11.11.2022 - Sunset Beach

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for gifting me a digital ARC of this wonderful book by Mary Kay Andrews - 4.5 stars!

Drue Campbell is down on her luck - her mom just died, she's trying to recover from injuries sustained from her kiteboarding career, she's been fired from her waitress job, and has no prospects.   When her estranged dad shows up at her mom's funeral, he informs her that she has inherited her grandparents' cottage on Sunset Beach, and also offers her a job at his law firm.  But the downside is that her dad has married her old best friend, and she's her new boss.  When Drue discovers some newspaper clippings about a missing woman in her mom's possessions, she starts looking into the case.  She also starts quietly investigating the death of a young woman at a nearby hotel - and starts questioning the involvement of her father or his law firm.  

This is definitely not just a light beach read - I really got interested in this story and characters from the beginning.  While there's just the slightest hint of romance, there are multiple mysteries to be solved.  Drue is a wonderful character and you'll be rooting for her the whole time.  I also loved the author's note at the end of the book describing her own beach cottage adventure.  A must read!

11.10.2022 - Now is Not the Time to Panic

Many thanks to NetGalley and Ecco for gifting me a digital ARC of this wonderful novel by Kevin Wilson - 5 stars!

In the 1990s in Coalfield TN, two teenagers who have both lost their dads and feel lost and lonely, come together and create art.  Frankie wants to be a writer and comes up with a quote; Zeke wants to be an artist and illustrates the poster.  They sign it with drops of their blood.  Then with a copier in the garage stolen by Frankie's brothers, they make copies and start putting them all around the town.  But the townspeople get scared and bad things start happening.  Twenty years later, Frankie is now married and the mother of Junie, living now in KY, gets a phone call that threatens to expose her.

Oh my gosh, did I love everything about this story.  I loved how the writer's note was the beginning of the story, explaining the phrase and making me already love the story before I started to read.  This is a sweet coming-of-age story about two young people who don't fit in with anyone but themselves, trying to express themselves in art, and make a spot in the world.  It's about friendship and secrets that both unite us and set us free.  It's an absolute must read!  

11.8.2022 - The Family Game

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group Ballantine Books for granting my wish and gifting me a digital copy of the latest thriller by Catherine Steadman - 4.5 stars!

Harry is a novelist who just moved from England to the US where her fiancé, Edward, lives.  Edward is Uber-wealthy, coming from a very powerful family, the Holbecks.  Edward has been somewhat estranged from the family but engaged and with Harry newly pregnant, they accept an offer from Edward's sister to join the family for Thanksgiving.  There, Harry is introduced to Robert, the patriarch of the family, who slips her a secret cassette tape that he says she must listen to.  It gets weirder from that point, with Harry becoming involved with the games this family plays - and these aren't your average board games.  This family plays to win at all costs.  But Harry is keeping her own secret that she doesn't want the family to know.

While this one is definitely a bit over the top, I dove deep into this book and didn't want to stop reading.  It's mad fun trying to figure out how it will all end up and the ending was quite satisfying.  Block out some time to play The Family Game!

11.6.2022 - The Last Party

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for gifting me a digital ARC of the newest book by a favorite, Clare Mackintosh.  5 stars!

Rhys Lloyd hosts a big party on New Year's Eve to celebrate the beginning success of new investment properties on Mirror Lake.  The properties are on the border of England and Wales, and are a huge bone of contention with the Welsh townspeople, so Rhys extends an invitation to some of them as well.  But by midnight, Rhys is dead.  And pretty much everyone had a reason to kill him.

Clare Mackintosh is such a skillful writer - if you haven't read I Let You Go, you must!  Still one of my very top favorites.  And this one is another winner and it kept me turning the pages as quickly as I could.  We are introduced to Detectives Leo Brady and Ffion Morgan, from different departments brought together to investigate this murder.  There are a lot of characters, pretty much all suspects, and we hear from many of them, including past timeframes, and everyone has secrets.  More good news - this is the first in a series featuring Ffion Morgan - can't wait to read more!

11.5.2022 - American Mother

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing and Bookouture Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest true crime novel by the one-and-only Gregg Olsen and wonderfully narrated by Karen Peakes - 4.5 stars!

A few years after the Tylenol tampering tragedies, Stella Nickell is on trial for lacing Excedrin capsules with cyanide, causing both her husband and a complete stranger to die.  Gregg Olsen meticulously researches the background and family of Stella, including Cindy, the daughter who would later testify against her in court.  

I have been a true crime junkie since my teens, and have eagerly awaited Olsen's books, whether his true crime or fiction books.  I really enjoyed listening to the discussion between the narrator and author at the end of the book, as well as his afterword.  It's so frightening to think that someone could be so evil as to tamper with a product that could kill any one of us.  In this case, as in so many, it all comes down to money.  Another winner by this author!

11.3.2022 - Carry the Dog

Many thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for gifting me both a physical and digital ARC of this wonderful book by Stephanie Gangi and allowing me to participate in the blog tour - 5 stars!

Bea is nearing 60, still relying both for financial and emotional support on her ex-husband, Gary, an aged rock star who isn't able to reciprocate well.  Bea's childhood was fraught with trauma.  Her mother, Miri, was a photographer who exploited her children to get those perfect shots, in a series dubbed The Marx Nudes.  It all ended in tragedy and Bea has been mostly estranged from her remaining family ever since.  Decades later, both Hollywood and the Museum of Modern Art are courting her for projects involving her mother's photos, which have been kept in a storage space.  

I adored this book, even though the subject matter of childhood trauma and exploitation is a serious one.  Bea had to come to terms with her past before she could move into a new future, and she realizes that she had one memory of her past that was different from reality.  As we age, I think we are all forced to face our pasts and become comfortable with our face in the mirror in more ways than just looks.   I loved these characters, flaws and all.  This is a coming-of-age story for grownups and gave me so much to think about.  I also loved the author's note, so be sure to read that.  Can't wait to read more from this author!

11.2.2022 - Haunted in America

Many thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Audio for gifting me an audio ARC of the latest book by Leslie Rule and narrated by Lisa Flanagan - 4 stars!

This audiobook contains ghost stories from the author's previous four books as well as updates and additions.  Never having read these books, I was intrigued to listen to all these different stories from around the country, divided into chapters devoted to hotels, amusement parks, restaurants, etc.  

I started listening to this on Halloween and finished on All Souls Day - how perfect is that?  While I'm a huge fan of the infamous Ann Rule and her daughter, Leslie, I had only read her true crime book so all of these stories were new to me.  No matter what you think about ghosts and spirits, this book will make you wonder.  The author has meticulously researched all of these events and gives you the facts as she knows them.  Fascinating to listen to and the narration by Lisa Flanagan was perfect!