The Last Toll Collector by S.S. Turner

March 10, 2025 By Leave a Comment


The Last Toll Collector by S.S. Turner
Publisher: Fortis Publishing
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

What would you do if AI outcompeted you so completely that it negated your role in society?

Welcome to Valerie Tobruk’s life. Her job as a toll collector on the Golden Gate Bridge was made redundant when toll collection was automated in 2013. Since then, she’s failed to find a job which AI can’t do better than her. She feels useless and lost.

To escape from her life, Valerie travels to the Westfjords, a remote part of Iceland where people go to disappear and nature reigns supreme. Once there, she discovers an abandoned herring factory where she decides to reside as the founder of a new independent nation called Tobruk where people are valued for their humanness.

Valerie doesn’t remain alone for long. A cast of lost souls descend upon Tobruk, as do a series of perplexing challenges presented by the outside world. But there’s worse to come. When the darkness of winter descends, the citizens of Tobruk must face up to their deepest fears if they are to survive.

A better world is possible.

This was the first novel about AI I’ve read since things like ChatGPT became a mainstream concept. I nodded along as Valerie expressed her anger and frustration with how it had made the world a more difficult place to live, beginning with her being laid off so a computer could collect tolls instead. She had every right to want to escape to a place that was untouched by AI where she could live in peace. Honestly, I even wanted to join her at times! Her occasional, brief monologues made some great points about what humans do and do not actually need in order to have a fulfilling and meaningful life.

It would have been helpful to have consistent amounts of time dedicated to the mystery from the first chapter to the last one. Given that this was the main storyline, I was surprised by how often the plot wandered away from developing it to do other things instead. This was frustrating for me as a reader even though I found many of those rabbit trails worthwhile because I was expecting to have a steadily, even if slowly, growing number of clues about what was really going on in Tobruk. Switching between getting another clue and then having the protagonist mostly focus on other conflicts and tasks and not think about the mystery made it difficult for my attention levels to remain high.

Some of the most memorable scenes for me were the ones that explored the various ways sexism can be expressed. Valerie had pure intentions when she created Tobruk, but not everyone she met along the way shared her desire for equality and peace. What I found most interesting about this subplot were the nuances in why some men behave this way. Not all of them were consciously aware of their bias and how it affected the way they treated the women around them. This reminded me of the wide variety of ways in which all sorts of prejudice can be expressed in our world, including by people who are honestly trying to do the right thing but who have a small – or maybe even a large – blind spot. This was a realistic and helpful way to approach such a pertinent and sometimes sensitive subject.

The Last Toll Collector was thought provoking.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The Stone Circle by Elly Griffiths

March 7, 2025 By Leave a Comment


The Stone Circle by Elly Griffiths
Publisher: Quercus
Genre: Contemporary, Historical, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

Ruth’s partner in crime, DCI Nelson, has been receiving threatening letters. They are anonymous, yet reminiscent of ones he has received in the past, from the person who drew him into a case that’s haunted him for years. At the same time, Ruth receives a letter purporting to be from that very same person—her former mentor, and the reason she first started working with Nelson. But the author of those letters is dead. Or is he? The past is reaching out for Ruth and Nelson, and its grip is deadly.

DCI Nelson has received a few anonymous letters that are eerily similar to those he received during his first case with Dr. Ruth Galloway and a Bronze Age girl buried at a local henge. He’s uneasy, but resolves to ignore them as the original author of the letters is long dead now. But then Ruth calls to say she’s found what she thinks are somewhat recent bones of a young girl she finds when excavating at a new location right near that original henge, a recently discovered stone circle. Ruth and Nelson are finding their past is becoming ominously part of their present.

I’ve been a big fan of this series for a while now and even though I admit Nelson and Ruth’s off/on relationship drives me mental sometimes, I really enjoyed this book a lot. There is what I felt to be a satisfying amount of progress (of sorts) between Nelson’s family and Ruth/Kate. I loved that Cathbad was once again a solid and prolific character and part of this story. I even really enjoyed the amount of time spent with Judy and Cloughie this time around. I thought there really was a good amount of progress and time spent with all these main characters and the plot revolving around the missing girl whose bones were discovered. Overall, I found the balance in this story – for myself personally – was excellent. I do admit though that people who prefer the archaeology aspect to these books and the time spent focused on the dig and field work and more historical aspects might find this book a little light on for them and they might not be as satisfied as I am.

