This week has been a Granddad week for me. It started on Sunday when i went to my first dance recital. I raised three boys and one girl and that one girl is the mother of Emma. Emma turned 3 in February and has been taking both tap and ballet lessons. Sunday was her first recital. I must say overall it was very good and Emma did great … Here is the picture they used in the introduction of the students.

Later that night we babysat Emma and Lucas for several hours as their parents went to a photo shoot for their business Rego Photography. Monday my son and Logan the son of my third son Peter came and we played cards from 2:45 to 4:45.

Finally, last night we went to my oldest grandson Oliver’s Spring Band Concert. Oliver is 12 and is in 6th grade. The concert was very good.

The result of all of the above is that we missed Senior Tuesday and its 15% off this week. But we still made a trip to the Audoubon NJ Goodwill this morning, The vinyl today was the same ones I left last week after my pretty good haul and the books were the same too. I did find some that I must have passed over last week.

Today’s Goodwill Book Mini-Haul – Four Mystery Series Temptations

“I” is for Innocent – Sue Grafton

While I have never read a Kinsey Milhone book, I acknowledge the groundbreaking nature of her work. Wuthout her work I may never have read books from the likes of Laura Lippman, Carol O’Connell, Kathy Reichs or even Karin Slaughter!

And that’s why I have been collecting the Kinsey Milhone series. With the addition of “I” is for Innocent I ever have 11 of the series books!

The Eighth Sister – Robert Dugoni

Robert Dugoni is another of those authors whose books I should be reading but haven’t. Dugoni has two main series the Tracy Crosswhite series and the David Sloane series. The Eighth Sister appears to be a standalone featuring former CIA case worker Charles Jenkins.

Hundred-Dollar Baby – Robert B Parker

I read my first Spenser novel back in 1987. It was The Judas Goat Spenser #5. I also read Taming a Sea-Horse in 1987 it was Spenser #13. Subsequently I have never read another Spenser book even though I enjoyed the books ans characters!

Hundred Dollar Baby is Spenser #34! It was released in 2006 four years prior of his sudden death in 2010. The last Spenser novel written by Robert B Parker and his assistant was SixKill published in 2011. From 2012 t0 2022 Ace Atkins wrote 10 Spenser books. In 2023 Mike Lupica began writing the books and has since added 4 books to the series. The latest released in 2026 is Framed (Spenser #54)! Anyway I hope maybe Hundred Dollar Baby can get me back into the series!

A Cold Day for Murder – Dana Stabenow

One of the author’s who may have benefited from the success of Sue Grafton was Dana Stabenow. A Cold Day for Murder is the first book in the now 23 book series featuring Kater Shugak. This is another series that I should have read but didn’t I blieve I have a copy of this book but where it is I know Not! Anyway the copy i bought was released in 2023 so it has the feel of a new book! So maybe I can trick myself into reading it!

But considering that Kate is a native Alaskan ex-DA investigator who lives on a 160 -acre homestead in a generic nationa park in Alaska with her half-wolf, half-husky dog named Mutt; I should love this series!!

Links For Futher Exploration of the Four Mystery Series Temptations Authors

Thursday Update:

I am now finishing this post on Thursday after working this morning at Target! I din’t finish it last night becasue Zoe my sceond oldest grandchild only 6 months younger than Oliver had HER Spring Band concert. She plays saxophone and had a short solo in the third song! She was also named The Rising Star of the 6th grade band by the Music Teacher. Go Zoe! The best thingabout last night’s concert though is that the school is in the same block as our house so it was a short trip home!

The post Granddad Week and Four Mystery Series Temptations appeared first on .

Table of Contents

Parting Shot may be billed as the fourth book connected to the Promise Falls trilogy, but it also serves as a thrilling standalone that fans of Linwood Barclay—and newcomers—will enjoy.

The Story

This book weaves two storylines through the streets of Promise Falls, both tied together by the steady hands of two familiar characters: Detective Barry Duckworth and Private Investigator Cal Weaver.

Detective Duckworth is on the case of a young man who wakes up in an alley—bruised, battered, and with a disturbing tattoo etched into his back. The mystery: who did this to him, and what message were they trying to send?

Meanwhile, Cal Weaver is hired to protect a teenage boy whose past mistakes have made him a national pariah. After a drunken joyride ended in a young woman’s death, the teen escaped conviction by arguing that a lifetime of coddling left him unable to understand right from wrong. The press nicknamed him “The Big Baby,” and now, he’s a target—especially for those lurking on the vigilante justice site Just Desserts.

You know these two plotlines will collide—but as always, Barclay keeps you guessing until the very end.

