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
0 Comments
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 Lucy left her small Texas town after her best friend was murdered leaving Lucy is as the prime and only suspect. It didn't matter that she suffered a traumatic brain injury or that she can't remember anything from that night. For five years Lucy has been in L.A. believing that she must have committed a murder along with everyone else until the day when her beloved grandmother commands her home. She is the only one who has Lucy's back but returning to the town that hates you with the voice of your murdered friend in your head and that you are the subject of a national true crime podcast reporting from that same town is a big ask. Taking a very serious crime with all the pain and loss associated with it and treating it with humor (from Lucy's self deprecating jokes to the very funny look at small Texas towns) is a huge risk and the author handles it beautifully. A murder is not the only secret this town is hiding and it will push buttons covering the very real issues of domestic abuse. The audio bounces happily from belly laugh Texas humor (love Grandma) to devastating uncertainty about what happened with expert pacing. Readers of true crime, small town drama, podcast addicts and pure thriller escapism will devour this. 4 stars
This is not your typical American crime/drama and comparing it would be a big disservice. Just after WWI is over Samson and his father must deal with a new headache - the Red Army. They murder his father and saw off Samson's ear leaving him to bleed in the street. The next thing he knows his house is requisitioned and he takes a job as a policeman because of his good penmanship. Samson takes all of this in stride using all his charm to woe the beautiful Nadezhda and work his first murder case. He does have one thing in his favor. His cut off ear still sends him sounds from the desk drawer allowing him to eavesdrop on the soldiers in his house. Samson is a delight even though this is a gritty crime novel of a violent time in Ukrainian history. Andrey Kurkov interjects bits of humor about how life goes on and the absurdity of life. This debut is the start of a series from a big name in Ukraine. 4 stars
Iris and her husband Gabriel are best friends with Laure and her husband Pierre. They met years ago and have stayed close even though they live in London and Paris. Iris and Gabriel are shocked when they come home after a vacation to find Laure has moved into their house after a fight with Pierre. Weeks go by and there is no sign that Laure hasn't made up with Pierre or has plans to go home to Paris. Matters go from bad to worse as Laure being with them starts to affect their other friendships and the question of foul play puts a strain on their marriage as well. How well do you really know your friends? No spoilers but you may feel like i did after halfway through the book that you want to toss all of them off the nearby cliff because of their whining but in true B.A. Paris tradition there is a smoking ending coming. For fans of her other books and all those thrillers we live vicariously in. 3 1/2 stars
Rosie is hanging on by a slim financial thread her senior year at Yale. She will do anything to be the "have not" in her house of "have it all" friends and stay on the equestrian team and in the shadow of Cress and her financial king father. Annalise is added to the house capturing Rosie's attention and unseating Queen Bee Cress which leads to drama and disaster. Soon Rosie will see through the veneer and understand the reality of the world she so desperately wants to be a part of. Mean girls, class differences, privilege all play a part in this coming of age thriller. Prepare yourself for the mind games and twists that come together seamlessly. Readers of WHEN WE WERE BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL and the author's previous books will enjoy this one.
4 1/2 stars Ernest and his girlfriend Juliette are on a famous train crossing Australia as part of a Mystery Writers literary event. A cast of well known authors, editors and agents are featured guests as well as train cars filled with paying fans. Ernest is not well known but his first book did rather well and he has accepted the advance to write another book. The only problem is that he has lots of blank pages and no idea what to write. When the headliner author is murdered on the train he has what he needs - a murder to solve and a train full of suspects at his disposal He just needs to solve the murder, write the book and stay alive. Tongue in cheek nod to classic detective series of old along with a healthy dose of wit, irreverence and lots of subtle clues for the armchair detective in all of us. A good time is sure to be had by a variety of readers. Fans of ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING and Anthony Horowitz will eat this up. 4 1/2 stars A ghostwriter takes on more than just writing a famous person's memoir when she shows up at Dorthy's door tucked away in Maine. Dorthy has just lost her run for President but rather than hide with her tail tucked she gets tangled up in a suspicious suicide / potential murder of her neighbor. In the classic tradition of Agatha Christie's AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, Dorthy and her partner in crime solving writer track down the killer. Everyone at the house is a suspect, the police don't seem to have a clue and Dorthy does not like to be told to back off. A literary game of CLUE with all the requisite twists and turns. The author has a popular Agatha Christie podcast and he honors the classic mystery style well. Fans of Anita Prose, Sophie Hannah and of course Dame Christie will approve. 4 stars
Meg has checked herself into a high end rehab clinic to look into the death of her estranged sister. She is a professional poker spy working for casinos to catch those cheating and with no tells to give her away she thinks she can go undercover at the clinic, get answers and get out no problem. She also thinks they won't catch that she is addicted to painkillers and has mind numbing nightmares. Everyone is a suspect from the other patients to the doctors in this high energy psychological thriller that delves into childhood trauma, addictive personalities and experimental treatments as much as it is a murder mystery. Well researched, intense and with a narrator we definitely can't trust - this is one clinic you don't want to check yourself into. Readalikes would be the medical thrillers of Robin Cook and THE SILENT PATIENT. 4 stars A mind bending thriller of a history lost with the blanks filled in by unreliable narrators and some trauma of her past buried deep within her psyche. Kat and Jude Bird are mirror twins identical in every way but the image is flipped. They have always had the other's back and are connected in body, actions even language. Kat awakens from a coma to find out that she has been in an accident and remembers nothing except the face in front of her - Jude. As Jude begins to reload all their memories so far some things just don't add up. We, the reader, are privy to the girl's unusual childhood as part of a strange cult at the hands of a powerful leader and the trauma they both suffered. Abbott Kahler is able to weave a precise and calculated drip of tension along with choice tidbits of information in her previous non-fiction books and it serves her well here. You will find yourself rooting for vengeance and be appalled in equal measure but you will certainly never be bored. Fans of THE GOOD SISTER by Sally Hepworth or intense thrillers like THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW or THE SILENT PATIENT will approve. 4 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
March 2024
|