Reviewers You Want to Kill by Coralee Hicks

Please welcome my dear friend, Coralee Hicks, to Writers Who Kill. This essay is the result of several long conversations she and I have had about books and reviews. ~~Annette Dashofy

Definition: 

A book review is a critical evaluation and analysis of a book that summarizes its content (plot, themes, argument, etc.) but primarily offers a reasoned assessment of its strengths, weaknesses, effectiveness, and overall quality, helping potential readers decide if the book is worthwhile. It combines description with critical commentary, analyzing the author's style, purpose, and contribution to its field, rather than just retelling the story.  

This definition comes from Google. I assume it is from AI as it didn’t cite the source. It does cover the process of reviewing, a task that I have been doing for almost all my professional life as a librarian. I believe in the purpose of reviewing and continue to post on non-professional sites like Goodreads and NetGalley. I do wonder now how important are reviews in the world of publishing in the 21st Century.  

Where does reviewing fit in writing and publishing: A Very Brief History.  

It’s part of the human condition to live and engage in the world. All art can be understood as a means to express our experience through different media, from concrete examples like painting and sculpture; to pure sound such as jazz, classical, and rock; to dance. All the muses, if you will, including the spoken and written word. Once the review is presented, a general reaction will be for others to engage and offer opinions about the event. 

Ancient texts from Greece mention commentaries on previous works. Romans analyzed and commented on scrolls written by prior historians. The strength of our knowledge of the past can be attributed to the analytical process of studying what was popular, or what was censored, in the past.  

In the West, as literacy became more universal, books, pamphlets, broadsheets, and newspapers began to flourish. By the mid-18th Century, two journals devoted to book reviews were published in England. In America, the New York Times began devoting a special section for books in 1896. However, as late as 1970, it can be said that the field of reviewing was, for the most part, reserved for white men of certain social status, who wrote reviews for other white men who belonged to the “same clubs.” 

The ferment of the 1970’s and the introduction of the World Wide Web opened the review process to any interested person. Today, a quarter way through the 21st Century, Artificial Intelligence plays a significant role in reviewing, by taking over mundane tasks such as grammar checks, print layout, and checking for similar sources. However, AI has yet to get a handle on critical thinking or nuance. To date, while AI can regurgitate text, it cannot create new concepts. 

Reviews as a marketing tool 

During most of my library career, my reviewing was secondary to the reader’s advisory part of the public service. In my public library system, there was a process for book acquisitions. All titles went through a review process that ensured the material would meet the standards of the formal library associations. Book budgets in the public sector come from tax dollars, and for this reason, material also has a process where the public has/had a right to request a review to “deselect” a title from the collection. Reviewing material was the foundation for building trust with the public. That the library was presenting the best material for the needs of all the members of the community. If a reader was looking for “something good” to read, standard questions followed, which would guide the reader to the shelves or displays that matched their interests.  

(There’s a possibility of discussing heated politics, but I don’t think this belongs in this article i.e. Freedom of Information and censorship.) 

Marketing has always used reviews as a promotional tool. Readers, who use online sources such as Goodreads or Amazon, can assume the information is reliable and choose to purchase a title. This is similar to the old “word of mouth” buzz that was used in the mid-20th century. Once a review is published, a favorable review can be used for promotional purposes. Book jackets frequently have favorable quotes from authors lauding the material. Publishers also will use other media sources to promote a book, such as podcasts. Favorable reviews will interest promoters and might lead to increased sales. In addition, advertisements that pop up online are enhanced by positive reviews that might lead the reader to a new author, which is beneficial for writers who self-publish, use indie presses, or have contracted with small presses. Lately platforms such as Patreon, Substack, and, to an extent, Facebook provide fan bases that will build a readership leading to success.  

What is a “bad” or not useful review 

Let’s focus on reviews that discuss the mystery genre. 

In my opinion, one of the top flaws is found in a review that offers spoilers rather than a simple plot synopsis. If I want to know who the perpetrator is, I should get the book and read the last chapter. Otherwise, this is cheating.  

This type of review usually comes from someone who is not really committed to writing the review. Saying “This was stupid” or “I didn’t like it” is not helpful. Saying “I was not happy when she went into the basement knowing there was a hot wire in the water,” is helpful.  

