​Genre: Legal Thriller

​Click book cover for Amazon.com

Most legal thrillers are written from the prospective of the attorney, and it is refreshing to read J. D. Trafford’s novel through the eyes of the judge. Good Intentions introduces us to Judge Jim Thompson just as his world seems to be coming apart. He has been following in the footsteps of his mentor, Judge Meyer, and is working with children and their families, trying to fairly determine if foster care is the correct solution for the children who come before him. A recent decision that turns tragic jeopardizes his job at the same time that he finds Meyer’s murdered body.

I must say, I have read a great deal of legal thrillers and find it odd that so many lawyers  (and now a judge) spend most of their time trying to solve crime rather than defend or adjudicate. In Good Intention, Judge Thompson is determined to find out who killed his mentor. While digging through Meyer’s belongings, he comes across several pictures that seem out of place and a bank account earmarked for Thompson that contains millions of dollars. Trying to save Judge Meyer’s reputation while in the midst of trying to salvage his own gets complicated, and Thompson is no longer sure who he can trust.

Trafford is a compelling writer, and his stories always keep the reader interested. He is a lawyer by trade, and I feel he does a stronger job representing lawyers as displayed in his last book, Little Boy Lost. In that novel, attorney Justin Glass felt three dimensional throughout, where as in this latest novel there are times when Judge Thompson falls a little flat. The story is a good one though, and he does a good job showing the various sides of foster children cases.

This is a good choice for Trafford fans as well as legal thriller thriller enthusiasts looking for a slightly different point of view.

- Beverly


​Publisher - Thomas & Mercer
Date of Publication - ​​​June 19, 2018

“He felt now that he was not simply close to her, but that he did not know where he ended and she began.”
—- Leo Tolstoy


I must admit it, I caught a bit of the actress and the Prince fever last week and taped the Royal Wedding. After watching Rachel Zane finally marry Mike on "Suits" several weeks ago, didn’t I just have to watch Rachel Meghan Markel get married to her real live Prince Harry? After all, I watched Harry grow up through these years without his beloved mother, and kept hoping he would find his perfect princess (or duchess in this case).

So we spent Sunday in true British fashion as we watched the wedding (a day after the fact but no less romantic) and feasted on scones and tea. Arthur agreed to play into my fantasy (hopefully Meghan’s prince will be as wonderful to her) and baked dried cherry scones that we covered in clotted cream and homemade raspberry jam, and he baked chive scones topped with pickled cucumber and gravlax. Watching the actors mix with the royalty as the bride and groom exchanged their vows was definitely the thing that fairy tales are made of, and I think the world definitely needed to have a front row seat in a fairy tale at this time.

Rather than dampen my mood with talk of murder and mayhem and the rainy weather this week, I want to take some time to thank you all and ask for some help. I started this madderlyreview.com blog in January 2014 with about ten readers (thanks family) and have watched it grow with readers from all over the world. My initial plan was to have an interactive blog with space for your creativity. Readers would send in reviews of their favorite (or least favorite) books, and they would be featured on our guest reviews page. That worked for a while but began to taper off after a bit, and I miss your reviews.

I am not a fan of all genres and can’t fairly review them. For example, I am not interested in fantasy fiction and found myself writing negatively about fantasy books that were recommended to me. I decided to just avoid the genres that I don’t prefer, but that leaves a void in certain areas. That is where you come in. I really need some of you to send me reviews (long or short) of the books that you are reading. It will give you an opportunity to share your thoughts and writing with people everywhere and help make this a more well rounded blog. If you click under "SUBMIT A REVIEW" on our page and put your information in the proper space (name, email, title, author) and your review (you can cut and paste if you like), we will happily share it. Make sure that you include your name so we can give you credit.

People have asked again why my reviews are mostly positive and question if I ever read books that I don’t like at all. The answer is a resounding yes. There are times that I read three books in a week without finding much positive to say. As I have stated before though, I won’t write primarily negative reviews because someone put his/her heart and soul (and a slew of hours) into the book that I am not enjoying. I will not recommend it, but I won’t destroy it either. I only feature the books that I feel comfortable recommending.

