Book of Interest: The Woman in the Library

Over the weekend, I saw the movie Crime 101 and I really enjoyed it. It's a good movie and it had me realizing that I read a lot of mysteries but not a lot of thrillers. I have read very few thrillers, which is so surprising. A thriller that I found interesting is The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill. According to the description, one of them is a killer but which one is it. With how busy some libraries can be, I wonder how the murderer was able to pull this off. But hopefully by the end of story, they are found out. This just seems really interesting.

Book: The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

Description:

Ned Kelly award winning author Sulari Gentill sets this mystery-within-a-mystery in motion with a deceptively simple, Dear Hannah, What are you writing? pulling us into the ornate reading room at the Boston Public Library.

In every person's story, there is something to hide...

The tranquility is shattered by a woman's terrified scream. Security guards take charge immediately, instructing everyone inside to stay put until the threat is identified and contained. While they wait for the all-clear, four strangers, who'd happened to sit at the same table, pass the time in conversation and friendships are struck. Each has his or her own reasons for being in the reading room that morning—it just happens that one is a murderer.

Sulari Gentill delivers a sharply thrilling read with The Woman in the Library, an unexpectedly twisty literary adventure that examines the complicated nature of friendship and shows us that words can be the most treacherous weapons of all.

Book Review: Velvet vol #3

Book: Velvet volume #3: The Man Who Stole The World (issues #11-15) by Ed Brubaker with illustrations by Steve Epting, color by Elizabeth Breitweiser and letters by Chris Eliopoulos

Cover Art by Steve Epting and Elizabeth Breitweiser

Edition: Trade Paperback

Description:

The strands of the mystery finally bring Velvet back home to the US, and to Washington DC, for the explosive finale to the first big Velvet story arc.

Currently Reading: Velvet vol #3

After reading The Matchmaker of Périgord by Julia Stuart, I wanted to read something different. So, I went looking through my bookcase and I found the mystery thriller Velvet volume #3. I read the first two volumes 10 years ago and had this one sitting on my shelf for eight years but hey it's never too late to read a story. And Velvet is a really good story and unfortunately this volume is the final part of the story. I'm interested in seeing how this will end.

Book: Velvet volume #3: The Man Who Stole The World (issues #11-15) by Ed Brubaker with illustrations by Steve Epting and color by Elizabeth Breitweiser

Description:

The strands of the mystery finally bring Velvet back home to the US, and to Washington DC, for the explosive finale to the first big Velvet story arc.

Book of Interest: The Enigma of Room 622

Happy Monday!

How was your weekend? Did you find any good books? Well, last night a friend recommended I read The Enigma of Room 622 by Joël Dicker. The description seems really interesting, it's a murder mystery thriller. I'm surprised I never heard of this book but it definitely seems like a story I'd want to read. I'm going to have to add this to my list. Have any of you read this book?

Book: The Enigma of Room 622 by Joël Dicker with translations by Robert Bononno

Description:

A burnt-out writer’s retreat at a fancy Swiss hotel is interrupted by a murder mystery in this metafictional, meticulously crafted whodunit from the New York Times bestselling author of The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair.

A writer named Joël, Switzerland’s most prominent novelist, flees to the Hôtel de Verbier, a luxury resort in the Swiss Alps. Disheartened over a recent breakup and his longtime publisher’s death, Joël hopes to rest. However, his plans quickly go awry. It all starts with a seemingly innocuous detail: at the Verbier, there is no room 622.

Before long, Joël and fellow guest Scarlett uncover a long-unsolved murder that transpired in the hotel's room 622. The attendant circumstances: the succession of Switzerland’s largest private bank, a mysterious counterintelligence operation called P-30, and a most disreputable sabotage of hotel hospitality. A European phenomenon, The Enigma of Room 622 is a matryoshka doll of intrigue–as precise as a Swiss watch–and Dicker’s most diabolically addictive thriller yet.

Book of Interest: The Hitchcock Hotel

Who hasn't been intrigued by Alfred Hitchcock movies? I find some of the stories are filled with murder and suspense while other are twisty thrillers. And not to forget the occassional comedy. No surprise, there is a huge fandom for the movies, shows and Hitchcock himself. So, being a fan, I found the description for this book, The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel to be interesting. It's taking being a fan to extremes.

Is Alfred Smettle planning to use The Hitchcock Hotel to get revenge? Or is one of his former friends using this visit as the perfect opportunity for murder? This just seem like it'll be a really interesting read, I have to add it to my list.

