Revell; 350 pages; $14.99; Amazon

With a mixture of coffee and protein snacks this week, I have managed to reread the first two books in the Elite Guardian series by author Lynette Eason. (You can read my review for the book here!).

Published last fall through Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, Without Warning centers on a bodyguard company called the Elite Guardians Protection Agency.

While the first novel followed the agency's owner, the second installment centers on Katie Singleton, who had a brief part in book one. Instead of being assigned a new assignment, she stumbles upon one; well, she more or less accidentally finds a deadly plot to harm Daniel Matthews, a restaurant owner.

Revell; 394 pages; $14.99; Amazon

A few months ago, I had promised myself that I would attempt to get caught up on a several ARC that have piled up on my desk collecting dust. Most of them had been read, but I hadn't gotten around to writing the actual reviews for them. Now it's nearly Thanksgiving and I still haven't gotten around to them yet. I'm going to try to make it my #1 priority to get these reviews written and posted before Christmas!

Which title am I going to start with first?

The book is titled Thin Ice, book 2 in the Men of Valor series by author Irene Hannon.

The plot centers on Christy Reed, a young woman who receives an envelope address to her in her sister's handwriting. She had lost both her parents and sister, and had just started to pick up the pieces when this envelope arrived. Inside that envelope is a note that claims her sister is still alive.

Christy's only hope for solving the mystery is with FB Special Agent Lance McGregor, a former Delta Force Operator who is assigned to reopen her sister's case. Sadly, the further they investigate, the more questions they come up with than actual answers.

G.P. Putnam's Sons; 320 pages; $27; Amazon

A few of you might remember me reviewing Robert B. Parker's Blackjack, book eight in the Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch series, earlier this year. Well, shortly after I posted my review, out of nowhere I received an advanced copy of Robert B. Parker's Slow Burn, which is part of the "Spenser" book series. At the time I had other books to read & review, so this title got put on the back-burner until I could squeeze in some time to review it.

The "Spenser" book series began with The Godwulf Manuscript in 1973. It centered on the character named Spenser, a Boston private detective. The books were adapted into a short-lived series in the '80s called Spenser: For Hire; later followed by a short-lived spinoff, A Man Called Hawk, and four made-for-television movies. Small Vices, Thin Air, and Walking Shadows were adapted into made-for-television movies for A&E from 1999 to 2001. After Robert B. Parker's death in 2010, author and an American journalist Ace Atkins took over writing the "Spenser" novels, including Slow Burn.

Slow Burn centers Spenser, his buddy Hawk, and Sixkill (sorta like his apprentice) tracking down an arsonist throughout Boston. Jack McGee, a firefighter and an old buddy of Spenser's, had asked them to look a church fire that occurred a year ago. Three fireman were killed in that fire and Jack suspects foul play, but he doesn't have any proof!

Of course this is where Spenser and crew get involved; taking their investigation into the underworld of Boston, where they learn that the arsonist/killer has already planned his next target - Spenser.

Thomas Nelson; 352 pages; $15.99; Buy Link; Blog Tour

Originally, I wasn't planning on signing up to review "The Things We Knew" by Catherine West after I had received the blog tour announcement from LitFuse, mostly because the cover art just didn't appeal to me. It looked like it was a contemporary novel with a beach setting. Before I attempted to delete the email, I went ahead and read the synopsis. To my surprise, it caught my interest, so I signed up to review the novel.

The Things We Knew centers on Lynette Carlisle, a young woman who was left with the responsibility of taking care of her father after her four older siblings had left their Nantucket home with no plans of ever returning. Their mother had died twelve-years ago and that tragic event still haunts them.


Just as her father's health, as well as their income, begins to fail, a familiar face from the past returns - Nicholas Cooper, who she once had a crush on.

After being away for five years, Nicholas has returned to Nantucket to work at his father's bank, but he's also there for another reason - to restart his friendship with Lynette. Plus, he's also there to help unlock the secret behind Lynette's mother's death; a secret that might in fact tear them apart.

