The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman

Mystery, intrigue, this was a spooky sort of book.  Which is somewhat strange since it involves the Latin language and a girl's school.  But I guess a bunch of teenage girls could be considered scary.

Jane has been hiding a secret for a long time.  A secret that involved the death of two of her roommates in high school.  Now, returning as a teacher to the same school, the events of that year are starting to happen again.  Is it the curse of the lake?  Or something else that is going on?

Jane is not a strong character.  She waffles a lot and has indecision.  So she's definitely imperfect.  And that's fine.  It suits her.  Although I thought her change of heart at the end was a bit out of character, but you'll see what I mean when you read the book.  Her students were the typical lot of misbehaving girls.  They all had problems and of course authority figures couldn't help them with it.  Same thing with her friends when they were school aged.  So all of the characterization was pretty authentic and what girls of their ages would act like.

I solved the mystery about two thirds of the way into the book.  But that didn't lessen the enjoyment.  Instead I then got to sit in anticipation of what was going to happen and how the characters would find out what I knew.  I also had a lot of flashbacks of Latin class come to my mind while reading this, and at the very least everyone who reads the book will know how to say "girl" in Latin when done reading.  The writing was just descriptive enough to really get you involved in the story, but not enough that you got bored with reading it and the pace didn't move anywhere. 

This is a quiet mystery, one that has a lot of clues and won't leave you guessing, but is still a worthy read.

The Lake of Dead Languages
Copyright 2002
390 pages

Christmas at Cardwell Ranch by B.J. Daniels

Well this certainly wasn't a relaxing Christmas romance. It barely had any Christmas at all actually. But there was adventure and mystery.  And this is the fourth book in a series that has had its ups and downs but takes place in the beautiful state of Montana.

Tag headed up to Montana in hopes of spending the holidays with his father.  It was a sentimental thing, and he sure didn't expect to become embroiled with a couple of murders.  Worse, his father is acting like his is a part of it.  And a local lady he just met the acquaintance of seems to be involved as well.

I actually didn't get much of a personality out of Tag.  He was more of a prop to keep Lily out of trouble and respond to what she was doing.  And he's highly suspicious of everyone even though he doesn't know them.  I guess that's a reason to be suspicious, but being that he normally works in a social setting (is in the restaurant business) it just doesn't seem authentic.  Lily is smart.  She's a mathematician and more logical than most.  And it was made clear that she's just helping her brother out by waitressing because she's family, not because she needs to.  There are a couple of reoccurring characters in this book.  Hud and Dana are there, but while they have glimmers of themselves in the first book, they're still much weaker characters than they used to be.

There was a lot going on in this book.  The excitement never ended and there was always someone after somebody else.  It was a little overwhelming in fact.  I think that the author tried to mix in a few too many plotlines and it left the story very convoluted and fast paced.  Just removing a side story (namely the one involving an antagonist from the last book) would have given more detail to the main plot and made the book more believable and easier to read.  I'm not saying that the book was terrible, but it wasn't as good as the last one in the series.  I did enjoy all the descriptions of Montana again and think that the author always has a good setting for her romances.  And there was a little bit of romance in this particular romance novel, which I also appreciated.

I'm sure there will be more books in this series, and I'll probably read them.  It would seem that they are definitely more action oriented than romance though.

**This book was received as a Goodreads Giveaway**

Christmas at Cardwell Ranch
Copyright 2013
218 pages

Review by M. Reynard 2013

Cardwell Ranch Trespasser by B.J. Daniels

Cardwell Ranch Trespasser is the third book in the series.  I hesitate to send you back to the first two, as I didn't really enjoy them, but I think they're necessary in order to understand the background for this book.  This book was much better than those two were though.

Hilde is a little disturbed when her friend Dana invites a long lost cousin to come and stay for an indeterminate amount of time.  And from day one, her instincts prove right.  Dee Anna isn't just mysterious, but she seems to be the cause of many of Hilde's most recent accidents.  Growing more worried for her friend, Hilde finds out what it's like to have everyone think she's crazy, while this stranger grows closer and closer to Dana.

