The Lost Tomb by Douglas Preston

 A collection of previously published articles written by the author that will interest anyone who enjoys reading about archeology and anthropology. Each has been updated to reflect any new information about the subject. 

Much of the detail and the stories have also crossed over into the fiction written by Preston, especially those featuring Nora Kelly. I have really enjoyed that series because of the incorporation of real places, cultures, and events. 

This was my nonfiction pick for the year and I did enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend.

This is a standalone and not part of any series.

Nonfiction - bones, burials, murder, Egypt, 

Oryx and Crake (MaddAdam #1) by Margaret Atwood

 Complex and absorbing dystopian fiction.

Definitely interesting but not a light read. Atwood’s protagonist is a male this time, and he’s difficult to relate to as he mostly exists in a vacuum —alone — ostensibly the last human in a strange post-apocalyptic USA. 

Jimmy relates his personal history in a past and present time shift. He has a friend who is known as Crake — a genius who has some huge plans for humankind. Lots of science related to gene splicing and manipulation creating new and unique creatures, including a new species who are based on Homo sapiens. The cataclysmic event that created the world Jimmy now inhabits was ostensibly designed by Crake and the reader is left with many questions by the end. 

This was actually a fairly depressing tale and I’m not sure I want to go on with the series. Reading it after experiencing the recent pandemic brought back those memories and feelings of isolation and concern. The author is incredibly brilliant and gifted with a vivid, honest imagination. 

Once again, the age old question - should we do it just because we can?

This is the first in a trilogy that probably should be read in order from the beginning.

Genre - speculative fiction, dystopian, futuristic 

Law of Attraction (Anna Curtis #1) by Allison Leotta

 Too little legal, too much romance.

I decided to find this title after reading the 3rd, 4th, and 5th books in the series. Big mistake. If I had read this one first, I never would have gone on to the much better books that came later. 

It's not that I mind a tiny bit of romance in a good thriller, it's just that I can retrospectively see that Anna, the main character, is really quite the twit and I cannot understand her appeal to men. The plot of this debut was rather lame and predictable with many completely unrealistic situations. 

On another note, I really do not like the narrator's voice in the audiobooks. The truth probably is that I would find most to be irritating. Even at twice speed, it moves slowly and the different voices and emotions attempted get on my nerves. 

I borrowed this one from the library. Skip it. 

First in a series of 5 books total.

Genre - romance, legal thriller

The Last Good Girl (Anna Curtis #5) by Allison Leotta

 Authentic and timely, this legal thriller hits all the marks.

Emily Shapiro is poised to have the time of her life. A college freshman at Tower University, she's about to attend her first frat party. The night does not go as expected and Emily is sexually assaulted by Dylan Brooks, the son of a powerful Michigan politician. Reeling and traumatized, Emily fights back by filing a complaint but is frustrated in her attempts to get justice -- even her own father, the president of the university, seems to care more about the college than he does her well-being. Then Emily goes missing. She was last seen outside a bar running down a street with Dylan following her. Anna Curtis, a federal prosecutor, gets involved in the case.

This book covers everything from campus rape to Title IX and the real life issues of power dynamics, the #metoo crusade, and good old boy culture. Written by a former sex crimes prosecutor, this powerful story rings true as it attempts to examine the emotional dynamics that surround the issue of sexual assault.

I think this is the last in the Anna Curtis series and, though I've searched, I've not found any more recent books written by this compelling author. I really enjoyed the 3 installments that I read as I love legal thrillers. I liked the main characters and the details. I listened to this on audio intermittently while also reading print -- the narrator got on my nerves with her voice many times, especially when she was changing it to do other characters. The worst was when she was trying to talk like a man. Anyway, I did enjoy the plot and recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Touchstone for the e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend. 

This is the 5th in a series. I have read the last 3 installments. Best to start at beginning.

Genre - legal thriller, rape, sexual assault

A Good Killing (Anna Curtis #4) by Allison Leotta

 Twisty and entertaining legal thriller.

This installment, the 4th, continues immediately after the previous ended. Anna is reeling from her broken engagement and gets a call from her sister, Jody. Someone they both knew from their hometown has been murdered and Anna hears that Jody has been wrongfully accused of the crime. Anna escapes to Michigan to act as Jody's defense attorney. But, everyone is lying and the local hero who was killed may not have been such a saint after all. 

