Tag: mystery

A Life for A Life by Lynda McDaniel

A Life for a Life: A Mystery Novel (Appalachian Mountain Mysteries Book 1) by [McDaniel, Lynda]

4 Stars

Publisher: Lynda McDaniel Books 

Date of publication: August 15th, 2016

Genre: Mystery

Where you can find A Life for a Life: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Synopsis:

When a young woman is found dead in a wilderness area of the North Carolina mountains, the county sheriff says suicide. Della Kincaid disagrees. As a former reporter in Washington, D.C., she knows how to hunt down the real story. But she’s living in Laurel Falls, N.C., trying to revive a struggling general store and create a new life for herself. Without her usual sources, she turns to an unlikely cast of characters—friends, customers, ex-husband, and forger. With their help, she uncovers how unbridled greed has spawned an interwoven series of crimes and sorrows. Along the way, Kincaid discovers how much the Appalachian landscape and its people mean to her.

Lynda McDaniel, award-winning author of 15 books, has woven together true events from her early years living “back to the land” in Appalachia with an intriguing mystery story.

“A Life for a Life,” an autobiographical mystery novel, shares funny, moving, and surprising stories from those years. You’ll meet a cantankerous laundromat owner who was just as weird as Lynda portrayed her, and a gentle giant of a beekeeper whose love for his family was as big as he was. And Cleva, who’s based on a lovely woman who taught Lynda how to can tomatoes and make the best blackberry jam you’ve ever tasted. Many of the other characters are fashioned after real people who opened their hearts to this deer-in-the-headlights city slicker. Lynda had moved to the mountains of North Carolina to see what rural life was all about. Over the years, she realized that everything that is important to her today—she learned in her Appalachian home.

My Review:

I very rarely read books that are straight mysteries. The mysteries that I read have thriller and/or psychological elements in them. To be honest, I was getting a tad bored reading them. So when I got the invite to review A Life for a Life and read the synopsis, I decided that I needed a change. I am glad that I decided to read this book. It was a well-written mystery that kept me guessing to the end.

The plotline for A Life for a Life was very simple. Della, a former reporter now running a country store, stumbles across the body of a young girl. Everything points to suicide but Della thinks that there is more to the story. So she starts doing what she does best, investigating. With her sidekicks, Abit and Jake, Della digs into the case. What she discovers will change the lives of many people in her small town.

I liked Della. I liked how she dug into Lucy’s case and refused to let it go. She had so much thrown at her during the course of the book. She had opposition from the sheriff. Her dog was kidnapped (well, dognapped). Her store was vandalized and then set on fire. If it was any other person, they would have dropped the case. But not Della, it made her even more determined to find out why Lucy was killed.

Abit was one of the sweetest characters that I have read to date. He had a way of looking at the bright side of things that made me smile. He also had thick skin. He had to. I mean, look at his nickname, Abit. His father gave it to him while describing him as “a bit slow“. Even though he was slow, he had an amazing insight into the people in his town.

I thought that the mystery angle of the book was well written. I usually figure out who the murderer is by the middle of the book. Or at least the motive. Both were kept under wraps and not revealed until the end of the book. The red herrings that the author threw out were wonderful too. I did think that the murderer was the person that was arrested.

What I liked the most about this book was the small town feel that I got from it. I know, getting a small town feel from a book. I’m nuts. But, I do. The other thing is that I live in Western North Carolina. I live in the Foothills. Everything that was written in this book could have been where I live.

The end of A Life for a Life was excellent. Like I mentioned above, the author did a fantastic job of keeping the murderer and the motive under wraps. She also did a fantastic job of wrapping up the smaller storylines and merging them with the main one. There were no loose ends.

I would give A Life for a Life an Older Teen rating. There is no sex. There is language. There is mild violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 16 read this book.

I would reread A Life for a Life. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank the author for allowing me to read and review A Life for a Life.

All opinions stated in this review of A Life for a Life are mine.

Have you read A Life for a Life?

Do you like it when the author keeps a mystery 100% under wraps?

Why or why not?

Let me know!!

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The Reckoning (Children’s House: Book 2) by Yrsa Siguroardottir

The Reckoning

3.5 Stars

Date of publication: February 12, 2019

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Series: Children’s House

DNA—Book 1

Throttling—Book 2 (I believe this is also The Reckoning. Google translate didn’t do a great job  translating from Icelandic to English on Goodreads)

Absolution—Book 3

Where you can find The Reckoning: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Goodreads synopsis:

The Reckoning is the stunning follow-up to The Legacy, which was the start of a thrilling new series that Booklist (starred) recommends for fans of Tana French. 

Vaka sits, regretting her choice of coat, on the cold steps of her new school. Her father appears to have forgotten to pick her up, her mother has forgotten to give her this week’s pocket money, and the school is already locked for the day. Grownups, she decides, are useless.

With no way to call home, she resigns herself to waiting on the steps until her father remembers her. When a girl approaches, Vaka recognizes her immediately from class, and from her unusual appearance: two of her fingers are missing. The girl lives at the back of the school, on the other side of a high fence, and Vaka asks to call her father from the girl’s house. That afternoon is the last time anyone sees Vaka.

Detective Huldar and child psychologist Freyja are called in. Soon, they find themselves at the heart of another shocking case.

