Book Rants - May 2025

This ends my Mary Higgins Clark reading phase since there are no more Clark books available at the library for me to read but I have enjoyed them. And will probably read them if more becomes available. Here are the books I've finished reading in May.

01 - Moonlight becomes you by Mary Higgins Clark
What's it about: murder, elderly people, money, funerals
This one was really good though I did correctly guess the culprit which I rarely do - can't say if this makes this a good book or not.

02 - Santa Cruise (Alvirah & Willy #6 & Regan Reilly Mysteries #9.5) by Mary Higgins Clark & Carol Higgins Clark
What's it about: cruise, felons in hiding, thievery
This book is part of two series but you don't have to read the other books to read this one. This is not like a Mary Higgins Clark kind of book, no suspense, at least, none that seems like it. It just feels like a cozy mystery that is probably too much cozy and not enough mystery and it's mildly amusing.

03 - I heard that song before by Mary Higgins Clark
What's it about: past crimes, missing girl, murder trial
The idea that a woman would marry a guy she knew a mere week even knowing he might have killed two women always like a dumb thing to do but I guess that's love. This was okay. I didn't really care enough for any of the characters so that's why it's kind of dull to me.

04 - Under Suspicion series by Mary Higgins Clark & Alafair Burke
What's it about: reality tv show about old cases, murder, kidnapping, stalking, very bias people
I didn't read this series in order due to library availability. I think book 7 is the best of the bunch though I haven't read book 1 and 2 due to no ebook format available. Most of these end with swift endings or short endings where we get the answer but no details of what happens after and sometimes it felt incomplete. Some cases could have ended sooner but there were fillers about the main character's (Laurie) personal life that make getting to the answers longer.
    I'm here for the cases/mysteries but Laurie's personal life is half of every book. Laurie's boyfriend, Alex, seemed like a good guy but In book #4, he was an ass. This man dumped Laurie so she would know what's it's like to lose him so that she would come crawling back to him - is this the behavior of a man who loves a woman and who had said he was willing to wait for her until she was ready to have him in her life permanently but his wait time meant a little less than two years. He wanted her to get over her dead husband like she could just do it easily.
    I lost all respect for Alex in book 4 and every time I read about him in later books, I just thought what an asshole. In book 5, the case is basically there to show Laurie the way to her true happiness (sprinkle some sarcasm here) and that she have to get Alex back which she did, not a surprise at all. Now if Alex had gotten shot or maimed somehow on Laurie's behalf, I might like him again a little but nope, he's not only in perfect health, his career skyrocketed and he's living the best life. So what if he feels remorse, it does not redeemed Alex's ass behavior. I also lost respect for Laurie for taking Alex back after he made her suffered. Why didn't she wait for him to crawl back to her? Laurie already have two good men in her life, her caring father and her sweet son (okay, he's still a child) but she doesn't need Alex for her happiness. If the message that a woman cannot be happy without a man than I don't agree. And this is written by two women. Why do we need this relationship drama when Laurie, time and again in almost every book, almost get killed?
    The series have no conclusions because it's one those series where it's a different case for each book but if you care about Laurie's love life, then read in order but I'm here for the mysteries/cases.

05 - Save the cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody
What's it about: writing advices, writing fiction reference
With any how-to books, it all depends on the reader but I find this a pretty decent guide. Their 15-story-beat method sounds like a good way to write a novel which is the entire book. This is a bit repetitive with the summaries but I guess that's how they make it longer. And there are spoilers for a lot of books and now I will never read Misery by Stephen King nor The Help by Kathryn Stockett - one is scary and the other has a disgusting/gross out bit. The pep talk at the end of the book is quite good. But like all how-to books, it only works if you actually try it but I haven't try the method yet.

Have you read any good books lately?