9.29.2019 - One Night Gone

Many thanks to NetGalley, Graydon House, and Tara Laskowski for the opportunity to read and review her debut novel - a good one and another author I'll be watching!

Set in coastal Opal Beach, this story is told in two time frames.  In 1985, Maureen is escaping a bad family life and finds work with a traveling carnival, until one of the bosses gets too friendly.  But she meets a couple of locals, Clay Phillips, the son of the wealthy Phillips clan who own much of the town and Tammy, who lets Maureen stay in her apartment.  But then just as suddenly as she arrives, Maureen vanishes.  In 2015, Allison is trying to recover from an on-air call out of her cheating husband and subsequent firing as a local weather person.  Her sister, Annie, hears about a job housesitting in Opal Beach and feels it would be the perfect opportunity for Allison to regroup and restart her life.  But then Allison and Tammy meet and Allison learns more about Maureen's disappearance all those years ago and they start investigating.

This book made me feel like I could relate to both of the women in this timeframe and setting - the writing was suspenseful and descriptive.  A good read - especially on a beach...or maybe not!

9.26.2019 - The Shape of Night

Many thanks to NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and Tess Gerritsen for the opportunity to read and review her latest thriller.  I have been a huge fan of Gerritsen's stand alone books as well as her Rizzoli & Isles series so was very excited to be able to read her new book.

Ava is escaping her life and past in Boston when she rents an old mansion in a small town on the coast of Maine.  The house is named Brodie's Watch after the sea captain who had it built, but was then lost at sea.  Ava thinks she found the perfect location to perfect the recipes she wants to include in her cookbook based on New England foods and history.  Then Ava finds out that the renter before her left suddenly and is not returning emails.  She starts having encounters with a ghostly figure that looks like Capt Brodie and even visits a "ghostbuster" to try and figure out if her house is indeed haunted.

While this is a bit different from Gerritsen's other books, the wonderful writing and suspense will keep you glued to the pages.  I loved the setting of the book - the fog and craggy shoreline and creepy house descriptions enhance the storyline.  Great read!

9.25.2019 - The World That We Knew

Many thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and Alice Hoffman for the opportunity to read and review her latest book.  While I wouldn't say magical reasoning books would be on the list of my favorite genres, when written by Alice Hoffman, they deserve 5 stars.

This is a beautifully written, heartbreaking, yet hopeful book of love and loss, mostly the loss of a mother's love.  Set during World War II, Hanni is a mother in Berlin who knows that she must leave her daughter, Lea, to give her any chance at life.  Hanni's own mother is bedfast and Hanni is duty-bound to stay with her.  She wants someone who will love Lea like she does and goes to a rabbi's home for assistance.  There, the rabbi's daughter, Ettie, helps Hanni create a magical golem, Ava, who is sworn to protect Lea at all costs.  Lea and Ava travel throughout Europe trying to stay alive and together, meeting a cast of characters all doing the same.

Meticulously researched and teaching us more atrocities of this time period, we are also left with the hope that love brings.  I loved all the blessings, prayers, thoughts of souls and visions of both protective angels and the angel of death.  Highly recommended.

9.22.2019 - No Judgments

Thanks to NetGalley, William Morrow and Meg Cabot for the opportunity to read and review her latest book.  I'm typically a fan of Cabot's books but this one was just okay.  3.5 stars - I'm intrigued enough that I'd like to read the next book in this series.

Bree escapes NYC after the death of her father, a fallout with her mother and a sexual assault by her boyfriend's best friend that no one but her took seriously.  She flees to Little Bridge Island, part of the Florida Keys, to heal and start fresh.  But she is totally unprepared for a category 5 hurricane bearing down on the island.  While most flee for safer ground, Bree is adamant about staying put, although she eventually takes shelter at her boss' mansion complete with whole house generator.  Bree undertakes a mission to rescue all the pets that were left in homes when their owners evacuated not knowing that the bridge would fail and they couldn't get back home.  Meanwhile, sparks fly with the boss' nephew, Drew.

