10. Her Deadly Game by Robert Dugoni

#1 Keera Duggan, Seattle lawyer

listened on Audible

396 pgs.

2023
Adult Murder Mystery -  legal thriller
Finished 2/13/2026
Goodreads rating:  4.42 
My rating: 4
Setting: Contemporary Seattle

My comments: I love murder mysteries, but I'm not the biggest fan of being on the legal side of things.   Not sure why, although I used to love the John Grisham novels - from the legal side.  This was a great mystery, but the way the answers came together were a bit perplexing to me ... sort of hard to believe.  But it kept me interested and thinking, and although I disliked most of the characters, I'm happy to have read it.  I do like Robert Dugoni.

Goodreads synopsis:  A defense attorney is prepared to play. But is she a pawn in a master’s deadly match? A twisting novel of suspense by New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni.

Keera Duggan was building a solid reputation as a Seattle prosecutor, until her romantic relationship with a senior colleague ended badly. For the competitive former chess prodigy, returning to her family’s failing criminal defense law firm to work for her father is the best shot she has. With the right moves, she hopes to restore the family’s reputation, her relationship with her father, and her career.

Keera’s chance to play in the big leagues comes when she’s retained by Vince LaRussa, an investment adviser accused of murdering his wealthy wife. There’s little hard evidence against him, but considering the couple’s impending and potentially nasty divorce, LaRussa faces life in prison. The prosecutor is equally challenging: Miller Ambrose, Keera’s former lover, who’s eager to destroy her in court on her first homicide defense.

As Keera and her team follow the evidence, they uncover a complicated and deadly game that’s more than Keera bargained for. When shocking information turns the case upside down, Keera must decide between her duty to her client, her family’s legacy, and her own future.

16. A Steep Price by Robert Dugoni

#6 Tracy Crosswhite

listened on Audible

410 pgs.

2018
Adult Police Procedural
Finished 4/10/2025
Goodreads rating: 4.38
My rating: 4.5
Setting: Contemporary Seattle

My comments: Although depressing, this mystery was super interesting and kept me on my toes, looking forward to returning each time I had to stop reading.  There are two (interesting) cases going on at once, Tracy is pregnant, and we get much more acquainted with Fazio and his wife Vera, who has just discovered she has breast cancer. 

Goodreads synopsis:  Called in to consult after a young woman disappears, Tracy Crosswhite has the uneasy feeling that this is no ordinary missing-persons case. When the body turns up in an abandoned well, Tracy’s suspicions are confirmed. Estranged from her family, the victim had balked at an arranged marriage and had planned to attend graduate school. But someone cut her dreams short.

Solving the mystery behind the murder isn’t Tracy’s only challenge. The detective is keeping a secret of her she’s pregnant. And now her biggest fear seems to be coming true when a new detective arrives to replace her. Meanwhile, Tracy’s colleague Vic Fazzio is about to take a fall after his investigation into the murder of a local community activist turns violent and leaves an invaluable witness dead.

Two careers are on the line. And when more deadly secrets emerge, jobs might not be the only things at risk.

15. The Shadows of Pike Place by D. D. Black

listened and read both on Audio and Kindle
272 pgs.
2022
Adult murder mystery

Finished 2/24/2024
Goodreads rating: 4.35
My rating: 3.5
Setting: Contemporary Seattle

My comments: Pretty decent mystery, but I don't like the way it keeps dragging in a problem from the protagonist's past that's going to hang over book after book.  This episode was about an extremely rich Seattle family whose matriarch was murdered using yellow oleander.  Austin and his sidekick reporter friend jumped in with both feet to figure it out.  So much that would never really happen, but it's fiction, right?

Goodreads synopsis:  Sometimes the past is better left buried.

When the matriarch of a rich Seattle family dies under suspicious circumstances, private investigator Thomas Austin is on the case. This time, the suspect list is easy.

Seven people were in the lakefront mansion with the millionaire when she died: a spoiled son, a jealous brother-in-law, a beloved chef, a rebellious grandson, an arrogant memoirist, and a pair of successful daughters. All had motive. All had opportunity. But which one is the killer?

To solve the case, Austin must look into the past of one of Seattle's most powerful families. With the help of a fiery reporter and a long-lost diary, he uncovers a series of dark secrets that betray the criminal underbelly of old-money Seattle.

But the closer Austin gets to the truth, the more dangerous the investigation becomes. Sometimes, when you dig into a secret past, the past comes out to bury you.

28. This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel

listened on Libby/borrowed from the library

narrated by Gabra Zackman  beautifully

Unabridged audio (11:00)
2018
338 pgs.
Contemporary CRF
Finished 3/27/2021
Goodreads rating: 4.25 - 129,079 ratings
My rating: 4.5
Setting: contemporary Wisconsin, then Seattle, then Thailand

First line/s: "But first, Roo was born.  Roosevelt Walsh-Adams.  They had decided to hyphenate because --- and in spite of --- all the usual reasons but mostly so their firstborn could have his grandfather's name without without sounding too presidential, which seemed to his parents like a lot of pressure for a six pound, two ounce, brand-new tiny human."

