Category: Book Baristas

For a small town in the Adirondacks, there is a whole lot of crime going on. Here it is…the much awaited 8th installment of the Rev. Clare Fergusson and Chief Russ Van Alstyne mystery series.  I have been a huge fan of the author and the series for several years, and was delighted to receive an advanced reader copy to review for

Songs of Willow Frost is the much-anticipated second novel by Jamie Ford.  I loved his first novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, so was excited to see Songs waiting for me.  Several reviews I read said it was tinged with sadness, and I wasn’t sure I wanted sadness for my next read.  I thought I would just

Two women, two time periods, a little geneology and one dark secret.  The Ashford Affair by Lauren Willig is some enjoyable historical fiction.  You may have read Willig’s previous Pink Carnation series set in the Napoleonic era–this novel is an unrelated stand-alone, and my first read by this author.  I found The Ashford Affair was a quick, light read, but very enjoyable

It’s strange, I picked up this book for several reasons-it’s a debut novel, it has garnered rave reviews and it sounded like an apocalyptic zombie book about people returning from the dead and while people do return from the dead this book this couldn’t be further from a zombie book if it tried.  This was one of the most thought

One of my favorite writers is Maine author Julia Spencer-Fleming.  A lawyer and mother and then novelist, Spencer-Fleming writes a great mystery series about an Episcopal priest-Clare Fergusson, and the Chief of Police-Russ Van Alstyne in Millers Kill, New York.  Theirs is an unusual partnership.  While you might think a nice scenic small town in the Adirondacks would have minimal

If you have been looking for another “Gone, Girl” then you might try A.S.A. Harrison’s “The Silent Wife”.  A chilling thriller about a marriage, a way of life and what a woman will do to fight to keep what she thinks is rightfully hers.   While there are similarities between these books, this is a much   more reserved psychological look at the disintegration of a

“A diamond is forever” Frances Gerety’s famous tag line for De Beers is the clever link for J. Coutney Sullivan’s latest novel.  Part Mad Men-esque fictionalized memoir of Gerety and part novel about marriage,  The Engagements is smart and well written.  It will hook you and keep you reading.  I wanted each of the five stories told to be a novel by itself, but as I turned

Don’t judge this book by its title.  I have been doing this myself lately not reading a review of a book that’s cover looks strange to me or that has a peculiar title.  This book, with this title,  would certainly fall into this category and shouldn’t be missed if you like fast-paced psychological thrillers with a couple good twists thrown in

As we move to the end of August, I am squeezing in those last few summer reads–strictly for entertainment.  The Widow Waltz certainly fits that bill.  Georgia Waltz is recently widowed.  When you meet her husband Ben in the first chapter, he seems almost too good to be a real character.  He is charming and gracious to everyone, able to

“For my wife Cecelia Fitzpatrick.  To be opened only in the event of my death.” What would you do if you found this letter addressed to you in a box of tax papers?  What if you found it while your husband was still alive?  Would you open it?  Australian author Liane Moriarty’s latest novel explores this question as she shares the lives of three women–Cecelia,