Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

If it were me, I’d be hiding in one of the mansion’s many libraries.

The Inheritance Games (The Inheritance Games #1) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

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Well, my other suggestion involves preemptively whacking the entire Hawthorne family, and I was afraid you’d take that as a euphemism. ― Jennifer Lynn Barnes, The Inheritance Games CBR17 Bingo: Green Avery Grambs is no stranger to pain. Orphaned after her mother’s death, and abandoned by her father, Avery is left to raise herself. Other than her older, half-sister Libby, the only one looking out for Avery is Avery. When Libby’s abusive boyfriend moves into their apartment, Avery moves out. Sleeping in her car, working […]

Gothic mystery novel at it’s most just finest

The Only One Left by Riley Sager

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While on a trip to Montreal, I had a back up book in the suitcase, but the mood just wasn’t right for The Haunting of Hill House – hot, humid holidays do not call for scary, dense, chilly horror novels. So, while wandering through Old Montreal, we found a multi-lingual bookstore a few minutes before closing. Feeling rushed, I picked one of the staff recommendations, a mystery novel with a very bright cover. I had never heard of Riley Sager before but I do seem […]

The Red Knot by Monique Asher

The Red Knot by Monique Asher

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Please note that I received this book via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review. Trigger warning: You hear about rape and at least two scenes show someone who is a kid and a teen about to be raped. “The Red Knot” centers on an isolated town on an island in Alaska. The town has been through some devastating times and it appears they are back. A recent storm has caused some fisherman to be killed. And a local girl has gone missing. […]

On the Horror of Raising Children in a Messed Up World

When I'm Dead by Hannah Morrissey

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When I’m Dead is the third entry in Hannah Morrissey’s Black Harbor mystery/suspense series. Morrissey calls her genre “Midwestern Noir;” think Scandi Noir, but set in Wisconsin! So far, you can read the Black Harbor books in a standalone fashion. Each story is mostly its own thing, although they all take place in the same city, and occasionally a character will drift from one book into another. Just read them in order, though, don’t be dramatic. This book is about the Winthrop family, and what living […]

More Small Town Intrigue

The Body in the Kitchen Garden by Paula Sutton

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Best for: Fans of quiet mysteries where you can maybe start to guess who the killer is. In a nutshell: A couple of years on from the first book in the series, Daphne, a transplant from south London to the village of Pudding Corner, discovers a body. But were they murdered? Worth quoting: N/A Why I chose it: I enjoyed the first in the series. Review: I enjoy the characters that author Sutton created in the first book and was a bit disappointed they don’t […]

Hey Mickey, Not So Fine

Long Bright River by Liz Moore

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I read Liz Moore’s more recent novel, God of the Woods, earlier this year. That novel captured my attention right from the start with its compelling prose and intriguing cast of characters, but ultimately I felt Moore had let the story get away from her, unable to properly balance the various sideplots and backstories. The ending, too, was a tremendous disappointment. This novel finds Moore focused on a smaller band of characters, but similarly splitting focus between the present and the past. Her protagonist, Mickey […]



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