Review: Last Resort at Haven's Rock

Last Resort at Haven's Rock by Kelley Armstrong
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

On sale February 16, 2027. And a great way to start the New Year.

Several huge and unexpected (for me anyway) plot twists!

Although the author has assured us this is the last book in the series, I am keeping my fingers crossed there will be at least a couple more. Ms. Armstrong has left enough openings in this book to give us future books.

Of course, this was a brilliant book. I love the concept of Casey and Dalton having to do so much with so little. The cast of characters in this book were perfect. Don't forget that in this universe, nearly three years have gone by, so expect some differences.

The story revolves around a very depressed man, his wife and, of course, a murder. Unfortunately for me, I figured out the whodunit pretty quickly and I hoped I was wrong and would be surprised. I wasn't wrong, but the events leading up to the big reveal were very interesting. It still was a very satisfying read for me. Especially when you throw in a HUGE plot twist!

I loved this book and will soon be re-reading it; as a matter of fact, I will be re-reading both series quite soon!

There is a lot to discuss with this mystery, so it would be perfect for book clubs.

*ARC supplied by the publisher Minotaur Books/ Macmillan Publishers, the author, and NetGalley.

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Summary: " The final book in New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong's Haven's Rock series follows Casey Duncan as she investigates a murder just outside of town.

With a toddler and a town to watch out for, Detective Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton, have their hands full. The only blessing is that everything has been quiet for years. That peace is broken when a hunter's campsite is found a mile outside of Haven's Rock. It's too close for comfort, and they immediately investigate, only to find a Haven's Rock resident dead, face down in the lake.

Items are missing from Jamie's fishing tackle box, and his half-submerged body makes it difficult to gather any evidence. Deciding the hunter is the most likely suspect, Casey and Eric set out on a hunt of their own. Instead of a trespassing stranger, Casey discovers a former resident, long believed dead—someone Casey really hopes isn’t the murderer. As they try to find who killed Jamie, Casey and Eric begin to wonder if their town can ever be truly safe for the people they shelter.

This last installment in one of the most uniquely crafted and satisfying crime series of the last decade will thrill fans until the very end."

Review: The Bureau of Unknown Fates: A Novel

The Bureau of Unknown Fates: A Novel by Gaëlle Nohant
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Slow, plodding, unemotional, textbook-like. The ITS is now called - Arolsen Archives - International Center on Nazi Persecution.


The author must be a historian to write a book this dry. Many unlikeable characters, and not just the Nazi's.
Through the chapters that I did manage to finish, I found plenty of questions raised, but none answered in a timely manner. The horrors of this chapter in history were detailed, and of course, very sad.


I was looking forward to this book and was sorely disappointed that it didn't live up to the hype for me. Many others have loved it, so don't go just by me.

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Summary -"In the tradition of The Lost and The Postcard, a powerful novel of loss and restitution in and after wartime, like a detective novel in reverse.

When young French woman marries and moves to her German husband’s small hometown, Bad Arolsen, she finds a world where no one discusses what the locals did during the war. She has no idea that her life will be changed forever when she accepts a job at the secretive International Tracing Service—founded by the Allies at the end of WWII to help trace the fates of millions of wartime dead and displaced. Meticulous and conscientious, Irene quickly becomes obsessed with her work—at the cost of her personal life.

Years later, she is entrusted with returning thousands of confiscated objects, recovered from the liberated camps. Irène pieces together the identity of each object's rightful owner, in order to give the descendants of the victims something to remember their lost relatives by. A faded cloth doll, a medallion, an embroidered handkerchief . . . every object contains its secrets. During her research, Irène meets people who will inspire and guide her from Lublin to Warsaw, from Berlin to Paris, to discover a past that concerns her personally. In so doing, she glimpses humanity—at its worst, but also, its best—and looking for the dead, she finds the living.

Weaving together the trajectories of these individual lives with the collective memory of Europe, this devastatingly beautiful novel is suffused with wisdom and compassion."

Review: The Nightingales of Boston

The Nightingales of Boston by Gemma Tizzard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Although there were a few errors in the language of the era (using Ms. instead of Miss or Mrs.), this was a gripping read. Upon doing a little research myself, I found that this author did a bang-up job with her accuracy. Be sure to read the author's notes at the end.

I had heard about the nightmare that was the fire at Cocoanut Grove nightclub, but I really had no idea of the devastation it wrought. The first quarter of this book will grip you and horrify you. 492 lives lost in one of the worst ways possible - fire, smoke, locked emergency exits and toxin inhalation, crushed bodies, etc. But I digress.

This is not only a story about that horror, but it is also the story of three women who meet during this tragedy and, due to circumstances, become friends, learn to grow, and reach goals they never thought they would reach.

While this story starts as a tragedy, it does have a happy and satisfying ending.

*ARC supplied by the publisher Gallerybooks/Simon & Schuster, the author, and NetGalley.


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Summary: "The lives of three heroic women collide in the wake of Boston’s 1942 Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire in this inspiring and uplifting novel from the author of Grace of the Empire State.

