Book ~ "Mean Girl Murder" (2018) Leslie Langtry

From Goodreads ~ The Halloween Parade is coming up and former CIA agent-turned-suburbanite Merry Wrath’s Girl Scout Troop hopes to repeat a 1st place trophy for the 3rd year in a row. But when they find a dead woman dressed as a witch, a mysterious treasure and face a ruthless kidnapping, it looks like Merry’s in for a different kind of triple threat.

To add fuel to her bonfire, Mom’s in town - meaning Merry has to replace all that bullet-riddled furniture in the guest room - and wither her wedding date approaching, her groom-to-be's twin taxidermist sisters are insisting on doing the decorating.

Between her family fiascoes and a dead witch who was loathed by everyone in town, Merry's head is spinning faster than an apple in a bobbing barrel. Who wanted this mean girl dead? Will this Halloween end with a treat? Or has Merry been tricked?

Merry is a former CIA agent who loved her job and was very good at it. But when her identity is exposed, she’s forced into early retirement, given a severance package and told to start over somewhere new. She returns to her small hometown in Iowa, where her best friend, Kelly, still lives. Together they run a Girl Scout troop while Merry tries to adjust to a much quieter life. She's engaged to Rex, a police officer, who lives across the street.

During the town's Halloween festivities, Merry and her scouts discover the body of a woman who was not particularly well-liked by many people in the community. Despite promising Rex she'll stay out of it, as Merry looks into the murder, she uncovers plenty of suspects and finds herself dealing with other unexpected problems, including a possible treasure hunt and a kidnapping. At the same time, she is trying to prepare for her upcoming wedding. The story follows Merry as she works to piece together the clues behind the murder while juggling the many personal and community obligations that keep landing on her doorstep.

This is the eighth in the Merry Wrath mystery series (there are currently 36) and I liked it. It can be read as a stand alone but it's fun to read them in order. It's written in first person perspective in Merry's voice so we can to hear her thoughts (and she has a lot!). I liked the writing style ... it was conversational as if Merry was speaking to us. It was a quick fun read and I look forward to continuing on with the series.

Book ~ "Searching for Terry Punchout" (2018) Tyler Hellard

From Goodreads ~ Adam Macallister's sportswriting career is about to end before it begins but he's got one last a Sports Illustrated profile about hockey's most notorious goon, the reclusive Terry Punchout - who also happens to be Adam's estranged father. 

Adam returns to Pennington, Nova Scotia, where Terry now lives in the local rink and drives the Zamboni. Going home means drinking with old friends, revisiting neglected relationships, and dealing with lingering feelings about his father and dead mother - and discovering that his friends and family are kinder and more complicated than he ever gave them credit for. 

"Searching for Terry Punchout" is a charming and funny tale of hockey, small-town Maritime life and how, despite our best efforts, we just can't avoid turning into our parents.

Adam is a struggling sportswriter living in Calgary whose career is falling apart. Hoping to revive it, he returns to his hometown of Pennington, Nova Scotia, to write a magazine profile about his estranged father, Terry Punchout, a former hockey enforcer known for his time in the penalty box. Terry now lives a quiet life driving the Zamboni at the local rink. As Adam reconnects with people from his past, he’s forced to deal with old family tensions, memories of his mother and the complicated relationship he has with his dad.

This book came to my attention because of the recent Canada Reads. I like reading Canadian fiction plus I'm originally from Nova Scotia. I liked this story and some of the characters reminded me of people "back home". I liked the writing style and it's a quick read. It's written in first person perspective in Adam's voice. It could have been edited better as there are typos and there are two chapter fours, though the content for the second chapter four is actually for chapter five. As a head's up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "Map Skills Murder" (2018) Leslie Langtry

From Goodreads ~ Summer is moving fast for ex-CIA Agent turned Girl Scout troop leader, Merry Wrath. Wedding plans are underway, with the groom's twin sisters on a mission to decorate the festivities with taxidermized animals and a full troop of flower girls with terrible taste in dresses. 

If that wasn’t enough to deal with, the Girl Scouts dig up a treasure map in Merry’s yard. A century ago, the mysterious axe murder of Mad Mimi and the secret of her missing treasure were never solved. Merry thinks this map could be the key ... but unfortunately, the investigation of this cold case - complete with a secret diary, gold bullion and a llama named Tinkles - yields a modern day murder! 

