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Only the Good Die Young
Only the Good Die Young
Julie Mulhern | 2023 | Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
It Was a Fall, Wasn’t It?
This is a short novella that is set back between the first two books. While Ellison and her daughter are off in Europe, Ellison’s mother, Frances, gets involved in a mystery. When she goes with one of her friends to check on the friend’s mother-in-law, they find the woman dead in her bedroom. But it couldn’t be murder. Frances doesn’t get involved in murder. The woman hit her head in a fall, right? Right?

I found Frances’s horror at getting caught up in the case to be funny. I also liked the fact that we got to know her better, something I definitely needed. The rest of the characters aren’t super well developed. Likewise, the mystery is a bit simple, but it kept my interest and reached a great climax. The thing to keep in mind is that this is a novella, and I read it in about an hour. As long as they remember the length, fans of the series will be happy with this story.
  
The Wrong Side of Goodbye (Harry Bosch #19)
The Wrong Side of Goodbye (Harry Bosch #19)
Michael Connelly | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Trying to Juggle Two Cases
Now retired from the LAPD, Harry Bosch is working as an axillary officer from the San Fernando Police Department, helping the small force clear back cases. That’s how he gets involved with a case of man who is serially attack women. Meanwhile, he’s hired as a PI to track down a billionaire’s potential heir. Can he solve both cases?

These cases were both intrigued, and I appreciated how the stakes kept being raised, explaining why Bosch would focus on one case at any given moment. While both stories resolved logically, I did feel like one got short changed, leaving me not completely satisfied with how that was wrapped up. Even retired, Bosch is still Bosch, mostly for better, although a couple of subplots are predictable at this point. We do get an update on his daughter, and Mickey Haller also shows up. The new characters are well drawn and help pull us in. Overall, this is a book that Bosch’s many fans will enjoy.
  
The Shapeshifter’s Daughter
The Shapeshifter’s Daughter
Sally Magnusson | 2025 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Shapeshifters Daughter is a thoroughly enjoyable story, where Hel, Norse Goddess of the Underworld, escapes and makes her way to Midgard (the human world). Hel’s story is told alongside that of Helen, a woman in her 50’s, who on finding out that she has terminal cancer, decides to return to Orkney to make peace with her past and die there. Helen reconnects with Thorfinn (Thor), who helps her to navigate her final weeks with both friendship and love.

Hel and Helen’s stories are told pretty much separately, and they work well as such. It was interesting how they later became connected via a community grief group, and Hel’s role in Helen’s death.

It’s all beautifully told: Helen’s story is tragic, Hel’s is equally so but from a different perspective (it seems Gods are never very nice to one another).

I’ll warn you now: it’s a sad story, and I’m very sure that you can guess what happens in the end - the journey is worth it though!
  
Captain America: Brave New World (2025)
Captain America: Brave New World (2025)
2025 | Action, Adventure
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Previously subtitled New World Order until it was renamed as Brave New World, this is - in many ways - more of a sequel to the oft-forgotten Edward Norton starring "The Incredible Hulk" than it is to any of the previous Captain America films.

It may help to have seen Disney Plus's "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" beforehand, or even have a quick recap of the same - whilst I had watched that series when it was released, I had forgotten some (but not all) of what proved to be salient plot points for this.

Anyway, here Anthony Mackie is now the new Captain America whereas Harrison Ford is now-president Thaddeus Ross, consumed with guilt over his estrangement from his daughter Betty after the events of The Incredible Hulk, and still convinced he did the right thing in creating the Sokovia Accords that tore the Avengers apart (see: Captain America: Civil War).

This movie also - finally! - acknowledges the events of The Eternals, in particular with the body of a half-born Celestial in the ocean providing the impetus for the plot.