jan jones

Dragon Force saga full of twists and turns

Published by admin on Mon, 02/05/2024 - 3:06pm

I felt like a bit of fantasy this week so I selected “Dragon Force” by Lucia Ashta. Once I got past Ashta’s rather strange names of places and things, it was a pretty good read. After only a few chapters I noticed that the story has strong religious undertones, giving it an almost parable-like feel.

The adventure is set on Planet Origins. It has two suns, the Auxle and Suxle, and a purple moon known as the Plune. The population of this area of the planet are the Ooba people. For centuries they have been ruled by chieftains. The current chieftain is named Pumpoo.

‘An Early Grave’ rolls three mysteries into one

Published by admin on Mon, 01/29/2024 - 12:23pm

When I selected Rober McCracken’s “An Early Grave,” I wasn’t expecting three intriguing mysteries rolled into one, but that’s what I got.

DI Tara Grogan looks more like a teenager than an experienced police officer but her inner strength more than makes up for her size. Ten years ago, the corpse of a newborn baby was found in a shallow grave beneath an oak tree. The child was dubbed “Baby Isis,” the case was never solved and a small plaque now marks the place he was found.

Who killed Grumpy Gill and why?

Published by admin on Mon, 01/22/2024 - 12:07pm

“Home is Where the Body Is” by Jody Holford is subtitled a “Wannabe Sleuth” mystery because several of the characters consider themselves good sleuths, but books and TV can’t compare to real life.

Annie has agreed to move from Portland, Oregon, to the gated community of Rainbow Falls, Washington, to house-sit while her parents take a yearlong trip around the world. Annie is a single, self-employed graphic designer who loves crime novels and police procedurals, but faints at the sight of blood.

Adventure and murder in New Mexico in ‘Dead Upon Arrival’

Published by admin on Mon, 01/15/2024 - 2:42pm

Some time ago I read book one in Kat Bellemore’s Maddie Swallows series. It was a quick read with a plausible plot. So, when I found “Dead Upon Arrival,” I decided to give it a try.

Maddie Swallows left for college and never looked back. Along the way she became a psychologist, married, had two children, and is now divorced. At this point she has returned to Amor, New Mexico, and opened a clinic with her best friend, Trish. Like any single mom, she must try to balance her career with the needs of her children and her own mother.

Kiki Lowenstein tackles another mystery

Published by admin on Tue, 01/09/2024 - 10:13am

This week, I selected book 4 in Joanna Campbell Slan’s Kiki Lowenstein series, “Photo, Snap, Shot.” Kiki Lowenstein grew up dirt poor but managed to get a scholarship to study journalism. Within a month she met George Lowenstein, attended a party, got drunk and ended up pregnant. They married and returned to his hometown of St. Louis.

‘Freydis’ tells an epic tale

Published by admin on Tue, 01/02/2024 - 1:16pm

For those of us who grew up surrounded by the forests of Wisconsin, it is hard to imagine the harsh, nearly treeless landscape that is Iceland and Greenland. But Gunhild Haugnes makes it all come alive in “Freydis,” the first of her Daughters of Freya saga.

Historically, Viking raider Eirik Raude (aka, “Eirik the Red”) discovered Greenland and founded a colony there. He now lives there with his wife, Tjodhild, sons Leif, Torvald and Torstein, and his illegitimate daughter, Freydis.

Fourth book in series is family drama

Published by admin on Tue, 12/26/2023 - 11:03am

Award winning author Alex Kava has crafted at least 17 gripping stories. Many feature FBI profiler Maggie O’Dell and search-and-rescue professional Ryder Creed. “Lost Creed” takes us to the dark and terrible world of human trafficking.

Sixteen years ago, 11-year-old Brodie Creed disappeared from a rest area on Highway 80 in Nebraska. That event destroyed the Creed family, but her older brother Ryder has never stopped searching for his sister.

Candle shop mystery falls a bit short

Published by admin on Wed, 12/20/2023 - 9:22am

I won’t say that “At the Scent of the Crime” by Melrose McFadden was a disappointment, but I must note that the story was sadly simplistic.

The story is set during Fall Haven’s annual Winter Festival. It is cold enough to require a jacket, with only a dusting of snow on the ground. Paloma Finch and her best friend Leigh Hill run Wicked Wick, a candle shop featuring Paloma’s unique blends of scents and Leigh’s creative names.

Detective haunted by late mother’s crime

Published by admin on Tue, 12/12/2023 - 2:15pm

“Our Daughter’s Bones” by Ruhi Choudhary is the first of what must be an engrossing series.

Mackenzie Price survived life with an alcoholic and abusive father. Though he never touched her, Mackenzie was well aware of him beating her mother. In 1998, Mackenzie came home to find father’s body on the kitchen floor, his head bashed in with a cast-iron skillet.

Bridezilla is murdered; Max hunts down killer

Published by admin on Mon, 12/04/2023 - 12:57pm

When I selected Karen Sue Walker’s “Murder in White Lace,” I knew it would follow the same old format found in cozy mysteries, but I was ready for something quick and light.

Max Walters returned to her hometown of Crystal Shores, California, almost a year ago. She’d moved to New York to work in one of the big fashion design houses with hopes of working her way up to designer, but so far she’d been relegated to the pattern shop. When her mother was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer, Max came home to care for her.