June Bug A Murder-by-Month Mystery
by Jess Lourey

ISBN-10: 0738709123
Midnight Ink

The setting is Battle Lake, Minnesota and Mira James is trying to recover from a break up. Mira works as a reporter for a local paper and is trying to solve the mystery of missing diamonds, what she uncovers leads to a bigger mystery than ever expected. They have planted fake diamonds at the bottom of the lake but Mira discovers is a fake body, what is going on? Is this all a hoax or is there something sinister happening?

June Bug is the second in the series. Jess Lourey has penned a very well written series and a good murder mystery with a touch of humor. Her characters are well developed and believable. If you are looking for a highly enjoyable read look no further, this one is great and is highly recommended. I am heading out to get the first of the Murder-by-Month Mystery entitled “May Day”.

Jess Lourey is a full-time college instructor of writing and sociology, a single mother of an eight and five-year-old, and a mystery writer with three books coming out within a 13-month period, to be such a busy woman she sure has a way with writing highly enjoyable and entertaining mysteries.

The Book of Air and Shadows
By Michael Gruber
Fiction 464 pages
ISBN: 978-0-06-087446-9
William Morrow
An imprint of Harper Collins Publishers
www.HarperCollins.com
www.michaelgruberbooks.com
Reviewed by Terry South for Quality Book Reviews

What would you do if you discovered a 17th century letter and a coded message? Would the quest for answering the coded message be plausible if not risky? It all starts with a fire at a used book store and a set of valuable books become damaged, two of the employees decide to take them home to see if they can be saved. Both Albert and Carolyn squabble over some manuscript pages which Albert finds and decides that the manuscript is a letter referring to an unknown Shakespeare play.

Carolyn and Albert take the manuscript to a Shakespearean scholar by the name of Andrew Bulstrode and he offers them a small price for the pages dismissing them as being credible. Later Bulstrode meets with Jake Mishkin, an attorney to inquire to copy write only to be found dead the next day. Now in fear of his own life Mishkin is on the run from the killers. Will Mishkin be next? Where will all the clues in this thriller lead?

Michael Gruber was born in New York City and attended Columbia, earning a BA in English Literature. Gruber now resides in Seattle, Washington with his wife and his very large dog.

This read combines suspense, thrills, humor, and mystery that provides twists and turns that engages you on the search to answering the clues. Gruber has developed a unique writing style that draws you into the heart of the story, which is engaging and surprisingly humorous at times; and contains vivid accounts and detail, and is a genuinely great read. His characters are well developed, compelling and memorable. Reviewing this title was a great pleasure and is a highly recommended read.