From the international number one-bestselling author of The Silence of the Sea, winner of the 2015 Petrona Award for Best Scandinavian Crime Novel Yrsa Sigurdardottir returns with the follow-up to The Legacy.

My review:

I have developed a liking for police thrillers. And I have an interest in these type of books set in other countries. So when I saw The Reckoning is set in Iceland, I needed to read it. I am glad that I did. I got insight into how the Icelandic criminal system worked as well as their version of CPS.

The Reckoning is book 2 in the Children’s House series. When I saw that, I was immediately put alert. In my experience, the second book in any series lacks. It is usually a filler between the 1st book and the 3rd book. But not in this case. The Reckoning is a stand-alone book. There were a few references to book 1 but they did not take over this book. That alone made me like the book.

I wasn’t sure if I liked Huldar or not, at first. He didn’t exactly fit into the image I had of an Icelandic police officer. His appearance, for one. Whenever I picture a police officer (especially ones in a foreign country) has clean cut and neat. Huldar was not that. I also had doubts about his professionalism. At one point in the book, he was sleeping with his boss. But, I did come to like him. He was a good police officer who was dedicated to tracking down the threats that were in the time capsule. He treated the suspects (and victims) with respect. 

I thought that Freyja was a mess in this book. She was in a codependent relationship with her incarcerated brother. She had suffered a demotion at work because of Huldar. And, to top it off, she was back to working with Huldar, who was also trying to pursue a relationship with him. I also did wonder why she was in the plot during the first half of the book. But, as the book went on and more of the main plotline was revealed, I started to understand why. She also played a pivotal role at the end of the book.

I thought that main plotline was heartbreaking. I loved how the author kept who the killers were until the end of the book. I loved how she tied everything together. I will say that the identity of the killers were surprising. I didn’t see it coming. As for the writer of the threat, I did call that one. But, the reason behind the threat, I didn’t. 

What did surprise me in this book was the twist that the author threw in at the end of the book. All I have to say about it is “Whoa“. I did not see that coming. I could understand why those people did what they did. 

I gave The Reckoning a 3.5-star rating. This was a fast-moving mystery with an engaging plotline. The main characters were dysfunctional and did take a while to grow on me. The main plotline was heartbreaking. I liked how the author kept who the killers were under wraps until the end of the book. What I also liked was the twist that was thrown in at the end. I didn’t see that coming.

I would give The Reckoning an Adult rating. There is sex (not graphic). There is violence. There is language. There are trigger warnings. They would be rape, sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and physical abuse. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread The Reckoning. I would also reccomend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The Reckoning.

All opinions stated in this review of The Reckoning are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Have you read The Reckoning?

Love it? 

Hate it?

Meh about it?

Let me know!!!

Forget You Know Me by Jessica Strawser

Forget You Know Me

3.5 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Date of publication: February 5th, 2019

Genre: Women’s Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Where you can find Forget You Know Me: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Goodreads synopsis:

In her engrossing new novel, Forget You Know Me, Jessica Strawser takes readers deep into an intimate friendship between two women. When one witnesses a shocking incident that should never have been caught on camera, the secrets and lies it exposes threaten to change their lives forever.

Molly and Liza have always been close in a way that people envy. Even after Molly married Daniel, both considered Liza an honorary member of their family. But after Liza moved away, things grew more strained than anyone wanted to admit—in the friendship and the marriage. 

When Daniel goes away on business, Molly and Liza plan to reconnect with a nice long video chat over wine after the kids are in bed. But when Molly leaves the room to check on a crying child, a man in a mask enters, throwing Liza into a panic—then her screen goes black. 

When Liza finally reaches Molly, her reply is icy and terse, insisting everything is fine. Liza is still convinced something is wrong, that her friend is in danger. But after an all-night drive to help her ends in a brutal confrontation, Liza is sure their friendship is over—completely unaware that she’s about to have a near miss of her own. And Molly, refusing to deal with what’s happened, won’t turn to Daniel, either. 

But none of them can go on pretending. Not after this.

Forget You Know Me exposes the wounds of people who’ve grown apart, against their will. Best friends, separated by miles. Spouses, hardened by neglect. A mother, isolated by pain. The man in the mask will change things for them all.

But who was he?

And will he be back?

My review:

Molly and Liza were besties from way back and nothing could break their friendship. After Molly got married, Liza was considered part of their family. But Liza and Molly start to grow apart. One night, during a video chat, Liza witnesses a man, dressed all in black, breaking into her friend’s house. Then the screen goes black. Panicked, Liza drives all night to find a standoffish Molly. A confrontation follows and Liza goes home. But Liza finds out, that there is no home to go to.  Forced to move in with her brother, Liza realizes that her friendship with Molly might be over. Liza also realizes that there is more going on in Molly’s life than she is letting on. Everything is tied to the man who broke into the house. Who was he? What did he want? Will he be back?

I wasn’t expecting to like Forget You Know Me as much as I did. I enjoyed reading about people who had the same issues that I do. I also enjoyed reading about how the different relationships worked in this book. What I liked, even more, was that I “got” Molly. I “got” Molly and Daniel’s relationship. As a mother to 3 and in a relationship with their father for almost 15 years, I  got that they grew apart. Heck, it happened in my relationship. Even Molly’s pains I got.  It was nice to read a book where I  connected with at least one of the main characters.

