andiesmith's reviews
2021 reviews

Hidden in Smoke by Lee Goldberg

5.0

A couple years ago I was introduced to Lee Goldberg’s Eve Ronin series, and those were a gateway to the Sharpe and Walker series. In “Hidden in Smoke” the worlds collide again, and Sharpe and Walker need Eve’s help solving a homicide that is very likely linked to the series of freeway fires they are investigating. 

If you have not read Lee Goldberg yet, you need to. They read like a TV show (as they should he does write for TV)!

Thank you NetGalley and  Thomas & Mercer. #HiddeninSmoke #NetGalley

The Conditions of Will by Jessa Hastings

5.0

Georgia Carter was shipped off to London as a teen. Always seen as a disappointment to her close-minded, wealthy South Carolina family, she has stayed away. Until her sister calls to tell her, their father has died. When she makes it back to her family home, she finds her alcoholic gay brother’s AA sponsor there as well. Sam is stunning, and defiantly not gay. As the week Georgia is home, the past comes to light and is delightfully messy. 

 

I admit I was instantly hooked on the messy characters of Jessa’s “Magnolia Parks” series and finding out how many had great qualities. “The Conditions of Will” has characters just as complex if not more so. I connected to Georgia as my family’s outcast who was never listened to.  I found myself not wanting to put it down and putting it down so the story wouldn’t end! 

Coram House: A Novel by Bailey Seybolt

4.5

Crime writer Alex Kelley has taken a new job ghostwriting a story about Coram House orphanage with a past. Her husband passed away from cancer, the medical bills are piling up, and she needs to get away. So, she takes a job writing for a lawyer that worked on the lawsuit of the orphans of Coram House.

 

This is a very dark twisty read. I loved it! 

The Shortest History of France: From Roman Gaul to Revolution and Cultural Radiance - A Global Story for Our Times by Colin Jones

4.0

I am a history nerd; anyone who knows me will agree. I can share history of world wars, American History, compare TX vs CA history. Do I know the history of France? Umm, the highlights. Did you know that France is sometimes referred to as l'Hexagone ("The Hexagon")? 

 

This book was a great way to learn the history of France, beyond the highlights, but also not a few semesters of classes. 

 

Thank you NetGalley and The Experiment.  #TheShortestHistoryofFrance #NetGalley

The Lady Vanishes by Bryan Seymour, Sally Eeles, Marc Wright, Alison Sandy

5.0

In 1997 Marion Barter disappeared. “The Lady Vanishes” is the story of how a small team of seasoned investigative journalists and Marion’s daughter tries to solve the mystery of what happened to Marion. Along the way the team web of crimes spanning nine decades and three continents, and an international man of mystery who could hold the key to what really happened to Marion.

 

I read this book hearing Alison Sandy’s voice. I started listening to the podcast of the same name on episode 4 or 5 and was hooked. When the book was announced I knew I was going to read it, since I miss the podcast. If you followed the pod it’s a must read, if you like true crime it is a must read! 

 

Thank you NetGalley and Harper 360.  #TheLadyVanishes #NetGalley

The Determined Spy: The Turbulent Life and Times of CIA Pioneer Frank Wisner by Douglas Waller

5.0

Frank Wisner was one of the most powerful men in 1950s though few knew who he is.  Wisner masterminded some of the CIA’s most daring and controversial operations in the early years of the Cold War. The Cold War is not the start of Wisner’s intelligence career, he was a spy under General William “Wild Bill” Donovan in WWII. The stories from his time in Europe are wild! Wisner did face a few demons, including bi-polar disorder that ended up debilitating him. 

 

Douglas Waller shares Frank Widner’s story in a wonderfully narrative way, and is so incredibly well researched (We know I love research!)

 

Thank you NetGalley and Dutton. #TheDeterminedSpy #NetGalley

Bitter Texas Honey by Ashley Whitaker

3.5

2011, Austin, Texas -  Joan West is an aspiring writer and a tea party republican. She doesn’t fit in with her liberal peers, and not sure if she fits in with her wealthy god-loving family either. Joan’s family are addicts, including herself. Like most addicts, they find themselves smarter, and better than others with zero self-awareness.

One thing is for certain, Ashley Whitaker can write. There is not a likeable character in this story…and I kept reading because of it. Think of it like a hate follow. I hated these characters sooo much I kept reading to see how bad they could be or if any of them turned their lives around. It takes fantastic writing to develop characters that can bring out that kind of emotion. They were so alive I wanted to go downtown and park in the Whole Foods parking lot wait for Joan to be there and shake her. A good debut novel, and I honestly look forward to the future stories Whitaker brings us.

Content comments: There is a character in the story that uses the “r” word multiple times to describe someone.

 

Thank you NetGalley and Dutton. #BitterTexasHoney #NetGalley

The Mademoiselle Alliance by Natasha Lester

5.0

Thank you for telling the story of Marie-Madeleine Meric! She is the way too often overlooked leader of the French Resistance network "Alliance". While this book is a novel, it will send you down wormholes to see what really happened (check out her author note at the end AFTER you read the book! 

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books! #TheMademoiselleAlliance #NetGalley

The World's Fair Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini

4.0

Not too many authors I’d just jump into a series on book 23, but for Jennifer Chiaverini. I love her historical fiction books, and the story of “The World’s Fair Quilt” caught my eye. She did not let me down.

 

Sylvia Bergstrom Compson is wondering what the future holds for Elm Creek Quilts. The Elm Creek Quilt Camp is still very popular, it has run into some financial difficulty. Summer Sullivan asks to antique quilt that she wants to display at the Waterford Historical Society’s quilt exhibit. When Sylvia and her sister Claudia were teenagers, they had entered a quilt in the Chicago’s World Fair. Sylvia is reluctant, the quilt has been in the attic for decades and caused a huge riff between Sylvia and Claudia.    

 

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow! #TheWorldsFairQuilt #NetGalley

The Scientist and the Serial Killer by Lise Olsen

4.0

Forensic anthropologist Sharon Derrick discovered a box of remains marked “1973 Murders” in the Harris County Medical Examiner’s office. She remembered the horrifying crimes of Dean Corll (AKA “The Candy Man”) from her childhood. She knew she had to try to identify the remains, and this became an obsession that lasted her entire career. 

 

If you are someone who listens, watches, and reads about true crime you need to read this book. For me it was the forensic anthropology aspect of the story that caught my interest, well and a Texas case. I took a forensic anthropology class in college (with Dr. Gill-King at UNT!), and it was the hardest class I ever took, and probably the class I learned the most in.

 

Thank you, Random House, and NetGalley for this very interesting ARC. #TheScientistandtheSerialKiller #NetGalley