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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2540 KP) rated Fatal Reunion in Books
Jan 28, 2025 (Updated Jan 28, 2025)
Is the Past Repeating Itself?
When a missing high school teen’s body is found in a remote area of the county, Zoe Chambers Adams has flashbacks to her senior year of high school. There are too many similarities to three teen girls who were killed all those years ago. Back then, the police had a suspect, but he committed suicide before he was charged. The killings stopped, so everyone moved on. While Zoe’s new husband, Police Chief Pete Adams, is busy looking at modern suspects and motives for the death, Zoe can’t help but wonder if a killer has been roaming free all these years. And, with her twentieth high school reunion happening, she’s wondering if the killer is in town for the event. Is what is happening today tied into what happened two decades ago?
This is another excellent book in this series. As always, Zoe and Pete share the third person narration, and that gives us insight into the characters and story. It’s great to spend time with the returning characters, and the new ones are just as well drawn. The plot grabs you from the beginning and keeps you engaged until you reach the satisfying solution. These books are not cozies, so pick them up expecting something darker, and you’ll be fine. I’m hoping to get to the next two books in this series soon. If you are looking for fantastic mysteries, you won’t be disappointed you met Zoe.
This is another excellent book in this series. As always, Zoe and Pete share the third person narration, and that gives us insight into the characters and story. It’s great to spend time with the returning characters, and the new ones are just as well drawn. The plot grabs you from the beginning and keeps you engaged until you reach the satisfying solution. These books are not cozies, so pick them up expecting something darker, and you’ll be fine. I’m hoping to get to the next two books in this series soon. If you are looking for fantastic mysteries, you won’t be disappointed you met Zoe.
The Lake House Massacre
Book
18-year-old Tate Robinson should focus on having a relaxing winter break with his friends. Their...
Young Adult Horror LGBTQ+ Thriller
Merissa (13956 KP) rated Pose for Me in Books
Nov 3, 2025
POSE FOR ME is a standalone dark romance with a Daddy/boy relationship. And trust me when I say that's the most normal thing about the book!
What we have here is a book about a serial killer who kidnaps the FBI agent who is hunting for him, and both of them getting more than they thought they would. And when I say serial killer, I mean someone who kills people just because... they're not bad people, or have done bad things. They're just in the wrong place, at the wrong time, catching the eye for whatever reason of the wrong person.
My favourite part of a Daddy/boy romance is the caretaking aspect of it, and this had that in spades, even though you may think it unlikely. I've read others, but none hit the mark as much as caretaking, and this had everything. Possessiveness, neediness, lingerie, c0ckwarming, it's all here and I loved every moment.
I read this book in one sitting and couldn't put it down. I loved every word, and now I need to find the other book mentioned so I can read that too. Absolutely brilliant and definitely recommended by me.
** 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!
Nov 3, 2025
What we have here is a book about a serial killer who kidnaps the FBI agent who is hunting for him, and both of them getting more than they thought they would. And when I say serial killer, I mean someone who kills people just because... they're not bad people, or have done bad things. They're just in the wrong place, at the wrong time, catching the eye for whatever reason of the wrong person.
My favourite part of a Daddy/boy romance is the caretaking aspect of it, and this had that in spades, even though you may think it unlikely. I've read others, but none hit the mark as much as caretaking, and this had everything. Possessiveness, neediness, lingerie, c0ckwarming, it's all here and I loved every moment.
I read this book in one sitting and couldn't put it down. I loved every word, and now I need to find the other book mentioned so I can read that too. Absolutely brilliant and definitely recommended by me.
** 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!
Nov 3, 2025
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2540 KP) rated Fair Warning in Books
Apr 9, 2026
Finding a Killer is Consumer Protection
Jack McEvoy is now reporting for a consumer protection website, far from the crime beat he’s covered for most of his career. However, his crime instincts kick in when two detectives come to question him about the death of a woman he had a one-night stand with. Even though murder isn’t what his employer covers, Jack begins investigating. He finds some other deaths that sound similar from other parts of the country. But what potentially connects the victims might make this a story his website would cover. Can he convince his editor? If so, can he find another serial killer?
When this book first came out, I remember being intrigued by the premise, and I liked finally getting to see it play out even if I wasn’t sure I completely bought it a time or two. Still, I was on board for every twist and turn on the way to the climax. The occasional view point changes increased the suspense. We only have a couple of returning characters, but the entire cast came to life. Jack’s protection of his story got a little old, but that’s probably because I’m not a reporter. Likewise, his lamenting the state of journalism bugged me since it didn’t look at the entire picture. Still, these were minor issues in a book that kept me engaged the entire way through. Buckle up and hold on when you pick this one up.
