The Murder List by Hank Phillip Ryan

My latest audio book was The Murder List by Hank Phillipi Ryan. This book was nominated for an Agatha Award this year.



About: "Law student Rachel North is the ultimate reliable narrator--she will tell you, without hesitation, what she knows to be true. She's smart, she's a hard worker, she does the right thing. She's successfully married to a faithful and devoted husband, a lion of Boston's defense bar. And her internship with the powerful District Attorney's office is her ticket to a successful future. 
Problem is--she's wrong. 

Rachel. Jack. Martha. Who is next on The Murder List?
And in this cat and mouse game--the battle for justice becomes a battle for survival.

The Murder List is a new standalone suspense novel in the tradition of Lisa Scottoline and B. A. Paris, (and of the intense legal thrillers from John Grisham and Scott Turow), from award-winning author and reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan."

As above, Rachel is a law student married to Jack Kirkland who is a very good and popular defense attorney in Boston. When Rachel is picked to intern with Martha Gardner, Jack is adamant that she not work with Martha. They have a history in the courtroom that he cannot overlook. Rachel convinces him this a good opportunity for her and she can handle Martha.

As the story progresses, we find out more about Rachel and her previous job as an assistant to a Senator. Before she met Jack. Before she went to law school. When one of the other assistants in the office is murdered, the Senator's wife is put on trial for the murder but is found innocent. Jack is her lawyer. Jack and Rachel meet and begin dating, eventually getting married.

Rachel works with Martha on a murder case. Martha is ruthless and doesn't like to loose. Seems like as a prosecuting attorney, she doesn't really care if the person on trial is innocent or guilty, she just wants to win.

The author goes back and forth between these two stories, weaving them together. There are some things that seem strange, but then explained. Just as you become mesmerized, something big happens and took me by surprise.

I did like the book. The audio book was really good because the narrator was so good. Her voice could place doubt and questions in your mind. At some point, I wondered when something was going to happen, or else it was kind of just an o.k. story. The mesmerizing part. But the ending was very suspenseful and fast paced.

I had also read Trust Me last year by the same author. I may have liked it a bit better, but I am certainly a fan of Hank Phillip Ryan. I would recommend this book if you like thrillers and suspense.

What I read. What I am going to read and a few "shiny objects".

I finished books 2 and 3 in the Chantilly Adair series by Carolyn Ridder Aspenson, last week.
Ghosts are People Too and Pray for Peace. Both are short, cozy, paranormal mysteries with some pretty humorous characters.

 

I have several "read and reviews" up for the next couple of weeks, and I will tell you how I like them as I finish them. Three are new authors to me. One is the last book in a series by a known author to me.

Broken Windows by Janet Pywell will be the last and final book in the Mikky Dos Santos thriller series.


Killing Time by Suzanne Trauth. This is book 6 in the Dodie O'Dell mystery series. New to me. Cozy.


Blood Under Cherry Blossoms by T.J. Holz New to me. Says it is a cozy but I don't think so.



Death at High Tide by Hannah Dennison. Island Sisters Mystery #1. New to me. Can't go wrong with a cat and a castle looking house on a cliff. Cozy.


Witch this Way by Carolyn Ridder Aspenson Book 2 in A Holiday Hills Witch Cozy Mystery series.


Plenty to read, right? Oh I am listening to The Murder List by Hank Phillipi Ryan. A thriller.



We had our first official Mystery Book Club meeting over Webex last week. So glad we are able to do this now. No one knows when we will be able to meet in person at the library. They did start curb side check out but they are not open yet. We discussed Where the Crawdads Sing. I think everyone enjoyed the story but some thought it was a little far fetched. But it is a story after all.

I still haven't gone out much. I have been to the grocery store once a week. Got to go over to work and retrieve a few things from our desks, since they are not going to open yet. We are working from home. We had to schedule it, wear a mask, read the info. in the lobby, temperature scan and we had 30 minutes only. No one else there on my floor at the same time. I still kind of forget all this until I walk in the store and everyone has on masks. It actually takes me aback for a minute. So odd not to see a persons whole face. I liked the guy who had a t-shirt partially pulled over his head but covering his nose and mouth and then part of the top of his head, like he was putting it on and then stopped. He did have a shirt on his upper body too. Anyway it was comical but it worked.

I was looking for something of a certain height to set my cat's food dishes on and found I had all of these books in a book shelf. SHINY OBJECTS. I had to look at them all and forgot about the cat dishes I set up on the counter. I am thinking I want to read several of these stories after I finish the above. Did you say "Yeah right?" lol I used to subscribe to Readers's Digest - condensed book selections,  and I saved these I guess. Lots of good mysteries there.