Hilde is probably the best written character that I've come across in the series so far.  She has sense, speaks her mind, but still acts like a normal person.  And she's written so well that you actually feel frustrated right along with her when it comes to the situation.  Dana grows dumber and dumber with each book unfortunately.  She starts out so strong but becomes less of herself with each additional book.  Same with her husband.  I realize we're focused on new characters, but I'd like to see the original ones make a comeback.  The antagonist in this story was exceptionally well written.  You knew who was trouble from the start, but still wondered what lengths they could go to and just how psychopathic they could get.

Like I said, you knew from the start of this book what you were getting into.  But that didn't stop it from being an on the edge of your seat type of book.  I was worried the whole way and eager to find out what happened.  And there was even some romance in this book (and a small sex scene) which compared to the amount of romance thrown in on the previous two books is a lot.  It was still fast paced though, but not as bad as the first two.  This one didn't feel as if you were running a sprint while reading it.

Much better than the first two.  I'm now eager to read the fourth book, especially since it's a Christmas one.

Cardwell Ranch Trespasser
Copyright 2013
282 pages

Justice at Cardwell Ranch by B.J. Daniels

Ok, so I won the fourth book in this series in a giveaway, and now I'm reading the three before it in order to get prepared.  I have mixed feelings about it.  They're set in a wonderful place, but the characters leave much to be desired.

Jordan Cardwell is back in town because of a buddy and a mysterious phone call.  So when Liza finds him standing over the dead body of his buddy, things do not get off to a good start.  But Joran's charming, and there doesn't seem to be a feasible way that his friend was murdered by him which means there's a killer at large.  And this is a killer who doesn't want Liza solving the crime. 

In the first book Jordan took his sister by the shoulders and shook her.  And I seem to be the only one who remembers this.  At least out of a pool of myself and the book characters.  So how does he end up the likable protagonist in this book?  It kind of angers me as that was physical abuse and it never comes up again and everything is sunshine and rainbows.  Liza at least is a good character and knows what she wants.  I liked how she made decisions and followed through with them.  It showed she has guts and is a realistic thinker.  We have some of the characters from the first book as well, but they are toned down quite a bit.  Which is probably because six years pass in between the last book and this one. 

Again, I love that these books take place in an area of Montana I'm familiar with.  I've even been to Ousel Falls and having that personal connection makes it sort of special.  Although I do have to wonder why she kept saying "down" to Bozeman and "up" to West Yellowstone.  Bozeman is North and West Yellowstone is South.  The pace in this book was rather fast and jumbled and I thought the ending was a bit unbelievable.  Again, what is going on with the water in that town?  They have more than their fair share of crazy people. There's a little side plot in this book involving Dana's sister that I thought was actually more interesting than the main plot.  It was all very mysterious but then it was resolved pretty quickly too.

I've got the third book in my hands so I'll read it.  But I'd only give this one about 2.5 stars.  Hopefully they improve by the time I get to the fourth one (or the next)!

Justice at Cardwell Ranch
Copyright 2012
216 pages

Crime Scene at Cardwell Ranch by B.J. Daniels

So this was more of a mystery than a romance.  Probably because there wasn't enough time to fit both a romance and a mystery in the book.  Something had to be left out.

Hudson Savage is back in town to be a temporary Marshall.  So it's not the greatest of instances when his first case is a dead body found on Cardwell Ranch.  Mainly because the owner of the ranch is his ex-fiance.  An ex-fiance that was hurt terribly by him and someone that he still has feelings for.  As for Dana, she's having the worse birthday ever.  A body, Hudson being back in town, and some deplorable siblings make for a rough day.  And because she's close to the crime, there may be someone who doesn't want her around either.

I don't like Dana.  I think she jumps to conclusions to quick and is kind of flighty, despite the fact that she's supposed to be the solid one of her family.  Sure she holds a lot of responsibility, but she seems to stretch herself thin and I can't say I actually saw her do much hard work in this book.  I just heard a lot alluded to.  Hudson is a better character.  He actually is out there doing something and is pretty level headed.  In fact, he's so reliable that you can't see how things really got destroyed in the first place.  And all the other characters?  Someone needs to fix the water in that town. 

