Review: Ghostly Echoes

Ghostly Echoes is the third book in William Ritter's Jackaby series that follows R.F Jackaby, Abigail Rook, and their friends, as they try to solve mysteries in late 1880's New England.

I love this series and a large part of what makes me love it are the characters.  Jackaby and Abigail are so well written and likable that you can't help but continue to turn the pages to see what happens next. Over the three books, their backgrounds have slowly been shared so that, as a reader, I feel like I know them and I am invested in their lives.  Even Jenny, Douglas, and Charlie have captured my heart.

There are a couple of mysteries being investigated simultaneously in this third book.  We have the ongoing mystery of what happened to Jenny plus an additional investigation that actually ends up connecting to Jenny's story.  It's all very engaging, with a mix of drama and quirky humor and just a tiny bit of romance.  I'm really looking forward to the next book.

First Chapter, First Paragraph Tuesday Intro, March 21st

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros is hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea and is all about sharing the first paragraph, maybe two, of a book that you are reading or plan to read soon. I'm almost finished with the book I am reading so I'll probably start this one next week and I'm really looking forward to it. Hopefully, it will not disappoint. 

"It's been sixty-four years.  That doesn't feel so long, strange though it may seem to you, but Mother is dead, and Father, and Lilith; I am the last.  When I am gone, it will be as though that summer never happened.  I've thought about this as I sit in my chair on the porch, as I take my evening walk up to the bridge, and as I lie awake listening to the water shifting in the dark.  I've even taken to sleeping in Lilith's and my old room, in the small bed that used to be mine.  Last night I watched the moonlight on the ceiling and thought of the many nights I have lain there: as a child, as a young girl, and now as an old woman.  I thought about how easy it would be to let all of it pass from the earth."

So, based on this passage, would you keep reading or pass on this one?

Top Ten Tuesday: March 14th

Top 10 Books on My Spring TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. I have quite a few books on my TBR list, I cannot lie, it is a bit longer than is realistic.  This was actually a nice organizer for me to prioritize what books I will be reading next.

• The Apothecary's Poison (Glass and Steele Book 3)
• Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices Book 2)
• Dying Breath: A Paranormal Romance Novel (Krewe of Hunters)
• The Medium: Emily Chambers Spirit Medium Series, Book 1
• Witchy Sour (The Magic & Mixolo​gy Mystery Series 2)
• The Darkness of Light: Historical Fantasy (The Dia Chronicles Book 1)
• Retribution Falls (Tales of the Ketty Jay Book 1)
• Against a Brightening Sky (Delia's Shadow Book 3)
• Carve the Mark
• Dating-ish (Knitting in the City Book 6)

Have a great week! Can't wait to see what everyone has on their spring reading lists!

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at the Book Date and is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and are about to be reading over the week and it's an opportunity to visit, comment, and add to that ever growing TBR pile! 

What I finished last week:

What I am reading this week:

Next week, I will most likely still be working on these two books but when I finish them, I do have my next two books waiting in the wings.

Looks like I am going to have off from work tomorrow due to the snowstorm here in the mid Atlantic region.  Extra reading time for me! Have a great week everyone!

Review: The Woman in Cabin 10

I had seen The Woman in Cabin 10 on a lot of book blogs and on Amazon with mixed reviews.  However, some people said a lot of good things about it and a friend of mine had a copy and was willing to let me borrow it, so I decided to give it a go.

What did I think? I would probably give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.  If you don't want spoilers, stop here.

To begin, I loved the cover.  The water droplets are slightly raised so not only did it look pretty, it felt cool too.  The plot was interesting.  I liked the idea of a woman on a cruise who is sure she witnessed someone thrown overboard even though no one on the passenger list is missing.  It seemed intriguing. Lo was perfect for the main part, having past emotional issues and blatantly displaying her alcohol problem, it was easy to see how people had difficulty believing her story.  I also liked Ben's character even though he was a little bit full of himself.  He was really the only one who genuinely wanted to help.

Unfortunately, there were a lot of things that bothered me.  First, Lo's character was a little bit too much like the main character in The Girl on the Train.  Past issues, an alcoholic who is kind of lost in life, with people around her who just don't believe her story.  I would probably have liked this book more if I hadn't just read TGOTT only a few months ago. Second, I think there were some holes in the story. The ending was a bit rushed and while I know it had to be Carrie who wired the money to Lo's account, I don't see how she had access to Richard's money or to Lo's bank numbers.  I also felt that it was a bit far fetched that they actually found Ann's body in the middle of the North Sea.

I didn't dislike the story.  It was enjoyable enough and if you like a mystery with minimal action but a few interesting twists, give it a try. 

WWW Wednesday, March 1st

WWW Wednesdays is hosted by Taking on a World of Words. Just answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments for others to look at. No blog? No problem! Just leave a comment with your responses. Please, take some time to visit the other participants and see what others are reading.

The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

I have two books right now.  One on Audible and one in print.  On Audible, I just started listening to The Watchmakers Daughter, which is fun so far, and in print, I am reading The Woman in Cabin 10.  I'm liking it but it has taken me a few weeks to finish because I'm not loving it.

I just finished Eleventh Grave in Moonlight.  This is book 11 in the Charley Davidson series by Darynda Jones and it was just as good as all the others in the series.

Next, I have a couple of books in line, both from Netgalley.  The Bone Witch and Ensnared.  Hopefully, I can finish The Woman in Cabin 10 this week and move on. 

What are you reading?