RED FLAGS (Locard Forensic Institute Thriller Book #1) by Lisa Black is an intense and intricately plotted first book in a new forensic thriller series featuring two female forensic experts and the Locard Forensic Institute.
FBI analyst Dr. Ellie Carr from the D.C. Evidence Response Team is called to the scene of a kidnapping. When she arrives, it is to find the missing baby belongs to her cousin, Becca who Ellie has been estranged from for many years. What Ellie discovers is her cousin is now a part of a D.C. power couple of lobbyists on the verge of making millions when their friend’s kid focused on-line gaming company goes public. Ellie has been all over the house and can find no evidence of a break-in.
Becca’s husband, Hunter hires the Locard Forensic Institute and Dr, Rachel Davies. Ellie is reluctant at first to work with Rachel, but in working the kidnapping, they begin to trust each other. As more children are kidnapped, Ellie and Rachel are in a race to discover who the kidnappers are and why they are focusing on the children of the gaming company involved in a Senate hearing on children’s’ on-line gaming regulations.
I always enjoy Ms. Black’s intelligent main characters and her detailed explanations of different types of forensic science. There is a lot going on in this book and while some is extremely interesting, especially the chat and ad regulations in children’s on-line gaming, there are times when the information, especially about IPOs slowed down the pace a bit. The plot is a web of several interconnecting yet different motives and crimes that all come together in an ending that surprised me. Ellie and Rachel’s professional relationship is realistically portrayed and paced throughout from standoffish and suspicious to understanding and the start of a friendship and partnership.
I am looking forward to following both Ellie and Rachel in their personal lives and on their future investigations in this new series.
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About the Author
Lisa Black’s books have reached the NYT bestsellers list, been translated into six languages and have been optioned for film. Perish was shortlisted for the inaugural Sue Grafton Memorial Award by Putnam and Mystery Writers of America. Lisa will be a Guest of Honor at 2021 Killer Nashville.
She is a certified crime scene analyst in Florida and a former forensic scientist for the Cleveland coroner’s office. She is a member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the International Association for Identification, and the International Association of Bloodstain Pattern Analysts, and has testified in more than fifty homicide trials.
She still aspires to drive Nancy Drew’s convertible and marry Ellery Queen.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Audiobook Review for TROUBLE ONMAIN STREET (Sugar Mountain Book #1) by Kirsten Fullmer on this Audio Book Empire Audiobook Tour.
Below you will find a book description, my audiobook review, the author’s bio and social media links and the narrator’s bio. Enjoy!
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Book Description
A cozy mountain town, a sweet romance, and a secret society of sneaky women…
The sleepy hamlet of Sugar Mountain harbors a secret society of women. Don’t misunderstand—the society itself is not secret—it’s the true nature of the group that is hush-hush.
Sugar Mountain is the kind of charming village that tourists adore. If you like small-town charm, quirky shops, and local art, this is the place for you. But when a blood smeared package shows up at the post office and it appears to be linked to a scheme that threatens Heidi Collinsworth’s historic home, the town takes on a sinister vibe. Heidi would lay odds that slimy Mayor Winslow is involved, but even with the enquiring skills of The Sugar Mountain Ladies Historical Society at work, proof is scarce.
The new guy in town, Adam Williams, is determined not to get involved in Sugar Mountain’s business. His last job in a big city planning office ruined his life, but Heidi needs his help. No matter how hard he tries to stay detached, Adam finds himself eyeball deep in Heidi’s problems, as well as the needs of her teenage son and a homeless dog.
With conflicting theories abound and tensions running high, it’s up to the ladies of the society to don disguises and go undercover. If they’re not careful, the town may fall to a wrecking ball, Heidi may fall for Adam, and the secret society will be exposed.
Meet the cast of colorful characters in this charming and zany introduction to a whole new series of romantic, cozy mysteries!
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My Audiobook Review
RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars
TROUBLE ON MAIN STREET (Sugar Mountain Book #1) by Kirsten Fullmer is an entertaining small town cozy mystery with romance elements. This first book in the series introduces the ladies of the Sugar Mountain Historical Society and features their president, Heidi Collinsworth. This Historical Society is not quite what it seems. I listened to the audiobook.
Heidi Collinsworth is the town’s postmaster, a widow, a single mom, and the current grand master of the Sugar Mountain Historical Society which is also her home. A package with a bloody handprint shows up at the post office and at the same time Heidi learns that the Historical Society is due to be demolished. All the ladies of the society come together to investigate and discover a plan that could not only make Heidi homeless, but also destroy Sugar Mountain’s unique downtown shopping district.
