Book Review: Murder at the PTA (Maya and Sandra Mystery, #1) by Lee Hollis

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Murder at the PTA (Maya and Sandra Mystery, #1) by Lee Hollis is the first installment in the Maya and Sandra Mystery series, a cozy mystery series centered on private investigators. The story follows Sandra Wallage , the wife of a U.S. senator and the newly elected president of Portland High School’s PTA, who becomes the latest target of a vicious gossip website called Dirty Laundry . After a heated PTA meeting, Sandra crosses paths with Maya Kendrick , a private investigator who has uncovered the identity of the person behind the gossip site. When the two women attempt to confront the culprit, they instead discover a dead body. Was it really a suicide, or did someone have a motive for murder? I’m a longtime fan of books by Lee Hollis , which is actually the pen name for sibling writing duo Rick Copp and Holly Simason . They’ve written several cozy mystery series, and what I appreciate most about their books is that they aren’t overly kitschy, unlike some other cozy mysteries I’ve ...
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Book Review: Desperation by Stephen King

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horror book review of desperation by stephen king
Have you ever found a book so depressing that it took you over four years to read? Desperation by Stephen King was that book for me. Don't get me wrong . . . it was very well written but depressing beyond on belief, so I kept putting it aside to read other novels. 

At one point, I was making so much progress that I really wanted to finish it despite it being so depressing, so I kept pushing through. Then, the nightmares began . . . every night for a week. I guess having multiple nightmares attests to how well written it is. As a side note, I've been a huge fan of horror movies since elementary school. Poltergeist, Halloween, and Nightmare on Elm Street were popular choices for me, and not one time did I ever have a nightmare. 

I'm not sure I can say there any redeeming qualities about the plot . . . a few lessons learned and a semi happy ending, but that's about it. King wrote a sequel, The Regulators, under his pen name Richard Bachman, but if it is as depressing as this book, I'm not sure I want to read it.

horror book review of desperation by stephen king
Have I mentioned how depressing Desperation is? I have?! Okay, let's move on. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone despite giving it a rating of three out of five stars. 

Synopsis of Desperation by Stephen King:

Desperation, Nevada. If you travel Interstate 50, you'll come to the loneliest city . . . Desperation. Move right along or you might just die trying to get out. An ancient evil is unleashed upon the town of Desperation that overtakes the bodies of the city's citizens . . . one person at a time. No one is safe . . . You can run, but you can't hide.



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