Tag: mystery

A Guy, a Girl and a Voodoo Monkey Hand by D.I. Jolly

A Guy, a Girl and a Voodoo Monkey Hand by [Jolly, D.I.]

Title: A Guy, a Girl and a Voodoo Monkey Hand

Author: D.I. Jolly

Publisher: Raider Publishing International

Date of publication: August 20th, 2010

Genre: Mystery, Humor

Number of pages: 260

POV: 1st person

Where you can find A Guy, a Girl and a Voodoo Monkey Hand: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

A quirky tongue-in-cheek story about a detective with a difference, and it’s not his caffeine addiction or his strange collection of friends. Through the course of three cases, Jones P.I. starts to discover that maybe he doesn’t know everything about life, love, and everything. Syn Island a man-made island created as a maximum security prison when left for a few generations becomes one of the world’s strongest economies, exporting brainpower and work ethic. Now, it’s a city like any other filled with jazz, crime mobsters, and dark alleyways, and it lends itself to a few night-time adventures. Like all good detective stories, this one starts with a woman in a red dress, and as we follow our hero through a strange maze of misunderstandings, mistresses, and bars we start to learn that a little bit of crazy is what will keep you sane on the streets of Syn Island. And then, of course, there’s Jeff…

Continue reading “A Guy, a Girl and a Voodoo Monkey Hand by D.I. Jolly” →

The Silent Corner (Jane Hawk: Book 1) by Dean Koontz

The Silent Corner: A Novel of Suspense (Jane Hawk Book 1) by [Koontz, Dean]

Title: The Silent Corner

Author: Dean Koontz

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine

Date of publication: June 20th, 2017

Genre: General Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Number of pages: 464

POV:

Series: Jane Hawk

The Silent Corner – Book 1

Where you can find The Silent Corner: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

A dazzling new series debuts with a remarkable heroine certain to become a new icon of suspense, propelled by the singular narrative genius of #1 New York Times bestselling author Dean Koontz.

I very much need to be dead.

These are the chilling words left behind by a man who had everything to live for but took his own life. In the aftermath, his widow, Jane Hawk, does what all her grief, fear, and fury demands: find the truth, no matter what.
People of talent and accomplishment, people admired and happy and sound of mind, have been committing suicide in surprising numbers. When Jane seeks to learn why she becomes the most-wanted fugitive in America. Her powerful enemies are protecting a secret so important so terrifying that they will exterminate anyone in their way.
But all their power and viciousness may not be enough to stop a woman as clever as they are cold-blooded, as relentless as they are ruthless and who is driven by a righteous rage they can never comprehend. Because it is born of love.

My review:

I had an ultimate fangirl moment when I saw that The Silent Corner was available for review on NetGalley. See, I am a huge Dean Koontz fan. Huge. I started reading his books in my sophomore year of high school, Ticktock was the book, and I was hooked. I have read every single book of his up to The Husband. Then I stopped. I had two children almost back to back, moved 3 times and honestly, didn’t have the time to read. In 2011, I got my first Kindle and started reading again. I missed reading his books (mine got lost in one of the moves we had). So when I saw The Silent Corner for review on NetGalley, I applied. I was not expecting to be selected and when I got the email that I had been selected, I got up and did a happy dance.

I wasn’t disappointed in The Silent Corner. It was everything that I have come to expect from his books. Plenty of intrigue, action and a hint of paranormal. From the beginning of the book, I was hooked in because I had to find out what Jane was doing and how she was going to do it. Believe me, when a book does that to someone, it is worth reading and keeping (I am talking my SO into buying me the hardcover when it is published).

From the opening scene to the end, which was really creepy, I was kept on my toes. You never knew where the story would end up or what Jane would do. I loved it. Normally, I don’t like it when the author plays mind games or switches to other characters point of views. But in this book, it worked and it helped build the story up to the climax and when the two main storylines intertwined.

What I liked about this book is how realistic it was. What was happening to these people on that scientist’s Hamlet list….that could happen. It is possible that some nut with a God complex could design something like what is outlined in the book and then use it in the same way. As with all of his other books, there is a hint of truth running through it and it makes you think….what if?? Could it really happen??

The end of the book was pretty intense. All of the storylines were brought together in a way that ended all but the main one. Doing that also left the book wide open for book 2….which I will be waiting with bated breath to come out.

