"The Cat Who Saw Stars" by Lilian Jackson Braun

The Cat Who Saw Stars by Lilian Jackson Braun is about a small-town journalist named Qwilleran and his two Siamese cats, Koko and YumYum. He takes a little vacation to his beach house in Mooseville and visits with the townspeople. Some strange things happen that Koko senses. Supposedly, Koko has extra sensory perception.  Some in the town believe UFOs visit and Qwill is not buying it but Koko always watches the sky.  

This book really poked along for me and I was not impressed by any of it. I like cats so that is why I picked it up; however, the cats had a very small part in the book. None of the characters made me care about them much and were not well developed at all. I thought most of the book was very boring and kept waiting for it to get better but it never did! The only people I would recommend this too would be anyone who needs help getting to sleep or who is on a beach vacation and wants to read a book about someone else on a beach vacation. This author wrote many books, but I don’t think I’ll be reading any of them. (Karen's review, 2 stars)

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"Paper Roses" (Texas Dreams Book 1 series) by Amanda Cabot

Paper Roses by Amanda Cabot takes place in the 1800s in Texas.  Sarah is a mail-order bride with a younger sister to care for who is angry at her father for shooting her mother and then himself.  She leaves Philadelphia and the loneliness to start a new life in Texas but finds something very different than what she expected.

I enjoyed this story because of the mystery included to make it more than just another Christian fiction romance that is predictable.  Although the romance part was predictable from the start, I did not figure out who the murderer was until it was revealed at the end.  The theme of the book is that God can bring good out of bad situations.  I liked the characters and I always looked forward to getting back to reading it to see what would happen next. 

This is the first book I've read by this author but plan on reading more by starting with completing this trilogy.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

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"Bear Town" by Fredrik Backman - Loved This One! (Updated)

Bear Town by Fredrik Backman is about how a small town got so wrapped up with their boys’ hockey team having a shot at the championship that it became the town’s priority. This book deals with rape and how people always assume the girl brought it on herself, or deserved it, or wanted it, especially when the accused rapist is a popular, well-liked boy who is captain of their beloved hockey team.

I liked this book because of all the different characters and their interactions with each other. I liked how parenting played a big part in this book as well as the hockey team. It is well written and was never confusing. I got into this right from the start and my views about some of the characters changed for me along the way. My favorite characters were Amat, Peter (the GM), Benji and his sisters, the teacher (“Sweet Cheeks”), and Ramona. I liked the surprise ending too! (Karen's review 5/24/17, 5 stars)

Gerard's review, 5/19/17:
Welcome to Bear Town by Fredrick Backman, author of A Man Called Ove.  Bear Town is a small town that is excited because its junior boys hockey team has a chance to win a championship, but this book is so much more than just hockey!  The writing is fantastic!  The characters in this book are so real that I got sucked in early.  You need to read every page because the author includes so much that you might miss a game changer if you skip parts.  The ending is perfect!  This book will be high on my top book list for 2017--that I know!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"A Tap on the Window" by Linwood Barclay--Good Stuff! (Updated)

A Tap on the Window by Linwood Barclay is about Cal Weaver who lives in a small town and is looking to find out if his son's death was an accident or not.   One night he gets involved in something that he probably should not have, but it's too late to get out!

I enjoyed this book because it has good action and lots of characters.  I kept trying to figure out who were the good guys and who were the bad guys.  I wasn't sure until the last page how it all worked out!  Good stuff!  This is a new author to me, got this one because a friend recommended it.
(Gerard's review 12/1/16, 5++ stars)

Karen read this one too on 12/8/16:
A Tap on the Window by Linwood Barclay is a thriller involving several mysteries. This takes place in a small town where cops like to take things into their own hands. Cal Weaver, a private investigator, is trying to find out who sold ecstasy to his teenage son who got high, fell off a roof and died. On a rainy night, against his better judgment, Cal gives Claire a ride when she taps on his window because she mentions that she knew his son Scott. From there, things really get messed up and snowball.

This is an interesting mystery that I only partially figured out. The short chapters that had conversations between a mother, son and a man whose names were not revealed until much later were annoying to me. I really wanted to know who these people were! There was a lot of tension in this book between the mayor and the police department, tension between Cal and his wife in dealing with the loss of their son and if Cal could track down Claire before something bad happened to her. There is a lot of suspense and mystery happening in this book with some very creepy people! (4 stars)

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"Ink and Bone" by Lisa Unger, Another Thriller

Ink and Bone by Lisa Unger starts off with a young girl and her brother on a walk with their dad.  The dad and brother are shot, but the girl is just taken.  Fast forward to years later and the mom, who still thinks her daughter is alive enlists a detective to help find her.  His lady friend, how has a gift that comes in handy in these types of situations, helps him.

