Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #617:The Mystic and the Missing Girl by Vikki VanSickle

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings.

From the publisher: Small town secrets, a reluctant psychic, and a cold case that could expose them all.

Drew Benson can read tarot cards and get impressions from objects—she just never expected to use her gifts to investigate an infamous cold case.

Drew Benson has a secret. She gets visions, something she hasn’t tapped into since she was a teenager, when her late aunt, a TV psychic known as Hannah Mystic, became the scapegoat in the unsolved disappearance of a local teenager. Twenty years later, Drew is happy to ignore her gift, focusing instead on keeping the metaphysical shop she inherited from Hannah afloat, wrangling her sole, astrology-obsessed employee, and dodging local rake Foster Banks in her picturesque lakeside hometown.

But when Drew's arch-nemesis from high school, now a big city reporter, decides to investigate the cold case from all those years ago, it’s Drew’s ability that could finally make a break in the decades old mystery. With bills piling up, a disapproving mother laying on the guilt, and a local vandal who wants Drew and her witchy store gone, Drew has a lot to lose. But what she stands to gain—finding out what happened to the missing teen, clearing her aunt’s name, and a second chance at belonging—could change everything.

In The Mystic and the Missing Girl, Vikki VanSickle seamlessly draws readers into an utterly charming world in this unputdownable, small town mystery.

The Mystic and the Missing Girl by Vikki VanSickle is expected out September 8, 2026 from Minotaur Books.

Why am I waiting on this book? Tarot cards are fascinating. Couple that with the gift to get impressions from objects and you have some formidable talent. I'm curious about the main character tapping into her talents. And I want to know more about what happened to her aunt. I want to see a happy ending for her. The plot sounds interesting.

What book are you waiting on? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Book Review: A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett

 

Ana and Din are called on to solve an unusual murder - one where the corpse isn't consistently at rest. Combine that with some Romeo and Juliet type plotting and you get two families at odds with each other threatening the peace of this area of the empire.

There is also more about how the empire works. This book talks about the keys to producing meat and keys for grain to feed the cattle. Din continues to be likable. Ana is weird as usual. Both Ana and Din have their observations and insights questioned before the surprising truth is revealed. I also liked the character of Fo, Din's sister. She was a surprise when he arrives in the canton. As the story goes on, the weirder things get. 

A Trade od Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett was released August 4, 2026 by Del Rey.

I gave the book 5 out of 5 stars. The world-building is excellent. With each new mystery,  new details of how the world works are revealed. The details of each mystery show wonderful imagination. 

While each mystery can be read as a standalone, the series reads better if you start at the building and work your way forward. The characters themselves are well detailed. And again with each new mystery, we learn more about each person. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy well-detailed people and complex characters as well as people who enjoy unusual mysteries and detailed world-building. It's defiitely worth a read. 

I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This did not affect my review.

Friday Favorites: 2 Sides of One Coin: Reread or DNF

 

This week there are two questions: 1) Do you ever reread a book? and 2) Would you DNF a book? (DNF = Did not finish) Both questions are personal.

There are benefits to rereading a book. It can provide comfort. You've read it before. You pretty much know what happens. And yet you may see things you missed before. I rarely reread books. When I do reread, it's because I really enjoyed the book. It may be also be for comfort or because it had some ideas in it that I felt worth exploring again. Some examples of books that I've reread are Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach, The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore, Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal also by Christopher Moore, Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein, Mort by Terry Pratchett, and The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.

Then there is the other side of the coin. Most of the time I muddle through, but sometimes I just can't stand it and don't finish a book. Again I find that most of the time I haven't finished a book it's because I didn't like it and I reached a point where I was avoiding reading it. Other reasons may be because of the mood I found it was putting me in or something happens in the book that I just didn't want to read - found repugnant. Examples of books I've DNF'd are Moby Dick by Herman Melville, and The Valley of Vengeful Ghosts by Kim Fu. There are lots of other people who enjoyed these books, but they just weren't for me for one reason or another.

So, tell me, do you reread books? And which ones do you reread? Have you DNF'd a book? Which book and why? Share your thoughts in comments. Thanks for coming by. Happy Reading!

Book Review: The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincenbergs

The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincenbergs
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincenbergs asks is what would you do if your husband had lost your retirement nest egg on an investment, has been making you miserable, but has a million dollar life insurance policy? For these women the answer is both simple and complex. You hire a hitman and hope to get away with murder.

