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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2395 KP) rated Murder in the Tattoo Parlor in Books
Jul 30, 2025
Murder Leaves a Permanent Mark
Francine and Charlotte have agree to go with Joy to her appointment to get a tattoo. Yes, it’s on Joy’s bucket list, but she’s not so sure she’ll actually follow through. They show up for the late-night appointment only to find the tattoo artist dead. The new police chief wants them to stay far away from the case, but Francine can’t help but start investigating. Her biggest surprise is that none of her friends seems that interested in helping with the case since they all have their own distractions. Can Francine figure out what happened?
I thought this series had concluded years ago, so I was pleasantly surprised to see the authors have self-published a couple of additional entries. I’d forgotten about a storyline that enters the paranormal realm that I wasn’t a fan of, yet I’m curious where it is going in the next in the series. While the plot started well, Francine spends a lot of time going in circles. Parts are obvious early, yet the climax still feels rushed. On the other hand, I still enjoy the characters and liked spending time with them again. I’ll probably pick up the next just to see where the story is going. The authors do have me curious about that.
I thought this series had concluded years ago, so I was pleasantly surprised to see the authors have self-published a couple of additional entries. I’d forgotten about a storyline that enters the paranormal realm that I wasn’t a fan of, yet I’m curious where it is going in the next in the series. While the plot started well, Francine spends a lot of time going in circles. Parts are obvious early, yet the climax still feels rushed. On the other hand, I still enjoy the characters and liked spending time with them again. I’ll probably pick up the next just to see where the story is going. The authors do have me curious about that.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The Taking in Books
Apr 7, 2024
67 of 220
Book
The Taking
By Dean Koontz
⭐️⭐️
On the morning that will mark the end of the world they have known, Molly and Niel Sloan awaken to the drumbeat of rain. It has haunted their dreams through the night, and now they find an eerily luminous and golden downpour that drenches their small Californian mountain town. As hours pass they hear news of extreme weather phenomena across the globe. An obscuring fog turns once familiar streets into a ghostly labyrinth. By evening, the town has lost all communication with the outside world. First TV and radio go dead, then the Internet and phone lines. The young couple gathers together with some neighbours, sensing a threat they cannot identify or even imagine. The night brings strange noises, and mysterious lights drift among the trees. The rain diminishes with the dawn but a moody grey-purple twilight prevails. Within the misty gloom the small band will encounter something that reveals in a terrifying instant what is happening to the world -- something that is hunting them with ruthless efficiency.
I really liked how this started and it was doing ok then I got bored by the end I was glad it was ending. Someone told me this was one of his best books it kinda puts me off reading anymore if that’s the case.
Book
The Taking
By Dean Koontz
⭐️⭐️
On the morning that will mark the end of the world they have known, Molly and Niel Sloan awaken to the drumbeat of rain. It has haunted their dreams through the night, and now they find an eerily luminous and golden downpour that drenches their small Californian mountain town. As hours pass they hear news of extreme weather phenomena across the globe. An obscuring fog turns once familiar streets into a ghostly labyrinth. By evening, the town has lost all communication with the outside world. First TV and radio go dead, then the Internet and phone lines. The young couple gathers together with some neighbours, sensing a threat they cannot identify or even imagine. The night brings strange noises, and mysterious lights drift among the trees. The rain diminishes with the dawn but a moody grey-purple twilight prevails. Within the misty gloom the small band will encounter something that reveals in a terrifying instant what is happening to the world -- something that is hunting them with ruthless efficiency.
I really liked how this started and it was doing ok then I got bored by the end I was glad it was ending. Someone told me this was one of his best books it kinda puts me off reading anymore if that’s the case.
ClareR (5945 KP) rated Dead Animals in Books
May 26, 2024
Dead Animals by Phoebe Stuckes tells of an unnamed young woman who wakes up the morning after a party, covered in bruises. Over a period of time, she realises that she was sexually assaulted. Whilst trying to deal with the repercussions of this, we learn that she’s a zero hours waitress in an upmarket restaurant, specialising in offal - and she’s a vegetarian. She’s bullied because she doesn’t eat meat, and is tricked into eating it on a couple of occasions (they’re really unpleasant people).
