Tag: Mystery

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Book Thoughts – Shutter

“Shutter” by Ramona Emerson is a book that I picked up at lunch time, started reading and all of a sudden it was 1 a.m. (0100) and I was finally finished. Do you ever wonder why a certain book calls to you, why you can’t put it down? What ephemeral feeling does it fulfill that you didn’t know you needed? Hm…

The main character is a young Navajo woman (Rita Todacheene) who is working hard to save money to help her grandmother, for a better life on the reservation. After finishing a degree in art, she starts work as a forensic photographer for the Albuquerque police department working all sorts of death-related cases documenting conditions and situations related to the death. If you are familiar with her culture, you know that photographing and documenting death scenes is very unexpected and difficult for her.

The story skillfully weaves her love of photography from a very young age to the present with her need to make a living using her talents. The unexpected twist is that she also has talent as a medium. This ability opens her to a dark path that she needs to navigate to help a tortured soul find answers and rest.

I loved the blend of history, culture conflict and crime. If you love a mystery mixed with a dash of history about another culture, I highly recommend this one!

www.ramonaemersonbooks.com

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Book Review – Sunset Beach

Sunset Beach by Mary Kay Andrews was a great summer read. A couple twisty mysteries to solve, a strong female lead, an unexpected friendship, and a few challenges to solve on the way to a new life after a tragic accident. When I first purchased the book, after recommending it for my book club sight unseen, I was a tad worried. It was definitely a heftier book than I expected so I took a little longer to work my way through it, but it was worth it and I loved the ending. Great for summer!

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Book Review – Win

Need a good book to read? A mystery with a definitely new twist? Try “Win” by Harlan Coben. This was my first travel book and it was perfect for the cabin in the woods. I was talking books at a retirement party for a friend of mine, and he asked if I had read anything by Mr. Coben. I was thinking, yes but it had been a while. So, when I saw this one at the bookstore, and it was a stand-alone book, I nabbed one for the drive. I tend to use my Nook when I go into restaurants, but for sitting in hotels (or cabins) I prefer a good old-fashioned book. “Win” is a nickname for Windsor Horne Lockwood III. He is a definitely an anti-hero and the secrets he dredges up… I wonder if the truth was something he really wanted to know in the long run. Lots of great background in this one, I am hopeful that there will be a second one that will provide a more in-depth storyline. I give this 5 out of 5 stars, so it will be hard to beat!

Win – Harlan Coben

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A Cold and Lonely Place by Sara Henry – A Book Review

This is the second book by Sara J. Henry, her first in this series was “Learning to Swim” which I reviewed for my book club in 2011.  This year, the vote was unanimous and we decided to read the second one for November 2014.  We all loved the first one and we were hopeful that the high quality writing would continue.

I must say I was very much taken with the style of her writing in this book.  It was very thought-provoking, a tale of looking beyond first impressions as you may be surprised by what you learn. The core mystery comes out right away, but there is so much beyond this.  Who is Tobin Winslow? Why was he in Saranac? What is the story behind Jessamyn?  Those are the true mysteries.  The pace is a bit slower, a bit more thoughtful but I liked it more than the first. Admittedly, the rest of the book club liked the first one best. So, I recommend reading them both and forming your own opinion!

You can read this story without having read the first book, but it does help you understand some of the side story lines if you read Learning to Swim first.