I wasn’t too sure if I liked Liza in the book. She rubbed me the wrong way for some reason. It started when she got skeeved out when Max told her that he was bi. Then it was how she acted during the dinner that Daniel and Molly throw and followed by how she treated Henry. She did come back in my eyes at the end of the book. She was able to bridge the gap between Molly and Daniel. But it was almost too late.

I didn’t like that Molly was keeping such a huge secret from Daniel. I mean, she had people tracking her down and threatening her at her job. I would have thought that she would have mentioned something to him before that. I was kind of shaking my head during that. She put herself and her family in danger.

I thought the plotline with Daniel and Toby didn’t bring anything to the story. It did explain why Daniel was so preoccupied during 90% of the book. But still, I could have done without reading it.

Same goes for the storyline with Rick, Molly, and the girls. I, for one, was in the “there is something going on between them” boat. I also had the same suspicions that Liza and Molly did about Rick. So, I was surprised when that storyline turned out the way it did.

I was surprised at who the man in the mask (from the blurb) was. I was also surprised at why he did what he did. In hindsight, I understood why. In his own screwed up way, he wanted Molly to realize that she was the same person she was before kids.

The end of Forget You Know Me was emotional. I wasn’t expecting the tears to come. But they did. So, yes, the ending will need tissues. The author did a fantastic job at bringing all the storylines together. She also did a fantastic job at wrapping the book up. 

I gave Forget You Know Me a 3.5-star review. This book was a good read. I was able to connect to at least one of the characters in the book. I liked how the author gave a no holds bar look at motherhood and relationships. She gave the good, the bad, and the ugly. I didn’t like who the man in the mask ended up being or the reason why he broke into the house. I also thought that there was extra weight with some of the plotlines. I could have done without reading about Toby and Rick.

I would give Forget You Know Me an Adult rating. There is no sex (but there are mentions of it). There is violence. There is language. There are triggers. They would be a home invasion, survivor’s guilt, threatened miscarriage, homophobia and emotional affair. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Forget You Know Me. I would also reccomend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Forget You Know Me.

All opinions stated in this review of Forget You Know Me are mine

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Have you read Forget You Know Me?

Love it? 

Hate it?

Meh about it?

Let me know!!!

Shattered Reflections (McAllister Justice: Book 5) by Reily Garrett

Shattered Reflections: Fire and Ice were never meant to coexist (McAllister Justice Series Book 5) by [Garrett, Reily]

4 Stars

Publisher:

Date of publication: February 3rd, 2019

Genre: Romance, Suspense, Thriller, Mystery

Series: McAllister Justice

Tender Echoes—Book 0.5

Digital Velocity—Book 1

Bound by Shadows—Book 2

Inconclusive Evidence—Book 3 (review here)

Carbon Replacements—Book 4 (review here)

Shattered Reflections—Book 5

Where you can find Shattered Reflections: Amazon

Goodreads synopsis:

Strong-willed and stubborn, Kathryn Nugle enters a man’s profession, untested, inexperienced, and determined to solve a decades-old puzzle.

Intuition flagged her client’s deception but didn’t solve the mystery of his jacket’s crimson stain, yet blood doesn’t lie. When the victim leaves damning evidence behind, fate throws Kathryn into a cascade of events that will challenge her survival skills.
Mathew McAllister is the eldest of six siblings, all current or former detectives. Practical jokes and pranks are part and parcel of his daily life. The newest addition to the family fold is a wisecracking hacker who mangles his strained equanimity and tests his patience in Morse code, security breaches, and invasion of his cherished privacy.
When a vicious murder paints a target on one of their own, the McAllisters close ranks to ferret out the twisted intentions of a serial killer. For fans of Sandra Brown and Lee Child, Shattered Reflections is an exciting thriller with a romantic twist.

My review:

Katt is a young PI who has gotten in over her head with her current case. What was supposed to be a shut and close case turns into something more. Katt turns to Matthew McAllister after she is assaulted while on the job. As the attempts on her life get more and more brazen, Katt is also forced to face her feelings for Matthew. Will Katt get the man and the bad guy?

Matthew is the eldest of the McAllister siblings. Known for his unshockable demeanor and even temperament, Matt is content in his life. That is until he met Katt. Katt turns is comfortable, boring world upside down. When Katt is targeted by the people who are looking for his client, Matthew steps in to help her. He is also forced to accept that his feelings for Katt. Can he keep Katt safe? Will Matt finally man up and tell Katt how he feels?

I loved Katt. Any lingering doubts or concerned (from Carbon Replacements) were smashed in this book. I saw a different side to Katt than what was shown in the previous book. She was softer in this book. She was more transparent with her feelings. I did think that she was a bit immature. She kept taking off whenever her feelings got hurt. That might be the only thing that I didn’t like about her.

Matt annoyed me for a majority of the book. Before I get into why I will say that I did like him. He was a great brother and he put up with a lot from his younger siblings. Now onto why he annoyed me. He kept denying his feeling for Katt. He kept throwing up excuses about her age. Even when he was confronted by Laredo at the hospital and his brothers later on in the book, he still kept denying. I got so frustrated with him. There was a point in the book where I wanted to jump in, smack him upside the head, and say “Dude, just admit that you love her.“

The main storyline in Shattered Reflections was well written. I liked that I knew who the bad guys were, well for the most part. The author did a great job at keeping the suspense level high in the book. I loved not knowing what was going to happen next. It kept me glued to the book.

