Thursday, December 26, 2024

Reading and Reviews (Gallant, Grafton, Anderson)

I'm an author, but I'm also a reader. From time to time, I'll share my reviews of present and past reads. My available time to read is limited because I write, but I love to curl up with a paperback or an eBook at night for the last hour of my day. 

I tend to read what I write, but not exclusively. Besides Romantic Suspense and mystery, I read crime and law novels, once in a while a true story, WWII historicals, romance, and mainstream character driven books.

Here are some of the books I've read recently or in the not-too-distant past. Maybe you'll discover a new book or author.
 

Perilous Quest (Truth and Lies, book 3) by Jannine Gallant 

On a quest to find a lost treasure, will they fall victim to love . . . or murder?

As a genealogist and historical researcher, Brielle Quintrell often uncovers secrets families would prefer to keep buried. Hired by the elderly scion of the Cape Cod Bishops, a dynasty stretching back to the founding fathers, she can’t wait to delve into their ancestry—despite her client’s skeptical grandson.

Weston Bishop has his hands full running his family’s cranberry farm, seeing to his grandparents’ needs, avoiding his ex, and keeping his cousin out of trouble. The last thing he wants is a genealogist digging into his family’s past and creating problems. Especially one as pretty and distracting as Brielle.

When old letters and diaries lead to more questions than answers, hinting at a dangerous legacy, Weston is hooked. The idea of recovering a stolen treasure is almost as tempting as his new partner. But after word of their search leaks, the two discover they aren’t the only ones determined to solve the centuries-old crime. Someone will go to any lengths to find the prize—even murder.
 

My Review 

How fun to mix genealogy, history, and a treasure hunt in a suspenseful romantic adventure. Brielle and Weston are appealing characters…a genealogist and a cranberry farmer. There are enough suspicious characters to keep you guessing until the end as to who the villain is. A read you’ll enjoy. 

Q is for Quarry: A Kinsey Millhone Novel by Sue Grafton 

She was a "Jane Doe," an unidentified white female whose decomposed body was discovered near a quarry off California's Highway 1. The case fell to the Santa Teresa County Sheriff's Department, but the detectives had little to go on. The woman was young, her hands were bound with a length of wire, there were multiple stab wounds, and her throat had been slashed. After months of investigation, the murder remained unsolved...

That was eighteen years ago. Now the two men who found the body are nearing the end of their careers in law enforcement—and they want one last shot at the case. Old and ill, they need someone to help with their legwork and they turn to Kinsey Millhone.

Kinsey is intrigued by the cold case and agrees to take the job. But revisiting the past can be a dangerous business, and what begins with the pursuit of Jane Doe's real identity ends in a high-risk hunt for her killer.
 

My Review 

I thoroughly enjoyed the characters in this book. The two old detectives jump off the pages, they are so well written. The cold case research has lots of twists and turns. The suspense is tense. 

When Oceans Rage: A Rivals to Lovers Sea Adventure (Woman at the Helm Mystery Book 2) by Rolynn Anderson 

To save her father, she must shut down corporate espionage and unearth a murderer before the killer finds her.

A shocking inheritance of a shrimp boat from her estranged father entices MIT-trained Jill Morrell to resign from her cushy Seattle job. Her lack of experience boating or fishing soon makes her a pariah on the Port McNeill dock. Worse: While she invests time and energy into a successful prawn season, her father languishes in prison for a murder he may not have committed.

Ray Stewart, stepson of the murdered man, has a stealth agenda of his own. Ray aims to sue Jill for ownership of the million-dollar vessel. In fact, he’ll join Jill’s crew for the season to protect his family’s asset while keeping an eye on the ever-fascinating, unpredictable Ms Morrell.

The raging ocean pales in comparison to the violent and greedy folks out to destroy Jill’s livelihood. Though Ray and Jill are sworn adversaries, they must join forces to find a murderer and identify traitors in their British Columbia community.
 

My Review 

First off, Ms. Anderson gives us just enough information about the prawning business to entertain us while telling the story and not sound like an instruction manual. That’s not easy to do. The title tells you Rivals to Lovers which is an interesting trope. Not only is there tension and suspense involving murder and espionage, but the tension between the rivals keeps you turning the pages too. A great read.

No comments:

Post a Comment