I particularly enjoyed how a good amount of the first quarter or so of this book really seemed to hark back to the first in this series (The Crossing Places) and even though it’s been quite some time since I’ve read that book, I enjoyed the parallels between the two. I wondered at times if the author was trying a sort of soft reset with the storylines – but I can’t decide if it’s my imagination and I’m reading too much into the parallels or not.

Readers who enjoy British police procedural books – especially those with strong ties to history and archaeology – should definitely find this series as a whole suits their tastes. With a strong cast of secondary characters and a well woven plotline that has a number of red herrings to keep most mystery readers guessing this was an enjoyable book and is a series I greatly enjoy. I’m looking forward to the next in the series.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Puppy Love at Mistletoe Junction by Shannon Richard

March 6, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Puppy Love at Mistletoe Junction by Shannon Richard
Publisher: Avon
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Holiday
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Cholla

Lucy Buchanan and Theo Taylor have never gotten along…like ever. Not when they were children, not when they were teenagers, and definitely not as adults…though that last part might be more Lucy’s doing than Theo’s. It was the summer after she graduated college when their antagonism towards each other boiled over into something… hot.

That is until Lucy left town in a flash, leaving everything behind for warm Los Angeles. But now she’s returned after seven years following a bad breakup, and a newfound disillusionment with La-La Land.

As for Theo, he doesn’t know and doesn’t care about whatever happened to make Lucy come back. His lingering resentment is enough to keep her at arm’s length until she inevitably leaves again. The problem is, being around each other has proven that their friction isn’t going anywhere, especially when it leads to some pretty intense heat.

The two have no idea what they’ve rekindled, but things get even more complicated when they rescue a pregnant dog together, taking on joint responsibility of caring for her.

Lucy and Theo must find a way to overcome their past, first for the sake of the dog and her litter, and for their own wounded hearts.

What do you do when your second chance at love interferes with your need to be anywhere but here? That’s the question Lucy Buchanan is trying to answer before she falls any more helplessly in love with Theo Taylor.

Lucy Buchanan is back home again, itching for the school semester to end so she can jet off to wherever her whim might take her. No one can understand why she wants to bolt, but deep inside, Lucy’s fighting her past, trying to get as far away from it as she can, even despite her growing feelings for Theo. While running from your past isn’t the best option, I do understand Lucy’s need to do exactly that. There’s a lot of pain in her past, and being home only brings it that much closer to the surface.

Theo Taylor has been doing his thing, baking the town’s most sought-after pastries, and trying to forget he ever met Lucy Buchanan. Her return home throws him into chaos, not knowing whether he should forgive her or continue to treat her like the enemy. His reluctance to fully give in is understandable, considering she ran off on him the last time they were together. Theo’s a great character. His love of baking, coupled with the way he is with his much younger sister really made me love him.

Bear is the lynchpin that holds Theo and Lucy together. When they discover this poor, scraggly dog and discover she’s pregnant, they decide to join forces and bring the puppies into the world safely. But the question still hovers over them – what happens next? Is this it for them or could there be a chance for something more?

Puppy Love at Mistletoe Junction is a super cute holiday romance that will tug at the hearts of softies everywhere. I’m a huge animal lover and the idea of a pregnant dog out wandering in the cold alone nearly did me in. I discovered this morning that this is actually the second in this series, which makes me happy because I really want to know more about this fantastic group of friends. The first in the series is going onto my list, and I’m hoping there might be a third in the works as well.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Hideout by Jack Heath

March 5, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Hideout by Jack Heath
Publisher: Allen & Unwin Publishers
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Horror
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

A tense, unputdownable thriller from the author of Hangman.

Timothy Blake has nothing to lose. He’s headed to an isolated house in rural Texas with a hammer in his pocket and murder on his mind. His target is Fred, the ringleader of a criminal empire on the dark web. Once Fred is gone, Blake can disappear for good.

But it turns out that Fred isn’t alone. Five other psychopaths live in the house. They work together and call themselves the Guards. Torture, extortion and death are their business. Blake manages to convince them that he’s one of their online associates. Soon they think he’s a monster, like them. They’re not wrong.