I was pleased that this took place in a part of Montana that I really know.  Especially hearing the Emerson in Bozeman mentioned.  That just made my day.  It's such a beautiful area that I love when books take place there and cringe when the details are wrong.  And I did enjoy the mystery in this book, although I somewhat guessed what it was half ways through and thought that it should have gone a different way.  But I'm hoping the next book in the series will include a little of the romance.  I sure didn't get enough of it in this one. 

This is an ok book, considering that on the cover it's advertised as free and so many have enjoyed it for nothing.  Quick, rushed, but still easy to get through, it's good for a read you don't have to think about.

Crime Scene At Cardwell Ranch
Copyright 2011
248 pages

An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears

It's a good thing this book had a strong ending, because it was a definite slog to get through. Having been told it was a really good mystery, I decided to chance it.

An Instance of the Fingerpost is the story of a murder. Well sort of. It's more of the story of four different men who were in some way connected to the murder and the people that were associated with it. Being in England in the 17th century, policework didn't have fingerprinting and other modern methods of solving crimes and so quite often, eyewitness testimony was all you had. Which means that you have unreliable witnesses, which these four are. And so begins the tale of who, what, when, where and why, with four different spins on it.

Let's be honest, none of these narrators were very likable.  They all had their own voice but they were similar as well.  They were men, of higher class, who had pretty high opinions of themselves.  Except maybe the last narrator, his opinion wasn't quite as high.  They each told the story like they believed it to be true.  Which is quite believable as we all interpret events to best suit our own needs.  Pears did a good job of making these characters realistic.  And Sarah, one of the main characters, was as much of an enigma at the end of the book as she was at the beginning.

But the pace of this book was exceptionally slow.  I think a hundred or  so pages could have been cut out and not missed.  And this is due to there being a lot of side plots that only the characters themselves care about.  Obviously these are part of their interpretations of the events that happened, but some were so random and non-meaningful to the main plot, that even though it added realism, the reader may just want to move on to the murder and what happened there.  The history was well researched.  While I don't know much about that time period in England, clothes, speech, and other detail reflected something that wasn't modern.  I do wish we would have gotten Sarah's perspective though.  Just as a counterpoint to all the men's stories.

This was an interesting read and I might pick up a Pears book again.  But only when I'm in the mood for a lot of detail and a meandering plot.  Historical fiction readers will probably greatly enjoy this book.

An Instance of the Fingerpost
Copyright 1998
735 pages

The Valley of the Shadow by Carola Dunn

This book is the third in a series.  I haven't read the first two, but I don't feel that I missed out on all that much by not reading them.  Just a bit of back-story.

Eleanor always seems to be where the action is.  Or at least where something foul is afoot.  She doesn't mean to be, it just happens.  And when it does she feels compelled to do whatever she can to help.  Despite local authorities not enjoying that help.  So when a man is rescued from a dangerous bay, and tells of his family trapped in the nearby caves, once again, Eleanor has to find out what happens, before something terrible befalls the family.

Eleanor was not as much of a focus as I expected her to be in the book.  Her niece actually plays a slightly larger role.  They're both great characters.  They have their own personalities and are strong and independent.  I think that the men were actually a bit weaker.  They all had some kind of flaw or dis-likable quality.  But that also made them more real than the female characters.  The bad guy I didn't find very menacing.  There wasn't enough history to really understand or care about why the person was doing what they were doing.

I enjoyed the setting of the book.  Taking place a few decades ago, it examined the relationships between the English and those of Indian descent and the turmoil between the races that was present at the time.  It's actually what set the whole mystery in motion.  That being said, despite it being charming, I found the first part of the book too slow in pace while the end was too rapid and didn't have enough explanation.  It felt too quick to be real.  And it lessened my enjoyment of an otherwise good mystery because of it.

I'm not sure if I'd go back and read the first two, or even more in the series.  They were a nice cozy, but I think more ardent fans of Dunn would like them more.

The Valley of the Shadow
Copyright 2012
309 pages

The Sea Horse Trade by Sasscer Hill

*This book was received as a Free Advanced Review copy*

The Sea Horse Trade is the gritty, hard-hitting third book in the Nikki Latrelle Racing series. As a third book, it's probably best to read the other two first, but I think if you're willing to sacrifice a bit of background story, this book could probably be read as a stand-alone.

