Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh

 Newest book from Hyperbole and a Half.  Cartoon adventures about real life.

The only thing I didn't enjoy was the smell of the printing, presumably from all the dyes.

4 stars.

The Perfect Stranger by Megan Miranda

 When Leah reports her roommate missing, the police have trouble establishing whether she ever really existed.

3.5 stars

Dead Girl Running by Christina Dodd

 Audio.  9.5 hours.

Read by Vanessa Johansson

Bad things happen at a resort in Oregon where it seems everyone has a secret.

3.5 stars

The Cipher by Isabella Maldonado

 FBI agent tracks a serial killer, coincidentally, the same one from whom she escaped as a teenager.

3.5 stars.

Murder Thy Neighbor by James Patterson, et al.

 Labeled "true-crime thriller" and it is.  Two stories of murder over ridiculous reasons.  The first, co-written by Andrew Bourelle was better, a real page-turner in the style of early Patterson.  The second was very good, but not quite as compelling.

4.5 stars.

Dead to Her By Sarah Pinborough

 When Georgia blue-blood William married a black woman young enough to be his granddaughter, life in Savannah high society is turned upside down (ish).

Good characterization, will seek out more from this author, despite a few jarring plot jumps.

4 stars.

The Book that Matters Most by Ann Hood

Audio.  9.25 hours.

Read by Nina Alvamar.

 In my excitement of seeing Ann Hood's name on this audio book, I checked it out and started it without realizing I'd read it before.  Even still, it was enjoyable, although the ending was a bit saccharin.  

Local book club each chooses a book that's mattered most to them over the course of their lives.

4 stars.

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

 The novel's first sentence tells us that Lydia is dead.  We spend the rest of the book learning who she is and what happened.  

4 stars.

Never Look Back by Mary Burton

 When one serial killer isn't enough...

Tennessee Bureau of Information agent Melina Shepard teams up with an FBI agent to track 2 killers, one with ties to Melina that are unknown to her.

Good story.  Glad the author didn't have a female lead that makes a bunch of dumb choices, although there were a few.

4 stars.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Alicia goes mute after murdering her husband.  Or did she?  Is she faking?  Did someone else kill him?  Psychotherapist Theo Faber takes an intense interest in her case.  Great twist at the end.  Book was not a page turner, but it was interesting.

3.5 stars. 

The Stepdaughter by Debbie Howells

 Teenage girl in a small English village is found dead.  Is it related to the rumored porn production mill in the area?  

3.5 stars.

When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole

 Black families are being forced from their Brooklyn homes in the name of gentrification.

I really enjoyed the first 3/4 of this novel.  As a white person, it was enlightening to read about life from a black woman's POV.  Then the story became a weird conspiracy story and I didn't like that part as much.

3.5 stars.  

I'm a Therapist and my Patient is Going to be the Next School Shooter by Dr. Harper

 Weird, but strangely compelling, I finished this in one day.  Case files from a therapist with some, him, strange techniques.

3.5 stars

Hush by James Patterson and Candice Fox

 Latest in the Detective Harriet Blue series.  Good, but not great.  I don't love in how much detail the fights are described.

3.5 stars.

1st Case by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts

Genious MIT dropout signs on as an FBI intern.  She might be smart, but she makes some dumb moves.  The computer technical might be interesting to someone younger, but I found it dull.

3 stars.

Camino Winds by John Grisham

 A category 4 hurricane hits Camino island killing local writer, Nelson Kerr.  Or was it murder?  Bruce Cable and his friends are determined to find out.

4 stars.

The Summer House by James Patterson and Brendan DuBois

 This is the worst JP, et al book I've ever read.  I couldn't get through it.  Too many military characters I couldn't keep straight.  And it's disappointing because it started with a good set up.

1 star.

A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler

Audio.  10.5 hours.
Read by Ella Turenne.

 This was a heart-breaking story.  Also, I incorrectly assumed the author was black.  

Brad Whitman, rich white guy, moves his family into an older, established neighborhood and ruins both a beautiful tree and a beautiful, young man.

5 stars.

The Boy from the Woods by Harlan Coben

 Two high-schoolers go missing within days of each other.  Are the disappearances related?  Wilde, who was found alone in the woods as a boy, is now a man and ready to help find them.

Good writing, held my attention, but the ending was a bit convoluted.

3.5 stars.

