Series update...

Burning Ridge: A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery (#4) by Margaret Mizushima

When Mattie and Robo are called in to help find the charred remains of a murder victim, Mattie has no idea how personal this mystery is about to become. Luckily, Cole Walker, the local vet, has her back because she and Robo are going to need all the help they can get. This book is suspenseful, fast-paced, and such a good read. Robo reigns as my favorite bookish canine; and this particular mystery is my favorite book in this series so far.

Rating: 4/5 stars.

More from Mizushima:  Killing Trail, Stalking Ground, Hunting Hour.

Deadly Rising (A Booke of the Hidden Novel #2) by Jeri Westerson

Strange things are afoot in Moody Bog; both girls and goats are going missing and it's up to Kylie to find the evil creature responsible and return it to the Booke of the Hidden. To complicate matters, her ex-boyfriend has just shown up to try and win her back; and her new boyfriend, Sheriff Ed Bradbury, doesn't know anything about her supernatural woes. Luckily, she has the help of the local Wiccan coven, as well as the tall, dark and handsome demon Erasmus Dark. I thought this was a fun read even though Kylie is such a frustrating character she totally drives me crazy. I kept reading because I love the secondary characters so much. But I think I'm done. Even though this one ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, I just can't deal with this main character any longer. But she might not bug anyone else like she bugs me.

Rating: 3/5 stars.

More from Westerson:  Booke of the Hidden.

Bound (Alex Verus #8) by Benedict Jacka

I love this series! In this one, Alex is back in the service of the Dark mage Richard Drakh, a place he swore he would never be. He only did it to protect his friends. Too bad he couldn't figure out a way to keep Anne from suffering his same fate. The Council and the Keepers are no help; they still want him dead. And for once, his divination magic isn't working, because no matter how many futures he scans, he can't see a way to get them out of their predicament. This is a good one! It's got everything: action, magic, suspense and a great twist at the end. I really, really, really liked it.

Rating:  4.5/5 stars

More by Jacka:  Fated, Veiled, Hidden.

Happy Reading!

Two books in brief...

Cold Shadows:  An Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper novel by J.L. Bryan

Ellie and her ghost-trapping partner, Stacey, have a new case:  a family of four living in an old mansion is being haunted by multiple ghosts. Their teen-age daughter is being plagued by a poltergeist, but even more worryingly, their seven-year-old son suddenly has two imaginary friends who aren't exactly imaginary, and who don't want Ellie and Stacey interfering.

I liked this novel as much as I did the first one in this series:  the ghosts are scary, the characters are personable and funny, and the ending is suspenseful. It had an added twist to it with the poltergeist that I kind of liked. This novel's only fault? It's too short. Just 176 pages. It's main focus is on the haunting and trapping of these malevolent ghosts, which might not be enough story for everyone. But I thought it was a fun ghostly read!

Hunting Hour: A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery by Margaret Mizushima

Detective Mattie Cobb and her K-9 partner, Robo, are back. This time they're searching for Cole Walker's youngest daughter, Sophie, who's gone missing. The police are afraid she's been abducted. Compounding their fear is the recent death of another young girl who looks a lot like Sophie. Mattie, along with Robo, are determined to find her in time.

I liked this particular mystery even more than the first two in this series. Mattie is struggling with some personal demons in this one, but she and Robo are still an amazing team. And the last half is a real page-turner. I read it in a day.

Happy Reading!

Other books in these series:
Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper
Killing Trail (Timber Creek K-9 Mystery #1)
Stalking Ground (Timber Creek K-9 Mystery #2)