The Bell Lady of Blairmont Manor by Novella Jean

Started: 11/24/2022

Finished: 11/28/2022

Year: 2022

Pages: 267

Genre: horror/ghost/paranormal

Grade: B-

Reason for reading: review for Reader Views

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "Nestled in the foothills of the southern Appalachian Mountains, the small town of Daffodil harbors a secret about the mansion by the lake. On the outside, Blairmont Manor appears to be a peaceful lakeside getaway. Inside, it is a house of terror.

"For over a hundred years, the people of Daffodil have kept this secret. Their children grow up knowing pure evil exists in this world and that they are powerless against it.

"By the time Thia moves in, with plans to convert the historic mansion into a luxury boutique hotel, the secrets of Blairmont Manor are so well kept that she suspects nothing is amiss about her new home. But it’s not long before she comes to realize the townspeople are keeping something from her...and that someone is willing to do whatever it takes to make her leave."

Opinion: a thorough review is on Reader Views

Jackal by Erin E Adams

Started: 11/21/2022

Finished: 11/23/2022

Year: 2022

Pages: 318

Genre: mystery/thriller

Grade: B

Reason for reading: library book

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "It’s watching.

"Liz Rocher is coming home . . . reluctantly. As a Black woman, Liz doesn’t exactly have fond memories of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, a predominantly white town. But her best friend is getting married, so she braces herself for a weekend of awkward, passive-aggressive reunions. Liz has grown, though; she can handle whatever awaits her. But on the day of the wedding, somewhere between dancing and dessert, the couple’s daughter, Caroline, disappears—and the only thing left behind is a piece of white fabric covered in blood.

"It’s taking.

"As a frantic search begins, with the police combing the trees for Caroline, Liz is the only one who notices a pattern: A summer night. A missing girl. A party in the woods. She’s seen this before. Keisha Woodson, the only other Black girl in Liz’s high school, walked into the woods with a mysterious man and was later found with her chest cavity ripped open and her heart removed. Liz shudders at the thought that it could have been her, and now, with Caroline missing, it can’t be a coincidence. As Liz starts to dig through the town’s history, she uncovers a horrifying secret about the place she once called home. Children have been going missing in these woods for years. All of them Black. All of them girls.

"It’s your turn.

"With the evil in the forest creeping closer, Liz knows what she must do: find Caroline, or be entirely consumed by the darkness."

Opinion: I can see why this book has been popular. Takes on a child kidnapping to a slightly different level. Worth the read if you're a fan of mysteries, thrillers, slight horror.

Double Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

Started: 11/16/2022

Finished: 11/21/2022

Year: 2011

Pages: 337

Genre: Thriller

Grade: B

Reason for reading: finishing up the series, library book

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "Dexter Morgan is not your average serial killer. He enjoys his day job as a blood spatter analyst for the Miami Police Department . . . but he lives for his nighttime hobby of hunting other killers. Dexter is therefore not pleased to discover that someone is shadowing him, observ­ing him, and copying his methods. Dexter is not one to tol­erate displeasure . . . in fact, he has a knack for extricating himself from trouble in his own pleasurable way."

Opinion: Been a while since I read one of the Dexter books. Recently watched the new Dexter series and wanted to finish up the books. Enjoyable like always but Rita is annoying.

Down Wind and Out of Sight by Douglas Richardson

Started: 11/7/2022

Finished: 11/9/2022

Year: 2022

Pages: 333

Genre: thriller

Grade: C

Reason for reading: review for Reader Views

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "Down Wind and Out of Sight abounds with mysterious questions.

 How did an emotionally-damaged group of social misfits come to live secretly—and illegally--on a sweeping northern Chesapeake Bay estate?

• Who is this Aboriginal financial wizard holding the strange band together—and what deceptions is he determined to keep alive?

• Who is responsible for the spiraling series of bizarre catastrophes - and how many people are going to die?

• How long can this 'found family' remain "down wind and out of sight" as federal Investigators close in?

This unique novel is both a riveting thriller and a compassionate exploration of how much people reveal when they're doing their best to hide. Full of wry wit, compelling characters and unexpected twists, the adventures of this unique band of misfits race to a shocking climax, catching you up in a powerful story you won't forget."

Opinion: a thorough review is on Reader Views

Moose Willow Mystery by Terri Martin

Started: 11/1/2022

Finished: 11/3/2022

Year: 2022

Pages: 273

Genre: mystery

Grade: C

Reason for reading: review for Reader Views

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "A suspicious death in a game processing meat locker is just the beginning of bizarre events happening in the Upper Michigan village of Moose Willow. It all starts when a mysterious woman appears at the Methodist church during choir practice. Janese Trout and her best friend, State Trooper Bertie Vaara, team up to connect the woman to a growing number of disturbing occurrences around town including the disappearance of Janese's eccentric lover, George LeFleur, and an undeniable increase in Bigfoot sightings. Meanwhile, Janese faces a multitude of personal challenges as she grapples with a sagging career at the Copper County Community College, an elusive pregnancy test, and a controlling mother who inserts herself into every hiding place of Janese's life."

Opinion: a thorough review is posted on Reader Views

The Little Book of True Ghost Stories by Echo Bodine

Started: 11/15/2022

Finished: 11/16/2022

Year: 2011

Pages: 191

Genre: paranormal

Grade: C

Reason for reading: library book

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "Barroom brawler ghosts, a ghost prayer group, Peeping Tom ghosts, a ghost who hates children, and even a ghost who didn't know he was dead are just a few of the wild assortment of characters in Echo Bodine's delightful new collection of true ghost stories. A psychic who has been hunting ghosts for 40 years, Bodine shares her story of how she became a ghost buster along with the stories of ghosts, hauntings, and possessions she encountered along the way.

