Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney

Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney

by Carol3 Comments
The setting of Daisy Darker is amazing. The family is gathered at Seaglass, a lovely (spooky) old Victorian on a tidal island, to celebrate Nana's birthday. The house is isolated at high tide and there is no cell phone service. It's a dark, stormy night, of course, and when the 80 clocks in the hall strike midnight, Nana is found dead in the kitchen, with a creepy poem written in chalk on the wall. The reader is sure it's murder, even if the family isn't. The setting was the high point though. The family, while definitely eccentric, is not likeable. The story is narrated by granddaughter, Daisy Darker, Nana’s favorite, who was born with a heart condition. The narrator does a great job of telling us the story through Daisy's voice. Events unfold hour by hour, in the wee hours of Halloween morning, with chapters from Daisy’s childhood interspersed throughout. The Darker family is hiding secrets and they are all...
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You’re Invited by Amanda Jayatissa

You’re Invited by Amanda Jayatissa

by CarolNo Comments
When Amaya is invited to her former best friend Kaavi’s extravagant wedding in Sri Lanka, she decides to attend. Her plan is to make sure the wedding does not happen - Kaavi is marrying Amaya's ex-boyfriend Stephen. The tale goes back and forth in time from the day of the wedding to three months earlier and several times in between, especially the week of the wedding. The points of view switch between Amaya in the beginning, an unreliable narrator at best, and Kaavi through the second part. There are also transcripts of interviews with various guests on the day of the wedding. None of the characters are actually likable. Yes, Amaya has been hurt, clearly, and she has some major issues, but listening to her inner dialogue can be too much. Kaavi is a spoiled brat in a lot of ways, but she runs a charity that she clearly believes in. Stephen seems to be charming, but we all know...
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The Fields by Erin Young

The Fields by Erin Young

by Carol2 Comments
The Fields was a bit too much for me. Riley Fisher, with a new promotion under her belt, is in charge of the investigation of the gruesome death of a woman found in the middle of a corn field, a woman who was Riley's friend when they were teenagers. Too much: Backstory: Riley was friends with the woman, but there's also another more tenuous personal connection to the case. I'm not a fan of dwelling on backstories and if this is actually the first of the series and relied so heavily on Riley's past, I'm not sure I want to read the next.Gruesome details: I read a lot of mysteries. The details here made me flinch and were just gross. For me they were over the top, and not in an enjoyable way.Bad decisions: The detectives in books like this always make some questionable decisions, and Riley is no exception. There are also some decisions that put a child in danger,...
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The Recovery Agent by Janet Evanovich

The Recovery Agent by Janet Evanovich

by Carol2 Comments
The Recovery Agent is super fun and over the top. Don't think about it too hard, just enjoy the ride - or jungle trek. Gabriela's family is in the midst of losing their home, their town, and their jobs after a hurricane did severe damage and they didn't receive any federal aid. Her grandma has a plan. Gabriela just needs to get the chest hidden for decades, over a century maybe, in her ex-husband's house and use the maps and journals to find a treasure. Of course, her ex-husband finds her when she's searching under his floors and decides he's going to tag along with her on the treasure hunt. They head to Peru, on the trail of the Ring of Solomon and the lost treasure of Cortez. Rafe, the ex-husband, and Gabriela are a good team, whether she wants them to be or not. The banter is funny and the chemistry is good. We've got a lot of chasing, globetrotting, drug...
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Notes from the Burning Age by Claire North

Notes from the Burning Age by Claire North

by CarolNo Comments
Notes from the Burning Age takes place in a time after the world burned. The kakuy, spirits of earth, sky, water, became so enraged at our destruction of the environment that they burned and drowned us. Those who survived became more careful of how they use resources and honor and fear the kakuy. Some people, like Ven, study ancient texts, learning from them but also labeling violent and earth-damaging knowledge as heretical. But a war is coming, when some would use the secrets of the past for their own gain. Yes, this is speculative fiction, but at heart it's a spy thriller, a tightly plotted novel with memorable characters and plenty of twists and harrowing situations. The information is being gathered from the past, leading to translation issues, research espionage, and a situation where knowledge is power, and the war rests on who can control the most knowledge and use it most effectively. The relationships in the book are believable...
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Red Widow by Alma Katsu

Red Widow by Alma Katsu

by CarolNo Comments
I'm not sure that Red Widow is a spy thriller; it's a spy novel, definitely, but it doesn't have the excitement or suspense you expect from a thriller. It's a smart book, but it's more about reading reports, sifting through computer records, getting access to files than it is about chasing around the globe carrying a gun. I enjoyed it. It's a game of cat and mouse and seeing through others' deceptions. It's also about loyalty, ethics, and the lengths people will go to save the ones they love. We've got two intelligent women as our main characters. They are both strong and determined, but I was disappointed by how each woman's life still revolved around men, whether that man be lover, boss, or husband. The plot is engrossing. Lyndsay has to find her way through a tangle of lies and misdirections. The author does a good job at providing enough detail to make it feel real, but I think...
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