Are these crimes connected? And more importantly - who has an axe to grind with Merry Wrath?

Merry is a former CIA agent who loved her job and was very good at it. But when her identity is exposed, she’s forced into early retirement, given a severance package and told to start over somewhere new. She returns to her small hometown in Iowa, where her best friend, Kelly, still lives. Together they run a Girl Scout troop while Merry tries to adjust to a much quieter life.

While dealing with wedding planning and Rex, her fiancé’s unusual family, Merry’s troop discovers a treasure map buried in her yard. The map is tied to a century-old unsolved axe murder involving a woman named Mad Mimi and her missing treasure. As Merry investigates the old mystery, the search leads to a modern-day murder involving hidden clues, a diary and gold bars. Merry works to determine whether the past and present crimes are connected and who is responsible. During this Merry is wondering if she is making the right decisions with her life and missing the action from her life as a CIA agent.

This is the seventh in the Merry Wrath mystery series (there are currently 36) and I liked it. There were some odd things that I would have like more info on, though, and wondered why they were included in the story. Like what was the point of making such a big fuss about the hobby of the present day murder victim? It can be read as a stand alone but it's fun to read them in order. It's written in first person perspective in Merry's voice so we can to hear her thoughts (and she has a lot!). I liked the writing style ... it was conversational as if Merry was speaking to us. It was a quick fun read and I look forward to continuing on with the series.

Book ~ "Motto for Murder" (2018) Leslie Langtry

From Goodreads ~ For ex-CIA Agent turned Girl Scout troop leader, Merry Wrath, planning a wedding is infinitely more terrifying than the time she was a mole in Carlos the Armadillo’s drug cartel. To make matters worse, while plagued by insomnia (brought on by diabolical details that include bizarre things like "boutonnieres") Merry and her cat, Philby, witness a midnight murder next door. 

Or do they? With her record of sleeplessness, everyone from her fiancé, Rex, to her Girl Scout troop are questioning her sanity. And when strange incidents of arson start popping up all over Who’s There, Iowa, and a mysterious woman vanishes, Merry begins to believe her neighbors are foreign spies. 

Throw in meeting her fiancé’s odd twin sistersa nd a scary sleep study, and Merry wonders if she’s in danger of losing her mind ... or her life.

Merry is a former CIA agent who loved her job and was very good at it. But when her identity is exposed, she’s forced into early retirement, given a severance package and told to start over somewhere new. After changing her appearance, she returns to her small hometown in Iowa, where her best friend, Kelly, still lives. Together they run a Girl Scout troop while Merry tries to adjust to a much quieter life.

Merry is getting ready for her wedding but things get complicated when, during a sleepless night, she thinks she sees a murder happen in the house next door. Since she’s exhausted and stressed, nobody is sure whether she really witnessed something or imagined it. As strange fires, missing people and suspicious neighbors start piling up, Merry starts digging into what’s going on in town. Along the way, she also has to deal with wedding chaos, her fiancé’s eccentric family (who she recently discover exist), and reminders that her old spy instincts are still hard to ignore.

This is the sixth in the Merry Wrath mystery series (there are currently 36) and for the most part I liked it. It can be read as a stand alone but it's fun to read them in order. It's written in first person perspective in Merry's voice so we can to hear her thoughts (and she has a lot!). I liked the writing style ... it was conversational as if Merry was speaking to us. It was a quick fun read and I look forward to continuing on with the series.

Book ~ "Logged On" (2018) Barbara Ross

From Goodreads ~ Few things are as sweet as Christmas in coastal Maine. The only thing that can spoil the fun is murder ...

Realizing she can’t make a decent Bûche de Noël to save her life, Julia Snowden enlists the help of her eccentric neighbor, Mrs. St. Onge, in hopes of mastering the dessert for Christmas. With everyone in the old woman’s circle missing or deceased, however, it’s up to Julia to stop the deadly tidings before she’s the next Busman’s Harbor resident to meet a not-so-jolly fate.