The Day I Died by Lori Rader-Day

 Anna has been on the run from her ex for 13 years.  When their 13yo son runs away, she must return to her hometown to try to find him.

3.5 stars.

A Good Marriage by Kimberly McCreight

 Audio.  13 hours.

Read by Sarah Zimmerman, Karissa Vacker, and George Newbern.

Lizzy must defend an old college friend, Zac, of murdering his wife.  Set in Park Slope Brooklyn which I enjoyed.  Told from two points of view, Lizzy and the dead Amanda, with excerpts from the grand jury testimony.

4 stars.

The Secrets You Keep by Kate White

 After reading another book by her, I had high hopes, but they were dashed.  This was mostly boring and I never really cared about the characters.

Two women are killed in Saratoga, NY, and Bryn Harper has been around both of them.  Is she a suspect?  Is her new husband?

3 stars.

Find Me by Anne Frasier

 Daughter of a serial killer is brought in to help find the remains of his victims, after he jumps to his death.  Several twists that I did not expect.

4 stars.

The Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz

Audio.  8.5 hours.

Read by Rory Kinnear.

 Second (and sadly, last) in the Daniel Hawthorne detective series.  Hawthorne is hired to solve a murder, and Horowitz tags along taking notes for a book he's writing about it.  Who killed Richard Pryce, a big time divorce lawyer?

5 stars.

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

 Fifteen year old Vanessa has an affair with her 42 year old teacher.  Or was she sexually assaulted?  Even she isn't sure.  What's clear is the relationship shapes her life, and not in a good way.

4 stars.

The Bookseller by Cynthia Swanson

 Audio.  11.5 hours

Read by Kathe Mazur.

Kitty is floating between two worlds she may be apart of.  Is she an independent business woman or a stay at home mom?

3 stars.

Camino Island by John Grisham

 Someone steals F. Scott Fitzgerald's original manuscripts from the Princeton Library and the chase is on.  

4 stars.

Have You Seen Me? by Kate White

 Ally shows up for work to a place she hasn't worked in years.  Doctors diagnose a fugue state, but what caused it?

The ending was a bit of a stretch, but otherwise good.  Read it in two days, which is very fast for me.

4.5 stars

The 20th Victim by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

Latest installment of the Women's Murder Club series.  Most of the book was very good, but they never answered a bunch of questions and it seemed like it was wrapped up in a hurry.

3.5 stars.

The Quiet Child by John Burley

Audio.  8 hours.
Read by Macleod Andrews.

The local weird boy, Danny, is kidnapped.  Who knows more than they're saying?

I suspected the first twist early on, but the final one came out of nowhere!

4 stars.

The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz

Audio.  9 hours.
Read by Rory Kinnear.

A woman is killed the same day she's arranged her own funeral.  Investigator Horthorne invites writer Anthony Horowitz to tag along with idea of a joint book project.

4 stars.

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Serene life in Shaker Heights is upended for the Richardson family when artist, Mia, and her daughter move to town.

5 stars.

The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld

Naomi is a PI specializing in recovering missing children.

3 stars.

Recipe for a Perfect Wife by Karma Brown

When Alice and her husband buy a house, the basement contains secrets from its former owner.

4 stars.

Down a Dark Road by Linda Castillo

Audio.  8 CDs.  Doesn't state the amount of time.
Read by Kathleen McInerney.

Chief Kate Burkeholder tries to prove that a childhood, Amish, friend didn't kill his wife.

4 stars.

Life's a Beach by Claire Cook

Forty-one year old Ginger is living in her parents' garage while she's still figuring out what to do with her life.

I didn't expect to like this as much as I did. 

4 stars.

Furious by T.R. Ragan

Suburban mom will find her children's kidnappers even when the police can't.  Except that she doesn't.  Or maybe she does in the next book?  Did not realize this was a series with no ending to this story.

2.5 stars. 

The Butterfly Girl by Rene Denfeld

Woman who escaped captivity when she was nine, now devotes herself to finding the sister she was forced to leave behind. 

4 stars.

Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler

Micah Mortimer is living a small life.  By the end of the book, it might be expanding a bit. 

Typical Anne Tyler, nothing really happens.  But that's okay.

5 stars

Gwendy's Magic Feather by Richard Chizmar

The sequel to Gwendy's Button Box by Stephen King (with Richard Chizmar).

Very enjoyable story.  I took off a star because of the weird power Gwendy briefly has when she touches something.  That seemed to come out of nowhere.

