Book ~ "K is for Killer" (1994) Sue Grafton

From Goodreads ~ When Kinsey Millhone answers her office door late one night, she lets in more darkness than she realizes. Janice Kepler is a grieving mother who can't let the death of her beautiful daughter, Lorna, alone. The police agree that Lorna was murdered but a suspect was never apprehended and the trail is now ten months cold. 

Kinsey pieces together Lorna's young life: a dull day job a the local water treatment plant spiced by sidelines in prostitution and pornography. She tangles with Lorna's friends: a local late-night DJ, a sweet funny teenaged hooker, Lorna's sloppy landlord and his exotic wife. 

But to find out which one, if any, turned killer, Kinsey will have to inhabit a netherworld from which she may never return.

It's the 1980s and Kinsey Millhone is a private detective in Santa Teresa, CA, in her thirties.  She is hired by Janice to investigate the death of her daughter, Lorna.  Lorna had been found dead and badly decomposed ten months earlier in her home and the police rules she had died naturally as a result of an allergic reaction.  Janice hasn't been coping well with Lorna's death and wants Kinsey to find out the truth.

Lorna was a receptionist at a water treatment plant by day and a successful high class prostitute by night.  As Kinsey investigates, she becomes friends with Danielle, a teenage prostitute, who hung out with Lorna.  Despite being hired by Lorna's mother, there is a lot of opposition to the investigation by Lorna's father and sisters.

I liked this book and found the story was okay.  The "whodunnit" is a bit convoluted, though, and there seemed to be a lot of information that could have been tighter or deleted.  It's written in first person perspective in Kinsey's voice.  As a head's up, there is swearing.

This is the eleventh in the "alphabet series" featuring Kinsey Millhone.  Though it is part of a series, it works as a stand alone.  I discovered this series in the mid-1990s and have read them all.  I started rereading them this year.  I read the latest, Y is for Yesterday, in October and with the author's death this week, Y is for Yesterday will be the end of the series.

Book ~ "Pre-Meditated Murder" (2018) Tracy Weber

From Goodreads ~ Yoga instructor Kate Davidson is ready to marry her boyfriend Michael, so she's disappointed when a special dinner doesn't end with a proposal. But disappointment turns to dismay and outrage as she learns the real problem: Michael is already married and his estranged wife is blackmailing him. 

When his wife's body is found - by Kate and her dog, no less - Michael is strangely unable to remember where he was the night she died. Since Michael has no alibi, Kate steps up to uncover what happened. What she walks into is a tangled web of deceit, obsession, and immigration fraud  ... with Michael trapped in the middle.

Kate owns a yoga studio (the author had a yoga studio in Seattle).  She is living with Michael, the owner of a pet store, and her special needs German Shepherd, Bella (based on the author's own dog, Tasha, who passed away in 2016).  On her birthday, Kate thinks Michael is going to pop "the question" but he doesn't.  It turns out that Michael is already married.  A couple years ago, he had married Gabriella, a girl he was dating, so she wouldn't be deported back to Mexico, with the agreement that they would stay married until she attained her U.S. citizenship. 

Michael had recently contacted her to ask for a divorce but Gabriella had responded that it would come at a cost ... $50,000 cash.  As a small business owner and just recently renovating their house, Michael can't afford to pay her.  Michael, Kate and Bella, along with Kate's best friend, Rene, and Rene's family (which includes her husband, twin babies and two puppies) travel to Michael's hometown to discuss the situation with Gabriella.  It doesn't go well and Gabriella is discovered murdered the next day.

With Kate's mother's boyfriend, Dean, as Michael's lawyer and Shannon, Michael's sister, and Rene helping, Kate starts to investigate to find out who really killed Gabriella.

This is the third book I've read by this author and I liked it.  It is the fifth in the Downward Dog series (I've read the first one and fourth one).   Though it is part of a series, it works as a stand alone ... I haven't read #2 or #3 and I never felt lost.  I liked the writing style.  It is written in first person perspective from Kate's point of view.

Book ~ "Parting Shot" (2017) Linwood Barclay

From Goodreads ~ If you made a mistake that took someone's life, you'd remember it ... wouldn't you?

After a tragedy rocks the community of Promise Falls, Cal Weaver is asked to investigate the threats being made to the accused's family. He's heard all about it on the news: the young man who drank too much, stole a Porsche and killed a girl and who claimed afterwards not to remember a single thing. The whole town is outraged that he got off lightly but for reasons Cal can't explain, he accepts the job. Then Cal finds himself caught up in a vicious revenge plot, chasing someone set on delivering retribution. In Cal's experience, it's only ever a matter of time before threats turn into action. 

Brian Gaffney wanders into the police station in Promise Falls claiming he had been abducted, possibly by aliens.  Detective Duckworth initially doesn't believe him but when the man shows him his back, Duckworth discovers a crude tattoo with a message.  As Duckworth hears Gaffney's story, it reminds him of another similar experience someone else recently had so he goes off to investigate to see if the two victims are linked somehow.

Cal Weaver is a private detective who has been hired to protect Jeremy Pilford.  Jeremy was recently acquitted on charges of killing his friend.  They had been partying, got drunk and Jeremy ran her over with the party host's car, killing her instantly.  Jeremy's lawyer got him off with the defense that he had been coddled by his mother all his life and didn't understand the consequences of his actions.  He became known as the "Big Baby" and the target of threats.

Duckworth and Weaver were characters in Barclay's Promise Falls trilogy, which I'd read but wasn't crazy about. I  enjoyed this book a lot more.  There are references to things that happened in the trilogy but this book is independent of that and works as a stand alone.

