Curse of the Reaper by Brian McAuley (Book Beginnings & Friday 56)

  

Title: Curse of the Reaper

Author: Brian McAuley

Publication: 4 October 2022

Format: Kindle eARC via Talos & NetGalley

Amazon Description

Scream meets The Shining in this page-turning horror tale about an aging actor haunted by the slasher movie villain he brought to life.

Decades after playing the titular killer in the 80s horror franchise Night of the Reaper, Howard Browning has been reduced to signing autographs for his dwindling fanbase at genre conventions. When the studio announces a series reboot, the aging thespian is crushed to learn he’s being replaced in the iconic role by heartthrob Trevor Mane, a former sitcom child-star who’s fresh out of rehab. Trevor is determined to stay sober and revamp his image while Howard refuses to let go of the character he created, setting the stage for a cross-generational clash over the soul of a monster. But as Howard fights to reclaim his legacy, the sinister alter ego consumes his unraveling mind, pushing him to the brink of violence. Is the method actor succumbing to madness or has the devilish Reaper taken on a life of its own?

In his razor-sharp debut novel, film and television writer Brian McAuley melds wicked suspense with dark humor and heart. Curse of the Reaper is a tightly plotted thriller that walks the tightrope between the psychological and the supernatural, while characters struggling with addiction and identity bring to light the harrowing cost of Hollywood fame.

 

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

When I saw the cover of Brian McAuley's Curse of the Reaper on NetGalley I just knew that I had to hit the request button. It just screams cheesy old-school slasher flick, doesn't it? 

Around this time last year my son decided that we needed to watch (or re-watch, in my case) all of the "classic" horror franchises from the beginning -- Halloween, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream, etc. I think Halloween is the only one that we've completely caught up on (because we followed the shortest "watch in this order" list), but we're both hooked. 

I thought this would hit the spot and be the perfect homage to those classics. I loved Howard even with his issues (maybe especially with his issues), and bits and pieces of scripts from the original film series were probably the highlight for me ... but overall it fell a bit flat for me. I really didn't care all that much about Trevor and could easily have cut out everything that was just about him. It would have made for a much shorter book but, for me at least, probably a more enjoyable one.

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Friday 56 (share a blurb from the 56th page or 56% mark) is hosted at Freda's Voice 

& Book Beginnings (share the first few sentences) is at Rose City Reader

A Talent for Murder by Andrew Wilson (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

  

Title: A Talent for Murder

Author: Andrew Wilson

Publication: 11 July 2017

Format: paperback

Amazon Description

Discover the real-life mystery surrounding the queen of crime herself: Agatha Christie. In this “audacious mystery…with thrilling results” (The Guardian), Andrew Wilson investigates Christie’s unexplained ten-day disappearance and offers his own gripping explanation, in which Christie is pulled into a riveting case of blackmail and murder.

“I wouldn’t scream if I were you. Unless you want the whole world to learn about your husband and his mistress.”

Agatha Christie is preparing to board a train, preoccupied with the devastating knowledge that her husband is having an affair. She feels a light touch on her back, causing her to lose her balance, then a sense of someone pulling her to safety from the rush of the incoming train. So begins a terrifying sequence of events—for her rescuer is no guardian angel, rather he is a blackmailer of the most insidious, manipulative kind.

“You, Mrs. Christie, are going to commit a murder. But, before then, you are going to disappear.”

Writing about murder is a far cry from committing a crime, and Agatha must use every ounce of her cleverness and resourcefulness to thwart an adversary determined to exploit her expertise and knowledge of the act of murder to kill on his behalf.

In this tantalizing novel Andrew Wilson ingeniously explores Agatha Christie’s odd ten-day disappearance in 1926 and weaves an utterly compelling and convincing story around this still unsolved mystery involving the world’s bestselling novelist.

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

This was better than I expected it to be. I am horribly picky about the use of favorite non-fictional people in fiction. I think Wilson did an excellent job with Christie, but I'm Very VERY annoyed that one character will not be reappearing in future installments, which is why on Goodreads I only gave it 4 stars instead of 5. It's one of those "if you know, you know" situations. I WILL be reading the others in the series, though, so obviously it didn't annoy me enough to take them off my TBR.

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"First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph or two of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by Socrates' Book Reviews. 

"Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two from anywhere in the book currently being read.

I'll Sleep When I've Read... The Deception by Kim Taylor Blakemore

 

Title: The Deception

Author: Kim Taylor Blakemore

Publication: 27 September 2022

Format: Kindle eArc via Lake Union Publishing & NetGalley

Amazon Description

New Hampshire, 1877. Maud Price was once a celebrated child medium, a true believer in lifting the veil between the living and the dead. Now penniless, her guiding spirits gone, the so-called “Maid of Light” is desperate to regain her reputation―but doing so means putting her faith in deceiving others.

Clementine Watkins, known in spiritualist circles for her bag of tricks and utmost discretion, creates the sort of theatrics that can fill Maud’s parlor again, and with each misdirection, Maud’s fame is restored. But her guilt is a heavy burden. And the ruse has become a risk. Others are plotting to expose the fraud, and Clem can’t allow anyone―even Maud―to jeopardize the fortune the hoax has made her.

When the deception hints at a possible murder, Maud realizes how dangerous a game she’s playing. But to return to the light from which she’s strayed, she must first survive the darkness created by Clem’s smoke and mirrors.

 

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

I've read quite a few books about spiritualists. Some have been quite good; others haven't even been worth the time it would take to give a negative review on Goodreads, much less the time to put together a teaser graphic for the blog. Good enough to willingly lose sleep? I don't know if that's ever happened with this particular subject matter ... until Kim Taylor Blakemore's The Deception.

Okay, so I haven't been sleeping much or well anyway, but that's absolutely not the point.

The point is that this book is fanfreakingtastically amazing.

You may (or may not) have picked up on the fact that I keep journals for my blog notes -- mostly the quotes and whatnot that I've highlighted in the Kindle or not highlighted in the actual hard copy (because that's just criminal). I actually had to re-read the last half of The Deception because I was so caught up in what was going to happen next with Maud and Clem (and Russell .... oooooh Russell) that I couldn't even highlight.

It's that good.

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If you want to share whatever has kept you up past your bedtime because you just needed one more chapter ... or the entire book ... please comment! My TBR pile is already toppling, but I can always add more.

An Honourable Thief by Douglas Skelton (Book Beginnings & Friday56)

 

Title: An Honourable Thief

Author: Douglas Skelton

Publication: 22 September 2022

Format: Kindle eARC via Canelo & NetGalley

Amazon Description

1715. Jonas Flynt, ex-soldier and reluctant member of the Company of Rogues, a shady intelligence group run by ruthless spymaster Nathaniel Charters, is ordered to recover a missing document. Its contents could prove devastating in the wrong hands.

On her deathbed, the late Queen Anne may have promised the nation to her half-brother James, the Old Pretender, rather than the new king, George I. But the will has been lost. It may decide the fate of the nation.

The crown must recover it at all costs.

The trail takes Jonas from the dark and dangerous streets of London to an Edinburgh in chaos. He soon realises there are others on the hunt, and becomes embroiled in a long overdue family reunion, a jail break and a brutal street riot.

When secrets finally come to light, about the crown and about his own past, Jonas will learn that some truths, once discovered, can never be untold…

 

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

I felt a little strange about the timing of this since I started it about an hour before learning of Queen Elizabeth II's passing … and it begins with the passing of Queen Anne. I kind of just let it sit and stew for a few days while I grieved and tried to wrap my head around things. 

Of course, the two women were wildly different. QEII left a legacy that spanned almost a century … as well as a line of legitimate heirs. Anne's reign was far shorter (a mere ___ years) and there were no surviving children for easy succession. There was, however, a half-brother in Scotland and rumor of a secret will that would give him the throne. The brother, of course (well, "of course" if you're as much of a nerd about such things as I am), was James Francis Edward Stuart. 

Jonas Flynt, a former soldier and current member of the clandestine Company of Rogues, was tasked with finding the will … assuming it even existed … and this is our story.

Oh, what a story it is!

Flynt is amazing. He's cynical and snarky and will fight for what and whom he believes in … and, if paid enough, even for what and whom he doesn't.

‘Tell me, Flynt, you do not believe in kings or princes,’ said Charters. ‘You do not believe in nobles or politicians. Not the law nor the judiciary. Not God nor clergy. Is there anything in this world that you do believe in?’ 

