The Showstone by Glenn Cooper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Cal Donovan is a character I have a hard time liking sometimes The Showstone does not change that. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The Showstone is the fourth book in the Cal Donovan series. It is a phenomenal story pitting good against evil with very detailed character studies of the major characters. The showstone was a character unto itself and the factual elements about John Dee were a great addition to this story. Tying in historical facts with the mystery is one of the things that Glenn Cooper does very well.

Cal learns a lot more about his father's history in The Showstone. He knew where he died and when, but, this story teaches him that he doesn't know a lot about his father's life He seems to be a wonderful historian and professor and a great friend. But, he is a bit of a mess. He seems to be a functioning alcoholic and some of the flashbacks in the book show when Cal started on that path. It is not quite clear why, but, some of the conversations and thoughts that the reader is privy to in the story allows the reader to hazard a guess. It was good to see Cal having a semi-normal relationship with his girlfriend Jessica But, he still seems to struggle with who he wants to be or how he wants that relationship to go and it is evident to Jessica and Cal's best pal, Father Murphy. Despite me throwing up my hands at some of the missteps that Cal makes throughout the story, it is obvious that he is a good man who at least thinks about doing the right thing. There were some great action scenes and the supernatural aspects of the story were not far-fetched I enjoy this series and look forward to reading the next installment in Cal's story.

In the Hall with the Knife by Diana Peterfreund
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I completely loved this take on the Clue game/movie. I received a copy via NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. In the Hall with the Knife will go down as one of my most enjoyed books for this year. I am an avid fan of the Clue movie.I especially love how the ending was handled. I do not want to spoil it for those who have not seen the movie. I have not played the game so I was unaware of the Orchid character. I have now gone and found an online version of the game and plan to familiarize myself with these updates. I was unaware that the game was evolving. This sounds like fun.

One thing I can say is that the reader does not feel like they are just reading a transcript of the movie. The author has definitely made her own twist on the story. The movie had comedic aspects where the book definitely has dark turns. They both provide a great mystery. It is difficult to discuss this book without some comparisons to the movie. My interpretation is that the author welcomes this as she is definitely a fan.In the Hall with the Knife includes some of my favorite book themes, i.e., mystery,young adult, in a boarding school environment. The book does a great job respecting how each of the characters are protagonists, Not just one of the characters. Each character has a background or problem they were escaping when choosing to come to the school-and throw in the antagonism from some of the locals and ramp up the tension with an emergency or disaster and each person starts to show more of their true character and secrets start to be exposed. It is a recipe for a well written story and a great beginning to a new series.

Vendetta in Death by J.D. Robb
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I do not know if J.D. Robb Has written a book that I did not love. I do not have favourite foods, colors, etc. If I was forced to choose a favourite series, the In Death of Eve Dallas series would have to be it. I did receive a free copy via NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I am two finger typing this while on Nava in Europe so that should give an idea of how much I love these books. It seems sure that some series cannot break free of the second book syndrome when this series is 49 strong and still as Fresh and exciting for me as when I found this series. I read them. I listen to them on audio book and I am still surprised that nothing ever seems formulaic. Are there certain patterns in each book? Certainly. The reader can count on Roarke being involved somehow and McNabb will always have on bright clothes and boo around in air boots. But, the mysteries are still good. The world building is too notch. The character development is still one of my favorite aspects. Even if the reader knows who the killer is from the start, you can bet watching the team dig into is going to be great. I look forward to these books and love that we get a dose twice a year.

In Vendetta in Death, men are being murdered and it does seem like the reader would not have much sympathy for any of them given their past feeds as well as some of their current deeds. None of them appear redeemable but, the killings are so savage that the reader has a hard time not feeling bad for them despite their behavior. But, the reader also has good insite into their victims so we read and wait and let Dallas and crew work on giving justice according to my favorite motto. "NO MATTER YOUR RACE, CREED, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, OR POLITICAL AFFILIATION, WE PROTECT AND SERVE,* BECAUSE YOU COULD GET DEAD."