Nobody’s Fool by Harlan Coben

Book Review of a new thriller by Harlan Coben, the #1 New York Times bestselling author and world renowned storyteller. This is Book #2 of the 2 book series with Detective Sami Kierce whom we first met in Fool Me Once. 

Synopsis of Nobody’s Fool

Nobody's Fool

As Nobody’s Fool begins, it has been a year since we met Sami Kierce in Fool Me Once, and Sami’s life circumstances have changed. He has been forced to leave the police department in disgrace and wants nothing more than to put his past behind him.  But, somehow the past just isn’t done with him yet! 

When Sami Kierce was a young college grad, he and some classmates took the summer to backpack in Spain. While there, he met a girl, Anna, and, when his friends moved on to the next stop on their itinerary, Sami stayed. Several days later, he wakes up covered in blood with a knife in his hand and his girlfriend dead. Panicked, he runs. 

Now, twenty-two years later, with Kierce no longer a detective, we find him working as a private investigator. He is now married and has a baby. To make ends meet, he also teaches a class for wannabe sleuths at a night school in New York City. Suddenly one night he spots a familiar face in the back of the room. It is unmistakably Anna. When he begins to approach her, she runs. 

Kierce knows he has no choice but to find this woman and solve the mystery that has haunted his thoughts every moment since that terrible day in Spain.

With the help of his students, Sami begins to investigate, because the facts simply don’t add up. It is difficult for him to face the past, but Kierce needs to finally find the truth, and to prove once and for all that he’s nobody’s fool. 

Summary

This twisty and stunning thriller is book #2 in the two-book series featuring Sami Kierce. 

Netflix has adapted many of Harlan Coben’s novels into TV series. Fool Me Once (reviewed by Sylvestermouse) has already been made into a TV series. It seems safe to say that this novel, Nobody’s Fool, will soon join the series. 

For More Reviews of Harlan Coben Books, Click Here

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*Nobody’s Fool Book Review written by Wednesday Elf

Books 1 &  2 of Harlan Coben’s two-book Detective Sami Kierce series 

Fool Me Once

Nobody's Fool

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A Review of Sneaker Collecting

People who enjoy collecting can be called by many names. Collectors of some specific areas have their own particular name. For instance, a coin collector is called a numismatist and a book collector is known as a bibiophile. Whether you collect a particular set of items as simply a hobbyist who enjoys it, or as a connoisseur, becoming an expert in the field, collecting is an interesting pastime. 

Did you know that ‘Sneaker Collecting’ is now a THING? 

Athletic shoes are called by a variety of names, depending on where you live. Growing up in New York State, our name for these running shoes, gym shoes, trainers, etc. was “sneakers”. Then I went to college in the Midwest and everyone there called them “tennis shoes”. 

The name ‘sneakers’ was first used by the Boston Journal in 1887 to describe the rubber soled tennis shoes that allowed wearers to ‘sneak’ around quietly. 

Wikipedia helps define Sneaker Collecting as the hobby of acquiring and trading sneakers, particularly those made for certain sports, such as basketball.  The name for people who collect sneakers is Sneakerhead!

Sneaker Collecting Beginnings…

Image Source: Wikipedia

We can find the collecting, trading and reselling of sneakers dating back to the 1970s. But Sneaker collecting really became a subculture ‘thing’ in the 1980s, particularly with the release in 1985 of the Air Jordan line of shoes by the popular basketball player Michael Jordan.

Believe it or not, the Hip Hop movement contributed to Sneaker Collecting popularity by giving sneakers their street credibility as a status symbol. So, in addition to shoes designed for particular sports and popularized by well-known sports stars, the sneakerhead culture now overlaps with streetwear trends and styles. Today, the sneaker resale market is worth over $10 billion dollars. 

Patrick Mahomes is a Sneakerhead

I currently live in the Kansas City area, so naturally our favorite sports figure is Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs' quarterback. Since much is often written about Mahomes, especially in our local area news, we learned about his interest in collecting sneakers. 

Patrick Mahomes began his sneaker collection in 2017, the same year he was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs. Today, Patrick has over 180 pairs of sneakers and keeps them in a custom-designed sneaker closet in his home. His collection is also related to his sponsorship deal with Adidas, which allows him to collaborate on product design and marketing.

*Click here to see images of Mahomes' sneaker closet and collection.

