Showing posts with label mystery. Show all posts

Thursday, May 1, 2025

[Review] — Blumhouse's DROP (2025) ╌★★★✰✰

From the minds behind classics like A Quiet Place, Blumhouse and Platinum Dunes bring you DROP, an electrifying thriller that will make you think twice about your dating choices. Dubbed a “tightly plotted thrill ride” by IGN, this nail-biting film is now available exclusively on digital platforms for rent or purchase, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. And if you’re a fan of physical media, mark your calendars for June 10, 2025, when DROP hits 4K UHD and Blu-ray! Don't miss out on exclusive bonus content featuring insights from the filmmakers and cast that dive deep into the film's production, available at select retailers like Apple TV, Fandango at Home (formerly Vudu), Comcast Xfinity, Cox, Microsoft Movies & TV, and Movies Anywhere.

[Review] — BELLEVUE by Robin Cook ╍★★★✰✰

B.J. Burgess books , horror fiction

Twenty-three-year-old Michael “Mitt” Fuller starts his surgical residency with great anticipation at the nearly three-hundred-year-old, iconic Bellevue Hospital, following in the footsteps of four previous, celebrated Fuller generations. The pressure is on for this newly minted doctor, and to his advantage he’s always had a secret sixth sense, a sensitivity to the nonphysical. But quickly, one patient after another assigned to his care begin to die from mysterious causes. As he tries to juggle these inexplicable deaths with the demands of being a first-year resident, things rapidly spiral out of control.

Visions begin to plague Mitt—visions of a little girl in a bloodstained dress, bloodcurdling screams in the distance, and worse. As bodies mount and Mitt’s stress level rises, he finds himself drawn to the monumental, abandoned Bellevue Psychopathic Hospital building, which to his astonishment has somehow defied the wrecking ball and still stands a few doors north of the modern Bellevue Hospital high-rise. Forcing an unauthorized entry into this storied but foreboding structure, Mitt discovers he’s more closely tied to the sins of the past than he ever thought possible.

[Review] —BATTLE MOUNTAIN by C.J. Box ╌★★★★★

B.J. Burgess books , crime

BATTLE MOUNTAIN

A Joe Pickett Novel

by C.J. Box

Putnam, 2025

The campaign of destruction that Axel Soledad and Dallas Cates wreaked on Nate Romanowski and Joe Pickett left both men in tatters, especially Nate, who lost almost everything. Wondering if the civilized life left him vulnerable to attack, Nate dropped off the grid with his falcons in tow to prepare for vengeance.

When Joe gets a call from the governor asking for help finding his son-in-law, who has gone missing in the Sierra Madre mountain range, he enlists the help of a local, a rookie game warden named Susan Kany.

As Nate and fellow falconer Geronimo Jones circle closer to their prey, Joe and Susan follow the nearly cold trail to Warm Springs. Little do Nate and Joe know that their separate journeys are about to converge . . . at Battle Mountain.

[Review] — NOT THE KILLING KIND by Maria Kelson (★★★½✰)

B.J. Burgess books , mystery

Crime thrillers are everywhere, often with similar titles and cover designs that make it hard for readers to choose a specific one. What caught my eye about NOT THE KILLING KIND by Maria Kelson was not just the title but the cover art—it reminded me of the famous show "Twin Peaks.” However, the book itself is different from "Twin Peaks,"—nothing in common at all—and that’s not a bad thing.

[Review] — BECOMING THE BOOGEYMAN by Richard Chizmar (★★★½✰)

B.J. Burgess books , horror fiction

I’m back! Well, sort of—I am attempting to reignite my habit of writing reviews for this blog. Admittedly, I've been a bit of a recluse lately, but everything is all right—at least as good as it can be under the circumstances. For those who remember, last year I reviewed Richard Chizmar's gripping fictional true-crime thriller, Chasing the Boogeyman. I found it thoroughly engaging and ended up giving it a five-out-of-five-star rating. Since then, I dove into its sequel, BECOMING THE BOOGEYMAN, and I'd like to share my thoughts on it.

