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The Brim Reaper
8.0
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With no job prospects on the horizon, former fashion buyer Samantha Kidd convinces boyfriend and...
The Looking Glass War
6.0
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“You are either good or bad, and both are dangerous.” It would have been an easy job for...
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Hunted in Books
Apr 9, 2019
Thank you to the author for a copy of this book in exchange for my review.
Detective Scarlett Fry is taking a much needed vacation with her husband in Spain, but she just can't seem to escape work. When two dead bodies are discovered in the room across from hers, she has to find out what happened. But this isn't her jurisdiction, so she continues her vacation, but it's hard to get it out of her mind. Upon returning home, she gets a case of a murdered man and a missing family. Ironically her case at home and the murders in Spain are connected. Will she be able to find the killer or killers and will she be able to find the missing family?
This is the first book I have read by Dominique L. Watson, but I will definitely read more. I'm really looking forward to reading Murder for Justice, which is the first Scarlett Fry book. I devoured this book in a few days.
Detective Scarlett Fry can't seem to get a break. Even on vacation, as a homicide detective, work seem to fall at her feet. Or right across the hall from her hotel room in Spain. She could never imagine that thousands of miles away in her jurisdiction, a murder was taking place there as well. And a kidnapping. I was on the edge of my seat as Fry traveled the southwest part of the country from San Diego, California to small town Arizona hunting the killer. Twists and turns all along the way make this book very hard to put down. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a great fast paced thriller.
Detective Scarlett Fry is taking a much needed vacation with her husband in Spain, but she just can't seem to escape work. When two dead bodies are discovered in the room across from hers, she has to find out what happened. But this isn't her jurisdiction, so she continues her vacation, but it's hard to get it out of her mind. Upon returning home, she gets a case of a murdered man and a missing family. Ironically her case at home and the murders in Spain are connected. Will she be able to find the killer or killers and will she be able to find the missing family?
This is the first book I have read by Dominique L. Watson, but I will definitely read more. I'm really looking forward to reading Murder for Justice, which is the first Scarlett Fry book. I devoured this book in a few days.
Detective Scarlett Fry can't seem to get a break. Even on vacation, as a homicide detective, work seem to fall at her feet. Or right across the hall from her hotel room in Spain. She could never imagine that thousands of miles away in her jurisdiction, a murder was taking place there as well. And a kidnapping. I was on the edge of my seat as Fry traveled the southwest part of the country from San Diego, California to small town Arizona hunting the killer. Twists and turns all along the way make this book very hard to put down. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a great fast paced thriller.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2334 KP) rated The Key Lime Crime in Books
Aug 12, 2020
Murder Never Takes a Holiday
The week between Christmas and New Year’s is proving to be very busy for Hayley Snow. In addition to her regular food related articles for local magazine Key Zest, she is also covering the key lime pie contest, which is filled with more tension than Hayley expected. Meanwhile, her new husband, cop Nathan Bransford, is working overtime due to all the visitors on the island for the holiday. So when Nathan’s mother decides to come visit, Hayley finds herself playing hostess for a woman she’s never met before. Even worse, the pair stumble upon one of the pie contestants dead. Has the contest turned deadly? Or is there another motive for murder?
I’m always happy to escape to Key West via the pages of this series, although after reading this I may skip the New Year’s time period when I get to visit in real life. It sounded a little too crowded for me. Still, I loved getting to catch up with the characters, who are always a delight. We got to know one of the regulars much better here, which I really appreciated. The mystery itself could have been stronger, although we did have some good suspects and I was engaged and kept guessing until the end. Plan ahead before you pick up this book – I had to buy a key lime pie I was craving it so much. There isn’t a recipe for the pie at the end (we’ve gotten one in an earlier book), although one of the eight recipes is for a delicious sounding key lime parfait. This is another pleasant trip to Key West that will please the series’ fans.
I’m always happy to escape to Key West via the pages of this series, although after reading this I may skip the New Year’s time period when I get to visit in real life. It sounded a little too crowded for me. Still, I loved getting to catch up with the characters, who are always a delight. We got to know one of the regulars much better here, which I really appreciated. The mystery itself could have been stronger, although we did have some good suspects and I was engaged and kept guessing until the end. Plan ahead before you pick up this book – I had to buy a key lime pie I was craving it so much. There isn’t a recipe for the pie at the end (we’ve gotten one in an earlier book), although one of the eight recipes is for a delicious sounding key lime parfait. This is another pleasant trip to Key West that will please the series’ fans.
