Unraveled Secrets by Jan Fields

Started: 8/27/2025

Finished: 8/29/2025

Year: 2015

Pages: 202

Genre: mystery

Grade: C

Reason for reading: TBR pile, finishing up the series

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "Emma Cotton and Kelly Grace, are still on the trail of who killed their best friend Rose. This book takes them to East Haddam, Connecticut and Newport, RI."

Opinion: An interesting ending-Emma and Kelly set off to CT and their mom and aunt head to RI in search of the last student. Overall the series was decent and a quick read.

James by Percival Everett

Started: 8/26/2025

Finished: 8/27/2025

Year: 2024

Pages: 303

Genre: Literature

Grade: B

Reason for reading: library book

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father, recently returned to town. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and too-often-unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond.

"While many narrative set pieces of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remain in place (floods and storms, stumbling across both unexpected death and unexpected treasure in the myriad stopping points along the river’s banks, encountering the scam artists posing as the Duke and Dauphin…), Jim’s agency, intelligence and compassion are shown in a radically new light."

Opinion: I read abridged illustrated versions of Finn and Sawyer when I was young so I don't remember much of Huck's story but I found this an interesting take of Twain's classic. I can see why it's been a popular read

Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell

Started: 8/22/2025

Finished: 8/26/2025

Year: 1990

Pages: 440

Genre: mystery

Grade: B

Reason for reading: library book, starting the series

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "A killer is stalking the streets of Richmond, Virginia. When the bodies begin to mount, Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta is pulled into a chilling investigation that blends high-stakes forensics with psychological warfare. Armed with cutting-edge science and unflinching resolve, Scarpetta must navigate hostile forces both inside and outside the investigation—because someone isn’t just trying to hide the truth. They’re trying to kill her."

Opinion: I have read this one a long time ago and several others out of order so I decided to start from 1 and go through the series in order. Decent introduction to Kay and her neice Lucy.

Sleep No More by Susan Crandall

Started: 8/18/2025

Finished: 8/21/2025

Year: 2010

Pages: 380

Genre: Romantic suspense

Grade: B

Reason for reading: TBR pile

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "The night was always Abby Whitman's enemy. As a young girl she walked in her sleep, and one night, she started a fire that scarred her sister for life and left Abby with unbearable guilt . . . and a loneliness that echoes within her. Now Abby has begun blacking out again--with apparently fatal results. A car accident has killed the son of a prominent family.

"Even though the evidence seems to exonerate her, Abby is plagued by doubts--and soon by mysterious threats. Psychiatrist Dr. Jason Coble is intrigued by Abby and offers to help her explore the dark recesses of her mind. Through this terrifying journey, Jason's interest turns to passion, and he yearns to give her the love she craves. But first, Abby must trust him--and shed light on secrets that will rock this Southern town and reveal a danger that threatens them both."

Opinion: Mystery was slightly predictable but the reasoning behind it was not. Romance was not over the top and was reasonable.

The River is Waiting by Wally Lamb

Started: 8/13/2025

Finished: 8/17/2025

Year: 2025

Pages: 461

Genre: literature

Grade: A

Reason for reading: library book

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "Corby Ledbetter is struggling. New fatherhood, the loss of his job, and a growing secret addiction have thrown his marriage to his beloved Emily into a tailspin. And that’s before he causes the tragedy that tears the family apart. Sentenced to prison, Corby struggles to survive life on the inside, where he bears witness to frightful acts of brutality but also experiences small acts of kindness and elemental kinship with a prison librarian who sees his light and some of his fellow offenders, including a tender-hearted cellmate and a troubled teen desperate for a role model. Buoyed by them and by his mother’s enduring faith in him, Corby begins to transcend the boundaries of his confinement, sustained by his hope that mercy and reconciliation might still be possible. Can his crimes ever be forgiven by those he loves?"