How many stars will I give The Silent Corner: 5

Why: Great plot lines, great characters, and overall a great book

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Violence and language

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

The Party bv Robyn Harding

The Party: A Novel by [Harding, Robyn]

Title: The Party

Author: Robyn Harding

Publisher: Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books

Date of publication: June 6, 2017

Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Number of pages: 352

POV: 3rd person

Where you can find The Party: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

In this stunning and provocative domestic drama about a sweet sixteen birthday party that goes horribly awry, a wealthy family in San Francisco finds their picture-perfect life unraveling, their darkest secrets revealed, and their friends turned to enemies.

One invitation. A lifetime of regrets.

Sweet sixteen. It’s an exciting coming of age, a milestone, and a rite of passage. Jeff and Kim Sanders plan on throwing a party for their daughter, Hannah—a sweet girl with good grades and nice friends. Rather than an extravagant, indulgent affair, they invite four girls over for pizza, cake, movies, and a sleepover. What could possibly go wrong?

But things do go wrong, horrifically so. After a tragic accident occurs, Jeff and Kim’s flawless life in a wealthy San Francisco suburb suddenly begins to come apart. In the ugly aftermath, friends become enemies, dark secrets are revealed in the Sanders’ marriage, and the truth about their perfect daughter, Hannah, is exposed.

Harkening to Herman Koch’s The Dinner, Christos Tsiolkas’s The Slap, and Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies, The Party takes us behind the façade of the picture-perfect family, exposing the lies, betrayals, and moral lapses that neighbors don’t see—and the secrets that children and parents keep from themselves and each other.

My review:

The Party is one of those books that when I finished, I exhaled and thought “What the heck did I just read”. I thought it showed perfectly how relationships can be destroyed when pressure is put on them….more so if they are already fracturing. It was an intense read and I did just sit there and think about the book for a while after I read it. It got that under my skin. As a mother of an 11-year-old girl, I often wonder how high school is going to be for her and if she is going to feel like she is going to have to be something she’s not to fit in. I will tell you this, I will not be like Kim or Lisa. Too extreme on either end. One wants to control her daughter and the other letting her daughter having too much freedom.

I am going to admit that Kim bugged the crap out of me the entire book. She was self-righteous. Everything that she did had to be better than everyone else, she was extremely condescending to her husband and kids and she basically thought that she was above everyone. She rubbed me the wrong way. Even when I was supposed to feel bad for her, I didn’t. I almost felt that she brought this on herself by being the stuck-up snob that she was. But then again, greed was a reason in the lawsuit too.

Lisa, however, I did feel bad for, at first. Her daughter was disfigured and hospitalized. But her greed started showing very early in the book and by the time they went to court, I felt disgust for her. She had convinced herself that her daughter wouldn’t be able to do anything in life because of her injury and she refused to listen to Ronni when Ronni begged her to drop the lawsuit. At that point, Lisa was out to ruin Kim and Jeff, professionally and publicly, because they didn’t offer to pay for Ronni’s hospital bills right away (which they should have done right off the bat, to be honest). Even her boyfriend got clued in when she declined a settlement….because she wanted the full amount in the lawsuit.

Honestly, in my eyes, Ronni was the only one who lost in this book. She was mercilessly bullied by people she had once considered friends and didn’t have any friends, she lost her eye and her mother had turned into someone who she didn’t even know. So when certain events happened in the book about her, I truly wasn’t surprised. I actually figured that what happened would happen and expected it to happen earlier.

I am really not going to get into the storylines because they all crisscross with each other, but I will say that I found them all very compelling. Actually, the storyline with Lauren and Jeff creeped me out….a lot. But I did think that he did the right thing in the end.

The end of the book wasn’t a happy ending. While some storylines were resolved, other’s weren’t and that is what made the ending good. I was taken by surprise by the slight twist at the end. I actually wished that there was an epilogue or something because I wanted to see what happened.

Now my questions for the book:

Why were certain events about that night not revealed until almost until the end of the book? I mean, it makes sense with what happened but I wish that the author made those characters make their scenes sooner

Why the total 180 with Lisa? I mean, I kinda liked her as the laid back, pot smoking mom. But when she morphed into Ms. Greedypants, I just lost interest and empathy for her.

Why didn’t Hannah try harder with Ronni? She went to the same school and she had to of seen her. If she missed her that much, she should have tried harder. But, then again, she is a teenager and we all know how they are.