Adam Williams has moved to Sugar Mountain for a complete change in his life. He is intrigued by the postmaster and when she asks for his help, he reluctantly agrees since his old job is just what Heidi needs. For someone who wants to stay to himself, he is completely drawn into Heidi’s problem, spending time with Heidi’s son and adopting a sad homeless dog.
Heidi is hiding a secret that she cannot reveal to Adam even as she begins to fall for him. The entire town may be destroyed, and the society exposed if they are not careful.
I really enjoyed listening to this cozy mystery and its fun cast of ladies in the Historical Society. The idea of the Historical Society and their terrible reenactments being the cover for a group of women who come together to better the town and its inhabitants without interference, since no one really knows what they are doing, is an idea that can lead to many more plots. The characters kept me listening, but the plot that started out interesting and well paced, ended up rushed and was not as satisfying as I believe it could have been. I do enjoy scenic small town locations and Sugar Mountain, NC is set in the high country of the Blue Ridge Mountains and I know that is beautiful country. The narrator was an excellent choice for this story, and I enjoyed listening to her bring life to the characters.
I look forward to listening to more Sugar Mountain series audiobooks.
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About theAuthor
Kirsten is a writer with a love of art and design. She worked in the engineering field, taught college, and consulted free lance. Due to health problems, she retired in 2012 to travel with her husband. They live and work full time in a 40′ travel trailer with their little dog Bingo. Besides writing romance novels, she enjoys selling art on Etsy and spoiling their four grandchildren.
As a writer, Kirsten’s goal is to create strong female characters who face challenging, painful, and sometimes comical situations. She believes that the best way to deal with struggle is through friendship and women helping women. She knows good stories are based on interesting and relatable characters.
Barbara’s journey into voice acting began by volunteering with Learning Ally, a non-profit organization. After her experience helping to transform the lives of struggling readers, she knew that narrating audiobooks was the perfect path toward her life’s second act after working in the corporate world for many years.
Her mid-tone voice is friendly, warm, smooth, lyrical, clear, and professional. She can also hold her own in suspenseful tones for the scariest of stories. Her natural accent is Texan, and she can adapt to General American, Appalachian or any American southern accent. Her acting coaches are award winning Carol Monda, Joel Froomkin, Johnny Heller and Elise Arsenault.
Genres she enjoys narrating are suspense, horror, mysteries, cozy mysteries, literary fiction, non-fiction, and memoirs. And anything magical ranging from fun and fantastical all the way to dark sorcery.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for HOT ASH (The Angela Hardwicke Mysteries Book #3) by Russ Colchamiro on this Black Phoenix Book Tour.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Description
Intergalactic private Angela Hardwicke is Eternity’s most daring spy for hire…
Following the mysterious and ill-timed death of her elderly husband, Camille Engquist was set to inherit the family’s real estate development company. But her stepkids stole it from her first. Or so she claims.
As Hardwicke and her protégé Eric Whistler dive into the world of affordable housing, synthetic concrete, and corporate succession planning, their investigation put them face-to-face with the haves and have-nots, a new form of cocaine, a boundary-pushing neurobiologist, a majestic domed city and a violent conspiracy that stretches farther and deeper than they ever could have imaged. But the most insidious betrayals are sometimes closer to home.
In Hot Ash, Russ Colchamiro’s most action-packed Sci-Fi mystery yet, Angela Hardwicke must grapple with the worst pain of all—that the people we love are the ones we should fear most.
HOT ASH (The Angela Hardwicke Mysteries Book #3) by Russ Colchamiro is a fast-paced mash-up of science fiction/urban fantasy and gritty hard-boiled fiction P.I. mystery with unique worldbuilding and a kick-butt female P.I. protagonist. This is the third book in the series, and it can easily be read as a standalone P.I. mystery, but there is some character change and growth from book one, so I enjoyed reading them in order.
P.I. Angela Hardwicke and her trainee turned protégé, Eric Whistler meet with Camille Engquist regarding her request for their service. They listen to her rage about her treacherous stepchildren and her belief they killed her husband and falsified his recently signed last will and testament kicking her out of their real estate development company without her knowledge. Angela accepts the case because the timing of the husband’s death and the signing of new will seems suspicious.