I had also hoped that my blog and reviews would encourage comments and discussion (there is a place to click for comments next to everything I write) but you all seem more comfortable emailing rather than commenting. Don’t get me wrong, I love your emails...even those written in different languages (thank you google translate) but would love to have you share your thoughts on my open forum if you feel comfortable.

Also, those of you who would like a reminder email each time a new review or blog is added can click on "CONTACT"  and just type your email address and the word "update" click submit. We will add you to our list of subscribers. As an added bonus, each time we add 50 new subscribers we draw a name and send the lucky winner an Amazon gift card as a thank you. Please give us a shout out on your social media sites too, so our readership can grow.

This week’s book, Fatal Odds, was written by John Dobbyn, an author who always puts his heart and soul on every page of his novels. You can certainly see his passion surrounding the world of the illicit trade of exotic and endangered species of wild animals, as he weaves his legal thriller around this horrifying topic. Definitely a thought provoking read.

As always a complete review of this book follows my blog.

Happy reading,

- Beverly

​Click on the book cover to order the title mentioned in today's blog

​Genre: Legal Thriller

Click book cover for Amazon.com

John Dobbyn’s passion for his topics always draw me in, and this book is no exception. The illicit trade of exotic and endangered species of wild animals has always bothered me, and Dobbyn makes it clear that it is a hot button topic for him as well. Hopefully, these facts embroiled in fiction will alert his readers to this despicable practice and lead toward changes in the near future.

The relationship between defense attorneys Michael Knight and Lex Devlin is one that I have enjoyed through this series. Devlin has proven himself a strong mentor for the younger Knight who is a better attorney because of their relationship. Things become personal in Fatal Odds for Knight when Roberto, a jockey and a relative of his, dies in a fixed horse race. As if that isn’t bad enough, Roberto’s brother, Victor, is being accused of murder, and Knight is determined to defend him.

Suddenly, the lawyer is in way over his head, dealing with Puerto Rican crime gangs and threats against his life. He follows Victor to Puerto Rico and the story really picks up pace there. The reader is taken into the rainforest and is given a lesson on animal smuggling that will definitely make one think. When an author can teach me new facts along with entertaining me, I consider his/her book a success.

There are quite a few secondary characters in this book, and I had to focus as I turned each page or I would have lost my way. I don’t want to say too much and give away the plot, but I will say that with help from his friends Knight comes up with quite a scheme to outwit the mafia, gang members, and anyone else who gets in his way. Dobbyn is foremost a storyteller, and this is one story that you won’t want to miss.

- Beverly

​
​Publisher - Oceanview Publishing
Date of Publication - ​August 2,2016

"Be the reason someone believes in the goodness of people." - Karen Salmansohn


It is not the politics of our country that is breaking my heart, it is the hatred that is being displayed. At the beginning I believed that this administration did not bring out any more hatred in people, they just made people believe they could be more forthright with their prejudice. I thought that perhaps we were better off seeing who hated us, rather than having it hidden beneath false smiles. I was wrong!

Remember those days in elementary school and that one hateful boy who made you feel uncomfortable? You knew he was thinking vile thoughts, but he was afraid to put those thoughts into action. Then a few more kids let their bigotry show, and they all became a much braver group. The bullying became physical and school became an unpleasant place to be. The spineless draw strength from numbers, and the more cowards that show their faces, the more likely they are to act.

It is difficult for me to believe the number of people who feel so venomous towards people who are different than they are. What was in the mind of the attorney, for example, who began ranting about two women who were conversing with each other in Spanish, their native language. He was standing in a take-out type of restaurant in New York and began yelling demeaning things to these women and threatening to call I.C.E. and have them deported. The positive twist to this story lies with the number of people coming to the defense of these women.

Or how about the group of black Sigma Gamma Rho sorority sisters who were performing community service in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania? A state trooper stopped them as they cleaned a part of the highway and began harassing them. Even after they explained what they were doing and showed valid I.D., he continued the harassment as he demeaned these community minded young ladies. Unfortunately it is not possible to insure that all police personal are without bigotry when they are hired, and the tenor of the country at this time encourages the worst of these bigots to show their true colors.

