The Fourth Door - Book 5 in The Secrets of Selkie Moon series by Virginia King

 This week, we are in Hong Kong with Selkie.

About: "When Selkie Moon travels to Hong Kong to discover his fate, she has high hopes of using her psychic twinges to find him and reunite him with his father. Until the tea leaves on her flight make a chilling prediction. Then in a Kowloon night-market she witnesses a child abduction – and the echoes with her quest suddenly raise the stakes. As the strange events escalate and reach back into Chinese folklore, Selkie is compelled to confront the powerful force that’s hell bent on stopping her. The omens are unmistakable. Someone is going to die. 

Someone closest to her?

Or Selkie herself?" 

My thoughts: Selkie travels with Alistair to Hong Kong to continue the search for his son who disappeared as a baby, with the baby's grandparents, after his wife died. He has been searching for 30 years and finally has some hope. He has found a cousin to his son, Su Yin, who says she has information that the baby was taken to Hong Kong, but seems more interested in the reward. Selkie finds some notes in the in flight magazine that seem to speak to her. When she sees a child abducted at the market in Kowloon, she is sure this is what happened to the baby many years ago. Selkie pulls in her psychic abilities, using the notes in the magazine, and hooks up with a medium for help. Su Yin appears, the medium disappears and things go from bad to worse. The grandparents are in the area but where are they? Are they helping or hindering the search? Something happens to Alistair. Is this the work of his deceased wife, Fleur, haunting Alistair? Clearly this is more that Selkie can handle on her own. She calls in the help of her friends, Derek and Nigel, and a medical doctor who specializes in Chinese medicine and folklore. 

It is very fast paced and lots of suspense, with danger at every turn of the page. The story is immersed in Chinese and Japanese folklore but takes place in modern times. It is a very interesting how this tales are woven into the story.

What I have loved about this series, is they take the folklore of specific countries and add a supernatural twist. The folk lore is interesting. The twists are intriguing and suspenseful. The characters are quirky and fun. 

If you like mysteries that take place in other countries, with a strong female character, and a bit of the supernatural, I recommend this series. 

I hope you have enjoyed this look at The Secrets of Selkie Moon series. 

The Third Note - Book 4 in The Secrets of Selkie Moon series by Virginia King

This week, we are off to Ireland with Selkie. Just in time for St. Patrick's Day.

 Don't you love this cover? Looks spooky doesn't it?

About:  "After returning from her last strange quest, Selkie Moon is more than ready to settle down. So when she receives a parcel from her great grandmother 35 years after her death, opening it seems like such a bad idea. But curiosity wins and the objects it contains plunge Selkie into long-buried family secrets. Suddenly an old mystery begins to echo with the present and she's wrapped in a spell that won’t let go: frightening visions, deadly encounters and a pull from the past that she can’t ignore. What happened down by the old stone well in 1896 – and why does it matter to Selkie after more than a hundred years? Armed with only her wits and psychic twinges that are hardly reliable, Selkie is drawn into a web of cryptic clues that delve deep into the folklore of Ireland where superstition still weaves a powerful – and fatal – spell.

If you love mysteries with lightning pace, twists and turns you never see coming, quirky clues and a sprinkling of the supernatural, then you’ll love The Third Note. 

Join Selkie Moon on a quest that will threaten not only her sanity, but her life."

My thoughts: The Third Note is truly magical. Full of mystery, Irish folklore, and family history, the story of Selkie Moon continues. This is probably my favorite of the first three, as the characters have developed more, we find out more about Selkie's past and her "abilities", and Selkie finds out more about herself. All of the Selkie's fun and quirky friends from the first two books are there; Davina, Derek, Coral and of course her romantic interest, Alister.

In revisiting these books, I really want to re- read them. That is rare for me.

Next week, The Fourth Door. The last book (so far) in the series where we will be going to Hong Kong.

Two new Hallmark mysteries and a good Netflix series

 Happy Spring which means warmer weather after the Polar Vortex, some rain, and least we forget, put your clocks ahead this weekend. I think that is going up for vote here in the next few months. Please can we leave it one way or the other?

Wanted to share two new Hallmark Mystery Movies coming up.

Sunday March 14th, 7 p.m. Central Time:

Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: How to Con a Con

When Aida Teagarden's real estate client is found murdered, her sleuthing daughter Aurora sets out with her fiancé Nick and the Real Murders Club to solve the murder. Stars Candace Cameron Bure, Niall Matter and Marilu Henner.

Sunday March 21st, 7 p.m. Central Time

Mystery 101: Killer Timing

An escaped serial killer and an attempt on Travis's life makes this their most dangerous case yet as Amy and Travis team up with his FBI agent ex to find the connection before it's too late. Starring Jill Wagner, Kristoffer Polaha and Erin Cahill.

