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Reviews by Barbara E. (Rockville, MD)

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Making Friends Can Be Murder
Making Friends Can Be Murder
by Kathleen West
Making Friends can be Murder (2/7/2025)
Thirty-year-old Sarah Jones never expected that a new chapter in her life would involve unraveling a murder mystery, but that's exactly what happens when she unknowingly befriends a dangerous con artist in her new neighborhood. In this twisty, fast-paced whodunit nothing is …more
Beast of the North Woods
Beast of the North Woods: Monster Hunter Mysteries #3
by Annelise Ryan
Hodags, Murder, and Mayhem, Oh My! (11/13/2024)
I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery! The main characters are well-developed and truly engaging. I particularly appreciated the rich details the author provided about the Wisconsin town of Rhinelander and the mythical Hodag, which added a unique local flavor to the story. As …more
The Lies I Tell
The Lies I Tell: A Novel
by Julie Clark
The Lies I Tell (4/4/2022)
The Lies I Tell is a truly surprising book. The tale is told from two perspectives that of Kat and Meg, women whose lives have been entangled for 10 years. Meg is a con artist and one phone call from her to Kat led to great trauma. At the beginning of the novel it appears …more
The Paris Bookseller
The Paris Bookseller
by Kerri Maher
A Tale of Ulysses (11/16/2021)
The subject matter of this historical novel is fascinating: the founding of the English-language bookstore, Shakespeare and Company in Paris in 1919 and the life of the owner, Sylvia Beach. Sylvia meets and befriends the leading luminaries of the Parisian world of letters, …more
The Latinist
The Latinist: A Novel
by Mark Prins
The Latinist (11/1/2021)
I really enjoyed the parts of this novel dealing with Tessa's search for the Silver Age poet, Marius. The scholarly discussions and the scenes at the archaeological site were exciting and illuminating. The author has clearly researched ancient sources (although Marius is …more
The Personal Librarian
The Personal Librarian
by Marie Benedict, Victoria Christopher Murray
The Personal Librarian (2/4/2021)
The subject matter and the real life characters are all interesting, the writing is rather dull and plodding.
The Mystery of Mrs. Christie
The Mystery of Mrs. Christie
by Marie Benedict
A thrilling reconstruction (10/30/2020)
The mystery of Agatha Christie's 11-day disappearance in December, 1926 has persisted to this day. Marie Benedict presents a wonderfully engaging and thrilling answer to that mystery with twists and turns worthy of any Christie whodunit. The main characters of Agatha …more
Catherine House
Catherine House: A Novel
by Elisabeth Thomas
Dull and dreary house (3/1/2020)
I really disliked this book so much so that I couldn't even finish it to find out what the secret of Catherine House was. I disliked the protagonist, Ines, and found no other characters who were interesting or even likable. I would not recommend this book at all.
Father of Lions
Father of Lions: One Man's Remarkable Quest to Save the Mosul Zoo
by Louise Callaghan
Father of Lions (10/18/2019)
This is a fascinating and sobering tale of life under Isis in Mosul and one man's devotion to animals. It is populated with intriguing characters who are sometimes funny, sometimes tragic, but always human. Parts of the book are especially harrowing when Isis takes control …more
The Seine
The Seine: The River that Made Paris
by Elaine Sciolino
La Belle Seine (9/2/2019)
This is a wonderful and enthralling history of the Seine from its source to the Atlantic. Sciolino writes in a breezy and very engaging style and includes loads of interesting and little known details about the river, it's history, and life on it. This book made me want to …more
My Lovely Wife
My Lovely Wife
by Samantha Downing
Married Murder Team (10/11/2018)
I really wanted to like this book since I love mysteries, especially ones with a twist. The book was well-written and quickly paced, but the characters were both deeply disturbing. They were really sick, and if the husband is to be believed, Millicent was evil. The husband' …more
The Family Tabor
The Family Tabor
by Cherise Wolas
Lives unwanted/lives desired (5/15/2018)
I found the "Family Tabor" to be a compelling, though at times, infuriating read. I especially enjoyed the extensive exploration of the lives, hopes, and frustrations of the Tabor children. However, I found Harry and Roma to be frustrating and rather superficially drawn …more
Force of Nature
Force of Nature: Aaron Falk Mystery #2
by Jane Harper
A Force of Nature (10/1/2017)
This is a thrilling mystery about the disappearance of a woman during a group team building hiking weekend in the Australian bush. From the first page I was hooked and almost finished in one sitting. The story unfolds from the point of view of the detectives and then …more
The Fifth Petal
The Fifth Petal: A Novel
by Brunonia Barry
The power of the past (2/27/2017)
This mystery, set in present-day Salem, is a spellbinding take on the ways the past affects and influences the present. The contemporary murder reaches back 25 years and then all the way back to the Salem witch trials of 1692. All the characters are richly drawn and there …more
Victoria
Victoria
by Daisy Goodwin
Victoria (10/12/2016)
I was very much looking forward to reading this historical novel about the young Victoria. I found it well-written, easy to read, and generally an enthralling story. I thought the author created fully realized characters. However, I did eventually tire of Victoria's …more
The Last Confession of Thomas Hawkins
The Last Confession of Thomas Hawkins
by Antonia Hodgson
A thrill ride through Georgian London (12/18/2015)
I loved this historical mystery. Antonia Hodgson creates memorable and believable characters, good, bad, and a little bit of both, in this locked room mystery. She provides not only a vivid and compelling plot, but also immerses the reader in the sights, sounds, and smells …more
The Widow
The Widow
by Fiona Barton
The Widow (11/25/2015)
What a fabulous book! This is a real page-turner about the recently widowed spouse of a suspected child kidnapper/murderer. Did he do it? What did the wife know and when? Who is Jean Taylor? These questions permeate this work. Jean Taylor's story begins in the present and …more
The War Reporter
The War Reporter
by Martin Fletcher
Tedious and trite (8/21/2015)
I disliked this book and its extraordinarily self-centered protagonist. Tom Layne will stop at nothing, including repeatedly endangering those he professes to care about, all in the pursuit of his news story. He lacks a moral center but in a truly contrived ending, is …more
Trust No One
Trust No One: A Thriller
by Paul Cleave
A nightmare journey into forgetfulness (5/21/2015)
This is a riveting mystery. Paul Cleave takes the reader quickly into the disintegrating mind of Jerry Grey, a mystery writer who has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's. Jerry keeps confessing to murdering women, but everyone tells him that he's confusing reality …more
All the Old Knives
All the Old Knives
by Olen Steinhauer
A tale of love and revenge (11/28/2014)
The title of the work, which derives from an ancient fable: "All the old knives That have rusted in my back, I drive in yours," sets the tone immediately for this captivating and compulsively readable spy novel. I read it in one sitting and was on the edge of my seat as …more
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