These incidents are happening throughout the country and in all economic and educational levels. A black coed graduate student at Yale University was studying in the common lounge and fell asleep. A white coed called the police who asked for identification even after she used her key to get into her dorm room. When the young woman explained to the policemen that she paid her tuition and deserves to be there, one officer responded “We determine who is allowed to be here or who’s not allowed to be here, regardless of whether you feel you’re allowed to be here or not.”

Each of these many stories that we read each day takes away a bit of the humanity that America was built on, and makes us lesser in the eyes of the world. Whether or not one believes that illegal immigrants should be deported, surely we must agree that all people should be treated with respect and dignity. Separating families, threatening to call I.C.E. and demeaning these people who are only searching for a better life, is not the answer.

I am saddened and worried by these actions, but I am heartened by the people who are stepping up and defending those who are being tormented. In each of the cases that I mentioned, and in the hundreds of cases that I haven’t mentioned, there were many more people standing up for what was right then there were people showing their bigotry. Hopefully, those of us who believe in equality for all will show our beliefs in the voting booths around America this November. Hopefully, we will spend time researching each candidate and then vote for the one (no matter the party affiliation) who represents the humane side of our country. America has always been great, and we must ensure that she will continue to represent the best of humanity.

To lighten the mood this week, I read a light mystery. There's Something About Marty (A Working Stiffs Mystery) by Wendy Delaney was just what I needed during those sleepless nights.

As always a complete review of this book follows my blog.

Happy reading,

- Beverly

Click on the book cover to order the title mentioned in today's blog

​Genre: Mystery

​Click book cover for Amazon.com

The allure of small town life always captured me, but from the beginning days of television’s Jessica Fletcher, something mysterious always seems to be brewing there. There's Something About Marty by Wendy Delaney keeps the mystery of small town life alive, even as Prosecutor’s Assistant Charmaine “Char” Digby does her best to solve this one. When wealthy businessman Marty McCutcheon dies at his own birthday celebration, there is no lack of suspects, and Char believes that this was far from a natural death.

His widow has already buried two husbands, his children’s greed is evident, and of course the jilted ex-girlfriend was not a fan. The County Prosecutor is not anxious to take on this case, and we get to see Char in action as she determinedly searches for the killer. My biggest issue with the book was the number of characters that I had to keep track of, but that might have just been my mood at the time.

Her personal life adds a bit of fun to the tale, and her secret relationship with gorgeous Detective Steve Sixkiller is a great distraction from murder and mayhem.  Of course there are as many complications in her love life as there are in her hunt for the murderer, but Char doesn’t give up in either case, and There's Something About Marty did a good job in holding my interest.

- Beverly


Publisher - Sugarbaker Press
Date of Publication - ​​January 28, 2016

“Teaching is not a lost art, but the regard for it is a lost tradition.”
   -Jacques Barzun


We are celebrating teachers this “teacher appreciation week” as we do each year, with luncheons in schools and discounts in certain stores and restaurants. These things are very much appreciated, but what teachers really need is the respect and support of their administration and community. For years people have tried to figure out why a large number of teachers leave after their first year in the classroom. Let me paint a picture for you.

My first year of teaching was for an administration that didn’t give much credence to “special education.” They were annoyed that a special needs class was foisted upon them, and had no intention of making it easy for the teacher...a very young me.  My classroom was literally a former supply closet that was split in two by a moveable bookcase. I was teaching on one side while the art teacher held her classes on the other. There were no supplies, no support, no air conditioning and no cross ventilation...not conducive to good teaching in South Florida. I made it through the year, and in fact my students succeeded beyond expectations, but I left to raise my family and didn’t think that I would ever return to a profession that disrespected me so thoroughly.

My daughter’s first year was equally shattering. Her department head berated her constantly, and the administration never followed through on the mentoring she was promised. Her students loved her, and that annoyed the older teachers even more. By the time June came, she walked out vowing that she would never return.

My sister’s first year as a teacher was in an inner city elementary school in Atlanta. She was given a whistle to wear around her neck and told to blow it if a parent came in with a weapon. Her supplies were limited and her salary was ridiculously low. She remained there three years because she was supporting her family as her husband finished dental school, but she left teaching when he graduated.