She lives in a tiny flat that appears to be plagued with mould that only worsens after the attack. Whether this is real mould or a physical manifestation of her inner turmoil and distress is uncertain, but when she meets Hélène, a fellow sufferer of her attacker, she takes her up on the offer of moving in with her.
Hélène seems perfect at first, but the main character takes her unease and weird occurrences with her to the new flat. Hélène comes across as manipulative and controlling. In fact there’s a feel of the main character having no control of her own life at any point in this story - right up to the devastating end.
This was a really tense, creepy audiobook, read so well by Anna Burnett - her narration increased the feeling of unease!
A short but really hard-hitting listen.
She lives in a tiny flat that appears to be plagued with mould that only worsens after the attack. Whether this is real mould or a physical manifestation of her inner turmoil and distress is uncertain, but when she meets Hélène, a fellow sufferer of her attacker, she takes her up on the offer of moving in with her.
Hélène seems perfect at first, but the main character takes her unease and weird occurrences with her to the new flat. Hélène comes across as manipulative and controlling. In fact there’s a feel of the main character having no control of her own life at any point in this story - right up to the devastating end.
This was a really tense, creepy audiobook, read so well by Anna Burnett - her narration increased the feeling of unease!
A short but really hard-hitting listen.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2395 KP) rated Three Strikes – You're Dead! in Books
Jun 28, 2024
Give This Collection a Sporting Chance
This is a collection of 14 crime fiction short stories with a sports theme. And there are plenty of unique sports here. The collection starts out with one of three baseball stories as the hero of a playoff game winds up dead moments after scoring the winning run. We’ve got a bounty hunter who is trying to bring in an ultimate Frisbee player. A college swimming coach is found dead at practice one morning. A woman plans to avenge her brother’s death in the bull riding ring. A biathlete is kidnapped. And a tennis coach finds himself in grave danger.
With all the stories, this is definitely long enough to be a full-length book, so you are getting your money's worth. The twists on a couple of the stories didn't quite work for me, but most of the stories held together very well. Likewise, the characters are all real. Considering the shorter space that the writers had to work with, I am always impressed when they can pull both of those things off. I'm not the biggest sports fan in the world, but I still found myself being pulled into these stories. Whether you are a diehard sports fanatic or have a casual interest at best, you'll enjoy this collection.
With all the stories, this is definitely long enough to be a full-length book, so you are getting your money's worth. The twists on a couple of the stories didn't quite work for me, but most of the stories held together very well. Likewise, the characters are all real. Considering the shorter space that the writers had to work with, I am always impressed when they can pull both of those things off. I'm not the biggest sports fan in the world, but I still found myself being pulled into these stories. Whether you are a diehard sports fanatic or have a casual interest at best, you'll enjoy this collection.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2395 KP) rated London Calling in Books
Feb 20, 2025 (Updated Feb 20, 2025)
Family Found Finally?
This book starts with Annie in Istanbul. Thanks to things her mom has drilled into her, she realizes someone is following her and manages to give them the slip before she sends out a cry for help. A cry that the City Spies get and immediately jump into action. You see, Annie is the daughter of Mother, their leader. But the spies are already on assignment protecting the fiancée of one of the princes before their royal wedding. Can they find Annie and rescue her while keeping their current assignment on track?
If you haven’t yet started this fantastic series, don’t start here since it will spoil many of the twists of the previous books. But fans will be highly satisfied when they finish the book since it gives us many of the answers we’d been waiting for. A couple things were glossed over, but that’s minor. Along the way, we get all the twists and excitement that fans expect. We also get to spend time with characters we love. They are so great at working together, and it is a joy to watch. While this book does wrap up quite a bit, it leaves the door open for further adventures - ones I hope we get. If you are a fan, pick up this book today.
If you haven’t yet started this fantastic series, don’t start here since it will spoil many of the twists of the previous books. But fans will be highly satisfied when they finish the book since it gives us many of the answers we’d been waiting for. A couple things were glossed over, but that’s minor. Along the way, we get all the twists and excitement that fans expect. We also get to spend time with characters we love. They are so great at working together, and it is a joy to watch. While this book does wrap up quite a bit, it leaves the door open for further adventures - ones I hope we get. If you are a fan, pick up this book today.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2395 KP) rated Ranch Dressing in Books
Apr 4, 2025
Murder Down on the Ranch
Samantha Kidd’s father-in-law is interested in buying a dude ranch in New Jersey, so Samantha joins him and her husband on a trip to meet the current owner and check it out in depth. She is so out of her element that she must borrow jeans for the trip, but she is doing her best to be supportive and stay in the background. Their first night there, Samantha finds the owner dead in the barn. Can she get the rest of the staff to warm up to her enough to solve the crime?
