Sunday, July 13, 2025

The Obsessions of Harvey Usher by David Putnam Book Review

About the Book:


At eighty years old, Harvey Usher lives a quiet, reclusive life, still grieving the loss of his beloved wife, Sylvia. But when a stunning redhead named Rita shows up, claiming to be his wife of two years, Harvey's carefully constructed world begins to crumble.

As Harvey struggles to expose Rita's deception, dark figures from his past emerge from the shadows, forcing him to confront the violent secrets he's kept buried for five decades. With the help of his elderly neighbor Esther and a troubled PI named Eddie Gurski, Harvey races to uncover Rita's true motives before it's too late.

But in this deadly game of cat and mouse, nothing is what it seems. As bodies start piling up and long-buried truths come to light, Harvey must decide who he can trust - and whether some sins can ever truly be forgiven.

A gripping tale of deception, redemption, and the price we pay for the secrets we keep, 
The Obsessions of Harvey Usher is a masterful thriller that will keep you guessing until the very last page.

My Review:

I have read a few of Putnam's novels and have liked his detective ones. This one is quite different. The pace is very slow. There is not much action in the current timeline. There are many flashbacks to the 1960s when Harvey was an accountant for a mobster. There is some action in that timeline but it seems on the surface to not be connected to current events. In the end, we see how the events are connected and there are fun twists, right up to the last scene.

The characters were interesting but I never really felt engaged with any of them. The plot was not very exciting until near the end. It seems Putnam is experimenting with a new style of fiction. I liked this novel but I do not think it is Putnam's best.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

You can read my review of a previous Putnam novel I read, The Blind Devotion of Imogene.


About the Author:

During his law enforcement career, “Deputy Dave” Putnam worked primarily in California on teams for Patrol, Investigations, SWAT, Narcotics (street level and majors), Violent Crimes, Criminal Intelligence, Internal Affairs and the Detective Bureau.

He rounded out his law enforcement career with a few years in the Hawaiian Islands as a Special Agent–part of a real-life “Hawaii-50” team.

He’s now retired from law enforcement and spends his time growing organic California avocados and writing, with his wife Mary and their three dogs.


Level Best Books, 315 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Swell Media. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.) 

Saturday, July 12, 2025

Echoes on the Wind by Helaine Mario Blog Tour Book Review

Echoes on the Wind by Helaine Mario Banner

ECHOES ON THE WIND

by Helaine Mario

June 23 - August 1, 2025 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

Echoes on the Wind by Helaine Mario

THE MAGGIE O'SHEA SUSPENSE SERIES

 

TWO STRONG WOMEN, GENERATIONS APART, CONNECTED BY MUSIC...

In 1943 war-torn France, a young woman on the Night Train to Paris has a chance meeting with two very different men who will change her life, setting in motion a Dual Timeline story that will resonate like ripples on water for generations to come.

Many years later, classical pianist Maggie O’Shea is drawn to Brittany by a long-lost letter from her French grandmother and the stirring music of Chopin, whispering like echoes across the years. But as Maggie discovers the secrets of her past, her life spirals out of control, threatening her upcoming wedding and those she loves.

Set against the backdrop of World War II France, Maggie learns her grandmother’s story, chord by chord, through Chopin’s emotional Preludes. And, in one shocking moment, Maggie’s love story will take a heart-breaking turn that will change her life and echo into her future.

Past and present converge in this haunting tale of loss and sacrifice, friendship and family, courage and survival – and the transcendent power of hope, music and love.

Praise for Echoes on the Wind:

"History, mystery and music. I love this series."
~ Ellen Kirschman, Author of the award-winning Dot Meyerhoff mysteries

"I am loving it. Your lovely words are my path back to reading. Thank you."
~ Book Reviewer, The Reading Frenzy

"Echoes on the Wind stands alone as a beautiful story… Beyond this is layered a second story of enduring love, of commitment. This story is set in another time and place. A story of family. The two stories are linked by family through time… healing, forgiveness and resolution are finally able to happen. Through all of this, the thread that held it together is the music, the art, and the poetry of the heart that poured forth."
~ Karen Laird, Reviewer, Shade Tree Book Reviews

"Echoes on the Wind presents two love stories – one in the present day and one during World War II. It’s easy to root for Maggie and Michael as the main couple (and Clair and Charles in the past). This book is exemplary in its choice of topic or theme of the story. It is unique but still has strong appeal for most readers in its intended genre."
~ Writers’ Digest Reviewer