[Review] — Leaphorn, Chee, & Manuelito Return in Anne Hillerman's LOST BIRDS

B.J. Burgess books , mystery

I am a latecomer to the world of Tony Hillerman's Leaphorn & Chee series, now known as the Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito series. My journey into this captivating universe began after I watched the first season of AMC's Dark Winds in 2022. Strangely enough, I stumbled upon several of Hillerman's novels at local thrift stores around the same time the show premiered. I can't help but wonder if I had encountered his books in the past but simply overlooked them. Given my strong memory, I find it hard to believe I wouldn’t have recalled seeing those distinctive covers.

[Review] — James Patterson's LIES HE TOLD ME is an Intriguing, Mindless Fluff

B.J. Burgess books , mystery

James Patterson novels are plentiful—trust me, my visits to thrift stores have confirmed this. You can easily find at least one new title every month, and for dedicated fans, it is often a challenge to keep up with the latest releases. His most recent thriller, LIES HE TOLD ME, was co-authored with David Ellis and published by Little, Brown and Company.

[Review] — "THREE-INCH TEETH" is a Grizzly Read

B.J. Burgess books , crime

Have you ever been so upset that a television series got canceled that you delayed reading the newest book, which inspired the show, out of spite? Well, that's what happened to me with Joe Pickett. Paramount Plus canceled the streaming series in late 2023 after two seasons. (Side note: the first season aired on Spectrum.) It was a well-made modern-day Western series similar to Yellowstone and should have done better in ratings if marketed correctly.

[Review]—'Shattered' by James Patterson & James O. Born

B.J. Burgess books , fiction

It's hard to believe that James Patterson's enthralling "Michael Bennett" series has expanded to 14 books. The last 15 years have flown by, and it only seems like yesterday that I started reading Step on a Crack. Here I am, nearly 41 years old, reviewing the series' most recent volume, Shattered, co-written by James O. Born (his fifth in the series).

[Review] - 'Shadows Reel' by C.J. Box

B.J. Burgess books , C.J. Box

I've seen C.J. Box's novels numerous times in bookstores' bestseller section but was never interested in reading one of his stories until I started watching the Joe Pickett series on Paramount +. The television series debuted exclusively for Spectrum cable services last December. "Exclusively" is used loosely since Paramount + is streaming the show. Paramount Television produces Joe Pickett, so it's a no-brainer why the series is on there. After watching a few episodes, I had the urge to read a Joe Pickett novel, or specifically the first book, Open Season. My first instinct was to check my local library, and there wasn't one single C.J. Box title. There are currently 22 Joe Pickett novels and a short story collection, 5 (soon to be 6) Hoyt/Dewell mysteries, and three standalone novels, all written by C.J. Box, and my library doesn't carry any of them.

[Review] - A Relative Murder by Jude Deveraux

B.J. Burgess books , fiction

It might seem strange that I'm reviewing a Jude Deveraux novel, but I grew up with the author's books. My mother was a fan of Deveraux's historical romances and kept the books on a homemade wooden bookcase in the living room of my childhood home. After running out of new books to read - I grabbed A Knight in Shining Armor off the shelf and read it. I believe I was a nine-year-old at the time. Yeah, I was probably a bit too young to be reading romances, but that was my introduction to Jude Deveraux.

[Review] - Counterfeit Love by Crystal Caudill

B.J. Burgess books , fiction

About the Book

Can this undercover agent save the woman he loves—or is her heart as counterfeit as the money he’s been sent to track down?

After all that Grandfather has sacrificed to raise her, Theresa Plane owes it to him to save the family name--and that means clearing their debt with creditors before she marries Edward Greystone. But when one of the creditors’ threats leads her to stumble across a midnight meeting, she discovers that the money he owes isn’t all Grandfather was hiding. And the secrets he kept have now trapped Theresa in a life-threatening fight for her home--and the truth.

