Friday Memes: Pay Dirt Road by Samantha Jayne Allen

 Happy Friday!

Book Beginnings is hosted by Gillion at Rose City Reader. She asks that the first sentence is posted along with the author and title of the book and the reader's initial thoughts on the sentence, the book, or anything else it inspires. 

Carrie at Reading Is My Superpower.org also provides a linky for sharing first lines and connecting with others. This meme asks that the chosen books be PG or marked as Mature if they are not. 

The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda at Freda's Voice. This meme is currently on hiatus but many of us are still including a sentence from page 56 or from 56% of the ebook. Anne @ Head Full of Books is picking up the slack until Freda is ready to return. I think this link will get you to the correct place. 

Beginning:

At night we rode up to the old railroad tracks on the west side of town, turned the headlights off, and waited for the dead to appear. 

Friday 56:

I scrambled out of the booth. "They'll want to eat," I said to Wyatt just as the bell on the door jangled. He nodded and opened his textbook, sticking his nose in it with mock seriousness. I went to the counter to fill some water glasses and Fernando sidled up beside me. 

This week I am spotlighting Pay Dirt Road by Samantha Jayne Allen. It is the first in the Annie McIntyre mystery series. It also won the 2019 Tony Hillerman Prize. I chose this book because I have the third in the series on my review stack. Here is the description from Amazon:

Friday Night Lights meet Mare of Easttown in this small-town mystery about an unlikely private investigator searching for a missing waitress. Pay Dirt Road is the mesmerizing debut from the 2019 Tony Hillerman Prize recipient Samantha Jayne Allen.

Annie McIntyre has a love/hate relationship with Garnett, Texas.

Recently graduated from college and home waitressing, lacking not in ambition but certainly in direction, Annie is lured into the family business—a private investigation firm—by her supposed-to-be-retired grandfather, Leroy, despite the rest of the clan’s misgivings.

When a waitress at the café goes missing, Annie and Leroy begin an investigation that leads them down rural routes and haunted byways, to noxious-smelling oil fields and to the glowing neon of local honky-tonks. As Annie works to uncover the truth she finds herself identifying with the victim in increasing, unsettling ways, and realizes she must confront her own past—failed romances, a disturbing experience she’d rather forget, and the trick mirror of nostalgia itself—if she wants to survive this homecoming.

Audiobook Review: The Bronze Skies by Catherine Asaro

The Bronze Skies
Author: Catherine Asaro
Narrator: Morgan Hallett
Series: Major Bhaajan (Book 2)
Publication: Recorded Books (June 11, 2018)
Length: 13 hours and 11 minutes

Description: Tough female P.I. exploring the underworld of a vast star empire. Book 2 in a new series set in the world of Catherine Asaro's Skolian Empire series.

Major Bhaajan achieved the impossible. Born to the Undercity, the slums below the City of Cries on the planet Raylicon, she broke free from crushing poverty and crime to become a military officer with Imperial Space Command. Now retired from military duty, she walks the mean streets of Undercity as a private investigator. And she is about to embark on her most challenging case yet.

Summoned by no less than the Ruby Pharaoh herself, Major Bhaajan is tasked with finding a killer. But this is no ordinary murderer. The Ruby Pharaoh witnessed a Jagernaut cut down Assembly Councilor Tap Benton-which shouldn't have been possible. The Jagernauts are the elite of the elite soldiers in the Imperial Space Command. What's more, the spinal node implanted in all Jagernauts should have prevented the murder. But the Ruby Pharaoh is sure of what she saw, and she has reason to believe that the Jagernaut will kill again. Now, Major Bhaajan must hunt down a killer before it is too late. To do so, she must return to the one place on Raylicon she knows best: Undercity.

My Thoughts: The second Major Bhaajan mystery takes Bhaaj deep into the Undercity which has been inhabited by her people for years. Only recently, the Majda and other residents of the City of Cries learned that the residents of the Undercity have a much higher than normal number of psions.

Psions are essential to the survival of the Imperialate on its vast network of planets. But Bhaajan is determined that her people not be exploited. She wants help because they live in poverty and suffer from birth defects because of their millennia of inbreeding but she wants the help in a way that fits in with the culture of the Undercity. 