1942: Alice, an aspiring wife and mother, is hiding a happy secret and decides an evening at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub with her boyfriend George is the perfect way to celebrate. Inez, a young reporter, knows the Cocoanut Grove is as popular with the rich and famous as it is with young revelers, and she’s eager for a hot tip. Nina, the ambitious head nurse at a nearby hospital, is halfway through her shift and hopes it will be a quiet night.

But when a single spark at the club quickly explodes into a blazing inferno, all three of their lives change in an instant. A novel of survival, healing, and hope for fans of The Nature of Fragile Things and The House Is on Fire, The Nightingales of Boston is a novel that explores persistence, courage, and female friendship in the face of the unthinkable.

Review: The Redwood Retirement Home Lost Its Director

The Redwood Retirement Home Lost Its Director by Morgan Mayer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a bit of a different take on a cozy murder mystery. Set in a retirement home in New Hampshire with characters ranging in age from the early 60s to 95, we learn a lot about what it feels like to not only still be active at any age but also how it feels for people in this age bracket to feel ignored by anyone under 50.

One issue I had was, although this type of home is not the type I am familiar with (my mother is in one), I must wonder why there is no staff working 24/7.

The characters were interesting, and I could even see myself being friends with some of them. The murderer wasn't who I expected, so it was a great mystery to me. The home itself was one that I would like to be able to retire to if I weren't married, but since the main character of this story IS married, I can see it would work very well.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes a different take on cozy mysteries and learning about the realities of aging, and I think this would be a great book for book clubs!

*ARC supplied by the publisher, Indigo Dot Press, the author, and BookSirens.

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Summary - "A missing director. A maze of lies.

“Clever, charming, and wonderfully entertaining”—Seattle Book Review

Sheila and Shane McShane, a tenacious octogenarian couple from New Hampshire, recently downsized to a senior living community. Although excited for this next chapter, Sheila recognizes the Redwood Retirement Home might be her last stop in life, and she flounders for a new sense of purpose.

Then Billy Newport, their center’s enthusiastic director, vanishes during an outing to the estate’s sprawling hedge maze. Did he abandon the eccentric Redwood tenants as some believe? Or did harm come to him instead?

With renewed energy, Sheila dives into an investigation, determined to uncover the truth. The question is, who can she trust?

Because some at Redwood may not be who they seem.

Review: A Glimmer of Death

A Glimmer of Death by Laurell K. Hamilton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

12 years- I didn't realize that was how long it's been since the last Merry Gentry book. At least we know for sure (maybe) that the next book ("A Ghost of Daylight" Expected publication April 13, 2027) is the last in the series and maybe she can finally do something that will take care of Taranis and maybe even Andais.

Nothing here was a true shocker. There was the usual talk about sex and a couple of sex scenes, but all in all it was mostly talk. A lot of what I consider filler -clothing, decor, inner thoughts and feelings, going over and over the same old things. It was almost as if the oublisher insisted that this book be so many pages, and Ms. Hamilton had to fill it with minutiae to fulfill her obligation. The usual.

This story brought back people we thought were dead, and it did have a fantastic ending.

I would have loved to see some more of Andais and Taranus, but I expect that will be in the next book.

*ARC supplied by the publisher Penguin Random House, the author, and NetGalley.

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Summary: "I am Meredith Gentry. Princess of the realm of faerie, private investigator in the mortal land of Los Angeles, mother of triplets, and lover to my men—the royal guards sworn to protect me. With a family and a court to support back home, I can’t say no to a job investigating a string of magical attacks against up-and-coming Hollywood actresses. Not when the case raises old nightmares from my own past. This time when I find out who is responsible for all this pain, I can make him pay.

But affairs in the land of faerie keep interrupting my hunt. Aisling is supposed to be the next king of the Seelie Court, but he is doubly cursed once by beauty and once by despair. If we cannot cure him my uncle Taranis, former King of Light and Illusion, may regain the throne. If he does he will destroy me and everyone I care about. Only true love will cure Aisling of his curse but is my love true enough? If not, I will share his fate and lose myself to the haunted magic that torments him.  

While we fight for one kingdom of faerie, my aunt Andais, Queen of Air and Darkness, claims my deceased best friend, Keelin, has turned up alive and well along with a child supposedly sired by her dead son. If this baby is the true child of my former rival to the Unseelie throne, my enemies might use it to take the throne from me. Mysterious fey babies, curses both ancient and new are shaking the delicate balance of the faerie courts, and I am still hunting a monster terrorizing the women of Los Angeles."

Review: Split Second: Thirty-Two Switcheroo

Split Second: Thirty-Two Switcheroo by Janet Evanovich
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Stephanie and crew are back, and it's everything we've come to love about these books! And boy, Stephanie sure gets more than she ever bargained for! To start: evil grandmother-in-law Bella comes to Joe and Steph's house to teach Stephanie how to be a housewife, and you can imagine just how well that turns out. Complications arise with their marriage, but I'll let you see what happens yourself.