I've read many books by this author over the years ... some I've liked a lot and some not so much. I like the writing style in this one and was okay with the switching of perspectives ... sometimes it was third person perspective with the focus on wherever the action was and sometimes it was first person perspective (in Detective Duckworth's voice). As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

I liked the main characters, Duckworth and Weaver, and would be interested if the author started a new series with these two (I can see that happening).  I think they could work well together.  I wasn't crazy about Duckworth's son, Trevor.  Though he is an adult, he acted like a child at times.

The author is Canadian and the references to Canada are fun ... like Cal having a Toronto Blue Jays ball cap in his car.

Book ~ "No Regrets" (2018) Julie Moffett

From Goodreads ~ When I agreed to stand by my best friend, Basia, on her big day, I had no idea what I was in for. Bouquets and unflattering evening wear I can handle. But between disgruntled dates, a beach venue and suspicious packages, what else can go wrong? Oh, right - my parents don’t know I’ve moved in with Slash. Oops?

Thankfully, I’ve got everything semi under control, at least as far as Basia and Xavier know. They can leave for their honeymoon happy, knowing Elvis, Slash and I will keep things safe at home.

Meanwhile, Elvis and Xavier’s boss at ComQuest has asked X-Corp - well, me - to take a quick trip to retrieve a sensitive company package from the British Virgin Islands. No hacking involved. Just show up, accept the package and bring it home safely. A cushy assignment and a safe one. Right?

Wrong. Things start to unravel the minute I set foot on the boat to the island. Before I know it, I’m up to my neck in thugs, sand and trouble. I’m going to have to work fast to stop the bad guys before the sun sets for good on this unexpected beach vacation.

Lexi is a master hacker and director for X-Corp, an intelligence and security company.  Her best friends, Basia and Xavier, are getting married and Lexi is the maid of honour.  She loves that her friends are getting married but she's not looking forward to having such a big part in the ceremony and reception.  But her boyfriend, Slash, who is a government agent and fellow hacker, will be there for support.  What could go wrong at the wedding?  Well, lots!

After the wedding, Lexi accepts an assignment from Xavier's boss to go to the British Virgin Islands to pick up a package that was misdirected there.  An easy enough assignment, right?   Wrong!  Nothing with Lexi is easy and she has an Excel spreadsheet to prove it.

Though this is the tenth (and latest) in the Lexi Carmichael series, it works as a stand alone as you are provided with background.  I've like the series and have read them all.

It is written in first person perspective from Lexi's point of view.  I liked the writing style and there was humour.  There wasn't a lot of hacking but as usual, there was lots of adventure in the second part of the book.  It's been interesting to watch Lexi grow from being a geek with just one friend, no life and no social skills to not only having close friends, a boyfriend with whom she is now living with but also confidence.

Book ~ "Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady's Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners" (2016) Therese Oneill

From Goodreads ~ Have you ever wished you could live in an earlier, more romantic era?

Ladies, welcome to the 19th century, where there's arsenic in your face cream, a pot of cold pee sits under your bed and all of your underwear is crotchless. (Why? Shush, dear. A lady doesn't question.)

"Unmentionable" is your hilarious, illustrated, scandalously honest (yet never crass) guide to the secrets of Victorian womanhood, giving you detailed advice on:

• What to wear
• Where to relieve yourself 
• How to conceal your loathsome addiction to menstruating 
• What to expect on your wedding night 
• How to be the perfect Victorian wife 
• Why masturbating will kill you 
• And more

Irresistibly charming, laugh-out-loud funny, and featuring nearly 200 images from Victorian publications, "Unmentionable" will inspire a whole new level of respect for Elizabeth Bennett, Scarlet O'Hara, Jane Eyre and all of our great, great grandmothers.

(And it just might leave you feeling ecstatically grateful to live in an age of pants, super absorbency tampons, epidurals, anti-depressants and not-dying-of-the-syphilis-your-husband-brought-home.)

Apparently everything we love about the Victorian age isn't real.  In this book, the author becomes our guide to the REAL nineteenth century.  She tells us what we need to know to survive ... about toilets (or the lack of them), how to bind and cloak one's wobbly bits enough to not get arrested for solicitation, and how to conduct oneself in society to not be sent to the ice baths of an insane asylum.  We receive a refresher course on how to relate with men, since it was the most significant part of a Victorian lady's life.  We arrive in the nineteenth century as a young woman of some wealth, European descent and living in America or Western Europe.

The topics/chapters include:

1. Getting dressed:  how to properly hide your shame
2. Bowels into buckets:  nature is an obscene caller
3. The treacherous art of bathing
4. Menstruation:  you're doing it wrong
5. Diet:  you're a little bag of pudding
6. Beauty:  Scorch, slather and stuff
7. Courtship:  Not-talking your way into his heart
8. The wedding night or a bad bit of bumbo
9. Birth control and other affronts to God
10. Being a good wife:  how to avoid his eventual resentment for as long as possible
11. Running a proper household:  the gentle art of dictatorship
12. Public behavior:  avoiding score, dangers and museums
13. It's hysterical:  the least funny thing about Victoria life
14. The secret vice:  Where warts and tiny nipples come from

There was a lot of information provided which I thought was presented in a fun and interesting way.  The author backed up her information by providing a bibliography in the back.  I liked the writing style ... it was amusing and sarcastic.  Throughout the book, there are pictures, ads, etc. depicting the time.

It's amazing what the "experts" believed at the time.  I'm so glad I didn't live in those times!

Book ~ "A Newfoundlander in Canada: Always Going Somewhere, Always Coming Home" (2017) Alan Doyle

From Goodreads ~ Armed with the same personable, candid style found in his first book, Alan Doyle turns his perspective outward from Petty Harbour toward mainland Canada, reflecting on what it was like to venture away from the comforts of home and the familiarity of the island. 

Often in a van, sometimes in a bus, occasionally in a car with broken wipers "using Bob's belt and a rope found by Paddy's Pond" to pull them back and forth, Alan and his bandmates charted new territory, and he constantly measured what he saw of the vast country against what his forefathers once called the Demon Canada. 

