Theo of Golden by Allen Levi

 If you are looking for an inspirational novel that will stay with you long after you have finished the book, I would highly recommend Theo of Golden by Allen Levi.   

Summary of the Book

The book begins when Theo arrives in a Georgia town of Golden on the Oxbow River.  It is a small college town and Theo, a 86-year-old Portuguese-born gentleman, soon settles in and get to know the towns people.  He asks lots of questions but tells very little about himself. 

His walks lead him to a coffee shop called the Chalice where he has a conversation with the owner and sits to enjoy his coffee and the 92 pencil portraits that hang on the wall.  Theo discovers that they are all portraits of people of Golden drawn by a local artist Asher Glissen.  Although they are for sale no one has bought any and they made Theo very curious about the people in the pictures.  Each time Theo comes for his coffee he is intrigued by them.

Theo decides that he wants the people in the portraits to have their portrait so one by one he purchases the portraits and arranges to meet the people in the portraits on a bench by the fountain.  There he listens to their stories and gives each one their drawing.  Through these bestowals we meet the interesting people of the town.  The recipients include people of all walks of life.  There is a bartender, retirees, a homeless woman named Ellen, a street musician, a student cellist, a custodian, children and a single father.  One by one Theo makes a difference in the lives of many people.

Underneath it all the book is about quiet generosity and seeing and being seen.  

There is much more to the book and the last third of the book has some revealing twists.  I don't want to spoil the book by giving hints to those revelations.  To some the book may seem to start slow but I didn't see it that way.  I would encourage you to read it to the end.  You will be glad you did.

Books Road to Success

 This book, which is the author's first novel, was first self-published in 2023. It soon became popular through word of mouth and went viral on the internet.  Then in 2025 it was republished by Atria Books and quickly became a #1New York Times best seller. 

 I heard about it from a friend who had read it soon after it came out.

 I found it to be a delightful book that has so much in it that I will read it again and again.

The Book on Amazon

The book can be found on Amazon in hardcover, paperback Kindle, or audible versions.  Here is a link Theo of Golden

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Revenge Prey - A Lucas Davenport Novel

 Review of book #36 in John Sandford’s Prey series.

Synopsis of Revenge Prey

A former and high-ranking Russian Intelligence Officer defects to the United States after giving the CIA critical information about Russian spies who have infiltrated U.S. government services. For a year, he and his wife Martha and their son Bernard have been sequestered at a CIA facility near Washington. 

Now, with new names, the Summers are being turned over to the U.S. Marshal’s Witness Protection Program. The plan is to hide them in a wooded Minneapolis suburb which resembles their former home near Moscow. 

The CIA, along with the FBI, secretly transports the Summers family to their new location, turning them over to the Minneapolis WPP team of Lucas Davenport and Shelly White. Just as they arrive, shots are fired and enemies dodged as a Russian hit team attempts to eliminate the defector.

As a result, all original plans are abandoned, forcing the Summers family back into hiding while new arrangements are made. 

Meanwhile, an investigation must uncover what can only be a leak within the CIA, FBI, or Witness Protection Program, as no outside entities were aware of the family's relocation.

Summary

As Marshal Davenport and his team attempt to track down a ruthless Russian hit team, the CIA agent works on discovering the leak. 

Another outstanding thriller in John Sandford’s Prey Series. 

*Book Review of Revenge Prey by John Sandford was written by Wednesday Elf.

For more book reviews of John Sandford books, click here.

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The Prey Series includes the first book (#1), this current book (#36) and the next book (#37, release date due March 30, 2027)

Rules of Prey: A Lucas Davenport NovelCheck PriceRevenge Prey (A Prey Novel Book 36)Check PriceRuthless Prey (A Prey Novel Book 37)Check Price

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Nightwork by Nora Roberts

 

I had read Nora Roberts books in past but had not read any in recent years.  I remembered enjoying her books, so when Nightwork was picked as our monthly book club read, I was looking forward to reading another Nora Roberts book.  I was not disappointed, Nightwork was a different type of book then I remembered Nora Roberts writing. (One reviewer calls it a Romantic Suspense Novel)  I  found the book to be an exciting read in which I eagerly anticipated what would come next. 