"In this book, readers embark on a poignant journey through the past and the present. Maggie’s story is a careful examination of how one’s ancestral past can influence their present. Most of all, it is a story of female fortitude. Both Maggie and Clair find a strength within themselves that neither of them knew they possessed. Additionally, the incorporation of classical music in the novel is refreshing. This focus is a reminder of the unifying and healing power of the arts, music, and literature. The poetic writing makes this book even more gripping, as readers are completely swept up in Maggie and Clair’s experiences."
~ RECOMMENDED by the US Review

"Once again, Maggie O’Shea, is the central character, but this entry in the series features a dual timeline that will captivate the reader. Both the contemporary, present-day storyline and the historical thread set in World War II France are so authentically depicted that readers will struggle to determine which setting they enjoy more. Watching how these two plots weave and intermingle continues to surprise, with echoes being the perfect symbolic image. Light the fireplace, put Chopin’s Preludes on the stereo, and settle in for a gripping read you won’t soon forget."
~ Kristopher Zgorski, BOLOBooks.COM

My Review:

This is a touching novel. What a unique idea to tell the events of a life through music. And there are many references to classical music compositions so this is a good novel for lovers of classical music, such as Chopin. I am not a music aficionado and I still liked it. It is dual time, including some very heart breaking scenes from WW II as well as a good current day romance. There is also the tension of threatened harm to the contemporary characters. Those three elements of the novel made it an emotional one.

Mario's writing style is pleasantly descriptive. I felt like I was in the scene, experiencing the danger at times and the beauty at other times. I am not a fan of frequently changing the character focus of the narrative, however, something Mario did here. The dual historical nature of the story telling did tie together the lives of Maggie and her grandmother, but I did find it hard to be deeply engaged when the narrative shifted.

Potential readers should know that most of the possible suspense has origins in previous novels. There were many references to previous events causing the possibility of danger here. While one can enjoy this novel without reading the previous ones in the series, as I did, reading the earlier books would make reading this one much more enjoyable.

My rating: 4/5 stars. 

Book Details:

Genre: Romantic Suspense
Published by: Suncoast Publishing
Publication Date: June 18, 2024
Number of Pages: 364
ISBN: 9781735184975 (ISBN10: 1735184977)
Series: A Maggie O'Shea Romantic Suspense, Book 4
Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads

The Maggie O'Shea Romantic Suspense Series:

The Lost Concerto by Helaine Mario
THE LOST CONCERTO
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
Dark Rhapsody by Helaine Mario
DARK RHAPSODY
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
Shadow Music by Helaine Mario
SHADOW MUSIC
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Read an excerpt:

OVERTURE

“Like so many things that matter, it began with an accident.”
David Ignatius, 12/28/98

NOVEMBER, 1943. THE NIGHT TRAIN TO PARIS

Light and dark.

The bleak November landscape rushed past the train’s window. Black tree branches against the dark night sky, then a sudden flash of light. Then blackness again.

The blackout had claimed the streetlamps and cottage windows. Clair Rousseau stared out the rain-streaked glass, waiting for the next glimpse of light. A lone lantern. Car headlights tilted down, a sliver of gold beyond a cracked curtain. Sheet lightning over distant hills, a glimmer of light on water. But all she saw was the blurred, pale oval of her reflection staring back at her. Dark hair scraped back, framing huge eyes beneath winged brows, sharp cheekbones, the too-wide mouth.

No hint of the emotions flowing through her, except for the deep purple shadows beneath her eyes.

The dim, four-person compartment was cold, and she pulled her coat more tightly around her body. The seat beside her was still empty, thank God. Across from her, two German officers. One asleep, snoring loudly, his hands slack between thick gray-green uniformed knees. The other awake, a Gauloises cigarette clamped between thin lips, a jagged line of white scars marring his left cheek. The narrow fox-like face stared at her through thick round glasses and wreathes of curling blue smoke. His jacket was heavy with insignia, oak leaves, medals. Military Intelligence, she thought with a sudden chill. A high rank, SD or Abwehr. What was he thinking?

The watchful, unblinking eyes made her afraid. Like a snake’s eyes, waiting to strike. She looked away, forcing herself not to reach for her satchel, touch her identity papers for reassurance.

The carriage’s glassed door slid back and forth with an unnerving rattle as the train rocked around a bend. From the hallway came the sharp scent of burning coal, wafting back from the old steam engine several cars ahead. A cloud of steam billowed past the window like sudden fog.

She could feel the vibration beneath her, hear the rumble of the train’s wheels speeding along the tracks. The lonely call of a train whistle, echoing in the night. A quick flare of light, illuminating the rain like silver threads streaming down the window.

Light and dark. Light and dark.

Movement at the edge of her vision. A tall figure appeared in the hallway, beyond the door. Her chest tightened. Would she ever feel safe again?

A sharp crack of thunder, a sudden bright flash lighting her face.

