Book ~ "Freak" (2012) Jennifer Hillier

From Goodreads ~ Sitting alone in a maximum-security prison cell, Abby Maddox is a celebrity. Her claim to fame is the envy of every freak on the outside: she’s the former lover of Ethan Wolfe, the killer who left more than a dozen dead women in his wake and nearly added Puget Sound State professor Sheila Tao to the tally. Now Abby, serving a nine-year sentence for slashing a police officer’s throat in a moment of rage, has little human contact - save for the letters that pour in from demented fans, lunatics, and creeps. But a new wave of murders has given Abby a possible chance for a plea bargain - because this killer has been sending her love letters, and carving a message on the bodies of the victims: Free Abby Maddox.

Jerry Isaac will never forget the attack - or his attacker. The hideous scarring and tortured speech are daily reminders that the one-time Seattle PD officer, now a private investigator, is just lucky to be alive. Abby Maddox deserves to rot in jail - forever, as far as Jerry’s concerned. But she alone may possess crucial evidence - letters from this newest killer - that could crack open the disturbing case. With the help of Professor Sheila Tao, seasoned police detective Mike Torrance, and intuitive criminology student Danny Mercy, Jerry must coax the shattering truth from isolated, dangerous Abby Maddox. Can he put the pieces together before Abby’s number one fan takes another life in the name of a killer’s perverted idea of justice?

Ethan had been a teaching assistant to Sheila, a professor, and they had an affair. When she broke up with him, he didn't take it well and he kidnapped her. They were eventually found and Ethan was killed. Ethan had apparently killed many women and it is suspected that Abby, his girlfriend, was also involved, though she denies it. She is serving a nine year sentence in prison for slashing the throat of Jerry, a private detective, so she could escape when it was discovered what Ethan had done.

A year later, women who look like Abby are murdered and "Free Abby Maddox" is carved into their backs. Abby agrees to help catch the murderer if she is moved into a minimum security prison. As much as Jerry despises Abby for what she did to him, he agrees to help Mike, his ex-partner police officer, in doing what he has to do to save women's lives.

I've liked other books by this author and thought this one was ridiculous. It is written in third person perspective with a focus on where the action was. It was unbelievable how Abby was able to manipulate everyone just so she could get revenge on Sheila. It was gross how Jerry kept scratching at is scar. Though it is second in the Creep series, it works as a stand alone but I would suggest you read the first one first so you get the full background. As a head's up, there is swearing and extreme violence.

Book ~ "Creep" (2011) Jennifer Hillier

From Goodreads ~ If he can’t have her ...

Dr. Sheila Tao is a professor of psychology. An expert in human behavior. And when she began an affair with sexy, charming graduate student Ethan Wolfe, she knew she was playing with fire. Consumed by lust when they were together, riddled with guilt when they weren’t, she knows the three-month fling with her teaching assistant has to end. After all, she’s finally engaged to a kind and loving investment banker who adores her and she’s taking control of her life. But when she attempts to end the affair, Ethan Wolfe won’t let her walk away.

... no one else can.

Ethan has plans for Sheila, plans that involve posting a sex video that would surely get her fired and destroy her prestigious career. Plans to make her pay for rejecting him. And as she attempts to counter his every threatening move without her colleagues or her fiancé discovering her most intimate secrets, a shattering crime rocks Puget Sound State University: a female student, a star athlete, is found stabbed to death. Someone is raising the stakes of violence, sex, and blackmail ... and before she knows it, Sheila is caught in a terrifying cat-and-mouse game with the lover she couldn’t resist - who is now the monster who won’t let her go.

Sheila is a professor, who while dating a banker named Morris, has an affair with Ethan, her much younger teaching assistant. When Morris proposes, Sheila breaks it off with Ethan but Ethan isn't going to make it easy for her. He threatens to publish a video of them and tell everyone about their affair. Eventually Sheila realizes she has to be honest with Morris about it and hopes he'll understand and still want to marry her. When Ethan discovers she's done this, he decides that if he can't have her no one can and arranges for Sheila to disappear. Morris can't believe she would leave like that and suspects something has happened to her and doesn't give up looking for her.

I've liked other books by this author and thought this one was okay. It is written in third person perspective with a focus on where the action was. I thought some of the actions were extreme and unbelievable but went with it ... like how Ethan got away with what he did and that Morris could perhaps forgive Sheila after all that had happened. There were a lot of addictions, which was excessive ... I thought picking one would have been enough for the story. As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

Book ~ "Jar of Hearts" (2018) Jennifer Hillier

From Goodreads ~ This is the story of three best friends: one who was murdered, one who went to prison, and one who's been searching for the truth all these years.

When she was sixteen years old, Angela Wong - one of the most popular girls in school - disappeared without a trace. Nobody ever suspected that her best friend, Georgina Shaw, now an executive and rising star at her Seattle pharmaceutical company, was involved in any way. Certainly not Kaiser Brody, who was close with both girls back in high school.

But fourteen years later, Angela Wong's remains are discovered in the woods near Geo's childhood home. And Kaiser - now a detective with Seattle PD - finally learns the truth: Angela was a victim of Calvin James. The same Calvin James who murdered at least three other women.

To the authorities, Calvin is a serial killer. But to Geo, he's something else entirely. Back in high school, Calvin was Geo's first love. Turbulent and often volatile, their relationship bordered on obsession from the moment they met right up until the night Angela was killed.

For fourteen years, Geo knew what happened to Angela and told no one. For fourteen years, she carried the secret of Angela's death until Geo was arrested and sent to prison.