Book Highlights

The book follows the life of Harry Booth.  When he is only 9 years old he turns to a life of stealing in order to help support his single mother who is very ill.   When she dies he leaves Chicago, but he continues his "nightwork".  Over the years he perfects his craft and becomes a "master thief".  However, he is a thief with his own code of morals, which I found very interesting.  He also was very careful never to draw attention to himself.  As he moved to various towns during his life, he changed his name to keep his past behind him. 

He settled into a comfortable life, getting a job as a teacher and buying a beautiful home in a small southern town.  He meets a woman he adores, Miranda Emerson and everything seems to be going his way, until some dangerous associates from his past catch up with him.  His first response is to leave in order to keep those he cares about safe, but that doesn't work.  The bond between Harry and Miranda has become strong and he finds that he must address his past straightforward and reclaim the life he wants.

Book on Amazon

The book is available on Amazon in the following formats: Kindle, Audible, Paperback, Hardcover.  Here is a link to the book on Amazon Nightwork

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Wait Till Next Year - A Book Review

 By Doris Kearns Goodwin

This is a memoir of a childhood time during the 1950s in the suburbs of New York City. It was a magical time of neighborhood rivalries when the Dodgers, Giants and Yankees all called New York home. 

Ebbets Field Postcard (Source: Wikipedia Commons)

Doris Kearns Goodwin was a very young girl as the 1950s began, and shared a deep love for the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team with her father, who taught her early on how to keep score. This was a time before night games began, so daytime baseball games were the norm. Doris would listen to the afternoon Dodgers game on the radio, faithfully filling out the scorecards in the little red score book her father had given her, then describe the narrative of the game to her dad each evening when he returned from work. From this humble beginning came the start of her coming-of-age story related in the memoir “Wait Till Next Year”. 

Synopsis of the Memoir

Wait Till Next Year - A MemoirCheck Price

Doris’ stories as a Brooklyn Dodgers fan, peopled by Jackie Robinson (her favorite player), Roy Campanella, Gil Hodges, Duke Snider and Pee Wee Reese, also included her recollections of her family, neighborhood and childhood friends. She describes what it was like to grow up in Rockville Centre, Long Island in a time when neighbors were extended family; a time defined by post-war suburban growth, early television broadcasts and Cold War anxiety.

A delightful memoir of a girl, an era and a game! A growing-up time which came to a close for Doris with the Dodgers leaving Brooklyn in 1957 (along with the Giants) and the death of her mother. 

Author Doris Helen Kearns Goodwin

Goodwin is an American historian, biographer and political commentator who specializes in US presidents. She worked as a fellow under Lyndon B. Johnson, which inspired her writing as a presidential historian. Her Wikipedia story is here. 

Summary 

I was given this book by a friend who knew what a huge baseball fan I am. The gift came from a recent evening at the Kansas City Royals ballpark where, between innings, we had a discussion about the many baseball-related books we’ve each read. 

In addition to enjoying the book from a baseball-fan standpoint, I really enjoyed it from the fact that Doris Kearns Goodwin is just three years younger than I am and her descriptions of her life in the 1950s and the baseball teams and players she talks about were SO familiar to me, growing up in New York State in the 1950s. It was like she was describing MY childhood days! 

Plus, I was mostly a NY Yankees fan (still am), but also followed the Brooklyn Dodgers during their time as a New York team. I never forgave them (just like a lot of other Dodger fans) for leaving Brooklyn and never cheered for them again. Doris Kearns ended up moving to Massachusetts as an adult and gave up on the Dodgers; becoming a Boston Red Sox fan! 

Wait Till Next Year is very well written, well worth reading by anyone. It will especially appeal to fans of Baseball, and people who were young in the 1950s. I thoroughly enjoyed it and have passed it along to my brother, another huge baseball fan! 

*Book review of “Wait Till Next Year” was written by Wednesday Elf 

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Book Review - Tracker: A Fox Walker Novel by Indy Quillen

Tracker: A Fox Walker Novel is an award-winning, suspense novel set in the beautiful but rugged terrain of Colorado near the San Juan mountains.  Fox Walker is asked to go into the wilderness to confirm or put to rest the rumors that someone or something is out there. In this story, cold weather may not be the only danger coming. 

