Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Aknre

 Rich family suffering through out the generations.  

This might have been enjoyable if it was 100 pages shorter.  

3 stars.

Lies He Told Me by James Patterson and David Ellis

 David saves a man from drowning, and it's captured on video and goes viral.  This unleashes publicity that his wife and kids don't need.

I never cared about the characters and the action was pretty dull until the last 75 pages or so.

2.5 stars.

The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny.

 Audio.  14.5 hours.

Read by Ralph Cosham.

Inspector Gamache returns to Three Pines when a woman dies while attending a seance in the old haunted house.  Was her heart attack natural, or something else.

The Other Mrs. by Mary Kubica

 Audio.  12 hours.

Read by Piper Goodeve and Jeremy Arthur.

When Will's sister dies, he inherits her house and her 16 year old daughter.  Will moves his wife and two children to a small island in Maine.  When a woman on their block is murdered, everyone is a suspect.

4 stars.

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

 June(white) and Athena (Chinese) are young writers living in Washington, DC.  When Athena chokes to death while the women are in her apartment, June grabs Athena's unfinished manuscript and notes.  

June revises then publishes Athena's novel, which is selling well until industry insiders begin to doubt it's June's original work.  June is questioned and subject to accusations on the internet because the subject involves Chinese history.

5 stars.

Simply Lies by David Baldacci

 Audio.  12 hours.

Read by Lisa Flanagan and Corey Carthew.

Single mother, and former cop,  Mickey Gibson gets lured in to investigating a murder.

Story was okay, but I didn't really care about any of the characters.

3 stars.

Still Life by Louise Penny

 Audio.   9.5 hours.

Read by Ralph Cosham.

Introducing Chief Inspector Gamache.  His first trip to Three Pines wherein he investigates the death of Jane Neal.

4.0 stars.

A Calamity of Souls by David Baldacci

 A white lawyer agrees to represent a black man who's accused of murdering an elder couple.  Set in 1968 in southern Virginia, so a lot of people are up in arms about it, and try to dissuade the young lawyer, some with escalating violence.

4 stars.

One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware

 Contestants on a new reality show get more than they bargained for when a hurricane passes through and the show's crew never returns to pick them up.  With limited food and water, the cast tries to survive, all while people keep dying.

I liked the book mostly, but the whole ending was a bit of a let down.

3.5 stars.

I added half a star because I was so thirsty as their water was running out.

If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay

Teenage Ali disappears and years later her car is found submerged in a nearby lake, but Ali isn't in it.  Instead, two unidentified men are found in the front seats.  How did they get there, and where is Ali?

The novel is told from three POVs.  I felt it was kind of a rip-off because the stories seem to be occurring at the same time.  I found the last part of the story to be confusing and it felt like there was too much going on.

3 stars.

What Happened to Nina? by Dervla McTiernan

 Nina and Simon spend a week in Stowe, VT, but only Simon returns?  What happened to Nina?  I liked the ending.

4 stars.

A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny

 Audio.  13.25 hours.

Read by Robert Bathurst.

An escaped serial killer is gunning for the man who put him there, Inspector Gamache.  

4 stars.

The Vacancy in Room 10 by Seraphina Nova Glass

 Residents of The Sycamores, previously a motel, interact.  Told from two POV, Cass and Anna.

I almost gave up on this halfway through because it felt like a slog, but it picked up in the second half.

3 stars.

After Annie by Anna Quindlen

 Audio.  8 hours.

Read by Gilli Messer.

When the mother of four children dies, everyone is affected, including the husband/dad and her best friend.

5 stars.

The Block Party by Jamie Day

 Audio.  12.5 hours.

Read by Megan Tusing and Suzy Jackson.

Lots of secrets on Alton Place, some of which erupt at the yearly block party.  Told from the POV of a mother and daughter.

4 stars.

No One Can Know by Kate Alice Marshall

 A couple is shot and killed in their home, and their middle daughter is the main suspect.

4 stars.

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

Audio.  11.5 hours.

Read by Shayna Small.

 In the early 1960s, two light-skinned Black girls run off from their rural lives to the big city.  One of them disappears (with all her belongings) and lives her life "passing" as white, while the other carries on as a Black woman.

There were some unbelievable coincidences, and the ending was not particularly satisfying.

3 stars.

The Museum of Lost Quilts by Jennifer Chiaverini

 Latest Elm Creek Quilters novel focusing on Summer Sullivan.  Snooze fest all the way around.  I had to force myself to finish.

2 stars.

Calico by Lee Goldberg

 Military experiment creates a rip in time into which several unknowing individuals are cast.

5 stars.

Two Dead Wives by Adele Parks

 Two dead wives, but no body.  When Kylie goes missing, it comes to light that she's married to two different men.  One becomes the prime suspect in her death, but the detective in charge is uncomfortable with how conveniently all the evidence points to him, especially with no body.

