Book Review: Irish Soda Bread Murder by Carlene O'Connor, Peggy Ehrhart, and Liz Ireland

-
Image
Irish Soda Bread Murder   by Carlene O'Connor, Peggy Ehrhart, and Liz Ireland is a collection of three short stories that include Irish Soda Bread Murder by Carlene O'Connor, An Irish Recipe for Murder by Peggy Ehrhart, and Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man by Liz Ireland. The expected publication date of this book is December 24, 2024, and my overall review of this book is four out of five stars. I'd like to thank NetGalley for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) that I received for free in exchange for my honest review. Irish Soda Bread Murder  by Carlene O'Connor opens with Tara Meehan helping her Uncle Johnny and Aunt Rose with a local bake sale and psychic convention with the proceeds going to charity. When Rose's biggest rival shows up and ends up dying from her soda bread, Tara knows she must step in to help clear her aunt and uncle from the suspect list. I enjoyed this story a lot better than the last one I read in the series. The only complaint I hav...
Post a Comment

Book Review: Never Lie by Freida McFadden

-
book review never lie freida mcfadden
Never Lie by Freida McFadden opens with newlyweds Tricia and Ethan driving to a house showing that is in the middle of nowhere during a snowstorm.  The house once belonged to a psychiatrist who just happened to be murdered.  Upon arriving, they've lost cell phone service and realize that they're going to be snowed in.  Finding a set of keys, the married couple settle in for the night.  While searching for something to keep her entertained, Tricia finds a secret room full of cassette tapes and decides to play one.  What Tricia learns about the former owner unravels a web of lies.

Freida McFadden is an author I've heard a lot about in the online book groups I belong to, and the other members have raved about several of the author's novels.  Not knowing much about her writing style or books, I decided to place holds on several of McFadden's novels at my local public library.

Entertaining and fast paced, Never Lie by Freida McFadden held my interest, and I finished the book approximately twenty-four hours after I began reading it.  Told from two different perspectives . . . Tricia and Dr. Adrienne Hale, the book switched back and forth between past and present.  It was executed extremely well.  
 
With that being said, I didn't particularly care for Tricia because a lot of her thoughts seemed like something a teenager would think instead of someone in their mid-twenties.  An example is she kept thinking it was romantic that her husband wanted to take care of her and always wanted to cook her dinner . . . she thought this multiple times, and it came off as obsessive and immature. Yet, Tricia was afraid to tell her husband certain things that she shouldn't have been afraid to tell him.  Regarding Ethan, I liked him quite a bit. His character seemed more mature and more level headed than his wife.
 
As for Dr. Adrienne Hale, I felt that she was much more mature in her thought process with the exception of a couple of instances.  You'll see what I mean if you read Never Lie.  I also found the doctor to be a bit strange, so I didn't exactly warm up to her.  By the end of the book, I ended up disliking every single one of the characters with the exception of one.
 
Regarding the motive of the killer and who it actually was, I was completely off base . . . the author did a fantastic job of planting red herrings.  There were twists and turns galore.  One thing I did get right though, is I thought one of the psychiatrist's patients was lying about what happened in their life, and it turns out I was correct on that point.
 
Overall, I enjoyed Never Lie by Freida McFadden and give it four out of five stars.  I'd recommend it to people between the ages of eighteen and twenty-two because I think that age range would relate to the main character a little bit more than someone older.  I look forward to reading other novels by this author.
 
Follow Us On Social Media

https://www.facebook.com/runningbibliophile/https://www.instagram.com/therunningbibliophile/https://www.pinterest.com/therunningbibliophile/youtube the running bibliophile

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Product Review: Mr. Clean: Clean Freak Deep Cleaning Mist - Gain Scent

-
Image
One particular weekend night, I was watching television, and a commercial came on advertising Mr. Clean: Clean Freak Deep Cleaning Mist. In the ad, it mentioned that it would take off grime and dirt after spraying it on the surface and wiping it off with a simple swipe. It went on to mention that it could be used in the bathroom, and I thought, "I really need to try this product on my bathtub." Excited, I couldn't wait to buy it and looked for it at the grocery store the next day while I was getting my weekly groceries. I wasn't expecting to actually find it in stores yet because it usually takes the stores in my area a few weeks to get products in stock after I see it advertised on television. Much to my surprise and delight, my local Kroger Grocery Store actually had the Mr. Clean: Clean Freak Deep Cleaning Mist in stock and in no less than two scents. I grabbed the Gain Scent bottle and stuck it in my grocery cart. Eventually, I decided to use it to cle...
Read more

Book Review: Hidden Beneath (Maine Clambake Mystery, #11) by Barbara Ross

-
Image
Hidden Beneath (Maine Clambake Mystery, #11) by Barbara Ross is the story about Julia and her mother Jacqueline attending a memorial service on Chipmunk Island for Ginny, who was an old friend of Jacqueline.  When something seems off at the memorial, Julia decides to delve into the cold case of Ginny, and in the process of the investigation, a murder takes place on the island. Thank you, NetGalley and Kensington Books, for the Advanced Readers Copy of Hidden Beneath (Maine Clambake Mystery, #11) by Barbara Ross in exchange for my honest review.  I first became familiar with this series and author while reading a collection of short stories that included one from the Maine Clambake Mystery series.  I was excited when I was approved to read this newest book and was not disappointed. This newest edition can be read as a stand alone as the author does a fantastic job of recapping the backstories of the characters from previous books in the series.  I found all the mai...
Read more

Book Review: Dirty Thirty (Stephanie Plum, #30) by Janet Evanovich

-
Image
Dirty Thirty (Stephanie Plum, #30) by Janet Evanovich is the latest installment in the Stephanie Plum book series and opens with Joe Morelli asking Stephanie to dog sit his dog Bob while he is out of town testifying at a trial.  The typical chaos ensues when Stephanie has to bring Bob along to apprehend all of her FTAs and has her asking herself if she wants to be married. Each book in this series typically follows the same formula and is wrapped up in a neat, tidy bow at the end.  It's because of this that I enjoy the series . . . I always know that Stephanie is going to get herself into some sort of trouble and need Ranger or Morelli to help her, and the bad guy is always caught.  Sometimes, I just need something familiar and predictable to read.  And, I don't mean that in a bad way either because it allows me to escape reality and gives me a few chuckles along the way.  It's like the comfort food of books for me. The last few books I felt like someone had g...
Read more