Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

 

The plot:  A recovering addict who's been clean for eighteen months, Mallory Quinn, just got a job as a nanny for Caroline and Ted Maxwell's five-year-old son, Teddy, for the summer. She's desperate to prove herself, and they're willing to give her a chance despite her past drug use. And it's all because of Teddy. He's a sweet, shy boy who likes to wear purple and draw pictures of rabbits. He also draws pictures of his imaginary friend, Anya; those aren't as cute. Then his pictures get even darker, showing a man dragging a woman into the forest and then burying her. And Mallory begins to suspect that Teddy is being haunted by something sinister. Was Anya murdered? Mallory gets drawn into solving the mystery in order to protect Teddy, but his parents start to question her honesty...and her sanity. 

My thoughts:  I loved Teddy and how cute he is with Mallory; I also really loved getting to see his artwork throughout the book...and the eerie story his pictures start to tell. And a mystery with a touch of the supernatural like this one has is one of my favorite kinds of books to read. I appreciated the atmosphere and suspense Rekulak creates and how he keeps you guessing about the truth behind the haunting until the very end. This is such a compelling read. I loved it.  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

Grimm Curiosities by Sharon Lynn Fisher

 

First line:  They say York is the most haunted city in England, but I'm probably the only person in it named after a ghost.

The plot:  December 1851. Lizzy Grimm and her mother live above their small shop, Grimm Curiosities. For awhile, Lizzy's mother worked as a medium to help pay the rent, but a year ago she was stricken silent. Now it's up to Lizzy to take care of her mother and to keep her late father's antique shop open, but things aren't going well. She finds unexpected help from Antony Carlisle, the oldest son of the local baron. His younger sister has also been stricken silent. He and Lizzie team up to try and discover why. And they think they just might find the answers they're seeking in her father's treasured set of books about ghosts, faeries, doorways, otherworldly creatures, and yuletide myths. Only someone else really wants those books--an older gentleman who is also interested in Lizzy.

My thoughts:  This book is an enchanting combination of mystery & romance with a touch of fairy tale magic. Oh, and ghosts! I loved the Grimm's small curiosity shop and the ghostly atmosphere permeating York. All the old buildings and narrow alleyways called ginnels made for a great setting. And Lizzy and Antony are both very engaging characters. I loved how their cautious friendship deepened into something more over the course of their search. There's even a ball. And the magical elements made this book even more fun. I thoroughly enjoyed it.  ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Happy Reading! 

Two quick recommendations...

 

Bride by Ali Hazelwood

She's a Vampyre; he's a Were.  They're supposed to be enemies.

She's grown up without love or family. He's never found his mate.

Their arranged marriage is a political alliance. 

They're not supposed to fall in love. 

But then their worlds collide and everything changes. 

This paranormal romance is such a fun read! Misery Lark is a sympathetic and spunky character. And I loved her swoony relationship with Lowe Moreland. There's also great banter and humor.   4.5/5 stars.

Midnight Movie by J.L. Bryan

Ellie Jordan is a ghost trapper. She and her partner, Stacey, are investigating the strange paranormal phenomena happening at a local Drive-In movie theater that's being renovated. Is it being haunted by the ghost of the previous owner? A murdered actress from the old movies that they used to show there? Or something more sinister? This is another fun ghostly mystery with humor, atmosphere and a suspenseful ending. Though it's not as scary as some of his other Ellie Jordan books. Ellie and Stacey and their boyfriends, Jacob and Michael, are great characters. I really like them....and this series.    4/5 stars.

Happy Reading!

The Gathering by C.J. Tudor

 "Black clouds bristled on the horizon. The white snow undulated like a vast frozen sea. A storm was coming, something foul on the air. .... They were back. It was about to begin again."

Plot summary:  When a teen's throat is ripped out in Deadhart, Alaska, Detective Barbara Atkins, a homicide detective and doctor of forensic vampyr anthropology, is called in to investigate his murder. But she's walking into a powder keg. And no one is happy to see her. Because Deadhart is a town full of secrets. The citizens want to cull the nearby vampyr Colony. The vampyrs are fueling for a fight and very ready to defend themselves. The current murder resembles one from 25 years ago. The town's fanatical preacher has her own agenda. The nights are getting colder...and longer. And if the boy's murderer wasn't a vampyr, Barbara just might have a psychopath on her hands.

