The Pandora Room

by Christopher Golden

“Weird shit” indeed!  Christopher Golden is an artist at using mythology and ancient history to bring current and contemporary issues to the forefront without browbeating us with the politics. His characters are realistic and easy to get to know and get comfortable around.  All have flaws or issues they are dealing with but Golden doesn’t drag the story down making them maudlin with them.  As the story comes to its climax, a few dwell on their past decisions, but wouldn’t we all? What Sophie Durand and her team find in the mountains of northern Iraq will use those issues against them.  It’s a wonderous discovery that could give authenticity to the mythological story of Pandora’s box.  As wonderful as this discovery is, a special team of scientist and operatives are dispatched to protect the dig only to find themselves trapped within the subterranean dwelling with an ancient horror determined to unravel their sanity and an all too real battle being fought above them by jihadis who are willing to do anything to get their hands on the find.  Man has been warned over thousands of years about the evils contained within Pandora’s box.  Will the arrogance of modern man be their downfall?  Pick up this one and be prepared to lock-in and join in the battle for human kind.  Golden never fails to deliver on the ‘weird shit.’  ‘Weird shit’ indeed!!!

I wish to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me access to the Advanced Reader Copy for my honest review.

PUB:  St. Martin’s Press

PUB DATE:  April 23, 2019

ISBN:  9781250192103

GENRE:  Horror, Suspense, Thriller

Lost History of Dreams

by Kris Waldherr

Robert Highstead is tasked with the grim journey that will fulfill the last request of his, previously unknown, cousin.   Upon his arrival, Highstead is enfolded into a house filled with the redolence of grief, resentment and neglect.  As he attempts to complete the wishes of his cousin, he will be forced to face the ghost of lost love, his and those that walk the halls of Weald House.

For fans of dark gothic tales rich in yearning romance within a haunted home on the Shopshire moors will relish Walkherr’s novel.  Each chapter leads you on a different path and will keep you hooked until the end.  The pages are filled with ghosts of memories real and imagined.  It’s up to you to decide which is which.  Wrap yourself in a blanket with a warm beverage and allow yourself the day to walk the cold, damp moors to figure it out.  Teens who are fans of the Brontes, Dickens or even Victoria Holt or Phyllis Whitney will gladly disappear within the pages of this novel.

I wish to thank the publisher for providing an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this novel for my honest review.

PUB:  Touchston/Simon & Schuster

PUB DATE:  April 9, 2019

ISBN:  9781982101015

GENRE:  Historical Fiction/Romance/Gothic Fiction

The Ghost Manuscript

by Kris Frieswick

I look for books that hit all my favorites.  A little mystery, old books, libraries, ancient myths, and an adventure.  The Ghost Manuscript hit all of these.  Frieswick even throws a little romance into the mix.  I envy Ms. Carys Jones.  She has the perfect job.  She authenticates Dark Age texts for potential buyers and reads ancient Latin like it’s her native tongue.  When she is given the task of verifying a library inventory for one of her favorite clients, it’s a tough assignment.  As she works her way through the shelves, she uncovers a secret that could change the path of history. She begins to question the validity of what she is reading and she wonders if this is what put her client in a psychiatric hospital.   Carys rapidly learns the truth and the dangers in this revelation.  She’s not sure how she should progress with her information but she soon finds a guide to assist her on a quest that will take her to Wales and back to her own backyard. 

This was a very entertaining novel and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.  The overall quest was a great surprise for me but didn’t change my mind as I continued reading.  I highly suggest this one for readers of Dan Brown, even Clive Cussler though this doesn’t have all the toys available to Dirk Pitt.  This is pure enjoyment reading at its best.  It’s a great one for teens who enjoy their pages filled with great suspense with a little romance thrown in for good measure.  Good reading~

I wish to thank the publisher and NetGalley for access to the Advanced Reader Copy for my honest review.

PUB:  Post Hill Press

PUB DATE:  April 2, 2019

ISBN:  9781642930245

Genre:  Adventure, Myths, Legends, Mystery, History,

Chocolate a la Murder: A Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum Mystery

by Kirsten Weiss

As the proprietor of San Benedetto’s Paranormal Museum, Maddie Kosloski is always in need of ways to generate extra income so she can move out of her aunt’s garage apartment.  The cities current Wine and Chocolate Days event is pulling in the customers and the addition of the haunted Mexican whisk called a molinillo, used to create a special chocolate drink that rattles when someone tells a lie, is a hit. However, the late delivery of purchased chocolate from the exclusive Reign chocolate shop leads Maddie to the discovery of one of the partner’s body, covered in chocolate.  Her best friend’s wedding stress adding to Maddie’s woes along with her former beau, Mason popping in and out of the museum and acting suspicious. I mean, seriously?  How ‘normal’ can things be when you run a paranormal museum? 

In this fourth installment of this series, Weiss packs in a detailed filled mystery.  She’s not heavy handed with the details of how the murder takes place but gives us just enough detail that you really need to pay attention as you read.  The series is filled with realistic characters and fun items that make you wish you had a paranormal museum in your town.  I often wonder how she discovers the items Maddie adds to her museum collection and Herb, her supplier, is a laugh out loud character.  Weiss’s series is sprinkled with situations that lighten up the darker moments and Maddie’s curiosity and conscience often lead her to trouble.  This is a great addition to this mystery series and I can’t wait to see what kind of trouble Maddie gets into next time.

