Book: Girl Who Was Taken

 Book: Girl Who Was Taken

Author: Charlie Donlea

Pages: 352

This is my 246th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Nicole Cutty and Megan McDonald are both high school seniors in the small town of Emerson Bay, North Carolina.  When they disappear from a beach party one warm summer night, police launch a massive search.  No clues are found, and hope is almost lost until Megan miraculously surfaces after escaping from a bunker deep in the woods.  A year later, the bestselling account of her ordeal has turned Megan from local hero to national celebrity.  It's a triumphant, inspiring story, except for one inconvenient detail: Nicole is still missing.  Nicole's older sister Livia, a fellow in forensic pathology, epects that one day soon Nicole's body will be found, and it will be up to someone like Livia to analyze the evidence and finally determine her sister's fate.  Instead, the first clue to Nicole's disappearnace comes from another body that shows up in Livia's morgue - that of a young man connect to Nicole's past.  Livia reaches out to Megan for help, hoping to learn more about the night the 2 were taken.  Other girls have gone missing too, and Livia is increasingly certain the cases are connected.  But Megan knows more than she reveals in her blockbuster book.  Flashes of meory are coming togeher, pointing to something darker and more monstrous than her chiling memori describes.  And the deeper she and Livia dig, the more they realize that sometimes true terror lies in finding exactly what you've been looking for.

This was an interesting enough book. I listened to it and it kept me entertained during long drives and yard work.  I did not see the ending coming - I will give it that.  I did feel like the killer was a bit of a "what?" reaction for me-  nothing that really lead me to believe that was where this was going anywhere in this book.  

Stars: 3.5

Book: A Mystery of Mysteries: The Death and Life of Edgar Allan Poe

 Book: A Mystery of Mysteries: The Death and Life of Edgar Allan Poe

Author: Mark Dawidizak

Pages: 283

This is my 245th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

It is a moment shrouded in horror and mystery.  Edgar Allan Poe died on October 7, 1849, at just 40, in a painful, utterly bizarre manner that would not have been out of place in one of his own tales of terror.  What was the cause of his untimely death, and what happened to him during the 3 missing days before he was found, delirious and "in great distress" on the streets of Baltimore, wearing ill-fitting clothes that were not his own?  Mystery and horror.  Poe, who remains one of the most iconic of American writers, died under haunting circumstances that reflect the 2 literary genres he took to new heights.  Over the years, there has been a staggering amount of speculation about the cause of death, from rabies and syphilis to suicide, alcoholism, and even murder.  But many of these theories are formed on the basis of the caricature we have come to associate with Poe: the gloomy-eyed grandfather of Goth, hunched over a writing desk with a raven perched on one shoulder, drunkenly scribbling his chiling masterpieces.  By debunking the myths of how he lived, we come closer to understanding the real Poe- and uncovering the truth behind his mysterious death, as a new theory emergest that could prove the cause of Poe's death was haunting him all his life.  

This was a very interesting book.  I admit I had no idea that Edgar Allan Poe died at the age of 40 and spent most of his life poor.  I did not know he was orphaned at a young age and the family that took him in is where the Allan comes from in his name.  I also did not know that no one knows how he died.  This book weaves his life - touching on his childhood and upbringing among the last few months of his life and the author trying to unfold what ultimately happened to him.  Good book.  

Stars: 4 

Book: Just Another Missing Person

 Book: Just Another Missing Person

Author: Gillian McAllister

Pages: 384

This is my 244th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Not everyone who is lost should be found.  22 year old Olivia has been missing for one day - and counting.  She was last seen on CCTV, entering a dead-end alley.  And not coming back out again.  Julie, the detective heading up the search for Olivia, thinks she knows what to expect.  A desperate family, a ticking clock, and long hours away from her husband and daughter.  But in this twisty police procedural, she has no idea just how closeto home this case is going to get. Becasue the criminal at the heart of the disapperance has something she never expected.  Hisweapon isn't a gun, or a knife: iot's a secret.  Her worst one.  And her family's safety depends on one thing: Julia must Not find out what happened to Olivia - and must frame somebody else for her murder.  If you find her, you will lose everything.  What would you do?