My thoughts:  The Gathering is a compelling mix of police investigation and psychological thriller with a touch of supernatural horror. And it reads fast. I really like the way Tudor writes, and this book is no exception. It's atmospheric and suspenseful. And Tudor has created an interesting world where vampyrs are a segregated but protected species, although one very much feared and disliked by humans. I did feel like there were A LOT of characters (and even more secrets!) to keep track of, some going far back into Deadhart's past, which made it feel a little convoluted at times. But everything gets wrapped up in a satisfying way at the end, which I appreciated. Though once again I could have done without the epilogue. All in all, I'd give this one 4 stars. 

Happy Reading!

Other books by C.J. Tudor that I've enjoyed:

The Burning Girls

The Chalk Man

The Spirit Girls by Dawn Merriman

 

First line:  I should be afraid, but I'm not.

Plot summary:  Rylan Flynn can talk to ghosts. She and her friend, Mickey, film some of her encounters for their YouTube show Beyond the Dead Investigations. But mostly Rylan tries to help the ghosts crossover. But when the ghost of a young woman leads Rylan to her dead body in the woods near her aunt's house, Rylan finds herself caught up in a murder investigation. Something Detective Ford Pierce is not thrilled about. 

My thoughts:  This is a fast and fun paranormal mystery; it's a little short, and not too scary, and I really liked it. From the ghosts in her home to her penchant for filling her house and garage up with found 'treasures', Rylan is an interesting and likable character. And her longtime crush on Ford hints at the possibility of some romance in future books. It's a very promising start to this new ghostly series. And I look forward to reading more books about Rylan Flynn and the ghosts in her life. 

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Happy Reading!

Gallows Hill by Darcy Coates

 "Gallows Hill is cursed."

From the blurb:  It's been more than a decade since Margot Hull last saw her childhood home. And she was young enough when she was sent away that she barely remembers its dark passageways and secret corners. But now she's returned to bury her parents who died in her childhood home from mysterious circumstances. She's also inherited Gallows Hill and the winery that is her family's legacy...along with all the dark secrets that lie buried beneath the crumbling estate. Secrets she was never told.

My thoughts:  Margot should never have returned to Gallows Hill, not even for her parents' funeral. The name alone hints at its macabre past. And there are worse horrors hidden within. This book is seriously scary. From the ringing of the bells throughout the house, to the blood in the attic, to the reflection Margot keeps seeing in the mirror of her own corpse. And that's just the beginning! The house may be haunted, but what emerges from the tunnels beneath Gallows Hill is like a disturbing nightmare come to life. Coates does an amazing job of building suspense throughout the book, and creating an atmospheric and haunting setting. It gave me chills. And what an ending! I loved this one; it's a great October read.

Happy Reading!

Shutter by Ramona Emerson

 

The plot:  Rita Todacheene is Navajo. She was raised by her grandmother on the reservation, and grew up loving photography; she also grew up seeing ghosts. Too bad her supernatural gift is taboo in Navajo society. As an adult, Rita now works in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as a forensic photographer. She photographs crime scenes, and her gift sometimes helps her see clues the police miss. Though she tries very hard not to let any of the ghosts around her know that she can see them. It doesn't always work. And her latest case just brought a very angry ghost into her life, one who was murdered and who is determined to make Rita find her killers. 