While everyone thinks they finally know the truth, there are dark secrets buried deep. And what happened that fateful night is more complex and more chilling than anyone really knows. Now the obsessive past catches up with the deadly present when new bodies begin to turn up, killed in the exact same manner as Angela Wong.

How far will someone go to bury her secrets and hide her grief? How long can you get away with a lie? How long can you live with it?

In high school, Geo, Angela and Kaiser were best friends. When Geo met Calvin, who was a couple years older than them, they started dating and she became obsessed with him, even though he was physically and emotionally abusive to her. One night after a party, Angela is killed and rather than tell anyone, Geo has kept it a secret all these years. Everyone thinks Angela ran away.

Fourteen years later, Geo is a VP with a pharmaceutical company and engaged. Angela's body is found chopped up and buried in the woods near the house Geo grew up in. Evidence shows that Calvin killed Angela and Geo had helped. Kaiser, who is now a police officer, arrests her. She testifies against Calvin and is sent to prison for five years, needless to say losing her job and her beau.

When Geo gets out of prison, she tries to pick up her life again but people don't forget. Plus there is serial killer on the loose killing and chopping up women and murdering young children and Calvin, who had escaped from prison, is the suspect because it's so similar to Angela's murder. Kaiser suspects Calvin is trying to give Geo a message and investigates.

I've liked other books by this author but didn't like this one ... it was sooooooo negative. It is written in third person perspective with a focus on where the action was. The timeline shifts back and forth from the past (to give you the backstory to present day). The "whodunnit" at the end was ridiculous and unbelievable. None of the characters were likeable. As a head's up, there is swearing and violence (multiple rapes).

Book ~ "Wonderland" (2015) Jennifer Hillier

From Goodreads ~ Welcome to Wonderland. By day, it’s a magical place boasting a certain retro charm. Excited children, hands sticky with cotton candy, run frenetically from the Giant Octopus ride to the Spinning Sombrero, while the tinkling carnival music of the giant Wonder Wheel - the oldest Ferris wheel in the Pacific Northwest - fills the air. But before daybreak, an eerie feeling descends. Maybe it’s the Clown Museum, home to creepy wax replicas of movie stars and a massive collection of antique porcelain dolls. Or maybe it’s the terrifyingly real House of Horrors. Or maybe it’s the dead, decaying body left in the midway for all the Wonder Workers to see.

Vanessa Castro’s first day as deputy police chief of Seaside, Washington, is off to a bang. The unidentifiable homeless man rotting inside the tiny town’s main tourist attraction is strange enough but now a teenage employee - whose defiant picture at the top of the Wonder Wheel went viral that same morning - is missing. As the clues in those seemingly disparate crimes lead her down a mysterious shared path of missing persons that goes back decades, she suspects the seedy rumors surrounding the amusement park’s dark history might just be true. She moved to Seaside to escape her own scandalous past but has she brought her family to the center of an insidious killer’s twisted game?

Vanessa was a police officer in Seattle and recently moved back to her hometown of Seaside to take on the role of deputy police chief.  On her first day on the job, she is called to Wonderland, a tourist traction that keeps the town alive, because the a decaying body, nicknamed Homeless Harry, has been found under the ferris wheel. That's the same ferris wheel Blake, a Wonderland employee, climbed last night and took a selfie and posted on social media before he disappeared. And the security guard didn't show up for work. Are they connected? As Vanessa investigates, she discovers many secrets have been covered up by the police chief, the former deputy police chief and the town. Since she's new in town, she doesn't have the same loyalties and she's determined to find out what's going on.

I've read other books by this author and I thought this one was okay. It is written in third person perspective with a focus on where the action was. I wasn't crazy about the "whodunnit" at the end and thought the reason of why they did what they did wasn't realistic. I found the allure of Bianca, the CEO of Wonderland, unbelievable that she could attract and get pretty well EVERY man who worked there. As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

Book ~ "Little Secrets" (2020) Jennifer Hillier

From Goodreads ~ Marin had the perfect life. Married to her college sweetheart, she owns a chain of upscale hair salons and Derek runs his own company. They're admired in their community and are a loving family - until their world falls apart the day their son Sebastian is taken.

A year later, Marin is a shadow of herself. The FBI search has gone cold. The publicity has faded. She and her husband rarely speak. She hires a P.I. to pick up where the police left off but instead of finding Sebastian, she learns that Derek is having an affair with a younger woman. This discovery sparks Marin back to life. She's lost her son; she's not about to lose her husband, too. Kenzie is an enemy with a face, which means this is a problem Marin can fix.

Permanently.

All it takes to unravel a life is one little secret.

It's Christmas and Marin and her young son, Sebastian, are at the market. She is distracted by a phone call and a few seconds later discovers Sebastian is gone. More than a year later, Sebastian has never been found and Marin lives with terrible guilt. Even after the police and FBI give up looking for Sebastian, Marin holds out hope that he will be found and has had a private detective still looking. When the private detective calls her with an update, Marin assumes it's news about Sebastian but it's not ... Derek, her husband, has been having a six month affair with Kenzie, a younger woman. For the first time in a long time, Marin feels something ... rage ... and she wants Kenzie gone permanently. As it turns out, she has a friend who has a friend who can make that happen.

I've read other books by this author and like the others, I liked it. I thought the story moved along at a good pace, going back and forth in time, providing backstories. I found it odd, though, that Marin would blame Kenzie for the affair and want her killed rather than Derek. It is written in third person perspective with a focus on where the action was. As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

Book ~ "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing" (2022) Matthew Perry

From Goodreads ~ The star of "Friends" takes us behind the scenes of the hit sitcom and his struggles with addiction in this candid, funny, and revelatory memoir that delivers a powerful message of hope and persistence.

