Warlock in Spite of Himself

 Warlock in Spite of Himself by Christopher Stasheff.

https://www.amazon.com/Warlock-Spite-Himself-Gramarye-Book-ebook/dp/B0047O2RHY/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=warlock+in+spite+of+himself&qid=1606335047&sprefix=Warlock+i&sr=8-3

5 stars

This series has a spin-off but I love the original. It is an older series.

 Rod Gallowglass lands on a planet that seems set in the middle ages complete with witches. He learns that it is actually mental powers like telekinesis and telepathy with a little help from a local plant that can form whatever a witch thinks at it.

But he's not the only one interested in the planet. A group with similar ideas to communism wants control of the planet to keep it from helping spread democracy among the stars in the future. 

Yes there is also time travel.

Rod of course foils the plot and gets the girl in the first book.  The following books are his--and his family's--continuing effort to head the planet toward democracy and keep the bad guys from taking over.

The locals think he's a Warlock with his technology. Hence the title.

And in time he becomes one.

The Fesarius Series

 The Fesarius Series by John Adams

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=fesarius+series&ref=nb_sb_noss

3 1/2 stars

Normally I read mystery but sometimes a sci-fi or fantasy will capture my attention.  

This series is episodic in nature and similar to Star Trek with a little Star Wars thrown in here and there. It even mentions Star Trek episodes!

The stories follow the Fesarius, a G. E. C. Ship, much like Star Trek follows the voyages of the Enterprise. They are short and move at a fast pace just like TV episodes.

I have read two so far. And they have both been entertaining but I took 1/2 star off because the stories are more telling than showing, more report than diary. And the P.O.V. switches, sometimes from paragraph to paragraph. Or it just states something and goes on. 

But they are a nice quick read if you want something to read while in the doctor's office or want to read something similar to Star Trek without the big price--each book is only 99¢ .

Message in the Bones

 Message in the Bones by Dawn Merriman

https://www.amazon.com/MESSAGE-BONES-psychic-suspense-thriller-ebook/dp/B07Y7G3R9G/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=1TM3ZJNLXJJPR&dchild=1&keywords=message+in+the+bones&qid=1605572545&sprefix=message+in+the+%2Caps%2C213&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExWlJYWTExQjkyOTFTJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMDExNTgzMlVHV0FLMExEMk1RUyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMzgyNzQ1S1JDS1BFRkZPMkc3JndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

4 Stars

Gabby McAllister has a gift, though she thinks of it as more of a curse. She receives impressions when she touches something or someone. When Bones are discovered with no clues or ID, she is asked to help by her skeptical brother who is the lead detective. Allof which brings her to the attention of the killer.

The pacing is good and I like that it switches P.O.V. between the three main characters--and the killer. Without giving anything away.

I wish it was longer and delved deeper into all the relationships. However I am on the second book so perhaps that will happen.

Update

Read the second and third book in the trilogy. Both were every bit as good as the first.  The arc was good and each kept a good pace as well as delving deeper into the relationships. So 4 stars for the series.

Hart of Madness

 Hart of Madness by Lynne Kennedy

https://www.amazon.com/Hart-Madness-Lynne-Kennedy-ebook/dp/B07NQPYJRB/ref=sr_1_1?crid=BP8EGOSUIVD4&dchild=1&keywords=hart+of+madness+lynne+kennedy&qid=1605572337&sprefix=hart+of+mad%2Caps%2C189&sr=8-1

3 1/2 stars because I wanted a happy ending and took a 1/2 star off.  But was good otherwise.

Hart Island, just off New York, has been used as a graveyard for paupers and unidentified bodies for a long time. It has also housed a prison and a lunatic asylum. There is a movement to identify the bodies on Hart Island which is what got me interested in the first place. 

 While this is fiction it is a blunt and realistic portrayal of what greed can do to a family and what conditions were like at the turn of that century. 

The story switches back and forth between 1902 and 2016. A murder in 2016 sets off the investigation and leads to mysteriously happenings in the victim's family's past. Ruby Hunt's story is sad, a tear-jerker as my grandma would say, and is revealed through the flashbacks. 

This is not a story for those who want a happy ever after ending or even a happy story at all. 

There is closure but like the old saying--Karma's a B**ch.

Jazzi Zander Mysteries

 The Jazzi Zander Mysteries by Judi Lynn

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=jazzi+zanders+mysteries&crid=1HQD6HYS8EW0L&sprefix=jazzi+z%2Caps%2C221&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-a-p_1_7

4 stars

I have read the five that are out. Loved them.  While I know that a detective would not drag around a civilian with him, I still found these books quite good. 

The Body in the Attic is the first book in the series and starts off with Jazzi finding the body of her long-lost aunt in a trunk in the attic of her latest fixer-upper. 

Jazzi, Ansel, and Jerod are believable and likeable characters as are the rest of the family. You grow to care about them all and I'm glad to see the author puts more of them in each successive book.

The pacing is good and doesn't bog you down. No lagging.

I had read the first book in another series with the same premise of a rehabber solving mysteries. That one I just couldn't get into. This one caught me from the first chapter. And it held me through the other four books.

If you can suspend your knowledge of knowing that detectives don't involve civilians in their investigations then you should give this series a try.