VIRTUAL Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2021 discussion

I am going for 60 book this year and maybe go over like I did in 2020!

Today’s Nonfiction post is on Eliot Ness and the Mad Butcher: Hunting America's Deadliest Unidentified Serial Killer at the Dawn of Modern Criminology by Max Allan Collins and A. Brad Schwartz. It is 558 pages long and is published by William Morrow. The cover is red with pictures of Ness and the city. There is some mild foul language, no sex, and mild violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.


From the dust jacket- In 1935, the nation’s most legendary crime-fighter—the man who had just taken down the greatest gangster in American history—arrived in Cleveland on the eve of hosting the World's Fair. It was to be his coronation, as well as the city's. Instead, terror descended, as headless bodies started washing up on shores of Lake Erie.

Eliot Ness's greatest case had begun.

Now, the acclaimed writing team behind Scarface and the Untouchable uncovers this lost crime epic, delivering a gripping and unforgettable nonfiction account based on their groundbreaking research.

During Prohibition, Ness had risen to fame for leading the “Untouchables” unit, which had helped put Al Capone behind bars. Soon after, he was hired as Cleveland's public safety director, in charge of the police and fire departments. Cleveland, then a rising industrial hub nearing the height of its powers, was preparing for a star-turn itself: in 1936, it would host the "Great Lakes Exhibition," a world's fair which would be visited by seven million people. Late in the summer of 1935, however, pieces of a woman’s body began to show up on the Lake Erie shore—first her ribs, then part of her backbone, and then, on September 5, the lower half of her torso. The body soon count grew to five, then ten, then more, all dismembered in gruesome ways.

As Ness zeroed in on a suspect—a doctor tied to a prominent political family—powerful forces thwarted his quest for justice. In this battle between a flawed hero and a twisted monster—by turns horror story, political drama, and detective thriller—Collins and Schwartz find an American tragedy, classic in structure, epic in scope.


Review- An interesting look into Ness’s life after being an Untouchable. Eliot Ness had more than just getting Capone to his credit. Cleveland invited Ness to help clean up the city and help raise the city’s reputation. Ness does that by cleaning out the dirty cops and creating some laws for traffic that we would consider normal now but was innovated at the time. But Ness is not a homicide detective and so he did not have the right mindset or tools to handle a case like the Butcher. He does his best but it should have been left to homicide guys not a man who specializes in getting racketeers. Still is an interesting book about an interesting man.


I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

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Today’s post is on The Girl Who wasn’t There by Penny Joelson. It is278 pages long and is published by Sourcebooks. The cover is black with a window in the center and girl in outline. The intended reader is someone who likes young adult thriller novels. There is no foul language, no sex, and mild violence in this novel. The story is told from first person close of main character Kasia with interludes from the mysterious girl. There Be Spoilers Ahead.


From the back of the book- I know what I saw.

Nothing ever happens on Kasia's street. And Kasia would know. Her illness keeps her home for days at a time, with little to do but watch the world from her bedroom window. So when she witnesses what looks like a kidnapping, she's not sure she can believe her own eyes...

So she sets out to find the only other witness. The girl in the window across the street. The girl who was also watching when things went down.

But what Kasia discovers shocks her more than the kidnapping itself.

There is no girl.


Review- This is a very fun YA thriller a la Rear Window. Kasia is dealing with a kind chronic fatigue syndrome so she’s living at home all the time. One night she sees a young woman get pulled into a car as she was fighting with a man. Kasia calls the police and she notices that there is a girl in the house across the street and she knows that no girl lives there. That is the start of the journey with Kasai and the hidden girl. The writing is solid, the characters are great, and the story is an interesting pull between Kasai’s life of school and her disease with the hidden girl in the background but always there. I really enjoyed this novel and I would recommend this for a nice thriller with some good slice of life as the base.


I give this novel a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

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Today’s post is on Hell in the Heartland: Murder, Meth, and the Case of Two Missing Girls by Jax Miller. It is 319 pages long and is published by Berkley. The cover has a picture of a burning trailer on it. The intended reader is someone who likes true crime and writing memoirs. There is foul language, discussion of rape and other forms of sexual assault, and discussion of violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.


From the dust jacket- The stranger-than-fiction cold case from rural Oklahoma that has stumped authorities for two decades, concerning the disappearance of two teenage girls and the much larger mystery of murder, police cover-up, and an unimaginable truth...

On December 30, 1999, in rural Oklahoma, sixteen-year-old Ashley Freeman and her best friend, Lauria Bible, were having a sleepover. The next morning, the Freeman family trailer was in flames and both girls were missing.

While rumors of drug debts, revenge, and police collusion abounded in the years that followed, the case remained unsolved and the girls were never found.

In 2015, crime writer Jax Miller--who had been haunted by the case--decided to travel to Oklahoma to find out what really happened on that winter night in 1999, and why the story was still simmering more than fifteen years later. What she found was more than she could have ever bargained for: jaw-dropping levels of police negligence and corruption, entire communities ravaged by methamphetamine addiction, and a series of interconnected murders with an ominously familiar pattern.

These forgotten towns were wild, lawless, and home to some very dark secrets.


Review- This was an interestingly written book about a very cold case that is still an open wound in the town where it happened. On December 30 1999 the Freeman’s were having a small party for Ashley Freeman with her family and best friend. The next day their trailer was on fire, the parents were dead, and the two girls were missing. For the next twenty years their families searched wherever they could, spoke to everyone from local cartel drug lords to find the author to come in and write up everything about the case. Miller was consumed by the case and the people in it. Miller is deeply changed by this story and the people she meets over the course of her research. There is no real ending as the girls are still missing but to me it is very clear that they are dead and their bodies will never be found. It's a heartbreaking but still fascinating story to read.