How many stars will I give The Party: 4

Why: I really liked the story and the messages that it got across. Even with my dislike of Kim and Lisa, the story was beautifully written with compelling storylines and hot topics. I couldn’t put the book down.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Language, violence. Also, triggers for bullying

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

Mean Little People by Paige Dearth

Mean Little People

Title: Mean Little People

Author: Paige Dearth

Publisher: Fiction With Meaning LLC

Date of publication: April 2nd, 2017

Genre: Horror

Number of pages: 466

POV: 3rd person

Where you can find Mean Little People: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Seven-year-old Tony has one choice…to live or to die.

Tony Bruno just wants to fit in, but the bullies at his school are cruel and relentless. At home, he leans on his mother Teresa for strength and comfort, but she’s no match for his father, Carmen. His father, a fighter, and bully himself hates Tony. He is embarrassed by the child for not fighting back and wishes that Tony was never born.

Then as a teen, in one-act of blind courage, Tony fights back shifting the balance of power with his peers. Even after Tony sets things straight with the neighborhood boys, his father continues to terrorize him.

At school, Tony is now respected by his classmates. One day he stands up for a bullied kid named, Salvatore, and the boys become friends. One night, Salvatore commits a horrific crime and Tony suffers the consequences of his friends’ actions. Tony’s punishment changes the course of his life.

All alone and nowhere to call home, Tony sets out to find the life he longs for, one filled with love and acceptance. But nothing comes easily for him, and he is forced to draw upon strength from deep within to survive.

From the dark world, he lives in, Tony does unimaginable things to leave his unwanted life behind.

Mean Little People is a haunting story of one bullied child deprived of love and taunted by corrupt individuals along his journey. Tony’s story will make you question the balance between good and evil.

My review:

Mean Little People is not one of those books that start awful and ends up being all sunshine and flowers afterward. No, this is a story that starts off violent and stays violent the entire book. This is a story that will also break your heart because of the abuse Tony had to deal throughout his life. I will add a trigger warning to this book, so if you trigger easily, do not read the review.

Continue reading “Mean Little People by Paige Dearth” →

Take It to the Grave: Part 1 of 6 (Take it to the Grave: Book 1) by Zoe Carter

Take It to the Grave Part 1 of 6: Take It to the Grave - Sarah's Story\Take It to the Grave - Maisey's Story

Title: Take It to the Grave: Part 1 of 6

Author: Zoe Carter

Publisher: Harlequin Special Releases

Date of publication: June 1st, 2017

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Number of pages: 64

POV: Alternating 1st person

Series: Take It to the Grave

Take It to the Grave – Book 1

Take it to the Grave – Book 2

Take it to the Grave – Book 3

Take it to the Grave – Book 4

Take it to the Grave – Book 5

Take it to the Grave – Book 6

Where you can find Take it to the Grave: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

It started with an anonymous note…

Sarah Taylor-Cox has a perfect life—a gorgeous husband, a picture-perfect house in the Hampton’s and a beautiful baby, Elliot. Now, the invites are being sent out for Elliot’s christening, and the Taylor—Coxes are determined the party will be the event of the year.

There’s just one chink in Sarah’s carefully constructed calm demeanor—her sister, Maisey, will be coming. The sisters used to be close, but now their lives couldn’t be more different. Surely though, they will slip back into their old ways, and the party will go off without a hitch…

Then, Sarah’s difficult relationship with Maisey is pushed to the back of her mind when she receives a note, one which makes her whole body shake with dread: I know your secret. I’m going to tell.

Part 1 of 6: a riveting new installment in this darkly compelling psychological thriller

My review:

Serial novels are the bane of my existence. On one hand, I love them because they are short and if written right can definitely make you want to read the next book. But if written wrong, they can turn you off of serial novels. Unfortunately, Take It to the Grave is the latter.

I couldn’t get into Sarah’s story. She came across as a neurotic mess that is haunted by something in her past. There is only the barest of clues given, a memory of her and her sister with their father playing in a meadow. Again, I know this is a serial so I know that the clues to the mystery would be dragged out but I really expected more background given. The relationship with her in-laws was toxic and her husband came across as a jerk. I mean, she had to hide the fact that she wasn’t breastfeeding from her mother in law (who was the mother in law from hell) and had to deal with her **friends** making unacceptable comments about her weight.