“Mademoiselle Clair?”

Startled, her head came up. The stranger had stopped, was staring into the compartment. Across from her, the watchful German stiffened and slid pale eyes toward the voice.

Be careful.

There was something familiar about the gaunt face, the faint, questioning smile just visible above a thick woolen scarf. She stood quickly, stepping between the German and the carriage door to block the officer’s view.

Oui,” she said softly, peering into the dim hallway. The man nodded and moved closer. Something about those gentle eyes, the arch of silver brows. Memory surged. Father Jean-Luc.

She flashed him a warning glance for silence and stepped into the train’s narrow corridor, closing the door firmly behind her. “Mon Père, is it really you?”

Oui, ma petite, c’est moi.” The priest pulled the scarf down to offer a glimpse of his white Roman collar, then lost his smile as he gazed over her shoulder and saw the Germans. “But we cannot talk here. Come with me.”

He slipped a hand beneath her elbow and guided her to the end of the dark passageway, where an open exit door led across shifting metal plates to the train’s next car. She felt the sudden bite of night wind on her face, cold and wet with mist. Here the clatter of the train wheels was loud enough to hide their conversation.

They sheltered just inside the doorway, in the shadows, away from the rain. Outside, the countryside of France rushed by, then disappeared in a billow of black smoke. In the dim corridor, the planes of the priest’s face were lit by a tiny, flickering overhead bulb.

Light and dark. Light and dark.

The priest looked down at her, shook his head. “Little Clair Rousseau,” he murmured. “Now such a beautiful young woman. It’s been – what? – four years since we met? You were just thirteen, I think. Playing the piano in your parents’ apartment. Bach, yes? It was so beautiful, so stirring. I hope you are still playing?”

She shook her head. “You need hope to create music, Père.” She looked back toward her carriage compartment. The hallway was empty. “But I remember that day. The war was coming. You asked us to help you remove the stained-glass windows from Sainte-Chapelle. To save them from the bombing.”

“You were fearless, Clair. I remember watching you, swaying at the top of that impossibly high ladder. The morning light was coming through the stained glass, spilling over you like shimmering jewels. I’ll never forget it. I told myself, Clair means light, she is perfectly named.”

He leaned down. “And I can still see your sister, Elle – too young to help us, bien sûr – dancing around the altar.”

Her expression softened. “Elle loved to dance. It was the last happy day I can remember.” She lifted her eyes to his, took a breath. “Paris was another lifetime, Père.”

“You cannot lose hope,” he told her. “The glass pieces are in a safe place. Beauty and goodness cannot be destroyed. You will see the stained-glass windows back in Sainte-Chapelle when the war is over. I know it.”

She shook her head. “I wish I had your faith.”

“God has his plans. There is a reason we’ve met by chance on the night train to Paris.” Concern flashed in his eyes. “But you’ve been in Brittany? Dangerous times for a young woman to be traveling alone, Clair.”

She looked out at the black trees rushing past the doorway, and felt the blackness deep in her heart. “I am alone now, Père.”

Mon Dieu. What happened?”

“My father knew that war was inevitable. Not long after we saved the glass my parents moved us from Paris to the coast near Saint-Malo to be safe. Such irony. They had no idea how dangerous Brittany would become. And then…”

She could not stop the sudden rush of tears that filled her eyes. “The Gestapo shot my father last year, in a retaliation roundup for an act of sabotage by the Resistance. He was with the Liberty Network, they had bombed a train track. He stepped forward, admitted it, hoping to save the others. But still they took thirty innocent people from our village, murdered them in the square.”

“Oh no, Clair.” The priest made a quick sign of the cross. “I am so sorry. And your mother, your sister?”

“I don’t know, Père. I was studying in Paris, I begged them to come stay with me. But Maman refused. When I returned last month to see them, the house was empty. They were just… gone. The neighbors said the Germans took them, in the night. The mayor was told they were being relocated to Poland.”

The priest paled. “Désolé. I will pray for their souls.”

Anger erupted, spilled out. “Prayers did not help my family! I have no time for prayer now. Or sorrow. Even avenging my father will have to wait. I need all my energy now to find my mother and my sister.”

He bent toward her. “I am afraid you are still too fearless for your own good. Tell me what you’re doing, little one.”

She turned once more to scan the dark hallway, then leaned closer. “I excelled in languages in my lycée studies these last years,” she whispered. “I am fluent in several languages, including German and English. I hope to find a new job, in the Hotel Majestic in Paris, where the German High Command is quartered. Then I will join the Resistance, find a way to get news of Maman and Elle. I must find them!”

He gazed down at her for a long moment, then put a hand on her shoulder.