This book really builds on the growth we’ve seen in Samantha over the last couple of books, which I appreciated. You could jump in here without any spoilers, but you won’t appreciate the character arc as much. I also appreciated that this allowed Samantha’s relationship with her husband to really shine. Meanwhile, the new characters were entertaining. The mystery kept me confused until we reached the logical climax. I laughed as always as I was reading. Trixie Belden fans will enjoy an Easter egg in this book. Now that I’ve caught up on this enjoyable series, I can’t wait for the next book to come out. If you aren’t caught up yet, now’s the time to fix that. You’ll enjoy the time spent doing so.
This book really builds on the growth we’ve seen in Samantha over the last couple of books, which I appreciated. You could jump in here without any spoilers, but you won’t appreciate the character arc as much. I also appreciated that this allowed Samantha’s relationship with her husband to really shine. Meanwhile, the new characters were entertaining. The mystery kept me confused until we reached the logical climax. I laughed as always as I was reading. Trixie Belden fans will enjoy an Easter egg in this book. Now that I’ve caught up on this enjoyable series, I can’t wait for the next book to come out. If you aren’t caught up yet, now’s the time to fix that. You’ll enjoy the time spent doing so.
Merissa (13169 KP) rated Unlocked and Unlost in Books
May 6, 2025
UNLOCKED AND UNLOST is a standalone as far as I can tell, although I'm guessing there's a crossover somewhere because most of the side characters seem to have stories of their own that have already been told.
Kingston is a raccoon shifter locksmith who is laid up with a sprained ankle, caused by a client's young daughter. Ethan is the client's answer to helping Kingston out of a mess. Ethan is a squirrel shifter, complete with the hyperactivity you would expect. In their world, you don't recognise your fated mate unless you're shifted.
To be honest, I didn't really get them as a couple. Kingston couldn't cope with Ethan having 5 million tabs open in his brain (and neither could I!) and was quite rude about it in places. And Ethan? Well, it seemed as though he'd just be happy someone wanted him. There was a lot in his past with his father and grandmother, but I never really got to see much of it firsthand; it came as flashbacks or memories from Ethan most of the time.
Cute and lighthearted, I enjoyed this read but definitely wanted more.
** Same worded review will appear elsewhere. **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
May 6, 2025
Kingston is a raccoon shifter locksmith who is laid up with a sprained ankle, caused by a client's young daughter. Ethan is the client's answer to helping Kingston out of a mess. Ethan is a squirrel shifter, complete with the hyperactivity you would expect. In their world, you don't recognise your fated mate unless you're shifted.
To be honest, I didn't really get them as a couple. Kingston couldn't cope with Ethan having 5 million tabs open in his brain (and neither could I!) and was quite rude about it in places. And Ethan? Well, it seemed as though he'd just be happy someone wanted him. There was a lot in his past with his father and grandmother, but I never really got to see much of it firsthand; it came as flashbacks or memories from Ethan most of the time.
Cute and lighthearted, I enjoyed this read but definitely wanted more.
** Same worded review will appear elsewhere. **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
May 6, 2025
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2395 KP) rated Night of the Living Bread in Books
May 28, 2025
Can Sugar Rise to the Occasion and Find Another Killer?
Sugar Calloway and Dixie Spicer are working on a new project for the Jameson County Historical Society. It’s a cook book focused on various breads. It may sound a little narrow, but they already have several ideas for subcategories, and the pair are excited about it. Their contact for the project is Marla Mercer. But Sugar’s appointment one morning never happens since she finds Marla dead on the office floor, a bread knife in her back. Everyone seems shocked by the murder, insisting that Marla was well loved. So who would want to kill her?