Nikki has barely settled in near the racetrack in Florida when she witnesses a murder at the bus stop. The young girl, dressed provocatively for her age, is shot after being dumped from a van. To further add problems, Nikki is also dealing with a suspicous new horse owner and his temperamental horses and has a friend flying in who's searching for her daughter that she had given up at birth. Like usual, Nikki is further embroiled in all the mystery and intrigue despite just wanting to be with the horses.

Nikki is a very strong character. Really, she's what pushes this series along, which is a good thing considering the series is named after her. But she's such a pleasure to read about as she seems so realistic. Like you can imagine that somewhere out there, there is a Nikki Latrelle on the racetrack. Her friends are a little more suspect. They seem to love to cause trouble for her and I was actually curious that there were quite a few that didn't show up from the second book, although a few had a mention or two. Carla was the prominent friend here and she was a focused character that had a lot of determination and a little less sense. The only character I really didn't like was the psychic. She seemed unnecessary and it could have been just as good a book without her. She just added an element that didn't flow as nicely with the rest of the book.

I described this book as gritty, and it is. A murder is described in the first few pages and the rest deals with drugs, sex trafficking and a myriad of other disturbing topics. And what really makes it scary is that all of it could probably happen in real life. Except maybe the thing with the psychic, I'm still undecided on that one. And as I said before, the scenes involving her detract from the book rather than add to it. But if you ignore the psychic there's a good story here. I actually couldn't put the book down and even though I started it late at night, I went ahead and read it in one sitting. Hill just has a way of writing that grips you and keeps you wanting to know what happens next. And even though this book didn't have as much about horses in it as the last, there was still a lot of detail only someone with the racetrack would be familiar with, and it drew you in like you were part of that world. And since you feel for Nikki, you have to see how her story ends up. And this one had an ending that was quite the shocker.

I have no big complaints about the series from what I've read. I like the characters and the books always keep me hooked. This is a series to look for.

Racing From Death
Copyright 2013

Racing from Death by Sasscer Hill

**This book was received as a free Advanced Reader's copy**

Racing From Death is the second in a series by Sasscer Hill. But I'm happy to say that even though I read this one first, instead of starting with the first book, I still enjoyed it quite a bit. It was quick paced but interesting and since I like horses, it kind of fit that area of my enjoyment too.

Nikki Latrelle has been assigned by her boss to manage the training and racing of some of the stable's mounts in Virginia. A jockey herself she knows what this entails but is still nervous. Especially when strange things start happening at the track and she can't control her riding assistant Lorna's actions even though Lorna is making increasingly bad choices. Because of Nikki's natural curiosity she stumbles on some things she shouldn't and falling off during a race is no longer the only danger she has to face in Virginia.

I liked Nikki. She was flawed, but strong as well. While I didn't agree with some of her actions in this book, they did seem realistic. She also seems to care deeply about the horses she's working with and that's always a positive quality. Lorna I didn't really like as much. For as much as Nikki sticks her neck out for her, she doesn't seem to appreciate it or even make an effort at becoming a better person. The bad guys, well it was easy to tell who they were, but they were menacing enough to make the plot interesting. And just to throw a little mystery in there, she has a groom who appears to be a little bit psychic.

The books was fairly rushed and I would have liked it to slow down a little and develop the plot more. But even so it kept my attention and I was able to read it practically in one sitting. The mystery was decent, if easy to solve and there were a few elements that came as a surprise. The writing itself was detailed and the dialogue easy to follow. There were some almost sex scenes in the book that were just as detailed as everything else, so if you're expecting a G-rated mystery, this isn't it. I don't think it detracted from the story at all, but it did make you question the characters motives, which is a good thing.

A good mystery, I would definitely read more by this author. And I'll probably have to go find the first book now to see how Nikki's story starts.

Racing From Death
Copyright 2012
193 pages

Wild Thorn by William Hoffman

Apparently this book is part of a series. But don't let that worry you too much, I didn't realize that until after I read the book, and I don't think it effected the story at all (although who knows what I'd think if I had read the first book). Regardless, it was complete on its own and a decent read.