There wasn't a lot of depth to the characters and the ending felt a bit too contrived but still a fun escapism read.

9.19.2019 - One Little Secret

Many thanks to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Cate Holahan for the opportunity to read this domestic thriller.  4 stars - kept me intrigued until the end.

Three neighborhood couples decide to rent a beach house for a much-needed week's vacation away from their kids and busy lives.  Susan organized the vacation to get her husband, Nadal, away from his tech start up and spend some time with her.  Louis and Jenny, both doctors, bring their secrets along with them, as do Ben, a stay-at-home dad and his lawyer wife, Rachel.  Lots of alcohol loosens inhibitions and accusations are thrown about infidelity.  One of the women storms off and is found dead the next day.  Detective Gabby Watkins is investigating the possibility of a date rape when she is called to work on the murder investigation.

For some reason, I kept getting confused in the beginning about which spouse belonged to the other, but I eventually got the relationships cemented in my brain.  Besides being a good thriller, lots to think about here with some hot button topics as well as our responsibility to others in our lives for what we witness.

9.16.2019 - Their Last Breath

Many thanks to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Sibel Hodge for the opportunity to read and review her latest thriller - another 5 star read!  It was so good to get back into the lives of these characters - certainly hope there'll be another one soon!

Although these characters are from two previous books by Sibel Hodge, you don't need to read them to enjoy this book.  This is a great police procedural involving a horrible subject - human trafficking.

Detective Warren Carter is retired from the police force and still struggling with grief over the death of his wife.  He can't sleep and finds it hard to fill his days.  Then he gets a call from the unit charged with investigating their own officers.  The commander, Carolyn, wants Carter back on the case to investigate the murder of 6 women who were chained in an abandoned building that caught on fire.  Meanwhile, Detective Becky Harris is investigating the brutal murders of two people and the attempted murder of another person.  Are these cases related?

These are wonderful characters and I highly recommend you read these books!  Can't wait for the next one!

9.12.2019 - What Rose Forgot

Many thanks to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Nevada Barr for the opportunity to read this fun mystery.

The book opens with 68-year-old Rose in a memory care unit inside of a nursing home, unable to remember how or why she got there.  She overhears a threatening conversation and stops taking her meds, leading her to plot her escape from the unit.  But by acting crazy, how will she convince people she's not crazy?  With a little help from her step-granddaughter, Mel, Mel's friend, Royal, and Rose's sister, Marian, she starts taking back control of her life.

Filled with lots of dark humor, this is just a fun mystery that will keep you guessing.  I definitely want to be Rose when I grow up!

9.10.2019 - 29 Seconds

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and TM Logan for the opportunity to read and review his second novel.  I really enjoyed Lies and this one was a gripping read as well!  4.5 stars!

Imagine if you just had to say a name of a person to make them disappear out of your life - would you have a name?  What happens if you make that deal with the devil?  Sarah has to make this decision.  Coming home from work one night, she managed to stop the kidnapping of a young girl.  The girl's father is a powerful man and he feels that he is now in Sarah's debt.  The only way he can repay that debt is to offer her a deal - she has 72 hours to make a phone call with a name of a person she wants to disappear.  Once that decision is made, she can't take it back and the opportunity will never present itself again.  Do you make the deal?  What if your boss at work is untouchable and making your life miserable with his sexual harassment?

A great thriller - I couldn't put it down.  You really feel for Sarah's no win situation - but can she live with the consequences?

9.8.2019 - Akin

Many thanks to NetGalley, Little, Brown & Company, and Emma Donoghue for the opportunity to read and review her latest novel.  I still count Room as one of my all-time favorite novels so I'm always anxious to read her books.  Her latest book is again beautifully written - 5 stars in my mind because I loved these characters!

Noah is a retired chemistry professor, living alone in his Manhattan apartment after the death of his wife.  For his 80th birthday, he decides to use some money bequeathed to him when his sister died and go to his native hometown of Nice, France.  He's days away from leaving when he receives a phone call from a social worker saying that he is the closest relative to his great-nephew, 11-year-old Michael, whose grandmother just died.  Michael's father (Noah's nephew) died from an overdose and his mother is in prison on drug charges.  Noah begrudgingly agrees to take charge of Michael for a couple weeks while his aunt can be located, which means that Michael will be making the trip to France with him.