The secondary storylines were excellent and added depth to the storyline. The one with Katt’s parents was heartbreaking. It explained a lot. I also thought the backstory on the bad guys were interesting. I did like the turn that Denny’s storyline took. I was not expecting it to end up that way!!

The sexual tension in this book was insane. It drove me nuts. I did like that the author used some raunchy humor to offset some of it. The Bob comments were hilarious. As was Matt’s reaction to it. I was dying laughing.

When Matt and Katt finally did have sex, it intense. What I liked is that there was only one sex scene in the entire book and that it was towards the end. So, I went the entire book with them trading sexual barbs and the occasional Bob comment. It was fantastic.

I was sad at the end of Shattered Reflections. Don’t get me wrong, the ending was perfect. The author did a fantastic job at wrapping up all the storylines. What made me sad was that it seems like this is going to be the end of the series. I hope not. But, there are no more siblings. Well, there’s Abby but I think she’s married.

I would give Shattered Reflections an Adult rating. There is sex (not graphic). There is language. There is violence. There are triggers. They would be neglect. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Shattered Reflections. I would also recommend it to family and friends.

I would like to thank the author for allowing me to read and review Shattered Reflections.

All opinions stated in this review of Shattered Reflections are mine.

The Hangman’s Secret (Victorian Mystery: Book 3) by Laura Joh Rowland

The Hangman's Secret (Victorian Mystery, #3)

3 Stars 

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Date of publication: January 8th, 2019

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Series: Victorian Mystery

The Ripper’s Shadow—Book 1

A Mortal Likeness—Book 2

The Hangman’s Secret—Book 3

Where you can find The Hangman’s Secret: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Goodreads synopsis:

From award-winning author Laura Joh Rowland, a story about the darkness that lurks within and the deadly secrets that beg to be revealed.

Intrepid photographer Sarah Bain and her motley crew of friends are back to hunt criminals in the dark, seedy underbelly of Victorian London, but little do they know, the darkness may lurk closer than they first divined.

Photographer Sarah Bain and her friends Lord Hugh Staunton and sometimes street urchin Mick O’Reilly are private detectives with a new gig—photographing crime scenes for London’s Daily World newspaper. The Daily World is the latest business venture of their sole client, Sir Gerald Mariner, a fabulously wealthy and powerful banker. 

One cold, snowy January morning, Sarah, Hugh, and Mick are summoned to the goriest crime scene they’ve ever encountered. A pub owner named Harry Warbrick has been found hanged and decapitated amid evidence of foul play. His murder becomes a sensation because he was England’s top hangman and he’s met the same fate that he inflicted on hundreds of criminals. 

Sir Gerald announces that the Daily World—meaning Sarah and her friends—will investigate and solve Harry Warbrick’s murder before the police do. The contest pits Sarah against the man she loves, Police Constable Barrett. She and her friends discover a connection between Harry Warbrick’s murder and the most notorious criminal he ever executed—Amelia Carlisle, the “Baby-Butcher,” who murdered hundreds of infants placed in her care. 

Something happened at Amelia’s execution. The Official Secrets Act forbids the seven witnesses present to divulge any information about it. But Harry had a bad habit of leaking tips to the press. Sarah and her friends suspect that one of the other witnesses killed Harry to prevent him from revealing a secret related to the execution. What is the secret, and who hanged the hangman?

My review:

When I first read the blurb for The Hangman’s Secret, I was undecided if I wanted to read this book or not. While I like mysteries, I have to be in the right mood to read them. But, seeing that the book was set in one of my favorite time periods (The Victorian Era), I decided to take a chance on reading it. While I am glad I took the chance on reading it, I was unimpressed with the book. It didn’t surprise me or astonish me. I was a little disappointed in it.

The plot for The Hangman’s Secret was a good one. Sarah and her friends are dispatched to a crime scene by the paper’s owner, Sir Gerald Mariner. There has been a gruesome murder. Sarah, a crime scene photographer, arrives on the scene to find out that the victim was a hangman. Pushed into solving this murder before the police, Sarah finds out that the victim was the hangman for a notorious baby murderer. She also finds out that something happened at that hanging. Whatever that was, someone was willing to kill the people who were at the hanging to keep them quiet. Can she solve it? Or will her reputation, her relationship, and friendships be ruined? Also, will she be able to finally track down her father? Or will she discover something about her past?

While I enjoyed reading The Hangman’s Secret, I felt that it dragged in spots. Mainly in the middle. I was mentally urging the characters to do something to bring the plot out of its lag. Which happened but I almost DNF’d the book before it happened. Also, the beginning was slow. There was too much time discussing the characters backgrounds and storylines from the earlier books. I am here to read this book, not to read about Sarah, Mick and Hugh’s adventures with Jack the Ripper and kidnappers. If that could be cut back a bit, the beginning wouldn’t be so slow.

Sarah bothered me. Because this is Victorian England, I get that she should have been a little reserved. But she wasn’t. She was determined to be an independent woman. Which was unheard of in those days. She was the one that Sir Gerald talked to when he wanted something done. She was the one that took on the job of finding her father. She called the shots in her relationship. It was unheard of in those days for a woman to have as much power as she did. I hate to say this (because I am all about girl power) but I wished she was more like women of that era. Because it was not realistic the way she was.