Connor Sheffield (293 KP) rated Gotham - Season 1 in TV
Jun 20, 2018
Cast (5 more)
Character development
Characters
Setting
Great Drama
Gripping storyline
Some of the more extreme comic book costumes (2 more)
Some of the characters
Certain plot elements that take away the drama (mostly if you've read or seen what happens next)
Imagine a Gotham without Batman....
Contains spoilers, click to show
When I first watched it when it first aired, I was sceptical and yet excited and then I felt let down. Gotham at first was a great cop show but what annoyed me was the fact that all these things that we knew to happen when Batman was around, were happening when Bruce Wayne was still a child and my brain couldn't wrap around the idea let alone get behind it, but at the same time I didn't know what I was expecting. Still I watched the first two seasons because I wanted to see some of my favourite villains and characters brought to life and I love Ben McKenzie as James Gordon!
However upon recently returning to watching Gotham I have come to see it in a new light and adore the show to pieces as I should have from the start. Gotham isn't about Batman, it's not about Bruce Wayne (not fully anyways). I see now that Gotham is a concept of a question:
"What if these villains we're here before Batman? Leaving only the police to deal with the extremity of Gotham most famous rogues!"
What makes this show so good is that we see a young, reckless and a little out of character Jim Gordon, who is even willing to bend the law to the point of breaking to get Justice. The drama is intense and you never can tell when Jim goes off on one, if he'll restrain himself to the law and doing things by the book. In a way there's a lot of Batman within Jim Gordon himself which makes the show even better.
Some of the characters annoy me at times. I liked Fish Mooney at first because she was dangerous and twisted, but when you bring a character back so many times you just lose interest and they're no longer a threat to the drama of their character development because you leave yourself with the only two viable questions: "will she ever stay dead?" And "when will she die for good?" I just don't seem to be concerned for her anymore like I did in the first season when she was double crossing Falcone. When everything was fresh and you didn't know if a stray bullet might hit her finally or if an Assassin was in her midst at all times waiting to strike. The drama for me didn't vanish but certainly lessened in later seasons.
The character development of characters like Bruce Wayne, Jim Gordon, Edward Nigma and Oswald Cobblepot are brilliantly written. With Bruce becoming a stronger minded young man in season two and Oswald's rise to power. I particularly loved Nigmas transformation into a killer because of the way it was set out, with the first murder being slightly on purpose, the second a complete accident, the third being to protect himself against discovery and the rest being a complete turn around into someone who discovers he enjoys the task of killing someone. The writers are excellent when it comes to development of characters and plot.
Can't wait for the new season and I hope they go out with a bang!
However upon recently returning to watching Gotham I have come to see it in a new light and adore the show to pieces as I should have from the start. Gotham isn't about Batman, it's not about Bruce Wayne (not fully anyways). I see now that Gotham is a concept of a question:
"What if these villains we're here before Batman? Leaving only the police to deal with the extremity of Gotham most famous rogues!"
What makes this show so good is that we see a young, reckless and a little out of character Jim Gordon, who is even willing to bend the law to the point of breaking to get Justice. The drama is intense and you never can tell when Jim goes off on one, if he'll restrain himself to the law and doing things by the book. In a way there's a lot of Batman within Jim Gordon himself which makes the show even better.
Some of the characters annoy me at times. I liked Fish Mooney at first because she was dangerous and twisted, but when you bring a character back so many times you just lose interest and they're no longer a threat to the drama of their character development because you leave yourself with the only two viable questions: "will she ever stay dead?" And "when will she die for good?" I just don't seem to be concerned for her anymore like I did in the first season when she was double crossing Falcone. When everything was fresh and you didn't know if a stray bullet might hit her finally or if an Assassin was in her midst at all times waiting to strike. The drama for me didn't vanish but certainly lessened in later seasons.
The character development of characters like Bruce Wayne, Jim Gordon, Edward Nigma and Oswald Cobblepot are brilliantly written. With Bruce becoming a stronger minded young man in season two and Oswald's rise to power. I particularly loved Nigmas transformation into a killer because of the way it was set out, with the first murder being slightly on purpose, the second a complete accident, the third being to protect himself against discovery and the rest being a complete turn around into someone who discovers he enjoys the task of killing someone. The writers are excellent when it comes to development of characters and plot.
Can't wait for the new season and I hope they go out with a bang!
