Month: July 2015

Review – The Precipice: A Novel by Paul Doiron

~ Erika K ~ 1 Comment

The Precipice: A Novel by Paul Doiron (audio edition)
23280818
Read by Henry Leyva
Mike Bowditch #6

Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Rating: **** (4 of 5 stars)

***NOTE: I won my copy in a Goodreads First to Read Giveaway***

Mike Bowditch is a Maine game warden along the Appalachian Trail. When two young female hikers go missing, Mike and his girlfriend, wildlife biologist Stacey Stevens, join in the search. Once the bodies are found with teeth marks on the bones, the locals fear they may have been killed by coyotes. Stacey is sure that they weren’t, and both she and Mike continue investigating, determined to find the truth of what happened to the two young women.

This was a well-written thriller, with believable characters and an interesting locale. The narrator did a nice job keeping his Maine accent where needed, without being over the top or distracting.

I didn’t realize when I first started listening that this was book #6, but it was easy enough to figure out from the frequent references to Mike’s past that it wasn’t the beginning of a series. The book worked fine as a standalone novel, but I think I would have liked it even more had I read some of the earlier novels first. I will probably read more in this series, but I will start back at the beginning so I can watch Mike grow up into the man he is in this novel.

Purchase from Amazon
Purchase from Barnes and Noble

Review – Trust No One by Paul Cleave

~ Erika K ~ 3 Comments
Trust No One by Paul Cleave
Trust No One
Available in Hardcover August 4, 2015 from Atria Books

Genre: Thriller
My Rating: ***** (5 of 5 stars)

***NOTE: I was provided a free copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review***

Jerry Grey is a best-selling crime writer who writes under the pen name of Henry Cutter. He is 49 years old, and has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s. Jerry can’t always remember what is reality and what is fiction. Sometimes he believes that he is Henry. Sometimes he talks to Henry. And sometimes he confuses his real life with the lives of his characters. He confesses to crimes that never happened except within the confines of his books. At least that’s what everyone keeps telling him…

Several women have been killed recently at times when Jerry has gone wandering away from the nursing home where he now resides. He may know what has happened to them, but he can’t trust his memory of events. Can he trust what he’s written in his “madness journal”? And how can he be sure people are telling him the truth about what has happened during times that he has no memory of?

Trust No One is a very fast-paced, suspenseful novel. This book kept me guessing right up to the end. Just when I thought I knew who did what, something would happen to make me think that I must be wrong. “He did it. No, HE did it. Oh, that can’t be, I must have been right the first time!” (Yes, I have conversations like this with myself inside my head while reading. 🙂 )

I would recommend Trust No One to any thriller or suspense fan, but if you like stories told by unreliable narrators, such as Before I Sleep or Girl on the Train, then you really must read this one!

Warnings: occasional explicit language, violence, and those who have a loved one suffering from Alzheimer’s may be uncomfortable reading about the disease’s devastating effects on Jerry and his ability to function

Visit Paul Cleave’s website
Follow Paul on Twitter or Facebook.

Pre-Order / Purchase from Amazon
Pre-Order / Purchase from Barnes and Noble

What are you reading Wednesday – 7/29/15

~ Erika K ~ 12 Comments

What are you reading Wednesday – 7/29/15

whatareyoureadingwed
What Are You Reading Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Its A Reading Thing. To participate, open the book you are currently reading to page 34 (or 34% in your ebook) and answer these three questions. Feel free to leave your answers or a link to your blog post in the comments.

The Questions are:
1. What’s the name of your current read?

2. Go to page 34 in your book or 34% in your eBook and share a complete sentence. (or two!)

3. Would you like to live in the world that exists within your book? Why or why not?

I’m reading a few things this week, but here’s the ebook I’m in the middle of….

1. Isolation by Mary Anna Evans
Isolation (Faye Longchamp, #9)
Faye Longchamp #9

2. “I’m on the far west side of the island, under that big oak tree standing all by itself next to the water.  Something’s not right, Joe. I’m not sure what it is, but something’s not right.”

3. I don’t think I’d want to live here. At first, the idea of being on a private island sounds appealing, but the more you realize just how isolated Faye and her family are from civilization, (and help, if needed) the less ideal it sounds.

GOODREADS GIVEAWAY (ends August 4, 2015, and is US only) – click the book cover above to be taken to Goodreads. Below the book description you will find a link to enter the giveaway.

Top Ten Characters Who Are Book Nerds

~ Erika K ~ 20 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Every Tuesday they post a new Top Ten list prompt. This week’s list is Top Ten Characters Who Are Fellow Book Nerds. Some of these may not quite be book nerds, but they all share a love of books and reading. If you think of someone I missed, let me know! And feel free to leave a link back to your own post if you are playing along this week.