4 stars.

The #1 Lawyer by James Patterson

This was the dullest Patterson I've ever read.  I didn't care about the characters and there was very little action.  If this was written by someone else (and it surely was), I might give two stars for having the tenacity to finish writing it.  It feels like JP didn't even read this, much less write it.

1 star. 

Calypso by David Sedaris

 Audio.  6.5 hours.

Read by the author.

Collection of essays, standard DS.

4 stars.

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

Millie takes a job as a live-in housekeeper for a wealthy family.  The wife acts crazy, but the husband is handsome and kind.  

This is not fine literature.  There are unbelievable aspects.  Despite this, the book was compelling and i finished it in two days.

5 stars.

What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall

 Audio.  11.25 hours.

Read by Karissa Vacker.

Naomi and her two friends love playing in the woods until Naomi is attacked and stabbed 17 times.  Somehow, she lives and in coached into testifying against the man her friends say attacked her.  Twenty two years later, when the man she helped convict dies in prison, her doubts about her testimony lead her back to her home town to try to uncover the real truth.

4 stars.

The Stranger Inside by Lisa Unger

Three children are attacked in the woods, and only two survive.  The trauma of the attack affects their lives in different way.

This book was such a slog.  So much narrative and so little action.  I usually like Lisa Unger.

2.5 stars. 

The Truth About the Devlins by Lisa Scottoline

 TJ Devlin is the black sheep of his family of lawyers, until he's not.

4 stars.

The Teacher by Freida McFadden

 Handsome high school English teacher preys on female students.  Wife finds out and threatens to expose him.

4 stars.

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

 Three young girls bond in foster care while in the home of an abusive woman.

5 stars.

Close to Death by Anthony Horowitz

Audio.   Downloadable audio book that returned itself before I recorded the length.  About 8-10 hours.

Read by Rory Kinnear. 

Latest Hawthorne novel.  Due to a deadline nearing, Anthony must write about a case Hawthorne solved years ago.  Hawthorne is reluctant to release info and only does so in chunks, not even giving Anthony the solution until the end.  So the novel is not told exclusively in the first person, like the previous in the series.

4 stars.

She's Not Sorry by Mary Kubica

 An ICU nurse accidentally uncovers a patient's past.  Also, there's a rapist on the loose in her neighborhood.

This had a really good twist midway that I did not see coming.  Things that felt overly hammered home: the criminal in the neighborhood, the L train outside the apartment. 

3.5 stars.

The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny

 Audio.  12 cds.

Read by Robert Bathurst.

Professor Abigail Robinson, a statistician, is contracted by the Canadian government to study the death toll of the pandemic.  After doing so, she promotes the theory that resources should not be "wasted" on the sick or elderly.  She begins advocating for mandatory abortions and euthanasia.  And some people don't like it.  Chief Inspector Gamache is tasked with protecting the professor during a local talk and saves her when someone takes a shot at her.  Later, her assistant is killed, but was the professor the actual target.

I liked this, despite the French phrases which would probably be less intrusive in the written novel.  I almost gave up immediately, but I'm glad I stuck with it.

4 stars.

Good Half Gone by Tarryn Fisher

Iris witnesses her twin sister Piper getting kidnapped and spends the next decade trying to find her.

The set up was good, but the ending was just so unbelievable, it ruined the book.

2 stars.

 

Still See You Everywhere by Lisa Gardner.

 Frankie Elkin meets with a soon-to-be executed, female serial killer who wants her to find her sister who's been missing for 20 years.  But perhaps the killer's motives are not pure.  Frankie heads to a remote Pacific atoll to get the scoop.

One:  the murder/suicide was mighty convenient.

Two:  I will forever be haunted by the knowledge of coconut crabs.

3.5 stars.

Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda

Audio.  10.5 hours.

Read by Ines del Castillo.

Hazel returns for her father's funeral and finds strange things happening in Mirror Lake.

4 stars. 

Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? by Nicci French

 Charlotte goes missing just before her husband's 50th birthday party.  Would she have just just left without telling any of her four children?  Thirty years later, it looks like the family may finally find out.  

4 stars.

The It Girl by Ruth Ware

Audio.  17 hours.

Read by Imogen Church.

 

A college girl is murdered and someone it tried and convicted.  When he dies in prison ten years later, still claiming to be innocent, Hannah, the prosecution's main witness starts to worry that she condemned an innocent man.

Story was good.  I liked the flashback format the author used.  Sadly, another smart woman starts doing dumb things.  Sigh.  The narrator was excellent though.

4 stars.

Just the Nicest Couple by Mary Kubica

 A local doctor goes missing.  Is the wife's best friend somehow involved?