In recent years, I have begun to notice that many MLB baseball players like to wear specially designed sneakers while playing. Some, I’m sure, relate to sponsorship deals with specific manufacturers of sneakers. Some players just like to relate them to certain dates, such as pink sneakers for Mother’s Day games with maybe flowers and/or ‘mom’s’ name on them. 

The sneaker ‘trend’ when I was a teenage girl was to wear Keds canvas white sneakers to school and to meet up early before school began to use white shoe polish to make sure our ‘keds’ were completely white and new-looking for the school day! That was our “thing”. LOL. 

Summary

Sneaker collectors buy online, but they also attend sneaker events such as swapmeets sneaker parties and exhibitions like Sneakercons. If you like sneakers, consider becoming a Sneakerhead! Happy Collecting! 

You can find some online Sneakers to Collect on: 

• Amazon
• eBay

*Sneaker Collecting written by Wednesday Elf 

Items related to Sneaker Collecting

Sneaker Freaker. World's Greatest Sneaker Collectors

Sneakerhead - Sneaker Collector Log Book: Organize Kicks: Brand, Editions, Price, Style, Colors, Notes

Pinkpum XXL Larger Shoe Storage Boxes Fit Size 14, Clear Plastic Stackable Shoe Organizer 12 Pack Sneaker Storage for Sneakerheads Shoe Containers

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Lethal Prey by John Sandford - Book Review

A Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers Novel

I have been a fan of John Sandford’s books since his first one (Rules of Prey) published in 1989.  Sandford has written 35 books in the ‘Prey’ series, featuring Lucas Davenport as the main character. In 2007, Sandford began the Virgil Flowers series ~ now totaling 12 books. 

Both series are police procedurals in the mystery/thriller genre, with the main characters being in law enforcement. By the time we meet Virgil Flowers (in Book #1 - Dark of the Moon), both Virgil and Lucas work for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Investigations, and Davenport is nominally Virgil’s boss.

By Book 31 in the Prey series, Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers have begun handling difficult cases together. Lethal Prey is the 4th novel starring this pair of investigators, providing, as always, a very interesting mystery to solve, plus giving the reader an extremely amusing time with their delightful ongoing ‘cop’ humor. 

Synopsis of Lethal Prey

Lethal Prey (A Prey Novel)

In Lethal Prey, Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers have once again joined forces, this time to try and solve a 20 year old cold case crime and track down a ruthless killer who will do whatever it takes to keep the past buried. 

The crime was the murder of Doris Grandfelt, an employee at an accounting firm who was brutally stabbed to death.  Despite her twin sister Lara Grandfelt’s persistent calls to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the killer was never found.

Now Lara, diagnosed with breast cancer and confronted with the possibility of her own death, is determined to find Doris’ killer. She offers a $5 million reward for information leading to the killer’s arrest. To this end, she releases the entire investigative file online onto true crime sites. Dozens of true crime bloggers show up looking for new evidence and leads (toward a share of the reward). The problem is, all discoveries have to be reviewed and followed up by Lucas and Virgil. 

The crime bloggers DO end up providing new clues and leads, which is helpful to the detectives. But they also blast every clue online, allowing the killer, whose identity the reader knows in Chapter One, to keep one step ahead. As the killer eliminates more people to prevent the detectives from discovering the identity of the murderer, Lucas and Virgil find the whole case not only frustrating, but deadly. 

Summary

The ending leaves some things unresolved, thus leaving the reader to decide how things work out both for the killer and with Virgil's future plans. Or, perhaps Sandford is just leaving it open for a future follow-up book). 

This non-standard Sandford ending has caused readers’ reviews to be mixed, with some finding this lack of conclusion disappointing. Others, such as myself, found the story very interesting, and the witty banter between Virgil and Lucas highly entertaining. I am never disappointed with any John Sandford novel and enjoyed Lethal Prey very much. 

Related Reviews:

• For more reviews of books by John Sandford, Click Here
• For more book reviews, click on ReviewThisBooks.com

*Book Review of Lethal Prey is written by Wednesday Elf

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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Black Bear Diner Review

My favorite style of restaurant can best be described as ‘simple and plentiful’. In other words, just home-style comfort foods. I do not care for spicy or fancy or exotic. Just give me simple plain food in a family friendly atmosphere. My family calls me ‘Plain Jane’ due to my boring food preferences. 🙂

Because of my food likes and dislikes, finding restaurants I enjoy is not always easy. But last week I found the perfect one and after two visits in less than a week, it has now become my ‘go-to’ favorite. 