I give this a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

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Today’s post is on Death by Shakespeare: Snakebites, Stabbings and Broken Hearts by Kathryn Harkup. It is 368 pages long and is published by Bloomsbury. The cover is black with a skull and the title on it. The intended reader is someone who is interested in the world Shakespeare would have lived and wrote about. There is mild foul language, no sex, and discussion of violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.


From the dust jacket- An in-depth look at the science behind the creative methods Shakespeare used to kill off his characters.

In Death By Shakespeare, Kathryn Harkup, best-selling author of A is for Arsenic and expert on the more gruesome side of science, turns her expertise to Shakespeare and the creative methods he used to kill off his characters. Is death by snakebite really as serene as Cleopatra made it seem? How did Juliet appear dead for 72 hours only to be revived in perfect health? Can you really kill someone by pouring poison in their ear? How long would it take before Lady Macbeth died from lack of sleep? Readers will find out exactly how all the iconic death scenes that have thrilled audiences for centuries would play out in real life.

In the Bard's day death was a part of everyday life. Plague, pestilence and public executions were a common occurrence, and the chances of seeing a dead or dying body on the way home from the theater was a fairly likely scenario. Death is one of the major themes that reoccurs constantly throughout Shakespeare's canon, and he certainly didn't shy away from portraying the bloody reality of death on the stage. He didn't have to invent gruesome or novel ways to kill off his characters when everyday experience provided plenty of inspiration.

Shakespeare's era was also a time of huge scientific advance. The human body, its construction and how it was affected by disease came under scrutiny, overturning more than a thousand years of received Greek wisdom, and Shakespeare himself hinted at these new scientific discoveries and medical advances in his writing, such as circulation of the blood and treatments for syphilis.

Shakespeare found 74 different ways to kill off his characters, and audiences today still enjoy the same reactions--shock, sadness, fear--that they did over 400 years ago when these plays were first performed. But how realistic are these deaths, and did Shakespeare have the science to back them up?


Review- An excellent and fascinating read about the great bard and the world he lived in. Harkup does a wonderful job both in research and in presentation on the material. She helps break down both the works, the world, and what we know about the man, Shakespeare, himself and she makes it very understandable for the average reader. If you are a Shakespeare aficionado, you will still enjoy this book as it is not just about the work but grounds the works in the world that Shakespeare would have lived in. The writing is excellent and very accessible, the narrative is very easy to follow, and the result is a better understanding of Shakespeare but also his world and work. I highly recommend this book.


I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my library.

Today’s post is on Red Waters Rising by Laura Anne Gilman. It is 350 pages long and is published by Saga Press. As it is the third volume in the Devil’s West trilogy you need to have read the first two to understand the story. The cover has Isobel and the river spirit on it. There is some mild foul language, no sex, and mild violence in this novel. The story is told from third person close of the main characters Isobel and Gabriel. There Be Spoilers Ahead.


From the back of the book- In the last novel of The Devil’s West trilogy, Isobel, the Devil’s Left Hand, and Gabriel ride through the magical land of the Territory to root out evil by the way of mad magicians, ghosts, and twisted animal spirits.

As Isobel and Gabriel travel to the southern edge of the Territory, they arrive in the free city of Red Stick. Tensions are running high as the homesteading population grows, crowding the native lands, and suspicions rise across the river from an American fort.

But there is a sickness running through Red Stick and Isobel begins to find her authority challenged. She’ll be abandoned, betrayed, and forced to stand her ground as the Devil’s left hand in this thrilling conclusion to The Devil’s West Trilogy.


Review- An excellent conclusion to a great series but I want Gilman to write more! Isobel comes into her own in the novel and she is more than just the Devil’s Left Hand. She is silver-touched, which in this world is very important and powerful in its own right. Everything from the first two novels comes together and the finishing is great. Gilman did a wonderful job with this trilogy, from the world building to how the character grew and changed over the course of the novels. Gilman is a wonderful writer and this trilogy is everything that a weird west fantasy should be. I highly recommend this trilogy and Gilman as an author.


I give this novel a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this novel from my local library.

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Today’s post is on Rules for Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall. It is 402 pages long and is published by Viking. The cover is an illustration of woods with a woman’s silhouette hidden in the trees. The intended reader is someone who likes horror and young adult novels. There is mild foul language, no sex, and very mild violence in this novel. The story is told from first person dialog, interview, text messages, and other ways. There Be Spoilers Ahead.


From the dust jacket- Once a year, the path appears in the forest and Lucy Gallows beckons. Who is brave enough to find her--and who won't make it out of the woods?

It's been exactly one year since Sara's sister, Becca, disappeared, and high school life has far from settled back to normal. With her sister gone, Sara doesn't know whether her former friends no longer like her...or are scared of her, and the days of eating alone at lunch have started to blend together. When a mysterious text message invites Sara and her estranged friends to "play the game" and find local ghost legend Lucy Gallows, Sara is sure this is the only way to find Becca--before she's lost forever. And even though she's hardly spoken with them for a year, Sara finds herself deep in the darkness of the forest, her friends--and their cameras--following her down the path. Together, they will have to draw on all of their strengths to survive. The road is rarely forgiving, and no one will be the same on the other side.


Review- This was a fantastic novel, everything from the world building to the way the narrative is told, it was great. The story is being told to some paranormal investors who are just trying to understand what happened to a group of teens. Sara’s sister Becca went missing one year before and everyone thinks that she just ran off with a boyfriend. But Sara knows different, she knows that Becca went looking for Lucy Gallows and the road that only appears one a year. Together with their friends, Sara goes to find her. From there we get some great creepy thrills and a very cool villain. I had a wonderful time reading this novel and I cannot wait to read her next novel.


I give this novel a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this novel from my local library.

