Reader's Digest Select Editions Volume 6: Suspicion; Dog Gone, Back Soon; Wishing Thread; Without Warning

by Reader's Digest Association, Joseph Finder, Nick Trout

Suspicion / Joseph Finder: "When single father Danny Goodman suddenly finds himself unable to afford the private school his teenage daughter adores, he has no one to turn to for financial support. In what seems like a stroke of brilliant luck, Danny meets Thomas Galvin, the father of his daughter's new best friend, who also happens to be one of the wealthiest men in Boston. Galvin is aware of Danny's situation and out of the blue offers a $50,000 loan to help Danny cover his daughter's tuition. Uncomfortable but desperate, Danny takes the money, promising to pay Galvin back. What transpires is something Danny never imagined. The moment the money is wired into his account, the DEA comes knocking on his door. Danny's impossible choice: an indictment for accepting drug money that he can't afford to fight in court, or an unthinkably treacherous undercover assignment helping the government get close to his new best friend. As Danny begins to lie to everyone in his life, including those he loves most in the world, he must decide once and for all who the real enemy is or risk losing everything-and everyone-that matters to him"--

Dog gone, back soon / Nick Trout: When Dr. Cyrus Mills returned home after inheriting his estranged father's veterinary practice, The Bedside Manor for Sick Animals, the last thing he wanted was to stay in Eden Falls, Vermont, a moment longer than absolutely necessary. However, the previously reclusive veterinarian pathologist quickly found that he actually enjoyed treating animals and getting to know the eccentric residents of the tiny provincial town-especially an alluring waitress named Amy.

The wishing thread / Lisa Van Allen: "Known for its ties to the infamous "Legend of Sleepy Hollow," Tarrytown, N.Y., is a prime destination for those hoping to have a brush with the occult. But those native to the area know that the real magic happens deep within its trenches--in the ramshackle neighborhood of Tappan Square--where the Van Ripper women are believed to have the power to grant wishes by stitching them into the fibers of hats, scarves and mittens. The gift is one that's been passed down through generations of Van Rippers since the Revolutionary War era, but when the Stitchery's matriarch drops dead in a fiery fit, what's revealed in her will has the potential to threaten the family legacy forever. Now, estranged sisters Aubrey, Bitty and Meggie must reunite after years of separation to decide the fate of the Stitchery, and ultimately, the family's age-old tradition"--

Without warning / David Rosenfelt: "It's been thirteen years since Kate Callahan's husband committed suicide after being arrested for murdering Police Chief Sean Blaylock's wife. It's a small town and memories are long, but they've all tried to put the tragedy behind them, especially Kate and Sean. But it's all brought up again when the town's quaint tradition of creating a time capsule every fifty years reveals a macabre set of predictions dating back to days before the murder/suicide. Someone predicted Cindy Blaylock's death, and forty-nine other tragedies, which have been occurring right on time for more than a decade. At last, after all these years, Kate has reason to hope that her husband might not have been guilty of Cindy's murder after all. But as she and Sean race to stop the next predictions from coming true, they find themselves caught in a terrifying mind game with no rules ... and life or death consequences"

573 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. is a global media and direct marketing company based in Chappaqua, New York, best known for its flagship publication founded in 1922, Reader's Digest. The company's headquarters are in New York City, where it moved from Pleasantville, New York.

The company was founded by DeWitt and Lila Wallace in 1922 with the first publication of Reader's Digest magazine, but has grown to include a diverse range of magazines, books, music, DVDs and online content.

Reviews

[Peggy Sinden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joseph Finder is a mastermind in plotting out his books so that you are captivated to read until the trail ends at the end of the book. This book is no exception to that rule. It stars out with a mystery and works it way through several directions until even the ending is not until the last page and maybe not even then.

[Aria Nazari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reader's Digest books are interesting in that you get to read 4 stories in one. With this being the first Reader's Digest book I've read, I prefer to read the whole story. Nevertheless, let's move on to rating the stories.

