Get out the noisemakers and shoot off some fireworks—Bloggin' 'bout Books is finally ready to step into the new year!  Phew.  After the reviewathon of the past few weeks, I am done reviewing books that I read waaaayyy back in 2017.  Thank you for your patience during this catch-up process.  Thanks, especially, for continuing to visit and comment.  I appreciate your support more than you know.  Because I enjoy blogging so much, I would probably do it even if no one read a word I wrote, but it's a lot more fun to have book conversations here rather than just monologues, so THANK YOU.  

I'm going to take a little break from reviewing (your feed readers will be so relieved), but I will be responding to comments, visiting your blogs, and updating some things this weekend.  

Thanks again for your support.  What's everybody reading these days?  I'm about 1/2 way through Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson and I am loving it!  

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Earl Marcus left Coulee County, Georgia, twenty years ago with no intention of ever going back.  Scarred—both physically and emotionally—from growing up in the snake-handling obsessed Church of the Holy Flame, he's cut ties with the "church," his cult leader father, and his haunted past.  Now a private investigator in North Carolina, he's compelled to return only when a photograph of his dead father surfaces with a recent time stamp.  The man in the picture is no corpse.  It appears as if the powerful, legendary R.J. Marcus is still alive.  Either that or, as his followers believe, he's come back from the dead.  Earl has experienced the mystical power of his father's presence enough to believe almost anything.  Thing is, he can't put his own demons to rest until he knows for sure.

R.J. isn't the only person missing in Coulee County.  "Rebellious" teenage girls from the Church of the Holy Flame's congregation are also disappearing, only to return changed.  The strange marks on their skin could be signs of almost anything.  Hoping to find answers before another girl is traumatized, Earl starts digging.  Unearthing old secrets doesn't sit well with some people and Earl finds himself in danger once again.

Heaven's Crooked Finger by Hank Early is a debut novel and the first in a promising series.  The novel tells a tense, compelling story that's both atmospheric and suspenseful.  Although the tale feels a bit flimsy and far-fetched, it's still engrossing.  In the end, I didn't love Heaven's Crooked Finger, but I liked it enough to continue with the series.  

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language, violence, sexual content, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

As the former head of development for a t.v. company, 43-year-old Justine Merrison is done with stress.  She's moving to the coast to start a new, tension-free life doing absolutely nothing.  With her opera singer husband frequently out of town, it's up to her to take care of their 14-year-old daughter, Ellen.  Even that isn't usually difficult.  The only problem is that the move has changed Ellen, who's become surly and withdrawn.  When she begins writing a story for English class, Justine becomes concerned.  The tale is sordid and disturbing; also, it takes place in a house that is eerily similar to the one in which they live.  

When Ellen tells Justine about her new friend, George Donbavand, Justine is thrilled that her daughter finally seems to be settling in.  Then, George is expelled over a minor incident that upsets Ellen so much Justine promises she'll talk to the principal about it.  The principal informs Justine that George has not been expelled because there is no George Donbavand at their school.  George does not exist.  Stunned, Justine can't decide what in the world is going on.  Has Ellen created an imaginary friend to assuage her loneliness?  Is she playing a weird prank on her mother?  Or is the principal lying to cover up her unethical behavior?  When Justine starts receiving threatening phone calls, she's even more confused.  What in the world is going on?  It's up to Justine to make sense of her increasingly bizarre situation.

As you might imagine, A Game for All the Family by Sophie Hannah, is a tad confusing.  Actually, more than a tad.  A lot more.  Its premise is intriguing, but its plot is so convoluted and far-fetched that it just gets ridiculous.  I like a psychological thriller that keeps me off-balance.  This one does that, for sure.  I definitely wanted to know what was happening, but the big reveal felt anti-climatic.  Add an unlikable narrator to the mix and A Game for All the Family turned into a big disappointment.  I wanted to like it, but I just ... didn't.  Oh well.

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language and violence

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of A Game for All the Family with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Note:  Although this review will not contain spoilers for Odd Child Out, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from the first Jim Clemo mystery, What She Knew.  As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.

Despite the fact that Noah Sandler is a natural-born Brit and Abdi Mahad is a Somalian refugee, the boys form a quick friendship.  Classmates at a fancy Bristol prep school (Abdi is a scholarship student), they bond over nerdy hobbies like chess.  Both of their families are shocked when Noah's body is found in the Feeder Canal.  CCTV cameras show the boys were on its banks late at night, but the fuzzy recording can't prove what happened.  Neither can the boys.  Noah is in a coma and Abdi refuses to speak, seemingly in profound shock.  What happened between the two friends?  Did Abdi purposely shove Noah into the water or was it a tragic accident?

Back to work after a case gone wrong, Detective Inspector Jim Clemo begins an investigation into the incident.  With racial tension already boiling over in Bristol, a twist in the case divides the public, threatening to reach fever pitch.  As Clemo digs into the histories of both the Sandler and Mahad families, he makes some surprising revelations.  The most shocking of all, however, is the truth of what really happened between Noah and Abdi.

Odd Child Out, the second installment in the Jim Clemo series by Gilly Macmillan, is a tense, timely novel.  Although it's not action-packed like many thrillers, its quiet intensity makes it suspenseful and compelling.  It tells a sad story, but one from which I couldn't look away.  As engrossing as Macmillan's others, Odd Child Out is a gripping, resonant read that just adds to the author's already impressive repertoire.  I can't wait to read the next Clemo mystery.

(Readalikes:  What She Knew by Gilly Macmillan)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (a half dozen F-bombs, plus milder expletives) and violence

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of Odd Child Out from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.