Robert Grandinetti

J..D Robb is in top form with Framed In Death. Lt Eve Dallas is back tracking the killer of Lcs (Local Courteusans) known as "The Artist." The murderer is a frustrated artist who regards artistic inspiration more then human life. Robb brings back Dallas's billionaire husband, Roarke, and other recurring characters a case that never lost my interest. The witnesses are all colorful, the killer chilled me, and the finale runs on pure adrenaline. There's also a good amount of humor especially in a superhero debate among Dallas' crew. "Framed" certified my reader loyality to the Dallas series. I don't think it shows any signs of slowing down anytime soon.

I was equally intrigued and apprehensive to read Holly Jackson's (@hojay92) adult debut because of its heroine, Jet Mason, trying to solve her own murder while she's dying. I was intrigued because I thought it was a great concept, but apprehensive because I've read books where the author's idea is better then their book itself. I'm relieved to post that Not Quite Dead Yet is one of the most clever and unpredictable thrillers that I've read in recent years. Jackson plots with the percision of the best surgeon with one shocking reveal after another. Even the heroine has something that's revealed about her tested my sympathy towards her. Another unexpected surprise are the amount of times I laughed in the book especially in the dialouge between Jet and her childhood friend, Billy, who helps her solve her own murder. My biggest relief is that I was completely takin aback by its resolution. There's nothing worse then reading 400 pages with a lame or preeictable outcome. Not Quite Dead Yet is one of those rare books that a well known YA shows a smooth transition into their new category of adult fiction.

Lisa Scottoline's proves that once again she's one step ahead in the cluttered field of her fellow suspense writers with her modern gothic, The Unraveling of Julia. The story is reminiscent of gothic writers such as Daphne du Maurier and Phyllis A. Whitney with the recently widowed Julia Pritzker finds out that she's inherited a Tuscan Villa from its eccentric owner. Julia has no idea who owned the estate was and why she inherited it. After Julia arrives she learns that she has a deeper connection to the villa's original order and the target of someone who wants to estate for themself. Scottoline nails the gothic by capturing the errieness of the villa and standad characters such as the odd couple who are the villa's caretakers and a handsome local who helps Julia adjust to her new life in Tuscany. Scottoline also captures the sights and smells of Tuscany so well that the reader feel like there themselves. A note to Scottoline's long time readers that she doesn't forget to add a legal aspect to the story with insights into estate law. The Unraveling of Julia is another successful example of Lisa Scottoline's dive into another subgenre of suspense.

The Man Made of Smoke is so perfectly constructed that I was almost in awe of Alex North's obvious writing talents. Then, I felt less awe and more puzzled about my growing disinterest during the second half of North's latest. The novel's concept is good as criminal profiler Daniel Gravie returns to the isle where he grew up to finish his late Father's investigation of the serial killer known as The Pied Piper. Dan has his own connection to the piper after his own encounter with one of his victims. Dan reunites with childhood friends, but discovers that there is a trail of fresh bodies with their own connection to the piper as well. Dan is a well developed hero. He's complex, but not overly complicated. There's also a good amount of suspense and surprising humorous moments, but the momentium sputters as Dan gets closer to finding the piper then the final solution left me saying to myself, "That's it." I've read worse thrillers then The Man Made of Smoke, but it's just as frustrating to read a book with great qualities then ends up just up average. Thanks to St.Martins Trade as part of their influencer program and NetGalley for the ARC for a fair and honest review.

Now or Never shows that there are no signs of Janet Evanovich's ending her beloved Stephanie Plum series ending any time soon. In fact, the series will be heading in a whole new direction because Stephanie finally makes her decision between long time cop boyfriend, Joe Morelli or her man on the side, Ranger. I'm not going to reveal who Stephanie chooses, but for me as a long time reader of the series, I was satisfied with her choice. Stephanie's misadventures in bounty hunting continues with a flasher who's proud to put his privates on display, a man who broke into his neighbor's house to retrive an old photo, and a modern day Robin Hood who's become a local hero. Stephanie's main mission who kills women as if he were a vampire. His crimes are more gruesome then Stephanie's usual cases, but I found to be a good change of pace. The usual crew consisting of Lula, Stephanie's sidekick, her Grandmother Mazur, and her highly strung mother contribute to the outrageously funny scenes in the story. A new Stephanie Plum book has become a yearly event for me. After I finished Now or Never, it's safe to say I'll be back for next year's Plum tournament of champions.