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Distant Dead in Books
Mar 4, 2021
A dark and well-written tale of sadness and forgiveness
Adam Merkel left his job as a professor in Reno to come to Lovelock, a small town, to teach math at their middle school. He was mostly mocked by his students, except for one, Sal Prentiss. After the death of his mother, Sal lives outside of town with his two uncles. Mostly friendless, he bonds with Mr. Merkel over math, chess, and more. So when Sal finds Mr. Merkel's body on his way to schoool--burned so that it's nearly unrecognizable--it turns his small world upside down. It upsets Nora Wheaton as well. A colleague of Adam's at the school, she thought she recognized a kindred spirit in him. Both seemed trapped in Lovelock: Nora had to return to care for her father. After Adam's death, Nora starts looking into his past to see what led to his horrible undoing. But so much of what she finds keeps leading back to the boy who befriended him--and found his body. As she tries to befriend the wary Sal, it opens up old wounds of her own.
I really loved Heather Young's book The Lost Girls, and The Distant Dead didn't disappoint either. She excels at creating excellent atmospheric novels with well-drawn characters. The Distant Dead perfectly captures small town life: how nearly everyone knows almost everything about everyone, but rarely interferes. How a small town can feel so stifling and claustrophobic. How the secrets and lies pile up until a man finds himself burned to death.
Young also covers the timely topics of drugs and addiction, which run as a thread across the book. Opiates don't seem like a tired trope here, though, but something that is eating up the town and ruining people's lives. It's no secret that I'm a sucker for a book with a good kid character, and I pretty much fell for Sal immediately. He's a great kid: real, vulnerable yet tough, and smart. He was an excellent narrator, with his portions telling what led up to Adam's death and Nora and Jake (a local EMT/firefighter) telling us what happened after. The book is surprisingly tense, with Young's beautifully written words jumping off every page. She's such a lyrical writer, weaving an amazing tale of sadness and redemption.
This isn't a fast read or a page-turning thriller. But it's a well-written book, with characters you won't soon forget. There's a lovely, albeit sad and dark, story here. Definitely worth a read. 4+ stars.
I really loved Heather Young's book The Lost Girls, and The Distant Dead didn't disappoint either. She excels at creating excellent atmospheric novels with well-drawn characters. The Distant Dead perfectly captures small town life: how nearly everyone knows almost everything about everyone, but rarely interferes. How a small town can feel so stifling and claustrophobic. How the secrets and lies pile up until a man finds himself burned to death.
Young also covers the timely topics of drugs and addiction, which run as a thread across the book. Opiates don't seem like a tired trope here, though, but something that is eating up the town and ruining people's lives. It's no secret that I'm a sucker for a book with a good kid character, and I pretty much fell for Sal immediately. He's a great kid: real, vulnerable yet tough, and smart. He was an excellent narrator, with his portions telling what led up to Adam's death and Nora and Jake (a local EMT/firefighter) telling us what happened after. The book is surprisingly tense, with Young's beautifully written words jumping off every page. She's such a lyrical writer, weaving an amazing tale of sadness and redemption.
This isn't a fast read or a page-turning thriller. But it's a well-written book, with characters you won't soon forget. There's a lovely, albeit sad and dark, story here. Definitely worth a read. 4+ stars.
Laura Doe (1350 KP) rated Last One at the Party in Books
Jan 12, 2023
I’m not usually one for end of the world, apocalypse type books but this may have changed my mind. Bethany Clint’s writing was perfect and kept drawing me in for more and more to the point that I didn’t want to put it down until I’d finished the whole book.
The book is a series of diary entries and a couple of transcripts from a woman who tells us about a new pandemic, only a few years after the covid-19 pandemic, there is a new one called 6DM, and it has a 0% survival rate. Everyone is terrified and can do nothing to stop it ripping through the population of each country. Pharmacies end up giving out pills that will help people to end it before the symptoms of 6DM get too bad for people to cope with.
The person writing the diary entries never introduces us to her so we never find out her name, but we know all about her life and her family. She goes between writing what is currently happening and how she is coping in a world where she seems to be the only survivor and going back in time to the years leading up to the 6DM pandemic.
Although she doesn’t exactly do what most people would do when thinking they’re the only person alive (trying to survive by finding somewhere safe to stay with food, water and any other essentials) she instead goes on a little bit of a drink and drug bender until she is shocked back into reality. She becomes mostly desensitised to everything around her including the many dead bodies that she stumbles across. But in the end she does realise that she needs to make some attempt to survive and make a life for herself, even if it is going to be a lonely life.
