Tag Archives: family

Nov25

A Piece of Flash Fiction

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I usually don’t post my own writing here but last night, I had a migraine and when those hit, I try to do some deep breathing exercises to keep myself from vomiting or crying with the pain and nausea. My husband has been ill since before Halloween and spent 13 days in the hospital after spending two weeks unable to get out of his recliner. He came home Sunday night and is still so weak, it’s scary to see him. Of course, this all triggered my migraine.

As I lay there doing my deep breathing, I suddenly found myself chanting (inner monologue) Pizza, Pasta, and Spaghettios. As I waited for my meds to kick in, this little story came to me and so I thought I’d share it. So, here it is, my 2:30 am little ditty.

Pizza, Pasta, and Spaghettios

From the moment the door to DiMaggio’s Pizza Parlor opened and she strolled in, he knew he was going to marry her someday. When she walked over to the old fashioned juke box, he thrust his pool cue toward his best friend, the college quarterback, and told him to finish the game.

He took coins from his pocket and asked her what song she wanted to play. From that day forward, they were together and spent many an evening having pizza at DiMaggio’s and playing that song they loved. Their song.

When they both became professionals and paid off their student loans, with their new found financial ability to treat themselves, they experimented with pasta. Carbonara, shrimp scampi on angel hair, penne ala vodka, and clams with linguine. They chose pasta over pizza for a number of years.

When the children came, the fancy pasta took a back seat to spaghettios. They didn’t mind as the kids loved them and they were happy to see them eat a semblance of their favorite Italian cuisine.

When the children were older, DiMaggio’s became a favorite place again as the kids found their love of various flavors of pizza there. Cheese to start and moving on to pepperoni, but as their palates became more sophisticated, they ventured into mushrooms, peppers, and even anchovies on occasion.

With the children grown, married and on their own, he and she returned to their fancy pasta. Carbonara, shrimp scampi on angel hair, penne ala vodka, and clams with linguine.

In his old age, with her gone to heaven, he sometimes ate spaghettios straight from the can over the sink, her favorite song running through his mind. Their song. For eternity.

Jun11

Postmortem: What survives the John Wayne Gacy Murders by Courtney Lund O’Neil

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Postmortem.

What survives the John Wayne Gacy Murders by Courtney Lund O’Neil

Many thanks to Kensington Publishing and Penguin Random House for the ARC copy of this book for my unbiased review.

When the mother of the author of this book, Kim Byers, was in her teens she worked at a local drugstore in her hometown in Illinois. One of the young men who also worked in the store was a friend of hers who she sometimes hung out with when they weren’t at work. His name was Rob Piest.

One fateful night in December 1978, while they were at work, Kim was cold as she was working near the door and each time a customer came in, the chill wind made her shiver. Rob was kind enough to lend her his jacket.

When there was a lull in shoppers, Kim took the opportunity to put in the roll of film she took recently to be developed. She tucked the stub into the pocket of the borrowed jacket.

At some point in the evening, a contractor, a Mr. Gacy, who was measuring for a renovation to the store had a conversation with Rob about working for him for higher pay.

Rob wasn’t old enough to drive so his mother usually picked him up when his shift was over.

Rob got his jacket back from Kim and told her he was going out the back door to talk further with the contractor.

When he didn’t return, both Kim and his mother, who had arrived to take Rob home, became worried.

Unfortunately, Rob was never seen alive again. Kim’s receipt in his jacket pocket would lead to the end of John Wayne Gacy’s reign of terror and the discovery of the numerous young men buried under his house. Sadly, it was too late for Rob.

This meticulously researched book focuses on the aftermath of that night in December and all the ripples through time in a number of families due to the actions of the monster that was John Wayne Gacy.

This book is important as it doesn’t glorify Gacy and shows the reader the very real effect such encounters have in the lives of the survivors as well as the families they eventually create for themselves. The Postmortem of the title refers to the aftermath of violence on everyone touched by it.

The author is in a very unique position as she sees first-hand how her mother’s entire life has been affected by her friendship with Rob and her unintentional role in helping to bring down a serial killer.

Kim was a brave young woman to come forward and to testify in Gacy’s trial, but it affected her and her belief in personal safety, which also affected her children. She made a good life for herself, but she has definitely held on to some of the trauma of the days, weeks, and months after the incidents occurred.

This book is well worth a read as it deals with psychological trauma and how that can actually be passed on to the next generation without meaning to be.

I learned a lot about generational trauma in this book as the oldest daughter of Kim, Courtney Lund O’Neil, the author of this book shared her insights as well as information on her mother’s experiences in bringing down a serial killer. 

