Welcome to What I’ve Been Reading Lately, a feature where I’ll be giving short reviews of what I’m currently reading:
Signed Sealed Dead by Cynthia Murphy
When true-Crime obsessed Paige, along with her family, move across the Atlantic to her father’s eerie hometown, it’s not long before she uncovers the town’s dark history–a string of unsolved murders and disappearances in the 90s.
Soon after, notes start appearing at their home, about the secrets the old house is keeping. The clues lead Paige to a diary concealed in the walls that belonged to one of the missing girls.Could this be the key to solving a quarter-of-a-century mystery…or will the diary make Paige the next target? (Credit: Delacorte Press)
To continue with spooky season, I decided to pick this one up. Fifty pages in and I am loving it so far! It is giving me Scream vibes with a touch of The Watcher. This is a perfect Halloween read for those who are looking for a fast paced small time thriller and basically enjoy the stories that Murphy put out.
The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood
Meet Judith: a seventy-seven-year-old whiskey drinking, crossword puzzle author living her best life in a dilapidated mansion on the outskirts of Marlow.
Nothing ever happens in Marlow. That is, until Judith hears her neighbor shot while skinny-dipping in the Thames. The local police don’t believe her story. It’s an open and shut case, of course. Ha! Stefan can’t be left for dead like that.
Judith investigates and picks up a crew of sidekicks: Suzie the dogwalker and Becks the vicar’s wife. Together, they are the Marlow Murder Club.
When another body turns up, they realize they have a real-life serial killer on their hands. And the puzzle they set out to solve has become a trap from which they might never escape…(Credit: Poisoned Pen Press)
Like I mentioned in the previous What I’ve Been Reading Lately post, I wanted to read this book in preparation for a Dueling Detectives Program. Halfway through and just like with Thorogood’s TV show, Death in Paradise,he provides small town mystery with the coziness, humor and mysterious nature that he brings in his works. Fans of Agatha Chrisitie and The Thursday Murder Club series will enjoy this one.
The Chamber by Will Dean
Six experienced saturation divers are locked inside a hyperbaric chamber. Calm and professional, they know that rapid decompression would be fatal and so they work in shifts, breathing helium, and surviving in hot, close quarters.
Then one of them is found dead in his bunk.
With four days of decompression to go before the locked hatch to the chamber can be safely opened, the group must watch one another’s backs at all times. And when another diver is discovered unresponsive, everyone is on edge. What…or who…is taking them out one by one? And will any of them still be alive by the time the four days is up or will paranoia, exhaustion, suspicion, and pressure destroy them all? (Credit: Atria Books)
I have been dying to read this one and I am so happy that I am to “dive” (yes, dive, liked what I did there?) into this latest suspenseful locked-room thriller by Will Dean.
Once Persuaded, Twice Shy: A Modern Reimagining of Persuasion by Melodie Edwards
When Anne Elliott broke up with Ben Wentworth, it seemed like the right thing to do . . . but now, eight years later, she’s not so sure.In her scenic hometown of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Anne is comfortable focusing on her successful career: filling her late mother’s shoes as town councilor and executive director of her theater company. She certainly keeps busy as the all-around wrangler of eccentric locals, self-centered family members, elaborate festivals, and the occasional attacking goose. But the more she tries to convince herself that her life is fine as is, the more it all feels like a show–and not nearly as good as the ones put on by her theater company. She’s the always responsible Anne, always taken for granted and cleaning up after other people, and the memories of happier times with Ben Wentworth still haunt her.So when the nearby Kellynch Winery is bought by Ben’s aunt and uncle, Anne’s world is set ablaze as her old flame crashes back into her life–and it’s clear he hasn’t forgiven her for breaking his heart. A joint project between the winery and Anne’s theater forces both Ben and Anne to confront their complicated history, and as they spend more time together, Anne can’t help but wonder if there might be hope for their future after all. (Credit: Berkley Books)
When I am reading a lot of mysteries and thrillers, I like to have a light read as a companion so I can take a break from the dark and macabre. So I decided to pick up this romance and a book that has a cover that screams fall ambiance. But what also drew me to this book was the fact that it was a modern retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion.You don’t see that many retellings of this Austen classic and I wish there was more. This retelling is refreshing and will be highly enjoyable for any Austen fan. Edwards is doing a great job of capturing of the true essence of Persuasion.