It’s been a few years (and a publisher change) since we got the previous book in this series. I was glad to see it back and was easily able to slip back into Sugar and Dixie’s world. It was great to reconnect with the characters, and spending time with them made me smile. The suspects seemed nice as well, at least at first. I did figure parts of the mystery out early, but I didn’t have it all put together until the climax. There are a couple of subplots that helped kept me engaged. We also get five recipes at the end of the book. Fans will be just as happy as I am to revisit these characters.
It’s been a few years (and a publisher change) since we got the previous book in this series. I was glad to see it back and was easily able to slip back into Sugar and Dixie’s world. It was great to reconnect with the characters, and spending time with them made me smile. The suspects seemed nice as well, at least at first. I did figure parts of the mystery out early, but I didn’t have it all put together until the climax. There are a couple of subplots that helped kept me engaged. We also get five recipes at the end of the book. Fans will be just as happy as I am to revisit these characters.
Paul Kellett (118 KP) rated This War of Mine: The Board Game in Tabletop Games
May 27, 2019
Very immersive experience (4 more)
Great solo game
Stands out as a piece of art
Great teaching tool
Great storytelling game
Brutally hard (1 more)
Adult and disturbing depictions of war
Brutal Survival game
This War of Mine is a game of civilians struggling to survive in the middle of a war. It is harsh, brutal and contains scenes that some players might find distressing.
It is gritty, realistic and very hard. It's a remarkable game that really makes you think and can stand as a piece of art, capable of teaching about the harsh realities of war and humanity.
You play as a group of 3 (or 4) civilians trying to survive. You have to rebuild your shelter to try and barricade against the cold and other raiding groups.
A fully cooperative game, no player controls a single character but takes turns deciding what the group will do and resolving situations.
Split into phases, you spend the day building up your shelter, adding beds, workshops and other items that might ease your struggles.
You will try different combinations of things to try and work out the most efficient and vital components to build first. Depending on the whim of the various encounter and event cards as to how well these things will work.
The night phase is the main part of the game. You need to send people out to scavenge the nearby ruined buildings, post a guard to protect your shelter and try to get some rest. This is a fine balancing act and you will be forced to push the survivors to breaking point in order to do any of these things.
Scavenging brings danger from snipers, soldiers and other aggressive survivors trying to defend their property.
You pick one of 3 locations to investigate and build an encounter deck. As you explore, you reveal cards, find valuable resources, food, medicine, bandages, weapons and parts crucial to building better items in your shelter.
While scavenging, you will be told to reference numbered paragraphs in the Book of Scripts. This tells the story of what and who you find and it is this that brings home the grim reality of what you are doing.
You will have to make some terrible decisions - do you return home empty handed and risk one of your group dying from hunger or illness or do you steal the supplies you need from the old couple you found hiding in the ruined apartment?
This game is definitely not for everyone but I firmly believe that everyone should experience it at least once.
I borrowed a copy from someone in my game group and played a couple of short games before handing it back but I found myself thinking about it a lot afterwards and ended up buying it myself.
This War of Mine is definitely much more than just a boardgame. It is art. It is a lesson in humanity and the harsh reality of war.
It is gritty, realistic and very hard. It's a remarkable game that really makes you think and can stand as a piece of art, capable of teaching about the harsh realities of war and humanity.
You play as a group of 3 (or 4) civilians trying to survive. You have to rebuild your shelter to try and barricade against the cold and other raiding groups.
A fully cooperative game, no player controls a single character but takes turns deciding what the group will do and resolving situations.
Split into phases, you spend the day building up your shelter, adding beds, workshops and other items that might ease your struggles.
You will try different combinations of things to try and work out the most efficient and vital components to build first. Depending on the whim of the various encounter and event cards as to how well these things will work.
The night phase is the main part of the game. You need to send people out to scavenge the nearby ruined buildings, post a guard to protect your shelter and try to get some rest. This is a fine balancing act and you will be forced to push the survivors to breaking point in order to do any of these things.
Scavenging brings danger from snipers, soldiers and other aggressive survivors trying to defend their property.
You pick one of 3 locations to investigate and build an encounter deck. As you explore, you reveal cards, find valuable resources, food, medicine, bandages, weapons and parts crucial to building better items in your shelter.
While scavenging, you will be told to reference numbered paragraphs in the Book of Scripts. This tells the story of what and who you find and it is this that brings home the grim reality of what you are doing.
