Night Prey by Susan Sleeman

 

Malone is at her high school reunion. She has too many bad memories of high school to be there. Especially where Junior is concerned. But when Junior tells her that he has some information about her parents' death Malone is curious and goes to meet him in a separate ballroom. Just as she is about to hear the information Junior has, someone guns him down and conveniently frames Malone for the murder. Ian is at the reunion also. A crush that Malone had when she was in high school. He is now a police detective which suits his personality of being her rescuer in high school. Now Ian has to arrest Malone for murder. Can the two of them prove that Malone didn't kill Junior? Was the information that Junior wanted to share about her parents the cause of Junior's murder or was there more going on in Junior's life? 

Night Prey is the last book in the Nighthawk Security series. While Malone isn't exactly a member of the Byrd family her brother is married to one so in Peggy Byrd's mind that makes Malone family! Malone has been featured in other Nighthawk stories and it was so good to have this book dedicated to her story. I loved how once again the Veritas Center and the Nighthawk gang surround one of their own and provide their services. Both Ian and Malone had pasts that had prevented them from becoming close to anyone they ever dated. Neither of them were prepared to act on the attraction they had for each other. I liked them as a couple but I did want to have a "sit down" with them and give them a "come to Jesus" talking to! Thankfully Peggy Byrd did that to Ian and got him thinking! Night Prey also had some exciting scenes of danger and suspense and the conclusion definitely surprised me. As always the characters had spiritual lessons to learn about trusting God with their fears, doubts and insecurities. I always love to see how they ultimately run back to the Lord and get back on track. A great conclusion to a fantastic series! Bring on the next series Susan Sleeman! I can't wait to read more about the Steele family!

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

 

This is the third book represented in the book On Reading Well by Karen Swallow Prior. It is in the section of temperance. If you have ever read The Great Gatsby you know that he was not in any way temperate. He lived a life of overindulgence and partying. Then he died. A sad existence for sure. I have never seen the movie and this is my first time reading the book. I found the writing a bit vague in places. I gather that was intentional. The book was published in 1925 and set in 1922. So I didn't understand some of the references. I found the party life-style led by Gatsby and his hangers-on to be vapid and a waste of time, energy and money. I never totally understood exactly how Gatsby got his money to live this life-style but I think that was the intention of the author. There were allusions to underhanded and illegal dealings as well as sexual encounters that were never detailed but assumed. This was a fairly short read and it is told from the perspective of a neighbor turned sort of friend. Not a very uplifting story, but probably a cautionary tale of too much indulgence.

Labyrinth of Lies by Irene Hannon

 

Cate Reilly is a detective in St. Louis County. She swore after her one and only time under cover that she would never do it again. But now it seems that her boss thinks she is the only one that can go undercover as a teenaged girl at an all-girls school and find out what happened to another girl and her boyfriend. Cate is less than happy about her assignment and even more so when she meets the new Spanish teacher to the school Mr. Martinez. Zeke just happens to be the only man that Cate has ever loved. Unfortunately Zeke left her for his career 8 years ago and Cate has never trusted another man with her heart since. Zeke is undercover for his own case at the school. Will they be able to maintain a professional relationship while their two cases collide? 

Labyrinth of Lies was excellent! It was exciting from start to finish. There were so many layers to it that it kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next. There was a lot of danger and a lot of romance so it definitely kept this reader interested. I loved the characters as well. Zeke and Cate were perfect together and their ability to ferret out clues and maintain their undercover status was fun to read. I admired Cate's ability to protect herself and her resourcefulness when it came time to save the day. This was a fantastic second book in the Triple Threat series and I am definitely looking forward to reading Grace's(the third Reilly sister) story. 

Check out my review of the first book in the series Point of Danger

Murder at the Picture Show by Miranda Atchley

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

Lights. Camera. Murder.

On an autumn evening in New York City, amateur sleuth Fiona Clery and her partner Max Gillespie attend the picture house for the premiere of a silent film shot in their city. The night is filled with excitement and glamor…until the star of the film, Sylvie Boscombe, is murdered. Unable to sit back with a killer on the loose, Fiona pursues the case, leading her across the city, from opulent neighborhoods, to film sets, to the underground speakeasies Sylvie frequented. When a man she believes to be innocent is arrested for the murder, Fiona’s search becomes all the more urgent. Can she solve the case before it’s too late?

Meanwhile, Max gets a shocking surprise about his past that could offer answers to questions he has long held. And Fiona makes a discovery regarding her missing sister that could blow the case wide open.

MY REVIEW

When Fiona Clery sees movie starlet Sylvie Boscombe die right before her eyes at Sylvie's movie premier Fiona knows this is one case she is going to have to solve. Especially after Sylvie's co-star is accused of the murder. Fiona just knows that Vincent Trudeau is not a murderer and she is determined to prove his innocence. 

Murder at the Picture Show had several twists and turns that surprised me as I read. There are a lot of changes going on for Fiona and her friends Max, Rose and Ian. We learn a little bit more about Fiona's sister Siobhan. There is danger lurking because of Fiona's poking around into things that someone would like to be left alone. There were some exciting/dangerous scenes for Fiona that had her friends fearful for her propensity to hunt up clues. Once again Fiona proves herself adept at ferreting out the who-done-it and definitely has me interested in what comes next for her. Oh, I need to mention the cover! Isn't it absolutely lovely?! And it goes wonderfully well with the first book in the series DEADLY PEARLS, which you'll want to read first because I think it will give you some good background into the characters in this second book of the series. 

Check out my review of DEADLY PEARLS

**I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author, all opinions are my own**

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Miranda Atchley is a history enthusiast and complete bookworm whose passion for books and times gone by have compelled her to write several novels, one of which was a finalist for an indie writing award. When not writing at her home in Arkansas’s Ouachita Mountains, Miranda loves getting lost in a good book, spending time with her dogs, watching period dramas, and learning about her favorite period in time, the 1920s. Visit her blog at: mirandaatchley.blogspot.com

CONNECT WITH MIRANDA

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