Bottom Line: Parting Shot is Worth the Ride

Parting Shot is a strong addition to the Promise Falls universe, and it shines thanks to Barclay’s signature blend of suspense, character depth, and plot twists. While it can be read on its own, you’ll get a richer experience if you start at the beginning of the trilogy—and even better, go back to where it all began:

• A Tap on the Window – Cal Weaver’s first appearance
• Never Look Away – where Barry Duckworth first enters the scene
• Too Close to Home – a prequel to the Promise Falls trilogy

Duckworth features throughout the entire Promise Falls trilogy, and by the time you reach Parting Shot, these characters feel like old friends.

So grab a copy of Parting Shot, settle in, and let Linwood Barclay pull you into the darkness—and the heart—of Promise Falls

Links

Author Website

Facebook

Twitter (X)

Goodreads

Purchase on Amazon

About Linwood Barclay

Linwood Barclay is a New York Times bestselling author and a master of the “suburban thriller.” Born in the United States but raised in Canada, he spent three decades as a journalist and popular columnist for the Toronto Star before turning to fiction full-time.

He is best known for his ability to take ordinary, relatable people and throw them into terrifying, high-stakes situations. Since his breakout hit No Time for Goodbye in 2007, he has published over twenty novels, including the acclaimed Promise Falls trilogy. He currently lives in Toronto with his wife, Neetha.

Originally Published Feb 2018 Revised and Updated Feb 2026

The post Parting Shot Linwood Barclay Returns to Promise Falls – Yeah! appeared first on .

Introduction

The Lewis Man is the second book in Peter May’s remarkable Lewis Trilogy. As The Guardian described it:

“As good as its predecessor…not only a good mystery, but also a moving and evocative portrayal of a place where the weather is matched only by the church’s harsh patronage….”

Set in the remote and windswept Isle of Lewis, this story blends murder mystery with an intimate portrait of the people who endure life in a harsh and beautiful land.

Setting the Scene

From the book’s prologue:

“On this storm-lashed island three hours off the northwest coast of Scotland, what little soil exists gives the people their food and their heat. It also takes their dead. And very occasionally, as today, gives one up.”

During the annual peat harvest, the bog gives up the body of a nineteen-year-old male. The corpse is astonishingly well-preserved—a classic bog body. Such remains are often thousands of years old, but this one has a clue that places it firmly in the modern era: an Elvis tattoo on the forearm.

The Mystery Unfolds

The boy’s internal organs are intact, allowing for DNA testing. When the DNA is matched against samples from island men (taken during the events of The Blackhouse), the results shock the community—it’s connected to Tormod MacDonald, father of Marsaili, the childhood sweetheart of series protagonist Fin MacLeod.

Fin, recently retired from the Edinburgh police, has returned to Lewis to restore his family croft—and perhaps some relationships. But Tormod is suffering from dementia, drifting between past and present, and he may hold the key to solving the mystery of the bog boy.

Tormod’s Hidden Story

Through the haze of Tormod’s mind, a decades-old tale emerges—one of two brothers unknown to Marsaili and other locals. As the narrative shifts between Fin’s investigation and Tormod’s fragmented memories, long-buried secrets are unearthed, changing everything the characters thought they knew.

Why It Stuck With Me

When my wife sent me the Facebook challenge to list 10 books that have stayed with me, The Blackhouse should have been there. Now, The Lewis Man belongs on that list as well.

It’s a tightly woven mystery that keeps the truth hidden until the final pages, but it’s also a beautiful, if sometimes bleak, portrayal of life for the MacDonalds, MacLeods, Murrays, and others who call the Isle of Lewis home.

About the Author

Peter May, a Scotsman now living in France, is also known for his China Thrillers featuring Beijing detective Li Yan and American forensic pathologist Margaret Campbell—also well worth reading.

I haven’t yet started The Enzo Files, featuring Scottish forensic scientist Enzo MacLeod, but after finishing the Lewis Trilogy, I may have to.

Awards and Recognition

Winner:

• Prix des Lecteurs of Le Télégramme newspaper in France (10,000 Euro prize)
• Prix des Lecteurs 2012 at Les Ancres Noires Festival, Le Havre, France
• 2012 Prix International at the Polar & Co Festival, Cognac, France

Shortlisted for:

• UK Crime Writers’ Association Dagger in the Library Award (2012)
• Scottish Crime Book of the Year (2012)
• Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year (2013)

Final Thoughts

If you’ve never read a Peter May novel, start with The Blackhouse. I’m willing to bet you’ll move quickly on to The Lewis Man.

