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Dark is the key here. A young girl goes missing in a small Irish village in 1999 and decades later the case remains unsolved. The missing girl's sister has grown and is now a cop and along with her sister's childhood friend open the case up again. Shadows in the hanging woods along with shadowed vision and shadowy memories of what happened years before all work together in this Irish crime noir. Small town secrets no one will tell but fester, unreliable characters with unreliable memories make this dark tale work. Not a quick read but the atmosphere is spot on. Hand this to readers of long kept secrets in the books by Harlan Coben and Tana French's THE SEARCHER. 3 1/2 stars 
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This is the very definition of a thriller - we have two women whose only connection is evidence that may give one of them peace about the death of her parents and the other woman ammunition to get away from a bad marriage. Aubrey poses as Camille so that Camille's husband won't know that Camille is really spying on him. The plan should work but runs into a snag when Camille's husband Ben is murdered. This gives the real Camille an alibi but also leaves Aubrey without one. Enter Aubrey's housemates with a checkered past and Hank, Ben's law partner who is intent on solving the murder to clear Camille. Perfectly paced with all the requisite false leads and lies. Hard to put down and just as impressive as her last book. Give this to serious crime readers and fans of Sarah Pekkanin, Lisa Jewell and B.A. Paris. 4 1/2 stars  A sexy nanny and hot divorced professor dad with three kids story with more spice than sugar. Maddie is living out of her car after a bad breakup with a jerk. She has just taken a teaching position but needs a second job to get her through. As luck would have it a professor is looking for a summer nanny and things are looking up until she sees who her boss is. Sparks fly and things sizzle while they try to keep a professional relationship. Being a good girl may not be what Bram has in mind when not around the kids. Witty dialogue and diverse characters carry this is updated naughty co-ed and the professor trope. It moves pretty quickly and you may need a glass of ice water handy. 4 stars  A boarding school for vampires is letting in a few human students for the first time which is a golden opportunity for a vampire hunter to go undercover. Rebecca isn't there to take out half the school population but instead is tasked with finding a secret book that discloses vampire weaknesses. Trouble begins the first day when she discovers her roommate is a vampire from one of the school's founding families. Sparks fly and the two women go from hate to accidental bonding. They must find the antidote found in the secret book Rebecca is searching for before she is bonded to Alix forever. Rebecca thought she knew everything about vampires and revenge but that was before love got in the way. Dark academia, sapphic enemy to lover romance and both bloodthirsty and mellow immortals come together in this first bite that will have you thirsty for more. A cross between Harry Potter and Anne Rice vampire tale that is sure to please a large audience. 4 1/2 stars  1869 Unlikely travelers on a quest to Lhasa Tibet have much to fear but for two groups of outsiders it can mean their death if caught. A British Captain has dyed his skin and his spy/ guide who is familiar with their path is tasked with getting into Tibet so the fame seeking Captain can be the first westerner mapping the route. Another westerner, along with her young guide who hopes to become a monk, wants to gain entrance into the famed Royal Geographical Society as the first western woman to enter Tibet. They are all there for various reasons and all are hiding secrets and hidden agendas. Perhaps the most secretive of all is Chetak a sort of Robin Hood bandit who glides in and out of their lives offering help. With the constant threat of capture, snow leopards, disease, bandits and storms this is a sweeping novel of adventure, the audacity of the British and colonization as well as friendship, loyalty and a chance to make things right. For fans of LOST HORIZONS and SEVEN YEARS IN TIBET this will delight both historians and historical fiction readers. 4 stars  NASA astronauts and a few lucky civilians board a billionaire's spaceship on a lengthy mission to one of Jupiter's moons. The ship basically runs itself so what could go wrong? Something does happen and they make it back to a very different world than the one they left behind. Classic space story with some big twists that will have Andy Weir fans as well as Blake Crouch fans enthralled. This one will leave you waiting in anticipation of the next book and you can easily see it working on the small screen. 4 stars  Cozy mystery that feels like Golden Girls meets Finlay Donovan. Emersyn is having a tough week - her ex just left and took all her money, she is unemployed and raising her young niece by herself. She is forced to move into an apartment filled with seniors and when one of them ends up dead and another resident is accused, Emersyn gets caught agreeing to take the case for her fake detective agency that just became real. She gets help from a bored teen in the building and a hunky guy who just happened to be there at the right time and has the same name as the agency. It is a cute romance and I did enjoy the side story of her love and attention to raising her niece. It doesn't go very deep into a character dive and the probability of this ragtag group solving anything is slim but it will work for a variety of ages and will make you smile. 3 1/2 stars  A school counselor is shaken to her core when she learns of the deaths of her son's classmates. Overnight Abby is out of a job and her son is being held for questioning. She is also still dealing with the childhood trauma that put her brother in prison. As a professional Abby is having a hard time ignoring some warning signs that her son is more involved than he is letting on but as a mother she can't believe he could do something so horrible. This psychological thriller plays on a parent's responsibility and the community to see warning signs and act as well as if bad behavior is learned or genetic. How well do we really know our teens? Do we as parents screen out what we don't want to see? Fans of DEFENDING JACOB and the tv drama ADOLESCENCE will be unable to put this down. 4 stars  A family run inn on the white sand beaches of Alabama has seen its share of notoriety as a hurricane magnet and the mystery death of the governor's son. Years later a journalist and the woman who many people think killed him have come to the inn to write a tell all book. Their presence could save the flailing inn if they can survive the summer and the incoming hurricane. This checks all the boxes - danger from nature and people, a decade's old unsolved mystery and oh so many secrets. A great audio unless you happen to be listening on a beach in the Gulf during hurricane season. 4 stars  For as long as anyone can remember the Newman family has been coming into people's homes every week via their wholesome tv show. The show featured every day antics of Dinah the perfect housewife and mother, Del a true family man, oldest boy Guy in law school and about to be engaged to his steady girl plus Shep the teen heartthrob and pop musician. This illusion has been successful until now - it is 1964 and the country is changing even if the Newmans aren't. A candid interview with Dinah coinciding with a terrible accident right before their finale will change all of them. In a world run by men it is time for the women and the next generation to have a go. Perhaps I loved this novel because I grew up in the Hollywood Hills where it takes place in the 60's when the world was in flux. The heart of this story is family and love - both public and private which is true for any decade. Historical fiction readers will enjoy as will readers of celebrity family dramas. 4 1/2 stars  |
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