book reviews

Tell Me All Your Thoughts on God Author: Kathleen Norris This one has been sitting on one of my many bookshelves for years, and I’ve nearly picked it up several times only to get distracted or feel that the requisite spiritual mood wasn’t there. During this pandemic, which is horrific and sad for the world and yet oddly good for my extremely introverted, hermit-ish soul, I decided to do some catch-up and hit that pile of books I’d always wanted to read and yet never quite started. Kathleen Norris writes a rambling book, half poetry and half stream of consciousness [...]

Murder, Marriage, and Mavericks Author: Cleo Coyle What does a marriage proposal, a sunken ship, a long-forgotten jewel, and a sniper have in common? In this, her sixteenth mystery, Clare and her boyfriend, detective Mike Quinn, return to their beloved New York only to find multiple dramas waiting. A man dressed as a superhero is shooting cops, specifically people from Mike’s squad. Matt’s marriage is on the rocks, and a strange new inheritance has both him and Joy perplexed. Tucker is hosting a superhero play and a literal cast of strangers is plaguing the coffee house. And, a sunken ship [...]

Mystery, Meets Thriller, Meets Horror Author: Simone St. James The Sun Down Motel is touted as the perfect mix of mystery, thriller, and horror. Even the cover art has that zap-zap-zap sound of an old neon sign (vacancy! vacancy!). It begins with Vivian Delaney. It’s 1982 and Viv is a grown woman (barely), hitchhiking aimlessly. When a creepy experience lands her in Fell, New York, she rapidly realizes that her mother may have been right: she isn’t prepared for this world and the dangers that are suddenly everywhere. Biding her time, she takes the job of night clerk in a nearly abandoned [...]