When this book first came out, I remember being intrigued by the premise, and I liked finally getting to see it play out even if I wasn’t sure I completely bought it a time or two. Still, I was on board for every twist and turn on the way to the climax. The occasional view point changes increased the suspense. We only have a couple of returning characters, but the entire cast came to life. Jack’s protection of his story got a little old, but that’s probably because I’m not a reporter. Likewise, his lamenting the state of journalism bugged me since it didn’t look at the entire picture. Still, these were minor issues in a book that kept me engaged the entire way through. Buckle up and hold on when you pick this one up.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2540 KP) rated Murder Most Trivial in Books
May 13, 2026
Can Jessica Answer the Killer Question Correctly?
When Jessica, Seth, Mort, and Mort’s wife, Maureen, take part in a trivia contest at the grand opening of an Irish themed pub in Cabot Cove, they never expect to win, much less that the prize will be a trip to Los Angeles to be contestants on Trivia Pub Live, a new live trivia game show. However, things take a deadly turn when one of the crew is found dead after the first day of tapping. Will the team be able to find a killer and stay in the competition?
My favorite episodes of the show were always the ones in Cabot Cove, but getting to have Seth and Mort on this trip was the next best thing. Plus, I recognized the niece we were visiting, which made it fun. The pacing was a little slow at the beginning between the set up and introducing a couple of sub-plots, but once the mystery kicked into gear, it was steady the rest of the way, with plenty of red herrings and clues before we reached the logical climax. And I really liked how the book ended. I kept the many suspects straight, although some of the lesser ones faded a bit into the background because they didn’t have that much page time. I also enjoyed the tour of mystery locations in Los Angeles. Overall, this is a fun addition to the long running tie-in series.
My favorite episodes of the show were always the ones in Cabot Cove, but getting to have Seth and Mort on this trip was the next best thing. Plus, I recognized the niece we were visiting, which made it fun. The pacing was a little slow at the beginning between the set up and introducing a couple of sub-plots, but once the mystery kicked into gear, it was steady the rest of the way, with plenty of red herrings and clues before we reached the logical climax. And I really liked how the book ended. I kept the many suspects straight, although some of the lesser ones faded a bit into the background because they didn’t have that much page time. I also enjoyed the tour of mystery locations in Los Angeles. Overall, this is a fun addition to the long running tie-in series.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Last Year: The Nightmare in Video Games
Feb 8, 2019
Nostalgic Horror
The survival horror genre has been growing in recent years with more and more titles being released to a growing and receptive gaming audience. The goal for these games is usually simple; survive. The typical set up has four or more players working with one another to accomplish various tasks and elude a dangerous killer who is often randomly selected amongst the players at the start of each match.
The latest game in this genre is entitled Last Year: The Nightmare and it sets players as stereotypical high school students as they attempt to survive against a killer.
Players will be able to select not only their persona but also a class such as Assault or Medic which will help the group survive the challenges ahead. Players will have to accomplish various tasks such as finding fuel for a Stair Car and locating computer disks as they attempt to open an exit which will allow players a time window to escape to safety.
Players will also have to find raw material along the way which can be used to construct and upgrade items such as a football helmet, weapons, and other tools needed for survival.
This is not a run and shoot scenario as weapons can involve a camera flash to temporarily blind your enemy, a mine to give them an explosive welcome, a shotgun, and a pipe with barbed wire and nails.
Playing in locales such as a gym, Bell tower, and a Library, there is plenty of area in which to cover which allows the killer plenty of places to strike. Players can quick travel through vents but may also take advantage of being able to barricade various locales which will slow down the killer but also restrict access for fellow players.
The killers come in three varieties, an axe murderer, a strangler, and a slow-moving but dangerous bulk that will smash, strangle, and throw, any players that get close enough to his range.
The game is available only via Discord currently and has had quite a few bugs to contend with during our numerous play tests most notably with launching and map loading. However when the game does load properly aside from some occasional lag; the gameplay has been solid and enjoyable and the in game chat has certainly led to some enjoyable conversations as we strategize.
The game’s graphics are solid but nothing spectacular and the same can be said for the audio and music. The maps are enjoyable but a little basic and I certainly hope that more of them will be released in the future. I also would like to see more options for the killers and might even be fun to allow more than one into a map to increase the challenge.
The killers are an intriguing mix as taking down players within ask is pretty much what you might expect but being able to last so a player with a chain and strangle them is an interesting new wrinkle. Once players are killed they can be revived after a certain amount of time as players will have to free them from a closet in which they are trapped. The same goes for the killers as once taken down; they will respond after a certain amount of time which also allows players to use a different killer.
Despite the issues; the game is enjoyable but depending on your tolerances some may find it becomes a little old and repetitious after a few games. I have not seen any major differences between playing any of the characters as the Jock seemed to perform exactly as the Nerd without any discernible advantage.
