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The Night Out
Author: Wendy Clarke
Publisher: Bookouture
Date Published: June 8, 2023Wow! This one threw me for a loop and as I finished the book there were tears streaming down my face. That rarely happens, and when writing can pull that emotion from a reader you know they’ve done their job!
Elise is in an untenable situation. She’s in a relationship and pregnant with their child when she realizes her husband isn’t the man she thought he was. Add to that the fact that he’s a police officer, and she has no recourse. So she does the unthinkable.
It takes a while for the author to reveal the secret Elise has fought to hold onto so desperately, but when she does, WHAM! It smacks up against the reader, and before you’ve gotten your feet under you, POW! Another surprise blindsides you until like me, your emotions are all over the place.
Thank you Wendy Clarke for making me “feel” this one.
Thanks also to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advance reader’s copy of The Night Out.
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What Never Happened
Author: Rachel Howzell Hall
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Date Published: August 1, 2023I enjoy reading Rachel Howzell Hall and this title was no exception! I loved the quirkiness of Collette and all of the characters. Each of them had just a little something “off” about them.
Collette moves back to Catalina Island to take care of her feisty aunt and to reclaim the house her murdered family left behind 20 years ago. But as soon after she arrives, she notices a pattern of mysterious deaths. In her job as the obituary writer for the local newspaper, she has an opportunity to find out more about the deceased which spurs her on a hunt to find out more. I liked the introduction of a love interest, but it seemed like a weird relationship (e.g., happened too quickly, he’s always at her leaky basement, they never go to his place) and we are not sure can be trusted. Throw in some COVID era complications and you have the perfect petri dish for a thriller.
Some of the things that fell flat for me were that sometimes the character of Collette used words not in character (ain’t) and that she didn’t tell her “husband” the one thing that could stop his quest for a divorce. Overall, though, the book was entertaining with some great word choices, and interesting characters.
Upgraded to 4 stars because I’m still thinking about it – to me, that’s a sign of a great book!
Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance reader’s copy.
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The Trade Off
Author: Sandie Jones
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Date Published: August 15, 2023If you have any dreams of becoming a journalist, this book will definitely squash them!
The story pits two reporters, Stella, a high-powered assistant editor, against the new and idealistic Jess. Jess thinks she’s been recruited because of her high morals, but is that really the case? Once Jess finds out what is involved in tabloid reporting, she’s ready to go full-blown whistleblower! The problem is, she needs to go to some pretty sketchy places to get proof.
In the background are the two men who control it all, Pete, the owner of the conglomerate, and Max, the editor of the Globe. As the story strayed into “Me Too” territory I was worried it was going to stay strongly rooted in women’s fiction, but there are some action-packed dramatic scenes. The writing was vivid enough that I can absolutely see this becoming a made-for-tv movie.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books for an advance reader’s copy.
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The Jealous Wife
Author: James Caine
Publisher: Indie
Date Published: July 31, 2023Nora’s husband buys a house without consulting her. But it’s in the town where she grew up in a section known for its large houses. When she sees it, Nora agrees – it’s a beautiful house!
But then on moving day…she sees her new neighbor. Kelly, the girl who stole her friend and almost boyfriend back in high school. Could she have changed? She’s still stunning and Nora is pregnant. Can she trust her husband around Kelly?
The book flips between narrators and between their friendships in high school and now. The high school portions read like a YA novel but the current motivations were anything but. They each have something to prove and something to hide. And the story escalates to its twisty ending.
Thank you to the author James Caine for a “street team” preview of this fast-paced book!Background photo courtesy of Artem Militonian on Unsplash
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The Silent Friend
BLOG TOUR
Author: Alison Stockham
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Date Published: July 24, 2023When Louise looks out the window of her newly leased apartment and sees the police at her neighbor’s house, I was as curious as she was. Uh oh – what happened?
Louise bides her time until Isabelle, her pregnant neighbor, knocks on her door. Soon the two of them are fast friends. It turns out that Isabelle’s husband is not the person Isabelle thinks he is. And Louise knows a lot more about that then she’s saying.
I wouldn’t call this a mystery, I would categorize it as women’s fiction. To me, it had a bit of a Henrik Ibsen feel to it, as Louise comes to realize her situation and faces the choice of telling what she knows, and possibly saving Isabelle from a horrible future, or not telling and preserving her friendship while constantly looking over her shoulder.
The story was somewhat predictable and a bit repetitive. Isabelle’s character evolved throughout the book as she learned to face her situation (with Louise’s) help and while Louise was a hard character to like, you couldn’t help siding with the prison pastor who felt she had a chance to redeem herself and live a satisfying life. The ending was exactly what I had hoped for.
Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood and Rachel’s Random Resources for allowing me to review an advance reader’s copy and participate in the #blogtour
Photos courtesy of the publisher.
Author Bio –
Alison Stockham’s debut novel The Cuckoo Sister, will be published by Boldwood in February 2023, and has already been longlisted for the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize. Having worked in TV documentary production for the BBC and Channel 4, Alison is now the Events Coordinator for the Cambridge Literary Festival
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Social Media Links –
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Darkness Calls
Author: Michael Katz Krefeld
Publisher: Podium Publishing
Date Published: May 16, 2023I am a fan of Nordic thrillers so I don’t know how I missed this author, but I am so glad there will be more in the Inspector Cecile Mars series! The translation from the Danish by Ian Giles is flawless!
Cecile is a recently promoted police detective who still lives in a sketchy area of town where her self-defense training comes in handy.
Partly because of her past, she is outraged that criminals are getting away with atrocious crimes against women. Her colleague’s pet name for her – Guppy – belies her fierceness. But someone has singled her out for that very sense of righteousness, and now she’s being blackmailed.