Maisey, however, was the complete opposite, in ways. She was damaged goods like Sarah but in different ways. She has difficulty maintaining any close relationships and kept people at arm’s length. Towards the end of her story, it is told why she is the way she is but it doesn’t explain the weird flashbacks about the baby or the fact that Maisey has the compulsive need to lie to people to keep appearances up.

I will say that the author did do a great job setting up the scenario for the rest of the books but I do wish that some of the extra scenes really didn’t need to be in the book. Like the sex scene in the Porta-potty. I really could have not used to visual of Sarah getting off in one of those. I think I actually gagged while reading it.

The end was very compelling and if I liked the book, I would have loved to read the next one. But unfortunately, I will have to pass on it.

How many stars will I give Take It to the Grave: 2

Why: I couldn’t connect with Sarah or Maisey. I also thought that some of the clues that showed up in the book about what happened to Sarah and Maisey didn’t give enough information. Also, the sex scene in the Porta potty really, really grossed me out and was the final straw in me not liking the book.

Will I reread: No

Will I recommend to family and friends: No

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex and language

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

A Cunning Heist (Sloane Harper: Book 2) by Astrid Astrid Arditi

A Cunning Heist (Sloane Harper #2)

Title: A Cunning Heist

Author: Astrid Arditi

Publisher: Self Published

Date of publication: May 26th, 2017

Genre: Mystery

Number of pages: 295

POV: 1st person

Series: Sloane Harper

A Cunning Plan – Book 1 (review here)

A Cunning Heist – Book 2

Where you can find A Cunning Heist: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Sloane Harper has sworn off men—for her sanity, and her safety. But with or without men, trouble always seems to find Sloane.
When her ex’s ex-mistress comes knocking for help, Sloane does what she does best: she helps way more than she should. As she investigates London’s art scene, Sloane runs into a very handsome but very shady artist, a quirky bunch of thieves, and a cunning old flame.
Perhaps Sloane should have sworn off playing private detective instead of men.

My review:

When Astrid approached me to read/review A Cunning Heist, I jumped on it. I was a huge fan of A Cunning Plan and I couldn’t wait to get my hands the next book. I couldn’t wait to see what antics Sloane would get herself into this time and I wasn’t disappointed!! A Cunning Heist is huge on the laughs and drama as well as a small slice of romance thrown in there.

Sloane is one of my favorite literary characters out of everything that I have read recently (within the last 6 months). She is sweet, clumsy, a great mom and trying to find herself and her way after the hijinks in A Cunning Plan and her devastating divorce. She was also very forgiving and it was that forgiving nature that landed her in the middle of a mess this time. Maybe it’s because I am not a nice, forgiving person, but I couldn’t, no wouldn’t be friends with someone who broke up my marriage. The fact that she was working on herself (and her list cracked me up, btw) and trying to better herself was great.

I didn’t feel the romance between Ethan and Sloane this book. Maybe because the book was so focused on Sloane, I just didn’t connect with Ethan the way I did in the first book. Also, he came across as very jealous and almost stalkerish at the beginning of the book. I kinda laughed when he was jealous of Felix and Sloane and assumed that he was her boyfriend. I mean, hello, he didn’t contact her for months afterward, she should have moved on.

The whole art heist plotline was fantastic and the situations that Sloane got herself into made me crack up laughing when I read it. I mean, a toilet paper bra….really? And throwing Turkish Delights at kidnappers? I would go more into the art heist part of the book but I won’t. You need to read the book to find out exactly what happened. I really liked Felix. Talk about a suave guy who oozed sex appeal. There was a point where I was worried that Sloane would end up with him but well, you need to read the book to find out.

There is a small plot twist at the end of the book that took me by surprise. But, it did give the perfect clue to the next book and I can’t wait to read it!!

How many stars will I give A Cunning Heist: 4

Why: Great, snarky characters with an awesome plot line.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Language, mild violence, and mild language

The Millionaire’s Wife by Shalini Boland

The Millionaire's Wife: An absolutely gripping psychological thriller by [Boland, Shalini]

Title: The Millionaire’s Wife

Author: Shalini Boland

Publisher: Adrenalin Books

Date of publication: April 27th, 2017

Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller

POV: 1st person

Number of pages: 306

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

How far would you go for the one you love? Lie…cheat…KILL?