Julia wants to impress her boyfriend’s family by baking a perfect Yule Log Cake for Christmas. Unfortunately it's a difficult dessert to make and she’s a disaster in the kitchen. So she turns to her creepy elderly neighbor, Mrs. St. Onge, who’s known for her baking skills. But while Julia’s focused on mastering her dessert, she starts to notice that something strange is going on ... people connected to Mrs. St. Onge in the past had disappeared. turned up dead or had gotten sick. Suddenly Julia’s holiday baking project turns into a full-on investigation.

This quick read (it's a novella) was written in first person perspective in Julia's voice. The "mystery" wasn't that hard to figure out not too far into the story. It's a cozy mystery so there is no swearing, violence or adult activity. At the end, there are recipes that were mentioned during the story for a Yule Log Cake and Jewel Brooch Cookies.

This novella is 6.5 (of 12) in the Maine Clambake Mystery series. It works as a stand alone so you don't have the read the previous ones to know what's going on. I've been reading the series recently and will keep moving through the series.

Book ~ "Steamed Open" (2018) Barbara Ross

From Goodreads ~ It’s summertime in Busman’s Harbor, Maine, and the clamming is easy - or it was until a mysterious new neighbor blocks access to the beach, cutting off the Snowden Family Clambake’s supply. Julia Snowden is just one of many townspeople angered by Bartholomew Frick’s decision. But which one of them was angry enough to kill? 

Beachcombers, lighthouse buffs and clammers are outraged after Frick puts up a gate in front of his newly inherited mansion. When Julia urges him to reconsider, she’s the last to see him alive - except the person who stabs him in the neck with a clam rake. As she pores through a long list of suspects, Julia meets disgruntled employees, rival heirs and a pair of tourists determined to visit every lighthouse in America. They all have secrets, and Julia will have to work fast to expose the guilty party - or see this season’s clam harvest dry up for good.

Lou, a well-liked wealthy elderly woman in Busman's Harbor, Maine, recently passed away. She left her mansion to a Bart, a young distant relative of her late husband's. The mansion has beach access which Lou has always allowed the locals to use. When Bart moves in, he immediately puts up a gate which cut off the locals’ access to the beach and makes lots of enemies with this arrogant behavior. When Bart is found murdered, Julia is busy running her family’s clambake business for the summer season but starts digging into the case. Not surprising, she discovers that nearly everyone in town had a motive to kill Bart.

This story was written in first person perspective in Julia's voice. It's a cozy mystery so there is no swearing, violence or adult activity. There were lots of twists and it's a bit unbelievable that Julia was able to find out so much more info than the state police (but I guess that's the benefit of being a local?). I can do without Chris, Julia's boyfriend's obsession with her niece's friend's green eyes. It started in the last book and was explained in this one (I hope that's the end of it). At the end of the book, there are recipes that were mentioned during the story including linguini with clam sauce, clam potato casserole and raspberry muffins.

This is the seventh (of 12) in the Maine Clambake Mystery series. It works as a stand alone so you don't have the read the previous ones to know what's going on. I read the first six recently and will keep moving through the series. I liked this one better than the last one.

Book ~ "Believe Me" (2018) J.P. Delaney

From Goodreads ~ A struggling actor, a Brit in America without a green card, Claire needs work and money to survive. Then she gets both. But nothing like she expected.

Claire agrees to become a decoy for a firm of divorce lawyers. Hired to entrap straying husbands, she must catch them on tape with their seductive propositions. The rules? Never hit on the mark directly. Make it clear you’re available but he has to proposition you, not the other way around. The firm is after evidence, not coercion. The innocent have nothing to hide.

Then the game changes.

When the wife of one of Claire’s targets is violently murdered, the cops are sure the husband is to blame. Desperate to catch him before he kills again, they enlist Claire to lure him into a confession.

Claire can do this. She’s brilliant at assuming a voice and an identity. For a woman who’s mastered the art of manipulation, how difficult could it be to tempt a killer into a trap? But who is the decoy ... and who is the prey?

Claire is a Brit, living in New York and taking acting classes. Because she doesn't have a green card, she can't legally work so she works for cash for a law firm. She uses her acting ability to trick cheating husbands into making passes at her and bring the evidence back to the spouse who hired the law firm. After one encounter when a husband rebuffs her advances, his wife is found murdered and Patrick, the husband, is the prime suspect. Claire is approached by the police to go undercover and get close to Patrick and get him to confess.

