6. Head Cases by John McMahon

#1 FBI PAR Unit

listened on Audible (purchased)

352 pgs.

2025
Adult police procedural/series
Finished 2/2/25
Goodreads rating: 4.16
My rating: 4.25
Setting: The team is based in Florida, but this takes place more on the west coast

My comments: Gardner Camden is a savant autistic who has a photographic memory.  He was raised by a really savvy mother (who happened to be a psychiatrist) who's taught him how to survive in the real world.  He remembers everything she's taught him.  He is part of a special FBI unit called PAR, which is full of incredibly smart (and eccentric) people who have screwed up in the FBI. But boy, can they figure things out! This story looks like the first of a series.  The plot was terribly complicated and intense....and really good.

Goodreads synopsis:  Head Cases follows an enigmatic group of FBI agents as they hunt down a murderer seeking his own justice in this electrifying—and commercial—series debut.

FBI Agent Gardner Camden is an analytical genius with an affinity for puzzles. He also has a blind spot on the human side of investigations, a blindness that sometimes even includes people in his own life, like his beloved seven-year-old daughter Camila. Gardner and his squad of brilliant yet quirky agents make up the Patterns and Recognition (PAR) unit, the FBI’s hidden edge, brought in for cases that no one else can solve.

When DNA links a murder victim to a serial killer long presumed dead, the team springs into action. A second victim establishes a pattern, and the murderer begins leaving a trail of clues and riddles especially for Gardner. And while the PAR team is usually relegated to working cold cases from behind a desk, the investigation puts them on the road and into the public eye, following in the footsteps of a killer.

Along with Gardner, PAR consists of a mathematician, a weapons expert, a computer analyst, and their leader, a career agent. Each of them must use every skill they have to solve the riddle of the killer’s identity. But with the perpetrator somehow learning more and more about the team at PAR, can they protect themselves and their families…before it’s too late?

With an enigmatic case that will keep readers on the edge of their seats and a thoroughly engaging ensemble cast, John McMahon’s Head Cases is a triumph.

5. Deep into the Dark by P. J. Tracy

#1 in a series about an LA Female cop (Det. Margaret Nolan), although she wasn't really the protagonist in this first book....

listened on Audible

339 pgs.

2021
Adult murder mystery/police procedural
Finished 1/29/25
Goodreads rating: 3.77
My rating: 4
Setting: contemporary LA

My comments: Sam Easton is an Afghanistan war vet with some shattered (and recurring) memories who becomes deeply involved in a series of murders that become more and more related to him.  Tracy's writing is eloquent, I really love the way she puts words together!  Looking forward to more of her writing.

Goodreads synopsis:  Sam Easton—a true survivor—is home from Afghanistan, trying to rebuild a life in his hometown of LA. Separated from his wife, bartending and therapy sessions are what occupy his days and nights. When friend and colleague Melody Traeger is beaten by her boyfriend, she turns to Sam for help. When the boyfriend turns up dead the next day, a hard case like Sam is the perfect suspect.

But LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan, whose brother recently died serving overseas, is sympathetic to Sam's troubles, and can't quite see him as a killer. She's more interested in the secrets Melody might be keeping and the developments in another murder case on the other side of town.

4. Blood Sisters by Vanessa Lillie

listened on Audible while sick in Tucson

371 pgs. (9:49)

2023
Adult contemporary mystery
Finished 1/22/2025
Goodreads rating: 3.84
My rating: 4
Setting: 2008 northeastern Oklahoma

My comments: A queer Cherokee archaeologist/investigator for the BIA returns home to her native Oklahoma after three years to search for her missing sister.  This one got a little slow in more than one place, but ultimately was pretty decent storytelling, adding fuel to the fire in the history of missing Native American females, which has been going on - and almost completely ignored - for years and years.

Goodreads synopsis:  A visceral and compelling mystery about a Cherokee archeologist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs who is summoned to rural Oklahoma to investigate the disappearance of two women…one of them her sister.

There are secrets in the land.

As an archeologist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Syd Walker spends her days in Rhode Island trying to protect the land's indigenous past, even as she’s escaping her own.

While Syd is dedicated to her job, she’s haunted by a night of violence she barely escaped in her Oklahoma hometown fifteen years ago. Though she swore she’d never go back, the past comes calling.

When a skull is found near the crime scene of her youth, just as her sister, Emma Lou, vanishes, Syd knows she must return home. She refuses to let her sister's disappearance, or the remains, go ignored—as so often happens in cases of missing Native women.

But not everyone is glad to have Syd home, and she can feel the crosshairs on her back. Still, the deeper Syd digs, the more she uncovers about a string of missing indigenous women cases going back decades. To save her sister, she must expose a darkness in the town that no one wants to face—not even Syd.

The truth will be unearthed.

