The Half Sister

The Half Sister by Sandie Jones. New York: Minotaur Books, 2020. 290 pages. **** 

Kate and her sister Lauren each had their own relationship with their father. Since his death, their relationship is strained for a number of reasons; Lauren is happily married with children while Kate and her husband are trying desperately to have a child. Sunday lunches at their mother's house have become uncomfortable and are about to be changed forever by a stranger's knock at the door. Who is this young woman and why does she claim to be their half sister? Kate doesn't believe her story and yet Lauren begins to recall inconsistencies in her parent's past. Did their father have a child by another woman? Does their mother know?

I put everything on hold when I sit down to read a Sandie Jones novel. I am lucky enough to get an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) and want to enjoy every minute of it. The Half Sister does not disappoint. At some point, I thought I had it all figured out and was prepared to be smug about the ending. Was I ever wrong! Very entertaining and surprisingly enough, the second psychological thriller novel this week that I have read about half sisters. (Sister Dear by McKinnon) Each unique and equally entertaining. Jones gets better and better with each book and is a master at building the suspense and then-- that added twist. I look forward to future novels and recommend this one.


Other books by Sandie Jomes:
The First Mistake
The Other Woman - her debut novel

SANDIE JONES has worked as a freelance journalist for over twenty years, and has written for publications including the Sunday Times, Woman’s Weekly and the Daily Mail. She lives in London with her husband and three children. The Other Woman is her debut novel and a Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club pick.

#thehalfsister #psychologicalthrillers #sistersfiction

A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem

A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem (A Countess of Harleigh Mystery Book #3) by Dianne Freeman. Kensington Books, 2020. 288 pages. ****

Frances, the widowed Countess of Harleigh, married the man of her mother's dreams and she is determined that her sister will not do so. While Frances' husband was dashing and handsome, he was also feckless and a philanderer.  When Lily insists that the wedding to Leo must happen sooner rather than later, Frances needs a venue far away from prying eyes. Risings, George Hazleton’s family estate in Hampshire, is a perfect choice, and soon Frances, her beloved George, and other guests have gathered to enjoy the estate and get to know each other. When a series of accidents occur, Frances is thrown into the role of sleuth and left wondering if someone is conspiring to stop the wedding. Mr. Treadwell, Leo's best man, seems to have his eye on Lily and has his own reasons for staying so close. Throw in the mother of the bride who is disappointed in the choice of groom and chaos ensues.

This lighthearted mystery filled with danger and romance is delightful!  This is the third book in the series and can be read as a standalone. I haven't read the other two. Dianne Freeman has captured England in the late 1800s. A time when wealthy American mothers were marrying off their daughters to impoverished, but titled British aristocracy. The upstairs - downstairs descriptions were reminiscent of Downton Abbey complete with snobbery and humor. The mother of the bride tries right up to the wedding day to convince her daughter to marry better than Leo. I thoroughly enjoyed this cozy mystery. Fans of Agatha Christie will enjoy the strong female characters of Frances and Aunt Hetty.

I received an ecopy for a review.

Dianne Freeman is the acclaimed author of the Countess of Harleigh Mystery series. Her debut novel, A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder, won both an Agatha Award and a Lefty Award and was nominated for the prestigious Mary Higgins Clark Award from Mystery Writers of America. She spent thirty years working in corporate accounting and finance and now writes full-time. Born and raised in Michigan, she and her husband split their time between Michigan and Arizona.
For more information about Dianne Freeman, https://difreeman.com/about/

#mystery #cozymystery

Her Shallow Grave

Her Shallow Grave (Detectives Kane and Alton Book 9) by D.K. Hood. Bookouture, 2020. 134 pages. ****

Black Rock Falls is a popular winter ski town until someone decorates the trees along the Glacial Heights Ski Resort slope with body parts.  Sheriff Jenna Alton and Deputy Dave Kane can't believe their eyes when they see the discolored frozen arms and legs. What makes it even more alarming is when the Medical Examiner decides they are from two different female bodies. When no one is reported missing, Jenna turns to the homeless shelter in town to find the identity of the missing women. Jenna is more determined to find the killer when macabre snow sculptures turn up in town to scare the locals and the tourists. Dave  has his hands full when he stumbles upon a kidnapping in progress and saves a woman from her abductors. The victim is so grateful that she is convinced  Dave loves her and begins to stalk him. Is there a serial killer in town or is someone passing through and dropping bodies? Is Dave's admirer fanciful or does she have a sinister purpose for showing up wherever he is? Time is running out for the next victim.

