Strange Houses by Uketsu
Strange Houses was the first book I read this year, back in January, and it has taken me entirely too long to just sit down and jot down my thoughts about it. Part of it is because I was very disappointed with how promising the premise was and how it fully deflated by the time I got to the end, so much so that now six months later, I’m honestly struggling to remember how it ended. The other reason why it took so long is […]
The Unsuspected by Charlotte Armstrong
All I knew about this book before picking it up was that it had been adapted into a movie starring Claude Rains. I caught part of that movie on TCM one time and it looked intriguing so I thought I would check out the book. However, the novel is unfortunately really a very silly little thriller, reliant on extreme contrivances and characters behaving stupidly. The setup is this: Francis and Jane are a nephew and aunt of about the same age who are mourning the […]
The Case of the Dubious Bridegroom by rle Stanley Gardner
Back to the curious mid-century rules of divorce, especially in a community property state like California. No-fault divorce did not yet exist, so if either party wanted to get out of the deal fast, they had to file in the state of Nevada, and even then there were certain rules regarding residency. Which explains the dude ranches that proliferated in the vicinity of Reno and Las Vegas, where they usually hung out for the necessary month or so. The other alternative was the quickie Mexican […]
A River Red with Blood by John Connolly
Please note that I received this book via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review. Trigger warning: We hear about the rape of girls and women, but thankfully we don’t get a play by play. Or we may have, I won’t lie, I started skipping that part of the book. I feel like this is my fault. I said in my last Charlie Parker review I was sick and tired of the mystery of Charlie and his dead daughter Jennifer. I didn’t care […]
When the Wolves Are Silent by C.S. Harris
I have really enjoyed the last few novels in this series after having a few that didn’t quite work as well for me: it’s nice that we haven’t had too many French espionage connections lately and are just doing murder mysteries. Also, I appreciate that Sebastian St. Cyr hasn’t been too beaten up lately after seeming to get stabbed or shot (at) quite a bit. Sebastian St. Cyr and his sister have a complicated relationship; her husband was a scoundrel and her son definitely isn’t […]
You First by Caroline Kepnes
Please note that I received this via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review. There was zero need for this book. I have zero idea why it was written unless Caroline Kepnes wanted to really write about Sex and the City. All this book does is make you hate Joe some more. There’s no special insight into him at all at the age of 17. He’s still insane and falls in love with someone and does whatever it takes to keep them away […]