My sister-in-law went back for her teaching degree when she was in her thirties, and was thrilled to get her first teaching job upon graduation. The students were so rough, and her support was so non-existent, that she almost had a nervous breakdown. She left after her first year and never returned.

My sister, daughter and I were teachers at heart and all returned to the classroom when we were mature enough to work past the problems. Eventually we were all lucky enough to find excellent Principals who appreciated our talents, but the system continued working against us.

Yes, there are many reasons that Teacher’s leave the classroom. Lack of respect from parents, students and administrators takes its toll, and when you couple that with a salary so low that the average teacher can not qualify for a mortgage, it is difficult to convince young people to stay. Factor in challenging working conditions (overcrowded classrooms and a severe lack of supplies) and unrealistic expectations, and we lose the best and the brightest in droves.

Still, as you walk the halls of almost any school in America, you can peer into the classroom and see men and women giving their all to classrooms crowded with children. They stay because they were born to teach. They stay because they love your children. They stay because someone has to care enough.

I, for one, would like to take this week to say that I appreciate the work that Teacher’s do and the caring that they show to our children, every day of the year.

The book I read and reviewed this week was true escapism. The 17th Suspect (The Women’s Murder Club) by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro definitely gets a thumbs up from me.

As always, a complete review of this book follows my blog.

Happy reading,

- Beverly

​Click on the book cover to order the title mentioned in today's blog

​Genre: Thriller

​Click book cover for Amazon.com

Although I don’t review many of James Patterson’s books, I never miss his Women’s Murder Club series co-authored with Maxine Paeto. The four friends in the series, Prosecutor Yuki, Reporter Cindy, and Medical Examiner Claire, much like the women of "Sex in the City", make you want to be part of their group. All bright and successful, these women work together to make San Francisco a better place.

The seventeen books in this series take the reader through the personal lives of these women, even as it has us anxiously trying to solve the mysteries along with them. The authors always give us a minimum of two major events occurring and intertwines each woman's professional duties with the outcomes. In this latest novel, The 17th Suspect, prosecuting attorney Yuki is dealing with workplace rape. In this case, however, it is a man coming to her with a taped recording that shows him being raped at gunpoint by his female boss/lover. 

Detective Sergeant Lindsay Boxer, meanwhile, is approached by Millie, a homeless woman who fears for her life. Homeless people are being gunned down on the streets of San Francisco, and the police don’t seem to be interested in finding the culprit. Lindsay and her partner go against police politics as they try to save Millie and find themselves being turned away from the case.

The authors do a wonderful job of interspersing the stories and bringing the main characters together. This book focused on Lindsay and Yuki however, and I would have liked to see a bit more involvement with Cindy and Claire. All of the women have interesting men in their lives who help to round out these quick reading novels.

Patterson/Paetro’s mixture of first and third person writing is a difficult style to get right, and they seem to have perfected it. Lindsay’s chapters are always in first person, while the rest of the book is written in third person. This seems to make Lindsay stand out, but she never overshadows the other three.

These books are never really original, yet they always capture the reader's attention and keep us wondering throughout. The 17th Suspect is a definite must for all James Patterson fans.

- Beverly


Publisher - Little, Brown & Company
Date of Publication - ​April 30, 2018

“Morality is not the doctrine of how we may make ourselves happy, but how we may make ourselves worthy of happiness.”
——Immanuel Kant (German Philosopher)


Oxford dictionary defines morality as principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior, but who makes those distinctions? Where and when do we develop the moral compass that takes us through our lives.\? Our parents must certainly have a major influence on what we deem as right and wrong, yet many criminals have children who are upstanding citizens.

While many people believe that some things are just plain black and white...killing someone is bad and honoring your parents is good...I see shading there too. Killing in self-defense is sometimes necessary, as is straying from a parent who abuses you.  Our parents, teacher’s and religious leaders try to teach us right from wrong, but they are doing so through their own lenses.

When I taught the musings of Ralph Waldo Emerson to my classes, we would get into a discussion of right versus wrong. I would tell them that if they always did what they knew was right, they would never have to listen to anyone else. “Not even our parents,” they would try to get me. I explained that if they followed what they truly knew, and not what they wanted to believe, than their parents would never need to discipline them.

