Tag: police officers

What’s Ashley Reading?: Too Old For This

Too Old For This by Samantha Downing

First line: The remains of my dinner start to congeal.

Summary: Lottie Jones has spent the last few decades in a small town trying to move on from her past. She spends her time with friends playing bingo at her church. But then one day a journalist looking into the unsolved murders from Lottie’s past shows up on her doorstep and shakes up her quiet life. Lottie soon realizes that getting away with murder was much easier when she was younger but she will do what she needs to in order to keep her secrets.

My Thoughts: Starting this book I was very excited. It immediately gave me An Elderly Lady Is Up To No Good vibes. We have an elderly woman who just happens to be a serial killer and has gotten away with it for decades. Sounds intriguing, right? And it really started out that way but after a bit I felt like the story was dragging on and on. At one point it felt like we had come to the end of the story but it was only 40% or so into the book. I wondered what could continue to happen after this. But more and more problems kept piling on to Lottie. She had to use her limited knowledge of technology and play up her feebleness to get herself out of some tough spots. It became almost comical in its complexity at times. I had fun and did really enjoy the story but it felt a little long. For Downing’s fans it will be a good addition to their TBR list this fall.

FYI: Murder, dismemberment, blackmail

Monica’s Musings : Anxious People

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

“We don’t have a plan, we just do our best to get through the day, because there’ll be another one coming along tomorrow.”

― Fredrik Backman, Anxious People

Summary:

Viewing an apartment normally doesn’t turn into a life-or-death situation, but this particular open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes everyone in the apartment hostage. As the pressure mounts, the eight strangers begin slowly opening up to one another and reveal long-hidden truths.

My thoughts:

I enjoyed every part of this book. As the reader, you get to know each of the characters personally and see into their lives. The main question throughout the story is how did they all get to this point. Since the author lets you meet the hostages, bank robber, and police officers, the story is constantly developing and making more sense. There were a lot of twists that I was not expecting. It was not violent or gory in any way. This book is sarcastic and funny while also being emotional and thoughtful.

Trigger Warnings: Talk of Suicide, Depression, Anxiety