Ink and Bone  is pretty good.  I enjoyed the second part of the book more than the first.  I have read better Lisa Unger books than this, but this one is worth reading too for sure.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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"Killing Trail--a Timber Creek K-9 Mystery" by Margaret Mizushima

Killing Trail--a Timber Creek K-9 Mystery by Margaret Mizushima is going to be made into a series of books.  It stars Deputy Mattie and her K-9 partner, Robo.  A young girl is found dead and her dog has drugs in its stomach.  The story line was okay but it moved kind of slow for my taste.  I had the killer figured out early and the ending was sort of anti-climatic.  I did love Robo though and Mattie was okay.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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"Swept Away--Trouble in Texas, Book 1" by Mary Connealy

In Swept Away—Trouble in Texas, book 1 by Mary Connealy, Ruthy gets swept away in a flood trying to cross a river, Glynna Greer gets swept away with her children out of her home to escape her abusive husband, and Luke gets swept away when he falls in love with Ruthy aka Rosie. The hired guns in the little western town get swept away when Luke and his buddies take on Flint Greer to get his ranch back that was stolen. Ruthy has some interesting skills as well as cooking which include tracking, stealth, courage, gunmanship and working hard. She is an amazing woman!

I liked this book although it moved a bit slow up until the last quarter of the book. Quite a few characters were introduced and the plan to get Luke’s ranch back and get Glynna and her children to safety took up most of the book. Issues in this book include friendship, revenge v. justice, domestic violence, romance and survival. The ending was wonderful! I look forward to continuing this historical western series with Fired Up.
 (Karen’s review, 4 stars)


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"Deeply Devoted" (Blue Willow Brides Series) by Maggie Brendan

Deeply Devoted (Blue Willow Brides) by Maggie Brendan is a light romance about a mail-order bride from Holland to a farmer in Wyoming in the 1800s. Catherine answers Peter’s ad for a bride and they correspond for six months but neither make mention of certain things. When Catherine arrives with her two teenage sisters, Greta and Anna, Peter is very surprised but accommodates them all nonetheless. Peter’s mother is shocked when she finds out he is marrying Catherine because he never mentioned anything about it to her. His mother is suspicious of Catherine so hires a private investigator to check out her background and uncovers a secret she neglected to tell Peter.

I enjoyed reading this light historical fiction romance. It’s about trust in a marriage and how important it is to be honest with your spouse. I liked the younger sister, Anna, best though and her puppies. It’s a quick read.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

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"When We Were Animals" by Joshua Gaylord

When We Were Animals by Joshua Gaylord is told by Lumen, part of it as she was growing up and part as a married woman.  Where she lived growing up, teenagers did something as a rite of passage that you will have to read the book to find out exactly what that was.

I really loved this book!  The story line was good and I thought the characters were well brought out.  It kept my interest throughout with a good twist at the end I did not see coming.  This is well worth reading!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"Ask the Dark" by Henry Turner is Very Good!

Ask the Dark by Henry Turner is told by Billy, a young boy who lives by his own rules.  When his dad needs a lot of money, Billy buckles down and comes up with a plan to get it that puts him in real danger.  Does he pull it off?

This book is short and goes quick but is good.   I enjoyed it right off the bat and was into it.  Billy is a great character and a debut book by this author!  It's very well done, worth reading and loved the ending.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"Orient" by Christopher Bollen

Orient by Christopher Bollen is about a small town, peaceful and quiet, the way the townspeople like it.  They resent the outsiders who come for the summer.  Suddenly, people who lived in Orient are dying and it is not from old age!  Is there a murderer in their midst?  Who and why people want to know.

This book is over 600 pages and at times, it kind of drags, but do not let that stop you from reading it.  This is a really good story and you will enjoy following the characters.  If you can figure it out, then you are a step ahead of me.  This is a page turner (except for the dragging part).  The ending leaves it open for a sequel, but this book could be a stand alone.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"Deadly Echoes" by Nancy Mehl was Disappointing

Deadly Echoes by Nancy Mehl is about two sisters, Hannah and Sarah, whose parents were murdered but the case was closed saying it was a burglary gone awry.  The girls got separated and when the older girl was 18, she tried to get the cops to re-open the case and look at it as a murder.  Then years later, Hannah is murdered and there are similarities to her parents' murder which the younger sister, Sarah, sees and then once again, the case is closed with it classified as a burglary and the burglar hanging himself in jail.  Sarah, who is a single school teacher in a rural community, becomes the guardian of Cicely, Hannah's ten-yr.-old daughter who was at a sleepover when her mother was killed.

I had high hopes for this book but was disappointed in the writing.  It moved along very slowly, the only suspense was at the very end and I had figured out who the murder was.  This is one of those Christian fiction books that just was not well developed and I didn't care for it.  There was a self-esteem theme running through it; however, it fell flat for me.  I finished it but just having read two really good books, this was a big let down.  If you like a slow moving, kind of cozy mystery, then you may like this one.
(Karen's review, 2 stars)

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We Both Liked "Cold, Cold Heart" by Tami Hoag, She Does It Again!

