54. The View from Lake Como by Adriana Trigiani

listened on Libby

416 pgs. (12:17)

2025
Adult CRF
Finished 112/30/2025
Goodreads rating: 3.86
My rating: 4
Setting: Contemporary Lake Como, NJ AND Italy - Tuscany

My comments: I loved listening to this, Mira Sorvino does a wonderful job and kept me listening even when I thought it was getting a little too long.  Jess tells her entire story, and in doing so keeps going back in her memories to conversations and moments in time with her family.  This technique worked really well for me, and I feel I got to know Jess - and her tight, eccentric Italian-American New Jersey shore family very well.  The second half of the story is set in Tuscany, Italy, which I didn't really like as well as the first part, though both told the story of an Italian family with strong, firm roots in Italy.

Goodreads synopsis:  From the beloved New York Times bestselling author Adriana Trigiani, a “dazzling” storyteller (Washington Post), and a “comedy writer with a heart of gold” (NYT), comes a novel about one woman’s quest to build her own life before it’s too late. 

Jess Capodimonte Baratta is not living the life of her dreams. Not even close.
 
In blue-collar Lake Como, New Jersey, family comes first. Recently divorced from Bobby Bilancia, “the perfect husband," Jess moves into her parents’ basement to hide and heal. Jess is the overlooked daughter, who dutifully takes care of her parents, cooks Sunday dinner, and puts herself last. Despite her role as the family handmaiden, Jess is also a talented draftswoman in the marble business run by her confidant, her dapper uncle Louie, who believes she can do anything (once she invests in a better wardrobe).  
 
When the Capodimonte and Baratta families endure an unexpected loss, the shock unearths long-buried secrets that will force Jess to question her loyalty to those she trusted. Fueled by her lost dreams, Jess takes fate into her own hands and escapes to her ancestral home, Carrara, Italy.
 
From the shadows of the majestic marble-capped mountains of Tuscany, to the glittering streets of Milan, and on the shores of enchanting Lake Como (the other one), Jess begins to carve a place in this new/old world. When she meets Angelo Strazza, a passionate artist who works in gold, she discovers her own skills are priceless. But as Jess uncovers the truth about her family history, it will change the course of her life and those she loves the most forever.  In love and work, in art and soul, Jess will need every tool she has mastered to reinvent her life.

Fed by the author’s cherished Italian roots comes a bighearted, hilarious novel of the the story of one woman’s determination to live a creative life that matters, with enough room left over for love. With a one-way ticket to Italy, Jess is determined to write a new story on her own terms--this time, in stone.

45. Eyes of the Innocent by Brad Parks

#2 Ross Carter, New Jersey journalist
listened on Audible
2011 Minotaur Books
304 pgs. (9:43)
Adult Murder Mystery
Finished May 24, 2018
Goodreads rating: 3.89 - 741 ratings
My rating:  4
Setting: contemporary Newark , NJ

First line/s:  "I made at least four mistakes that Monday morning, the first of which was going into the office in the first place."

My comments:  I listened to this great narration, whose inflections realized the subtle humor of the protanogist.  Carter is really honest, knowledgeable, smart, and a pretty darn good writer.  Other than the interplay with Tina, one of the editors of the newspaper for which he works, which gets a little tedious, this was a great addition to the series. The mystery comes together well, leaving no questions unanswered.

Goodreads synopsis: Carter Ross, the sometimes-dashing investigative reporter for the Newark Eagle-Examiner, is back, and reporting on the latest tragedy to befall Newark, New Jersey, a fast-moving house fire that kills two boys.
          With the help of the paper’s newest intern, a bubbly blonde known as “Sweet Thang,†Carter finds the victims’ mother, Akilah Harris, who spins a tale of woe about a mortgage rate reset that forced her to work two jobs and leave her young boys without child care. Carter turns in a front-page feature, but soon discovers Akilah isn’t what she seems. And neither is the fire. 
          When Newark councilman Windy Byers is reported missing, it launches Carter into the sordid world of urban house-flipping and Jersey-style political corruption. With his usual mix of humor, compassion, and street smarts, Carter is soon calling on some of his friends—gay Cuban sidekick Tommy Hernandez, T-shirt-selling buddy Tee Jamison, and on-and-off girlfriend Tina Thompson—for help in tracking down the shadowy figure behind it all.   
          Brad Parks’s debut, Faces of the Gone, won the Shamus Award and Nero Award for Best American Mystery. It was heralded as an engaging mix of Harlan Coben and Janet Evanovich. Now Parks solidifies his place as one of the brightest new talents in crime fiction with this authentic, entertaining thriller.

