THE GHOSTWRITER (2025) - Review

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
On Sale: June 3, 2025

What first caught my eye was the book title. Then I wondered if ghostwriter was one word or two words, ghost writer. One word is the correct answer. A while later, I started thinking I had read something by Julie Clark before. I had and it was a book I really loved called "The Lies I Tell". You can read that review by clicking on the title.

FIRST LINE: "I know what your Dad did."

THE STORY: What would you do if your brother and sister were killed in your own home? It's June 1975 and surviving brother Vincent, always suspected of the crime, has become a famous author writing best-selling horror stories. 

On the other hand, Olivia Dumont has spent her life hiding the fact that she is the only child of the infamous Vincent Taylor. When she is suddenly offered the chance to ghost write her father's last book, she reluctantly accepts, needing the money. But it's not a horror novel he wants her to write. After 50 years of silence, Vincent Taylor is ready to talk about what really happened that night in 1975. 

WHAT I THOUGHT: "The Ghostwriter" was just the psychological puzzle with aspects of genealogy and family history that make me a happy reader. The story is told from Olivia's point of view in present day while interspersed with historical chapters from Vincent and his sister, Poppy. I occasionally found it confusing trying to keep the parents and the children separate, but the writing is smooth and the plotting good enough to keep a reader up past their bedtime. Even though there's violence in this family  that's a bit unsettling, I'll still be watching for New York Times bestselling author Julie Clark's next book. 

BOTTOM LINE: RECOMMENDED for mystery/thriller readers. Also available on Audible, Inc.

DISCLAIMER: A copy of "The Ghostwriter" was provided to me by SOURCEBOOKS Landmark/NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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TOM LAKE (2023) - Review

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Started September 30, 2023 - Finished May 17, 2025

Did you see how long it took me to read "Tom Lake"? My life changed dramatically in the last couple of years and I stopped reading. Actually I opened book after book, read a chapter or two, and set them all aside. This month I decided it was time to try again, picked up Ann Patchett's lovely book, and became a reader once more.

Set in the Cherry Orchards of Northern Michigan, "Tom Lake" is Lara's story of her stage career and her time as Emily in "Our Town". Her three grown daughters have come home to avoid the pandemic and to help with the harvest. Knowing a now famous actor played opposite their mother in the Michigan summer stock theatre, the girls are fascinated by the story she tells. But the reader knows Lara doesn't tell them everything.

This is a charming story about family, love, and the past as the daughters learn about their mother's life and choices. When I finally closed my book, I felt that life was not a bad place to be.

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TYRANNY: TWENTY LESSONS FROM THE TWENTIETH CENTURY (2017) - Short Review

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Twenty ways you can survive the world as it moves in an uncomfortable direction and maintain your input and sanity. As it was in 2017, it is still worth keeping close by and re-reading when needed.

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YOUR NUMBER'S UP (2022) - Review

Your Number's Up: A Paranormal Cozy Mystery by Marylou Webster Ambrose
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Planning to visit an assisted living facility, it was suggested I read a cozy paranormal mystery that had been set there. Not exactly a match, but certainly recognizable, the real Overlook Terrace is definitely home to the characters in the book especially wheelchair-bound Rose, who is now 105. Whether she has ESP, as in the story is unsure; but she is definitely a real and fascinating person!

Beautifully constructed, the story moves along with Rose's daughter Marie trying to find the truth about her mother's rumored extraordinary skills while coping with everyday family concerns. The reader will find it easy to relate and to laugh at this intelligent story about family, love, aging, and trying to keep the world running smoothly.

Highly recommended for a comfortable, engaging read that has a happy ending.

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THE STILL POINT (2024) - Review

The Still Point by Tammy Greenwood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

QUOTE: "Why waste all that time on something that just disappears. . .We dance and then it's all just a memory." 

My introduction to Award-winning author T. Greenwood was her twelfth novel. RUST & STARDUST, published in August 2018. The story is the gripping, heart wrenching novel of Sally Horner, the 11-year-old kidnapping victim whose abduction in 1948 inspired Vladimir Nabokov's LOLITA. I was surprised that she was now writing about the lives of young dancers.

FIRST LINE: "The world is on fire."

THE STORY: Three young dancers. Three supporting mothers. All friends and competitors. Life has seemed good until a well-known French instructor comes to their coastal California town to bestow a Paris scholarship on an outstanding ballerina.

