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Writing, Reading, and Rural Life With a Border Collie

Category Archives: Book Reviews – Fiction


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Deck the Halls with Deadly Secrets in This Seasonal Whodunit

The Christie’s: A Christmas Murder 1984

By Daryl Smith (Indie author, 2026)

Genre: Fiction/Murder Mystery/Christian Fiction

Pages: (print): 148

Via: Author Request

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book for honest review.

It’s Christmastime in 1984 Dearborn, Michigan. High Schooler James Christie is attending a Christmas Eve party. Ex-San Francisco detective/ace private investigator Johnny Wong is also attending the party at the Christie mansion. It’s a good thing the detective is in attendance. Because when industrial magnate and family patriarch David Christie falls dead at said party shortly after changing his will, the hunt for the killer is on in this faith-flavored seasonal whodunit.

There’s also superstition. Strange things that go bump in the night. The Christie family curse. Missing pictures. The Third Army. Suicide. Microchips and Silicon Valley. A gold pen. An ancient pact.

This book moves well and is an interesting read. It’s packed with plenty of misdirections, red herrings, and clever clues. It’s a good effort. The cover art is terrif! But it’s not yet ready for prime time. Here’s why:

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3 Surprising Packages of Hope

Kimber here. I bet you think Her Crankiness is… 100% cranky, right? So do I. (Don’t tell Mom, okay? Let’s just keep this our little secret.)


But every once in a while Mom surprises me. Not that I’m surprise-able. But …


Wait. Where was I?



Oh yeah. Mom and I read a trio of books recently that were … surprising. They were quite different from each other, too. Think dogs and cats. (Well, okay. Maybe not cats. But you get the picture.)


Anyway, the first book is a delightful Christian romance from Kim Vogel Sawyer. The second is a non-fiction “travel tome with a twist” from Joseph F. Smith, M.D. There’s also an historical fiction novel by Kristin Hannah.


All get an Official Thumbs Up from Her Crankiness. Here’s why (short version):


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Why ‘King the Wonder Dog’ is Like ‘Casey at the Bat’

King the Wonder Dog and Other Stories

By Eleanor Lerman

Genre: Fiction/Short Story collection

Via: Publicist Request

Pages: Way too many

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book for honest review.

“I’m awake! I’m awake!” harketh Her Momness.

“With your eyes closed? Snoring to beat the band?” says I, Kimber the Magnificent. Well, can’t say I blame Mom. Cuz this short story collection is the next best thing to Sominex. Here’s why:

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Celebrate Easter With This Unputdownable Historical Fiction!

Okay folkses. Kimber here. Dancing a canine jig.

Yabba dabba do!

“Why are you dancing a canine jig,” you ask?

Glad you asked. The answer is cuz I’M SO EXCITED!!

Mom: Kimber, that’s not new. You’re always excited. Just likd you love everyone. (Except maybe the neighborhood powder puff. But let’s not get picky here, okay?)

Kimber: I know. But Im soooo happy and super excited! Cuz its a favorite time of year! As in, Spring! New life! Warmer weather! Trees budding! Mud drying! Burgers on the barbie… What?

Oh yeah. Spring. And Easter! Oh yes. Oh Yes. OH YES! Like this:

They thought it was over. Friday felt like a final defeat. But Sunday morning was just getting started.

Cuz Easter isn’t just a story. It’s the Most Momentous Event in Human History. The Ultimate Triumph. The Everlasting Hope. Easter changes everything.

And one of our favorite books celebrating Easter is pretty new. In fact, it was released just last year by indie author Caleb Backholm. It’s called Two Weeks Till Sunday.

You know it’s Pawsome cuz we say so. It also garnered a very rare 5.0.

This one’s a keeper!

So, why is Two Weeks Till Sunday a Pawsome read for Resurrection Sunday – or anytime? Find out at: Why ‘Two Weeks Till Sunday’ is Better Than Beef Bourgonion.

You’re welcome.

He Is Risen!


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Flat and Fine: 2 Novels by Popular Authors Contrasted

Kimber: Jackpot! It’s a beautiful spring day. The sun is shining. The sky is a perfect bowl of blue. The neighbor’s cat is visiting relatives elsewhere. And  Her Grumpiness  is only half as grumpy as usual.

What a deal!

