It took me a long time to get around to writing this review, mostly because I didn't want to think about this book anymore. I had plans of writing something long and in depth, but instead I will keep this short and to the point. 

Cuts can be summed up in one word: Tits....or breasts, if that word makes you feel more comfortable. Richard Laymon is a boob man through and through, it's obvious as the day is long. Not a chapter in this book goes by without a reference to a woman's chest. Even if it isn't in a sexual way, the boobs are there no question, but let's be honest, it's usually sexual.

Now, I'm not a prude at all (which is why I made a point of using tits there at the beginning :P), but I've never read something written for adults with such a juvenile approach to sexuality. Most of Laymon's work covers these basis, but none of the others I've read scraped the bottom of the boob barrel so unapologetically. 

I hope Laymon's heaven is two massive chesticles pressed to either side of his face for all time, I truly do. But for you, dear reader, chose another book.

5 things you need to know how perfume boxes attracted the customer. Are their designs or pattern or something else? Sometimes simplicity is the key.

Decided on another Richard Laymon. This one starts out with a 17 yo boy with boobs in his face. By the end of the chapter, he's stabbing a dog to death. Laymon is back to his old tricks.

The success of this book -- like almost all of them for the pre-reading set -- comes down to the effort put into it by whoever is reading the book to the child. If someone gets into the rhyme, oohs and ahhs over the art just right, and has a lot of fun with it, I can't imagine how a kid won't either.

Zvolon wrote this to help her granddaughters deal with the trauma of having their nails trimmed -- which can be a struggle for some kids, I know. So Zvolon came up with a way to turn the experience into a game into something fantastical. She tells a very simple rhyming story about Nils overcoming his fear of getting his nails trimmed with the help of a game. It's a neat idea told in an attractive fashion.

The art is something else -- if it doesn't make you think fantasy, nothing will. Rotem Lots-Zaiden doesn't illustrate this like any contemporary children's book -- it feels like something that came out of the 1970's -- maybe early Sesame Street animation. This is not a bad thing, I think it serves the story pretty well, and the strange features and interesting colors should keep the attention of young readers.

I honestly never thought I'd read a book about trimming nails, or helping someone through the struggle of it. But now that I have, I can't imagine a better one on the subject. This is good stuff, and I hope it helps some kids.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinions as expressed above.

Hillary Broome, a reporter for a California paper, lands in the middle of a serial murder investigation. The murderer is targeting managers of big box stores and leaving their bodies in disturbing positions. Detective Ed Kiffin reluctantly teams up with Hillary to try to track down the killer.

This was a fun fast-paced murder mystery. I quickly became invested in the characters and even came to understand the killer’s motives (even as I don’t condone his actions). The point of view switches from Hillary to Ed to the killer throughout the story.

Hillary has some parental issues as her father recently died and her mother abandoned both of them when she was quite small. She recently left a bad relationship back east and she has some secret from that time period she doesn’t want her current colleagues to know about. Detective Ed is also an interesting character. He knows he should give up smoking but still can’t do it. His wife left him after their daughter died in an unsolved hit and run accident.

Initially, I wasn’t sure who the killer was even though we get to ride around in his head. As the story moves along it becomes apparent who it is to me as the reader, but I still quite enjoyed watching Hillary and Ed try to figure it out. It’s obvious with the first body that the killer has some experience butchering large animals. So the police suspect he is perhaps a hunter or a professional butcher. I really appreciated the few accurate butchering details the author included, which made the plot that much realer.

The suspense winds up as Hillary pieces the clues together and decides to follow her guesses. She has a need to make sure her new friend is OK and ends up confronting the killer. Honestly, I was biting my nails at this point since Ed and the police force seemed pretty behind on the chase. I was very pleased when Hillary had a hand in saving the day even as the police finally showed up. It was a fun, sometimes intense, story and I look forward to more Hillary Broome novels.

I received a copy of this audiobook from the author (via iRead Book Tours – thanks!) at no cost in exchange for an honest review.

Narration: Ginny Harman was a good pick for this book. She had clear, distinct voices for all the characters. Also, her male voices were good. There was even a little singing that was done well.