THE EXCITEMENTS is a delightfully charming tale of two elderly sisters who are forever in search of their next "excitement" aka adventure. The ladies THE EXCITEMENTS is a delightfully charming tale of two elderly sisters who are forever in search of their next "excitement" aka adventure. The ladies are well-preserved, ninety plus year old WWII veterans chock-full of life and dark secrets with a knack for finding trouble . . . or does it find them? The sisters depend on their gay nephew Archie to plan their excitements and get them where they need to be on time. The odd trio travels the world where the sisters are in demand to make appearances at festivals and fundraisers, often giving speeches and receiving recognition and awards for their service. Now, they're off to Paris, France to receive the revered Légion d’honneur medal awarded for their heroism in liberating France. At least that's why Archie believes they're going; however, as they often do, these ladies have a secret agenda to right some wrongs, and this may be their last shot at doing so.
Author CJ Wray has penned a witty tale featuring two eccentric characters unlike any others you've ever met. Penny and Josephine Williams are Britan's war treasures, adored and loved by the masses as war heroes who were part of the famous WREN's and FANY's, working for the Royal Navy and the nursing corps. At least that's the official word; however, what the world doesn't know is that Josephine was an undercover intelligence operative and Penny a spy in their younger days, and they developed several interesting skills rumored to involve grand larceny and hand-to-hand combat. With the trip to France, they have one last chance to settle old scores and pull one last heist. It may be their last big hurrah, so they intend to make it a memorable one and go out with a bang.
For the most part, THE EXCITEMENTS is narrated by Pennie and Archie with the timeline constantly shifting between past and present. The dialogue is entertaining with several tales shared by the sisters about their past adventures. The constant shifting of time may be problematic for some readers as it isn't always in chronological order, often swinging forward and back. While I found myself having to back up on occasion and reread passages to ground myself again before proceeding, it was easy to settle back in quickly. The story relayed in present time is often humorous with the banter between Archie and his aunts a delight to read. Readers will enjoy joining the two spry nonagenarians as they scheme and plot with poor Archie working double-time to stop their shenanigans from landing them in trouble yet again. While the story flows at a nice pace and the tone is overall light, there's a dark undercurrent of suspense ebbing throughout as readers wait for the other shoe to drop to discover what really happened to the sisters in Paris all those years ago that led to the score they're dead set on settling. Sometimes, a plot line is so convoluted, pulling readers in so many directions that the focus tends to get lost in the shuffle, and the story suffers. To a lesser degree, this is what happens in THE EXCITEMENTS in my opinion. At times, it's a comedy - hilarious and fun, other times it's a super spy mystery - intriguing and mysterious. It's most certainly a historical fiction story brimming with interesting information from the time period with a brief side of romance. One thing's for sure . . . it's a smorgasbord of reading pleasure if readers take their time and consume it in small bites, enjoying each part.
THE EXCITEMENTS is a tale of two resourceful nonagenarians with a secret agenda traveling the world, leaving havoc in their wake. The characterizations are pure gold even though the plot line is occasionally a bit muddled. Author CJ Wray excels at incorporating pertinent WWII history into this tale of two elderly, highly decorated veterans gone wild. Prepare to laugh aloud as the Williamson sisters attempt to pull off one final heist. Recommended to history buffs as well as fans of mystery and comedy. 3.5 Stars Many thanks to William Morrow for an advanced readers copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own. This title is set for release on Jan. 30, 2024. This review first published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine and is also available on my blog Cross My Heart Reviews. ...more
Finlay Donovan and crew are back in the most outrageously funny, sexy, fast paced story yet in FINLAY DONOVAN ROLLS THE DICE. Author Elle Cosimano doeFinlay Donovan and crew are back in the most outrageously funny, sexy, fast paced story yet in FINLAY DONOVAN ROLLS THE DICE. Author Elle Cosimano doesn’t miss a beat or trick in giving fans of the series all they’ve been clamoring for and then some in book four of the Finlay Donovan series. Get ready to repeatedly laugh out loud while holding your breath in anticipation of the next fine mess these two hard luck ladies will inadvertently land in. It’s never a matter of “if” but rather “when” another dead body will surface as Finlay and Vero entertain readers in another adventure of a lifetime. They’re in Atlantic City, baby! Let the good times and dice roll!