Crooked Lane; $25.99; 304 pages; Amazon

I had first heard about the Anna Carlisle's debut novel a few months ago when I saw it in a Doubleday Book Club flyer (Yes, this club is still around!). I was intrigued by the cover art from the get-go, but after reading the blurb, I knew I wanted to review the book.

Dark Road Home centers Virginia "Gin" Sullivan, a medical examiner who gets a shocking call from her old high school boyfriend, Jake, informing her that the body of her younger sister, Lily, was found in the woods buried inside a cooler.

Lily had gone missing in 1998. While there several suspects (including Jake), nobody was ever connected to her disappearance.

Gin quickly packs her bags and travels back to her hometown of Trumbull to be with her parents. Of course she has another agenda up her sleeve, she wants to lend her medical skills to help the local authorities find the killer.

Several twists and turns occur, along with another murder, which leads Gin to unravel a startling dark secret from her family's past.

Abingdon Press; 320 pages; $14.99; Buy Link; Blog Tour

It's not a secret that I love to read a good mystery now and then. From a Sherlock Holmes classic to a James Patterson crime novel, pretty much all mysteries appeal to me.

Now available to own in paperback is the medical suspense novel Medical Judgement by Richard L. Mabry, M.D., the author of the Prescription for Trouble Series.

Medical Judgment centers on Dr. Sarah Gordon, a woman who is still grieving the deaths of her husband, Harry, and their two-year-old daughter, Jenny. It's been over eight months since the accident occurred that destroyed her life, and now another tragic event happens - her house catches on fire.

Well, to be more precise, somebody sets her garage on fire. Why who would somebody want to kill Sarah?

This is where Bill Larson comes into the picture. He is a recovering alcoholic, and he's also the detective assigned to investigate the arson case. It doesn't take him long to realizes that someone is targeting Sarah. With the help of attorney Kyle Anderson (who was also the best friend of Sarah's husband), they try to unravel the mystery.

Thomas Nelson; 326 pages; $15.99; Buy Link; Blog Tour

Now available to purchase in bookstores is the third installment in the "A Divine Private Detective Agency Mystery" series, titled "Sister Eve and the Blue Nun" by New York Times Best-Selling author Lynne Hinton.

Sister Eve and the Blue Nun centers on Sister Evangeline, a motorcycling-riding nun who has a habit of solving mysteries. As of lately, she has been questioning her faith after learning the archbishop made the decision that priests and nuns cannot live in the same building; leading her to consider leaving what she has called home and joining her family's detective agency.

Of course it seems some of sort of supernatural force is always throwing a mystery her way and that is exactly what happens when Brother Anthony suddenly vanishes during the night; his disappearance may or may not have something to do with Dr. Kelly Middlesworth, a professor who arrived at Sister Maria de Jesus de Agreda to give a presentation.

Coincidence?

Broadway Books; 352 pages; Amazon

Wow, this year is really going flying by. It seems like it was yesterday when I signed up to review Brooklyn On Fire: A Mary Handley Mystery by Lawrence H. Levy,  but actually it was back in January. I was originally going to read the book right away, but sadly that wasn't how thing worked out, as here I am writing the review for it in May.

Set in 1890, Brooklyn On Fire centers on the private detective Mary Handley, who is just settling into her office when she is presented with a new mystery to solve. Out of nowhere, Emily Worsham comes into her life looking someone to help find her uncle's murderer. And of course, Mary is on the case, but there is one catch - Emily's uncle died over twenty years ago.

Most detectives would probably turn down such a case, but Mary is up for the challenge To unravel the mystery, she must unveil scandals and political corruption inside the New York's elite.

Harvest House; 224 pages; Blog Tour; Buy Link

Now available to purchase in bookstores in paperback as well as on most ebook formats is the new mystery thriller "The Bachelor Girl's Guide to Murder" by Rachel McMillan.