“Perhaps I know of another way,” he murmured.

The sound of a door opening. Wavering shadows spilled into the train’s corridor. Then the red glow of a cigarette, a spiral of smoke. She froze as the German officer turned toward them.

“Find me at Èglise Saint-Gervais, in the Marais,” the priest whispered quickly. “I am with the Resistance there. You could work with me, we need someone like you to –”

A sudden terrifying screech of metal wheels. Clair felt herself thrown to the floor as the train braked, slammed to a shuddering stop. Stunned, Clair reached out, felt the still body of the priest beside her. “Mon Père…

Shouts in German in the darkness, the clatter of heavy boots. When she raised her head she saw flashing blue lights against the night sky.

Light and dark. Light and dark.

PART 1

“An echo of the past…”
Victor Hugo

CHAPTER 1

THE PRESENT
PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, MARTHA’S VINEYARD

Light and dark.

The stage was shadowed, lit only by a handful of overhead lights. One of the lights began to flicker, a bright flash illuminating Maggie O’Shea’s face for a brief moment, then casting her into darkness.

Maggie sat at the Bechstein grand piano, marveling at the power, the responsive touch, the unique tone of the beautiful instrument. Prokofiev deserves no less, she thought.

The score propped above the keyboard was marked by penciled notations, heavy lines, arrows and slashes. Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2 was the ultimate challenge for a pianist, but Maggie had chosen it because it was so emotional, so personal. So incredibly beautiful.

It has the most to say, she thought.

And, oh, she had so much she wanted to say. Always, since she’d been a young child whose bare feet did not yet reach the pedals, she had spoken through her music. Told the piano her secrets long before she told anyone else.

Her earliest memory was of being curled beneath the grand piano, listening to her mother play, surrounded – cradled – by music. Then later, sitting on the piano bench by her mother’s side. The smoothness of the keys beneath tiny fingers, the sound that seemed to magically flow from her shoulders to her fingertips. Seeing the colors, making the piano sing. Making the rest of the world disappear.

But this piece – face it, every piece lately – was giving her trouble. Something, some emotion, was just out of reach. Her mentor, the legendary pianist Gigi Donati, would say she was taking the easy way out by mastering technique but not the emotion. She could hear Gigi’s smoky, exasperated voice in the shadows. No, no, no! You are not growing, Maggie, your music is lifeless. Imagine you are kissing your lover goodbye for the last time. What do you feel? Now, again!

Maggie sighed. She had been playing the first movement for an hour, with nary a lover in sight. Without Espressivo, as Gigi would demand. She would say, You don’t know the music yet. Take the time. Grow with the music. Illuminate its secrets. Make it yours.

The light high above the stage flickered again, slipping her out of the light into darkness.

Light and dark, thought Maggie. The story of my music. The story of my life.

She closed her eyes, took a deep, shaky breath, and began to play the next phrase of music.

Look into the heart of the music, whispered Gigi from behind her. Find its light. Find its soul.

A few more chords, and suddenly Maggie’s fingers stiffened, locked, slipped off the keys. Shaking her head, she gathered the sheet music and dropped it to the bench.

I just can’t, Gigi. I know what’s wrong, why I can’t play. I just don’t know how to fix it.

But deep down, she did know. What she needed was to feel. But once again, part of her was frozen.

You will not give up, she told herself. You have so much joy waiting for you. Raising her left hand to stretch tensed tendons, the engagement ring on her finger flashed emerald in the theater lights.

The flash of emerald green in a shadowed cabin. The memory washed over her and once again she was back in the moment. She saw Michael’s face, as craggy and strong as the mountains he loved, his granite eyes locked on hers.

What are you doing, Michael?

It’s called offering you a ring, Maggie. The color of your eyes, the color of the mountains. It’s been hidden in my sock drawer for months.

I know it’s a ring. I mean… What are you doing?

Jumping off a cliff, it seems. Don’t make me get down on one knee, darlin’. I’ll never get back up.

Silver eyes blazing like a torch. Marry me, Maggie.

I… You… Oh, Love.

I’ll take that as a yes, ma’am.

She smiled. Colonel Michael Jefferson Beckett. A man who had fallen in love with her when he didn’t want to, a man she hadn’t wanted to love back.

And yet.

It just was. Like music. And right this minute he was back in those beloved mountains of his, at his cabin in Virginia’s Blue Ridge. Working on a secret project, he’d told her, with Dov, the Russian teenager in his care.

She pictured the battered, rugged face she knew so well. The quirk of his mouth, the spiky silver brows, eyes like river stones locked on her. His stillness, as if he was carved from the mountains he loved. The way he listened…

Michael, standing behind her, wrapping her naked body in a woven blanket.

