Adults Cozy Mystery series.  Anita works for a private investigation firm in New York, but she’s in Illinois hunting a serial killer whose crimes occurred 40 years ago.  With the help of an elderly farmer, she nabs the criminal.

Dobbs, Leighann

Dead Wrong ***

Fiction.  First in the Blackmoore Sisters cozy mystery series.  The Blackmoore sisters are trying to live a peaceful life, but when the sheriff fingers Morgan as a murderer, they all band together to prove him wrong.

Ghostly Paws ****

Fiction  First in the Mystic Notch paranormal cozy mystery series set in New Hampshire.  Willa Chance is on her way to her bookstore when she spies the front door of the library open.  Since it’s much too early in the day for library hours, she crosses the street to investigate and finds the librarian dead at the bottom of the stairs.

A Mew to a Kill ****

Fiction.  Third in the Mystic Notch paranormal cozy mystery series.  Willa is on the judging panel for the upcoming art festival, but she is upset that Paisley has won a spot as an entrant.  When Paisley is killed, she comes to Willa to find out who killed her and bring her killer to justice.  With the cats’ help, Willa investigates.

Paws and Effect ***

Fiction.  Fourth in the Mystic Notch series.  The cats have taken over as Pandora leads the others on a quest to find a vial filled with a powerful elixir.  The evil forces in town seek to use its powers to take over, and poor Hope is in danger.  While the cats try to get their humans to understand, Pandora rushes to save Hope.

Probable Paws ****

Fiction. Fifth in the Mystic Notch series.  Willa attends the funeral of one of her grandmother’s old friends.  During the ceremony, the woman, Adelaide, appears and demands that Willa find a certain recipe book and keep it safe.  Willa remembers her own grandmother had wanted Elspeth to have that book, so Willa is determined to see that it gets to Elspeth.

A Spirited Tail ****

Fiction.  Second in the  Mystic Notch paranormal cozy  mystery series.  Willa has to appraise a collection of books at the Van Dorn mansion, but when she arrives and looks for Ophelia, who is handling the sale of the house, she finds her in the backyard lying next to a dead body.

Galenorn, Yasmine

Fury Awakened *****

Fiction.  Third in the Fury Unbound urban fantasy series.  Fury and her friends flee Seattle, as the city falls to ruins in the wake of the zombie invasion and the threat of a tsunami.  The Elder Gods have fled the peninsula, some of them heading back to Olympus and other realms, and some heading into the Wild Wood.  Hecate has another trial for Fury if she can survive it.

Hamilton, Lyn

The Celtic Riddle *****

Fiction.  Fourth in the Lara McLintoch antiques mystery series.  Lara accompanies her friend Alex  to Ireland for the reading of a will, in which Alex inherits Rose Cottage.  The family of the deceased is upset when the videotaped last words announce he has set up a treasure hunt for them to attempt.  While the family refuses to participate, Lara and her friends set out to find the treasure, but when people along the way are murdered, Lara wonders if they should continue.

The Moche Warrior *****

Fiction.  Third in the Lara McLintoch antiques and antiquities mystery series.  Lara buys a box of junk at an auction just to get back at her ex-husband, but she finds three precious items inside.  Doing her research, she realizes that they are Moche antiquities, and she suspects they were smuggled out of Peru to be sold on the black market.  When the police come after her for the murder of a man in her store, she flees  to Peru to track down the robbery ring and do what she can to destroy it and gain back her freedom.

Hoffman, Alice

Conjure ***

Fiction.  Short story about two girls who meet a mysterious man.

The Story Sisters *****

Fiction.  Three young sisters living in New York live a lifetime of tragedy, happiness, despair, and hope.

Hunter, Maddy

From Bad to Wurst ****

Fiction.  10th book in the traveling cozy mystery series.  Emily and Etienne are traveling with her parents and the Iowan seniors as well as a group of oompah musicians.  They’re slotted to play at different venues throughout Bavaria, but when one of the accordian players ends up killed in a blast, things go from bad to worst.

James, M.R.

The Mezzotint

Fiction.  Short story 

O’Connor, Carlene

Murder in an Irish Village ****

Fiction.  First in the Irish Village cozy mystery series.  Siobhån O’Sullivan and her five siblings run the local bistro.  Their parents were killed in a car accident the year before.  The man who caused the accident is in jail, but his brother, Niall, has just come back to the village.  He wants to prove that his brother Billy didn’t cause the crash.  Siobhån’s brother, James, fights with Niall, but when Niall is found dead in the back room of the bistro, James is arrested for murder.

