A Holiday Reading Round-Up

Denis and I tried to do the laundry yesterday, but the washing machine decided to stop working. No available repair time until Christmas Eve, so the laundry will continue to pile up.

 

Speaking of things piling up, I've read quite a few books that I haven't shared with you. Shame on me! Let me haul out my book journal, find the right page, and start telling you about a few of them. I'm just going to give you my thoughts on each one instead of a full-blown review. If you'd like to find out more about one of the books, just click on the link to Amazon US in its title.

The Wiregrass by Adrian Hyland

320 pages

Rating: A

My Thoughts: Adrian Hyland is one of my favorite authors, and this second appearance by Jesse Redpath makes me wish all over again that this talented Australian would write faster, faster, faster. 

Redpath is in new territory and discovers a murder disguised to look as an accident. She also is determined to help Nash Rankin, a former police officer.

I always enjoy Hyland's mysteries and characters, but even more, I love the way he uses landscape and wildlife to make Australia come alive for me. (Did you know Australians call eucalyptus trees "widow makers"? Neither did I!)

Sheer Window by Diane Vallere

93 pages

Rating: A

 

My Thoughts: This short story is perfect when you're in the mood for something light, fun, and holiday-themed.  

Poly Monroe, owner of the Material Girl fabric shop, has severely sprained her ankle and has to stay off it. This is bad timing since she's hosting Thanksgiving dinner for family and friends. 

As dinner preparations commence, Poly (dressed as Grace Kelly in Rear Window) finds herself stationed at her window, convinced she's watching a crime being committed. 

This Thanksgiving tribute to one of my favorite Hitchcock films really hit the spot!

Playing Dead by Peggy Rothschild

299 pages

Rating: A

 

My Thoughts: I found myself in need of cozy comfort reading, and I was very fortunate in my choices of books. In just two books, author Peggy Rothschild has made me a fan of her Molly Madison series.

 

Molly, a former police officer and private investigator transplanted to the California coast, has the knack for taking in dogs and helping the police solve crimes. I really appreciate Molly's background because it means she's not the typical blundering cozy mystery heroine who doesn't have a clue. I also really appreciate that the dogs in this series aren't just a hook to get you to read the books and then you never see them again unless they need to be fed or walked.

 

Playing Dead has Molly continuing Harlow's agility training and Noodle's scent work. She also provides daycare for a French bulldog and takes in a boxer in hopes of finding it a good home.  If you love good mysteries, strong characters, and plenty of dogs, this is the series for you. 

Dagger of Death at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison

320 pages

Rating: B+

My Thoughts: This is one of my favorite cozy series because I like the main character, and I love how Dennison weaves threads of antiques, history, and life in a crumbling country house into her mysteries.

This tenth book in the series has a new sixtysomething vicar in town that all the older women are salivating over, as well missing military memorabilia, and Kat's relationship muddles. Either I'm mellowing in my twilight years or Kat's mother is because instead of irritating the stuffing out of me, she actually made me laugh a time or two.

This series has something for almost everyone: a fun cast, an excellent setting, plenty of humor, and learning opportunities for bits of history and antiques.

The Glass Bottom Hoax by Diane Vallere

240 pages

Rating: A

My Thoughts: In this twelfth installment, Madison and Tex go undercover on a cruise ship as a Doris Day impersonator and her manager husband in order to find thieving employees. However, things go haywire quickly when their only contact aboard ship is murdered.

This is another light, fun outing for one of my favorite characters. I sympathized with Madison because she wanted to redecorate the ship so badly, and I found myself being every bit as lost as she as she tried to find her way around the ship.

[You should have seen my face when I opened the book and found not only a Kittling Books blurb, but that the book was dedicated to me. Boy howdy...]

The Hotel Detective by Alan Russell

329 pages

Rating: B+

My Thoughts: I'd previously read two or three book in Russell's Michael Gideon series featuring Gideon and his canine partner, Sirius. I stopped reading because I got tired of Gideon consistently ignoring Sirius when his dog was trying to warn him of danger. I'm happy to say that I was much happier with The Hotel Detective.

