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Friday, March 15, 2024

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

 Hi all!

For our March Mystery Book Club we read Killers of a Certain Age. 


About: "Older women often feel invisible, but sometimes that's their secret weapon.

They've spent their lives as the deadliest assassins in a clandestine international organization, but now that they're sixty years old, four women friends can't just retire - it's kill or be killed in this action-packed thriller.

Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie have worked for the Museum, an elite network of assassins, for forty years. Now their talents are considered old-school and no one appreciates what they have to offer in an age that relies more on technology than people skills.

When the foursome is sent on an all-expenses paid vacation to mark their retirement, they are targeted by one of their own. Only the Board, the top-level members of the Museum, can order the termination of field agents, and the women realize they've been marked for death.

Now to get out alive they have to turn against their own organization, relying on experience and each other to get the job done, knowing that working together is the secret to their survival. They're about to teach the Board what it really means to be a woman--and a killer--of a certain age." 

I really liked this book. The four women are all 60 years old now. They are on what they think is a retirement cruise, all expenses paid by the Museum, their employer for the last 40 years. When Billie thinks she recognizes one of the crew members, the women all put their spy hats back on and soon figure out they are to be retired permanently. The book describes all the steps they take to figure our who, what, where, when and why, traveling to England and France incognito. There are disguises that are hilarious but work. There are late night planning meetings, including a My Little Pony murder plan, a Menopaws app for their phones and potatoes as weapons. While that may sound silly, the women are deadly serious. Afterall, they are trained assassins. The book also shows us how they were recruited in the 1970's to join the Museum. There are lots of references to '70s culture and music mentioned that will make you smile if you are of a certain age.

We had a large group attend the MBC to discuss this book. We had several new young women and I was afraid they would not have liked it since they are much younger. But then, if they read it and came to the meeting for the first time, they must have like it. Most of the ladies at the meeting really liked the book.  They liked the strong personalities of the women, that it showed women could still do such active, physically demanding activities and were smart. Very smart. Surprisingly the very few that did not like it were all, but one, of a certain age, not the young women. But that's why we try to read a variety of mysteries.

We were happy to hear that the second book will be coming out in the spring of 2025: Kills Well With Others. 

Deanna Raybourn writes two very different series set in Victorian time; Veronica Speedwell series set in 1887 and Lady Julia Gray series. There is a another series set in the 1920's.

You can find out more about Deanna Raybourn here:

https://www.deannaraybourn.com/





Friday, March 8, 2024

Sam Spade, Hallmark Mysteries and PBS

 Happy Friday! 

I haven't mentioned any movies lately and a couple of things caught my attention...today.

Sam Spade: Monsieur Spade/The Maltese Falcon

Did you watch the six part series Monsieur Spade this winter? The story starts in 1963 in Bozuols France, where Sam Spade has "retired". We flip back to 1955 where is is hired to bring a young girl Teresa from Algiers to her father after the death of her mother. We learn about how Sam is connected to her mother Brigid and why she would ask him to bring her to France. 

The series allegedly picks up after the story of The Maltese Falcon - 1941 movie with Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade and Mary Astor as Brigid O'Shaunessy of the above story. So...

TCM (Turner Classic Movies) is showing The Maltese Falcon Saturday March 9, 2024 at 10 a.m. CST. I have seen this movie years ago but I want to watch it again with the backstory we learned about in Monsieur Spade. 

Just sayin' in case there are others interested like me.

Did you know that Hallmark Movies and Mysteries has changed to Hallmark Mysteries as of March 6, 2024? I did not know that until today. They will feature "cozy mysteries" only, from what I understand. No more romance movies in the summer...which is fine by me. I only watch the mysteries. lol

March 11: True Justice: Family Ties

About: "A law school student and her friends, set out to prove her brother's innocence but the only way to clear his name is by finding the real killer. Stars Katherine McNamaraMarkian TarasiukNikki DeLoach and Benjamin Ayres."

March 15, 2024: Crimes of Fashion: Killer Clutch starring Brooke D'Orsay and Gilles Marini.

"An American psychologist, hired to coach a fashion designer, helps a guarded French detective unravel a list of fashionable suspects after a murder happens backstage of a Paris fashion show".

