Three foster girls with very different personalities band together to survive their psychopath foster mom. When they get a call saying that bones have been discovered and they are bringing all the fosters in for questioning the three head back into their horrible past. Listened to the fantastic Aussie accent audiobook as this book kept me entertained and puzzled. We all want the bad guy, aka foster mom, to be the culprit but was she? The three soul sisters are all dealing with trauma of their past and in perfect denial now. This might be tough for victims of abuse. 4 stars
0 Comments
Once again we find ourselves with detectives from both sides of the lake - Ffion from Wales and her potential love interest Leo from England. A reality show stirs up the quiet little village but when a contestant goes missing it ramps up even more. The contestants are involved in more than they bargained for making them all suspects and journalists and social media podcasters aren't helping keep any of it quiet. This police drama with much tension (of the relationship kind) and office politics is one that would do really well on the small screen. The characters are gruff but likable , the serene setting is just remote enough and the fast pace with just a trickle of clues all work really well. There is even an anxiety driven dog! For British mystery lovers of books and tv series alike. 4 stars The fifth book in a series that pairs an ex-police detective and a mystery writer to solve a variety of cases. Reminiscent of Sherlock and Holmes with an injection of humor this pair rarely see eye-to-eye and that tension is what works for them. This story is slanted more to Inspector Hawthorne than writer Horowitz which worked better to throw yourself into the murder mystery for me. A gated community sees a grumpy resident silenced and the whole community seems to be a suspect. This series is a fun respite from the standard dark murder mysteries. 4 stars There once was a wonderful woman named Pippa who loved puzzles and gathered puzzle makers from far and wide to create and puzzle together in a big house. While everyone was happy there was one piece missing until a baby boy was left on the doorstep for Pippa and the others to raise as their own. Years go by and Pippa passes away leaving the baby, now a young adult, no closer to knowing who his birth parents are. Pippa leaves clues for Clayton to travel to London to solve the puzzle of his birth and have the adventure of his life along the way.
Told in alternating chapters between present day Clayton and Pippa's life years ago this is a warm and fuzzy look at what it means to be a family and love in its many forms. The reader gets the opportunity to join in solving the clues too! For fans of unusual family groups and stores with a strong sense of community with a twist like THE CARTOGRAPHERS, THE WISHING GAME and THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY. 4 stars A retired cop befriends a young woman seeking answers about the dead brother she never knew. Dennis was sent through the system and ended up at a boy's institution in remote Oregon where he drowned. Amanda born years later was adopted and now is trying to find connections to her birth family. Larry is a lonely widower who sees something special in Amanda and offers to help her for what turns out to be a hard road. People aren't talking about what happened at the institution and the paper trail is long. The side story is about Amanda's passion that of caring for a solitary polar bear at the zoo. She is trying to help the bear connect with his family through DNA. Their search goes deeper into uncovering what was really going on at the school putting them in danger with justice for Dennis within their reach. Rene Denfeld mirrors two stories beautifully showing the connection of siblings and the cost of trying to "help" those in need with cruel methods. Food and shelter mean nothing without love, caring and compassion. Heartbreaking and pulse pounding at the same time this will appeal to readers who love character driven stories as well as legal thrillers. 4 1/2 stars
Happy book birthday to THE TRUTH ABOUT THE DEVLINS by Lisa Scottoline
T.J. is the black sheep in the family. He is in recovery after a tragic accident landed him a jail sentence and changed his path from the rest of his family of attorneys. Now working as a private P.I. with his family helping throw him clients but worried about his sobriety. While trying to help his brother out of a tough spot the domino stacks start to fall knocking him over as his brother throws him under the bus. This solid legal thriller also shares the stage with a deep family drama. When you are at your lowest point your family will always have your back right? In true Lisa Scottoline style there is a tricky mystery to solve mixed with humor, emotion and lots of drama. Fans of John Grisham and her book WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BENNETTS will enjoy. 4 stars Theodosia (Theo) leaves Australia and shows up at her older brother's place in the states suddenly to follow her dream of becoming an author. He agrees to give her the summer and she spends her days writing at a coffee shop where she meets a famous author who quickly becomes a mentor and much more. Life is good until the author is murdered. Theo with the help of her brother and a P.I. friend try to uncover what happened but get pulled in as Theo is outed by social media as the potential murder suspect. It looks like the author was considered the head of a conspiracy theory network and these are the very people who are after Theo. It doesn't help that the author sent her manuscript to his publisher and they want to publish it. This imaginative thriller looks at the power of social media to control society and the underground groups who have the power to put someone on a pedestal or pin a target on their back. There are many threads to keep untangled that are pulled together quickly (surprise) in the end. Once again Sulari Gentill writes about authors and their manuscripts in a way that should put the CIA or other government agencies on high alert. 3 1/2 stars Two sisters become embroiled in gangster violence and a power struggle in the heart of Las Vegas. Crissy has a very successful nightclub act impersonating Princess Diana. She is as fragile as the real princess somewhat sheltered behind the casino walls until her estranged sister and niece come to town and instantly her house of cards begins to sway. Betsy has just taken a job working for a big cryptocurrency company which her boyfriend is also part of. What started as a great job opportunity has turned into something sinister run by some dangerous criminals. Crissy starts losing people she is close to and the smoking gun is pointed at her. Two sisters different as Las Vegas - a dangerous playground in spotlights at night and seemingly harmless in the light of day. Touches on abuse both substance and physical in a unique story that feels like THE CROWN meets THE GODFATHER. 4 stars
The continuing story that began with THE SEARCHER of the retired American cop who moves to a small village in Ireland. Instead of peace and quiet minding his garden and his business as well as honing his woodworking he gets pulled into the under the radar criminal activity of the locals. All Cal wants to do, along with his girlfriend Lena, is to mentor Trey a troubled teen who has a good heart but needs life to be a bit easier for her. When Trey's no good dad comes home with a scheme to make money off a wealthy Englishman and involves Trey Cal knows he is walking into a minefield and with calm persistence he protects Trey from her dad and herself. This is the perfect Irish slow burn. These are characters who have seen a hard life and will protect their own above all else. Cal is all heart and the witty Irish banter is priceless even when delivered at knifepoint. You can read this book as a standalone but it is so much more enjoyable when read after reading THE SEARCHER. For fans of her other books as well as S.A. Cosby's stories of the American south. 5 stars
Nina and Simon are still together even though they are attending different schools. On a trip to Simon's family cabin to go climbing the worst happens. Simon comes back home alone. Both families circle the wagons and prepare for what comes next. Simon's family knows he could not hurt Nina just as Nina's family is sure she would never just disappear and not tell them where she is going. A police investigation, social media justice and emotional nightmare for both families leaves them all raw. How far would you go to protect your child? This story is well balanced between both families so the reader understands that there is no winner. A family drama for fans of DEFENDING JACOB and true crime cases. 3 1/2 stars |
I love to read good books and share the new books that are available and those that are coming soon
Adult Genres
General Fiction Historical Fiction Thriller / Mystery Fantasy / Sci-Fi Non-Fiction All Adult Genres Other Genres Young Adult Genre Kids Books Genre Follow Kim
Review Archives
April 2024
|