Twisted Prey - John Sandford

Twisted Prey is the 28th novel in the Prey series. If only Sandford could write faster.

Lucas Davenport versus Taryn Grant part II. Now Grant is a US Senator and Lucas is a US Marshal. If you don't remember Grant, she's the one who got away in Silken Prey. Their paths cross this time because Grant decides to have her old rival Senator Porter Smalls murdered. Grant misses Smalls, but his lover is killed when their vehicle is run off the road. Lucas is tasked with finding out if it's more than an accident and bringing the killers to justice if it is. Lots of action and suspense. Be prepared for another late night of reading. Very highly recommended.

Gold Dragon - Lindsay Buroker

Gold Dragon is the fifth novel in the Heritage of Power series. This book is available through kindleunlimited.

More dragon excitement with Trip, Rysha, and the crew. When dragons want to take over the country, Trip finds a way to stop them. In the end, he really finds something new. Very highly recommended.

Say You're Sorry - Melinda Leigh

Say You're Sorry is the first novel in the Morgan Dane series. This book is available through kindleunlimited.

Morgan Dane is ready for change. Her husband died two years ago, leaving her with three daughters to raise. Morgan is a lawyer and needs to get back to work. Little does she realize what kind of lawyering she's going to be doing. A great murder mystery. Very highly recommended.

Under the Ice Blades - Lindsay Buroker

Under the Ice Blades falls between books five and six in the Dragon Blood series.

I knew there had to be some other book someplace. There were too many unexplained things in book six. This is where Kaika and King Angulus hook up. This is also where the dragon Morishtomaric is released from prison. This is another great story and a must read if you don't want to lose hair from scratching your head reading book six :) Very highly recommended.

Hell's Princess - Harold Schechter

Hell's Princess is the Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men. This book is available through kindleunlimited.

Belle Gunness was one of the most notorious female serial killers of all time. She killed for greed and she killed for fun. Belle's fame was earned while living on her farm in La Porte Indiana. It became known as the Murder Farm. When Belle's victims were dug up, they hadn’t merely been poisoned, like victims of other female killers. They’d been butchered. My complaint is the author made no attempt to make the dry facts anything but dry facts. Or if he did he failed. Recommended.

The Shape of Water - Guillermo del Toro, Daniel Kraus

The Shape of Water is a science fiction love story.

Elisa is mute. She has been from birth. Elisa is a janitor at a research facility. Fate is working its magic. A strange creature is captured in the Amazon jungle and transported to the research facility for study. Elisa somehow manages a rapport with the creature.

Strickland was the man given the job of finding and capturing the creature. When it was captured he was also tasked with guarding it and keeping it safe. Safe doesn't mean the creature's safety. Safe means safe from the outside world finding out about the creature.

Elisa and her allies are at odds with Strickland and his perverse relationship with the creature. When the creature needs saving it's up to Elisa and her band to save it. But can they? It won't be easy.

This book was a challenge at times. The authors seemed determined to bury the story in useless prose and angst. It was worth working through all that. Very highly recommended.

True Fiction - Lee Goldberg

True Fiction is the first novel in the Ian Ludlow Thrillers series. This book is available through kindleunlimited.

Ian Ludlow is a thriller writer. He has some fame, but in reality, he's a middle-aged author whose life is nothing like his main protagonist. Ian's main character is Clint Straker, an over-sexed super spy who never seems to break a sweat. Then Ian realizes that he's been used to plan a mass murder and now he's the target of a hired killer. Ian has to die to clean up loose ends. Ian is not going to let that happen. If he can write about Straker maybe he can live like him to survive. Very highly recommended.