I loved how Krefeld maintained the voice of the blackmailer throughout, dropping hints to his identity along the way. I was rooting for Cecile as she tried to unmask the blackmailer while pretending to go along with his schemes. This book was so easy to become immersed in because there was something happening in every chapter!
Trigger warnings for rape, abuse, kidnapping.
Thanks to Podium Publishing and Wunderkind PR for a physical review copy.
About the Author:
Michael Katz Krefeld (b. 1966) is one of the most-read Danish crime authors, and his critically acclaimed books have been awarded several fiction prizes. He is best known for his bestselling crime series featuring Detective Ravn, which has thrilled readers across the globe. Having begun his career as a screenwriter, Krefeld tends toward fast-paced and highly unpredictable thrillers. The fight against evil and personal sacrifices made for the greater good are typical recurring elements of his work.
Michael Katz Krefeld has sold more than 1.2 million books in Denmark, a country with a population of 5.8 million, and his books have been sold for publication in more than 20 countries. Krefeld’s crime series about Cecilie Mars and the Ravn series have been praised by critics and repeatedly hit the bestseller lists. The audio edition of the latest volume in the Ravn series, IMPERIET, holds a whooping finishing rate of 89%.
About the Translator
Ian Giles translates all three Scandinavian languages into English, with a preference for works of suspense fiction and non-fiction. He is currently Chair of the Swedish-English Literary Translators’ Association. In 2015, Ian was shortlisted for the Crime Writers’ Association International Dagger for his translation of Andreas Norman’s Into A Raging Blaze. Ian currently lives in Edinburgh.
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The Woods Are Waiting
Author: Katherine Greene
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Date Published: May 16, 2023This was an atmospheric story from a debut author. Greene did a good job of capturing the feeling of Appalachian woods haunted by generations of stories about a mysterious being from “the town that eats children”. I would have preferred the story without the supernatural vibes, especially when you know early on that a man had been wrongly convicted for the murders.
The dual narration threw me off at the beginning; I wasn’t sure who was going to be our protagonist. While I liked the character of Cheyenne, I thought she lacked a little depth as did Natalie. Cheyenne’s mom was all over the place, but it was seemingly a trait she possessed even in her younger days. The “Hickory Man” harkens back to stories of the “Wicker Man”, stories that, as the book reveals, are necessary to keep a sense of order and control in these little towns.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4. It held my attention, but there was a lot of repetition, and just a sense of wanting more.
Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an advance reader’s copy.
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The Expat Wife
Author: Courtney Hargrove
Publisher: One Moment Books
Date Published: July 11, 2023This was my first 5-star book of July, and probably my favorite book of the year! This is a thriller done right!
First of all, can we talk about the backdrop for this book? The setting is the beautiful area of Lucerne in Switzerland. The house is up many, many steps, but with glass windows looking out over Mount Pilatus. Throw in a few German/Swiss words, folklore, festivals with monsters, ogres, and witches, some wiccan experiences, a few runes showing up at the door, and you have all the ingredients for a great book to curl up with.
Only the most privileged people get to work for the TIG group, because there are limited Swiss work visas, and even tighter restrictions to work for the company. Can you say “morally gray”?
Our first red flag is the speed with which the main characters, Rose and Wesley, get married. Rose gives up her job believing Wes when he tells her she will want for nothing. Except she has nothing. Her furniture hasn’t arrived, she has no Swiss credit card, and she is not allowed to work. She’s totally jet-lagged. And her first and best friend, Jacqueline has gone missing, and no one seems to care. Using her skills as an investigative reporter, Rose is on the hunt to find out why, and the warnings are coming left and right.
Every chapter brought new surprises, and sometimes I had to “let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding”. It’s obvious the author did her research and knew her material. She has also provided trigger warnings although there was nothing that offended me in this book.
Thank you to BookSirens for introducing me to this new-to-me author, Courtney Hargrove.
Background photo courtesy of Haut Risque at Unsplash.
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The Nail Salon
Author: Natalie Tambini
Publisher: HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter
Date Published: July 6, 2023In a nail salon, people often tell their most intimate secrets. And Melanie is there to hear all of them.
It’s when she acts on the information that the story gets engaging. And by engaging, I mean intense! This book is not for the faint hearted: heed the trigger warnings mentioned by the publisher (suicide, domestic abuse, child abuse, animal torture, self harm) !
We know who is committing the crimes (and we’re mostly on their side), but not the why. It’s interesting to see how the police narrow down the clues, after suspecting almost everyone at some point. Everyone has a back story, and we are here for it.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for introducing me to Natalie Tambini. I’m looking forward to her sophomore novel, The Publicist, due out August 18, 2023.
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The Other Mistress
Author: Shanora Williams
Publisher: Kensington Books
Date Published: June 27, 2023I have to say, I totally “got” Adira. She has it all – a great career, a beautiful house, a stunning wardrobe and…a gorgeous man. And she’s determined to keep him despite his two-timing ways.
That’s why she befriends mistress #1 – Jocelyn. Between the two of them they come up with a plan to befriend mistress #2 – Juliana. But we start to see little slips between the surface. Her constant reminder to herself to meditate, her refusal to take pills that might help her. Then there’s the backstory of her childhood, which reveals some of her adult issues.
But I have to say, the ending took me by surprise. I think the book could have ended any number of ways and still been as good. The short chapters kept the story flowing and Shanora just has an authentic way of writing that I enjoy.
Thank you to Goodreads and Kensington Books for an advance reader’s copy.
Book Cravings 