I did enjoy the twist at the end.  I had several suspects, but didn't see it coming.

4.5 stars.

The Winners (Beartown #3) by Fredrik Backman

Audio.  21 hours.

Read by Marin Ireland.

I never wanted this book and this trilogy to end.  I miss the residents of Beartown, a small town in the forest who love hockey.

5 stars. 

One More Mountain: Fleeing Iran for America by Mansur Nurdel

I forgot to log this book from May. 

Man facing religious persecution, flees and becomes successful American.  I liked this more than I thought I would.  Parts could have been shorter.

3.5 stars.

Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman

 Audio.  9.5 hours.

Read by Joan Walker.

This was no Beartown story, but it grew on me.  

Britt-Marie leaves her husband after spending her whole married life not working, instead caring for his children by another woman.  After she leaves him, she takes the only job she can find, which is located in a run-down small town.  Despite her short stay, Britt-Marie leaves an impact on the town and its residents, and they on her.

3.5 stars.

The Guest by B.A. Paris

 Laure shows up unexpectedly after an incident with her husband.  She stays well past her welcome, and she should have left sooner.

3.5 stars.

The 24th Hour by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

 Latest in the Women's Murder Club series.   Three unrelated stories that each seem to wrap up so easily, it felt like the writers reached their word limit and just ended things.

I really need to break up with Patterson.  I'm guessing that he's got so much material that soon it'll just be AI stories.

2.5 stars.

The Murder Inn by James Patterson and Candice Fox

 Typical Patterson quick read.  This time Bill runs an inn by the sea in Massachusetts filled with quirky long-term residents.  Lots happens, not much believable, but there are some satisfying moments.

Much better was the novella included featuring Harriet Blue, Black & Blue.  

3.5 stars.

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

 Audio.  21 hours.

Read by Charlie Thurston

Great book with an excellent reader.  I think this is a modern retelling of David Copperfield, but it I ever read it, I don't remember the details...

Damon aka Demon is a kid lost to the foster care system and the opioid crisis. 

This was a heartbreaking story in so many ways, and yet ended with hope.

5 stars.

The Girls in the Cabin by Caleb Stephens

 When a snowstorms catches a family of hikers off guard, they think they've found help when they stumble upon a woman in an old farmhouse.  But their troubles are just beginning.

3 stars.

My Name was Eden by Eleanor Barker-White

 I liked the premise of the novel - Eden drowns, is brought back to like, and now has a new name (of her dead-in-the-womb twin) and personality.  

The book started strong, but fell apart toward the end.  It was never clear if Eden somehow was playing everyone, or maybe really did wake up changed, but changed back into herself.  I also really didn't understand the value of having chapters in the friend's POV.

This is the author's first novel.  I'd read another from her, hoping she's improved.

3 stars.   

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

 Audio.  11 cds.

Read by Marin Ireland.

A small town in the forest is on the verge of a comeback when it's junior hockey team is heading toward the finals.  

This is the first of the trilogy, which I didn't know when I read Us Against You.  Still, even knowing the outcome, the story and writing were well worth listening to.  I was sad to hear it end, and then I just found out about the third book.  

The quiet words of wisdom woven throughout the novel make the story richer than it should be.

5 stars.

Holmes, Marple, & Poe by James Patterson and Brian Sitts

 A new detective agency in Brooklyn manages to anger the chief of police and the mayor almost immediately.  Their crime solving skills seem too good to be true.  

4 stars.

Every Vow You Break by Peter Swanson

Audio.  7.75 hours.

Read by Karissa Vacker.  (Annoying, breathless delivery of the women.) 

An island for rich men to punish their unfaithful wives.  (Eyeroll)

2.5 stars.  I expected so much more from a Peter Swanson novel.

Us Against You by Fredrik Backman

 Audio.  11 CDs.

Read by Marin Ireland.

Hockey is SFB in Beartown.

Once again, the author has created a work of art with memorable characters.  As soon as I finished, I wanted to listen to it again.

5 stars.

The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani

 Myriam and Paul think they've found the perfect nanny in Louise.  But did they?  Set in Paris.

I felt like there wasn't enough explanation of why Louise acted as she did.  And no real info on what happened to her daughter.

3 stars.

The Exchange by John Grisham

 Audio.  9 hours.

Read by Edoardo Ballerini

What ever became of Mitch McDeere, lawyer who helped bring down The Firm?  Fifteen years later, he's working at the biggest law firm in the world, in the NYC office and must handle the ransom demand when an associate is kidnapped.  

3.5 stars.

 

The Day I Disappeared by Brandi Reeds

 Twenty years after a girl is kidnapped, and then returned 94 days later, strange things start happening.

I never once cared about the main character, and I found the best friend's "name" gag-inducing.  There were a good number of possible suspects though, and I did like the mother's narration/thoughts though she was comatose.  Her waking at the end was a bit trite though.