In a period punctuated by triumphant leaps forward for the band, deflating steps backward and everything in between - opening for Barney the Dinosaur at an outdoor music festival, being propositioned at a gas station mail-order bride service in Alberta, drinking moonshine with an elderly church-goer on a Sunday morning in PEI - Alan's few established notions about Canada were often debunked and his own identity as a Newfoundlander was constantly challenged. 

Touring the country, he also discovered how others view Newfoundlanders and how skewed these images can sometimes be. Asked to play in front of the Queen at a massive Canada Day festival on Parliament Hill, the concert organizers assured Alan and his bandmates that the best way to showcase Newfoundland culture was for them to be towed onto stage in a dory and introduced not as Newfoundlanders but as "Newfies." The boys were not amused.

Heartfelt, funny and always insightful, these stories tap into the complexities of community and Canadianness, forming the portrait of a young man from a tiny fishing village trying to define and hold on to his sense of home while navigating a vast and diverse and wonder-filled country.

I'm a fan of Great Big Sea and had seen them many times in concert over the years.  I discovered them in the mid 1990s when they were just starting out.  Alan Doyle was one of the members in Great Big Sea.  I read his first book, Where I Belong, a couple years ago and enjoyed it.

This book is Alan's memoir and a collection of his memories, starting just after the band was formed in 1992.  He starts by giving a bit of history of how Newfoundland had joined Canada (or Canada joined Newfoundland, depending on your point of view) in 1949.  He then tells of his adventures in various cities and provinces across the country as Great Big Sea made their way from Newfoundland to British Columbia as their popularity and awareness grew.  He had lots of funny stories to tell such as finding accommodations and renting vehicles, partying with locals and the concert line-ups they were in (they have opened for Barney and Junkhouse!).

I liked the writing style ... I thought it was honest and humorous.  I bet Doyle would be a fun guy to sit and have a beer with.  The dialogue is great because it's written phonetically and I could hear Newfoundland accents when I read it (he devotes some time to acknowledging that Newfoundland has it's own dialect).  There is some swearing.

This was a fun and interesting book about a proud young Newfoundland band who played their version of traditional songs that started with not a lot but had dreams of making it big (which they have).  It would have been nice to include some pictures.  I'd recommend this book.

Book ~ "16th Seduction" (2017) James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

From Goodreads ~ Fifteen months ago, Detective Lindsay Boxer's life was perfect - she had a beautiful child and a doting husband, Joe, who helped her catch a criminal who'd brazenly detonated a bomb in downtown San Francisco, killing twenty-five people. 

But Joe wasn't everything that Lindsay thought he was and she's still reeling from his betrayal as a wave of mysterious, and possibly unnatural, heart attacks claims seemingly unrelated victims across San Francisco. As if that weren't enough, the bomber she and Joe captured is about to go on trial, and his defense raises damning questions about Lindsay and Joe's investigation. 

Not knowing whom to trust, and struggling to accept the truth about the man she thought she knew, Lindsay must connect the dots of a deadly conspiracy before a brilliant criminal puts her on trial.

Lindsay is a detective with the San Francisco Police Department.  She and her estranged husband, Joe, are having supper at a restaurant when a bomb explodes in the science centre across the street.  Of course, they both run over.  Joe dashes into the science centre and while inside is injured when a second bomb is detonated.  Outside a man confesses to Lindsay that he was responsible for the bombing and was in wonderment at what he had done.  Lindsay immediately arrests him and though he denies his confession the next day, he is charged and the case goes to court.

Another of Lindsay's cases is people are dying of apparent heart attacks.  Her friend, Claire, who is a medical examiner and member of the Women's Murder Club, suspects that these people are, in fact, being murdered.

This is the sixteenth in the Women's Murder Club series (I've read them all). Though it is part of a series, it does work as a stand alone.  There are four members of the Women's Murder Club ... Lindsay, Cindy, Claire and Yuki, though the focus is on Lindsay.

I liked the writing style and it went at a good pace. I liked the short choppy chapters.  I thought this book was okay.  I wasn't crazy about the bomber story and thought it and the trial was far fetched.  The same goes for the serial killer storyline.  The point of view shifted ... it was first person perspective when the focus was on Lindsay and third person perspective when the focus was on everyone else ... but it was easy to figure out.  As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

Book ~ "The Cure for Everything: Untangling Twisted Messages about Health, Fitness, and Happiness" (2012) Timothy Caulfield

From Goodreads ~ In "The Cure for Everything!" health-law expert Timothy Caulfield exposes the special interests that twist good science about health and fitness to sell us services and products that mostly don’t work. Want great abs? You won’t get them by using the latest Ab-Flex-Spinner-Thingy. Are you trying to lose ten pounds? Diet books are a waste of trees. Do you rely on healthcare practitioners - either mainstream or alternative - to provide the cure for what ails you? Then beware! Both Big Pharma and naturopathy are powerful twisting forces with products and services to sell.

Caulfield doesn’t just talk the talk. He signs up for circuit training with a Hollywood trainer who cultivates the abs of the stars. With his own Food Advisory Team (FAT) made up of specialists in nutrition and diet, he makes a lifestyle change that really works (mainly it involves eating less than he is used to eating ... much less) And when he embarks on a holiday cruise, dreading motion sickness, he takes along both a homeopathic and pharmaceutical remedy - with surprising results. 

This is a light-hearted book with a serious theme. Caulfield demonstrates that the truth about being healthy is easy to find (but often hard to do). 

Timothy Caulfield was the closing speaking at a pensions and benefits conference I attended in October.  I found him interesting and entertaining so thought I'd read some of his books.