Up until this point, I was enjoying the story. Then it got weird and confusing and unbelievable and went in so many strange directions ... I wasn't digging it anymore and I wasn't sure what was real. Had I known where it was going to go at times, I wouldn't have read it as it's just not something I'm into.

In the beginning, I liked the writing style. It was written in first person perspective in Claire's voice and third person perspective with other characters. It was interesting when it switched to screenplay mode with dialogue and stage directions, considering Claire is an actress. Patrick was a translator of the works of a 17th century poet and there was a lot of the verses of his poems ... zzzzz. As a head's up, there was swearing and adult activity.

Book ~ "A Perfect Shot" (2018) Robin Yocum

From Goodreads ~ Nicholas "Duke" Ducheski is the most important man in the eastern Ohio steel town of Mingo Junction. Nearly two decades after he made the winning shot in the state championship basketball game, he remains much adored and the focal point of community pride. Hardly a day passes when someone doesn't want to talk about "the game." Now approaching forty, Duke no longer wants to be defined solely by something he did when he was eighteen. So he decides to parlay his local popularity into a successful restaurant - "Duke's Place."

But no sooner does he get his restaurant up and running than disaster strikes. One day "Little Tony" DeMarco, his brother-in-law and a known mob enforcer, comes into the restaurant and murders Duke's oldest friend. Now Duke faces the hardest decision of his life. DeMarco thinks he's untouchable but Duke discovers a way to take him down, along with his mob superiors.

To do so, however, means leaving Mingo Junction and sacrificing his treasured identity as the town legend. And if he follows through, what will remain of his life?

Duke peaked in high school when he got the winning shot in a state championship basketball game. He was offered university scholarships but had to pass on them when Nina, his girl friend, got pregnant. They married and he ended up working in the mill. Timothy, their son, had medical issues when he was born and had been in an convalescent home all his life (20+ years). The marriage was now loveless but Nina refused to give Duke a divorce. So Duke's life sucked.

Duke has always wanted to be known for more than something he did decades ago and reinvented himself by opening a restaurant called "Duke's Place". Tony, Nina's brother, worked for the mob and forced himself into Duke's business, something Duke wasn't happy about but there's nothing he could do about it. Finally fed up and potentially fighting for his life, Duke knew he couldn't continue this way and was determined to do something about it.

I liked this story and was cheering for Duke. It starts with Mitch, Duke's cousin and a reporter, telling us that Duke and his car disappeared one day and was never seen again. It's written in third person perspective except in the first and last chapters when it's in first person perspective in Mitch's voice. As a head's up, there swearing and violence.

Book ~ "Blackout" (2018) Alex Segura

From Goodreads ~ Startling new evidence in a cold case that's haunted Pete drags the exiled PI back to his hometown of Miami. But as Pete and his partner, Kathy Bentley, delve deeper into the unsolved murder, they become entangled in Miami’s obsession with a charismatic and dangerous cult leader and his even more menacing followers. 

At the same time, the detectives find themselves at odds with a Florida politician’s fixation on wealth, fame and power. It all converges in the heart of the Magic City and Pete is left scrambling to pick up the pieces - or die trying. 

Pete was a former newspaper reporter and PI in Miami and now a PI in New York ... because of his last PI case in Miami, he was safer hiding out in New York. His friend, Jackie, was an attorney in Miami and asked him to work on a case that had ties to Miami. One of her clients, Trevor McRyan, was running for governor in Florida. Stephen, his son, had led a less than stellar life and had disappeared and his parents want him found and contained. There's another reason Jackie wants Pete back in Miami. Stephen may have something to do with the death of Patty, Jackie's niece and fellow high school student of Pete's, who he'd had a crush on. Patty's disappearance and murder about 20 years ago had never been solved so it was personal for Pete. So Pete headed back to Miami and he and Kathy, his former partner, investigated and caught up with a religious cult.

