The “City Spies” series showcases James Ponti’s impressive writing style, and the latest entry in the series, “City of the Dead,” is no exception. Ponti jumps in with fast-paced action almost immediately. After a brief foray into the past, when the most famous tomb, that of the boy king, Tutankhamen, was found by a 12-year-old Egyptian boy, we jump into the present day as a group of kids is attempting to break into the British Museum.
Continue reading
Dean Koontz is a complex writer, so his books are complex as well, featuring the best of humanity as well as the worst. In “House at the End of the World,” Koontz continues his much repeated theme about a valiant individual fighting against the government and/or a science experiment gone wrong. Here we meet a woman, Katie, who has retreated from society because of a horrific wrong done to her. She and her peaceful way of life on her isolated island are threatened by a mysterious entity that escaped from a government laboratory which threatens not just Katie, but the world as we know it.
Continue reading
Reading a picture book to a child—whether that child is three or thirteen—can be an important way to discuss some vital life lessons while also sharing the enjoyment of reading a good book. These picture books will accomplish just that. The stories are lovely—emotional and touching—and there are important messages in each.
Continue reading
Amy Poeppel doesn’t write thrillers or mysteries with stunning twists that surprise. Rather, as with her new release, “The Sweet Spot,” she writes about people who are like you and me. She creates people who suffer and act accordingly; people who do stupid things and regret it. In this novel, she introduces us to a woman we don’t like very much. Melinda has just been dumped by her husband of 30 years for a younger Felicity, and she’s angry. That’s actually a gross understatement. She’s furious, livid, somewhere way beyond rational thought.
Continue reading
Two recently released nonfiction picture books, “Amazing Animals Around the World” and “Amazing Insects Around the World” entranced both me and my six-year-old grandson. To be honest, I wasn’t sure of his reaction because while he does love nonfiction books about animals, even those aimed at adult readers, these books don’t have photographs but rather simple, muted illustrations of the animals and insects. It didn’t matter. Once he opened the books and saw the plethora of unusual animals (some of which I had never heard of in my rather long life), he was hooked. In fact, in the ultimate sign of approval, he didn’t want to give them back to me.
Continue reading
While the mysteries in Melinda Leigh’s “Bree Taggert” series all work as stand alone novels, those who start the series with the latest addition, “Lie to Her,” will miss out on some great backstories which are shared in the previous novels. Such readers will still enjoy the twists and turns that Bree Taggert, the female sheriff in a rural upstate New York county, must unravel in her search for a serial killer. But those who have read the previous five books will understand why Bree is living in this rural area and raising her sister’s two children. They will have met Matt, Bree’s boyfriend, and Dana, Bree’s former partner from the police force. And they will understand the backstory regarding Bree’s former fear of dogs. She has overcome that fear and now has a rescue dog of her own.
Continue reading
In “Seventeen: Last Man Standing,” author John Brownlow creates an assassin whose exploits are legendary, whose skill is apparently unsurpassed, and who explains the tricks of his trade to us as we follow his latest assignment in Berlin. It’s what happens after that job that forms the basis for the action that is so engaging and strangely touching we can’t put the book down.
Continue reading
While journalists are finding it more and more difficult to obtain employment that is financially secure, in these turbulent times, broadcasting the truth about our world and politics is perhaps even more crucial than ever. In “Killer Story,” author Matt Witten explores that subject through the eyes of Petra Kovach, a journalist who has been laid off several times and who desperately wants to keep her current job. She also is obsessed with discovering the truth about the murder of a friend, Olivia, who was killed in her Harvard dorm room after becoming a celebrated right-wing You Tuber.
Continue reading
On the cover of Maureen Johnson’s latest Stevie Bell mystery, “Nine Liars,” are the words: When everyone lies, somebody dies. This little epigram becomes important in the story, and I am embarrassed to admit that I neglected to read those important words before finishing this twisty and cleverly crafted novel. Here Stevie is called upon to solve another cold case mystery—this one not even 30 years old and cold. Johnson’s setting are always an important part of her novels, and this one is no exception. The action mostly takes place at Merryweather, a large English country home belonging to a family with a minor title. There are diagrams of the house and the grounds at the start of the story, which help in picturing the action and events.
Continue reading
In “The Widow,” Kaira Rouda uses multiple points of view as she plots a novel that, by turns, grips us and repels us. The main character, Jody Asher, is the wife of one of Ohio’s congressmen, Martin Asher. She and Martin met in law school, and while she had hoped for him to reach higher than “mere” congressman, there he’s been for over three decades. And while Jody loves being the spouse of a Member of Congress, with all the attendant functions and perks, she’s tired of his indiscretions and his complaints about her spending.
Continue reading
Many children know the feeling of not fitting in and in “The Midnighters,” author Hana Tooke explores that feeling through her main character, Ema, whose fantastic, incredibly dangerous journey in this novel finally leads to her finding acceptance and respect. Ema was born into a family of scientists, and while she absorbed much of their knowledge, she didn’t feel their passion. What she felt instead was dread, and that feeling made her feel different than the rest of her siblings and her parents. She seemed to know when bad things were going to happen, and the number twelve was an especially dangerous number in her eyes.
Continue reading
I admit that sometimes, I am spectacularly uninformed about the books I read. Take Brigid Kemmerer’s new series which begins with “Defy the Night” and its sequel, “Defend the Dawn.” I was sure that this was a duology, and I was thrilled that I would get to read both books in a row. I was especially psyched to do so while reading the first book and becoming so completely immersed in the fictional kingdom of Kandala, that I didn’t want to wait to find out how it all ended. I really enjoyed meeting and reading about Tessa and Corrick, one an apothecary apprentice and the other the King’s Justice, brother of the king of Kandala, and a feared royal figure.
Continue reading