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Gone Again
Author: Minka Kent
Publisher: Thomas Mercer
Date Published: March 7, 2023An unsettling childhood in a severely religious household causes one child to rebel, one to tow the line, and one to be doted on. Celia escapes after a failed attempt to run away. Then, after years of a happy marriage, she finds a note among her 40th birthday presents that unsettles her. She deals with it by doing what she knows best. Running away. It was only meant to be a day trip. Until something happened, and Celia went missing.
This is a story about how shared experience seen from different perspectives can tear people apart. And how a tragedy can bring them together and heal their bonds. Wrapped up in a wonderful domestic thriller from Minka Kent.
Background image courtesy of Kwan Fung @unsplash
Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance reader’s copy.
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What Have We Done
Author: Alex Finlay
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Date Published: March 7, 2023This book is about a group of kids who grow up in a group home together. It tells the story of where they are now as adults, as they try to figure out who is trying to kill them and why. There are likeable and unlikeable characters, some really creepy bad guys, and some taut intrigue.
But what I really like about Alex Finlay is…he goes there. His descriptions of Washington, D.C., a town he knows well are solid and full of tongue in cheek commentary. He also riffs on famous politicians and public figures in the spotlight, for example, “These rich dudes who have more money than they’ll ever need, but waste it on flying into space or buying more companies or mansions.”
Every Last Fear was my favorite Finlay title, but this one is not far behind!
Background image courtesy of Sebastian Unrau @unsplash.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance reader’s copy.
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Angel Maker
Author: Alex North
Publisher: Celadon Books
Date Published: February 28, 2023Fate…or just pure evil
When I first started reading The Angel Maker, I was convinced I was delving into a YA story about a romance between two teenagers. But when the question arose, “If you could see into the future, would you want to?” I was intrigued because who hasn’t asked themselves that question?
The story jumps ahead to the future and the mystery ensues – why has a wealthy man let go of his staff just before he died? Who murdered him, and did he know it was going to happen?
There were a lot of characters which at first was confusing, but I knew there would eventually be connections.
The book felt to me like it was written in the era of Jack the Ripper, or Sherlock Holmes. It had an atmosphere of dark alleys, crumbling, moldy, mansions, and antiquities. The horror was just under the surface.Background image thanks to Maxim Tajer on Unsplash
Many thanks to NetGalley/Bookish First and Celadon Books for an advance reader’s copy!
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Dying to Tell
Author: Val Collins
Publisher: Val Collins
Date Published: March 1, 2023Aoife is back! A totally likeable character who has been in all five of the Val Collin’s Aoife Walsh standalone thrillers, Aoife finds herself doing an investigative piece on a man who has gone missing while on his honeymoon in Italy. But soon the journalistic article (and her own pending wedding) is overwhelmed with details that just aren’t adding up! Was he cheating on his wife? Was he involved in something sordid? Do the neighbors know more than they are letting on?
With each piece of evidence, Aoife comes up with a new theory of who, what, where, why, and how, and I’m right there beside her! Everyone’s a suspect! Guess along with Aoife as she dodges around a wedding, soon-to-be-in-laws, people who are lying to her, and a really bad man to find the killer!
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Val Collins, one of my favorite indie authors, for advance copies of this enjoyable book!
Background photo courtesy of Kristian Ranstrom (@redabpollos) on Unsplash.
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The House Guest
Author: Hank Phillippi Ryan
Publisher: Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Forge Books
Date Published: February 7, 2023Although I’ve long been a fan of Hank and Karen Dionne’s popular The Back Room author interviews, this is the first book I’ve read by Hank. And what a ride! There is something to grab and hold your attention in each chapter. The plot is complicated but not so much that you can’t follow along. The main character does come across as a bit guileless, but essentially is a good person who sees another woman in a bad situation and makes an offer she might later regret.
As the book moves toward the end, you might think you’ve got the full story, but there’s more to come. At first the ending seemed to contradict some of the events that happened previously, but everything is explained. I loved that this book had different storyline than the types of thrillers I’m used to. This is one of those “stay up until you finish it reads”!
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Forge Books for an advance reader’s copy.
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The Sanctuary
Author: Katrine Engberg
Publisher: Gallery Books/Scout Press
Date Published: February 7, 2023Katrine Engberg has written another atmospheric Nordic noir, this time set on the island of Bornholm. While this is part of a series, it’s completely readable as a standalone.
Anette Werner works for the police in Copenhagen but has a case that seems to have roots in Bornholm. She reaches out to her former partner Jeppe, who is on leave from the police force and has taken refuge doing some part time physical work in a sawmill. There is a parallel story about Esther, a writer compiling a memoir of a recently deceased anthropologist, Margarethe Dybris who has left an overflowing stash of letters and correspondence during her 30 years on the island.