When the Jagernaut accused of murdering a man flees to Raylicon and the Undercity, the Ruby Pharaoh hires her to find the woman. But the search leads Bhaaj to a much more dangerous thing than one out of control Jagernaut. An EI is waking up and has the goal of wiping out humanity. Its waking is disturbing the Psions in the Undercity and wreaking havoc with the mental network that runs things. 

Bhaaj, the Ruby Pharaoh, and an order of monks must find a way to defeat the EI which calls itself Oblivion before all humanity is destroyed. 

This was an enjoyable and exciting second episode in the series. I like seeing Bhaaj's growth as she comes to terms with her past and begins to build a new future for herself and for her people. 

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Cockatiels at Seven by Donna Andrews

Cockatiels at Seven
Author: Donna Andrews
Series: Meg Langslow (Book 9)
Publication: Minotaur Books; Reprint edition (June 30, 2009)

Description: It's time for more outrageous and feathered fun in the award-winning, laugh-out-loud Meg Langslow series.

When her old friend Karen drops by with two-year-old son Timmy, Meg Langslow reluctantly agrees to babysit "just for a little while." But when nightfall comes, the toddler is still in residence and Karen isn't answering any phone calls. Meg decides she must find out what's happening, so the next morning, with Timmy in tow, she retraces her friend's footsteps---and begins to suspect that Karen's disappearance is tied to at least one serious crime. Has Karen been killed or kidnapped? Is she on the run from the bad guys? Or is she one of the bad guys? The police don't seem to care, so Meg once again plays sleuth---this time with a toddler as her sidekick.

As usual, Meg's extended family adds to the complications in her life. What covert animal welfare project are Dad and the curmudgeonly zoologist Dr. Montgomery Blake working on---and will Meg have to make another late-night trip to bail them out of jail? Why does Meg's brother keep disappearing---is he merely trying to avoid babysitting, or is he involved in something more mysterious? Will taking care of Timmy dampen newly married Meg and Michael's enthusiasm for starting a family of their own? And are any of Meg's relatives reliable enough to be trusted with a two-year-old---especially a two-year-old whose whereabouts might be of interest to some very dangerous people?

Donna Andrews once again proves her skill as one of the funniest, most entertaining mystery authors around.

My Thoughts: When an old friend comes and asks Meg to look after her toddler for a while, Meg agrees. But when her friend Karen doesn't return for Timmy in "a little while," Meg begins looking for her with a toddler in tow. 

Searching for Karen leads to discovery of an embezzling plot at the college where Michael teaches and to possible animal trafficking which greatly interests not only her dad and her new-found grandfather Dr. Montgomery Blake but also the DEA, FBI, and other alphabet agencies. 

With her dad and grandfather storing snakes in her laundry room and birds in one of the third-floor bedrooms, animals have their usual roles in this series. There is Jade the Emerald Tree Boa who is in the middle of a difficult shed. And let's not forget Spike who is his usual irritable self. 

This was another fun episode in a long-running series. 

Favorite Quote:

"Lost something?" I asked.

"Oh, no," Dad said.

"Just one of the snakes," Dr. Blake said.

"But not here," Dad said quickly. "Back at the zoo."

"And you're only looking here because the light is better," I said. "I see. What kind of snake? Is it poisonous?"

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Blood Red Summer by Eryk Pruitt

Blood Red Summer
Author: Eryk Pruitt
Series: Jess Keeler Thrillers (Book 2)
Publication: Thomas & Mercer (May 14, 2024)

Description: Second in the Jess Keeler Thrillers series, this moody installment follows the podcaster’s investigation of one brutal, bloody summer in a former mill town and the shocking truths brought to light.

Hot on the heels of her podcast debut, Jess Keeler looks for another unsolved crime to investigate―this time with a documentary crew in tow. But she can’t seem to find the right case…until a handsome stranger approaches her in a bar in Lake Castor, Virginia, with an incredible story about wrongful conviction.

The Lake Castor sniper struck in 1984. Terrorizing the historically Black part of the old mill town, the killer claimed five lives. No one seemed worried about the first four victims. But when journalist Hal Broadstreet was killed, the police were suddenly interested. They arrested a suspect two days later.

But did they get the right man?

As evidence emerges pointing to a false confession and a murky connection to three bootleggers’ murders, Jess closes in on the truth―and risks landing in the sights of the true sniper.