This is the fourth in the Pete Fernandez series (I read the first ones in the series recently) and, though it was very convoluted, I thought it was okay ... one more to go! It works as a stand alone but I'd recommend you read the others first to get the background. It is written in third person perspective with the focus on Pete. The timeline jumps back and forth and the chapters are labeled. I usually don't mind when a story does this but I found it confusing in this one. As a head's up, as usual, there is a lot of swearing and violence.

Book ~ "The Family Next Door" (2018) Sally Hepworth

From Goodreads ~ The small suburb of Pleasant Court lives up to its name. It's the kind of place where everyone knows their neighbours and children play in the street.

Isabelle Heatherington doesn't fit into this picture of family paradise. Husbandless and childless, she soon catches the attention of three Pleasant Court mothers.

But Ange, Fran and Essie have their own secrets to hide. Like the reason behind Ange's compulsion to control every aspect of her life. Or why Fran won't let her sweet gentle husband near her new baby. Or why, three years ago, Essie took her daughter to the park - and returned home without her.

As their obsession with their new neighbour grows, the secrets of these three women begin to spread - and they'll soon find out that when you look at something too closely, you see things you never wanted to see.

Ange, Fran and Essie are moms with young children who live in the family-oriented suburb of Pleasant Court. Outwardly the mothers are neighbourly but each has issues they are hiding. Then they are distracted when Isabelle moves into the neighbourhood ... why would a single rumored-to-be-a-lesbian rent a house there? Each wants to find out more about her but Essie becomes especially obsessed.

This is the third book I've read by this author ... though I enjoyed the other two, I wasn't crazy about this one. I didn't like Ange, Fran or Essie so didn't care what happened with or to them. The book plodded along and then the twist happened around the 80% mark. I knew something had to be coming ... why else did Isabelle suddenly appear in their neighbourhood? And it was an unrealistic and ridiculous twist and I thought, "Seriously?!" Up until this point, there were no indications so it was a shock and I wasn't buying it. And everything got happily resolved at the end. No way! It's written in third person perspective and as a head's up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "The Hanged Man's Noose" (2018) Judy Penz Sheluk

From Goodreads ~ Journalist Emily Garland lands a plum assignment as the editor of a niche magazine based in Lount’s Landing, a small town named after a colorful nineteenth century Canadian traitor. As she interviews the local business owners for the magazine, Emily quickly learns that many people are unhappy with real estate mogul Garrett Stonehaven’s plans to convert an old schoolhouse into a mega-box store. At the top of that list is Arabella Carpenter, the outspoken owner of an antiques shop, who will do just about anything to preserve the integrity of the town’s historic Main Street.

But Arabella is not alone in her opposition. Before long, a vocal dissenter at a town hall meeting about the proposed project dies. A few days later, another body is discovered and although both deaths are ruled accidental, Emily’s journalistic suspicions are aroused.

Putting her reporting skills to the ultimate test, Emily teams up with Arabella to discover the truth behind Stonehaven’s latest scheme before the murderer strikes again.

Emily is a freelance journalist in Toronto. When she gets hired to be the editor of a local magazine in a town north of Toronto, it's an offer she can't resist. Wealthy Torontonian Garrett Stonehaven has recently bought a rundown school there. Though many support his idea of turning it into a megastore, others don't. Personally Emily has issues with Garrett because she feels he is the cause of her mother's death. As townspeople start having deaths that are ruled accidents and she learns about Garrett's past, Emily and her new friend, Arabella, suspect something is going on and start investigating.

This is the first in the Glass Dolphin mystery series and I thought it was okay. It's written in third person perspective. I like that the author didn't hide that it was taking place in and not far from Toronto. The storyline and ending was a bit convoluted but I went with it. The "whodunnit" was obvious about halfway through though Emily didn't clue in until the end. The editing could have been tighter as there were some grammatical errors and some history lessons that could have been deleted as they didn't impact the story.

Book ~ "Bluff" (2018) Michael Kardos

From Goodreads ~ At twenty-seven, magician Natalie Webb is already a has-been. A card-trick prodigy, she started touring at seventeen, took first place at the World of Magic competition at eighteen, and never reached such heights again. Shunned by the magic world after a disastrous liaison with an older magician, she now lives alone with her pigeons and a pile of overdue bills in a New Jersey apartment. 