I received an ecopy for a review. 

This is the 9th book in the series started in 2017. I have not read any of the other books and it doesn't seem necessary to enjoy this thriller. The plot is well-developed and creates a balance between the subplots within the story. The suspense builds when Jenna and Dave have a few suspects to consider, any one of them could have transported and stored frozen bodies. Gruesome and enthralling, a perfect escape from present day reality. Now I have to find time to read the first 8 books in the series.

D.K. Hood is a USA Today, Amazon, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of crime, mystery and psychological thrillers. Born in London and traveling extensively before she settled in Australia, she is best known for writing the “Detectives Kane and Alton” series of psychological thrillers. She currently publishes her novels with Hachette, which she has asserted is a dream come true since she has always had a love for books from a young age. Her debut novel was “Don’t Tell a Soul,” a crime thriller that was an Amazon USA bestselling title, the first of the Detectives Kane and Alton series. For more information on D.K. Hood and a list of the books in order, https://www.bookseriesinorder.com/d-k-hood/

#mystery #psychologicalthriller

2020 Monthly Color Challenge - June

June - Bluebird

The pattern for this month's block may be found on Patterns by Jen's Blog. This is block #6 and we are halfway through this year's challenge. 2020 is my third year participating and it has been so much fun!

I am going for a bold look in this color quilt, so this blue is perfect!

I love the way that the bugs line up on this strip, however, once sub cut, 

they have a totally different look!

Charley likes this block best!

Don't forget to link your block during the last week of June to be eligible for some great prizes from our Sponsors. Details on Jen's Blog.

Check out this month's bloggers:
Patterns by Jen
Quilty Creations by Fawn
Everyone Deserves a Quilt
Katie Mae Quilts
Purple Moose Designs


#2020monthlycolorchallenge #juneblock #bluebird

Stitching A Life

Stitching A Life: An Immigration Story by Mary Helen Fein. CA: She Writes Press, 2020. 304 pages. ****  (YA, grades 7-9)

Based on the true story of the Grandmother of the author, Helen Breakstone Fein. Helen was born (Hinde) in a small village in Lithuania to a poor Jewish family with no prospects for improvement or education. Her brother was in danger of being drafted into the Russian army at the age of twelve, so her father devises a plan for his family to go to America. Chaim Breakstone immigrates first and sends money for sixteen-year-old Helen to join him. She arrives at Ellis Island, meets her father and moves into her Aunt Rose's apartment on the Lower East Side of New York. Rose helps Helen find a job in the thriving garment industry and she and her father devote themselves to bringing the rest of the family to join them in the New World. Helen and her family build a new life and settle in New York.

A young adult inspirational story of resilience against all odds, family, friendship and love. Combining fact with fiction Fein tells the brave story of her grandmother traveling by ship to America by herself and the sacrifices she and her Father make to have the rest of the family join them.

I received an ecopy for a review.

Mary Helen Fein was born in New York City in 1943. She attended schools in New York and began writing at the age of twelve when her mother died. Writing has ever since been an important part of her life,  a way to understand and process life's events. Today she lives in Northern California, where she owns her own website design company, writes, paints, and teaches Insight Meditation. In 2014, she published her first novel, Loss of Deliverance -- the story of a young woman's adventures in the drug trade during the 1960s. For more information --www.maryhelenfein.com

#historicalfiction 

Half Moon Bay

Half Moon Bay: a novel  (Clay Edison book 3) by Jonathon and Jesse Kellerman. New York, Ballantine Books, 2020. 368 pages. ****

Deputy Coroner Clay Edison has a new baby, is working the night shift, just trying to survive and to get some sleep. What he doesn't want is the discovery of a decades-old skeleton of a child while workers are excavating a local park. Members of the community don't want the park replaced by a college building and this find fuels their protests. When a local businessman calls to suggest the identity of the skeleton could be that of his missing or dead sister, Clay is drawn into a mystery that may be best left buried. What other secrets are buried with the skeleton and will Clay be able to protect his family from the violence and threats?

