Category: Books-Fiction

Goodbye Girl – (Jack Swyteck #18) – James Grippando

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Goodbye Girl - Ja,es Grippando

   Ok so after having read only two books in all of March, I finished my second book for April yesterday! The two books I’ve finished are Goodbye Girl by James Grippando and Innercise: The New Science to Unlock Your Brain’s Hidden Potential by John Assaraf.

Goodbye Girl is the 18th book in Grippando’s Jack Swyteck series. WhileInnercise is a self-help book.

Goodbye Girl (Jack Swyteck #18) – James Grippando

I read The Pardon the first book in the series way back in 2005.  Well ctually, I read the second book first in the first part of June in 2005 and quickly readThe Pardon in the same month! I went on the record several of the earlier books but Grippando was a hit or miss author for me.

I picked the series up again in 2018 with the 14th book in the series A Death in Live Oak. Since then I haven’t missed a book in the series. Goodbye Girl is a very good addition to the series and left me eagerly waiting for the next installment.

The Story of Goodbye Girl

Jack Swyteck is a defense attorney married to Andie Henning an FBI Agent. In Goodbye Girl Jack is asked to defend a Imani Nichols aGrammy-winning popsinger in a contentious intellectual piracy case. While Imani is a huge star she’s making very little money because “she says her ex-husband Shaky stole the rights to her music. To get back at him Imani is telling her fans to “Go Pirate!” to get her music. This is a 180 degree turnaround for Imani since she previously had fought against piracy.

While the trial is in progress, Jack receives anonymous tip connecting Imani and Shaky to a murder that occurred 12 years prior. A murder where Andie had been called in to aid the investigation.

Anyway a lot of action outside the of the court room as a Russian Oligarch and his son who runs the world’s largest privacy website are pulled into the mess. As is Jack’s best friend Theo. Oh and there’s a serial killer copying the 12 year old murder!

One of the best aspects of the series, as in most book series is the characters. The characters in the Jack Swyteck series include: Theo who Jack saved from death row, Jack’s father the ex-governor of Florida and Andie Henning Jack’s wife. In Goodbye Girl the problems that arise from the marriage of an FBI agent and a defense attorney play a pivotal role in the story. ( I hope they can work out their problems)

The Bottom Line

Goodbye Girl is a fast paced mystery/thriller. that can be read as a standalone book. As always,. though it’s better if you’ve read some of the earlier books. So check it out. As for me I’m off to tackle my humongous TBR pile. C.J Box’s latest may be up next!

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James Grippando- Jack Swyteck Author

About James Grippando

The Last Ranger – Peter Heller

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The Last Ranger - Peter Heller

The Last Ranger is only the second book I’ve read by Peter Heller. The first, The River, was one of the best books I read in 2020…

So I was looking forward to reading The Last Ranger. I must admit that I found it a little slow going in the beginning and and actually set it aside and started reading James Grippando’s latest Goodbye Girl.

However, I went back to it as the library due date for the book approached, uh it’s today! Anyway, I’m glad I returned.

About the Last Ranger

The setting of The Last Ranger is Yellowstone Park. The main character Ren Hopper is a Park Ranger or an Enforcement Agent assigned to act like the police within the Park. As an Enforcement Agent his duties range from breaking up fights at campgrounds to saving tourists from moose attacks.

He also works to keep the peace between the vacationers,who tromp around with cameras and the locals who want to carve out a meaningful living in the lands beyond the park boundaries,.

The book takes off when Ren finds his friend Hilly, a biologist and wolf expert, nearly dead in the steel jaws of a wolf trap. He hopes it’s just an accident.

However, a small red ribbon tied to the stake makes him fairly certain that it wasn’t. The first and best suspect is a known poacher, who has an ongoing feud with Hilly.

Aside from this investigation Ren soon finds that someone is also out to get him. The best suspect is a member of a local group of ranchers

\.These ranchers have formed an alliance at odds with both the park and with Ren’s responsibility to protect it. Is the poacher a member, too?