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Today’s Nonfiction post is on Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics by Dolly Parton, Robert K. Oermann. It is 380 pages long and is published by Chronicle Books. The cover is a close up picture of Dolly Parton. The intended reader is someone who is interested in Dolly Parton and country music history. There is no foul language, no sex, and no voilence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics is a landmark celebration of the remarkable life and career of a country music and pop culture legend.
As told by Dolly Parton in her own inimitable words, explore the songs that have defined her journey. Illustrated throughout with previously unpublished images from Dolly Parton's personal and business archives.
Mining over 60 years of songwriting, Dolly Parton highlights 175 of her songs and brings readers behind the lyrics.
• Packed with never-before-seen photographs and classic memorabilia
• Explores personal stories, candid insights, and myriad memories behind the songs
Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics reveals the stories and memories that have made Dolly a beloved icon across generations, genders, and social and international boundaries.
Containing rare photos and memorabilia from Parton's archives, this book is a show-stopping must-have for every Dolly Parton fan.
• Learn the history behind classic Parton songs like "Jolene," "9 to 5," "I Will Always Love You," and more.
• The perfect gift for Dolly Parton fans (everyone loves Dolly!) as well as lovers of music history and country

Review- A fascinating look into one of the most famous singer and songwriter of modern country music. Parton brings her special touch to this book about her music and her life. We follow her from childhood all the way to being very famous and in demand. Parton includes pictures, the lyrics, and written insights into why she wrote what she did at that time. The essays are interesting and well written. I had a good time with this memoir and if you are a fan of country music history or Dolly Parton herself, I would recommend this book.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and borrowed this book from my local library.

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Today’s post is on Victor and Nora: A Gotham Love Story by Lauren Myracle, Isaac Goodhart (Illustrations). It is 185 pages long and is published by DC comics. The cover is an illustration of Victor and Nora. There is no foul language, discussion of sex and sexuality, and no violence in this graphic novel. The intended reader is someone who likes DC comics. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Seventeen-year-old Victor Fries has a cold heart. After his brother died in a tragic house fire for which Victor feels responsible, his parents have isolated themselves, and Victor has dedicated his whole life to one thing: science.

Nora Kumar is full of life. She is suffering from an incurable illness that will slowly consume her, so she's decided to live her last days to the fullest at her summer home outside of Gotham City until her birthday. On that day, she plans to take her own life.

When Victor and Nora happen to meet at the cemetery outside of town, they are astonished to find the connection they have each been missing in their lives. Their summer quickly spirals into a beautiful romance, and Victor's cold heart begins to thaw, allowing him to enjoy life just a little more. But when Victor learns of Nora's illness, he's driven to try to find a solution to keep from losing another person he loves...by any means necessary.


Review- This is an excellent origin story for one my favorite DC villains. Victor is dealing with grief from the death of his older brother and Nora is facing her own death but one her terms. There are some very deep things going on in this novel from survivors guilt or planning suicide, Myracle and Goodhart don’t sky away from these hard topics. The art is good with the colors being different when we change perspectives from Victor, with cooler shades of blue, to Nora, with warmer pinks. If you like villain origins stories or like me are a fan of Victor Fries, then you should give this graphic novel a chance.


I give this graphic novel a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book front local library.

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Today’s post is on The Falcon Thief: A True Tale of Adventure, Treachery, and the Hunt for the Perfect Bird by Joshua Hammer. It is 317 pages long and is published by Simon & Schuster. The cover is a picture of a peregrine falcon. The intended reader is someone who is interested in true crime and wildlife protection. There is mild foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.


From the dust jacket- A true-crime adventure about a rogue who trades in rare birds and their eggs—and the wildlife detective determined to stop him.

On May 3, 2010, an Irish national named Jeffrey Lendrum was apprehended at Britain’s Birmingham International Airport with a suspicious parcel strapped to his stomach. Inside were fourteen rare peregrine falcon eggs snatched from a remote cliffside in Wales.

So begins a tale almost too bizarre to believe, following the parallel lives of a globe-trotting smuggler who spent two decades capturing endangered raptors worth millions of dollars as race champions—and Detective Andy McWilliam of the United Kingdom’s National Wildlife Crime Unit, who’s hell bent on protecting the world’s birds of prey.

The Falcon Thief whisks readers from the volcanoes of Patagonia to Zimbabwe’s Matobo National Park, and from the frigid tundra near the Arctic Circle to luxurious aviaries in the deserts of Dubai, all in pursuit of a man who is reckless, arrogant, and gripped by a destructive compulsion to make the most beautiful creatures in nature his own.


Review- This is an interesting story about one man’s greed and his abuse of nature. Jeffery Lendrum was interested in birds and more rare animals from a young age. But started out as an innocent interest grew into a criminal life of stealing eggs from rare and endangered birds to sell to the highest bidder. But there was a lawman who cared about the harm and the birds that Lendrum so callously hurt, Andy McWilliam, and he chased Lendrum to the ends of the earth. I enjoyed this story mostly but when reading about Lendrum stealing the eggs that made me sick because some of these birds will mourn themselves to death for the loss of their clutch. But other than that it was a fascinating story about a thief who never thought he would get caught or that the lives of the birds he stole really mattered. If you are interested in true crime or rare birds then you should give this one a try.


I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

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Today’s post is on The Footman and I by Valerie Bowman. It is 258 pages long and is published by June Third Enterprises. It is the first in The Footmen’s Club series. The cover is green with the main characters on it in an embrace. The intended reader is someone who likes historical romance. There is mild foul language, sex, and no violence in this novel. The story is told from third person close of the two main characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Let the games begin...

Every fortune-hunting female in London is after the newly titled Earl of Kendall, but he’s intent on finding a wife whose heart is true. So, while drunkenly jesting with his friends in a pub one night, he has an idea—what if the ladies of the ton didn’t know he was a wealthy earl? All he has to do is pose as a servant at his friend’s summer country house party and make sure the guest list is full of beautiful, eligible debutantes. What could possibly go wrong?

May the best footman win.

