Review: The Girls In The Water

The Girls In The Water by Victoria Jenkins
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It seems that detectives Chloe and Alex are heading into a new series and it promises to be quite good.

In this first installment there are two murders of girls, quite savage and they have been found submerged. Alex and Chloe head to investigate but we discover that Chloe also has an investigation of a murder that is personal to her that she is trying to solve. Eventually she asks for Alex's help with solving the suicide or murder of her brother Luke who also was charged with the murder of his girlfriend.

This is a good start to a new series.

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Review: Let Me Lie

Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Clare Mackntosh has never disappointed me and I have read all three of her books.

This was a very unusual book. Just for a minute think how you would feel if what you have experienced and your circumstances were not at all what they appear to be or, not at all what they actually were. If you can think about that and be freaked out, you will love this book. Are you confused already?

I am not filling in details as I would not want to spoil the story. Its a dandy one.

Ms. Mackintosh writes in plain English that I can understand and identify with. Her stories go from start to finish which is something else that I like in a book. A writer must really know what they are doing when they jump around in time.

An excellent book.

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Review: The Marriage Lie

The Marriage Lie by Kimberly Belle
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Iris and Will have been married for a few years and are still, quite sickeningly, extremely romantic. One day Will leaves for a business trip to Florida and Iris hears of a plane that crashed on its way to Seattle and that her husband was actually on that plane.

Iris of course is devastated and also very confused as to why her husband was on his way to Seattle instead of Florida. She and her twin brother head out to Seattle to discover things that were completely a surprise to them.

I was interested in the story up to the point that they introduced Corban, a handsome African American fellow and Will's friend from the gym. Surprisingly Iris had never heard of Corban from Will. It turns out that Corban is a villian and this is where the story lost me.

In a story full of white Americans, why would one black person be introduced and to be the villain and to have his head blown to bits. Sorry to say that I found this very shameful.

I can also say that it became very tiring to hear Iris repeating over and over again "my Will, my Will, etc."

I did wonder how many people would be surprised by the ending.

Not a great read for me.



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Review: The Diary

The Diary by Eileen Goudge
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked this story. Two sisters who have lost their father and their mother is dying, find her diary among her belongings. After reading the diary they discover things about their parents that they had no idea about.

it was a romantic story and I was thinking how lovely it would have made me feel if I found something of this nature regarding my own parents.

It is a lovely story, and it also could be a young adult read.



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Review: As Time Goes By

As Time Goes By by Mary Higgins Clark
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

You pretty much knew what was going to happen by the second chapter in. Maybe not the full details, but certainly the outline. I think the writer has a basic outline for her stories and fills in the details accordingly.

Betsy is a super rich widow of a doctor and Delaney does courtroom reporting. We learn that Delaney was adopted and that Betsy had a baby when she was a teenager.

You can see the plot already. But after having said that, I did finish the book and I was quite attached to Alvirah and Willy, who were the couple that managed to solve at least one of the mysteries.

This was a ok fluffy read.

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Review: One Good Dog

One Good Dog by Susan Wilson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I absolutely love this book. I have had it on my tbr list for years and I recall someone telling me that it was not a good book. This just shows me yet again that I should not listen to other reviewers' opinions.

Adam is a very high profile executive in his firm, has a wife and daughter and a beautiful home. He makes one mistake and finds himself in a situation where he has lost his job and is prosecuted and found guilty and sentenced to a year of community service.

One thing that I discovered and was very surprised was how in the US it appears that the wife receives everything when there is a divorce. Adam is brought down to earth with a very heavy bump. I read in some reviews that people couldn't identify with Adam because they are blue collar workers, but I didn't find that at all. I felt there was enough "meat" in his character and different challenges, that there was something for everyone.

And yes, there is a dog involved. The story was more about Adam and the dog just happened to be there, but he did enrich the story and it would not have been the same without him.

An excellent read and so glad that I finally picked it up.

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Review: Camino Island

Camino Island by John Grisham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Back with my favourite author again and his new book. Not his usual crime/legal story, but a crime nevertheless.

A gang has broken into the Princeton Library in quite an ingenious way and made off with some of the original F. Scott Fitzgerald manuscripts. The loot was insured for 25 million dollars, but


Princeton wants the manuscripts returned and are not very concerned about the money.

Bruce Cable owns a bookstore on Camino Island and is also a dealer in rare books. I actually liked Bruce a lot and his lifestyle regarding books and his reading habits. Well, his personal life was a different story though.

The main concern is that the insurance company find the manuscripts and have them returned before the full amount is due to be paid out and they come up with some excellent ideas and schemes to locate the manuscripts.

For me this was an excellent read. It was not a loud, shoot em up or scary mystery, but a more genteel and quiet way to be immersed in the story.

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