My thoughts:  What a spellbinding read! Rita is such an interesting character. I loved how the author interweaves her childhood and all her first ghostly experiences with her present day life. The well-drawn New Mexico backdrop along with Rita's detailed camera skills ground the novel and give it a real sense of authenticity, which contrasts nicely with all the supernatural elements. And Emerson does an excellent job of creating tension and suspense. I was drawn into Rita's life, and her job, and the mystery surrounding the angry ghost. I really hope Emerson is planning on writing a sequel.  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

The Trailwalker by J.L. Bryan

 

The plot:  Paranormal investigator, Ellie Jordan, and her partner, Stacey, have been hired by Josh and Allison Conner to investigate the old summer camp they just purchased and hope to reopen soon. The camp has a lot of history, not all of it good. Allison is convinced the rustic lodge and cabins are haunted. Josh isn't so sure. But there's a cold mist in the attic, ghostly footsteps at night, something haunting the lake, and an old burial mound near the camp. Ellie and Stacey have their work cut out for them. First, they need to find out who or what is haunting the place, and then figure out how to lay it to rest.  

My thoughts: I love books with a summer camp setting. And a camp that's haunted, too? Even better! This is the thirteenth Ellie Jordan novel that I've read and it's another fun one in this ghost-hunting series. It reads fast. The mystery surrounding the summer camp is interesting. And there's lots of ghostly activity and good supernatural suspense. And the ending is awesome. (Just wait 'til you meet the Trailwalker!) That's what I love most about these books; they all have good endings. They've also got humor, and I really like the main characters. This one can be read as a standalone, although I do recommend checking out the first one, Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper, just because it's so good.

Happy Reading!

Got Ghosts?

 "I hadn't come all this way to run from whatever might be haunting this house. Protecting the living against the evil and restless dead, that's my calling, my only real purpose in life. My intuition, unscientific as it was, told me there was something here, something that might be endangering both of them ... and I wasn't going to abandon them."

The Necromancer's Library by J.L. Bryan is the twelfth Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper novel. These books are very fun ghost stories with good scares, lots of humor, a very likable heroine, and some very creepy haunted houses. I love them. 

In this one, Ellie and her ghost-hunting partner, Stacey, have been hired by two sisters to investigate a haunting at an isolated antebellum home in rural Georgia. It's more library than house, with walls of overflowing bookshelves in every room. They once belonged to Professor Marconi and include medieval occult manuscripts along with books on conjuring spirits, contacting ghosts, and raising the dead. Marconi died mysteriously a few months ago. Is he the one haunting the mansion? Or is the spirit something darker and more demonic? Ellie is determined to find out. 

A house full of arcane and esoteric books is the perfect setting for a haunting. And some very scary things take place in this old house. I loved the mystery and suspense. Stacey's boyfriend, Jake, who is a CPA and reluctant psychic, comes for a weekend to help them out with their case; he always makes me laugh. And that ghostly ending? It's a good one! This book is a perfect read for October. But then, any of J.L. Bryan's books are. 

Happy Reading! 

Other J.L. Bryan ghost stories I've reviewed:

Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper

The Crawling Darkness

Maze of Souls

Hide by Kiersten White

 Fourteen competitors.

Seven days.

An abandoned amusement park.

A sinister game of hide-and-seek.

And a horrific secret.

This is another one of those summer popcorn reads that's not exactly literary or deep, but is fun. Fourteen strangers, all in their 20s, are pitted against one another in a contest, each hoping to win $50,000. But this game isn't about taking the others out, it's all about hiding from the seekers in the ruins of Asterion's old amusement park. And I have to say, the park was my favorite part--very creepy and labyrinthine! Each day, two competitors go missing. And though their disappearances aren't described, it wasn't exactly hard to guess that the mysterious 'seeker' hunting them down was something supernatural. 

I thought White did a good job of distinguishing all fourteen competitors from each other, giving me both characters to root for, and to hate, but there wasn't time for a lot of character development and some characters that I would have liked to know more about didn't get much time or attention. Still, I did have my three favorites. And I thought the dark secret behind the contest and the amusement park and the unnatural creature was a good one. Although it does get more told to the reader than shown. Hide isn't what I would call a super scary or suspenseful novel, but it is fast-paced and entertaining. I'd give it 3.5 stars. 

Happy Reading!

From my TBR shelf...

 

Title & Author:  Dark Magic by Adam Wright

Genre:  Urban Fantasy

Setting:  Dearmont, Maine

Plot Summary:  Alec Harbinger is a preternatural investigator; he looks into cases with a supernatural twist, like when the dead start rising from their graves. He's new to Maine, so when Sheriff Cantrell requests his help on a three-year-old case of a missing woman, he doesn't feel he can refuse. Even though he's already working for the sheriff's daughter.

