New York to Dallas

It was one of Eve Dallas's earliest takedowns, back in her uniform days. A monster named Isaac McQueen had been abducting young victims and leaving them scarred in both mind and body. Thanks to Eve, he wound up where he belonged, removed from civilized society in Rikers. But he's not behind bars anymore.After his escape, McQueen has two things in mind. One is to take up where he left off, preying on the young and innocent - when necessary, with the help of a female partner all too willing to be manipulated and to aid and abet his crimes. His other goal: to get revenge on the woman who stopped him all those years ago, now a high-profile lieutenant in the NYPSD and married to one of the city's richest men.Commanding Eve's attention with a chilling and brazen crime, McQueen sets off the chase - forcing Eve down a road marked with blood and tears, a road that eventually leads southwest to Dallas, Texas, the home Eve fled long ago. And each new twist brings her closer to the harrowing memory of when she wasn't a hardened detective but a vulnerable girl just like McQueen's innocent prey. As her husband, Roarke, tries to rescue her from the nightmares that claw at her mind, and her partner, Peabody, doggedly works to support her, Eve must confront - and call upon - the darkest parts of her own soul in order to survive.

A violent pedophile has escaped a high security prison and it wrecking havoc in Eve's personal and professional lives.  Along the way he leaves clues for Eve to find him...in Dallas.


There are only two different things in this book (in comparison to others in the series), a different city and a different crew.  But all the other things are there: the suspense, Eve's need to capture this monster, her need for victims justice, Eve's relationship with Roarke and her capturing the bad guy in the end.  It's all there, but, along the way there was so much more, there the tender moments between Eve and Roarke (a bit different, here), new kick ass characters, a character that I did not see coming and all the emotions brought out in Eve by being back in Dallas. Emotional roller-coaster does not do it justice.


This book was a great read and I cannot wait to read Celebrity in Death!


New York to Dallas by J.D. Robb (4.5/5) Romantic Suspense; Futuristic; Published: Putnam Adult (9/2011); Series: # 33, Eve Dallas; Mystery Suspense Reading Challenge 2012 (8); Library; Books 2012 (36);

Treachery in Death

Detective Eve Dallas and her partner, Peabody, are following up on a senseless crime-an elderly grocery owner killed by three stoned punks for nothing more than kicks and snacks. This is Peabody's first case as primary detective-good thing she learned from the master. 
But Peabody soon stumbles upon a trickier situation. After a hard workout, she's all alone in the locker room when the gym door clatters open; and-while hiding inside a shower stall trying not to make a sound-she overhears two fellow officers, Garnet and Oberman, arguing. It doesn't take long to realize they're both crooked-guilty not just of corruption but of murder. Now Peabody, Eve, and Eve's husband, Roarke, are trying to get the hard evidence they need to bring the dirty cops down-knowing all the while that the two are willing to kill to keep their secret.

I have had this book, in ebook format, in my possession since it was published, but as usual didn't get around to reading it...until now.  You can't go wrong with a J.D. Robb book, you have a great story, great characters, and great suspense and of course there's Roarke.


I couldn't put this book down.  I loved that the author focused on strong female characters in this book.  You have Eve, which uses her power and skills to get justice for those that cannot do it themselves, there's also Peabody who is being trained by the best Homicide detective around and who believes that an officer has a duty to uphold the truth at all times. And then there's Oberman...wow...I loved her character. She uses her power within the police force for her own gain.  She is a master manipulator.  Oh my goodness, she was quite a character, she was so bad, and she was good at it too.  I don't want to give away too much of the story...


I can't wait to get my hands on the next book, New York to Dallas.


Treachery In Death by J.D. Robb (4.5/5) Futuristic Romantic Suspense; Published: Putman Adult (2/2011); Series: # 32, Eve Dallas; TBR read; Format: Ebook for Kindle; Mystery Suspense Reading Challenge 2012 (7); Books 2012 (31) 

Love Me to Death

Six years ago, Lucy Kincaid was attacked and nearly killed by an online predator. She survived. Her attacker did not. Now Lucy’s goal is to join the FBI and fight cyber-crime, but in the meantime, she’s volunteering with a victim’s rights group, surfing the Web undercover to lure sex offenders into the hands of the law. But when the predators she hunts start turning up as murder victims, the FBI takes a whole new interest in Lucy. 
With her future and possibly even her freedom suddenly in jeopardy, Lucy discovers she’s a pawn in someone’s twisted plot to mete out vigilante justice. She joins forces with security expert and daredevil Sean Rogan, and together they track their elusive quarry from anonymous online chat rooms onto the mean streets of Washington, D.C. But someone else is shadowing them: A merciless stalker has his savage eye on Lucy. The only way for her to escape his brutality may be another fight to the death.