Book: The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel

Description:

A Hitchcock fanatic with an agenda invites old friends for a weekend stay at his secluded themed hotel in this fiendishly clever, suspenseful new novel from the international bestselling author of Darling Rose Gold.

Alfred Smettle is not your average Hitchcock fan. He is the founder, owner, and manager of The Hitchcock Hotel, a sprawling Victorian house in the White Mountains dedicated to the Master of Suspense. There, Alfred offers his guests round-the-clock film screenings, movie props and memorabilia in every room, plus an aviary with fifty crows.

To celebrate the hotel’s first anniversary, he invites his former best friends from his college Film Club for a reunion. He hasn’t spoken to any of them in sixteen years, not after what happened.

But who better than them to appreciate Alfred’s creation? And to help him finish it.

After all, no Hitchcock set is complete without a body.

Book of Interest: Out of Body

I was just recommended this recently published (as in yesterday) book, Out of Body by Nia Davenport. And after reading the description, I have to read it. An out of body experience coupled with an chilling mystery. Yeah, I don't need any more new books especially since I'm still reading through my ever growing To Be Read list. But this seems really interesting and besides once I buy it, it will count as being part of my TBR list. Yes, I know, I'm trying to justify buying more books.

Book: Out of Body by Nia Davenport

Description:

A high-stakes, propulsive YA thriller with a body-swap twist thoughtfully exploring themes of friendship and identity, perfect for fans of Tiffany D. Jackson.

Seventeen-year-old Megan Allen has been jumping from friend group to friend group in her high school, trying on identities like outfits. Nothing ever seems to fit—until she meets LC, the adventurous, charismatic girl who appears at her favorite coffee shop one day like magic. Finally, Megan feels like she’s becoming the person she’s meant to be: someone like LC.

On the night of their friendiversary, what was supposed to be a bonding experience ends in a waking nightmare. Suddenly, Megan is no longer herself. Too late, she realizes that LC has secrets—dangerous ones. Betrayed by her best friend, thrust into another girl’s life, and targeted by LC’s enemies, she must claim what makes Megan Megan to get her life back . . . or die trying.

What are you currently reading?

Happy Friday! I hope you had an amazing and wonderful week and are super excited to start the weekend!

I was wondering, what are you currently reading? I’m nearly halfway through reading Live and Let Love by Gina Robinson. It's not my usual read, it's a romantic spy thriller but I'm really enjoying it so far.

Book: Live and Let Love (Agent Ex book #3) by Gina Robinson

Description:

A LOVE THIS TRUE

Though Willow Pierce has moved forward since her husband died two years ago, she can't ignore her sixth sense that Jack is alive. When newcomer Con Russo comes to town, Willow is convinced he's Jack. She'd never forget his eyes. Willow is determined to learn the truth about Con's identity―even if it means brazenly seducing him.

KNOWS NO DISGUISE

Secret agent Jack Pierce was almost killed in an explosion that left him severely disfigured. Thanks to reconstructive surgery, he has a new face and a new life. But when the terrorist who tried to assassinate him suspects he's still alive, Jack's forced to go undercover―and destroy him for good. But before he can complete his mission, he must protect the only woman he's ever loved...

Currently Reading: Live and Let Love

It's been a while since I've posted a Currently Reading post, I usually just list what I'm reading in the Currently Reading side panel. But since I'm trying to revitalize my love of reading, I'm going to start posting this again. So for the first book I'm officially reading in 2023 is this romantic spy thriller is Live and Let Love by Gina Robinson.

This is not my usual read but at some point I bought this book because I thought the description seemed interesting. However, this book has apparently been sitting on my shelf for ten years. This is the only book I have from this series. For some reason, I have a tendency to buy books randomly from a series and never in order. Unless I purposely buy books from a series in order. Anyway, I hope this will be a good read.

Book: Live and Let Love (Agent Ex book #3) by Gina Robinson

Description:

A LOVE THIS TRUE

Though Willow Pierce has moved forward since her husband died two years ago, she can't ignore her sixth sense that Jack is alive. When newcomer Con Russo comes to town, Willow is convinced he's Jack. She'd never forget his eyes. Willow is determined to learn the truth about Con's identity―even if it means brazenly seducing him.

KNOWS NO DISGUISE

Secret agent Jack Pierce was almost killed in an explosion that left him severely disfigured. Thanks to reconstructive surgery, he has a new face and a new life. But when the terrorist who tried to assassinate him suspects he's still alive, Jack's forced to go undercover―and destroy him for good. But before he can complete his mission, he must protect the only woman he's ever loved...

