Since I’ve been a bit better about posting as I have finished books this week I find myself without a book to review. Bailed Out by Rebecca Zanetti is in progress and it’s part of a series. I’m enjoying her books right now for some reason but know that I have abandoned them in the past. I guess they just require the right mood. IDK It is international mystery month here at BaW combined with the letter I. That means I will hopefully get around to reading a book I have been saving for the letter I, Inspector Imanishi Investigates. I bought it months ago planning to immerse myself in Japanese mysteries at some point this year. This book was published in Japan in 1961 and the author was both prolific and extremely popular.https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112895.Inspector_Imanishi_Investigates?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=oPsC26wr5X&rank=1 In the wee hours of a 1960s Tokyo morning, a dead body is found under the rails of a train, and the victim’s face is so badly damaged that police have a hard time figuring out the victim’s identity. Only two clues surface: an old man, overheard talking in a distinctive accent to a young man, and the word “kameda.” Inspector Imanishi leaves his beloved bonsai and his haiku and goes off to investigate—and runs up against a blank wall. Months pass in fruitless questioning, in following up leads, until the case is closed, unsolved. But Imanishi is dissatisfied, and a series of coincidences lead him back to the case. Why did a young woman scatter pieces of white paper out of the window of a train? Why did a bar girl leave for home right after Imanishi spoke to her? Why did an actor, on the verge of telling Imanishi something important, drop dead of a heart attack? What can a group of nouveau young artists possibly have to do with the murder of a quiet and “saintly” provincial old ex-policemen? Inspector Imanishi investigates.

Some spooky listening has been happening. I finished Dracula on audio. One of my all time favorite books! I also treated myself to the last book in the Haunted Yarn Shop series by Molly MacRae. The narrator does an awesome ghost! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40554531-crewel-and-unusual

I apparently already own it.....2013!

This link is taking me to my main amazon page not to the book. Just wanted to let you know.

At some point I acquired the first three books in a series titled The Librarians Vampire Assistant and am now binging. They are reminiscent of Fred the Vampire Accountant but not quite as good. The first book is currently free on Kindle……https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38336890-the-librarian-s-vampire-assistant Who killed Michael Vanderhorst’s maker? It’s a darn good question. But when the trail brings Michael to hellishly sunny Phoenix, Arizona, his biggest problem soon becomes a cute little librarian he can’t seem to stay away from. He’s never met a bigger danger magnet! Even her book cart has it out for her. And is that the drug cartel following her around, too? “Dear God, woman! What have you gotten yourself into?” Things go from bad to worse when local vampires won’t play nice. Can this four-hundred-year-old vampire keep his librarian safe and himself out of hot water? Can he bring his maker’s killer to justice? Yesterday, he would’ve said yes. But yesterday, he didn’t have a strange connection with a librarian. Yesterday, people weren’t trying to kill her.

My main book for last week was a newish fictional book by Sarah McCoy titled Mustique Island and it was all about Mustique back in the 70’s. Princess Margaret, the Glenconnors and all the things I read about in Anne Glenconnor’s book Lady in Waiting.https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52105595-lady-in-waiting The main character of the book was a fictional Texan who found her way to building a house on the Island after divorcing her wealthy British Husband. It stuck pretty close to the storyline from Lady in Waiting and was enjoyable. I probably didn’t need to read both! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58842704-mustique-island I am still filling in my bookchains which is a fun way of reading books that would otherwise never make it into my world. I read a fun contemporary romance set in Scotland by Donna Hoffman (new author for me) which had a version of a The Bachelor type show being filmed in a Scottish Castle. Light and fun, the title is The Great Scot. After that I get to read the new Donna Andrews for that book chain. I am still listening to Rebecca Zanetti books but need to take a break and listen to some other books that I have checked out before they are returned.