I received an ecopy for a review.

This is the 3rd book in the series, however, it can be read as a stand-alone. I have not read the first 2 and enjoyed the story. (I will probably go back and read the others and future books). I am a Jonathon Kellerman fan especially his Alex Delaware series and have read a few novels by his wife, Faye Kellerman. What a talented family! An entertaining mystery with a few unexpected twists and turns, total escapism. Any parent can identify with the sheer exhaustion of Clay and his wife and sympathize with the mother of the dead infant. There are many parallels in this page-turning plot which tie the mystery together.

From Amazon...

" Jonathan Kellerman is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than three dozen bestselling crime novels, including the Alex Delaware series, The Butcher’s Theater, Billy Straight, The Conspiracy Club, Twisted, True Detectives, and The Murderer’s Daughter. With his wife, bestselling novelist Faye Kellerman, he co-authored Double Homicide and Capital Crimes. With his son, bestselling novelist Jesse Kellerman, he co-authored The Golem of Hollywood and The Golem of Paris. He is also the author of two children’s books and numerous nonfiction works, including Savage Spawn: Reflections on Violent Children and With Strings Attached: The Art and Beauty of Vintage Guitars. He has won the Goldwyn, Edgar, and Anthony awards and has been nominated for a Shamus Award. Jonathan and Faye Kellerman live in California, New Mexico, and New York."

For more information on Jonathon Kellerman, http://www.jonathankellerman.com

#mystery #fathersonauthors #mysteryseries

the book of two ways

The book of two ways: a novel by Jodi Picolt. New York: Ballantine Books, 2020. 432 pages. Publication Date September 2020. *****

"Everything changes in a single moment for Dawn Edelstein. She’s on a plane when the flight attendant makes an announcement: prepare for a crash landing. She braces herself as thoughts flash through her mind. The shocking thing is, the thoughts are not of her husband, but a man she last saw fifteen years ago: Wyatt Armstrong."

Dawn survives that plane crash and is faced with her life choices when told to "leave everything behind" Dawn had not contemplated her own death, what is a life well-lived, what is left unfinished? She has spent the last 15 years working as a death doula living a normal life with a husband and a daughter. A death doula helps those who are dying and their families transition the inevitable. Dawn is well-suited to the task, but it takes caring for someone her own age to cause her to question her life choices. Dawn throws caution to the wind when the airline offers to take her wherever she needs to go and she soon finds herself in Egypt seeking what she left behind 15 years ago; the man she once loved and an unfinished dissertation on The Book of Two Ways -- the first known map of the afterlife.

I have always been fascinated with anything Egyptian and curious about parallel timelines, so this book pulled me right in from the very beginning. I had never heard of a death doula and had to look it up. (more on that subject at the end of this post) One line in the book really struck me, "somewhere, in a parallel timeline, there is another me at my funeral." Picoult has the gift of tackling tough subjects, presenting controversial topics cloaked in fiction and leaving the reader to draw their own conclusions. The book of two ways is a story of love, friendship, secrets, promises made and not kept, choices and responsibility. I can't wait for someone I know to read it so we can discuss it, I have been talking about it all day to my husband, it is one of those books. I recommend it for Book Clubs, some fabulous discussion points.

The quote at the beginning of the book is so apropros "To die will be an awfully big adventure." J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

For more information about Jodi Picoult, visit https://www.jodipicoult.com
To learn more about her research and see pictures of her trip to Egypt: https://www.jodipicoult.com/the-book-of-two-ways.html

For more information on death doulas:
https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/home-care/info-2018/end-of-life-doulas.html
Becoming a death doula
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/how-death-doulas-can-help-people-at-the-end-of-their-life#1

#deathdoula #paralleltimelines