"This was going to be a nightmare. I would be working with Cantrell on the Deirdre Summers case while also investigating the death of his wife without his knowledge. I wanted to say no and send him on his way but what choice did I have? If I declined the case, he was going to start getting pissy about last night's zombie attack and I'd probably end up in jail."

Why I bought it:  I read and enjoyed the first two books in this series, Lost Soul and Buried Memory, and wanted to know what happened to Alec next.

My thoughts:  This series may not be as well-crafted or as deeply layered as Jim Butcher's Dresden Files or Benedict Jacka's Alex Verus series, but it's still a lot of fun! I really like Alec and his British assistant, Felicity. And there's always lots of crazy magic and fast-paced suspense in these books, too. I'm sure I'll be buying several more books in this entertaining series in the future. 

Happy Reading!

P.S. This book counts towards The Backlist Reader Challenge hosted by The Bookwyrm's Hoard.

Some ghostly reads for October...

I love a good ghost story. Especially when it's set in an old house that's haunted. And Sarah Rayne has written several quietly suspenseful ghost stories in her Nell West and Michael Flint Haunted House Series. There are six books in this series:  Property of a Lady, The Sin Eater, The Silence, The Whispering, Deadlight Hall, and The Bell Tower. It's hard to pick a favorite because they're all really good, but I recommend starting with one of the first ones.  

Another fun series is J.L. Bryan's Ellie Jordan series. She and her colleagues kick ghosts out of haunted places by finding and trapping them. What I like about this series is that the characters are funny, the books are suspenseful, and the endings are always satisfying. I think there are sixteen books in this series. I haven't read them all yet, but I've loved all the ones that I have read. It's best to start with the first book: Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper. But Cold Shadows, Maze of Souls, and The Crawling Darkness are also really good. 

And if you're into ghost stories that have a more classic feel to them, you can't go wrong with either Susan Hill's The Woman in Black or Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House. They've made movies of both of these books, but even if you've seen the movies, I still recommend reading the books, because the books are better.

So if you're looking for some fun ghostly reads this October, these are some to try. 

I list more ghostly books I've read and enjoyed under my Ghostly Reads tab at the top.

Happy Reading!

Urban Fantasy Fun...

 

"I'm Makenna Fraser. I'm not what most people would call normal, never have been, never will be, and I'm fine with that. Members of my family...(are) what my Grandma Fraser called seers. We can see through any veil, ward, shield or spell any supernatural can come up with as a disguise. ... I work for Supernatural Protection & Investigations, also known as SPI. They battle the supernatural bad guys of myth and legend, and those who would unleash them. SPI's mission is twofold: keep the world safe for supernaturals and humans alike, and cover up the truth. ... My job as the seer for the New York office is to point out the supernatural bad guys, then step aside so the commando-ninja-badass monster fighters can take them into custody--or if necessary, take them out."

The Grendel Affair by Lisa Shearin is a fun supernatural adventure. Mac and her partner, Ian Byrne, the tall, dark and dangerous ex-military type, must track down two ten-foot tall monsters that have been unleashed on New York City by an unknown foe, and they only have two days to do it. Because on New Year's Eve, those mythic monsters are going to do some real damage.

There's a lot of mayhem and magic in this book, and some memorable characters, too, like Yasha Kazakov, the Russian werewolf who's one of SPI's best drivers and trackers, and Vivienne Sagadraco, the intimidating founder of SPI who also happens to be a dragon. This book also has some great dialogue, and lots of humor. And plenty of action. The Grendel Affair is well-written, reads fast, and is very entertaining! I liked it a lot. And I want to thank Ashley over at The Rustic Reading Gal for recommending this urban fantasy series; I can't wait to read the rest. 

Happy Reading!

Bloodwalker by L.X. Cain

 A little girl taken from a park in northern Italy.

A boy taken from a playground in Slovenia.

And now a girl from Budapest.