Flynt thought for a moment before he answered. ‘I believe in Tact and Diplomacy, Colonel.’ He picked up his slender silver stick from where it rested against the arm of his chair. ‘And when that fails, Surprise.’

Tact and Diplomacy are Flynt's pistols.

Surprise is the blade hidden in his cane.

I love this man.

All sorts of Bernard Cornwell vibes were going on when I was reading and that is never a bad thing. There's quite a lengthy backlog of Skelton books on Goodreads and I may venture into some of his other non-historical series at some point, but even if this is all I ever read I will still call myself a fan.

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Friday 56 (share a blurb from the 56th page or 56% mark) is hosted at Freda's Voice 

& Book Beginnings (share the first few sentences) is at Rose City Reader

What The Hell Did I Just Read by Jason Pargin (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

 

Title: What The Hell Did I Just Read

Author: Jason Pargin (originally as David Wong)

Publication: 5 October 2021 (originally 3 October 2017)

Format: paperback

Amazon Description

It's the story "They" don't want you to read. Though, to be fair, "They" are probably right about this one. To quote the Bible, "Learning the truth can be like loosening a necktie, only to realize it was the only thing keeping your head attached." No, don't put the book back on the shelf -- it is now your duty to purchase it to prevent others from reading it. Yes, it works with e-books, too, I don't have time to explain how.

While investigating a fairly straightforward case of a shape-shifting interdimensional child predator, Dave, John, and Amy realized there might actually be something weird going on. Together, they navigate a diabolically convoluted maze of illusions, lies, and their own incompetence in an attempt to uncover a terrible truth they -- like you -- would be better off not knowing.

Your first impulse will be to think that a story this gruesome -- and, to be frank, stupid -- cannot possibly be true. That is precisely the reaction "They" are hoping for.

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

I really don't have it in me to be awfully ramble-y right now. Luckily, there really isn't much I can say about Pargin that I probably haven't already said before. This very well may be my favorite of the series thus far. It may be simply because it was a much needed distraction and the utter chaos of it took me away from my own utter chaos for a bit. I'm actually rather disappointed that I finished it when I did, partway through what may have been the worst attempt at a vacation ever, because the distraction is still sorely needed. So rather than try to say anything more, I'll just let Pargin do it with the intros ...

and the "teasers"

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"First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph or two of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by Socrates' Book Reviews. 

"Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two from anywhere in the book currently being read.

I'll Sleep When I've Read... The Counterfeit Wife by Mally Becker

  

Title: The Counterfeit Wife

Author: Mally Becker

Publication: 20 September 2022

Format: Kindle eArc via Level Best Books & NetGalley

Amazon Description

Philadelphia, June 1780. George Washington’s two least likely spies return, masquerading as husband and wife as they search for traitors in Philadelphia.

Months have passed since young widow Becca Parcell and former printer Daniel Alloway foiled a plot that threatened the new nation. But independence is still a distant dream, and General Washington can’t afford more unrest, not with food prices rising daily and the value of money falling just as fast.

At the General’s request, Becca and Daniel travel to Philadelphia to track down traitors who are flooding the city with counterfeit money. Searching for clues, Becca befriends the wealthiest women in town, the members of the Ladies Association of Philadelphia, while Daniel seeks information from the city’s printers.

But their straightforward mission quickly grows personal and deadly as a half-remembered woman from Becca’s childhood is arrested for murdering one of the suspected counterfeiters.

With time running out—and their faux marriage breaking apart—Becca and Daniel find themselves searching for a hate-driven villain who’s ready to kill again.

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

The follow-up to The Turncoat's Widow (which was featured this past Tuesday)  was almost as amazing as the first. Of course, I love Becca and Daniel and became quite enamored of Becca's new friend (and Benjamin Franklin's daughter) Sally, but it was missing some of the humor that I loved so much in the first one. There were still humorous moments, but this installment felt generally angstier (it's a word .... really .... at least, now it is). I am very much looking forward to seeing where Becker goes next with Becca and Daniel. Hopefully we'll also see a return of some of the secondary characters from the first who were sorely missed here like Becca's "aunties."

If you know, you know .... and if you don't, do read the first book. (And then, of course, this one.)