I liked the mystery angle of the book. The author did a great job at keeping the identity of the killer hidden until the end of the book. I did think it was going to be one person and I was surprised at who it was. I did feel that all the red herrings and false leads weren’t needed. The whole Cross angle of the mystery didn’t do it for me. It actually made me aggravated that one person could be so nasty. As for the mystery of Sarah’s father, it was well done. But there were more questions than answers.

The romance between Bennett and Sarah screamed of dysfunction and took away from the story. While I appreciated that Sarah had someone to love her, I didn’t like that it became a focal point in the plotline towards the end. I also didn’t like how Sarah was judged on her looks. It wasn’t even other people, she put herself down.

The author tied the storylines up nicely at the end of the book. I thought that the ending went on a little longer than I thought. There was no big twist. I also had questions about DCI Reid. Where did he go? There was no mention about him at the end of the book. Seeing that he was Bennett and Sarah’s nemesis, I would have thought there would have been a mention about it. I did like that the author left enough room for another book.

What I liked about The Hangman’s Secret:

  1. The plotline. I enjoyed it
  2. Being set in Victorian England
  3. The end of the book

What I disliked about The Hangman’s Secret:

  1. It dragged in spots and was slow to start
  2. Sarah. She didn’t match the stereotype of women of that era
  3. Sarah and Bennett’s romance

I gave The Hangman’s Secret a 3-star rating. The plotline and the mystery angle of the book was enjoyable to read. I also liked how the book was ended. But, the story was slow to start and the plotline lagged in spots. Also, I didn’t think that Sarah fit the stereotype of women of that era. I also thought that Sarah and Bennett’s romance was dysfunctional and brought no added depth to the story.

I would give The Hangman’s Secret an Adult rating. There is sex but it is not graphic. There is violence, sometimes graphic. There is no language. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I am on the fence if I would reread The Hangman’s Secret. I am also on the fence if I would recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The Hangman’s Secret.

All opinions stated in the review of The Hangman’s Secret are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

The Perfect Liar by Thomas Christopher Greene

The Perfect Liar

2 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Date of publication: January 15th, 2019

Genre: mystery, thriller

Where you can find The Perfect Liar: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Goodreads synopsis:

A seemingly perfect marriage is threatened by the deadly secrets husband and wife keep from each other, for fans of B.A. Paris and Paula Hawkins.

Susannah, a young widow, and single mother has remarried well: to Max, a charismatic artist and popular speaker whose career took her and her fifteen-year-old son out of New York City and to a quiet Vermont university town. Strong-willed and attractive, Susannah expects that her life is perfectly in place again. Then one quiet morning she finds a note on her door: I KNOW WHO YOU ARE. 

Max dismisses the note as a prank. But days after a neighborhood couple comes to dinner, the husband mysteriously dies in a tragic accident while on a run with Max. Soon thereafter, a second note appears on their door: DID YOU GET AWAY WITH IT?

Both Susannah and Max are keeping secrets from the world and from each other —secrets that could destroy their family and everything they have built. The Perfect Liar is a thrilling novel told through the alternating perspectives of Susannah and Max with a shocking climax that no one will expect, from the bestselling author of The Headmaster’s Wife.

My review

Susannah was a young widow living in New York City. Raising her son alone after her husband passed away, Susannah is not looking for love. Then she meets Max. Max, an up and coming artist, sweeps Susannah off her feet. They move from NYC to a quiet college town in Vermont. Life is good until Susannah finds a note. A not that says “I Know Who You Are“. That note starts off a series of events that will rock Susannah and Max’s lives. Secrets, long buried, will be revealed. Relationships will be changed.  Who is sending the notes? Why is that person sending them? 

I don’t like leaving negative reviews. I usually try to find something good to say about the book I am reviewing, even if I don’t like it. But there are some books that I have read that I can’t find anything nice to say about it. The Perfect Liar is such a book. Which is sad, because I was excited to read this book. It had all the earmarks of a book that I would enjoy.

I could not connect with either of the main characters. There were no endearing traits or quirks for me to focus on. Nothing that made me feel bad for the characters. They felt flat. They were also unlikeable. I couldn’t stand both Max and Susannah. They were both self-centered people who thought that they could get away with horrible things.

The plotlines dragged in The Perfect Liar also. The book started off fast enough but it started lagging by the middle of the book. There was almost a stall in the storyline towards the end of the book. I almost DNF’d the book at that point. But, I was so close to the end. So, I soldiered on.

The end of the book was anticlimactic. There were points where I was asking myself “When is the other shoe going to drop“. I was surprised at who was writing the notes. It was the last person I thought it was going to be. Why that person sent the notes was a surprise also. I was expecting what happened at the end of the book to happen. I was surprised by who. I was also surprised by who helped after the fact.

I want to end the review saying that I do think that this book has potential. I thought that the story was interesting (when stripped down to the bare bones).  I couldn’t move past the characters.

I gave The Perfect Liar a 2-star rating. I didn’t like this book. I could not connect with the characters. I thought the plotlines dragged. I thought the end of the book was anticlimactic and understated. What saved this book from being a 1-star review is that I thought the book had potential. I thought that the story was interesting.

I would give The Perfect Liar an Adult rating. There is sex. There is violence. There is language. There are triggers. They would be abuse by an authority figure, mental illness and murder. I would reccomend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would not reread The Perfect Liar. I would not reccomend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The Perfect Liar.