Timothy Caulfield is a Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy, a Professor in the Faculty of Law and the School of Public Health, and Research Director of the Health Law Institute at the University of Alberta. His interdisciplinary research on topics like stem cells, genetics, research ethics, the public representations of science and health policy issues have allowed him to publish over 350 academic articles. He has won numerous academic and writing awards and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the Trudeau Foundation and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.

This book is about health and about the science associated with health.  There is a lot of information available to us about what to eat, whether to cleanse, whether to take supplements, how to exercise, whether you get your meridians centered, and more.  In this book, Caulfield seeks to answer the questions about these issues and other related questions.

He felt it was essential to experience the journey rather than just speak with the experts and read relevant research (his findings are listed in the large notes section of the book).  As such, there are four chapters in the book:

1. Fitness - he went to a personal trainer (he includes his recommended exercise routine)
2. Diet - he went on a diet (he includes his eating suggestions)
3. Genetics - he got his genes tested
4. Remedies - he tried different potions and procedures

Caulfield worked on the book for a year, interviewing experts and getting personally engaged in every topic he covered, before providing his conclusions.  In the process, he discovered some things about himself.

I like the writing style.  I'm not a science person and I understood for the most part what he was talking about.  If I wanted further information, I could check the notes section.  I found this to be an interesting read and I look forward to reading other books by this author.

Book ~ "I is for Innocent" (1992) Sue Grafton

From Goodreads ~ Lonnie Kingman is in a bind. He's smack in the middle of assembling a civil suit, and the private investigator who was doing his pretrial legwork has just dropped dead of a heart attack. In a matter of weeks the court's statute of limitations will put paid to his case. Five years ago David Barney walked when a jury acquitted him of the murder of his rich wife, Isabelle. Now Kingman, acting as attorney for the dead woman's ex-husband and their child (and sure that the jury made a serious mistake), is trying to divest David Barney of the profits of that murder. But time is running out, and David Barney still swears he's innocent.

When Kinsey Millhone agrees to take over Morley Shine's investigation, she thinks it is a simple matter of tying up the loose ends. Morley might have been careless about his health but he was an old pro at the business. So it comes as a real shock when she finds his files in disarray, his key informant less than credible, and his witnesses denying ever having spoken with him. It comes as a bigger shock when she finds that every claim David Barney has made checks out. But if Barney didn't murder his wife, who did? It would seem the list of candidates is a long one. In life, Isabelle Barney had stepped on a lot of toes.

It's the 1980s and Kinsey Millhone is a private detective in Santa Teresa, CA, in her thirties.  She is renting space from her lawyer, Lonnie Kingman.  Six years ago, David Barney was acquitted of killing his estranged wife, Isabelle Barney, by shooting her through the spy hole of her front door.  Isabelle's first husband, Kenneth Voigt, is suing David in the civil courts to secure the fortune for his and Isabelle's daughter, Shelby, and has hired Lonnie as his lawyer.  After Morley, Lonnie's private detective, passes away suddenly, Lonnie hires Kinsey to continue with the investigation.  Kinsey discovers that David has an alibi and everything he says seems to be true.  There are many who could have killed Isabelle so Kinsey doesn't lack possible killers.

In the meantime, William, the hypochondriac brother of her elderly landlord, Henry, is visiting from out of town.  He and Rosie, the cranky owner of the local Hungarian tavern, surprisingly hit it off.

I liked this book and found the story interesting.  I did find there were a lot of characters and I had a bit of a hard time remembering who was who.  It's written in first person perspective in Kinsey's voice.  As a head's up, there is swearing.

This is the ninth in the "alphabet series" featuring Kinsey Millhone.  Though it is part of a series, it works as a stand alone.  I discovered this series in the mid-1990s and have read them all.  Since the series will soon come to an end (I finished the latest, Y is for Yesterday, in October), I am starting at the beginning and rereading them.

Book ~ "The Late Show" (2017) Michael Connelly

From Goodreads ~ Renée Ballard works the night shift in Hollywood, beginning many investigations but finishing none, as each morning she turns her cases over to day shift detectives. A once up-and-coming detective, she's been given this beat as punishment after filing a sexual harassment complaint against a supervisor.

But one night she catches two cases she doesn't want to part with: the brutal beating of a prostitute left for dead in a parking lot and the killing of a young woman in a nightclub shooting. Ballard is determined not to give up at dawn. Against orders and her own partner's wishes, she works both cases by day while maintaining her shift by night. As the cases entwine, they pull her closer to her own demons and the reason she won't give up her job, no matter what the department throws at her.

Renée is a police officer who works the night shift (aka the late show).  She gets called out to investigations and then hands them over to the day shift officers.  Two cases happen one night that she has a hard time letting go and she ends up putting in lots of her own time with the goal of solving them.  One is a transgender prostitute who is found badly beaten and left for dead.  The victim is in a coma so Renée must do the digging on her own to figure out who had done it.  In doing so, she puts her own life in danger.  The other case is a shooting in a bar which Renée suspects may involve a dirty cop.  As she investigates these two cases, her superiors keep telling her to back off, which only makes her want to solve these cases even more.

This is the first book I've read by the author.  It caught my eye because I enjoy reading these kinds of books and the fact that it was a female detective made it sound more interesting.  I found, though, that is was a hard book to get into and I finally gave up on it about 75% of the way in.  I wasn't crazy about the writing style and I didn't feel any connection to Renée.  As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

Renée is a surfer in her spare time and that's how she gets rid of her stress and feels a connection to her father (who died in a surfing incident when she was a teenager).  There was too much time spent talking about surfing ... the water, paddling, cleaning and waxing a board, etc.  Even though she is a police officer, she is basically homeless.  She uses her grandmother's address (hours away) as her home address and spends a bit of time there.  She sleeps in a tent with her dog on the beach (she drops the dog off when she's working with a critter sitter) or she sleeps in the the "Honeymoon Suite" at the police station.