Blake decides to pick them off one by one. But when a Guard is found with a bullet in his skull, Blake realises that someone else in the house may have the same idea – and he might be their next target.

Meanwhile, who are the desperate people chained up in the building behind the house? One of them will change everything . . .

Timothy Blake no longer works as a civilian consultant for the FBI, but after deciding to tackle one last loose end from his previous case he finds himself in much deeper waters than expected. Faking his way into a house full of serial killers, he’s trying to work out how to extract himself when he discovers there are a number of civilian captives being held – and tortured – on site. Blake finds himself getting sucked deeper and deeper into the situation and what started as a quick in and out soon spirals out of control.

This is the third book by this author revolving around Timothy Blake and while I need to be in the right frame of mind to read and enjoy this series – it’s a little gory and gruesome – overall this is a really well written anti-hero thriller/horror series and one I just can’t help but enjoy. This third book picks up literally seconds after the second finishes. Readers who dislike reading their series out of order should absolutely read these four books in order as they very closely link up together into one much longer story and while there’s plenty of hints and explanations of what has occurred previously this is one of the few series where I really think reading the books in order is a sensible plan and will absolutely help make everything fit into place a bit better.

While there is no titillation in the horror aspects to this book this absolutely isn’t a series or book for the faint of heart. This particular book is about a group of serial killers with live victims and their very own slaughterhouse. Most of the gruesome aspects occur off scene but the author doesn’t pretty anything up and these are killers who do have some teeth. Readers should definitely be aware of that going in.

That said, I really do enjoy Blake’s character. He is there for his own reasons and while he is far from innocent and in many ways, he isn’t even trying to do “the right thing” he has his own reasons and driving force and in that way under those parameters he is doing what he can. I don’t think this will sit well with all readers, but I find it interesting and engrossing enough I read the book fairly quickly, definitely eager to see what occurs next.

Readers who want something different should find that here in this book. This is the only series I’ve ever read with a main character (even an anti-hero) like Blake and his unusual circumstances and personal drives, that alone is worth giving the series a shot to my mind. Readers who enjoy a twisty plot and don’t mind a bit of gore or serial killers should absolutely go back to Hangman and the beginning and give this series a try. I’ve never read anything like this series and while it’s not a comfortable read, it is different, interesting and absolutely a complicated plotline with multiple moving parts all woven together by the author in an astonishingly interesting manner.

Filed Under: Horror, Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

You’ve Got the Map Backwards by Brian Usobiaga

March 3, 2025 By Leave a Comment


You’ve Got the Map Backwards by Brian Usobiaga
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A year removed from high school, lifelong friends Aisha Kinseya and Sarah Piedmont find themselves lost in different places. Struggling with depression, Sarah’s growing dependency on alcohol lands her in rehab. Aisha, in the midst of her second year of college, finds herself increasingly isolated as a crippling anxiety begins to overwhelm her.

Finding solace in familiarity, the two girls reunite only to have their friendship fracture. As they search for answers, Aisha and Sarah discover how relationships can change. How knowing someone your entire life doesn’t mean you know them forever, and how, if you want to grow, there are certain things you must leave behind.

Change is an inevitable part of life.

One of the hardest things about the transition from high school to early adulthood is how much even the closest friendships can evolve as everyone goes off in different directions. This isn’t a topic I’ve seen covered that often in the young adult genre, and I hope it will spark a trend. Aisha and Sarah were both caught off-guard by the changes to their friendship and didn’t know how to react to them at first which was something I could relate to. I nodded along as they realized their lives were taking them on separate paths and wondered if they’d figure out new ways to relate to each other now that they didn’t have the same classes, teachers, goals, or daily routines to shape their experiences.

It would have been helpful to have more details in this story. I found it difficult to picture things like the characters, settings, or conversations because of how little time was spent showing the audience what the characters were like or how they interacted with each other and their environments. As much as I wanted to give this one a higher rating, this was an impediment to that as my imagination could only fill in so many details about what it would be like to walk alongside Sarah and Aisha as they adjusted to their first taste of adulthood.

With that being said, I did appreciate having protagonists who didn’t know for sure what their next steps were going to be. Many books in this genre include characters who have elaborate plans for the future they’ve been dreaming about for years. While that’s nice to read about, too, not everyone has a ten-step plan for success so early in life, and I found these characters’ uncertainty refreshing. Life is an adventure, so there is something to be said for being open to multiple possibilities while one tries to figure out what they really want.