Miss Frances Wharton is far more interested in fighting for the rights of the poor than in marriage, but her mother insists she attend a summer house party—and find herself a husband. Frances would rather wed a goat than the pompous man her mother has in mind, so in order to dissuade the would-be suitor, she vows to behave like a shrew. The only person she can be herself with is the kind, handsome footman she runs into at every turn. Their connection is undeniable, and the divide between them is no match for the passion they feel. But what will happen when Frances learns that the footman she adores is actually the earl she despises? In a game where everything is false, can they convince each other that their love is true?


Review- A fun romance with good characters but it doesn’t break any molds. Frances wants to make a difference in the world but as she is a woman with no money and no political power, her hands are tied. Lucas wants to find someone who wants to marry him, not his money but he cannot go around as himself and discover a lady’s true nature, so he comes up with a plan. They meet and they find something special between them. The story is fine from that point, you can guess the main conflicts and of course the happy ending. But I didn’t like the sexuality in this novel. It was odd to me and very out of character for Frances who knows that any indiscretion would not only be damning for her but her sister as well whom she loves very much. But other than that it was fine. If you like historical romances then try this one but if historicals are only an once in a well read then I would skip this one.


I give this novel a Three out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this novel from my local library.

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Today's Nonfiction post is on Till Murder Do Us Part by James Patterson. It is 336 pages long and is published by Grand Central Publishing. The cover is a picture underwater with a body flowing above the title. The intended reader is someone who likes true crime. There is mild foul language, no sex, and mild violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.


From the back of the book-
Til Murder Do Us Part: Kathi Spiars can't believe she's found such a good man to marry as Stephen Marcum. Twelve years later, she starts to suspect that he isn't who he says he is. As she digs into his past, she doesn't realize that learning the truth will lead to a lifetime of fear and hiding. (with Andrew Bourelle)


Ramp Up to Murder : Brandi McClain, a young beautiful teenager, moves to California from Arizona, to model and live with her new boyfriend, a professional skateboarder. But her perfect life is about to turn on its head. In San Diego, investigators hunt for a missing girl. It’s a case that seems to be plagued by dead ends. But once the truth emerges, it’s more haunting than they could have imagined. (with Max DiLallo)


Review- Another good true crime read from Patterson. The two stories in this book are more close to home any the others from Patterson. They deal with domestic violence and Patterson was able to interview the survivors and get what happened from them directly. At times this volume was scary as the people in it were very scary themselves. But Patterson doesn't overwhelm the reader with the horror of a liver turning dangerous, he just tells the story and moves on. If you have read the other true crime books by Patterson then I would recommend this one too or if you are just looking for a quick true crime read then you should like this.


I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

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Today’s nonfiction review is on A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Murder in Ancient Rome by Emma Southon. The cover is pink with a classic bust in the center and three knives in the head. The intended reader is someone who is interested in Roman history being told with a witty sense of humor. There is mild foul language, discussion of sex and rape, and violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Head.


From the dust jacket- In Ancient Rome, all the best stories have one thing in common—murder. Romulus killed Remus to found the city, Caesar was assassinated to save the Republic. Caligula was butchered in the theater, Claudius was poisoned at dinner, and Galba was beheaded in the Forum. In one 50-year period, 26 emperors were murdered.

But what did killing mean in a city where gladiators fought to the death to sate a crowd? In A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Emma Southon examines a trove of real-life homicides from Roman history to explore Roman culture, including how perpetrator, victim, and the act itself were regarded by ordinary people. Inside Ancient Rome's darkly fascinating history, we see how the Romans viewed life, death, and what it means to be human.


Review- A fantastic book about ancient Rome, the history of murder, and murder in history. Southon is very knowledgeable in her field but even better she is an excellent writer. She knows how to make the history she is telling interesting and funny. Southon is funny! I loved reading this book, not just because it was well researched and about a subject I am very interested in but because Southon made it fun to read. Now that said, she does take her subjects seriously but the humor helped the discussion of some very distasteful acts of murder and other related crimes. Everything about murder in ancient Rome was discussed from murdering slaves to murdering an emperor, nothing to small for Southon to bring the reader. I enjoyed every minute of this book and I can’t wait to read whatever she writes next.


I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

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Today’s post is on The Deep by Alma Katsu. It is 420 pages long and is published by G.P. Putnam's Sons. The cover is blue with a giant ship on top and a woman’s torso on the bottom rising up to the ship. The story is told from third person close of the different characters. There is mild foul language, sex, and mild violence in this novel. The intended revere is someone who likes atmospheric novels with a light haunting on the side. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- Someone, or something, is haunting the Titanic.

This is the only way to explain the series of misfortunes that have plagued the passengers of the ship from the moment they set sail: mysterious disappearances, sudden deaths. Now suspended in an eerie, unsettling twilight zone during the four days of the liner's illustrious maiden voyage, a number of the passengers - including millionaires Madeleine Astor and Benjamin Guggenheim, the maid Annie Hebbley and Mark Fletcher - are convinced that something sinister is going on . . . And then, as the world knows, disaster strikes.

Years later and the world is at war. And a survivor of that fateful night, Annie, is working as a nurse on the sixth voyage of the Titanic's sister ship, the Britannic, now refitted as a hospital ship. Plagued by the demons of her doomed first and near fatal journey across the Atlantic, Annie comes across an unconscious soldier she recognises while doing her rounds. It is the young man Mark. And she is convinced that he did not - could not - have survived the sinking of the Titanic . . .


Review- An interesting haunting novel that will leave you guessing about what is really going on. Annie Hebbley just wants to see the world and move on from her past. So she takes a job as a stewardess on the Titanic and gets involved in her passengers affairs. The story is told in two parts, one on the Titanic in 1912 and then flashing forward to 1916 on the sister ship of the Titanic, the Britannic. Annie is surprised to discover the man she had maybe an affair with from the Titanic on board having been wounded in battle. She is sure that fate has brought them back together but is it something else? This novel was a fast read for me, because I wanted to know what was really going on and of course the answer is tragic. If you liked Katsu’s other novel The Hunger, you need to know that this novel is paced differently but I enjoyed it.


