Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

The bonds of war are powerful and deadly

Bonded in Death by J. D. Robb

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The latest book in J.D. Robb’s futuristic In Death series, Bonded in Death, centers on a dapper Italian man whose story began decades earlier during the Urban War. Giovanni Rossi is found poisoned to death in the back of a limo. He is clutching Eve Dallas’ business card which has a cryptic note on the back.  Eve Dallas soon discovers that the message references The Twelve, a secret group of freedom fighters who were instrumental in ending the Urban War in Europe.  The threat ties […]

“In my experience, those who have the greatest respect for the rules also take the most enjoyment in breaking them.”

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

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How appropros, to go from an Agatha Christie book to one that was so clearly inspired by her. The Guest List is a locked room mystery (or specifically, everyone is trapped on an island) and as I said in my last review, I had been on a big Agatha Christie kick, so this one seemed appropriate, as I had heard good things about Foley. And, exciting/suspicious/skeptical/fun news, in March 2025, Foley was tapped by Harper Collins to write the first NEW Miss Marple novel (!!!!??!!!!). […]

“It is completely unimportant. That is why it is so interesting.”

The Murder of Roger Akroyd by Agatha Christie

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Buckle up, buttercups. Ya girl has got 15 reviews a’coming. I am mildly annoyed I got this bogged down, but I’m remembering the words of my husband from a few years back when I would get anxious and frustrated about this scenario. “Ah. So you’re behind on your pretend homework?” Touche, sir. It’s important to me, and that’s fine, but I used to not read until I had written a review. Unnecessarily punative much?? Glad that I have been able to relax about it and […]

Crime Hard

Lucky by Marissa Stapley

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If I had a nickel for every book I’ve read recently that also has Anya Taylor-Joy starring in an upcoming adaptation, I’d have two nickels which is not a lot but it’s still weird that it happened twice. Lucky Armstrong is having both the best and worst day of her life. She and her boyfriend Cary have pulled off a scam that will allow them to finally run off to live the life of luxury in the Caribbean that they’ve been working towards. Except Cary […]

How the World Works

Dead in the Water: A True Story of Hijacking, Murder, and a Global Maritime Conspiracy by Matthew Campbell & Kit Chellel

The Constant Gardener by John Le Carré

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Finished two consecutive books on how the world works. Both are good and devastating in their own respective ways Dead in the Water: A True Story of Hijacking, Murder, and a Global Maritime Conspiracy When the cargo ship Dalit hit Baltimore’s Key Bridge last year, I felt it deeply, not just because I’m a Baltimorean but because I’ve worked with seafarers in the past. It’s a hard life: dangerous labor with little pay and almost no labor protections. Away from your family months at a […]

Isle Of Amberly

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

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“Wait, what just happened?” is the best review I read for this book. I most heartily concur with that statement. Successful author Grady Green’s wife disappeared on a rainy night one year ago. Since then his life has unraveled and he’s been unable to write or sleep. His agent takes pity on him with the opportunity of a lifetime, to stay at a quiet cabin on a remote Scottish island to try to get some writing done. He and his trusty dog Columbo head off […]



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