#ChocolatealaMurder   #PerfectlyParanormalMuseumMystery  #NetGalley      

I wish to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing an Advanced Reader’s Copy for my honest review and no monetary compensation was provided for my review.

PUB:  Midnight Ink

PUB DATE:  March 8, 2019

ISBN:  9780798757131

Genre:  Cozy Mystery

While You Sleep

by Stephanie Merritt

Discouraged by the direction her life and her marriage has taken her, Zoe Adams decides to take control and rents a house on an isolated Scottish island to rejuvenate her desire to paint.  Too late, she discovers the house is filled with a history that the local residents are trying to keep secret but could have dangerous repercussions to Zoe and those who choose to befriend her.

The current trend in unreliable narrators is fully realized in Merritt’s current novel.    To add fuel to the fire, she incorporates the gothic ghost story.  From the first chapter you get the unwelcome antagonistic feel of the locals and it sets the dark mood of the story. This is a creepy and highly addictive read. The narrative is filled with stormy dark scenes that suddenly erupt in misleading sunshine only to drop you into the dark again. She has an excellent grasp on ways to describe her characters that keep you cringing and screaming in your head, “don’t let him in!” or “don’t talk to her!”  You want to stop reading but you are unable to because you must continue to make sure everything is going to turn out okay.  The novel has several erotic scenes so I would be sure to only offer it to older, mature teens.

I wish to thank the publisher for providing an Advanced Readers Copy for my honest review.

PUB:  Pegasus Books/W.W. Norton & Co.

PUB DATE:  March 5, 2019

ISBN:  9781643130057

Genre:  Psychological Thriller, Gothic

The Stranger Diaries

by Elly Griffiths

From the very first pages of this novel, I was seeing a little-known British horror movie in my head.  The more I read, the more it bothered me that I couldn’t remember the name of the movie.  It didn’t have any big-name actors that most Americans would recognize.  After a day’s search, I finally remembered an actor and found the movie.  The atmosphere of this book was the same as this movie.  Our main character in this book is an English teacher who wishes to write a biography of Gothic writer R. M. Holland whose only novel, The Stranger, deals with death.  A murder.  As it happens, the home of the famed writer has been converted into a school.  Our English teacher works at this school.  She is stalled on her writing, so her teaching helps with the bills and provides a school for her teenage daughter.  Her good friend is found murdered, a line on a note from The Stranger left beside her body.  From this point on the safety bar locks in place and you are on a steady moving ride that will take you on so many twists and turns you made need a dose of Dramamine.  When you arrive at the end, you will be gobsmacked and the safety bar will unlock.  This is a stand alone novel by Griffiths and any fan of her Ruth Galloway or Stephens and Mephisto series will be pleased with this offering.  Hopefully, those unfamiliar with Griffiths will pick this up and discover a real gem. 

The movie?  It is called Dark of Night.  The actor I remembered is Sir Michael Redgrave.  It’s a highly atmospheric film about a man who shows up at a country house and realizes it’s a house from a recurring dream that is a portend of his impending doom.  #TheStrangerDiary  #NetGalley

I wish to thank the publisher and NetGalley for generously allowing access to the Advanced Readers Copy.

PUB: HoughtonMifflinHarcourt

PUB DATE:  March 5, 2019
ISBN:  9781328577856

GENRE:  Mystery

The Rook and Stiletto

by Daniel O’Malley

“The body you are wearing used to be mine.”  Thus the opening line of The Rook by Daniel O’Malley as he hooks you and drags you into the world of Myfanwy Thomas  (pronounced Miffany)  and the life of a Chequy (pronounced shĕ-kay) operative.  O’Malley’s imagined world is filled with beings and creatures no one but O’Malley could come up with.   They are fun, dark and Myfanwy is one spirited young lady that surprises everyone around her, including herself.  The Chequy is an organization that protects the normal (that’s you and I) against the forces of the supernatural that wish to harm us.  You think, ‘oh sure, another vampire book.’  Uh no. There are creatures within the pages that you are very glad are within those pages and O’Malley’s mind.  These books are filled with dark, nasty creatures but you will find yourself laughing out loud.  The dialogue is catchy and you feel like you are part of the group gathered around the coffee pot in the break room.  Trust me, Ms. Thomas can drop the F bombs better than most!  Stiletto continues the woes of the Chequy and mixes in their major nemesis, The Grafters.   More chaos ensues but for the characters, O’Malley give them the personalities of a good friend or neighbor.  The personalities and dialogue make them very relatable, not so much their line of work. 

I listened to the audios for these and I can’t recommend them more.  Susan Duerden narrates The Rook superbly and Moira Quirk lends her narration talents to Stiletto.  The audios are long but worth the time devoted to their listen.  The books top out at over 400 pages, so that should give you an idea of the detail O’Malley gives his plots.  In the Rook, one drawback is the lack of notice between the character’s thoughts and the letters that are left for Myfanwy that are left for the former occupant of her body.  In Stiletto, there are very long gaps between the chapters that often make you think you hit the pause button.  However, stick with these audios and you won’t be disappointed. The emotions and frustrations of the characters is given front stage with these narrators.  Even when they are lying on a surgical table wondering if they are nude.  So calm, so cool.

If audios aren’t your forte, I highly recommend the books.  These are great reads for fans who like their supernatural and paranormal stories hinting at things that could be lurking behind the day to day ‘normal’ life.