“Hi, my name is Matthew, although you may know me by another name. My friends call me Matty. And I should be dead.”

So begins the story of actor Matthew Perry, taking us along on his journey from childhood ambition to fame to addiction and recovery in the aftermath of a life-threatening health scare. Before the frequent hospital visits and stints in rehab, there was five-year-old Matthew, who traveled from Montreal to Los Angeles, shuffling between his separated parents; fourteen-year-old Matthew, who was a nationally ranked tennis star in Canada; twenty-four-year-old Matthew, who nabbed a coveted role as a lead cast member on the talked-about pilot then called "Friends Like Us" and so much more.

In a story that only he could tell, Matthew Perry lays bare the fractured family that raised him (and also left him to his own devices), the desire for recognition that drove him to fame and the void inside him that could not be filled even by his greatest dreams coming true. But he also details the peace he’s found in sobriety and how he feels about the ubiquity of "Friends", sharing stories about his castmates and other stars he met along the way. Frank, self-aware and with his trademark humor, Perry vividly depicts his lifelong battle with addiction and what fueled it despite seemingly having it all.

I like bios/autobios and I was a fan of Friends, liked the Chandler Bing character and like some of Matthew Perry's movies so was l interested in reading his memoir.

The book starts with Perry's parents splitting up when he was a baby and his father dropping him and his young mom off in Niagara Falls to be picked up by her father to live in Canada while he headed off to California to be a singer and actor. Perry was raised in Ottawa by his mother and stepfather, who had careers so couldn't be with him every second of the day. In his teens, he moved to California to live with his father and his father's new family. Perry's goal was to be an actor and famous ... and he had it all but it still wasn't enough.

While I appreciated his honesty in telling his story of his addictions and relapses over the years, I was surprised at how unlikeable I found him.  He feels he was never "enough" and blamed this on feeling abandoned during his childhood ... most people have a worse childhood than he did and we carry on.

I thought it was odd that he would dish dirt on his brief liaisons with stars like Valerie Bertinelli, Gwyneth Paltrow and Julia Roberts but not name names on his more serious relationships like the six year one he had with Lizzy Caplan (who he'd wanted to marry but didn't have the guts to ask). When he wasn't in a relationship, his goal was to get laid with as many women as he could. He was a braggart, constantly saying how much he made, how much money he has and how expensive his homes and cars were.

I was interesting to get the scoop on the shows and movies he was in.  I found the writing repetitive and jumped around without indicating what the timeline was at times and not funny. As a head's up, there is a lot of swearing and F-bombs.

Book ~ "Please Join Us" (2022) Catherine McKenzie

From Goodreads ~ At thirty-nine, Nicole Mueller’s life is on the rocks. Her once brilliant law career is falling apart. She and her husband, Dan, are soon to be forced out of the apartment they love. After a warning from her firm’s senior partners, she receives an invitation from an exclusive women’s networking group, Panthera Leo. Membership is anonymous but every member is a successful professional. It sounds like the perfect solution to help Nicole revive her career. So despite Dan’s concerns that the group might be a cult, Nicole signs up for their retreat in Colorado.

Once there, she meets the other women who will make up her Pride. A CEO, an actress, a finance whiz, a congresswoman: Nicole can’t believe her luck. The founders of Panthera Leo are equally as impressive. They explain the group’s core philosophy: they’re a girl’s club in a boy’s club world.

Nicole is all in. And when she gets home, she soon sees dividends. Her new network quickly provides her with clients that help her relaunch her career and a great new apartment too. The favours she has to provide in return seem benign. But then she’s called to the congresswoman’s apartment late at night where she’s pressed into helping her cover up a crime. And suddenly, Dan’s concerns that something more sinister is at play seem all too relevant. Can Nicole extricate herself from the group before it’s too late? Or will joining Panthera Leo be the biggest mistake of her life?

Nicole is a partner at a law firm but because she's not gathering enough "points", her boss tells her that unless she bills more hours and brings in more clients, her job is on the line. She and her husband, Dan, are renting his elderly aunt Penny's apartment with the understanding that when she passes away, Nicole and Dan will be able to buy the apartment from the estate.

Around this time, Nicole receives an invitation to join a women's group, Panthera Leo. There is an initiation retreat in Colorado where she and other successful women have to earn their place in their Pride. Once she's done this, Nicole starts to see the benefits of being part of the group. She and Dan are offered a great apartment at a low rent, a huge case is dropped on her lap, etc. But then she starts to see the cost of these benefits and wonders if it's worth it.

I thought the premise of this book sounded good ... girl power! But it found the ending convoluted and then more convoluted and unbelievable. I had a hard time buying all the connections and that someone smart enough to be a lawyer would get sucked in like this. It's written in first person perspective in Nicole's voice. As a head's up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "The Butcher" (2014) Jennifer Hillier

From Goodreads ~ A rash of grisly serial murders plagued Seattle until the infamous "Beacon Hill Butcher" was finally hunted down and killed by police chief Edward Shank in 1985. Now, some thirty years later, Shank, retired and widowed, is giving up his large rambling Victorian house to his grandson Matt, whom he helped raise.

Settling back into his childhood home and doing some renovations in the backyard to make the house feel like his own, Matt, a young up-and-coming chef and restaurateur, stumbles upon a locked crate he’s never seen before. Curious he picks the padlock and makes a discovery so gruesome it will forever haunt him. Faced with this deep dark family secret, Matt must decide whether to keep what he knows buried in the past, go to the police, or take matters into his own hands.