They also promise new Curious Caterer (Nikki DeLoach and Andrew Walker) movies and a sequel to The Cases of Mystery Lane (Paul Campbell and Aimee Garcia). Another Hannah Swensen movie is slotted for later this year.

Take a look around at https://www.hallmarkmystery.com/movies

Coming up in April for PBS:

Mr. Bates and the Post Office 4/7/24

About: "Mysterious financial losses lead the Post Office to fire and prosecute village Subpostmasters, who have no way to prove their innocence.

Toby Jones, (Empire of LightTinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Sherlock), stars in this real-life David and Goliath story that chronicles the jaw-dropping plight of hundreds of postal workers accused of a crime they didn’t commit—but went to jail for and worse. It’s a story that UK journalists have reported on for years but once dramatized for TV, set off a firestorm of public outrage that forced the Prime Minister to act."

It is based on true events. There are four episodes.

Guilt Season 3 premiers 4/28/24

About: "Max and Jake find themselves back in Edinburgh where they soon face a familiar danger. Kenny tries to help a family member, while dramatic action plays out at a farm.

Now in its third and final season, the award-winning TV series Guilt is a darkly funny Scottish thriller. Mismatched brothers Max and Jake McCall are reunited, but enemies old and new cause them to seek ever more desperate solutions to their ongoing problems. Digging deep into their past, Max (Mark Bonnar, NapoleonWorld on Fire) and Jake (Jamie Sives, AnnikaChernobyl) hope to finally find a future free of danger…and each other."

Oh oh. Did you catch "final season?" There are four episodes for this season.

So that gives us some things to watch when we aren't reading.

I read/listened to two books last week and this week but they were not mysteries.

The Women by Kristen Hannah: "The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm’s way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era." The women in the story are nurses who served in the Vietnam war. Very good but definitely a roller coaster of emotions. 

Magic Lessons for Margo: A Follow Up to The Adventures of Miss Vulpe by Maria Elena Sandovici. This book is "literary fiction" and follows two sisters trying to find themselves, where can they fit into the world and confront the ghosts of their childhood. I received and ARC from the author. I did enjoy the story. 

Last but not least, currently reading Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn and listening to A Darkness Absolute, book 2 in the Rockton/Casey Duncan series by Kelley Armstrong. 

I will let you know how I liked those books, next week.

Happy reading!

Friday, March 1, 2024

Kilned at the Ceramic Shop by Donna Clancy

 Donna Clancy has a new series with the first book coming out March 12, 2024! 

Donna has written several cozy mystery series: The Jelly Shop Mysteries, Shipwreck Cafe Mysteries, Thelma and June's Mystery Adventures and also contributed to some anthologies. 

Kilned at the Ceramic Shop: A Braddock Mystery (#1)


About: "Tammy Wright, a bestselling mystery author returns to her hometown to give her Aunt Clara a hand with running her ceramic shop during tourist season. She discovers that two vindictive realtors have been bullying her aunt and others into selling their properties to make room for new housing developments. Those who don’t comply pay the consequences.

Tammy stumbles upon a body, and when her aunt refuses to give in to either realtor she disappears without a trace.
With the help of an old schoolmate turned policeman, the writer must step out from behind her computer screen and her fictional mysteries to confront real life crime. If she doesn’t, she may never see her aunt again."

I like to mix up the genres of mysteries I read. I will read pretty much any type of mystery. I just do not read not ultra violent or gory books. I especially like to throw in a cozy mystery after reading too many "bad people acting badly" stories.

This book is an excellent start to this new cozy mystery series. The story grabbed me right away. Tammy's Aunt Clara is being bullied into selling her ceramic shop. When Clara is kidnapped, Tammy uses her knowledge and observation skills from writing mysteries, to help the Sheriff try to find Clara before it's too late. But more and more things happen in attempts to scare Tammy. Two realtors in Braddock, Toby Brown and Wilmot Sawyer, seemed to be likely suspects. They are trying to buy up as much real estate in the quiet little tourist town as they can to build housing developments and mini malls. Brown is even seen verbally harassing another elderly lady in an attempt to have her sell him her property. When Clara's delivery man is found dead at the ceramic shop, things look even more sinister.