Charley LeBlanc decides to return back to Virginia to the place of his birth. Along with his girlfriend Blackie, they arrive only to find that a beloved person from his past has been found dead and perhaps murdered. Doing some sleuthing of his own, Charley turns up some inconsistencies in the case, the foremost being that a local wild woman named Esmeralda is the main suspect and the murdered woman her only friend. Knowing some other secrets about Esmeralda, Charley knows that she couldn't have committed the crime. But the more evidence he tries to turn up, the deeper in he gets himself.

Blackie was probably the best character in this book. Even though I didn't particularly like her, she was well written and her character very complete. She felt as if she could be real and had very real emotions. Charley was ok in comparison. Sure he had his shadows in the past as well, but his personality was all over the place. We were told he was a certain way, only to have him do something against that told nature and it didn't make sense sometimes. And even though he was the main character, I never really felt attached to him in any way. All the side characters had a little bit of depth to them, you knew who the good and bad guys were (for the most part) and they all had their little quirks to them. Even though we never actually meet the dead woman, we known enough about her from the stories from other characters and Charley's remembrances that she actually is one of the better characters in the book.

The book started out a little slow at first and I was almost dreading continuing with it. But it did get better and by the end I was glad I had finished it. It may not be the best book I've read in awhile, but it had decently written characters and a unique tone brought on by the dialect of the area. There are some hard themes throughout the book, like murder, rape, violence and of course coarse language. It serves to make the book realistic though and along with the tone of the book, it does seem as if you could be somewhere in Appalachia witnessing everything that has happened. Sure there are some unbelievable aspects (like Esmeralda's story)but even that has some realm of possibility, just a very high odds one. And I was a bit disappointed with the ending, I had expected something quite different than what happened.

I would probably go back and read the first book in this series. And even the third one that there seems to be a setup for. It's just nothing that I will be rushing to get my hands on.

Wild Thorn
Copyright 2002
293 pages

Moonlight Becomes You by Mary Higgins Clark

So this is the first Mary Higgins Clark book that I have read.  My first question is, where did the title come from?  I totally thought this was going to be a romance (actually not even sure where the book came from, just found it on my shelf).  But anyways, it's not a romance, it's a mystery.  And I found it average, it took me quite awhile to get into it.

Maggie has just been reunited with her beloved step-mother who went out of her life at an early age when her father and Nuala divorced.  Tragically, just as they were reuniting, Nuala is found dead on the eve of her dinner party.  As the sole heir to Nuala's estate, Maggie sticks behind in the town to tie up some loose ends, and visit some of Nuala's friends for her.  It's during this time that she begins to become suspicious about Nuala's murder and some of the things that are happening at a retirement home nearby.  But her snooping around could cause some issues as well as most people like to keep their secrets hidden.

Maggie's an ok character.  I found her a bit distant and while she's supposed to be that way, it resulted in me not really caring that much about her character.  In fact, it took me almost until the end of the book to really warm up to her, and even then I think it was the suspense more than actually liking her.  There's a revolving cast of men in her life as well and while they're easy to keep track of; they also aren't really that developed as character.  Especially Earl Bateman, a professor with an unusual hobby.  He just felt a bit unneeded.  And while the bad guy was unexpected I wish there would have been more clues leading up to showing who it was throughout the whole book.

This was definitely a mystery, and as said before while there were some clues, there wasn't enough that I really could make an educated guess on who the killer was until close to the end.  Maybe someone else caught something, but I like solving puzzles and this one just didn't lend itself to showing clues.  Otherwise the writing was descriptive and you could tell that Clark thought about her setting quite a bit, especially the details of the retirement home.  It sounded quite posh to me.  There wasn't really romance, Maggie has a few suitors that stop by to see her, despite her coldness to them, but as far as a fully developed romance, that's not something to expect, even with the title.  The pace is very slow in the beginning and it was hard to get into the book, especially with not really caring about what happened to Maggie, but about two thirds of the way in it started getting interesting and finally captured my attention.

An ok book, I can't say that I'll seek out any books by Clark, but if more magically appear on my bookshelf like this one did, I'll probably read it.