Meanwhile Matt’s girlfriend, Sam, has always suspected that her mother was murdered by the Beacon Hill Butcher - two years after the supposed Butcher was gunned down. As she pursues leads that will prove her right, Sam heads right into the path of Matt’s terrible secret.

Shortly after his wife passes away, Edward decides their house is too much for him and moves into a retirement community. He gives the house to his grandson, Matt, who he and his wife had raised after Matt's mother had died when he was a baby. Matt is grateful to get the house he grew up in. He is a chef and has recently become locally famous. He's under a lot of pressure running the food trucks and restaurant; plus a food channel wants to do a reality show with him. So financially this one less thing for him to worry about. Sam, his girlfriend of three years, expects him to ask her to move in with him and is disappointed when he doesn't.

Sam is an author of true crime books. She is currently writing one about "The Butcher", a violent murderer who was killed in 1985 by the then police chief, Edward. Sam's mother was murdered two years later when she was a baby in the same manner so she's always suspected they never really caught the real murderer. Using Edward as guidance, she has been researching who could be the real killer for her book but more importantly for her own piece of mind.

During renovations, a crate was found buried in Matt's backyard. He is shocked when he discovers what's inside but doesn't know what to do about it. The longer he keeps quiet, though, the more stressed and out of control he becomes.

This is the second book I've read by this author and I liked it.  I liked the writing style and found the story interesting.  I look forward to reading other books by this author.  It is written in third person perspective with a focus on Matt, Sam, Edward and the Butcher. As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

Book ~ "Len & Cub: A Queer History" (2022) Meredith J. Batt and Dusty Green

From Goodreads ~ Leonard "Len" Keith and Joseph "Cub" Coates grew up in the rural New Brunswick village of Havelock in the early 20th century. The two were neighbours and they clearly developed an inseparable relationship. 

Len was an amateur photographer and automobile enthusiast who went on to own a local garage and poolhall after serving in the First World War. Cub was the son of a farmer, also a veteran of the First World War, a butcher, contractor, and lover of horses. 

Their time together is catalogued by Len’s photos, which show that the two shared a mutual love of the outdoors, animals and adventure. Photographs of Len and Cub on hunting and canoe trips with arms around each other’s shoulders or in bed together make clear the affection they held for each other. Their story is one of the oldest photographic records of a same-sex couple in the Maritimes.

"Len & Cub" features Len’s photos of their life and tells the story of their relationship against the background of same-sex identity and relationships in rural North America of the early 20th century. Although Len was outed and forced to leave Havelock in the 1930s, the story of Len and Cub is one of love and friendship that challenges contemporary ideas about sex and gender expression in the early 20th century.

When Len's sister, Lucy, passed away in 1984, her estate was put up for auction. Included in the auction was a large collection of family photographs which were purchased by Havelock, New Brunswick, local John Jacob Corey. He donated the photographs to the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick in 2011.  Most of the pictures were taken by Len and were of Len and his friend, Cub. John Jacob described Len and Cub as "boyfriends", which was illegal when the pictures were taken and the relationship happened in the 1920s and 1930s.

This book tells the story of Len and Cub. Ultimately Len was "outed" in the 1930s and forced to flee Havelock, never to return. Cub seems to have been unscathed and eventually married a woman and lived out his days in Moncton. In addition, the book describes the consequences of same-sex relationships at that time.

Lots of Len's pictures are included in the book. There is a large notes section at the end ... the authors obviously did their research to prepare the book.  It was an interesting read and thankfully times have changed.

Book ~ "Look Both Ways" (2022) Linwood Barclay

From Goodreads ~ The media have descended on Garrett Island, a small isolated community that is the setting of a visionary experiment. All the residents’ cars were sent to the mainland and for the past month the islanders have been “driving” the Arrival, a revolutionary autonomous vehicle. With a simple voice command, an Arrival will take you wherever you want to go and because the fleet is networked and aware of one another, car travel is now 100% safe. The future, it seems, has arrived.

As the excitement reaches a fever pitch, Sandra Montrose -  islander, single mom and public relations executive - prepares for Arrival Inc.'s flashy press event. Sandra is more than ready for this new world. Her husband died after falling asleep at the wheel and she’s relieved that her two teens, Archie and Katie, will never need driver’s licenses.

But as the celebratory day gets underway, disaster strikes. A visiting journalist has vanished, possibly murdered. Before long, the Arrivals run amok, no longer taking orders from their passengers. They’re starting to organize. They’re beginning to hunt. And they seem hell-bent on killing any human they encounter.

Is this all just a tragic accident, a technological malfunction with deadly consequences? Or were the vehicles programmed to act this way in a cruel act of corporate sabotage? Or could it be that the Arrivals have a mind of their own?

Arrival Inc. has designed a revolutionary car that drives itself ... there's no steering wheel because you don't need one. You name the car and it will do whatever you tell it to do ... they are electric so all you have to remember is to plug it in.

For the last month, the residents of Garrett Island were given one to use and their own cars were moved to the mainland. Arrival Inc. is having a huge media event and Sandra, a widow, a mother of two teens and a local PR rep, is organizing it.  Lisa, the CEO, and her assistant, are there to present about how amazing their cars are. Unbeknownst to anyone, Kyle, the owner of a rival self-driving car maker is also there. He hates Lisa because he thinks she was the one who destroyed his company and wants revenge.

After the presentation, Lisa leads the reporters outside to show off the cars ... and that's when everything goes to hell. The cars suddenly have a mind of their own and they are intent on hunting and killing all the humans on Garrett Island and beyond. Panic sets in as everyone tries to get off the island and/or out of the path of the out of control cars.