From Goodreads

Rife with surprising humor, populated by a cast of extraordinary characters, each drawn to Yellowstone for their own reasons, Peter Heller once again mines the rich vein where our very human impulses play out against the stunning beauty of the natural world.

More at Goodreads

My Thoughts about The Last Ranger.

The setting is one of the aspects like the most about The Last Ranger. I have only visited Yellowstone Park and surrounding area via the books of C.J. Box. And both authors have left me feeling that I’ve been there and wishing that I could be there. I get the same feeling from the William Kent Krueger’s Cork O’Conner books.

Needless to say, the characters are the other aspect of the book I love. Major and minor characters are real life folks with real life problems. And the reader gets to know and care for them all. Even if you are rooting against some of them you still understand their behavior.

Speaking of behavior, I also like books that teach me something. The Last Ranger does just that discussing both behavior of the wolves of Yellowstone, as well as, their impact on the environment.

The bottom line is I highly recommend this book. So check it out. As for me, I will be on the lookout for books from Heller’s back catalog! I will also be getting back to Grippando’s Goodbye Girl.

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Petwer Heller
Peter Heller

About Peter Heller

If You Enjoyed The Last Ranger Here’s Where My Reading Went (and Where It’s Going)…

This one sent me down a bit of a wilderness/conservation rabbit hole…

  • Nora Kelly (Preston & Child) — archaeological thrillers I’m planning to dive into, a natural. It’s also set in the rugged moutnains of the American west.
  • Breaking Wild — Diane Les Becquets — a gripping wilderness survival story that I couldn’t put down (see my original post)
  • Alice Henderson — Alex Carter series — where I’m heading next with environmental thrillers
Preston & Child
Diane Les Becquets
The Vanishing Kind Alice Henderson
Alice Henderson

Starter Villain – John Scalzi – Another Winner for Scalzi

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Starter Villain - John Scalzi

 

So on Friday January 12 I finished reading my second book for 2024, John Scalzi’s Starter Villain. It is the ninth book by Scalzi on my Goodreads shelves. I began reading Scalzi’s books in 2008. The first book I read was Old Man’s War.  that book among the others in the Old Man’s War series may still be my favorites written by Scalzi.

The hero of the book, well maybe not a hero, let’s just say main character of the book is Charlie Fister. Charlie is  a divorced ex-newspaper  journalist. Who is now a substitute teacher living with his cat. A house his siblings want to sell.  All Charlie wants is to buy and run  a pub downtown. But the cost is astronomical  and his only collateral for a bank loan is the house he lives in, which his estranged siblings want to sell!

Then his estranged Uncle Jake dies and leaves Charlie his business. Charlie realizes he may be in trouble, when he’s asked to represent the family at his uncle’s memorial service. At the service, first it was the message sent on a vase of flowers. The message See You in Hell” During the visitation, one guest checks Jake’s pulse another tries to stab him! It seems his uncle was not too popular. “

When Charlie is whisked away to his uncle’s island (I won’t  tell you why) he learns Uncle is a “villain”. Additionally, the people who were out to get Jake are out to get his heir, i.e. Charlie. Can Charlie survive??

Thoughts on Starter Villain

Starter Villain is the ninth book written by John Scalzi I have read. While I enjoy his hard science a little more I also enjoy his other books.I thought The Kaiju Preservation Society was a great read.  The book was nominated for a Goodreads Award as Best Science Fiction book of the year so others liked it, too. It finished as the 8th most popular book.

Starter Villain reminds me a lot of The Kaiju Preservation, Jamie Gray is stuck as a dead-end driver for food delivery apps until she becomes involved with the Society.  Cuarlie on the other hand is an ex-journalist stuck working as a substitute teacher. Both are characters that you can root for as they both face formidable opponents.

John Scalzi’s sense of humor always comes out in his characters and it certainly does in Charlie Fister. It certainly is one of the aspects of Scalzi’s books I love.

