In The Solarium

  4/5 ⭐ Followed by notoriety she never asked for, Natalie is looking for a way out of the darkness and evil that seems to find her. Even if that means leaving her job on the police force. Let me just start with holy cow, the imagery and language Blanchard sets us up with is... *chef's kiss, perfection. Very rarely do I feel like I am there in the scene following, watching the characters as the story unfolds. But here, I am walking with Natalie as she goes to interview potential witnesses or as she is driving along the snowy landscape of her hometown. It’s mesmerizing. I was disappointed that this was yet another story with a love triangle. And as it was introduced so early on, I knew it was going to be a prominent plot point to the story. But it made me cringe every time an interaction happened between Natalie and the one man she wasn't in a relationship with, Luke, her childhood friend, and boss. That right there should be a good sign that it wouldn't work. Too much histo

5/5 ⭐ I love Japanese mystery novels. I can't quite put my finger on it but they offer something that just appeals to me. That being said, of course, I had to read the first Kindaichi mystery! I have read the manga adaptation about his grandson called 'Kindaichi Case Files' (there are actually a few different series and even an anime) and that sort of spurred my interest in them but when I saw that it was being republished I had to read it. Because I am used to Kindaichi being referred to as a grandfather, I was pleasantly shocked to see him presented as a younger man with unkempt hair and semi disheveled clothes. I was amused at his habits of scratching at his head and his hair becoming even more unruly. His stutter that would become more prominent the more excited he got. It was fun. That's the best word for it. As for the story itself, I was hooked. I have always appreciated Japanese culture and history so the little details and explanations for what everything was v