I love it when I find unexpected gems.
On a whim, I chose a book from Scribd because it was included in my subscription (ie free), it had a cool title (Junkyard Druid) and a blurb with some interesting elements. Mostly. it was an audiobook and I didn’t have to pay anything for it, so I was like
And, I found myself smiling through an urban fantasy, which I haven’t tried in a long time. It got some familiar bears of urban fantasies, and some that had me intrigued and kept me going until I found myself thoroughly enjoying it, and quite unexpectedly.
Love it when that happens! It was also a break from some very intense heavier reading.
But like I said, unexpected gems. Review in a couple of weeks!
(I am watching Fracture as I type this and lordy does Ryan Gosling have a baby face for a DA in this. And his character’s name is Willy?? )
But Books!
We Begin at the End
With the staggering intensity of James Lee Burke and the absorbing narrative of Jane Harper’s The Dry, We Begin at the End is a powerful novel about absolute love and the lengths we will go to keep our family safe. This is a story about good and evil and how life is lived somewhere in between.’You can’t save someone that doesn’t want to be saved . . .’
For some people, trouble just finds them.
Thirty years ago, Vincent King became a killer.
Now, he’s been released from prison and is back in his hometown of Cape Haven, California. Not everyone is pleased to see him. Like Star Radley, his ex-girlfriend, and sister of the girl he killed.
Duchess Radley, Star’s thirteen-year-old daughter, is part-carer, part-protector to her younger brother, Robin – and to her deeply troubled mother. But in trying to protect Star, Duchess inadvertently sets off a chain of events that will have tragic consequences not only for her family, but also the whole town.
Murder, revenge, retribution.
How far can we run from the past when the past seems doomed to repeat itself?
Somewhere inbetween the blurb above and the actual one on Goodreads is the perfect blurb for this book, but neither of these on its own is exactly it: for one, this doesn’t mention Walk, the third character in the Goodreads Blurb, and the running theme of family. But the Goodreads blurb doesn’t mention Murder, revenge, retribution. Go figure. I still want to read this though. There’s enough in both to have my interest thoroughly piqued.
The Last Thing He told Me
We all have stories we never tell.
Before Owen Michaels disappears, he manages to smuggle a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her.Despite her confusion and fear, Hannah Hall knows exactly to whom the note refers: Owen’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey. Bailey, who lost her mother tragically as a child. Bailey, who wants absolutely nothing to do with her new stepmother.
As Hannah’s increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered; as the FBI arrests Owen’s boss; as a US Marshal and FBI agents arrive at her Sausalito home unannounced, Hannah quickly realizes her husband isn’t who he said he was. And that Bailey just may hold the key to figuring out Owen’s true identity—and why he really disappeared.
Hannah and Bailey set out to discover the truth, together. But as they start putting together the pieces of Owen’s past, they soon realize they are also building a new future. One neither Hannah nor Bailey could have anticipated
That Hannah and Bailey are at odds, and ready to work together made me perk up at this blurb: how do the two of them work together to pretty much figure out the man they both love and the secrets he has been keeping from them.
Family secrets? BEST.
The Photographer
Mary Dixie Carter’s The Photographer is a slyly observed, suspenseful story of envy and obsession, told in the mesmerizing, irresistible voice of a character who will make you doubt that seeing is ever believing.
WHEN PERFECT IMAGESAs a photographer, Delta Dawn observes the seemingly perfect lives of New York City’s elite: snapping photos of their children’s birthday parties, transforming images of stiff hugs and tearstained faces into visions of pure joy, and creating moments these parents long for.
ARE MADE OF BEAUTIFUL LIES
But when Delta is hired for Natalie Straub’s eleventh birthday, she finds herself wishing she wasn’t behind the lens but a part of the scene―in the Straub family’s gorgeous home and elegant life.
THE TRUTH WILL BE EXPOSED
That’s when Delta puts her plan in place, by babysitting for Natalie; befriending her mother, Amelia; finding chances to listen to her father, Fritz. Soon she’s bathing in the master bathtub, drinking their expensive wine, and eyeing the beautifully finished garden apartment in their townhouse. It seems she can never get close enough, until she discovers that photos aren’t all she can manipulate
What comes to mind when I think of this blurb — and I am ready for Delta and what she is going to do
Beneath Devil’s Bridge
A true crime podcaster. A retired detective. A case they can’t let go.
True crime podcaster Trinity Scott is chasing breakout success, and her new serial looks like it will get her there. Her subject is Clayton Jay Pelley. More than two decades ago, the respected family man and guidance counselor confessed to the brutal murder of teenage student Leena Rai. Why he killed her has always been a mystery.
In a series of exclusive interviews from prison he promises to tell Trinity the truth about what happened that night beneath Devil’s Bridge. What Clayton says shocks the Pacific Northwest town of Twin Falls to the core. But is Clayton lying now? Or was he lying then?
As ratings skyrocket, Trinity is missing a key player in the story: Rachel Walczak, the retired detective who revealed Pelley’s twisted urges and put him behind bars. She’s not playing Clayton’s game–until Trinity digs deeper and the podcast reverb widens. Then Rachel begins to question everything she thinks she knows about the past.
With each of Clayton’s teasing reveals, one thing is clear: he’s not the only one in Twin Falls with a secret.
Is Trinity finally getting to the truth? Or falling victim to a killer’s sick game?
Oh hello, why would Clayton confess to a murder, and only 20 years later tell the truth? … what did the retired detective do?
Off The Record
The behind-the-scenes access of Almost Famous meets the searing revelations of #metoo in this story of a teen journalist who uncovers the scandal of the decade.
Ever since seventeen-year-old Josie Wright can remember, writing has been her identity, the thing that grounds her when everything else is a garbage fire. So when she wins a contest to write a celebrity profile for Deep Focus magazine, she’s equal parts excited and scared, but also ready. She’s got this.
Soon Josie is jetting off on a multi-city tour, rubbing elbows with sparkly celebrities, frenetic handlers, stone-faced producers, and eccentric stylists. She even finds herself catching feelings for the subject of her profile, dazzling young newcomer Marius Canet. Josie’s world is expanding so rapidly, she doesn’t know whether she’s flying or falling. But when a young actress lets her in on a terrible secret, the answer is clear: she’s in over her head.
One woman’s account leads to another and another. Josie wants to expose the man responsible, but she’s reluctant to speak up, unsure if this is her story to tell. What if she lets down the women who have entrusted her with their stories? What if this ends her writing career before it even begins? There are so many reasons not to go ahead, but if Josie doesn’t step up, who will?
From the author of Full Disclosure, this is a moving testament to the #MeToo movement, and all the ways women stand up for each other.
This is fantastic — and that Josie is a young woman, learning what it means to be a woman and a writer, makes this even more promising. I am interested in the perspectives in this story as well — Josie and Marius seem like almost close in age, but I am curious about the other women: older, younger than Josie — because we all know it can happen to anyone. Anyway, I think I muddled that up, but the perspectives interest me heaps!
Alright, I’m off to see Baby-face Willy try and win against Anthony Hopkins.