Michael, beneath her in the shadowed bedroom, whispering her name against her lips while her hair fell like dark rain around his face.

She breathed out in a long sigh. It had been an emotional several months but now, finally, she was letting go of the past. Moving on. Ready to marry again. To spend the rest of her life with the Colonel, Dov and their rescue Golden, Shiloh. She had never expected this gift, this second chance at love.

She shook her head, barely recognizing the woman she’d become. For so long she’d thought of herself as a city-girl. But the small cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains was becoming her center. Her home. She heard music differently in the quiet of the mountains. Listened better.

Suddenly wanting to hear Michael’s voice, she dialed his cell. Message.

“Hey you, it’s me,” she whispered. “Call me tonight, I’ll wait up. I have so much to tell you.”

If only…

If only she didn’t have to tell Michael the secret she’d been keeping from him these past few weeks. That once again, a vicious murderer was threatening all she held dear. Dane, with his scarred, wolf-like face and mirrored sunglasses hiding his eyes. The one nightmare she could not put behind her.

Because now Dane was back in her life.

+ + +

Over 4,500 miles to the East, the man who called himself Dane could not sleep. Still hours before dawn, shadows lay sharp across the tiles of the villa’s bedroom, angling from the terrace doors. Dane sat in a cushioned chair, crutches propped beside him, staring out the glass at the black Aegean far below – waiting for the sun’s light to spill over the horizon and fill the dark water with gold.

A sudden shift of the moon, and he caught his breath at his reflection in the window. All the mirrors in the villa had been shattered years ago, by his own hand. As shattered as his life. Now, caught off guard, he stared at the disfigured face of the stranger wavering in the glass.

Without warning his mind flung him back several years. He had been standing in the Kennedy Center’s Grand Foyer, his French knife secure under his tuxedo jacket, when he had caught a glimpse of himself in the floor-to-ceiling mirrors. Tall and god-like, he’d had muscles that rippled beneath the silk, a strong carved face, flowing hair the color of wheat, streaked by the Provençal sun. A diamond in his left ear, mirrored aviator glasses that hid tiger-colored eyes. His stride had been long, fast and as powerful as the Jaguar he drove.

And then he had crossed paths with Magdalena O’Shea.

First, the badly burned hand, thanks to an encounter with Magdalena’s Colonel at a Provençal abbey. He held up his right hand, now encased in a tight black glove. Then the botched plastic surgery in Italy after being forced into hiding. The scarred, distorted face, the loss of an eye. And then, months later… He looked down at his withered legs. The fall. The sickening feeling of spinning into the void. The excruciating pain that followed. The months of unbearable physical therapy.

All because of one woman. Magdalena O’Shea.

He glanced at his Rolex. Early evening in the states. Firas should have arrived in Martha’s Vineyard by now. He smiled. Until the time came, Firas would be his legs.

The image in the glass wavered, dissolved, and Dane turned away. “For death remembered should be like a mirror,” he whispered. “Who tells us life's but breath, to trust it error.”

***

Excerpt from Echoes on the Wind by Helaine Mario. Copyright 2020 by Helaine Mario. Reproduced with permission from Helaine Mario. All rights reserved.

 

Author Bio:

Helaine Mario

Best-selling author Helaine Mario grew up in NYC and is a graduate of Boston University. Now living in Arlington, VA, this mother of two, grandmother of five, and passionate advocate for women's and children's issues came to writing later in life. Her first novel, The Lost Concerto, won the Benjamin Franklin Award Silver Medal. Echoes on the Wind is her fifth novel and the fourth in her Maggie O'Shea Classical Music Suspense Series. Royalties from her books go to children's music and reading programs. Helaine recently lost her husband, Ron, after 57 years together. Her new book echoes with loss, grief, and, ultimately, the healing power of love.

Catch Up With Helaine Mario:

HelaineMario.com
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads
BookBub - @helainemario
Instagram - @helainemario.author
Facebook - @helaine.mario

 

Tour Participants:

Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and opportunities to WIN in the giveaway!

Click here to view the Tour Schedule

 

 

ENTER FOR A CHANCE TO WIN:

This is a giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Tours for Helaine Mario. See the widget for entry terms and conditions. Void where prohibited.

Can't see the giveaway? Click Here!

 

Get More Great Reads at Partners In Crime Tours


I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Partners in Crime Book Yours. My comments are an independent and honest review. The rest of the copy of this post was provided by Partners in Crime Book Tours.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.) 