You will have to make some terrible decisions - do you return home empty handed and risk one of your group dying from hunger or illness or do you steal the supplies you need from the old couple you found hiding in the ruined apartment?
This game is definitely not for everyone but I firmly believe that everyone should experience it at least once.
I borrowed a copy from someone in my game group and played a couple of short games before handing it back but I found myself thinking about it a lot afterwards and ended up buying it myself.
This War of Mine is definitely much more than just a boardgame. It is art. It is a lesson in humanity and the harsh reality of war.
Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated Apartment 255 in Books
Mar 15, 2018
Firstly Id like to thank Netgalley and Momentum Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book.
I really wanted to like this more than I did. The story of the disturbed Ginny playing out her sick fantasies and aiming to ruin her best friends life is a great plot for a great psychological thriller but something with this book was amiss.
I think, for me, the reason this book didnt fulfil my original expectations was purely down to the characters. Ginny was the only interesting character to read about, yet there wasnt much description when it came to her and instead the story focused on the couple whose lives were being destroyed. I found Sarah too annoying to like, even when she wasnt being manipulated and tortured by Ginnys actions. For me, she was too happy and lovey dovey. Yes, she had just got engaged and I expect anyone to be happy after that, but the way she described Tom and their life together was such a picture perfect, cookie cutter life that it made everything seem like she was living out her own fantasy of this perfect life she had. Tom was more interesting as a character than Sarah, but ultimately still a bit of a drip. It just seemed like he couldnt live without his precious Sare Bear and seemed incapable of doing anything but think of her, whether with love or with anger. It may sound like Im being cynical but I found it all too sickly sweet. Thel and Hals story didnt interest me either, it felt like part of a story that didnt need to be there and easily could have been replaced with more about Ginny or at least cut down.
The plot for this was amazing and although it felt a bit slow to begin with, it does become fast paced and exciting for the reader nearer the end, though hearing more from Ginnys side would have been more interesting than always hearing about how angry Sarah felt right at that moment or how confused Tom was that Sarah was being the way she was.
The ending was certainly a twist of events that I hadnt seen coming. The reason for Ginny being so twisted and evil certainly came as a shock for me and the last couple of sentences in the book were chilling.
Overall I did enjoy this book but it wasnt something I was reaching for every night, instead I used it to pass the time while on the train to and from work. I can see this becoming a popular book and Im certain I know people who would love this, but I hate sickly sweet and there was definitely too much of that in this book for me.
I really wanted to like this more than I did. The story of the disturbed Ginny playing out her sick fantasies and aiming to ruin her best friends life is a great plot for a great psychological thriller but something with this book was amiss.
I think, for me, the reason this book didnt fulfil my original expectations was purely down to the characters. Ginny was the only interesting character to read about, yet there wasnt much description when it came to her and instead the story focused on the couple whose lives were being destroyed. I found Sarah too annoying to like, even when she wasnt being manipulated and tortured by Ginnys actions. For me, she was too happy and lovey dovey. Yes, she had just got engaged and I expect anyone to be happy after that, but the way she described Tom and their life together was such a picture perfect, cookie cutter life that it made everything seem like she was living out her own fantasy of this perfect life she had. Tom was more interesting as a character than Sarah, but ultimately still a bit of a drip. It just seemed like he couldnt live without his precious Sare Bear and seemed incapable of doing anything but think of her, whether with love or with anger. It may sound like Im being cynical but I found it all too sickly sweet. Thel and Hals story didnt interest me either, it felt like part of a story that didnt need to be there and easily could have been replaced with more about Ginny or at least cut down.
The plot for this was amazing and although it felt a bit slow to begin with, it does become fast paced and exciting for the reader nearer the end, though hearing more from Ginnys side would have been more interesting than always hearing about how angry Sarah felt right at that moment or how confused Tom was that Sarah was being the way she was.
The ending was certainly a twist of events that I hadnt seen coming. The reason for Ginny being so twisted and evil certainly came as a shock for me and the last couple of sentences in the book were chilling.
Overall I did enjoy this book but it wasnt something I was reaching for every night, instead I used it to pass the time while on the train to and from work. I can see this becoming a popular book and Im certain I know people who would love this, but I hate sickly sweet and there was definitely too much of that in this book for me.