3. The Big Empty by Robert Crais

#20 Elvis Cole and Joe Pike

listened on Audible - purchased

373 pgs. (8:25)

2025
Adult Contemporary Mystery/series
Finished 1/20/2025
Goodreads rating: 4.65
My rating: 5
Setting: southern California

My comments: Interesting, edge-of-your seat story that pretty much had me guessing till the end.  What else can you ask for in a murder mystery procedural?  A protagonist/PI with a sense of humor?  Check.  Interesting, well-flushed out characters?  Check that off, too.  Disturbing murders....unfortunately.  This was a good one.

Goodreads synopsis:  Traci Beller was thirteen when her father disappeared in the sleepy town of Rancha, not far from Los Angeles. The evidence says Tommy Beller abandoned his family, but Traci never believed it. The police couldn't find her dad and neither could the detectives her mother hired, but now, ten years later, Traci is a super-popular influencer with millions of followers and the money to hire a new detective: Elvis Cole.

Taking on a ten-years-cold missing person case is almost always a loser, but Elvis heads to Rancha where he learns an ex-con named Sadie Givens and her daughter, Anya, might have a line on the missing man. But when Elvis finds himself shadowed by a deadly gang of vicious criminals, the simple missing persons case becomes far more sinister and dangerous. Elvis calls in his ex-Marine friend, Joe Pike, to help, but even Pike might not be able to help.

As Elvis Cole and Joe Pike follow Tommy Beller's trail into the twisted, nightmare depths of a monstrous evil, the case flips on its head. Victims become predators, predators become prey, and when everyone is a victim, can Elvis Cole save them all?

In a case that tests Elvis Cole's loyalty to his clients and himself, the truth must come out no matter the cost. Elvis must face The Big Empty and see justice done.

2. The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis

listened on Audible (purchased)

339 pgs. (10:18)

2025
Adult Historical Fiction Mystery
Finished 1/18/2025
Goodreads rating: 4.11
My rating: 3.5
Setting: Egypt, 1930s & 1978; NYC 1978

My comments: As likable as the story was, I had to suspend belief on some of the coincidences that too easily occurred in places in this story.  Spoilers ahead!  Annie and her point of view were likable and heartfelt, but also pushy and nosy, pushing the plot uncomfortably.  And since Charlotte kept her name and had a prominent position in the Egyptian antiquities community, it's very hard to believe that someone in the same business, albeit in a different country than the US, would not have realized that she was still alive.  And I truly can't believe that in the late 1970s anyone would be just allowed into any of the closed-off tombs like Charlotte and Annie were, no matter their expertise or credentials.  Lots of coincidences and incongruities, unfortunately.  Set in the mid 1930s in Egypt and in 1978 New York, it flip-flopped back-and-forth between those two time periods with the same protagonist.  Such mixed feelings I have about this book!  So much to love, so much to frown about.  3?  3/5?  4?  Eek!

Goodreads synopsis:  From New York Times bestselling author Fiona Davis, an utterly addictive new novel that will transport you from New York City’s most glamorous party to the labyrinth streets of Cairo and back.

Egypt, 1936: When anthropology student Charlotte Cross is offered a coveted spot on an archaeological dig in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, she leaps at the opportunity. But after an unbearable tragedy strikes, Charlotte knows her future will never be the same.

New York City, 1978: Eighteen-year-old Annie Jenkins is thrilled when she lands an opportunity to work for iconic former Vogue fashion editor Diana Vreeland, who’s in the midst of organizing the famous Met Gala, hosted at the museum and known across the city as the “party of the year.” Though Annie soon realizes she’ll have her work cut out for her, scrambling to meet Diana’s capricious demands and exacting standards.

Meanwhile, Charlotte, now leading a quiet life as the associate curator of the Met’s celebrated Department of Egyptian Art, wants little to do with the upcoming gala. She’s consumed with her research on Hathorkare—a rare female pharaoh dismissed by most other Egyptologists as unimportant.

That is, until the night of the gala. When one of the Egyptian art collection’s most valuable artifacts goes missing . . . and there are signs Hathorkare’s legendary curse might be reawakening.

As Annie and Charlotte team up to search for the missing antiquity, a desperate hunch leads the unlikely duo to one place Charlotte swore she’d never return: Egypt. But if they’re to have any hope of finding the artifact, Charlotte will need to confront the demons of her past—which may mean leading them both directly into danger.

1. The Walking Fish by Rachelle Burk

read on Kindle

192 pgs.

2015
Middle Grades CRF/STEM
Finished 1/12/2025
Goodreads rating: 4.16
My rating: 5
Setting: Summer at the protagonist's cottage on Glacial Lake

My comments: Rachelle Burk is coming to my school at the end of the month, and I had never heard of her before.  This book was great!  It was very well written, had humor, and honestly portrays a middle schooler who's a good kid but twists things around a little to suit herself and is naturally curious.  It's a perfect STEM/STEAM read!