Happy to have plenty to read to escape from all the things going on. That's why many of us read so much, right?

The Genetic Detective on ABC

I don't know why I didn't think to mention this t.v. show here.

The Genetic Detective is a true crime television show about cold cases. Sorry, it started two weeks ago, but you can watch the first two episodes on demand. I knew about it from my genealogy group because DNA is used in genealogy and it is a popular topic for genealogists. When I watched the second episode last night - from last week - I realized there may be mystery true crime readers that would like this show.

https://abc.com/shows/the-genetic-detective/about-the-show

It is on Tuesdays (yes tonight) at 9 p.m. cst. A new episode shows tonight and there is one scheduled for next week also. I can't find information on how many episodes there are going to be but it is called Season One.

About:
"ABC News' all-new series, "The Genetic Detective," follows investigative genetic genealogist CeCe Moore as she uses her unique research skills to transform the face of crime solving. By working with police departments and crime scene DNA, Moore is able to trace the path of a violent criminal's family tree to reveal their identity and help bring them to justice."

I have seen CeCe on Finding Your Roots, which is one of the shows that is about tracing your family tree. They feature prominent people such as actors and authors and trace their family trees for them, often finding some very interesting stories. CeCe also helps people find people looking for relatives. I think I have mentioned, genealogy is my other hobby. It certainly is a mystery.

Cece Moore: "CeCe Moore is a genetic genealogist who has appeared as a guest on many TV shows and as a consultant on others such as Finding Your Roots. She has helped law enforcement agencies in identifying suspects in over 50 cold cases in one year using DNA and genetic genealogy."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CeCe_Moore

The Dry by Jane Harper or 2020...Could it get any worse?

As I went outside I was reminded of the book The Dry by Jane Harper.

We have Covid 19, protests and worse riots and looting.

Now we are having record breaking heat in Central Texas. 100 degrees F for two days and then high 90's. I looked at the 10 day and 20 day forecast. Nothing below 96 degrees for all of June. Too much too early.

Ok. It is the beginning of June. Let's see what we have for mysteries coming up on t.v.

Sunday June 14th 8 p.m. central time

Grantchester returns for Season 5.

"Fast forward: It’s 1957, and Will has finally settled into his role as the vicar of Grantchester, preaching to a packed and adoring congregation. His best friend, Detective Inspector Geordie Keating, has come to accept his wife Cathy’s commitment to her job – well, just about. Mrs C. happily (and deftly) juggles her roles as the vicarage housekeeper and as a well-to-do married woman. And after a trip to Marrakech, even Leonard has managed to carve out some happiness with Daniel, in secret. 

“The main theme that goes through the season is this idea of ‘Eden’,” said Grantchester star Tom Brittney. “Harold Macmillan [British Prime Minister, 1957-1963] was saying at that time in the fifties that Britain had never had it so good. But in actual truth, underneath, there is always this dark side bubbling, and no more than in the village of Grantchester.”

From a student’s misadventure at one of the local colleges, a hit-and-run that leads them to a secret garden, a murder in a cinema, a death at a controversial drug trial and more, crime never truly stops in Grantchester. As the season goes on, Will’s faith and Geordie’s patience will be thoroughly tested as they are reminded once more that there’s always darkness lurking in their little corner of Cambridgeshire."

The six episodes will bring us to July 19. And then we have to wait until August 9 for Endeavor.

What about Hallmark Movies and Mysteries? I could not believe my eyes.

No new Hallmark Mystery Movies until January 5, 2021. How can this be? Maybe they had to halt filming because of The Thing? (that's a movie isn't it? Oh this whole year is going to have to be made into a movie.)

That's it. That's all they've got. Who would have thought we would get hit with another blow. Can't really travel. Too hot to go outside here. Can't really go downtown...too much going on with all the unrest. And now no mysteries for the summer. Huh.

I saw a funny on FB that basically said "I am going to hang some lights, put up the tree, stick a turkey in the oven and call 2020 over." 

I agree. Stick a fork in me. I am done.

Storms of Malhado by Maria Elena Sandovici

I read this excellent book, Storms of Malhado, this month. The author, Maria Elena Sandovici, is new to me and very interesting. She is a person of many talents.

First the book. If you are someone who likes historical fiction with some mystery, romance, a supernatural twist, experienced a hurricane or two, (or not)  and like "Wait...what just happened here? Oh... moments, I think you will like this book.



