Hello everyone and Happy Labor Day to you! Hope you are all well and enjoying this holiday weekend. I'm here with some short thoughts about my first two R.I.P. books - both mysteries.
Fallen is the 13th book in
Linda Castillo's series featuring Police Chief Kate Burkholder and this series is a favorite of mine. I've read all of them. Set in Painter's Mill, Ohio and in the Amish country, this author has kept us entertained with the life and crime investigations of Kate Burkholder. We're familiar with the whole Painter's Mill PD, some of the local Sheriff's office, and John Tomasetti, Kate's significant other, who is an investigator for the Ohio State Police. Kate came from an Amish family and left that life when she was a teenager. Her family still lives in the area and she has a unique perspective on how the crimes she investigates affect the Amish community. In Fallen, another woman who was born and raised in the area is murdered. Rachael Schwartz was known to Kate as a young girl, but unlike Kate, Rachael's life after leaving Painter's Mill has been filled with questionable decisions. Kate has to rely on her team and also Tomasetti to help her solve this one. I enjoyed it a lot and look forward to the next book.
Linda Castillo has moved to the Central Texas area in the last year or so. She lived in another part of Texas before. I'm really hoping that I'll be able to see her at an event at some point. A favorite author that I've never gotten a chance to meet. Crossing my fingers!
The second book I read for the R.I.P. Challenge was
The Vanishing Season by
Joanna Schaffhausen. This is the first book in her series featuring Ellery Hathaway, a police officer that has a background that includes being kidnapped as a teen by a serial killer. I did a read/listen of this book and did enjoy it. This author has a new book that just came out,
Gone For Good, part of a new series. As I was reading about Gone For Good, I realized that I owned The Vanishing Season on audio and decided it was time to try it. At this time, the Ellery series has 4 books and a new one to be published in January.
Ellery, who was a 'girl who lived', is now a small town police officer and she's noticed a pattern of people going missing. She tries to get her boss to take her seriously, but since she has not ever shared why she knows about 'going missing', her concerns are dismissed. Finally, she reaches out to the FBI agent that rescued her, Reed Markham. It's been 14 years since Ellery and Reed have seen each other. Markham is on leave from the FBI and reluctantly agrees to come and talk with Ellery. And the story progresses from there. I liked this one well enough to try the next in the series, No Mercy Fun to try a 'new to me' author and know there are several books out there to read by her.
Hope all who are participating in the R.I.P. Challenge are finding some good mysteries or spooky stories or fantasy or whatever to keep them 'challenged'.
Your time of the reading year, that's for sure!!
ReplyDeleteIt definitely is!
DeleteBoth of these sound like good reads, especially Linda Castillo's book. Sounds like you are enjoying your RIP reads so far this season! Happy reading, Kay!
ReplyDeleteYes, so far my reading is going well with the RIP challenge. It helps that my 'normal' reading preferences fit right in.
DeleteTwo down! I actually liked the next books in Schaffhausen's Ellery Hathaway series even better.
ReplyDeleteOh, that is good to know, Jenclair! I'm about 1/4 through the 2nd Ellery book. It's definitely keeping my interest.
DeleteI just finished reading Fallen, and I thought it was another good one from Linda Castillo. And I'm a fan of Ellery Hathaway...I've read all four books with her as the main character and loved them all. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm delighted to know that, Lark. With praise from both you and Jenclair, I think I'll just go ahead and read all 4 of the Ellery books. I think #5 will be out early next year maybe.
DeleteBoth of these are authors I have not read. I had had the impression that Castillo's books were too violent.
ReplyDeleteI am glad to see that your reading is going well.
Tracy, Linda Castillo's book do have violent crimes, but I know that each of us has our own tolerance for those things - the descriptions, etc., I mean. You might try one and see what you think or this may not be a good match for you.
DeleteKay, one of the series you have suggested was Betty Webb's Lena Jones series, and I think I would try that one first. But I will keep Linda Castillo's series in mind (going to the book sale soon). I know many people like that series.
DeleteI've read several Linda Castillo's and don't really know why I didn't read any more. I need to as my daughter loves them and so many other people as well, so they're clearly worth it. Your RIP has started well, Kay!
ReplyDeleteIt has started well, Cath. I think the Castillo series just keeps getting better.
DeleteI've never read a book set in the Amish community, so that sounds really interesting!
ReplyDeleteIt's a great crime series, Angela. The first book is called Sworn To Silence (I think).
DeleteTwo solid reads to kick off RIP. This is your time of year, Kay!
ReplyDeleteYes, this challenge is never a 'stretch' for me at all. Ha!
DeleteYou inspire me to want to read books for RIP. I can totally do mysteries and thrillers and have had a few on my list that I've been waiting on. Enjoy the event!
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, mysteries and thrillers definitely count. And I am enjoying this event completely. LOL
DeleteYou're off to a great start to the RIP challenge! I've got a mystery going on my nightstand (Deborah Crombie) and another on audio (T.E. Kinsey) on my phone. I doubt I'll get through all of my selections, but it's a great time to read a lot of mysteries & thrillers, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteFall is indeed a good time to read the books for this challenge. I always tried to select a spooky/Gothic type book for the mystery group in October. Just seemed suitable. LOL
DeleteI'm glad to see you enjoyed The Vanishing Season. I just discovered this one gathering dust on my NetGalley shelf and realized I knew nothing about it. The Linda Castillo is one I want to try.
ReplyDeleteI liked both and have now read the 2nd book in the series featuring The Vanishing Season and am about 1/3 through the 3rd book. Moving right along with those characters.
DeleteI'm only a few books into the Linda Castillo series but it's so good. I'm looking forward to continuing with it. You're off to a great start with this challenge! I am reading a Barbara Michaels and it's so good.
ReplyDeleteYou can never go wrong reading a Barbara Michaels book - at least I don't think so. LOL
DeleteFallen sounds like a good read and I enjoyed The Vanishing Season too. Have not read the rest of the Ellery series yet though and I'm bad when series books are concerned. I feel I could never catch up on them, lol.
ReplyDeleteYes, I understand about series books, Melody. I find I can only handle a few series at a time and stay caught up.
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