Lot No. 249 by Arthur Conan Doyle
From the master of the detective story and creator of Sherlock Holmes, the first ever tale to feature a supernatural Egyptian mummy.
One of 46 new books in the bestselling Little Black Classics series, to celebrate the first ever Penguin Classic in 1946. Each book gives readers a taste of the Classics’ huge range and diversity, with works from around the world and across the centuries – including fables, decadence, heartbreak, tall tales, satire, ghosts, battles and elephants. (Credit: Penguin Little Black Classics)
I read this a while back and I still consider to be one of the best horror stories to read during Halloween. I think I am in need for another reread…
What I Plan to Read Next:
Imposter Syndrome by Joseph Knox
Expected Publication Date: December 10
On the run from his shady past, Lynch has just arrived in London, still looking over his shoulder to make sure he isn’t being followed. His phone is dead, he has no money, no contacts, no one at all. Until he runs into a young woman named Bobbie who mistakes him for her brother, Heydon Pierce, who disappeared five years ago without a trace.
At Bobbie’s suggestion, Lynch goes to the Pierce family home, posing as Heydon to try and con some money out of them. But far from tricking them, his subterfuge is instantly discovered. He strikes the devil’s bargain with them – their silence for his cooperation in finding out what really happened to Heydon.
But Lynch’s investigation goes too deep and uncovers the fact that Heydon Pierce was tangled up with some dangerous and powerful people in London. Everyone has their own motives to keep Heydon well buried in the past. In such a conspiracy of mirrors, there’s only one thing Lynch know for certain: the only person he can trust is himself. (Credit: Sourcebooks Landmark)
The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie
When an elderly priest is murdered, the killer searches the victim so roughly that his already ragged cassock is torn in the process. What was the killer looking for? And what had a dying woman confided to the priest on her deathbed only hours earlier?
Mark Easterbrook and his sidekick Ginger Corrigan are determined to find out. Maybe the three women who run The Pale Horse public house, and who are rumored to practice the “Dark Arts,” can provide some answers?
The Life Impossible by Matt Haig
“What looks like magic is simply a part of life we don’t understand yet…”
When retired math teacher Grace Winters is left a run-down house on a Mediterranean island by a long-lost friend, curiosity gets the better of her. She arrives in Ibiza with a one-way ticket, no guidebook and no plan.
Among the rugged hills and golden beaches of the island, Grace searches for answers about her friend’s life, and how it ended. What she uncovers is stranger than she could have dreamed. But to dive into this impossible truth, Grace must first come to terms with her past.
Filled with wonder and wild adventure, this is a story of hope and the life-changing power of a new beginning. (Credit: Viking)
The Examiner by Janice Hallett
Gela Nathaniel, head of Royal Hastings University’s new Multimedia Art course, must find six students from all walks of life across the United Kingdom for her new master’s program before the university cuts her funding. The students are nothing but trouble from day one.There’s Jem, a talented sculptor recently graduated from her university program and eager to make her mark as an artist at any cost. Jonathan, who has little experience in art practice aside from running his family’s gallery. Patrick runs an art supply store, but can barely operate his phone, much less design software. Ludya is a single mother and graphic designer more interested in a paycheck than homework. Cameron is a marketing executive in search of a hobby or a career change. And Alyson, already a successful artist, seems to be overqualified. Finally, there is the examiner, the man hired to grade students’ final works–an art installation for a local cloud-based solutions company that may have an ulterior agenda–and who, in sifting through final essays, texts, and message boards, warns that someone is in danger…or already dead. And nothing about this course has been left up to chance. (Credit: Atria Books)
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