I started out February with a new author to me, Jessica Patch, and read "The Garden Girls." It's not a Garden Club How-To ... no, it's not. It's a crime fiction which takes place in North Carolina's Outer Banks, surrounding the murders with not your 'garden-variety' killer. No, indeed. This one leaves a calling card: dead women tattooed, each with a specific flower. This is a fast-paced novel with a hurricane, a creepy cult, and the agent & the love of his life separated by years and strange circumstances. Ty is an FBI agent working with a motley crew of behavioral analysts in the "SCU" tasked with finding this serial killer. Bexley is the one that got away. Sparks fly even as a Category 5 hurricane bears down on them, while the killer is slowly revealed. One. Bloom. At. A. Time. A nail-biting suspense awaits!
Next on my list is an Advanced Reader Copy I was privileged to receive from Sarah Hamaker, called, "Justice Denied." This is a fast-paced read with a gripping plot with conspiracy, embezzlement, corporate intrigue and more. Add in a slow burn romance between Jetta & Seth, and you'll be up reading late (kinda like I am). Another five-star read from a new-to-me author.
I chewed nails while reading "The Wise Man," by Michele Chynoweth. The gripping novel, loosely based on the life of King Solomon, will grab you and keep you reading until you're done. Finn Mitchell's life shows how wisdom can become pride, love can turn to lust, and a non-Christian marriage can lead to ruin. Humiliation shames, humility draws us to God. Finn finds grace in the humility he finally accepts and embraces.
"Lipstick and Gunpowder" with Jane Daly was a hoot, and I received an advanced reader copy (double cool!). In this romantic suspense, Dale Hardy, FBI, meets Mark Goodson, rancher. Oh. He doesn't know she's a she. She doesn't know he doesn't know. Awkward. And thus they get off on the wrong foot. The family welcomes Dale as a ranch hand, completely unaware of the underlying purpose behind her badge – the one they are not privy to. Her pursuit of a specific goal contrasts with his research efforts, and this absence of communication leads to distrust. I didn’t see the end coming! To be released date: March, 2025!
Another book I read this month was "Killer in High Heels," by Gemma Halliday because I'd read the first in the series and got a chuckle. This second in the series was a very fast read for me, and despite the humor, it may be the last of the Halliday reads since it is decidedly not a Christian novel. This was why it was a fast read: I skipped parts quickly, closed my eyes, and had to make up a few words to cover the swear words. Here it is if you are still interested.
Last, was a novel by Jefferson Bass (Dr. William Bass of the actual Body Farm & author, Jon Jefferson), "Carved in Bone." I love it when those first pages suck you in - I had to read it to my husband who also said, "This guy is a sick serial killer, right?" We were both shocked - and laughing - as only crime writers/readers can laugh in certain sticky situations. A great mystery - several - taking place in Tennessee, where Dr. Bill Brocton has to ferret out corrupt cops, sloppy MEs, sleazy attorneys, and the demons that haunt him.
More to come next month as I let my brain get some oxygen before delving into my next Whiskey River Mystery. In the meantime, you can find all three, here:
And for a genetic engineering/sci-fi thriller:
I've made no progress on "Digging Up Murder," my current WIP title.
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