REVIEW: Homicide in Hardcover

 Homicide in Hardcover
Author: Kate Carlisle

I enjoy reading cozy mysteries. The stories usually have cute pets, interesting side plots, quirky characters, and a lot of amateur sleuthing. My job can be a bit high stress at times, and these books are a great brain break -- an escape into a story that I find relaxing, enjoyable and entertaining to read. No spurting blood. No majorly adult themes. Some cute dialogue and situations. A nice break from reality. Love it! 

I've been wanting to read Kate Carlisle's Bibliophile Mystery series for some time. I even checked book one out of the library TWICE and never got a chance to actually read it. Life, work, situations got in the way both times and I had to return the book (out of renewals) both times before I even cracked the cover to start reading. ARGH! 

So....I bought the first few books in the series so I don't have to return them on a due date. I figured if the books were in my bedroom on my bookshelf where I would see them every day, I would pick them up and read the series, right? Flash forward six months and I finally picked up book one and read it! 

So glad I did! I enjoyed every word! 

Brooklyn Wainwright is a great main character. She restores valuable, old books, has parents who live in a commune, and stress eats when things get too messy. She's just the right mix of feisty and intelligent, and does a great job of amateur sleuthing.

The plot moved along at a nice pace. The background plot of book restoration didn't overshadow the mystery, but added a nice flavor to the story. There were plenty of murder suspects and lots of investigation. The book kept my attention from start to finish and I didn't guess the murderer before the reveal. 

Very glad I finally started reading this series! 

I love the background of book restoration. I love old books.When holding an old book in my hands, I always wonder who owned the book before, how many people read and enjoyed the book before me, and what the book's history is. Love the fact that the main character in this series restores old, very valuable books. It's definitely a form of art restoration! 

I like the characters. There is variety in the people around Brooklyn and I felt each was represented in a positive light. For instance, Brooklyn's parents live in a commune. While Brooklyn made some comments about how their lifestyle was a bit cringe worthy at times, she also loves them, listens to their advice, and shares that she learned a lot from them and the people at the commune throughout her life. 

At the time I'm writing this review, there are 17 books in this series. I own 9 of them so far. I'm definitely going to read my way through this whole series! Already starting book 2!

REVIEW: City of Endless Night

 City of Endless Night
Author: Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

City of Endless Night is the 17th book in the Aloysius Pendergast series. 

I've been working my way through this series over the past couple of years. Love it! It has such an interesting mix of suspense, crime investigation, supernatural and strangeness that I keep coming back to read more. There are 22 books in this series (newest one coming out in July 2024) as I write this review. So, I have almost caught up! 

Pendergast is a brilliant investigator. He's like a modern day Sherlock Holmes with an edge of weirdness and supernatural strangeness to him. Makes for a great read! 

This time Pendergast is working alongside Lieutenant Vincent D'Agosta once again to solve a string of grisly murders. The Decapitator is leaving a string of high profile people dead....their heads neatly severed and taken away from the scene. 

Although I was a bit disappointed at the killer's motivation for his killings, the investigation, suspects and surprises kept my attention on the story from start to finish. The last few chapters had me riveted! I wasn't sure how things were going to turn out!

There wasn't much character development in this book. It was all about the murder investigation. I'm curious about how some personal issues between Pendergast and Constance Greene are going to turn out. Much as I want that drama to play out, I was glad this book centered on the investigation rather than delving too much into side plots. It kept the suspense going until the very end. 

Another great book in this series!! 

In a way I want to catch up so I'm current on the series, but I dread finishing that last book. I am not patient and just hate waiting for a year or two to find out what happens to characters in my favorite books. But it will be awhile....I have 5 books to go before I catch up with Preston & Child! 

I listened to the audio book version of this Pendergast novel. The audio book is just shy of 11 hours long and narrated by Rene Auberjonois. Rene passed away in 2019. He narrated the Pendergast series through book 18. His performances were totally perfect! I get to enjoy one more before the narration changes over to the new voice actor, Jefferson Mays. I'm sure Mays is great, but I will miss the way Rene Auberjonois brought Pendergast to life! I will make sure to savor the audio for book 18!!

REVIEW: A Haunting on the Hill

 A Haunting on the Hill
Author: Elizabeth Hand

 

When I discovered this book is a sequel of sorts to The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, I knew I had to read it. I fully realized that nobody could write a sequel to Jackson's book....but a return visit to Hill House? Yeah....had to read it. But, I read it as a completely separate story from Jackson's classic psychological horror masterpiece. There is just no "Hill House, Part 2" possible. This is a different story...set in the same place. 

That frame of mind is what allowed me to enjoy this book. If I had gone into the story expecting writing on the same par with Jackson's, I would have set myself up for disappointment. Elizabeth Hand writes a great creepy tale, but it isn't on the same level as Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House. 

The basics: Holly is a struggling playwright who scribbles in the evenings when she comes home from her teaching job. Gotta pay the bills, right? Her play -- a modernization of an old play called The Witch of Edmonton -- just might be her ticket to The Big Time and away from the drudgery of teaching. Her partner, Nisa, has a lovely, almost magical, singing voice and has reworked some dark folk songs for the play. Their friend, Stevie, brings his acting skills and Shaggy-esque character to the group. And a once famous actress now in the downhill slide of her career, Amanda Greer, rounds out the cast of characters who come to Hill House. Holly comes across the house quite by chance and rents it for two weeks. The perfect place for tweaking her play. She sees it as an intense creative space for read-throughs before they do a public reading in the city. 

Renting Hill House trumps any horrific AirBnB story you've ever heard.Total mistake. But, they don't realize it until it's too late. 

I enjoyed this story. I checked out a hardback copy from my lovely local library and bought a copy of the audio book. I love to have creepy stories read out loud to me. The audio book has some cool sound effects in places and the narrator even sings several times. The sound effects don't drown out the narration but augment it. Creepy footsteps in the background or muffled scary voices while the characters are exploring Hill House really adds to the strangeness of this tale. 

While this is a very good story about an evil house, it doesn't have the psychological build of Jackson's original. And the ending was a bit lackluster. But, all in all, I enjoyed this story.

Hand's story weaves its way in between the 4 main characters.Theater people. Creative minds. Competitive edges. Actors. Writers. Performers. Some wanting their break. Others wanting to revive what they once had. In a place like Hill House? Of course the evil house eats them alive -- preys on their insecurities, secrets, ambitions...... It makes for a very dark story. 

 Enjoyed it! Not as good as Wylding Hall (another very good book by Elizabeth Hand), but still a great read!