When the book is clearly identified as a sub-genre and the reviewer states otherwise, they are 

not playing fair. Saying a cozy is not blood curdling or erotic enough is missing the point for a cozy mystery.  

A reviewer who gets overly picky with the storyline isn’t helpful. Yes, in true crime stories, someone might get caught up in the details. However, fictional mysteries may be reality based but can be more fluid. What does it matter if the streets in the town do not match the actual town layout? For example, right now in Seattle, it will take more than an hour to get from point A to point B due to road construction. Unless this pertains to the plot, does the setting matter?  

A review that seems to be written by a super fan or perhaps a family member isn’t especially helpful. Very few books are “timeless,” “destined to be a best seller,” or “beloved by millions.”  

Then, there are the reviews that are simply cut and paste sections from the book jacket, which is plagiarism at best or just laziness.  

What is my personal philosophy?  

Over my years as a reviewer, I have developed a personal belief on reviewing. Now that I am retired, I limit my reviews to genres that I enjoy: mysteries, fantasy, especially fantasy mysteries, those written with a Young Adult audience, and those written by and for people of diverse backgrounds. I have chosen not to review books that I simply do not care for.  

I think every book has an audience, and the reviewer should honor this. I am committed to writing unbiased reviews. When I do encounter a plot that I find to be problematic, I will not submit the review. For example: I turned down a plot where a woman was forced to overindulge in drinking and then was made a source of humor for the rest of the story. Not funny and not good. I am squeamish, and if violence occurs in vivid graphic detail, I probably cannot finish the book. Mysteries do involve victims.  It is one thing for a body to fall off a cliff.  It is quite another for the next five pages to describe the gathering of each of the body parts.  

The fact that I’m reading an eBook or holding a hardback tells me the writer has passed many hurdles before the title got to me. The book has had an editor and a copyeditor and most likely has gone through many revisions. I feel this book deserves every chance to find the right audience and become successful. That is my job as a reviewer.  

Coralee Hicks has been reading and reviewing books for many years. Now retired she lives in Tampa FL  in a book-filled home with her daughter and 3 cats. 

  

Tonya Kappes Killer Coffee Mystery Series: A Review by E. B. Davis

 

 

Murder, gossip, and freshly brewed suspense await in this charming small-town cozy mystery!

 

Welcome to The Bean Hive Coffeehouse in Honey Springs, Kentucky, where the coffee is hot, the pastries are fresh, and the gossip could make the strongest espresso seem weak. Roxanne Bloom, a spunky lawyer-turned-barista, has swapped legal briefs for brewing beans, opening the town’s first coffeehouse on the newly revamped boardwalk. Life feels perfect as she reconnects with her quirky Aunt Maxi, old friends, and even a spark from her teenage years.

 

But when Roxy finds Alexis Roarke—the beloved bookstore owner—dead among the stacks, a dark shadow falls over Honey Springs. With Aunt Maxi at the top of the suspect list and whispers of betrayal brewing in every corner, Roxy sets out to unravel the mystery before it ruins not just her aunt's reputation, but her new life in the town she’s come to love.

 

With a cast of lovable, quirky characters, small-town charm, and twists that will keep you guessing until the last sip, Scene of the Grind is the perfect read for fans of Laura Childs, Joanne Fluke, and M.C. Beaton.

Amazon.com

 

While I’ve been ever so patiently waiting for my hip replacement operation, I’ve not been able to read anything at all dark. Which has left me with lots of cozies to read. No hardship there! One author in particular, Tonya Kappes, has several series that I’ve liked, but I never read her Killer Coffee mystery series. The series is now on Kindle Unlimited and much to my delight has seventeen books—perhaps she’ll write more. 

 

As a reader, I like the series. The books are quick reads. There are great characters. The investigation doesn’t stagnate, and the case is satisfactorily solved. As a writer, I’m amazed by the series. Why? Tonya checks off all the right “stuff” in a writer’s box and an agent’s/publisher’s successful-series bag. Almost obnoxiously so, and yet—the books don’t cloy. So, the checkmark items: smart main character (MC) with multiple talents, weird backstory, a setting from childhood remembered happily, the old beau who never stopped loving her, the old quirky ladies around town who support the MC, the pets from the rescue shelter, the MC’s emotional connections, etc. Yes, if only all of us could put together all of those cozy mystery series elements—oh did I mention the MC owns a coffee bar with baked goods and there are recipes provided at the back of the books?

