In 2018, when I started reading Brian Freeman’s Alter Ego, (#9 In the Jonathan Stride series), I kept thinking “wait, I KNOW this Jonathan Stride, a cop from Duluth, I recognize his house…” But then I thought maybe I was getting him mixed up with a character in John Sandford’s Lucas Davenport/Virgil Flowers series – …
One of our local treasures in my hometown is author Laurie King. Her best-known books are part of a series, but the latest is a standalone – and it’s great fun! The story in Back To The Garden is set in the Central Coast region of California, and skips back and forth from the present …
I somehow missed Nancy Schwartzman’s film Roll Red Roll back in 2018, which told the story of a notorious gang rape of a 16-year old girl after an early season football game in Steubenville, Ohio. The horrific events would perhaps (most likely, IMHO) never have come to light were it not for smart phones and …
I’ve been reading Nelson deMille books for a long time – I first met Detective John Corey last century (!) when I read and enjoyed Plum Island (1997). And I have often enjoyed a bit of wisecracking from my protagonists (think RBP’s Spenser). I REALLY enjoyed Plum Island and Lion’s Game – and Nightfall? Wow, …
I’m a big fan of Jane Harper, so when I read that Hayley Scrivenor’s book Dirt Creek was available from Flatiron Books and NetGalley in return for my honest review, I was looking forward to it – a LOT. For some reason, it was originally publixhed in Australia as Dirt Town, but is renamed as …
I’ve been reading books in Robert Dugoni’s Tracy Crosswhite series since 2014, when I first stumbled across My Sister’s Grave. I found it fascinating over the years to watch as Detective Crosswhite evolved as she worked to solve the long-cold case of her sister Sarah’s murder, then went on to other cases, along the way …
I can’t recall the last book I read by Joyce Carol Oates, but in the interest of reading some well-written fiction, I was happy to receive a copy of her latest, Babysitter, in exchange for this review. (you know, like taking vitamins – it will be good for me to read something other than mystery/thrillers). …
I’m a big fan of thrillers. I’ll Never Tell, and You Can’t Catch Me by Catherine McKenzie are in this vein, so when I had the chance to read her latest, Please Join Us (thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley) I was ready to read! As the story begins, the protagonist Nicole Mueller appears to …
Malcolm Nance, known to watchers of MSNBC as a knowledgeable reporter with years of experience in counterintelligence, is willing to SHOW UP for what he believes. Want proof? He joined the Foreign Fighters in Ukraine after the country was invaded by Russia. His latest book, They Want to Kill Americans, quite frankly scared the %^$#* …
I love twisty psychological thrillers (think Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl), so when I read that David Ellis’s latest, Look Closer, was “part Gone Girl, part Strangers On A Train, I was READY! Thank you to Penguin Group/G.P. Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley for providing a copy in exchange for this honest review. There is a wealthy …
I admit it. I’m a sucker for true crime stories, and serial killers are part of that. I’d never heard of Tony Costa, but after reading a bit about Helltown, subtitle the untold story of a serial killer of Cape Cod, I was ready to read. Fortunately, Sourcebooks and NetGalley were willing to provide a …
I haven’t read ALL of the 21 books in Kathy Reichs’s series featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance (“Tempe” Brennan, but I have most, and always enjoyed them. So I was happy to receive a copy of Cold, Cold Bones from Scribner and NetGalley. Tempe divides her time between North Carolina and Canada, and in this one, …
I tend to enjoy stories where the setting is a character on its own, if you know what I mean (think Jane Harper’s novels set in arid Western Australia. Oh, and BTW, if you enjoy mysteries, you really should check her out — start with The Dry). In Lee Goldberg’s Movieland, while Malibu Creek State …
About four years ago, I read and reviewed Fiona Barton’s The Child (four stars). I enjoyed it, so I was pleased to receive a copy of Local Gone Missing from Berkley Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for this honest review. This one features detective Elise King, who had to take a medical leave. Now, unsure …
Emily Giffin writes what i think of as sappy books (Lies That Bind, All We Ever Wanted), so I wasn’t sure how this one would go. Particularly after I read that Meant To Be followed a family portrayed as “American royalty,” featuring a son whose father is killed in a tragic accident and who feels …
James Lee Burke’s book Another Kind of Eden (reviewed in 2021) had just a bit too much of the supernatural in it for my taste…same for my husband who is the real Burke fan in this household. So I was a bit hesitant to dive into Every Cloak Rolled in Blood, described as “ his …
Although I wasn’t expecting to, I really enjoyed The Plot, so I was looking forward to her latest, The Latecomer. The story revolves around the Oppenheimer family of New York City, parents of triplets who don’t have much of a bond among themselves or with their parents. The triplets are about to go off to …
I’ve been a regular reader of Linwood Barclay’s books for several years, generally awarding 4 or 5 stars, so I was pleased to get a copy of Take Your Breath Away from William Morrow and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. But then I looked at the last book of his I reviewed, which …
I was so eager to read this book. Partly because I am such an avid reader of true crime, and Ashley Flowers is the primary host of the wildly successful Crime Junkies podcast. When I got my review copy (thanks to Random House/Ballantine and NetGalley) which I received in exchange for my honest review, I …
I really wanted to love this book. I kept trying not to let my negative feelings about the war get in the way…alas, it was not to be. The women who served as CSTs (Cultural Support Team members) in Afghanistan are amazing. I admire their courage, ability, and willingness to serve. But the whole idea …