BLURB:

On a December night in 1978, Courtney Lund O’Neil’s mother, teenaged Kim Byers, saw her friend Rob Piest alive for the last time. At the end of his shift at the pharmacy where they both worked, fifteen-year-old Rob went outside to speak to a contractor named John Wayne Gacy about a possible job.

That night Rob became Gacy’s final victim; his body was later found in the Des Plaines River. Kim’s testimony, along with a receipt belonging to her found in Gacy’s house, proving that Rob had been there, would be pivotal in convicting the serial killer who assaulted and killed over thirty young men and boys.

Though she grew up far from Des Plaines, Courtney has lived in the shadow of that nightmare, keenly aware of its impact on her mother. In search of deeper understanding and closure, Courtney and Kim travel back to Illinois. Postmortem transforms their personal journey into a powerful exploration of the ever-widening ripples generated by Gacy’s crimes. From the 1970s to the present day, his shadow extends beyond the victims’ families and friends—it encompasses the Des Plaines neighborhood forever marked by his horrific murders, generations of the victims’ families and friends, those who helped arrest and convict him, fandom communities, and many others.

Layered and thought-provoking, Postmortem is a complex story of loss and violence, grief and guilt, and the legacy that remains long after a killer is caught.

Mar3

The Love of My Life by Rosie Walsh

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This book was dropped off in my little free library and it looked intriguing so I took the time to read it and now I can’t decide if I should put it back in my library.  Not because it isn’t a good book, because it is entertaining, but the publisher really screwed up this paperback.  Imagine reading along, getting to the part where things are being revealed and then, suddenly, on the next page, there is no segue way, but different people in the room than were in conversation the page before. Confused, you look to the top of the page at the page numbers and the book goes from page 278 to page 311. So, you check what chapter you’re on. It’s 48. Then you skip forward to see that the next chapter is 56. So, BIG chunk missing. Vital pages are missing. But you soldier on and get to page 342. Book then reverts to page 311 again and then those pages up to page 342 are in there again. Still nothing on the chapters that were omitted.  Wild, huh? There are only 364 pages in the book in its entirety. To say the reader is robbed is putting it mildly. A big chunk of stuff is missing.

I was able to fill in most of the blanks of the story, but was disappointed to not be able to read the whole book. I wonder if all this print run was so screwed up. I’m glad I didn’t spend my money on it as I would have been really much more upset.

As far as the plot, characterization and twists, it was a well-constructed story. The author has a way with words and her prose is easy to read. The tale of Leo and Emma was complex and well-written. I enjoyed the story but am disappointed in the fact that vital pages were missing. I don’t like to downgrade a review due to things beyond the writer’s control, but I can only give this one three stars because her publisher let her (and the reader) down; otherwise, this would have been a solid four from me.  

BLURB:

Emma loves her husband Leo and their young daughter Ruby: she’d do anything for them. But almost everything she’s told them about herself is a lie. And she might just have got away with it, if it weren’t for her husband’s job. Leo is an obituary writer; Emma a well-known marine biologist. When she suffers a serious illness, Leo copes by doing what he knows best – researching and writing about his wife’s life. But as he starts to unravel the truth, he discovers the woman he loves doesn’t really exist. Even her name isn’t real.When the very darkest moments of Emma’s past finally emerge, she must somehow prove to Leo that she really is the woman he always thought she was . . .But first, she must tell him about the other love of her life.

Feb16

The Library Game by Gigi Pandian

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Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur Books for the copy of this book for review.

This is the fourth book I’ve read by this author with these characters. I’m very much enjoying the series. The main character is Tempest Raj, a woman who was an entertainer for many years who is now working in her family’s business of remodeling homes. But these remodels have a twist. The company specializes in secret staircases, hidden alcoves, trick entries and other seemingly magical architectural details.

Tempest’s family are very supportive of each other as well as their community and friends.

The characters in these stories have come to feel like friends to this reader as well. They have quirks in their personalities and each one is unique.

In this story, Tempest and her gang are working on a house they are transforming into a library. The owner passed away and left a vast number of volumes of old-school mystery books. He left funds for his nephew to renovate the house and make it into a specialty library with living quarters above.

To introduce the new specialty library to the community, a play is written to entertain the crowds during a weekend event. While rehearsing the play, things begin to go awry. From what seemed to be a murder victim, to a disappearing body, a busybody neighbor, and one of Tempest’s friends being put under surveillance by the police, this story is full of twists and turns. One issue after another arises and Tempest and her friends have to solve the real life mysteries before someone else gets hurt or killed.