I give this novel a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this novel from my local library.

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Today’s post is on The Rope: A True Story of Murder, Heroism, and the Dawn of the NAACP by Alex Tresniowski. It is 322 pages long and is published by 37 Ink. The cover has the sky on it. The intended reader is someone who is interested in true crime history. There is foul language, discussion of sexuality and rape, and violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- From New York Times bestselling author Alex Tresniowski comes a page-turning, remarkable true-crime thriller recounting the 1910 murder of ten-year-old Marie Smith, the dawn of modern criminal detection, and the launch of the NAACP.

In the tranquil seaside town of Asbury Park, New Jersey, ten-year-old schoolgirl Marie Smith is brutally murdered. Small town officials, unable to find the culprit, call upon the young manager of a New York detective agency for help. It is the detective’s first murder case, and now, the specifics of the investigation and daring sting operation that caught the killer is captured in all its rich detail for the first time.

Occurring exactly halfway between the end of the Civil War in 1865 and the formal beginning of the Civil Rights Movement in 1954, the brutal murder and its highly-covered investigation sits at the historic intersection of sweeping national forces—religious extremism, class struggle, the infancy of criminal forensics, and America’s Jim Crow racial violence.

History and true crime collide in this sensational murder mystery featuring characters as complex and colorful as those found in the best psychological thrillers—the unconventional truth-seeking detective Ray Schindler; the sinister pedophile Frank Heidemann; the ambitious Asbury Park Sheriff Clarence Hetrick; the mysterious “sting artist,” Carl Neumeister; the indomitable crusader Ida Wells; and the victim, Marie Smith, who represented all the innocent and vulnerable children living in turn-of-the-century America.

Gripping and powerful, The Rope is an important piece of history that gives a voice to the voiceless and resurrects a long-forgotten true crime story that speaks to the very divisions tearing at the nation’s fabric today.


Review- An interesting true crime nonfiction book. Tresniowski has done some wonderful research into this almost forgotten crime and creation of the NAACP leading into the civil rights era. Basically a young girl is stalked, kidnapped, raped, then murdered. The small town she is from panics and because of the time they picked a person who was easy to blame, who was a black man named Tom Williams. But Williams was innocent and it becomes a race against time to save him and get justice for the child. This was a fast paced read that made me very nervous at times with Williams being hunted by angry white members of his own community. I had to flip to the back to make sure that Williams was not lynched before I could continue reading. If you are a fun of true crime and history I would recommend it.


I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for this review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

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Today’s Nonfiction post is on A Most Peculiar Book: The Inherent Strangeness of the Bible by Kristin Swenson. It is 261 pages long and is published by Oxford press. The cover is part of a medieval painting of Moses receiving the Commandment from god. There is some foul language, discussion of sex, sexuality, and rape, and lots of violence in this book. The intended reader is someone who is interested in the history of the Bible and how it was made. There Be Spoilers Ahead.


From the dust jacket- The Bible, we are constantly reminded, is the best-selling book of all time. It is read with intense devotion by hundreds of millions of people, stands as authoritative for Judaism and Christianity, and informs and affects the politics and lives of the religious and non-religious around the

world. But how well do we really know it? The Bible is so familiar, so ubiquitous that we have begun to take our knowledge of it for granted. The Bible many of us think we know is a pale imitation of the real thing.

In A Most Peculiar Book, Kristin Swenson addresses the dirty little secret of biblical studies that the Bible is a weird book. It is full of surprises and contradictions, unexplained impossibilities, intriguing supernatural creatures, and heroes doing horrible deeds. It does not provide a simple

worldview: what "the Bible says" on a given topic is multi-faceted, sometimes even contradictory. Yet, Swenson argues, we have a tendency to reduce the complexities of the Bible to aphorisms, bumper stickers, and slogans. Swenson helps readers look at the text with fresh eyes. A collection of

ancient stories and poetry written by multiple authors, held together by the tenuous string of tradition, the Bible often undermines our modern assumptions. And is all the more marvelous and powerful for it.

Rather than dismiss the Bible as an outlandish or irrelevant relic of antiquity, Swenson leans into the messiness full-throttle. Making ample room for discomfort, wonder, and weirdness, A Most Peculiar Book guides readers through a Bible that will feel, to many, brand new.


Review- An interesting survey of the Bible, how it was made, and some of the many problems within it. Swenson is a good writer and she approaches her topic with insight, humor, and first-hand knowledge. But that said, this is a very brief overview of the Bible and she does not go in depth with one issue or topic in the Bible. She does cover the whole Bible and does talk about some of the history of how it was made and the problems that brings with it. It is very well written, easy to read, and if you have never studied the Bible before, this is a good place to start.


I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

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Today’s post is on Teeth in the Mist by Dawn Kurtagich. It is 442 pages long and is published by Little, Brown, and Company. The cover has a girl floating upside down on it looking at the reader. There is some mild foul language, mild sex and sexuality, and some violence in this novel. The intended reader is someone who likes horror novels with intricate plots. The story is told from first person and third person perspectives of the three main characters moving as the story does. There Be Spoilers Ahead.


From the dust jacket- Before the birth of time, a monk uncovers the Devil's Tongue and dares to speak it. The repercussions will be felt for generations...

Sixteen-year-old photography enthusiast Zoey has been fascinated by the haunted, burnt-out ruins of Medwyn Mill House for as long as she can remember--so she and her best friend, Poulton, run away from home to explore them. But are they really alone in the house? And who will know if something goes wrong?

In 1851, seventeen-year-old Roan arrives at the Mill House as a ward--one of three, all with something to hide from their new guardian. When Roan learns that she is connected to an ancient secret, she must escape the house before she is trapped forever.