 

But why do they work? Just when the old boyfriend wants to immediately get married, the MC says—but wait, it’s been twelve years. We need to get reacquainted—so let’s not rush. If these books were in the romance genre, the books would be half the lengths because the MC would cathartically swoon and then cut to the wedding. But, these are mystery books, in which the MC may own a coffee bar, but she is also a former lawyer. Ha—good one Tonya. Not just a pretty face, and she can get the attention of the police and they aren’t condescending, just a bit respectful while trying to work the investigation a step or two behind the MC.

The MC’s dog is a schnauzer. Little, but easily vexed. No, the dog seems friendly enough and isn’t big enough to fight the MC’s battles, but he isn’t a cloyingly sweet pet. He’s got just enough cajónes to snap at the bad guys and cuddle with the girls. Of course, since the MC rescues a shelter dog, the boyfriend is easily convinced to do the same. He ends up with a Standard Poodle, not exactly a guy’s dog, but in a weird way the dogs end up with the opposite sex match that seems copasetic. 

 

Oh, and then estranged Mother comes to stay in the same town she professed to hate with a grudge against the MC’s beloved aunt. And dang if Mom has the best confession that changes everything.

 

It’s a good thing that MC serves coffee all day because she needs the caffeine to keep up with her life. Her day starts at 4:30 am all the while baking, serving customers, popping out with the help covering the store for her so she can solve mysteries, keeping the romance with the boyfriend brewing, adopting a dog, serving on committees, and volunteering at the rescue shelter.

 

It's a great series to lose yourself while your patience wears as thin.     

Rhys Bowen's The Rose Arbor: A Review by E. B. Davis

 

An investigation into a girl’s disappearance uncovers a mystery dating back to World War II in a haunting novel of suspense by the bestselling author of The Venice Sketchbook and The Paris Assignment.

London: 1968. Liz Houghton is languishing as an obituary writer at a London newspaper when a young girl’s disappearance captivates the city. If Liz can break the story, it’s her way into the newsroom. She already has a scoop: her best friend, Marisa, is a police officer assigned to the case.

Liz follows Marisa to Dorset, where they make another disturbing discovery. Over two decades earlier, three girls disappeared while evacuating from London. One was found murdered in the woods near a train line. The other two were never seen again.

As Liz digs deeper, she finds herself drawn to the village of Tydeham, which was requisitioned by the military during the war and left in ruins. After all these years, what could possibly link the missing girls to this abandoned village? And why does a place Liz has never seen before seem so strangely familiar?

Amazon.com

 

 

I love books by Rhys Bowen, especially those featuring WWII British history. I’ve learned so much from her. My reading of The Rose Arbor, her recent release from Lake Union, was no exception. I knew about the London children who were shipped out of town on trains to the countryside so they could survive the bombing by Axis planes. What I didn’t know was that the British military took over at least one town to simulate fighting conditions to train troops.

 

In this case, the village of Tydeham, which was a coastal town with similar geographic features to the beaches of Normandy and was annexed by the British military. Its inhabitants were evacuated and told to find somewhere else to live without compensation. Rhys didn’t make it up. It’s a real town, still sitting blown to smithereens by training exercises during WWII. Since we won, it must have helped, but I can’t imagine that happening in the US. The British sacrificed so much to survive.

 

Rhys set the plot in 1968. When a little girl goes missing, main character Liz Houghton decides to investigate on her own. She knows her skills are good since she had delved deeply into political shenanigans getting her busted back to writing obituaries via the good, old boy network, alive and well in 1968. She has no intention of remaining in that boring dead-end job. To circumvent the chauvinistic system, she decides to find the little girl before the police can and get the scoop—which starts her unraveling the mysteries of more missing little girls, including two from WWII and bringing her to Tydeham.

 

Because of the multiple cases, the plot became complex, but also surprising. In a manor house nearby to Tydeham, Liz experiences a déjà vu moment while seeing a rose arbor in the garden. Fear overwhelms her and also mystifies her. A phone call to her parents reveals nothing as they claim she never visited the manor house. Solving each case brings her closer to learning of her own personal history, one she never questioned or suspected.

 

Rhys has written another wining book I enjoyed reading. I was surprised and grateful to find it on Kindle Unlimited.  