While Sandra is managing the wrath of Lisa and her assistant, she has the comfort of knowing that her two children are safe and sound at home ... but are they?

I've read many books by this author and I liked this one ... it's different from his usual style. It is written in third person perspective from many points of view, depending on where the action was.  There was a twist toward the end and I'm still wondering whether I am okay with it. As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

Book ~ "No Bootstraps When You're Barefoot" (2022) Wes Hall

From Goodreads ~ Wes Hall spent his early childhood in a zinc-roofed shack, one of several children supported by his grandmother. That was paradise compared to the two years he lived with his verbally abusive and violent mother; at thirteen, his mother threw him out and he had to live by his wits for the next three years. At sixteen, Wes came to Canada, sponsored by a father he'd only seen a few times as a child, and by the time he was eighteen, he was out of his father's house, once more on his own. Yet Wes Hall went on to become a major entrepreneur, business leader, philanthropist and change-maker, working his way up from a humble position in a law firm mailroom by way of his intelligence, his curiosity and his ability to see opportunities that other people don't.

When people expected his thick Jamaican accent, lack of money and education, not to mention the colour of his skin, to shut down his future, Wes was not to be stopped. He is still overturning expectations to this day. Well aware of racism and injustice, his lack of privilege and the other roadblocks to his success, Wes has always believed that he can walk along any cliff edge without falling. His book teases out and shows how he fostered that resolve in himself, exploring his childhood and the milestone successes and failures of his career in order to share not only how he stopped himself from falling, but survived and thrived, and then dedicated himself to bringing his family and his community along with him.

Now, with the founding of the BlackNorth Initiative, Wes takes aim at ending systemic anti-Black racism. It's a huge goal, but one he's tackling with heart, soul, smarts, and every connection he's made in an extraordinary career that's taken him to the centre of the Canadian establishment. Throughout his life he's resisted sinking into despair or getting lost in anger; now he wants to tell truth to power and pave a path forward.

This is Wes Hall's second year on CBC's Dragons' Den and it was nice to get to know more about him.

Hall was born in poverty in Jamaica just over 50 years ago. After he and his siblings were abandoned by their mother, his maternal grandmother took them in and raised them. He was about 10 when his mother had him move in with her and her new family and she abused him physically and emotionally. He ran away when he was about 13 and bounced from friend to friend and until his father, who he barely knew, summoned him to live with him and his family in Toronto. Finding his father's rule too restrictive after all he'd been through, he moved out when he was 18.

His first job was in the mailroom of a law firm, which inspired him to go back to school to become a law clerk. From there, he moved from job to job and industry to industry gaining experience until he finally landed in a proxy solicitation firm. Knowing he could improve how they did things but they wouldn't listen, he struck out on his own and became the entrepreneur he is today.

I thought his story was interesting and must applaud him for all he has accomplished considering his beginnings. I liked the writing style and found it to be honest. I must say, though, that I found the first part of his story more interesting than the end ... I thought there was too much detail when he described leaving the proxy solicitation firm and starting his own company and then competing against them.

Book ~ "The Ghosts That Haunt Me: Memories of a Homicide Detective" (2022) Steve Ryan

From Goodreads ~ After years working in homicide, retired Toronto detective Steve Ryan reflects on six cases he will never forget.

Retired detective Steve Ryan worked in Toronto’s homicide squad for over a decade. For Ryan, the stories of Toronto’s most infamous crimes were more than just a headline read over morning coffee - they were his everyday life.

After investigating over one hundred homicides, Ryan can never forget the tragedies and the victims, even after his retirement from the police force. In "The Ghosts That Haunt Me", he reflects on six of the many cases that greatly impacted him - seven people whose lives were senselessly taken - and that he still thinks about nearly every day. While the stories are hard to tell for Ryan, they were harder to live through. Yet somewhere between the crimes and the heartache is a glimmer of hope that good eventually does prevail and that healing can come after grief.

Steve Ryan is a former Toronto police officer.  He retired after 30 years a couple years ago and became the crime analyst for CP24.

In his book, he provides the insight on six cases that happened during career he never forgot:

• Holly Jones
• Wyrsch, Aschwanden and Kaufmann (Delta Chelsea Hotel)
• Stefanie Rengel
• Katelynn Sampson
• Melonie Biddersingh
• Dr. Elana Fric-Shamji

I remember these sad and shocking cases so it was interesting to get the background on them.  Some were hard to read because of the brutality.  I liked the writing style.  He writes as he speaks.

Book ~ "The Marsh Murders" (2016) Victoria Abbott

From Goodreads ~ Jordan works hard to improve Vera Van Alst’s collection of classic detective stories. So when Chadwick Kauffman - heir to the Kauffman fortune - offers a very good price on a fine collection of Ngaio Marsh first editions owned by his recently deceased stepfather, she is thrilled to meet with him at his fabled summer estate, Summerlea.

The next day, Jordan and Vera are shocked to read that Chadwick has died in a fall from the grand staircase at Summerlea. But when the picture in the paper is of a different man, it becomes clear that the ladies are victims of a scam. And they’ll have to unmask the imposter fast, because someone is trying to frame them for murder.