All opinions stated in this review of The Perfect Liar are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

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An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

An Anonymous Girl

4 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Date of publication: January 8th, 2019

Genre: General Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

Where you can find An Anonymous Girl: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Goodreads synopsis:

The next novel of psychological suspense and obsession from the authors of the blockbuster bestseller The Wife Between Us

Seeking women ages 18–32 to participate in a study on ethics and morality. Generous compensation. Anonymity guaranteed. 

When Jessica Farris signs up for a psychology study conducted by the mysterious Dr. Shields, she thinks all she’ll have to do is answer a few questions, collect her money, and leave. But as the questions grow more and more intense and invasive and the sessions become outings where Jess is told what to wear and how to act, she begins to feel as though Dr. Shields may know what she’s thinking…and what she’s hiding. As Jess’s paranoia grows, it becomes clear that she can no longer trust what in her life is real, and what is one of Dr. Shields’ manipulative experiments. Caught in a web of deceit and jealousy, Jess quickly learns that some obsessions can be deadly.

From the authors of the blockbuster bestseller, The Wife Between Us comes an electrifying new novel about doubt, passion, and just how much you can trust someone.

My review:

Jessica is a makeup artist who isn’t living her life to the fullest. Barely making ends meet, her days consist of running around NYC, toting her make up case. Her nights are spent hanging out with her best friends and having one night stands. When she sees a text about a study on ethics and morality that pays around $500, she decides to go and take the girl’s place. She catches the eye of the psychologist running the study, Dr. Shields. As her relationship with Dr. Shields gets more personal, Jessica realizes that she isn’t involved in a study anymore. Instead, Dr. Shields is using her in an experiment. As Dr. Shield becomes more and more demanding and obsessive, Jessica needs to find a way out. Will that happen? Will Jessica be able to end her relationship with Dr. Shields? Or will she be a casualty?

I loved how Dr. Shields side of the story progressed. It was interesting to read how she picked up on Jessica. How she singled her out of the study. The author did a great job of letting Dr. Shields crazy come out in small doses. Her obsession with Thomas and Jessica. Her ability to read Jessica’s mind and to be one step ahead of her. It was all wonderfully spaced out. I will say, though, Dr. Shields did scare me. I had no issue imagining this same scenario playing out in real life. That is what made this book so good to read. It was totally believable.

Jessica’s side of the story was as wonderfully written as Dr. Shields. The authors did a fantastic job of showing how easy someone was to manipulate. All it took was asking the right questions and creating the right atmosphere. I loved watching her transformation from an independent woman to a person who was controlled. But, what I also liked, was how Jessica took her life back. How she fought back against Dr. Shields.

I will warn, for those of you who don’t like it, that Dr. Shields part of the book was written in 2nd person. Myself, I don’t care for it. It makes the story harder to read because the reader never gets to see what is going on from the other people’s perspective. But in this book, it worked. It only worked because Jessica’s part of the book was written in 1st person. I wasn’t only reading the book in 2nd person. Another reason it worked was that we got to see Dr. Shields in two totally different lights. I thought it was fascinating how the author was able to merge the two different people who I associated with Dr. Shields into one person by the end of the book.

The main storyline with Dr. Shields and Jessica was wonderfully written. Like I mentioned above, I love reading how Jessica was manipulated by Dr. Shields. I loved how the author kept the true reason for the Dr’s social experiments under wraps until about the middle of the book. I was as shocked as Jessica when the truth was revealed.

The secondary storylines were alright. Except for April’s storyline, I didn’t get as involved with them. I did have a question about Ben and how he knew to call Jessica “Jess“. I wanted to know how much he knew about the study. The way he acted with her at the meeting made me think he knew more than he let on. It was dropped after that.

The end of An Anonymous Girl underwhelmed me. It was anti-climatic with how it was ended. I was left scratching my head and going “Huh” afterward. I should have seen what happened coming but I didn’t. The epilogue added to it.

I gave An Anonymous Girl a 4-star rating. I enjoyed reading this book. The plotlines were beautifully written and I was kept on edge the entire book. I connected with the characters. The only thing that affected my rating was the ending. It was not what I thought it would be. I was left wondering why.

I would give An Anonymous Girl an Adult rating. There is sex (not graphic). There is language. There is violence. There are triggers. They would be sexual assault and suicide. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread An Anonymous Girl. I would also recommend this book to family and friends. I would include a warning about the triggers.

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review An Anonymous Girl.

All opinions expressed in this review of An Anonymous Girl are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Have you read An Anonymous Girl?

Love it? 

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The House of Fire and Rain (Firemountain Chronicles: Book 2) by Victoria Lynn Osbourne

The House of Fire and Rain (Firemountain Chronicles, #2)

4 Stars

Publisher: Azure Spider Publications

Date of publication: November 15th, 2018

Genre: Paranormal, Mystery, Thriller

Series: Firemountain Chronicles

Whispers in the Woods—book 1 (review here)

The House of Fire and Rain—Book 2

Where you can find The House of Fire and Rain: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Amazon synopsis:

Dave Dobrowski is a detective in Firemountain. Things haven’t been the same in Firemountain since Dinah Steele took down Gleebelix. Now illegal prostitutes are dying in droves. Yet the legal brothel, The House of Fire and Rain, on tribal land is immune to a curse that is killing not only working girls but their clients. Dave and his alchemical partner Jolene Anderson, race to discover why legal girls are protected why illegals are dying and discover there is more than just morality at stake.