As Angela and Eric investigate, they are thrown into the darker side of real estate development, building scams, synthetic concrete, inheritance, and drugs. They end up having to go off-world and discover a dangerous and dark conspiracy. Will Angela be able to solve and survive this case?
Angela and this series keep getting better and better. Angela’s character growth has made me like her more and more. At first, she was more of a noir caricature who was like a man in female clothes, but she is becoming a hardcore action P.I. female character who I can cheer for. All the characters are fully fleshed and realistic to this world. The mystery murder and conspiracy plots are intriguing and believable no matter the universe with plenty of exciting twists. The science fiction world in which Angela exists is unique and an interesting worldview twist.
I enjoy Angela Hardwicke and this unique universe, and I am looking forward to reading many more books in this series.
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About the Author
Russ Colchamiro is the author of the sci-fi mystery novels Crackle and Fire and Fractured Lives, featuring his hardboiled intergalactic private eye Angela Hardwicke. He is also the author of the rollicking time travel/space adventure, Crossline, the SFF backpacking comedy series Finders Keepers, Genius de Milo, and Astropalooza, editor of the sci-fi mystery anthology Love, Murder & Mayhem, and co-author of the noir anthology Murder in Montague Falls.
A member of the Mystery Writers Association, Russ is currently publishing the third book in his Angela Hardwicke series, and has written more than a dozen short stories for various anthologies. He is also host of the long-running podcast Russ’s Rockin’ Rollercoaster, interviewing a who’s who of science fiction, crime, and mystery authors. Russ lives in New Jersey with his wife, two ninjas, and his black lab Jinx.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for SWEETWATER & THEWITCH (A Ghost Hunter/Harmony Novel Book #16) by Jayne Castle on this Berkley blog tour.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, an excerpt from the book, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Description
If there’s something Ravenna Chastain knows, it’s when to end things. And after she almost winds up the victim of a cult that believes she’s a witch, it’s easy to walk away from her dead-end career, ready for a new start. But where to find a job that would allow her to use her very specialized skill set? The answer is clear: she becomes a matchmaker.
But even a successful matchmaker can’t find someone for everyone, and Ravenna considers Ethan Sweetwater her first professional failure. After nine failed dates, Ravenna knows it’s time to cut Ethan loose. But Ethan refuses to be fired as a client—he needs one final date to a business function. Since Ravenna needs a date herself to a family event, they agree to a deal: she will be his (business) date if he will be her (fake) date to her grandparents’ anniversary celebration.
What Ethan fails to mention is that attending the business function is a cover for some industrial espionage that he’s doing as a favor to the new Illusion Town Guild boss. Ravenna is happy to help, but their relationship gets even more complicated when things heat up—the chemistry between them is explosive, as explosive as the danger that’s stalking Ravenna. Lucky for her, Ethan isn’t just an engineer—he’s also a Sweetwater, and Sweetwaters are known for hunting down monsters…
SWEETWATER & THE WITCH (A Ghost Hunters/Harmony Novel Book #16) by Jayne Castle is another fun and exciting trip back to Harmony. This paranormal/romantic suspense matches the infamous Sweetwater with a matchmaking fire witch just trying to make a living in Illusion and the dust bunny who adopts her. This book is easily read as a standalone, but characters from previous books do appear and with the overall family and character arcs, I just prefer to read them in order.
Ravenna Chastain is a criminal profiler who volunteers to be the bait for a trap to take down a cult, but she almost ends up in a waking coma when her backup is late to arrive, but a dust bunny appears instead to help. Ravenna is ready for a change and uses her skills to work for the premiere matchmaking company in Illusion. She is excited to be given the chance to match a Sweetwater even though his past may make it difficult.
Ethan Sweetwater has gone on nine terrible dates, and he is demanding Ravenna be his final contracted date. Ravenna takes him up on his demand and then adds her own request for him to accompany her as a “fake” date to a family function. Ethan has gotten what he wants and more than he is willing to admit, but their dates never seem to go smoothly. Ravenna has dates from her past trying to kill her and Ethan’s investigations have assassins coming after them both.
I always enjoy returning to Jayne Castle’s world. The worldbuilding has been interesting from the start with the variety of para talents, the alien Underworld, the generations of families and the dust bunnies. The romance and suspense are equally represented. The banter between Ravenna and Ethan is entertaining as each attempt to keep their heart safe as they increasingly care for each other, even though it is clear Ethan purposefully picked Ravenna. The sex scene was steamy, but it was not gratuitous.