As an example I posed the question: if their parents forbid them to go out, and they think it is right to go out, would it be the moral thing to sneak out of their window. I would then explain that you might be sure that going out is the correct thing to do, but in your heart you know that disrespecting your parents is not the moral decision. If you choose to sneak out you will be going against your moral code, even if you think the act itself is okay.

That twinge of guilt that we all feel at various points in our lives, is our own conscience leading us in the moral direction. If everyone always listened to that twinge, we wouldn’t need police, gun control or even baby sitters. Have you ever watched a toddler trying to do something naughty? They will take two steps and then turn to see if mom/dad is watching. They know full well they shouldn’t take that next step, but it is so darned tempting.

...And there lies the rub. Temptation! Be it in the form of a gooey cake, a shot of scotch, a beautiful woman/man or the mighty dollar, temptation gets in the way of the morals that we all possess, and for some reason the more power one has the more difficult it seems to be to control those temptations. These last few years have been both nauseating and embarrassing as we watch the most powerful of politicians give in to the bases of temptations. Mayors, governors, councilmen/women, senators, representatives and presidents have been caught in the most compromising of positions. They risked their families and their jobs because they believed they wouldn’t get caught.

The #MeToo movement has caught many off guard, and some men of power will have to pay the price for their lapses. Bill Cosby has recently been found guilty on three counts of sexual assault. Each count could find him serving up to ten years in jail. Cosby is 80, so it will take a miracle for him to enjoy freedom again in this lifetime. Although he claims innocence, I imagine that twinge of his conscience is working overtime when the lights are off and he is taking toll of his moral compass. The problem isn’t that these man don’t know right from wrong, the problem is they don’t care.

I believe that we deserve better. I believe that our children deserve better. We have all become too accepting of what our leaders in industry, entertainment and politics pass off as respectable behavior. We need to demand more. We need to vote better. We need to boycott those who are leading by a poor example. We need to take back the moral high ground, so our children will recognize it when they see it.

Speaking of a moral conundrum, Never Goodbye by Adam Mitzner kept me wondering about good guy versus bad guy throughout the pages of his latest thriller. He brings back past protagonist, Ella Broden and pairs her with a new co-protagonist, Deputy Chief of the Special Victims’ Bureau, Dana Goodwin. These two strong female characters will definitely have you turning pages through the night.

As always, a complete review of Mitzner’s book follows this blog.

Happy reading,

- Beverly

​Click on the book cover to order the title mentioned in today's blog

​Genre: Legal Thriller 

​Click book cover for Amazon.com

Some authors are captivating and some are comfortable, but Adam Mitzner is the perfect blend of both. Every one of his books have me sitting on the edge of my seat as his protagonists go through hoop after hoop before bringing us to a satisfying ending. Somehow he also manages to make sure that the reader is totally invested in his characters as we become more and more involved in their lives. Never Goodbye is a sequel, of sorts, to his last book, Dead Certain. I read, loved and reviewed Dead Certain here last May and was thrilled to find protagonist Ella Broden back in Never Goodbye.

Never Goodbye finds Ella trying to get over events that occurred in Dead Certain after giving up her job as a prosecutor and concentrating more on her dream of being a singer. When another personal tragedy befalls her (it was difficult to imagine so much violent death surrounding one person) she is forced into working with her boyfriend Gabriel (the gorgeous police detective from the previous book) into making sure the guilty party pays.

Mitzner added a second protagonist to this book, Deputy Chief of the Special Victims’ Bureau, Dana Goodwin. Dana, who took over Ella’s previous job, is driven in her career at the expense of her family life and gives us a chance to delve into the life of a new character while experiencing the comfort of revisiting a familiar one.

As always Mitzner’s storyline is both complicated and captivating, inviting his readers to solve a murder while involving us in the lives and loves of these two dynamic women. His ability to build characters gets stronger in each of his novels and leaves the reader wanting to spend a little more time with them when the last page is reached.

Although this book can certainly stand on its own, I recommend grabbing a copy of Dead Certain and reading it first. Events in that book will explain Ella more clearly, and give you insight into some of her current relationships.

- Beverly

Publisher - Thomas & Mercer
Date of Publication - ​April 24, 2018