My review

Prostitutes and their customers are dying in Firemountain. But the girls who work at The House of Fire and Rain are immune. Dave, a detective, is put on the case to discover what is exactly causing the deaths. When it is discovered that a curse is responsible, Dave must figure out why the “illegal” girls are being targeted. As the curse goes worldwide, Dave and Jolene are racing against the clock. Can they discover who or what is behind the curse? 

 When I was approached by Victoria to review The House of Fire and Rain, I immediately jumped on it. Not because I had reviewed Whispers in the Woods. It was the blurb. It caught my attention. I wanted to know why the girls at The House of Fire and Rain were immune to the curse. I wanted to know what Dave and Jolene were going to find out about the curse. So, yes, I was thrilled to be reading this book.

I liked Jolene. I thought that her backstory was heartbreaking. Unfortunately, it is only too common. But, Jolene overcame her past. She was going to school to be an alchemist and had a job that she loved. I was surprised at her connection to The House of Fire and Rain. When it was revealed what she did for her second job, I had to stop and process it. I also liked how the author worked that into the plotline. 

I didn’t know what to think about Dave. I was apathetic towards him at the beginning of the book. My initial observation was that he was weary of everything that was going on in Firemountain. But, as the book went on, my apathy towards him lessened. I actually felt bad for him, at one point in the book. I also thought that he had good instincts when it came to Lucas Dawnstar. My heart broke for him at the end of the book.

The main storyline of the book started off shortly after Dinah defeated Gleebelix in book 1. The author wasted no time in getting the plotline going. The plotline stayed fast until the middle of the book.  The plot did falter when the curse was cured but the author did a great job at getting it back on track. 

The secondary storylines were wonderfully written. They added depth to the plotline. They also gave me more background on what was going on.

I liked that the author chose to highlight what and how people view sex workers. She made some valid point about how society treats them. She also made a very valid point for legalizing prostitution.  I will say that the cleansing camps that sprung up reminded me of the concentration camps in WW2. I got shudders while reading those scenes.

I will say that I was amused by the inclusion of Kirk Cameron in the plotline. I got a couple of good giggles out of it. Actually, I didn’t put two and two together until Dave mentioned it while watching him on TV. It was light a lightbulb went off over my head…haha.

I wasn’t expecting what happened at the end of the book. I was shocked by what Jezebel did. It went against everything that I thought about her. My heart broke for Dave. For a minute there, I thought that he was going to be happy. I hope that what happen fuels his need to find out what is going on. 

The author did a fantastic job of wrapping up plotlines. She also left some plotlines open. The very end of the book made me go “Hmmm”. I can’t wait to read book 3!!!

I gave The House of Fire and Rain a 4-star rating. This was a fast moving book. It had complex characters that I connected with. I did have an issue with the plotline lagging halfway through the book. But the author did a great job picking the plotline back up again. 

I would give The House of Fire and Rain an Adult rating. There are sex and sexual situation. There is violence. There is language. There are triggers. They would be sexual abuse and rape. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book

I would reread The House of Fire and Rain. I would also reccomend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank the author for allowing me to read and review The House of Fire and Rain.

All opinions stated in this review of The House of Fire and Rain are mine.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Have you read Keep Her Close?

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Keep Her Close by Erik Therme

Keep Her Close

3 Stars

Publisher: Bookoutre

Date of publication: December 5th, 2018

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Where you can find Keep Her Close: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Goodreads synopsis:

Someone took your daughter. And nobody believes you …

Then:
Three-year-old Ally was found alone in a parking lot. 
She was barefoot and dressed only in a yellow sundress. In the middle of winter. 
What kind of person would abandon their daughter? 

Now:
Fifteen years later and Ally has a new family. 
But her real father has sent her a letter. 
And now Ally is missing.

A gripping twist-filled thriller that will have you looking over your shoulder. Perfect for fans of Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train and Teresa Driscoll.

My review:

Ally was found in a parking lot of a mall at 3 years old. With her was a sign that said “Free to good home” and nearby was the body of a woman who had committed suicide. Ally was adopted shortly later by the couple who found her. 15 years later, Ally is 18 years old. She receives a letter from a man claiming to be her biological father. Against her father’s wishes, she goes to meet with him. Only to disappear. Now her parents are frantically searching for her. Where is Ally? 

I have reviewed for Erik Therme before and I generally like his book. So when he emailed me and asked me to review Keep Her Close, I said: “Why not“. Usually, his book are solid and a good read. Then I read Keep Her Close and came out disappointed.

The book started off well enough and it was focused until Ally disappeared. At that point, the book started going off on tangents that made no sense to the original plotline. Like when Cal was tied up at the hotel. Did I need to know who Tucker was? Did I need to know who Gary was? I didn’t need to know the background between Tucker and Gary. It had no bearing to the plot at all. There were a bunch of scenarios like that in the book. It took away from the plotline. If the book had stuck to one main plotline and one or two sub-plotlines, I would have been alright.

I could not connect to any of the characters. Dan’s anger issues made his character unlikable.  Holly seemed co-dependent and useless. Cal gave me stalker vibes. And Nick was scum. Ally got on my nerves.

