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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.
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The Couple in the Photo
Author: Helen Cooper
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Date Published: June 22, 2023Adam and Lucy, and Cora and Scott. Two couples and their kids who are like one big happy family, hanging out at each other’s houses, even renovating a beach house together.
That’s why Lucy is devastated when she sees a photo of Scott and another woman on a colleague’s phone. Should she tell Cora? Can her husband have a discrete conversation with Scott to find out if he’s cheating on Cora?
When she fails to get answers, Lucy takes it on herself to investigate with devastating consequences.
While you might be able to figure out what happens, there are so many twists and turns on the path to getting there, that I marveled at the author’s ability to keep it all straight!
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for another great title from Helen Cooper!
Background photo courtesy of @analiaferrario via @unsplash
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While You Weren’t Watching
Author: Stephanie Hazeltine
Publisher: Hazeltine Publishing
Date Published: June 12, 2023Stephanie Hazeltine is a “new to me” author and I really enjoyed this fast-paced novel about new mothers and their insecurities that quickly escalates into a kidnapping. I quickly became invested in the characters and was able to get a visceral feeling for everything these new moms were experiencing.
I was glad to see the author included trigger warnings, since I could see the topics being upsetting to a young parent. Also, I found the epilogue a little jarring as it took the book in a whole different direction and introduced a character we hadn’t met, but based on other reviewer comments it seems it might be leaving room for a sequel, which I would welcome!
Thank you to BookSirens for an advance reader’s copy from this indie author.
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What the Neighbors Saw
Author: Melissa Adelman
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Date Published: June 20, 2023When Sam and Alexis move into the “perfect” neighborhood, the disappointments are mounting up and the activity in this quiet cul-de-sac is anything but perfect.
Alexis’s poor self-confidence is compounded by what she sees as her post-partum body, the money trap that is her new house, and her husband’s demeaning attitude. She’s the only person of color in her wealthy neighborhood, and that is weighing in her thoughts as well. So, when her neighbor Blair takes her under her wing, Alexis finally starts to relax and feel like she belongs.
Adelman does a great job of describing the creepiness of those “perfect” neighbors, the issues with being the least wealthy residents in the neighborhood, and the secrets behind the facades. I felt there was something missing in the characterizations, but I think it was an attempt to maintain the mystery behind their backgrounds – which wasn’t as big a deal as I thought in Alexis’s case. I would describe this as a domestic thriller and would read more by this debut author.
Background photo courtesy of J King (fifthjmk) on Unsplash.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for an advance reader’s copy.
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The Girls of Summer
Author: Katie Bishop
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Date Published: June 6, 2023There are some things I think it’s important to know going into this book. Despite the Booklist review that says “plot-driven tension will appeal to fans of psychological suspense” it was definitely not in that category for me, but wholly in the category of women’s fiction.
This is a slow moving but beautifully written coming of age story about a 17-year-old girl who travels to Greece and encounters an older man who she falls in love with. It’s not until she’s older that she comes to realize the depths of the manipulation that occurred, not just to her, but to whole groups of girls who were recruited for more than work in the bar he managed. Yet she still clings to the fantasy of that time, when there were endless parties, little responsibility, and the hint of a future that might be.
The story only hints at the atrocities carried out on the island, and during one fateful trip to England. I wanted the author to just come out and say what we already knew. There are many TW for this book: Grooming, rape, abortion, suicide, drugs. It’s not until the last 1/4 of the book that the pace really picks up. Despite that I gave the book 4 stars because of the beautiful language of the book, and the way it was able to evoke a time that many young women encountered during my generation, and maybe even today.
Background photo courtesy of Artiom Vallat on Unsplash.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance reader’s copy.
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The New Mother
Author: Nora Murphy
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur
Date Published: May 30, 2023A new house and a new baby should be the stuff of dreams, right? Not for Natalie! Baby Oliver is too colicky, and Natalie is determined to keep feeding him to keep him calm and satisfied. But the price she pays is sleepless nights.
But along comes Paul. He’s watched her and seen her frustration. He loves babies. And he’s confident. So when he picks up Oliver and he stops fussing, Natalie is in own. Pretty soon she’s having chats with Paul, and even catching some sleep while he watches Oliver.
And then, her mind starts playing tricks on her. Or is Paul just not the person she thought he was?
Much of the book was a review of Oliver’s crying, Natalie’s leaky breasts, pumping milk, awkward attempts at feeding Oliver and frustration over him not sleeping, combined with Natalie’s desire to go back to work. We spend a great deal of the time waiting for the mystery part of the book. But anyone who has had a colicky baby and sleepless nights will relate 100% to Natalie’s vulnerability and desperation.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this reminder (even though it was fictional) that we need to be aware of the danger of postpartum depression.
Book Cravings 