My comments: The husband is a stay-at-home author dad, the wife's an outstanding ER doctor.  Four sons, and the then fifth Claude, who really wants to be Poppy, right from the start.  A move from Wisconsin to Seattle, for safety, and then on to Thailand for clarity.  Great parents raising great kids amid turmoil and questions and wanting to do the right thing.  There were a few places where I burrowed my brow or scratched my head, a few places there was just a little too much fairytale telling or philosophical thinking, but all in all this was a great story, beautifully narrated.

Goodreads synopsis:  This is how a family keeps a secret…and how that secret ends up keeping them.
          This is how a family lives happily ever after…until happily ever after becomes complicated.
          This is how children change…and then change the world.
          This is Claude. He’s five years old, the youngest of five brothers, and loves peanut butter sandwiches. He also loves wearing a dress, and dreams of being a princess.
          When he grows up, Claude says, he wants to be a girl.
          Rosie and Penn want Claude to be whoever Claude wants to be. They’re just not sure they’re ready to share that with the world. Soon the entire family is keeping Claude’s secret. Until one day it explodes.
          This Is How It Always Is is a novel about revelations, transformations, fairy tales, and family. And it’s about the ways this is how it always is: Change is always hard and miraculous and hard again, parenting is always a leap into the unknown with crossed fingers and full hearts, children grow but not always according to plan. And families with secrets don’t get to keep them forever.
          "This is a novel everyone should read. It’s brilliant. It’s bold. And it’s time.”
―Elizabeth George, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Banquet of Consequences

95. Fiance on Paper by Nicole Snow

listened to audio - Audible Escape
narrated by Jean-Paul Mordrake and Ellie McClendon
Unabridged audio (9:17)
2017 Ice Lips Press
320 pgs.
Adult Steamy Romance
Finished 6/10/2020
Goodreads rating:
My rating: 2
Setting: contemporary Seattle, Washington

First line/s: "Something in his makeup made him an utter bastard, but I owed him my life."

My comments: First of all, I don't think the guy on the cover is attractive at all.  Just saying....
Another kinky, steamy fake fiance romance.  This one's got a lot of background though, because it's been seven years since Maddie and Cal have seen each other, which is really, really weird because they'd adored each other the whole time.  I'm not exactly sure what has motivated him through those years, being so resistant to getting in touch with her even though she sent him lots of letters, etc.  And bad stuff gets fixed way to easily, a dying father who's been nothing but horrible to his son for years and with literally his last dying breath changes his tune?  A particularly aggressive maniac mobster-type backs down after his highly enforced mansion is easily breached?  Lots of trite stuff here which could have been written so much better.  The female reader was just a little too slow, mader her sound dumb.  The male reader was excellent. 

Goodreads synopsis:  ON PAPER, IT'S PRETEND. BUT MY HEART KNOWS WHAT'S REAL
          His proposal came in a little black envelope with thirteen unlucky words:
          You still owe me that favor, doll, and I'm cashing in.
          Marry me.
          In a normal life, I'd never get hitched to Calvin Randolph. Not with his heart-stopping blue eyes, infamous player reputation, and an ego bigger than the part of his anatomy he loves boasting about the most.
          Been there, done that. All except the last part, which he's left to my shameful imagination for seven years apart.
          Of course, the fake fiancée contract I just signed is anything but normal. Neither was the tragic day our schoolyard romance died, when he made an unspeakable sacrifice.
           He saved my life. He paid a terrible price. Now, I owe him big.
          He's come to collect in make believe: the blushing lies, the sideways glances leaving me breathless, the teasing kisses every time his teeth grab my bottom lip in front of the world.
          It shouldn't be this hard.
          It's just pretend. It's just a few weeks. I can totally resist the demanding, cold, obscenely handsome man he's become.
          We have our rules. But the simple one I kept to myself might be harder: don't fall in love.
          I already did that once. I know the risks. I won't let it happen.
          Because if his charm steals my heart again, if I let him go all the way when his lips trace scary promises on mine, this paper engagement becomes real enough to ruin us...

35. Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple

listened on Audible
read by Kathleen Wilhoite
Unabridged audio (9:35)
2012, Little Brown
330 pgs.
Adult CRF
Finished 4/1/19
Goodreads rating: 3.90 - 341,732 ratings
My rating: 5
Setting: Contemporary Seattle, WA

First line/s: "The first annoying thing is when I ask Dad what he thinks happened to Mom, he always says, 'What's most important is for you to understand it's not your fault.' "

My comments: What a funky, funny, unusual novel.  (I can't say I was enamored with the reader, her voice got a little excessively overstimulated/excited in too many places.)  However - clever, over-the-top, and extremely humorous, the story kept me giggling, rolling my eyes, and completely hooked.  Written mostly as emails, letters, faxes, etc., the glimpses of Microsoft, Seattle, private schools, TED talks, architecture, the Antarctic, and five unique personalities are an absolute delight!