First Book: Suspicion by Joseph Finder
This is the first book that I've read by this author and it was a decent story. Although I could tell parts were cut out to maintain the Reader's Digest format. I knew I was missing bits and pieces of information as I read on.

I give it 3 stars out of 5. The characters were surface level and the story in itself is forgettable. I did enjoy the relationship between Danny Goodman and Tom Galvin. However, despite the author noting that stereotypes between Hispanics and their involvement with the Cartel are problematic, he proceeds to do just that and writes a story about a Hispanic family being involved with the Cartel. How predictable, insulting, and boring. I was going to consider buying the full-length book to read the parts I could tell were missing, but changed my mind. My favorite character was Tom Galvin; so much more could have been put into the story that it just left me wanting more and maybe that is why I should read the full version.

Will I read another book by this author? Not anytime soon.

Second Book: Dog Gone, Back Soon by Nick Trout
Immediate no for me. 2 out of 5 stars. I'm not big into medical dramas, mainly because I want to enjoy a story and not have to look up medical terminology every 5 pages. The author wants me to believe that there was chemistry between the main character and his love interest, and it fell flat and forced. I've come to find that I prefer to read a romance written by women instead of men, and this story shows why. To be brutally honest, I did not care for the main character at all. He is painfully awkward and sometimes cringy, and at his grown age should have boundaries with teenagers. Though I'm sure the author had no intentions of the character coming off that way. Or maybe he did. I don't know and I honestly don't care. The animals saved the story though from being unbearable.

Will I read another book by this author? No.

Third Book: The Wishing Thread by Lisa Van Allen
This was a cute story, and I certainly enjoyed it way better than the other 2 stories. It's unique in that it incorporates magic into knitting. This is an element I haven't seen before and quite enjoyed reading about how the magic worked.

I liked the dynamic between the sisters. It felt real and raw at times. I will say I was annoyed at how often the author expressed how scary the main character's blue eyes were. Like come on, give me a break. Blue eyes have been considered conventionally attractive by European standards for years.
However, the author wants to remind you, often, that her blue eyes are oh so big and scary, and oh so penetrating, and it just makes people not give her eye contact, and the main character feels shame from it...major eye roll.

Being a black woman, all I hear about is how pretty blue eyes are so I don't care to read about people complaining about having blue eyes. It would have been fine if it was mentioned once. It was mentioned throughout the whole dang story. Despite that annoying tidbit, I did enjoy the story. It's hallmark-level kinda cute.

I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Would I read another book by this author? Maybe.

Final Book: Without Warning by David Rosenfelt
This is a decent thriller. The characters to me are one-dimensional, and after reading enough thrillers you can tell what's coming. It does have a good build-up though, and I liked the idea of a capsule predicting planned events. None of the characters made me feel anything for them. It's your typical action/thriller where the main character saves the day. Nothing surprising there. If that was supposed to be a spoiler, well...whoops.

I would give it 3.5 stars out of 5.
Would I read another book by this author? Maybe.

All in all, Reader's Digest is great if you want to read 4 condensed stories in one. It is a great try-before-you-buy type of scenario. My grandfather bought me a whole selection of these thinking they were full-length stories in one. He was surprised when I told him that that was not the case lol.

I hope the next time I pick up another Reader's Digest book, I get more interesting stories to read, for now, I am back to reading full-length books.

[Phyllis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Suspicion rated 3, Dog Gone, Back Soon rated 3, The Wishing Thread, I didn't finish, it had magic which I don't care to read, Without Waning rated 4, Excellent mystery.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suspicion: 3 - It was an ok story. Kept me intrigued with some suspense.

Dog Gone, Back Soon: 5 - I really liked this book. Hoping there will be another one to follow.

The Wishing Thread: 3 - It was ok.

Without Warning: 4 - It was a good book and I liked the characters. It was written by David Rosenfelt who writes my favorite Andy Carpenter series. I was hoping it would have that humor and insight, but it did not. I guess that is all for Andy. It was a good mystery and the writing and characters were good.