What We're Reading Now by WWK Bloggers

 

The Perfect Couple, Elin Hilderbrand

By Margaret S. Hamilton

 

When I learned that Nantucket resident Elin Hilderbrand’s 2018 beach read, The Perfect Couple, was to become a Netflix miniseries, I was anxious to read it. To make the book even more appealing, the miniseries was filmed in April, 2023 in Chatham, on Cape Cod, as a stand-in for Nantucket. I know Chatham well from summer vacations and college years spent working in a Main Street restaurant. And Chatham was the site of my own wedding.

 

The book is Hilderbrand’s first mystery, set during a wedding weekend at a posh beachfront Nantucket estate. The morning of the wedding, the maid of honor is found dead in the harbor, and every wedding guest is a suspect, including the groom’s mother, a famous mystery writer.

 

The police chief and his detective interview everyone connected with the wedding. Feelings run high as we learn the complicated backstories of the many members of the wedding party. Hilderbrand’s multiple points of view give the narrative a brisk pace.

 

All is resolved, but alas, not to everyone’s satisfaction.

 

The Netflix miniseries will be broadcast in late 2023 or 2024, with Nicole Kidman playing the mystery writer. I can’t wait.

 

Snow Place for Murder, Diane Kelly

By E. B. Davis

 

Snow Place for Murder by Diane Kelly won’t be released until October 24, 2023. I read the Advanced Reader Copy from Net Galley. This is the third book in the series, and from the backstory, I wish I had read the first two books. Misty Murphy is amicably divorced from her college-age sons’ father. I gather when the boys started college, Misty took to the life-change by also taking her leave. From her divorce settlement, she bought Mountaintop Lodge in the Blue Ridge Mountains where guests keep getting murdered. That in and of itself gives her motive to solve murders.

 

Mountaintop Lodge is located adjacent to a restaurant. The restaurant owner and Misty become good friends, and the restaurant provides breakfast for Misty’s guests. The lodge is also located a few miles from a ski resort helping to provide skiing guests and incentive for her sons to take their college breaks with her.

 

The setting and the lodge are cozy. Misty has a good relationship with her sons, who seem well adjusted and responsible. She doesn’t have a lot of personal issues. As a business owner trying for success, her input into murder investigations isn’t contrived and the guests are obviously suspects, whom she has more access to than the police do. It’s a well thought out cozy scenario and invites readers to come and sit for a spell. There are excitements but no danger, which suits me fine. One surprise though, Misty's pet cat, Yeti, gets her own chapters. It's not paranormal, more like the pushy cat will give you her perspective on the case or family members, and you will read her chapters or risk getting clawed.

 

Since the book isn’t available for a few months, take the opportunity to read the first two books in this series now. Getaway with Murder is the first and the second is A Trip with Trouble.

 

 

The Golden Couple, Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

By Marilyn Levinson

 

Lately, I've been reading psychological suspense novels, and The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen is one I especially enjoyed. Marissa and Matthew Bishop are a Washington D. C. couple that seem to have the perfect marriage—a son they dote on, jobs they enjoy, and a comfortable lifestyle. Marissa has made an appointment for them to see Avery Chambers, supposedly to discuss their son. But once they're In Avery's office, Marissa says that she's here to confess she's slept with someone. She won't say with whom, but she swears that it will never happen again.

 

Marissa is worried that Matthew will explode in anger or leave her, but though he keeps his distance for a while, she manages to woo him back and things seem to return to how they were. Except Marissa receives flowers and unsigned messages, which she finds disturbing and does her best to hide from Matthew. Meanwhile, Avery, whose unorthodox methods are responsible for her losing her marriage therapist license, spies on Marissa and Matthew to find out what's really going on in their marriage. Is Matthew having an affair? Is Marissa's assistant out to do her harm? Even Avery's personal problems seem to dovetail with the Butlers' issues as the tension rises and one of the Butlers is nearly killed.

 

A delightful page-turner with a twist I didn't see coming.