 

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If you want to share whatever has kept you up past your bedtime because you just needed one more chapter ... or the entire book ... please comment! My TBR pile is already toppling, but I can always add more.

The New Sonia Wayward by Michael Innes (Book Beginnings & Friday 56)

 

Title: The New Sonia Wayward

Author: Michael Innes

Publication: 1960 (and many reprints)

Format: ebook

Wikipedia Description

The New Sonia Wayward is a 1960 thriller novel by the British writer Michael Innes. It was published in the United States by Dodd, Mead under the alternative title The Case of Sonia Wayward. It is an inverted detective story with comedy elements, with the focus on the murderous protagonist. It was one of several standalone novels by Innes, who was best known for his series featuring the Golden Age detective John Appleby. Maurice Richardson writing in The Observer felt it "rather light for a suspense story but most pleasingly written."

Synopsis 
A retired colonel is married to a bullying tyrant who also happens to be a bestselling novelist. While on a sailing trip with his wife in the English Channel he throws her overboard. However, well-practiced in her style of writing, he continues to produce her novels to considerable success.

 

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

Michael Innes doesn't get nearly enough praise -- especially not his standalone novels like The New Sonia Wayward. In fact, the only reason you're seeing it today is because I'm killing two challenge stones with one book -- my "I" author and a title that features a name. I kind of knew that I would be going back to Innes for the author angle, but I had figured that I would be continuing his Inspector Appleby series and, therefore, the name would have been Hamlet as I still have only read the first out of thirty-six (not at all daunting a task). I checked my library app before Kindle, for some reason, and I'm awfully glad that I did. At least most of the Appleby series is on Kindle Unlimited, but I've only seen The New Sonia Wayward digitally via NYPL and archive.org

"Sonia Wayward" was the pen name of Colonel Ffolliot Petticate's wife, a popular romance novelist. She died while the two of them are alone on a yachting trip and rather than try to explain to the authorities what happened (which was natural causes and not murder), Petticate put a swim suit on her and rolled her into the water for a "burial at sea" of sorts. Her latest novel was a work-in-progress and she was actually mid-sentence when her heart gave out. He decided to finish it ... and continue writing under her name ... and to not tell anyone anything. 

She was a famous author with fans and publicists and staff so you can probably imagine how easy of a charade that was.

Let me tell you, you might be able to imagine, but I doubt you would be able to put it into words as well as Innes. Hence, get the book. Read the book. Then get more Innes and read those, too. [Digitals may be few and far between, but used paperbacks are not.]

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Friday 56 (share a blurb from the 56th page or 56% mark) is hosted at Freda's Voice 

& Book Beginnings (share the first few sentences) is at Rose City Reader

The Turncoat's Widow by Mally Becker (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

 

Title: The Turncoat's Widow

Author: Mally Becker

Publication: 16 February 2021

Format: Kindle ebook

Amazon Description

Recently widowed, Rebecca Parcell is too busy struggling to maintain her farm in Morristown to give a fig who wins the War for Independence. But rumors are spreading in the winter of 1780 that she’s a Loyalist sympathizer who betrayed her husband to the British—quite a tidy way to end her disastrous marriage, the village gossips whisper.

Everyone knows that her husband was a Patriot, a hero who died aboard a British prison ship moored in New York Harbor. But “everyone” is wrong. Parcell was a British spy, and General Washington—who spent that winter in Morristown—can prove it. He swears he’ll safeguard Becca’s farm if she unravels her husband’s secrets. With a mob ready to exile her or worse, it’s an offer she can’t refuse.

Escaped British prisoner of war Daniel Alloway was the last person to see Becca’s husband alive, and Washington throws this unlikely couple together on an espionage mission to British-occupied New York City. Moving from glittering balls to an underworld of brothels and prisons, Becca and Daniel uncover a plot that threatens the new country’s future. But will they move quickly enough to warn General Washington? And can Becca, who’s lost almost everyone she loves, fight her growing attraction to Daniel, a man who always moves on?

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

I don't know how I missed this when it was first released. I am awfully glad that I noticed the second in the series on NetGalley, though, which made me go hunt this one down. There's so much to love about this -- history, intrigue, romance, and characters that I love to love -- and a handful that I love to hate -- and more than a few surprises along the way as to which characters fell into which category. 