"Wondering if those flickering lights, jangling door knobs, and mumbling sounds in the middle of the night mean you have a ghost? Bodine offers step-by-step instructions for getting rid of them along with clearing and protection prayers to keep them away. These funny, sometimes unnerving, and always entertaining stories will provide reassurance to anyone who has ever encountered things that go bump in the night.

"Previously published as Relax, It's Only a Ghost."

Opinion: Some interesting stories about some of the ghosts that Echo encountered. 

American Demon by Daniel Stashower

Started: 11/10/2022

Finished: 11/15/2022

Year: 2022

Pages: 306

Genre: True Crime/biography

Grade: B

Reason for reading: library book

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "Boston had its Strangler. California had the Zodiac Killer. And in the depths of the Great Depression, Cleveland had the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run.

"On September 5th, 1934, a young beachcomber made a gruesome discovery on the shores of Cleveland’s Lake Erie: the lower half of a female torso, neatly severed at the waist. The victim, dubbed “The Lady of the Lake,” was only the first of a butcher’s dozen. Over the next four years, twelve more bodies would be scattered across the city. The bodies were dismembered with surgical precision and drained of blood. Some were beheaded while still alive.

"Terror gripped the city. Amid the growing uproar, Cleveland’s besieged mayor turned to his newly-appointed director of public safety: Eliot Ness. Ness had come to Cleveland fresh from his headline-grabbing exploits in Chicago, where he and his band of “Untouchables” led the frontline assault on Al Capone’s bootlegging empire. Now he would confront a case that would redefine his storied career."

Opinion: An interesting look at Ness' work in Cleveland. 

Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich

Started: 11/4/2022

Finished: 11/6/2022

Year: 2011

Pages: 320

Genre: mystery

Grade: B

Reason for reading: continuing with the series, booklender.com book

Blurb (from Amazon): "Before Stephanie can even step foot off Flight 127 Hawaii to Newark, she’s knee deep in trouble. Her dream vacation turned into a nightmare, and she’s flying back to New Jersey solo. Worse still, her seatmate never returned to the plane after the L.A. layover. Now he’s dead—and a ragtag collection of thugs and psychos, not to mention the FBI, are all looking for a photograph he was supposed to be carrying.

"Only one person has seen the missing photo: Stephanie Plum. Now she’s the target. An FBI sketch artist helps Stephanie re-create the person in the photo, but Stephanie’s descriptive skills are lacking. Until she can improve them, she’ll need to watch her back.

"Over at the bail bonds agency things are going from bad to worse. Vinnie’s temporary HQ has gone up in smoke. Stephanie’s wheelman, Lula, falls for their largest skip yet. Lifetime arch nemesis Joyce Barnhardt moves into Stephanie’s apartment. And everyone wants to know what happened in Hawaii?

"Morelli, Trenton’s hottest cop, isn’t talking about Hawaii. Ranger, the man of mystery, isn’t talking about Hawaii. And all Stephanie is willing to say about her Hawaiian vacation is . . . It’s complicated."

Opinion: Started off slightly different than the other books in the series but eventually everything came together. Another fun read.

The City Where We Once Lived by Eric Barnes

Started: 11/4/2022

Finished: DNF

Year: 2018

Pages: 234

Genre: literature

Grade: F

Reason for reading: library book

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "In a near future where climate change has severely affected weather and agriculture, the North End of an unnamed city has long been abandoned in favor of the neighboring South End. Aside from the scavengers steadily stripping the empty city to its bones, only a few thousand people remain, content to live quietly among the crumbling metropolis. Many, like the narrator, are there to try to escape the demons of their past. He spends his time observing and recording the decay around him, attempting to bury memories of what he has lost.

"But it eventually becomes clear that things are unraveling elsewhere as well, as strangers, violent and desperate alike, begin to appear in the North End, spreading word of social and political deterioration in the South End and beyond. Faced with a growing disruption to his isolated life, the narrator discovers within himself a surprising need to resist losing the home he has created in this empty place. He and the rest of the citizens of the North End must choose whether to face outsiders as invaders or welcome them as neighbors."

Opinion: Just not a fan of the writing style and the blahness of everything. 

L is for Lawless by Sue Grafton

Started: 10/28/2022

Finished: 10/31/2022

Year: 1995

Pages: 347

Genre: mystery

Grade: B

Reason for reading: bookcrossing.com book, continuing the series

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "L is for LIES…

"When Kinsey Millhone's landlord asks her to help deceased World War II vet Johnnie Lee's family find out why the military has no record of his service, she thinks it'll be a cinch. But she is about to meet her match in world-class prevaricators who take her for the ride of her life.

"L is for LARCENY…

"When Lee's apartment in burgled and a man named Ray Rawson, who claims to be an old friend of Lee's, is beaten up, Kinsey soon finds herself on the trail of a pregnant woman with a duffel bag. Soon the intrepid P.I. is following leads halfway across the country and encountering another man from Lee's past―a vengeful psychopath.

"L is for LAWLESS

"Stalked by a new enemy and increasingly suspicious of Rawson―not to mention running out of time and money―now Kinsey must steer a collision course to solve a decades-old mystery that some would like better left unsolved.…"

Opinion: Not quite the typical plot for Kinsey. Still enjoyable. Shook my head at a couple of things because it didn't make sense for Kinsey's character.