At The End Of It All: Stories From The Shadows by Suzanne Craig-Whytock

I just finished reading At The End Of It All: Stories From The Shadows by Suzanne Craig-Whytock.

Enter a surreal landscape of the twisted and unusual. Wander through the echoing corridors of old manor houses, explore dead cities and hidden rooms, and dance with menacing marionettes. Lyrical, haunting, and occasionally humorous, At The End Of It All is a collection of twenty-seven stories that explore joy and sorrow, gratitude and grief, and hatred and desire. Open the cover, feast on the stories inside...and if you're lucky, Mr. Death just might show up for dessert.

It takes a skilled writer to craft a short story. Craig-Whytock is a craftsperson at this. Her stories, most being only 2-3 pages long with some a few pages longer, and a couple which fills just a single page. Yet every one of them is a complete story which captures the reader.  

Her stories run the full range of emotions, thoughtful, scary, unnerving, gothic, psychological, and a few which I chuckled at. Mysophobia, Revenge of the Juggernaut, and The High Seas were a few of my personal favourites, while I found Nomads of the Modern Wasteland Part Three to be the perfect story to end the 27 story collection.

For nights of unsettled reading, I highly recommend this..

 

Flint & Feather: The Life and Times of E. Pauline Johnson, Tekahionwake by Charlotte Gray

I think I was in grade 4 or 5 when our teacher told us about the famed Canadian poet, Pauline Johnson. Her story intrigued me. A Mohawk poet who, not only travelled across Canada, but also traveled to England a few times performing. When I saw Charlotte Gray's newest history work, Flint and Feather, it reignited my interest in her and, of course, had to read it. 

A graceful biography that was a #1 national bestseller, Flint & Feather confirms Charlotte Gray’s position as a master biographer, a writer with a rare gift for transforming a historical character into a living, breathing woman who immediately captures our imagination.

In Flint & Feather, Charlotte Gray explores the life of this nineteenth-century daughter of a Mohawk chief and English gentlewoman, creating a fascinating portrait of a young woman equally at home on the stage in her “Indian” costume and in the salons of the rich and powerful. Uncovering Pauline Johnson’s complex and dramatic personality, Flint & Feather is studded with triumph and tragedy, mystery and romance—a first-rate biography blending turn-of-the-century Canadian history and the vibrant story of a woman whose unforgettable voice still echoes through the years.

Pauline Johnson was not just a renowned poet, but was also well know for her eclectic performances. As she was of mixed heritage, Mohawk and English, she create an act which would highlight both sides of her roots. In one act she would dress in her authentic aboriginal garb and recite her poems about canoeing and aboriginal stories she heard or grew up on. 

In the second act, she would dress as an English debutant with poems regarding the upper English lifestyle she had experienced. It was the two different styles, all in one performance which kept people filling the seats of theater everywhere.

Gray does and excellent job in telling the story of her life. Her successes and pitfalls. Her constant state of being poor and in debt, even though she was constantly performing. The reader can see the extensive research which went into Gray's work. It's a tale worth reading.  

heart strings by Clarice Goetz

I just finished reading, heart strings, a poetry collection by Canadian poet, Clarice Goetz.

In her debut collection, heart strings, Clarice Goetz delivers emotionally candid poetry and prose that detail the aftermath of a significant heartbreak. With original, evocative illustrations, this melancholy narrative is written through the many stages of loss, and the tethers that bind us to those we've lost. Let the words meet you wherever you are. 

Let its pages be a place of comfort — a hug in book form. Let it heal your heart, and bring you back home to yourself.

The poems in heart strings are clearly about a woman who's long time relationship has ended. Goetz is heartbroken and throughout the book is working through her feelings. You can see her improvement as the book goes on.

I don't usually read poetry, but as I'm currently also reading a biography on Pauline Johnson, it put me in a mood for this book. Mind you, I would only read 4-5 a day as any more, I found, would cause my mind to wander.

Goetz's poetry is beautiful, and emotional. The drawings which accompany many of her poems were also done by the author. If you enjoy poetry, you'll enjoy heart strings.

 

Silverview by John le Carré

I just finished reading Silverview by British author, John le Carré. 

Julian Lawndsley has renounced his high-flying job in the City for a simpler life running a bookshop in a small English seaside town. But only a couple of months into his new career, Julian's evening is disrupted by a visitor. Edward, a Polish émigré living in Silverview, the big house on the edge of town, seems to know a lot about Julian's family and is rather too interested in the inner workings of his modest new enterprise. 

