Review: Seven Up by Janet Evanovich

 

Review:

Stephanie Plum is not your typical bounty hunter. She is all luck and minimal skill, but she always seems to be in the right place at the right time. Or maybe it is the wrong place at the wrong time depending upon how you look at it.

This time around she is after Eddie DeChooch. He is an elderly man with connections to the mob who skipped his court date for smuggling cigarettes. If you watched The Sopranos, I was picturing Junior. He is a feisty old guy with a lot of tricks up his sleeve. It doesn't make sense that he would run from the law for such a minor offense when you compare it with his usual dealings. Stephanie begins to realize there is more to the story when a couple of mobsters start following her around trying to get to Eddie first.

Two of Stephanie's friends, Mooner and Dougie, disappear without a trace and then her Grandma Mazur is nowhere to be found. She realizes she is in way over her head and calls in Ranger for assistance. Ranger is one of the other bounty hunters with Navy Seal level skills. I wouldn't want to cross him if I were a fugitive, but his assistance doesn't come without a price. While Stephanie is technically engaged to Joe Morelli, neither of them is ready to go through with it. Ranger is one of the nagging what ifs that is constantly in the back of Stephanie's mind. She is attracted to him, but he is not the marrying type. 

Overall, this is a light and funny mystery series. Each book is an independent story or case, but the characters and relationships do evolve. I would recommend reading them in order, but it isn't completely necessary. It is a VERY lengthy series with 29 books currently available. I'm not sure if I am in for the long haul or not, but I have enjoyed them so far and will continue plugging along. I am intrigued by the possible love triangle and want to see how that eventually plays out. I do not feel compelled to binge read the series, so I will continue reading one or two a year and hope I don't fall even further behind.

Review: One by One by Ruth Ware

 

Goodreads Overview:

Getting snowed in at a beautiful, rustic mountain chalet doesn’t sound like the worst problem in the world, especially when there’s a breathtaking vista, a cozy fire, and company to keep you warm. But what happens when that company is eight of your coworkers…and you can’t trust any of them?

When an off-site company retreat meant to promote mindfulness and collaboration goes utterly wrong when an avalanche hits, the corporate food chain becomes irrelevant and survival trumps togetherness. Come Monday morning, how many members short will the team be?

Review:

When I first started reading this book and could see where it was leading, it reminded me of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. A group of coworkers from Snoop, a tech company that started a music app, are trapped at a beautiful French chalet after an avalanche hits. One of the party goes missing during the avalanche, but then others start dropping just like the "ten little soldier boys" in Christie's novel. Nobody can be trusted, including the chef and housekeeper, who have done everything within their power to keep things moving forward during this crazy situation.

Topher and Eva are the founders of Snoop. They planned this holiday for their employees to soften the fact that Eva wants to sell out. Topher has bigger plans for the company and wants to hold out until their next update is launched. The two are trying to gain support from the other share holders and need Liz to cast the tie breaking vote. Liz is a former employee that left the company. She could use the money and wants to side with Eva, but she is loyal to Topher and is conflicted. 

When one of the party disappears during the avalanche, everyone assumes it was a tragic accident. When other members of the party start dying of unusual causes, nobody feels safe. Everyone is a suspect and even the original death starts looking less like an accident. With no method of communication to the outside world, they are trapped with a killer until they can either solve the crimes or help arrives. 

The story is told with an alternating point of view between Liz and the housekeeper Erin. Everyone has secrets they want to keep hidden. You could make a case that just about anyone in the party is the murderer, but I just couldn't figure out a motive that justified the extreme measures. The book was filled with suspense and had me sitting on the edge of my seat in anticipation. I was absolutely shocked when I found out who was behind everything and why. I never would have guess in a million years, but it all made sense in the end.

I enjoyed Ruth Ware's The Woman In Cabin Ten and believe this book was equally as good if not better.  If you enjoy a good murder mystery, I have yet to go wrong with one of Ware's books. I will definitely check out some of her others.