39. Down to the Wire - David Rosenfelt

listened in the car
2010
294 pgs.
Adult mystery
Finished 6-5-15
Goodreads rating: 3.74
My rating: 3.5
Setting:  contemporary New Jersey

First line/s: "If you're a corpse, you should get your name in the paper."

My comments:  A pretty decent story, the surprises weren't totally surprising but the whole plot kept you guessing...right, wrong, right wrong.....and I actually think the protagonist, Chris Turley was a little naive.  But it worked great for passing the time back and forth to school when I couldn't wait for school to get out.  Yes, I'd read another by this author.

Goodreads synopsis: A reporter for the Bergen News, Chris Turley could never measure up to his father. Edward Turley, a combination of Bob Woodward and Ernie Pyle, was one of the last great investigative reporters and a difficult man to impress. While stuck covering press conferences and town hall meetings, Chris, his father’s legend in mind, has always dreamed of his own Pulitzer, however unlikely it seems.
          Then one day while he’s waiting to meet a source, a giant explosion takes out half of an office building next door. Shocked into action, Chris saves five people from the burning building. His firsthand account in the next day’s paper makes him a hero and a celebrity.
          And that’s not all. The source’s next tip delivers a second headline-grabber of a story for Chris, and suddenly his career is looking a lot more like his dad’s. But then it seems this anonymous source has had a plan for Chris all along, and his luck for being in the right place at the right time is not a coincidence at all. What seemed like a reporter’s dream quickly becomes an inescapable nightmare.
          Down to the Wire, David Rosenfelt’s shocking new thriller about an ordinary man who gets exactly what he’s always wanted at a price he can never pay, is an intense thrill ride that will have readers racing through the pages right up to the end.

22. Creepers - David Morrell

1st in a series of 3 books about Frank Balenger

2005, Vanguard Press

388 pages, including the first chapter from Scavenger, the next in the series.

Adult Mystery/Thriller

Finished 4/24/2014

Goodreads Rating: 3.60

My Rating: 3/Liked it

Acquired: Mechanicsburg Mystery Books Store, PA

Setting: Contemporary Asbury Park, NJ, in a decrepit, deserted 7-story hotel

1^st sentence/s:  "Creepers.  That's what they called themselves, and that would make a good story, Balenger thought, which explained why he met them in this godforsaken New Jersey motel in a ghost town of 17,000 people.  Months later, he still would not be able to tolerate being in rooms with closed doors."

My comments:  I stumbled into a mystery bookstore in Mechanicsburg, PA last week.  The owner and a friendly gentleman who worked there recommended some new authors to me.  Debbie, the owner, says that David Morrell is one of her favorites.  I found this book not to be a "mystery" in the complete sense of  genre - I would categorize it more as a "thriller."  It was a good story; easy and a very quick read. She also suggested another three-book series by Morrell, beginning with The Brotherhood of the Rose.  I'll read more from this Rambo creator.

Goodreads Review:  On a cold October night, five people gather in a run-down motel on the Jersey shore and begin preparations to break into the Paragon Hotel. Built in the glory days of Asbury Park by a reclusive millionaire, the magnificent structure - which foreshadowed the beauties of art deco architecture - is now boarded up and marked for demolition.

     The five people are "creepers," the slang term for urban explorers: city archeologists with a passion for investigating abandoned buildings and their dying secrets. On this evening, they are joined by a reporter who wants to profile them - anonymously, as this is highly illegal activity - for a New York Times article.
     Frank Balenger, a sandy-haired, broad-shouldered reporter with a decided air of mystery about him, isn't looking for just a story, however. And after the group enters the rat-infested tunnel leading to the hotel, it becomes clear that he will get much more than he bargained for. Danger, terror, and death await the creepers in a place ravaged by time and redolent of evil.

27. Fearless Fourteen - Janet Evanovich

#14 Stephanie Plum
Audio read by Lorelei King

7 unabridged cds

Macmillan Audio, 2008

310 pgs.

Goodreads rating: 3.98

My rating: 4/Really good - very, very funny

Adult "murder" mystery

Setting: contemporary Trenton, NJ

1st line/s:

My comments:  Okay, this one was funny (yes, ridiculous.....) but funny!  I've found that you have to read these with tongue-in-cheek.  Stephanie's antics seem to be calming down quite a bit, but Lula's are still going strong, and the variety of odd characters that Stephanie acquires - and accepts - without questions is wonderfully fun.  And Grandma Mazer.....I want to meet her...or BE her...in another 25 years!

Goodreads summary:  Personal vendettas, hidden treasure, and a monkey named Carl will send bounty hunter Stephanie Plum on her most explosive adventure yet.