Assistant Manager Am Caulfield is "given other duties as assigned" when the Hotel California's security director abruptly leaves. He is quickly overwhelmed when a murder mystery weekend and a Bob Johnson convention descend on the hotel at the same time. 

This is a light, fun mystery that gave me plenty of laughs and smiles. The Hotel Detective is definitely geared towards people who have dealt with the public during their working lives (which I did for over forty years), which means that things I found spot-on and funny might not seem so to you if you've never been on the other side of the counter. 

I'm going to stop at six. I don't want to tucker you out, and I've been sitting here at the computer long enough. Besides... I have a book I have to get back to! 

Here's something from my virtual closet before I go...

Happy Reading!

Gideon's Rescue by Alan Russell

 

First Line: The Arctic air had brought bitter cold to the Colorado prairie.

 

LAPD detective Michael Gideon and his K-9 partner Sirius literally walked through fire to catch an infamous serial killer known as The Weatherman. Gideon still suffers from fire dreams and PTSD. 

 

To help the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit, Gideon has been strong-armed into visiting the Weatherman (AKA Ellis Haines) monthly with crime scene photos they want Haines to analyze. This month's visit sparks a discovery: there's a new serial killer on the loose, and he's seeding his crime scenes with messages meant for Haines.

This isn't the only thing on Gideon's plate. He's searching for a young woman's fiance who's gone missing, and he's trying to bring down a dogfighting ring after meeting a sweet pitbull named Emily who was left for dead. No rest for the weary...

~

As much as I like this author's ability to create an exciting scene and put me right in the middle of it, no matter how much I like watching his K-9 partner work, this is the last Gideon & Sirius mystery I'll be reading. Why? It's got nothing to do with the marvelous Sirius and everything to do with the human half of the partnership, Gideon.

In the first two books, Gideon angered me by not paying attention to what Sirius was trying to tell him, and both times Gideon got the stuffing punched and kicked out of him. (That's what you get for not paying attention, stupid!) Here in Gideon's Rescue, he didn't ignore any canine messages, but he showed callous disregard for the situations he put a very traumatized dog in. Not only that, but he rationalized the need to put himself in a TSTL (Too Stupid To Live) moment, and if not for the clear thinking and action of a friend, Gideon's bacon would have been well and truly fried.

This is a shame because Russell does know how to tell a good tale. The investigations into the missing fiance and the dogfighting ring were very well-done, and the whole serial-killers-communicating-with-each-other scenario gave me plenty of food for thought. I tend to be a pacifist, a live-and-let-live type of person, but there are times when I think throwing the switch is best. Just how many serial killers are being kept alive because they're "helping" law enforcement? And how many are actually providing information that brings closure to grieving families or puts killers behind bars? Pardon me for being cynical in my belief that the number is a very low one. There is no real reason to put any faith in a serial killer because they've proved time and time again that their only concern is for themselves.

As you can see, although I've run as far down this track with LAPD Detective Michael Gideon as my patience will allow, Alan Russell does create stories that draw me in, keep me interested, and make me think.

 

Gideon's Rescue by Alan Russell

ASIN: B07CHPDQTM

Three Tails Press © 2018

eBook, 305 pages

 

Police Procedural/Working Dog, #4 Gideon & Sirius mystery

Rating: C-

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

April 2021 New Mystery Releases!

 

My usual view out the window is of the pool. With this flare-up of cellulitis, I've had to construct an alternate blogging station here in the family room, and I have to admit that, although this set-up isn't ideal, I do enjoy sitting here with the patio door open so I can smell and see my huge Tombstone rose bushes blooming.

Keeping my legs elevated for such long periods would be excruciatingly boring if not for knitting, British crime dramas on the telly, and BOOKS. There would have to be something desperately wrong for me not to keep an eye peeled for new books.

The following are my picks of the best new crime fiction being released during the month of April. I've grouped them by their release dates, and the covers and synopses are courtesy of Amazon.

Let's see how many of these are on your own Need-to-Read lists!