Stephanie and Lulu have a couple of retrievals, and one turns deadly. A lot of donuts are eaten by all the usual people; cars get mangled, shot at and driven into the river and invaded by wildlife (I think this may have been a record for Stephanie's rides). Grandma Mazur lends a helping hand, and even Vinnie helps (sort of). She also joins Ranger in a mission to bodyguard a little girl, and things don't go well.

But like with all of these books, things turn out for the best; there is a lot of humor (the fumbling-idiot kind), and while some may not like the ending...all I have to say is yum!

*ARC supplied by the publisher Atria Books/Simon & Schuster Publishing, the author, and NetGalley.



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Summary - "In a now-or-never moment, Stephanie Plum made the decision of a lifetime. But some lifetimes are shorter than others and Stephanie will be lucky if she makes it to the end of the week.

Over the years, Trenton’s best-known bounty hunter has acquired a long list of enemies. It’s an occupational hazard as a bond enforcement agent. The problem is that she now has a mysterious enemy whose name isn’t on any list. Disturbing packages, threatening notes, and near misses are keeping Stephanie in the dark and her anonymous tormentor, who wants her dead, in the shadows.

Bond jumper Greb Tusi also wouldn’t mind getting rid of Stephanie. He’s wanted for going on a three-hour rampage—one that he swears “wasn’t his fault”—that included mugging an old lady and stealing a hearse. Lacking Anonymous Enemy #1’s creative flair and strong work ethic, Tusi has chosen a more minimalist approach to dealing with the annoyingly still-breathing Plum. Trying to push her off roofs, bridges, in front of trucks, and any place else where a little push can go a long way.

And if adjusting to being newly married isn’t enough to take a few years off Stephanie’s life, working for her ex-fiancé and mentor, Ranger, might do the trick. Ranger has taken a security job for a powerful political figure, and Stephanie is in charge of babysitting one of the figure’s family members. But Stephanie might be in over her head with this one. Ranger’s job is high-stress, high-stakes, and high-maintenance, and Stephanie is pretty sure that when Ranger discovers the client she was minding was kidnapped under her watch, her days might be numbered.

The clock is ticking for Stephanie to find her kidnap victim, bail-jumper Greb Tusi, and the invisible stalker who is sending her increasingly menacing messages. If she lets her guard down for even a split second, her time will be up."

Review: Madeline McKnight Signs Off: A Novel

Madeline McKnight Signs Off: A Novel by Evan Brooke
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

On a side note, thank you to Goodreads for finally allowing us half stars!

This is a very difficult book to describe, and if you pick it up, be prepared to scratch your head in confusion for most of the book. You are going to hate the characters as I did (except for the dog and Lee), or you are going to love them. You are either going to love or hate the formatting, and the same goes for the font -sometimes normal and sometimes (for certain aspects of the book) tiny. Thank goodness for Kindle, so I could change the sizes so I could read the tiny print.

A quick description of this book: it mostly follows Madeline McKnight in her last months as she dies of cancer, and her obsession with Hetty Green, also known as the "Witch of Wall Street," who died the richest woman in America. Madeline was described as "The Bitch of Wall Street" at one time.

Madeline had made a mess of her life after one *ahem* small mistake. She made an enemy of her best friend, became a laughingstock at work, and was an altogether vindictive witch.

Also, you need to know a lot about fly fishing, or at least want to learn about it, since it takes up a lot of this book... well, actually, so do the bits about Hetty James.

This book kept me interested enough to finish, but not enough that I would recommend it with a broad brush.

*ARC supplied by the publisher Atria Books/Simon & Schuster Publishing, the author, and ATTL/Edelweiss.

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SUMMARY: "“An extraordinary exploration of friendship that spans the broadest universal themes of love and loyalty to the most intricate, intimate, and memorable details of a human life.” —Jill McCorkle, New York Times bestselling author

An unconventional relationship between women of two different generations becomes something transcendent in this vulnerable, heartbreaking, and life-affirming debut novel that proves it’s never too late to come of age.

Madeline McKnight is writing her final annual report. A former Wall Street power player, she uses a pie chart to rank her most hated rivals, a line graph to follow the trajectory of her net worth and reputation, and even a formula to predict when the metastasized cancer will kill her. But there’s no equation to predict the likelihood that Bri Davis, Madeline’s estranged best friend’s daughter, will agree to take care of her at the end of her life.

Bri is a nursing student fresh off a breakup, ambivalent about her future, and drowning in debt. She agrees to Madeline’s strange proposal, mostly for the obscene payday. Sharp as knives and intimidatingly smart, Bri finds herself face-to-face with a force of nature rather than an ailing patient. Madeline ropes Bri into the bigger plans she has afoot for her final act. Madeline McKnight has never gone away quietly and she doesn’t plan to start now.

As this unlikely pair teams up to tackle Madeline’s final days can they trade her badwill for goodwill before it’s too late?"