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A series of murders are occurring in Victorian London and it's brought theatre workers Minnie and Albert together again. These current murders bear a striking connection to a historic tragedy in which nearly 200 children were killed in a theatre - though it does take a little time for Minnie and Albert to make this connection. And of course,  working in the theatre themselves, they have some unique insights into how things work, both on and backstage, as well as 'front of house.' I enjoyed the historical aspects here. As a retired theatre professional, I do enjoy reading fiction with people who work in the field. Of course the author needs to get the details right or I get caught up in what's wrong instead of following along with the story. There is some time spent with a performing monkey (and its kidnapping and ransom demand), which is a little strange, but performing animals, particularly monkeys, was fairly common in the Victorian days. I appreciated this bit. With ...

While I grew up a generation or two too late to enjoy the golden age of Hollywood movie musicals in their first run, I did grow up during the That's Entertainment! movie musicals revival period, when television stations were filling their time slots with these classic movies. Whether it was West Side Story , Seven Brides for Seven Brothers , or something a bit older, like 42nd Street or Gold Diggers of 1945 , I wanted to watch it. I had my favorite actors and my favorite dancers, and I got to recognize a lot of the names of the performers and creators working on these movies. Which is how I recognized the name of Jack Cole, about whom this book is written. Cole's name shows up on a number of movies I really enjoy, but I've never ranked as highly as high probably deserves, now that I've read more about him. His precision and fastidiousness to performance was legendary and it makes a great deal of sense that he would have had his small handful of dancers that he preferre...

  It's been four years since I read the first book in this series (and twelve years since the book was published - which is an indicator as to how long ago the ARCs in my Kindle were sent to me). I really liked the first book ( The Holders ) but this one didn't excite me quite as much. Becca Ingle is feeling drained from her recent encounters and she's still reeling from the knowledge that she was betrayed by a man her own father trusted - the power-mad Darragh. There's rumor that one man might be able to help. All she has is a name, Ciaran Shea, and that he might associate with a group of pure blood Holders known as Bhunaidh. Becca and her friends, Alex, Jocelyn, and Cormac head out to look for the Bhunaidh with hopes of finding Ciaran and convincing him to use his power to help. But Becca and friends aren't the only one looking for Ciaran and they uncover hints that perhaps the Bhunaidh would prefer to help Darragh, rather than stop him. What worked best in the fi...

*** WARNING - THIS IS NOT A COMPLETE BOOK *** The wealthiest man on the planet is trying to buy his way into office as the next President of the United States. He has been funding space exploration with his own fleet of spaceships and was planning on being aboard an upcoming launch that was going to send humans the furthest they've ever been, to Saturn's moon, Titan, and back. But the billionaire, John Ward, is assured that the only way he can win the presidency is if he stays on Earth. Besides, it will look good to give an 'average Joe' the opportunity of a lifetime, and so he chooses Ryan Crane - the cop who saved Ward from an assassination attempt. Crane and a trio of seasoned astronauts and a pair of civilians will head out on a two year journey to Titan and back. Crane isn't 100% sold on the idea of leaving his wife and family for two years, but the millions of dollars Ward is willing to pay Crane, as well as getting the best and newest medical care for Ward...

Two of the most powerful families in the Empire are just steps away from going to war with one another. Such a war would be devastating to the Empire as it would draw in legions of families and potentially bring about chaos then mass starvation. Detective Ana Dolabra is tasked, her assistant Din are sent to investigate. At the root of the dispute is the eldest son of one of the families, accused of a gruesome, heinous murder. The evidence against him is overwhelming. Ana and Din must prove him innocent or find a way to calm the families.  Although the evidence would appear uncontroversial, Ana sees a pattern behind the crime. A pattern that, if what she suspects is true, would suggest a danger far greater than at first anticipated. But each time they have a suspect in mind, that person ends up dead, and the tension between the families heats up. And if this wasn't enough to put the pair of investigators on edge, Din's loyalty will be tested by a surprise encounter. I just loved...

I grew up in a small town on the shore of the Upper Mississippi River (in fact, the city was built on an island in the river) It's always been a 'presence' and its flood stage is always monitored every spring. I have boated, canoed, fished, and swum in the river. Of course the river has fascinated me and books about the river can be found on bookshelves so this definitely caught my eye. As much fun as the river can be, I'm also aware that it can never be taken for granted and to always be cautious of its unforgiving power. Tragedies along the river occur with sad regularity. I don't think there's a year that goes by without news of some loss of life on the river with 25 miles of my hometown. A book of Mississippi River tragedies must include some pretty horrific or unique incidents. Except... This book isn't really about Mississippi River tragedies.  It's about Mississippi River disasters (which of course can be - almost certainly are - tragic). Even mor...