Book of Interest: Confessions on the 7:45

I found a thriller that seems really interesting, Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger. Selena believes her husband is having an affair with their nanny and makes this confession to a stranger on a train. Somehow, the nanny goes missing. It makes wonder if the husband had something to do with it or the mysterious woman Selena made her confession to or in a twist perhaps Selena did it? I don't know, it would be interesting find out and what else is going on in this story.

Book: Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger

Description:

From master of suspense Lisa Unger comes a riveting thriller about a chance encounter that unravels a stunning web of lies.

Selena Murphy is commuting home on the train when she strikes up a conversation with a beautiful stranger in the next seat. The woman introduces herself as Martha and soon confesses that she’s been stuck in an affair with her boss. Selena, in turn, confesses that she suspects her husband is sleeping with the nanny. When the train arrives at Selena’s station, the two women part ways, presumably never to meet again.

Then the nanny disappears.

As Selena is pulled into the mystery of what happened, and as the fractures in her marriage grow deeper, she begins to wonder, who was Martha really? But she is hardly prepared for what she’ll discover…

Book of Interest: The Woods Are Always Watching

It's the start of the cozy and spooky season better known as Fall, okay well not officially that's still a few weeks off but in every practical sense it is. September brings with the feeling of renewed sense of wonder. And speaking of wonder, in The Woods Are Always Watching by Stephanie Perkins, I wonder if whatever in the woods is something supernatural or a human evil. I guess I'll have to read it and find out.

Book: The Woods Are Always Watching by Stephanie Perkins

Description:

New from bestselling author Stephanie Perkins, and the perfect companion to her New York Times bestseller There's Someone Inside Your House, soon to be a Netflix feature.

Bears aren’t the only predators in these woods.

Best friends Neena and Josie spent high school as outsiders, but at least they had each other. Now, with college and a two-thousand-mile separation looming on the horizon, they have one last chance to be together—a three-day hike deep into the woods of the Pisgah National Forest.

Simmering tensions lead to a detour off the trail and straight into a waking nightmare … and then into something far worse. Something that will test them in horrifying ways.

Stephanie Perkins, the bestselling author of There’s Someone Inside Your House, returns with a heart-stopping, gut-wrenching novel about friendship, survival, and navigating unmarked paths even as evil watches from the shadows.

Book Review: Frozen Heat

Book: Frozen Heat (Nikki Heat book #4) by Richard Castle

Cover Art by American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.

Edition: Paperback

Description:

NYPD Homicide Detective Nikki Heat arrives at her latest crime scene to find an unidentified woman stabbed to death and stuffed inside a suitcase left on a Manhattan street. Nikki is in for a big shock when this new homicide connects to the unsolved murder of her own mother. Paired once again with her romantic and investigative partner, top journalist Jameson Rook, Heat works to solve the mystery of the body in the suitcase while she is forced to confront unexplored areas of her mother's background.

Facing relentless danger as someone targets her for the next kill, Nikki's search will unearth painful family truths, expose a startling hidden life, and cause Nikki to reexamine her own past. Heat's passionate quest takes her and Rook from the back alleys of Manhattan to the avenues of Paris, trying to catch a ruthless killer. The question is, now that her mother's cold case has unexpectedly thawed, will Nikki Heat finally be able to solve the dark mystery that has been her demon for ten years?

Books of Interest: Mystery

One of my favorite genres is Mystery, I can never get enough of the drama and suspense and trying to solve the mystery. These three books that I found seem to fit the bill. From a writer being mistaken as a hitwoman to sinister changes in the neighborhood, I really want to read these book. Are there any mystery books that have caught your interest?

Book: Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

Description:

Finlay Donovan is killing it . . . except, she’s really not. She’s a stressed-out single-mom of two and struggling novelist, Finlay’s life is in chaos: the new book she promised her literary agent isn’t written, her ex-husband fired the nanny without telling her, and this morning she had to send her four-year-old to school with hair duct-taped to her head after an incident with scissors.

When Finlay is overheard discussing the plot of her new suspense novel with her agent over lunch, she’s mistaken for a contract killer, and inadvertently accepts an offer to dispose of a problem husband in order to make ends meet . . . Soon, Finlay discovers that crime in real life is a lot more difficult than its fictional counterpart, as she becomes tangled in a real-life murder investigation.

Fast-paced, deliciously witty, and wholeheartedly authentic in depicting the frustrations and triumphs of motherhood in all its messiness, hilarity, and heartfelt moment, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is the first in a brilliant new series from YA Edgar Award nominee Elle Cosimano.