In Cold, Cold Heart by Tami Hoag, Dana gets away from a serial killer by killing him which got me hooked right from the start.  After spending a year in the hospital trying recover from what he did to her, she returns home, hoping to get some of her memory back.  Unfortunately, home proves not to be a safe haven and thoughts of how her best friend died haunt her.

You can never go wrong with a Tami Hoag book, and this one is no exception.  I LOVED it and always wanted to return to it to read more.  It has a great story line, even includes a dog which I loved as well as a good ending.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Cold, Cold Heart by Tami Hoag is an unusual thriller in that the majority of the book deals with Dana trying to solve the mystery of her best friend's disappearance that happened seven years ago which makes the killer nervous.  Dana was a beautiful news anchor on TV until she was abducted by a serial killer who she managed to kill, but escaped with lots of side effects from her trauma including brain damage. 

I liked this book and agreed with its message, although it was somewhat redundant:  "Anyone could be a killer under the right circumstances" and "Where there's life, there's hope."  At the beginning, I'm wondering where the big mystery is since Dana kills the serial killer.    This book kept me guessing who killed Casey until near the end.  I really liked John who was nice to the stray dog who became his best friend.  Although there were several murders in this book, it is not full of gruesome details.  Mostly it's all about Dana trying to remember and putting together the pieces to find out what happened to her best friend with only a little action. 
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

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"Stone Cold" by C. J. Box

Stone Cold by C. J. Box is another in a continuing series of Joe Pickett.  He is a game warden, part detective and part cop.  In this book, a very rich man controls a small town and pays other people to keep it that way while he gets away with various things.  It took me awhile to get into this because it moved slowly at first, but it picked up near the middle and was good after that!
(Gerard's review, 4 stars) 

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"Mercy Snow" by Tiffany Baker

Mercy Snow by Tiffany Baker starts of with a bus accident carrying a group of kids.  Someone caused the accident and two women will do everything in their power to see that the truth of it does not come out!  This is an enjoyable  page turner for sure.  I loved all the characters. (Gerard's review, 5+ stars)


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"Snowblind" by Christopher Golden

Snowblind by Christopher Golden is about a small town that a blizzard hit and people died with some other strange things occurring.  Twelve years later, another blizzard is about to hit and the town braces for what this storm will bring while remembering the last one.

This is a great read with tons of story lines and very believable characters.  I liked this page turner a lot!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"The Wicked Girls" by Alex Marwood

The Wicked Girls by Alex Marwood tells the story of two young girls who meet by chance.  An incident happens that they keep to themselves but years later, events happen in this small town that brings up that incident from the past.  A real page turner that I got engrossed in and kept me turning the pages.
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

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"The Waking Dark" by Robin Wasserman

The Waking Dark by Robin Wasserman is about a small town where evil takes over and people do what they would not normally do.  A group of people who have nothing in common must come together to stop the evil from spreading.  This book reminds me of the old Stephen King books that I loved.  Loved this one too--a great Halloween read! 
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

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"Justice for Sara" by Erica Spindler

Justice for Sara by Erica Spindler is about sisters, Kat and Sara.  After a bad fight between them, Kat found Sara dead.  At the trial, everyone assumes Kat did it, but she is found "not guilty" and the real killer is still at large.  Kat returns ten years later in hopes of finding the real killer but is not welcomed in the small town. I enjoyed this book a lot.  If you can guess the killer, you are better than me!  There is good action and a surprise ending.  
(Gerard's review, 4.5 stars)

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"Melody" by V. C. Andrews is an Oldie but a Goodie!

Melody by V. C. Andrews is very good and I am glad I read it. It is one my husband had before we were married 16 years ago and I finally got around to reading it. I am so glad I did! Melody is a 15-yr.-old girl who is part of a family with many secrets. She is a nice girl and good student, but grew up in a coal mining town and is shocked to find out family secrets after her dad dies in a mining accident and her mother drops Melody at the dad's brothers house while she goes off to try to become a model or actress. Melody moves in with her dad's relatives, which she never met, Aunt Sara, Uncle Jacob and her cousins, Cary and May, a little deaf girl.

This is such a good story with all the secrets gradually coming to light and Melody realizing that her parents never told her the truth about who she is. Melody is very pretty and she learned to play the fiddle. I did not care for her mother at all and wondered how Melody turned out so well. There lots of interesting relationships and characters in this book. I loved how Cary came around to liking Melody and how he became protective of her. This is the first book of a series and I am eager to read the next two soon! If you like family stories with interesting characters, I highly recommend this one! There are lots of surprises along the way! It would make a good book club read.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

Next in Series:  Heart Song

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