Happy Friday. I’ll dispense with the weather report because nothing has changed since Wednesday or the middle of July for that matter. But I’m hopeful there will be  drop in humidity over the weekend. Gotta have hope, right?

This weekend I’m going to be doing a massive clean-out and paper shredding along with a bunch of other things. Yes, my to-do list is very ambitious but I do intend to get some reading time in.

Crime reporter Nichelle Clarke is covering the deaths of two young police officers near Richmond, Virginia. On the surface, it looks like a tragic accident. But as she digs deeper into the investigation, Nichelle realizes that all is not as it seems.

Evidence goes missing.

A prosecutor vanishes.

Someone is trying to cover their tracks.

Nichelle is struggling to put the pieces together, until a seductive Mafia boss shows up with the headline tip of a lifetime. But each step closer to the truth becomes exponentially more dangerous. And her investigation soon transforms into a murderous game of cat and mouse.

This is the first book in the Nichelle Clarke series by Lyndee Walker and I’m hooked. Nichelle is a likable, engaging character who has ambitions of working for a large newspaper and the investigation she finds herself entangled with may just be the ticket to her dream job. She has an adorable little dog named Darcy and a passion for over-priced shoes. Seriously, what’s not to love about a heroine like this?

So, there you have it, my weekend plans.  What are you plans for the weekend? What book are you currently reading?

Happy Friday! Not much has changed with the weather since my last Friday Reads post. The weather pattern is in a rut – hot, humid, rainy. Ugh. I got no other words for it. So my plan for the weekend is again to stay inside with the A/C and read.

By day, Florrie Fox manages Color Me Read bookstore in Georgetown, Washington D.C. By night, she creates her own intricately detailed coloring books for adults, filling the pages with objects that catch her eye. There’s plenty of inspiration in her new apartment—a beautiful carriage house belonging to Professor John Maxwell, Florrie’s boss. He offers the property to Florrie rent-free with one condition—she must move in immediately to prevent his covetous sister and nephew from trying to claim it.

When the professor’s nephew, Delbert, arrives, he proves just as sketchy as Florrie feared. But the following morning, Delbert has vanished. It’s not until she visits the third floor of the store that Florrie makes a tragic discovery—there’s a trap door in the landing, and a dead Delbert inside. The esteemed Professor Maxwell is an obvious suspect, but Florrie is certain this case isn’t so black and white. Doodling clues, she begins to consider other colorful characters on the scene, all with a motive for murder. With a killer drawing closer, Florrie will need to think outside the lines . . . before death makes his mark again.

I am enjoying this book so far. Florrie is charming and the cast of characters surrounding her are very interesting individuals. I’m quite fond of Mr. DuBois, Professor Maxwell’s butler. Yes, a butler!

What are you plans for the weekend? What book are you currently reading?

Happy Friday! The weekend is just a few hours away and here in Connecticut we’re going to get another slap of humidity and rain for an extended duration, like all the way to next Thursday at last check. That’s way too long for oppressive humidity. Way too long. So my big plans for the weekend includes air conditioning and reading.

The premise of this book captured my imagination and interest. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book that wasn’t a mystery or suspense. So immersing myself in this book has been a welcomed break from my usual reading. And this is the first book I’ve read that takes place in two eras – 1949 and present day.

I’m cheering for Charlotte, she’s standing up against her parents because she wants to do something they oppose. She’s determined to make a career for herself in advertising when all she really can expect to be is a typist, maybe a secretary if she gets lucky. Olivia is trying to save her job at the upstart advertising agency she joined after they lost an major account.

Their lives will intersect and I’m almost at that point in the book. Maybe instead of bemoaning the impending weather I should be grateful for the opportunity to stay inside curled up with this book.

What are you reading this weekend?

Happy Friday! The weekend is just a few hours away and I’ll be easing into the weekend reading the final chapters of Pawprints & Predicaments. Yes, I’m reading a book set in the deep cold of winter out on my lounge chair in near ninety degree weather. And, let me tell you, I’m loving every moment of it. From it’s frigid lake dive to the snow covered ski trail to the adorably huge St. Bernard. I’m all in and looking for my mug of hot cocoa.

This this the third installment in the Lucky Paws Petsitting mystery series and made even more fun by the addition of big, sweet Bernie. He’s the St. Bernard who is a mystery into himself.

I adore cozies with animals in them and of course in my series I have to add pets. Life is far too quiet and boring without a pet or two. Don’t you think?

What’s your Friday Read? Do you like pets featured in the books you read? Are you a seasonal reader? Only summer themed books in the summer, Christmas in July (it’s a nice way to feel cool and want to bake cookies), or doesn’t it matter?

Thanks for stopping by today!

Debra