Goodreads synopsis:  Bernadette Fox has vanished.
          When her daughter Bee claims a family trip to Antarctica as a reward for perfect grades, Bernadette, a fiercely intelligent shut-in, throws herself into preparations for the trip. But worn down by years of trying to live the Seattle life she never wanted, Ms. Fox is on the brink of a meltdown. And after a school fundraiser goes disastrously awry at her hands, she disappears, leaving her family to pick up the pieces--which is exactly what Bee does, weaving together an elaborate web of emails, invoices, and school memos that reveals a secret past Bernadette has been hiding for decades. Where'd You Go Bernadette is an ingenious and unabashedly entertaining novel about a family coming to terms with who they are and the power of a daughter's love for her mother.

MOVIE - Fifty Shades of Grey

R (1:50)

Wide release 2/13/2015

Viewed date at Roadhouse on opening day 2/13/2015

RT Critic: 27   Audience:   53

Cag: 4/Liked it a lot

Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson

Focus Featires
Contemporary Seattle

Based on the book by E. L. James

Jamie Dornan, Dakota Johnson, Marcia Gay Harden

My comments:  Yes, I went to see it on opening day.  And yes, I liked it.  I was really curious to see how they'd handle all the x-rated scenes from the book - which was a good half of it - in an R-rated movie. In my very own, personal opinion, the movie worked really well.  Sure, there were things from the book that were missing, but the sex scenes were really well done and titillating enough to make me giggle. The book was pretty poorly written, but the movie was quite well done.  Yes, others disagree with me, but it really worked for me and I enjoyed it.  The leads were terrific.  However, other than perhaps Marcia Gay Harden as Christian's mom and definitely Max Martini as Taylor, I didn't like any of the people cast as the supporting actors.  None of them worked for me. So, all in all, the movie was ten times better than the book, but I'm glad I read the book first.

RT Summary:E.L. James' kinky best-seller gets the big screen treatment with this Universal Pictures/Focus Features co-production. The steamy tale details a masochistic relationship between a college student and a businessman, whose desires for extreme intimacy pen from secrets in his past. 

8. Fifty Shades Darker - E. L. James

#2 Fifty Shades

2011 First Vintage Books

532 pgs.

X-Rated Adult 

Finished 1/18/15

Goodreads rating: 3.93

My rating:   2

2nd hand book through Amazon

Contemporary Seattle

1st sentence/s:  "I have survived Day Three Post-Christian, and my first day at work."

My comments:  Well, I discovered what Christian's major hangups were.  There was a bit of a plot in this second in the series, and ended with the possibility of more plot to come.  A good half of the book was Ana and Christians repeated sexual escapades, which were...pretty much....very, very similar to each other.  They say the same things to each other over and over and over.  Okay, so now I've read two of them.  I'm fully prepared for the movie next month.  (Oh, yes - this book was misnamed.  It should have been Fifty Shades Lighter.....)

Goodreads book summary:  Daunted by the singular tastes and dark secrets of the beautiful, tormented young entrepreneur Christian Grey, Anastasia Steele has broken off their relationship to start a new career with a Seattle publishing house. 
           But desire for Christian still dominates her every waking thought, and when he proposes a new arrangement, Anastasia cannot resist. They rekindle their searing sensual affair, and Anastasia learns more about the harrowing past of her damaged, driven and demanding Fifty Shades.
           While Christian wrestles with his inner demons, Anastasia must confront the anger and envy of the women who came before her, and make the most important decision of her life.
          This book is intended for mature audiences.

2. - Fifty Shades of Grey - E. L. James

Fifty Shades #1

2011, Vintage Books

510 pgs.

X-rated Adult Erotica

Finished 1/6/2015

Goodreads rating: 3.70

My rating:   (3) Liked it  

Setting:  contemporary Washington State (including Seattle)

1st sentence/s:  "I scowl with frustration at myself in the mirror.  Damn my hair -- it just won't behave, and damn Katherine Kavanaugh for being ill and subjecting me to this ordeal."

My comments:  There have been many negative reviews by people that consider this book horrible because of all the erotica and sexual content.  Well....the genre is erotica, so if you don't like erotica and read it anyway, of course you're not going to like it.  Me?  I liked it.  The characters were interesting, thought-provoking (I might even read the second in the series to see if more is revealed about Christian's hangups) and ..... fun.  Neither were entirely believable, but that's okay in this story, for me.  Ana's innocence and inexperience, at 21--- not believable.  Oh well.  The humor that appears in the many emails that go back and forth between them is clesver.  My biggest complaint?  Ms. James used the word "clamber" dozens and dozens of times. THAT'S what drove ME crazy! (The movie is coming out next month, the trailer enticed me to read the book before seeing the movie - and yes, I'm going to see it!)