I love the setting of Braddock - small tourist town, woods, cabins, shops and homestyle food restaurants. Tammy, Clara, the Sheriff and Zeke the deputy (an old classmate) are characters you can root for. It is a good mystery and I was surprised at the ending.

I have read some of the Jelly Shop series and enjoyed it.

If you are looking for a book or series for a good mystery with likeable characters, check out Donna Walo Clancy.

"About the author:
Donna Walo Clancy (Donna Clancy) lives on Cape Cod, Massachusetts in the U.S.A. She is a single mom of three grown children and happily divorced.

Her first passion is writing. She also loves to read and all kinds of crafting. Flea markets and yard sales can hold her attention for hours.

In her down time, she loves to walk the beach with her dog, Zumiez, and her metal detector searching for lost treasures.

Not holding herself to a single genre, she writes whatever story she feels needs to be worked on at the time. Her favorite genre is cozy mysteries and she has several series on Amazon at the present time; The Jelly Shop Mysteries, The Shipwreck Café Mysteries, and Thelma and June's Great Adventures.

Several standalone books will also be released in the coming year.

You can visit her social pages on Facebook or Amazon. She can be reached at dwaloclancy@yahoo.com."





Thursday, February 22, 2024

Here the Road Ends - Jack Benton and The Fallen - David Baldacci

 Happy sun and warmer temperatures! The sun is out and it has been quite nice here in Central Texas. I grew up in the Midwest and further north and just cannot tolerate that cold anymore. Now I am not asking for 90's either. Don't get me wrong.

I finished two books in two of my favorite series this week.

I listened to The Fallen by David Baldacci. This is Amos Decker #4 in the Memory Man series.


About: "Amos Decker and his journalist friend Alex Jamison are visiting the home of Alex's sister in Barronville, a small town in western Pennsylvania that has been hit hard economically. When Decker is out on the rear deck of the house talking with Alex's niece, a precocious eight-year-old, he notices flickering lights and then a spark of flame in the window of the house across the way. When he goes to investigate he finds two dead bodies inside and it's not clear how either man died. But this is only the tip of the iceberg. There's something going on in Barronville that might be the canary in the coal mine for the rest of the country.

Faced with a stonewalling local police force, and roadblocks put up by unseen forces, Decker and Jamison must pull out all the stops to solve the case. And even Decker's infallible memory may not be enough to save them."

If you haven't read this series, here is the background on Amos Decker. From book #1, The Memory Man.

"A big, towering athlete, he was the only person from his hometown of Burlington ever to go pro. But his career ended before it had a chance to begin. On his very first play, a violent helmet-to-helmet collision knocked him off the field for good, and left him with an improbable side effect--he can never forget anything.

The second time was at home nearly two decades later. Now a police detective, Decker returned from a stakeout one evening and entered a nightmare--his wife, young daughter, and brother-in-law had been murdered."

Decker goes on to join the FBI in book #2. 

In The Fallen, Decker has gone on "vacation" with Alex Jamieson as above. While siting on the back deck the very first night, Decker sees lights and flame across from Alex's sisters house. He can't help himself from going on over to see what it was all about. Finds two bodies. Calls local law enforcement. He quickly senses that he knows more about what may have happened then they do. They seem incompetent.

As the story goes on, Decker finds more and more signs of something illegal going on in the town, involving many of the citizens of Barronville. The citizens seem to want to blame John Barron (of the founding family) for the demise of the economy in town. He is threatened. Decker gets beat up and it seems like he has lost some of his unique memory abilities. Some vacation.

I really like this series. I like how Decker methodically solves the mysteries. The stories are complex and interesting. They are unique. When I read one, I don't feel like I just read a similar story last month. 

There are seven books in this series.

I also read Here the Road Ends by Jack Benton. It is book #9 in the Slim Hardy series. (Chris Ward is the authors real name but writes a few different genres and for the Slim Hardy books, writes under Jack Benton) I have posted about this series before.




About: "When her mentally disabled son develops a strange obsession, Audrey Johnson contacts private investigator John “Slim” Hardy for help. Andy Johnson has been making teddy bears and leaving them on the memorial of a nine-year-old girl who drowned on Dartmoor more than forty years ago. When nothing will put him off his bizarre tribute to a child who died before he was even born, Slim moves to the peaceful rural community of Brentor to investigate. However, as he digs deeper into the past, overturning stones that do not wish to be overturned, he uncovers a bombshell that will rock the quiet, private community to its very core. And soon he will be looking over his shoulder, because there are people out there on the moor that want their secrets to remain buried."