In a desperate ploy to make extra cash, she follows up on an old offer to write a feature magazine article - on the art of cheating at cards. But when she meets the perfect subject for her article, what begins as a journalistic gamble brings into question everything Natalie thinks she knows about her talent and herself. 

Natalie is dazzled by the poker cheat’s sleight of hand and soon finds herself facing a proposition that could radically alter her fortune - to help pull off a $1.5 million magic trick that, if done successfully, no one will ever even suspect happened. 

Natalie is a magician struggling to make ends meet, who doesn't have a lot of ambition, drive or friends. After an unfortunate incident at one of her shows, she needs to make some quick cash so decides to write an article exposing cheating at cards. This leads her to meet Ellen, a card cheat, who becomes her friends and offers her the chance to learn how to cheat at cards, get into a high stakes poker game and walk away with 20% of $1.5 million for participating. How can Natalie say no?

The premise sounded interesting but I wasn't crazy about this story. I found the writing style a slow and draggy ... the flashbacks were more detailed than they had to be. It's written in first person perspective in Natalie's voice. I thought Natalie was boring and not overly likeable so didn't really care what happened to her. Though I find magic interesting, I don't know anything about poker and found the references to both over my head. The ending was ridiculous and farfetched and I wasn't buying it. Just not my kind of book, I guess. As a head's up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "All Good Intentions" (2018) Trudi Johnson

From Goodreads ~ Behind closed doors ...

In the summer of 1996, Jeanne Sinclair, a St. John’s socialite, is getting to know her biological mother, Hannah West, whom she meets for the first time in over thirty years in the rural community of Falcon Cove, Newfoundland. Mother and daughter have in common their devotion to Charles Sinclair, a wealthy businessman, recently deceased.

Jeanne’s life becomes more complicated with the arrival of Kevin Gillis, a land developer from Halifax who is determined to avenge the treatment of his father, an employee of Sinclair in the 1940s. As the summer unfolds, Jeanne and Kevin find their loyalty tested by a growing attraction to one another and the discovery of new and intriguing Sinclair family secrets.

In 1935, Hannah moved from a small village to work for Charles and Virginia, a wealthy family hours away in St. John's, NF. She has relations with Charles and gets pregnant with Jeanne. To avoid scandal, Charles and Virginia raise Jeanne as their own and Hannah moves back to Falcon Cove, eventually gets married and has another daughter, Carrie.

Sixty years later, Charles has passed away and Jeanne has just discovered the truth about her mother. She and Hannah have just met and trying to establish some kind of a relationship. Jeanne is hesitant because she's concerned about what others will think but Joe and Lauren, her adult children, and others welcome Hannah and Carrie as family.

In the meantime, Jeanne has inherited Charles' house and it trying to figure out what to do with it as she has her own house. Kevin, a developer from Halifax, approaches her and offers to buy the house so he can turn it into an inn. Kevin says he's also writing an article about St. John's businessmen and is asking a lot of questions and everyone wonders what he is really up to. As Jeanne considers selling her father's house to Kevin, more shocking secrets from the past start coming out.

This book is the continuation of From a Good Home, which I recently read ... it picks up on the afternoon Jeanne and Hannah meet. It works as a stand alone but it helps to read the first one to get the full background. It was written in third person perspective depending on where the action was. 

Though I liked the first one, I liked this one better. The writing style was still a bit stiff and unnatural but not as much. Whether they were rich like Jeanne and her family and more lower class like Joe and Lauren's friends, the way they spoke seemed like I was reading a book set in aristocratic England rather than Newfoundland or Canada. For example, everyone including Joe and Lauren and their friends called their parents "Mother" and "Father" rather than "Mom" and "Dad". 

As with the first book, there were a lot of characters but in this one there was a list at the beginning saying who was who which was helpful. I didn't find Jeanne as unlikeable in this one and she seemed to soften towards the end. I liked that the story took place in St. John's and the author didn't try to hide that.

Book ~ "Louie" (2018) Ellen Miles

From Goodreads ~ Charles and Lizzie Peterson love puppies. Their family fosters these young dogs, giving them love and proper care, until they can find the perfect forever home. 

