Dear Readers, January was an okay month for reading it started with a much needed vacation then I had an overtime schedule so not as much time to read. I set my goal of 6 book but only read 4. I read 1 horror, 2 mysteries, 1 Graphic Novel and i new releases thanks to Netgalley. I Read 2 books from a book series with Goosebumps and The Harry Bosch Universe series. I read one 5 star books, two 4 star books, and one 3 star book.  I did start reading on a massive over 1,000 page book that I know my father in law who just had surgery will love.  I put 85 books as my goal and  I am already behind.

Five Star Reviews:

Angels Flight by Michael Connelly is one heck of a mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end. This mystery seems cut and dry but has so many layers to it. I like the mix of politics versus procedural. This novel is fighting with the truth, because the truth might be too much to handle, for the city, for the police and to the rich people that have a reputation to hold. I love the way Michael Connelly presents all the facts as they come, we are with Bosch the whole time and knows everything he knows, we are given everything he see to solve the mystery. This is the most twisty Bosch novel so far. The pace of this novel is really fast. I was never bored and was hooked from the start. The twists just keep coming once you think you know where this novel is going you get another twist, then another. The character and rational of Bosch really work in the book, where right and wrong are questioned constantly. I really empathized with Bosch as his boss is more concerned with covering his own butt then what is right, I know I have had that same felling with a boss. Angels Flight plot line is used for Bosch the Amazon television show season 4. Angels Flight is book 7 in the Harry Bosch Universe series reading order.

Four Star Reviews:

A Shocker on Shock Street by R.L. Stine is one of the scarier Goosebumps. Kids go on a ride inspired by their favorite movie monsters that soon turns to terror, as the monsters they thought were fake are real. The pace is pretty fast and doesn’t let up. There’s a fair amount of pranks in this one some work and other do not. This novel seems to be a cross between Universal’s tour ride, if the studio was all about B-movies. The film Them! is a big influence as well as Jurassic Park. The final twist in this one is on of the better one in Goosebumps. In this novel you feel the danger as the monsters are out to harm the kids

Batman: Prelude to Knightfall by Chuck Dixon is the prequel to Batman comics big epic event of 1993 Knighfall where the Batman is broken both psychically and mentally. Tis graphic novel introduces the super villain Bane and his plan to break the Batman. It further introduce Azrael an intense fighter that Bruce Wayne met in England and wants to bring him into the Bat Family. Some of the comics in this collection fit better than others but the theme is something is wrong with Batman and this leads to him seeking therapy because he can not sleep. The villains in this graphic novel include Bane, The Joker, Killer Croc, the Riddler, Black Mask, and a lot of one off villains like metalhead and the general. The Batman allies feature in the graphic novel are Lucious Fox, (who knows Bruce Wayne’s secret and runs Wayne Tech) Robin #3 Tim Drake, Azrael, and Alfred. The Climax is great as Bane busted out every criminal out of Arkham Asylum, starting Knightfall

Three Star Reviews:

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins is a woman’s literature with a mystery to it. It is being marketed as a mystery for which it is a slow burn with the reveals coming at 60%. But the story is filled with generations of women living through men who try to control them. The novel is a story within a journal about a writer who writes a story that is a sequel to a story her mother wrote. At first this novel is very confusing but makes sense quickly as it introduces it’s characters. The story is told in present day, and through a journal in the 1970’s and through a story that is from the journal writer in the 1970’s. I had a hard time connecting to the characters in this story because they keep making such stupid decisions for such smart characters. I found myself doing the horror thing where instead of me yelling don’t go in there to the character, I’m yelling don’t fall in love with him. The pace on this novel as slow as the first 60% is all set up with very few reveals that are all small. I considered not finishing put powered through to a decent ending. I really liked the final reveal, but it broke the rules of not coming from the journal of the character but of the characters actions on the day. This novels does have one great opening line with “Houses remember”. I would like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin Press for giving me a free copy to review. The Villa is published on January 3 2023.