The Girl Before

Fiction by J.P. Delaney


https://www.barnesandnoble.com/

Here is the story of two women: Jane in the present and Emma in the past, and their stories are eerily similar. Emma ended up dead, but what will happen to Jane?

How's that for a teaser? Does it make you want to read this book?

On an unrelated note, I've mentioned before about the trend I've noticed of authors identifying themselves by initials, such as E.L. James of Fifty Shades of Grey fame. I've speculated that they are trying to sound androgynous, keeping the reader from identifying the author as a male or a female. Well, I found an interview online with this author, who is using a pseudonym, and he ADMITTED that was his goal! (Click here to read that article if you're interested.)

The Silent Corner

Fiction by Dean Koontz.


https://www.barnesandnoble.com

This book is the beginning of a brand-new series by Koontz, about a woman on the run from... well, everyone it seems.

I really liked it! I'm looking forward to the next book.



I also read recently by this author: The Face of Fear

Before We Were Yours

Fiction by Lisa Wingate.


https://www.barnesandnoble.com

This was a really good book. READ IT.

Ordeal by Innocence

Fiction by Agatha Christie.


https://www.barnesandnoble.com

When I found Crooked House in order to finish reading it, this book was included in the edition I bought.

This mystery I had also read before, but it was great! Definitely "The Queen of Mystery" still!

The Face of Fear

Fiction by Dean Koontz.


https://www.barnesandnoble.com

This is a classic Dean Koontz novel, published way back in 1977. It's still an exciting thriller!


I also read recently by this author: Hideaway

Crooked House

Fiction by Agatha Christie.


https://www.barnesandnoble.com

I re-read this classic book after I started listening to it as an audiobook on a trip.

I'd forgotten the details and was surprised once again by who the murderer was. Agatha Christie is a master writer!

Also I made this little collage of all the different covers of this book I found:

This thing must have been reprinted like a ba-zillion times!

Tell No One

Fiction by Harlan Coben.


https://www.barnesandnoble.com

This was an exciting thriller about a man searching for closure after his wife's death.


I also read recently by this author: Play Dead

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon

Fiction by Stephen King.


https://www.barnesandnoble.com

This is probably a novella by Stephen King's standards, clocking in at only 262 pages. It is the story of a little girl lost in the woods, but it is not a fairytale. It's a survival story, and a harsh one.

It reminded me of an extremely dark version of Hatchet, the Gary Paulson classic, except it of course is not for children.



I also read recently by this author: The Gunslinger

Somebody Else's Kids

Nonfiction by Torey Hayden.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

I read several books by Torey Hayden, a child psychologist/teacher who worked with disturbed or disabled kids and wrote about it, a couple of years ago in kind of a streak. Recently I was thinking about her stories again because I have several friends who are teachers, one specifically in special education, and we had been talking about the difference a teacher can make in a child's life. In the day to day work, it often seems as if nothing is changing with the troubled child, but when you look back over the year's work, you can see that progress has been made. I encouraged my friends to persevere with their "problem kids," and possibly document the process just for their own encouragement.

But I digress.

I found this when looking for books by Torey Hayden that I hadn't already read. It was as engrossing as the others, and also as realistic. Torey herself mentions her own occasional feelings of discouragement, and even has another educator tell her that she is "wasting herself" on these hopeless children. What a bummer! But the amazing thing is that she never gives up. At the end of the story there are no miracle cures or storybook perfect endings, but the children in her class are better off than they were before.

I also read by this author: Just Another Kid, One Child

Hideaway

Fiction by Dean Koontz.


https://www.barnesandnoble.com

I read this book years ago but had forgotten about it, so I picked it up again. It's still good.



I also read recently by this author: the Frankenstein series

Their Lost Daughters

Fiction by Joy Ellis.


https://www.amazon.com

Since this book was billed as:

a gripping crime thriller with a huge twist!

I kind of expected it to be more exciting.

It was a good enough crime story, but not exactly a thriller.

Play Dead

Fiction by Harlan Coben.


https://www.barnesandnoble.com/

This is one of Harlan Coben's earlier novels that had been re-released. It was a pretty good thriller, but less surprising than I prefer. The title itself kind of gives the plot away and you can tell the whole time that the main character is faking his own death. I guess the only mystery is WHY he did it.... That was kind of surprising!



I also read recently by this author: Miracle Cure