Under the guise of a girl’s weekend away, Finlay and Vero plan to slip away in a desperate search for Vero’s guy Javi who’s been kidnapped by a loan shark willing to exchange him for the money Vero owes him. Simple, right? Not with these two self-appointed sleuths! Before they can skip town, an entourage including Finlay’s mother and kids plus her annoying ex Steven pile into their rental to join their getaway. It’s only a matter of hours after their arrival at a rundown hotel until Finlay and Vero break into the loan shark’s room and discover him and an accomplice dead. They do what any responsible citizen would do . . . put the bodies on ice in the bathtub and start covering their tracks, of course! Complicating an already stressful situation, they return to their seedy hotel to discover that Finlay’s crush hunky cop Nick and dirty partner Charlie plus Finlay’s sister and her cop lady friend have checked into rooms across the hall under the ruse of protecting Finlay and family from Russian mobster Feliks Zhirov. In a matter of hours, a bad situation hits rock bottom with conflicting personalities, desires and motives clashing and more dead bodies surfacing. The story that unfolds is a hysterical runaway train of impossible situations careening off the tracks as the twists and turns keep coming page after page. Plan on reading straight through as there’s no more chance of you pausing reading than there is a prayer of stopping the train wreck happening on page.
From start to finish, FINLAY DONOVAN ROLLS THE DICE is pure reading entertainment with fast-paced action, over the top suspense and slapstick style comedy reminiscent of the age-old antics of Lucy and Ethel fame. If that’s not enough, it’s also sensuously sexy and steamy as affairs between Finlay and Nick heat up much to the delight of fans, but the despair of Steven who’s delusional in clinging to hope of a reconciliation with Finlay. Cosimano excels at rendering visual scenes that draw readers into the story while charging them with figuring out how in the world these two seemingly doomed characters will worm their way out of another catastrophe resulting from being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Highly entertaining, hilarious and heartwarming, FINLAY DONOVAN ROLLS THE DICE pushes all the right buttons for fans of the series. While each book stands alone, I recommend beginning with book 1 and enjoy each subsequent title in turn. You won’t regret getting to know these characters firsthand as the overall story arc unfolds from book to book. This reader’s already looking forward to the next addition to the series and the convoluted adventures this duo will undoubtedly find themselves in. Highly recommended to fans of the series and readers who enjoy a hardy laugh along with their suspense. Special thanks to Minotaur Books for an advanced readers' copy of this title. It's scheduled for release on March 5, 2024 and available for preorder on Amazon. This review is published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine and on my blog Cross My Heart Reviews. All opinions expressed are my own. ...more
Two of my favorite amateur sleuths return in Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun, book three in the award winning Finlay Donovan series. Readers can expect mTwo of my favorite amateur sleuths return in Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun, book three in the award winning Finlay Donovan series. Readers can expect more zany antics and humorous dialogue interspersed within a really good mystery. I enjoyed every minute of it!
Unfortunately for sleuth hounds Finlay and Vero, Russian Mob Boss Feliks is privy to their dark, still barely buried secrets and is holding the information over their head to blackmail them into helping him identify Mr. EasyClean, a contract killer who may or may not be a dirty cop. Feliks is tightening the corkscrews via thinly disguised threats - help him or risk exposure of their illegal escapades . . . or worse. In a desperate counter move, Finlay and Donovan join a week long Citizen's Police Academy to hide out while getting the inside scoop on what's going down among the cops. With any luck, they'll glean a vital piece of information that leads them to EasyClean's real identity thereby saving their own necks. And wouldn't you know it - the academy is run by none other than the one sensuous cop Finlay has been avoiding . . . Nick. Their budding relationship is convoluted, mostly by Finlay's continued ventures on the wrong side of the law. Too bad because several women are lining up in hopes Nick will snap his handcuffs on them. As much as Finlay would love to be first in line, she has to face reality. There's no way she can risk Nick getting close enough to learn the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth of her illegal activities. She'll continue holding him at bay while she and Vero attempt to survive cop boot camp and weed out the bad cop. I mean seriously - piece of cake, right?
The Finlay Donovan series is first and foremost pure reading entertainment. It's sassy, ludicrous, sexy and believe it or not - delivered between the covers of a fantastic discover-the-bad-guy-without-getting-killed mystery. The antics perpetrated by the two main characters are hysterical, nonsensical and most certainly ill-advised, and yet I can't seem to get enough. Cosimano excels at delivering witty banter and dialogue rich with innuendos which add to the overall comic ambiance reminiscent of Lucy and Ethel of I Love Lucy fame. Books like this generally either come off as cheesy or they kill it, and I'm happy to say Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun slays it! All the gang is back including Finlay's on again/off again love interests - Steven, her deluded ex who's decided he made a mistake in letting her go, Julian, the delicious young lawyer who also appears to want a second chance, and then there's Nick, the sinfully sexy, dependable, unshakable cop who's interested in the long haul if she'll just trust him enough to come clean. Of course, it's complicated because the harder Finlay and Vero work to get out of trouble, the more it finds them and they end up digging their hole deeper. How much bad luck can two girls have?
Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun is another great addition to this marvelous series. The pace is insane, the characters larger than life and the plot line more twisted than it appears. It takes a master to manipulate the large cast through this tapestry of interwoven plot lines, and Cosimano does so with style. While it would be helpful to read the first two books in the series prior to this one, each book stands alone to a point. There's a cliffhanger ending, but only in the sense of setting up the next book while most plot points within this book are resolved satisfactorily. If you're a fan of crazy off-the-wall antics and hysterical comedy, sexy tension laden chemistry and an outstanding who's-the-bad-guy mystery, Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun is for you! Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys laugh out loud mysteries. Many thanks to Minotaur Books for an arc of this book. This is book 3 of the Finlay Donovan Series and is scheduled for release January 31, 2023. My review is published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine and on my blog Cross My Heart Reviews ...more
Holy Chow is book number twenty five in the Andy Carpenter Series . . . and the first one I've ever read! Talk about being late to the game! However, Holy Chow is book number twenty five in the Andy Carpenter Series . . . and the first one I've ever read! Talk about being late to the game! However, I'm delighted to say that this book stands completely alone with enough backstory for me to step into it and immediately fall in love with the man and his rescue group for dogs.
In Holy Chow, a woman is discovered dead who owns a big Chow named "Lion" acquired from Andy's dog rescue, the Tara Foundation. She recently reached out to Andy to let him know that if she died and her stepson Tony doesn't want the dog, her wishes are for Andy to take Lion back. Andy attends the reading of the will and learns Tony, her stepson loves Lion and will be happy to take the dog. The only fly in the ointment is that police are arresting Tony for her murder. Andy agrees to represent Tony because he believes he's innocent and when he starts looking into Rachel's late husband's business, something is definitely off-kilter. As Andy digs deeper, it's clear he's making someone very nervous.
Holy Chow strikes me as a crossover between a cozy and legal mystery thriller. I quickly fell in love with Andy's wry sense of self-deprecating humor and enjoyed the banter between cast members who many will recognize as old favorites. Excellent writing, characterization and plotting make for easy but intriguing reading. Being new to the series, I was surprised to realize that the dog, Lion, isn't the star of the show so to speak, but more of a pawn that draws Andy out of retirement and into the limelight and shines a bright light on the world of rescues. Holy Chow is an entertaining story with an interesting mystery and a lot of laughs. I highly recommend it to fans of lighter mysteries with a big dose of humor. *Special thanks to Minotaur Books for an arc of this book. **Reviewed at Cross My Heart Reviews ...more
Secret Identity by Alex Segura is a great introduction into the world of comics in the 1970's as they're expertly woven into this fictional story of mSecret Identity by Alex Segura is a great introduction into the world of comics in the 1970's as they're expertly woven into this fictional story of mayhem and murder. The end result is a beautifully rendered combo of work with compelling, larger than life characters and a big side serving of mystery and action. Segura's obvious knowledge of the comic industry is evident in the creative writing, and his expertise in delivering a highly entertaining murder mystery will keep readers burning through pages.
Carmen Valdez works as an assistant to the head honcho of Triumph Comics with days spent copying scripts and carrying coffee and lunch to her boss. But Carmen secretly dreams of writing her own comic script about a female super hero that she's secretly been drawing for years. When she's approached by a junior writer about co-writing a new comic book starring Carmen's superwoman, she jumps at the chance even though she has to keep her identity secret. Her boss will never accept it from her. She agrees knowing it's her only shot of breathing life into her creation the Lethal Lynx. The script turns into a roaring success, but when an unforeseen tragedy strikes her co-worker, Carmen is left empty handed with someone else's name on her work. She can't step forward and claim the work now, can she? Just when she thinks it can't get much worse, a shadow from her past comes calling, and Carmen is juggling secrets.
While I found the mystery intriguing, Secret Identity is character driven and as the story unfolds through Carmen's point of view, I believe readers will find her quite easy to cheer on. Carmen is tough - a girl living alone in 1970's New York City, struggling with her own sexual identity in a misogynistic work atmosphere where every day is an all-out brawl when all she wants is to be recognized for her own talent. I have to admit my favorite part of Secret Identity surprised me - actually shocked me as I'm not a big comic book fan. However, the comic scenes of the Lynx which are inserted between chapters of this book are out of this world! The artwork is excellent, and the comic theme actually mirrors Carmen's own life journey seeking truth, identity and justice. These sequences are a fantastic addition to this book and extremely well done.
Secret Identity is a gritty, unique story with a perfect marriage of noir fiction and comics including an up close and personal look at the comic book industry at the time - one that depended on eager freelancers for the hard work and creativity necessary to produce a winner. Seguar does a great job handling controversial themes of sexual identity, gender roles and misogynistic attitudes in the workplace and the difficulty for women, especially queer women, to ever achieve success. The setting is utterly fascinating - actually playing the role of a major character - the best and worst of New York City with all its tenacity, bright lights, dark shadows, grimy districts and still 100 % intoxicating. I found Secret Identity to be well paced and hard to put down. Highly recommended to fans of mystery, noir fiction and comic books. Segura has gifted readers with the perfect blend! Special thanks to Flatiron Books for an arc of this book and tour invitation. Reviewed at: Cross My Heart Reviews ...more
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