RATING: 1.75I have to admit to a bias in my mystery reading, and that is the fact that I really do not care for the part of the genre inhabited by amateur sleuths. Generally speaking, the protagonist tends to meddle in areas where they don't belong, unnecessarily exposing themselves and others to...
#1 Zoe Hayes, art therapist; amateur sleuth, dark cosy. A woman drifting through life puts herself and her daughter in jeopardy when nannies start disappearing and body parts begin to turn up in her neighborhood. I was afraid this was a mommy-track "cute!!!" mystery, centered around precious kids...
In this third novel featuring art therapist Zoe Hayes, the neighbors are shocked when a woman's body is discovered in the kitchen of Zoe’s estranged father, Walter. In fact, they suspect Walter of killing her. But as Zoe investigates further, it seems that the neighbors are up to some pretty shoc...
Don’t look down. I kept repeating those three words, a singsong mantra to steady myself and get through time, pushing through seconds and minutes until it would be afterward and this nightmare would be over. Don’t look down. But I didn’t have to look; I knew what was beneath me. I could picture w...
What was this animal? Not an ape, not a bear. Not a human. That woman from the campground – Sylvie – popped into her head, scolding, ‘I warned you. It’s the Bog Man.’ The Bog Man? Ridiculous. There was no such thing. Even so, Harper had no idea what else it could be. And it was coming closer. She...
Because I hear about wars and I hear rumors of wars. I see our nation’s armies going off to fight multiple wars. I hear about war all over Africa. Uprisings in the Middle East. Threats of war with North Korea and Iran.’ Again, the group responded, ‘That’s right.’ And, ‘For sure.’ Pastor Travis pa...
She rode around campus along Thurston to East, over to Hoy, damp morning air clinging to her skin. The clouds had thickened; maybe it would finally rain, breaking the heatwave. Harper left the cycle in the lot, following her usual routine as if it were just another hot summer day. As if she weren...
‘But you’re feeling okay? How are the contractions?’ Harper sipped tea, told her she’d had some strong ones. Also told her about her flashback. ‘Wait.’ Leslie’s brows furrowed. ‘You’re saying the flashback was triggered by a TV show?’ ‘No.’ Again, Harper laughed. That was twice, and in just a few...
What was this animal? Not an ape, not a bear. Not a human. That woman from the campground – Sylvie – popped into her head, scolding, ‘I warned you. It’s the Bog Man.’ The Bog Man? Ridiculous. There was no such thing. Even so, Harper had no idea what else it could be. And it was coming closer. She...
Maybe they mistook it for loose garbage cans clattering around in the driveway. Or maybe it got lost in the screaming howls of wind that gusted against the house, buzzing through cracks in the window frames, drowning out all other sounds. Vicki Manning, clearing dinner plates, waited for the wind...
NICK stooped to catch Oliver so he could attach his leash. “Don’t worry about it.” See that? I assured myself. Nick agrees; Bonnie Osterman didn’t kill the agent. “How do you know? I mean she could have. And she could have rammed her car into Bryce, too—” “Now you’re getting paranoid.” Just as Ni...
Toned bartenders did their signature dance: reaching, pouring, swirling. Gliding along the narrow, dimly lit alley of spigots and glassware, serving up alcohol-laden concoctions to a thirsty crowd clustered along the bar. Music amplified to too many decibels pounded percussion without melody. Hap...