Even though I keep waiting for something big to happen in Starter Villain, overall i was satisfied with the surprising final twist at the end. Actually, the more I think about the book the more I realize that I really liked the book.

In 2023 Starter Villain was also nominated for the best science fiction book at Goodreads. This time Scalzi’s book finished fourth in the voting. So check it out.

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Beach WeddDiscover the Magic of Beach Wedding by Michael Ledwidge

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So for whatever reason I have never read a book written by Janes Patterson. As a result, I  never discovered author Michael Ledwidge until I checked out Stop at Nothing book #1 in his Michael Gannon series from my library in July of 2021. It was great! I quickly quickly followed it up in August with book #2 in the series Run for Cover. Then I had to wait until January 2023 until book 3 Hard to Break was released. During that time Ledwidge had released a standalone novel Beach Wedding, which I put off reading until last month, when it became the seventh book I’ve read in 2024. Anyway, here   is what I’ve missed out on by not reading Ledwidge’s work until now!

About Michael Ledwidge

Michael Ledwidge wrote his first novel, The Narrowback, in 1999. That was followed by two more highly acclaimed novels. The second of which Bad Connection was optioned by George Clooney.
Now here’s the big part that I missed out on!

He has co-authored 14 bestselling novels with James Peterson featuring detective Michael Bennett The Michael Bennett series is the highest selling NYC detective series of all time. Shame on me for not reading this series! (Note to self check out this series!)

Additionally, their novel, Zoo, became a three-season CBS television series.

Born and raised in New York City, Ledwidge has worked as a Park Avenue doorman and a Manhattan outdoor telephone technician where he participated in the Ground Zero recovery efforts after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Beach Wedding -Michael LedwidgeBeach Wedding

Now back to Beach Wedding. In Beach Wedding we find Philadelphia police officer Terry Rourke returning to the Hamptons to attend his brothers lavish and expensive wedding. However, this is not the first time Terry has been in the Hamptons…..

….As the designer tuxedos are laid out and the flowers arranged along the glittering surf, Terry can’t help but take another look at a decades-old murder trial that rocked the very foundations of the town—and his family. He soon learns that digging up billion-dollar sand can be a very dangerous activity. The kind of danger that can very quickly turn even the most beautiful beach wedding into a wake.

From Goodreads

My Thoughts about Beach Wedding

It took several pages for this book to grab me, but since it did it didn’t let go until the end of the book! The main character Terry Rourke was easy to root for, as he tried to untangle the events of the murder of a Hampton elite. A murder where Terry’s father the lead prosecutor failed to get a conviction with dire consequences. The plot was intricate with an explosive in more ways the one ending.

The Bottom line is I highly recommend Beach Wedding. As well as, the Micheal Gannon books! So check them out! As for me, I have Ledwidge’s latest The Girl in the Vault waiting for me at my library. And a boat load of Michael Bennet books to check out!!

 

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Midnight Creed (Ryder Creed (#8) (Maggie O’Dell World #19) Alex Kava

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Midnight Creed is the 8th book in Alex Kava’s Ryder Creed series — a spin-off from her long-running Maggie O’Dell novels. Since Maggie and her FBI colleagues play such an integral role in Ryder’s world, the series often feels like an extended Maggie O’Dell universe.

The Story

In this installment, Maggie O’Dell is investigating the serial killings of homeless people up and down the East Coast. Meanwhile, Ryder Creed and his dogs are searching for a missing boy, while also preparing for a shipment of K9s left behind when U.S. troops withdrew from Afghanistan.

When another boy goes missing — one Ryder’s coworker Jason knows personally — Ryder and his team launch a frantic search. At the same time, the serial killer Maggie’s tracking is headed to Florida. The question is: will these two cases collide?

My History with Alex Kava

I’ve been reading Alex Kava since her debut A Perfect Evil, the first Maggie O’Dell book. Across the first 11 O’Dell novels, Maggie faced everything from serial killers and arsonists to a potential mall bomber, electrocuted teenagers, and deadly pathogens.