Friday, July 11, 2025

Shadowed Witness by Angela Carlisle Blog Tour Book Review

 

Shadowed Witness by Angela Carlisle Banner

SHADOWED WITNESS

by Angela Carlisle

July 7 - August 1, 2025 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

Shadowed Witness by Angela Carlisle

THE SECRETS OF KINCAID

 

A haunting attack. A killer in the shadows. A protective love.

Murder--that's what photographer Allye Jessup knows she witnessed as she departed her studio one evening. Waking with bruises on her neck and a foggy memory, she believes she survived an attack, but everyone seems to think she simply sustained a head injury from falling down the stairs outside her studio. Plagued by an undiagnosed health condition, she is torn between the haunting reality of what she may have seen and the possibility that her mind is playing tricks on her.

Without proof the other victim ever existed, Detective Eric Thornton can hardly declare the area a murder scene. Still, he adds Allye's report to his already full caseload. But when new evidence surfaces to support her claims, Eric must stay one step ahead of a ruthless killer and uncover the truth before the suspect closes in on Allye again.

Praise for Angela Carlisle:

"Fans of romantic suspense, add Angela Carlisle to your must-read list!"
~ Lynn H. Blackburn, bestselling and award-winning author

"Make room on your shelves--this is a keeper!"
~ Jaime Jo Wright, bestselling author on Secondary Target

"Surprising twists and unfolding mysteries kept me turning pages until the end."
~ Jerusha Agen author of the Guardians Unleashed series on Secondary Target

My Review:

I liked this inspirational romantic suspense that centered around Allye and the believably of the incidents she reported to the police. Others being so critical of what she was sure she saw made her a very vulnerable character. Police detective Eric was a flawed hero. I was disappointed he did not believe Allye and consider her in danger but that made for more suspense later on. Eric did come through as a hero in the secondary plot of the boys needing help after their mother died.

I found it interesting that Allye had so many physical and psychological issues. I had suspicions of what was going on so the ending was not a surprise. While there were clues leading to the identity of the villain too there was a twist at the end and plenty of suspense.

This is a good inspirational romantic suspense with relatable characters, a good mystery plot and a good faith message. While it is the second in a series, it reads well on its own.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

You can read my review of the first book in this series, Secondary Target

Book Details:

Genre: Romantic Suspense
Published by: Bethany House Publishers
Publication Date: July 1, 2025
Number of Pages: 336
ISBN: 9780764242519 (ISBN10: 0764242512)
Series: The Secrets of Kincaid, Book 2 (Amazon | Goodreads)
Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | BookBub | Baker Book House

Read an excerpt:

 

Author Bio:

Angela Carlisle

Angela Carlisle resides in the hills of northern Kentucky and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and The Christian PEN. Angela’s debut novel, Secondary Target, was a Parable Weekly top seller and was included in the Library Journal Stars So Far listing. Angela is an editor by day and prefers to spend her free time reading, baking, and drinking ridiculous quantities of hot tea.

Catch Up With Angela Carlisle:

AngelaCarlisle.com
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads
BookBub - @AngelaCarlisle
Instagram - @angelacarlislewriter
Facebook - @AngelaCarlisle.Writer

 

Tour Participants:

Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and opportunities to WIN in the giveaway!

Click here to view the Tour Schedule

 

 

Get More Great Reads at Partners In Crime Tours


I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Partners in Crime Book Tours. My comments are an independent and honest review. The rest of the copy of this post was provided by Partners in Crime Book Tours.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.) 

Thursday, July 10, 2025

A Dead Draw by Robert Dugoni Book Review

About the Book:


A killer fueled by revenge. A detective haunted by the past. They are headed for a high-stakes showdown in this bone-chilling new Tracy Crosswhite novel by New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni.

Detective Tracy Crosswhite isn’t one to lose her cool. Until her interrogation of the taunting and malicious Erik Schmidt, a suspect in two cold case killings. Schmidt also has unnerving ties to the monster who murdered Tracy’s sister, stirring memories of the crime that shaped Tracy’s life. After a critical mistake during a shooting exercise, Tracy breaks.

Haunted by nightmares and flashbacks, Tracy heads to her hometown of Cedar Grove to refocus. Just a peaceful getaway with her husband, her daughter, and their nanny at their weekend house. But Tracy’s sleepless nights are only beginning. A legal glitch has allowed Schmidt to go free. And Tracy has every reason to fear that he’s followed her.

Forced into a twisted game of cat and mouse, Tracy must draw on all her training, wits, and strength to defeat a master criminal before he takes away everyone Tracy loves.


My Review:

I am always a little leery when a male author writes a female main character but I have liked this series in general. The plot may be a little of a rehash with the same nemesis, or his disciple, posing a threat. I think it's time to move on. I prefer a concentration on police work rather than Tracy facing personal issues. And why so much about guns and competition? I liked it but I don't think this is the best in the series.