I always love the chance to return to Harmony for a romantic suspense that always satisfies. And the dust bunnies.
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Excerpt
“You can’t dump me,” Ethan Sweetwater said. “I’ve got a contract with this matchmaking agency. You owe me one more date.”
“To be clear,” Ravenna said, “I am not dumping you. I am trying to explain that I cannot help you.”
“I don’t believe it. When my nephew Jeff recommended you, he said you have the eye.”
“Your nephew met me one time, and that was several months ago, when I was doing criminal profiling, not matchmaking. This work is quite different.”
Actually, it was not all that different, she reflected. It turned out that criminal profiling had a lot in common with matchmaking. The emotional drivers were key.
“Maybe you’re not trying hard enough,” Ethan suggested. That was nothing less than an insult.
“I am a professional, Mr. Sweetwater,” She said coldly. “ I assure you I have given your case my closest attention. In fact, all four of us here at Ottoway, including Ms. Ottoway herself, have gone through the files several times trying to find good matches for you.”
She did not add that there were only two reason Ethan Sweetwater—aka the client from green hell—was still on the books. The primary one was the contract. It stipulated that he was to receive a minimum of ten matches. The second reason, of course, was that Bernice Ottoway, the proprietor of Ottoway Matchmakers, was desperate not to lose such a high-profile client. The Sweetwater name carried a lot of weight, not just in Illusion Town but throughout the four city-states. A successful match for a member of the notoriously private clan that controlled a huge chunk of the amber market would give Ottoway a major promotional hit. It also would do a lot for her career, Ravenna thought. Sadly, a successful outcome did not appear to be in the cards.
“We will be happy to refund your money and refer you to another agency,” Ravenna said. Mentally she crossed her fingers. Bernice Ottoway never returned a client’s money if she could help it, but surely she would understand that Ethan Sweetwater was a hopeless case.
“I don’t want to waste my time starting from scratch at another agency,” Ethan said. “I was assured that here at Ottoway the process would be efficient and professional.”
“It would have helped if you had been more forthcoming on the Ottoway questionnaire,” Ravenna said.
“Don’t try to blame this on me, Ms. Chastain.” I’m the client, remember? The customer is always right.”
He was standing in front of her desk. He reached down somewhat absently to scratch Harriet behind her ears. The dust bunny was in the process of rearranging the pens in the tray. She paused to chortle appreciatively. Ravenna stifled a groan. She and the entire staff at Ottoway might have a problem with Ethan, but Harriet’s relationship with him was just fine. Uncomplicated, she thought. Unlike me.
“I must tell you that, according to the after-action reports I received from the nine dates I arranged for you, your dating technique leaves something to be desired,” she said.
“There you go, blaming the client again. If I’ve got a technique problem, you should help me fix it.”
“Ethan adjusted his black-framed glasses, turned away from the desk, and crossed the office. He took a stance at the window overlooking the quiet residential street.
She liked watching him move, Ravenna thought. He reminded her of a specter-cat, all prowling grace and elegant strength. He had the eyes to match. They were a dark amber gold and infused with the cold heat of controlled power—the eyes of an apex predator. The amber stone in his gold signet ring was the same color.
Eyes like Ethan’s probably made some people nervous, she thought. Maybe that was the reason he chose to wear glasses. Or maybe he thought they went with the rest of his persona.
Jayne Castle, the author of Guild Boss, Illusion Town, Siren’s Call, The Hot Zone, Deception Cove, The Lost Night, Canyons of Night, Midnight Crystal, Obsidian Prey, Dark Light, Silver Master, Ghost Hunter, After Glow, and After Dark, is a pseudonym for Jayne Ann Krentz, the author of more than fifty New York Times bestsellers. She writes contemporary romantic suspense novels under the Krentz name, as well as historical novels under the pseudonym Amanda Quick.
AFTER THE ROMANOVS: Russian Exiles in Paris from the Belle Epoque Through Revolution and War by Helen Rappaport is a nonfiction novel about the Russian emigres specifically in Paris from the 1870’s to the early 1930’s. While most people are interested in the history happening in Russia during this time, this is an interesting look at many who fled.