When a letter turns up at the door of a spy chief in London warning him of a dangerous leak, the investigations lead him to this quiet town by the sea . . . 

Silverview is the mesmerising story of an encounter between innocence and experience and between public duty and private morals. In this last complete masterwork from the greatest chronicler of our age, John le Carré asks what you owe to your country when you no longer recognize it.

I found the writing style in Silverview was totally different than any book I have read before. It took almost half the book to get used to. This isn't because the author is English as I have read many books by British writers, but I sure found it different. It is an interesting story which kept me turning pages.

Gord's Gas Factory Chili

For Superbowl this year, which was a fabulous game, I had my friends over. I had planned to make my famous, Gas Factory Chili, but as the week went on, decided to modify the recipe. It turned out even better than I had hoped. Each one of them went for seconds and one took home almost all that was left. here's the recipe.

Ingredients

2 lbs-  (1kg) Lean ground beef

1- Large red onion

1- red pepper

1- yellow, green or orange pepper. I choose orange

2- Garlic cloves 

1- 16oz (470ml) can black beans. I know kidney beans are usually used, but I love black beans. 

1- 28ox (800ml) diced tomatoes with chili (Aylmer)

1- 16oz (470ml) tomato sauce

1/2- 20oz (650ml) bottle Presidents choice White corn and Black Bean Mild Salsa, or any mild salsa.

1- 5.5oz (156ml) can tomato paste

1- 8oz (250ml) can chilis or jalapenos (add to your heat tolerance)

3 tsp chili powder

Tabasco or other hot sauce to taste. I found my mixture hot enough it didn't need Tabasco's help.

Dice onion and peppers and chile. The bottle of chilis I used was already sliced, but I diced them smaller.

Add a little olive oil to pan and heat. Put in onion and garlic and for about 30 seconds to a minute before adding meat. My pan wasn't large enough, so I did this in 3 stages. Brown meat but don't overcook. 

Put everything in a crockpot and simmer at least 4 hours.

Serve and enjoy. My friends and I all found this to be a wonderfully hot dish, not burn your mouth and throat off hot but what I call a "nice" hot. The kind that sneaks up on you and makes you want more.

Superbowl night was fun. Great friends. Great game. Great chili. One I will make again.

Daughters of the Deer by Danielle Daniel

I just finished reading Daughters of the Deer by Canadian Author, Danielle Daniel.

1657. Marie, a gifted healer of the Deer Clan, does not want to marry the green-eyed soldier from France who has asked for her hand. But her people are threatened by disease and starvation and need help against the Iroquois and their English allies if they are to survive. When her chief begs her to accept the white man’s proposal, she cannot refuse him, and sheds her deerskin tunic for a borrowed blue wedding dress to become Pierre’s bride. 1675. 

Jeanne, Marie’s oldest child, is seventeen, neither white nor Algonquin, caught between worlds. Caught by her own desires, too. Her heart belongs to a girl named Josephine, but soon her father will have to find her a husband or be forced to pay a hefty fine to the French crown. Among her mother’s people, Jeanne would have been considered blessed, her two-spirited nature a sign of special wisdom. To the settlers of New France, and even to her own father, Jeanne is unnatural, sinful—a woman to be shunned, beaten, and much worse. 

 With the poignant, unforgettable story of Marie and Jeanne, Danielle Daniel reaches back through the centuries to touch the very origin of the long history of violence against Indigenous women and the deliberate, equally violent disruption of First Nations cultures.

This is a powerful, heartfelt story which, many times, left me bitter when I set the book down after reading a few chapters. Danielle Daniel does an excellent job telling the story and in the authors notes at the end, explains how emotionally hard it was to write this fictional tale of a people, the Algonkin (as spelled by the author in the book) who she has which ancestral links to. 

I can why this book is a national best seller.

Weight Watchers Style Chicken Curry

 Tonight, I made Teena and I Chicken Curry. As we are now more conscious of what we eat, well, for me, in the most part, I found a recipe that was Weight Watchers friendly on the Food website. 

Here are the ingredients from the original recipe.

1⁄2- cup plain low-fat yogurt 2- garlic cloves, minced

1- teaspoon curry powder 

1⁄4- teaspoon ground coriander 

1⁄4- teaspoon ground ginger 

1⁄4- teaspoon salt dash ground red pepper 

1 1⁄2- lbs chicken parts, skinned 

2- teaspoons vegetable oil 

1⁄2- cup chopped tomato 

1- bay leaf

*** Note: I also used 1 shallot, no coriander, which I don't like, and 1 1/2 teaspoon of curry powder.

First, I diced the tomato and shallot. I should've diced the tomato into small pieces which I did in the pan.