Mythology Mondays: Empire of Wild

I don't know anything about Native American or First Nation mythology which is what Empire of Wild is based on. However, I do want to learn more about it and I'm going to see if I can find a nonfiction book so I can know more about it.

I think this book seems really interesting and I wonder how the mythology will play into the story. Because from the description it seems like Joan husband Victor is dealing with a strange case of amnesia after he had gone missing. I really want to know how this story is going to unfold.

Book: Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline

Description:

A bold and brilliant new indigenous voice in contemporary literature makes her American debut with this kinetic, imaginative, and sensuous fable inspired by the traditional Canadian Métis legend of the Rogarou—a werewolf-like creature that haunts the roads and woods of native people’s communities.

Joan has been searching for her missing husband, Victor, for nearly a year—ever since that terrible night they’d had their first serious argument hours before he mysteriously vanished. Her Métis family has lived in their tightly knit rural community for generations, but no one keeps the old ways . . . until they have to. That moment has arrived for Joan.

One morning, grieving and severely hungover, Joan hears a shocking sound coming from inside a revival tent in a gritty Walmart parking lot. It is the unmistakable voice of Victor. Drawn inside, she sees him. He has the same face, the same eyes, the same hands, though his hair is much shorter and he's wearing a suit. But he doesn't seem to recognize Joan at all. He insists his name is Eugene Wolff, and that he is a reverend whose mission is to spread the word of Jesus and grow His flock. Yet Joan suspects there is something dark and terrifying within this charismatic preacher who professes to be a man of God . . . something old and very dangerous.

Joan turns to Ajean, an elderly foul-mouthed card shark who is one of the few among her community steeped in the traditions of her people and knowledgeable about their ancient enemies. With the help of the old Métis and her peculiar Johnny-Cash-loving, twelve-year-old nephew Zeus, Joan must find a way to uncover the truth and remind Reverend Wolff who he really is . . . if he really is. Her life, and those of everyone she loves, depends upon it.

Book Review: The Hitchhiker

Book: The Hitchhiker by R.L. Stine

Edition: Paperback

Description:

Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a deadly ride...

He wants a ride. She wants a thrill. So in spite of her best friend Terri's arguments, Christina stops to pick up the handsome hitchhiker.

He's everything she thought he'd be. And more. Much, much, more.

Maybe too much more.

Maybe enough to thrill Christina and Terri...to death...

Book of Interest: The Tenth Girl

I love reading supernatural books throughout the year but it's something about the fall that makes it simply the perfect time to read them. Here is another one that I'm going to add to ever growing wishlist to buy later. The description for The Tenth Girl kind of reminds me of Down a Dark Hall by Lois Duncan with a strange school and with equally strange things happening.

Book: The Tenth Girl by Sara Faring

Description:

A haunted Argentinian mansion.

A family curse.

A twist you'll never see coming.

Welcome to Vaccaro School.

Simmering in Patagonian myth, The Tenth Girl is a gothic psychological thriller with a haunting twist.

At the very southern tip of South America looms an isolated finishing school. Legend has it that the land will curse those who settle there. But for Mavi—a bold Buenos Aires native fleeing the military regime that took her mother—it offers an escape to a new life as a young teacher to Argentina’s elite girls.

Mavi tries to embrace the strangeness of the imposing house—despite warnings not to roam at night, threats from an enigmatic young man, and rumors of mysterious Others. But one of Mavi’s ten students is missing, and when students and teachers alike begin to behave as if possessed, the forces haunting this unholy cliff will no longer be ignored...and one of these spirits holds a secret that could unravel Mavi’s existence.

Book Review: Heat Rises

Book: Heat Rises (Nikki Heat book #3) by Richard Castle

Edition: Hardcover

Description:

The bizarre murder of a parish priest at a New York bondage club opens Nikki Heat's most thrilling and dangerous case so far, pitting her against New York's most vicious drug lord, an arrogant CIA contractor, and a shadowy death squad out to gun her down. And that is just the tip of an iceberg that leads to a dark conspiracy reaching all the way to the highest level of the NYPD.

But when she gets too close to the truth, Nikki finds herself disgraced, stripped of her badge, and out on her own as a target for killers, with nobody she can trust. Except maybe the one man in her life who's not a cop: reporter Jameson Rook.

In the midst of New York's coldest winter in a hundred years, there's one thing Nikki is determined to prove: Heat Rises.

Book Review: Micro

Book: Micro by Michael Crichton and Richard Preston

Cover Design and Illustration by Will Staehle

Edition: Hardcover

Description:

In a locked Honolulu office building, three men are found dead with no sign of struggle except for the ultrafine, razor-sharp cuts covering their bodies. The only clue left behind is a tiny bladed robot, nearly invisible to the human eye.