Paris is a city of cultural excellence, fine wine and food, and the latest fashions, but it is also a place of refuge for those fleeing persecution before and after the Russian Revolution and the fall of the Romanov dynasty. For years, Russian aristocrats had enjoyed all that Paris had to offer, spending lavishly when they visited, but the brutality of the Bolshevik takeover forced Russians of all social backgrounds to flee their homeland, sometimes leaving with only the clothes on their backs.
Many former soldiers worked in the manufacturing plants and former princes learned to drive taxicabs and waite tables, while their wives who could sew worked for the fashion houses or set up their own. Talented intellectuals, artists, poets, philosophers, and writers struggled in exile, eking out a living at menial jobs. Some encountered success over time, but it was not always lasting. Political activists sought to overthrow the Bolshevik regime from afar and reestablish the monarchy while double agents on both sides plotted espionage and assassination. Many could not cope and became trapped in a cycle of poverty, depression, and an all-consuming homesickness for the Russian homeland they felt forced to leave.
I found this novel very interesting because I always read about the history in Russia itself and never really considered the refugees other than the few who left and then made names for themselves worldwide after the Revolution. I felt the plight of the refugees is described without bias. Not only did they have to deal with their losses, but the world was dealing with an economic depression at the same time which always makes the acceptance of refugees in another country difficult. The story of the first generation of refugees was depressing and sad, whether you agree with the Revolution or monarchy, due to the human suffering and lost dreams.
This nonfiction book can easily be the stories of refugees anywhere at any time which makes it an important read.
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About the Author
Helen Rappaport is a historian specializing in the Victorian period, with a particular interest in Queen Victoria and the Jamaican healer and caregiver, Mary Seacole. She also has written extensively on late Imperial Russia, the 1917 Revolution and the Romanov family. Her love of all things Victorian springs from her childhood growing up near the River Medway where Charles Dickens lived and worked. Her passion for Russian came from a Russian Special Studies BA degree course at Leeds University. In 2017 she was awarded an honorary D.Litt by Leeds for her services to history. She is also a member of the Royal Historical Society, the Genealogical Society, the Society of Authors and the Victorian Society. She lives in the West Country, and has an enduring love of the English countryside and the Jurassic Coast, but her ancestral roots are in the Orkneys and Shetlands from where she is descended on her father’s side. She likes to think she has Viking blood.
K-9 COLD CASE (K-9 Alaska Book #3, Unsolved Mystery Book #3) by Elizabeth Heiter is another fast-paced, exciting romantic suspense in the Harlequin Intrigue K-9 Alaska series. This book is set in small-town Alaska featuring the chief of police and an FBI Victim Specialist and his therapy dog chasing an unsub who has left the same image at all his crime scenes over the last eight years. This book is part of two series but is easily read as a standalone crime mystery.
Chief of Police Keara Hernandez moved to Desparre, Alaska after the murder investigation of her detective husband in Houston became a cold case six years ago to try and heal. When a bomb goes of in the neighboring town of Luna, Keara offers to assist the FBI agents called in to lead the investigation.
Jax Diallo is an FBI Victim Specialist who travels with his therapy dog, Patches to work with the crime victims as other FBI special agents investigate the crime. As Jax and Keara do their jobs, a second bomb is exploded in Desparre’s public park. Both times a symbol is left behind that Keara recognizes from the pictures of her husband’s cold case. But what do a bomber and a murderer have in common? Also, as they work together, they try to fight the growing attraction they feel for each other.
Jax and Keara try to discover what ties all the cold cases and recent bombings together, but the bomber has Keara in his sights, and he has plans to make Keara a cold case like her dead husband.
I love both Keara and Jax in this book. They are well written and believable with both the pacing of their investigation and their attraction. The crime/suspense plot was well paced with twists that made it exciting and I just kept turning the pages. Of course, I also love the canine companion in each book in this series. This is a gripping romantic suspense with more suspense than romance, but it works in this story.
I highly recommend this addition to the series and I am looking forward to many more by this author!
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About the Author
Publishers Weekly bestselling author ELIZABETH HEITER likes her suspense to feature strong heroines, chilling villains, psychological twists, and a little bit of romance. Her research has taken her into the minds of serial killers, through murder investigations, and onto the FBI Academy’s shooting range. Her novels have been published in more than a dozen countries and eight languages; they’ve also been shortlisted for the HOLT Medallion, National Readers’ Choice, Daphne Du Maurier and Booksellers’ Best awards and won the RT Reviewers’ Choice award.
Elizabeth graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in English Literature. She’s a member of International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America and Romance Writers of America.
