Someone Else's Shoes by Jojo Moyes

This had a slow start for me. I have a difficult time reading about self-entitled, smug, obnoxious people, so that might have been part of it. I was definitely not a fan of Nisha for the longest time. Nisha's husband was despicable. I also hated Sam's boss, Simon. And then there was Sam's depressed husband who refused to do anything at all to make his life better. Let's see, there were also Sam's parents who were whiney and demanding and completely annoying. It's just too much! I was able to keep reading because of the kindness of Jasmine and Andrea. These two women were steadfast, loyal, honest, supportive and pretty much "saved" the book for me.

Nisha Cantor was married to a very wealthy man who decided one day that he was done with her. So he shut down her access to their homes, money and clothing immediately. She had access to only the clothes on her back - and the shoes on her feet, which were actually not her own, since her bag got mixed up with another bag at the gym. Nisha's "replacement" was named Charlotte, who was her husband's secretary. Charlotte started wearing all of Nisha's prized attire. These people cared more about their clothes and shoes than anything else. Drove me nuts.

Sam Kemp is super kind, but stuck with a family that doesn't recognize her kindness, patience or hard work. She is also good at her job, but gets increasingly criticized about each and every thing by her new boss, who very obviously feels insecure in his own masculinity and leadership skills since he undermines everything that Sam does. I was appalled at Sam's colleagues too, who don't really stand up for her against him. Except Joel, but that's a different story. So much negativity!

Since I love Jojo Moyes, I knew to keep reading. I knew these women would find the strength to stand up for themselves against all these pitiful men. And there was a twist that I didn't see coming, which is always a nice surprise. So, my takeaway from this book is that superficial friends are worthless; you have to find your own self-worth and not try to find it in the eyes of others; stand up for yourself when you know you are being taken advantage of. Strap on those 6-inch red Louboutin shoes and walk confidently into the room to show people what you've got!

Wendy's Rating: ****

The Concrete Blonde by Michael Connelly

Although this is only the 3rd book in the Harry Bosch series, and there are 20+ books in the series, this was my favorite so far. Harry's demotion to the Hollywood Division is explained in Book #1, but this book brings Harry to trial about the Dollmaker case, which is what got Harry demoted. Harry had shot and killed a serial killer called the Dollmaker, who was actually unarmed at the time. Harry of course thought he was reaching for a gun, so shooting him was his response for self-defense. Harry is brought to trial by the Dollmaker's widow. She doesn't believe that her husband was the Dollmaker - and she also wanted Harry to pay for killing an unarmed man. At the beginning of this book, another body is discovered ("The Concrete Blonde" since the woman was blonde and buried under cement) with the Dollmaker's trademarks. She was killed two years previously and the Dollmaker was killed by Harry four years previously. So this brings into question whether Harry killed an innocent man.

In addition to Harry being involved in this trial, which doesn't appear to be going in his favor, due to the inexperience of his own lawyer vs. the expertise of the Plaintiff's lawyer, Honey Chandler, Harry is still dating the former spouse (Sylvia) of the cop gone bad in Book #2. It's already a year into their relationship and Harry loves Sylvia but she starts doubting his commitment to her. Being a cop's wife, she is super patient, but Harry's unwillingness to talk about his past and his obsession with the Dollmaker case, tries her patience.

As if that isn't intriguing enough (all of the above!), Harry starts to suspect a cop as another serial killer (referred to as the Follower) and uses a psychiatrist/author as a resource for information. This doctor, Locke, seems a little too interested in Harry's latest case, which makes me suspicious of him! And finally, Edgar does a really terrible thing to Harry and that really threw me for a loop. I don't like him so much anymore. This book was definitely a "page turner".

Wendy's Rating: ****

Conspiracy in Death by JD Robb

Book #8 in the Eve Dallas series. Eve is called to the scene of a murder of a street person whose diseased organ has been surgically removed by a skilled surgeon. This is puzzling since this series is written in future times and the use of donated organs is rare. Organs are manufactured in the 2050s and they last a lot longer than real organs. In addition to that, even in present time, no one would want to use a diseased organ for donation purposes. Eve and her team discover other similar murders in the US and in Europe. All of the people found dead had diseased organs which were surgically removed.

To add an additional layer to this story, Eve finds herself a target for a police officer that attended the Police Academy with her many years previously. Officer Bowers treats Eve with disrespect at two different crime scenes and Eve chastises her and reports her insubordination. This doesn't sit well with Officer Bowers, who pushes back. After Bowers is discovered murdered, Eve is considered a person of interest in her death. The end result is the department being forced to suspend Eve and take her badge & weapon. This sends Eve into a state of despair.

It takes Roarke and Mavis 2-3 days to force Eve out of her "funk". Eve eventually assists with the investigation into these deaths using Roarke's private resources, with behind-the scenes support from Peabody and company. Eve also undergoes some mentally challenging evaluations performed by Mira in order to prove that she is fit for her job. I like that Eve is being forced to deal with her past instead of being allowed to internalize her trauma. I like to see personal growth in main characters in all series of books.

Wendy's Rating: ****