Another successful adventure by Gigi Pandian. Even though I figured out many parts of it, I love these characters and plot lines so much that it’s like hanging out with old friends.  Bring on the next one.

Feb14

Lost Angel by Sam Knight

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This story is part of a series of midlife crisis thrillers.

Jeff McKenzie is the protagonist of the story. He’s divorced with a teenage daughter. The girl is secretive and doesn’t spend a lot of time with her father. He’s a bit lonely and also still a bit obsessed with his former wife who has remarried and has a small stepson with her new spouse.

Jeff is in charge of one of the floats for the Christmas parade. One that has a lot of children on it as a children’s choir.

During the parade, one child disappears. And it’s the one child that puts Jeff in the crosshairs of the local police. His former wife’s stepchild.

Convinced he’s the one who has arranged the boy’s disappearance, local law enforcement are determined to pin it on him. Jeff himself is determined to find the boy and return him safely to his family.

A wild ride ensues as the reader is swept along with the tide that threatens to overtake Jeff.

The next few days are hazardous not only to Jeff’s chances of staying out of jail, but also hazardous to his health.

Over the time the story takes place, Jeff learns some things about his daughter, the man his wife is married to, and also about himself.

I liked this story a lot. It was fast paced but also contained a good character growth arc. I did figure out whodunit pretty quickly, but I enjoyed the journey with Jeff as he discovered that he had depths to himself he never suspected.

BLURB:

Jeff McKenzie used to be young, good-looking, and married. Now his ex-wife’s new husband is all of those things, and Jeff is just doing the best he can to spend time with his teenage daughter. But when a body turns up in the park during the holiday festival and sets the town on edge, and then his ex-wife’s stepson vanishes right off Jeff’s float during the Christmas parade, accusations fly. His float, his fault, and maybe the two incidents are related. With the police breathing down his neck, accusing him of murder and kidnapping, even his own daughter starts doubting him, and Jeff knows he is running out of time to find the real kidnapper before it’s too late—for everyone.

Feb12

Cold in the Earth by Thorne Moore

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Thank you to Thorne Moore for a copy of the book for an unbiased review for Rosie’s Book Review team.

I liked this one from the beginning as I like stories that start with random scenes that the reader has no idea how they will connect, but then the connections are made and things gel.

That being said, I enjoyed the section of the book that took place in the past more than the portion that took place in the present.

I confess, there were parts of this book that literally enraged me. The crimes themselves made me angry as well as the cover up that occurred for twenty-five years, but what really set me off was the rash, illegal actions of the former detective turned private investigator. I could scarcely keep reading that section as it really set me off. This character really irked me with the sense of entitlement to mow right over someone else in the furtherance of her own agenda. I almost stopped reading the book at one point.

I kept going and the former detective somewhat redeemed herself, but every time I let myself think back to that section of the book, I get mad again. Even now, after I’ve read other books, I find myself thinking about her behavior and getting mad all over again. 

To sum up this review, the author is a great writer who had an intricate plot both in the sections set in the past as well as the sections set in the present. The fact that this fictional character gave me such a visceral reaction to her deeds tells me the book is excellently written.

As a lawyer who has made it her life goal to be honest and have integrity at all times, this one section hit me hard when the character I’d grown to like did something so against my personal morals. My heart rate was not at a good level during those pages. 🙂

I’m giving this one four stars for the writing and plot. For anyone who might not be triggered by a former law enforcement officer breaking all kinds of laws, this might be a five star story.

BLURB:

How long can the truth stay buried?

When a murderer is convicted, the survivors of the victim can bury their loved one and move on. But what if they are denied even that?

A disturbed young man has been killing girls, but where has he hidden them? Twenty-five years on, their families are still waiting for the chance to bring them home. Ex-detective constable Rosanna Quillan is determined to bring it about, but time is running out and she discovers there are more lost souls than she had realised.

Feb10

The Secret History of Audrey James by Heather Marshall

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I have been remiss in posting reviews lately. No excuses, just madness in my day job. I wrote a few this weekend, so I am trying to do better.

This was an excellent book. I very much enjoyed it. There are two distinct story lines with two heroines, Audrey and Kate. The stories intersect when the two characters meet at a large estate house that has been turned into a boutique hotel.

Audrey was an English young woman who was living in Berlin in the 1930s. Her mother had been German and her father was English. Her mother passed away when Audrey was young and she spent a lot of time with the neighbor girl where she lived. When her father returned to England, Audrey stayed in Berlin with the Jewish family across the street. The daughter of the house was her best friend. Audrey was a gifted pianist studying her craft and stayed to keep at her studies.  