The island is a place where there are many secrets, where each person Anette and Jeppe encounter add a little bit of a piece to the puzzle of a mysterious death. There is quite a bit of descriptive gore, but the manner in which the unknown corpse has died is crucial to the story, that plays out in unexpected ways.
It’s always nice to see Anette and Jeppe back together as they playfully banter with each other. Sadly, this is the last of the 5 part series, but I’m sure Ms. Engberg has more in store for us!
Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an advance reader’s copy.
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The Doctor’s Wife
Author: Daniel Hurst
Publisher: Bookouture
Date Published: January 31, 2023Daniel Hurst is an auto-buy for me. He not only does lies and deceit well, but he can tell a story from a woman’s point of view flawlessly.
I loved how Fern lulls Drew into thinking she went along with his idea to move to a small village even though she loves her life in the city. Drew thinks he has gotten away with a grand deception, but he has no idea what’s coming! What is Fern planning and how will she pull it off?
I loved how the characters grew and morphed in this quick read that will keep you guessing.
Thanks to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for an advance review copy by one of my favorite authors!
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Dying to Tell
COVER REVEAL
Author: Val Collins
To Be Published: February 28, 2023I am honored to take part in this cover reveal for Thriller Thursday If you haven’t read any of Val Collins’ books, why not start here?
Part-time journalist Aoife Walsh is about to tie the knot with her long-term boyfriend, Detective Conor Moloney. However, after barely surviving the trauma of her first marriage, and still having to deal with her challenging ex-husband, Aoife is less than excited about the prospect of organizing a wedding.
Her wedding anxiety quickly takes a back seat when the missing person case she is researching turns into a murder investigation.
I am honored to take part in this cover reveal for Thriller Thursday If you haven’t read any of Val Collins’ books, why not start here?
Part-time journalist Aoife Walsh is about to tie the knot with her long-term boyfriend, Detective Conor Moloney. However, after barely surviving the trauma of her first marriage, and still having to deal with her challenging ex-husband, Aoife is less than excited about the prospect of organizing a wedding.
Her wedding anxiety quickly takes a back seat when the missing person case she is researching turns into a murder investigation.
A year earlier, IT specialist Matt Gallagher disappeared on his honeymoon abroad, seemingly without explanation. Now, after his bride learns of a huge inheritance Matt had been expecting, Aoife finds herself uncovering a trail of clues that lead her from the rain-soaked cobblestones of Dublin to the sunbaked streets of southern Italy.
But what Aoife hadn’t expected was that her own personal life would get mixed up in the murder investigation – or that her search for the truth puts herself and her loved ones directly in the crosshairs of a deadly killer.
Dying To Tell is the fifth instalment of Val Collin’s Aoife Walsh thrillers,
described by readers as “absolutely incredible,” “heart-racing” and
“spectacular.All five books are standalone thrillers and can be read in any order.
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The Drift
Author: C. J. Tudor
Publisher: Random House Publishing – Ballantine
Date Published: January 31, 2023I was hesitant to read a post-apocalyptic novel, worried that it would be too dark and angsty. But C. J. Tudor has given us a story about the will to survive, and maybe a fable for our current situation – one that tells the story of what happens when/if we lose our humanity.
The story is told from three different scenarios: a coach bus that has crashed on its side in a snow drift, a cable car suspended and stalled over an abandoned ski run, and a compound called The Retreat, a living quarters for survivors. Each group has one or more people with secrets, as the body count rises and the survivors do what they must.
And if that isn’t enough, Tudor writes with just the right amount of humor (the second book I read this month that riffs on our favorite car loving, space traveling, social media buying celebrity), right amount of cursing, and megatons of tension throughout. Their lives will intersect in the most surprising and gruesome ways. So I offer you this recipe for a great novel:
- 1 lb of suspense
- 45 cliffhangers
- 1-2 dozen well defined characters
- 1 jigger of horror tropes
- Stir together
Enjoy!
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing – Ballantine for an arc of this thrilling novel!
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The In-Laws
Author: Laura Wolfe
Publisher: Bookouture
Date Published: January 26, 2023Camping in the remote woods with your in-laws-to-be. What could go wrong?
Abigail and her parents have only met once, and it didn’t go so well. As a participant in many “required” bonding events, I cringed when bride-to-be Abigail suggests a 3-day guided camping trip with organized exercises. Of course, they can’t take the main trails because what would be the fun in that? Not! They hike deep into the woods which should already be a red flag.
But there are other events: a strange encounter, odd messages, and eerie screams in the night.
Since we know from the start that someone falls to their death, it’s only a matter of whom, and when. And the why will blow you away.
I am thrilled that NetGalley and Bookouture gave me the opportunity to read an advance reader’s copy of this intense and fast-paced thriller!
Book Cravings 