The Entwining of Maggie and Ryder

Kava introduced Ryder Creed in the 2015 release Breaking Creed. A former Marine turned K9 search-and-rescue trainer, Ryder rescues dogs and trains them for life-saving missions. Over the first seven books, Maggie and Ryder’s professional relationship has deepened, and in book 7, they finally acknowledged their love for each other — though they still live apart. Maggie can’t leave the FBI and Quantico, and Ryder can’t leave his dogs.

Final Thoughts

Once again, Kava delivers a well-paced, character-driven treat. Alongside Maggie and Ryder, supporting characters like Jason and Ryder’s sister Brodie have grown in importance. (Brodie has been part of the backstory since the beginning, but readers only met her in recent books — raising the question: where was she all this time?)

Midnight Creed can be read as a standalone, but I suspect you’ll want to dive into the earlier Ryder Creed books — and maybe even the Maggie O’Dell series — once you’ve read it.

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Those Empty Eyes – Discovering Hidden Gems: Like Charlie Donlea!

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Those Empty Eyes — Charlie Donlea

Avid readers all have those must-read authors—the ones you grab the day a new book drops. For me: James Lee Burke, C. J. Box, and Karin Slaughter. (I keep a longer list here: Long-Time Favorite Series Still Going Strong.)

Then there’s a second circle of authors I really like—but I sometimes miss release day and circle back months later. Charlie Donlea is squarely in that group.

That happened with his 2023 novel Those Empty Eyes. I didn’t read it until November—and it’s another terrific, twisty ride.

About Those Empty Eyes

Those Empty Eyes belong to Alexandra Quinlan, nicknamed for the look in her eyes the night her family was slaughtered—and she became the prime suspect. The charges are dropped and she wins a massive settlement for the botched investigation, but her life is wrecked. With no killer identified, plenty of people still think she got away with murder.

Years later, Alexandra keeps an evidence board of everything she’s uncovered. Can it finally point to the killer? And will her work as an investigator for the law firm that won her case help her finish the search?

Why it worked for me: propulsive pacing, a smart investigator protagonist, and that obsessive evidence-board thread that pays off.

If Those Empty Eyes isn’t your thing, browse Charlie Donlea’s Goodreads page for his other standalones—he likes fresh setups, and you’ll likely find a premise that clicks.

Question for you: which authors do you always find late—then kick yourself for waiting?

Author Charlie Donlea

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About Charlie Donlea

Charlie Donlea is a USA Today bestselling author often praised as “a bold new writer…on his way to becoming a major figure in the world of suspense.” He was born and raised in the Chicago area. (Bio note via Google Books.)

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Storm Watch (Joe Pickett #23). – C.J.Box

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Storm Watch (Joe Pickett #23). – C.J.Box

So far I have finished two books this month. The first Blind Justice was my first visit to the world of Detective Sargent Aector McAvoy from David Mark. While the second Storm Watch was my 22nd visit to the world of C.J.Box‘s Joe Pickett.

I first met Joe Pickett and his family in 2003, when I read Savage Run the second book in the series. I soon read the Open Season book one in the series and I’ve only missed one book in the series! You can check out more here

Storm Watch (Joe Picket #23) -C.J. Box

Storm Watch begins with Joe performing his typical Game Warden duties. Joe receives a call regarding an elk cow that has been hit by a car and Joe responses and track the elk far into the mountains. After finding the elk Joe finds a mysterious building, when he explores it further he finds it is filled with a ton of computers. Oh, there is also a dead body stuck halfway in a window! Soon Joe is called by the Governor and told not to investigate the murder.

Meanwhile, Joe’s friend Nate Romanowski is approached by an ex-black ops operator  to join an anti-government group that’s planning some big action.

So can Joe and Nate stay out of trouble? Are the murder and Nate’s request the join the Sovereign Nation group connected?

