Road Trip Listens

Fire and Bones by Kathy Reichs (read by Linda Emond)

Always apprehensive about working fire scenes, Tempe is called to Washington, DC, to analyze the victims of a deadly blaze and sees her misgivings justified. The devastated building is in Foggy Bottom, a neighborhood with a colorful past and present, and Tempe becomes suspicious about the property’s ownership when she delves into its history.

The pieces start falling into place strangely and quickly, and, sensing a good story, Tempe teams with a new ally, telejournalist Ivy Doyle. Soon the duo learns that back in the thirties and forties the home was the hangout of a group of bootleggers and racketeers known as the Foggy Bottom Gang. Though interesting, this fact seems irrelevant—until the son of a Foggy Bottom gang member is shot dead at his home in an affluent part of the district. Coincidence? Targeted attacks? So many questions.

As Tempe and Ivy dig deeper, an arrest is finally made. Then another Foggy Bottom Gang-linked property burns to the ground, claiming one more victim. Slowly, Tempe’s instincts begin pointing to the obvious: somehow, her moves since coming to Washington have been anticipated, and every path forward seems to bring with it a lethal threat.

Tempe gives up her vacation to help out with a case that turns into a bigger mystery than she expected. Secondary characters add to the intrigue of the story. After 23 books Tempe is still interesting and finds herself in intriguing situations. Linda Emond does a great job narrating the characters with great tone and pace. 

Middletide by Sarah Crouch (narrated by Kaleo Griffin)

One peaceful morning, in the small, Puget Sound town of Point Orchards, the lifeless body of Dr. Erin Landry is found hanging from a tree on the property of prodigal son and failed writer, Elijah Leith. Sheriff Jim Godbout’s initial investigation points to an obvious suicide, but upon closer inspection, there seem to be clues of foul play when he discovers that the circumstances of the beautiful doctor’s death were ripped straight from the pages of Elijah Leith’s own novel.

Out of money and motivation, thirty-three-year-old Elijah returns to his empty childhood home to lick the wounds of his futile writing career. Hungry for purpose, he throws himself into restoring the ramshackle cabin his father left behind and rekindling his relationship with Nakita, the extraordinary girl from the nearby reservation whom he betrayed but was never able to forget.

As the town of Point Orchards turns against him, Elijah must fight for his innocence against an unexpected foe who is close and cunning enough to flawlessly frame him for murder in this scintillating literary thriller that seeks to uncover a case of love, loss, and revenge.

This debut "whodunit" draws you in and doesn't let go despite some repetition and drama. It is told in then and now sections that did get confusing at times while listening. Many times you wonder if the narrator can be trusted.  Very well narrated by Kaleo Griffin and probably saved the story for me. 

*Thanks to Simon & Schuster audio for these review copies

The Paradise Problem (audio)

 

Anna Green thought she was marrying Liam “West” Weston for access to subsidized family housing while at UCLA. She also thought she’d signed divorce papers when the graduation caps were tossed, and they both went on their merry ways.

Three years later, Anna is a starving artist living paycheck to paycheck while West is a Stanford professor. He may be one of four heirs to the Weston Foods conglomerate, but he has little interest in working for the heartless corporation his family built from the ground up. He is interested, however, in his one-hundred-million-dollar inheritance. There’s just one catch.

Due to an antiquated clause in his grandfather’s will, Liam won’t see a penny until he’s been happily married for five years. Just when Liam thinks he’s in the home stretch, pressure mounts from his family to see this mysterious spouse, and he has no choice but to turn to the one person he’s afraid to introduce to his one-percenter parents—his unpolished, not-so-ex-wife.