=== April 1 ===

Title: Lies We Bury
Author: Elle Marr
Standalone thriller set in Portland, Oregon.
303 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

Synopsis: "Two decades ago Marissa Mo escaped a basement prison―the only home she’d ever known. At twenty-seven, Marissa’s moved beyond the trauma and is working under a new name as a freelance photographer. But when she accepts a job covering a string of macabre murders in Portland, it’s impossible for Marissa not to remember.

Everything is eerily familiar. The same underground lairs. Sad trinkets and toys left behind, identical to those Marissa had as a child. And then there is the note meant just for her that freezes Marissa’s blood: See you soon, Missy.

To determine the killer’s next move, Marissa must retrieve her long-forgotten memories and return to a past she’s hidden away. But she won’t be facing her fears alone. Someone is waiting for her in the dark."

 

 

=== April 6 ===

 

 

Title: Deadly Editions

Author: Paige Shelton

Series: #6 in the Scottish Bookshop cozy series set in Edinburgh, Scotland.

304 pages

 

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

 

Synopsis: "It’s a quiet, snowy morning at The Cracked Spine bookshop, when bookseller Delaney Nichols receives a mysterious visitor, a messenger. He presents her with a perplexing note: an invitation to a meeting with eccentric socialite Shelagh O'Conner, who requests Delaney’s participation in an exclusive treasure hunt. Delaney is intrigued, but also cautious: Shelagh, while charming in person, has a reputation for her hijinks as a wealthy young woman in the '70s. She was even once suspected for the murder of a former boyfriend, though ultimately cleared of all charges.

But Delaney is enticed by the grand prize at the end of the treasure hunt: a highly valuable first edition copy of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson. The winner is also to receive the contents of Shelagh's vast library, and all participants will earn a large sum of cash.

The night after the first meeting of the treasure hunters, however, several homes in Edinburgh are robbed in a manner reminiscent of Shelagh's old tricks. And when a man connected to Shelagh is killed, suspicion builds. Except Shelagh herself has disappeared from her home, seemingly kidnapped by the villain.

Terror mounts throughout the city as Delaney attempts to solve the mystery, while trying to evade the killer's clutches. But it’s hard to know who to trust when around every corner, a new monster could be lurking." 

Title: The French Paradox
Author: Ellen Crosby
Series: #11 in the Wine Country mysteries set in Virginia.
256 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

Synopsis: "In 1949, during her junior year abroad in Paris, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis bought several inexpensive paintings of Marie-Antoinette by a little-known 18th century female artist. She also had a romantic relationship with Virginia vineyard owner Lucie Montgomery's French grandfather - until recently, a well-kept secret.

Seventy years later, Cricket Delacroix, Lucie's neighbor and Jackie's schoolfriend, is donating the now priceless paintings to a Washington, DC museum. And Lucie's grandfather is flying to Virginia for Cricket's 90th birthday party, hosted by her daughter Harriet. A washed-up journalist, Harriet is rewriting a manuscript Jackie left behind about Marie-Antoinette and her portraitist. She's also adding tell-all details about Jackie, sure to make the book a bestseller.

Then on the eve of the party a world-famous landscape designer who also knew Jackie is found dead in Lucie's vineyard. Did someone make good on the death threats he'd received because of his controversial book on climate change? Or was his murder tied to Jackie, the paintings, and Lucie's beloved grandfather?" 

 

 

Title: A Deadly Twist
Author: Jeffrey Siger
Series: #11 in the Andreas Kaldis police procedural series set in Greece.
320 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

Synopsis: "When Athens journalist Nikoletta Elia disappears while on assignment on the island of Naxos, her editor calls on Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis to investigate. Sent to report on the conflict between preservationists and advocates for expanded tourism, Nikoletta is approached by a fan who takes credit for several suspicious deaths she'd reported on in the past. The assassin claims to have abandoned that life, and convinces the reporter to write about him and his murderous exploits for hire.

Kaldis sends his deputy, Yianni, to look into her disappearance when an unidentified body is found at the base of a cliff. Who is the mysterious corpse, and where is Nikoletta? Leads turn into more dead bodies in this twisting tale of greed, corruption, and murder that puts Kaldis, his family, and members of his team in the path of a ruthless killer who will stop at nothing to keep dark secrets buried―forever."

