House of Ashes: A Haunted Bluffs Mystery by Loretta Marion

Available on Amazon

Rating (1-5) 📘📘📘📘📘
Genre - Amateur Sleuths, Ghosts, Mysteries, Thrillers
Format - Harcover
Length - 326 pages

*Amazon Blurb*

Thirty-seven-year-old painter Cassandra Mitchell is fourth-generation to live in the majestic Battersea Bluffs, a brooding Queen Anne home originally built by her great-grandparents, Percy and Celeste Mitchell, and still standing despite tragedies that have swept the generations. Local lore has it that there was a curse placed on the family and the house is haunted, though opinions are divided on whether it's by malicious or benevolent spirits. Cassie believes the latter—but now she stands to lose her beloved home to mounting debt and the machinations of her dream-weaving ex-husband.

Salvation seems to arrive when a nomadic young couple wanders onto the property with the promise of companionship and much-needed help—until they vanish without a trace, leaving behind no clue to their identities. Cassie is devastated, but determined to discover what's happened to the young couple...even as digging into their disappearance starts to uncover family secrets of her own. Despite warnings from her childhood friend, now the local Chief of Police—as well as an FBI agent who pushes the boundaries of professionalism—Cassie can't help following the trail of clues (and eerie signals from the old house itself) to unravel the mystery. But can she do so before her family's dark curse destroys everything in its path?

*My Review* 

Another book that I couldn't put down. There was so much mystery going on. Is the house haunted, who are the strangers, what happened to them and what will happen with Cassie? I was lost in this book and read it every chance I got. I felt compassion for the characters, anger and hope. I did get a little lost in the middle of the story as there were quite a few characters being introduced and trying to keep their stories straight. Other than that, it was amazing.
I can't go into much detail as I don't want to give anything away. I was shocked when I learned the truth and I want you to be as well. I can say that if you enjoy a good mystery, then you'll want to grab this book.
I can't wait until I can get my hands on a copy of its sequel - Storm of Secrets.

Camino Island by John Grisham

Camino Island by John Grisham

Available on Amazon

Rating (1-5) 📘 📘
Genre - Amateur Sleuths, Crime, Suspense, Thriller
Format - Hardcover
Pages - 304

*Amazon Blurb*

A gang of thieves stage a daring heist from a vault deep below Princeton University’s Firestone Library. Their loot is priceless, impossible to resist.

Bruce Cable owns a popular bookstore in the sleepy resort town of Santa Rosa on Camino Island in Florida. He makes his real money, though, as a prominent dealer in rare books. Very few people know that he occasionally dabbles in unsavory ventures.

Mercer Mann is a young novelist with a severe case of writer’s block who has recently been laid off from her teaching position. She is approached by an elegant, mysterious woman working for an even more mysterious company. A generous monetary offer convinces Mercer to go undercover and infiltrate Cable’s circle of literary friends, to get close to the ringleader, to discover his secrets.

But soon Mercer learns far too much, and there’s trouble in paradise—as only John Grisham can deliver it.

*My Review* 

I was surprised to find this book pretty disappointing. It has an amazing beginning that just kind of leads into a boring story that drags. To make matters worse, the ending (in my opinion) was awful.

I thought that it was going to be suspenseful with the way things begin. Very important and expensive valuables are stolen from a library vault. It is not a clean getaway and the FBI immediately has a suspect. From there things get, well, not as interesting. It feels as if you are then jumping all over trying to keep track of the characters, only to end up with Mercer and Bruce. The story then seems to revolve around just them and looses interest. The ending was the worst part for me as. I was a "happy ending" that a fairy tale would have, not a suspense book.