Vera Van Alst, an older crusty recluse, gets an invitation to purchase a Ngaio Marsh first edition collection from Chadwick Kauffman, who had recently inherited it.   Jordan's job is buying and reselling books for Vera ... she enjoys her job and the cute apartment in Vera's house that comes with it. Vera, along with Jordan and Kev (Vera's handyman and Jordan's not-so-smart uncle) are invited to lunch for the transaction.  All goes well and they are surprised to learn the next day that Chadwick had been murdered and Vera, Jordan and Uncle Kev are the suspects. They discover they have been set up and the man they transacted with wasn't Chadwick.  Not surprisingly the police don't believe them so it's up to Jordan to prove their innocence.

I thought this one was okay (it's better than the last one) and I found the story interesting.  There was a lot talk about characters from what I'm assuming are Ngaio Marsh's books ... I didn't know who they were so that was dead space for me and I skipped over these references.  The whodunnit came out of nowhere but I was okay with it even though it seems too unbelievable to be able to pull off.  

Though this is the fourth in the Book Collector Mystery series, it works as a stand alone. It is written in first person perspective in Jordan's voice. As it's a cozy mystery (so there is no swearing, violence or adult activity), it was a quick easy read.  Jordan met Tyler, a police officer, in book 1, they started dating in book 2, he was off on a mysteries job training in book 3 and in this book (book 4) he breaks up with her.  I know it's a cozy mystery but there's zero romantic interaction between them.  Jordan has a best friend named Tiff who is conveniently never around ... she's off working in faraway places.  She never add any value so what's the point in having her in the stories?  There are recipes at the end.

Book ~ "Things We Do in the Dark" (2022) Jennifer Hillier

From Goodreads ~ When Paris Peralta is arrested in her own bathroom - covered in blood, holding a straight razor, her celebrity husband dead in the bathtub behind her - she knows she'll be charged with murder. But as bad as this looks, it's not what worries her the most. With the unwanted media attention now surrounding her, it's only a matter of time before someone from her long hidden past recognizes her and destroys the new life she's worked so hard to build, along with any chance of a future.

Twenty-five years earlier, Ruby Reyes, known as the Ice Queen, was convicted of a similar murder in a trial that riveted Canada in the early nineties. Reyes knows who Paris really is and when she's unexpectedly released from prison, she threatens to expose all of Paris's secrets. Left with no other choice, Paris must finally confront the dark past she escaped, once and for all.

Because the only thing worse than a murder charge are two murder charges.

Paris is a yoga instructor in Seattle who has been married to Jimmy, a much older actor/comedian who is making a comeback, for a couple of years.  When she arrives home early from a weekend yoga conference, she finds Jimmy dead in a bathtub full of blood.  Though Paris assumes he has committed suicide, she is arrested for the murder of her husband.  Things look even worse when it's discovered that she would inherit almost $50 million at his death.  Did she murder him for his money?

Twenty-five years ago in Toronto, Ruby was a single mother who dated married men in hopes they would leave their wives and take care of her.  She takes her frustrations out on Joey, her young daughter, by abusing her.  After a fight with her latest married beau, Ruby kills him in a fit of rage and is sent to prison for life for his murder.  Joey is sent to live with Ruby's sister and her sister's family north of Toronto, who only take her in because they are paid to.  Once Joey is old enough, she heads back to Toronto and becomes friends and roommates with Drew and Simone.  Joey is tragically killed in a fire in her apartment a couple years later.  Ruby is paroled and Drew, a reporter, decides to do a series of podcasts about her.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I liked it.  I liked the writing style and found the story interesting.  I look forward to reading other books by this author.  It is written in third person perspective with a focus on Paris and Joey.  The story bounces back in time from Paris' story today to Ruby and Joey's story in the past.  As a head's up, there is swearing, violence and child abuse.

Book ~ "The Wolfe Widow" (2014) Victoria Abbott

From Goodreads ~ As Thanksgiving approaches, Jordan Bingham is grateful for her job researching rare books for Vera Van Alst, the infamous curmudgeon of Harrison Falls, New York. But when an uninvited guest makes an appearance, much more than dinner is disrupted - and Jordan is thankful just to be alive.

Vera Van Alst doesn’t normally receive visitors without appointment but she agrees to see the imperious Muriel Delgado upon arrival. Shortly thereafter, Jordan is told that her position is being terminated. Evicted from the Van Alst House, Jordan is determined to find out what hold Muriel has over her erstwhile employer.

It seems Muriel has designs on Vera’s money and property - not to mention a particular interest in her collection of Nero Wolfe first editions. When Jordan discovers a deadly connection between Muriel and the Van Alst family, it’s up to her to put the house in order and stop a killer from going back to press.

Jordan has a job buying and reselling books for an older crusty recluse, Vera Van Alst ... she enjoys her job and the cute apartment in Vera's house that comes with it.  One night a stranger named Muriel Delgado shows up at the door and the next day Jordan is abruptly fired.  She wants to know why and starts investigating who Muriel is and how she has such a hold on Vera.  When Jordan is involved in a hit and run, she is even more determined to find out what's going on.

I wasn't crazy about this one.  Jordan doesn't have a lot of friends and it was weird and unbelievable that she wasn't able to reach the few that she has so had to depend on her not-so-smart Uncle Kevin (who works for Vera) and acquaintances.  There was a lot talk about characters from what I'm assuming are Nero Wolfe's books ... I didn't know who they were so that was dead space for me and I skipped over these references.  The ending was convoluted and must tie into a plot from a Nero Wolfe book.

Though this is the third in the Book Collector Mystery series, it works as a stand alone.  It is written in first person perspective in Jordan's voice.  As it's a cozy mystery (so there is no swearing, violence or adult activity), it was a quick easy read.  There are recipes at the end.  