1583. Hermione, a new young bride, accompanies her husband to the wilds of North Wales where he plans to build the largest water mill and mansion in the area. But rumors of unholy rituals lead to a tragic occurrence and she will need all her strength to defeat it.

Three women, centuries apart, drawn together by one Unholy Pact. A pact made by a man who, more than a thousand years later, may still be watching....


Review- An excellent light horror novel from one of my favorites. We have a story told in three parts: Roan in 1851, Zoey from present, and Hermione from 1583. All three stories will merge into one long narrative but that is at the end of the story. All three stories are told in different ways with diary entries from Hermione, third person close of Roan, and first person from Zoey, so there is no chance that you will not know who is speaking or where in time you are. There is some body horror from Roan, as she is tortured by a witch hunter but nothing too graphic. It is milder on the horror than Kurtagich’s previous work but still an excellent novel, I enjoyed it, and I look forward to reading her next one.


I give this novel a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

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Today’s post is on Mr. Malcolm’s List by Suzanne Allain. It is 244 pages long and is published by Jove. The cover has silhouettes of the main characters. The intended reader is someone who likes historical romance, humorous stories, and happy endings. There is very mild foul language, no sex, and no violence's in this novel. The story is told from third person close of the two main characters. There Be Spoiler Ahead.



From the back of the book-The Honorable Jeremy Malcolm is searching for a wife, but not just any wife. He's determined to elude the fortune hunters and find a near-perfect woman, one who will meet the qualifications on his well-crafted list. But after years of searching, he's beginning to despair of finding this paragon. And then Selina Dalton arrives in town…

Selina, a vicar's daughter of limited means and a stranger to high society, is thrilled when her friend Julia invites her to London. Until she learns it's part of a plot to exact revenge on Mr. Malcolm. Selina is reluctant to participate in Julia's scheme, especially after meeting the irresistible Mr. Malcolm, who seems very different from the arrogant scoundrel of Julia's description.

But when Mr. Malcolm begins judging Selina against his unattainable standards, Selina decides that she has qualifications of her own. And if he is to meet them he must reveal the real man behind...Mr. Malcolm's List.


Review- A very fun historical romance. Selina gets pulled into getting revenge for a old classmate/friend when Mr. Malcolm refuses to court the friend. Jeremy has a very silly list that he uses to measure all women and when the women fail, and they all do, then he has a reason to stop seeing them. That is never really explained to me, why does he have the list in the first place. It is hinted that his brother’s wife is not the best choice but that is the only thing that could have driven him to make the list. Of course our heroine fulfills the list but the revenge sub-plot gets in the way. It was a fun romance. I would read another book by the author.


I give this novel a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this novel from my local library.

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Today’s post is on The Haunted by Danielle Vega. It is 252 pages long and is published by Razorbill. The cover has a picture of a girl on it in overexposure. The intended reader is someone who likes young adult horror. There is mild foul language, no sex, and discussion of dating violence and other forms of violence. The story is told from third person close of the main character. There Be Spoilers Ahead.


From the dust jacket- Hendricks Becker-O’Malley is new in town, and she’s bringing baggage with her. With a dark and wild past, Hendricks doesn’t think the small town her parents moved her to has much to offer her in terms of excitement. She plans on laying low, but when she’s suddenly welcomed into the popular crowd at school, things don’t go as expected.

Hendricks learns from her new friends that the fixer-upper her parents are so excited about is notorious in town. Local legend says it’s haunted. Hendricks doesn’t believe it. Until she’s forced to. Blood-curdling screams erupt from the basement, her little brother wakes up covered in scratches, and something, or someone pushes her dad down the stairs. With help from the mysterious boy next door, Hendricks makes it her mission to take down the ghosts . . . if they don’t take her first.


Review- An okay horror novel but it never goes anywhere. Hendricks and her family have moved to a new town for a clean slate. She was in a bad relationship that turned violent and in order to heal, her family moves. But the house they move into has secrets and something is watching from the dark. The plot has promise, the characters are fine, but it never goes anywhere. The ghosts are not tragic but they were horrible people in life and in death they continue to be horrible. That is not a bad plotline but my problem is that the ghosts win in the end. The writing is fine and I would be willing to read another novel by this author but this is not a strong outing for her.


I give this novel a Three out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this novel from my local library.

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Today’s Nonfiction post is on Fakes, Forgeries, and Frauds by Nancy Moses. It is 195 pages long including notes and is published by Rowmen and Littlefield. The cover is a white page with a tear on the left side and the title in red. The intended reader is someone who is interested in fakes, forgeries, and frauds. There is some mild foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.


From the dust jacket- A fascinating read about fakes, forgeries, and frauds. What's real? What's fake? Why do we care? In this time of false news and fake science, these questions are more important than ever. Fakes, Forgeries, and Frauds goes beyond the headlines, tweets, and blogs to explore the true nature of authenticity and why it means so much today. This book delivers nine fascinating true stories that introduce the fakers, forgers, art authenticators, and others that populate this dark world.

Examples include:

Shakespeare--How an enterprising teenager in the 1790s faked Shakespeare and duped Literary London.

Rembrandt--How art history, connoisseurship, and science are re-shaping our view of what Rembrandt painted and how the canvas changed over time.

Relics--Was Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music, a real Roman teenager who was martyred 1,800 years ago in the same place where her church stands today?

Jackson Pollock--How do experts pick out the real Pollocks from the thousands of fakes? Nuremberg--How repeated reconstructions of medieval Nuremburg--including one by Adolf Hitler--show how historic preservation became a tool for propaganda.

Fakes, Forgeries, and Frauds also raises provocative questions about the meaning of reality. What happens when spiritual truth conflicts with historic fact? Can an object retain its essence when most of it was replaced? Why did some art patrons value an excellent copy more than the original? Why do we find fakes so eternally fascinating, and forgers such appealing con artists?