Four women, best friends, find out through the death of one of the husbands about the life insurance policies. The men meanwhile are scared by the death of their friend. They suspect foul play. They turn to a member of the community with a plan. The plan is outrageous and creates crazy goings on.

I loved the characters of the women and found them relatable. Not so relatable that I would follow their plan, but they are very human. The men think they've thought things through, but they are mistaken. Between the plans of the husbands and wives there is plenty of humor.

I gave this book 5 stars for the humor and the plotting. I thought it was an excellent first book. I loved the humor, the plot, and in the end all the characters. Surprisingly, I felt this is a book I might read a second time. If you enjoy action/adventure type books with plenty of humor, then this might be a good book for you.

View all my reviews

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #616: Evil Ways by Julie Mulhern

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings.

From the publisher: No good deed goes unpunished.

Ellison agreed to one afternoon of bridge, one favor for a woman whose husband is having a heart attack. She doesn't ask who else is playing. She should have.

When Lavinia Denton dies at the bridge table, Ellison is sure she’s been murdered.

Ellison doesn’t mean to investigate. Really, she doesn’t. But people keep telling her things.

And all that information she didn’t ask for? It just might get her killed.

Evil Ways by Julie Mulhern is the 21st book in the Country Club Murders series. It's published by J & M Press. It's expected out September 1, 2026.

Why am I waiting on this book? I've read the other books in the series and have enjoyed them. They are cozy mysteries where Ellison investigates aided now by her husband, Anarchy, who is on the police force. The mysteries are well written. There are always wonderful twists. And there is light banter and some humorous situations. If you like your cozies with a side of humor, this series could be for you. Join Ellison in the kitchen as she talks to the coffee pot and tries to figure out who is responsible for the death she is looking into. Book one in the series is The Deep End and is available on Amazon for Kindle for $2.99. I receive no compensation for sharing this information.

What book are you waiting for? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett

 

Welcome to Teaser Tuesday, the weekly Meme that wants you to add books to your TBR! You can also just share what you are currently reading. We make it very easy to play along. It's as easy as 1, 2, 3! Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Ambrosia at the Purple Booker.

1: Grab your current read. 2: Open to a random page. 3: Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Share the title and author so that other people can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teaser!

 "We attend this, ma'am," I said, "because the murder suspect is of another gentryclan. The two families are now on the verge of outright war. One death may become dozens, if not hundreds."

"But none would be interesting!"she said.

The I is the narrator, Din. The she is the brilliant investigator, Ana. And, Ana is complaining that the investigation into the death is too straight forward and not worthy of her brilliance and attention.

A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett was released August 4, 2026 by Del Rey. It is the third book in the Ana and Din mysteries series.

What have you been reading?

Friday Favorites: Any Author Living or Dead...

Today's topic:  If you could spend time with the author or authors of your choice, who would you choose?

I know most people who ask this question try to get you to limit it to one person. I've found that very seldom, though, can people actually do that. It's like once they start naming authors, they can't stop. 

For my part, the top three today that I chose are Kurt Vonnegut, Douglas Adams, and Terry Pratchett. Given the sense of humor and imagination that these men have,  I expect it would be a lively and fun time. And I say top 3 today because perhaps on another day, in another mood, I might pick different people to share my time with,

Top left on the graphic is Kurt Vonnegut. I've pretty much enjoyed everything I've read by him, but Slapstick has become a family favorite. Such things as heavy gravity days, inhaling Chinese, and the Church of Jesus Christ the Kidnapped have made it into the family lexicon.

In the middle, there is Douglas Adams. I've enjoyed the Hitchhiker's Guide "trilogy" as well as the Dirk Gently books and Last Chance to See. The man had a fantastic imagination. "Always know where your towel is," the one accessory every hitchhiker should carry with them. Don't listen to Vogon poetry willingly. What is 42? The only thing that travels faster then light is bad news. And, Douglas Adams actually spent some time working on Doctor Who.

The third author I chose was Terry Pratchett. Honestly, his Discworld novels and Good Omens are the extent of my reading experience with him so far. I've thoroughly enjoyed his creation of Discworld and the beings that populate it. Who else could conceive of a librarian as an orangutan at the Unseen University? A Death that speaks in all capital letters? A separate Death of Rats? A wonderful witch such as Granny Weatherwax? I've never tried to pick one book of his as a favorite, but say instead that I rather enjoy the series. Some books more than other books, of course, but there isn't one favorite above all else.

So tell us, who would you like to spend time with? And if you are so inclined tell us why?