Opinion: TRIGGERS!!!! I am surprised that there are not trigger warnings for this book-it could trigger almost anyone that has gone through anything traumatic. With that said, this was a heartbreaking, emotional story with an interesting ending. I can see why Oprah choose this as part of her book club. I would recommend this to anyone who isn't sensitive to traumatic events.

A Margin for Murder by Lauren Elliott

Started: 8/9/2025

Finished: 8/13/2025

Year: 2022

Pages: 313

Genre: mystery

Grade: B-

Reason for reading: library book, continuing with series

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "Addie leaves her Greyborne Harbor bookstore, Beyond the Page Books and Curios, in the capable hands of her assistant while she travels to the neighboring town of Pen Hollow to attend a book sale at a library that is closing due to lack of funding. But the real find is a bookmobile bus, which she’s excited to refit as a traveling bookstore to hit all the summer festivals. The bookmobile also holds a surprising treasure: several classic first editions and an early edition of Robert Louis Stevenson’s A Child’s Garden of Verses.

"But before the bookmobile can be delivered to Addie, a fatal car crash occurs. When an autopsy reveals poison in the victim’s system and the first editions go missing, it’s up to Addie to determine what would drive someone to murder. If she’s not careful, however, she may be the next one to be dead on arrival . . ."

Opinion: Ending ended up being predictable but still a good twist.

Mind Prey by John Sandford

Started: 8/6/2025

Finished: 8/9/2025

Year: 1995

Pages: 323

Genre: mystery/thriller

Grade: B

Reason for reading: TBR pile, continuing with series

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "In the wake of the abduction of a woman and her two young daughters, deputy chief Lucas Davenport faces the most challenging case of his career, while the victim, psychiatrist Andi Manette, applies all her skills to outwit her captor."

Opinion: Decent kidnapping mystery mixed with gaming.

Murder on Sex Island by Jo Firestone

Started: 8/4/2025

Finished: 8/6/2025

Year: 2023

Pages: 209

Genre: mystery

Grade: B-

Reason for reading: library book

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "When a cast member goes missing from the hit reality show Sex Island, producers hire detective Luella van Horn to go undercover as a contestant and solve the case. What the producers don’t know is that the enigmatic Luella van Horn is actually a woman named Marie Jones, a divorced ex–social worker from Staten Island attempting to lead a double life as a private eye. The local press couldn’t get enough of Luella . . . until she horribly bungled her last case and a murderer went free.

"Unable to resist the opportunity to be a part of her favorite trashy TV show, travel to a remote island, and embark on a journey for redemption, Marie-as-Luella takes the case. But the more she learns about Sex Island’s dark underbelly, the harder it gets to make it out alive. She encounters shady producers, sleazy directors, contestants willing to do whatever it takes to win the $100,000 grand prize—and the dead body of the show’s missing fan-favorite in her bathtub.

"Will she find the killer? Will she find herself? Will she find . . . love?"

Opinion: Murder and Reality TV (Bachelor in Paradise, Love Island, etc). Decent mystery-certainly enough possibilities of whodunit.

A Dead Draw by Robert Dugoni

Started: 8/1/2025

Finished: 8/4/2025

Year: 2025

Pages: 377

Genre: mystery/thriller

Grade: A

Reason for reading: library book, continuing with series

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "Detective Tracy Crosswhite isn’t one to lose her cool. Until her interrogation of the taunting and malicious Erik Schmidt, a suspect in two cold case killings. Schmidt also has unnerving ties to the monster who murdered Tracy’s sister, stirring memories of the crime that shaped Tracy’s life. After a critical mistake during a shooting exercise, Tracy breaks.

"Haunted by nightmares and flashbacks, Tracy heads to her hometown of Cedar Grove to refocus. Just a peaceful getaway with her husband, her daughter, and their nanny at their weekend house. But Tracy’s sleepless nights are only beginning. A legal glitch has allowed Schmidt to go free. And Tracy has every reason to fear that he’s followed her.

"Forced into a twisted game of cat and mouse, Tracy must draw on all her training, wits, and strength to defeat a master criminal before he takes away everyone Tracy loves."