When a woman is killed on the other side of the world, Anna Blackwell realizes that her past has caught up with her. That her greatest fear is about to come true. That it’s her turn next.

Uncover a web of lies and deceit in this chilling, twisty suspense thriller.

My review:

I like it when a mystery/suspense/thriller is so creepy that I am still creeped out…the day after I read it. This book kept me on the edge of my seat while I was reading it. I devoured The Millionaire’s Wife and I finished it within a day.

The suspense and thriller parts of the book are what sold me. From the first chapter, when Anna is getting the mysterious texts to when Fin showed up to the one twist I didn’t see coming and the twist I figured out, I couldn’t stop reading the book.

What I also liked about this book, which normally I don’t like and usually complain about, was that the book went back and forth in time. The book mainly takes place in 2017 but every few chapters, the author would flashback to different times. Starting with 2005 and ending in 2014, you got a good look into Anna and Fin’s relationship. As well as her relationship with Sian and her parents. Like I said, I normally don’t like it but in this case, it worked with the book. While Anna is dealing with her present-day issues, the past Anna has a whole bunch of issues that give to her present-day problems.

I did think Anna acted like an ostrich during the first couple of chapters. But honestly, if I were in her shoes, I think I would have done the same thing. Just keep everything to myself and pray that it goes away. But in her case, it didn’t go away. But that is what made the book so good.

Fin was a seriously deranged dude. Even when Anna and he first got together, I could see it. And the years that they spent apart didn’t do anything but make him even more insane. If you want to know what I mean, read the book.

There are two twists in the book. One that I saw coming (the way that the past scenes ended really did hint at it and it was a no-brainer when the twist became known). But the other one, well that shocked me. Talk about a character doing a 180. I couldn’t contain my shock. I was also shocked by the puppy hatred by another character. It made me sad but I can see why the author wrote it that way.

The end of the book was also a bit of a surprise but I enjoyed it. It was the perfect ending to the story.

How many stars will I give The Millionaire’s Wife: 4

Why: I really enjoyed this book. It had a great storyline, characters that I felt bad for, rooted for and that creeped out me out.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Language, violence, and some sexual situations

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

Burntown by Jennifer McMahon

Burntown: A Novel by [McMahon, Jennifer]

Title: Burntown

Author: Jennifer McMahon

Publisher: Doubleday Books

Date of publication: April 25th, 2017

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Women’s Fiction

POV: 3rd person

Number of pages: 304

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

The major new novel from New York Times bestselling suspense writer Jennifer McMahon.

Eva grew up watching her father, Miles, invent strange and wonderful things in the small workshop behind their house on the river that runs through their old mill town. But the most important invention of all was the one that Miles claimed came from the mind of Thomas Edison himself–a machine that allowed one to speak with loved ones long passed. Smuggled out of Edison’s laboratory, the blueprints were passed down to Miles, and he’s been using them to protect Eva, her mother, Lily, and her brother, Errol, ever since.

Then, one night when a storm is raging and the river is threatening to flood, the machine whirrs to life on its own. Danger, it says. You’re in terrible danger. The next thing Eva knows is waking up on the side of the river and seeing her mother’s grim face. Eva’s father and brother are dead, their house has been washed away and an evil man is searching for them both. They need to hide.

Eva changes her name to Necco–a candy she always loved–and tries to put everything in her past behind her as she adapts to her new life off the grid. But when her boyfriend is murdered and her mother disappears, she knows that the past is starting to catch up to her.

What really happened the night of the flood? As Necco searches for the truth, her journey unites her with two women who are on desperate quests of their own. And as the trio follows the clues to solving the mystery of Necco’s past, they discover that sometimes it’s the smallest towns that hold the strangest secrets.

My review:

I really wasn’t too sure what to feel about this book. It had everything I like about mysteries in it: an unknown villain, a plucky heroine, and a good cast of supporting characters. The only thing that this book lacked was a plotline that stayed engaging. I lost interest in the book after Hermes was killed and both Theo, Pru and Fred were introduced into the story. While I wanted to find out who Snake Eyes/Chicken Mask Man was and if Necco/Eva had the plans for the machine that can talk to the dead, I almost didn’t finish the book because I couldn’t get involved.