In a cross between a Sherlock Holmes adventure and an Agatha Christie mystery, The Bachelor Girl's Guide to Murder is set in Toronto in the year 1910, where two women, Merinada Herringford and Jem Watts, decide to get into the detective business to help solve the deaths of several young Irish women.

Trying to find clues deep inside the city's underbelly is a bit difficult to do, they must enlist the help of a reporter, Rey DeLuca, and a police constable, Jasper Forth, if they are to unravel the mastermind plot behind the murders.

Rated: PG-13, R; 473 minutes

When it comes to mystery authors, one of the first names that comes to mind is Mary Higgins Clark, who has over fifty novels in publication. Her first mystery novel, Where Are The Children?, was published in 1975 and is now in its seventy-fifth printing! The novel was adapted into the a feature film in 1986. Mill Creek Entertainment has recently released the 2-disc DVD set Mary Higgins Clark: Bestselling Mysteries: 5 Movie Collection, which features Where Are The Children?; The Cradle Will Fall; Lucky Day; Loves Music, Loves To Dance; and All Around The Town.

Where Are The Children? happens to be the first novel that I ever read by Mary Higgins Clark, back when I was a teenager. Though I enjoyed reading the book, I wasn't even aware that there was a movie until I heard about the DVD release. Directed by Bruce Malmuth, the film stars Jill Clayburgh, Max Gail, Harley Cross, Elizabeth Wilson and Barnard Hughes.

Similar to many book-to-film adaptions, this is more of a watered-down version or the original story. The plot involves Nancy Harmon's son and daughter going missing on the seventh anniversary (which happens to also be on her birthday) of other children's, from a previous marriage, disappearance. Of course the police believes she is the prime suspect.

Despite the R-Rating, the film is pretty tame and could have been rated PG-13. I watched the film early this morning, and it wasn't that bad of a movie. Yes, the directing was a little choppy and the music was campy, but it kept my interests for 97-minutes running time.

Cradle Will Fall was published in 1980 and was adapted into a made-for-television movie in 2004, starring Angie Everhart and Ralston. The plot involves Prosecutor Katie De Maio investigating the suicide of a pregnant woman. She quickly realizes that the woman was murdered. As she gets closer to unraveling the murder mystery, she fears that she'll be the next victim.

The Captive Condition
by Kevin P. Keating
Publisher: Pantheon Books
Pub. Date: July 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0804169288
Pages: 288
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Have you ever run across an old Gothic novel from the late 60s or early 70s that had an eerie cover of a young woman running from something? Well, that's exactly what I pictured when I started reading the mystery thriller The Captive Condition by Keven P. Keating last month.

Set in a Midwestern college town, the novel centers on Edmund Campion, a young man takes on odd jobs while attempting to get his master's degree. The one thing that he never expected is to get caught up in a murder mystery, but that is what happens when Emily Ryan, who was having an affair with Professor Kingsley, is found dead in a pool.

Edumund enters a dark world of betrayal as he becomes obsessed with the murder, leaving him to learn about all the town's dark dirty secrets.

Desperate Measures
by Sandra Orchard
Publisher: Revell
Release Date: June 2, 2015
ISBN: 978-0800722241
Pages: 368
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

I'm going to try and catch up on book reviews over the next few weeks starting with this review of Desperate Measures by Sandra Orchard, which I should have written and posted last month. I have a bad habit of judging a book by its cover, which is what occurred when I signed up to review this book. I liked the cover and decided to give it a try without knowing it was book three in the Port Aster Secrets series.

Desperate Measures centers on a herbal research scientist Kate Adams, whom has finally found the so-called "miracle plant" amendoso from Columbia that has haunted her family for years. Her hope is that the unraveling of the mystery will help her learn the truth behind her father's disappearance.

Unable to trust anyone, including her co-workers, she turns once again to Detective Tom Parker for help, whom is already on the case of a missing teen that coincidentally is connected to the "miracle plant." Kate must risk her life and her relationship with Tom to find out the truth once and for all.

