The Christmas Train by David Baldacci

The Christmas Train by David Baldacci

by CarolNo Comments
The Christmas Train has just about everything: romance, adventure, mystery and holiday cheer. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a great seasonal read, maybe a little cheesy in parts, but that's okay for a Christmas read. Our main character is Tom Langdon. Tom used to be a war correspondent but he had had enough of war. He now was doing fluff pieces but is still always on the move, going her and there to research stories. Tom has been dating a Hollywood voice over actress for about 3 years off and on in a long distance sort of relationship. So, it was almost Christmas and he needed to get from Washington D.C. to Los Angeles to spend the Holiday with his girlfriend. He wasn’t allowed to fly due to a slight “misunderstanding” with airport security. Tom was distantly related to Mark Twain and it was Tom’s father’s dying wish for Tom to write a piece about train travel, something Mark Twain had attempted...
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The Hour of Death by Jane Willan

The Hour of Death by Jane Willan

by Carol2 Comments
I picked up The Hour of Death because of its Christmas-time setting. It's the second in the series, but the first I've read and it worked fine. I felt like I got to know the characters well. I got enough background but not too much. I enjoyed Sister Agatha for the most part. She's smart and tenacious, if a bit overly suspicious. Amateur sleuths pretty much have to be though. I could have done without her constant reference to other fictional detectives. Don't get me wrong, I adore Gamache and Jessica Fletcher, but she referred to them way too often. She stands on her own well, she doesn't constantly need to refer to other detectives. The nuns are an interesting group of women. While they do pray and sing and worship, they also make cheese and text each other and have an artist as a tenant. I think the Advent touches were some of my favorites: the hymns, the idea...
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2020 Cloak and Dagger Challenge Wrap-up

2020 Cloak and Dagger Challenge Wrap-up

by Carol6 Comments
2020 was a great year for mysteries for me. I hope you all read a lot of great mysteries too and did great with your challenge. I rocked this challenge and I hope you all did too! If you made a wrap-up post, link it below so everyone can see how well you did. Or let us know in the comments. How'd you do on the challenge? What was your favorite book? What book did you hate? I hope you will join us all for 2021! You can find the sign-up at http://carolsnotebook.com/2020/12/01/2021-cloak-and-dagger-reading-challenge-sign-up/. One random person will win a $20.00 Amazon gift card or book of your choice up to $20 from the book depository. Let me know what you number was when you signed up. You can find it here. a Rafflecopter giveaway You are invited to the Inlinkz link party! Click here to enter...
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2021 Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge Sign-Up

2021 Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge Sign-Up

by Carol25 Comments
I’m thrilled to be hosting the Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge again this year. I love mystery and crime novels! Challenge Rules: You can read any book that is from the mystery/suspense/thriller/crime genres. Any sub-genres are welcome as long as they incorporate one of these genres.You don’t need a blog to participate but you do need a place to post your reviews to link up. (blog, Goodreads, Instagram, etc.)Make a goal post and link it back here with your goal for this challenge.Books need to at least 100 pages long. Please no short stories.Crossovers with other challenges are fine.The Challenge will run from Jan. 1st to Dec. 31st. (Sign up ends March 15th) We still have our facebook group so if you haven’t joined we would love for you too! Here’s the group’s link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/350512171977943/. It’s a closed group so just ask to join and we’ll let you in. There will be a monthly link-up so we can see what everyone’s reading – and probably add some...
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Black Friday Book Bonanza Giveaway Hop

Black Friday Book Bonanza Giveaway Hop

by Carol4 Comments
Welcome to the Tenth Annual Black Friday Book Bonanza Giveaway Hop. The event is hosted by Marlene @ Reading Reality and Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer. I’m giving away a book of your choice, up to $20 value. The contest is open through 12:01 am on Monday, November 30, and the winner will be announced later that day. The contest is open to anyone the Book Depository will ship to. a Rafflecopter giveaway...
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