What We're Reading Now? Beach Reads! By WWK Writers

The Hollywood Spy by Susan Elia MacNeal

Review by Margaret S. Hamilton

Susan MacNeal sends her intrepid series heroine, MI-Five agent Maggie Hope, on a personal mission to Los Angeles in 1943. Maggie is British, raised in the United States, and a newcomer to Hollywood. In addition to solving the murder of a young woman, Maggie comes up against the Zoot Suit Riots, Nazi supporters, and the Ku Klux Klan. MacNeal’s solid research is evident in her portrayal of Maggie’s visits to Los Angeles landmarks, including a Hollywood studio. Many famous personalities have walk-on roles in the book, including Linus Pauling, who teaches in the Chemistry Department at Caltech, and George Balanchine, who choreographs a ballet for a movie. An enjoyable read!

 

Seams Like Murder by Dorothy Howell

Review by E. B. Davis

Seams Like Murder is the first book in the Sewing Studio mystery series. It will be released next month. I had no expectations of the book, but the writing was good and the main character was interesting. Abby Chandler visits her aunt Sarah in small town Hideaway Grove because she hasn’t much to go back to in L.A. After a fight with her boss, being put on leave, and finding out her roommate took the cash without paying the landlord, Abby needs peace. Of course, that’s the last thing she gets when a woman is hit and killed by a driver who doesn’t stop in the alley behind her aunt’s shop—Sarah’s Sweets. 

Murder? No one wants to think so, but although Abby didn’t see the accident, she did hear it—and she thinks it’s murder. She gets pulled into volunteering for the town’s Harvest Festival, which gives Abby the opportunity to sleuth. A deputy sheriff provides the point—counterpoint and a bit of romance. A fun read for the beach!

 

Under a Veiled Moon by Karen Odden

Review by Susan Van Kirk

Under a Veiled Moon is the continuation of a series starring Michael Corravan, Irish Scotland Yard inspector. It will launch on October 11 from Crooked Lane Books. With many parallels to the present day, Karen thoughtfully plots the continuing story of Michael Corravan, whose early history includes his adoption by the Doyle family in White Chapel.

Corravan is placed in the middle of a terrible dilemma when a tragedy based on London's history challenges his Irish roots. He finds himself in the middle of prejudice against the Irish, and the government and media's push to blame the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) for the tragedy. The Princess Alice, a pleasure boat that sailed the Thames River each day, is hit by the Bywell Castle, an iron-hulled collier, resulting in the deaths of 130 out of 600 people. Odden does a masterful job of describing the chaos and attempts to save or recover those passengers.

Who is responsible? The media, as well as the Home Office, wants to blame this on the IRB, a group that could be connected to a recent train bombing. Irish Home Rule is on the table in negotiations at the time, and this could be yet another attempt to push Parliament toward letting Ireland go.

Karen Odden skillfully weaves history, mystery, Victorian society, and politics to create an intriguing story that has connections to the world we inhabit today. I had to read every last word and reluctantly close the book. Loved this story.

 

Out of the Picture by Margaret Welch (aka WWK’s own Molly MacRae)

Review by Grace Topping

 

In the first book of her Museum of Mysteries series, Margaret/Molly writes about Scarlett McCormick, the head curator of a museum of art and archaeology in coastal California. Her description of the museum and its staff makes me wish the museum was an actual place so I could visit it. Margaret/Molly takes something as simple as Scarlett having an idea for an art exhibit and finding a recent photograph of a supposed dead local artist and weaves them into an intriguing mystery. Although the death in this book takes place well in the past, Margaret/Molly infused the story with plenty of suspense and a surprise ending.

 

 I See You by Clare Mackintosh                                                                                                    

Review by Marilyn Levinson

 

Zoe Walker takes the London tube to and from work. She is disturbed to discover a photo of herself in the personal ads. She wonders if this has any connection to the attack on a young woman whose photo appeared earlier than hers. Who is taking photos of women and why? As Zoe and the female detective on the case start to get closer to the mastermind behind this nefarious group, Zoe begins to suspect many of the males in her life, including her significant other who has kept a large secret from her. Gripping to the end, there's even an additional surprise that's sure to satisfy readers of suspense.