4 stars.

The Guardians by John Grisham

A small non-profit works to free innocent people in prison.  

3.5 stars.

Most Wanted by Lisa Scottoline

Christine thinks her sperm donor is a recently captured serial killer.

Stupid premise and a stupid protagonist. 

2.5 stars.

Far From True by Linwood Barclay

This seems to be part of a series, at least I hope that's the reason that few of the story lines were resolved.  Too many characters to keep straight.  I almost gave up after the first 50+ pages, but decided to give it a chance.  I wish I'd just moved on to something else.

2 stars.

Okay, I just checked Amazon and this is book 2 of a trilogy.  I guess that's why I was so confused.

Big Sky by Kate Atkinson

Audio.  11.5 hours.
Read by Jason Isaacs

PI Jackson Brodie's chance encounter with a man about to jump to his death leads to him uncovering a sinister network of men.

It seems Jackson is a recurring character, which I don't usually love, but I enjoyed his wry sense of humor and the narrator's embodiment of him.

4 stars.

Such a Perfect Wife by Kate White

Woman jogger goes missing.  Who's to blame?

I never once cared about the victim because there just wasn't enough information about her.  After reading, I found out that this is actually a series featuring the reporter, who I also didn't care much about.

3 stars.

The Missing by C.L. Taylor

Audio.  9.75 hours.
Read by Claire Corbett

Fifteen year-old Billy goes missing in England.  Mom tries keeps trying to find him even as months pass and other family members give up.

4 stars.

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummings

Lydia and her son Luca must escape the Mexican cartels after her whole family is murdered. 

It took me a long time to read this, I think because of the distraction of the COVID-19 pandemic.  I think in normal times I would have read it in a day or two.  Very compelling.

5 stars.

The Black Book by James Patterson and David Ellis

Corruption in the Chicago PD, a brothel's missing black book, and a family of cops that may be involved.

The end was good, but the set up was too long.  I almost abandoned it several times.

3 stars.

Not That I Could Tell by Jessica Strawser

Audio.  12 hours.
Read by Erin Bennett

Suburban mom disappears - on purpose or was there foul play? 

4 stars.

The Oysterville Sewing Circle by Susan Wiggs

I had a lot of mixed feelings about this novel.   The "sewing circle" wasn't really about sewing, so it felt kind of bait and switch for this quilter.  Otherwise, I enjoyed the story.  Good character development if not a lot of plot.

4 stars.

The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King

Audio.  19 hours.
Read by too many people to list.

Short stories a la King.  Very enjoyable listening.  Especially liked the Kindle story.

4 stars.  (You lose a star because the dogs die.)

The Confession Club by Elizabeth Berg

Back to the town of Mason, Missouri, this time with a group of friend who meet weekly to confess things they've been hiding.

5 stars

Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout

Audio.  8.5 hours.
Read by Kimberly Farr.

More a series of short stories than a novel, Anything is Possible is a deep look into the secret lives of people in a small town.

5 stars.

Who Do You Love by Jennifer Weiner

Audio.  12.5 hours.
Read by Sarah Steele and JD Jackson

Andy and Rachel meet in the emergency room one night as children.  Book follows their lives which meet and part over the years.

I didn't love the readers when I first heard them, but I'm glad I stuck with.  They really grew on me.

4.5 stars (as chick lit). 

When You See Me by Lisa Gardner

Sergeant D.D. Warren and FBI agent Kimberly Pierce team up to investigate when skeletal remains are found that might be tied to Jacob Ness.  Flora Dane appears, again, but somewhat less annoying than in previous books.  Probably because of the multiple POVs.

4 stars.

The Lost by James Patterson and James O. Born

FBI special task force takes on human trafficking.  I didn't care about the detectives or the victims, and the first 200 pages didn't even have the Patterson page-turning plot.

2.5 stars.

Transcription by Kate Atkinson

Audio.  11 hours.
Read by Fenella Woolgar

During WWII, MI5 recruits young women as secretaries, and spies. 

4 stars.

Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout

Follow up on the adventures of Olive Kitteridge.  This book seemed sadder to me.

4 stars.

A Noise Downstairs by Linwood Barclay

Paul's friend and colleague tries to kill him, and as he recovers, he is slowly going mad.  Or is he?

4 stars.

Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh

Psychopath frames people for the murders he commits, then works to get himself on that person's jury.

4 stars.