Book Review: The Writer by James Patterson and J.D. Barker

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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 ...
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Book Review: Good Sports (Horse Crazy, #3) by Virginia Vail

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Good Sports (Horse Crazy, #3) by Virginia Vail is a book I bought through ThriftBooks.com in my quest to reread my way through my childhood. I didn't remember much about the Horse Crazy book series except that it was about a sleep away camp specializing in riding horses and that it made me want to go to this particular camp when I was a kid. As I read this third installment of this series, bits and pieces of the book started coming back to me.

Campers at Webster's Country Horse Camp are preparing for their upcoming field day with the campers from Long Branch. The girls from Webster's desperately want to make this year the first time they beat the boys from the rival Long Branch in more than just the horseback riding and mounted events, but everything starts to fall apart when Rachel Orbison, the Thoroughbred's camp counselor, comes down with a stomach virus or the flu and can't coach the Fillies and Thoroughbreds in softball and volleyball.

The major theme in Good Sports (Horse Crazy, #3) is teamwork, which is a great lesson to teach in a book, even to young readers because people have to work as a team in so many facets of their lives including their career. The minor theme is kindness, and I love how this particular theme plays out in the story. I can't say more than that or I'll ruin the sub-plot. 

I'd have to say that so far, I liked this installment just as much as the first installment Horseback Summer (Horse Crazy, #1). While reading it, the book made me desperately want to eat s'mores because they were mentioned quite a bit in the story. It made me think back to my middle school years and how the stores carried ready made s'mores that you could just pop in the microwave and eat. I know . . . I know . . . it's not the same as making them around a campfire, but boy were they good! It also brought back memories of my time spent at Girl Scout camp, and much like the Horse Crazy book series, we had to help prepare the food, set the table, and help with the clean up after each meal.

All in all, Good Sports (Horse Crazy, #3) by Virginia Vail lived up to my expectations and was just as great as I remembered as a kid! I give it five out of five stars. 


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