The Tracker. Fox Walker is a Native American who lives in remote Colorado near the San Juan mountains. His grandfather taught him the old ways of living and survival. Fox's tracking skills are supreme and he is often asked by the local Sheriff to assist with search and rescues in the wilderness of the San Juan Mountains. This story begins with Fox being asked to assist again.

Historically, the area that is now named Gray's Forest was considered mukua sogope (a place of mystery and spiritual power). Add to existing reputation an unsolved murder last spring, sightings of someone or something recently, and pressure from the local press with their stories that keep the rumors stirred up causes the Sheriff to act. Walker is asked to prove no one is out there, that there is not someone who may be in need of assistance, or confirm that there is or isn't some sort of fugitive hiding out.

 Soon after he begins his search, Walker finds evidence of a person using wilderness survival techniques to dig and harvest edible wild plants. With confirming human presence, he wonders if it is true that the murderer is hiding out. When he finally finds footprints, the mystery compounds when he determines that it is a barefoot woman. 

"A woman. Out here, shoeless and alone?" 

                                                            -from Tracker: A Fox Walker Novel 

The Wilderness Woman. The woman is alone in the wilderness. Walker hears her before he sees her. She is singing a song that was reminiscent of native Ute songs. The woman uses wooden, fire-hardened digging sticks to gather edible plants. The cookfire is near the cliffs and shallow creek. And near the front of a cave entrance. 

The petite woman is also barefoot, clothed only in a pair of shorts, and has long blonde hair. Her physical appearance and dress does not reconcile with her living in a cave with things such as hand-woven bark container and fishing in the creek with her wooden spear. 

When Fox Walker and the wilderness woman finally make close contact, he notes that she has some sort of markings or scars on her torso. And surprised that she speaks in a basic mix of English and Shoshone. Many words and things are not familiar to her. While she has some survival knowledge, she lacks memories of a time before waking in the wilderness approximately 6 "moons" ago.  She seems familiar with nothing except the wilderness.

Fall is here. Winter is coming. The woman is as skittish as a young deer and Fox Walker needs to find a way to win her trust and help her survive.

Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication

The Fox Walker series consists of 7 books. I quickly started book 2 as soon as I finished Tracker. The author, Indy Quillen, has a new fan. Quillen's knowledge about and love of the natural world shine through. Fox Walker's connection with nature and survival skills flow out of the pages. This is no regurgitated generic survival story. The honest characters grabbed me and I wanted more.  

Tracker: The Fox Walker Novel is currently reviewed by 2,183 readers with 4.4 stars. Please take a look at what those reviewers have to say.

Intro photo courtesy of: Dsdugan, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons. Text added with Fotojet.

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The Friend of the Family by Dean Koontz

 

Unlike his contemporary fiction, Dean Koontz writes this story from a historical viewpoint. The story’s timeframe begins in 1930 and continues through most of the 1930s decade and into the early days of World War II. 

Synopsis of this Novel

The Friend of the FamilyCheck Price

Alida is born with an oddity and her family rejects her, selling her,  as a very small child, to the owner of a traveling carnival. There she is put on display in the sideshow of the “Museum of the Strange”. Her only recourse to ignoring people staring at her all day was to lose herself in books.  

After years with the carnival, the owner, Forest Farnam, sells out and moves his best ‘oddity’, Alida, to the speakeasies circuit. 

Adida has resigned herself to this lonely life of being exploited as she doesn’t know there could be more to life for her. Then she is rescued by two compassionate strangers, Franklin and Loretta Fairchild.

The Fairchild’s are movie makers who do well for themselves due to people needing movies as an escape in this Depression-era time.  They see Alida as a gifted and extremely well-read girl in need of a loving touch and a family. Alida finds the love and family she has always dreamed about, but never thought she would find, with this loving couple and their three very precocious and imaginative children. 

Despite everyone in the family being very generous and accepting, Alida knows she is still a very different kind of girl. She begins having dreams that are unsettling to say the least, and often feel threatening. She fears these vivid dreams are also warnings and she feels that it is the Fairchilds who may need rescuing. 

Alida will do anything to keep her newfound family safe. How she goes about this gives us an ending that is definitely Koontz! 