I also didn’t like that there were so many points of view. If the author had just kept with Necco and Theo, I would have been fine with it. But you had Martin, Pru and Fred’s point of view added in. While I appreciated it, again, my focus was lost with so many points of view and I felt that it took away from the story.

I also wish that the machine that could talk to the dead was featured more in the book. I was fascinated by it from what was described and I really felt that the author could have gone a whole different direction with the story if Martin hadn’t told Errol to destroy it.

I did like Necco. She was so strong even when everything that she had been told by her mother ended up being all false. Honestly, that would have broken me.

When it was revealed who Snake Eyes/Chicken Mask Man was and his ties to Necco, I was very surprised. I was only surprised because that character I assumed died. Don’t ask me why I assumed that because it was never mentioned. But that person was never mentioned in the book again, so I just assumed that person died. Guess I was wrong.

The end of the book was your typical HEA with the mystery being blown wide open.

How many stars will I give Burntown: 3

Why: I just couldn’t connect with the characters or get into the storylines. I wish I did or else this review would be different….sigh.

Will I reread: Maybe

Will I recommend to family and friends: Maybe

Age range: Adult

Why: Violence and language

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

Inspector Hobbes and the Bones (Unhuman: Book 4) by Wilkie Martin

Inspector Hobbes and the Bones (Unhuman #4)

Title: Inspector Hobbes and the Bones

Author: Wilkie Martin

Publisher: The Witcherley Book Company

Date of publication: December 16th, 2016

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Science Fiction, Fantasy

Number of pages: 319

POV: 1st person

Series: Unhuman

Inspector Hobbes and the Blood – Book 1

Inspector Hobbes and the Curse – Book 2

Inspector Hobbes and the Gold Diggers – Book 3

Inspector Hobbes and the Bones – Book 4

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

There’s going to be trouble. Andy Caplet’s wife goes away, someone is out to get him, and he loses nearly everything in a storm. Amazing both himself and his unhuman friend Inspector Hobbes, he heroically rescues flood victims and uncovers something shocking.
Is Andy being set up for blackmail by the apparently charming young woman who attempts to seduce him, or is something even more sinister afoot? Hobbes certainly believes so, and he’s getting worried.
This is the fourth in Wilkie Martin’s unhuman series of cozy comedy crime fantasies.

My review:

As most of my regular readers know, I absolutely hate getting a book to review and finding out that it is 2nd, 3rd, or 4th book in a series. 9 out of 10 times, I get so lost that I just want to put the book down and DNF it. But, I usually push through the book and I usually am totally confused about what is going on. Luckily, with the last few books that I got and were part of a series, they were pretty easy to follow and gave information about the earlier books in a way that didn’t underwhelm or overwhelm the current book. Happily, I can group Inspector Hobbes and the Bones in with them.

Now, this is a book that is set completely in England and there is a ton of dry English humor (which I love) and a lot of English vocabulary. Luckily, my Kindle’s English (not American English, English English…lol) dictionary was downloaded because I had to use it a few time. Not that it took away from the story but it did add some time to my reading. Not complaining, though, because I did learn some new words.

This book is a paranormal mystery. Now, if I hadn’t of read the blurb, I wouldn’t have believed the paranormal part of the book. Trust me, it’s in there but the author chose to focus more on the mystery part of the book with the paranormal part really not coming into play until the last half of the book. There are paranormal elements in the book (the vampire and Hobbes’s habit of eating bones are two) but the focus is on the many mysteries that Andy and Hobbes happen upon.

Now speaking of the mystery part of the book, I loved that the author was able to handle a few mysteries at once and then was able to merge them with the main storyline. I have read other mysteries that attempted to do that and then they just lose track of the sub-storylines and those are never resolved or merged with the main storyline. Again, something else I really liked about this book.

Andy came across as an idiot. I mean, how can someone get into that many predicaments and how can someone be that unaware of their surroundings? Plus, he also had a huge knack for ticking people off and just plain doing/saying the wrong thing. I mean, who would pack chocolate in their wife’s luggage when she was going to a dessert and then wonder why she was so upset because ants bit her and her clothes were ruined. His bumbling antics really didn’t do it for me in the story and I was truly waiting to see if he was going to get knocked off.

Hobbes, however, I was fascinated with and I really wish that more was revealed about him other than he policed the supernatural. I mean, he ate bones and according to Andy, he had a ferocious temper, unlike anything that he (Andy) had ever seen before. Also, he never seemed to age. So what is he? Now, this is where I wish I had read the first 3 books. I am sure that more insights into who/what he is in there.