In the end the game is an enjoyable but fleeting diversion as after successfully completing a few rounds; it isn’t compelling enough to keep players engaged for long periods of time and to draw them back again and again.
3 stars out of 5
The latest game in this genre is entitled Last Year: The Nightmare and it sets players as stereotypical high school students as they attempt to survive against a killer.
Players will be able to select not only their persona but also a class such as Assault or Medic which will help the group survive the challenges ahead. Players will have to accomplish various tasks such as finding fuel for a Stair Car and locating computer disks as they attempt to open an exit which will allow players a time window to escape to safety.
Players will also have to find raw material along the way which can be used to construct and upgrade items such as a football helmet, weapons, and other tools needed for survival.
This is not a run and shoot scenario as weapons can involve a camera flash to temporarily blind your enemy, a mine to give them an explosive welcome, a shotgun, and a pipe with barbed wire and nails.
Playing in locales such as a gym, Bell tower, and a Library, there is plenty of area in which to cover which allows the killer plenty of places to strike. Players can quick travel through vents but may also take advantage of being able to barricade various locales which will slow down the killer but also restrict access for fellow players.
The killers come in three varieties, an axe murderer, a strangler, and a slow-moving but dangerous bulk that will smash, strangle, and throw, any players that get close enough to his range.
The game is available only via Discord currently and has had quite a few bugs to contend with during our numerous play tests most notably with launching and map loading. However when the game does load properly aside from some occasional lag; the gameplay has been solid and enjoyable and the in game chat has certainly led to some enjoyable conversations as we strategize.
The game’s graphics are solid but nothing spectacular and the same can be said for the audio and music. The maps are enjoyable but a little basic and I certainly hope that more of them will be released in the future. I also would like to see more options for the killers and might even be fun to allow more than one into a map to increase the challenge.
The killers are an intriguing mix as taking down players within ask is pretty much what you might expect but being able to last so a player with a chain and strangle them is an interesting new wrinkle. Once players are killed they can be revived after a certain amount of time as players will have to free them from a closet in which they are trapped. The same goes for the killers as once taken down; they will respond after a certain amount of time which also allows players to use a different killer.
Despite the issues; the game is enjoyable but depending on your tolerances some may find it becomes a little old and repetitious after a few games. I have not seen any major differences between playing any of the characters as the Jock seemed to perform exactly as the Nerd without any discernible advantage.
In the end the game is an enjoyable but fleeting diversion as after successfully completing a few rounds; it isn’t compelling enough to keep players engaged for long periods of time and to draw them back again and again.
3 stars out of 5
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Last Year: The Nightmare in Video Games
Jun 19, 2019
The survival horror genre has been growing in recent years with more and more titles being released to a growing and receptive gaming audience. The goal for these games is usually simple; survive. The typical set up has four or more players working with one another to accomplish various tasks and elude a dangerous killer who is often randomly selected amongst the players at the start of each match.
The latest game in this genre is entitled Last Year: The Nightmare and it sets players as stereotypical high school students as they attempt to survive against a killer.
Players will be able to select not only their persona but also a class such as Assault or Medic which will help the group survive the challenges ahead. Players will have to accomplish various tasks such as finding fuel for a Stair Car and locating computer disks as they attempt to open an exit which will allow players a time window to escape to safety.
Players will also have to find raw material along the way which can be used to construct and upgrade items such as a football helmet, weapons, and other tools needed for survival.
This is not a run and shoot scenario as weapons can involve a camera flash to temporarily blind your enemy, a mine to give them an explosive welcome, a shotgun, and a pipe with barbed wire and nails.
Playing in locales such as a gym, Bell tower, and a Library, there is plenty of area in which to cover which allows the killer plenty of places to strike. Players can quick travel through vents but may also take advantage of being able to barricade various locales which will slow down the killer but also restrict access for fellow players.
The killers come in three varieties, an axe murderer, a strangler, and a slow-moving but dangerous bulk that will smash, strangle, and throw, any players that get close enough to his range.
The game is available only via Discord currently and has had quite a few bugs to contend with during our numerous play tests most notably with launching and map loading. However when the game does load properly aside from some occasional lag; the gameplay has been solid and enjoyable and the in game chat has certainly led to some enjoyable conversations as we strategize.
The game’s graphics are solid but nothing spectacular and the same can be said for the audio and music. The maps are enjoyable but a little basic and I certainly hope that more of them will be released in the future. I also would like to see more options for the killers and might even be fun to allow more than one into a map to increase the challenge.
The killers are an intriguing mix as taking down players within ask is pretty much what you might expect but being able to last so a player with a chain and strangle them is an interesting new wrinkle. Once players are killed they can be revived after a certain amount of time as players will have to free them from a closet in which they are trapped. The same goes for the killers as once taken down; they will respond after a certain amount of time which also allows players to use a different killer.
