Let's just say I haven't had very good luck with review
books of late. Whether it's a new inability to pick
winners, I'm getting older and fussier or authors just
don't have it like they once did, I found myself once again
with high expectations Read more...
BY GASLIGHT, Steven Price's second novel, opens in 1885
London. William Pinkerton, eldest son of the famous
detective agency founder, has traveled across the ocean in
search of clues to the whereabouts of Edward Shade. His
father tried to track down this criminal, and now William
is hoping a Read more...
Lisa Selin Davis's second novel, LOST STARS, tells the
story of a 16-year-old girl who gets to know herself. After
the death of her older sister, Carrie, formerly a science
nerd captivated by the comet Vira, starts hanging out with
her sister's drinking, drug-taking and Read more...
Sixteen-year-old Gretchen takes pictures to better
understand the world around her. Taught from a young age
about the rules of photography such as asking permission,
by her mother, Mona, before she disappeared. Mona studied
the paranormal in pictures, trying to photograph ghosts and
other events. Gretchen plans to Read more...
THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF STONES continues the stories of the
Daughters of La Lune begun in last year's THE WITCH
OF PAINTED SORROWS. This follow-up tale stars Sandrine's
daughter, Opaline Duplessy, a jeweler with an ability to Read more...
The sixth Katie Lightfoot adventure, SPELLS AND SCONES,
starts out innocently enough as the Honeybee Bakery caters
an event at the bookstore next door. A popular radio show
host and self-help book author will speak and then chat
with customers and sign their books. Along with her
admirers though Read more...
Charged with shoplifting, a young woman chooses to say her
name is Rebecca (Bec) Winter. So starts Anna Snoekstra's
debut psychological thriller, ONLY DAUGHTER. She didn't
want to use her real name for fear of consequences to
something she'd done. So, she picks the name of a Read more...
COLLECTING THE DEAD, the first book in a series about
Magnus (Steps) Craig and his team, is the first major-
market book for Spencer Kope. Earlier in his career, he
published two books aimed more at the young adult market
with smaller presses. Kope has a background in naval
intelligence Read more...
THE BODY READER was my first exposure to Anne Frasier's
writing, and it won't be the last. It kept me up half the
night and drew me in emotionally. For three years Detective
Jude Fontaine lived in a cage-like box with her captor as
her only company Read more...
When most people think of urban fantasy, authors like Faith
Hunter, Seanan McGuire and Patricia Briggs come to mind.
Claire Humphrey's debut novel, SPELLS OF BLOOD AND KIN,
most closely associates with urban fantasy but doesn't
resemble the aforementioned authors. Magic, witches and
paranormal creatures make appearances in Read more...
A sensation in Sweden, MARKED FOR LIFE by Emelie Schepp,
the first in a trilogy of thrillers about prosecutor Jana
Berzelius, makes its American debut this summer. I'm not
as
familiar with Scandinavian thrillers as many, my only
experience being the Ewert grens series by Roslund-
Hellstrom, and this Read more...
If you haven't read Juliet Blackwell's Witchcraft
mystery
series, do yourself a favor and start from the beginning.
If you like cozies by Shirley Damsgaard, Yasmine
Galenorn,
Heather Blake and/or Bailey Cates, I can promise you'll
eagerly devour this series. For those of you who have Read more...
I introduced myself to Jonis Agee with THE BONES of
PARADISE and plan to read more. Agee's novel doesn't fit in
one genre but encompasses many: historical, mystery,
romance, Western, saga. This story has something for
everyone, and the lyrical prose makes it even more
enjoyable. I found Read more...
David Krugler's fiction debut, THE DEAD DON'T BLEED,
brilliantly blends a spy mystery into historical context.
As a historian familiar with the close of World War II, his
story rings true with authenticity from the slang used and
clothing worn by his characters to the overwhelming fear of Read more...
PORTRAIT OF A CONSPIRACY, the first book in Donna Russo
Morin's Da Vinci's Disciples series, thrusts the reader
into a brutal time in 15th-Century Florence. Members of the
powerful Pazzi family draw blades and kill Giuliano,
brother to Lorenzo De' Medici, and he in turn, scours the Read more...
I chose to review CHILDREN OF EARTH AND SKY because I
remembered enjoying Guy Gavriel Kay's Fionavar Tapestry
trilogy years ago. This story has more of a historical
fantasy feel than Fionavar, recreating Renaissance Europe
on the brink of war. Kay has stand-in cities for Venice
(Seressa), Dubrovnik Read more...
The title and synopsis drew me to Roshani Chokshi's debut
novel, THE STAR-TOUCHED QUEEN. Unfortunately, they weren't
enough to sustain my interest throughout the whole story.
Maya is a 17-year-old girl, cursed with a "bad horoscope"
that promises death and destruction, so she is shunned Read more...
SLEEPING GIANTS, the first book in Sylvain Neuvel's Themis
Files series begins when a young girl, Rose Franklin goes
out to ride her birthday bicycle but ends up lying on her
back on top of a huge metal hand at the bottom of a pit.
Seventeen years later, Dr Read more...
Tetsuya Honda's series about Lieutenant Reiko Himekawa of
the Tokyo Metropolitan Police's Homicide Division are best
sellers in Japan. THE SILENT DEAD is the first to be
translated and introduced to a Western audience. Himekawa
oversees a squad of officers investigating a body wrapped
in plastic found near Read more...
In MURDER AT MORNINGSIDE, Missy DuBois makes hats and other
fixings for brides-to-be while her best friend creates
wedding dress confections next door. Hired to work for
Trinity Solomon's wedding, the two find themselves at
Morningside Plantation for the big event. Normally, I like
cozies, especially the Read more...
Katherine Petersen
I've loved to read ever since I was
young. I took books with me whereever
I went and still do whether it's to
read on a commute train, waiting for a
doctor's appointment or in a long line
at the bank. I love many genres
including mysteries and thrillers,
fantasy and science fiction, romance,
historical fiction and mainstream
titles. I have a journalism and public
relations background and currently
live in northern California with my six-
year-old yellow lab, Oreo.
At the risk of sounding like everyone else, I do treat myself to quite a few books, much easier now that I've found a job, and sometimes it's just a nice long run with my yellow lab.
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