Where was Keeper Chance when I was a teenager? The few adventure books featuring teen boys were centered on teen boys that were so capable and smart that I wondered if they were built rather then concieved. Keeper is your average everyday teen. His life is rather uneventful until recruited by the leader of the 626 of Evil Villians International League, Chaos. The league can best be described as misfits with unusual talents that somehow saving others or themselves when their missions puts their lives at stake. Keeper and his fellow new recruit, Toby, are sent to pick up some cookies at the Villian's favorite cookie ship. They immediately notice something is wrong when the shop appears to be abandoned and the shop's owner is missing. The discovery leads them to their first case which involves stolen money and members of Chaos who suddenly dissapear. There are some outrageously funny moments and touching moments that will satisfy the most pick of teen readers. What's most refreshing about Keeper is that he doesn't understand what his own talent is until the next to last chapter. His mission allows himself to discover his own hidden talents and that he's a more then average teenager. I've tried to read some of today's crop of teen fiction, but Keeper Chance is the first Teen book that I was able to relate to it's hero. I was just as awkward and unsure or myself when I was a teenager. I had a great time reading the first volume of the Keeper Chance series and look foward to reading about his next chaotic mission.

The Mirror is the second book in Nora Roberts" The Lost Bride Trilogy. The story picks up right after the first book in the series, 2023's The Inheritance, left off. Sonya McTavish has now become accustomed to the ghosts the haunted the Maine mansion she inherited after her long lost Uncle's death. Sonya learns more about the history of the lost brides through an antique mirror that appears in different rooms at various times. Sonya is able to walk through the mirror which allows her actually see the tragic deaths of each bride. Sonya also comes face to face with the witch who placed the curse that effects her both inside and outside of the mirror. Roberts fills her follow-up with good characters, good humor, and even good scares. I was surprised how much I've enjoyed the first two books in Roberts latest trilogy because I don't read many books with fantasy elements. In Roberts case, she doesn't let the ghosts overshadow the characters in the story. Sonya along with her supporting characters are as richly developed as are the history of her family and the mansion. It's a cliche, but I'm already eagerly awaiting next year's final book in The Lost Bride Trilogy which is a reflection of how much I enjoyed The Mirror.

Liane Moriarty is one of the few others today that never writes the same book twice. Here One Moment feature what has become Moriarty's trademarks such as characters that are facing a crisis, an equal blend of a satirical and the tragic tone, and the plot risks she takes in her story. Moriarty's latest begins on a flight delay where a psychic predicts the deaths of her fellow passengers. Six of the passengers included: a gulit ridden father, a pair of newlyweds, a lost soul, a harried mother, and a flight attended in constant crisis are the most effected by her predictions. Their decisions in their day to day lives now revolve around how much time that they allegedly have left on earth. The psychic herself's story about the origins of her abilities is told through alternating chapters. I loved what Moriarty does in her latest because she's taking on the theme of mortality without trying to be heavy handed or philosophical. Her multi-developed characters don't always make the best decisons which I'd rather read then people who suddenly know the right answers to the flaws in their lives. Here One Moment is one of those rare books that caused me to think about the same issues as its characters especially my own mortality. I hope that anyone who reads Moriarty's terrific latest will come away exploring that same issue as well.

The key for me to a successful biography is if it fully captures its subject's personality Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's biography perfectly captures the her high intelligence and sense of modesty that she that came through in her recent interviews promoting her memoir. Justice Jackson's background served as a roadmap to her current position. Jackson was born in Washington, but raised in Miami, Florida. Her Mother and Father were both educators, then later, her Father became the chief attorney for the Miami-Dade County School Board. The first section of the book movingly detail the values that her parents instilled in her that were the keys to her success as a star debator in high school, Harvard graduate, and a law clerk to two highly lauded judges. "Lovely" biggest success is that it perfectly balances Jackson's moments of success with her moments of self doubt. Jackson opens up about her bouts of imposter syndrome and encounters with both racism and sexism that were painful, but didn't break her down. I was greatly moved by the chapters about her family and friend's doubts and questions about her marriage to an upper class white doctor as well as their difficulties raising their autustic daughter, Talia. Jackson could've done a quick run down on both, but instead takes a step by step approach as lessons in love and understanding. I didn't know if I could write a review of Lovely One, because I thought I would end up writing an opinion piece on my admiration for Supreme Court Justice Jackson. I gave it further thought and concluded that if I came away with more admiration for Justice Jackson then that makes her memoir a great success.

I don't know if I would've finished reading Shelby Van Pelt's quirky Remarkably Bright Creatures instead of listening to it on audio. The story about an older cleaning woman, Tova Sullivan, who forms an unusual bond with an old octopus, Marcellus, is original, but the plot of how Marcellus helps Tova solve the long ago dissapearance of her son was annoyingly predictable. The audio has the advantage of two great narrators with actors @marinireland and @michaelurielikesit. Ireland dead on nails both the voices of the story's male and female characters. She achieves that rare feat of giving each character their own personalities. There are audios where I have to rewind to remember which characters are which, because the narration is so flat, but Ireland's clear understanding of her characters helped me keep track of who's who. Urie puts his great comedic skills to use in order to capture not only Marcellus' bitterness and snobbishness, but his later own unexpected affection and appreciation for Tova. I'm going to be viewed as a crumudgeon for being so critical of a book that has been labeled, "a feel good read." In my defense, I did listen to the audio all the way through and even laughed out especially in the scenes involving Tova's Knitting Club. "Remarkably" has nice moments, but Ireland and Urie narrations elevate them to make them more memorable.