Fakes, Forgeries, and Frauds is a full-color book with 30 color photos. It shows that reality, exemplified by discrete physical objects, is actually mutable, unsettling, and plainly weird. Readers discover things that are less than meets the eye--and might even reconsider what's real, what's fake, and why they should care.


Review- An excellent and interesting look into what makes something ‘real’ and what makes something else a ‘fake’. Moses is knowledgeable about her subject, she has great research, and she is a good writer. She does so much to help the reader understand the language used by museum directors, art critics, and others in very narrow and particular jobs. Her notes are interesting and great if you have found a subject you want to learn more about. I really had a fun time with this book and I would like to read more by this author.


I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

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Today’s Nonfiction post is on The Babysitter: My Summers with a Serial Killer by Liza Rodman and Jennifer Jordan. It is 341 pages long and is published by Atria Books. The cover is a picture of a deserted beach. The intended reader is someone who is interested in true crime and memoirs. There is foul language, sex, sexuality, and rape, and lots of violence in this book. The story is told in two parts: first person narrative of Rodman as she remembers her childhood and third person close of Costa. There Be Spoilers Ahead.


From the dust jacket- Growing up on Cape Cod in the 1960s, Liza Rodman was a lonely little girl. During the summers, while her mother worked days in a local motel and danced most nights in the Provincetown bars, her babysitter—the kind, handsome handyman at the motel where her mother worked—took her and her sister on adventures in his truck.

But there was one thing she didn’t know; their babysitter was a serial killer.

Some of his victims were buried—in pieces—right there, in his garden in the woods. Though Tony Costa’s gruesome case made screaming headlines in 1969 and beyond, Liza never made the connection between her friendly babysitter and the infamous killer of numerous women, including four in Massachusetts, until decades later.

Haunted by nightmares and horrified by what she learned, Liza became obsessed with the case. Now, she and cowriter Jennifer Jordan reveal the chilling and unforgettable true story of a charming but brutal psychopath through the eyes of a young girl who once called him her friend.


Review- An interesting memoir of an abused childhood with a serial killer on the side. Rodman was an adult when she discovered her favorite babysitter was a serial killer and that discovery led her down memory lane. Rodman doesn’t hold back on her past, sparing no one, not herself, not her parents, and not Costa. But I liked the memoir part of this book better. It was a very compelling look at a child surviving a narcissistic parent as the scapegoat. The parts about Costa were well written and well researched but not as drawing to me as Rodman’s story itself. I would like to read more about her and her life after and into the functioning adult she became.


I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

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Today’s post is on A Most Wicked Conspiracy: The Last Great Swindle of the Gilded Age by Paul Starobin. It is 320 pages long and is published by Public Affairs. The cover is a picture of the Nome beaches with gold panners and two pictures in the top corners who are Willaim McKinley and Alexander McKenzie. There is mild foul language, no sex, and mild violence in this book. The intended reader is someone who is interested in American history, Alakan gold rush, and true crime. There Be Spoilers Ahead.


From the back of the book- A tale of Gilded Age corruption and greed from the frontier of Alaska to the nation's capital.

In the feverish, money-making age of railroad barons, political machines, and gold rushes, corruption was the rule, not the exception. Yet the Republican mogul "Big Alex" McKenzie defied even the era's standard for avarice. Charismatic and shameless, he arrived in the new Alaskan territory intent on controlling gold mines and draining them of their ore. Miners who had rushed to the frozen tundra to strike gold were appalled at his unabashed deviousness.

A Most Wicked Conspiracy recounts McKenzie's plot to rob the gold fields. It's a story of how America's political and economic life was in the grip of domineering, self-dealing, seemingly-untouchable party bosses in cahoots with robber barons, Senators and even Presidents. Yet it is also the tale of a righteous resistance of working-class miners, muckraking journalists, and courageous judges who fought to expose a conspiracy and reassert the rule of law.

Through a bold set of characters and a captivating narrative, Paul Starobin examines power and rampant corruption during a pivotal time in America, drawing undoubted parallels with present-day politics and society.


Review- An interesting account of true crime and gold. Starobin brings the story of an almost forgotten swindle to modern readers. Alexander McKenzie was a self-made man who thought that money would get him out of everything he did, no matter what it was. Starobin did a great job of telling this story, with good notes and he explains the legal aspects of the case so that the reader can follow what exactly McKenzie was doing. He was brazen in his crimes, just believing that nothing could touch him or stop him. So when everything falls apart because of that belief is it very satisfying to read even if I wanted him to get more jail time than he did. If you like historical true crime then you should read this.


I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

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Today’s post is on Watch Over Me by Nina LaCour. It is 272 pages long and is published by Dutton Books for Young Readers. The cover has Mila on it looking with her hair streaming behind her. The intended reader is someone who is like ghost stories, healing stories, and coming of age stories. There is mild foul language, mild sexuality, and mild violence in this novel. The story is told from Mila’s first person perspective. There Be Spoilers Ahead.


From the back of the book- Mila is used to being alone. Maybe that’s why she said yes to the opportunity: living in this remote place, among the flowers and the fog and the crash of waves far below.

But she hadn’t known about the ghosts.

Newly graduated from high school, Mila has aged out of the foster care system. So when she’s offered a job and a place to stay at a farm on an isolated part of the Northern California Coast, she immediately accepts. Maybe she will finally find a new home, a real home. The farm is a refuge, but also haunted by the past traumas its young residents have come to escape. And Mila’s own terrible memories are starting to rise to the surface.


Review- This is a fantastic story about a young woman who is dealing with some serious trauma and is told in an interesting way. Mila has aged out of the foster care system but she has somewhere to go. A teaching job on a distance farm with other foster kids and two older adults who own the property. She wants to be alone and forget her past but with ghosts everywhere, forgetting is not easy. This story was incredible, from the slow burn of the truth of the ghosts to the reveal of Mila’s past to the reader, it was just amazing. LaCour took the ghost story and made it new again with the unique plot elements from herself. The writing is excellent, the characters are interesting, and the plot is moving. I highly recommend this novel.