Bottom Line

I was somewhat disappointed with Shadows Reel (book 22) in the series. I just didn’t think it was one of Box’s best. However, I do think he redeemed himself with this one! The only thing that didn’t happen was Joe’s truck finished  the book unscathed!

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As a side note, I finally watched the first episode of Paramount’s Joe Pickett. Overall, I thought it was very good and I will continue watching. So check it out!

Jeff Gunhus -SilentThreat – A Wild Ride

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Jeff Gunhus -Silent Threat
So if you’re in a Dollar Tree over the next few weeks and see a book titled Silent Threat buy it! You should buy it because it’s everything that Steve Berry says about this Jeff Gunhus book on the front cover.

“With an aplha female herione and a tantaliuzing premise, this hard-edged, gripping thrillermatches wits and wiles, delivering an entertaining romp”

Mara Roberts is the female herione and we meet her in the first sentence, which drew me into the book immediately…….

Mara Roberts knew the Agency would try to kill her father the day he got out of prison; she just didn’t expect her to be the one to do it.

Mara’s father Scott Roberts is a former agent and a convicted traitor, was responsible for the death of Mara’s mother and is in fact Mara’s father! Needless to say there is no love lost between Mara and her father. However, the killing dod not go as planned and soon Mara and her father are on the run.

Mara, who is an ex-Marine. She is also one the Agnecy’s most reliable assasin’s! Needless to say her  world is turned upside dow,  as she and her father head first to Chicago to get answer, from the ex-President of the US is speaking! Their most important is: Who ordered the hit onMara’s mother?? Wait Scott didn’t kill her mother?? Oh, and to make sure that Mara kills her father the agency has kidnapped her nephew!!

Stteve Berry characterizes Silent Threat as an “entertaining romp”. I’d say it’s more of a “wild ride,” with a lot of twists, as Mara and Scott are not only being chased by the Agency, but also by a shadowy cabal known as “Omega”. Who present a clear and present danger to Mara, Scott and the World!!!

Bottom Line

The bottom line Silent Threat is a terrific read and proof that great bargain books can be found at Dollar General. Jeff Gunhus is a USA Today best-selling author. He writes thrillers and horror for adults, fantast for middle-graders, and picture books for  children. So Check Out Silent Threat.  As for me, I have already purchased the ebook version of Imminent Threat (Mara and Scott Roberts #2),

 

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The Resting Place -Camilla Sten ( Book 30 of 2022)

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The Resting Płace - Camilla Sten

Now that I am semi back into the swing of writing blog posts, I’ll first try to write about the books that I am currently reading, or just finished. With that being said, I just finished The Resting Place by Camilla Sten and it was really, really good!

The Resting Place is Camilla Sten’s second novel. The first was internationally acclaimed The Lost Village. Rights for The Lost Village have been sold to 17 territories around the world including film and TV. And based on The Resting Place I’m sure it’s terrific! In fact I just checked the Ebook version out at my local library!

About The Resting Place


The Resting Place is set in Sweden and begins when Eleanor is coming to dinner at her grandmother Vivianne’s house. Eleanor suffers from prosopagnosia (face blindness) so she doesn’t recognize the person who rushed by her, when she was entering Vivianne’s apartment. However, when she discovered her grandmother’s dead body in the apartment, she know that she had come face to face with a killer.  Maddeningly, she didn’t know who it was!

After weeks over agonizing over the murder, a lawyer calls. Vivianne, has left Eleanor an estate     outside  of Stockholm. An estate that Vivianne had kept hidden from Eleanor her whole life!

Soon Eleanor, her boyfriend Sebastian, Aunt Veronica, and Rikard the lawyer are off to inventory the estate. The estate is a house of secrets and it doesn’t wish to reveal them! Consequently, as the group starts to get closer to a truth that will turn everything Eleanor knows about her family, things get deadlier!

The Bottom Line

The Resting Place is….(from the book jacket)

A heart-thumping, relentless thriller, that will shake you to the core, The Resting Place is an unforgettable  novel of horror and suspense.