 

 

What We’re Reading Now by WWK Bloggers

 Susan Van Kirk

The Finalist by Joan Long

Risa Marr considers herself lucky when she is chosen as one of five finalists to finish the ending of a mystery by a deceased famous author. The author's widow has invited the five finalists to Key Island, a tropical paradise, where they'll have a few days to read the unfinished manuscript and complete it. Whoever writes the best ending will be allowed to continue the series and change their life with great fortune. Risa has a past with one of the other writers, but the additional three are strangers. It isn't long before readers discover that these writers are hiding all kind of secrets. When they begin dropping ala Agatha Christie, Risa wonders if she'll escape alive. Long's debut novel is not short on plot, and you'll find yourself turning pages, wondering who's going to survive. Her characters could be more developed with key details and admissions that would surprise us and red herrings that would throw us off. But it's a fine debut novel for this mystery writer. I'll be waiting for the follow-up.

 

Warren Bull

The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country by Amanda Gorman

I’m currently reading and thinking about The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country, which Poet Lauriat Amanda Gorman wrote and read at Joe Biden’s inauguration when she was twenty-four years old.

 

Amanda Gorman was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She graduated from Harvard University in 2020.

She is the author of the The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country (Viking Books for Young Readers, March 2021), the poetry collection The Hill We Climb (Viking, September 2021) and The One for Whom Food Is Not Enough (Penmanship Books, 2015). In 2017, Gorman was named the first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate of the United States. She previously served as the youth poet laureate of Los Angeles, and she is the founder and executive director of One Pen One Page, an organization providing free creative writing programs for underserved youth.

Gorman was selected by President Biden to read her original poem “The Hill We Climb” for his Inauguration on January 20, 2021, making her the youngest poet to have served in this role. She also is the first poet commissioned to write a poem to be read at the Super Bowl. Her poem honors three individuals for their essential work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Her vivid imagery and personality shine through in her work. She is at once, clear about the lack of progress in achieving equality for all, and hopeful for the future. Her words acknowledge the forces arrayed against moving forward and the determination to make a better country. She calls for action with love and respect for all people. Her writing is luminous.

Marilyn Levinson

A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende

I've just finished listening to A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende. This beautifully written novel takes us through the life of Catalonian Victor Dalmau—his horrifying time as a medic in the Spanish Civil War; his immigration to Chile where he becomes a doctor; and his loves and his friendships with real people like Pablo Neruda and Salvador Allende, the author's cousin. A marvelous tale of a Spaniard who, despite hardships, finds a new home in Chile.

 

James M. Jackson

Morning Star by Pierce Brown

I recently started Morning Star by Pierce Brown. It’s the third in the Red Rising series. The series is set in a future in which humans have expanded across the universe and developed a caste system based on genetically modified color. The story follows Darrow, a Red, (Reds are lowly miners) who joins a rebellion against the structure.

 

The thing I most want to share about the series is not its storyline, but how we (Jan and I) discovered it. We belong to Wisconsin’s Digital Library (through a local library). During Covid times, we avoid physical visits and shop digitally for reads. The digital library has a “Lucky Day” feature: popular books you can immediately check out. It’s like scanning library shelves waiting for the serendipity of a book to call your name. Jan rarely reads science fiction or dystopian novels but chose Red Rising (the first in the series).

 

She loved it, so I read it. I rated Red Rising 5-stars and gave 4 stars to Golden Son (second in the series). You can check blurbs to learn whether the series is one you might like. Regardless, I encourage everyone to occasionally go wild and let a book pick you.

 

E. B. Davis

You Can’t Candle the Truth by Sarah Burr

When I saw WWK’s newest member wrote what I term the “nice paranormal” mystery genre, I decided to read her first book in the series, published in November 2021. Much to my delight it was available in Kindle Unlimited.

 

The series features niece, Hazel Wickbury, and her aunt, Poppy Glenmyre. The two are actually three years apart, in their early thirties, and the best of friends. They live in the historic town of Crucible in upstate New York. Hazel, the main character, makes candles for her shop, A Wick in Time, although she is rather cavalier in keeping shop hours. The two women are independently comfortable due to their ancestors being town founders and possessing paranormal skills, which they have passed down. I won’t spoil the fun and say what they are, but their skills induce sleuthing in the case of the town’s first murder victim.

 

A small town by a lake, shopkeepers galore, and town snob meanies, with two good women possessing paranormal “whims,” as Sarah deems their gifts, comprise a fun read and an interesting mystery to solve.

