REVIEW: Quicksilver

 Quicksilver
Author: Dean Koontz

Dean Koontz is usually hit or miss for me. This story was largely a miss. Interesting at first....but the story rambled on so long and took ages to get to the point. By the time it did, I really didn't care anymore. Interesting premise...very very interesting premise. Weird execution. I stuck with this from start to finish so I could give a complete opinion....I wish I had DNF'd it and moved on.

Why didn't I like this book? Weird rambling dialogue between characters. Strange long-winded descriptions that seemed like story padding. A plot that is pretty much a recycling of earlier stories.

Quinn Quicksilver was abandoned as an infant and raised in an orphanage. His life was pretty mundane until the day some strange force compelled him to find a rare coin...then he finds himself pursued by government agents and strange monsters. He meets up with Bridget who is like him and traveling with her grandfather. Add in a dog they find along the way and a formidable foe. It's pretty much formula Koontz.

This story could have been told better. Fewer pages. Less philosophical ramblings that didn't move the plot. More action. Less rambling.

I didn't enjoy this story. Not every book is for every reader. The last few Koontz novels I have tried have just not been for me. Maybe it's time for me to just move on to other writers? I keep trying to re-connect as I loved some of Koontz' earlier novels. His formula has stayed pretty much the same, but his writing style has changed. I want horror that keeps me engaged, keeps me interested. Scary stories should scare me. This wasn't scary.....it was just a long, rambling mess.

REVIEW: Bolder Blindsided

 Bolder Blindsided
Author: Janice Tremayne

Problems are mounting in an Australian ghost town. Tourists flock to Walhalla to see the old gold mine. The dark, often dangerous, mining tunnels and the old buildings in town are a big draw, especially because almost every building in Walhalla is reportedly haunted. But, something else....something much more sinister lurks in the old mine. When two tourists disappear and a strange symbol is found, Detective Wellock calls in a friend -- Zack Bolder. Bolder is a priest who tackles cases involving supernatural forces. If anyone can get to the bottom of what's going on in Walhalla, it's Zack Bolder.....

What a creepy story! I enjoyed every word of it! I was in the mood for a supernatural horror story, and this book scratched that itch perfectly! Ghosts, demons, and murder....all in an old Australian mining town. It made the story even more interesting when I discovered that Walhalla and the Long Tunnel Mine are real places! Demon free, I hope!

A quick, very entertaining, creepy read! There are three books in the Zack Bolder series, with a fourth coming out soon! I have all three ebooks....so binge reading this series before the new book comes out! This is the first book by Janice Tremayne that I've read, and I'm definitely reading more of her writing! I've had a couple of her books and a short story on my ebook TBR for months....glad I finally started actually reading them!!

I love the cover art for this series! Definitely eye catching!

On to book 2 - Bolder Cursed!

REVIEW: An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed

 An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed
Author: Helene Tursten

The tales of Maud, an elderly lady who takes matters into her own hands when necessary, continue in this second book in the series by Helene Tursten. My online book club picked these two books as our July reads. I'm so glad they did!

This is my first time reading anything by Helene Tursten. Several of her detective novels have been translated into English. I'm definitely going to be reading them! I enjoyed the stories about Maud so much! I'm sure I will also enjoy Tursten's regular detective stories as well.

The audio book is just shy of 5 hours long and is narrated by Anne Richardson. Richardson does an excellent job of reading. She has a pleasant voice, reads at a nice pace, and does a wonderful job of voice acting. Thoroughly enjoyed both books in this quirky series about an elderly woman who has a unique style of problem solving. :)

I will definitely be reading more by Helene Tursten!

REVIEW: An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good

 An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good
Author: Helene Tursten

I checked this book out from the library with no idea what to expect. I'd never read a book by Helen Tursten before and wouldn't have know this story existed if it hadn't been chosen by my book club for July's read.

OMG! I loved this book!! I absolutely love it when an author surprises me -- and this collection of stories about a little old lady definitely surprised me. I started the audio book and by the time the first story was over I was staring open mouthed at my phone in total surprise. Maud is 89 years old. For the past 70+ years she's lived rent free in her apartment...the only thing that passed down to her from her parents. Most of the stories are told from Maud's point of view, with one being from a neighbor's perspective.  Maud is not your typical elderly spinster lady. She's definitely no Jane Marple. Quite the opposite in fact!

The audiobook is a short listen at just over 3 hours. Suzanne Toren is an excellent narrator. Her performance brings the stories to life.

Loved this book! Immediately checked out the second book on audio. Loved it too! And we definitely had a very lively book club discussion!

Several of Tursten's detective novels have also been translated into English.I'm definitely reading more by this author!