I came across The Stranger on Netflix recently. It is based on the book of the same name by Harlan Coben. It is a series of eight episodes and was released in January of 2020. I don't know how I missed it or didn't know about it.

About: When a stranger makes a shocking claim about his wife, family man Adam Price becomes entangled in a mystery as he desperately searches for answers.

Starring:Richard Armitage, Siobhan Finneran, Jennifer Saunders 

Creators:Harlan Coben

I have not read this book. I have watched only the first episode so far and it is REALLY GOOD. A definite psychological thriller. I am seeing some of the usual comments about it being different from the book etc. but if you are looking for a good thriller to watch, I recommend this.

Two actors I recognized from other shows were Siobahn Finneran - O'Brien in Downtown Abbey and Jennifer Saunders from Absolutely Fabulous. (I loved "Ab Fab" back in the day. So funny).

Have a good weekend and don't forget to set your clocks ahead. Ugh.

The Second Path - Book 3 in the Secrets of Selkie Moon by Virginia King

 Book three in the Secrets of Selkie Moon takes us to Paris!

About:

" A rock ripped from the soil, a message scrawled in lipstick on the floor, a torn photo, a silver spoon… What do they all mean?

Only her subconscious knows.

When we last left Selkie Moon, she was running towards the source of her deepest primal fear: the sea. Now she finds herself naked on the beach, stunned that she has no memory of the past two weeks.

Recovering at a friend’s house, Selkie wakes up to discover a bizarre collection of items scattered across the floor. Items she apparently gathered in her sleep. Finding the ho'ohihi – the interconnectedness – between them will carry her around the globe, from Honolulu to Sydney to Paris. A dark fairy tale journey filled with fear and despair, laughter and hope, The Second Path has Selkie searching for her place in the world, in her relationships, and in herself."

Here is what I wrote when I read it:

We follow Selkie from Honolulu to Paris to Tours, France to continue her journey into her struggle to leave her haunting past and begin anew. With the help (?) of her intuitive, sometimes psychic friends, she searches the beach where she disappeared and caves in France to find answers. Meanwhile Selkie tries to make a living with her seminars, Being Sleek. All while having strange dreams, writing messages in her sleep, and trying her hand at art to help her bring her answers. Then there is Alister, who seems to be the perfect person to be in her new life, but she keeps pushing away. The writing of the story is magical; lots of great descriptions of not only the landscapes, and tangible things, but of the quirky people Selkie continues to meet and her own thoughts and the process of making sense of everything. Surprise ending.

Revisiting these books makes me want to read them again.

As I have said before; if you like strong female characters, a hint of supernatural (or is it intuition?), mystery, a little romance and exotic locations, I really recommend this series.

Next week, Selkie is off to Ireland.

Pssst...if you are liking the first book or two, the complete series is available in a five book ebook set.

https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Selkie-Moon-Book/dp/B08VH6BRB6/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=selkie+moon&qid=1614815458&sr=8-1

Sycamore Row by John Grisham (Book two in the Jake Brigance series)

 The Mystery Book Club "met" this past week. Our theme was any book in the Jake Brigance series by John Grisham or any other book by this author.

I chose to read Sycamore Row, which is actually book two, rather than book one, A Time To Kill. The description sounded disturbing to me. Several people in the book club did read A Time To Kill and highly recommend it though.

 

About: 

"Seth Hubbard is a wealthy man dying of lung cancer. He trusts no one. Before he hangs himself from a sycamore tree, Hubbard leaves a new, handwritten, will. It is an act that drags his adult children, his black maid, and Jake into a conflict as riveting and dramatic as the murder trial that made Brigance one of Ford County's most notorious citizens, just three years earlier. The second will raises far more questions than it answers. Why would Hubbard leave nearly all of his fortune to his maid? Had chemotherapy and painkillers affected his ability to think clearly? And what does it all have to do with a piece of land once known as Sycamore Row?"

My thoughts: 

As I said, I did not read the first book in this series, but didn't find that I had to, in order to follow this story. 

I really liked it. It is a page turner. I liked reading the methodical way Jake plans how he is going to get the most recent hand written will held up in court and comply with Seth's wishes. The case goes to trial and that is very interesting with plenty of suspense.  I like the character of Jack and his wife. I also liked the person that is to inherit much of Seth's estate, Lettie, his maid. Portia, Lettie's oldest daughter, takes on a role which will carry on to book three. (She was a popular character with the book club members.) There are other colorful characters from the first book, fellow lawyers, that add interest to the story. There is also a side story line (Is there such a thing?) of Lucien, a lawyer who was disbarred, helping in the case by looking for the long lost brother of Seth. That was very good also.

There wasn't anything I didn't like about it. Everyone liked the books also and all are hoping for a book four.