No one had put it together except Rurik. No one realized that each child had vanished on the day of the final performance of the Zorka Cyrka.

Rurik is chief of security at the Zorka circus. With his lightning-scarred face and body he's often mistaken for a monster himself, but he knows the real monster is hiding among the circus performers. And he's determined to stop them before another child is taken. But he doesn't know who he can trust. And other things at the circus keep going wrong.

Then there's Sylvie Dinescu. She's one of the bloodwalking women of the Skomori Clan. She knows there's death and danger at the circus, but she has no idea how she can help find the killer, not when she's just been married off to a stranger. Besides, she knows no one is going to want the help of a Bloodwalker, especially not one who's been cursed.

There's a lot to like about this one! The writing. The circus setting. The characters. The suspense. The strange traditions of the Bloodwalkers. The mystery itself and the horror at the end. I thought it was an entertaining read. And Rurik and Sylvie? I liked them both. All in all, I'd give this one 4 stars.

Happy Reading!

P.S. And no, there aren't any vampires in this one.

Fantasy Fun...

"The prophecies all indicate that the time of darkness .... when Evil will walk free on the earth, roaming where it will and killing whomever it wishes .... will take root on  the day the king sets sail, abandoning his people to their fate."

That time has come. King Richard, along with many of his noblemen, has sailed for the Holy Land leaving his brother, Prince John, to reign in his absence. John's cruelty and greed is quickly made evident to the people. What is less apparent at first is the unspeakable evil that he's brought with him to England. No one's sure how to fight this spreading dark magic, but the prophecies give one glimmer of hope.

"A man will rise and accept the mantle of leadership, to fight a war while the infirm can only watch .... (a man) of Sherwood."

I don't read as much fantasy these days as I used to, but every once in awhile I get in the mood for an epic read with magic and swords (or a bow and arrow in this case), good vs. evil, and an unexpected (and often reluctant) hero. Mark of the Black Arrow, the first book in the Robin Hood: Demon's Bane trilogy by Debbie Viguie and James R. Tuck is a fun retelling of Robin Hood but with a supernatural twist. I liked it a lot. Especially the characters. As the king's niece, Marian is determined to stop Prince John despite the vulnerability of her own position in his court. She forms a small rebellion with Will Scarlet, Alan-a-Dale, Little John and Friar Tuck. But what they really need is a hero to lead them. Only the Hood is just an old legend. And Robin Longstride? He's young and stubborn and hot-tempered, and more at home hunting in Sherwood Forest than he is at his own home. He's also just the man they need if they have any hope of defeating Prince John and the very evil (and not-quite-human) Sheriff of Nottingham.

Talk about a good first book in this fantasy series! I really liked Robin, Marian and Will. And I can't wait to read the next two books. Here's hoping my library gets them in soon.

Happy Reading!

Urban fantasy fun....

Title & Author:  The Veil (Devil's Isle #1) by Chloe Neill

Genre:  Urban fantasy

Setting:  New Orleans, after the Paranormal War.

"On an equally sweltering day in October seven years ago, the veil--the barrier that separated humans from a world of magic we hadn't even known existed--was shattered by the Paranormals who'd lived in what we now called the Beyond. They wanted our world, and they didn't have a problem eradicating us in the process. They spilled through the fracture, bringing death and destruction--and changing everything: Magic was now real and measurable and a scientific fact."

The main character:  Claire Connolly--24, proprietor of the Royal Mercantile Store, a redhead, and a Sensitive.

"I'd moved it with my mind, with the telekinetic magic I wasn't supposed to have. At least, not unless I wanted a lifetime prison sentence .... Magic wasn't a problem for Paras .... but Sensitives couldn't process magic that way. Instead, we just kept absorbing more and more magic, until we lost ourselves completely. Until we became wraiths, pale and dangerous shadows of the humans we'd once been."

The complication:  Liam Quinn, the Cajun bounty  hunter who hunts down wraiths...and Sensitives. Only when he learns the truth about Claire, he doesn't turn her in; he offers to help her learn to control her magic instead.

