A fun and not too cozy mystery series featuring Morgan Carter as a cryptozoologist who owns a specialty book & oddities shop. She frequently becomes in involved in solving mysteries involving the possibility of mythical creatures. This third installment involves Rita, one of the shop employees, asking Morgan for help in proving Rita's nephew was not involved in a murder. The series has engaging characters, interesting mysteries and wonderfully descriptive surroundings of the Wisconsin settings. There are continuing story lines between the books which further the connection the reader develops with the characters but the story could be read a stand alone (I'd still start with the first mystery though).

Thanks to NetGalley, BookBrowse, and Berkley Publishers for a copy of Pony Confidential in exchange for an honest review.

Pony Confidential is a thoughtful, touching, suspenseful murder mystery which uses laugh out loud humor in describing fantastical animal adventures, and the often harsh realities of human behavior. Pony and Penny alternate their stories which began 25 year earlier. Pony is curmudgeonly and vengeful due to his abandonment by Penny years ago. He has held on to his grudge and it keeps him motivated to find her. This requires stamina, luck and a bit of pony mind control. Over the course of the book he learns about himself, and Penny learns about her family, the legal system and most importantly herself. If you enjoyed Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, or Perestroika in Paris by Jane Smiley you will want to read this book.

Thanks to BookBrowse and NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy of this book.

The Funeral Cryer is a quiet, contemplative character study of a woman in her forties living in rural China. She has been raised with traditional expectations of her life and is accepting of her not particularly happy life and the restrictions she places on herself.

She works as a funeral cryer which allows her to express strong emotions that she otherwise suppresses. This job brings in the only income for her immediate family, but the job comes with the stigma of being unlucky which alienates her from her neighbors. The story is told only from her point of view so the reader never really knows if her community feels she is unlucky or if she is projecting.

The details of her job, life in a rural community and the contrast with city life were interesting. She identifies the characters in her life by their role/job rather than names which adds to the universality. She has a sense of humor, ie: calling a character Hotpot after everyone's favorite dish. Her understanding of her daughter, husband and mother are insightful.

The reader sees her acknowledge and act on her own needs and other characters begin to give her respect as a person.

The Day Tripper is a time travel novel. Alex Dean, age 20, suffers a serious injury and begins to experience waking up each day to a seemingly random day in his future. His circumstances are not what he had hoped for his life or for those he cares about. Can good decisions, accepting responsibility for his actions and surrounding himself with the people he cares about change the future for Alex.
I enjoyed the story and the writing, and the pace of the reveal was well done. I thought most of the main characters were well portrayed, although I would have liked to have known Holly better. I also thought the trauma on a younger Alex was handled compassionately.

Beautifully written story of four generations of women which begins in Nantucket and travels across continents to come full circle. Each woman has a unique gift of interacting with the world while pursuing the memories and connections of her family in a search for identity.

Moby Dick, the nature of people and our ability to impact our destinies are major themes of the book and are portrayed with skill. The sea and whales are wonderfully described. I also enjoyed the location descriptions, especially of Nantucket, the forests of Brazil and turn of the 20th century Idaho.

I am eager to recommend this book to my book club.

A wonderfully immersive story of two sisters, Kaija and Minna, who cope with childhood trauma and a legacy of witchcraft in a world not always kind to those who are different. The sisters will experience the repercussions of actions done in anger. Tragedy occurs as well as the opportunity for forgiveness and healing.

The story kept my interest throughout. I felt empathy for the sisters, the settings are easily imagined and I was on the edge of my seat caring about the outcome during tense scenes. I look forward to Chelsea Iverson's next book!