About:

"Galveston Island, Texas, September 2008

As even die-hard islanders evacuate, Katie and her parents await Hurricane Ike in their old mansion on Broadway. The house has survived many storms, even the deadly 1900 one – the greatest natural disaster to befall the United States, putting an end to Galveston’s Golden Age – but some of its past inhabitants are rumored to have lost their lives in hurricanes. Katie doesn’t believe in ghosts, past lives, or reincarnation. She is, however, afraid of the monster storm approaching. Her fear mixes with anxiety over George, her elusive boyfriend. Painting offers an escape, but Katie is as unsure of her talent as she is of her flailing relationship. The same has been true for two of the women who inhabited the house in different eras. Suzanne, killed in the Storm of 1900, struggled with her own artistic and romantic difficulties, as had Betty, who died in Hurricane Carla in 1961. Will Katie’s fate be similar to that of Suzanne and Betty? Does she have the power to change it?
Through three different timelines, this paranormal historical novel weaves a story of Galveston’s past, underscoring its danger and isolation, as well as its remarkable resilience, its capacity for both nostalgia and reinvention. Full of contradictions, at once insular and open to the world, magical but stifling, stuck in the past yet determined to overcome, Galveston Island is as much a character of the novel as Suzanne, Betty, Katie, their lovers, and their confidantes."

I really liked the different time lines and the stories of Suzanne, Betty and Katie, and how they all converged into one. The writing is so good you can feel the young women's anxiety, their obsessions and also the oppressive summer heat and humidity of the Texas Gulf. The suspense builds as we go back and forth between the timelines. It is a story of breaking patterns.  I so wanted to tell these three women "no don't do that". The ending is great. You will want to read this in one sitting.

As I mentioned, the author has many talents. She has written several other books, she paints and has an art gallery, features her artwork on her blog daily and an online store.

Here is her biography that is posted on Amazon.

"Maria Elena Sandovici was born in Bucharest, a city she loves, and can never stay away from too long. In the pursuit of international adventures, she left Romania to attend college, then graduate school, in the United States. She has lived in many places including New York City, Barcelona, Trondheim, Norway, and Galveston, Texas. Her first novel, DOGS WITH BAGELS is loosely inspired by her own detours as a young foreign woman navigating the emotional potholes and financial pitfalls of Manhattan. Her second novel, STRAY DOGS AND LONELY BEACHES addresses the need to flee from one's problems and seek new adventures in a remote corner of paradise. But can one really get away? LOST PATH TO SOLITUDE revisits the cast of characters from DOGS WITH BAGELS a decade later, facing new problems - or perhaps being stuck repeating old patterns and mistakes. THE ADVENTURES OF MISS VULPE is a playful yet bittersweet mystery featuring a troubled teenager bent on messing with people's minds, stealing sugar bowls, seducing grown men, but mostly trying to understand the circumstances of her mother's untimely death. STOP AND SMELL THE GARBAGE is poetry in the voice of Holly Golightly, the feisty Boston Terrier in charge of the Sandovici household, a huge beast bent on world domination. LONE WOLF is a novel about an author who takes a road trip in order to overcome writer's block. Featuring hurricanes, ghosts, and forbidden love, STORMS OF MALHADO weaves a story of Galveston Island's past through the perspective of three different characters bound to repeat the same tragic fate unless they find a way to break the cycle.
Sandovici is also the author of the daily blog Have Watercolors Will Travel, and an artist who runs her own gallery in Uptown Houston."

I did check out her blog and the online story and am awaiting a couple of prints of her artwork to brighten up my home office, that it looks like I will be working from indefinitely.

Here are links to check out Elena's books and artwork.

An article written about Elena and this book:

https://theleadernews.com/art-valet-sandovici-storms-readers-with-novel-about-galveston-hurricanes/

Goodreads list of books by Elena:

 https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7768343.Maria_Elena_Sandovici

Elena's blog: Have Watercolors Will Travel

https://havewatercolorswilltravel.blog/

Online shopping:

https://havewatercolorswilltravel.blog/shop/

Enjoy checking out Elena's book and her artwork! I did.

I received an ARC and voluntarily provided this review.

A Better Man by Louise Penny

I listened to the audio book of A Better Man by Louise Penny this week. I don't think there is a Gamache story I have not liked. I also thought the narrator of A Better Man, was really good.

This is Inspector Gamache book #15.



About: " It's Gamache's first day back as head of the homicide department, a job he temporarily shares with his previous second-in-command, Jean-Guy Beauvoir. Floodwaters are rising across the province. In the middle of the turmoil, a father approaches Gamache, pleading for help in finding his daughter.
It'sGamache'sfirstdaybackasheadofthehomicidedepartment,ajobhetemporarilyshareswithhisprevioussecond-in-command,Jean-GuyBeauvoir.Floodwatersarerisingacrosstheprovince.Inthemiddleoftheturmoil,afatherapproachesGamache,pleadingforhelpinfindinghisdaughter.

