Mini Reviews: This Case is Gonna Kill Me, Trucker Ghost Stories + The Book of the Night

It's family week on my blog this week, so today my fabulous mother-in-law Cathy is taking over the reviewing duties with quite the varied assortment of books courtesy of the wonderful team at Tor Books. A huge thank you to both Cathy and my mom for helping me tackle my to-be-read pile!

THIS CASE IS GONNA KILL ME
Phillipa Bornikova
Urban Fantasy
320 pages
Tor Books
Available now
Received from publisher for review

CATHY'S THOUGHTS
Though Ms. Bornikova's book is set in a time when vampires, werewolves, and elves are the ones in power and humans are subordinates, this story has all the intrigue of a good old fashioned "who dunnit" mystery, and she does a great job weaving a tale full of twists and turns.

Linnet is a human attorney who was raised in a vampire home and now works in a vampire law firm as their newest attorney. As with lots of new hires, she is not immediately accepted because the staff feels as though she received her job as a favor. As a result, her first case – an inheritance dispute over a security company run by werewolves – is one in which she's stuck working with a lesser attorney, Chip, and it's a case that has been dragging on for 17 years.

Linnet is likable immediately. She is strong, gutsy, snarky, and outspoken. She is also an experienced horsewoman, and we get several detailed riding adventures throughout the book. For those who love horses – Jenny – you will love these scenes. Ms. Bornikova knows her stuff and you can tell she loves it, but it's unclear as to whether these scenes are foreshadowing something or just a red herring.

The mystery begins when Chip is murdered and Linnet is almost killed in a werewolf attack. Since they are only working the werewolf case, Linnet begins to play Nancy Drew (her words). The book becomes increasingly entertaining as Linnet stumbles her way through the clues, and we just know there is something special about Linnet even if we can't quite put our finger on what it is. She is attacked several more times by werewolves manages to not only escape, but also kill her attackers. She is always saved by some odd set of circumstances such as pictures falling from walls, buckles on purses, and even a jar of marbles. This is all done cleverly and with lots of humor.

Along the way, Linnet receives help from John, a PI and and very handsome elf. Enter the romance – we see it develop into something more with each attack on Linnet's life. Ms. Bornikova gives us a slow burn on their romance and it leaves us wanting more with this couple.

My only disappointment with the book was that as the mystery was coming to a close, a new element of intrigue involving John's past started to come into play, and I knew there were not enough pages left in the book to finish his story or get all the answers I was looking for. On the plus side, I had come to care about the characters and wanted a resolution so I will be looking forward to the next book. I want to know what happened to John and where their relationship is headed. And knowing Linnet, I am sure she will have another case to solve. This book is well written, smart and clever, it was an engaging and fun read.

Rating: 4.5/5

TRUCKER GHOST STORIES
Edited by Annie Wilder
Anthology of personal paranormal experiences
256 pages
Tor Books
Available now
Received from publisher for review

CATHY'S THOUGHTS
Trucker Ghost Stories is a collection of short stories about what truckers say they have experienced on those long dark stretches of highway. We hear their spooky tales in their own words, but the book itself is edited by Annie Wilder. I have often wondered about the people who drive the big rigs. We pass them every day on the highway, and no matter what time of day or night it is, these trucks are roaming the roads.

How do they spend all those hours alone, passing the same scenery, usually in the middle of the night? I go crazy on the 2 hour drive to Cleveland!!! 

There are stories of unknown lights following them, strange noises trying to get into the trucks and maybe a Bigfoot or two. My best advice is not to travel the deserted and dark roads out West. You need to BEWARE – there are lots of UFO sightings in this book and most of them are on long expanses of pavement in the desert.

There are some ghost stories that seem to be a variation of the urban legends we have all heard while we were growing up, and one ghost story in particular about an unusual coincidence is sure to raise the hair on your arm. One woman even claims a ghost kissed her.

The mind can play tricks when you are tired an alone in the dark, and this is definitely the case in each story. So do the sightings happening because these truckers are tired or is it something supernatural?

If you know anyone going to camp – these stories would be great to tell around the campfire.

Rating: 3/5

THE BOOK OF THE NIGHT
(Libyrinth #3)
Pearl North
Young Adult/Fantasy
Tor Teen
Available now
Received from publisher for review

CATHY'S THOUGHTS
I have to preface this review by saying that The Book of the Night is the conclusion of a trilogy of which I have not read the first two books.

This book is a sci-fi fantasy and takes place in the future. Ms. North does an excellent job with her descriptions and character development, but it took me several chapters to figure out some of what I missed in the previous two books. The main premise involves finding a pen that rewrites reality. I found the basis of the story fascinating in that it involved books – books, words, and literature are all vital to this world she has built. I have not seen this before and it was very clever. I appreciate the work she had to do, quoting from so many books and fitting each one into the storyline.

This passage from the book I think communicates the flavor of the story perfectly:

"Strings of words, thoughts, intentions, and wishes all wound together to form sinuous vines which in turn formed everything." 

I haven't read a book where words and books play such a key role.

Rating: 3.5/5