In the lush forest of Oahu, groundbreaking technology has ushered in a revolutionary era of biological prospecting. Trillions of microorganisms, tens of thousands of bacteria species, are being discovered; they are feeding a search for priceless drugs and applications on a scale beyond anything previously imagined.

In Cambridge, Massachusetts, seven graduate students at the forefront of their fields are recruited by a pioneering microbiology start-up. Nanigen MicroTechnologies dispatches the group to a mysterious lab in Hawaii, where they are promised access to tools that will open a whole new scientific frontier.

But once in the Oahu rain forest, the scientists are thrust into a hostile wilderness that reveals profound and surprising dangers at every turn. Armed only with their knowledge of the natural world, they find themselves prey to a technology of radical and unbridled power. To survive, the must harness the inherent forces of nature itself.

Book of Interest: Red Sparrow

I didn't even realize the Red Sparrow movie was even out in theatres and it doesn't help that I have not seen one trailer for it on TV or online. I ended up having to go look for the trailer on YouTube. I hope the lack of marketing doesn't predict how this movie will do at the at the box office.

While I'm trying to figure out a time to go see the movie, I'm going to add the book to my wishlist. It seems like an interesting spy saga.

Book: Red Sparrow (Red Sparrow book #1) by Jason Matthews

Description:

In contemporary Russia, state intelligence officer Dominika Egorova has been drafted to become a “Sparrow”—a spy trained in the art of seduction to siphon out information from their marks. She’s been assigned to Nathaniel Nash, a CIA officer who handles the organization’s most sensitive penetration of Russian intelligence.

The two young intelligence officers, trained in their respective spy schools, collide in a charged atmosphere of tradecraft, deception and, inevitably, a forbidden spiral of carnal attraction that threatens their careers and the security of America’s valuable mole in Moscow.

Book Review: And Then There Were None

Book: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Edition: Paperback

Rating: 5 stars

Review:

And Then There Were None is a gruesome mystery that follows as one by one, someone is murdering ten victims on a private island.

When a group of eight random strangers (Dr. Edward Armstrong, Emily Brent, William Blore, Vera Claythorne, Philip Lombard, John Macarthur, Anthony Marston and Lawrence Wargrave) are enticed into visiting a private island off the coast of Devon, they had no idea what they were getting into. When they arrived at the mansion they were not the only ones there, a butler and maid, Thomas Rogers and Ethel Rogers, who were recently hired, were there to greet them. However their hosts, the Owens were said to be delayed and would arrive later.

Everything was going quite well for the guests as they settled in and got acquainted. However, there were a few peculiarities but nothing that would set off any alarms. It wasn't long before the murderer's plan was set into motion with each of the ten in attendance soon learned that they were all considered guilty of crimes they once committed.

The first chilling death occurred followed by two more and as the tension mounts they wonder if there was perhaps someone hiding on the island. With no evidence to that they each begin to suspect that one of them was the killer. But who?

The fast-paced story was simple and complex at the same time and that's due in no small part to Agatha Christie's vivid and engaging writing. The victims are trapped on an island and in hopes of not becoming the next victim gather together to try to find the murderer. The characters quickly start to become paranoid and began suspecting each other. And as the reader you are left to question who are these characters. The more I read the more it was easy to see that there was so much more than meets the eye regarding each of them. But which one was the murderer?

I had my suspicions but each death removed a suspect making you re-examine all the details and the remaining characters. When the end neared, the reveal was rather amazing and in hindsight it made me completely aware of things I may not have paid particular attention to.

This was my first time reading anything by Agatha Christie and it was a good read. A meticulous story filled with drama, suspense and horrific murder.

Currently Reading: And Then There Were None

As you can see from the cover, I only paid 80 cent for this book that I got from the thrift store. Despite being a big mystery fan, I have never read any Agatha Christie books until now. I've heard that this has a really good mystery and I'm looking forward to reading it.

For fans of Agatha Christie, are there any other books by the author you would recommend?

Book: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Edition: Paperback

Description:

First there were ten -- a curious assortment of strangers summoned as weekend guests to a private island off the coast of Devon. Their host, an eccentric millionaire unknown to any of them, is nowhere to be found. All that the guests have in common is a wicked past they're unwilling to reveal -- and a secret that will seal their fate. For each has been marked for murder, and one by one they begin to fall prey to an unseen hand. As the only people on the island, unable to leave and unable to call for help, they know that the only possible suspects are among their number. And only the dead are above suspicion.