A Promise To Protect
Logan Point, book 2
by Patrcia Bradley
Publisher: Revell
Pub. Date: October 7, 2014
ISBN: 978-0800722814
Pages: 336
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Available now on paperback is exciting second novel in the Logan Point series from author Patrica Bradley, titled A Promise to Protect. Unfortunately, I have a new habit of picking out books by their covers alone, especially when the author is new to me. The cover to this book looks like an advertisement for a made-for-television movie on Lifetime. By the cover alone, I predicted that the plot would be either a thriller or mystery with a little bit of romance tossed into the mix. And I wasn't too far off.

I would like to point out that I have never read the first book the series, Shadows of the Past, and it never really bothered me, as 2nd installment is more of a standalone sequel, well at least in opinion it is.

A Promise To Protect centers on single mother, Dr. Leigh Somerall, who has a full set of problems in her life from paying her tuition bills to raising her son. Her life takes an unexpected turn when her brother Ben needs her help, therefore she turns to her ex-love, Ben Logan - the now acting sheriff, for help, but too little too late as her brother is murdered! Though their relationship ended rocky ten years ago, Sheriff Ben Logan vows to protect Leigh and her son from the incoming danger that threatens them.

Deceived
Private Justice, book 3
by Irene Hannon
Publisher: Revell
Pub. Date: October 7, 2014
ISBN: 978-0800721251
Pages: 416
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

With all the historical romance novels that I review on here, many of you probably don't know that I do like reading a good mystery novel. Arriving  in bookstores this month is third installment of the Private Justice series, titled Deceived by Irene Hannon, the bestselling author of the Heroes of Quantico and Guardians of Justice series.

Deceived centers on Kate Marshall, a woman whom has spent the last three years rebuilding her life after the shocking death of her husband and four-year-old son in a boating accident. Then out of nowhere she overhears a young boy on a mall escalator say "poppysicle." Her own son had pronounced the word Popsicle as poppysicle. Now Kate starts to wonder if her son is still somehow alive.

Of course the local law enforcement thinks she is just a grieving mother wanting to believe her son is alive and they don't serach for the boy she heard in the mall. She hires the former Secret Service agent turned private investigator, Connor Sullivan, to look into the boating accident that claimed her family, but she might not be able to handle the haunting truth.

The Sea House
A Novel
by Elisabeth Gifford
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pub. Date: April 15, 2014
ISBN: 978-1250043344
Pages: 320
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/egifford
Buy Link: http://amzn.to/ZSbs53

Review:
 
Released earlier this year is the mystery-romance The Sea House by Elisabeth Gifford. Typically, the only romance books I read are the historical kind, but I was looking for something different to read and that is exactly what I got with this novel.

The Sea House centers a couple, Michael and Ruth, who moves into an old seaside house on the Scottish Island of Harris. At first glance the house is a dream come true, but this house has many secrets buried within it, including the remains of a baby, whose legs were fused together, as if it were a mermaid baby. As I guess you can say that the couple's plans on turning the house into a bread & breakfast are definitely put on a hold.

Being pregnant, Ruth becomes interested in the identity of the baby and the history of the house, which leads her to learn about an amateur evolutionary scientist, Reverend Alexander Ferguson, who once lived in he house during the 1800s. Alexander was investigating the legend of the selkies, a mermaid/seal people that have been sighted in the area for the centuries.

Hidden in the Stars
Quilts of Love series
by Robin Caroll
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Pub. Date: Sept. 16, 2014
ISBN: 978-1426773600
Pages: 224
Buy Link: Amazon
Blog Tour:  http://litfusegroup.com/author/rcaroll

Review:
 
If you have never read a book from the Quilts of Love series, then you're missing out on some great storytelling. The series is published by Abingdon Press, featuring a different author with every new title. Each book has a new plot and a new group of characters, but each and every plot somehow involves a quilt. Typically these books are a straightforward romantic novel, but the newest entry, Hidden in the Stars, is completely different from the others.