Background: Slim Hardy is a loner and a private detective. He was in the army and has PTSD. He struggles with remaining sober because of his demons. But he is a really good detective and is called upon by individuals to solve cases that no one else can, often cold cases. He moves around to wherever  these unsolvable cases take him. He likes black coffee, preferably a day old. 

In this story, Slim follows Andy and finds he is taking a teddy bear to the memorial of a young girl who died on a school trip 40 years ago. Andy is autistic and in his 30's. He wasn't even born when the school girl was drowned. Why is Andy obsessed with her.  He makes the bears himself and changes out the bears that are weather damaged. Slim notes the the expressions have been altered on the bears when Andy brings them back. The story of the girl is that she became separated from her class, on a visit to the moors. One of the male teachers went to find her and came back screaming that he saw a girl with a yellow smile and the vision has driven him to insanity.

As in all small villages, no one wants to talk about it. He has doors shut in his face, and is threatened. Slim has two people that he calls in most of the books, to do research for him, looking up police records, information on the internet or looking at old pictures. They are always "favors." Slim really doesn't have any money to pay them. His cell phone is an old Nokia that doesn't do anything other than make calls, when he is lucky.

I really like this series too. It is kind of a noir series. Always a "dark" feel to it. Slim is a very likeable character and you feel kind of sorry for him, with all that happened to him. But he gets up everyday, puts one foot in front of the other and keeps on going. And he is very good at what he does.

Here the Road Ends just came out February 15, 2024. 

I recommend you start at the beginning of both of these series because the background information is important and for the character development.

https://www.davidbaldacci.com/landing-page/david-baldacci-amos-decker-series/

http://www.amillionmilesfromanywhere.net/tokyolost.html



Thursday, February 8, 2024

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

 For our February Mystery Book Club (MBC) we read:


About: "From the New York Times bestselling author of The Guest List comes a new locked room mystery, set in a Paris apartment building in which every resident has something to hide…

Jess needs a fresh start. She’s broke and alone, and she’s just left her job under less than ideal circumstances. Her half-brother Ben didn’t sound thrilled when she asked if she could crash with him for a bit, but he didn’t say no, and surely everything will look better from Paris. Only when she shows up – to find a very nice apartment, could Ben really have afforded this? – he’s not there.

The longer Ben stays missing, the more Jess starts to dig into her brother’s situation, and the more questions she has. Ben’s neighbors are an eclectic bunch, and not particularly friendly. Jess may have come to Paris to escape her past, but it’s starting to look like it’s Ben’s future that’s in question.

The socialite – The nice guy – The alcoholic – The girl on the verge – The concierge

Everyone’s a neighbor. Everyone’s a suspect. And everyone knows something they’re not telling."

Lucy Foley is a very popular author currently. I chose this book for our book club and I will tell you I was a little nervous about it once I got to reading it. 

It is a very good mystery, lots of twists. Each chapter is from the viewpoint of a specific character and it goes back and forth and around from each character as they tell their part in the story. It is a "locked room" mystery. It is a fast read and a surprise ending.

Well I was pleasantly surprised. Most of the MBC loved it. They loved the mystery, the story and how the author led them in other directions. We all liked Jess, the main character. But she is really the only likeable character. It seems like so many books right now are about bad people doing bad things. 

There is a fair amount of "bad language" and some edgy and weird scenes. If you that doesn't bother you, and you don't mind chapters that go back and forth between characters and time, you will probably love it too. 

Many in the group had also read The Hunting Party and The Guest List by this author and highly recommend those books also. 

"Sony Pictures' 3000 Pictures has acquired film adaptation rights to Lucy Foley's new book, The Paris Apartment, which became an instant No. 1 New York Times bestseller,"

You can learn more about Lucy Foley here:
https://www.harpercollins.com/blogs/authors/lucy-foley-44526

Friday, February 2, 2024

The Darkwater Lake Mysteries by Tannis Laidlaw

 A few years ago I had the opportunity to read several of  the Madeline Brooks mystery series by Tannis Laidlaw. It is about a Senior Probation Officer starting over in the English countryside as a real estate agent. But as in all good stories in the English countryside, Madeline finds some bodies and gets mixed up in a disappearance or two. 