[Review] - The Debutante's Code by Erica Vetsch

B.J. Burgess books , fiction

Available on Kindle and Paperback.

About the Book

Jane Austen meets Sherlock Holmes in this new Regency mystery series.

Newly returning from finishing school, Lady Juliette Thorndike is ready to debut in London society. Due to her years away, she hasn't spent much time with her parents and sees them only as the flighty, dilettante couple the other nobles love. But when they disappear, she discovers she never really knew them at all. They've been living double lives as government spies--and they're only the latest in a long history of espionage that is the family's legacy.

[Review] - Dangerous Illusions by Irene Hannon

B.J. Burgess books , crime

Once upon a time, Christian romance mysteries were unique reads for me. Well, that's until the subgenre became crowded with too many new authors, and the stories became too generic for my liking. I tuned out sometime in 2017, around the time Revell published Dangerous Illusions by Irene Hannon. Revell sent me a review copy, and it's been sitting on a desk collecting dust along with a few other books. At long last, I picked it up, cracked it open, and read it.

Review - On St. Nick's Trail by M.K. Scott

B.J. Burgess books , Christmas

* Goodreads * Amazon *

Old Saint Nick is missing, sparking shenanigans in the town of Santa Claus.

Private Eye Nala Bonne and her trusty crime-fighting rescue dog Max spend their days surfing social media for telltale signs of disability fraud and philandering husbands, but when a lucrative opportunity to investigate something entirely different, Nala readily agrees to take the case. The task: find a missing Santa impersonator.

Review - The Ancestor by Lee Matthew Goldberg

B.J. Burgess books , fiction

Amazon * Down and Out Books

About the Book

A man wakes up in present-day Alaskan wilderness with no idea who he is, nothing on him save an empty journal with the date 1898 and a mirror. He sees another man hunting nearby, astounded that they look exactly alike. After following this other man home, he witnesses a wife and child that brings forth a rush of memories of his own wife and child, except he’s certain they do not exist in modern times—but from his life in the late 1800s. After recalling his name is Wyatt, he worms his way into his doppelganger Travis Barlow’s life. Memories become unearthed the more time he spends, making him believe that he’d been frozen after coming to Alaska during the Gold Rush and that Travis is his great-great grandson. Wyatt is certain gold still exists in the area and finding it with Travis will ingratiate himself to the family, especially with Travis’s wife Callie, once Wyatt falls in love. This turns into a dangerous obsession affecting the Barlows and everyone in their small town, since Wyatt can’t be tamed until he also discovers the meaning of why he was able to be preserved on ice for over a century.

Finding a New Book To Read

B.J. Burgess mystery , non-fiction

*This is a sponsored post.

Reading is a relaxing activity that allows you to live in a different place and time for a while. There are many genres on the market that can hold your attention and keep you entertained. Here are some popular themes to consider.

Review - 'Tis The Season Murder by Leslie Meier

B.J. Burgess books , Christmas

*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% mine.

'Tis The Seasons Murder

by Leslie Meier

Just in time for the holiday season is 'Tis The Season Murder (Kensington Books; $12.95; 410 pages) by New York Times bestselling author Leslie Meier, featuring two Lucy Stone Holiday Mysteries — New Year's Eve Murder and Christmas Carol Murder.

New Year's Eve Murder

After the annual parade of Christmas presents in Tinker’s Cove has ended, Lucy Stone and her daughter are ready to ring in the new year in style. Elizabeth has won mother/daughter winter makeovers in Manhattan from Jolie magazine! But the all-expenses-paid trip is bound to have some hidden costs—and one of them is murder. Soon it will be up to Lucy to dress down a killer before the ball drops in Times Square . . .