Despite the issues; the game is enjoyable but depending on your tolerances some may find it becomes a little old and repetitious after a few games. I have not seen any major differences between playing any of the characters as the Jock seemed to perform exactly as the Nerd without any discernible advantage.
In the end the game is an enjoyable but fleeting diversion as after successfully completing a few rounds; it isn’t compelling enough to keep players engaged for long periods of time and to draw them back again and again.
http://sknr.net/2018/12/26/last-year-the-nightmare-2/
The latest game in this genre is entitled Last Year: The Nightmare and it sets players as stereotypical high school students as they attempt to survive against a killer.
Players will be able to select not only their persona but also a class such as Assault or Medic which will help the group survive the challenges ahead. Players will have to accomplish various tasks such as finding fuel for a Stair Car and locating computer disks as they attempt to open an exit which will allow players a time window to escape to safety.
Players will also have to find raw material along the way which can be used to construct and upgrade items such as a football helmet, weapons, and other tools needed for survival.
This is not a run and shoot scenario as weapons can involve a camera flash to temporarily blind your enemy, a mine to give them an explosive welcome, a shotgun, and a pipe with barbed wire and nails.
Playing in locales such as a gym, Bell tower, and a Library, there is plenty of area in which to cover which allows the killer plenty of places to strike. Players can quick travel through vents but may also take advantage of being able to barricade various locales which will slow down the killer but also restrict access for fellow players.
The killers come in three varieties, an axe murderer, a strangler, and a slow-moving but dangerous bulk that will smash, strangle, and throw, any players that get close enough to his range.
The game is available only via Discord currently and has had quite a few bugs to contend with during our numerous play tests most notably with launching and map loading. However when the game does load properly aside from some occasional lag; the gameplay has been solid and enjoyable and the in game chat has certainly led to some enjoyable conversations as we strategize.
The game’s graphics are solid but nothing spectacular and the same can be said for the audio and music. The maps are enjoyable but a little basic and I certainly hope that more of them will be released in the future. I also would like to see more options for the killers and might even be fun to allow more than one into a map to increase the challenge.
The killers are an intriguing mix as taking down players within ask is pretty much what you might expect but being able to last so a player with a chain and strangle them is an interesting new wrinkle. Once players are killed they can be revived after a certain amount of time as players will have to free them from a closet in which they are trapped. The same goes for the killers as once taken down; they will respond after a certain amount of time which also allows players to use a different killer.
Despite the issues; the game is enjoyable but depending on your tolerances some may find it becomes a little old and repetitious after a few games. I have not seen any major differences between playing any of the characters as the Jock seemed to perform exactly as the Nerd without any discernible advantage.
In the end the game is an enjoyable but fleeting diversion as after successfully completing a few rounds; it isn’t compelling enough to keep players engaged for long periods of time and to draw them back again and again.
http://sknr.net/2018/12/26/last-year-the-nightmare-2/
Lee Ann (116 KP) rated This Fallen Prey (Casey Duncan, #3) in Books
May 24, 2018
Kelley Armstrong is a cruel, evil woman.
This Fallen Prey takes you on a rollercoaster as Casey tells you all about the day the Council drops a dangerous serial killer into Rockton without any advance warning.
What you get from that point on is a crazy edge of the seat ride as you try and figure out whether he's really what the council have claimed, or if there's something deeper and more complex going on. With betrayals and deaths and twists that just keep you turning the pages, the third book of the Casey Duncan series does not disappoint.
It does leave us with a minor cliffhanger.. and I absolutely cannot wait for the next book!
This Fallen Prey takes you on a rollercoaster as Casey tells you all about the day the Council drops a dangerous serial killer into Rockton without any advance warning.
What you get from that point on is a crazy edge of the seat ride as you try and figure out whether he's really what the council have claimed, or if there's something deeper and more complex going on. With betrayals and deaths and twists that just keep you turning the pages, the third book of the Casey Duncan series does not disappoint.
It does leave us with a minor cliffhanger.. and I absolutely cannot wait for the next book!
Rickey A. Mossow Jr. (689 KP) rated Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019) in Movies
May 12, 2019
Surprisingly good. Thank you Netflix and Zac Efron.
This wasn't something that was on my list to watch, but my wife is a fan of anything Ted Bundy, so I obliged. From the moment the film begins, you are immediately engulfed in the amazingly twisted love story of Bundy and Liz. The movie is incredibly paced and enthralling. Efron is his normal charismatic self, but surprisingly gripping and believable in the serial killer role. He beautifully parallels the real life man he portrays. The film also does a great job of splicing in actual police photos and TV footage, leading to the gripping final act. To say the least, I was pleasantly surprised.