I came across this book while I was browsing ebooks on OverDrive, ebook library provided through my local library.  I have heard of the author, but I never got around to reading her books.  Love Me To Death went straight into my virtual basket. I'm a sucker for romantic suspense and it's been a while since I read a really good.


I was hooked instantly!  I did not want to put this book down,  which I had to, it's been a very busy few days, but whenever I could out came my ipad and I went back to reading it.  The suspense/mystery had me second guessing almost all the characters, which was a bit hard to do because of a lot of them were very likable and I didn't want to be disappointed.  The main character, Lucy, is a survivor and she wants to help put away these dangerous individuals.  Soon she's the one who is being targeted and she doesn't know who to trust.  All the twists and turns are so well written that certain scenes left me feeling a tad dirty and icky.  But not all the book was dark, there were a few sweet moments which were needed and the author provided them well.  The developing relationship between Lucy and Sean was the icing on the cake.


I truly enjoyed this book and I'm looking forward to reading more books written by Allison Brennan. I can't wait to get my hands on the second book of this series, Kiss Me, Kill Me, I've already placed a hold on it.


Love Me To Death by Allison Brennan (4.5/5) Romantic Suspense; Published: Ballantine Books (12/2010); New Author; Series: # 1, Lucy Kincaid; Format: ebook; Mystery Suspense Reading Challenge 2012 (6); Library; Books 2012 (29);

Cat's Claw

Police Chief Sheila Dawson believes the death of Pecan Spring's computer guru, Larry Kirk, to be a suicide, perhaps triggered by his painful divorce. Further investigation reveals that Kirk's death wasn't self-inflicted. And the truth is reinforced by her friend China Bayles' news-Larry recently asked her for legal advice in regards to a stalker.
As a police chief in a male-dominated force, Sheila meets many challenges, especially when her theories rock the boat in high profile cases like that of George Timms. He was caught breaking into Larry's computer shop to steal his own computer back because of dangerous personal information it contained. Now that Larry is dead, she's sure it's connected to the burglary. And she's also sure she'll get plenty of resistance on her assessment... 
Timms's time to turn himself in to the police comes and goes, and he's nowhere to be found. In her investigation, Sheila uncovers secrets, terrible secrets that would drive anyone to kill. So who then? It's up to Sheila to prove she's got what it takes to hunt down the predator that's loose on the streets of Pecan Springs...

Susan Wittig Albert is one of those authors that I make a point to read. I loved her historical mystery series that she co-wrote with her husband, the books were published under the name of Robin Paige. I adore her Beatrix Potter Cottage series. I know she has a new series, the Darling Dahlias, which I haven't had the pleasure to read, yet. But my favorite has always been her China Bayles series, set in the fictional town of Pecan Springs, TX. So let's just say I was a little surprised when I picked up the book at the library, it's says that it's a Pecan Springs Mystery. I'm not sure if it's a new series or just a series within a series, where the book is not necessarily focusing on China but someone else in her circle of friends.  I admit I was a little hesitant with the small change in the dynamics of this series, but I kind of like the change.  The chapters are in alternating narrators, there's the first person China, and Sheila's part of the story is written in the third person. 


The rest is just as good as any other book of the series.  The old characters are just as entertaining as ever, the newer ones just as good as I would expect.  The murder and missing person case was very well written and intertwined very well together, although there was a little twist within the crime story.


As usual I inhaled the book, it was quick read and but it was also a fast paced book.  Not that complaining, ok, maybe just a bit.  I will need a fix soon, which I will be looking forward to trying the Darling Dahlias series.


Cat's Claw by Susan Wittig Albert (4/5) Contemporary Mystery;  Published: Berkley Prime Crime (3/2012); Series: #  20, China Bayles/Pecan Springs; New Release; Mystery Suspense Challenge 2012 (5); Library; Books 2012 (26);

Tempest in the Tea Leaves

In the fortune telling business there are a lot of pretenders, but Sunshine Meadows is the real deal—and her predictions can be lethally accurate... 
Sunny is a big city psychic who moves to the quaint town of Divinity, NY to open her fortune telling business in an ancient Victorian house, inheriting the strange cat residing within. Sunny gives her first reading to the frazzled town librarian and discovers the woman is going to die. When the woman flees in terror, Sunny calls the police, only she’s too late. The ruggedly handsome, hard-nosed detective is a “non-believer.” He finds the librarian dead, and Sunny becomes his number one suspect, forcing her to prove her innocence before the real killer can put an end to the psychic’s future.