I just finished listening to the latest book to be translated by Kotaro Isaka, the author of The Bullet Train. Three Assasin’s https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60310785-three-assassins was good. Probably not as good as Bullet Train because it lacked the strict time element of a train ride. From GR: Suzuki is an ordinary man until his wife is murdered. To get answers and his revenge, Suzuki abandons his law-abiding lifestyle and takes a low-level job with a front company operated by the crime gang Maiden, who are responsible for his wife’s death. Before long, Suzuki finds himself caught up in a network of quirky and highly effective assassins:The Cicada is a knife expert.The Pusher nudges people into oncoming traffic.The Whale whispers bleak aphorisms to his victims until they take their own lives.Intense and electrifying, Three Assassins delivers a wild ride through the criminal underworld of Tokyo, populated by contract killers who are almost superhumanly good at their jobs.

Thank you for the thread, Robin! I finished listening to a hugely blushworthy romantic suspense book by Rebecca Zanetti and perfected my ability to fast forward as those scenes went on forever. That said I liked Deadly Silence and it’s characters a lot https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28963805-deadly-silence and just figured out its a spin off from another series I probably should have read first. Not sure what to do now! Forward or back to the original……. I started The Old Woman with a Knife which is being mentioned favorably all over the place. It’s a recently translated book about an aging female assassin in South Korea. I am not sure I plan to keep going. Honestly it’s depressing and beyond the fact it features an assassin agency not all that interesting so far. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57938998-the-old-woman-with-the-knife My bookchains………at the start of the year my goal was to do two 22 book chains. I am around book 15 on both which means finishing is still possible. I am going to work on these in hopes of finishing. They give me an excuse to read lighter books frequently which I am in the mood for.

I am finally getting caught up on my way back through the alphabet. Nothing Ventured by Jeffrey Archer was the first in one of his series and had an N. I have never read anything by Jeffrey Archer who is pretty prolific and popular so wanted to find a reason to try one. I really liked the characters and enjoyed the book so I probably will make my way through the series on audio since my library has them. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43263542-nothing-ventured Now the latest in the Lady Harleigh cozy series was just plain entertaining and was my M. I had thought the series was losing itself in its popularity but the wedding of Frances and George (the main characters) was an event filled with murder as well as being entertaining. I officially love this series again. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59201093-a-bride-s-guide-to-marriage-and-murder So for L I am reading the latest by Charlie Lovett an author that I have really loved in the past. The Enigma Affair isn’t as good. The formatting on Kindle is really bad for a newly published book with not even a skipped line between timeframes which is unsettling. The story is great in places but much of this book is spending so much time jumping between groups of unbelievable characters and situations that I can’t get too caught up in it. I may end up loving the ending and give it a 4*. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60201081-the-enigma-affair

I just lost my post so am going to do a much shorter version! I have been having fun with Spooky……. I found a good new to me series, The Slaughtered Lamb Bookstore https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53825514-the-slaughtered-lamb-bookstore-and-bar checked a lot of boxes. Hailey Edwards is an author that I enjoy listening to her paranormal stuff. I started her Black Hat series last week. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58452582-black-hat-white-witch Swamp Spook https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42246178-swamp-spook and another in the Vampire knitting club were also enjoyed.

More of a thriller. They are on the mild side description wise for a thriller but not really cozy level. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40118199-broken-stern

After several days without internet I am back online! Power came back after only one day, woot! I read a lot of fun comfort type reads so some contemporary romances were part of the package. I also finally cracked open a set of bargain Kindle books I bought over a year ago because they are set on Pine Island where part of my childhood was spent.....opened in honor of Ian and the huge damage the island sustained. I am currently binge reading this series and want to say that Jack Hardin did a fabulous job with the location. A pet peeve of mine in books that are essentially selling a location is when the author screws up the location by turning in the wrong direction etc when I know the location. If too much is wrong location wise I frequently have to abandon the book. In these books the main character lives basically 200 yards from my old house (how amazing is that) so if location wasn’t well done I would notice it quickly. I’m on book three and still finding Ellie the CIA agent turned DEA agent entertaining..... I finished my personal spelling challenge for last month by reading books with E’s. So Exposed by Laura Griffin, The Black Eyed Stranger by Charlotte Armstrong, and The Eagle Catcher by Margaret Coel were all enjoyed while waiting for power and internet to be restored. As many of you know I love spooky month and plan to read a stack of cozy’s with spooky characters this month! I have a stack ready to go featuring library ghosts and knitting vampires! Can’t wait!