 

 

=== April 13 ===

 

 

Title: Dance With Death

Author: Will Thomas

Series: #12 in the Barker & Llewelyn historical mystery series set in Victorian England.

320 pages

 

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

 

Synopsis: "In June of 1893, the future Nicholas II travels to London for a royal wedding, bringing with him his private security force and his ballerina mistress, Mathilde Kchessinska. Rumored to be the target of a professional assassin known only as La Sylphide, and the subject of conspiracies against his life by his own family who covet his future throne, Nicholas is protected by not only private security, but the professional forces of both England and Russia.

All of these measures prove inadequate when Prince George of England is attacked by an armed anarchist who mistakes him for Nicholas. As a result, Barker and Llewelyn are brought in to help track down the assassin and others who might conspire against the life of the tsarevich . The investigations lead them down several paths, including Llewelyn's old nemesis, the assassin Sofia Ilyanova. With Barker and Llewelyn both surviving separate attempts on their lives, the race is on to find both the culprit and the assassin they hired. Taking them through high society (including a masked ball at Kensington Palace) and low, chasing down motives both personal and political, Barker and Llewelyn must solve the case of their life before the crime of the century is committed." 

Title: The Unkindness of Ravens
Author: M.E. Hilliard
Series: #1 in the Greer Hogan amateur sleuth series.
336 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

Synopsis: "Greer Hogan is a librarian and an avid reader of murder mysteries. She also has a habit of stumbling upon murdered bodies. The first was her husband's, and the tragic loss led Greer to leave New York behind for a new start in the Village of Raven Hill. But her new home becomes less idyllic when she discovers her best friend sprawled dead on the floor of the library.

Was her friend's demise related to two other deaths that the police deemed accidental? Do the residents of this insular village hold dark secrets about another murder, decades ago? Does a serial killer haunt Raven Hill?

As the body count rises, Greer's anxious musings take a darker turn when she uncovers unexpected and distressing information about her own husband's death...and the man who went to prison for his murder . She is racked with guilt at the possibility that her testimony may have helped to convict an innocent man.

Though Greer admires the masters of deduction she reads about in books, she never expected to have to solve a mystery herself. Fortunately, she possesses a quick wit and a librarian's natural resourcefulness. But will that be enough to protect her from a brilliant, diabolical murderer?

And even if Greer manages to catch the Raven Hill killer, will living with her conscience prove a fate worse than death?"

 

 

Title: One Got Away
Author: S.A. Lelchuk
Series: #2 in the Nikki Griffin private investigator series set in California.
304 pages

Synopsis: "Nikki Griffin, a private-investigator when she isn’t running her small bookstore, is on a case. The matriarch of one of the wealthiest San Francisco families has been defrauded by a con-man, and her furious son enlists Nikki to find the money. And find the con-man.

Nikki isn’t a fan of men who hurt women. Her secret mission, born of revenge and trauma, is to do everything she can to remove women from dangerous situations―and to punish the men responsible.

As Nikki follows the trail toward the con-man, she realizes that no one involved is telling her the whole truth. When the case overlaps with her attempt to protect a woman in trouble, and Nikki’s own life is put in danger, Nikki has to make terrible choices about who to save―and how to keep herself alive."

 

 

=== April 20 ===

 

 

Title: In Her Tracks
Author: Robert Dugoni
Series: #8 in the Tracy Crosswhite police procedural series set in Washington.
383 pages

Synopsis: "Returning from an extended leave in her hometown of Cedar Grove, Detective Tracy Crosswhite finds herself reassigned to the Seattle PD’s cold case unit. As the protective mother of an infant daughter, Tracy is immediately drawn to her first file: the abduction of a five-year-old girl whose parents, embattled in a poisonous divorce, were once prime suspects.

While reconstructing the days leading up to the girl’s disappearance, Tracy is brought into an active investigation with former partner Kinsington Rowe. A young woman has vanished on an isolated jogging trail in North Seattle. Divided between two critical cases, Tracy has little to go on except the treacherous deceptions behind a broken marriage―and now, the secrets hiding behind the closed doors of a deceptively quiet middle-class neighborhood.