The story ends on a cliffhanger, and I really do hope that this means that Bethany Clift will write a sequel as I’m dying to know what happened to our unnamed diarist after the last transcript! Thank you to Bethany Clift and the Pigeonhole for the chance to read this incredible story.
The book is a series of diary entries and a couple of transcripts from a woman who tells us about a new pandemic, only a few years after the covid-19 pandemic, there is a new one called 6DM, and it has a 0% survival rate. Everyone is terrified and can do nothing to stop it ripping through the population of each country. Pharmacies end up giving out pills that will help people to end it before the symptoms of 6DM get too bad for people to cope with.
The person writing the diary entries never introduces us to her so we never find out her name, but we know all about her life and her family. She goes between writing what is currently happening and how she is coping in a world where she seems to be the only survivor and going back in time to the years leading up to the 6DM pandemic.
Although she doesn’t exactly do what most people would do when thinking they’re the only person alive (trying to survive by finding somewhere safe to stay with food, water and any other essentials) she instead goes on a little bit of a drink and drug bender until she is shocked back into reality. She becomes mostly desensitised to everything around her including the many dead bodies that she stumbles across. But in the end she does realise that she needs to make some attempt to survive and make a life for herself, even if it is going to be a lonely life.
The story ends on a cliffhanger, and I really do hope that this means that Bethany Clift will write a sequel as I’m dying to know what happened to our unnamed diarist after the last transcript! Thank you to Bethany Clift and the Pigeonhole for the chance to read this incredible story.
Rikki Hammond (33 KP) rated Gloom in Tabletop Games
May 27, 2019
Unique concept and theme (1 more)
Plays well with all player counts
Really needs the right group of people to play it (1 more)
The theme can put some people off
A unique card game that is marred by it's own concept
I will come out and say this now: Gloom won't be for everyone. It's definitely a unique game, which can sadly be marred by it's own ideas.
The game revolves around each player choosing one of five families, and your goal is to make them as miserable as possible, before killing them in a wacky and gruesome way.
The way you do this is by placing cards on top of each family member, which will give them negative happiness points. You can also place cards on other players members to give them positive happiness points, which ironically, are bad. Once you feel you've accrued enough negative points, you can kill them outright, removing them from the game. Some cards may have a symbol on them, which can add bonus points if a certain kill card is played on them in time, and every card has a little wording on the bottom, that tells a story of the grisly fates that await your family members. One person could be hounded by ferrets before falling down a well, or maybe excluded from a celebration before being mauled by bears.
Once all five of one players family members are dead, the game ends, and whoever has the most total negative points at the end wins.
Gloom is a pretty cool looki g game, as all the cards are transparent, and when cards are laid on top of each other, it can hide certain pieces of the card underneath it. The main draw of the game is the storytelling aspect of it, seeing how each family member is going to meet their death, and unwinding a story based off that.
Sadly, take this aspect away from it, and the game basically boils down to players placing cards on top of others until someone ends the game by killing all their characters, which can actually be a little boring in my opinion.
If you can find the right people to play this with, Gloom can be a lot of fun, but more often than not, this isn't the case, and despite the cool concept and looks, it can fall rather flat.
The game revolves around each player choosing one of five families, and your goal is to make them as miserable as possible, before killing them in a wacky and gruesome way.
The way you do this is by placing cards on top of each family member, which will give them negative happiness points. You can also place cards on other players members to give them positive happiness points, which ironically, are bad. Once you feel you've accrued enough negative points, you can kill them outright, removing them from the game. Some cards may have a symbol on them, which can add bonus points if a certain kill card is played on them in time, and every card has a little wording on the bottom, that tells a story of the grisly fates that await your family members. One person could be hounded by ferrets before falling down a well, or maybe excluded from a celebration before being mauled by bears.
Once all five of one players family members are dead, the game ends, and whoever has the most total negative points at the end wins.
Gloom is a pretty cool looki g game, as all the cards are transparent, and when cards are laid on top of each other, it can hide certain pieces of the card underneath it. The main draw of the game is the storytelling aspect of it, seeing how each family member is going to meet their death, and unwinding a story based off that.
Sadly, take this aspect away from it, and the game basically boils down to players placing cards on top of others until someone ends the game by killing all their characters, which can actually be a little boring in my opinion.
If you can find the right people to play this with, Gloom can be a lot of fun, but more often than not, this isn't the case, and despite the cool concept and looks, it can fall rather flat.
