The Murder Rule

4/5
I was pleasantly surprised by this book.
The beginning kinda dragged a bit. Then once it gets going it's a good read. She did switch to a new point of view that wasn't really noted until I read a half page of the end of the chapter, that said it was someone else's.

I loved Hannah. She did want she needed to do. She got to the truth even if she didn't expect it. The other characters were good as well. Hannah just had that spunkiness about her.

I did figure out most of it but there was a twist. It actually was kinda different then what I am used to.

All in all I enjoyed the book.

An Anonymous Girl

 

4/5
I have to say I really liked this one. The authors did a great job of creating the perfect cat and mouse. I flipping pages and had to finish last night. Just when I thought I had it all figured out they threw a curve. Loved it.

I felt this was better then The Wife Between Us. I wanted to yell at Jess and pull my hair out for some of the not so bright moves she makes but applauded her in the end. She used what she learned to her advantage. Definitely recommend.

What I liked is that it was not a completely off the rails type of book but one that lead you to the end some of the other book from the past. Seems books have shifted some to become more exciting. Not all books need that, and this was one of those. Just enough twists and turns without being overly done. Well written.

All The Missing Girls

4/5

This was another book that intrigued me. The time, went forward two weeks then back one day, the day before for the two weeks. So we see the story sorta backwards. It was different, and seemed to be odd, but as we get to the end of the story we see many things that make you "ah, ok, wow" At a mid way I was wondering if the mystery would be ever solved and seemed to just kinda stales a bit, then bam, it all comes together and I was pleasantly pleased.


I did have part of Nic's story figured out, but the rest not so much. I understood what Nic was saying about you can't really ever go back. I liked the characters and especially like it was set in NC, which is somewhat local. Some of the things that were said and done in youth comes back to haunt.


There was one question that kinda, was not answered but maybe it was more of the, didn't want to see it so it wasn't there. Then again, maybe it was all a matter of prospective. I really liked this book and will read more from her.

The Whisper Man

Holy moly !!! I had great expectations for this book and wow did this book deliver. This is one excellent book. Had all the great things needed for a suspense thriller. I was turning page after page. Characters were good. Loved all the twists, turns, and oh wow moments. Loved how all the loose ends were tied up in a bow with sparkles. I with out a doubt enjoyed this book and appreciated all the work that went into writing this book. Definitely recommend. Will be reading his next one.

Lilac Girls

When I first started this book, I thought it would live up to some of the not so positive reviews. As I got further into the book, it was not so. It is told from the 3 different points of view, 3 very different, 2 of which were real women. I found this to be a good thing as you can see also for 3 different ages of 3 different women. I will admit, when we are first introduced to Caroline, I thought her to be a bit boring and just another socialite. This was not so. She is very much a part of the story and needed to be included.

The war puts is in different places, and I found it heartbreaking what one human can do to another. One of the places we are placed is, Ravensbruck concentration camp exclusively for women. It is here I went thru several emotions. Sad, mad, horror, grief, disbelief and the loss of sympathy. I never heard of the Ravensbruck Rabbits till this book, I did not know if this was true so I looked it up. I learned not only were they true but there were more then first read about. Of course if I had waited I would have known that later on in the book.

Some reviews said there was a lack of growth in the characters nor was Caroline needed in the plot, again not true, I am not gonna say all of them "grew" but if you did not see the growth then you may not have understood the book, I saw the growth, of the characters. War changed people but being in a concentration camp probably changed people in a more altering way and growth came in a way no one could understand. If you think about it, think of being tortured daily for years, starving, praying to wake up the next day or to die. Years of sole crushing torture and loss. It's amazing when these camps were liberated, the people did not have help needed physiologically to help deal with the it. So they had to do the best the could to heal, as the characters in the book.

All that said, I could not put this book down, I had to finish it. I had to know what happened. I thought it to be a really good book. The author's notes say 2 of the 3 people were real and the third is based on another. The author's note did answer a couple of questions that were not in the story. I do recommend this book and the author's notes.

5/5

The Woman in the Window

I liked this one, loved the references to the movie Vertigo, and many other classics, which I know and like/loved. I also loved she uses a Nikon camera. I am Nikon girl myself. There were many things I liked about this book, but there were a few moments you're like you can't do that, or pointing out things that were not right. I do this with movies to and it drives my family nuts. Like taking pictures thru a window. Not an easy thing to do, especially if the windows are not clean and at that focal length. Yes, I am a photographer. What bothered me the most was the wine and medications, but then she redeems herself and you understand so much more about Anna. I felt a range of emotions while reading this book, which is good, I was mad, I laughed, and I questioned. I figured out the villain and still the book was a good read, had a couple of twists and turns that made the book enjoyable.

The Couple Next Door

Wow, a definite page turner. Had me guessing til the very end. Kept me interested the whole way thru. Interesting characters and intriguing plot. Enjoyed reading this book and looking forward to reading more by this author.

4/5

The 71/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

I gave it 3 1/2 stars. 

