April ~ 2014

40. Bloody Twist...Carolina Garcia-Aguilera
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Bloody Twist is the seventh novel in the Bloody Series (three murders per book or your money is refunded) featuring Lupe Solano, the Cuban-American private investigator who lives and works in Miami.
Two years after having been shot, (Bitter Sugar), Lupe is back on the job, helping Tommy MacDonald, Miami’s premiere criminal defense attorney and sometime lover, with a case involving his new client, the mysterious Madeline Marie Meadows. Twenty-two year old Ms. Meadows is Miami’s highest paid call girl (her rate: $5,000. per hour), expensive, to be sure, especially in light of the fact that she is a virgin. Although Ms. Meadows has not been charged with any crime, she has taken the precaution of retaining Mr. MacDonald because she feels that it is highly likely that she will be. Ms. Meadows reports that she has been interviewed by Miami Homicide Detective Maxwell Anderson in relation to the murders of two men she knows well: Dr. Steinberg, the ob-gyn who verifies that she is a virgin and Mr. Robinson, a wealthy developer who is her steady client. Although Tommy is drawn to his newest client- originally from Dubuque, Iowa, Ms. Meadows is gorgeous, with a natural blond beauty not often seen in Miami’s plastic surgery happy town- he is skeptical of her story, and asks Lupe to begin an investigation.

In a race against time, Lupe finds herself conducting in effect, two investigations: the first, finding out who murdered three men; and the second, discovering who the ‘real’ Madeline Marie Meadows really is. Along the way, Lupe has to deal with such diverse elements as Napoleon and Josephine, Ms. Meadow’s killer Chihuahuas, as well as the Loredo twins, Ms. Meadows’ pimps, marketing geniuses who thought up the hook of labeling her as ‘Miami’s highest paid call girl who is a virgin’. Lupe enlists the help of her friend, Sweet Suzanne, the well-known Miami madam, and Nestor, the crack investigator to achieve that goal.

41. Bloody Shame...Carolina Garcia-Aguilera
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With her acclaimed debut mystery Bloody Waters, Carolina Garcia-Aguilera introduced Cuban-born PI Lupe Solano, "a woman to be reckoned with on the mystery scene" (New York Newsday). Now the sexy Miami sleuth returns, with a case that strikes dangerously close to home: the investigation of a suspicious car accident that killed her closest childhood friend.

 Finished up the last of this series. I really hope she writes more...these are fun books.



42. One Hot Summer...Carolina Garcia-Aguilera
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A sizzling summer of sexy fun in Miami Beach, where anything can happen . . . and does. Margarita Maria Santos Silva is a woman adamant about making her own decisions in a family that seems to have the future, as well as the rules, neatly laid out for her. After the birth of her son, Margarita is at the end of taking a year off from her stressful legal career and trying to decide whether she should go back to work or stay home and raise her son—the latter being the choice both her overachieving husband, Ariel, and old-fashioned family desperately want her to make.
But when her old law school boyfriend-the handsome Luther Simmonds—shows; up out of nowhere, all hell breaks loose . . . Now she has more than one critical decision to makeand only one hot summer to do it in.

 Although this is by the same author as the Lupe Solano series, this book was horrible! I couldn't stand the main character and didn't really like any of the others. I don't think I will read any more of her stand-alone novels.