Kate is a young woman in the early part of the 21st century. Her marriage and job ended and she had nowhere to go as the lease was up on the place she and her husband rented while married. Her parents had passed away in a car accident and she was going to be all on her own. She was lucky enough to land a job at the boutique hotel that came with a place for her to live.

The two ladies meet and, after some initial animosity, they form a friendship over a period of time. Slowly, both of their stories come to light.

Audrey was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Nazi party took over Berlin and the Jewish family she lived with had some harrowing times. Audrey refused to abandon them and her own life thereby became fraught with danger.

Kate was also in the wrong place at the wrong time and had her own life changing moments.

Without giving away any spoilers, I have to say the bravery and heroism of Audrey was amazing to read as her story unfolded. The time period she lived in held many dark days and she withstood a lot.

Kate’s story was not as full of life or death circumstances, but she had a rough go at life as well.

How both of these ladies persevered and overcame makes for a great read. This one is high on my list of favorites. I read a lot of stories set in Audrey’s early life time frame and this one ranks high on intrigue and a compelling story line. 5 stars.

BLURB:

Northern England, 2010. After a tragic accident upends her life, Kate Mercer leaves London to work at an old guest house near the Scottish border, where she hopes to find a fresh start and heal from her loss. When she arrives, she begins to unravel the truth about her past, but discovers that the mysterious elderly proprietor is harboring secrets of her own .

Berlin, 1938. Audrey James is weeks away from graduating from a prestigious music school in Berlin, where she’s been living with her best friend, Ilse Kaplan. As war looms, Ilse’s family disappears and high-ranking Nazi officers confiscate the house. In desperation, Audrey becomes their housekeeper while Ilse is forced into hiding in the attic. When a shocking turn of events embroils Audrey in the anti-Hitler movement, she must decide what matters most: protecting those she loves, or sacrificing everything for the greater good.

Inspired by true stories of courageous women and the German resistance during World War II, The Secret History of Audrey James is a captivating novel about the unbreakable bonds of friendship, the sacrifices we make for those we love, and the healing that comes from human connection.

Jun30

Hello, Sunshine by Laura Dale, a Review

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The “wickedly funny and gorgeously entertaining” part of the cover is not true in the least. There was not one thing funny in this book. Not one. Makes you wonder if the blurb writer even read the thing or just wrote that as the cover looks fun.

This one ended up in my Little Free Library and looked like it would be entertaining. Alas, not really.

I almost tossed it aside by page 60 something as I did not like the “heroine” at all and there’s a legal conversation where the lawyer who represented both the main character and her husband. This lawyer tells the main character she is representing the husband in their legal separation and that alone almost sent me over the edge. A lawyer cannot ethically represent one client over another client when both have been the client. One client conspiring against the other client with the assistance of their joint counsel never passes muster anywhere.

But I kept reading. to give it a chance. The writer is a good writer whose prose is well done, but the only two characters here who I liked were Sammy, the 6-year-old and Ethan. The book’s premise was a good one, but the execution is what had me disliking the story.

This may be nitpicking but the main character loses the contract to write a book in June. A new person gets the contract that was supposed to go to the main character and by August, the new person has her book launch party and a week later, the book goes into the second printing as it sold so well. That is ludicrous. Writing the book and actually having it on the shelves taking a bit over a month? An illustrated cookbook??! Nope. I’m surprised this got past the editors.

The acts of one character in particular are absolutely a betrayal and unforgiveable, IMHO. The fact that the main character seems to be willing to overlook the betrayal is absolutely stunning. There was a much better option out there for her and why the author even put that character in the book is a mystery to me.

I am rating this 3 stars due to the writer’s talent for prose, but much less for the plot errors and the unlikeable main character.

Jun26

Familia by Lauren E. Rico, a Review

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Thank you to Kensington Publishing for the ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

This book was wonderful and enjoyable. I inhaled it in a couple of reading sessions.

We first meet Gabby, a fact checker for a magazine who has aspirations of being a writer for the same magazine. The problem is, she is too good at the job she currently holds and is being thwarted in making her dream come true. She is an only child and her parents are deceased.

The magazine editor decides to do a story on people finding relatives through the genealogy websites and asks all the staff to take the DNA test offered by one site to see what gets uncovered.

