False Prophet (1992) Faye Kellerman The fifth Peter and Rina mystery. The daughter of a famous actress is found naked and bruised in her home. Peter is first on the scene and the young woman latches onto him, making an already confusing case even more difficult. “Do you have the combination—” Brecht rose from his […]

Day of Atonement (1991) Faye Kellerman Rina and Peter are spending part of their honeymoon with the family of Rina’s late husband, because they want to see Rina and the boys over the High Holy Days. Although the family isn’t hostile to Peter, it’s still not especially comfortable. (T)he Lazarus family had been grateful, though […]

Milk and Honey (1990) Faye Kellerman The third Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus mystery. Decker is heading home when he finds an abandoned toddler wandering around in the middle of the night. The child’s clothing is stained with blood, but the child herself is unharmed. (F)or some reason, he felt obligated to the little girl. […]

Voodoo River (1995) Robert Crais Famous actress Jodi Taylor has come to Elvis Cole for help in finding her birth parents. Jodi Taylor was thirty-six years old, and beautiful in the way that only women with a measure of maturity can be beautiful. Not like in a fashion magazine. Not like a model. There was […]

Free Fall (1993) Robert Crais Book four of the Elvis Cole series. This is another one I don’t much remember reading. I do like this bit at the beginning. This edition contains the complete text of the original hardcover edition. NOT ONE WORD HAS BEEN OMITTED. Considering that I found some odd typos, I’m wondering […]

Lullaby Town (1992) Robert Crais The third Elvis Cole book finds Elvis searching for the ex-wife of a big-shot movie producer, because after ten years he’d decided he wants to see his son. “Everybody in his life is there because they want to screw him. Any time there’s a woman, he’s thinking it’s because she […]

Stalking the Angel (1989) Robert Crais Elvis Cole is hired to find an ancient Japanese manuscript stolen from the home of a prominent businessman. Unfortunately for Cole, the husband is an asshole and the wife makes it clear she doesn’t like her husband and what he does. And caught in the middle of all that […]

Sacred and Profane (1987) Faye Kellerman Peter Decker is trying to decide if being in love with Rina Lazarus is reason enough to take up practicing orthodox Judaism. He has become close with her sons, but chafes against the strictures and wonders if he truly has faith. There was an easy way out. He could […]

The Ritual Bath (1986) Faye Kellerman Rina Lazarus is a young widow with two sons who teaches at the yeshiva and who helps maintain the mikvah–the bath used for ritual cleansing. Peter Decker is a detective for the LAPD, and is called out when a rape occurs at the yeshiva. “A rape in Jewtown,” Marge […]

Mission for a Queen (2016) Tracy Grant Set in London and Europe in the summer of 1818 Malcolm and Susanne/Melanie have fled London, along with their children, Raoul, and Laura, while the friends back on London try to piece together what happened, and keep their disappearance as quiet and boring as possible. David and Simon […]

The Monkey’s Raincoat (1987) Robert Crais I read this series while I was recovering from my broken ankle, so I had very little memory of this book. In fact, I was 87% through the book before I came across a scene and thought “I remember that!” Those were definitely some very good drugs I was […]

Shores of Desire (1997) Tracy Grant Set in Scotland and Europe in 1815 There are actually three primary characters in this story: Robert, Emma, and the War with Napoleon. Emma was used to dealing with everyday injuries, wounds from fights and falls and accidents. Save when Allan had been invalided home, his wounds already neatly […]

Dark Angel (1994) Tracy Grant Set in Spain and England in 1813 Still out of sorts and not sure what I’m in the mood for, I went for something completely different: historical mystery/romance. I think one of the things I particularly like about Tracy Grant’s stories is that the children are an integral part of […]

Salsa Nocturna: A Bone Street Rumba Collection (2012) Daniel José Older I was feeling out of sorts and unsure what I was in the mood to read, so I decided to re-read Salsa Nocturna since I knew I’d enjoy it. “Tenderfoot” published in The Innsmouth Free Press (2011) “Salsa Nocturna” published in Strange Horizons (2010) […]

Magic Shifts (2015) Ilona Andrews Book 8 of the Kate Daniels series finds Kate and Curran living in the suburbs, forbidden from the Keep grounds for 90 days after Curran stepped down as the Beast Lord. Jim is now the Beast Lord, Dali his mate and co-alpha, and now shifting power and alliances are happening–but […]

Shadow Rites, Audible Edition (2016) Faith Hunter narrated by Khristine Hvam Drat. Now I’m all caught up on the Jane Yellowrock audio books. No more Jane Yellowrock until MAY. Rating: 8.5/10 Published by Audible

Magic Breaks (2014) Ilona Andrews Book seven of the Kate Daniels series. Yes, I did sit on this book for more than two years before getting around to reading it. Mostly because I wasn’t up to re-reading the entire series. I’ll tear through a series, one book after the other, but knowing that to really […]

Magic Rises (2013) Ilona Andrews This is book six of the Kate Daniels series. If you have not read the previous books, you are almost certainly going to be confused. Andrea is now beta of the Bouda clan, Curran knows about Kate’s background (as do more and more people), Hugh makes an appearance, and Aunt […]

Gunmetal Magic (2012) Ilona Andrews This is Andrea’s story–a continuation of “Magic Mourns” and Magic Slays and occurs parallel to events in “Magic Gifts“. It’s really book 5 1/2 of the Kate Daniels’ series. Andrea is working with Kate at Cutting Edge Investigations, and trying to avoid Raphael–the bouda who was her mate and who […]

Magic Gifts (2011) Ilona Andrews This story takes place at the same time as Gunmetal Magic and are Kate’s events (and the same events as seen through Kate’s eyes). Andrea is working for Cutting Edge Investigations–Kate’s company. They also have two interns: Ascanio–the troublesome teen bouda, and Derek, the werewolf who is moving on from […]

Magic Mourns (2009) originally published in Must Love Hellhounds This is Andrea and Raphael’s story–well, the first part of it anyway. (The second part is the book Gunmetal Magic) Andrea is attempting to cover for Kate while she is recovering from events in Magic Strikes. Unfortunately, the people who call Kate don’t trust anyone else, […]

Magic Slays (2011) Ilona Andrews Book five. Kate is no longer a member of the order, but is now running her own investigative agency. Not that she has any cases, but it’s her agency. After having disappeared for two months, Andrea returns–a very different woman now that she has been kicked out of the order […]

Magic Bleeds (2010) Ilona Andrews Book four finds Kate waiting for Curran, having made him dinner as he specified–except he doesn’t show up. While she’s tending to her broken heart, she gets called to deal with what sounds like a bar fight that got out of hand. Who the hell would attack the Steel Horse […]

Magic Strikes (2009) Ilona Andrews This book opens with one of my favorite scenes. An old woman is atop a telephone pole, and the Order is called to get her down. I trotted into the dark entrance to the apartment, where five members of the McSweeney family crouched in the gloom. “Tell me again why […]

Magic Burns (2008) Ilona Andrews A magic flare is coming, and everyone from the lowliest witch to gods is looking to take advantage of the increased magic. Kate, as an associate of The Order, is being run ragged, but when she comes upon a lost girl in search of her mother, she takes the young […]