I used skinless, boneless chicken thighs. The thighs I cut into small pieces.

Combine the chicken, yogurt and spices in a bowl. Let stand for 30 minutes.

In a 12 inch, 5 cm fry pan, heat the oil, then add the onion. Cook for a minute or two, then add the tomato and bay leaf. Let simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the marinated chicken and scrap remaining sauce into pan, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and cover. Stir every 10 minutes. I found the sauce didn't thicken so removed the lid with 5 minutes to go. The sauce still needed to be thicker so for the next three to four minutes, turned up the heat and kept stirring the mixture until the sauce was to my, and Teena's satisfaction. 

We spooned the curry over basmati rice. I'm trying to learn to enjoy curry and this was an excellent starter recipe for me. Next time, I would add 3 teaspoons of curry powder instead of the 1 1/2 I used.

I really enjoyed this dish as did Teena, and it's something I will keep making in the future.

If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English by Noor Naga

I just finished reading the Giller short-listed novel, If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English by author Noor Naga.

In the aftermath of the Arab Spring, an Egyptian American woman and a man from the village of Shobrakheit meet at a café in Cairo. He was a photographer of the revolution, but now finds himself unemployed and addicted to cocaine, living in a rooftop shack. She is a nostalgic daughter of immigrants “returning” to a country she’s never been to before, teaching English and living in a light-filled flat with balconies on all sides. They fall in love and he moves in. But soon their desire—for one another, for the selves they want to become through the other—takes a violent turn that neither of them expected.

This is a uniquely written novel about a destructive relationship between a man and a woman. The story is told from two different points of view. The first is a woman, who's name is not given. She was born in Egypt, grew up and was educated in the U.S. before moving back to Cairo. The other is an unnamed boy who grew up in a small impoverished Egyptian village. 

I found it confusing at first, as the dialogue flips back and forth, and there are times I had to really a few paragraphs to know who was speaking but after 20 or so pages, I became familiar with the flow.

Throughout, I found the story interesting and wanted to keep reading. It reads differently from anything else I have ever read and part three really twists the readers imagination. Not for every taste, but a book I enjoyed.

Gord's Bullsh*t Curry

One of my new years goals is to learn to enjoy curry. Teena loves them. I avoid them but admittedly, have made a couple of mild curries which. I liked. So perhaps, maybe it's time to experiment with this multi-national dish.

Thinking along these lines, I promised Teena I would make us a curry for Saturday supper. This was on Wednesday, so I didn't have much time to find a recipe and shop. After some online searching, I finally found one. Astonishingly, it was on the Campbells soup website, called Chicken Curry in a Hurry. I call it Gord's Bullsh*t curry as it is far from any recipe for a proper curry, which I promise to make Teena in the coming weeks.

Ingredients

I modified it slightly, so here is the way I did it. Here are the ingredients and portions I used. 

.592 kg             : Skinless, boneless chicken thighs

2 tbsp               : Olive Oil

1.5 tbsp            : Curry Powder

1- 284ml can    : Campbell's Cream of Chicken soup

1- 400ml can    : Coconut milk

4  cups              : Fresh cut, cubed Potatoes

The recipe also calls for spinach, but peas could also be used. I used neither as we didn't have any in the house.

Directions: 

Slice and dice the potatoes. Season the chicken with a little salt and cut into bite size chucks. Portions should be about 50/50. 

Heat the oil in a pan, I used a wok, on medium-high. Add the chicken. Cook until browned and cooked through. Remove and set aside in a bowl.

Leave some juice in the pan and add the curry powder and stir for 20-30 seconds to get all that flavour into the oil and juices. Add the soup and coconut milk. Stir until smooth. Add the potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. I needed an extra 5. 

Return the chicken to the skillet along with the juices which would have dripped into the bowl. Cook for 5 more minutes. Taste, then season more if needed. 

Plate and serve. Here's proof that we enjoyed it.

I think next time, and there will be one as this is so easy to make, is I would use 2 tbsp of curry instead of the 1.5. Hmm .... maybe more.

It's a recipe worth trying.

Bluebird by Genevieve Graham

I just finished reading, Bluebird, by Nova Scotia author, Genevieve Graham. 