The Crime:  Armed robbery to the tune of nine million dollars.  Dom Rizzi robbed a bank, stashed the money, and did the time. His family couldn’t be more proud. He always was the smart one. The Cousin:  Joe Morelli.  Joe Morelli, Dom Rizzi, and Dom’s sister, Loretta, are cousins. Morelli is a cop, Rizzi robs banks, and Loretta is a single mother waiting tables at the firehouse. The all-American family.
The Complications:  Murder, kidnapping, destruction of personal property, and acid reflux. Less than a week after Dom’s release from prison, Joe Morelli has shadowy figures breaking into his house and dying in his basement. He’s getting threatening messages, Loretta is kidnapped, and Dom is missing.  The Catastrophe:  Moonman.   Morelli hires Walter “Mooner” Dunphy, stoner and “inventor” turned crime fighter, to protect his house. Morelli can’t afford a lot on a cop’s salary, and Mooner will work for potatoes.  The Cupcake:  Stephanie Plum.  Stephanie and Morelli have a long-standing relationship that involves sex, affection, and driving each other nuts. She’s a bond enforcement agent with more luck than talent, and she’s involved in this bank-robbery-gone-bad disaster from day one.  The Crisis:  A favor for Ranger.  Security expert Carlos Manoso, street name Ranger, has a job for Stephanie that will involve night work. Morelli has his own ideas regarding Stephanie’s evening activities.  The Conclusion:  Only the fearless should read Fourteen.

11. Lean Mean Thirteen - Janet Evanovich

#13 in Stephanie Plum series
Audio read by Lorelie King
2007, Audio Renaissance
7 unabridged discs, 7 hours
$34.95 (I got through PBS)
310 pages
Liked it (3.5)

In this one, Stephanie ends up looking for her ex-husband, Dickie Orr, who has mysteriously disappeared....and she seems to be the only possible suspect. Then his business partners start dying, burned to a crisp or drowned. This one's got a little Morrelli and a lot of Ranger - the two of them pitching in to take care of poor little (stupid) Stephanie.

The books seem to be getting sillier and sillier. At first, as silly as they seemed, they were more plausible. And I think I'm getting really tired of Lula, though there were some points, as I was listening, that I laughed right out loud because something would really strike me funny. The story certainly passes the time on long drives, and is not at all difficult to listen to....not much thinking involved.

37. Deal Breaker - Harlan Coben

#1 in the Myron Bolitar series
for: adults
paper, 1995
343 pages
Rating: 5

New Jersey/NYC
Funny, clever protagonist with interesting sidekicks
Moves rapidly along
Edgy
Good stuff....

Another series to consume! A good one, can't wait to read the next title. Myron Bolitar is early 30's, lives in the basement of his parent's house, is a sports agent but used to be a lawyer/mysterious government agent of some sort, has an....interesting....best friend and sidekick, and seems to be a one-woman man. Quick comebacks and quite humorous.

When Bolitar's first superstar, football player Christian Steele, receives an anonymous (porno) magazine with a photo of his long-missing girlfriend, Cathy Culver, inserted into one of the 1-900 ads, Bolitar is on the case! It's helpful that he is intimately involved with the Culver family since his past love is the missing girl's older sister, Jessica. And, of course, Jessica now reappears in his life. Big sigh. And the whole time that he's working on this case he has all sorts of other problems happening with his current clientele that have to be dealt with.

It's fun to get a peak into the professional sports world. This is a fast-paced mystery with lots of twists and turns, great clues, funny reperte, and wonderfully crafted characters. A winner.

6. Faces of the Gone - Brad Parks

For: Adults
Minotaur Books, 2009
HC
330 pages
Rating: 4
1st in a brand new series by a debut writer.

Debut writer Brad Parks has hit the nail on the head. He's created invesigative reporter Carter Ross. Smart, articulate, funny and even compassionate....he is a delightful protagonist. Written in the first person,we easily get into Carter's head to see how he thinks, how he puts two and two together. Park has done a superb job with the supporting characters, as well, including his finicky cat, Deadline.

Four execution-style murders have taken place in Newark, the police don't seem to have a clue. But Carter Ross finds a tiny clue and keeps hunting until he gets more and more. Every now and then, in italics, we get a glimpse of the thoughts of "the director," who is the culprit. The array of interesting characters and the glimpse into a darker side of life is so well done...real. And some of it, particularly the things that happen to Carter, are really, really funny.

Apparently Brad Parks was a journalist for 20 years and just quit to become an author and stay-at-home dad. He plans more books in the series. I am certainly looking forward to them!