The Running Bibliophile

Fortune and Glory: Tantalizing Twenty-Seven (Stephanie Plum, #27) by Janet Evanovich opens with Stephanie Plum and her Grandma Mazur still searching for Jimmy Rosolli's treasure, but they're not the only ones looking for it. On top of that, Stephanie is being followed by a woman that she thinks Morelli is dating. One of the things I enjoyed about Fortune and Glory: Tantalizing Twenty-Seven is that it picked up where Twisted Twenty-Six (Stephanie Plum, #26) . It was a fun, entertaining read that made me laugh out loud in spots. I really enjoyed a new character named Potts because he provided some much needed comic relief. I foresee him becoming a reoccurring character. Like the previous book, I found some inconsistencies in the details, which makes me think that the latest in the series is being ghost written as well. It's a bit frustrating, especially since I've come to love the Stephanie Plum book series.  On top of that, we're back to Stephanie screwing up agai...

The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict opens with Lily returning to her aunt's manor house and discovers that if she wants to inherit the house, she must play the traditional Christmas game with her cousins over a period of twelve days. When one of them is murdered and a snowstorm cuts them off from the rest of the village, Lily realizes she must fight for her life. Over the twelve days, twelve clues, and twelve keys, how many will perish? First and foremost, I'd like to thank NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the digital copy of The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict. I was thrilled to receive a copy prior to it coming out in paperback on October 4, 2022 because it sounded intriguing. Reminiscent of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None (a.k.a. Ten Little Indians ) and the movie Clue , I found myself comparing The Christmas Murder Game to both. There were even parts that reminded me a bit of The Shining by Stephen King. However, this didn...

The Last to Vanish by Megan Miranda opens in Cutter's Pass at The Passage Inn, an upscale hotel in the mountains of North Carolina. Abigail Lovett is the manager at the inn and has been for the last ten years. Even though Abby considers it home, she often still feels like an outsider even though her aunt and uncle built The Passage Inn themselves. All the disappearances over the years throws the town back into the spotlight when the brother of one of those missing appears late one night asking questions. As Abby helps with his investigation, she realizes how little she knows about her friends, coworkers, and the town. I'd like to thank NetGalley and Scribner for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) that I received for free in exchange for my honest review. I was absolutely thrilled to be chosen to review The Last to Vanish by Megan Miranda, and I wasn't disappointed. Megan Miranda sure knows how to set the tone and pace to make for an eerie, suspenseful, and heart pounding rea...

The Lifeguard by Richie Tankersley Cusick opens with Kelsey and her mom taking a ferry over to Beverly Island to vacation with her mom's boyfriend and his three children. However, Kelsey's beach vacation isn't the paradise it should be. There's a note under her pillow from Beth, who's missing, and Issac, the local drunk, won't stop bothering her. On top of that, there have been several drownings on the island. Little does Kelsey know that lifeguards don't always save people.  I am in the process of rereading my way through my childhood. When scrolling through Instagram, I saw a post from the user talespointhorrorbookclub where they were voting between two books for their book club, one of which was The Lifeguard by Richie Tankersley Cusick. I decided that this should be the next book for me to reread. Not remembering much about the YA Novel, it was like reading it for the first time. However, as the book progressed, little tidbits starting coming back to m...

The Circus Train by Amita Parikh is a historical fiction novel taking place in Europe during World War II. Lena Papadopoulos is the disabled daughter of Illusionist Theo Papadopoulos, who performs with a traveling circus. Theo is extremely overprotective of Lena and because of that, she lives a very sheltered life. When Lena finds an orphaned boy named Alexandre passed out on the train, her life takes an unexpected turn. I'd like to thank NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of The Circus Train by Amita Parikh in exchange for my honest review. I was excited to review this book as soon as I saw it was being compared to The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, and I wasn't disappointed. Starting off with a bang, The Circus Train by Amita Parikh is a fantastic read. I found myself disappearing into the book and losing all track of time . . . that speaks volumes about how extraordinary the author is especially considering this is her debut novel.  The cha...

Twisted Twenty-Six (Stephanie Plum, #26) by Janet Evanovich opens with Grandma Mazur planning a funeral for her second husband, gangster Jimmy Rosolli. Although she's receiving a lot of attention as a widow, not all attention is the same. Jimmy's business partners are emphatic that Grandma Mazur has his keys and won't stop until they get them from her. Stephanie Plum, Grandma Mazur's bounty hunter granddaughter, is sure she'll have no trouble finding Jimmy's keys, but instead, she finds herself in deep trouble. Like the majority of the other books in the Stephanie Plum book series, I found Twisted Twenty-Six (Stephanie Plum, #26) to be very entertaining and fun to read, even with it following the same formula as all the others in the series. However, it seemed as though this particular book was possibly ghost written, and there are a few reasons that made me think so.  Usually, Stephanie has issues with apprehending her fugitives, but right off the bat, she ...

Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau is a coming of age novel taking place in Baltimore, Maryland. During the 1970's, fourteen year old Mary Jane is caught in the middle of her family's conservative ideals and the progressive ideals of the Cone family where she is a summer nanny. Mary Jane is a sheltered teen who enjoys cooking with her mother, listening to Broadway Show Tunes, and singing in the church choir. On the first day of work, she is shocked at the mess in the Cone's home and introduces them to home cooked meals and keeping the house clean. In return, Mary Jane gets a front row seat to sex, drugs, and rock & roll. This novel was the selected for the book club I belong to. Again, this is a novel that I likely wouldn't have chosen to read on my own, but I was glad I did. Mary Jane is the first novel I've read by Jessica Anya Blau, and I was impressed with her storytelling.  Touching on race, class, and stereotypes, along with drugs and infidelity, it reminded...