You’ve Got the Map Backwards made me smile.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , ,

Murder At The University by Faith Martin

February 27, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Murder At The University by Faith Martin
Publisher: Joffe Books, London
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

A pretty French student is found dead in her room at an exclusive Oxford college. Everyone thinks it is another tragic case of accidental drug overdose.

But Detective Hillary Greene has a nose for the truth. She quickly discovers that the student was involved in some very unusual activities.

With a shocking cause of death found, the case becomes a high-profile murder investigation.

Adding to the pressure, Hillary’s nemesis is transferred to work with her at the station.

Can Hillary keep her cool and get justice for the unfortunate student?

This is the second book in the series featuring DI Hillary Greene and I really enjoyed it. With a layered and interesting murder mystery plot and a number of realistic and complicated characters in the police team I found there was plenty in this British police procedural book to keep my interest keen.

While at a first glance the murder appeared straightforward, I was pleased when a number of twists were uncovered and the mystery quickly deepened to be far more than first expected. I also like how the author kept a good balance with the plot and characters remaining realistic and believable but never simple – there were enough twists to keep me guessing and hold my attention firm.

I also really appreciated how Hillary is not a young woman (somewhere in her forties) and not a novice when it comes to her police work and investigations. That is still quite a refreshing change to me, and I love the series for that difference alone.

Readers looking for a well-paced British police procedural story with an intricate plot and solid characters should check this series out.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

A Quiet Man by Tom Wood

February 26, 2025 By Leave a Comment


A Quiet Man by Tom Wood
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

One day a man arrives in town. Unassuming. Quiet.

The assassin known as Victor is hiding out in a small motel in Canada after a job across the border. A few days laying low and he’ll be gone and leave no trace behind.

He doesn’t count on getting to know a mother and her boy who reminds him of his own troubled childhood. When both vanish, only Victor seems to notice.

Once he starts looking for them, he finds himself at odds with the criminals who own the town. They want him gone. Only Victor’s going nowhere until he discovers the truth and to them he’s just a quiet man asking the wrong questions.

But that quiet man is a dangerous man.

Spending only a day or two across the border laying low after the successful completion of a job, Victor finds himself making a simple – though highly unusual – promise to a young boy. Agreeing to meet again at dawn to show the young man how to fish, Victor is perturbed when neither the boy nor his mother arrive. Curious, Victor looks for them in the small, quiet little border town. What should have proved very straight-forward quickly turns complicated and soon is extremely messy. Can Victor extract himself safely?

I have thoroughly enjoyed this series but found this book in particular to be even more exceptional than I had been expecting. Unlike many series, these books all very much stand alone – Victor usually severing all ties before quickly moving on and almost never leaving anyone behind him. So these books can absolutely be read out of order if a reader wants to. What I found particularly pleasing and different about this book was the fact the job Victor was hired to do was pretty much over and finished before the book really even began. This book is all about happenstance and the decisions we make after the main event and so that is quite different to the other books of this author’s that I’ve read.

Something else I really enjoyed was most of the characters and plots in this book are around fairly normal level criminals. They’re people we can see and relate to and understand. They’re not really of Victor’s usual caliber of enemy. That said, there are a large number of different people, circling around in different plots, all currently focused on Victor for varying reasons. So with enough people coming from enough different angles even though by themselves they might not be a threat, Victor is definitely kept on his toes and it made for a highly gripping read to me.

Readers should be aware this isn’t a cosy mystery or a simple read. While definitely not horror or overly gory, neither does the author shy away from the multiple fight scenes nor the ramifications of these altercations. Readers who prefer police procedural style of mysteries or more puzzle/thinking style of plots might find this a little too action orientated and a little too visceral at times for their tastes.

With a definite anti-hero in Victor and a slightly different take on the “assassin tries to do a good thing” style of plotline, this was a great read and one I shall absolutely enjoy re-reading again in the future. Recommended.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Seeking Justice by L.A. Dobbs

February 25, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Seeking Justice by L.A. Dobbs
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Contemporary
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Snowdrop

When a prominent naturalist is found dead in the owl sanctuary, the suspect list includes some of the town’s most influential citizens. Each one is up to something shady, but did one commit murder to hide what they were up to?