My Thoughts: Jess Keeler had success with her first podcast about a cold crime in her hometown of Lake Castor. However, success has led from podcasts to true-crime documentaries complete with a crew who don't necessarily share her viewpoint or reasons for investigating cold cases.

When she meets a man in a bar with a story about his uncle who he feels was wrongly accused of being the sniper who killed five people and wounded a sixth in an event that happened in 1984, Jess agrees to interview his mother and becomes interested in the case. 

Since all but one of the victims was Black, there was little to learn about the crime and the police seemed to just push it aside. The only one who really seemed to look into it was Hal Broadstreet -- the only reporter left on a failing newspaper that is turning into a tabloid complete with stories of alien abductions. It happens that he was the final victim of the killer known as the Lake Castor Sniper.

The story is told in two time periods. In the present, Jess Keeler is looking to make a documentary about the Lake Castor Sniper and being pressured by the money men funding the production and the local police to look into the unsolved murder of a local bootlegger that happened at the same time. 

The second time period is told by Hal Broadstreet who is looking into both crimes. He had been with the bootlegger earlier in the evening on the day someone broke it and brutally murdered him and two other men who were at the apartment. His focus is on solving that crime and wondering at police indifference when it turns out that the main suspects were members of a motorcycle gang. It is only when another of his friends who was at the murder site was killed by a sniper that Hal learns about the random killings in the Back Back - the Black part of town. 

This was an interesting story that was packed with action. I could feel Jess's frustration with her new job which she felt pulled her away from her goal of finding out the truth and put the focus on making an exciting documentary even if it ends up not being a truthful one. 

This is the second book in a series. 

Favorite Quote:

"Dear Jesus," Jess sighed. "This may actually be the lowest point in my career."

Sandy blinked her eyes in disbelief. "Are you kidding me?" she asked. "You're the producer of a true-crime documentary that -- with any luck -- will be the number one streaming show."

"I wanted to tell the truth. I wanted to find justice."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Disturbing the Dead by Kelley Armstrong

Disturbing the Dead
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: A Rip Through Time Novel (Book 3)
Publication: Minotaur Books (May 7, 2024)

Description: Disturbing the Dead is the latest in a unique series with one foot in the 1860s and the other in the present day. The Rip Through Time crime novels are a genre-blending, atmospheric romp from New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong.

Victorian Scotland is becoming less strange to modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson. Though inhabiting someone else’s body will always be unsettling, even if her employers know that she’s not actually housemaid Catriona Mitchell, ever since the night both of them were attacked in the same dark alley 150 years apart. Mallory likes her job as assistant to undertaker/medical examiner Dr. Duncan Gray, and is developing true friends―and feelings―in this century.

So, understanding the Victorian fascination with death, Mallory isn't that surprised when she and her friends are invited to a mummy unwrapping at the home of Sir Alastair Christie. When their host is missing when it comes time to unwrap the mummy, Gray and Mallory are asked to step in. And upon closer inspection, it’s not a mummy they’ve unwrapped, but a much more modern body.

My Thoughts: Mallory and her friends are invited to a mummy unwrapping party in this third book in the Rip Through Time series. She is settling in as Duncan Gray's assistant as he helps the police with their investigations and becomes one of the first forensic scientists. 

When the host of the mummy unwrapping party disappears, Gray needs to step in and unwrap the mummy to prevent the well-healed guests from rioting. Unfortunately, the unwrapping leads to the discovery of Sir Alastair Christie's murdered body. 

There are a number of suspects to the murder from a young suffragette protesting Sir Alastair's stand on women attending medical school to his sponsor for his Egyptological investigations to someone who wanted either the mummy for the production of medicine or who wanted the antiquities to enrich themselves. 

Mallory, Gray and McCreadie explore lots of possibilities as they investigate the murder. Mallory even visits an underground market where suspicious items are routinely sold in the company of Queen Mab. 

And all the while they are investigating, they are plagued by a series of broadsheets depicting the "adventures" of the mysterious Doctor Gray and his winsome assistant. Searching for the author of those broadsheets adds another task to the busy investigators. 

Mallory, who has been trying to find a way back to her own time period since her arrival in Scotland in 1869, does find her way home in time to say goodbye to her beloved grandmother. But then she, with her parents' encouragement, makes the decision to return to 1869 where she has found a group of friends and a purpose for her life. 