What We’re Reading Now by WWK Bloggers

Martha Reed

The Marsh King’s Daughter by Karen Dionne

I missed reading The Marsh King’s Daughter by Karen Dionne when it was released in 2017. Word of mouth and a movie deal starring Daisy Ridley kept this psychological thriller on my TBR radar. During a trip to Tombolo Books in St. Petersburg, FL, the paperback caught my eye, so I quickly added it to my checkout double armful. I’m glad I did because I can’t put this book down. Written in first person, it tells the tale of Helena Pelletier, a woman living in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula who is hiding a dreadful secret. Karen Dionne skillfully immerses the reader into the story and Helena’s narrative voice rings clear and true. I’m halfway through reading this now and I’m holding my breath hoping it holds up because the storytelling is simply that good.

 

Annette Dashofy

Run, Rose, Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson

I’m currently reading—technically, I’m listening to on audio—Run, Rose, Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson. Dolly also narrates part of it, which is sheer joy. The story follows young, ambitious, and broke (in more ways than one) AnnieLee Keys, who is determined to take her guitar and her voice to Nashville and make it big, no matter what. When retired country legend Ruthanna Ryder tells her to go home, get out of Nashville before it destroys her, immediately after telling the young woman what an incredible talent she is, does AnnieLee listen? Of course not. I can’t wait to see where this “A Star Is Born meets The Country Music Awards” tale takes me.

 

Grace Topping

Hollywood Homicide and Hollywood Ending by Kellye Garrett

Given the depressing news, I needed something to lift my spirits. I'd heard good things about Kellye Garrett's award-winning Detective by Day series and was curious as to what all the hype had been about. Kellye's first book, Hollywood Homicide, had garnered an Agatha, Lefty, Anthony, and IPPY, and been nominated for a Macavity and Barry. Definitely impressive, but would it lift me out of the morose I'd found myself in? I downloaded the audiobook version of Hollywood Homicide, and found it so entertaining that I immediately downloaded the second book in the series, Hollywood Ending. I loved them, a term I don't use all that often to describe a book. 

 

Agents and editors often talk about an author's voice. Kellye's voice is not only distinctive, it is also hilarious. She weaves an intriguing plot, populates her story with winning characters, and left me laughing with her witty dialogue and imaginative analogies and similes. With the audiobook, you get Kellye's terrific story and brilliant narration by Bahni Turpin, a winning combination. Definitely add Hollywood Homicide and Hollywood Ending to your to be read pile or listen to list. They will definitely lift your spirits. Now I'm off to order Kellye's latest book, Like a Sister. 

 

Molly MacRae

Like a Sister by Kellye Garrett

I’m five chapters into Like a Sister, Kellye Garrett’s new book about a woman’s refusal to believe the official story of how her estranged half-sister died. The book is described in blurbs as “smart,” “whip-smart,” “twisty,” “twisting,” “tight,” “surprising,” “suspenseful,” “utterly convincing,” “wholly captivating,” a “domestic suspense for the Instagram gen.,” and “a marvel.” And that’s only a smattering of the praise on the back cover.

After five chapters (59 pages), do I believe the hype? Yes. The writing, the voice, the pace—they’re clear and driving. I’ve caught glimpses of the twists ahead and tightened my seatbelt. Sparks of humor lighten the mood, especially in Garrett’s similes—as an example: “I can remember the single stall bathroom. All stark and silver, like the latest model Terminator had morphed into a sink.” The chapter endings, rather than cliffhangers, are quick jabs to my sternum. My eyes go wide, my brain says “yow!” and my hand turns the page. Good book.

 

Margaret S. Hamilton

Shakespeare’s Landlord, by Charlaine Harris

Jane Cleland recommended Harris’s Lily Bard mystery series to me. Lily is a survivor of a brutal sexual assault who settles in the small Arkansas town of Shakespeare. She lives alone, studies martial arts, and supports herself as a domestic cleaner.

Lily’s past creates her present self. In Shakespeare’s Landlord, after witnessing a body dump, Lily investigates the landlord’s suspicious death. She soon focuses on her cleaning clients in the landlord’s small apartment building.

Harris’s book is a “skinny mystery” of two hundred pages, in which she deftly inserts memorable small-town Arkansas characters and local politics. It’s a cozy, though the main character is laden with psychological trauma. First published in 1996, the series shares many attributes with Kathy Hogan Trocheck’s Callahan Garrity house cleaner series, set in Atlanta and published during the same time period.