The cultural and generational differences are readily apparent and fun to watch the two navigate.  There is also a bit of mystery here - Noah found a few photographs in his sister's belongings that his mother apparently took.  He investigates their origin while in France.

This well-researched book about a true period in time during WWII could also be a travelogue of the region and people of Nice.  But it's the interactions between Noah and Michael that steal the book and your heart.  Highly recommended!

9.6.2019 - Clear My Name

Many thanks to NetGalley, Atlantic Monthly, and Paula Daly for the opportunity to read this great psychological thriller - loved it!  4.5 stars!

Tess is in charge of Innocence UK - a charity that works to get innocent people convicted of crimes a new trial and hopefully exonerated.  While she works tirelessly at her job, Tess keeps a big chunk of her life separate - no real personal involvements and she changes addresses frequently.  When the group decides to take on the case of Carrie, convicted of killing her husband's girlfriend, Tess is forced to go back to her hometown and risk opening up some of those secrets.  Told from Tess' and Carrie's points of view both in the present and before the crime, Tess and her assistant, Avril, fight to see if they can uncover enough evidence to prove Carrie's guilt or innocence.

This book has plenty of twists and great writing that will keep you turning the pages as fast as you can to see what happens.  Great read!

9.5.2019 - Rewind

Many thanks to NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing, and Catherine Ryan Howard for the opportunity to read this creatively-told thriller.  I was a big fan of her last book, The Liar's Girl, and this one is even better.  4.5 stars for a gripping read.

The story opens with a manager in a secluded seaside town watching video of a woman in her room from a hidden camera in a rental cottage - and is shocked to watch her murder before the camera is destroyed.  Then the story is told in different time periods of rewind, play and pause.  There is an interesting cast of characters in this story - the victim, who was made famous by her Instagram stories, her husband, a reporter, and lots of creepy people!  This book will keep you turning the pages until you get to the ending - and it's a good one!

9.3.2019 - Mother Knows Best

Many thanks to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Kira Peikoff for the opportunity to read and review her latest suspense thriller - a great read!

Claire and Ethan are devastated when their son, Colton, dies from an inherited disease.  Ethan, an ethics professor, is desperate for another child; Claire is too but doesn't want to risk having another child with the same disease.  She hears about revolutionary genetic work being done by Dr Robert Nash and his associate, Jillian.  Claire eventually gets Dr Nash to use her as a guinea pig for his highly illegal project of manipulating the DNA to create a child from 3 parents' genes.  When Claire becomes pregnant, Ethan turns her in, forcing Claire and Dr Nash to go into hiding.  Jillian eventually has to go to trial and is sentenced to prison.  Ten years later, their child, Abby, starts realizing that her parents may not have been totally honest with her, leading to devastating results for all involved.

Told in multiple points of view in Now and Before timeframes, this is a book that will keep you turning the pages and thinking about what constitutes a parent or a mother.

9.2.2019 - The Long Call

Many thanks to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Ann Cleeves for the opportunity to read and review this first in a new crime fiction series - 5 glowing stars for a great read!  I can't wait to read the next books in this series!

Matthew Venn stands apart from the rest of the mourners at his father's funeral.  Estranged from his ultra-religious family for years, Matthew has struggled to feel that he fits in anywhere.  He now works as a Detective Investigator in Devon, England, and is called to investigate a murder.  A body is found by the sea near where Matthew now lives with his husband, Jonathan.  The investigation comes close to home when there are links to the community run by Jonathan as well as back to the religious sect of his childhood.

The characters in this book are so real - they are shown with all their true feelings and thoughts, not just the pretty glossy side.  Matthew is wonderful and I really connected with Jen, a single mother struggling to do well both on the job and at home.  The setting is made to feel so real and the writing wonderful - kept me guessing to the end.  I look forward to the next chapter of this series!  Highly recommended!