Total Books: 4 Total Pages: 1363 Longest: 360 Shortest: 315
Genres: 4 (Biographical Fiction – 1, Fiction – 1, Mystery – 1, Thriller – 1)
LJ Ross – Berwick
I started off April with the latest (#24!) in Ross’s DCI Ryan series. This series, set in the Northumberland region of England along the Scottish border, is one that I typically download and devour almost as soon as it comes out.
This time, Detective Chief Inspector Ryan and his colleagues find themselves investigating Ryan’s wife, Anna, for murder! All the evidence points to her, yet Ryan and company can’t believe it – and, of course, she claims innocence. Can they find the evidence to prove her innocence and the real killer in time?
Shern-Min Chow & Nila Arjun – If Not You…
Shern-Min Chow is a recently retired Houston news anchor and journalist whom I’ve admired and respected over her 30-year career. I’ll never forget her “sledding” down the Herman Park hill at Miller Theater while reporting on Houston’s Snow Day in 2025!
Anyway, I saw that she had recently released a novel based on a true story that intrigued me. Nila Arjun overcame the prejudices of the Indian caste system, a devastating personal injury, and familial betrayal to rise as a respected cancer researcher at MD Anderson in Houston.
While her story is at times horrifying to read, it is mostly an incredibly uplifting and inspirational story of a life of perseverance and unexpected friendships. I do hope that Shern-Min Chow finds more stories like this to write as I had a hard time putting this one down.
G. Reading Powell – The Sporting House Killing
Powell is a retired professor from Baylor University’s School of Law, and this novel (the first of 3) is set in 1890s Waco, Texas. I think I saw his book mentioned in a Baylor alumni email. I downloaded his self-published novel shortly after it was published in 2021, but just now got around to reading it.
For some historical background, Baylor University, founded by Texas Baptists in 1845, moved to Waco in 1886 from Independence, Texas. In 1889, the city of Waco established a legal red-light district between the Brazos River and downtown which became known as “The Reservation”. Prostitution remained legal there until 1917 when the city was pressured to shut it down by the US Secretary of Defense to protect soldiers at nearby Camp MacArthur from STDs.
The book’s main character is Catfish Calloway who practices law with his son. When the son of an old army buddy is accused of killing one of the “sporting house” women, Catfish agrees to defend him and sets out to prove his innocence.
The story is as much about father-son relationships as it is the investigation, trial, and life in 1890s Waco. Powell includes many historical persons (such as Rufus Burleson, president of Baylor, and the journalist William Cowper Brann) alongside his fictional characters in the story and the city of Waco could even be described as one of the characters from the Suspension Bridge to the Courthouse to the railroad which still runs through town.
I probably spent as much time chasing down some of the real-life characters and events mentioned in the story as I spent reading the novel itself. When a book provokes further exploration of topics, I consider that a success!
Katharine Center – The Love Haters
After a couple of books with some serious topics, it was time to lighten up with a rom-com from Katharine Center. Center’s protagonists are generally very accomplished women in their careers who have been unlucky in love – and maybe even are seen as “hating love”.
Enter Katie, a videographer, in danger of being “down-sized”, she is offered a job-saving opportunity by her co-worker, Cole, to make a Coast Guard recruitment video focused on a rescue swimmer. Only problem, Katie can’t swim and she will need to pass a swim test and practice an underwater escape from a helicopter to do this assignment. But she needs the job, so she lies and pretends she can swim.
Turns out, Cole has some lies of his own. The swimmer being profiled is his big brother, Hutch, whom Cole describes to Katie as a “love-hater”. Hutch was also the subject of a recent viral video rescuing a celebrity’s dog and does not like being in the spotlight. So, Katie definitely has a challenge on her hands. Then, there is colorful Aunt Rue and her Key West friends. This is a fun read with both predictable moments and a few surprises along the way.
Until next time, read what pleases you!
Notes By Nancy 
Leave a comment