Goodreads synopsis:  A humorous, exciting tale of an ordinary girl who makes an extraordinary scientific discovery—a blind fish that walks

When seventh-grader Alexis catches an unusual fish that looks like a living fossil, she sets off a frenzied scientific hunt for more of its kind. Alexis and her friend Darshan join the hunt, snorkeling, sounding the depths of Glacial Lake, even observing from a helicopter and exploring a cave. All the while, they fight to keep the selfish Dr. Mertz from claiming the discovery all for himself. When Alexis follows one final hunch, she risks her life and almost loses her friend. Walking Fish is a scientific adventure that provides a perfect combination of literacy and science.

How Do You Fill Up a Junk Journal?

Or.....I've made my junk journal, now what do I do with it?

This is the question of the day.

There's not right, no wrong.

There's just what YOU/I want to do!

Easy Ways to Use, Love and Fill a (Junk) Journal by joie de fi is short (9:49) and useful.

2025 Reading Goals & Book Girls Challenge

I'm looking forward to reading more historical fiction this year, and I want to amass a list of books about books and bookshops and libraries and librarians, contemporary as well as historical.

Historical Fiction Read

     1.  

The Book Girls have a challenge this year that appears to be exactly what I might be looking for!  The booklist for the month of January, "Novels with Characters Connecting Through Books," is wonderful.  It can be found here.  I think I'll list the books and check to see if I've read any/many of them....

     (Reading Challenges shortcut is here.)

January - Novels with Characters Connecting Through Books

     I must read one I've never read before

Henn, Carsten: The Door-to-Door Bookshop, 2020 set in Germany

Hanff, Helene: 87, Charing Cross Road 1970 - read this when I first lived in Tucson

Miller, Kirsten:  Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books, 2024, set in Georgia

Storey, Kate: The Memory Library, 2024, set in England and Australia

Butland, Stephanie: Found in a Bookshop, 2023, set in England

Hawkins, Karen: The Book Charmer, 2019 set in NC

Wood, Monica: How to Read a Book, 2024, set in Maine

Jaswal, Balli Kaur: Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows, 2017, set in London

McKinlay, Jenn: Love at First Book, 2024, Martha's Vineyard & Ireland

Kamali, Marjan: The Stationery Shop, 2019, set in 1953 Tehran & contemporary CA

Williams, Beatriz; Lauren Willig & Karen White: The Author's Guide to Murder, 2024, set in the Scottish Highlands

Shaffer, Mary Ann & Annie Barrows: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, 2008, England

Lauren, Christina: Love and Other Words, 2018, set in SF & Healdsburg, CA

Zusak, Markus: The Book Thief, 2005, 1939-1954 Germany

Adams, Sara Nisha: The Reading List, 2021, set in a London suburb

Gilmore, Lucy:  The Library of Borrowed Hearts, set in the 1960s & present day WA

Brooks, Geraldine: People of the Book, 2008, spans decades & continents

Bradbury, Ray: Fahrenheit 451, 1953, set in future midwest

Halpern, Sue: Summer Hours at the Robbers Library, 2018, set in NH

Seierstad, Asne, The Bookseller of Kabul, 2002, set in 2000s Afghanistan

Bickers, Tessa: The Book Swap, 2024, set in England

Forest, Kristina: The Neighbor Favor, 2023, set in NYC

Colgan, Jenny: The Bookshop on the Corner,  2016, set in England & Scotland

Alexander, Poppy:  The Littlest Library, 2021, set in England

Sampson, Freya: The Last Chance Library, 2021, set in England

2025 Charitable Contributions

of Steven Ted Graves....24 years without him

1/1/25  

2025 Reading

Published in the Current Year - 2025

1. The Stolen Queen - Fiona Davis (3.75) HF

2.  The Big Empty (#20 Cole & Pike) - Robert Crais (5) Myst Series

3.  Head Cases (#1 PAR Unit/FBI) - John McMahon (4.25 

YA

1.

Middle Grade

1. The Walking Fish - Rachelle Burk (5)

Historical Fiction

1.  The Stolen Queen - Fiona Davis

Shorts

1.  

REAL Books

1.  

eBooks

1.  The Walking Fish - Rachelle Burk

Series

1.  The Big Empty (#20 Elvis Cole & Joe Pike) - Robert Crais

2.  Deep into the Dark (#1 LA Det. Margaret Nolan) - P. J. Tracy

3.  Head Cases (#1 PAR Unit) - John McMahon

4.5 or 5 Stars

1.  The Walking Fish - Rachelle Burk

2.  The Big Empty (#20 Cole & Pike) - Robert Crais

DNF

1.  

Novels Read in 2025

January 

1.  The Walking Fish - Rachelle Burk, 2015 Kindle (5) 192 p. 1/12

2.  The Stolen Queen - Fiona Davis, 2025 Audible (3.75) 1/18

3.  The Big Empty (#20 Elvis Cole/Joe Pike) - Robert Crais, 2025 Audible (5) 1/20

4.  Blood Sisters - Vanessa Lillie, 2023 Audible (4) 1/22

5.  Deep into the Dark (#1 LA Det. Margaret Nolan) - P. J. Tracy, 2021Audible (4) 1/29

February

6.  Head Cases (#1 PAR FBI Unit) - John McMahon, Audible (4) 2/2