I enjoyed this story very much. I liked the modern young woman who is making her life in a time period that is not her own. I liked that she was concerned with "spoilers" - things she knew about the future which she couldn't share. I also liked the way the other characters accepted her. There was quite a bit of humor in this episode. 

Favorite Quote:

"Then ask her to tell you about the town called Chicken because no one could spell 'ptarmigan.' At least someone will believe that tall tale."

"Hey, can you spell 'ptarmigan'?" I say.

"I do not even know what a ptarmigan is, and I am quite certain you are making that up, too."

"Actually, she's not," McCreadie says. "It's a type of grouse found in very cold regions. Do not ask me to spell it, though I am pleased to know something you do not, Duncan."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Locked in Pursuit by Ashley Weaver

Lost in Pursuit
Author: Ashley Weaver
Series: Electra McDonnell (Book 4)
Publication: Minotaur Books (May 14, 2024)

Description: The fourth instalment in Ashley Weaver's delightful series, Locked in Pursuit follows safecracker Electra McDonnell fighting Nazis at every turn as World War II looms over London.

Safecracker Ellie McDonnell hasn’t seen Major Ramsey―her handsome but aloof handler in the British government―since their tumultuous mission together three months before, but when she hears about a suspicious robbery in London she feels compelled to contact him. Together they discover that a rash of burglaries leads back to a hotbed of spies in the neutral city Lisbon, Portugal, and an unknown object brought to London by a mysterious courier.

As the thieves become more desperate and their crimes escalate, it becomes imperative that Ellie and Ramsey must beat them at their own game. Fighting shadowy assailants, enemy agents, and the mutual attraction they’ve agreed not to acknowledge, Ellie and Ramsey work together to learn if it truly takes a thief to catch a thief.

My Thoughts: Ellie McDonnell hasn't seen Major Ramsey for a while but then she reads of a robbery that seems wrong to her and goes to him to ask if it might be suspicious. He tells her that it is the third suspicious robbery though the other two didn't make the newspapers. 

When they go to ask some questions, it becomes apparent that there is something very suspicious about the crimes. It seems the Nazis are looking for something that has made its way to London from Lisbon. And they are willing to kill to find it. 

Meanwhile, Ellie is dealing with some information about her father that is concerning to her. She has some evidence that he was a spy for Germany in WWI. A coded letter leads her to make a bargain with a mathematician neighbor. She also owes a favor to a local gangster for some information he provides to help track down the unknown thieves. 

Although she has promised not to commit any more robberies while working with British intelligence, she just has to do a favor for a friend and pay off a debt. Retrieving blackmail letters and getting a crook into an office to place a wiretap isn't really robbery - at least in her opinion. Major Ramsey disagrees. 

This was an engaging episode in the series. It was packed with action. I liked that both Ramsey and Ellie are acknowledging their feeling for each other even if neither sees a future together. I can't wait for the next story in the series. 

Favorite Quote:

"So," I said, "to put it in a nutshell: the Germans want it, but we don't want them to have it. Whoever does have it may be inclined to give it to someone else we don't want to have it. So the best thing we can do is get it for ourselves."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (May 6, 2024)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

Want to See What I Added to My Stack? links to Stacking the Shelves hosted by Marlene at Reading Reality.

Other Than Reading...

This was a nice week even though it was cloudy and rainy all week. I played chauffeur for my brother who needed to drop his car off for some maintenance but otherwise stayed close to home. 

We tried a new recipe for a one-pan chicken and rice twice this week. The first time we used a pan with a glass lid that was apparently not oven safe since it shattered into shards when Bill went to take it out of the oven necessitating that the meal be thrown away. We settled for take-out Chinese that night for dinner. We tried the recipe again later in the week using our trusty Dutch oven and it turned out to be a recipe we enjoyed and added to our keeper collection. 

That was our only adventure in cooking. I did, however, also make a chicken and vegetables recipe that has been a family favorite since the 1980s since it came from a microwave cookbook with a 1979 copyright. We have made it many times over the years, and it is always a hit.

I received a gift from author Sarah Beth Durst this week too. She had emailed me asking if I would like a copy of her newest middle grade book. (She has me on her list when she has new releases.) I certainly said yes and greatly enjoyed Spy Ring when it arrived on Thursday. 