REVIEW: What Moves the Dead

 What Moves the Dead
Author: T. Kingfisher

It takes a skillful writer to take a classic story and re-imagine into a different, but wonderful, new tale. I was a bit skeptical that T. Kingfisher could pull off a re-imagining of Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe. I mean....it's Poe....nobody Poes better than Poe. But....I am happy to state that What Moves the Dead is a wonderful revisit to one of my favorite Poe stories!

This is not my first dip into Kingfisher's writing. I read and enjoyed The Twisted Ones. I usually avoid reworkings of stories by Poe, but since I enjoyed The Twisted Ones, I decided an open mind was a better choice than just refusing to read. I'm glad I made that choice. I loved this book!

Delightfully dark, creepy and atmospheric, Kingfisher recreates the crumbling manor house, the weird vibe of the grounds, and gothic feel of the original while adding sinister imagery and imaginings of her own. I'm definitely buying this book for my collection, but I think I will opt for the audio book. There's just something about having a creepy story read to you! Gotta have it! Which is amazing to me given the fact I usually avoid all re-tellings of Poe like the plague. Not only did I read this one and love it, but I'm going to buy the book. I love it when an author surprises me! I even loved the cover art -- delightfully weird and creepy! Perfect!

I can't wait to see what this author comes up with next! And while I'm waiting, I'm going to do a deep dive into her other books. I love creepy horror and this author does it well!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Macmillan/Tor-Forge. All opinions expressed are entirely my own**

REVIEW: Upgrade

 Upgrade
Author: Blake Crouch

I have been a huge fan of Blake Crouch's writing ever since I read the the Wayward Pines trilogy. I pretty much read everything he writes as I'm never disappointed.

I have to be honest and say that this book scared me. The entire time I was reading I kept thinking -- you know, this shit could actually happen....maybe it already has? What if scientists/doctors really started tinkering with the human genome to make us "better''? Where would it stop? And would it really be done to make things better or for other darker reasons?

I totally binge read my ebook ARC copy of this book as I made a 1500 mile move from NC to CO in June. I'm bouncing around in a freaking rented moving truck, with my eyeballs glued to this ebook the whole way because I couldn't stop reading. Great story! I just read that Crouch's book Dark Matter is being made into a television series. This story would be an excellent series as well! It takes a lot to freak me out....and this story had my brain busy with all sorts of moral and ethical inner debates. How far is too far when it comes to medical breakthroughs and scientific studies of the human brain and DNA? If we mess with our genetic code are we gambling with something we should leave alone? Or is manipulating our genetic code part of our inevitable evolution?

I love it when a book sends me into deep thoughts! This is why I read everything Blake Crouch writes!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Random House Publishing/Ballantine. All opinions expressed are entirely my own**

REVIEW: Screams from the Dark

 Screams from the Dark
Authors: Various

Think back. When you were a young child who still had a bedtime, parents or guardians who watched over you, and a safe place to sleep....what scared you? What monsters did you imagine crawling out of your closet in the dark? What did you imagine running up behind you when you walked home from a friend's house at night? What creepy things were in  your dreams? If all those creepy things were gathered up into one story anthology, it would be very much like this one!!

Do you dare read these tales?? Or do the monsters that haunted your dreams as a child still scare you now? Are you brave enough?

This horror anthology gathers 29 stories from different authors. There is something to terrify just about anyone. Vampires, werewolves, the devil, ghosts.....even scary people. A little something monstrous for everyone!

As with any anthology with widely varied stories, I liked some stories better than others. Some I loved. And some I didn't finish. It goes with the territory. I love collections like this because I become aware of so many horror writers I haven't read yet. And each story is so different! I love to read one story each night and then think deep thoughts as I fall asleep about whether I found it scary or not and if I like the writing style. I enjoyed this collection! Love monster stories -- and these stories definitely delivered monsters!

**I voluntarily read an ebook ARC of this anthology from Macmillan/Tor-Forge. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

REVIEW: Black Tide

 Black Tide
Author: KC Jones

Beth is enjoying the beach as she house and dog sits for a client. She could never afford to live on this stretch of the Oregon coast so she's enjoying it while she can. Then she catches a glimpse of the 40-something man next door.....a bit of flirting...a few glances.....and they are enjoying a one-night-stand together. But, that night, something happens that turns it into so much more than a fling between strangers....

What looked like a meteor shower or maybe a comet passing through the sky the night before was so much more. Soon Mike, Beth and a dog named Jake are fighting for their lives against all sorts of completely terrifying monsters.