In case you are thinking you would not be able to enjoy my new favorite restaurant, you will be pleased to know that it is part of a franchise which includes 161 diners in 13 states…. And growing.  It’s called the Black Bear Diner.

The Black Bear Diner Celebrates Thirty Years 

The first Black Bear Diner opened in September 1995 in Mt. Shasta, California. The owners, Bruce Dean and Bob Manley, believed in a welcoming place where friends and families could gather for abundant portions of quality food at a fair price. 

Each Black Bear Diner has a bear-themed, cabin-like cozy environment. They believe in serving large portions of favorite homestyle meals of good old-fashioned comfort food such as homemade meatloaf, chicken fried steak, chicken pot pie, pot roast and fish & chips. Naturally, there are also hamburgers and chicken fingers and specialty sandwiches, soups and salads on the menu. Plus, they also serve fantastic breakfast meals and breakfast is available all day! 

A favorite line from the Black Bear Diner advertising says:

If your big bear-sized dinner just didn’t quite fill you up, don’t forget to check out their amazing display of desserts for just $5-6  

Check out a sample menu at Black Bear Diner - Menus.  

Personal Opinion

My first visit with my family was for brunch on Easter Sunday where I had a platter of delicious french toast made with sourdough bread. Yum! 

Later that week, we returned to our local Black Bear Diner for dinner. I had the Fish & Chips served with French fries, homemade coleslaw and homemade tartar sauce. The tarter sauce was fantastic and the lightly battered and fried Cod fillets were the best I’ve ever had. 

Each of the meal choices of the rest of my family (son, daughter-in-law, and two grandsons) were just as well received and definitely thoroughly enjoyed, even though their food preferences include a much wider range of foods than mine do. :) And, because of the very generous portions served, we each brought home leftover takeaways! 

Summary

The 160+ chain of Black Bear Diners are currently serving the Western side of the United States. Since the chain began in California, the largest number (over 60) can be found there, particularly in the northern part of the state. Quite a few Black Bear Diners are found in Arizona, Colorado, Washington State, Utah and Oregon. 

Another large grouping of these diners are now found in Texas, with a smaller number in Nevada, Idaho and Oklahoma. At last count, we discovered there are two Black Bear Diners each in Kansas and Missouri. 

*It is interesting to me to note that the two Kansas diners are in the two Kansas towns I have lived in (Garden City where the hubs was from and where two of our children were born, and Olathe ~ a suburb of Kansas City ~ where I currently live). 

The Black Bear Diner concept states that they are always growing and continuing to expand east with a goal of being coast-to-coast.  Meanwhile, if you live in or are traveling to one of the western states which have Black Bear Diners, I highly recommend them. 

• Click here for a list of Black Bear Diner locations. 

• For more Restaurant Reviews click on:  Restaurant Reviews: US

Black Bear Merchandise

Black Bear Diner Black Bear Family Giclee Art Print Poster from Original Travel Artwork by Artist Paul A. Lanquist 12" x 18"

Tree-Free Greetings lm43117 Vintage Black Bear Diner Nostalgia by Paul A. Lanquist Ceramic Mug with Full-Sized Handle, 15-Ounce, Multicolored

Black Bear Wildlife Animal Wilderness Graphic T-Shirt

Wild Republic Black Bear Plush, Stuffed Animal, Plush Toy, Gifts for Kids, Cuddlekins 8

*Black Bear Diner Restaurant Review was written by Wednesday Elf

 

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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Sea Animal Plush Gift Sets for Kids

Gift Review of soft toy sea animals with cute carriers

Sea-themed toys for babies and toddlers come in several varieties, each with a collection of soft plush toys which fit inside a related carrier. The carriers make it easy for tiny tots to carry them from place to place. 

If you live near the shore, or have vacationed at the beach, these sea animal gift sets make fun and appealing gifts.

Seaside Gift Sets

Four ocean animals in a large plush whale carrier. 

The package contains 4 smaller animals (starfish, dolphin, octopus and a ray) which fit inside a large whale carrier. The carrier is in the design of an Orca whale with a zipper design and measures about 17 inches long. The starfish and the octopus measure close to 4 inches in size, with the dolphin and the ray close to 5 inches in size. Cute soft snuggle buddies in an ocean theme. 

Plush Shark Toy and 5 Sea Animals Set

Another ocean-themed plush playset is this Amazon’s Choice plush shark toy carrier with 5 sea animals. The sea animal toys include a turtle, a whale, an octopus, a stingray and a crab which all fit inside this zippered shark carrier.