The First Lie - Book 2 in the Secrets of Selkie Moon series by Virginia King

 I shared Planting Pearls, book one/prequel to the Secrets of Selkie Moon series, last week.

As I mentioned, I have read all the books in the series. I did a short post about the series a couple of years ago but wanted to showcase each book now.

About: 

"Selkie Moon is a woman on the run. 

In a mad dash for freedom she’s escaped her abusive husband to start over in Hawaii. But her refuge begins to unravel and she’s running from something else entirely. A voice in a dream says: Someone is trying to kill you. Not that Selkie’s psychic, no way. But the visions escalate until the truth hits her – someone, or something, is stalking her. Entangled in Celtic and Hawaiian mythologies, the mystery becomes so bizarre and terrifying that Selkie’s instinct is to keep running. But is she running from her past or her future? And can she piece together the fragmented clues before time runs out?

The First Lie is a psychological thriller with a mythical twist, peppered with a cast of quirky characters. It’s a story about secrets, about the shadows we don’t know are driving us, from our mythical pasts and our present reality, told with a touch of humour."

My thoughts: The story begins when Selkie sees a woman in a mirror that belongs to Wanda. The woman is looking right at her and appears to be real. Selkie hears words in her head as if the woman is giving her a message that someone is trying to kill her. When Selkie turns around, the woman is not there. (I always like a little supernatural thing going on). We follow Selkie as she tries to find out who the woman is, get her business going, not fall for another abusive man, not get killed and finally find out what was the first lie.

I loved the writing. It is a good thriller but also has some wonderfully written descriptions of Selkie's experiences? dreams? visions? The story also brings in some the legends and myths in Hawaii. There are many layers to this story. What part does Selkie's childhood play in all that is happening to her? Are these things real, magical, psychological?

The story ends with you wanting to know more. Really good.

I will post The Second Path next week, that takes Selkie to Paris!

Planting Pearls by Virginia King (Book 1 in The Secrets of Selkie Moon series)

 Planting Pearls is the recently published prequel/book one to the Selkie Moon series by Virginia King. I have read all of the books in the series and really liked Planting Pearls. If you have already read some of the other books in the series, you will like reading more of the story as to how Selkie got to Hawaii and her new start and how she met several of the recurring characters that you love. If you are new to the series, Planting Pearls will really grab you and I am sure you will move quickly to the next book.

The Selkie Moon series is a good combination of women's fiction, mystery/supernatural.

About: 

"A new name and a new home.

A scary ex-husband ...

And a ghost.

When Selkie Moon escapes her controlling husband to start a new life in Hawaii, she's under pressure to support herself, stay hidden from her ex, and trust her new friends. But when she encounters a so-called haunting, Selkie delves into the mystery surrounding the old Honolulu house. Are there dark forces at work and is a young child in danger?  Or is something else going on?"

My thoughts: As the story begins, Selkie has planned her "escape" from her controlling husband. As she travels from Australia to Hawaii, she receives threatening texts from him. The suspense begins there as we can feel how he is stalking her. 

Selkie finds a room mate under serendipitous circumstances. Wanda is an artist in Waikiki. She makes "fish art." The one room apartment is also shared by Doris, Wanda's shop dummy that she collected. Plenty of room for Shona, Selkie's statue from Zimbabwe that she has brought all the way from Australia.

As Selkie is setting up her new life, she becomes involved in a mystery. Her new friend Derek, has a business investigating "surreal" phenomena and she accompanies him on an investigation. Is a ghost haunting the property that Hudson and Gracie have bought to begin their new life and is their 5 year old daughter Sage, in contact with the spirit of another young girl? All the while, Selkie continues to receive threatening texts from her husband.

This book is full of suspense and danger that will keep you turning the pages. 

I really like the other books in the series that follow Selkie as she becomes more and more independent. Selkie's seminar business takes her to other countries in the books. In each one, she becomes involved in a local mystery. We learn about different folklore and the countries where the books are set in.

Bonus! Tuesday February 23rd, Planting Pearls free and all the books in the series are on sale.  The First Lie is $2.99 and the rest of the novels are $3.99. 

About the author:

When a voice wakes you up in the middle of the night and tells you to write a fiction series, what’s a writer to do? That’s how I came to create Selkie Moon, after this nocturnal message. I sat down at the keyboard until Selkie Moon turned up -- a modern woman with a mythical name. Soon I was hooked, exploring far-flung places full of secrets where Selkie delves into psychological clues tangled up in the local folklore.

Before Selkie Moon invaded my life, I'd been a teacher, an unemployed ex-teacher, the author of over 50 children’s books, an audio-book producer, a workshop presenter and a prize-winning publisher. These days I live in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney with my husband, where I disappear each day into Selkie Moon’s latest mystery. Bliss.

I really think you would like this series!