Though I didn't enjoy this book, I'm open to checking out others by this author.

Book ~ "J Is for Judgment" (1993) Sue Grafton

From Goodreads ~ Wendell Jaffe looks great for a dead man! He’s been six feet under for five years ago - until his former insurance agent spots him at a dusty resort bar in Mexico. Now California Fidelity wants its insurance money back. Can P.I. Kinsey Millhone get on the case?

Just two months earlier, Jaffe’s widow pocketed $500,000 in insurance benefits after Jaffe went overboard. Was his “pseudocide” a last-ditch effort to do right by his beloved wife? Perhaps. But how would that explain the new woman in Jaffe’s second life?

Kinsey is in for the long haul as she delves deeper into the mystery surrounding Jaffe’s life and death ... and discovers that, in family matters as in crime, sometimes it's better to reserve judgment.

It's the 1980s and Kinsey Millhone is a private detective in Santa Teresa, CA, in her thirties.  Wendell Jaffe was assumed to have died five years ago in a boating incident and his body was never found.  Just recently his wife was able to finally have him declared dead and collect on the insurance policy.  Two months later Jaffe, is seen vacationing in Mexico and Kinsey's former employer, California Fidelity Insurance who paid the insurance to Mrs. Jaffe, hires her to investigate.

Kinsey's parents had been killed in a car accident when she was very young and she was raised by her mother's aunt, Virginia.  While she was looking for Jaffe, who she suspects has returned to California, she discovers her late mother's family that she didn't know existed.

I liked this book and found the story interesting.  It's written in first person perspective in Kinsey's voice.  It's the first time that Kinsey's family has been introduced in her life.  Up until this point, she thought she had no relatives and she was okay with that.  As a head's up, there is swearing.

This is the tenth in the "alphabet series" featuring Kinsey Millhone.  Though it is part of a series, it works as a stand alone.  I discovered this series in the mid-1990s and have read them all.  Since the series will soon come to an end (I finished the latest, Y is for Yesterday, in October), I am starting at the beginning and rereading them.

Book ~ "Hardcore Twenty-four" (2017) Janet Evanovich

From Goodreads ~ Trouble comes in bunches for Stephanie Plum. First, professional grave robber and semi-professional loon, Simon Diggery, won’t let her take him in until she agrees to care for his boa constrictor, Ethel. Stephanie’s main qualification for babysitting an extremely large snake is that she owns a stun gun - whether that’s for use on the wandering serpent or the petrified neighbors remains to be seen.

Events take a dark turn when headless bodies start appearing across town. At first, it’s just corpses from a funeral home and the morgue that have had the heads removed. But when a homeless man is murdered and dumped behind a church Stephanie knows that she’s the only one with a prayer of catching this killer.

If all that’s not enough, Diesel’s back in town. The 6-foot-tall, blonde-haired hunk is a man who accepts no limits - that includes locked doors, closed windows and underwear. Trenton’s hottest cop, Joe Morelli isn’t pleased at this unexpected arrival nor is Ranger, the high-powered security consultant who has his own plans for Stephanie.

As usual Jersey’s favorite bounty hunter is stuck in the middle with more questions than answers. What’s the deal with Grandma Mazur’s latest online paramour? Who is behind the startling epidemic of mutilated corpses? And is the enigmatic Diesel’s sudden appearance a coincidence or the cause of recent deadly events?

Zombies are running wild in Trenton, NJ, and bodies are turning up with no heads.  Stephanie works for her bail bondsman cousin and Lulu is a former 'ho who works with her.  They have to take grave robber Diggery in because he missed his court date.  He has no problem with this as he figures he'll be safer in jail away from the zombies but he makes Stephanie promise that she will take care of his snake, Ethel, while he is gone.  Among the other cases she has, she's also looking for Slick Zero, an amateur videographer and blogger, who is hoping to catch the zombies on film. 

Diesel, a mysterious man who pops in and out of Stephanie's life and the author has spun off into another series, arrives and is staying at her place and, as usual, is putting the moves on her and she's having a hard time resisting.

Stephanie and Joe, the police officer, are still together and this relationship is still drifting.  Ranger, her former colleague, is still hot and lusting after Stephanie and she doesn't act very committed to Joe around him.

This is the 24th in the Stephanie Plum series and I've read them all.  As in previous books, Evanovich continues to follow her formula:

• Stephanie is lusting after Morelli and Ranger ... check
• Stephanie's mom's nerves are shot so drinks and irons/cooks ... check
• Grandma Masur is outrageous and checking out the viewings at the funeral home ... check
• Lulu talks about food all the time and gets offended when someone refers to her weight ... check
• Stephanie goes home to mooch meals from her parents ... check 
• Morelli calls Stephanie "Cupcake" and just wants to have sex with her ... check 
• Ranger calls Stephanie "Babe" and just wants to have sex with her with no commitment  ... check 
• Stephanie borrows Ranger's vehicles and destroys them ... check

I'm not into zombies so didn't find the storyline or the whodunnit exciting or interesting.  It's written in first person perspective from Stephanie's point of view.  There is some swearing and some adult situations.

Since it's basically the same story over and over, I stopped buying these books a long time ago and now borrow them from the library.  It's a mindless familiar read, though I didn't find I enjoyed this one much at all.

Book ~ "You Might Remember Me: The Life and Times of Phil Hartman" (2014) Mike Thomas

From Goodreads ~ Beloved comedic actor Phil Hartman is best known for his eight brilliant seasons on "Saturday Night Live", where his versatility and comedic timing resulted in some of the funniest and most famous sketches in the show’s history, including his hilarious impersonations of Frank Sinatra, Bill Clinton, and Charlton Heston and outrageous portrayals of the Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer and Anal Retentive Chef. He also starred as pompous radio broadcaster Bill McNeal in the NBC sitcom "NewsRadio" and voiced numerous classic roles on Fox’s long-running animated hit, "The Simpsons".