Hidden in the Stars centers on Sophia Montgomery, a talented gymnast who has just been accepted as a member of an Olympic team, but all her dreams are quickly shattered when her mother and her are assaulted. Her mother is killed during the incident, but Sophia barely survives, losing her eyesight and injuring her hands. Out of nowhere the grandmother she thought was dead shows up to help Sophia slowly pick up the pieces.

Meanwhile, Detective Julian Frazier is investigating the attack and is determined to catch whomever killed Mrs. Montgomery and injured Sophia. The longer he works on the case, the stronger his feelings for Sophia become. Though he might be able to catch the murderer, he doesn't know if he can help mend Sophia's broken spirit.

Death by the Book
A Drew Farthering Mystery, book two
by Julianna Deering
Publisher: Bethany House
Pub. Date: March 4, 2014
ISBN: 978-0764210969
Pages: 320
Buy Link: Paperback

Review:

You might've remember me reviewing Rules of Murder by Julianna Deering last year, a throwback mystery in the style of the great Agatha Christie. Now, the author is back with the sequel, Death by the Book, and as you can see by the book cover, the author respects the old-fashion mystery genre.

Once again, Drew Farthering is the main Protagonist, who was looking forward to announcing his engagement to the American, Madeline Parker, but fate has other plans for him for the summer of 1932 when a series of murders occurs in the Village of Farthering St.

While he isn't a professional detective, his love for reading Ronald Knox's mysteries and his experiences that occurred during Rules of Murder have prepared him to take on the mysterious new case (including the death of his family's attorney) that has baffled the police. Along at his side is his friend, Nick, who happens to be the butler's son; together they try to link the attorney's death to the murder of a local physician. The bodies keep piling up that is until the police arrest the murderer, but Drew suspects they have caught the wrong person and the killer is still on the loose.

Hocus Pocus Hotel: The Thirteenth Mystery
By Michael Dahl
Illustrator: Lisa K. Weber
Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
Pub. Date: March 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1434265098
Pages: 214

Review:

Arriving in bookstores earlier this month is the third and final book in the Hocus Pocus Hotel trilogy.  I enjoyed reading the first two books in the series, so I was eager to read third installment from author Michael Dahl.


Charlie Hitchcock is pulled out of class by his so-called friend, Tyler Yu, because the magician, Abracadabra, is missing. Abracadabra, or as his friends call him, Brack, is a famous magician that owns the Abracadabra Hotel, and occasionally he does have a habit of faking his death.

Tyler Yu, along with his parents, lives and works at the hotel. Though he isn't exactly friends with Charlie Hitchcock, they do get together to solve the strange mysteries hidden in the hotel. And once again Tyler needs Charlie's help in finding out what happened to Brack.

Rules of Murder
A Drew Farthering Mystery
By Julianna Deering
Publisher: Bethany House
Pub. Date: August 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0764210952
Pages: 336


In the style of Agatha Christie's classic mysteries, comes Rules of Murder, book one in A Drew Farthering Mystery series by Julianna Deering.

Drew Farthering has always loved reading a good mystery, especially the books by his favorite detective author, Ronald Knox. Little did he realize that he would be thrown into a real murder mystery when returns to his family home n Hampshire, England, where his mother and stepfather are throwing a party on the grounds of their country estate. The estate is filled with interesting guests, including the lovely and intelligent American, Madeline Parker, who happens to be his stepfather's niece.

Suddenly, one of the guests ends up dead. Don't forget this is the early 1900s, so there are no cell phones to call for the authorities. Like the game Clue, Drew Farthering plans on finding the murderer himself, but it isn't going to be easy, as no one wants to confess to the crime.

Luckily, Madeline was with him when the murder occurred, so he can rule her out as a prime suspect. Using the murder guidelines he learned from reading Knox's books, Drew along with his best-friend, Nick, (the family's butler's son) plan on unraveling the mystery before someone else ends up dead.