Otherwise, I finished my May review copies and set up my June calendar which will be filled with lots of the books I added to my TBR pile this year. Most of the June review books seem to be bunched for June 4 release which means they will be part of my May calendar. In fact, I plan to read them this coming week. 

I am gradually rebuilding my cushion on my calendar. I'm almost at three weeks ahead. I prepared my State of the Stack post and gathered statistics for my April reading this week too. 

April Report

I read 38 books in April. Twenty were mine and eighteen were review copies. Of the books that were mine, nine were from my TBR pile and eleven were rereads. Thirteen of my books were audiobooks for a total of 174.6 hours of listening. 

I added 25 books to my collection in April. Eight were review copies. Six were audiobooks including two from Chirp and one from Audible Plus. I used 3 Audible credits this month which brings my banked credits down to two. I added 11 Kindle books to my collection including two Kindle Daily Deals and five from BookBub. Four of my new Kindle copies were free. Nineteen of my new arrivals are still marked TBR. In my defense, eight marked TBR are also review books which will be read closer to their release dates. 

My total To Read stack which includes Rereads but not Review copies stands at 2522 today. 

Read Last Week

• Mind Games by Nora Roberts (Review; May 21) -- Another excellent standalone thriller filled with great relationships and a creepy psychic villain. My review will be posted on May 16.
• Toll of Honor by David Weber (Mine) -- This epic science fiction story revisits and expands on earlier events in the Honor Harrington universe. My review will be posted on May 18.
• Original Twin by Paula Gleeson (Review; June 1) -- Thriller about a young woman searching for her missing twin and learning more about her mother's past too. My review will be posted on May 21. 

• The Vanished Seas by Catherine Asaro (Audiobook Reread) -- This science fiction mystery combines a search for murdered people with a rogue EI (evolving intelligence) and visits a number of places on Raylicon. My review will be posted on May 23.
• If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay (Review: May 28) -- Another excellent twisty thriller from a master. My review will be posted on May 22.
• Banker by Dick Francis (Audiobook Reread) -- Tim Ekaterin is a merchant banker who gets involved in a mystery when his bank loans a trainer multi-millions to invest in a stud. Great story. My review will be posted on May 28.

• All's Fair in Love and War by Virginia Heath (Review; May 28) -- Cute historical romance between an uptight Navy officer and a free-spirit governess. My review will be posted on May 23.
• Spy Ring by Sarah Beth Durst -- Middle grade adventure combining a treasure hunt and American History. My review for this May 21 release will be posted on May 22. This book was an autographed gift from the author. 

Currently

• May Day by Jess Lourey (Mine since 2010)
• The Jigsaw Assassin by Catherine Asaro (Audiobook reread)

Next Week

• Don't Ask, Don't Follow by Mary Keliikoa (Review; June 4)
• Smoke and Mirrors by M. E. Hilliard (Review; June 4)
• A Botanist's Guide to Society and Secrets by Kate Khavari (Review; June 4)

• Dead Tired by Kat Ailes (Review; June 4)
• Just Some Stupid Love Story by Katelyn Boyle (Review; June 4)
• Ribbon Dance by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Review; June 4)

Reviews Posted

• Star Struck by Marjorie McCown (Review copy)
• People in Glass Houses by Jayne Castle (Review copy)
• Undercity by Catherine Asaro (Audiobook)

• Murphy's Law by Rhys Bowen (Audiobook)
• A Lonesome Place for Dying by Nolan Chase (Review copy)
• Wicked Enchantment by Anya Bast (TBR Pile)

Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

Review:

• Long Time Gone by Hannah Martian (Review; October 15)
• Burn This Night by Alex Kenna (Review; October 15)

• Buried Lies by Steven Tingle (Review; November 12)
• A Legend in the Baking by Jamie Wesley (Review; November 19)

Bought:

• The Clockwork Dagger by Beth Cato (Kindle Daily Deal, $1.99)
• May Day by Jess Lourey (Kindle Daily Deal ($2.49), Audiobook ($1.99))
• The Murder Club by Alexandra Ivy (BookBub, $.99)

• The Body in the Bookcase by Katherine Hall Page (BookBub, $.99)
• Spy Ring by Sarah Beth Durst (Gift from the author & autographed too)

What was your week like?