Last week was a bit of a blur for me in terms of jet lag but I did finish a couple of books I don’t think I have mentioned. First a French golden age type mystery by Jean Patrick Machette called No Room at the Morgue. This series is compared to Mickey Spillane frequently and it was very similar. I’m not a huge MS fan so my giving it a 3* was probably as good as it was ever going to get! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52656430-no-room-at-the-morgue My plane book (after rejecting several!) was The Unkept Woman by Allison Montclair. It’s the latest release in her marriage bureau series and is probably my least favorite to dat. A bit too heavy on the post WW2 secret spy part of the series and not enough matchmaking! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58724871-the-unkept-woman Finally my audiobook and my Q…..Quarter to Midnight by Karen Rose was romantic suspense well done. I was totally entertained. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59575977-quarter-to-midnight from GR There are good cops. And there are bad cops. The question is…who wins? After completing her tours with the Marines in Iraq, Molly Sutton knew she could take down any bad guy she met. But when her law enforcement agency in North Carolina turned against her, she joined up with her former CO Burke Broussard, who left New Orleans PD to set up a private investigative service for people who couldn’t find justice elsewhere. Gabe Hebert saw the toll that working for the NOPD took on his dad and decided instead to make a name for himself as one of the best young chefs in the French Quarter. But when his father’s death is ruled a suicide after a deliberately botched investigation by his former captain, Gabe knows his dad stumbled onto a truth that someone wants silenced. Gabe goes to his father’s best friend, Burke, for help. Burke assigns the toughest member of his team, Molly, to the case. Molly can’t believe she’s being asked to work with the smoking hot chef whose chocolate cake is not the only thing that makes her mouth water. Sparks fly as they follow the leads Gabe’s dad left them, unraveling a web of crimes, corruption, and murder that runs all the way to the top.

I just finished the first book in a historical romance series that has a paranormal theme for one of my bookchains. It was surprisingly good and i am looking forward to continuing the bookchain with the next in the serie. A Wolf in Duke’s clothing by Susanna Allen.......https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54438803-a-wolf-in-duke-s-clothing Alfred Blakesley, Duke of Lowell, has long been an enigma. No one dares to give a man of his stature the cut direct, but there's simply something not quite right about him. What would the society mamas say if they learned that the something they sensed was the fact that Alfred is a wolf shifter...? He's been looking for his mate for a long time, but not just any young lady will do for him, or for his pack.Felicity Templeton has one goal: to remain unmarried. If she can manage that until her twenty-fifth birthday, she stands to inherit a large fortune. But when she meets Alfred, the dashing duke is determined to have her for his very own...and a wolf who's a duke can be very persuasive...

The first one in that series was already sitting on my Kindle. Planning to try it soon!

Thank you for starting us off, Robin. I always enjoy the seasonal challenges and may go looking for a book set in the fall. That said I am trying really hard to catch up with the alphabet challenge so I guess I need to find an autumn book with a P!😂 I am almost done with Ruby Fever by Ilona Andrews and really enjoying it. That’s R. I also started listening to a new series by Karen Rose called Quarter to Midnight which I am loving. That’s Q. Several Bookchain reads etc are in my stack.

I didn’t know it was going to be the last book! I’m on the hold’s list and looking forward to that and what feels like a hundred other books. 😉😂. I will hopefully finish Patricia Briggs Soul Taker today and move on to the new Ilona Andrews with an R in the title. Trying to get my alphabet caught up!

