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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  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  Dahlia Devine is a country singer in Chicago who has had a steady string of bad luck that has continued after her mom dumped her as a child to present day. Her ex-boyfriend ran off with the rent money so she got locked out with nothing but her guitar, her mom showed up after decades of no contact and that was just the beginning. She finds the ex dead and her half sister shows up begging her to help find their mom. When Dahlia goes to find the murderer she uncovers secrets and danger from all around but she learns to trust, the importance of the family you make and a song to make Patsy Cline proud. A big hearted love letter to Chicago neighborhoods and the perfect bar as well as shining a spotlight on the Chicago country music scene. 4 stars  Miv and her two best friends decide to keep a list of suspicious people to uncover a serial killer that has been brutally murdering young women and hopefully prevent Miv's family from moving away. This poignant coming of age story highlights all the big feelings of puberty including what to do when your two best friends start to mean more to each other than just friends, dating, becoming more aware of your parent's activities, mom's illness and more. The investigation leads them behind the scenes as they discover uncomfortable truths about the adults and their classmates. This is a heartfelt coming of age story that reads like a softer version of Chris Whitaker's books or Stephen King's STAND BY ME or if Judy Blume wrote a murder mystery. 4 stars  Marlowe's best friend and soul sister Nora were joined at the hip until Nora mysteriously vanished one night from Marlowe's upstate New York family home. The hole in her heart never healed and the wound is reopened when a body surfaces on the family estate decades later reopening Nora's case. The chapters bounce from their childhood to present day. Marlowe is determined to find justice for Nora and is willing to poke around until she finds answers. The coming of age story and their deep friendship with tight family connection balances against the investigation, bitter feelings and dangerous conclusions. The moody and sinister woods are the perfect backdrop for the safety of the house and family but we know that secrets never stay buried. This debut will appeal to readers of coming-of-age stories like THE PHOEBE VARIATIONS and MARYJANE as well as tight murder mysteries of Lisa Jewell and Chris Whittaker. 4 stars  Margo has a life plan - marry an adoring husband CHECK, have a successful career CHECK, live in the perfect house? and have a baby? She and her husband find themselves constantly outbid in a ridiculous housing market and Margo has decided that only living in her perfect neighborhood will do. A lucky break gives them a foot in the door of the perfect house and because desperate times call for desperate measures Margo might go a bit overboard. Her plan spirals out of control along with her job, marriage and future unless she can make the sellers an offer they can't refuse. This debut is a one sitting read with an ending you won't see coming. Sometimes funny and timely, this scary satire on an insane housing market and obsession with the perfect life will leave you breathless. This will be the next GONE GIRL, GIRL ON A TRAIN, WOMAN IN THE WINDOW thriller that everyone will be talking about at the holiday dinner. 4 1/2 stars  The only child of a serial killer, Marin has had her life turned upside down. Both mom and dad were sent to prison and Marin was placed elsewhere with a new name and a fresh start. That all changes when 20 years later Gwen starts getting "gifts" and horrible messages from a copycat killer and the killer is targeting people that Gwen knows. This knuckle biter thriller is full of mind games and perfect for readers of taunt thrillers by Gillian Flynn and Samantha Downing and true crime. Enter a world filled with secrets, obsessions with evil monsters and overwhelming guilt. 4 stars  |
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