I like the main characters and the fast paced narrative. The point of view flips between Jody and Anna and is told in a time shift with Jody's voice being mainly from when she was a teenager and Anna present day. The legal detail and lawyerly shenanigans are realistic as expected since the author has experience in the field. Not so enamored with Anna's quick rebound romance with Cooper but I do hope she is done with Jack. Frankly, I would prefer the action and plot revolve more around the legal than the personal love lives of the characters, but I do plan to continue to the next in the series. 

I listened to this on audio and sometimes followed along in the e-book. The narrator's voice grates on my nerves occasionally because of the way she pronounces certain words and how she does male voices. I'm really working on trying to enjoy audiobooks. 

This is the 4th in a series that probably should be read in order. 

Genre - legal thriller

Speak of the Devil (Anna Curtis #3) by Allison Leotta

 Legit legal thriller!

I started this series with book #3 and immediately was intrigued by the plot and the characters. Long a fan of legal thrillers, it's sometimes hard to find those that reflect realistic situations and gripping drama along with some good courtroom scenes.  This seemed to have it all, including a romance aspect that I can usually do without. I may need to go back and read the first 2 installments, but I didn't have a problem with jumping in here.

The story involves an extremely violent street gang with a thug named Diablo at the head of it. He's a machete wielding killer with the goals of power and control. Anna Curtis is a prosecutor assigned to the sex crimes section in Washington, DC. Their paths cross on a particularly gruesome case and Anna ends up being marked for death by the gang. 

Along the way, Anna deals with some issues in her personal life including an engagement to another attorney whose wife had died when she was working undercover trying to sting the very same gang. 

The author knows of what she writes with her own experience in the DC sex crimes office. The novel rings true in every sense and I am definitely going to go find other books in this series. Definitely recommend to any fan of this genre. 

I listened to the audio version of this and found the voice tolerable. I mention this only because I am not a huge fan of audio, but keep trying. 

This is the third in a series. I read it first. Will go back and check others out but moving to #4 now.

Genre - legal thriler, crime fiction

The Nurse by Jenna Kernan

 Domestic thriller fails to thrill.

Emily is an LPN hired to care for a wealthy woman whose psychiatrist husband claims that his wife, Sabrina, has a lot of mental health issues. Emily is less nurse and more babysitter as the days go by. Emily is suspicious that Dr. Roth is overmedicating his wife. Eventually Mrs. Roth is found in a hotel, dead by apparent suicide. But was it?

I had a lot of problems with this very slow moving and somewhat boring book. As a nurse myself, I had a real issue with Emily being an LPN but supposedly graduating with an associate degree. In the USA, a practical nursing program is a one-year certificate and not an ADN which would result in the graduate being eligible to sit for the RN exam.  That aside, I didn't buy into Emily being any sort of nurse at all. She sure flouted confidentiality convention and would be a disgrace to her profession. Ah, but I digress, really. Just didn't like the story, the characters, or this silly twist. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the e-book ARC to read and review. I should have just put it down, but I felt forced to follow it through. Don't recommend.

This is a standalone and is not part of any series

Genre - domestic drama, psychological

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

 Twisty domestic drama.

Adam and Amelia head off to Scotland when she wins a free weekend stay at a converted old chapel in an isolated area near a loch. Their marriage has hit a bit of a snag, and there are hopes that the time together will help put them back together. But nothing is as it seems.

Adam suffers from face blindness and is a workaholic screen writer who adapts books written by others though he dreams of producing his own. Amelia works at a dog rescue and tries to be understanding and supportive. Things start to get odd immediately after they arrive at the chapel. 

The narrative shifts back and forth between points of view and time -- interrupting the forward, linear flow which is sometimes annoying to me. There is another character introduced who is definitely going to change the course of the couple's weekend. The anniversary letters written by Adam's wife give a history of ups and downs in their relationship. The reveal and twist are quite dramatic. I did not like any of the characters in this story and found it all a bit unbelievable. The story is riddled with platitudes and common sayings. Lots of secrets and lies. 

I rarely listen to audiobooks and usually become very annoyed at the narrators as I did with this, especially not enjoying the voice of the female narrator. I keep trying to get into the habit of listening to a book now and then and occasionally find some really well-done versions. I don't think my opinion of this book would be any different had I read it instead. I did receive an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher but borrowed this in audio form from my local library. 

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.

Genre - domestic thriller, psychological drama