"I found it suddenly so odd that I hadn't even known this man existed a few hours ago. A wraith attack, his intervention, a Containment interview, a trip into Devil's Isle, and everything that had gone on there. We'd gone from strangers to strange allies."

My thoughts:  Neill's built a grant fantasy world centered around New Orleans. I liked the paranormal war background and all it entails. Neill's characters are also a lot of fun.  I liked how brave and determined Claire is; she and Liam make a great team. I also really liked Liam's paranormal friends. And the supernatural suspense? It's very entertaining. Wraith attacks are increasing. Sensitives are disappearing. There's mystery and magic... and a bit of mayhem, too. What's not to like? I'll definitely be reading the next book in this series.

Happy Reading!

The End of Temperance Dare by Wendy Webb

"I have left a puzzle for you to solve, Eleanor Harper. You, the would-be sleuth. You, of the curious mind. I know you will latch on to it, just as you latched on to the murders of my father and sister all those years ago. I trust you'll be more successful this time. You see, that's why I chose you and brought you to Cliffside. Only you can work out all of the mysteries that are swirling through these halls....my nightmare is over. Yours, however is just beginning."

Brief summary of the plot:
Situated on the shore of Lake Superior, Cliffside Manor was built in 1925 as a TB sanatorium. Decades later, Chester Dare turned it into an exclusive retreat for writers and artists. Penelope Dare, his daughter, has just hired Eleanor Harper to be Cliffside's new director. Eleanor, who spent 20 years as a crime journalist, is looking forward to her new job in this peaceful haven. But all is not as it seems at Cliffside. First, there's an unexpected death. And Eleanor keeps waking up in the middle of the night to the sound of children laughing, only there aren't any children there. Then the five guests--a photographer, a landscape artist, a poet and two writers--all seem to have a connection to Cliffside's past. Why did Penelope bring them all here? And what's the mystery that Eleanor is supposed to solve? And does it have anything to do with the ghostly children haunting the manor?

My thoughts:
This is a very entertaining read. It combines the enigmatic mystery surrounding the Dare family with the history of Cliffside Manor as a sanatorium and a haunting supernatural twist. There's an eerie atmosphere at Cliffside throughout the book that I liked, but the most suspenseful ghostly activity doesn't happen until the last third of the novel. It's the same with Eleanor's attempts to solve the mystery of Cliffside. I felt like she didn't make any real progress until the other guests arrived. Although, to be fair, she doesn't have a lot of clues to go on at first, and none of the servants are exactly forthcoming with their secrets. And the ghostly secrets of Cliffside are as plentiful as they are unexpected. I guessed a few of them, but most I did NOT see coming. Which made for a compelling, if fantastic, ending. I would have liked a few more clues along the way to how this one was going to end because I felt like it came out of nowhere. But it was suspenseful. One other thing bugged me at the end, but to talk about it is to spoil one of the big reveals, so I'll just say this wasn't a perfect read, but I still liked it. What made it even better was reading it with Melody! Be sure to check out her review to see what she liked...and didn't like about this one.

Happy Reading!

Melody's questions to me...and my answers:

1. What do you think of Eleanor and what do you like and/or dislike about her?
For the most part, I liked Eleanor, although I felt she was a little slow to accept the idea that Cliffside might me haunted. And for being a crime journalist, I felt like she kept stopping her investigation into Cliffside's mystery too soon...although I guess the reason for that gets explained at the end. One thing I didn't like is how she was instantly attracted to two of the men she meets at Cliffside, that bugged me. But I liked how she didn't panic or faint at the scary parts. And I liked her interactions with the servants and other guests. Overall, she made a good narrator.

2. In your opinion, what are the attractions of this story? 
The Gothic atmosphere surrounding Cliffside; it's such a cool old manor! And the fact that you know something eerie and creepy is going on there right from the beginning, even though you have no idea what exactly it is. And I always like stories with ghosts, and that have a supernatural twist to the mystery, so that was good, too.

Thanks for another fun buddy read, Melody!

Supernatural suspense...