Speaking of “deals,” I’ve got a two-fer for you today. Sort of. One’s a  “repeat surprise.” I’ll let Her Grumpiness tell us about that in a min. So kindly keep your shirt on, okay? The other is a Second Sigh. As in, we loved the author’s first book but this second one is a stinker. Which is why Her Grumpiness is only half as grumpy as…

Well, wait. Here she is now. Mom, is that the second or third bowl of cookies ’n cream ice cream? “Mind your own beeswax;” Mom chirps.

So I’ll let her fill you in on these two books:

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‘Why ‘Forbidden River’ is One of the Finest Fantasies We’ve Read in Years

The Forbidden River

By Lili Cyr-Robillard (Kenos Publishing, November 2025)

Genre: YA/Fiction – Fantasy

Pages (print): 304

Via: Author request

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book for honest review.

What happens after we die? What’s on the other side?

Up to his shackled ankles in corpses, at the lip of the Pit of the Forgotten, twelve-year-old Glaguel wants to know the answers to these questions. And more. You will too in Lili Cyr-Robillard ambitious and absorbing new fantasy, The Forbidden River.

It’s one of the finest fantasies we’ve read in years. Here’s the 4-1-1:

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Shamrocks, Shenanigans, and a Side of Murder: Jessica Fletcher’s Irish Whodunit

Murder, She Wrote: Death on the Emerald Isle

By Jessica Fletcher & Terrie Farley Moran (Thorndike Press, 2023)

Genre: Fiction – Murder Mystery

Via: library

Pages (Print) 382

Kimber here. Telling you we weren’t going to do a “St. Patrick’s Day post.” Were not. Were not. WERE NOT!! But then…

This here “murder mystery” thingy sorta jumped off the shelf at The Book Place and landed in Mom’s book bag. Funny how that happens sometimes. But a cozy mystery by Jessica “J.B.” Fletcher set in Ireland? Well. Who can resist that? Especially on St. Patrick’s Day.  So here we are.

Anyway, here are the basics:

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Elisabeth Elliot’s Forgotten Masterpiece: ‘No Graven Image’

No Graven Image

By Elisabeth Elliot (Harper & Row, 1966)

Genre: Non-Fiction

Pages: 244

Via: Amazon

“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy.
“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver. “Don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ’Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.” (Emphasis added.)

– C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Margaret Sparhawk is a young, idealistic American missionary in this compelling Christian fiction by former missionary and best-selling author Elisabeth Elliot. Margaret travels to Ecuador to reach the Quichua Indians of the Andes Mountains. At first, she feels displaced. But per Matthew 28:19-20, Margaret (“Margarita”) is certain she belongs there. “I am under orders” she says to herself.

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“Half Notes From Berlin”: A Symphony of Secrets and Survival

So Mom and I received a copy of this book as part of a book blog tour like, a hundred years ago. Or somethin’. It arrived too late for us to read and review it fairly. We require a lead time of at least two weeks. Minimum.  This title arrived outside that time frame. By about a werk and a half. So we passed. Added it to The Resident Leaning Towers of Pisa. Aka: Our book shelves.

And it got buried. Forgotten. For years. (The book. Not Pisa, okay?)

Silly Mom!

Then one of us – the one with brains but no opposable thumbs – excavated it the other day. Kimber the Magnificent to the rescue once again! (Kimber: How Mom ever manages this book bloggy thing, I’ll never know. Good thing she has me to keep things on track! And do most of the brainwork. Don’t tell Mom I said that, okay?)

So here we are. Better late than never. (Hi, Mom) So let’s get to it, shall we? Like:

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‘An Echo of Courage’: A Story That Lingers

An Echo of Courage (December, 2025)

By Heidi Ennis

 

Genre: Christian historical fiction, Christian romance

Pages (print): 452

Set amid the feral beauty of the 1880s Pacific Northwest, An Echo of Courage is Book Two in the Columbia River series. We like, Totally Love-ified the first book, A Father’s Dream. (See our review here.) This one? Not so much. We’ll get to that in a min. So kindly keep your hair on, Cupcake. First, here’s a synopsis:

The Columbia River, 1885. After a devastating accident, Pauel Oman faces constant pain and an uncertain future. Once the dependable one, he now wonders if his life holds any meaning. Yet through his sister’s stubborn care, his best friend’s sharp humor, and the steady presence of a wolf named Essa light and hope begin to return. Pauel learns that courage is not found in grand heroics, but in the daily choice to believe again.

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