Continue reading →

How I Learned to Relax About Being a “Cozy” Author and Just Write the Damn Books–Part III

~ Erika K ~ 7 Comments

I personally love cozy mysteries, and think there are both good and bad cozies, just like in any genre of books. What do you think? Are you a fan, or is there a reason you prefer not to read them?

The Wickeds

Barb here, sitting on her front porch in Maine and writing on an flawless summer day

Back in February, I started a series of posts about how I came to terms with being a cozy writer. The first one talked about why this designation was an issue for me in the first place. The second, in March, was about how I came to be comfortable as a person with an identity as a cozy author.

Then life intervened. In April-May-June I was hit successively with Crime Bake website deadline-knee crisis-book deadline. But, though as a person I have many, many flaws, I am, at the end of the day (and usually literally at the end of the day), a completer. So herewith is Part III.

So when we left our intrepid heroine, she was happy to be writing a cozy series and comfortable adopting the image of a cozy author…

View original post 1,319 more words

Waterpark Vacation!

~ Erika K ~ 10 Comments

Hi everyone.

Just wanted to let you know that I’ll be heading off for vacation tomorrow and won’t be around much this week. I’m heading to a waterpark with 2 kids, and I’m hoping to get some reading time in while they play on the waterslides. We’ll see how that goes… 🙂

I have a half-read review copy of Booked for Trouble that I’m taking, and maybe a cozy mystery or two off the pile on my nightstand that keeps growing and growing…. Hopefully I’ll have something to review by the time I get back.

Booked for Trouble (Lighthouse Library Mystery #2) cozypile

Hope you have a great week, and happy reading!

Review – Wishing Cross Station by February Grace

~ Erika K ~ 2 Comments

Wishing Cross Station by February Grace
Wishing Cross Station

Genre: Fantasy / Romance
My Rating: *** (3 of 5 stars)

***NOTE: I was provided a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review***

Library page Keigan Wainwright is sent to pick up a donation of books for his school’s collection, and gets a little more than he bargained for. Among the books is a hand-bound leather volume that the donor asks him to hold onto until he can learn more about it. What he discovers about the book is hard to believe, but with it tucked safely in his backpack, Keigan finds himself at Wishing Cross Station in the middle of the night waiting for a train to take him back in time.

What follows is a story of star-crossed lovers, Keigan from 2015, and Marigold from 1880. By reading the book that turns out to be a station master’s journal, Keigan learns that if he tries to return to his time with Marigold in tow, she will die on the train. If he stays, he may just disappear.

At only 153 pages, it is a quick read, but I found myself completely drawn into the past as I read it. The book is described as a bittersweet love story, and that’s exactly what you will get. If that’s something you would enjoy, then definitely give Wishing Cross Station a try.

Purchase from Amazon
Purchase from Barnes and Noble

What are you reading Wednesday – 7/15/15

~ Erika K ~ 10 Comments

What are you reading Wednesday – 7/15/15

whatareyoureadingwed
What Are You Reading Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Its A Reading Thing. To participate, open the book you are currently reading to page 34 (or 34% in your ebook) and answer these three questions. Feel free to leave your answers or a link to your blog post in the comments.

The Questions are:
1. What’s the name of your current read?

2. Go to page 34 in your book or 34% in your eBook and share a complete sentence. (or two!)

3. Would you like to live in the world that exists within your book? Why or why not?

My answers for this week:
1. Booked for Trouble by Eva Gates
Booked for Trouble (Lighthouse Library Mystery #2)
Lighthouse Library Mystery #2 – Available 9/1/15 from NAL (I received an ARC from the author)

2. I’d been warned the day I started working here that Theodore has what Bertie called “wandering hands”, meaning books would sometimes find themselves in his coat pockets, or make their way to the shelves in his home.

3. Definitely – the Bodie Island Lighthouse sounds like a beautiful place to work (and live).

Last Ten Books to Come Into My Possession

~ Erika K ~ 10 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Every Tuesday they post a new Top Ten list prompt. This week’s list is the Last Ten Books That Came Into My Possession (bought, library, review copies, etc…).

I admit I may be a book-a-holic. I pick up books at thrift shops, used bookstores, new bookstores, and anywhere else that sells them. I also request galleys frequently enough that I receive a few a week. Then there are the ebooks, free, discounted, you name it. When all it takes is a few clicks to add a book to my collection the temptation is just too great. 🙂 With that said, I will do my best to remember which books were actually the last 10 that I acquired.

Continue reading →