The Introverted Detective

 This book was an easy five stars. It's one of those books where you're just waiting for something to go wrong. The tension is already piano-wire tight and only tightens by the end. I didn't predict the murderer until the end setup made it obvious and said it outright. Let's get into it.  We have two perspectives in this whole book, both women. It reminded me of The Hitchcock Hotel or a modern twist on an Agatha Christie novel. Ware's a modern Agatha Christie. If you like Christie's stuff, you'll love this. Basic plot, a bunch of coworkers (all rich and kind of hipster) get snowed in after an accident on the slopes. As the lights go out, the heat wanes, and everyone gets more and more upset, things get worse. Someone is now dead in the chalet and they don't know who did it. Worse, help has not come, yet.  Spoiler territory So, you want to be surprised by the culprit? Don't read on just yet. It was a twist that made sense and yet, took me by surprise....

 This book is a Philip Marlowe mystery, one that isn't by the original author. The Marlowe series continued under modern authors (just like James Bond) into the 2020s. Some are set in modern day, but this one is set in the same period as the original Marlowe series (1940s-ish). You can tell by the Depression-era references.  This contains spoilers. You've been warned.  I collect Philip Marlowe books. I currently have all of them, unless they come out with more. I'd love to read more of them. This one starts with a rich, eccentric client who lies to him (as usual, for Marlowe) and ends in a strange sort of ending, where you aren't sure whether you should be happy or not. The client wanted a daughter back, allegedly, but was definitely abusive toward the missing woman previously. In other words, she's an adult and left on her own to avoid abuse. Marlowe shelters her for a while, but she ends up coming back when the client is killed by his own mistress.  By the way, th...

This is a decluttering challenge. This round I've decluttered all three books. This was not the intention, but I'm glad I have more space for what I love. Usually, I like at least one. Not today. Read on to see why I decluttered all three.  The rules of this challenge are simple. I picked three random books from "the unread" tab of my book inventory (not including the series I collect). I read them or DNF them. I decide what to do with them at the end of the challenge. I chose three, a good number to handle for one blog. I can do up to five if I DNF two in a row (a rule I added this past year). That's about it for rules. I'm going to go one book at a time.  If you take on this challenge, it is a good rule of thumb to read ten percent or four to five chapters before making a decision. Unless, of course, you hate it already, then you know what to do. I recommend this challenge to book dragons like me. We hoard books, but don't always read them all. We need s...

 I needed a short book to fill some review space, so here's a Nancy Drew book review. This is the 175th Nancy Drew classic - Werewolf In A Winter Wonderland. I collect these books. It's about 150 pages long and should be an easy read to fill some review space. This will not be spoiler free. You've been warned.  The plot of this book is Nancy Drew and her friends working for a winter carnival where things are going horribly wrong (as usual, for a Nancy Drew mystery). There is allegedly a werewolf running around, two wolves missing from a wolf reserve, and the carnival is getting sabotaged in nasty ways. This is all par for the course for these small classics.  Nancy Drew is a teenage sleuth in the small town of River Heights. If you don't know who she is a quick Google search will clear up your confusion. She's been around since the 1930s, starting as books and branching into movies and TV shows. This doesn't feature The Hardy Boys, but that series does connect t...

Down In Flames by Sarah Tunder is part of the Acros Raiders series of fantasy novels. It's the second book in the series. Please read the first book or it won't make sense. Also, spoilers are below. You've been warned.  Down In Flames is a steampunk fantasy novel with a pantheon of gods, various races of people, and an oppressive government restricting religious freedom. This is the second book. The first book centered on finding a traitor amongst a small raiding party. The second book suggests, from the very first chapter onward, that there may be another traitor still in their midst. Our main character, Scotty, is having nightmares about the whole situation, despite the fact she already found the traitor in the previous plotline.  From here on out, we have spoilers. Read it yourself before proceeding further. You've been warned. Don't spoil anything for yourself!  My overall thoughts After getting almost 10 chapters in, I have a few theories on who the traitor is....

 Coming of Age by Andrew Hall is a devotional, with space to put down your thoughts as you go through it. It's written by a friend of mine (who will also see my review on his Amazon page). Let's get into it.  This book features a word a day, with thoughts about that phrase and questions to consider. This is not a fiction book, which is usually what I review. Today I'll talk about my experience with this devotional.  Andrew Hall starts with proving his credibility as a public speaker. He's using this book for his public speaking, in fact, so you might find him motivational speaking before you find this book. He's charismatic, smart, and gives good advice.  My review is not in the same format as my other reviews, mostly because I review fiction primarily (sometimes nonfiction). I will rate it in stars, as usual, but those stars will be based on how inspired I was. This is not my normal way of rating a book. I don't usually review journals and devotionals on my blo...