Moonlight Becomes You
Copyright 1996
255 pages

A Perfect Square by Vannetta Chapman

**This review is part of the Amazon Vine program**

Ok, first off I have to say that this is not the first book in this series. I wasn't aware of that, and there isn't any indication on the cover or back cover description that would alert to that. It's not that you can't read this book without reading the others per say, but it would help the reader to understand a lot of what happened that is alluded to in this book.

Callie has settled in in Shipshe, selling quilts in the shop she inherited and solving crimes. This time, it's a local Amish man who has been convicted of murdering a young girl. He won't say a word in his defense, and Callie, her friends Deborah and some other Amish women know that he isn't capable of murder. But since he won't help them figure out what really happens they have to attempt to discover it on their own. Add to that an older Amish man who suffers from dementia and is claiming that Callie can help him find his missing daughter, and Callie's got a lot on her plate. She's also confused by three men who seem to pop in and out of her life, and her feelings towards each of them.

I like Callie. She's a pretty rounded character, doesn't know everything, and can take instruction with Grace. Sure she gets herself into trouble sometimes, but its a murder mystery, the main characters do usually get themselves into trouble investigating. Her Amish friends are nice too although they seem very outspoken and from the limited contact I've had with Amish women, it just doesn't seem natural to me. But I could be very wrong about that. The policeman, Shane, was a little harsh, and I didn't understand his character at all, but I suppose that could be because I hadn't read the other book(s) in the series and may have missed some background there.

I thought the premise behind this book was very confusing. I couldn't understand why the Amish man Rueben wouldn't help himself. The characters seemed to understand why he did what he did, but it wasn't clear to me at all. And the plot started off almost too slow, and then rushed by haphazardly at the end. I suspect that that contributed to my confusion as well. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't well paced by any means. I did like the way the scenes unfolded and the setup for the investigation. That part of the book seemed very plausible. And since this is an Amish romance it can be considered Christian fiction, but it wasn't too preachy. There were some mentions here and there of following the will of a higher being, but it didn't go on and on about it.

An ok Amish fiction mystery. I wish I would have read the first book first, but I'm sure I'll get around to it at some point.

Hitman by Parnell Hall

At first, the witty banter of the protagonist Stanley Hastings, made me like this book. But quickly I discovered that witty banter does not make a story complete. The plot has to make sense and be compelling too.

Stanley Hastings is rather surprised when a hitman just shows up at his office, wanting help getting out of the business. But he's also not sure he wants to work for him. But a man's life is at stake and Stanley knows he has to take the case. He just doesn't realize how much trouble it's going to cause him. And getting involved is getting him into tons of trouble, both personally and also with the police. Going from a private investigator to a prime suspect was not in his plans. Of course, neither was getting shot at. But both things seem to happen quite a bit in this book.

I liked Stanley. He was a funny guy. Loves his wife, seems like a decent person, etc. He's a bit oblivious for a Private Investigator, and I'm not sure if the bumbling act was intentional or not. His wife Alice is an even better character. She seems to be the brains behind the operation and I enjoyed that. Although I wish she had a job of her own so she didn't have to rely on Stanley's exploits. The cops and lawyers in the book weren't as awesome as they could have been. In fact they all kind of seemed liked jerks. Of course we were seeing them through Stanley's eyes.

The plot is what disappointed me the most. For one, there was no way you could have seen the ending coming, and that just isn't quite fair when you are writing a crime mystery. Or at least a book that acts like a crime mystery. Everything skips around so much that its hard to keep track of where you are at in the book too. It seems like Stanley is always rushing around to this place or the other and sometimes with no rhyme or reason. I wish it would have slowed down a bit so I could have contemplated what was going on better. A lot of the story was implausible too, as I don't see real life people acting the way the characters did. But hey, at least the writing was funny, although a little course at sometimes. If you don't like cussing and references to sex and female anatomy you probably won't want to pick this book up. Because it has all of that.

I don't think I'd seek out another one of Hall's books, even in the same series. While I enjoyed his humorous writing style it just wasn't enough to make up for the sub par storyline.

Hitman
Copyright 2007
263 pages