Review: Murder Interrupted - Book #1 Discovery's Murder is Forever Series -  James Patterson - January 2018 You know how sometimes a book finds you twice? That's exactly what happened with Murder Interrupted by James Patterson and I'm so glad it did. One of my reading goals for 2026 is to tackle at least one non-fiction book a month, which sounds straightforward enough until you're standing in front of your shelves (or your TBR list) completely paralysed by choice. In the end, I handed the decision over to my partner, and honestly? Best thing I could have done. He pointed me straight to this one a copy I'd nabbed at the Rotary secondhand book sale here in Tauranga back in March and off I went. Here's the funny thing though. A quick peek at Goodreads reminded me I'd actually attempted this very book back in February 2018 when it first came out. Apparently past-me wasn't feeling it, because I gave it 2 Ps which, for those who know my rating system, is a ...

Review: Find the Girl - Book #5 Detective Morgan Brookes - Helen Phifer - January 2022 Hello lovely readers, grab yourself a cuppa and settle in, because today I'm sharing my thoughts on Find the Girl by Helen Phifer - another title found at the Xanadu Book Exchange in Papamoa and it's a mixed bag, if I'm honest with you! The premise genuinely hooked me from the very first page. That opening image a silk eye mask dotted with blood-red spots lying on an empty sleeping bag, the tent door fluttering open towards silent, dark woods  is the kind of atmospheric scene that makes you want to check you've locked the back door. Helen Phifer absolutely knows how to set a scene, and for those of us who love a good camping trip, it gives you serious second thoughts! Detective Morgan Brookes is a character I warmed to quickly. She's determined, instinctive, and carries just enough personal baggage to feel real rather than fictional. When she discovers that a missing woman's...

Review: First Girl to Die - Book #4 Detective Morgan Brookes Series - Helen Phifer - October 2021 You know that feeling when you settle into your favourite reading chair with a fresh cup of tea, crack open a new book, and somehow end up standing in the kitchen at midnight because you simply could not put it down? That was me with First Girl to Die. I genuinely had to remind myself to breathe. A little side note before I dive in,  this was another wonderful secondhand find from Xanadu Book Exchange in Papamoa. If you haven't browsed their shelves yet, honestly, what are you waiting for? So many of my best reads have come home with me from that place, and this one was no exception. This is the fourth book in Helen Phifer's Detective Morgan Brookes series, and while I'd recommend starting from the beginning just because Morgan is such a richly built character, you can absolutely pick this one up cold and be utterly gripped. Phifer is wonderfully generou...

Review: A Flicker in the Dark - Stacy Willingham - January 2022 Sometimes the best reads come from the most unexpected places. This psychological thriller had been lingering on my want-to-read list for ages, taunting me from my digital shelves. Then serendipity struck at a recent bookstagrammer event here in Tauranga – you know how these events go, where one person's unhauled treasure becomes another's page-turning obsession. A fellow book lover was clearing out her collection, and there it was, practically calling my name from her pile of discards. What a find it turned out to be! From the moment I cracked open the spine, I was transported into a world that immediately reminded me of The Prodigal – that brilliant TV series that keeps you guessing until the very last scene. Stacy Willingham has crafted something equally compelling here. We're introduced to Chloe Davies, now a practicing psychologist carrying the weight of an unthinkable legacy. Twenty years ago, when she ...