Reed, Hannah

Off Kilter ****

Fiction.  First in the Scottish Highlands mystery series.  Eden Elliott’s best friend has gifted her with a roundtrip ticket and a two-week stay at a bed and breakfast in Glenkillen, Scotland.  Eden’s never been to Scotland before, but she’s looking forward to a nice, quiet time to writer her romance novel.  Because she befriended a woman on the plane, her peaceful vacation turns into a dangerous journey leading to a car chase on a winding road.

Vance, Jack

Suldrun’s Garden ***

Fiction.  First in the Lyonesse fantasy series.  Suldrun is a princess of Lyonesse.  When she refuses a man her father the king has chosen to be her husband, King Casmir lockes her away in a garden.  One day she finds a man near death washed ashore at the foot of the garden and nurses him back to health.  They fall in love and marry.  In time, she gives birth to their son, but King Casmir has other plans for Ailles and throws him into an oubliette.  Suldrun, bereft at the loss of her husband and child, for the babe was taken away and hidden, kills herself.  Ailles escapes the oubliette and goes in search of his son.

Books Read - May 2017

Berry, Steve

- The 14th Colony *****

Fiction.  15th book in the Cotton Malone series.  Cotton is sent to Siberia to find a man with secrets that could affect the American government.  What he finds it a lot of gunfire being aimed his way.  While it’s known that the Founding Fathers had wanted to make Canada the 14th colony, Cotton’s surprised to learn that those thoughts were reprised much more recently.

The Columbus Affair *****

Fiction.  Was Christopher Columbus a Jew?  In 1492 Columbus sailed to the New World thinking that it was Asia.  He carried three mysterious crates onboard his ship, and when the ship was damaged at Jamaica, those crates disappeared.  Tom Sagan rejected his Jewish heritage, but in trying to save his daughter’s life, he embarks on a quest that leads him back to a Jewish mystery that he alone can solve.

The Devil’s Bones ***

Fiction.  Cotton is on vacation with Cassiopeia in Brazil, when Stephanie contacts him to find a man carrying vials of a virulent poison.  He teams up with Grey Pierce to find the man and destroy the toxin.

The Lincoln Myth ****

Fiction.  13th book in the Cotton Malone series.  Stephanie contact Cotton to ask for a favor.  She need him to travel to Sweden to pick up a man and deliver him to another agent who has been delayed.  The seemingly simple assignment turns deadly, as the contact comes under fire.

The Lost Order *****

Fiction.  16th book in the Cotton Malone series.  Cotton and Cassiopeia have been hired to follow the trail of a treasure hunt that has personal interest to Cotton, as it involves his namesake forebear.  Thinking this would be a simple assignment, they’re shocked when someone starts shooting at them.

The Patriot Threat ****

Fiction.  14th book in the Cotton Malone series.  Cotton is called in as a contractor again for the Magellan Billet.  His job is to obtain some documents tied to the 16th Amendment that might prove the amendment was never legally ratified, which would send the U.S. government into a tailspin.

Shadow Tag ***

Fiction.  Steve Berry and Raymond Khoury have been kidnapped and are being forced to devise a deadly plot for their kidnapper.  He wants to kill as many people as possible.  Cotton Malone and Sean Reilly rush to save them.

Galenorn, Yasmine 

Moon Shimmers *****

Fiction.  19th book in the Otherworld urban fantasy series set in Seattle.  Camille is set to take her throne as Queen of Dusk and Twilight, but before she can, she must find the final spirit seal and claim the Keraastar Diamond.

Herr, Michael A.

The Old Queen and the Maui Maiden ***

Fiction.  Fifth in the Kohala mystery series.  Teri travels to Mau’i to reclaim the mummified body of one of Queen Ka’ahumanu’s maidens, before it is stolen and sold for cash.

The Old Queen and the King ***

Fiction.  Sixth in the Kohala mystery series.  Maile has a rendezvous with the King resulting in a  daughter.  When that daughter is grown and found murdered, Maile is determined to make the killer pay.

The Old Queen’s Guardians **

Fiction.  Fourth book in the Kohala mystery series.  A drug dealer also works as the chef at Lori’s hotel, and when she sees him attacking a man with a cleaver, she runs for her life.

Neal, Toby

Burnt Road *****

Fiction.  Fourth in the Scorch apocalyptic series.  Dante is autistic and not used to dealing with much external stimuli.  But when he promises to ferry Melody to JT’s compound in Idaho, he finds himself opening up to her.  She has spent many years trying to overcome the horror of being raped and has no plans of entering into a serious relationship.  Their journey throws them together in ways that neither is prepared for, but slowly their mutual walls are coming down.

