The Good Reads 2018 Challenge is underway. Book #16

OK--I just finished reading COME SUNDOWN by Nora Roberts. Initially I honestly did not know how I would finish reading 40 books pledged to the Goodreads.com 2018 challenge BUT once I set up some rules on how I would choose the books I would read, its easier. Now, I am pretty confident that I will make it to 40 reads before December 31.

Each book chosen for this challenge must fall into one of the following categories:

     1. Authors recommended by other readers (author must be new to me)
     2. Any recommendations by my fellow readers of our online mystery reading group established in 1993 on Prodigy
    3. The next book in a series I have been reading
    4. The next book in a series I have abandoned (in an attempt to revive my interest)
    5. A book that references a historic event or period that is not in my lifetime
    6. A book that references any historic event or biographs a famous person who lived in my lifetime.
    7. New mystery author with setting in USA.
    8. New mystery author with setting in western Europe.

This book was chosen for a few reasons and the selection followed Rule #1.

• Nora Roberts is an author whose name is familiar to me, but I have never read any of her books. 
• She is listed as the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels. 
• She also writes under the pen name J.D. Robb. 
• But most importantly, she was recommended to me on a Sunday morning in St Louis.
•  When I dropped into Michael's craft store to pick up a little collectable toy for my granddaughter, the cashier was not busy and she was reading a book. It seemed that reading on the job was against the rules as she held the book under the counter and had the book wrapped in brown paper bookcover. HEHE--must be good!! I asked her what she was reading, and she began to tell me the joy that Nora Roberts' books bring to her--she is NEVER disappointed. So, I went to the library in St Louis and found the Nora Roberts 2017 book titled COME SUNDOWN (satisfies Rule #1).

Here is what happened when I read this book. The book is set in Montana outside Missoula. I have been to Montana and the sunsets are phenomenal. That was a positive reason to choose this book. As I read the first quarter of the book, I tried to categorize the genre of this book fell and realized it could be called any of these:

·      a psychothriller,

·      a murder mystery,

·      a multi-generational family dilemma fiction,

·      a western,

·      a romance novel,

·      a battle of the sexes, and/or

·      the demographic and political landscape of the wild west.

YIKES.  All those genres in one exciting book. BUT it worked. Reviewing my notes taken during reading this book, it seems Nora Roberts absolutely followed the scheme or design or rules trueto each of these genres. In fact, the denouement included the resolution of the psycho problem, the murderer was revealed, there was a shootout, the family dilemma appears to be resolving, the demographics and the political issues were addressed and the battle of the sexes worked out.  There is a potential for further development and a storyline hinting toward a sequel. (Nora Roberts writes many of her books into a series--so there is always that chance that a standalone like this book won't be alone forever).

Discovering that Nora Roberts books seem to be conversation starters was a pleasant surprise. People actually just started talking to me when they saw me carrying or reading the book.

·      I was told by a woman in the grocery checkout line ( I always take a book to the grocery store in case there is a line at checkout) that she thought that COME SUNDOWN was Nora Roberts' best book so far, and that she actually hoped that there would be a sequel as she missed reading about characters she felt she had come to know!!!!

·      Someone else who saw me with the book told me that there were rumors that this book would be a movie soon.

·      A very nice woman asked if I liked the book--that reader had not picked it up yet. 

So kudos to you, Nora Roberts.

I cannot promise that I will read another Nora Roberts book--but I will watch and see if this book ends up as Book #1 of the Montana series and then maybe consider it. Should it become a movie--I will not see the movie at the theater--but will wait to enjoy this on NetFlix, sitting on the couch under my comforter--exactly the way I read it.
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NOTE to Nora Roberts--if you do make this into a series, perhaps you can use my name "Susan Grimes" as a character who escapes the east coast  with her golden retriever and stays at the resort in one of those posh cabins. A minor role or "mention" is fine with me!! (I love wearing fashionable hats!! )   Thank you in advance.