Synopsis

This is an historical novel that will give you a look at life in 1930s America from a different perspective. It also gives you a story about an unusual girl who discovers her mysterious purpose in life surrounding family, sacrifice and love. 

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*Book Review of “The Friend of the Family” was written by Dean  Koontz

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The Ultimate Guide to Time Studies

I'm reviewing my new book, The Ultimate Guide to Time Studies. My book is a step-by-step guide to learning how to time study.

In any operational environment, time is the ultimate currency. Whether you are managing a manufacturing plant, a fulfillment center, or a service team, understanding how long a task takes is the foundation of efficiency.

My Book Contains Seven Chapters:

1. Pre-Study Preparation
2. Breaking down the Work Into Elements
3. Conducting the Study (Stopwatch Methods)
4. Performance Rating (The Human Factor)
5. Applying Allowances to Find Standard Time
6. Analyzing and Acting on the Data
7. Time Study Worksheets and Templates

Knowing your labor costs is important, and developing labor costs starts with an accurate time study.

Who Can Benefit from this Book:

• Industrial Engineering students and professionals
• Manufacturing supervisors and managers
• Small Business owners
• Operations managers
• Production planners
• Process improvement professionals
• Business owners looking to improve efficiency
• Anyone interested in learning the basics of time study

Large companies may have dedicated industrial engineering and continuous improvement teams. Small businesses don't have that luxury.

That doesn't mean small businesses can't benefit from the same basic principles. My book will help a small business owner to understand where labor hours are being spent and where improvements might be possible.

The key is having an understanding of how to conduct the study and interpret the results, and my book will teach you that.

I have over 40 years of Industrial Engineering experience as an Industrial Engineer with Rockwell International Front Axle Division. Industrial Engineering manager for Bush Industries Inc., a ready-to-assemble furniture manufacturer, and an Industrial Engineer for TitanX Engine Cooling.

You can find my book on Amazon in both ebook and paperback. The paperback has an additional chapter with useful forms and templates.

The Ultimate Guide to Time Studies: A Practical Handbook for Efficiency

 

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The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon

 Review of a novel by Stephen King

Cast of Characters:

Trisha McFarland. Age nine. Main Character

Tom Gordon.  Closer. Pitcher, number 36, for the Boston Red Sox baseball team. 

Time Sequence: June, 1998

Synopsis of The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon : A NovelCheck Price

The story begins at ten o’clock on a June Saturday morning in Maine. Trisha is in the family car on her way, with her divorced mother and older brother, for a short hike along the Maine/New Hampshire branch of the Appalachian Trail. At ten thirty, she was lost in the woods!

Trisha had not meant to get lost. During the hike, she was trailing behind her mother & brother who were arguing again over the brother wanting to go back to Boston and live with his dad. Trisha got tired of listening to them, so when they reached a fork in the trail, she stepped off to the lessor trail to go to the bathroom. When done, she thought she could just cut across through the woods to rejoin the main trail. Instead, she got confused and ended up walking in the wrong direction.

The story occurs over the space of a week, with Trisha’s wanderings and poor choices of direction getting her more & more lost, including way beyond the search areas where search & rescue teams were looking for her. 

To keep from being too frightened, especially the first night alone in the dark, she uses her Walkman to listen to a game on the radio of her favorite baseball team (The Boston Red Sox), with her favorite player, Tom Gordon. 

Trisha also began to conserve her small store of food meant originally for lunch on the day hike. This included one tuna sandwich, some chips, celery sticks and Ding-Dongs, plus water and one other drink! 

As the days go by, Trisha keeps walking, first following a stream because she heard that streams usually end somewhere near civilization. When the first stream peters out, she follows another. She mentally replays conversations with her dad on weekend visits, especially those about the Red Sox and Tom Gordon, also her dad’s favorite team. In one conversation, Trisha remembers dad saying: 

“I believe Tom Gordon can save 40 games this year (1998). I believe right now he’s the best Closer in the major leagues — that if he stays healthy and the Sox hitting holds up, he could be pitching in the World Series come October!”  

Eventually, as days pass, the batteries in the Walkman die. So, Trisha begins to keep her mind occupied with imaginary conversations with her hero, Tom Gordon. 

