
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Two Kinds of Truth (Harry Bosch #20) in Books
Jan 10, 2018
I love Harry Bosch so much, and there will be a hole in my heart when Connelly no longer writes about him. I actually moved this book up in my rotation (something I rarely ever do!) so I could read it on a weekend trip to Chicago, and my only regret is that it meant I finished it in about 48 hours, and now it's over. Per usual, Connelly gives us yet another wonderful mystery novel featuring his excellently developed lead detective. This one covers the timely topic of the opiate crisis, which looms fairly large in America today. It's well-researched, as always.
Reading a Bosch novel is like picking up with an old friend, and this one is no different. Our Bosch is aging, which this book acknowledges well. We see Bosch still grappling with having left the LAPD--who can he trust, what can he do with his life now. We even get some appearances from previous characters in earlier novels. Perhaps the best thing is a fairly large role for Bosch's half brother Mickey Haller, the famed "Lincoln Lawyer." These two are still figuring out their own relationship, but it's a treat for us readers to get a glimpse of Mickey; we even get to see some of his enjoyable courtroom antics. There's even an appearance from Mickey's investigator, Cisco! (See, it's like being old friends!)
And, of course, we can't forget the actual story, which, in usual Connelly style is excellent and tracks along flawlessly along Bosch's own journey. The opiate tale is both fascinating and depressing, while Bosch's unraveling of the backstory behind the reopened cold case will certainly keep you reading. There's never really any crazy twists or turns, but the novel moves along steadily and easily. There's both growth and angst with Bosch--I have to admit, I worry about the end of his arc, but I will still enjoy every moment I get with him until them.
Another enjoyable one for the Bosch canon--certainly recommend!

BookInspector (124 KP) rated What Lies Within in Books
Sep 24, 2020
When I read the description of this book, I found it very catchy, and it got me really intrigued of what this book can offer. I had this ARC for a while now, and I am not sure was anything edited before publication, so this review is my opinion of the copy the author sent me.
The main character in this book is Tyler, along with his younger brother Devil, they are killing child abusers, who have been released by police due to lack of evidence. Unfortunately, their “good deeds” don’t get unnoticed by the police, and the chase begins. I really liked Tyler as a character, I liked his personality, his manners, and his way of thinking was very amusing and interesting to follow throughout the book. I really loved his complex relationship with Devil, and wish to adjust in society. This novel was told from multiple perspectives – Tyler’s and Police investigators. I preferred Tyler’s parts, I think they opened his character very nicely and was more interesting to read than the police investigation.
The plot of this novel was appealing but not fully utilized. I think this book has lots of potentials, and by adding some deeper parts about Devil’s identity, where he came from, it would’ve been better. I think Smith did a good job by incorporating Devil, but the truth was given away too early. Another thing which disappointed me was the investigation, I was not very happy with how detectives were working, I didn’t feel the suspense breathing through the pages, and I think they could’ve done better. However, I think this book would make a pretty interesting film because it has the right amount of action and a riveting suspect. There were some interesting turns and twists in this novel, which kept my interest going. What really struck me, was the topics which Smith was discussing in this book, such as child abuse; how mental illness affects children, when there is nobody to help; children homelessness; survival and adjustment in the society.
This book was very easy to read, and the language used in this novel was not complicated. It has short chapters and it got me binge-reading all the way through. These short chapters kind of made me keep going to find out, what else Tyler has planned. The ending of this novel is unexpected, but absolutely impossible and compromises what detectives said, once they entered Tyler’s flat. I was very pleasantly surprised, that at the end, the author gave a little description of all the characters who were mentioned in this book. I think it was pretty awesome. So, to conclude, I think this novel has a really engrossing message to share with the world, through these intense characters and the struggle between what is good and what is bad in this world. I do recommend to read it and to figure out for yourselves, how people try to cope in this world after something horrible has happened to them in the past.
I would like to throw in a disclaimer, there is murders, violence, child abuse scenes in this book.

Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated The Black Book in Books
May 10, 2018
James Patterson has long been on of my go-to authors. His books may be long(100+ chapters), but they are always a quick read. I've been making my way through his standalone books this year and I have to say that his is one of the best he's written in a long time as well as one of the best I've read this year.
This book had me on the edge of my seat and as soon as I though I knew who did what, I quickly found out I was wrong. The end was unpredictable and enjoyable.
I hope James Patterson continues to give us books like this.

Debbie (52 KP) rated Hooked on Murder (Crochet Mystery, #1) in Books
Aug 15, 2018
Cozy Mystery 280 pages
Setting: Tarzana, California
I just love quick and fun mysteries. This book was one of those. I gave this book 4 stars. It is the first book in a series but not the first one I have read of hers. I have read this series out of order. It was nice to finally know somethings about the main character.
The main character is Molly Pink and she is a widow. Her husband left her in a good position so that she didn't have to work if she didn't want to. She has decided to go work and she works at a book store as an event coordinator. One of the events she has is a crocheting club, which she doesn't know how to do at the beginning of the book. The main leader in this group is murder and who finds her. You guess it it is Molly. You learn about the crochet leader and Molly in this book. One of the detectives is dating Molly and the other has it out for her because she wants Molly boyfriend. Did Molly kill the crochet leader? What about the boyfriend issue.I am afraid to go into a lot of detail because I don't want to spoil it for you.
At the back of the book the author gives you a recipe and a crochet pattern. I always like the little extras.
I hope you read this book and the rest of the series. They are fun.

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