The Black Lizard Big Book of Locked-Room Mysteries Edited By: Otto Penzler

My favorite thing to do on vacation is to get a big book edited by Otto Penzler, and spend the week immersing myself in the wonderfully curated stories that he puts together.  The Black Lizard Big Book of Locked-Room Mysteries is chock full of impossible murders, heists and "escapes".  So many to tickle the fancy of any detective fiction fan.  Of the 68 amazing tales in this collection, two stand out for me: the first is Lord Dunsany's The Two Bottle of Relish-this one is absolutely flawless, brilliant, and downright creepy!; the other is MacKinlay Kantor's The Strange Case of Steinkelwintz-which made me laugh out loud and uproariously!

 

No Grater Crime By: Maddie Day

I do love this series, and Robbie has everything, but the kitchen sink, thrown at her in this one.  An old grudge, a food truck, sinister fungi and a wedding all intertwine to annoy, befuddle and scare Robbie and company.  A beautiful ending makes this latest addition to the Country Store Mystery series, as satisfying as one of Robbie's breakfast specials!

Near Dark By: Brad Thor

With much less violence/heavy action than in previous books, Thor allows the reader to follow the careful thought processes that go into each and ever aspect of a mission the Harvath is involved with.  And, oh, is he involved in this one!  While more cerebral than previous entries in the Harvath books, there is still plenty of action, and the story, as always, moves at lightening speed. Highly emotional and deeply personal, Near Dark is an amazing character study of one of the best literary heroes I've read. 

Slaughter: Origin Story By: James Beltz

A few more swipes by an editor would have tightened up the action to make this really move, would have cleared up the moments of explaining instead of showing, and would have cleaned up the typos.  With that said-I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller.  DJ is in an interesting hero, who accomplishes amazing things in this, his origin story.  The supporting characters really stand out in this story: Brett add just the right amount of humor, and Abbi is literally and figuratively a kick-ass character!  Te preview of the second book was a welcome treat!.  Definitely worth a read!

Little Comfort By: Edwin Hill

There's a new girl in the game and she's four feet 9and 3/4 inches of feisty fabulousness and her name is Hester!  Little Comfort is not to be missed-a thriller that will take the reader on a ride from the very get go, and not stop until the very last satisfying moment.  Edwin Hill hit a home run with his debut and I have a feeling he's going to be in the game, and so is Hester, for a long time to come!

Seed of Yesterday By: V.C. Andrews

 

The worst book of this dreadful series and the 4th worst book I've ever read.  Characters who are stupid (not who make poor decisions, they make stupid decisions), not a one with whom you can empathize or sympathize.  Completely unrealistic plot lines.  Seriously, I've read a lot of books in my 50 years and some I've not liked, some I've had issues with plot points-but V.C. Andrews' books are the worst books I've ever read. 

Death in Focus By: Anne Perry

What a rush!  Leaving behind the gentile manners of Victorian and Edwardian London, Anne Perry has moved us to the more modern and violent world of 1930s Europe.  Elena, our protagonist is feisty, smart, talented and fierce.  Embroiled in international intrigue, family secrets are revealed, lives are imperiled and the action never stops.  Always character drive, Perry has struck gold with this new series.  Each character is fully developed and we are immediately drawn to them and into their world.  While I know that Elena is the focus of the series, I was enthralled with her grandmother, Josephine.  Only in a few scenes within the story, she packs a punch in her quiet, steely grace.  I've been reading Perry's work since her first book, and she never disappoints!

 

Sell Low, Sweet Harriet By: Sherry Harris

 

I'm not sure how I managed to not read this book, since I have all the others in this series, but now that I have read it, it clears up a lot of my confusion while reading Absence of Alice (the next in this series).  Sarah is has so many mysteries to solve in this one, is a wonder she can get anything done!  And yet, she manages to get to the bottom of all of the tangled webs in this fantastic story, all while prepping a a huge estate sale and teaching herself to cook chicken marsala.  Sarah is a divine protagonist-one of my favs!

Live Free or Die: A Granite State Mystery By: Jessie Crockett

It's always fund to read an authors first book, after you've read her other works, to see how it all began.  I finally tracked down a copy of Live Free or Die and tore through it like a fire through dry brush!  A tiny town in New Hampshire with it's own prejudices is the setting for our Postmistress/Acting Fire Chief heroine.  She must solve the rash of fires, two murders and get all the packages and mail sorted for the Christmas season!