This was a pretty good book.  I have read quite a few of Gillian's books - Wrong Place Wrong Time continues to be my favorite of hers.  This has a good twisty story - good for a "spooky month".  I was not sure where it was going or who was going to be the bad guy until the end.  There are a ton of characters in this one and I had to really pay attention to keep them all straight.

Stars: 3.5

Book: Encyclopedia Brown

 Book: Encyclopedia Brown

Author: Donal Sobol

Pages: 96

This is my 243rd read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Leroy Brown, aka Encyclopedia Brown, is Idaville neighborhood's 10 year old star detective.  With an uncanny knack for trivia, he solves mysteries for the neighborhood kids through his own detective agency.  But his dad also happens to be the chief of the Idaville police department, and every night around the dinner table, Encyclopedia helps him solve his most baffling crimes. 

Read for the Rory Gilmore Challenge

Stars: 4 

Book: The Family Remains

 Book: The Family Remains

Author: Lisa Jewell

Pages: 384

This is my 242nd read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Early one morning on the shore of the Thamses, DCI Samuel Owusu is called ot the scene of a greusome discovery.  When Owusu sends the evidence for examination, he learns the bones are connected to a cold case that left three people dead on the kitchen floor in a chelsea mansion 30 years ago.  Rachel Rimmer has also received a shock - news that her husband, Michael, has been found dead in the cellar of his house in France.  All signs point to an intruder, and the French police need her to come urgently to answer questions about Michael and his past that she very much doesn't want to answer.  After fleeing London 30 years ago in the wake of a horrific tragedy, Lucy Lamb is finally coming home.  While she settles in with her children and is just about to purchase their first ever house, her brother takes off to find the boy from their shared past whose memory haunts their present.  As they all race to discover answers to these convoluted mysteries, they will come to find that they're connected in ways they could have never imagined.  

So - my bad.  I did not know this was a second book in a series!  I should have looked into it better before I pulled t off my shelf.  This is a sequel to The Family Upstairs.  I am wondering if my review would be different if I read that one first (I plan on reading it soon to find out).  IT was a good book, but not as good as some as the others of hers I have read.  There are a lot of hard topics in this one -rape is one of them, and I really do not like reading about domestic violence.  She did pull it all together in the end and wrapped it up well. 

STars: 3.5 

Book: The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder in the Castle

 Book: The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder in the Castle

Author: CL Miller

Pages: 304

This is my 241st read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Hot on the heels of an art forger, a member of the Lockwood Antique Hunter's Agency disappears while investigating an isolated castle deep in Scottish countryside.  Freya and Aunt Carole race to her last known location and arrive in the wintry, snow-covered Scottish Borders.  At the castle, they discover that a murdred laird in the vegetable garden and his priceless collection of silverware has been stolen.  Local police believe Freya's missing team member was involved with the robbery and murder - but where is she now?  As a snowstorm descends on the castle, Freya and Carole call in back-up to help uncover what happened that fateful night.  As each question is met with more mystery, the clock is ticking to find their friend and he murderer before they are cut off from the outside world.

This is a 3rd in this series, and it was pretty good.  I have enjoyed this story line and these characters for the most part.  They are light and easy reads, and this one I was not really sure where it was going to end up.  But it wrapped up nicely.

Stars: 4 

Book: Warm Bodies

 Book: Warm Bodies

Author: John Marrs

Pages: 107

This is my 240th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Brenda lives quietly in a picture-perfect English village.  She looks after her grandchildren, restores old furniture, and keeps herself to herself.  She's the sort of neighbour people feel comfortable judging.  And judge they do.  Because villages notice everything.  The shopping.  The visitors.  The hours kept behind closed doors.  And when the local WhatsApp group begins to turn its attention to Brenda, curiosity hardens into suspicion, and gossip becomes a sport.  As scrutiny tightens, Brends finds herself navigating busybodies, moral crusaders and a community that believes it knows best.  What they don't know is that Brenda has spent a lifetime solving problems descreetly.  Methodically.  Permanently.  And she is very good at it.  The village may come to regret not minding its own business. 

I got this short story as an Amazon free read and I enjoyed it.  I am a Marrs fan, and he did a great job writing a full, interesting story with developing characters in 100 pages.  It was a good story with a bit of a twist I didn't really see coming.  Glad I read this one.

Stars: 4