Plucky Heroine

    Transcription by Kate Atkinson

    I have loved many of Kate Atkinson’s books (esp the Jackson Brodie series), and was happy to receive a copy of Transcription from Little, Brown & Co. and NetGalley In return for my honest review. Possibly I am just burned out on historical fiction set in and around WWII featuring a plucky heroine, but…this didn’t …

    Safe Houses by Dan Fesperman

    I love fiction that includes some political intrigue/espionage, and if it is a mystery/thriller that’s all the better! Cold War timeframe is great if done well (I loved Jake Tapper’s Hellfire Club, for example). Dan Fesperman’s Safe Houses seemed right up my alley, especially as it was praised by Lee Child as being “One of …

    Heartland by Sarah Smarsh

    Many years ago, I read Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed and it knocked my socks off. When I saw Sarah Smarsh’s Heartland had been favorably compared to it and recommended to people who liked it, I jumped at the opportunity (provided by Scribner and NetGalley) to read it in exchange for my honest review. First …

    The Lies We Told by Camilla Way

      I truly enjoyed Camilla Way’s book Watching Edie, so I decided that I should just carve out a DAY to wallow in her latest, The Lies We Told, which I received from Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley in exchange for writing this honest review. If you are a fan of psychological thrillers, YOU HAVE …

    The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain

      I am a bit of a fan of Diane Chamberlain’s books, so I was really happy to receive a copy of The Dream Daughter (thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review. TBH, I didn’t even read the promotional material, figuring if it was as enjoyable as Necessary Lies, …

    When the Lights Go Out by Mary Kubica

    (pub date October 2018) OK, here is what I expected to get (publisher’s blurb): “Jessie Sloane is on the path to rebuilding her life after years of caring for her ailing mother. She rents a new apartment and applies for college. But when the college informs her that her social security number has raised a …

    Under My Skin by Lisa Unger

      I don’t recall reading much of Lisa Unger’s work, but I am somewhat of a sucker for the plucky heroine in danger genre, so I was happy to get a copy of Under My Skin from Harlequin-Hanover Square Press and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I did read this book pretty much …

    Believe Me by J.P. Delaney

    Years ago, an author wrote a book called The Decoy…it was published but nothing really happened. Later, after that author published a best-seller (The Girl Before), they re-wrote The Decoy and thanks to Random House-Ballantine and NetGalley, I received a copy in exchange for my honest review. So, we meet Claire, a young British woman …

    A Steep Price by Robert Dugoni

    I first “met” Seattle Homicide Detective Tracy Crosswhite in Robert Dugoni’s My Sister’s Grave and loved her, so I then eagerly read Her Final Breath. Following along in short order (he definitely can crank out books at a fast clip) were In the Clearing, The Trapped Girl, and Close to Home (all of which I …

    Love and Ruin by Paula McLain

    I really really really wanted to love this book but had some trepidation because of my aversion to Hemingway. (As an English major in college, I nearly delayed graduation because of the requirement to have a course focused on a major author and the only two choices that quarter were Hemingway and Henry James – …

    The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer

    With the incredible amount of hype surrounding Meg Wolitzer’s new book, The Female Persuasion, I was tempted to grab it…then remembered how I felt about the last book of hers that I read. That was the widely praised The Interestings, but in my opinion, they weren’t. But, FOMO took over and after reading things like …

    Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris

        I love “unputdownable psychological thrillers,” and because I was a huge fan of B.A. Paris’s Behind Closed Doors (2016), I was happy to receive a copy of her latest book, Bring Me Back, from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley in return for my honest review. Similar to Behind Closed Doors, this story revolves …

    Closer Than You Know by Brad Parks

    Back in 2009, Brad Parks introduced his Carter Ross series…and somehow I totally missed them all. Then, in 2017, his standalone thriller Say Nothing came out. Somehow I stumbled on it and it was TERRIFIC. So I was happy to have the chance to write an honest review of his latest standalone novel, Closer Than …

    The Escape Artist by Brad Melzer

      Not sure I have read any Brad Melzer books before, but the marketing, which includes a comparison to Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and high praise from Harlan Coben (one of my favorites) made me want to read The Escape Artist (Thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NeGalley, whp provided a copy in exchange …

    Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh

    In spring of 2016 I read and reviewed Clare Mackintosh’s debut novel I Let You Go, and loved it. Then, somehow, last year I completely missed her second novel I See You. But this spring along comes her latest psychological thriller, Let Me Lie, and because I loved the first book, I jumped at the …

    The French Girl by Lexie Elliott

    Promos call it “I Know What You Did Last Summer meets the French countryside.” For me, it was more like…maybe The Big Chill meets Ghost Story? (showing my age here). In any case, it sounded intriguing and potentially a good story, so I was pleased to have the opportunity to read Lexie Elliott’s The French …

    Not That I Could Tell by Jessica Strawser

    Just about a year ago, I read and reviewed Almost Missed You, the debut novel by Jessica Strawser (whose day job is Editorial Director for Writer’s Digest magazine, so expectations were high) . I liked it.  A LOT. Five stars, although noting it was more a beach read than “literature.” I hadn’t quite decided whether Jessica …

    Into the Black Nowhere by Meg Gardiner

      Last year, I read and reviewed UNSUB by Meg Gardiner, and had a few challenges (ended up not being 100% positive about it). But I generally like Gardiner’s books, so I was pleased to receive a copy of Into the Black Nowhere, the second book in her new series featuring Caitlin Hendrix (thanks to PENGUIN …

    The Punishment She Deserves by Elizabeth George

    It has been too long since I read/reviewed an Elizabeth George Novel (since August, 2015, in fact, for the release of A Banquet of Consequences). Some things don’t change: as I said then, “I LOVE Elizabeth George, and have been reading the Inspector Lynley novels (or, as I prefer to call them, the Lynley-Havers novels) …

    The Bad Daughter by Joy Fielding

      With all the crap going on in the world, I have been ready for some good fun escapist entertainment. Hoping for something to take over my brain for a few hours, I began reading Joy Fielding’s The Bad Daughter (thanks to Random House-Ballantine and NetGalley who provided a copy in return for my honest …