Crime and Cherry Pits by Amanda Flower

 

Shiloh has a booth at the Cherry Farm Market. The first time that the Bellamy Farm has ever been able to participate in the cherry festival held each year. Of course where Shiloh is it seems that murder soon happens! Meanwhile, Shiloh and her cousin are in the midst of a battle over the treasure that Shiloh found on her side of the Bellamy Farm. But when her cousin is a suspect in the murder Shiloh is determined to clear her name no matter what is going on in the family. 

This is book 4 in the Farm to Table series. I really like a cozy mystery. I like Shiloh's character. I also kind of like the fact that two guys are liking her and she is eventually going to have to choose one. I'm not normally for the love triangle, but I'm finding that both interests have their potential! Shiloh steadily whittles away at the clues and solves the murder. There were twists and turns along the way, but the murderer was not obvious and the suspects were many. I'm enjoying this series and thought that this book was a quick and entertaining read. I snuggled under my heated blanket and read it in a day! 

The Alienist by Caleb Carr

 

So at the beginning of this year(2024) I put together a puzzle:

I decided I wanted to read all of the books represented in this Mystery book puzzle. This is the second one I have read.

REVIEW

Alienist: a psychiatrist who assesses the competence of a defendant in a court of law.

In a way I guess I would call The Alienist a psychological mystery. The characters were:

An Alienist

A Reporter

A woman secretary

Two police detectives

The goal is to find out who is killing young children of the streets of New York City. Using Dr. Laszlo Kreizler's unorthodox technique of building a psychological profile of the killer John Moore(the reporter), Sara(the police secretary who wants to be the first woman police officer) and the two police detectives put together a profile that leads them right to the killer. Unfortunately there are hurdles to jump before the killer is caught. For he must be caught and not killed so that Dr. Kreizler can study him! But difficulties come from other avenues as well. There are powers that be that do not want the killer caught because it would be detrimental to their hold on their criminal activities. From crooked police officers, to mob bosses, to even the religious venues, all have a reason for the killer to continue doing his evil deeds. As the bodies mount and Kreizler, John, Sara and the detectives get closer the danger to themselves and those they are closest to mounts. Will they be able to stop a killer before he strikes again or before one of them gets hurt beyond repair? 

Soooo, an interesting story. That kind of drug on and on! Four hundred and eighty-eight pages to be exact! Whew! I enjoyed the way they built a psychological profile of the killer. The steps they took to find who was behind the murders. I liked some of the "real" characters that were represented, Theodore Roosevelt as the police commissioner, along with some of the mob bosses that were popular in "the day." The description of the seedy sides of New York City with what we would call child trafficking nowadays was interesting and also sad. I found the ending a bit unsatisfying, but for the most part it was a good read. 

One Wrong Move by Dani Pettrey

 

Christian O'Brady does security for his family business. When a string of art thefts calls their business into question Christian is determined to find out who is behind the thefts. Andi Forester is an insurance investigator called in to determine who is behind the heists. Both Andi and Christian have questionable pasts that they would prefer to leave in the past but it seems that others are bent on discrediting them. 

I really enjoyed this first in the Jeopardy Falls series by Dani Pettrey. The suspense kept me turning the pages, my heart racing to find out how it all would turn out. I loved both Andy and Christian's characters. Andi was a strong woman accused of doing something she didn't do. Christian was a polite man with demons of his own to fight, but it didn't stop him from helping others, being kind and serving the Lord. I loved both of them together. They worked well together and bounced ideas off of each other well. The romance between the two was sweet and passionate! The secondary characters were also well-developed and I'm hoping will all get their own stories. A great start to the series and I am looking forward to the next installments.

Cold Silence by Susan Sleeman

 

Captain Travis Chapman is assigned to investigate the theft of a top secret project that Dr. Claire Reed and her team are working on. It looks like it was an inside job and Travis must go and find out who is responsible. The problem is that Travis and Claire used to be an item. But Claire threw him over for her job. Can he stand to be around her once more without allowing his feelings for her to resurface?

This is a prequel to the Cold Harbor series. As always the suspense and romance are signature Susan Sleeman. Meaning they were both intense and satisfying! Not only is Travis sent to investigate who could have stolen the project, but he also is to provide protection for Claire. They work well together and I enjoyed their characters. I enjoyed seeing the Veritas Center and Blackwell Tactical in their early years. On my TBR I would love to re-read all of the series that started right here. I love the spiritual lessons each character learns in each book and I definitely love the romance along with the suspense that keeps me on the edge of my seat. I definitely recommend Cold Silence as well as the books that come after if you are a romantic suspense fan. 

Double Take by Lynette Eason

 

Over a year ago Lainie Jackson's fiance' tried to kill her. Lainie knows that that night he died. Now Lainie and others are seeing him! And it seems he is bent on finishing what he started!

James Cross has come back to his hometown and is working with the local police department. When he gets shot Lainie is the one to help him when he gets to the hospital. Lainie has always had a crush on James. Being the brother of one of her best friends nothing ever came of that crush. But now James is determined to protect Lainie from whoever is trying to kill her. 

Seriously, from the first page Double Take grabs you and throws you into a suspense that literally makes you want to keep reading until the end. I didn't want to put it down, it had me from the get-go. I loved both James and Lainie. I love their struggle with their faith that keeps them hanging on to the Lord even though both of their family lives seem to be gripped with issues. James and his father have been estranged for years and Lainie's parents have their issues that keep her tied up in knots. But both of them help each other to strengthen their faith even though they struggle in those relationships. The suspense was excellent and as I've already said it kept me turning the pages to find out exactly what was going on! I can't wait for the next book in this new series because I am definitely a fan of book one! 

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

 

So I challenged myself for 2024 to read all of the books that were represented on this puzzle that I put together in January:

Gone Girl was the first one that I chose to read.

My Review

Well, at first this had me interested and engaged. By the end I was just thinking can we wrap this thing up already? I found it a cross between Rebecca and that old movie War of the Roses. Could two people destroy each other any more awfully? Ugh! Because I kept reading I gave it a 4, but honestly it just leaves a totally bad taste in my mouth and regret that I hung in there for the whole thing!

Sorry that this is less than a rave review, but it is how I felt when I finished it. Disappointing for sure. 

Holmes Marple & Poe by James Patterson and Brian Sitts

 

Three previously unknown private investigators open their business in an old bread factory. They manage to solve crimes that the police are unable to solve. With their link to their namesakes they are the perfect crime-solving trio. 

Brendan Holmes, Margaret Marple and Auguste Poe. Of course I was interested in this read when I saw the names! I found the book to be interesting. Three investigators with unique abilities in solving crimes. They also have connections that have others wondering where this trio has come from. I love their mysterious backgrounds. While they seem to be a Wonder Trio they are also a flawed trio. Especially the men. It seems that Marple is kind of the glue that holds them all together. The negatives of the story for me were the drugs, sex and language. But there's help to be had for the drugs, the sex is not graphic and the language is sparse. I'm not sure if this is going to be a series, but I kind of hope it is because I'd read the next book to see if we learn anymore about Holmes, Marple and Poe's pasts.