Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki is an unusual book. It is almost as if someone bet that they would pull several topics from a hat and the author would write a story combining them. The cast of characters includes, but is not limited to, a trans girl, a famous violin teacher, a starship...

One by One by Ruth Ware opens with Erin, who is a hostess at a ski chalet in the Alps, and her coworker Danny, who is the chef, prepare for the arrival of 10 employees of a hot tech startup who are coming for a company retreat and a few days of skiing. We are...

The Judge's List is a book by John Grisham is a story about Lacy Stoltz, who is an investigator for the Florida Board of Judicial Conduct (BJC). The BJC is obligated by law to investigate complaints against judges and Lacy gets a complaint from a woman named Jeri Crosby who claims her father was murdered...

Shadows Reel by C.J. Box picks up where the last book, Dark Sky, left off. There are two parallel stories. The first story involves Joe and his wife librarian Marybeth. Joe, who is the local game warden, is called out to a rancher's property when the rancher spots what looks like a dead moose across...

Enter Owen Pick, who is a 33 year old computer science teacher that is socially awkward and has never had a girl friend. Some female students accuse him of inappropriate behavior and he looses his job. Meanwhile, a series of sexual assaults occur in the neighborhood and Owen is questioned as a likely suspect. Then...

I read a few books I didn't like and so picked up Feared by Lisa Scottoline because I thought it would be a safe bet. I've enjoyed her other books that feature the female lawyers Bernie Rosato, Mary DiNunzio, and Judy Carrier. The title of the book comes from a quote from Machiavelli that if...

The Night She Disappeared is the story of a young teen mom, Tallulah, who is living with her mother Kim, who is helping her take care of her baby Noah. Tallulah had broken up with her baby's father, Zach, but he decided that he wants to get back together with her and promises to help...

This is the story of a group of classics students at a small New England liberal arts school. The main character is Richard, who has a difficult relationship with his parents for suburban California. He joins a small group of other students under the tutelage of the Classics professor, Julian, and they take almost all...

I've enjoyed C.J. Box Joe Pickett books, like the characters, the setting, and the premise for the stories. David Chandler is the narrator of the audio version and hearing his voice is like listening to an old friend. Dark Sky, however, fell a bit flat. The premise of the story is that Joe is tasked...

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue came to me with rave reviews, so I had high expectations. The premise of the story is that there is a young woman, Addie LaRue, who lives in a small village in France in the 1700s. Her father dotes on her and gives her special attention, but her mother,...

The Turn of the Key was a surprisingly good book. The story is told from the point of view of a woman in prison who is writing letters to a famous lawyer asking him to take her case. She claims that she is innocent and realizes that she made a mistake by not being fully...

If you have read a few of the C.J. Box Joe Pickett novels then you know that they weave together several threads. Sometimes there are politics: national, state, or local. There is Joe's family and what is happening with them, his wife and three daughters. Joe's best friend Nate often plays an important role in...

If you have read my reviews then you know that I give credit for creativity. Dungeon Born by Dakota Krout gets lots of points for originality and creativity. The story takes place in a Dungeons and Dragons type of world and the main character is ... a dungeon named Cal. We learn how Cal came...

In Long Range, by C. J. Box, game warden Joe Pickett is called in to help with the sniper shooting of a Judge's wife. Judge Hewitt's wife was killed by accident as the shot was intended for the Judge. Judge Hewitt is beside himself and calls on all of the local law enforcement officers in...

Deep State by Chris Hauty is a current day political thriller. The central character of the story is Hailey Chill, a young woman who grew up in rural West Virginia and managed to overcome obstacles and pull herself out of the downward spiral of her home community. She did this by joining the army and...