The Hazel Wood

by Melissa Albert

Alice has grown up running to keep ahead of the bad luck that seems to follow her and her mother but sometimes not very successfully.  Then one day her mom tells her their luck just took a turn for the better, Alice’s grandmother has died.  You see, Ella’s mother happens to be the famous reclusive author Althea Prosperpine.  Alice found a copy of her grandmother’s book of dark fairy tales once.   Ella ripped it from her hands, demanding she never read them.  Like any teen, Alice promptly began the search for a copy of the collection.  The only thing she could ever find was an article about her grandmother in an old copy of Vanity Fair. 

Having always tread a wide path around her grandmother’s fans, when Alice’s mother is stolen from their apartment, leaving behind a horrid stench and a note from Althea’s book addressed to Alice on her pillow she knows she must find Ella.  How is she to find her when Ella’s instructions strictly forbade her to go to the Hazel Wood and she has never read her grandmother’s stories.  Looks like she is going to have to recruit Finch, a huge fan and the closest thing to a friend that Alice has ever had. 

This book will have many devoted fans just as Althea’s book.  Albert moves her characters flawlessly through the many varied and veiled woods.  Be wary as you traverse her netherworlds, they are heavily atmospheric and authentic.  Her writing imparts you with the heavy, foggy sense of loss that is the mystique of the Hinterland, Half Wood and Hazel Wood.  After finishing this plum of a novel, you will look over your shoulder often, questioning whether character in the shadows is human or from the Hinterland.  This will be a hit with readers of all ages.  I hope Albert likes to travel and talk to people.  She is about to experience a lot of both.

I wish to thank the publisher for generously providing an Advanced Reader’s Copy through NetGalley for my honest review.

Pub:  Flatiron/Macmillan

Pub Date:  January 30, 2018

ISBN:  9781250147905

Genre:  Contemporary/Urban Fantasy

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays n

I love having guests in our home.  We live in a beautiful state with many wonderful areas to share with visiting friends and family. 

However, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, I’ve been so busy with visitors and activities that I’ve not posted anything in a long time.  I’ve been stealing little bits of time to read.

I would like to encourage you to visit local businesses for holiday shopping and if it’s a local bookstore, why that is even better!  There are so many good books for everyone on your list. 

There are shelves of mysteries, fantasy, science fiction, and general fiction.  There are some great non-fiction titles out there, too. 

A book is a gift that can be used again and again.  If you aren’t sure what book to purchase, a gift card from your bookstore is a great idea.  The recipient can shop and purchase whatever genre and title suits them best.  Trust me, a reader is never disappointed to receive a gift card to their favorite store.

Have a wonderful holiday with your families and friends.  

A Murder for the Books

by Victoria Gilbert

Amy Webber finds being the newly hired director of the Taylorsford Public Library very different from her previous position at the university.  However, she’s trying to forget that position, as she left crawling from the spotlight after making a scene when discovering her former partner wrapped within the vibrating strings of his lead violinist. The small town begins to waken when Amy discovers a missing, elderly patron dead in the building that houses the archives.  Old tales of the town begin to surface and rumors of major development begin to shake it further.  As the heat gets turned up at City Hall, things heat up for Amy when meets her aunt’s new neighbor and the two set out to get to the bottom of the mess.  Amy just hopes they can do it without anyone else getting hurt, herself included.

This story is reflective of what is happening in many of the small towns across the U. S.  Everyone wants a piece of the pie but at what price?  As the larger cities price themselves out of the affordable living range, many are flocking to the smaller towns in search of a quiet, friendly place to set down roots and raise their children.  Gilbert gives us a taste of that little piece of pie but shows us that it can be sprinkled with pits and sours.  She reveals the greed and avarice that can rise from the feelings of familial entitlement.  Her characters are mostly good hearted, small town folks.  Her bad eggs are pretty rotten.  This is a good little cozy mystery with a dark core.  I look forward to more from Taylorsford and its library director.  Well done.

I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for approving the Advanced Reader’s Copy for my honest review.

Pub: Crooked Lane Books

Pub Date: December 12, 2017

ISBN:  9781683314394

Altered to Death

   A Faith Hunter Scrap This Mystery

by Christina Freeburn

Faith has been commissioned by the local historical society to create a scrapbook to be displayed in the newly refurbished Everton House.  As the renovations begin to pick up steam, skeletons and secrets begin to be uncovered, literally.  Unfortunately for the town of Eden, not all the secrets uncovered remain within the grounds of the Everton House. 

Freeburn’s scrapbooking mystery is a cozy, satisfying book to jump into while kicking back on a winter’s afternoon.  It may be cozy but don’t let your guard down.  There are violent perpetrators and shady characters lurking about.  Faith finds herself in dangerous circumstances more than once.  This is a highly enjoyable installment to the series.

I wish to thank the generosity of the publisher and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader’s Copy for my honest review.

PUB:  Henery Press

PUB DATE:  November 28, 2017

ISBN:  9781635112795

Genre:  Cozy Mystery