Doll's Eyes by David Grace

Doll’s Eyes is an intriguing story that begins when 16 year old Hannah McGuire saves the life of 13 year old JT Trainer and then disappears. JT grows up to become a homicide detective with a life-long passion to find Hannah. 

When a young girl is killed when caught in the cross-fire of an assassination plot, JT finds a web of murder, fraud, child abuse, and corruption of high officials.  This is a police procedural that gets a little bogged down with details at times, but I did enjoy the story and the underlying need to know what happened to Hannah. The characters are believable and I especially enjoyed the relationship JT had with the couple that took him in when he had no family. 

This is the second David Grace book I have reviewed.  Shooting Crows at Dawn was the first.

What You Need to Know about Bible Prophecy by Max Anders

What You Need to Know about Bible Prophecy: 12 Lessons That Can Change Your Life by Max Anders
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What You Need to Know About Bible Prophecy is a book with 12 lessons that can be taught in a Bible class, Sunday School or personal Bible Study. The book has a “who, what, where, when and why” feel to it. Why study prophecy and what is the big picture? It is also presented with differing viewpoints commonly believed by different faiths, and presented in a neutral manner. This is not a fluff study, but tends to provoke thought and discussion.

Following each chapter is a review section that I think is one of the best I have seen. Sometimes in the review I try to find an answer, but I am not sure I am correct. These review sections are divided into five subsections. The first, entitled Speed Bump!, is a question and then the answer is provided. Next is a fill in the blank of the same questions and answers. There are also discussion questions, and a section for non-believers to understand how to apply the information. The last is scripture and books for further study.

I received a copy of this book free of charge from the Booksneeze program of Thomas Nelson. It is accepted with the understanding that I will give my honest opinion of the book.


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The Wrong Man by David Ellis

The Wrong Man by David Ellis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

How does a lawyer defend a man that can’t or won’t defend himself? When Tom Stoller, a homeless Iraqi war vet suffering from PTSD, is accused of murder, Jason Kolarich takes on his defense. His defense is complicated by the fact that his client won’t talk and statements at the time of arrest appear to be a confession. Jason is a bulldog of a lawyer that doesn’t rest until he finds the best way to defend his client, especially when he starts to believe that Tom may be innocent.

Although The Wrong Man is book three of a series, it is very much a stand-alone story. I never felt I needed to know some back story to fully understand what was happening. It did have some problems that put me off a little. There were certain surprise twists in the story that were not much of a surprise for me. Also, the way he incorporated a girlfriend into his work life was odd. I did enjoy reading the book and I would still recommend it to those who like legal mystery/thrillers.

Disclosure: I won an ARC of this book from librarything.com.

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The Hour of Predators by Lane Stark

The Hour of Predators is a different twist on a murder mystery. Marcus Chao is not your typical law enforcement character, and I enjoyed his interaction with the other characters, especially with his ex.  This well-written story takes on some strange characters and situations, but the story flowed so well that I felt as though all was normal.   Set in a small town in Canada where the culture clash between the Native Indians and the whites creates a difficult case to solve.  Strange traditions, magic, and ordinary redemption brings this story to a satisfying conclusion. I look forward to another book by this author and hope another Marcus Chao story is in the works. 

The Hour of Predators is Available at Amazon 

Harriet Beamer Takes the Bus by Joyce Magnin

 As someone with a huge salt and pepper shaker collection how could I not love a book about a woman who shares that interest!

Harriet has reached a certain point in her life when she knows she needs to make a change.  Her husband has passed and she feels as though she has never accomplished anything.  After losing a bet, she agrees to move in with her son and daughter-in-law.  She packs up her huge salt and pepper shaker collection and sends her dog ahead to her son’s home. But Harriet decides that she will set off to travel cross country by bus – not the Greyhound kind - but local transportation whenever possible. Her main goal is to make it to the Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum in Gatlinburg TN. (yes, it really exists)

Harriet Beamer Takes a Bus is a delightful story of an older woman as she discovers things she never knew about travel, people, and her own family.  She has quite a few adventures along the way and meets many interesting people.  She reaches out to people who are hurting and shares her wisdom, but also opens her heart and learns much in return from them.  

Thank you to Zondervan for the advanced reader copy of this book.  I accepted the book with the understanding that I would give my honest opinion.  I provide a link to purchase the book, but I receive no compensation for any purchase through my link.

Link to purchase Harriet Beamer Takes the Bus