Category Archives: Book Talk

Welcome to this week’s Book Talk!

I’ve noticed recently that if I’m tired or distracted, I don’t feel like reading. With a sick kitty in the house, I streamed more TV last week than usual. But I did manage to read one mystery!

I read a fictionalized mystery based on on a real life murder in Australia. After I finished reading it, I was curious about the true life case and discovered The Newcomer followed fairly closely to the original murder.

Author Laura Elizabeth Woollett’s victim shares many of the real life victim’s characteristics. The island setting is true to life and the islanders’ attitudes toward outsiders is realistically portrayed. The novel’s timeline also closely follows the original case. All of these details add to The Newcomer’s authenticity and provide readers with the basic facts of real life murder. The mystery is compelling and moves at a brisk pace. Highly recommend to readers of Australian mysteries.

Now it’s your turn. What have you been reading lately? Join the discussion by commenting below!

Welcome to this week’s Book Talk!

Last week’s election took a lot out me and it took me a while to recover. But I did manage to read one book, Still by Matt Nable.

This Australian police procedural is set in Darwin during 1963. The lead character, Senior Constable Ned Potter, has a lot at stake during a murder investigation. He is an honorable man who is not at all pleased with his superior’s orders and he grapples with trying to do the right thing. Ned is also fond of drinking and he is often caught in a downward spiral that leaves him in a moral quandary.

Still is a bit of a slow burn mystery with a setting that is so well-written readers will feel the stiffling humidity. The investigation is intriguing and the characters are exceptionally well-developed. Once Ned decides what he is going to do, the novel moves at a brisk pace. Matt Nable brings the mystery to a very satisfying conclusion.

Now it’s your turn. What have you been reading lately? Join the discussion by commenting below!

Welcome to this week’s Book Talk!

I and my fellow poll workers were busy last week so I only had time to read one book.

I read Where They Found Her by Kimberly McCreight. I love mysteries with amateur sleuths so I really enjoyed how tenascious newspaper reporter Molly Anderson is. Although crime is not her beat, she is asked to write stories on the newly discovered body of a deceased baby. Molly is unable sit by and wait for the police to solve this possible crime, so she strikes out on her own to find out who the mother might be.

Kimberly McCreight has skillyfully woven an intriguing mystery with Molly’s personal history. The storyline is very well-written and the the pacing is fast. The chapters alternate between Molly’s perspective, news articles and a few other character’s points of view. Each of their voices is distinct and easy to tell apart. Where They Found Her comes to a twist-filled, jaw-dropping conclusion. Highly recommend!

Now it’s your turn. What have you been reading lately? Join the discussion by commenting below!

Welcome to this week’s Book Talk!

Last week was another slow reading week for me.

I read my Readig Challenge book When Sparrows Fall. Check tomorrow’s Reading Challenge Discussion if you would like to know my thoughts on it.

I’m a little over halfway through Kimberly McCreight’s Reconstructing Amelia. It’s a domestic mystery and I am loving it!

Hopefully I’ll have more books to talk about next week.

Now it’s your turn. What have you been reading lately? Join the discussion by commenting below!

Welcome to this week’s Book Talk!

I read Little Sister which is the fourth mystery in Gytha Lodge’s DCI Jonah Sheens series. With each new release in this series, I am amazed at how diverse the storylines are! Little Sister is incredibly unique with plenty of plot twists. The regular characters still continue to grow with some of them revealing more of themselves to their co-workers who are also friends. Jonah is in a completely new stage of his life and he is learning new things about himself because of recent life events. The mystery is utterly gripping as Jonah and the rest of the team find themselves in a race against time to solve their newest case. I highly, highly recommend this outstanding series.

I am working long hours with early voting until November 5th so I sadly don’t have as much time to read right now.

Now it’s your turn. What have you been reading lately? Join the discussion by commenting below!

Do you like books with a beach setting? If you do, what draws you to them? If you don’t, what don’t you like about it?

I really enjoy books with a beach setting. If I’m reading women’s fiction or a romance, I like how idyllic the setting feels. I love how calming and restful a beach is in real life, so that feeling transfers to the book.

But when I’m reading a mystery, the beach and ocean (or lake) can often feel ominous and threatening. Water can be used a weapon or leave characters feeling trapped. Throw in some fog, and the tension rachets sky high!

Comment below to join the conversation and share your opinion on beach settings. Feel free to share your favoite books set on the beach.