Sunny, finally moves out of her parents home to a small town in New York state.  She buys a old Victorian home where she plans to live and open her business.  She's a fortune teller who specializes in tea leaf readings.  The old house comes with a mysterious cat and some say the odd ghost or two. During her first reading she "sees" the woman dead and warns her to be careful, she also calls the police to warn them of the possible crime. That's when Detective Mitch Stone comes in.  He's a no nonsense, by the book type and he thinks that Sunny is loopy. And definitely a person of interest.


I know that I've mentioned on how much I love books set in small towns because of the close knit community feel.  But this one, it just had way too much going on. I think the author might have jumped the gun on introducing so many characters in the first book.  It was hard to follow who was who, and whom they were connected to and how they were related in the story.  Obviously there were the comic relief characters, that made me smile, but it still felt very over crowded.  That being said, I did enjoy the story.  The premise of a fortune teller mystery series sounds fun and add the hunky non-believer detective and you have a possible love story within the series is a added bonus.  The who done it part was a surprise which I did not see coming, but it tied in nicely.  


Tempest in the Tea Leaves  by Kari Lee Townsend (3/5) Paranormal Mystery; Published: Berkley (8/2011); New Author; Series: # 1, Fortune Teller Mystery; Mystery Suspense Challenge 2012 (4); Library; Books 2012 (24)

A Fitting End

Former Manhattan fashion designer Harlow Jane Cassidy has a gift for creating beautiful dresses. But when Harlow becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation, she’ll more than her sewing skills to unravel the mystery… 
Business is booming at Harlow’s custom dressmaking boutique, Buttons & Bows, even with the presence of her great grandmother’s ghost hanging around the shop. But thanks to the fast approaching Margaret Moffette Lea Pageant and Ball, Harlow has her work cut out for her when Mrs. Zinnia James hires her to make her granddaughter’s pageant gown. 
With the debutant ball getting the whole town of Bliss, Texas into a tizzy, Harlow knows her dress has to be perfect. But when a local golf pro is found stabbed to death with dressmaking shears, the new deputy thinks Harlow and Mrs. James conspired to commit the crime. Now Harlow has to finish the dress on time and clear her name before the next outfit she designs is a prison jumpsuit…

A Fitting End is the second book A Magical Dressmaking Mystery series by Melissa Bourbon. The author also writes under the name of Melissa Bourbon Ramirez, Lola Cruz Mystery series. I read the first book of the Magical Dressmaking series last year, and it was one of those great cosy's that you read in one sitting.  So I was hoping that this one would be just as Pleating for Mercy. 


Harlow is slowly getting back into the groove of things, both in her haunted house and in her hometown of Bliss, Texas. Like any other small town, the gossip reigns supreme. There were a few more introductions in this book, and I have a feeling that these additions will be very enjoyable in the future. It was nice to have more background information on the Cassidy clan and how the "gifts" are manifested within the family. The mystery itself was truly a mystery to me, I found that my initial presumption was not correct and I was completely floored on who did it and the reason behind it.


It did not disappoint.  I was hooked right from the first page.  Good thing the book was read during the weekend otherwise I would have been able to do a thing. I only have one little complaint, there wasn't enough of Harlow and her love interest. Ah well...maybe in the next one.


A Fitting End by Melissa Bourbon (4/5) Paranormal Mystery; Published: Signet (2/2012); Series: # 2, Magical Dressmaking Mystery; New Release 2012; Mystery Suspense Challenge 2012 (3); Library; Books 2012 (23);

Shot Through Velvet

Home of the helmet hairdo and congressional comb-over, Washington, D.C., is a hotbed of fashion faux pas.  If anyone should know, it's "Crimes of Fashion" columnist Lacey Smithsonian.  She dishes out advice to the scandal-scorched and clothing-clueless, doing her part to change this town - one fashion victim at a time... 

DEATH AND DYEING 

With newspapers folding across the country, fashion reporter Lacey Smithsonian's latest story hits a little too close to home.  Touring a failing Virginia velvet factory on its final day of operations, Lacey finds more than fading fabric - she finds a body.  Workers nicknamed the hated manager the Blue Devil, and now he's blue, indeed.  Rumors spread quickly that the killer is the Velvet Avenger - his calling card a length of blue velvet ribbon.  But when a ribbon appears at Lacey's paper, it could be more than her job at stake - it could be her life...

I honestly thought that I would have finished this book sooner, but home life had other plans.  Not only did I get stuck with a sick child at home, we are still renovating that same child's room.  Ah well....Life.