I'm quite thrilled that I didn't have to wait to continue the story ... and I already have the teaser set to autopublish Sunday morning for this week's I'll Sleep When I've Read post. [I'll be on vacation in just over 24 hours so autopublish is my friend this week.]

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"First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph or two of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by Socrates' Book Reviews. 

"Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two from anywhere in the book currently being read.

The House on the Lake by Holly Hill Mangin (Book Beginnings & Friday 56)

 

Title: The House on the Lake

Author: Holly Hill Mangin

Publication: 16 March 2021

Format: Kindle ebook via NetGalley & BooksGoSocial

Amazon Description

An island is the last place Eve Beckett ever thought she’d end up. Deathly afraid of water, she has no memory of arriving at the foreboding Lakeview Manor on the Isle of Esse. Her love for a good mystery, however, especially when it comes to strange houses and the paranormal, has her second-guessing her desire to leave.

But there’s something odd going on at Lakeview. Dark and dusty rooms shift location, and there’s a mysterious woman only Eve seems able to see . . .

When Eve’s mirror twin shows up, also with no memory of how she arrived on the island, and the property manager warns them away from his brother — one Eve has no wish to avoid — the number of mysteries surrounding Lakeview becomes too much. As she learns more about the manor and its inhabitants, the question becomes not just how but if Eve will ever leave the island.

 

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

I had absolutely no intention of buying any books or making any sort of ARC requests or grabbing any "Read Now"s on NetGalley until after I return from my upcoming mini-vacation next week. 

That cover, though.

All the gothic feels and heebie-jeebies and I just had to have it.

I haven't had a ton of luck with NetGalley picks lately. For every one that I've really loved, like Deanna Raybourn's Killers of a Certain Age (yes, that is a shameless plug for my own post), there have been several more that I've given up on ... or, have at least wished that I had given up on. I hesitated clicking the button for this one for a split second.

That cover, though.

Once I let myself stop swooning over the cover long enough to begin actually reading, the awe continued. 

By 5% I had already highlighted 7 passages.

I do so love gothic heebie-jeebies and this has them oozing out of the dark and musty woodwork from the secret passageway to the creepy attic right out of a Dickens tale. 

Holy crap I love this book.

I even switched from the Kindle to the phone and back depending on whether I would be stationary or mobile while reading. I didn't want to put it down until I had gone through every twist and turn. There were times when I thought I knew what was going on. I love that I was horribly wrong.

[Have I mentioned that cover yet?]

The highlighting of passages became few and far between shortly after I hit this at 16%:

One would think I would turn around and find Lyn immediately. But no. I'm the girl in the horror flicks running up the stairs instead of running out the front door, the girl who picks up the stranger in the middle of nowhere after hearing there is a maniac on the loose killing everyone in his path, and in this particular case ... yeah, I'm the one who follows the creepy dripping girl like an idiot.

I did not stop highlighting because I wasn't completely enthralled, but because I was so enthralled I didn't want to pause reading long enough to even highlight. Besides, I had already decided that it would be a Book Beginnings & Friday 56 post (and grabbed a random 56% blip) because there was absolutely no way I would be able to narrow it down for a Tuesday Intros/Teaser Tuesday or even an I'll Sleep When I've Read...

That cover, though.

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Friday 56 (share a blurb from the 56th page or 56% mark) is hosted at Freda's Voice 

& Book Beginnings (share the first few sentences) is at Rose City Reader

The Unkindness of Ravens by M.E. Hillard (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

Title: The Unkindness of Ravens

Author: M.E. Hilliard

Publication: 13 April 2021

Format: Kindle ebook

Amazon Description

Librarian Greer Hogan matches wits with a deviously clever killer in M.E. Hilliard's chilling series debut, ideal for fans of Louise Penny and Dorothy L. Sayers.

Greer Hogan is a librarian and an avid reader of murder mysteries. She also has a habit of stumbling upon murdered bodies. The first was her husband's, and the tragic loss led Greer to leave New York behind for a new start in the Village of Raven Hill. But her new home becomes less idyllic when she discovers her best friend sprawled dead on the floor of the library.