Opinion: Great thrilling parts that worked well with Tracy's character and her history. Well worth waiting for...now to wait for the next one.

The Murder Room by Michael Capuzzo

Started: 7/29/2025

Finished: 8/1/2025

Year: 2010

Pages: 426

Genre: true crime

Grade: C

Reason for reading: TBR pile

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "Three of the greatest detectives in the world were heartsick over the growing tide of unsolved murders. Good friends and sometime rivals William Fleisher, Frank Bender, and Richard Walter decided one day over lunch that something had to be done, and pledged themselves to a grand quest for justice.

"The Murder Room draws the reader into a chilling, darkly humorous, awe-inspiring world as the three partners travel far from their Victorian dining room to hunt ruthless killers, among them the grisly murderer of a millionaire's son, a serial killer who carves off faces, and a child killer enjoying fifty years of freedom and dark fantasy."

Opinion: Unorganized writing-format needed a lot more editing-have a case from start to end. A good idea to highlight these detectives and their cases but something more was needed.

A General History of Pyrates by Daniel Defoe, edited by Manuel Schonhorn

Started: 7/28/2025

Finished: DNF

Year: 1972 this edition

Pages: 660

Genre: history, pirates

Grade: C

Reason for reading: library book

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "Embark on a thrilling journey through the swashbuckling world of pirates with "A General History of the Pyrates." This captivating book takes you deep into the heart of the Golden Age of Piracy, where legendary figures like Blackbeard, Captain Kidd, and Anne Bonny ruled the high seas.

"Discover the daring exploits, epic battles, and larger-than-life personalities of history's most notorious pirates. From the treacherous waters of the Caribbean to the remote islands of the Indian Ocean, this meticulously researched account paints a vivid picture of piracy's heyday, exploring the social, economic, and political forces that fueled this thrilling era.

"Featuring gripping tales of adventure, betrayal, and romance, "A General History of the Pyrates" is a must-read for anyone fascinated by the allure of piracy and the mysteries of the sea. Whether you're a seasoned historian or an armchair adventurer, this timeless classic will transport you to a world where danger lurks around every corner and the call of adventure beckons on the horizon."

Opinion: Josh Gates mentioned this book on a recent episode of one of his television shows so I thought I'd check it out. Lots of interesting stories about lots of pirates. Great research. I only read a couple of entries. Some of it is hard to read since it was originally written in the 1700s.

Cherry Cheesecake Murder by Joanne Fluke

Started: 7/25/2025

Finished: 7/28/2025

Year: 2006

Pages: 339

Genre: mystery

Grade: C

Reason for reading: library book, continuing with series

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "When Main Street in Lake Eden becomes a movie set, a clever killer rewrites the script and bakery owner Hannah Swenson, while trying to decide which marriage proposal to accept, must sift through a cast of suspects before the film wraps with an even deadlier ending."

Opinion: Sigh....body wasn't done until page 200. Way too much "development" of outside Lake Eden characters. 

Leader of the Pack by David Rosenfelt

Started: 7/22/2025

Finished: 7/25/2025

Year: 2012

Pages: 360

Genre: mystery

Grade: B

Reason for reading: TBR, continuing with series

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "Over the course of his legal career, Andy Carpenter has lost a few cases. But that doesn't mean he forgets his clients. Andy has always been convinced that Joey Desimone, a man convicted of murder nine years ago, was innocent and believes that Joey's family's connections to organized crime played a pivotal role in his conviction. While there isn't much Andy can do for him while he serves out his prison sentence, Joey suggests that he check up on Joey's elderly uncle. He'd rather not, but as a favor to Joey, Andy agrees to take his dog, Tara, on a few visits.

"The old man's memory is going, but when Andy tries to explain why he's there, it jogs something in the man's mind, and his comments leave Andy wondering if Uncle Nick is confused, or if he just might hold the key to Joey's freedom after all this time.

