The Black Country by Alex Grecian Fiction — Mystery / Crime Fiction Putnam Adult; May 21, 2013 Paperback (ARC) 400 pages (Source: Publisher) From the book: The British Midlands. It’s called the “Black Country” for a reason. Bad things happen there. When members of a prominent family disappear from a coal-mining village–and a human eyeball […]

Amity & Sorrow by Peggy Riley Fiction Little, Brown and Company; April 16, 2013 Kindle edition 338 pages (Source: Publisher / NetGalley ) From Goodreads: A mother and her daughters drive for days without sleep until they crash their car in rural Oklahoma. The mother, Amaranth, is desperate to get away from someone she’s convinced […]

  Deadly Harvest: A Detective Kubu Mystery by Michael Stanley Fiction — Crime Fiction / Mystery Harper Paperbacks; April 30, 2013 Paperback 496 pages (Source: Publisher / TLC Book Tours) In Botswana, Africa, young girls are going missing after getting into cars with mysterious men. Detectives David “Kubu” Bengu and Samantha Khama have been charged […]

The Missing File by D.A. Mishani Fiction — Crime Fiction / Mystery Harper; March 19, 2013 Hardcover 304 pages (Source: Publisher / TLC Book Tours) From the back cover: Police detective Avraham Avraham knows that when a crime is committed in his quiet suburban Tel Aviv, there is little need for a complex investigation. There […]

The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin Fiction — Historical Harper, August 2012 Hardcover 448 pages From the inside flap: At the turn of the twentieth century, in a rural stretch of the Pacific Northwest, a reclusive orchardist, William Talmadge, tends to apples and apricots as if they were loved ones. A gentle man, he’s found solace […]

The Tale of Lucia Grandi: The Early Years by Susan Speranza Fiction Brook House Press, October 2012 Kindle edition 428 pages Lucia Grandi is 110 years old and living in a nursing home (?) when she is asked by a young graduate student to tell the story of her life. Lucia goes on to recount […]

No Mark Upon Her by Deborah Crombie Fiction — Mystery / Crime Fiction William Morrow; February 5, 2013 (reprint) Paperback 384 pages From the back cover: When a K9 search-and-rescue team discovers a woman’s body in the Thames, Scotland Yard superintendent Duncan Kincaid finds himself heading an investigation fraught with complications. The victim, the talented […]

Fight Song by Joshua Mohr Fiction Soft Skull Press; February 12, 2013 Paperback 272 pages From the publisher: When his bicycle is intentionally run off the road by a neighbor’s SUV, something snaps in Bob Coffen. Modern suburban life has been getting him down and this is the last straw. To avoid following in his […]

The Promise of Stardust by Priscille Sibley Fiction — Drama William Morrow; February 5, 2013 Paperback 432 pages From Goodreads: Matt Beaulieu was two years old the first time he held Elle McClure in his arms, seventeen when he first kissed her under a sky filled with shooting stars, and thirty-three when he convinced her […]

The Shining by Stephen King Fiction — Horror Heinemann / Octopus, 1981 Hardcover 308 pages This book…THIS BOOK…really did a number on me. Holy smokes. In case you’re not familiar with the story: Jack Torrance is an aspiring author and newly recovering alcoholic who has just lost his job as a teacher at a prep […]

Proof of Guilt: An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery (#15) by Charles Todd Fiction — Mystery, Crime Fiction William Morrow; January 29, 2013 Hardcover 352 pages From the inside flap: London, summer 1920. An unidentified body appears to have been run down by a motorcar and Ian Rutledge is leading the investigation to uncover what happened. […]

Rage by Richard Bachman (Stephen King) Fiction Signet, 1977 Ebook 131 pages [Trigger warning: gun violence, school violence] Rage is Stephen King’s third novel, published in 1977 under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. From what I understand, King started writing the book when he was only 19 years old, and while I’m sure there were changes […]

The Tell by Hester Kaplan Fiction Harper Perennial; January 8, 2013 Paperback 352 pages From the back cover: Trouble is simmering just below the surface of Mira and Owen’s marriage when Wilton Deere, an aging, once-famous TV actor, moves in next door. Charming but ruthless, Wilton inserts himself into the couple’s life, looking for friendship […]

‘Salem’s Lot (Illustrated Edition) by Stephen King Fiction — Horror Anchor, 2008 Kindle edition 674 pages **This post has potential spoilers sprinkled all over the place, so if you haven’t read the book but plan to, you might want to come back later.** Yesterday I told you the story of my mother’s experience with ‘Salem’s […]