So when Tannis asked me if I would like to read her new series I quickly raised my hand.

There are two books in The Darkwater Lake Mystery series.

#1: A Writer is Dead

About: "A media host with secrets to hide...
A pop singer who is not who she pretends to be...
A slimy politician who will do anything for power....
Jodie and Iris were writing a series of wildly popular exposĂ©s for a London publisher under a fake pen name. The media host, the singer and the politician are the subjects of a book each. Then Iris is murdered. Could one of the subjects of the books have killed her? Each has the strongest of revenge. But the police think Jodie has powerful motives, with Iris gone, she would earn much more money and she hated Iris’s maddening ways.
That’s one worry for Jodie – the police’s mistaken focus on her. But there’s has the killer finished the job? Does she have a target on her back, too? Jodie escapes England back to Darkwater Lake to hide in the Canadian wilderness.
But, is anywhere safe?"

As above, Jodie is writing under a a pen name on a "tell all" with Iris in England. She has gone to her family cabin on Darkwater Lake in Canada. You have to take a boat from the mainland to reach these cabins. Everyone has their own small boat. Most people are only there for the summer because the cabins are not winterized. Jodie is a non practicing psychologist.
 
Jodie is enjoying her summer, living at the cabin on Darkwater Lake and is working on the book. When Iris, is found dead and foul play is suspected, Jodie is called back to busy London as the publishing company needs to regroup. As discussions go on, the team speculates that Iris may have been murdered by one of the persons a biography was written about. Now Jodie is worried she may be next. She flees back to Darkwater Lake to hide but will the person who killed Iris, come looking for her? I loved the description of life in the summer living on the lake. We get to know the people in the village across the lake and her neighbors including Charlotte. Charlotte becomes Jodie's good friend and sounding board. There are lots of twists and tension in the story.

#2: A Swimmer is Dead


About: "The lake’s tranquillity shattered by the murder of a swimmer

A boy’s false confession...

An amateur sleuth must prevent an injustice.

Jodie Hill lives at her lakeside cottage, revelling in the seclusion that Darkwater Lake offers Late one afternoon, two teenaged boys, larking about on jet-skis, head towards her. To her horror, they dump the lifeless body of a swimmer on her dock. The younger boy confesses to killing him accidentally with his jet-ski. As the boys roar off, a rush of disbelief and distress engulfs Jodie.

 After she’d reported the death and calmed down enough, she questions whether a jet-ski could cause the sort of awful damage that killed the swimmer? In short, no.

So why did the boy confess? Was this some sort of staged scene contrived to hide the truth?  Was the swimmer’s death no accident? The possibility it was a cold-blooded murder weighs heavily on Jodie's heart. Someone needs to look out for the boy whose confession is patently false and that means discovering the truth.

A book perfect for enthusiasts of intriguing amateur sleuths, a picturesque lakeside setting and a plot thick with red herrings and enthralling twists. If you adore atmospheric edgy cozy mysteries with an Agatha Christie vibe, A Swimmer is Dead promises an enthralling journey into the heart of a gripping, suspense-laden mystery."

Jodie is once again spending her summer at the secluded cottage at Darkwater Lake. She will be working on her latest unauthorized biography about her former boss, a man who had less than scrupulous business practices. Her good friend Charlotte returns. They pick up where they left off, last summer, having daily late afternoon Tea, usually with a good wine and nibbles. Swimming in the lake. Taking boats to town rather than driving. So relaxing.

Then two teenagers from across the lake, the jet ski over to Charlotte's dock, frantic and calling for help. Their friend has been hurt and is laying on a jet ski. It quickly becomes clear that he is dead. The two boys said the friend had been swimming and must have been hit by a jet ski. The authorities are called, everyone goes into to town to make statements. As Jodie spends more time with the two boys at the police station, it becomes evident to her that there is much more to this than they are saying. The boys are acting suspicious and and the older brother of one was in charge has taken off with the his sister - who was the girlfriend of the dead boy.

