Note of Peril (A Hideaway Novel) by Hannah Alexander

An unusual gift arrived at the theater in Branson where Grace Brennan and Michael Gold are performing. The music box contains a sinister note. She tries to brush it off as a simple prank, but when more odd gifts show up and the director of the show winds up dead, she begins to wonder if she is going a little crazy.

So many things are happening around Grace that she begins to doubt what God's plan is for her, where He wants her to be.

This was a great read. I like the way the mystery unfolds and the characters are developed. I believe this is part of a series, but not quite sure where it fits. If it is part of a series it works great as a stand alone story.

I think I am going to check out some of the other novels by this author.

Aunt Dimity's Death by Nancy Atherton

First of all the main character has a great name! :) It seemed like it took a little bit of time to get to the mystery, but it was ok the story leading up to it was fun to read. I enjoyed the style of writing and getting to know the characters.

Lori has know Aunt Dimity her entire life. Her stories lulled her to sleep as her mother shared them with her at bedtime. Lori never realized that Aunt Dimity was a real person until she was contacted by a lawyer and told that she was mentioned in the will of a Dimity Westwood. Why didn't her mother mention the story character was a real person.

I hope the rest in the series are just as good as this one.

The Religious Body (Inspector Sloan, CID Mystery #1) by Catherine Aird

This is the first novel in the Detective Inspector C.D. Sloan series.  In this first installment Sloan is called out to a Convent to check out a suspicious death of one of the nuns.  Where everyone dresses the same it would be hard to notice an imposter among them.  Is that what happened?  Did a stranger enter the community of nuns and commit this terrible crime?  Was it one of the other sisters?

Sloan is on the trail, but it is not an easy task.  Who killed Sister Anne? 

I really liked this book and look forward to reading the other books in the series.  It is fun to discover books from series that have been around for awhile. Inspector Sloan is a great character and it will be interesting to see how he develops throughout the series.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

This is a difficult book for me to review. Oskar is trying to figure out how to cope with the death of his dad, who during on 9/11. Also interspersed in his thoughts and journey are the stories of his grandparents.

The writing style of this book is like nothing I have ever read before. One sentence on a entire page. Pictures that don't make sense with the written pages around them. One chapter looks like a draft with proofreaders marks. A page with just a string of numbers instead of words. No distinct breaks in a section of conversation like you would normally have. It reminded me of what sometimes goes on inside my head when I am frustrated and depressed and my head is going all over the place.

That being said, I like it. I am curious to see how this book will translate into a movie. The only thing I didn't care for was the picture flip pages at the end of the book that show a body falling from the tower or floating up depending on which way you flip. That to me was disturbing.

A Deadly Cliche (A Books by the Bay Mystery #2) by Ellery Adams

Olivia is taking her usual walk on the beach with Haviland searching for items along the shore, when she comes across a dead body that is buried up to his neck in the sand. There have also been some burglaries in the Oyster Bay area that have become a concern to Laurel a fellow member of the Bayside Book Writers group. The burglars are leaving a staged tableau at each scene depicting a well known cliche.

Olivia also just received a letter stating that her father is alive and very sick. Considering that her father was believed to be dead for the last 30 years this is a little bit of a shock to say the least. She hires a private investigator to check on this for her.

And on top of everything else there is a hurricane heading their way.

There is not a dull moment in this second installment of A Books By The Bay Mystery series. I love a series where you can get attached for the characters and they become real, and this is one of those types of series for me.

White as Snow: A Christmas Story by Donna Westover gallup

Charlie is all by himself and feeling very overwhelmed with everything that needs to be done. Charlies lives with his grandpa on a small ranch in Colorado Territory. Right now his grandpa is sick, he went to sleep and hasn't woken up yet. Charlie needs to figure out how to get the things they will need to get through the winter, but doesn't know how to do so many of the things that are necessary. On one excursion out to find game Charlie is attacked by a bear. He makes it back to the cabin, but is afraid he won't make it through the next couple of days. He cries out to God in his desperation.

Then a mysterious stranger by the name of Jess shows up to help. He brings a sense of peace and security to the small boy. He helps Charlie cope with his fears and concerns. He explains how God heard his prayers even though it felt like he wasn't listening.

This is a wonderful touching story. At first I wasn't sure I would like it. The the story grabbed my attention and I gotten wrapped up in the future of this forlorn little boy.

The Case of the Bouncing Grandma by A. K. Arenz

Glory isn't your typical Grandma. She likes to be active and play with her grandson. As a result, she is now confined to a wheelchair with a broken leg. Right now she is watching the neighbors move in next door. Things don't seem too out of the ordinary until she sees what looks like a foot sticking out of a rolled up carpet. Then there is a mysterious man, with a limp, lurking around the moving van.

Glory calls the police to report a murder and thus starts a chain of events that might not end well for Glory and her family.

I loved this story. It was well written the characters were quirky and likeable. I was able to get involved from the very beginning. A thoroughly enjoyable experience. A great first book in the series for this christian mystery series. I hope there are a few more coming.

Whispers of Murder by Cheryl Bradshaw

Isabelle Donnelly is about to get married. No one in her family approves, but she is determined to go through with it anyway. When she wakes up from her honeymoon night she finds her husband dead. Not sure what to do the first person she calls is her longtime friend Emmett to rescue her. Her husband was poisoned, but was it really meant for Isabelle. Is someone trying to kill her.

Excellent plot. Kept me interested for the first word. I like the authors style and would like to read more by her but unfortunately our library doesn't have anything else by this author. And since I have tons of other material to read I will have to pass for now.

Quick read, but well worth it.

The Frozen Trail by Lisa Dayley

I don't agree with some of what the Mormons believe, but I admire the spirits of those travelers that went through such an ordeal to get to "Zion". This fictional story is based on the Willie Handcart Company and the group of pioneers that traveled through the treacherous winter storms to reach the promised land they were promised by missionaries. One of the travelers in this courageous group is the great-great-granddaughter of the author.

What a hardship they went through, the loss and suffering was overwhelming at times.

My Christmas Angels by Jason W. Chan

This is fiction based on a true story. Greg is a single dad struggling to take care of his little girl Angela. He is looking for work, but is not having any luck, applications at fast-food places don't even contact him. He panhandles to try and get money since according to the government he isn't poor enough to get assistance. He arrives home with his daughter to find that he has been evicted from his apartment.

Greg had recently reconnected with a former girlfriend. Jessica offered to let them stay at her apartment if he needed to. He arrived on her doorstep and accepted her generous offer. The first night there Angela complained of her head hurting. Greg rushed her to the hospital. A fall earlier in the day had caused a subdural hematoma. They would have to do surgery to relieve the pressure.

After surgery Angela slipped into a coma, leaving Greg to wonder what to do next.

This isn't a joyous story, but it one that will touch your heart in many different ways. It doesn't take long to read, but is well worth the time.