"Andy grabs on to this thread of possibility and follows it into a world where the oath of silence is stronger than blood ties, and where people will do anything to make sure their secrets are kept."

Opinion: Decent mystery, sad ending..more Mafia/Mob stuff

Dream State by Eric Puchner

Started: 7/22/2025

Finished: DNF

Year: 2025

Pages: 429

Genre: Literature

Grade: F

Reason for reading: library book

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "Cece is in love. She has arrived early at her future in-laws’ lake house in Salish, Montana, to finish planning her wedding to Charlie, a young doctor with a brilliant life ahead of him. Charlie has asked Garrett, his best friend from college, to officiate the ceremony, though Cece can’t imagine anyone more ill-suited for the task—an airport baggage handler haunted by a tragedy from his and Charlie’s shared past. But as Cece spends time with Garrett, his gruff mask slips, and she grows increasingly uncertain about her future. And why does Garrett, after meeting Cece, begin to feel, well, human again? As a contagious stomach flu threatens to scuttle the wedding, and Charlie and Garrett’s friendship is put to the ultimate test, Cece must decide between the life she’s dreamed of and a life she’s never imagined.

"The events of that summer have long-lasting repercussions, not only on the three friends caught in its shadow but also on their children, who struggle to escape their parents’ story. Spanning fifty years and set against the backdrop of a rapidly warming Montana, Dream State explores what it means to live with the mistakes of the past—both our own and the ones we’ve inherited."

Opinion: Did not like the writing style. 

Fire and Bones by Kathy Reichs

Started: 7/20/2025

Finished: 7/22/2025

Year: 2024

Pages: 269

Genre: mystery

Grade: B

Reason for reading: library book, continuing with series

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "Always apprehensive about working fire scenes, Tempe is called to Washington, DC, to analyze the victims of a deadly blaze. The devastated building is in Foggy Bottom, a neighborhood with a colorful past and present, and when Tempe delves into the property’s history, she becomes suspicious about the ownership.

"The pieces start falling into place strangely and quickly, and, sensing a good story, Tempe teams with a new ally, telejournalist Ivy Doyle. Soon the duo learns that back in the 1930s and ’40s the home was the hangout of a group of bootleggers and racketeers known as the Foggy Bottom Gang. While interesting, this fact seems irrelevant—until the son of a Foggy Bottom gang member is shot dead at his home in an affluent part of the district. Coincidence? Targeted attack? So many questions.

"As Tempe and Ivy dig deeper, an arrest is finally made. Then another fire claims one more victim, and slowly, Tempe’s instincts begin pointing to the obvious. But her moves since coming to Washington have been anticipated—and every path forward seems to bring with it a lethal threat."

Opinion: Boundaries are necessary. Good mystery.

The Secrets of Chocolate: A Gourmand's Trip Through a Top Chef's Atelier by Franckie Alarcon

Started: 7/20/2025

Finished: 7/20/2025

Year: 2021

Pages: 112

Grade: C

Genre: graphic book

Reason for reading: goodreads.com giveaway

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "Following Jacques Genin for a year, Franckie Alarcon hobnobbed with one of the biggest chefs of Chocolate. Former chef and pastry chef for prestigious restaurants, this super-talented autodidact shares all his passion and knowledge of chocolate and his process for creating recipes. In this docu-comic, we travel with the starry-eyed author, satisfying many a craving from the chef’s amazing atelier above his store, trying his hand as an apprentice, all the way to the Peruvian cocoa plantations where another chef shows how one carefully chooses the beans."

Opinion: The font didn't make it easy reading but it is informative.

Hidden Nature by Nora Roberts

Started: 7/17/2025

Finished: DNF

Year: 2025

Pages: 435

Genre: romantic suspense

Grade: D

Reason for reading: library book

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "Natural Resources police officer, Sloan Cooper, and her partner had just taken down three men preying on hikers in the Western Maryland mountains. Driving back, she pulled in at a convenience store―and walked right into a robbery in progress. One gunshot from a jittery thief was about to change her world.