When the case takes a sudden turn involving a secret identity, and clues intersect with the investigation into Jo’s sisters’s cold case, Sam and Jo realize they are up against something bigger than they’d imagined.

As they try to solve both cases, Jo’s desire to buy her cottage so she can stay in town has unexpected results and Kevin is wrestling with a shadowy secret of his own.

Meanwhile Lucy and Major have entered into a truce… but will it last?

I love the books in this “Sam Mason K-9 Dog” series. Actually, I like anyone who trusts a dog’s instincts like Sam does his German Shepard, Lucy. When the Mayor finds a dead person in the owl sanctuary, this case takes off. Who would shoot a little owl in an owl sanctuary? Not that the dead person lying by the owl wasn’t important too. From the start of this case it seems like one thing leads to another for Sam. The case itself seems to uncover more secrets, and the small police department has lots to handle and many possible suspects.

I’ve read another L. A. Dobbs book and enjoyed it as well as this one. While I like small town mysteries, there isn’t a lot of description about the town in his books. White Rock obviously has a Mayor since he found the victim, and we read about the various suspects and their standing in the community, but that’s about it. Somehow, it doesn’t seem to matter in these stories. He tends to focus on the crime at hand, the small police force, Lucy their smart canine, and Major the cantankerous cat. Never once did he lose my attention.

Excellent book. This one, Seeking Justice, is Book 7. It looks as if Book 8 is already out. I’m heading to get it for sure.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The Schoolyard Raccoon by Shana Hollowell

February 24, 2025 By Leave a Comment


The Schoolyard Raccoon by Shana Hollowell
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

In a forest behind an elementary school lives a mischievous raccoon. Every night, after the teachers and students go home, he searches for items that were left behind at school in hopes to bring something special home. A cute story that is set in rhyme and has an underlining message about not giving up.

What happens to a school when all of the students, teachers, and staff members in them go home for the night?

The world looks different after dark, even in familiar places. Some of my favorite scenes were the ones that showed what might happen when the moon is shining brightly over a playground and all of the children who played there hours ago are now safely home and in bed. They were such gentle and playful takes on the subject, and I would have happily kept reading about this topic for dozens of pages to come.

It would have been helpful to have a better explanation for why Victor the raccoon explored the schoolyard every night. The one that was shared didn’t quite make sense to me due to how much it changed the themes of this picture book. The first half and the second half were both interesting, but they never quite meshed together for me as a reader. It was almost like reading two different stories. While I liked both of them, I needed a better explanation of how they were meant to fit together.

With that being said, I did enjoy the humor of the last few scenes. They played around with the reader’s assumptions of what a raccoon would probably be looking for on a playground after dark and kept me interested as I finished that final scene. It wasn’t something I was expecting to find, but it definitely did amuse me.

The Schoolyard Raccoon made me smile.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , ,

When the Squirrel Sings by Shana Hollowell

February 21, 2025 By Leave a Comment


When the Squirrel Sings by Shana Hollowell
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

In this enchanting children’s picture book, music and nature come alive when a squirrel sings and a magical, backyard symphony begins.

Nature is full of surprises.

I loved how much this tale emphasized the joy of playing outside by showing how much fun it is. Whether that playtime happens in a park, the woods, or a backyard in a quiet neighborhood, there are all sorts of wonderful things to discover outdoors for anyone who is willing to slow down and observe their surroundings for a while. While I don’t want to share any spoilers about what these kids found, this reminded me why I love going out and seeing what I can find in the grass and trees.

The musical subplot was delightful as well. I can’t go into a lot of detail about what sort of music can be found out in nature because of how important it was to the plot, but I liked the way the author described it and could understand where she was coming from. Of course such a thing could be interpreted that way! I will listen more closely to it the next time I’m surrounded by trees and hear something beautiful and thought this was a creative way to explain what might happen when someone spends time outdoors.

The ending was what convinced me to give this a five star rating. As I was reading, I kept wondering why the squirrel was so interested in human children and excited to see them. There is an answer to that question in one of the final pages, and learning what it was only made me a bigger fan of Ms. Hollowell’s work. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

When the Squirrel Sings was magical.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , ,
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