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Ten annoying people are invited (commanded) to a remote memorial weekend honoring a dead artist they all had dealings with and hopes of a nice inheritance. The only way they will find out if they have a payout is if they show up and stay the weekend. Because they are greedy or have ulterior motives they stay only to find the island is secluded, swampy and full of danger. My only issue was I was not invested in any of the characters and didn't care if any of them made it out. Fans of SUCCESSION , Agatha Christie's TEN LITTLE INDIANS or reality tv will enjoy this. 3 stars 
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What happens to a family when the eldest son confesses to a horrible crime? Noah is a teen who seemed to have it all but when he confesses to molesting a couple of young girls while he was their swim coach everything shatters. Mom defends him, dad shuns him and his younger sister is confused. After Noah comes home from rehab the family splits into two homes as they try to adjust to the new reality. This is a rough one to read as it brings up so many issues and big feelings. There is a twist at the end that adds to the complexity of the topic but there is plenty to discuss for book clubs. Morality, society, parental love and guilt all come into play. There are no happy endings and it is a powerful read but it will not be for every reader. 3 1/2 - 4 stars  Two things are true - sisters will always protect each other and the tea leaves don't lie. Milly tries to protect her little sister from an affair with a teacher and it ends badly forcing the girls and their caretaker aunts to take matters into their own hands. Time goes by and the sisters are apart geographically and emotionally. Frances is in trouble and it is Milly once again who comes to the rescue. Fate is telling her that Frances needs to kill or be killed. Keeping secrets and the body count from getting bigger is harder to hide but these women are tough. Nothing to out of the ordinary other than a bit of magic and a southern family crime thriller well executed. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy. 4 stars  A killer in a wolf mask commands his kidnapped writer to write fairy tale murders for him to commit or die themselves. So begins a series of women murdered posed in Grimm fairy tales with clues left for the one detective whose own past may be connected. DCI Lyla still can't get past the abduction of her best friend as a teen that remains unsolved after many years. The chapters flip back and forth between Lyla and the kidnapped writer who is desperate to escape and save others from her stories. There is a lot going on here from the killer who uses psychological manipulation of the writer to the unstable detective holding out hope that she can redeem herself. I really enjoyed the fairy tale element and this will appeal to readers of dark Scandinavian crime novels of Jo Nesbo and Soren Sveistrup. I confess that I got a bit lost in the plot twists. 3 1/2 stars  A vivid portrait of a fierce Irish woman born to the sea but forced to remain on land due to her sex. Grace, like her father and brothers ,was more at home on a ship at sea than in their castle but she was married off to keep the peace between the clans and it was only after her husband's death that she took her place as clan chieftain. The book jumps in timelines that focus on her as a young girl, mother and pirate/chieftain. The call of the sea, her loyalty to her people and uncanny battle/political skills made her beloved, respected and feared but also just a footnote in history books. Grace O'Malley is the type of heroine who navigated her way around the seas but also the oncoming British takeover of the Irish people that struck a chord with another female leader - Queen Elizabeth 1. Ariel Lawhorn presents a magical tale of adventure, romance and political drama that will appeal to readers of strong women who were erased by history but want an adventurous tale as well. 5 stars  Exploited by her mother, the American merchant and his wife and finally by P.T. Barnum Afong May left Canton without a say but later in life made a name and life on her own terms. Brought to the U.S. to be paraded around in a merchant's home to market the goods he would be bringing back from China she became the first Chinese woman to visit the U.S. Her situation changed again when she was "sold" to P.T. Barnum who made her a side show attraction. It was not until she ended up in San Francisco and opened up her own brothel that she was in control of her own destiny. This is an interesting debut that incorporates what is known about Afong May and embellished by the author as to what might have happened to her. Historical fiction of resilient women adapting and overcoming the odds. 4 stars  A logging camp deep in the Canadian woods holds more than its share of secrets, violence and monsters of every kind. In the camp there are men who prey upon the weak and in the woods there are monsters who had been only taking the dead but are now attacking the living. Dominic is bookish, reluctantly the man of the house but protected by his secret lover, Lex. The first half is full of stolen kisses and big plans while dodging the bullies of the camp while the second half of the story jumps fully into the horror of the monsters in the woods and vengeance. This felt like the perfect setting for a film by M. Night Shyamalan or very grim Grimm fairy tale. 4 stars  Multiple generations of Wester women have been feared and revered in the small town of Hen Town. We begin in the 70's where Willamena tried to do everything correct as her grandmother and Emily Post would have wanted but in the end the love of the wrong boy led her astray. She ends up staying and taking over as queen of the hill until her granddaughter Bailey and her son come back to live at Wester House to take care of her. Bailey could be following in the same footsteps as history seems to repeat itself. A story that speaks of young love, legacy, betrayal and the ghosts of our past who are ready to haunt us. Magical realism meets family drama in a small town and one heck of a good audiobook. 4 stars  Laurel is a former scientist hiding from the world working in a kitchen in a station in Antarctica. When her scientist ex husband arrives at the station at the same time a strange phenomenon appears on the horizon both are curious. They think this arc is a portal to another dimension one where they can go back in time before the tragic accidental death of their young son. The other dimension is a mirror image of the one they know with a few nuances. The story is told from the perspective of the now above reality and their lives in the under reality. It is fantastic science that calls to you to accept, it is a love story, it is about friendship and it is about being forgiven. Futuristic yet humanistic as Chloe Benjamin digs deep into what could be if you had another chance. Readers of Blake Crouch and Emily St. John's new book will be riveted. 4 stars  Psychological thriller with a historic gothic feel and Brazilian location. The story makes you guess as to who is the real villain or if our heroine is a reliable witness. Madalena is a young woman in love pregnant and trusting that her landowner lover is honorable. When an accident lands Madalena in her beloved's house under a doctor's care the story takes a sinister turn. Satanic rites, a creepy mansion full of secrets and her lover acting like someone very different from the man before the accident, fill Madalena with fear and every reason to run. A very clever twist at the end takes this above the rest and makes you feel like you are part of a fever dream. Perfect for fans of Silvia Moreno Garcia and Isabel Canas. 4 1/2 stars  |
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