But in the presence of his family, Liam’s fears quickly shift from whether the feisty, foul-mouthed, paint-splattered Anna can play the part to whether the toxic world of wealth will corrupt someone as pure of heart as his surprisingly grounded and loyal wife. Liam will have to ask himself if the price tag on his flimsy cover story is worth losing true love that sprouted from a lie

Anna and Liam married in college for the student housing. When Liam, who she knew as West, shows up at her door she is shocked to learn they are still married and he needs her help to retain control of his billion dollar trust.  The plan is to show up together at a family wedding an convince all they have been happily married for almost 5 years.  Free spirit Anna is willing especially since she needs the money for her father's treatments.  The wedding is being held on a private island and as they get to know each other an attraction builds, but the family drama threatens Liam's trust as well as their budding romance.  An enjoyable listen narrated by Patti Murin and John Root filled with plenty of laugh out-loud moments.

 *Thanks to Simon & Schuster Audio for this review copy*

Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda

Sometimes the darkest secrets are buried the deepest . . .

When Hazel Sharp, daughter of Mirror Lake's longtime local detective, unexpectedly inherits her childhood home, she's warily drawn back to the town - and people - she left behind almost a decade earlier.

But Hazel's not the only relic of the past to return: a drought has descended on the region, and as the water level in the lake drops, long-hidden secrets begin to emerge, including evidence that may help finally explain the mystery of her mother's disappearance .

My thoughts:

Hazel returns home for her father's memorial.  She plans to attend and then get back to her business.  The family attorney tells her that the house has been left to her, and granted as the step-daughter, her brothers are confused, especially Colton. When things begin to rise to the surface literally, Hazel is drawn into the mystery of what really happened to her mother as well as to her best friend that has gone missing.  Pace begins slowly and picks up as the secrets are revealed with a reveal that I figured out Overall a good listen narrated very well by Ines del Castillo

*Thanks to Simon & Schuster Audio for this review copy*

One of Our Own

 One of Our Own by Lucinda Berry

Felicia, a single mother and lawyer by day, volunteers at a local crisis center to give back to her tightknit community in a small Wisconsin town. One night, she answers a horrifying call: through tears, a frantic teenage girl tells her that she was a victim of sexual assault at a local house party.

Felicia is shocked, and breaking protocol, she begins communicating with the girl on her own, determined to keep her safe and hold her assailants accountable. But as she gets closer and closer to the truth, she can’t shake the feeling that she and the girl are connected by more than the phone call. As the girl shares more details, Felicia begins to think the unthinkable—someone close to her may be involved in this heinous crime.

As Felicia earns the girl’s trust and more facts emerge about the incident, she faces a gut-wrenching battle between her protective instincts and the moral responsibility to do what’s right. 

This is an edge of your seat listen. At times you may have to stop listening or want to quit as it is emotionally draining as well as heartbreaking.  The decisions that Felica has to make are unimaginable and thought provoking. This is a shorter audio but expertly narrated by AJ Cook with Tessa Albertson. 

*Thanks to Simon and Schuster Audio for this review copy*

Brooklyn

 

Eilis Lacey has come of age in small-town Ireland in the years following World War Two. Though skilled at bookkeeping, she cannot find a job in the miserable Irish economy. When an Irish priest from Brooklyn offers to sponsor Eilis in America--to live and work in a Brooklyn neighborhood "just like Ireland"--she decides she must go, leaving her fragile mother and her charismatic sister behind.

Eilis finds work in a department store on Fulton Street, and when she least expects it, finds love. Tony, a blond Italian from a big family, slowly wins her over with patient charm. He takes Eilis to Coney Island and Ebbets Field, and home to dinner in the two-room apartment he shares with his brothers and parents. He talks of having children who are Dodgers fans. But just as Eilis begins to fall in love with Tony, devastating news from Ireland threatens the promise of her future.

Eilis' coming of age story in 1950s Brooklyn is told in 4 parts. Each part we get to know Eilis as she leaves Ireland, travels to Brooklyn, meet the people in her life. Part 4 was a little rushed, the abrupt ending almost ruined it. The brilliant narration of Kirsten Potter held it all together.

*Thanks to Simon Schuster Audio for this review copy*

Always Remember by Mary Balogh

Left unable to walk by a childhood illness, Lady Jennifer, sister of the Duke of Wilby, has grown up to make a happy place for herself in society. Outgoing and cheerful, she has many friends and enjoys the pleasures of high society—even if she cannot dance at balls or stroll in Hyde Park. She is blessed with a large, loving, and protective family. But she secretly dreams of marriage and children, and of walking—and dancing.