Merissa (12804 KP) rated Imminence (Connected #2) in Books
Nov 9, 2017
Imminence (Connected #2) by Kat Stiles
Imminence is the second book in the Connected series, and being as I loved book one, I couldn't wait to read this one. As it had been a while since I read book one, I took the opportunity to re-read that one, and can I just say that even knowing how it ended this time, I still fell in love with the characters and situations just as much! HOWEVER, this review is about the second book, not the first.
Imminence starts where Connected finished. Basically, Em puts the phone down on her dad - the one she had thought was dead for years - and tries to understand just what is going on. Also, whilst dealing with the adrenaline drop from the attack. Not easy for anyone, let alone a sixteen-year-old! The gorgeous Tommy is on hand though, to help her cope. And yes, this is one of those times that I felt like a complete cougar, lusting after a (much) younger man!! I blame Kat Stiles though - if she hadn't made him so scrummy, I wouldn't be needing counselling right now! ;)
Suffice it to say, this story is packed full of action and melting moments, plus you get to see Em's dad and why he did what he did. I loved that part, when it all became clear. If an author can make you relate to the 'big bad' then she is definitely doing it right. Lauren was a star in this book, and the repartee she has going on with Demetri had me laughing out loud.
Excellently written, with a fantastic storyline, and amazing characters, Imminence is a wonderful addition to the Connected series. Fair warning though, it does end on a cliffhanger that had me shouting out! Absolutely loved it, and definitely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Imminence starts where Connected finished. Basically, Em puts the phone down on her dad - the one she had thought was dead for years - and tries to understand just what is going on. Also, whilst dealing with the adrenaline drop from the attack. Not easy for anyone, let alone a sixteen-year-old! The gorgeous Tommy is on hand though, to help her cope. And yes, this is one of those times that I felt like a complete cougar, lusting after a (much) younger man!! I blame Kat Stiles though - if she hadn't made him so scrummy, I wouldn't be needing counselling right now! ;)
Suffice it to say, this story is packed full of action and melting moments, plus you get to see Em's dad and why he did what he did. I loved that part, when it all became clear. If an author can make you relate to the 'big bad' then she is definitely doing it right. Lauren was a star in this book, and the repartee she has going on with Demetri had me laughing out loud.
Excellently written, with a fantastic storyline, and amazing characters, Imminence is a wonderful addition to the Connected series. Fair warning though, it does end on a cliffhanger that had me shouting out! Absolutely loved it, and definitely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
KatieLouCreate (162 KP) rated Frankenstein in Books
Mar 5, 2018
Contains spoilers, click to show
It's been a while since I read this book but I remember why I did and did not enjoy this book. Firstly, the book it worth the read. It may seem slow to start with but you do get rewarded in the end. It is just that, unfortunately, Victor Frankenstein is a very boring character. He is just so boring and, lets face it, a little bit fickle. He spent his life working towards this goal, leaving his family and loved ones behind, practically, all to be able to resurrect the dead back to life. He accomplishes it only to realise what an abomination he has created. So what does he do? He runs away.
The most interesting part about the book actually comes from the perspective of the monster himself. It is here where we see true voice, character, and emotion. We see the monsters side of things and realise he is not in fact a monster. He is a product of his surroundings. He was treated like a monster and so he became one.
To me, it spreads an important message about love and acceptance. The monster would not have become evil is Victor had remained with his creation and helped him instead of fleeing and leaving the monster, new to the big wide world, by himself.
Although I believe Mart was trying to give us a different, more religious message, about the dangers of man performing a woman's role of giving birth and how that is an abomination to mankind, I think the message I stated beforehand is better and stronger.
If you can get through Victor's boring and annoying personality then the book is worth the read. If not, then maybe just read the middle of the book-- from the monsters perspective, although it would probably seem a little weird and out of context without the rest of the story.
The most interesting part about the book actually comes from the perspective of the monster himself. It is here where we see true voice, character, and emotion. We see the monsters side of things and realise he is not in fact a monster. He is a product of his surroundings. He was treated like a monster and so he became one.
To me, it spreads an important message about love and acceptance. The monster would not have become evil is Victor had remained with his creation and helped him instead of fleeing and leaving the monster, new to the big wide world, by himself.
Although I believe Mart was trying to give us a different, more religious message, about the dangers of man performing a woman's role of giving birth and how that is an abomination to mankind, I think the message I stated beforehand is better and stronger.
If you can get through Victor's boring and annoying personality then the book is worth the read. If not, then maybe just read the middle of the book-- from the monsters perspective, although it would probably seem a little weird and out of context without the rest of the story.