WHAT I THOUGHT: If you are paying attention, you will glimpse the personal elements the author has scattered throughout the story. Although she has written that THE STILL POINT is not a memoir, Greenwoood raised her daughter, now a professional ballerina, and certainly understands the intense world of dance classes and rivalries. The storytelling makes the book a remembrance of when we were young, took dance lessons, but stopped.

BOTTOM LINE: Highly recommended because the writing is beautiful and the plot will keep the reader fascinated by the behind-the-scenes descriptions.

DISCLAIMER: A copy of was provided to me by Kensington Books / Net Galley for an honest review.

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THE BONES OF THE STORY (2023) - Review

The Bones of the Story by Carol Goodman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Buried under books and not interested in reading? What to do? Read an author who has always been a comfort. I picked up Carol Goodman's new mystery/thriller "The Bones of the Story" and was swept away!

FIRST LINE: "I'm just having trouble getting back on track."

THE STORY: Briarwood College has not forgotten the disappearance of a female student twenty-five years ago and the distinguished Creative Writing professor who died while searching for her. Now, the college President is bringing together faculty, donors, and alumni to honor the victims from all those years ago. When the snow starts, people head home leaving the returning classmates at the college. Old rivalries are raised when they discuss the stories they had written about their greatest fears. And then there are more murders.

WHAT I THOUGHT: All Ms. Goodman's books are what I would call Romantic Gothic Mysteries with similar motifs and designs. She sets her stories in the Hudson River Valley in small college towns. Past college friendships, youthful indiscretions, secret histories and suggestions of ghosts combine to cause suspense and a sense of dread. In "The Bones of the Story" alternate chapters are marked either NOW or THEN and the author makes it even clearer as you start each section.

BOTTOM LINE: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by mystery readers who are interested in the puzzle of a story and interesting characters.

DISCLAIMER: A copy of was provided to me by William Morrow / Net Galley for an honest review.

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VERA WONG'S UNSOLICITED ADVICE FOR MURDERERS (2023) - Review

  Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jesse Q. Sutanto's "Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers" was a recent book group choice. I'll read a cozy once in a while but was quite surprised by this charming mystery of death and friendship. Everyone loved the book!

FIRST SENTENCE: Vera Wong Zhuzhu, age sixty, is a pig, but she really should have been born a rooster."

THE STORY: Vera Wong, who lives above her forgotten tea shop in the middle of San Francisco's Chinatown, enjoys sipping on a good cup of Wulong and doing some detective work on the Internet about what her Gen-Z son is up to. One morning, Vera trudges downstairs to find a dead man on the floor of her tea shop. In his outstretched hand, a flash drive. Vera takes the flash drive sure she would do a better job than the police. Vera knows the killer will be back for the flash drive; all she has to do is watch the increasing number of customers at her shop and figure out which one among them is the killer. What Vera doesn't expect is to form friendships with her customers and start to care for each and every one of them.

WHAT I THOUGHT: One of the novel's standout features is its unique narrative voice. Vera Wong's character is a delightful blend of sass and vulnerability, making her not just a crime-solving force to be reckoned with, but also a relatable and endearing protagonist. All the characters add layers to the story, each contributing their quirks and secrets to the unfolding drama. From the grumpy police detective to the suspects, Sutanto weaves a web of personalities that adds depth to the story.

While the novel primarily falls into the cozy mystery genre, Sutanto seamlessly incorporates social commentary into the narrative. Vera Wong's journey becomes a reflection of societal norms and expectations, challenging stereotypes about age, gender, and race. The author cleverly addresses serious issues with a light touch, ensuring that readers both enjoy the mystery and contemplate the underlying themes.

BOTTOM LINE: Highly Recommended. "Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers" is a standout addition to the mystery genre, offering readers a refreshing take on the classic whodunit. Jesse Q. Sutanto's masterful storytelling, coupled with Vera Wong's irresistible charm, creates a novel that is both a lovely read and a laugh-out-loud experience. Fans of cozy mysteries will find themselves eagerly awaiting Vera Wong's next unsolicited adventure. This is the second title, after "Dial A For Aunties", in the series.

DISCLAIMER: A copy of "Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers" was provided to me by Berkley/Net Galley for an honest review. 

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