Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Holidays!!
Taking a few minutes to catch you up on what I have read this month. You know, it is busy in December whether it is work things "due" by the end of the year, family get togethers, club get togethers. Fun but busy.
The Zoom event with Louise Penny was fun. Hillary Clinton actually interviewed Louise Penny. They talked about the latest book: A World of Curiosities. There was also two special guests. One was a lady whom a character in the book is based on. As a college student, she was a victim of a school shooting. A gunman came into the Engineering classroom and made the male students leave the room and proceeded to shoot the female students. This person survived. Her name in the book is her real name. There was also an appearance by Alfred Molina and how he came to play Armand Gamache in the Amazon Prime series Three Pines. I really enjoyed the presentation.
Here are the books I have read or listened to in December: a historical mystery/thriller, mystery/thriller and two short cozy paranormal mysteries.
The Lost Girls of Willowbrook by Ellen Marie Wiseman (historical mystery/thriller)
About:
"Fact, fiction, and urban legend blend in this haunting story about a young woman mistakenly imprisoned at Willowbrook State School, the real-life institution later shuttered for its horrendous abuses.
Sage Winters always knew her sister was a little different even though they were identical twins. They loved the same things and shared a deep understanding, but Rosemary—awake to every emotion, easily moved to joy or tears—seemed to need more protection from the world.
Six years after Rosemary’s death from pneumonia, Sage, now sixteen, still misses her deeply. Their mother perished in a car crash, and Sage’s stepfather, Alan, resents being burdened by a responsibility he never wanted. Yet despite living as near strangers in their Staten Island apartment, Sage is stunned to discover that Alan has kept a shocking secret: Rosemary didn’t die. She was committed to Willowbrook State School and has lingered there until just a few days ago, when she went missing.
Sage knows little about Willowbrook. It’s always been a place shrouded by rumor and mystery. A place local parents threaten to send misbehaving kids. With no idea what to expect, Sage secretly sets out for Willowbrook, determined to find Rosemary. What she learns, once she steps through its doors and is mistakenly believed to be her sister, will change her life in ways she never could imagined."
It was a good thriller but some parts were pretty hard to read. Definitely a page turner. Willowbrook was a state school for children with mental disabilities in New York from 1947-1987. It was under investigation for conditions and questionable medical practices. Geraldo Rivera did an expose on it in 1972 which eventually led to its closure. Many parts of this story are in the book but the story about Sage and Rosemary is fictitious...I hope.
I see six books by this author. They all sound very good and are standalones. They are historical fiction with some mystery.
City of the Lost by Kelley Armstrong (mystery thriller, crime) Rockton/Casey Duncan #1
There are seven books in this series. I listened to the audio book.
About: "Casey Duncan is a homicide detective with a secret: when she was in college, she killed a man. She was never caught, but he was the grandson of a mobster and she knows that someday this crime will catch up to her. Casey's best friend, Diana, is on the run from a violent, abusive ex-husband. When Diana's husband finds her, and Casey herself is attacked shortly after, Casey knows it's time for the two of them to disappear again.Diana has heard of a town made for people like her, a town that takes in people on the run who want to shed their old lives. You must apply to live in Rockton and if you're accepted, it means walking away entirely from your old life, and living off the grid in the wilds of Canada: no cell phones, no Internet, no mail, no computers, very little electricity, and no way of getting in or out without the town council's approval. As a murderer, Casey isn't a good candidate, but she has something they want: She's a homicide detective, and Rockton has just had its first real murder. She and Diana are in. However, soon after arriving, Casey realizes that the identity of a murderer isn't the only secret Rockton is hiding—in fact, she starts to wonder if she and Diana might be in even more danger in Rockton than they were in their old lives."
I liked the story. All of the characters in Rockton are there to not be found, mostly because of something they did that wasn't good. And some are still behaving badly. This book was also a "page turner". There are some murders taking place that are pretty gruesome. There is also some language. Just in case that isn't your kind of book. Good cliff hanger which makes me want to read more in the series.
The House on Whitmore Road (Witch's Creek Book 1} by Sharon Michaels (cozy paranormal story)
"A short read paranormal cozy mystery with a touch of later in life romance.
Take a…
A heartbroken retired rock and roll superstar looking for peace and quiet.
A workaholic CEO who had no choice but to take an early retirement.
Mix in…
A quirky small town with a secret past.
Strange things that go bump in the night.
Angry witches, a couple of helpful shapeshifters and rumors of a buried treasure.
And You’ve Got…
An unpredictable adventure that will warm your heart and have the hair on the back of your neck standing on end, all at the same time!
*****
The House on Whitmore Road is a cozy mystery without a murder. It has suspense and a "what's going on here" factor. The mystery is more about finding answers than finding dead bodies. There’s also a sweet clean later in life romance that will have you cheering for the mature main characters.
This is a short read book you can probably read in an hour to ninety minutes.
There’s a bit of cliff hanger at the end, but this book is a standalone. The House on Warwick Pond is the second book in the series."
Sharon writs short books that can be read in 60-90 minutes. Sometimes after I read a couple of dark mysteries, I like to change it up and read a cozy. I won this book and the next in a Facebook group giveaway. Fun story. Just the ticket after the two above books.
The House on Warwick Pond (Witch's Creek Book 2) by Sharon Michaels
About:
"A short read paranormal cozy mystery with a touch of later in life romance.
Take a…
Newly married couple looking to peacefully begin their happily ever after.
Quaint small town where shovels glow in the dark and angry witch’s like to dig up trouble.
Mix in…
A whinny witch who wants what she wants and doesn’t care who gets hurt.
A race to find a secret journal filled with dangerous curses and spells.
Unfinished business between two quarreling strong-willed sisters.
And You’ve Got…
Alice and Preston caught in the middle of Glenda and Polly’s bitter battle as magical spells and wicked curses fly in all directions.
Will anyone come out the victor or will the quaint town of Witch’s Creek be destroyed forever?
*****
The House on Warwick Pond is a cozy mystery without a murder. It has suspense and a "what's going on here" factor. The mystery is more about finding answers than finding dead bodies. This story will have you cheering for the mature main characters.
This is a short read book you can probably read in an hour to ninety minutes.
The House on Warwick Pond – the final book in this two book short read series."
Good wind up to the story of Alice and Preston and their life in Witch's Creek.
Sharon doesn't just write paranormal cozies. She also writes The Oscar the Doxie Detective series and Pam and Paul Bigelow Cozy Mystery Novellas. Both feature amateur sleuths of a certain age.She also wrote a Christmas Cozy series.
Here is a link to Sharon's website: Home - Bestselling Author Sharon Michaels (sharonmichaelsauthor.com)
I am going to share the Mystery Book Club reading list in the next few days in case you want to read along. I have seen several requests on FB book clubs asking what other book clubs are reading. It was interesting to find that about have of the MBC members want to continue as read along members. We have had pretty good attendance this year but several of the regulars before Covid were missing. When I reached out to see if they wanted to continue to receive the reading list, they did.