Summary

The entire story (with a few side lines from minor characters) is narrated by and involves mainly Trisha McFarland (and, of course, her baseball hero, Tom Gordon). How she copes when she runs out of food and water and later becomes ill, is a testimony to the endurance of youth and the belief that things will work out. 

Stephen King does a marvelous job keeping you riveted to each section of Trisha’s journey alone in deep woods. Only, Trisha doesn’t believe she’s alone; she’s convinced Tom Gordon is with her, encouraging her to keep going.

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon is a bit of a departure for Stephen King. Rather than a true horror story, (which is a genre I definitely stay away from; thereby seldom reading books by King), it is more a psychological thriller. And, since it involved baseball, and the fact that it is a fiction story involving a real-life baseball player from the 1990s, (whom I had just recently read about), I found myself drawn to it. I am glad I did, as I really enjoyed it.

Summary

Tom Gordon is best remembered in Boston for his dominant 1998 season out of the bullpen, where he set a then-major league record of 43 consecutive saves and a franchise record of 46 saves. Thereby, bringing Trisha’s dad’s earlier statement of 40+ games into focus.

Tom ‘Flash’ Gordon played for the Red Sox from 1996 through 1999. Find his stats and career information and how he acquired the nickname ‘Flash’ here.  He is currently the radio color commentator for the Boston Red Sox.

*Family Note: Former Major League Baseball pitcher Tom "Flash" Gordon has three sons, two of whom followed in his footsteps to play in the major leagues. 

*Book Review of "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon" was written by Wednesday Elf

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Review of The Forgotten Duke by Sofi Laporte

Alone.  No identity.  No memory.  In an unfamiliar place.  Her attending physician is a widower with children.  He offers her his name, a home and a ready-made family.  A place to belong.  It is an arrangement that works for both of them until she is recognized 8 years later.

_______

I was not familiar with the author, Sofi Laporte, until I started reading the Viennese Waltz book series.  I was transfixed by the first book in the series, The Forgotten Duke.  The plot is unimaginable and perhaps a bit frightening to consider the possibilities.  No one would want to literally lose a beloved family member traveling to another state or county with no preset destination.  Consider that this story takes place in the early 1800's when there were no cellphones, or even phones, and no way to track a person who has disappeared.

When a body is found washed up on a riverbank, she is identified only by her clothing.  Her husband buries her and spends the next 8 years grieving his young wife and a life that should have been.

 

The Forgotten Duke (Viennese Waltz Book 1)
 

 The Forgotten Duke
(Viennese Waltz Book 1)Check PriceWhile attending the Congress of Vienna with her brother, Lady Evie is shocked by what, or rather who, she sees one afternoon.  When she calls out to her best friend and stops her in the street, the woman is taken aback, insisting that her name is Helena Arenheim, not Catherine.  But Evangeline (Evie) is certain she is Catherine.  She notes that she even has the distinguishing birthmark on her cheek.  

Evie tells her brother, Julius Stafford-Hill, Duke of Aldingbourne, that she has seen Catherine and that she is clearly not dead.  Julius is incredulous, even somewhat angry at Evie for making such a ridiculous and painful claim.  Then a few nights later at a ball, he sees Helena playing the piano and is astonished.  Still unconvinced even by his own eyes, the Duke, his sister, and the Duke's secretary show up at Helena's home.  They meet her children, the oldest is not much younger than she is.  But the one that really captures their attention is the youngest of the children.  He is a replica of the Duke as a child.  Could it be possible that the Duke's wife is not dead and that he even has a child?  

 

Historical Information

The Congress of Vienna was in fact a real event in history.  It was a diplomatic assembly of representatives who reorganized Europe after the Napoleonic war hoping to establish a balance of power.  It lasted from September 1814 to June 1815.  

It certainly makes the perfect setting with an adequate length of time for this story to take place. 

         

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Restoration Garden

 

I had thoroughly enjoyed the book The Last Secret of Lily Adams by Sara Blaydes, that I went searching for other books she might have written. I came across Restoration Garden and also enjoyed this book.  Sara Blaydes has a writing style that fully emersed me into the storyline of the novel. In this book there is again a secret that has been hidden for years, and the book leads you in a path to the discovery of the secret. The book combines mystery, romance and intrigue both in the present day and in the war-torn Europe of the 1940s.