I was excited to finally get this book. It was somewhat a let down. It could have been I had a lot of things going on and have been extremely busy.

It took me awhile to get into the book. Then things started happening and I was into it. Then it drags. Then it picks up again and I wanted to see what happens. I didn’t like they killed the characters I liked but I knew it was coming. One of which was a favorite. The biggest let down ?!? The ending. I realize what the author was trying to say about redemption and forgiveness, but the ending is just a let down. 

The book was not all bad. I loved the twists and turns. Just when you think you have it all figured out plot twist. That I liked. I did have some already figured out but not others. The characters were different and well done. I liked how each character has positive and negative attributes. One old and wise while another is young and crime savey .  It did have an Agatha Christie feel to it. 

All in all it was not a bad book, and maybe if I hadn’t been so busy or a lot thoughts about different things it might have been better. 

Beauty and the Beast Lost in a Book

I loved Stepsister by Jenifer Donnelly, so I thought I would give this one a try as well. This book takes place at the Beast's castle, in his library. Belle is captive, but has become familiar with the castle and all of its enchanted items, including a book in the Beast's library. The book is call Nevermore and the more she reads it the more she is pulled into its magical world. The world is full of glamour and intrigue, adventures Belle has always wanted and imagined. The dreams she was forced to give up when she became a prisoner. Now they seem reachable. As most bookworms she is charmed by the characters that she meets with in the book, and they offer her all the things she can dream of, one of which is a reunion she never thought possible. Belle need to uncover the truth about Nevermore before she herself is lost there forever.

Review

I liked the book. Stepsister, I think is a bit better. This was an easy read, read it in a couple of days, being busy I have to read as I had the time. When I did have the time, it did not take me long to finish it. It was a little predictable but still had some good characters that were not in the movie. I did not like how the portrayed Belle in a couple of scenes but I think it had to be that way to make the story move along. I think, it could serve as a cautionary tale for those of us who love books and "escape"

thru them.

7/10

All The Light We Cannot See

My current read, so far it is starting off pretty good, I have a feeling this book is gonna be a good one. It is a pretty lengthy novel. I have been looking forward to reading this one, and well as the many I have in my "To Read Pile" seems like the more I read the more books I want. My house however is not too happy about this.

This novel is about a blind girl, a German boy and a gem. Obviously there is more to it, like the war, the Museum of Natural History, and an old Uncle. The girl, who is blind lives with her father who works at the museum, and when she is 12 the Nazi's occupy,  the city in France the live in, the twosome then move in with an uncle a reclusive fellow. What the carry is dangerous and valuable. A gem, real or fake, no one knows. Then we have the German boy, who is growing up with his sister. He finds a radio. He receives news and stories thru the radio he found.  He also learns how to build the radios and fix them as well. He tracks down the Resistance, which is how his, and the girls lives become intertwined.

I am excited to start this book and hoping it will be as good as I think it will be.

Review

I was not disappointed with this book. I found it hard to put down. I cheered on those who needed it, I shouted, I wanted to cry, but most of all I loved the story. It was truly a good book. There are several lessons to be learned in this book I believe, and of course the biggest is the light in the dark world.  There was a scene that I thought was odd and wondered how it could relate to the story at the time it was being told. When I looked up the fact that Netflix is making it a movie, I happened upon a discussion of the book. Someone pointed out how the scene made sense to her and wrote why. Looking at what she said makes total sense and even better the scene in the story. This is one of those stories that will stay with you. It may possibly be my new favorite book.

The movie Netflix is in creative stages right now and will be released in limited episode form. The company that acquired Stranger Things and Big Little Lies will be translating it to movie form. I love Stranger Things, and I love All The Light We Cannot See. I am hoping they do a good job but as always, the book is better then the movie. I do not want this book to have more episodes then needed. Big Little Lies was so popular they decided to have a second season, how can you do that when the book ends ?? 

10/10

Partners in Crime

Was a hard decision this time, would it be the continuing stories of Tommy and Tuppence or  Lost in a Book with Belle from Beauty and the Beast ??  Partners in Crime won out ever so slightly because it is a book full of short stories involving our Adventures Duo.


update
I did like this book, but it was all the short stories that kinda made it easy to put aside till later, I would read two or three short stories and been done for that time, my life has been extremely busy as of late but I did read it and enjoy it, the last and first story connects all the stories together in an odd sort of way. I was also able to figure out a couple of the mysteries before the end. Some of the stories just ended without the usual ending. It was just over, and then the next story.

7/10

The Secret Adversary

Ah, yes, Agatha Christie. One of my favorite authors since reading "And Then There Were None." This it the first book in the Tommy and Tuppence series. Looking forward to reading this one, and the rest of the the series.  Will continue to update as I read, if you would like to read along please do and let's talk about it !!



update
I finished this bool last night. It took a chapter or two to get into the book, but that may have been because I was tired. Once into the book, I liked it. I did miss a clue or two, and there was a couple of unexpected twist and turns, all the way till the end. It was a good read.

8/10