Review: Incendiary by Zoraida Cordova

 

Incendiary was the May 2020 Owlcrate selection. Below is a picture from their website showing what was included in the box. I am not really into graphic novels, so I put that book in my little free library to share with others.  I do use straws regularly and like having an additional set of reusable straws. I have some from Tervis Tumbler that I use, but those are fatter and don't fit in some of my cups with smaller openings in the lid. I have also found an additional set of pot holders to be useful. Overall, I was pleased with the gifts included in this month's box. 

Review:

Renata is one of the Whispers, which is a group of rebels working to protect the Moria from the crown. Moria have various magical powers, but the King is trying to eliminate all Moria that are not directly within his control. It is believed the King now has a secret weapon that can strip them of their powers, so they must act quickly to destroy the weapon and get as many Moria to safety as possible.

Renata lived in the palace as a child and was once part of the King's prized collection of Moria. She has the rare ability to steal another person's memories. This skill can be beneficial if someone no longer wants to remember something unpleasant, but it can also be very dangerous. Removing too many memories can leave someone in a vegetative state. In addition, any memories Renata steals now plaque her memory.

The Whispers "rescued" her during an attack on the palace and she has been helping their cause ever since. She isn't trusted by most of the other members because they believe her skill is too dangerous. Dez, who is the leader of her group, believes she could be the key to their success and trusts her completely. 

Renata has witnessed the crown Prince leading the raids against Moria and burning towns in his wake. She believes he knows where the weapon is and is the real threat to the Moria. When the Prince takes Dez captive, she knows it is her responsibility alone to free him. Things do not go as planned and Renata soon discovers there is far more going on behind the palace walls than she ever could have imagined. Her friends and enemies are no longer as clearly defined as she once believed.

I really enjoyed this story and can't wait to find out what happens next. It took a while for the plot to really take off, but when it finally did, we were left hanging in the balance. Everything Renata believed to be true was turned upside down. We finally know where everyone stands and then the book comes to an abrupt ending. 

There was a lot of history, world building, and discovery of Renata's past that took place within this book. I think Illusionary, which will be released on May 11th, should take off like a cannon. This is a duology and there is a lot that still needs to take place if Renata is going to save the Moria and the Kingdom. I am glad I did not read this book as soon as it was released. I now only have to wait a couple of months to see how this story will conclude.

This isn't a book I probably would have selected on my own, but it was another excellent pick by Owlcrate.

Review: The Spies that Bind by Ally Carter

 

Review:

I love the concept of audible and find the badges and different reading levels you can achieve to be quite motivating and addicting, but I can't justify the cost. I get all of my audiobooks using the Overdrive and Hoopla apps for free with my library card. Every now and then I will receive a 30 day free trial offer from audible and decide to take them up on it. 

This book doesn't require a credit, so I would definitely recommend listening to this short story if you are a Gallagher Girls fan or are interested in trying out the series. This is a prequel, so you will not spoil anything by listening to this book. In fact, it was nice to learn more about the history of the school and its founder, which I don't recall being revealed in any of the books in the series.  I also enjoyed seeing how Cammie found all of the secret passages that generations of Gallagher girls never discovered. In addition, we get to see Cammie's first impression of the Gallagher Academy and how she met her roommates. These ladies always seemed so smart and confident in the series, but they weren't always that way. They all questioned if they have what it takes to succeed in such a competitive environment.

The transition to a new school impacted more than just the students. Cammie's mom is returning to the Gallagher Academy for the first time since she graduated, but this time around she is the new head mistress. She is expected to lead and develop the next generation of Exceptional Young Women. Not everyone thought she was the best woman suited for the job and even she is questioning her decision. 

I really enjoyed having the opportunity to return to the Gallagher Academy. This is a very short story and will not take much of your time. In fact, I took my dog for a walk around the neighborhood and was able to listen to the entire thing.  I understand audible needs to have original and exclusive content to entice members, but I remember feeling disappointed when Ally first announced this book was an audible exclusive. I'm glad I finally had a chance to listen to it.