Anyway, I enjoyed the book.  It was nice to see the usual characters, I find that I get attached to them as much as I would the main character.  Funny, isn't it?  It's truly an ensemble performance that keeps me coming back for more.


I liked how the author is incorporating what is happening around us in the book, factory closures, newspapers going out of business, people losing their job because those jobs are going over seas. This is real stuff, but combined with the fiction it was very entertaining, and I was "glued" to book (whenever I could).  I usually get a feeling on who the murderer is early in the book, but with this one I was completely surprised, and in the end it made sense.


I'm looking forward to reading the next book.  I wonder what mess Lacey will get into next?! 


Shot Through Velvet by Ellen Byerrum (3.5/5) Mystery; Published: Obsidian Mystery (2/2011); Series: #  7, Crime of Fashion; Mystery & Suspense Reading Challenge 2012 (2); Library; Books 2012 (9); 

Out of Body

Forced to witness unspeakable horrors...

Born of an ancient family of clairvoyants, Marley Millet finds that her psychic gift is both unsettling and incredibly dangerous.  She never wants to "travel" again - but the choice is not hers to make.

After glimpsing the fates of two missing New Orleans jazz singers, Marley knows she has no choice and must speak up before more women disappear.  Flinty cop-turned-writer Gray Fisher, who interviewed both chanteuses before they vanished, takes special interest in Marley's incredible story - and in Marley.

Scouring the wild clubs of the French Quarter, Marley and Gray make an unlikely and uneasy team.  But their determination is matched only by the heat between them...and the evil they uncovered.

It's been years since I last read a Stella Cameron novel.  She used to be one of my must read authors, but I slowly got tired of out she was writing, I don't quite remember when and why that happened but it did.  I got this book along with the other books of the Court of Angels trilogy through a book swap.  They've been in my TBR pit for almost two years.  It's about time I got around to reading them.

I found it very hard to get into the book.  It felt complicated and hard to follow and at times it was dull.  Thank goodness I made it halfway through, and then it happened...The story actually got interesting, Marley and Gray actually made an effort to get to know each other, Marley spent most of her time keeping Gray at arms length. Eventually she gives him a chance and bam they end up in bed together.  I have a problem with that, I didn't find that realistic it felt like the author just put a sex scene there because she had to....didn't make sense for me.

The suspense/mystery in the book was very good.  It had me guessing throughout the book, had a few thoughts on who done it and why but I was surprised on the cuprits.  I have to say that the paranormal added an extra layer of creepiness to story and overall it was a pretty good story.

Out of Body by Stella Cameron (3/5) Romantic Suspense; Published: Mira (2010); Series: # 1, Court of Angels; Mystery & Suspense Reading Challenge 2012 (1); TBR Read; Books 2012 (7);

Mystery & Suspense Reading Challenge 2012

My first of the year...Mind you, a little late, but, it's so much fun!

Here's what you need to know (taken from Book Chick City):

• Timeline: 01 Jan 2012 - 31 Dec 2012
• Rules: There are TWO LEVELS you can choose from:
              - Read TWELVE (12) mystery & suspense novels in 2012
              - Read TWENTY FOUR (24) mystery & suspense novels in 2012
• You don't have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go. Also if you do list them upfront you can change them, nothing is set in stone! The books you choose can crossover into other challenges you have on the go.
• You can join at anytime. All books read in 2012 count towards the challenge regardless of when you sign up.
• At the beginning of Jan 2012, you will find a link to specific month to add your reviews.
• Audiobooks do not count, but all other formats are accepted.
• This challenge can crossover to other challenges.
• You DO NOT have to write reviews of the books you read, but if you decide you would like to then Mr Linky will be available each month so you can link up your reviews.
• You don't have to have a blog to join in - for those without a blog but who use Goodreads, Amazon, LibraryThing etc, you can add the URL to where you track your books. If you don't have a URL at all then choose a name you would like to use and then copy and paste the following link: http://www.bookchickcity.com/2011/12/sign-up-mystery-suspense-reading.html
• You can choose from the numerous sub-genres of mystery and suspense, from cosy mysteries such as Agatha Christie to the more hard-boiled kind like V I Warshawski by Sara Paretsky, or romantic suspense written by the likes of Linda Howard, forensic crime such as those written by Kathy Reichs and even paranormal/supernatural suspense such as Kelley Armstrong. I'm sure this challenge will have something for everyone!

I'm aiming high!  Going with the 24 books.

You can join in the fun as well! Visit here to sign up!

 My books:
1. Out of Body by Stella Cameron
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