Ascrisispilesuponcrisis,Gamachetriestoholdofftheencroachingchaos,andrealizesthesearchforVivienneGodinshouldbeabandoned.Butwithadaughterofhisown,hefindshimselfdevelopingaprofound,andperhapsunwise,empathyforherdistraughtfather.

Increasinglyhoundedbythequestion,howwouldyoufeel...,heresumesthesearch.

Astheriversrise,andthesocialmediaonslaughtagainstGamachebecomescrueler,abodyisdiscovered.Andinthetumult,mistakesaremade.

Inthenextnovelinthis"constantlysurprisingseriesthatdeepensanddarkensasitevolves"(TheNewYorkTimesBookReview),Gamachemustfaceahorrificpossibility,andaburningquestion.

Whatwouldyoudoifyourchild'skillerwalkedfree?As crisis piles upon crisis, Gamache tries to hold off the encroaching chaos, and realizes the search for Vivienne Godin should be abandoned. But with a daughter of his own, he finds himself developing a profound, and perhaps unwise, empathy for her distraught father.
Increasingly hounded by the question, how would you feel..., he resumes the search.
As the rivers rise, and the social media onslaught against Gamache becomes crueler, a body is discovered. And in the tumult, mistakes are made.
In the next novel in this "constantly surprising series that deepens and darkens as it evolves" (The New York Times Book Review), Gamache must face a horrific possibility, and a burning question.
What would you do if your child's killer walked free? What would you do if your child's killer walked free?"

 Louise Penny never disappoints. Her writing is melodious. Her descriptions of the scenery, weather and emotions are wonderful. We are very happy to see Gamache back in Three Pines and back at work. There are many very funny interactions between the friends in Three Pines, many laugh out loud moments in between the darkness of the story and the cold of the winter. The story is very complex and multilayered. We get to follow Gamache and Jean Guy as they together tweeze apart who the murderer is. There are plenty of suspects and misdirection leading us to the murder being solved.

I just love visiting Three Pines and the interactions between the characters. There are changes taking place which makes for a bitterweet ending.

Louise Penny hosted a Q&A this week on Goodreads. Here was one thing that she wrote about that I did not know about the series. 

"It’s funny how we pick up ideas, isn’t it? I sat beside an elderly stranger at a social, in a church basement, and she told me the story of the three pines. She had them planted in front of her house. Had been there for more than a hundred years. And that they were a signal to those loyal to the British crown, flooding across the boarded during the War of Independence, that they were safe in Canada. I heard that story years before starting to write, and always loved the symbolism of it. The kindness of the act, the awareness of how weary and confused and frightened those immigrants must’ve been. And then, the unimaginable power of knowing they were safe. Unbeknownst to me, in the church basement over dinner with a stranger, the seeds not just of the village, but the themes of Three Pines were planted." All The Devils Are Here is due to be out December 1, 2020.

Hallmark Movies and Mysteries coming up

Not sure how the movie and T.V. show productions are going with this virus thing, but I know many have been suspended. Nancy Drew ended rather abruptly because of it.

But good news if you like Hallmark Mysteries, there is a new Aurora Teagarden showing this Sunday, 5/17/20.

Heist and Seek 8 p.m. CST

About:

"When a priceless crown is stolen during a benefit gala held by the Lawrenceton library, Aurora and the Real Murders Club must investigate who would kill to get their hands on it. Starring Candace Cameron Bure, Niall Matter and Marilu Henner."

Hallmark is also featuring an Aurora Teagarden movie marathon on Sunday leading up to the new movie, starting at 8 a.m. CST.

Mystery 101: An Education in Murder is showing 5/31/20 at 8 p.m. CST.

About:

"A young writer's research prompts the police to revisit a famous murder case that convicted Amy's colleague at Elmstead, so Travis and Amy get a second chance at clearing the professor's name. Stars Jill Wagner and Kristoffer Polaha." 

There will be a Murder She Baked marathon on 5/30/20 starting at 10 a.m. CST. I liked that series and wish they would do more of those.

Picture Perfect Mysteries will be back in Summer 2020 with:

Exit Stage Death

About: 

"While backstage on opening night of a new play by celebrated murder mystery author/director Neil Khan, photographer Allie Adams discovers the body of the show’s leading lady, murdered before the curtain went up. As Willow Haven PD Detective Sam Acosta launches his investigation, he invites Allie – who has been helpful in solving his first two murder cases since joining the force -- to unofficially assist him on the. case. However, Allie’s involvement makes her a target for murder herself when she gets too close to the truth. Starring Alexa Pena Vargas, Carlos Pena Vargas, and Willie Adams."

Gotta get my DVR player set up...