But Hartman's life was cut tragically short when he was shot to death while he slept by his jealous and intoxicated third wife, Brynn, who turned the gun on herself a few hours later. It was a Hollywood tragedy that captured the nation's attention.

Now, for the first time ever, the years and moments leading up to Phil’s stunning death are revealed in detail with insight gleaned from exclusive interviews with numerous famous cast mates, close friends, family members, letters, audio/video recordings, police records and more.

"You Might Remember Me" is both a celebration of Phil Hartman’s multi-faceted career and an exhaustively reported, warts-and-all examination of his often intriguing and sometimes troubled life - a powerful and at times harrowing portrait of a man who was loved and admired by millions and taken from them far too early. 

Phil Hartman (1948 - 1998) was an actor.  He was born and lived in Brantford, Ontario, until his family moved to the States when he was about ten.  He graduated from university with a graphic arts degree and designed album covers for bands like Poco and America. 

Hartman joined the comedy group The Groundlings in 1975, where he met Paul Reubens and helped him develop his Pee-wee Herman character (he co-wrote the film Pee-wee's Big Adventure and was Captain Carl on Pee-wee's Playhouse).  In 1986, he joined Saturday Night Live and was on the show for eight years.  In 1995, he starred as Bill McNeal in NewsRadio.  He also had voice roles on The Simpsons, from seasons two to ten, in addition to being in movies.

Hartman was married three times (and divorced twice) and had two children with his third wife, Britt, who he married in 1987.  In May 1998, while drunk and on drugs, Britt shot Phil while he was asleep and a couple hours later killed herself.  Their two young children were raised by Britt's sister.

This book covers Hartman's life from the time his family was living in Brantford to his death, and includes the aftermath of his death with the investigation, tributes from his friends and family, and his memorials.

I liked Phil Hartman and thought his death was tragic.  I liked the writing style of this book and found his story interesting.  There was a lot of information and I found it was at a good level (detailed but not too detailed).  At the end of the book, there are lots of pictures of Hartman throughout the years and a bibliography. 

If you are a Phil Hartman fan, I think you will enjoy this book.

Book ~ "The Moscow Code" (2017) Nick Wilkshire

From Goodreads ~ Ottawa bureaucrat–turned-diplomat Charlie Hillier is back. Having barely survived his first posting in Havana, Charlie is eager to put what he learned there to good use. And it isn’t long before he's thrust into a fresh case - a technical writer from Toronto in a Moscow jail on dubious drug charges. Charlie has barely put a dent in the brick wall that is the Russian legal system when the jailed man turns up dead, the official explanation: suicide. And just when evidence to the contrary is discovered, the body is “accidentally” cremated by the authorities.

Undeterred by bureaucratic stonewalling and determined to help the victim’s sister get to the bottom of her brother’s death, Charlie follows the sparse clues available. But what he uncovers brings them both far too close to powers more dangerous than they could have imagined. Suddenly, getting at the truth is less important than getting out of Russia in one piece. 

Charlie is middle-aged, divorced and working with Foreign Affairs, reporting to headquarters in Ottawa.  He recently transferred from a posting in Havana to Moscow.  He meets Steve, a fellow Canadian who is a technical writer working in Moscow.  Steve has been in jail after being picked up at a party ... he was apparently the only foreigner there without a passport.

As Charlie works to help him, Steve is found dead in his cell of an apparent suicide.  Charlie breaks the news to Sophie, Steve's sister, who travels from Toronto to Moscow take her brother's body home.  The body, though, ends up being accidentally cremated after Sophie identifies it.  Sophie is a doctor and sees some signs to make her suspect that Steve's death wasn't a suicide after all.  She looks to Charlie for help to find out what really happened.

This is the second and latest in the A Foreign Affairs Mystery series (I read the first one last year) and the second book I've read by this author.  It is written in third person perspective, from Charlie's point of view.  For the most part, I liked the story and characters,  I found it confusing at times, though, and had a hard time keeping the Russian characters straight (who they were, what they did and how it pertained to the story).  As a head's up, there is swearing and adult activity.

I look forward to reading more in this series.

Book ~ "Copycat" (2017) Alex Lake

From Goodreads ~ Sarah Havenant discovers – when an old friend points it out – that there are two Facebook profiles in her name.

One, she recognizes: it is hers. The other, she has never seen. But everything in it is accurate. Recent photos of her and her friends, her and her husband, her and her kids. Even of her new kitchen. A photo taken inside her house.

She is bemused, angry, and worried. Who was able to do this? Any why?

But this, it soon turns out, is just the beginning. It is only now – almost as though someone has been watching, waiting for her to find the profile – that her problems really start.

Sarah is a doctor and her husband, Ben, is a lawyer.  They are happily married with three children.  Sarah discovers one day that she has two Facebook profiles, one is hers and one is a fake.  The fake one looks so real as it has pictures of her and her family and friends and true updates.  After Sarah discovers the Facebook profile, strange things start to happen to her that makes her family and friends start to question her sanity.  Is Sarah going crazy or is someone out to get her and if so, why?

I thought this story was just okay ... it started out well but then fell flat for me towards the end.  When the "whodunnit" was revealed, I wasn't surprised at the "who" but I thought the "why" was ridiculous and wasn't buying it.  I thought the "who" and "why" could have been so much better and believable.  The story wrapped up very quickly with someone suddenly figuring out the "whodunnit" within seconds.

