The Running Bibliophile

Witness 8 (Eddie Flynn, #8)  by Steve Cavanagh opens with Ruby Johnson, a maid for the ultra wealthy in New York City, witnessing someone leaving a house of one of her clients and discarding a weapon on his way out. Eddie Flynn is a former con artist turned attorney who takes on cases that are hopeless. How do the paths of Ruby and Eddie cross? I'd like to thank NetGalley for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC). I've heard fabulous things about Steve Cavanagh, and I was excited to see what all the hype was about. When I requested to read Witness 8 , I didn't realize it was part of a series. I absolutely loved the storyline of this story. I couldn't wait to see how and when the paths of the two main characters crossed and what would happen. During the first half of the book, I found myself having trouble keeping the characters straight. I definitely recommend starting with the first book in the Eddie Flynn series. The first few chapters did flip from character to character a...

The Housemaid (The Housemaid, #1)  by Freida McFadden is the first book in a series and opens with Millie interviewing for a housemaid position for the wealthy Winchester family. She's relieved when she learns that the job is hers until the gardener warms her of danger. It can't be worse than prison, right? I purchased a paperback copy of this book from my local BJ's Wholesale Club, and I have to say that I was not disappointed at all. This story helped give me a headstart in getting out of my reading slump because it's a fast, engaging read. With that being said, I was expecting to be completely blindsided by the ending, and I had quite a bit figured out relatively early on, so when the big twist came about, I wasn't really too surprised. I am eager to read the rest of the series to see how it pans out. As far as the characters, I really liked the main character of Millie, who we know from the start has recently been released from prison and on parole. We do know t...

Bridal Shower Murder (Lucy Stone, #31)  by Leslie Meier  opens with Lucy Stone rushing home to clean house for Zoe who is bringing home her boyfriend Chad. While there, Zoe and Chad announce their engagement but want to keep it a secret for a bit.  When a nosy busybody named Janice gets the best of Lucy, the mother of the bride blurts out Zoe's secret. Chaos ensues with a murder and an overdose. NetGalley, thank you for approving me to receive an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Bridal Shower Murder .  I've come to love Leslie Meier's Lucy Stone cozy mystery series and know that I will automatically read any book in this series without reading the synopsis. I have to say that this was one of the best stories in the series for multiple reasons. The first reason is that Lucy's husband isn't quite so sexist, which is refreshing for a change. I dislike it when he acts like a caveman who expects Lucy to be a housewife and wait on him hand and foot. What really surprised me...

The Writer by James Patterson and J.D. Barker  was published on March 17, 2025. It opens with Detective Declan Shaw at a closed subway station trying to work up the nerve to commit suicide when he receives a call from his partner about a break in and homicide at the home of a true crime author. Shaw makes his way to the crime scene to work the case, and in a turn of events, Declan comes under scrutiny in another case loosely connected to this new case. I received an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of The Writer  from NetGalley and Little , Brown, and Company for free in exchange for my honest review. I'm appreciative that my request for this book was approved. With this story opening with the main character trying to commit suicide, I almost didn't go any further with the book. However, I am glad I stuck with it as it took me on a fantastic ride and had my emotions all over the place. There were so many twists and turns that just when I thought I had it all figured out, there was ...

Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi  was published on March 11, 2025 by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine / Bantam. It opens with Claire finding out that her fiancé, Noah, isn't working where he said he was and is now ghosting her. Claire must find out why. Book Review: Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine / Bantam for providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Claire Darling by Callie Kazumi for free in exchange for my honest review. I was absolutely thrilled when my request for a copy was approved because the synopsis was so good. From the beginning, I absolutely loved the main character of Claire and her work friend named Sukhi. Throughout the novel, we learn about Claire's past and how terrible her mother was towards her. I kept hoping that somehow we would learn who Claire's father was and would eventually connect with him. It's really no wonder Claire had no self confidence as an ad...

Book Review: The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel opens in the present day in Florida with Eva Traube Abrams, a semi-retired librarian, falling on a photograph of a book in a magazine. The accompanying article describes the looting of libraries during World War II by the Nazis. Recognizing the book she hasn't seen in sixty-five years, Eva makes plans to fly to Berlin to retrieve it, and ends up reminiscing of her life in Nazi occupied France as a Jewish woman. I recently joined a new book club, and The Book of Lost Names  by Kristin Harmel was the selection for March 2025. I literally only had 2-3 days to read the book before the meeting. Needless to say, I wasn't able to get the entire book read before the meeting, but I did end up finishing the story the day after my book club met.  Let me begin by saying that Kristin Harmel is a talented storyteller and author. I found myself immediately drawn into the story of Eva Traube Abrams...