At Loon Lake Park, Charles and his Cub Scout friends are told that a dog has been abandoned in the parking lot. Louie, a not-so-small Newfoundland puppy, is quickly taken in and cared for by the group. 

Can Charles and his friends find Louie a perfect, and roomy, forever home?

Charles is in elementary school. His family, the Petersons, have a puppy named Buddy plus they foster dogs and help them find homes.

Charles and his Cub Scout friends are cleaning up a local park before the summer season starts. They find a Newfoundland puppy abandoned in a crate. Charles gets attached to him and names him Louie. Since the Petersons foster and find homes for dogs, they take him home and Charles and his friends start training Louie. They eventually find out why Louie was abandoned and find a good home for him.

Though this book is a quick read and directed at elementary-aged children, I found it entertaining. There is a learning experience and a puppy tip at the end. It is written in third person perspective and first person from Louie's point of view. It is the 51st in the Puppy Place series, which currently has 66 books in the series, and works as a stand alone.

Book ~ "The Last Lie" (2018) Alex Lake

From Goodreads ~ For Claire Daniels, life is good. She has everything she’s ever wanted - a career she loves, friends she can rely on and a husband who dotes on her. All she needs is to start a family of her own and things will be even better than good.

They’ll be perfect.

For Alfie, it couldn’t be more different. His life with Claire is built on a lie. A lot of lies. And she can never find out.

Because Alfie has plans for her. Plans which must never come to light. But lies have a way of taking on a life of their own and when his do, the consequences threaten to destroy everything.

For him and Claire.

Claire and Alfie have been married for a couple years and she been trying to get pregnant. For Claire, this will make their life complete. For Alfie, it's the last thing he wants and he knows there is no way it's going to happen. 

When they met, Alfie was filling in with a band playing at a wedding Claire was attending. As soon as he spied her, he saw a way of getting out of his hand-to-mouth existence and moving up into a life where he'd never have to worry about money because Claire's daddy pays for everything. But as the years have gone on, though Alfie loves his lifestyle, he despises Claire and the role of perfect husband he has to play and decides to do something about it. As his plan is about to come into action, someone else comes in and initiates the same plan.

I've read a few of this author's books and I thought this one was the best one I've read by them.  It is written in third person perspective in various voices (Claire, Alfie, etc.) depending on where the action was. It wasn't hard to figure out what was going on but it was interesting to read how the author got us there. Though Alfie was a despicable person, he was a fun character to follow, especially when he was losing control of the situation. As a head's up, there is swearing, adult activity and violence.

Book ~ "Spirit" (2018) Ellen Miles

From Goodreads ~ While walking in a snowstorm, Lizzie sees two dark eyes and a little black nose. It's Spirit, a white German shepherd puppy! 

Spirit's owners found new homes for all of his brothers and sisters but they still don't have a place for him. Can Lizzie find a forever home for this helpful little pup?

Lizzie and her younger brother, Charles, are in elementary school. Their family, the Petersons, have a puppy named Buddy plus they foster dogs and help them find homes.

Lizzie was walking to her friend's house in a snowstorm when she hears barking. Following the sound, she discovers a white German shepherd puppy who leads her to where his family had crashed their car. The family's dog had had puppies and Spirit was the last one to find a home. The family has a couple of kids and another one is on the way and having a young puppy is just too much so the Petersons agree to foster Spirit and find him a home. But Spirit is sad because he isn't with his family and misses them.

Though this book is a quick read and directed at elementary-aged children, I found it entertaining. There is a learning experience and a puppy tip at the end. It is written in third person perspective and first person from Spirit's point of view. It is the fiftieth in the Puppy Place series, which currently has 66 books in the series, and works as a stand alone.

Book ~ "Edward" (2018) Ellen Miles

From Goodreads ~ Welcome to the Puppy Place - where every puppy finds a home! 

This puppy is quite a handful. He doesn't listen, he's obsessed with his toy sheep and he can't ride in the car without ... um ... getting sick. Has Lizzie met her match, or will she be able to train this pugnacious pug?

Lizzie and her younger brother, Charles, are in elementary school. Their family, the Petersons, have a puppy named Buddy plus they foster dogs and help them find homes.