The authorities write the incident off as an accident. As more and more things are said around this small town, Jodie is sure it was not an accident. She is determined to find out the truth, especially for the sake of young Gavin who has taken the blame.

I enjoyed reading how Jodie, uses her experience and knowledge of  psychology, to tweeze out the truth. Lots of twists and turn which will keep you guessing.

I really enjoyed this new series. It reminds me of northern Wisconsin where I lived as a young child then spent every summer there for a week or two. There too people own cabins only used in the summer on various lakes. It is very calm and peaceful. People fish, swim, boat and just relax. So the setting spoke to me and I look forward to more in the series.

I also really liked the Madeline Brooks mysteries. She also has written some psychological thrillers that I have not read...yet. 

About Tannis Laidlaw: 
"Born in Winnipeg in Canada, Tannis Laidlaw visits the family cottage at the lake every summer, but lives in Auckland in New Zealand - that's right - two summer's every year. She has a history of writing academic papers mostly psychology in medicine, plus a few poems but mostly, now, novels. She's married with grown-up kids and 2 grandchildren. Tannis loves to travel, read and, of course, write."

https://tannislaidlaw.com/






Friday, January 19, 2024

A Stitch in Time by Kelley Armstrong

 Do you know Kelley Armstrong's books? I went to Audible to look for the another series by this author and listen to the next book in the Rockton series or maybe start the Haven's Rock series. 

This book came up first when I put in the name of the author and it really intrigued me. It has lots of elements that I like in a mystery.

A Stitch in Time


About: "Thorne Manor has always been haunted… and it has always haunted Bronwyn Dale. As a young girl, Bronwyn could pass through a time slip in her great-aunt's house, where she visited William Thorne, a boy her own age, born two centuries earlier. After a family tragedy, the house was shuttered and Bronwyn was convinced that William existed only in her imagination.

Now, twenty years later Bronwyn inherits Thorne Manor. And when she returns, William is waiting.

William Thorne is no longer the boy she remembers. He’s a difficult and tempestuous man, his own life marred by tragedy and a scandal that had him retreating to self-imposed exile in his beloved moors. He’s also none too pleased with Bronwyn for abandoning him all those years ago.

As their friendship rekindles and sparks into something more, Bronwyn must also deal with ghosts in the present version of the house. Soon she realizes they are linked to William and the secret scandal that drove him back to Thorne Manor. To build a future, Bronwyn must confront the past."

I like stories about time travel. Loved the movie Somewhere it Time. Outlander although I have not finished the series - so long. I like books about the Victorian time period. I like a few ghosts. I wanted to go back in time when I was a kid reading books about stories set in the 1800's.  (I now realize I would probably only make it about two hours in that time. ha)

The story has a lot going on but it is easy to follow. Bronwyn inherits the house in current time. She is a widow at the age of 38. She goes to sleep and wakes up in the past. She realizes she is with William and basically is freaked out and jumps back to her time. She then remembers how to go back, and when William sees her he runs from her. There is a ghost that is threatening her. Well downright scaring her. In her own time, she talks to a woman named Freya whom her family knew when Bronwyn was girl. Bronwyn's uncle died suddenly back then, Bronwyn seemed to have a nervous breakdown with talk about ghosts and her mother had her committed. Freya says she isn't mentally ill and helps her to confront the ghost etc. 

There are lots of secrets about the Thorne family and stories about William: a fiance that disappeared, a sister that disappeared, a little boy that disappeared, all either ran away or fell into the bog. 

The story is about Bronwyn and William rekindling their childhood romance and Bronwyn trying to solve the mystery of what happened to the fiance, sister and little boy in order to clear William's name. 

I really liked it. Good mystery. 

There are four books in the Stitch in Time series; more time travel, cold cases and ghosts. Each book focuses on different characters from the first book. I plan to put them on my every growing list. 

Kelley Armstrong has written 13 series. Many are paranormal. But the Rockton series and Haven's Rock (spinoff of the Rockton series) are about a female detective Casey Duncan and and Sheriff Eric Dalton. It is listed as a police procedural. I have read the first book in the series, City of the Lost. These two series were recommended by a book friend whose recommendations are always good.

Kelley Armstrong is on my list of authors I want to read more of.

https://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/books/