Book Reviews – Carol's Notebook

Split Screen by Lee Goldberg

August 25, 2026August 25, 2026 by CarolNo Comments

Split Screen is the 7th in the Eve Ronin series and I've read most of them. Eve is a homicide detective with the LASD. She's not universally like, to say the least. She got her promotion thanks to a video that went viral, uncovered some cops dirty secrets, and now has a tv show based loosely on her life. Her partner, Duncan, who she actually listens to and trusts is stuck behind a desk. There's a lot going on in this one. First, we've got a murdered doctor with an ex-wife whose new boyfriend swears he didn't do it and an actress dead of an overdose. Then, Erin, the actress playing Eve in the tv series, is shot in broad daylight, apparently mistaken for Eve. Add in a half-sister Eve didn't know she had who is in to something shady. And finally, we've got a crossover with Goldberg's Sharpe and Walker series, when a firearms training trailer explodes. It's fast-paced,...

Probable Caws by Donna Andrews

August 20, 2026August 20, 2026 by CarolNo Comments

The Meg Lanslow series is one I dip in and out of. I always enjoy them, but it never quite makes it to my must-read list. I think I actually liked this one more than the last couple, even if the solution was a little unbelievable. I actually thought we were going to get to see Meg doing some blacksmithing at the beginning of this one, but no. Hoof and Hearth, a horse rescue, has temporarily lost the pasture they'd been using for their horses due to a legal battle and have to move the whole herd to Ragnar's estate, so it's all hands on deck. The horses have barely got settled in on the first night, when a storm blows in. And Meg and her husband find a dead man in the barn. We've got several potential suspects and some good clues, but really it's the horses that stand out in this one. Several of them have clear personalities...

Pompeii, Paccheri, and Panic by Traci Andrighetti

August 7, 2026August 7, 2026 by CarolNo Comments

Pompeii, Paccheri, and Panic is a fun novella introducing a new series based around food tours in Italy. I guess it's a spin off of Andrighetti's Franki Amato series, but I've never read any of those, so can't make any comparisons. Giada Adair has taken a job as a tour guide and she and her assistant/friend, Moira, have gone to Pompeii to do some research before her first official tour. We know it's not going to be smooth sailing. First an ancient lamp just unearthed from a dig site the pair were visiting disappears. Then, a young woman dies after eating a pasta dish met for Giada. Giada is either going to be arrested for the crime or she was the intended victim - either way she's in trouble and needs to figure out who the killer is. The characters are fun and the plot worked well. We had several suspects and the clues fit well. I'm interested in learning...

The Rose and the Yew Tree by Mary Westmacott

August 4, 2026August 4, 2026 by CarolNo Comments

I don't know who told me that Mary Westmacott was the name Agatha Christie wrote her romances under, but I wish they hadn't. Granted, The Rose and the Yew Tree isn't a mystery, even if we do get a murder, but it isn't a stereotypical romance either. Most of the story takes place in a small town in Southern England during the run up to the General Election of 1945. Christie does a great job of developing the characters and commenting on the politics of the era. Our narrator, who doesn't even get a mention in the blurb, is Hugh Norreys, a World War II veteran who was invalided due to a car accident. He has moved in with his brother and sister-in-law and is mostly feeling sorry for himself until he is distracted by his lovely neighbor, Isabella Charteris, and war hero turned politician, John Gabriel. Hughes status as an invalid stuck in a chair means others have a...

The Librarian and the Time Machine by Brian Yansky

July 28, 2026July 28, 2026 by CarolNo Comments

We know the setup. Kevin is the librarian of Eden, (maybe) Lucifer aka Karl's son, and is trying to stop the apocalypse. This time around he's also trying to find out who killed his mentor when he was a teenager. Happily, there's a groovy time machine in the library he can use. I'm not a fan of time travel usually, but this book does not take itself seriously at all, so it works. It's also the only way to leave Eden and the four teenagers who have spent their entire lives in the village are desperate to leave, if only for a little while. I like the history of Eden we get here - why it's important and why the teenagers are the only children. The plot twists are interesting, if slightly ridiculous. It's light and entertaining and a quick afternoon read. It is one of those series where each installment feels like a to-be-continued episode....

The Librarian and the Book Thief by Brian Yansky

July 25, 2026July 24, 2026 by CarolNo Comments

This is the second book of the series featuring Kevin, who is the librarian of Eden and (maybe) Lucifer aka Karl's son. This time around he's on the hunt for a missing book, My Side of the Story, is the Bible but from the point of view of Karl and the other fallen (jumped?) angels. Angels, demons, a trip to Vegas - it's another fun ride. Maybe not quite as charming as the first, since the absurdity and irreverence is expected. I do like the dark sense of humor and the eclectic townsfolk. My only complaint, aside from the editing, is that it feels more like an episode than a full story and at 200-ish pages I want a full story....