Present day

 

Cassie Simmons, a museum curator, is enthusiastic about solving mysteries from the past, and she has a personal interest in the history of the rumrunners who ferried illegal booze across the Detroit River during Prohibition. So when a cache of whisky labeled Bailey Brothers’ Best is unearthed during a local home renovation, Cassie hopes to find the answers she’s been searching for about the legendary family of bootleggers... 

1918 

Corporal Jeremiah Bailey of the 1st Canadian Tunnelling Company is tasked with planting mines in the tunnels beneath enemy trenches. After Jerry is badly wounded in an explosion, he finds himself in a Belgium field hospital under the care of Adele Savard, one of Canada’s nursing sisters, nicknamed “Bluebirds” for their blue gowns and white caps. As Jerry recovers, he forms a strong connection with Adele, who is from a place near his hometown of Windsor, along the Detroit River. In the midst of war, she’s a welcome reminder of home, and when Jerry is sent back to the front, he can only hope that he’ll see his bluebird again. 

 By war’s end, both Jerry and Adele return home to Windsor, scarred by the horrors of what they endured overseas. When they cross paths one day, they have a chance to start over. But the city is in the grip of Prohibition, which brings exciting opportunities as well as new dangerous conflicts that threaten to destroy everything they have fought for.

Bluebird is an excellently written, and obviously, well researched historical fiction. The story bounces back and forth from the present day to the past throughout but in an unconfusing way. When the past is written about, it is done in chronological order, as is the events of the present. 

I really enjoyed the writing style and the stories plot and would not hesitate to read another one of her many novels.

I Was Never Here: My True Canadian Spy Story of Coffees, Code Names, and Covert Operations in the Age of Terrorism by Andrew Kirsch

Today I finished I Was Never Here, by former CSIS spy, Andrew Kirsch, which possibly is his real name. Proudly this is the 30th book I have read this year, surpassing my previous reading record of 29 books, set in 2011 and 2020. 

Andrew Kirsch didn’t grow up watching spy movies, or dreaming about being a real-life James Bond. He was hardly aware that Canada even had its own intelligence service—let alone knew what its officers did. But when a terrorist attack occurred near the office of his financial services job, all of a sudden fighting terrorism meant a lot more to him than the markets. Within 18 months he had landed a job with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS)—where he spent the next decade of his life.

In I Was Never Here, Kirsch (now an in-demand security consultant) spills the secrets of what life as an intelligence officer is really like, and dispels a few myths along the way. With humour, honesty, and candour, Kirsch shares his on-the-ground experience (or as much of it as he’s allowed to) of becoming a member of CSIS: from his vetting and training, to his initial desk job as a policy analyst, to his rise up the ranks to leading covert special operations missions. If you’ve ever wondered whether spies can have real dating lives, how they handle family responsibilities, or how they come up with cover stories or aliases, you’re in luck.

From the time he tried to get the code names “Burgundy” and “Anchorman” assigned to human sources (with no luck), to the night a covert operation was almost thwarted by a flyer delivery man, Kirsch takes you behind the scenes with an authentic view of Canada’s spy agency, and the intricate intelligence-sharing apparatus that works day and night to keep us safe. I Was Never Here is also a testament to one man’s drive to serve his country, and the sacrifices, big and small, that he made along the way.

I always wondered what the mandate for CSIS was vs that of the RCMP. This book explains it. CSIS really has a first look at any possible threat to Canada, including foreign espionage, theft of secrets and, of course most prominently, terrorism.

Even though Kirsch could not go into great detail, it was interesting reading, hearing the day to day operations he was a part of. No dirt. No inside scandal, just he job they did. There were some funny tales of some jobs which had issues, interesting midnight jobs and how his life with CSIS affected his life outside of it.

It's a book, I quite enjoyed.

Predators and Prey Book Launch

This afternoon was the official book launch of my crime novel, Predators and Prey, which took place at my favorite Toronto Restaurant, the Local Public Eatery in Liberty Village. 

I loved the sign they posted on their rotating board. It was a nice touch!

The turnout for it was great and the food excellent. Not to mention the service. Megan, our server, did an excellent job looking after everyone. She was friendly and made sure nobody did without.

It was a fabulous afternoon and I want to thank the Local for hosting and providing us  all with a good time.

Look Both Ways by Linwood Barclay

I just finished reading Linwood Barclay's, Look Both Ways.

The media have descended on Garrett Island, a small, isolated community that is the setting of a visionary experiment. All the residents’ cars were sent to the mainland and for the past month the islanders have been “driving” the Arrival, a revolutionary autonomous vehicle. With a simple voice command, an Arrival will take you wherever you want to go and, because the fleet is networked and aware of one another, car travel is now 100% safe. The future, it seems, has arrived.