The writing is in third person perspective with the focus on wherever the action is.  As a head's up, there is swearing, adult activity and violence.  Though the story is set in the U.S., it was obvious the author is English because of their use of terms for things ... a North American wouldn't refer to sleeping in as a "lie-in" and wouldn't say "erm" instead of "um.  As such, it could have been edited better for a North American market considering Sarah is supposed to be an American.  Plus there was a point where the author got her characters mixed up ... Sarah was having a conversation with someone but the wrong name was written.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I'll check out other books he's written.

Book ~ "H is for Homicide" (1991) Sue Grafton

From Goodreads ~ H IS FOR HUSTLER

When PI Kinsey Millhone's good friend and colleague, Parnell Perkins, is found murdered in the parking lot behind California Fidelity Insurance, she can't believe he had any enemies. The only clue that raises a red flag for Kinsey is one of Parnell's files on a Bibianna Diaz, who appears to have made a lucrative career out of scamming insurance companies with phony claims.

H IS FOR HAZARDOUS

Taking an alias, Kinsey goes undercover to befriend Bibianna, hoping she'll get close enough to catch the con artist at her own game. But Kinsey never dreams that hanging out with Bibianna will get them both thrown in jail. And when they're released, Bibianna's very jealous, very dangerous ex-fiancé, Raymond Maldonado, is waiting for them.

H IS FOR HOMICIDE

Kinsey soon discovers the short-tempered thug is the kingpin behind Bibianna's and countless other phony insurance claims. But was Raymond also responsible for Parnell's death? All Kinsey knows is that she'll have to think quick to nab one of the most treacherous criminals she's come face to face with - and keep herself alive.

Kinsey Millhone is a private detective in Santa Teresa, CA, and is in her thirties.  She does occasional freelance work for an insurance company in return for office space.  She is working on the claim file of a woman named Bibianna for possible car insurance fraud.  To get close to Bibianna, Kinsey pretends to be Hannah Moore.

Bibianna has an ex-boyfriend named Raymond, who wants her back in Los Angeles ... bad enough that he sends his brother to bring her to get her.  It doesn't work out as Raymond planned and Kinsey ends up getting arrested with Bibianna to stay close to her.  There she's approached by the police to go undercover to get more information on Raymond, who they suspect is the head of huge car insurance fraud ring.  When they are released from jail, Raymond is there and, against their will, takes them back to Los Angeles.

I wasn't crazy about this story.  I found it hard to believe that Kinsey would risk her life and allow herself to be basically kidnapped for about a week by a psycho like Raymond.  Though watched, she did have opportunities to leave and/or contact the police but she hung on to get evidence on Raymond.

The story is written in first person perspective in Kinsey's voice.  I didn't find many of the characters likable and since she was out of town for this book, I missed Henry and Rosie.  As a head's up, there is swearing and adult activity.

This is the eighth in the "alphabet series" featuring Kinsey Millhone.  I discovered this series in the mid-1990s and have read them all.  Since the series will soon come to an end (I finished the latest, Y is for Yesterday, last month), I am starting at the beginning and rereading them.  They are all set in the 1980s before everyone had a computer, cell phone, people still smoke in public places, etc.  Raymond did have a "car phone", though.

Book ~ "The Book of Business Awesome/The Book of Business UnAwesome" (2012) Scott Stratten

From Goodreads ~ UnAwesome is UnAcceptable. "The Book of Business Awesome" is designed as two short books put together - one read from the front and the other read from the back when flipped over. 

Covering key business concepts related to marketing, branding, human resources, public relations, social media, and customer service, "The Book of Business Awesome" includes case studies of successful businesses that gained exposure through being awesome and effective. This book provides actionable tools enabling readers to apply the concepts immediately to their own businesses. 

The flip side of the book, "The Book of Business UnAwesome," shares the train-wreck stories of unsuccessful businesses and showcases what not to do.

Ensure that your business remains awesome, instead of unawesome, and apply these awesomely effective strategies to your business today. 

This is actually two books in one:

1. The Book of Business Awesome - How Engaging Your Customers and Employees Can Make Your Business Thrive
2. The Book of Business UnAwesome - The Cost of Not Listening, Engaging or Being Great at What You Do

The Book of Business Awesome

According to Scott, to be awesome in business, you can't mandate being awesome and you can't demand it.  You have to hire awesome.  You have to inspire awesome in others and you have to be your awesome self.  Loyalty is building through amazing experiences.  It is the front line who have the first and most important contact with customers but they are often the lowest paid and least appreciated.  This book looks at how the impact of a company's brand lies with every area in a business (marketing, HR, PR, etc.) and how to build relationships.  There are many examples of how businesses have gone above and beyond in creating excellent customer experiences regardless of the role of the employee in the company.  As an educator/trainer, I found the tips for speakers interesting and helpful.

The Book of Business UnAwesome

The book focuses on how to be unawesome ... wasting time and money rather than focusing on your employees, ignoring and/or being rude to customers, making things difficult for customers, inappropriate and/or not well-thought out social media messages, etc.  Throughout this book, there are examples of hall of shamers.

I liked the writing style of the two books.  It is conversational, casual and amusing.  I think Scott would be a fun guy to sit down and talk with.  I read this book on my iPad and there are lots of links which I found myself going to as I was reading to learn more about the experiences Scott talked about.

I look forward to reading his other books and hope sometime to see one of his keynotes.

Book ~ "Crying for the Moon: A Novel" (2017) Mary Walsh

From Goodreads ~ Raised on tough love in St. John’s, Maureen is the second-youngest daughter of a bitter and angry mother and a beaten-down father who tells the best stories (but only when he’s drunk). If life at home is difficult, then school is torture, with the nuns watching every move she makes. But Maureen wants a bigger life. She wants to go to sexy, exciting Montreal and be part of Expo 67, even if it means faking her way into the school choir.

Finally achieving her goal of reaching Montreal, Maureen escapes the vigilant eye of Sister Imobilis and sneaks away, and over the course of a few hours, one humiliating encounter with a young Leonard Cohen and a series of breathtakingly bad decisions change the course of her life forever.