Book ~ "The Sayers Swindle" (2013) Victoria Abbott

From Goodreads ~ Jordan Kelly is delighted to make money tracking down rare and valuable mystery novels for her employer, Vera Van Alst, an avid collector and the most difficult woman in Harrison Falls, New York. But now her boss’s complete set of Dorothy Sayers is missing and finding them may lead Jordan to a murder suitable for Sayers’s esteemed sleuth, Lord Peter Wimsey.

When Jordan manages to locate her boss’s missing books, they are in the possession of Randolph Adams, an elderly man in a nearby town. Offering a valuable Hemingway first edition as an incentive, Jordan thinks she’s about to seal the deal - but some of Randolph’s relatives think he should hold out for more.

Then the entire family disappears - and a dead body shows up. It’s up to Jordan to collect the clues - and make sure a killer gets booked.

Jordan has a job buying and reselling books for an older crusty recluse, Vera Van Alst.  Vera's mint Dorothy Sayer books were stolen and sold to Karen, a bookseller, who in turn sold them not knowing they were stolen.  Karen wants to make things right but because of a head injury she recently had, her memory comes and goes.  She remembers she sold the collection to an elderly man in another town in a specific style of house.  Vera is depending on Jordan to get the books back, even though they were stolen before Jordan came to work for her.  

Jordan tracks down the house and the man but his wife and grandson put up resistance when Karen offers to swap the collection for a more valuable book.  Jordan is determined to make this happen ... but then the family disappears and a man is found dead nearby.  Fearing the unidentified man is either her Uncle Kevin, who is hiding out from from bad guys, or a Officer Smiley, an officer she's recently gotten to know, she befriends Officer Candy so she can find out information while she is still on the hunt for the missing books.

Though this is the second in the Book Collector Mystery series, it works as a stand alone.    I liked the writing style and the characters.  It is written in first person perspective in Jordan's voice.  As it's a cozy mystery (so there is no swearing, violence or adult activity), it was a quick easy read.  There are recipes at the end.  There was a lot talk about characters from I'm assuming Dorothy Sayer's books ... I didn't know who they were so that was dead space for me and I skipped over these references.

Book ~ "The Christie Curse" (2013) Victoria Abbott

From Goodreads ~ In 1926, Agatha Christie disappeared - making headlines across the world - only to show up eleven days later at a spa under an assumed name. During those eleven days, did she have time to write a play?

Jordan Bingham needs a new job and a new place to live. She’s back in Harrison Falls, New York, living with her not so law-abiding uncles, in debt thanks to a credit card–stealing ex and pending grad school loans.

Enter the perfect job, a research position that includes room and board, which will allow her to spend her days hunting down rare mysteries for an avid book collector. There’s just one problem: her employer, Vera Van Alst - the most hated citizen of Harrison Falls.

Jordan’s first assignment is to track down a rumored Agatha Christie play. It seems easy enough, but Jordan soon finds out that her predecessor was killed while looking for it, and there is still someone out there willing to murder to keep the play out of Vera’s hands. Jordan’s new job is good ... but is it worth her life? 

Jordan has just finished school and needs a place to live.  She gets a research job working for an older crusty recluse, Vera Van Alst.  Vera had heard there is a long lost play written by Agatha Christie during the couple weeks she had mysteriously disappeared in 1926 and she wanted Jordan to find out if it exists and if it does, she wants it.  When Jordan finds out her predecessor, Alex, died when he was pushed in front of a subway by a homeless man, she wonders what happens to his notes and how much progress he made.  She starts investigating whether the play actually exists and starts speaking with sellers of old books.  One of the booksellers is badly beaten and a police officer happens to turn up every time Jordan turns around puts her on guard.  Vera doesn't care about anything but getting her hands on that play.

This is the first in the Book Collector Mystery series.  I liked the writing style and the characters ... and how can you not like a book that has a dog and a couple of cats in it?  It is written in person perspective in Jordan's voice.  As it's a cozy mystery (so there is no swearing, violence or adult activity), it was a quick easy read.  I liked it enough to continue on with the series.  There are recipes at the end. 

Book ~ "The Winter Wives" (2021) Linden MacIntyre

From Goodreads ~ Two old friends, who first met in university, get together for a weekend of golfing: Allan, a football hero, worldly and financially successful, and his quieter friend, nicknamed Byron, lame from a childhood injury, a smart fellow who became a lawyer but who has never left home, staying put so he could care for a mother with Alzheimer's.

During a long night of drinking, the fault lines between them start to show. One of the biggest: the two men married sisters, though Allan was the one who walked down the aisle with Peggy, the sister both of them loved, and Byron had to settle for Annie.

Out on the course the next morning, Allan suffers a stroke. In one traumatic moment, he loses control of his life, his wife and his business empire, which turns out to have been built on lies and the illegal drug trade. And Byron has to suddenly confront his own weaknesses and strengths, his tangled relationship with Allan and the Winter sisters - both the one he married and the one he thought was the love of his life. No one will anticipate the lengths to which Byron will go to make sense of his life.

Byron and Allan had met at university in Nova Scotia in the 1980s and became unlikely friends ... Byron was an introvert from rural Nova Scotia (near Cape Breton) and Allan was extravert athlete from Toronto.  Allan quit school to become an "entrepreneur" and eventually made a lot of money while Byron continued on in school and became a lawyer and lived on the family farm taking care of his mother who had Alzheimer's.  