Book Summary

The book begins when Julia Esdaile, a landscape architect, is hired to restore a historic garden at Havenworth Manor in England.  She is hired to restore the gardens for Margaret Clarke, the feisty 92-year-old lady of the manor.  Andrew does not know the reason for the restoration, he just knows that it is very important to his godmother, Margaret. Over the last 80+ the garden has fallen into disrepair.  It is now a jumble of weeds and snarls of bramble.

The book goes back between the present day with Julia and the restoration and the 1940's when Margaret and her older half-sister Irene lived at the manor. There is a portion of the story that deals with children that are sent from London to the countryside to avoid the bombings and then there is the story of Irene.  Irene is an aspiring artist from America who is brought to England when her father marries Margaret's mother.  She dreams of being in the world outside of Havenworth, but wartime has made that impossible for the 17-year-old.  She also dreams of the handsome RAF office James.  When she turns 18, she escapes Havenworth and follows her dreams, but she is then forced to make some hard choices, and she vanishes from Margarets world forever.  

The book opens up the gardens as Julia restores them and helps to uncover the secrets that have been hidden all of these years.

I really enjoy reading the book and found it fascinating.

Books on Amazon by Sara Blaydes

You can find these books on Amazon in audio, paperback and on Kindle.

Restoration Garden

The Last Secret of Lily Adams

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Shattered Mirror by Iris Johansen - Book Review

Author Iris Johansen is a prolific writer of over 100 books. She began with romance novels in the early 1980s and eventually moved to suspense/thriller novels.  Many of her books are standalone thrillers and historical romance novels, which include quite a few short series (two or three books). 

Johansen is best known for her Eve Duncan forensic thriller series which, to date, includes 31 books. The series began in 1998 with The Face of Deception. Her main character, forensic sculptor Eve Duncan, reconstructs faces to solve crimes, especially those involving missing children. The book, Shattered Mirror, is Book #23 in the 31-book series, and was published in 2018.

Genre: Murder/Thriller:  Includes romantic suspense with a touch of the paranormal.

Place Setting: The action primarily takes place near Atlanta, Georgia, with side scenes in New York City and New Orleans.

Main Character:  Eve Duncan, Forensic Sculptor

Secondary Characters: All of her family (husband, son, adopted daughter, their Scottish friend who has been featured in several earlier Eve Duncan novels), plus several additional characters, some likable, some not.

Synopsis of Shattered Mirror

Shattered Mirror (Eve Duncan Book 23)Check Price

As the story begins, Eve Duncan receives a beautifully-wrapped package which contains a skull and a two-sided mirror with one side broken. Eve feels compelled to reconstruct this skull and uncover the person’s identity in hopes of learning why the skull was given to her with no explanation, and what purpose the scattered mirror holds. 

As she finishes, she discovers the skull is that of a beautiful woman, but her identity remains unknown.  Shortly thereafter, her adopted daughter arrives from college for a visit, bringing her roommate home with her. Shockingly, the visiting roommate is an exact match to the newly reconstructed skull and it turns out that the roommate is her identical twin. 

Searching for answers, Eve and her family have  to work quickly to discover who is behind the murder of the twin, particularly because more of Eve’s family is now threatened by the killer who is willing to destroy anyone who gets in the way of him reaching a goal that involves avenging the death of his own twin.

The lethal chase involves several locations, beginning at their home near Atlanta, Georgia and ending in New Orleans.

Summary

This explosive and high-stakes thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat as Eve, her Atlanta police detective husband, Joe, their Scottish friend, their adopted daughter and the daughter’s roommate, and even Eve & Joe’s 6-year-old son, all have roles to play to prevent the deadly danger the family faces.