I give this novel a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this novel from my local library.

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Today's is on A Lady's Formula for Love by Elizabeth Everett. It is 322 pages long and is published by Berkley. It is the first in a new series The Secret Scientists of London. The cover is blue with the silhouettes of the two main characters with a beaker between them and a heart on top. There is some foul language, sex and sexuality, and mild violence in this series. The intended reader is someone who likes spicy historical romance novels. The story is told from third person close of the two main characters, Violet and Arthur, moving from chapter to chapter. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- What is a Victorian lady's formula for love? Mix one brilliant noblewoman and her enigmatic protection officer. Add in a measure of danger and attraction. Heat over the warmth of humor and friendship, and the result is more than simple chemistry—it's elemental.

Lady Violet Hughes is keeping secrets. First, she founded a clandestine sanctuary for England's most brilliant female scientists. Second, she is using her genius on a confidential mission for the Crown. But the biggest secret of all? Her feelings for protection officer Arthur Kneland.

Solitary and reserved, Arthur learned the hard way to put duty first. But the more time he spends in the company of Violet and the eccentric club members, the more his best intentions go up in flames. Literally.

When a shadowy threat infiltrates Violet's laboratories, endangering her life and her work, scientist and bodyguard will find all their theories put to the test—and learn that the most important discoveries are those of the heart.


Review- A mediocre historical romance that has such a promising setting. Violet is a woman who wants it all both passionate love and to use her brains but she feels that she cannot have both. Arthur is a man who just wants to go home again and refuses to deal with what’s in the past from shame. Together they could have a chance at both. This sounded so promising with a bodyguard love story, a personal weakness, but really is just fine. There are a number of sex scenes but I just skipped them, they did not add anything to the story for me and they really sound have. Violet is a passionate woman, who has been shamed for that passion, and Arthur does not shame her but praises it, so the sex scenes should have been emotional engaging and they weren’t. If you are hard up for a historical romance, then you might enjoy one but I found it just mediocre.


I give this book a Three out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this novel from my local library.

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Today’s Nonfiction post is on A House in the Mountains: The Women Who Liberated Italy from Fascism by Caroline Moorehead. It is 416 pages and is published by Harper. The cover has a picture of three of the women on it. The intended reader is someone who is interested in World War II history and women’s history. There is foul language, discussion of rape and sexual abuse, and lots of violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- In the late summer of 1943, when Italy broke with the Germans and joined the Allies after suffering catastrophic military losses, an Italian Resistance was born. Four young Piedmontese women—Ada, Frida, Silvia and Bianca—living secretly in the mountains surrounding Turin, risked their lives to overthrow Italy’s authoritarian government. They were among the thousands of Italians who joined the Partisan effort to help the Allies liberate their country from the German invaders and their Fascist collaborators. What made this partisan war all the more extraordinary was the number of women—like this brave quartet—who swelled its ranks.

The bloody civil war that ensued pitted neighbor against neighbor, and revealed the best and worst in Italian society. The courage shown by the partisans was exemplary, and eventually bound them together into a coherent fighting force. But the death rattle of Mussolini’s two decades of Fascist rule—with its corruption, greed, and anti-Semitism—was unrelentingly violent and brutal.

Drawing on a rich cache of previously untranslated sources, prize-winning historian Caroline Moorehead illuminates the experiences of Ada, Frida, Silvia, and Bianca to tell the little-known story of the women of the Italian partisan movement fighting for freedom against fascism in all its forms, while Europe collapsed in smoldering ruins around them.


Review- A great overview of the Italian war front and what information we can find on the women who fought there. Moorehead, who is an excellent writer and researcher, turns her eye to Italy> There is so much information going on in this book at times it can be overwhelming but the women are barely there. At least that is what I felt like. I know that most of the problem is what the people in power at the time did not understand or see what the women give to be free but that makes this book less about them more about the italian front in general. That said it was interesting and I have never really read anything about Italy after it fell and what happened to the people who were trapped with the Italian fascists and the Nazis. Not my favorite of her books but still a solid read.


I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

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Today’s post is on Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis. It is 299 pages long and is published by Dial Books. The cover is grey with a blurred out picture of a girl in the center and the title underneath. There is some foul language, no sex, and some violence in this novel. The story is told from first person close of the main character, Lola. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- The daughter of a horror film director is not afraid of anything--until she gets to Harrow Lake.

Things I know about Harrow Lake:

1.It's where my father shot his most disturbing slasher film.

2.There's something not right about this town.

Lola Nox is the daughter of a celebrated horror filmmaker--she thinks nothing can scare her.

But when her father is brutally attacked in their New York apartment, she's quickly packed off to live with a grandmother she's never met in Harrow Lake, the eerie town where her father's most iconic horror movie was shot. The locals are weirdly obsessed with the film that put their town on the map--and there are strange disappearances, which the police seem determined to explain away.

And there's someone--or some thing--stalking her every move.

The more Lola discovers about the town, the more terrifying it becomes. Because Lola's got secrets of her own. And if she can't find a way out of Harrow Lake, they might just be the death of her.


Review- An intense and interesting thriller with a horror vibe. Lola has lived her whole life in her father’s shadow. From being kept with him at all times to having him take her stories and change them into something else. Lola has never been without him. Until after a fight about a move, Lola comes back to their apartment and finds him bleeding on the floor. That’s where we start with this novel and it never lets up. Lola is shipped off to stay with a grandmother she never knew about, in the town where her parents met, and the last place her mother was ever seen alive. The horror in this novel is of the creeping kind and it is very atmospheric. Some of the twists I saw coming but the big one about Lola herself I did not. I had a great time reading this novel and I would recommend it for horror/thriller fans.


I give this novel a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this novel from my local library.

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