Isabella is a young, married women living in Puerto Rico. Her mother passed away and left her and a baby sister with their father. The father, in his grief, turns to drink. One night, while he is out at the bar with the baby, he passes out in the street and wakes up to an empty stroller. He can’t forgive himself for losing his daughter and life for the older daughter changes dramatically as her father isn’t there to protect her from the evils of the world as he is too busy drinking and grieving, now both for his lost daughter as well as his wife.

Isabella is able to make a happy marriage but she spends a lot of her life searching for her lost sister.

When Gabby receives the results of her DNA test, she is stunned to see that the company has indicated she has a relative. She can’t believe the test is correct. Isabella gets an email that there is a match for a sibling. While Gabby wants another test since the first one was in error, Isabella is hopeful that this Gabby person is her long-lost sister.

Gabby’s boss wants to send a staff member to Puerto Rico to get the story. Gabby wants to do it herself and, when she’s denied the chance by her boss, she quits her job. Skeptical that this is anything but a mistake, she goes to Puerto Rico anyway and meets Isabella.

The story takes off from there on the lives of these two women, solving mysteries for each, and learning about each other. One is convinced she has found her sister at last and one is convinced there’s been a huge mistake. This makes for some great conflict in the storyline.

The way the author weaves the stories of the two women is brilliant. As well, she has captured Puerto Rico and its beauty and culture and I’m not surprised to learn she spent a lot of time there over the years visiting her grandmother. The island becomes a character itself in the excellent descriptions of various places in the story.

If you enjoy multi-cultural stories with heart, this one is highly recommended.  Five Stars.

BLURB:

What if your most basic beliefs about your life were suddenly revealed to be a lie?

As the fact checker for a popular magazine, Gabby DiMarco believes in absolute, verifiable Truths—until they throw the facts of her own life into question. The genealogy test she took as research for an article has yielded a baffling result: Gabby has a sister—one who’s been desperately trying to find her. Except, as Gabby’s beloved parents would confirm if they were still alive, that’s impossible.

Isabella Ruiz can still picture the face of her baby sister, who disappeared from the streets of San Juan twenty-five years ago. Isabella, an artist, has fought hard for the stable home and loving marriage she has today—yet the longing to find Marianna has never left. At last, she’s found a match, and Gabby has agreed to come to Puerto Rico.

But Gabby, as defensive and cautious as Isabella is impulsive, offers no happy reunion. She insists there’s been a mistake. And Isabella realizes that even if this woman is her sister, she may not want to be.
With nothing—or perhaps so much—in common, Gabby and Isabella set out to find the truth, though it means risking everything they’ve known for an uncertain future—and a past that harbors yet more surprises . . .

Feb6

Murder in the Family, by Cara Hunter, a Review

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This book was quite clever in its premise and execution. It’s set up like a documentary series about a cold case involving the murder of the stepfather of one of the filmmakers.

The story is set up as a series of production notes, articles about the murder, and interviews on camera with various people who have information about the case. The filmmaker is in the background for most of it, but appears a few times to set the scene for the people on the program.

The other characters are various professionals who have experience as either law enforcement, journalists, or other crime backgrounds.  We have a retired detective inspector, a criminal prosecutor, a journalist, forensic psychologist, crime scene investigator, a retired NYPD detective as well as the producer of the show and the filmmaker with his two sisters.

Newspaper articles, text messages, emails, true crime aficionados in message forums, and dialogue in the documentary make up the majority of the book. There are no chapters per se and this is a fun way for the reader to get the story and try to figure out the clues as well as who may have something to hide.

I loved this book and the way it was presented. It was unique and enjoyable. I did figure out who did it but I usually do. The ride to get to the solution is what I enjoy and this one was an intriguing one. While I did figure out whodunit, I was wrong on the why dun it.  LOL

The presentation of this story was ingenious and original. I really enjoyed it.

BLURB:

It was a case that gripped the nation. In December 2003, Luke Ryder, the stepfather of acclaimed filmmaker Guy Howard (then aged 10), was found dead in the garden of their suburban family home.

Luke Ryder’s murder has never been solved. Guy Howard’s mother and two sisters were in the house at the time of the murder—but all swear they saw nothing. Despite a high-profile police investigation and endless media attention, no suspect was ever charged.

But some murder cases are simply too big to forget…

Now comes the sensational new streaming series Infamous, dedicated to investigating—and perhaps cracking—this famous cold case. Years later a group of experts re-examine the evidence – with shocking results. Does the team know more than they’ve been letting on?

True crime lovers and savvy readers, you can review the evidence and testimony at the same time as the experts. But can you solve the case before they do?