To find two missing persons, Tracy will have to follow more than clues, which are both long cold and unsettlingly fresh. Given her own traumatic past, Tracy must also follow her instincts―to whatever dark and dangerous places they may lead."

 

 

=== April 27 ===

 

 

Title: The Last Good Dog

Author: Alan Russell

Series: #6 in the Gideon & Sirius police procedural series set in California.

320 pages

 

Synopsis: "LAPD detective Michael Gideon and his K-9 partners investigate the disappearance of a retired US Marshal and her bomb-sniffing dog after a suspicious encounter."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One thing's certain: there's going to be some good reading available in April. Sounds to me like we should all pick a couple to take outside so we can enjoy both the stories and the burgeoning spring. 

 

Did any titles in particular strike your fancy? Which ones? You know that inquiring minds would love to know!

Lost Dog by Alan Russell

First Line: Angie's growling awakened her.

LAPD Detective Michael Gideon's K-9 partner Sirius rescues a lost dog from a pack of coyotes, but when they try to return the dog to its owner, they discover that the woman is missing.

Heather Moreland has clearly disappeared under suspicious circumstances, and the more Gideon digs into the woman's past, the more convinced he becomes that she's in danger-- that is if she's not already dead.

As he searches for Heather Moreland, Gideon is also troubled by the death of Langston Walker, the leader of a support group for the families of murder victims. The last time they'd spoken, Walker mentioned a cold case he'd reopened, and Gideon can't help wonder if reopening that case had anything to do with his death. Between trying to find the missing woman and his concerns over Walker's death, Gideon certainly has his hands full, so it's a good thing he has Sirius to help.

I continue to enjoy Alan Russell's Gideon & Sirius series, especially since this third book, Lost Dog, avoided something that had annoyed me in the previous two books. In Burning Man and Guardians of the Night, Sirius-- a normally extremely well-behaved dog-- threw a fit about something, and Gideon ignored him. Subsequently, Gideon experienced a great deal of pain for dismissing his partner's concerns. That doesn't happen this time, and that thrilled me to no end. Gideon may be a smart aleck, but he's a smart aleck who can learn.

Although I knew the identity of the killer seconds after the character was introduced, there was still a lot to enjoy in this book. The missing woman, Heather Moreland, had a very small part that still packed a powerful punch. Russell had to be economical with his words, but he delineated Heather's character so well that I actively worried about her safety all the way through the book.

I have to admit that I have a soft spot for Michael Gideon's sort of character. He's a smart aleck, and I love his use of puns and poetry, his references to movies and television, and so much more. If I don't actually laugh out loud, Gideon usually makes me smile as I read his quips.

Russell usually adds to my knowledge as I read these books, and Lost Dog is no exception. I learned about two systems installed in Gideon's patrol car: a special air conditioning system, and something called a Hot-N-Pop. If the temperature inside the car gets too high and the human does not respond, one of the doors will automatically unlock and pop open so the dog can get out. There have been K-9 deaths here in Phoenix due to the animals being in locked patrol cars, so when I read about these systems, I immediately wondered about our police department installing them.

Read a Gideon & Sirius mystery and you will learn things. You will laugh. And you will find yourself on the edge of your seat wondering if man and dog are going to save the day. Bring on book four!

Lost Dog by Alan Russell

ASIN: B018E898Z2

Thomas & Mercer © 2016

eBook, 322 pages

Police Procedural/Working Dog, #3 Gideon & Sirius mystery

Rating: A-

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

Guardians of the Night by Alan Russell

First Line: Wrong Pauley made sure no one was around before he started down the alleyway toward his burrow.

Even by the LAPD's standards, there are cases they consider bizarre, and those are the ones the two members of the Special Cases Unit work. This time around, the case Detective Michael Gideon and his German Shepherd partner Sirius are called on to investigate might even be called out of this world.