My rating: 4/5 stars.


About the Author:


Robert Dugoni
is the critically acclaimed New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and #1 Amazon bestselling author of the
Tracy Crosswhite police series set in Seattle, which has sold more than 10 million books worldwide. He is also the author of The Charles Jenkins espionage series, the David Sloane legal thriller series, the Keera Duggan legal thriller series, and several stand-alone novels including the literary novel, The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell - One of Newsweek Magazines Best Books of All Time and Suspense Magazine’s Book of the Year. Dugoni’s narration won an AudioFile Earphones Award. He has also written critically acclaimed historical novels based on true events: The World Played Chess a coming of age story and the Vietnam War; Hold Strong an untold story of WWII; and A Killing on the Hill, about a 1933 killing and trial in Seattle. HIs nonfiction exposé The Cyanide Canary, was a Washington Post Best Book of the Year. His novels have been optioned for movies and television series. Dugoni is the recipient of the Nancy Pearl Award for Fiction and multiple awards for best novel set in the Pacific Northwest. He has also been a finalist for many other awards including the International Thriller Award, the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction, the Silver Falchion Award for mystery, and the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award.

Thomas and Mercer, 373 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)

Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Threads of Empire by Dorothy Armstrong Book Review

About the Book:


Dorothy Armstrong’s Threads of Empire is a spellbinding look at the history of the world through the stories of twelve carpets. Beautiful, sensuous, and enigmatic, great carpets follow power. Emperors, shahs, sultans and samurai crave them as symbols of earthly domination. Shamans and priests desire them to evoke the spiritual realm. The world’s 1% hunger after them as displays of extreme status. And yet these seductive objects are made by poor and illiterate weavers, using the most basic materials and crafts; hedgerow plants for dyes, fibers from domestic animals, and the millennia-old skills of interweaving warps, wefts and knots.

In 
Threads of Empire, Armstrong tells the histories of some of the world’s most fascinating carpets, exploring how these textiles came into being then were transformed as they moved across geography and time in the slipstream of the great. She shows why the world’s powerful were drawn to them, but also asks what was happening in the weavers’ lives, and how they were affected by events in the world outside their tent, village or workshop. In its wide-ranging examination of these dazzling objects, from the 5th century BCE contents of the tombs of Scythian chieftains, to the carpets under the boots of Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill at the 1945 Yalta Peace Conference, Threads of Empire uncovers a new, hitherto hidden past right beneath our feet.

My Review:

Well crafted rugs tell stories. Armstrong, with her love of the subject, did a fine job telling those stories. Quilts frequently get the attention for historical works like this and I was glad to see a different focus. I like how she combined the historical setting of the carpet's creation as well as the history of the carpet itself. I was surprised at the labor, of children or slaves, unlike quilt origins. I was not as interested in the actual materials used in the carpets and found that information not as interesting. Her writing style did make the information less dry, however.

This book did give me a new appreciation for what one can reveal about culture through creations such as carpets. It is a book for readers who would like to look at the world through the often overlooked topic of carpet construction and trade.


My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:


Dr. Dorothy Armstrong is a historian of the material culture of South, Central and West Asia, and for the last decade has tried to penetrate the mysteries of Asian rugs. She has published, podcast and lectured widely on carpets. She was tutor at the Royal College of Art and Edinburgh College of Art, and from 2021 has been the Beattie Fellow in Carpet Studies at the Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford. She is an avid collector of carpets and is as a result also an expert on clothes moths. Photo Credit: Toby Long, PhotoExpress, Edinburgh.

St Martin's Press, 368 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)

Tuesday, July 8, 2025

New Release: Embedded by John Lansing


 I'll be reviewing this book in August but it releases today. I have read other novels by Lansing and liked them so I am looking forward to reading this one. It is the beginning of a new series and looks great.

Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple | Kobo | Goodreads | BookBub

Sponsored by Partners in Crime Book Tours.

Winter's Season by R J Koreto Cover Reveal

 Winter's Season by R.J. Koreto Banner

WINTER'S SEASON

by R.J. Koreto

July 8, 2025 Cover Reveal

Synopsis:

Winter's Season by R.J. Koreto

In 1817 London, Before the Police, There Was Captain Winter.

London, 1817. A city teeming with life, yet lacking a professional police force. When a wealthy young woman is brutally murdered in an alley frequented by prostitutes, a shadowy government bureau in Whitehall dispatches its "special emissary"―Captain Winter. A veteran of the Napoleonic Wars and a gentleman forged by chance and conflict, Winter is uniquely equipped to navigate the treacherous currents of London society, from aristocratic drawing rooms to the city's grimmest taverns.