My T is done! I read one of my Golden Age mysteries, Death in the Tunnel, that I have been hoarding by Miles Burton who also wrote one of my favorites from that era (The Secret of High Eldersham). This one started with a fascinating almost locked room murder and went on and on in great detail which led me to giving it a 4* instead of a 5*. The murder of a successful business man took place in the first class compartment on a train while it was inside a railway tunnel that took roughly 5 minutes to pass through. On the evening of the “suicide looking murder” a mysterious red light that changed to green appear in the center of the tunnel causing the train to slow down quickly before regaining speed. The corridor door was locked when the body was discover but the door leading outside was not. I enjoyed the how the did it greatly!

Thank you for the thread, Robin. Im still not getting much reading done but did finish Desparation in Death this morning. It was great! I am trying to catch up on the alphabet backwards and am still on T. Hoping to make progress this week!

I love Secret Agent Man type books and haven’t read a good one lately so I’m looking forward to digging into Robin’s lists and finding a good, possibly new to me one! Thank you for starting us off and all the links, Robin. This hasn’t been a huge reading week for me. I finished Round up the Usual Peacocks by Donna Andrews which was so much fun! Then read Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Stewart. I loved that one too although some of her other books are better.

I thought I would mention that there appear to be several books that look to be good coming out this fall, some in series and others stand alones. My overdrive has a coming soon section and I just filled my hold’s up and put another ten or so on my wish list. As I managed to be first on several I think they just got added even though I haven’t looked in a few weeks.

@tuesdayschild I hope you both have a marvelous time antique/book shop hopping this weekend! I need to look for the Oaken Heart as it sounds like something I would enjoy. I love Peter Grainger too! I have finally finished all of them which is sad. Have you tried any of the post retirement ones? I read one and enjoyed it, hoping my library will purchase the rest on audio as I really love the narrator for that series. I am part way through the Tom Bower MM book and have to say it has been fun to know something closer to the truth for all the press a certain person has been receiving this week! I am finishing up my self assigned monthly spelling challenge (August was Truman Capote) by reading Donna Andrews latest Round Up the Usual Peacocks. Her Meg Lanslow series is always entertaining. I recently finished her series featuring a sentinent. AI and really enjoyed listening to those. Next up is Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Stewart (from my kindle stash) unless the library delivers a different N book as that is the last letter I need.

Thank you, Robin! I’m looking forward to reading the new Patricia Briggs. Glad you are enjoying it! I started the new Laura Griffin last night which is a police procedual. Shadow Fall is number 10 in her Tracers serspies which I have read completely out of order and always enjoy. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25111058-shadow-fall

I have take a break from quilting and am knitting baby sweater so am watching a bit of telly which means I am not getting through my books well at all. But I am well!😉. I dis finish The Scanvenger Door the last in The Finder Chronicles and really enjoyed it. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51319852-the-scavenger-door Going slow with a couple other things......the new Faith Hunter short story book is being savored on story at a time!

Robin, Thank you for the thread and solving one of my biggest Bingo Card mysteries! I could not figure out how 14 things was going to work. I finished my next Stuart Woods Orchid book and enjoyed this one too. Considering he killed off one of my favorite characters that is pretty good. The Dobie was not injured. My bookchains are moving forward slowly…..https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/465754.Orchid_Blues I started Revenge by Tom Bower this morning. It is really interesting in regards to Meghan Markle’s early life. She must really hate the fact this one was published as her careful creation of the Meghan brand is rather amazing and not exactly likable. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61444224-revenge?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=y4XZG8Uav8&rank=2 I’ve been listening to The Trouble with Cursed for almost two weeks and hope to get some time to listen and finish it this week. It’s the latest book in Kim Harrison’s The Hollows series and is actually number 16 so it would count for my 14 things category! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59028121-trouble-with-the-cursed?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=iPRDOsIyKi&rank=1