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*Book Review of “Shattered Mirror” is written by Wednesday Elf

From the Eve Duncan Series of books:

Eve Duncan Series by Iris Johansen Complete 24 Book Set [see title legend in description]Check PriceIris Johansen 3 Book Set (Eve Duncan Forensics Thriller Series: Taking Eve, Hunting Eve, Silencing Eve)Check Price11 volumes of Eve Duncan Series setCheck Price

 

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Murder She Wrote Books

 

My husband and I really enjoyed the Murder She Wrote TV series, both when it originally ran in the 80's and 90's and today in reruns.  The original series consisted of 264 episodes all starring Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher.   What we didn't realize until recently is that there is a whole series of books (currently 63) that are written based on the characters from the TV Series.  So now we are enjoying our favorite characters from the TV series in some delightful mystery books.

About the Books

The Murder She Wrote book series began in 1989 and are still being written.  At this writing there are 63 books in the series.  

Jessica Fletcher in the TV series as well as the books, is a retired- teacher who writes mystery books. She lives in the made up town of Cabot Cove, Maine.  Jessica seems to often find herself in places where a murder occurs and she "helps" the local law enforcement.

When we started the book series it was like going back to a familiar small town and greeting familiar people.  Along with Jessica we greet Dr. Seth Hazlitt, the town physician, Sheriff Mort Metzger, and a host of other town residents.

We have found the books can be read in any order, but I would suggest reading book 1 "Gin and Daggers" first.  In this book Jessica is off to London to deliver the keynote address at a mystery writer convention.  She is looking forward to visiting with her mentor, Marjorie Ainsworth.  While at the convention, Marjorie is found stabbed to death in her bedroom.  Jessica is at first a suspect but then goes on to help work with local law enforcement to solve the murder of her good friend.  While there she meets a charming man from Scotland Yard and they develop a friendship.  He comes up in later books.

I really enjoy these cozy mysteries and always look forward to the next one.  

The Books on Amazon

The books can be purchased on Amazon.  We enjoy them on Kindle but I know they are also available on Audible and Paperback.  Here is a link to the books on Amazon.

Murder She Wrote Books

More Cozy Mystery Reviews

I enjoy reading a lot of different genres of books. I think Historical Fiction is probably my favorite, but when I need something lighter a cozy mystery seems to always fit the bill.  Here are a few other cozy mysteries that have been reviewed on Review This.

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The Fatal Flotilla at Sea Oaks Beach 

The Cat in Stacks

Murder at Cape Costumers  

Murder on Cape Cod  

Tea by the Sea  

Everything Bundt the Truth  

Irish Village Mystery Series   

Toes on the Dash

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Review of Carolina Tides

 

If you are looking for some light summer reading while at the beach or perhaps just in a chair on your back deck take a look at these short stories.  They were written by seven different authors and celebrate all that there is about living on the coast.  As an added bonus all of the proceeds for this book will support women in need in Brunswick County North Carolina and Horry County in South Carolina.

About the Book

I really enjoyed reading the short stories in Carolina Tides.  Each story was just the right length to sit down and read all in one sitting.  The sub-title of the book is A Story a Day for a Week  Long Stay.  That was a very fitting title, and although I was at home when I read them, I can very well see this as a great book to take on vacation, when you want a bit of reading time, but not too much.

The book covers many topics of coastal living from the wonderful creatures that live on the coast, to romantic walks on the beach, porch-lit evenings in sleepy little fishing villages, the history of North and South Carolina and even some unexpected encounters.  Each of the short stories were written by a local author from the Carolina coastline.

Here is a link to the book on Amazon.  It can be purchased as a paperback or a Kindle version. Carolina Tides

Stories and Authors

Here is a list of the stories and authors that are included in Carolina Tides

    The Names Beneath the Tide by Teri M Brown

    Winds of Change by Jan Comfort

    Ark of Hope: A Pelican Story by Karen Prescot

    Brighter Days Ahead by Lisa M Pritchard

    Walk Back in Time on the Grand Strand by Lynda Stoy Stear

    Azeleas  by Carol Stigger

    

    The Beach Ball by Jennifer Tirrell

My Visits to the Carolinas in Photos

I love visiting the beach and particularly love photographing lighthouses.  We have made several trips to both North and South Carolina.  The photos below were ones I took while photographing lighthouses in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

More Reviews by Coastal Carolina Authors

Here are several reviews of have written on books by one of the authors in Carolina Tides, Teri M Brown.

Peg Unhinged

10 Little Rules

Daughters of Green Mountain Gap

An Enemy Like Me

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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