The secondary characters were written awesomely too. From the little person who moonlighted as a ninja (OMG, did I die laughing during that scene) to the bar owner who had a temper and liked to fight to the vampire banker to Hobbes housekeeper and dog to the literal man killer and her cousins…..I absolutely loved them. Honestly, a good book has excellent secondary characters and this book definitely did.

I will say that the end of the book did surprise me and the mysteries were solved. There were really no twists, which for once was refreshing. I also liked that while those storylines ended, the book was left open for potentially a 5th book.

How many stars will I give Inspector Hobbes and the Bones: 4

Why: This was a great mystery with paranormal elements. I was genuinely kept guessing about who killed the bodies that Andy and Hobbes found. I was also guessing that the other sub-storylines.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Older teen

Why: Mild violence and some adult themes/jokes

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

Appetite for Innocence by Lucinda Berry

Appetite for Innocence

Title: Appetite For Innocence

Author: Lucinda Berry

Publisher: Rise Press

Date of publication: April 11th, 2017

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

Number of pages: 358

POV: Alternating 1st person

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Be careful what you post online. Your next check-in might lead him right to you…

A serial rapist is kidnapping teenage girls. But he’s not interested in just any teenage girls—only virgins. He hunts them by following their status updates and check-ins on social media. Once he’s captured them, they’re locked away in his sound-proof basement until they’re groomed and ready. He throws them away like pieces of trash after he’s stolen their innocence. Nobody escapes alive.

Until Ella.

Ella risks it all to escape, setting herself and the other girls free. But only Sarah—the girl who’s been captive the longest—gets out with her. The girls are hospitalized and surrounded by FBI agents who will stop at nothing to find the man responsible. Ella and Sarah are the keys to their investigation, but Sarah’s hiding something and it isn’t long before Ella discovers her nightmare is far from over.

Fans of The Butterfly Garden and The Girl Before will devour Appetite for Innocence

Warning: Contains sexual violence which may be a trigger for some readers…

My review:

How do I start this review? Ok, maybe by saying that to date, this has to have been the creepiest book that I have read. Told from the viewpoints of Sarah and Ella and told in the past and present, I just got the chills from reading it. I just couldn’t place what was going to come next and there was some doozy of plot twists. I should also mention that there are several triggers in the book. So if you trigger easily, I wouldn’t read it.

Normally, I don’t like it when a book jumps from the past to present and back. Also, I don’t like it when there are many switches back and forth between characters. But, with this book, it worked and the author did a great job of letting you know when the book was in the past, when it was in the present and who was talking. The beginning of each chapter had the character’s name with (past) or (present) next to it. So there was no confusion about who was talking and if they were in the past/future.

I liked the warning that was throughout the book: Too much oversharing on any/all social media websites. That is what made it so easy for John to find his victims. He was able to track them, research them, through their Facebook profiles, their Instagram accounts and find out all about them. And since he wanted virgins, it made it easier for him to find those who took purity pledges. I have an 11-year-old and this is exactly my fear as she gets older.

My heart broke for Ella and you could see the change in her throughout her entrapment. She went from fighting with everything she had to just accept the inevitable to actually having the courage to do what Sarah couldn’t/wouldn’t. But what broke my heart, even more, was when she was rescued. She was so filled with guilt over what happened to Paige (even if it wasn’t her fault). Her depression and coping mechanisms, once she was home, was totally believable.

Sarah, however, I didn’t like. I mean, yes, I felt bad when I eventually found out what happened to her when she was younger and what she did to survive that first couple of years. But when other things were revealed, my feeling bad for her quickly evaporated and all I began to feel was disgust. Not going to get into what exactly happened but I was pretty shocked by the depth of her involvement in things at the house. Let’s just leave it at that.

The last few chapters of the book were a surprise and I was pretty happy with how things ended. But, I was a little creeped out by the last chapter.

How many stars will I give Appetite for Innocence: 4

Why: This is a genuinely creepy book that is going to give me nightmares. The characters were very well-developed and you couldn’t help but get attached to them.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes but with a warning about triggers that I will list below

Age range: Adult

Why: Violence and language. Scenes of child abuse, dog attack, and rape. These could be triggers for some people and I would recommend reading with caution if you are triggered by them.

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