This sea creature plush toy set helps children explore marine life while they are enjoying a playtime of cuddly fun. An ideal gift for birthdays and holidays. 

Plush Seashell Gift Set

This cute seashell carrying bag set comes with 5 cute sea animal plushies, which include a Mermaid, a seahorse, an octopus, a crab and a sea turtle.

The shell-shaped bag has a zippered opening and a sewn-in handle to store the sea animals for easy storing and carrying.

This soft toy Mermaid and her sea animal friends toy set is a darling gift for birthdays, holidays and baby showers.

Six Piece Turtle Stuffed Animal Set 

This 6 piece sea turtle set comes with a 12 inch stuffed plush Sea Turtle mom and includes 3 Baby sea turtles and 2 Eggs. 

A green mother turtle plush has a zipper belly under the shell which holds, 3 baby plushies and 1 cute baby turtle egg, plus 1 baby turtle that broke out of its shell. 

Summary

These seaside-themed plush playsets will give your little ones hours of cuddly fun as they learn about the marine creatures that live in the ocean. Choose from a whale, a shark, a seashell or a sea turtle set. All are cute cuddle buddies for little ones. 

Related Reviews:

• Barnyard Buddies in Plush - a Cuddly Review

*Plush Gift Sets in a Sea Animal Theme review was written by Wednesday Elf

Plush toy gift sets in a seaside theme:

 

Syhood 5 Pieces Sea Stuffed Animals Plush Set Include 1 Large Whale Plush Doll with Small Starfish Dolphin Octopus Ray Stuffed Toy for Huggable Sleeping Holiday Birthday Gifts

PREXTEX Plush Toy Shark Stuffed Animal with 5 Sea Animals - Shark Plush Toy with Turtle, Whale, Octopus, Stingray, Crab - Giant Stuffed Animals for Kids Aged 3 and Up - Fun Gift for Sea Animal Lovers

BenBen Ocean Stuffed Animal, 5 Pack Small Sea Creature Plush Toys and Shell Carrying Bag Set, Cute Plushies for Baby Kids, Sea Turtle, Octopus, Mermaid, Seahorse, Crab, Baby Shower, Stocking Stuffers

Aoriher 6 Pieces Turtle Stuffed Animal Set 12 Inch Stuffed Plush Sea Turtle Mom with 3 Babies and 2 Eggs for Kids Birthday Valentine‘s Day(Classic)

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Book Review of Syndicate by Felix Francis

A Dick Francis Novel

Felix Francis returns with another intriguing mystery set in the world of horseracing, just like his father, Dick Francis did. With Felix growing up in the British racing world due to his dad once being a jockey, followed by a long career of writing horseracing mysteries, race horses and the world they inhabit, makes a natural setting for these stories. 

Synopsis of Syndicate

Syndicate (A Dick Francis Novel)

This novel’s main character, Chester Newton, is an organizer and manager of racehorse syndicates.  Being a member of a syndicate allows one to co-own a racehorse and experience the enjoyment found in the racing world without the complete expense involved in buying the horse and paying for its training. The joint enterprise of a syndicate makes owning a racehorse financially feasible for many more fans of the sport. 

Running racehorse syndicates, such as those Chester has done for the past twenty years or so, involves quite a lot of work and can be a high-stakes way of life. The successes of the horses on the racetracks can be filled with high-reward; losses can be disappointing.  But it has never been dangerous, until the evening after a fantastic win at the Epsom Derby when his daughter Amanda disappears from the family party.  

After several frantic and terror-filled hours, Amanda is found safe, but with no memory of what happened to her. Then Chester discovers that someone is trying to take over one of his syndicates by force. He begins to receive threatening calls from someone with a squeaky voice telling him how to run his horses by threats of serious harm to him and his family. Not just Amanda’s life, but also those of his son James and his wife Georgina. 

For the first time, Chester’s life is not just about horse racing or the money at stake, but the lives of his loved ones. 

Summary

As the reader learns about the world of British racehorse syndicates, author Felix Francis leads us on a thrilling race to the end to discover who is behind all the threats. 

Related Reviews of books by Dick & Felix Francis: 

• Book Review of Straight
• Reviews of the First Three Books in the Sid Halley Series
• Continuation of the Sid Halley Book Series
• Crisis by Felix Francis
• No Reserve by Felix Francis
• Iced by Felix Francis

For More Book Reviews, Check Out
ReviewThisBooks.com

*Book Review of Syndicate written by Wednesday Elf 

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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