Without an army of officers or the aid of forensic science, Winter must rely on his wits and a network of unconventional allies. His childhood friend, a nobleman, opens doors in high society, while a wise Jewish physician uncovers secrets the dead cannot hide.

But Winter's most intriguing, and potentially dangerous, asset is Barbara Lightwood. Shrewd, beautiful, and operating as a discreet intermediary among the elite, Barbara shares a past with Winter from the war years. Their rekindled affair is fraught with wariness; she offers intimate information crucial to his investigation, but guards her own secrets fiercely. Like Winter, she is both cunning and capable of danger.

From grand houses to dimly lit streets, death stalks Captain Winter. He must tread carefully to unmask a killer, navigate a web of secrets and lies, and perhaps, in the process, save his own soul.

Book Details:

Genre: Historical Mystery
Published by: Histria Books
Planned Publication Date: January 20, 2026
Number of Pages: 300
ISBN: 978-1592116898
Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads

Author Bio:

R.J. Koreto

R.J. Koreto is the author of the Historic Home mystery series, set in modern New York City; the Lady Frances Ffolkes mystery series, set in Edwardian England; and the Alice Roosevelt mystery series, set in turn-of-the-century New York. His short stories have been published in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, as well as various anthologies.

Most recently, he is the author of "Winter's Season," which takes place on the dark streets and glittering ballrooms of Regency-era London.

In his day job, he works as a business and financial journalist. Over the years, he’s been a magazine writer and editor, website manager, PR consultant, book author, and seaman in the U.S. Merchant Marine. Like his heroine, Lady Frances Ffolkes, he’s a graduate of Vassar College.

He and his wife have two grown daughters, and divide their time between Paris and Martha’s Vineyard.

Catch Up With R.J. Koreto:

www.RJKoreto.com
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads
BookBub
Instagram - @rjkoreto
Threads - @rjkoreto
Facebook - @rjkoreto

 

Tour Participants:

Visit these other great hosts on this tour!

Click here to view the Tour Schedule

 

 

ENTER FOR A CHANCE TO WIN:

This is a giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Tours for R.J. Koreto. See the widget for entry terms and conditions. Void where prohibited.
WINTER’S SEASON by R.J. Koreto (Gift Card)

Can't see the giveaway? Click Here!

 

 

Get More Great Reads at Partners In Crime Tours


The copy of this post was provided by Partners in Crime Book Tours. 

Monday, July 7, 2025

Does Science Make God Irrelevant? by Hans Madueme Book Review

About the Book:


How Faith and Science Can Coexist to Glorify Our Creator  

Questions surrounding the origins of the universe and the accuracy of biblical accounts place science at the forefront of discussions between atheists and Christians alike. Believers criticize the natural sciences as untrustworthy or even as an enemy of faith, while atheists reprimand Christians for denying empirical facts of nature. Is it possible to rightly love both God and science?

In this concise book, author Hans Madueme offers a biblically informed perspective on science, helping readers embrace both faith and science in a responsible and God-glorifying way. Does Science Make God Irrelevant? addresses misconceptions, explains how Christian assumptions make science possible, clarifies the tension between science and miracles, and illustrates ways faith and science can coexist as allies. In turn, readers will see how good science glorifies God and helps us praise our Creator. 

  • Optimistic: Helps readers maintain a biblically sound worldview and a positive view of science 
  • Informed Perspective: Author Hans Madueme’s medical and theological background informs his thoughts on the topic of faith and science 
  • Short, Accessible Format: Explains science from a biblical perspective using 4 simple steps
  • Part of the TGC Hard Questions Series: Equips readers with answers to difficult questions facing today’s church

My Review:

This is a small book so it is not going to go deeply into the issue. It is a good introduction, however. Madueme has good insights into the ways to address perceived conflicts between science and faith. He clarifies misunderstandings, such as how the popular idea of The Scopes Trial does not represent the actual events. He explores the idea of scientific truth and how it changes with continued experiments. He has positive comments on the anthropic principle, that our earth is particularly situated for life. I like how he points out the difference between science and scientism.

This is not an extensive book on the topic. It is a good beginning point for one who loves Jesus and also loves science. It is also a good book with which to begin a dialogue on the topic.

My rating: 4/5 stars.


About the Author:


Hans Madueme
 (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is professor of theological studies at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, and an editorial board member for Themelios. He is the co-editor of Adam, the Fall, and Original Sin: Theological, Biblical, and Scientific Perspectives and the author of Defending Sin: A Response to the Challenges of Evolution and the Natural Sciences. Before training in theology, Madueme received his MD and completed his medical residency in internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic.

Crossway, 96 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)