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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2619 KP) rated The Glass Thief in Books

Jul 29, 2026 (Updated Jul 29, 2026)  
The Glass Thief
The Glass Thief
Gigi Pandian | 2019 | Mystery
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Treasure, a Ghost Story, and a Locked Room Murder
Jaya Jones is thrilled when her favorite author, Rick Coronado, asks her to look at his new manuscript. The chapters she receives are about a murder in a locked room in a haunted mansion and a missing statue. Her instincts that there is more to the story prove accurate when she starts making connections to a murder that happened seven years ago. But another death ups the stakes. Can Jaya separate fact from fiction and find the killer and the missing statue?

If that description seems a bit complicated, don’t worry, the book lays everything out very easily. There are multiple twists that up the stakes along the way. It takes some concentration, but things do make sense at the end. While I do wish we saw more of one of the supporting characters, I really liked a subplot involving Jaya’s personal life. While the book is set at Christmas, the holiday vibes are minimal. The new characters are good for their roles in the book. I felt like I was traveling along with Jaya as we visit Paris and Cambodia before the story is over. This is another page turning novel that is hard to put down.
  
The Illustrated Child
The Illustrated Child
Polly Crosby | 2020 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Romilly and her father Tobias move in to a run-down house in the countryside when she is 9 years old. Her father is an eccentric artist, and she doesn’t know anything about her mother. Later, Monty the cat joins Romilly and her friend Stacey on adventures in the local countryside, in what seems to be an idyllic childhood.

Tobias creates a series of beautifully illustrated books starring both Romilly and Monty, and their lives are changed. They find fame, as readers believe that the books are a kind of treasure hunt - which, incidentally, reminded me of the Kit Williams book, Masquerade, published in the late 1970’s. Strangers start to camp out in their garden, digging holes all over their land to find the treasure - meaning that Romilly is unable to leave the house.

Life changes again when Tobias’ behaviour becomes more and more erratic, Romilly’s mother comes back in to her life, and she meets her grandmother. Things seem to be continuously changing, and nothing is consistent - there’s no stability in Romilly’s life.

This book was not at all what I expected. It started out as something of an idyllic childhood, but as time went on, Romilly’s life is irrevocably changed. I felt so much sadness for her, and there were times when I was almost in tears (you might need a hanky!). This deals with some pretty serious themes: dementia, mental illness, death and child abuse. All the way through I was rooting for Romilly and hoping that she would get the help that she needed and deserved. This is such a beautifully written book, and I would have no hesitation in recommending it.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my e-ARC.
  
    Dungeon Rushers

    Dungeon Rushers

    Games

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    *About IAPs: All of the IAPs in Dungeon Rushers are character skins -- cosmetic and optional. ...

ST
Severed Threads (Threads #1)
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
First off, I don't want to admit that I judge a book by it's cover... but I do. This cover looked intriguing to me so that is why I chose to review it.

I read the first chapter and wasn't too sold on what was going on. But I continued on, to really give it a fair chance. The more I got farther into the book, the more complex the story line became, and it was just too confusing to follow. Between scuba diving (in which the author explained in great detail, which was a plus), a past love affair, a kidnapping by people who seem to be mobsters, buried treasure from long ago and ghost stories, I think it's just too much for a reader to process. I felt like there wasn't even a chance to connect with the main characters (Chase and Rachel) because the story was taking me this way and that way and all over the place. Some parts of the book were well written, just not the entire book as a whole.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary electronic book from a website (in which I was told not to post the name of). I was not required to write a positive review, only an honest one. The opinions I have expressed here are my own.