It's July 1967 and Maureen is a teenager living in St. John's, Newfoundland.  Expo '67 was held in Montreal and in the July of that year, Maureen manages to weasel her way onto the local choir because they were heading to Montreal to perform.  In Montreal, she and her friend, Carleen, are able to escape the nuns and party.  Carleen decides to stay in Montreal with a sleazebag she'd just met and Maureen heads back to Newfoundland.  Once home, she discovers she is pregnant, a situation her dominating mother (aka Sarge) takes care of.

Shortly thereafter Maureen is living with Bo.  Bo is abusive and is always viciously beating her up, whether they are sober or drunk.  He is eventually found dead and the police, knowing Bo and Maureen's history, look at her as the suspect.

I had high hopes when I started this book but it just kept getting more and more dreary and boring as it went on.  The writing could have been tighter so therefore the story shorter.  I felt there was a lot of information, details and rambling that wasn't needed.  I gave up when I got about three-quarters of the way in and skimmed to the end.  As a head's up, there is swearing, adult activity and violence.  I'm originally from Nova Scotia so it was fun to read the lingo that I haven't heard in years.

I didn't find any of the characters likable.  I couldn't find any sympathy for Maureen and the predicaments she had gotten herself into.  Growing up, her home life wasn't the best but she didn't do anything to better herself and rise above it when she got to be an adult.  She continued to wallow in it and let her upbringing beat her down.  I found it ridiculous that Maureen, who wasn't overly bright or motivated, would put herself in danger trying to find out who was responsible for Bo's death.  Her parents were awful and it was sad and unnecessary that a "retarded" older sister who her mother abused was part of the story.

Book ~ "F is for Fugitive" (1989) Sue Grafton

From Goodreads ~ When Kinsey Millhone first arrives in Floral Beach, California, it’s hard for her to picture the idyllic coastal town as the setting of a brutal murder. Seventeen years ago, the body of Jean Timberlake - a troubled teen who had a reputation with the boys - was found on the beach. Her boyfriend, Bailey Fowler, was convicted of her murder and imprisoned, but he escaped.

After all this time, Bailey’s finally been captured. Believing in his son’s innocence, Bailey’s father wants Kinsey to find Jean’s real killer. But most of the residents in this tight-knit community are convinced Bailey strangled Jean. So why are they so reluctant to answer Kinsey’s questions? If there’s one thing Kinsey’s got plenty of it’s persistence. And that’s exactly what it’s going to take to crack the lid on this case.

As Kinsey gets closer to solving Jean’s murder, the more dirty little secrets she uncovers in a town where everyone has something to hide - and a killer will kill again to keep the past buried.

Kinsey Millhone is a private detective in Santa Teresa, CA, and is in her thirties.  She has been hired by Royce Fowler, whose son, Bailey, was arrested 17 years ago for murdering his teenage girlfriend, Jean.  Bailey had escaped from prison shortly thereafter and had been recently found.  Royce, who is dying of cancer, wants Kinsey to find out who the real killer is so Bailey can be released.

As Kinsey begins to investigate, she discovers that Jean had been promiscuous so there are many who could have killed her.  Everyone in the town, though, has no doubt that Bailey killed her except his family.

I thought this book was okay.  I liked the writing style.  It is written in first person perspective in Kinsey's voice.  I didn't find many of the characters likable and since she was out of town for this book, I missed Henry and Rosie.  I was okay with the "whodunnit".  As a head's up, there is swearing.

This is the sixth in the "alphabet series" featuring Kinsey Millhone.  I discovered this series in the mid-1990s and have read them all.  Since the series will soon come to an end (I finished the latest, Y is for Yesterday, a couple weeks ago), I am starting at the beginning and rereading them.  They are all set in the 1980s before everyone had a computer, cell phone, people still smoke in public places, etc.

Book ~ "QR Codes Kill Kittens: How to Alienate Customers, Dishearten Employees, and Drive Your Business Into the Ground" (2013) Scott Stratten

From Goodreads ~ Experts are constantly telling us what we need to be doing to improve our businesses. Hundreds of books in the market are filled with advice from these experts. But how can you filter out all of the bad advice, misinformation, and misuse of business tools that is out there? None of us needs another list of what we should be doing. "QR Codes Kill Kittens" tells you what not to do. Easy to digest, easy to avoid. The book is separated into several sections, and each will include a story related to the topic in addition to tips and explanations on what not to do.

Includes real-life examples along with tips and guidance on experts, human resources, marketing/branding, networking (in person and online), public relations, and customer service.

It doesn't do you any good to do a few things right and a lot of things wrong. Find out what not to do. If reading this book saves just one kitten's life, it's worth it. 

I've read a couple books by Scott Stratten and find them interesting.  This book is about QR (quick response) codes, which is a kind of bar code.  To read them, you download a QR code-reading app which will allow you to scan the code.  It is supposed to take you to a website, download a link or take you to a mobile-friendly destination.  I've never downloaded a QR code-reading app so I haven't had the experience of seeing what happens when one does ... so I thought I'd see if I was missing out on anything.  As it turns out, Scott's not a fan of them.

There are four chapters, which are reasons for not using QR codes:

1. They don't work
2. Nobody likes them
3. They are selfish
4. They take up valuable time better spent elsewhere

Within the chapters are lots of examples of why/how not to use QR codes, plus other faux pas and Scott's commentary on them.  There are occasional lists of what causes a kitten to die ... like any time someone asks to have an original faxed over, not a copy, or whenever a company promotes from within without basing it on merit.

I liked the writing style.  It is very conversational, casual and amusing.  He seems like he'd be a fun guy to sit down and talk with.  I look forward to reading his other books and hope sometime to see one of his keynotes.