Ronald "Wrong" Pauley is a homeless man who is convinced that he witnessed the murder of an angel. Even though Gideon and Sirius are already in the middle of trying to identify the "Reluctant Hero" who braved gunfire and tackled a shooter at an elementary school, the brass wants the angel case looked into. When Pauley turns up dead, Gideon and Sirius have their work cut out for them to make sense of these crimes.

Having enjoyed the first book in this series, Burning Man, I looked forward to reading Guardians of the Night. I am one of those people who are very happy that there are more and more mysteries being written that feature working dogs.

Once again, I was treated to smart-aleck Gideon's ability to turn a phrase, and some of his acronyms are going to come in handy (NBH = Nobody Home; D-SAT = Didn't See a Thing). Readers are also treated to information and opinions on poetry, authors, and movies. I do know that I learned a lot about something important to the storyline, but I'm not going to say what it is so you can figure it out for yourself.

I like Russell's way with a fast pace and how he puts a mystery together. There's plenty of misdirection in Guardians of the Night, and you have to pay attention to almost every little thing because it will be part of the solution to both cases by book's end. I also like Russell's characterizations-- especially those of Wrong Pauley, Elle, and the Reluctant Hero.

There's only one thing that bugs me about this book: Gideon is still not paying attention to Sirius's behavior! You'd think if Gideon wound up in hot water a time or two, he'd learn that Sirius knows what he's barking about and pay attention. Maybe by book three?

With the strength of Russell's characters and storylines, you know I'll be moving on to the third book in the series. Bring on Lost Dog!

Guardians of the Night by Alan Russell

eISBN: 9781477825846

Thomas & Mercer © 2014

eBook, 353 pages

Police Procedural, #2 Gideon & Sirius mystery

Rating: A-

Source: Purchased from Amazon.


 

Burning Man by Alan Russell

First Line: Even before I pressed down hard on the gas, Sirius was aware that something was up.

Los Angeles police officer Michael Gideon and his K-9 partner Sirius are heroes and celebrities after capturing a serial killer in the midst of a roaring inferno. After months of rehab, Sirius may not be able to resume his official duties as a member of the LAPD, but with Gideon heading up the new Special Cases Unit, wherever Gideon goes, Sirius is going to be right by his side. With the official case of a crucified teenager in a city park and the personal case of an abandoned dead baby at the foot of Angel's Flight, the two are not going to have any spare time, and that suits them both just fine.

2018 seems to be my year of reading mysteries that have detectives with canine partners. Most of these books have been excellent reads, and Burning Man continues the trend. Reminiscent of Michael Connelly, Alan Russell's first Gideon and Sirius mystery makes the setting one of the strongest characters in the book. Readers learn interesting bits of Los Angeles history along the way, and the fierce Santa Ana winds and fire add a great deal of tension.

I loved the voice of Michael Gideon as well as his sense of humor. When told that he's going to head up the Special Cases Unit, he asks, "What would I tell people? That I work in the Defense Against the Dark Arts Division?" This is a man who is still suffering from PTSD. His burns may have healed, but his mind hasn't, and being on the job is helping to keep him sane. The only thing that bugged me about Gideon was his TSTL (Too Stupid To Live) moment when he completely disregarded Sirius's behavior in a parking lot.

My annoyance was short-lived, however, because the cases he was trying to solve were too interesting. The crucified teenager put a lot of miles on Gideon's car because the dead boy wasn't who he appeared to be, and since he was popular, he had a very wide circle of acquaintances. The investigation into the death of the abandoned baby was very personal to Gideon, and it allowed readers to look more deeply into his backstory. His handling of this second case said a lot about him as a person.

Burning Man is a book in which I learned quite a few things about weather, fire, Los Angeles history, skin grafts, and the Safely Surrendered Baby Law. This fast-paced book's two investigations also kept me guessing. But it's the smart-alecky character of Michael Gideon and his dog Sirius that are going to make me reach for the other books in the series. Good stuff!

Burning Man by Alan Russell

eISBN: 9781612186092

Thomas & Mercer © 2012

eBook, 328 pages

Police Procedural, #1 Gideon & Sirius mystery

Rating: A-

Source: Purchased from Amazon.