Byron had gone to high school with Peggy and Annie Winter ... Peggy was more extraverted and eventually married Allan and Annie helped Byron care for his mother and they ended up marrying.  Once Byron's mother passed away, Annie becomes more involved in Allan's business and moves to Toronto to be with Allan and Peggy.  While golfing in Nova Scotia with Byron, Allan has a stroke and is never the same.  Byron helps the sisters out as much as he can but he's dealing the possibility that the carries the Alzheimer's gene.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I thought it was okay ... I did find it slow and depressing.  It is written in first person perspective in Byron's voice.  I didn't find the characters likable though I did find the interaction between Byron and the police officers toward the end entertaining.  As a head's up, there is swearing.

I found the lack of quotation marks in dialogue annoying and didn't get used to it ... for example:

-I took the liberty, he said.

-God bless you, said Mom.

I did like the settings ... I lived in Antigonish, NS, for many years, which is near Malignant Cove, where Byron and his mother lived ... so when he went "to town", I'm assuming he went to Antigonish.  And living in Toronto, I could picture where the action was taking place (Island Airport, Gardiner Expressway, etc.).

Book ~ "Bluebird" (2022) Genevieve Graham

From Goodreads ~ Present day - Cassie Simmons, a museum curator, is enthusiastic about solving mysteries from the past and she has a personal interest in the history of the rumrunners who ferried illegal booze across the Detroit River during Prohibition. So when a cache of whisky labeled Bailey Brothers’ Best is unearthed during a local home renovation, Cassie hopes to find the answers she’s been searching for about the legendary family of bootleggers.

1918 - Corporal Jeremiah Bailey of the 1st Canadian Tunnelling Company is tasked with planting mines in the tunnels beneath enemy trenches. After Jerry is badly wounded in an explosion, he finds himself in a Belgium field hospital under the care of Adele Savard, one of Canada’s nursing sisters, nicknamed “Bluebirds” for their blue gowns and white caps. As Jerry recovers, he forms a strong connection with Adele, who is from a place near his hometown of Windsor, along the Detroit River. In the midst of war, she’s a welcome reminder of home, and when Jerry is sent back to the front, he can only hope that he’ll see his bluebird again.

By war’s end, both Jerry and Adele return home to Windsor, scarred by the horrors of what they endured overseas. When they cross paths one day, they have a chance to start over. But the city is in the grip of Prohibition, which brings exciting opportunities as well as new dangerous conflicts that threaten to destroy everything they have fought for.

During World War I, Adele was a nurse on the battlelines in Belgium.  One of the Canadian soldiers brought into her care was Jerry, who was a tunneller.  He had serious injuries to his face and Adele nursed him back to health only to have him put back into action.  As she was taking care of him, they grew close but they lose touch.  When the war was over, they were sent home.  They were both from Windsor, Ontario, and carried on with their lives ... Adele got a job in a doctor's office and Jerry and his brother, John, took over their late father's whisky making business.  After being home for a couple years, Adele and Jerry finally run into each other and their feelings are still there.  It's a dangerous time because it's prohibition and there is a lot of competition in the illegal rumrunning business.

In present time, Cassie is working for a museum in Windsor and gets contacted by a carpenter who had just bought a house and is renovating it.  He finds some old whisky bottles in a wall and figures there must be some historical significance so brings them to Cassie.

I thought this book was okay.  I liked the writing style ... it's written in third person perspective with a focus on wherever the action is. Though this book was more of a romance that historical, I find I always learn something when I read this author's books.  I found that I was Googling some of the places she mentioned in Windsor to see if they are still there.  I liked Adele and Jerry's story more than Cassie's story ... Cassie had been through a lot but I didn't find her overly likeable and wasn't very sympathetic to her.  Plus I found her present story came together rather quickly.

Book ~ "Take Your Breath Away" (2022) Linwood Barclay

From Goodreads ~ One weekend, while Andrew Mason was on a fishing trip, his wife, Brie, vanished without a trace. Most everyone assumed Andy had got away with murder - it's always the husband, isn't it? - but the police could never build a strong case against him. For a while, Andy hit rock bottom - he drank too much to numb the pain, was abandoned by all his friends save one, nearly lost his business and became a pariah in the place he once called home.

Now, six years later, Andy has finally put his life back together. He sold the house he once shared with Brie and moved away. Truth to tell, he wasn't sad to hear that the old place was razed and a new house built on the site. He's settled down with a new partner, Jayne, and life is good.

But Andy's peaceful world is about to shatter. One day, a woman shows up at his old address, screaming, "Where's my house? What's happened to my house?" And then, just as suddenly as she appeared, the woman - who bears a striking resemblance to Brie - is gone. The police are notified and old questions - and dark suspicions - resurface.

Could Brie really be alive after all these years? If so, where has she been? It soon becomes clear that Andy's future, and the lives of those closest to him, depends on discovering what the hell is going on. The trick will be whether he can stay alive long enough to unearth the answers.

Six years ago, Andy was spending the weekend with his best friend, Greg ... and that weekend Brie, his wife, disappeared without a trace.  Everyone assumed Andy had something to do with it and Brie was never found.  Andy's life fell apart ... he drank too much, Brie's family continuously tried to prove he killed her, he lost his business, sold their house (which was ripped down and rebuilt) and more.  But six years later, he has gotten things on track again ... he's picking up jobs and he's living with Jayne.

Then Andy gets a call from his former neighbour that someone who looks like Brie just showed up, wondering what had happened to her house.  Brie's family has a sighting outside the hospital where their mother is dying.  Has Brie returned and if so, where has she been?  As Andy tries to figure out what's going on, he has to deal with how it will impact his new life with Jayne.

I've read many books by this author and I liked this one.  It is written in first person perspective in Andy's voice and third person perspective from many points of view, depending on where the action was.  There were a couple twists with the ending(s) and I was okay with them.  As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.