"After being shocked back to life on the operating table, she has a long recovery ahead, so she moves back to her parents’ peaceful house in Heron’s Rest. As for the boyfriend who dumped her via text while she was in the hospital, good riddance.

"She may be down, but she’s not out. So when a woman vanishes, leaving her car behind in a supermarket parking lot, Sloan searches online for similar cases. She finds them, spread across three states. Men and women, old and young―the missing seem to have nothing in common. And the abductions keep happening.

"Luckily, the new man in her life shares her passion for solving this mystery. But it will take every ounce of endurance to get to the dark heart of this bizarre case―and she's willing to risk her life again if that's what it takes to stop the horror."

Opinion: Way too slow and way too much developing of Sloan instead of using the KISS method. 

Stone Cross by Marc Cameron

Started: 7/14/2025

Finished: 7/17/2025

Year: 2020

Pages: 321

Genre: mystery/thriller

Grade: B+

Reason for reading: library book, continuing with series

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "Winter comes early to the rural native community of Stone Cross, Alaska—and so does hunting season. Caribou and moose are a major source of food through the long, dark months ahead. But Arliss Cutter has come here for a very different game. A federal judge is receiving death threats and refuses protection. Cutter and his deputy Lola Teariki have been assigned to shadow him on his trip to this icy outland to make sure that he’s safe. But they quickly discover that no one is ever really safe in a place like this. And no one is above suspicion . . .

"When Cutter and Lola arrive, the village is already gripped with fear. A young couple has disappeared from their fishing lodge, just eight miles upriver. Their handyman has been found dead, next to a crude drawing of a mysterious symbol. To make matters worse, a dense fog has descended on the region, isolating the town from civilization. With the judge’s life still at risk, and two people still missing, Cutter and Lola have their work cut out for them. But navigating the small-town customs and blood-bound traditions of this close-knit community won’t be easy. When the secrets come out, the deadly hunt is on . . ."

Opinion: Good book two of the series. Lots of action. 

Stab Stitched by Elizabeth Penney

Started: 7/12/2025

Finished: 7/14/2025

Year: 2014

Pages: 216

Genre: mystery

Grade: B

Reason for reading: TBR, continuing with series

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "As Emma Cotton and Kelly Grace inch closer to finding out what really happened to their friend, Rose Peterson, their journey comes to a perilous fork in the road. Down one side of the trail, the stalker who has tried to dissuade them from their investigation has become more and more desperate. Down the other, a trip to nearby Lantern Cove in search of their next suspect, Olivia Stewart, turns deadly. Bart Tolliver, a friend of Emma’s vivacious aunt, Dottie Faye Sinclair, is found stabbed through the heart with a letter opener, and Dottie Faye is the main person of interest in the murder. Will the trip to Lantern Cove shed light on their quest to find Rose’s murderer? Or will this latest tunnel be just another dead end?"

Opinion: Good continuation of series-pretty impressive given the different authors. Almost done with the series.

Isola by Allegra Goodman

Started: 7/11/2025

Finished: DNF

Year: 2025

Pages: 339

Genre: historical fiction

Grade: D

Reason for reading: library book

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "Heir to a fortune, Marguerite is destined for a life of prosperity and gentility. Then she is orphaned, and her guardian—an enigmatic and volatile man—spends her inheritance and insists she accompany him on an expedition to New France. That journey takes a unexpected turn when Marguerite, accused of betrayal, is brutally punished and abandoned on a small island.

"Once a child of privilege who dressed in gowns and laced pearls in her hair, Marguerite finds herself at the mercy of nature. As the weather turns, blanketing the island in ice, she discovers a faith she’d never before needed.

"Inspired by the real life of a sixteenth-century heroine, Isola is the timeless story of a woman fighting for survival."

Opinion: I'm not a big fan of historical fiction and I'm trying to get more into it but this time frame, I did not care about. The introduction of Marguerite didn't capture my attention.