Visiting Nessie

One cannot go to Scotland without stopping by Loch Ness for a quick chat with Nessie. She's very shy, however, and I was not quick enough with the shutter. Oh, well. Here is Urquhart Castle. She likes to hang out below the tower. :-)

Oh, the places I have been

Create Your Own Visited States Map

Deadly Debut by the New York Tri-State Sisters in Crime

Deadly Debut: A Mystery Anthology by New York Tri-State Sisters in Crime
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had the honour of reading this anthology before its release, and am I glad I did! You've all heard the saying "The only good New Yorker is ... one who write murder mysteries." right? Since that's the case I now know 7 good New Yorkers.

1. Death Will Clean Your Closet by Elizabeth Zelvin is an intriguing tale about a recovering alcoholic and a disappearing body in his walk-in closet.
2. The Lie by Anita Page starts with a scared child's white lie and the unexpected consequences that follow.
3. Murder in the Aladdin's Cave by Lina Zeldovich details the murder of a belly dancer and how logical sleuthing brings the murderer to justice.
4. Family Matters by Peggy Ehrhart finds a private investigator helping her musician father prove a fellow musician is innocent of his ex-wife's murder.
5. None of the Above by Diedre Verne show how violent academia really is when a stolen test is used to set a road block on the tenure track of a fellow professor.
6. NYPD Daughter by Triss Stein proves that a rookie cop will always be a little girl in her cop father's eyes. When she stumbles upon a protection racket it's daddy to the rescue!
7. Strike Zone by Terrie Farley Moran takes us back to the year 1961 when Maris broke Babe Ruth's home run record and a young girl finds courage in the works of Edgar Allen Poe.

This is a collection well worth having and I highly recommend it.

Blind Justice by Anne Perry

Blind Justice by Anne Perry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Monk series is a favourite of mine, even more so than Anne Perry's Pitt series. While this story focused on Oliver Rathbone, it really advances William and Hester's story line as well. And I'm very much enjoying their growing relationship with Scuff. The series just keeps getting better and better. I can only hope that Ms. Perry is a vampire or some sort of immortal so that she never stops writing.

The Last Word by Lisa Lutz

The Last Word by Lisa Lutz

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a great read. The Spellmans are a unique bunch and I really enjoy my time spent with them. If you are familiar with the series, you will enjoy this one, too. If you are new to the series, go get the first one and read them all. It's really worth it.

MaryJanice Davidson's Undead and Unsure

Undead and Unsure by MaryJanice Davidson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Excellent, as always. Some questions were answered. Sinclair is back. The ending raised my eyebrows. I see a come-uppance on the way for a certain beautiful young blonde. And the house is now chock full of babies and puppies! I love this series. Thanks, MaryJanice. If you ever make it to Halifax, Nova Scotia, know that you will be very welcome to visit. Or stay. You could move here. It's really nice.

Random House's Sizzling Summer Readathon Results

For the month of July I accepted Random House's reading challenge to

Join our Sizzling Summer Readathon and challenge yourself to read as much as you can this summer.

This I have done, with very good results. At first I guestimated that I would read 3000 pages over the month of July. After the first week I realized that I was capable of much more, so I adjusted my number to 8000 pages. I am pleased to announce that I ended up with 9292 pages in total. Following are the books I read:

1. The Heist by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg: 295 pages
2. Hidden Prey by John Sandford: 233 pages
3. The Hit by David Baldacci: 390 pages
4. Affliction by Laurell K Hamilton: 527 pages
5. Broken Prey by John Sandford: 254 pages
6. Whiskey Beach by Nora Roberts: 484 pages
7. Deck Z: Titanic by Chris Pauls: 202 pages
8. The Night is Watching by Heather Graham: 392 pages
9. Stolen by Allison Brennan: 360 pages
10. Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch: 390 pages
11. The Water Rat of Wanchai by Ian Hamilton: 400 pages
12. Invisible Prey by John Sandford: 249 pages
13. Phantom Prey by John Sandford: 228 pages
14. Deadly Forecast by Victoria Laurie: 294 pages
15. Bomb Shell by Catherine Coulter: 400 pages
16. Cold Copper by Devon Monk: 400 pages
17. The 9th Girl by Tami Hoag: 416 pages
18. The Bridgerton 2nd Epilogues by Julia Quinn: 384 pages
19. The Husband List by Janet Evanovich and Dorien Kelly: 227 pages
20. The Storm by Clive Cussler and Graham Brown: 394 pages
21. Wicked Prey by John Sandford: 218 pages
22. Storm Prey by John Sandford: 216 pages
23. Buried Prey by John Sandford: 266 pages
24. The Last Word by Lisa Lutz: 329 pages
25. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs: 318 pages
26. Stolen Prey by John Sandford: 409 pages
27. Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews: 327 pages
28. Silken Prey by John Sandford: 289 pages

This was a fun challenge and I enjoyed every single book I read. I'll let you know if I win any of the prizes.