Lizzie and her friend, Maria, are downtown and spy a dog in a car who seems to be in distress. When the owner comes, Lizzie gives her a bit of a hard time about leaving a dog in a car. The woman had only been away for a few minutes ... she'd gone to get some paper towels because Edward, her pug puppy, got sick in the car. She's ready to give Edward away because she wants to bring him with her when she goes to work but he always gets carsick. The Petersons agree to foster him but Lizzie knows she has to train him not to be carsick before they can find him a new home.

Though this book is a quick read and directed at elementary-aged children, I found it entertaining. There is a learning experience and a puppy tip at the end. It is written in third person perspective and first person from Edward's point of view. It is the forty-ninth in the Puppy Place series, which currently has 66 books in the series, and works as a stand alone.

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 ~ "All the Beautiful Lies" (2018) Peter Swanson

From Goodreads ~ On the eve of his college graduation, Harry is called home by his step-mother Alice, to their house on the Maine coast, following the unexpected death of his father. 

But who really is Alice, his father's much younger second wife? In a brilliant split narrative, Peter Swanson teases out the stories and damage that lie in her past. And as her story entwines with Harry's in the present, things grow increasingly dark and threatening - will Harry be able to see any of it clearly through his own confused feelings?

Harry is just about to graduate from college when Alice, his stepmother, calls him to tell him that his father has passed away.  He was out on a walk and must have slipped or something.  Harry heads home for the summer to be with his stepmother and help run his father's used bookstore.  Then the police determine his father had been murdered.  A mysterious young woman shows up around town and though he is drawn to her, Harry wonders how she knew her father and whether she was involved in his murder.

I thought this story was okay.  It bounced back and forth from the past to the present.  We get to know Alice, who grew up with an alcoholic mother who passed away when she was a teenager, and she was then raised by her stepfather, Jake.  It is written in third person perspective, depending on where the action was.  As a head's up, there is swearing, pedophilia and violence.

Book ~ "The Neighbours" (2018) Hannah Mary McKinnon

From Goodreads ~ After a night of fun, Abby was responsible for the car crash that killed her beloved brother. It is a sin she can never forgive herself for so she pushes away the man she loves most, knowing that he would eventually hate her for what she’s done, the same way she hates herself.

Twenty years later, Abby’s husband, Nate, is also living with a deep sense of guilt. He was the driver who first came upon the scene of Abby’s accident, the man who pulled her to safety before the car erupted in flames, the man who could not save her brother in time. It’s this guilt, this regret that binds them together. They understand each other. Or so Nate believes.

In a strange twist of fate, Liam (her old lover - possibly her true soulmate) moves in with his own family next door, releasing a flood of memories that Abby has been trying to keep buried all these years. Abby and Liam, in a complicit agreement, pretend never to have met, yet cannot resist the pull of the past - nor the repercussions of the dark secrets they’ve both been carrying.

Abby and her brother, Tom, were extremely close, even sharing a birthday just a year apart.  Their father had abandoned the family when they young and their mother wasn't warm and fuzzy.  Abby and Tom were out celebrating one night when they got in a deadly car accident.  Abby was drinking and driving and was thrown from the car but Tom couldn't get out of the car.  Nate had been passing by and came across the accident and wasn't able to save Tom.  He visited Abby in the Abby regularly and they became friends.  Abby felt extremely guilty for causing Tom's death and pushed away Liam, the love of her life, because he and Tom were close and she was afraid he'd blame her for Tom's death.

Twenty years later, Abby and Nate are married and have a teenage daughter named Sarah.  New neighbours and it's Liam (!!) and his wife, Nancy, and their son, Zac.  Abby and Liam pretend not to know each other and Abby avoids Liam, to the point of badmouthing him to Nate to keep him away.  But Nate's a friendly and helpful guy and has no problem being friends with Nancy and Liam, much to Abby's dismay.

This is the second book I've read by this author and I liked it.  I liked the writing style ... it is written in first person perspective from Abby, Nate and Nancy's points of view (the chapters are labeled so you'll know whose voice it is) plus there are Sarah's diary entries.  There were lots of twists and turns at the end, most I didn't see coming.  I didn't find Abby and Liam likeable, even more so as the story went on.  As a head's up, there is swearing and adult activity.