I love sci-fi horror! Movies, books, audio....I don't care what format....just love scary sci-fi tales. I had lots of different reactions to this story. The strongest was probably my constant inner monologue of: nothing had better happen to the dog, they had better protect the dog, how is jake, etc  So, I have to admit that my favorite character in the book was, of course, the dog. I admit it. Not sorry. (and no, I will not tell you if the dog made it through to the end ok). My second was reaction was complete sympathy and horror for the plight of the main characters. I can't imagine being stranded in a car on the beach inside a car......with a complete shit show going on all around. And that reaction led me to thinking that this story would make an excellent movie!

I started out reading an ebook arc of this story, but then switched to the audiobook. For some reason I find horror stories more frightening if I'm listening to them. The audio book is almost 9 hours long and is narrated by John Pirhalla and Sophie Amoss. I was unfamiliar with both narrators but will definitely be looking for other audio books narrated by both! Both did a wonderful job of bringing these characters to life.

I hope KC Jones writes more of the same. I really enjoyed this story. The characters are quirky, interesting and relatable. The dog is awesome. And the situation was crazy creepy! Very entertaining. I enjoyed it!

**I voluntarily read an ebook arc from Macmillan/Tor-Forge and an audiobook from Macmillan Audio. All opinions expressed are entirely my own. I apologize to my readers and the publishers for the lateness of this review. I just made a 1500 mile move for a new job and it put me behind on writing and reviews. Things are returning to normal now, and reviews will return to always timely.**

REVIEW: The Hidden One

 The Hidden One
Author: Linda Castillo

I've been reading the Kate Burkholder series since the first book came out in 2009. The Hidden One is book 14 and I still eagerly await each new book in this series! Kate Burkholder grew up Amish. Though she has left the faith, the Amish still touch her life as she is the Chief of Police in Painters Mill where she grew up.

In this newest story, Kate gets pulled into a case involving a Bishop who disappeared a decade before. She travels to another town to investigate. But someone doesn't want her to find out the truth. Someone wants the past buried and kept hidden. As she gets closer and closer to finding out what happened, the danger to her life grows.

Because this is a mystery story and spoilers ruin it for readers, I'm not going to comment on direct plot points or the ending, etc.  But I will say that I love the characters, settings and plots in this series. Linda Castillo never disappoints! I look forward to every book, novella and short story in this series....and will continue to read every word!

This story can be read as a standalone in this series. So if you haven't read any of the books but want to try out this series, jump right in and try this new one -- or start at book 1 -- you will enjoy it either way!

I started reading an ebook arc of this newest Kate Burkholder novel, but then switched to the audiobook. The audio book is just over 9 hours long and is narrated by Kathleen McInerney. McInerney always does a superb job of narrating. Her voice is pleasant. She does a good job of voice acting and reads at an even, steady pace. I always enjoy her narration!

Another great book in this series! Can't wait for more!

**I voluntarily read an ebook arc from St Martins Press and an audio book from Macmillan Audio. All opinions expressed are entirely my own. I apologize to my readers and the publishers for the lateness of this review. I just made a 1500-mile move from NC to CO to take a new job,and it put me behind on writing/blogging/reviewing. Things are normalizing now and reviews will return to being always timely.**

REVIEW: A Rip Through Time

 A Rip Through Time
Author: Kelley Armstrong

I love Kelley Armstrong's Rockton series. I'm not sure why I never jumped into reading other things by her, but when I saw this blurb for her new series I had to read it. I'm a sucker for time travel stories, so it was an easy choice.

Glad I did -- this story is entertaining, different and just awesome to read!

I started out reading a digital arc of this book....then started the story over when I had a chance to listen to the audio book. The audio book is just shy of 14 hours long and is narrated by Kate Handford. This is the first audio book I've listened to with this narrator. She narrates a lot of mystery/thriller type books. I can see why! She is a talented narrator/voice actor. She reads at a nice pace and brings the story to life.

The story -- love it! The basics: Mallory Atkinson is a homicide detective. She travels to Scotland to care for her ailing grandmother. While out for a run Mallory gets into trouble and is attacked. She passes out and wakes up in that same alley,  but 150 years in the past. She's now in the body of a 19-year old chambermaid who works for a local undertaker.

As this is a mystery story and spoilers ruin the plot for readers -- I'm not going to give any other details. I will just say I loved this book! And I will definitely be reading/listening to more! The cover art is gorgeous! Definitely caught my eye when I was trolling for review books. Pulled me right in and enticed me to read this book!  Now that I've started reading other books by this author, I'm going to check out some of her other books. It will help me fill the time before there's another Rockton story to read!

**I voluntarily read a ebook arc from St Martins Press and a audio book from Macmillan Audio. All opinions expressed are entirely my own. My apologies to my readers and the publishers for this late review. I just moved 1500 miles from NC to CO.....and it put me very much behind on reading/writing/reviewing. Things are normalizing now and I'm catching up. Thank you for your understanding. All future reviews will be timely.**