43. The Deadhouse...Linda Fairstein
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One of the most haunting buildings in New York City, and perhaps the most dramatically beautiful, the Deadhouse sits on a small island in the middle of the East River. The abandoned structure, like the ghostly remains of a castle, plays in the imagination as a site of mystery and intrigue...a likely place for murder.
Following on the bestselling success of Cold Hit, Likely to Die, and Final Jeopardy, top Manhattan sex crimes DA Linda Fairstein brings her unique blend of authenticity and style to a mesmerizing tale of murder and deceit.
It's the holiday season but there's little reason for cheer at one of New York's most elite colleges. A respected professor is dead; strangled and dumped in an elevator shaft. Lola Dakota's lifeless fingers clutch a few strands of hair, and a piece of paper in her pocket reads "The Deadhouse."
What brought a distinguished academic to such a tragic end? Opportunistic murder seems unlikely as assistant DA Alexandra Cooper, working with detectives Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace, uncovers a distressing pattern of betrayal and terror.
There's proof that Lola's husband, Ivan, wanted her dead. He has an alibi, but could he have hired a killer? Or could one of Lola's colleagues have erupted into unexpected violence? Some of their stories don't quite ring true. And why did Lola have a photograph of twenty-year-old Charlotte Voight pinned to her office bulletin board? Charlotte left her dorm room eight months ago and vanished into the night. Is she dead? Could she and Lola have become victims of the same predator?
Perhaps most puzzling of all are the words "The Deadhouse." What was Lola's connection to this desolate place where people once endured slow and agonizing deaths? And what danger awaits Alex there or on the streets of Manhattan as she targets Lola's killer?

 I'm not sure if I like this author or not. Her books start off slowly dragging and I almost quit reading them, but then towards the middle they finally start picking up and turn out really well. Then they end pretty abruptly. I feel like she has potential, so I will try one more of hers.



44. A Land More Kind Than Home...Wiley Cash
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For a curious boy like Jess Hall, growing up in Marshall means trouble when you get caught spying on grown-ups. Adventurous and precocious, Jess is protective of his older brother, Christopher, a mute whom everyone calls Stump. Though their mother has warned them not to snoop, Stump can't help sneaking a look at something he's not supposed to—an act that will have repercussions. It's a wrenching event that thrusts Jess into an adulthood for which he's not prepared. He now knows that a new understanding can bring not only danger and evil—but also the possibility of freedom and deliverance. Told by resonant and evocative characters, A Land More Kind Than Home is a haunting tale of courage in the face of cruelty and the power of love to overcome the darkness that lives in us all.

 This was a wonderful, sad story. I would definitely recommend this book. It is set in North Carolina and the author was able to perfectly capture the characters and setting.



45. The Calligrapher's Daughter...Eugenia Kim
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In early-twentieth-century Korea, Najin Han, the privileged daughter of a calligrapher, longs to choose her own destiny, though her country—newly occupied by Japan—is crumbling, and her family, led by her stern father, is facing difficulties that seem insurmountable. Narrowly escaping an arranged marriage, Najin takes up a new role as a companion to a young princess. But the king is soon assassinated, and the centuries-old dynastic culture comes to its end. Najin pursues a coveted education and is surprised to find love. After one day of marriage a denied passport separates her from her new husband, who continues alone to America. As a decade passes and the world descends into war, Najin loses touch with her husband. Will the love they share be enough to sustain her through the deprivation her country continues to endure? The Calligrapher's Daughter is a richly drawn novel about a nation torn between ancient customs and modern possibilities, and is a "vivid, heartfelt portrait of faith, love and life for one family during a pivotal time in history."

 Another sad, but well-told story. This poor girl was on a roller coaster of ups and downs.



46. Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library...Chris Grabenstien
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Kyle Keeley is the class clown, popular with most kids, (if not the teachers), and an ardent fan of all games: board games, word games, and particularly video games. His hero, Luigi Lemoncello, the most notorious and creative gamemaker in the world, just so happens to be the genius behind the building of the new town library.

Lucky Kyle wins a coveted spot to be one of the first 12 kids in the library for an overnight of fun, food, and lots and lots of games. But when morning comes, the doors remain locked. Kyle and the other winners must solve every clue and every secret puzzle to find the hidden escape route. And the stakes are very high.

In this cross between Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and A Night in the Museum, Agatha Award winner Chris Grabenstein uses rib-tickling humor to create the perfect tale for his quirky characters. Old fans and new readers will become enthralled with the crafty twists and turns of this ultimate library experience.

 Oh, I absolutely loved this one...it was so much fun! It was full of puzzles, riddles, and tons of allusions to other children's books. And it was set in the coolest library to ever exist...what's not to love?!