Rules For Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall

From the blurb:  "Sara's sister disappeared one year ago--and only Sara knows where she is. Becca went to find the ghost of Lucy Gallows and is trapped on her road. ... When Sara and her skeptical friends meet in the forest to search for Becca, the mysterious road unfurls before them. All they have to do is walk down it. But the path to Lucy has its own rules. Every mistake summons new horrors. Vengeful spirits and broken, angry creatures are waiting for them to slip, and no on is guaranteed safe passage. The only certainty is this:  the road has a toll and it will be paid. "

My thoughts:  A small town legend. A missing girl. A haunted road. Eerie atmosphere. Nightmarish creatures. And documentary-style storytelling. What's not to like? This compelling story is a dark and suspenseful puzzle. And that road Sara and her friends are traveling? It's a waking nightmare. I've never read anything by Kate Alice Marshall before, but I really liked her lyrical prose and the way she chose to tell this story. This book doesn't unfold in a traditional linear way; instead, this narrative is a collection of interview clips, cell phone videos, and personal narratives pieced together in a way that builds the mystery and suspense layer by layer. And I really liked it. For me, this YA novel was fun and entertaining. And I can't wait to see what Marshall writes next. 

Happy Reading!

Full Wolf Moon by Lincoln Child

"In the back woods of the Adirondacks, Dr. Logan,

there's history--and then there's mystery."

Both victims were backpackers.

Both were in the vicinity of Desolation Mountain.

Both were killed during full moons.

The park rangers may blame their deaths on bear attacks,

but the locals know better.

They blame the Blakeney Clan.

Dr. Jeremy Logan, a history professor and enigmalogist, comes to Cloudwater, an artist's retreat in the Adirondack Mountains, to finish his monograph on heresy in the Middle Ages. But when Randall Jessup, an old friend from Yale and a ranger in New York's Division of Forest Protection, asks for his help solving two suspicious and savage maulings, he can't help getting involved. Because investigating the strange and inexplicable is what he does. Only this time, what he finds is almost too strange to believe.

Lincoln Child always writes a fun supernatural mystery. Even though this one wasn't nearly as fast-paced or as suspenseful as I expected, I still liked it. Apparently Child has written several books about enigmalogist Jeremy Logan, but this is the first one I've read. I'll definitely be reading more though. Logan is a great character, equally open-minded and skeptical when it comes to proving--or disproving--the supernatural and the occult. I liked him. And the mystery in this one is pretty good. The middle was kind of slow, but the ending made up for it. For me, this is a 3.5/5 star read.

Happy Reading!

Urban Fantasy Fun...

Felix Castor, or Fix to his friends, is an exorcist. Of ghosts. A very handy skill to have since the dead in London started rising ten years ago.

"It's not as bleak as it sounds, because not everyone you lay in the earth comes back; there are a whole lot who are content to sleep it out. Most ghosts are tethered to the place where they died...but sometimes ghosts go walkabout, impelled by ... some unfinished business that won't let them lie quiet. ... (And) a close encounter with a ghost can be an upsetting experience. That's where exorcists come in--both the official church-sponsored ones, who are usually either idiots or fanatics, and the freelancers like me, who know what they're doing."

Only something went wrong a year and a half ago when Castor tried to help a friend, and he's been refusing all exorcist jobs ever since. Then the Bonnington Archive called needing to get rid of a ghost. Castor would have refused this job, too, except he really needs the money. So he reluctantly accepts. But things don't go as planned. And Felix soon finds himself investigating the employees of the archive hoping to discover the identiy of the ghost and how and why she died. That's when things really start to go wrong...and people start trying to kill him.

The Devil You Know by Mike Carey has all the makings of a really good urban fantasy series:  a London where ghosts and other undead creatures are known to roam, a complicated main character with layers and flaws to go along with his gift for necromancy, quirky secondary characters, and great writing. I enjoyed reading this one. I like Carey's take on ghosts and how Castor uses music to connect with and exorcise them. I like that there's potential for more demons, zombies, and loup garous to show up in future books. I like that Castor's complicated past continues to complicate his life now. And I look forward to seeing where this series goes next. If you like books that combine urban fantasy with mystery, you might want to check this one out.

Happy Reading!