Rating: ★★★★¾ (4.75/5)
Year Read: 2014
Book Number: 24 for the year

Links

Author’s Website
Goodreads
Amazon

The post Discover The Lewis Man: A Gripping Tale in Lewis Trilogy appeared first on .

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?

Links

Author Website
Facebook
Twitter/X
Goodreads
Amazon

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.)

raph –>

The post Those Empty Eyes – Discovering Hidden Gems: Like Charlie Donlea! appeared first on .

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),

Links for the Further Exploration of the Writings of Jeff Gunhus

Author’s Website
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Amazon

The post Jeff Gunhus -SilentThreat – A Wild Ride appeared first on .

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!

Links for the Further Exploration of the Books Camilla Sten

MacMillan:Camilla Sten
Instagram
Goodreads
Amazon

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!

The post The Resting Place -Camilla Sten ( Book 30 of 2022) appeared first on .

So this morning I didn’t do my typical workout first thing. Instead I finished reading The Residence by Andrew Pyper. It’s the first book I’ve read by Pyper and the 27th book I’ve read in 2021.

About Andrew Pyper

Andrew Pyper is a Canadian author hailing from Stratford, Ontario. He has a B.A. and M.A. in English Literature from McGill University, He also has a law degree from the University of Toronto. However , he has never practiced law.

His novel, The Demonologist, won the 2014 International Thriller Writers Award for Best Hardcover Novel, and was a #1 bestseller in Canada.

The Residence is his 11th novel and the 5th published  by Simon & Shuster.

About The Residence

The Residence is a ghost story set in the White House during the administration of Franklin Pierce. While I never really found the book overly scary, I did find the overall story intriguing.

Franklin Pierce is one of the Presidents that you don’t really learn a lot about in school. I had read previously about the Pierce’s losing their son Benjamin (Bennie) in a train accident  It’s Bennie’s death and Jean Pierce’s attempts to contact him in  the afterlife that is central to the story.

While I didn’t love the book I did find it an interesting read. When I was in the middle of the book I decided I wanted to know more about Franklin and his wife and family. So I googled “best books about Franklin Pierce”. There are only a couple of biographies the most recent was written by Michael Holt and is part of The American President Series. So I checked at my library for the book and it’s on its way to me!

Summarizing, The Residence was for me an ok read (3/5 stars). It kept me interested to the end but didn’t provide a lot of scary moments. However, there were a few thought provoking moments about slavery and the creation of our nation. So check it out! As for me, I’ll be checking out some of Pyper’s other books.

Finally,  I was going to write about the rest of my morning in this post. However,  since I went on and on about The Residence I think I’ll post this and tell you about my morning in my next post!

Links for the Further Exploration of the Books of Andrew Pyper.

Author’s Website
Facebook
Instagram
Goodreads
Twitter

The post The Residence -Andrew Pyper – A Haunted White House! appeared first on .

…..

Book 22 – Romeo’s Way (Mike Romeo #2) – James Scott Bell

Through the years I have had many of my favorite mystery and thriller characters whom I liked because of their wise-cracking and  often times self-deprecating nature. Mike Romeo has joined that group. In fact, he may be the current leader of the group! And with his espousing of philosophical quotes, he may be in a group all by himself. For me he may be the most interesting character in the mystery genre.

In Romeo’s Way, Mike is hired by a political candidate, who is being accused by his opponent, of having an affair. Mike is tasked with going undercover and joining the opposition’s campaign team to discover what’s happening. And the path leading to the final solution is a wild twisting one!

Romeo’s Way was a quick read. It was a well interesting throughout the book so the pages just flew by.

When I went to store the book on my Goodreads shelf I saw that Romeo’s Way was the winner of the International Thriller Writers Award for beat e-book original. In my opinion it is a well-deserved award.

Additionally, while I have several books on my “to be read” library shelf, I wouldn’t be surprised if I snuck Romeo’s Hammer  book #3 in the series into the mix!! So Check it out!

Links for the Further Exploration of the Writing of James Scott Bell

Author’s Website
Facebook
Twitter
Amazon
Goodreads

A former trial lawyer associated with one of L.A.’s top law firms and later working out of an independent office, JAMES SCOTT BELL is now a full-time, award-winning suspense writer. He lives and writes in Los Angeles. You can visit his website at www.jamessottbell.com.

The post Romeo’s Way (Mike Romeo #2) – James Scott Bell appeared first on .

I have been reading, all be it at a slower pace than typical during the winter months. So far, I have finished three books. I finished The Boy From the Woods by Harlan Coben yesterday afternoon. It’s book number 3 for 2021.