The story is told in alternating chapters. Current action is told from Eleanor’s POV. While the past is reveled by Anushka a maid, who worked for Vivianne’s family.

Although the story was somewhat predictable, I I was never sure what the final answers would be until the end. And it was a pretty wild ride to get there!

All in all, The Resting Place is a strong 4.5 star book. Check It Out! As for me I can’t wait to read The Lost Village!

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When I first saw this book in the library, the name Sten seemed familier, but I just couldn’t place it. When I googled Camilla’s name to śrutę this post I saw her mother is the reason the band Śten is familiar. Way back in 2015, Iread read her mother  Viveca Sten’s book Still Waters book one on her Sandhamn series! I enjoyed the book a lot,  ut have necer read another of her books same on me! Maybe it’s time to delve into that series again!

What You Never Knew – Jessica Hamilton

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Would you return to a family-owned island 30 years after an event that ripped your family apart? In Jessica Hamilton’s new psychological thriller What You Never Knew, Jane Bennett did just that….

When she was a child, June Bennett‘s family spent their summers on Avril Island in Lake Champlain. The Island had been gift to Avril Bennett from her new husband.

This family tradition ended tragically one night when June‘s father abruptly left his family. Now 30 years after that night, June discovers what she was told about her father‘s abrupt exit from their family may not have been the truth.

After the tragic death of her older sister May and her mother, June discovers that contrary to what she and May were told by their mother Avril Island was never sold after the family split apart!

So to help overcome her depression regarding the deaths and get her life back on track, June returns to Avril Island.

When she returns she discovers that the son of the  family’s handyman West Keen, has in fact, been taking care of their cottage. It seems that West also left the Island just ten days after Jane‘s father left his family.

Are the two disappearances connected?? The more June digs into the past the more she discovers there are “things she never knew“

About What You Never Knew

What You Never Knew is Jessica  Hamilton‘s debut as a novelist. She was born in Australia but grew up and resides in Canada. The book was published by Crooked Lane Books in April of 2021.

Thoughts About What You Never Knew

Overall, I thought What You Never Knew was a really good novel. The characters were well developed and there was a lot to like with each one.

Hamilton uses two narrators to tell the story. And while I’m not a fan of alternating narrators it works in this book. The narrators are June and her sister May (or May‘s spirit). It works because while May doesn’t know all that happened that night behause she has repressed those memories. she does know more than June.

Another aspect of the book, that bothered me. was the fact that June went to the Island ALONE! Then when she first visits the cottage it’s like they left it yesterday! It was 30 years…..no way these days the electrical and or pipes etc would still be in that house!

Then when Ezra Keen son of the handyman West shows up and it explains he has been taking care of and watching the place, I guess I felt better.

Overall, I found What You Never Knew a  well pace novel with a strong storyline and well-developed characters.

Sister Dear’s author Hannah Mary McKinnon‘s comment on the back cover of the box sums it up pretty well for me

Eerie and compulsive..this debut had me riveted right from the start. Well plotted and with  beautifully drawn characters, this is an excellent read.

Recommended to…..

Through the years What You Never Knew was not The type of book I normally read. My reads were manually either action thrillers from authors like Robert Ludlum , Brad Thor and Vince Flynn, or detective/private eye mysteries from folks like Janes Le Burke, William G Tapply or Lawrence Block.

However, lately I have read several psychological thrillers with involving families. So if I were recommending this book to othersI,  guess I would recommend it to fans of; Mary Kubica, Liv Constantine, Joshilyn Jackson and another new author Taylor Adams., and many more authors of this ilk unknown to me!!

My Rating

The Goodreads rating for this book was 3.77 out of 5. My Rating on Goodreads was 4.00 but if I could break it down farther it would probably be 3.85 or so. Really good but those little things still bother me somewhat. But I will still be on the lookout for Jessica Hamilton’s next book!

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