H is For Homicide. Finished audio 8-12-20, 3/5 stars, mystery, pub. 1991

Kinsey Millhone series 1-A is for Alibi, 2-B is for Burglar, 3- C is for Corpse, 4- D is for Deadbeat  5-E is for Evidence 6-F is for Fugitive 7-G is for Gumshoe

It started with the murder of Kinsey Millhone’s sometime drinking buddy, an insurance claims adjuster. But before long Kinsey stumbles onto a massive insurance scam. Going undercover as a wisecracking vamp, Millhone descends into the Los Angeles nether world of machismo and gang hideouts. Her companion, terrified at having crossed the violent crook Raymond Maldonado, is Bibianna Diaz — no Girl Scout herself.   from Goodreads

I love Kinsey and this one was okay, but she did seem to reach beyond her talents by going undercover, inadvertently really, for the police.  I was worried for her, but also questioned why she didn’t just walk away from a very dangerous situation.  I really like this series, even though some of it feels dated.  Kinsey is ahead of her time so she remains just right for any time period.

This Blessed Mess. Finished 8-7-20, inspirational, 5/5 stars, 141 pages, pub. 2000

This is a book about struggle. It is about how struggle overtakes us without our permission. It is about what lies within struggle and beyond it. It is about what we can do with struggle and what it can do with us. Material for this book has been gathering in me for thirty-five years, since I first faced reality as a young adult and strained to comprehend the dynamics of life’s difficulty. I write out of my experience, recognizing clearly that my life has been far less painful than the lives of so many around the world and across time. This book is simply an expression of my effort to understand my own events, shared in the hope that it might speak to the lives of others. A collection of what is especially meaningful to me is offered here–insights and images from my own life, from study and conversation, from songs and books. Mostly there are stories. All of them point to the same thing: Life is filled with struggle. Struggle is filled with Love. Life is, as the title says, “This Blessed Mess.”   from Goodreads

I used this as my morning devotional and it is a perfect read for this time in history, even though it was published in 2000.  I mean it’s all about dealing with chaos and it speaks to the crazy times we’re living in.  Livingston tells stories about her own chaos and how that led her to new discoveries and insight.  This would be beneficial for any woman, but especially those who like their inspirational stories told from a Christian viewpoint.

Evvie Drake Starts Over. Finished 7-14-20, 4.25/5 stars, fiction, pub. 2019

In a small town in Maine, recently widowed Eveleth “Evvie” Drake rarely leaves her house. Everyone in town, including her best friend, Andy, thinks grief keeps her locked inside, and she doesn’t correct them. In New York, Dean Tenney, former major-league pitcher and Andy’s childhood friend, is struggling with a case of the “yips”: he can’t throw straight anymore, and he can’t figure out why. An invitation from Andy to stay in Maine for a few months seems like the perfect chance to hit the reset button.

When Dean moves into an apartment at the back of Evvie’s house, the two make a deal: Dean won’t ask about Evvie’s late husband, and Evvie won’t ask about Dean’s baseball career. Rules, though, have a funny way of being broken–and what starts as an unexpected friendship soon turns into something more. But before they can find out what might lie ahead, they’ll have to wrestle a few demons: the bonds they’ve broken, the plans they’ve changed, and the secrets they’ve kept. They’ll need a lot of help, but in life, as in baseball, there’s always a chance–right up until the last out.     from Goodreads

What a great summer read (or listen, in my case)!  What at first seemed like a fairly standard rom-com turned into something so much more authentic.  Evvie was leaving her husband, her bags were in the car, when she got a phone call from the hospital telling her to come right away.  As she played the part of the dutiful widower she felt like a fraud.  Enter Dean.  Once a star pitcher his career had stalled and he was not sure what to do about it.  I really liked that the friendship came first and that they didn’t hold back truth to be polite.  And the ending?  Not what I was expecting and I loved it.

This is a good one!

A Desperate Fortune. Finished 7-6-20, 3.75/5 stars, romance, 528 pages, pub. 2015

For nearly 300 years, the mysterious journal of Jacobite exile Mary Dundas has lain unread-its secrets safe from prying eyes. Now, amateur codebreaker Sara Thomas has been hired by a once-famous historian to crack the journal’s cipher.

But when she arrives in Paris, Sara finds herself besieged by complications from all sides: the journal’s reclusive owner, her charming Parisian neighbor, and Mary, whose journal doesn’t hold the secrets Sara expects. As Mary’s tale grows more and more dire, Sara, too, must carefully choose which turning to take… to find the road that will lead her safely home.      from Goodreads

Sara, as explained early on, has Asperger syndrome.  Her best friend is her cousin, who is offering her a chance at a code breaking job in Paris.  A famous writer wants her to decipher an almost 300 year old diary and she accepts since she is between jobs.  She gets put up at a nice home with a cook and with a good looking man who catches her eye as a neighbor.  She begins to uncover Mary’s story, one that could easily be called a thriller, and it’s there that this book finds its heart.

I liked Sara and enjoyed the honest portrayal of a character on the autism spectrum, but it was Mary that had me turning the pages, hoping that she would get her happily ever after.  For a girl abandoned by her family and then used to curry favor, she was easy to love.  In the 1700s a trek from Paris to Italy was fraught with danger, especially when you were caught with a man who recognized the bounty on the head of her travel companions.  I won’t spoil Mary’s end, but I will say that it was fitting.

Kearsley is a master at the dual storylines set in different time periods.  Usually the storylines match up a bit better than they do in this one and there is most often more of a mystical aspect, but I was still happy to be reading.  Her books are most definitely comfort read for me…and very much needed at this time.