As the excitement reaches a fever pitch, Sandra Montrose – islander, single mom, and public relations executive – prepares for Arrival Inc.’s flashy press event. Sandra is more than ready for this new world. Her husband died after falling asleep at the wheel and she’s relieved that her two teens, Archie and Katie, will never need driver’s licenses.

But as the celebratory day gets underway, disaster strikes. A visiting journalist has vanished, possibly murdered. Before long, the Arrivals run amok, no longer taking orders from their passengers. They’re starting to organize. They’re beginning to hunt. And they seem hell-bent on killing any human they encounter.

Is this all just a tragic accident, a technological malfunction with deadly consequences? Or were the vehicles programmed to act this way in a cruel act of corporate sabotage? Or could it be that the Arrivals have a mind of their own?

This novel is a departure from the usual books which Barclay writes .... and it's excellent. Reads like a horror story. Picture Stephen King's, Christine, but where thousands of cars are out to kill. If that's not bad enough, the residents all live on an island with no way to escape.

A gripping, exciting novel, one of Barclay's best. I finished it quickly as I couldn't put it down.

Diary of a Void by Emi Yagi, David Boyd (Translator) , Lucy North (Translator)

I just finished reading the translated book, Diary of a void by Japanese author, Emi Yagi.

When thirty-four-year-old Ms. Shibata gets a new job in Tokyo to escape sexual harassment at her old one, she finds that, as the only woman at her new workplace--a company that manufactures cardboard tubes--she is expected to do all the menial tasks. One day she announces that she can't clear away her colleagues' dirty cups--because she's pregnant and the smell nauseates her. The only thing is . . . Ms. Shibata is not pregnant.

Pregnant Ms. Shibata doesn't have to serve coffee to anyone. Pregnant Ms. Shibata isn't forced to work overtime. Pregnant Ms. Shibata rests, watches TV, takes long baths, and even joins an aerobics class for expectant mothers. But pregnant Ms. Shibata also has a nine-month ruse to keep up. Helped along by towel-stuffed shirts and a diary app on which she can log every stage of her "pregnancy," she feels prepared to play the game for the long haul. Before long, though, the hoax becomes all-absorbing, and the boundary between her lie and her life begins to dissolve.

This is an entertaining story. The main character, Shibata, is highly likable. I thought at one point in the story, I saw a twist coming and was disappointed I could figure out what it would be. However, I was wrong and the story went in a different direction. Well done Emi!

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

I just finished reading, Killers of a Certain Age, by Deanna Raybourn

Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie have worked for the Museum, an elite network of assassins, for forty years. Now their talents are considered old-school and no one appreciates what they have to offer in an age that relies more on technology than people skills.

When the foursome is sent on an all-expenses paid vacation to mark their retirement, they are targeted by one of their own. Only the Board, the top-level members of the Museum, can order the termination of field agents, and the women realize they've been marked for death.

Now to get out alive they have to turn against their own organization, relying on experience and each other to get the job done, knowing that working together is the secret to their survival. They're about to teach the Board what it really means to be a woman--and a killer--of a certain age.

This is an entertaining story. Four woman in their sixties who are trying to figure out why they've been targeted for death and what to do about it. What I feel is really well done is how they constantly have to deal with the limitations of their age. Not being agile as they once were, hot flashes, taking longer than usual to recover from aches and pains, plus their limited ability in a hand to hand fight.

Killers of a Certain Age, is a terrific escapist read.

Signing Predators and Prey at Book City on the Danforth

Today I was at Book City on the Danforth to sign my new novel, Predators and Prey, which they are currently stocking.

It was a fun time. June was friendly and helpful. In fact, she took the above photo and the one below.

Stop on in if you want a copy of Predators and Prey signed by the author.

Hat Talk by Debbie Henderson

According to my parents, I have been wearing a hat since I was three years old. They bought me a straw hat which I clamped onto my head and never took off. I've been wearing a hat ever since. So, when I saw Hat Talk by American author, Debbie Henderson, in BeauChapeau Hat Shop in Niagara on the Lake, I just had to have it. Never walked out of there with a book instead of a new hat before.  

Subtitled "Conversations with Hat Makers about their hats -- the Fedora, Homburg, Straw and Cap", the author delves into the history of hats through the very personal visions of those who lived hats all their lives. This focus enables her to examine how of some of the best known hat companies founded and maintained their activities, their fashion leadership and their national and international commercial roles.