Cinder Road *****

Fiction.  Second in the Scorch series.  Avital’s husband Nando has just died from the flu, and his identical twin, Dolf, is at her side to care for her.  Her work at the hospital keeps her busy during the day, but she dreads going home to the house she shared with her husband and is now sharing with her brother-in-law.  When Dolf makes the decision to take Avi to Idaho to meet up with the rest of the family, they have a long journey to make.  Along the way, love blossoms..  

Flame Road ****

Fiction.  Fifth book in the Scorch series.  A woman alone and scared has no memory of who she is.  Lost in the wilderness, she stops at a stream to drink.  A low growl startles her, and she looks up to see a large wolf stalking her.  Just as it attacks, an equally large dog bursts out of the trees to save her.  When she turns to run, she crashes into a man’s arms that tighten around her.  Csh has no idea who she is, but he knows a woman in trouble when he sees her.

Island Fire *****

Fiction.  First in the YA dystopian series set in Hawai’i after an event has knocked out all technology.  Three Hawaiian youths and a haole teenager from a downed plane survive together on Lana’i, before they rebuild a catamaran and sale to Moloka’i.

Scorch Road ****

Fiction.  First in the Scorch romantic thriller series.  Elizabeth is a scientist working on the West Coast, when a devastating virus breaks out across the country.  She flies toward Washington, D.C. with a canister of vials of a vaccine that might cure the virus, but when her plane goes down in a potato field in Idaho. a reluctant JT comes to her aid.

Smoke Road *****

Fiction.  Third in the Scorch romantic thriller series.  Luca Luciano is an ex-Special Forces soldier currently with the Texas National Guard  after suffering a shrapnel injury that forced him out of the Army.  He and his crew are assigned to assist Dr. Nani Kagawa in locating the leader of the skinhead group responsible for creating and dispersing the deadly virus.  Luca is tough and doesn’t trust women, but Nani is just as tough and doesn’t trust men.  But they find themselves thrown together when the rest of their crew dies of the flue.  Luca and Nani are determined to continue with their mission.

Somewhere on Maui ***

Fiction.  Zoe moves to Mau’i to become a freelance journalist.  She’s also trying to get over her divorce.  Adam has also recently been divorced and is missing his step-children.  Zoe plots an article on Internet dating, and she and Adam find each other on the site.

Wired In *****

Fiction.  First in the Paradise Crime series starring Sophie Ang, tech agent for the FBI.  Sophie is finally letting her feelings known to her mentor and MMA coach, Alika.  She is investigating Security Solutions for possibly connections to a kidnapping she helped solve, and is confronted by a man known only as The Ghost, who comes to her aid, though she has promised to hunt him down.

Wired Hard ****

Fiction.  Third in the Paradise Crime series starring Sophie Ang, security specialist with Security Solutions.  She’s providing security for an archaeological dig at the site of King Kamehameha II’s one-time residence.  When the dig site is looted, she must bring the culprit to justice.

Wired Rogue *****

Fiction.  Second in the Paradise Crime series.  Sophie has quit the FBI and joined Security Solutions, where her new partner, Jake Dunn, keeps her on her toes.  Their new case is to rescue two children from a cult living in the Waipio Valley, and Sophie is up for the challenge.

Robinson, Steve

Dying Games *****

Fiction.  Sixth in the genealogy mystery series starring Jefferson Tayte, an American genealogist.  While Jean is off to a seminar in Scotland, Tayte has been called back to the States to help the FBI assist on a case.  A mysterious game with a genealogical bent is afoot, and Tayte must solve each puzzle to prevent murders.

Kindred *****

Fiction.  Fifth in the genealogy mystery series.  Tayte is finally on the search for his own family tree.  He’s desperate to learn who his parents are, and his search leads him to Munich, Germany and into the past of WWII.

The Last Queen of England ****

Fiction.  Third in the genealogy mystery series.  Tayte is once again in England, this time attending a genealogical seminar and visiting with his old friend and mentor, Marcus.  Marcus is close-mouthed when it comes to telling what case he’s working on, but Tayte is determined to finish it after he witnesses his friend’s murder.

The Lost Empress *****

Fiction.  Fourth in the genealogy mystery series.  Tayte is off to England again for another case.  He’s trying to prove that his client’s grandmother left her former life behind in England and faked her own death at sea.  When someone tries to run him off the road, he suspects that the search he’s on could prove to be dangerous.