Christmas Carol Murder

Lucy Stone is excited about acting in the town’s production of A Christmas Carol. But a real-life Scrooge has everyone feeling frosty. While Tinker’s Cove has fallen on hard times, Downeast Mortgage owners Jake Marlowe and Ben Scribner are raking in profits from misfortune. So when Marlowe is murdered, the suspects are many. But Scribner claims Marlowe’s ghost has come to warn him of his own impending demise—and he’s soon receiving death threats. Now Lucy will have to solve the case faster than she can say “Bah! Humbug!”. . .

Where To Purchase?

Fall Reads: A Willing Murder: A Medlar Mystery

B.J. Burgess Fall Reads , mystery

*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% mine.

Mira Books; 336; $26.99; Amazon

Now available from Mira Books is the murder mystery novel A Willing Murder: A Medlar Mystery by Jude Deveraux, an author who has written dozens of historical romances, such as A Knight in Shining Armor.

A Willing Murder is the first book in a brand-new mystery series. It centers around Kate Medlar, a young realtor who packs her bags and moves to Lachlan, Florida to be closer to her estranged Aunt Sara, who happens to be a bestselling author.Kate had everything planned out: she has a new job at a local real estate business and Aunt Sara has a room already set up for her. However, there is one thing Kate didn't have planned - meeting Jackson "Jack" Wyatt.

Jack is almost like a grandson to Sara, who was good friends with his late grandfather and she's a partner in his construction business. When a freak accident injured Jack and killed his half-brother, he moved in with Sara while he healed his wounds.

After two female skeletons are found buried under a tree on one of Jack's properties, his past comes back to haunt him. He knows who the victims are, a mother and daughter who have been missing for twenty years. Jack has a heartfelt connection to the daughter and he makes it his personal mission to find the murder, with a little help from Kate and Sara.

Summer Reads: The View from Rainshadow Bay by Colleen Coble

B.J. Burgess mystery , Summer Reads

Thomas Nelson; 340 pages; $15.99; Amazon

I was bit under the weather last week with three canker sores, so I spent a lot time indoors resting. While I didn't have a whole lot of energy, I did have enough energy to do some much needed reading, which included The View from Rainshadow Bay by Colleen Coble. The book is part of the Lavender Tides series. The book has been sitting in my needs-to-be-reviewed pile for awhile now. Actually, I believe I had received the book back in January, but due to a few personal issues in my life, I haven't gotten back into reading until recently, so you'll be seeing more reviews on this blog soon.

Set in the small town of Lavender Tides, the home of four thousand residents, the novel centers on Shauna McDade, a helicopter pilot and widowed mother of one child, Alex. Her husband died in a climbing accident over a year ago and she's still mourning his death.

Shockingly, Shauna's helicopter charter business partner, Clearance, is murdered in an explosion. Shortly before his death, he had given a package to Shauna with instructions to give it to his wife, Marilyn. While it seemed to be an accident at first glance, Zach Bannister, a firefighter, believes that foul play is at play here. After Marilyn is found murdered, it's obvious that Shauna and her son are now in danger.

Final Thoughts

Thursday, May 1, 2025

Wednesday, April 23, 2025

Friday, April 18, 2025

Tuesday, March 4, 2025

Saturday, February 1, 2025

Monday, December 2, 2024

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

Thursday, September 5, 2024

Wednesday, August 31, 2022

Wednesday, July 20, 2022

Monday, June 13, 2022

Tuesday, March 15, 2022

About the Book

Tuesday, December 7, 2021

About the Book

Saturday, September 4, 2021

Monday, October 12, 2020

Monday, October 5, 2020

About the Book

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Friday, December 6, 2019

Thursday, October 11, 2018

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

This Week's Hop

Gunsmoke & Grit

About Me

Featured Post

Buy Me a Coffee!

Amazon Kindle Wishlist

Find Me On

Currently Reading

Email Subscription!

Get new posts by email:

Follow on BLOGLOVIN

Blogger Followers

2025 Reading Challenge

Book Reviews

Movie Reviews

Blog Archive

Facebook

Tags

Recent Comments