Plucky Heroine

    THE PRINCESS OF LAS VEGAS by Chris Bohjalian

    Publication Date March 24, 2024 Last year, I read and reviewed Chris Bohjalian’s  The Lioness, and gave it four stars. In 2021, reviewing Hour of The Witch, I wrote “I admit it: I have been a big fan of Chris Bohjalian, ever since I read Midwives several years ago. I consider Mr. Bohjalian one of …

    The Summer We Started Over by Nancy Thayer

    Publication Date April 23, 2024 Years ago, when I was fumbling my way through a divorce, a new marriage, family (siblings) issues, and moving to a new place, I stumbled onto a book by Nancy Thayer and found it somehow soothing. It had a happy ending, and it just felt like everyone in the story …

    Westport by James Comey

    Publication Date May 21, 2024 Some time ago, I read James Comey’s novel Central Park West, I found it to be “a fast-paced plot including lots of juicy tales of corruption, and terrific legal storytelling. There are also a couple of unexpected twists, and an ending I didn’t see coming…Four stars, almost five.” The protagonist, …

    Radiant Heat by Sarah-Jane Collins

    Publication Date January 23, 2024 Over the past several years, I have enjoyed several books by Australian author Jane Harper, and she has become one of my favorite authors. The Dry, Force of Nature, and The Lost Man (all of which featured Federal Investigator Aaron Falk) were all five-star reads…and while I admit to being “an easy grader,” …

    The Women by Kristin Hannah

    Publication Date February 6, 2024 I’ve been an off and on fan of Kristin Hannah’s books, but was particularly interested in The Women when I read that the story began in Southern California in the mid-1960’s, then moved to Vietnam.  I graduated from San Clemente High School in 1965 and then got married in ’68, …

    After That Night by Karin Slaughter (Will Trent #11)

    Publication Date October 17, 2023 In 2021, I wrote a five-star review for Karin Slaughter’s standalone novel False Witness, featuring Harleigh (“Leigh”) Collier. So I was excited to receive a copy of Slaughter’s After That Night, which is #11 in the Will Trent series. But then I remembered The Last Widow from 2019, which was #9 …

    None Of This Is True by Lisa Jewell

    Publication Date August 8, 2023 Over the past several years, I have generally read and enjoyed Lisa Jewell’s books including  I Found You (2017), Watching You (2018), The Family Upstairs (2019), and Invisible Girl (2020) o I was happy to receive a copy of sNone Of This Is True from Atria Books and NetGalley in exchange for my honest …

    Mobility by Lydia Kiesling

    Publication Date August 1, 2023 I have not read Lydia Kiesling’s book Golden State, so that wasn’t what prompted me to want to read Mobility. And it wasn’t a desire to learn about Azerbaijan (doubt I could find it on a map), or interest in the oil and gas industry. Nope, TBH it was learning …

    Break of Day by Colleen Coble

    Publication Date July 4, 2023 Maybe it’s just me. I wanted to read Collen Coble’s “Break of Day,” because it sounded like JUST what I needed: suspense, strong female protagonist, not too violent. But then I saw it was #3 in a trilogy, which sort of clarified why I was having trouble getting into it. …

    Rogue Justice by Stacey Abrams

    Publication Date May 23, 2023 Almost exactly two years ago, I read and reviewed Stacy Abrams’ novel While Justice Sleeps, in which we were introduced to Avery Keene, “…a brilliant young law clerk working for Justice Howard Wynn, a curmudgeon who is in failing health. Avery is doing her best to hold her life together, …

    Zero Days by Ruth Ware

    I’m not  a  HUGE Ruth Ware fan…in fact, she has been consistently inconsistent for me. In 2016, The Woman in Cabin 10 was a big hit, and I was among those who enjoyed it – a LOT. 2019’s Turn of the Key was a 3-star “meh” for me, then One By One and The It Girl, were both four …

    Hang The Moon by Jeannette Walls

    I love Jeannette Walls. The Glass Castle is one of my top five favorite books of ALL TIME, and I am still all tingly when I remember getting my courage to go up to her and talk a bit when she was guest speaking at a library conference in Oakland MANY years ago. But I …

    Everybody Knows by Jordan Harper

    I kept seeing the word noir used to describe Edgar Award winner Jordan Harper’s latest, Everybody Knows. After a few hmmms, I looked it up, thinking I was unclear as to what it really meant. I got this: “a genre of crime film or fiction characterized by cynicism, fatalism, and moral ambiguity.” Thanks to Mulholland …

    The House In The Pines by Ana Reyes

    I was intrigued by the blurb and promo material for The House In The Pines by Ana Reyes. I mean, even Reese spoj=ke highly of it…but hmmm not all her choices resonate with me. But WTH, it is the dead of winter (at least what passes for winter on the central coast of California), and …

    The Personal Assistant by Kimberly Belle

    Seems like it is an actual THING to make a living as an “influencer,” and while I had read a couple of stories about the risks and rewards of this way of life (!), reading about Kimberly Belle’s female protagonist, a young woman named Alex, really made it all seem real/possible. Alex and her husband …

    Her Deadly Game by Robert Dugoni

    I’ve been a big fan of Robert Dugoni’s Tracy Crosswhite series, and am always happy to see he has a new book coming out. Then, seeing the story features an entirely new set of characters, I think “hmmm…we’ll see.” I received a copy of Her Deadly  Game , which was sent to me (in exchange …

    Going Rogue by Janet Evanovich

    As I noted last year when I read and reviewed Janet Evanovich’s Game On: Tempting Twenty-Eight, I have been reading and enjoying Stephanie Plum’s adventures as a bond enforcement agent (bounty hunter?) for twenty-five+ years (gasp!), ever since One For The Money. And everytime a new one comes out, it makes me happy to know …

    The Prisoner by B.A. Paris

    I am a big fan of  “unputdownable psychological thrillers,” and a huge fan of B.A. Paris’s Behind Closed Doors (2016),   Bring Me Back (2018),  The Dilemma (2020), and last year’s The Therapist, I was happy to receive a copy of The Prisoner from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley in return for my honest review. …

    Overboard by Sara Paretsky

    I’m positive I have read other books by Sara Paretsky that featured “plucky heroine” V.I. Warshawski, Chicago PI – but I couldn’t name one or recall a plot – just went into this one expecting a well-written story to take my mind off the pandemic, crime, corruption, etc. And Overboard is definitely well-written, as expected. …

    The Replacement Wife by Darby Kane

    If you enjoy stories with unreliable narrators, possibly unstable women, annoying characters in general, and a nice dose of gaslighting, here’s a book for you! Or possibly you just want something twisty and turny to get your mind off the death of democracy and a worldwide pandemic for a day or two, well, buckle up! …