There were parts of the book I did like. I thought that it was well written. There was a good suspenseful element to the book also. I liked the relationship that Dan, Holly, and Ally had. I also liked the relationship that Cal and Maddie had.  

I didn’t like how the book ended. I don’t like it when books end in cliffhangers. So when the book ended the way it did, I went “Whaaaaat!!!“. I ended up rereading the last few chapters of the book to make sure I didn’t miss anything. Which I didn’t. It frustrated me to read that. I wanted to know what was in that letter!!

I gave Keep Her Close a 3-star rating. I was disappointed in this book. The plotline was all over the place with unneeded tangents. The characters were not likable. And there was a huge cliffhanger ending. There were elements of the book that I did like. I thought it was well written. There was a good suspense element to the book. I also liked the family relationships that were shown.

I would give Keep Her Close an Adult rating. There is no sex. There is violence. There is language. There are trigger warnings. They are child abandonment, kidnapping, the death of a child, stalking and suicide. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I am on the fence if I would reread Keep Her Close. I am also on the fence if I would reccomend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank the author and Bookoutre for allowing me to read and review Keep Her Close.

All opinions stated in this review of Keep Her Close are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Have you read Keep Her Close?

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Limetown: The Prequel to the #1 Podcast by Zack Akers, Skip Bronkie, and Cote Smith

Limetown: The Prequel to the #1 Podcast

3 Stars

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Date of publication: November 13th, 2018

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Where you can find Limetown: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Goodreads synopsis:

From the creators of the #1 podcast Limetown, an explosive prequel about a teenager who learns of a mysterious research facility where over three hundred people have disappeared—including her uncle—with clues that become the key to discovering the secrets of this strange town.

On a seemingly ordinary day, seventeen-year-old Lia Haddock hears the news that will change her life forever: three hundred men, women, and children living at a research facility in Limetown, Tennessee, have disappeared without a trace. Among the missing is Emile Haddock, Lia’s uncle.

What happened to the people of Limetown? It’s all anyone can talk about. Except for Lia’s parents, who refuse to discuss what might have happened there. They refuse, even, to discuss anything to do with Emile.

As a student journalist, Lia begins an investigation that will take her far from her home, discovering clues about Emile’s past that lead to a shocking secret—one with unimaginable implications not only for the people of Limetown but for Lia and her family. The only problem is…she’s not the only one looking for answers.

Zack Akers and Skip Bronkie are first-rate storytellers, in every medium. Critics called their podcast Limetown “creepy and otherworldly” (The New York Times) and “endlessly fun” (Vox), and their novel goes back to where it all began. Working with Cote Smith, a PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize Finalist, they’ve crafted an exhilarating mystery that asks big questions about what we owe to our families and what we owe to ourselves, about loss, discovery, and growth. Threaded throughout is Emile’s story—told in these pages for the first time.

My review:

Lia is a high school senior when she hears the news about Limetown. Limetown is a town where three hundred people disappeared without a trace. Among those who disappeared, Lia’s estranged uncle, Emile. Fueled by the need to find out what happened, Lia starts an investigation. What she finds during her investigation makes her question everything that she has been told. What happened at Limetown? Why is Emile at the center of it? How is her mother involved? Who can Lia trust? Where did those people go?

I was pretty excited to start reading Limetown. Even though I haven’t heard the podcast, I figured that I could follow the prequel easy enough. I mean, prequels give information that’s isn’t known in series that follows. Yeah, well that didn’t happen. While Limetown was an interesting read, it left me with more questions than answers.

I didn’t care for Lia. She came across as self-centered the entire book. I did admire her tenacity. She stuck with finding out with what happened to the people in Limetown and her uncle Emile. But her personality was awful. There are very few times where I don’t like the main character and this is one of them. I also didn’t get why she treated her mother the way she did when she found certain things out. She failed to see that everything her mother did was for her. Saying that I do wonder what she is like in the podcast.

I did like Emile. Actually, I pitied him for 75% of the book. His ability made him an outsider. Anytime he even got close to someone, they either got hurt or turned out to be not what he thought they would be. Even his relationship with Lia ended up badly and she was a baby. I did wonder what happened to him at Limetown at the beginning of the book. I can’t say what I thought by the end of the book because I will give away the ending. Let’s say that any pity I felt for Emile went out the window.

I did find the storylines well written. But they failed to hold my attention. My mind kept wandering off mid-paragraph and I had to force myself to focus on reading. Which, in turn, took away from my pleasure in reading the book.

The end of Limetown confused the heck out of me. This is where I wish I had listened to the podcast because I had zero clue what was going on. But, I did know that Lia’s foray to Limetown wasn’t going to end up well. I didn’t expect it to go that bad.

I have Limetown a 3-star rating. I thought the book was well written and an interesting read. But, it failed to hold my attention and left me with more questions than answers. Even though it is a prequel, I would recommend listening to the podcast first.

I would give Limetown an Adult rating. There is no sex. There is violence. There is language. There are triggers. They are child abuse, drug use, parental abandonment, the death of a parent, unsolved disappearances of the loved one. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21.

I am undecided if I would reread Limetown. I am also undecided if I would recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Limetown.

All opinions stated in this review of Limetown are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Have you read Limetown?

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Hate it?

Meh about it?

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