2.5 stars.

Holly by Stephen King

 Audio.  13 cds.

Read by Justine Lupe.

Holly Gibney, now running Finders Keepers, is back.  A missing person's case leads Holly to question whether a serial killer is loose.

Kudos to the author for making me run for the bathroom several times, sure I was going to vomit.  If that's what he intended, mission accomplished.

4 stars.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

 A strange organism begins consuming the sun's energy and the earth is in mortal danger.  Against this backdrop, the nations of the world collaborate on a mission to save mankind.  But how does a junior high school teacher fit in?

I don't usually read science fiction, and I might have given up on this book, except that the characters are so well developed that I stayed with it.  I'm also not a big fan of flashbacks, but they're used well in this novel.

3.5 stars for me, but I bet a sci-fi enthusiast would rate it higher.

Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson

Audio.  8 cds.

Read by Graham Halstead and Sophie Amoss.

After new neighbors move in next door, Matthew becomes a suspect in an old homicide.  Is there anything to Hen's accusation?

This book was ok, but I expected so much more from the author after the other books of his I read.

3.5 stars.

If It Bleeds by Stephen King

Audio.  13 cds.

Read by Will Patton, Danny Burstein, and Steven Weber.

Title novella, and three short stories; Mr. Harrigan's Phone, The Life of Chuck, and Rat.

All classic King, but I could have done without the dead/dying animals.  Subtracted a half star for that.

4.5 stars. 

Someone You Trust by Rachel Ryan

 Amy escapes a domestic violence situation by becoming a live-in nanny for a family across the country, but strange things start happening out there around the time she arrives.

While it was mostly a good story, I hate when women do stupid things for sentimental reason.  

3 stars. 

The New Couple in 5B by Lisa Unger.

I love me an unreliable narrator, but a reliable narrator where everyone else  is lying was too much.  The story could have been good if the people's motives weren't so dumb.

3 stars.

Nine Lives by Peter Swanson

 Audio.  7.25 hours.

Read by Jacques Roy and Mark Bramhall.

Nine strangers receive a list with their names on it in the mail.  When they start being murdered, it's clear this was no random list.

Excellent story.

5 stars.

The Hunter by Tana French

Returns to the characters and setting of The Searcher.  

Trey's dad is back in town and causing trouble.

4.5 stars. 

Choose Me by Tess Gerritsen and Gary Braver

 Audio.  7 hours, 35 minutes.

Read by Kirsten Potter.

A college student jumps to her death, or did she?  

Interesting story told from several POVs.  Enjoyed the reader's performance.

4 stars.

How to Knit a Murder by Sally Goldenbaum

 Boring cozy mystery.  Not enough knitting.

2.5 stars.

Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket by Hilma Wolitzer

Book of excellent short stories.  Despite many of them being old, the themes still resonate.

4.5 stars.

Quitter, A Memoir of Drinking, Relapse, and Recovery by Erica C. Barnett

 Audio.  11 hours.

Read by Jean Ann Douglass

Erica's journey to recovery.  The title really says it all.

4 stars.

Alex Cross Must Die by James Patterson

 No co-author listed, but I find it hard to believe JP was responsible for this.

First of all, nobody is gunning for Alex, so what's with the title?

Secondly, it is once again a bunch of unrelated stories smushed together with constant jumping around.

2 stars.

Shadow of Death by Heather Graham

 The story here might have been good, but I couldn't stand her writing style.  If one more person "murmured" I was going to lose it.  Just use "said".

Gave it a few chapters, but couldn't go on.

Everyone Here is Lying by Shari Lapena

 A 9yo girl goes missing and the detectives find that not everyone interviewed is being forthcoming, especially the girl's father.

I thought this was going to be a 5 star rating until I got about halfway through.  I didn't understand Marion's motivation, or at least how it pushed her to such extremes.  Still, I finished it in one day.  Great story.

4.5 stars.

None of This is True by Lisa Jewell

 Alix Summer is a podcaster who, unfortunately, meets up with Josie, a crazy, dangerous liar.

4.5 stars.

Run Away by Harlan Coben

 Audio.   10 hours 22 minutes.

Read by Steven Weber.

 Daughter of a rich couple gets hooked on drugs and disappears.  

5 stars.

Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger

 I almost didn't read this because the library has it flagged as a holiday book, but it really isn't.

In a town where a young woman was killed 10 years ago, the same night two others disappeared, a true-crime podcaster moves to town to investigate.

5 stars.

Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll

 Supposedly based on some serial killer's actual crimes.  

A killer is on the loose in Florida.  Is it the same person who escaped police custody in Florida?

I read a review on Goodreads:

Bright Young Women, Dull Boring Book.

Or something similar.  This pretty much sums it up.

2 stars.