When Ben Ellis comes across Lady Jennifer as she struggles to walk with the aid of primitive crutches, he instantly understands her yearning. He is a fixer. It is often said of him that he never saw a practical problem he did not have to solve. He wants to help her discover independence and motion—driving a carriage, swimming, even walking a different way. But he must be careful. He is the bastard son of the late Earl of Stratton. Though he was raised with the earl’s family, he knows he does not really belong in the world of the ton.

Jennifer is shocked—and intrigued—by Ben’s ideas, and both families are alarmed by the growing friendship and perhaps more that they sense developing between the two. A duke’s sister certainly cannot marry the bastard son of an earl. Except sometimes, love can find a way.

A lovely slow building story of friendship to love between two characters, (not wanting to be a burden to their families), determined to make the best life for themselves. Looking forward to the return to Ravenswood and the Ware family.

*thanks to Berkley/NetGalley for this review copy*

3 Bears
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2024 Books Read

 Books Read 2024

#1 Lawyer by JP and Nancy Allen

All Duke and Bothered by Mariah Stone (audio) 

All The Summers In Between by Brooke Lea Foster (audio)

Always Remember by Mary Balough 

An Evil Heart by Linda Castillo 

Book of the Month by Jennifer Probst

Bright Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews 

Brooklyn by Colm Toibin (audio) 

Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda (audio) 

Disturbing the Dead by Kelley Armstrong 

Don't Let The Devil Ride by Ace Atkins

Every Single Secret by Christina Dodd 

Everyone is Watching by Heather Gudenkauf 

Fire and Bones by Kathy Reichs (audio)

Flashpoint by Susan May Warren (audio)

Goodbye Girl by James Grippando 

Holmes, Marple and Poe by JP and Brian Sitts 

Inheritance by Nora Roberts 

Liar’s Point by Laura Griffin 

Lion and Lamb by JP and Duane Swierczynski 

Lone Wolf by Gregg Hurwitz 

Middletide by Sarah Crouch (audio)

Mind Games by Nora Roberts 

Not That Duke by Eloisa James (audio) 

One Big Happy Family by Susan Mallery

One More For Christmas by Sarah Morgan (audio) 

One of Our Own by Lucinda Berry (audio) 

Payback in Death by J.D. Robb 

Random in Death by J.D. Robb 

Roomies by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando 

Rules For Second Chances by Maggie North DNF

Simply the Best by Susanne Elizabeth Phillips 

Snowed In For Christmas by Sarah Morgan (audio) 

Southern Man by Greg Iles 

Summers at The Saint by Mary Kay Andrews 

Sweet Thing by David Swinson 

The 9th Man by Steve Berry & Grant Blackwood 

The Banned Book Club by Brenda Novak

The Beautiful and the Wild by Peggy Townsend 

The Beloved by JR Ward

The Boyfriend Candidate by Ashley Winstead 

The Bright Spot by Jill Shalvis 

The Burning by Linda Castillo

The Edge by David Baldacci 

The Five Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand 

The Friendship Club by Robyn Carr 

The Housemaid’s Secret by Freida McFadden 

The Messy Life of Jane Tanner by Brenda Novak 

The Mirror by Nora Roberts

The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen by Siri James

The Missing Witness by Allison Brennan 

The Paris Widow by Kimberly Belle

The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren (audio) 

The Price You Pay by Nick Petrie

The Ranger by Ace Atkins 

The Roads We Follow by Nicole Deese 

The Secret by Andrew/Lee Child 

The Secret Recipe of Ella Dove by Karen Hawkins (audio) 

The Story of Son by J.R. Ward (audio) 

The Summer Book Club by Susan Mallery 

The Summer Swap by Sarah Morgan 

The Wishing Bridge by Viola Shipman 

The Worst Best Man by Lucy Score

Twelve Months to Live by JP and Mike Lupica 

When the Duke Bought A Wife by Mariah Stone (audio)