It's an interesting read about the the hat industry in North America, from the very early days of hat making and felt processing, to modern times. 

The book describes how the decline of the hat followed the popularity of the automobile. When people ask me why I wear a hat, I always answer by saying it's to keep the weather off my head. Turns out, that was the reason men and women did back then, but when the car came along and more and more people were driving, the car's roof protected them instead.

I was surprised by how the film, Urban Cowboy, from the 80's popularized the wearing of hats. Production of hats ramped up causing some companies to flourish, some to prolong their lives and brought others into bankruptcy.

For anyone who enjoys wearing a hat, this is an excellent book to read. 

Rebel by Rahaf Mohammed

I just finished reading, Rebel, by Rahaf Mohammed.

 
A gripping memoir of bravery and sacrifice by a young woman whose escape from her abusive family and an oppressive culture in Saudi Arabia captivated the world.

In early 2019, after three years of careful planning, Rahaf Mohammed finally escaped her abusive family in Saudi Arabia—but made it only to Bangkok before being stripped of her passport. If forced to return home, she was sure she would be killed, like other rebel women in her country. As men pounded at the door of her barricaded hotel room, she opened a Twitter account. The teenager reached out to the world, and the world answered—she gained 45,000 followers in one day, and those followers helped her seek asylum in the West.

Now Rahaf Mohammed tells her remarkable story in her own words, revealing untold truths about life in the closed kingdom, where young women are brought up in a repressive system that puts them under the legal control of a male guardian. Raised with immense financial privilege but under the control of her male relatives—including her high-profile politician father—she endured an abusive childhood in which oppression and deceit were the norm.

Moving from Rahaf’s early days on the underground online network of Saudi runaways, who use coded entries to learn how to flee the brutalities of their homeland, to her solo escape to Canada, Rebel is a breathtaking and life-affirming memoir about one woman’s tenacious pursuit of freedom.

Rebel is a well written account of the author's horrifying life growing up in Saudi Arabia and her subsequent escape to Canada. She really shows the oppressive, brutal life life Saudi women are subject to.  

I remember seeing on the news Chrystia Freeland, our Deputy Prime Minister, welcoming Rahaf at the airport upon her arrival, but not knowing the background of why. Now I know. In light of her story and what is currently happening in Iran, I feel this is an important book to read. 

I'm glad she found her way to Canada.

Predators and Prey Now at Bookstores and Online

On October 6, 2022, Predators and Prey was published by Bookland Press. It is now available for ordering online from Amazon.ca and Chapters/Indigo or can be purchased from your favourite local bookstore.

Trophy killing for sport? Trent Corbett finally had enough of seeing Facebook posts showing African big game hunters, their long-range rifles in hand, kneeling proudly by their kill. The outraged comments below the photos were not enough. It was time for him to do something about it. 

His solution? Hunt the hunters. Kill them in their own neighborhoods, just like the hunters kill lions, elephants, leopard, buffalo and rhinoceros in theirs.

Soon local police discover they have a serial killer on their hands. Led by Police Chief Avery Johnson, small town police forces unite in an effort to stop the man who calls himself the Predator's Predator before his death count rises further.

Buy or order your copy today.

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

I just finished reading Emily St, John Mandel's new novel, Sea of Tranquility.  

In this captivating tale of imagination and ambition, a seemingly disparate array of people come into contact with a time traveller who must resist the pull to change the past and the future. The cast includes a British exile on the west coast of Canada in the early 1900s; the author of a bestselling novel about a fictional pandemic who embarks on a galaxy-spanning book tour during the outbreak of an actual pandemic; a resident of a moon colony almost 300 years in the future; and a lonely girl who films an old-growth forest and experiences a disruption in the recording. Blurring the lines between reality and fantasy, Emily St. John Mandel’s dazzling story follows these engrossing characters across space and time as their lives ultimately intersect.

It was an enjoyable read. At first I wasn't sure how the story would all come together but the author does a great job of intersecting all the time lines and does so in an interesting way.

This is the second book I've read of hers and wouldn't hesitate to read her again.

About Emily St. John Mandel

Emily St. John Mandel was born and raised on the west coast of British Columbia, Canada. She studied contemporary dance at the School of Toronto Dance Theatre and lived briefly in Montreal before relocating to New York. She is the author of five novels, including The Glass Hotel (spring 2020) and Station Eleven (2014.) Station Eleven was a finalist for a National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award, won the Morning News Tournament of Books, and has been translated into 34 languages. She lives in NYC with her husband and daughter.