Goodreads book summary:  When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms.
           Shocked yet thrilled by Grey’s singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success—his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family—Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey’s secrets and explores her own dark desires.
          Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever.
          This book is intended for mature audiences.

Put On Your Travelin' Shoes: SEATTLE

Just two days here to check out as much as I could, and much of one day was reserved for a beautiful wedding. I love this city!

When I left for Seattle, the 10-day forecast was for rain...every single day. But when I looked out my 7th floor window Sunday morning - my first day ever in Seattle, Washington - the sun was shining brightly, people were out and walking about, and I could clearly see Mt. Rainier in the distance. Wow.

Just outside the Marriott Waterfront is an elevator that goes up about seven flights - and lets you out on the edge of Pike's Market, one of the major toruist draws in Seattle. Streets go up and down hills that in many ways remind me of San Francisco!

After roaming through the fish stalls, jewelry makers, flower and vegetable venders, and incredibly diverse stands - hundreds of them - I discovered an information booth. James, its friendly, funny proprietor, directed me to my next few stops and helped me nail down a couple of the important things I wanted to do the next day.

First, after walking through Rocky Mountain Chocolate and out the door on the far end, I found myself in an indoor "mall." Across the hall was UNDERCOVER QUILTS. A wonderful store, small, great fabrics, samples, patterns.

Pike Place Chowder had many choices...too many choices...so I finally chose the 4-cup sampler. My favorite? The clam chowder. A close second was the seared scallop chowder. The smoked salmon was quite tasty (it appeared full of capers, I've always avoided them before, but they worked just fine). The 4th - recommended by the server - was my least favorite, the seafood bisque. I sat in a window facing the alley where an aged, long-haired, gap-toothed singer-guitarist entertained. I couldn't hear him, but he was fun to watch.

Then on through Cost Plus to a hidden elevator in the very rear corner. Funky. Up to the second floor, down a deserted outside corridor to discover a very cool shop, So Much Yarn. Small, first class yarns. Added a couple of reds to my collection, since I'm into making Christmas stockings right now.

Back to the hotel for the wedding. Lovely. Fun. Happy. Mazel Tov Alyssa and Dan! I'm so glad I could be here for this!

Monday morning walked up the hill....up....up....and up more, 'til I hit Westlake Center, a three-story complex of retail shops with the Seattle monorail and a large multicultural food court as the uppermost destination. Spaghetti and meatballs for breakfast, now that's my idea of perfection!

The monorail, originally built for the 1962 World's Fair, delivered me nonstop to th Seattle Center, which houses museums, gardens, a merry-go-round, and the Space Needle. I spent a couple of hours checking out the exhibits at the EMP (Experience Music Project), spending lots of time on the history and music of Jimi Hendrix. Wow. I didn't make it to Renton, where he's buried, but sure got a great taste of him at this classy museum. It also houses the Science Fiction Museum, but I'll save that for another visit. Because there WILL be another visit. The building itself is something to see...like nothing you've ever seen before.

By the return trip on the monorail it was drizzling pretty steadily, and I walked east for a few blocks, ending up at Pacific Place, Barnes & Noble, and the movie theater, where I took in a screening of Black Swan. After a fantastic dinner at Bell Street Diner, seated in a poinsettia and candlelit booth right on the edge of the waterfront, I headed back to the Marriott and the packing that awaited me.

I loved Seattle. I must come back.

34. The Opposite of Invisible - Liz Gallagher

Audio read by Lara Hirner
Random House Audio Listening Library, 2009
3 unabridged cds
3 hrs. 31 minutes
160 pgs.
Rating: 3.5

At first I was horrified at some of the decisions that Alice made, then I realized they were the same exact kinds of decisions I would have made when I was 15 -and it's probably an awful lot like kids are feeling today......so I liked it a lot better...because it's probably pretty darn close to reality. To fall under a guy's spell for the first time, to want to be pretty and popular, to enjoy kissing, to realize almost too late to slow down.

Alice and Jewel have been best friends for years, Jewel's a boy, and artist, a free spirit, and they tell each other everything. They need no one else, so choose to become "invisible," just the way they like it. But when Alice gets a crush on the jock-y Simon, pulls her hoodie down and shows how cute she is, it puts a wall between her and Jewel and builds a chasm between them. You really do wonder all the way through if Alice will end up with Simon or Jewel, Simon or Jewel, Simon or Jewel. The time spent riding in the car back and forth to school for a week passed quite quickly.