Was her friend's demise related to two other deaths that the police deemed accidental? Do the residents of this insular village hold dark secrets about another murder, decades ago? Does a serial killer haunt Raven Hill?

As the body count rises, Greer's anxious musings take a darker turn when she uncovers unexpected and distressing information about her own husband's death...and the man who went to prison for his murder . She is racked with guilt at the possibility that her testimony may have helped to convict an innocent man.

Though Greer admires the masters of deduction she reads about in books, she never expected to have to solve a mystery herself. Fortunately, she possesses a quick wit and a librarian's natural resourcefulness. But will that be enough to protect her from a brilliant, diabolical murderer?

And even if Greer manages to catch the Raven Hill killer, will living with her conscience prove a fate worse than death?

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

“It’s dangerous to underestimate people. One never knows what they’re truly capable of.”

This was a great start to a series featuring small-town librarian and Trixie Belden wanna-be, Greer Hogan. I have the third  in the series on my NetGalley shelf thanks to Crooked Lane Books. I was drawn to the gothic feel of the cover ... and then to find out that the lead character is a librarian ... and then to find out that the small town with the gothic manor-turned-library is in the capital district of my fair state (an area I know and love and where I went to college once upon a time)? I knew it was one I would need to request and then play catch-up with and I am, so far, very pleased with that decision.

The description on Amazon, of course, does a more than adequate "this is what it is" so I'm not going to waste precious reading time retelling the tale. I will say, however, that there are many questions left about Greer's background and her fellow Raven Hill residents and it will be difficult to stagger the next two books and not just fly through them immediately in hopes of getting some more answers -- or, at the very least, some more classic mysteries to add to my read or re-read list. 

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"First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph or two of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by Socrates' Book Reviews. 

"Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two from anywhere in the book currently being read.

I'll Sleep When I've Read... Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

 

Title: Killers of a Certain Age

Author: Deanna Raybourn

Publication: 6 September 2022

Format: Kindle eArc via Berkley & NetGalley

Amazon Description

Older women often feel invisible, but sometimes that’s their secret weapon.
 
They’ve spent their lives as the deadliest assassins in a clandestine international organization, but now that they're sixty years old, four women friends can’t just retire – it’s kill or be killed in this action-packed thriller by New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award-nominated author Deanna Raybourn.

Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie have worked for the Museum, an elite network of assassins, for forty years. Now their talents are considered old-school and no one appreciates what they have to offer in an age that relies more on technology than people skills.
 
When the foursome is sent on an all-expenses paid vacation to mark their retirement, they are targeted by one of their own. Only the Board, the top-level members of the Museum, can order the termination of field agents, and the women realize they’ve been marked for death.
 
Now to get out alive they have to turn against their own organization, relying on experience and each other to get the job done, knowing that working together is the secret to their survival. They’re about to teach the Board what it really means to be a woman—and a killer—of a certain age.

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

The original intention was to have this be the Book Beginnings & Friday 56 post on the 2nd. I had the graphic made and the post started and then realized that I just couldn't do it. I couldn't limit myself to trying to adequately tease Billie, Helen, Natalie and Mary Alice in just two blips. I could have waited for a hard copy to appear (since I'm fairly certain that this will end up on my actual bookshelf) so then I could do a p56, p156, p256, etc ... but ... nope. One, I don't want to wait to share. Two, I'm on a "random buying freeze" for the next couple of weeks until my much needed vacation. Three, even then I would only have at most five blips to share and that still wouldn't be enough and there's no telling if any of the blips that I have highlighted in my Kindle and copied into my notebook would fall on any of the 56es.

Besides, this actually does fall into the "I'll Sleep When I've Read..." guidelines even if it wasn't just for the weekend. It was pretty much every day from Saturday to Wednesday. 

It's a darling tale of four women on the brink of retirement.... after being international assassins for forty years. The books seamlessly flips between stories of their early years with the Museum to what may be their final days.... anywhere. Period. End of. Kaput. They've been set up and it's become a case of kill or be killed and these ladies have absolutely no intention of being killed. It's the perfect blend of humor and intrigue and the past and the present. I, for one, would very much like to see what's in store for the future.

 

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If you want to share whatever has kept you up past your bedtime because you just needed one more chapter ... or the entire book ... please comment! My TBR pile is already toppling, but I can always add more.