The  book is a stand alone novel and not part of the Myron Bolitar series. However, it does feature criminal lawyer Hester Crimstein, who has made appearances in many Bolitar books

About The Boy from the Woods

In The Boy from the Woods Hester‘s grandson Matthew contacts her and asks her to look into the disappearance of a school mate, Naomi Pine. Naomi is an outcast and a target for relentless bullying.

The search for Naomi brings Hester back to her home and town, where she raised her four boys. The town where her son,  Matthew‘s father lost his life in an auto accident.

To aid in the search,  Hester contacts Wilde, the boy from the woods. Thirty years earlier, Wilde was found in the  woods living as a feral child wirth no memory of his past.  Wilde grew up in a foster home and David became his best friend.

The search for Naomi led Wilde, and Hester to the Maynard family. Their son Crash is a classmate of Naomi and Matthew and a bullier of Naomi’s.

The Maynard family is embroiled in a controversy revolving around tapes that may end the Presidential campaign of a pat reality show host. As the search for Naomi intensifies the two storylines collide and Wilde and Hester need to use all their wiles to figure it all out!!

Final Thoughts

Overall, I didn’t race though most of  The Boy from the Woods like I have in other Harlan Coben books. However, the second half of the book and the conclusion more than made up for any deficiencies of the first half of the book!

Overall , I found Wilde to be an interesting character and certainly would like to see him in more action. It was also interesting to see Hester in her own book with only one reference to Myron!

I did think that aspects of the book are very timely. And considering the similarity to what we saw during the Trump presidency.

Again while I didn’t think it was Coben’s best, it’s still a 4-star book for me. I look forward know to see the Netflix show and see if the characters are anything like I imagined!!

Links for Further Explorations of the Works of Harlan Coben

Author’s Website
Wikipedia
Goodreads
Amazon

The post The Boy from the Woods -Harlan Coben delivers again! appeared first on .

Table of Contents

The Last Odyssey (Sigma Force # 15) James Rollins

So this is the second of James Rollins’s Sigma Force thrillers I’ve read in 2020, While I was waiting for The Last Odyssey to become available from my library, I read The Bone Labyrinth, which had been on my TBR shelves for a long time. I’m actually glad I read The Bone Labyrinth recently because a character from that book makes a repeat appearance in The Last Odyssey. So  everything that she was Involved in was still fresh in my memory!

The Last Odyssey First Stop Greenland

Anyway in The Last Odyssey I was taken first to Greenland. In Greenland in an unground caverns below a glacier where an ancient ship is discovered by a group of scientists.

….. The ship’s hold contains a collection of even older artifacts—tools of war—dating back to the Bronze Age. Inside the captain’s cabin is a magnificent treasure that is as priceless as it is miraculous: a clockwork gold map imbedded with an intricate silver astrolabe. The mechanism was crafted by a group of Muslim inventors—the Banū Mūsā brothers—considered by many to be the Da Vincis of the Arab world—brilliant scientists who inspired Leonardo’s own work.

Once activated, the moving map traces the path of Odysseus’s famous ship as it sailed away from Troy. But the route detours as the map opens to reveal a fiery river leading to a hidden realm underneath the Mediterranean Sea. It is the subterranean world of Tartarus, the Greek name for Hell. Read More at Goodreads

A US senators daughter is sent to evaluate the find. However, someone else wants the artifact and soon the scientists are attacked and the artifact stolen. The attackers also kidnap the Senator’s daughter.

The Sigma Force members are sent to rescue the  senators daughter and to beat the thieves to the gates of Tartarus! Where ever that may be!

 Next Stops Italy , Turkey, the Mediterranean and Morocco

Soon I was taken to the Pope’s summer residence outside of Rome, and an underground city in Turkey. Finally,  I was traveling along with the Sigma Force members across the Mediterranean heading for the Gates of Hell

Final Thoughts

Once again James Rollins creates a pulse-pounding adventure that blends some historical reality with Rollins’s own created reality. And at the story’s  end he explains to the read what’s true (which is sometimes several things of which you shake your head and say “ that’s true?) and what’s fiction, over several pages

The characters in Rollins’ books are always well-developed and engaging. Plus there’s always a lot of mayhem created. Finally, when all is said and done and I  can relax and catch my breath, I always find that I’ve learned something new!

While The Last Odyssey can be read as a stand-alone book, I would suggest reading The Bone Labyrinth first.  So check both out!!

Links

Author’s Website

Amazon
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads;

About James Rollins

Born: 1960 (age 64 years), Casino, Australia

Notable awards: The CWA Gold Dagger, 2015, 2020

Notable works: Life or Death

The post The Last Odyssey Takes Me to Greenland the Mediterranean and More! appeared first on .