Cause of Death by Patricia Cornwell

Started: 4/26/2026

Finished: 4/29/2026

Year: 1996

Pages: 340

Genre: mystery/thriller

Grade: B

Reason for reading: library book, continuing series

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "On New Year’s Eve, the last day of Virginia’s bloodiest year since the Civil War, Dr. Kay Scarpetta plunges into the murky depths of the Elizabeth River to recover the very human remains of Ted Eddings, an investigative reporter. Was Eddings probing the Inactive Shipyard for a story, or simply diving for sunken trinkets? And why did Scarpetta receive a phone call from someone reporting the death before the police were notified?

"With the advent of a second murder—this one closer to home—the case envelops Scarpetta, her niece Lucy, and police captain Pete Marino in a world where both cutting-edge technology and old-fashioned detective work are critical offensive weapons. Together they follow the trail of death to a well of violence as dark and forbidding as the water that swirled over Ted Eddings."

Opinion: Thriller at the very end. Interesting case overall

Everyone in this Bank is a Thief by Benjamin Stevenson

Started: 4/22/2026

Finished: 4/26/2026

Year: 2025

Pages: 355

Genre: mystery

Grade: B-

Reason for reading: library book, continuing with the series

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "Ten heists. Ten suspects. A murder mystery only Ernest Cunningham can solve in this delightfully clever and twisty new novel in Benjamin Stevenson’s bestselling series—perfect for fans of Richard Osman and Anthony Horowitz.

"I’ve spent the last few years solving murders. But a bank heist is a new one, even for me. I’ve never been a hostage before.

"The doors are chained shut. No one in or out. Which means that when someone in the bank is murdered, everyone is a suspect.

"THE BANK ROBBER

"THE MANAGER

"THE SECURITY GUARD

"THE KID

"THE FILM PRODUCER

"THE PRIEST

"THE RECEPTIONIST

"THE PATIENT

"THE CAREGIVER

"ME

"Turns out, more than one person planned to rob the bank today. You can steal more from a bank than just money.

"Who is stealing what? Are they willing to kill for it? And can I solve the crime before the police kick down the door and rescue us?"

Opinion: This fits along with the rest of the books in the series. Little twists and turns.

Certain Prey by John Sandford

Started: 4/15/2026

Finised: 4/21/2026

Year: 1999

Pages: 375

Genre: mystery

Grade: B

Reason for reading: TBR pile, continuing with series

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "Clara Rinker is twenty-eight, beautiful, charmingly southern—and the best hit woman in the business. She just goes about her business, collects her money, and goes home. Her latest hit sounds simple: a defense attorney wants a rival eliminated. No problem—until a witness survives. Clara usually knows how to deal with loose ends: cut them off, one by one, until they're all gone. This time, there’s one loose end that’s hard to shake.

"Lucas Davenport has no idea of the toll this case is about to take on him. Clara knows his weak spots. She knows how to penetrate them, and how to use them. And when a woman like Clara has the advantage, no one is safe."

Opinion: Very cat and mouse type of plot. No real mystery since readers know who has done what. More about how they are tracked down.

Final Fondue by Maya Corrigan

Started: 4/9/2026

Finished: 4/14/2026

Year: 2016

Pages: 300

Genre: cozy mystery

Grade: B

Reason for reading: library book, continuing with series

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "Val Deniston certainly has her plate full running a café, dabbling with recipes, and helping her grandfather prepare for the town's upcoming tri-centennial celebration, but she's grown fond of her new life in the Chesapeake Bay town of Bayport. . .

"So when Val is asked to reclaim her old position as a cookbook publicist in New York City, she puts off her decision in order to help her grandfather perfect his chocolate fondue for the weekend festivity's dessert cook-off. But after the opening ceremonies, Val finds a houseguest strangled to death in her grandfather's backyard. She suspects a classic case of mistaken identity, especially when another guest nearly bids her life a fondue farewell. Now it's up to Val to keep the killer from making another stab at murder . . ."

Opinion: Not too far fetched of a mystery. Interesting side stories when family members pay a visit.

Plum Pudding Murder by Joanne Fluke

Started: 4/1/2026

Finished: 4/8/2026

Year: 2009

Pages: 285

Genre: cozy mystery

Grade: B

Reason for reading: library book, continuing with series

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "The Cookie Jar's busiest time of the year also happens to be the most wonderful time … for Christmas cookies, Hannah's own special plum pudding—and romance! She also gets a kick out of “Lunatic Larry Jaeger’s Crazy Elf Christmas Tree Lot,” a kitschy carnival taking place smack-dab in the middle of the village green. But then Hannah discovers the man himself dead as a doornail in his own office …

"Now, with so many suspects to investigate and the twelve days of Christmas ticking away, Hannah's running out of time to nab a murderous Scrooge who doesn't want her to see the New Year …"

Opinion: It's Christmas time...perfect for cookies and murder. Not too hard to figure out who was going to be murdered and the possible suspects. Decent mystery.

The Never King by Nikki St. Crowe

Started: 3/30/2026

Finished: DNF

Year: 2022

Pages: 195

Genre: Romantasy

Grade: F

Reason for reading: library book

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "For two centuries, all of the Darling women have disappeared on their eighteenth birthday. Sometimes they’re gone for only a day, some for as long as a week or a month. But they always return broken

"Now, on the afternoon of my eighteenth birthday, my mother runs around the house, making sure all the windows are barred and the doors locked.

"But it’s pointless.  

"Because when night falls, he comes for me. And this time, the Never King and the Lost Boys aren’t willing to let me go"

Opinion: I'm okay with using classic characters in new stories but yawn. This wasn't a good use of Peter Pan, The Lost Boys, etc

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

Started: 3/24/2026

Finished: 3/29/2026

Year: 2008

Pages: 384

Genre: romance

Grade: B-

Reason for reading: bookcrossing.com book

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "After U.S. Marine Logan Thibault finds a photograph of a smiling young woman buried in the dirt during his tour of duty in Iraq, he experiences a sudden streak of luck—winning poker games and even surviving deadly combat. Only his best friend, Victor, seems to have an explanation for his good fortune: the photograph—his lucky charm.

"Back home in Colorado, Thibault can't seem to get the woman in the photograph out of his mind and he sets out on a journey across the country to find her. But Thibault is caught off guard by the strong attraction he feels for the woman he encounters in North Carolina—Elizabeth, a divorced mother—and he keeps the story of the photo, and his luck, a secret. As he and Elizabeth embark upon a passionate love affair, his secret soon threatens to tear them apart—destroying not only their love, but also their lives."

Opinion: Not as good as his other ones-playing with names was annoying.