Tag Archives: Mystery

Out Now

Posted on by
Reply

If you like to read a mystery with a dark, twisted tale,
pick up this book today!

Goodreads:  When family secrets are unearthed, a woman’s past can become a dangerous place to hide…

After the death of her adoptive mother, Ava Saunders comes upon a peculiar photograph, sealed and hidden away in a crawl space. The photo shows a shuttered, ramshackle house on top of a steep hill. On the back, a puzzling inscription: Destiny calls us.

Ava is certain that it’s a clue to her elusive past. Twenty-three years ago, she’d been found wrapped in a yellow blanket in the narthex of the Holy Saviour Catholic Church—and rescued—or so she’d been told. Her mother claimed there was no more to the story, so the questions of her abandonment were left unanswered. For Ava, now is the time to find the roots of her mother’s lies. It begins with the house itself—once the scene of a brutal double murder.

When Ava enlists the help of the two people closest to her, a police detective and her best friend, she fears that investigating her past could be a fatal mistake. Someone is following them there. And what’s been buried in Ava’s nightmares isn’t just a crime. It’s a holy conspiracy.

Thank you Ashley at Thomas & Mercer!

Coming Soon…..

Posted on by
1

…. On a Bookshelf near you!

In February I hope to read….

Publication Date: February 20, 2018
Publisher: William Morrow


Goodreads:  New York Times bestselling author Laura Lippman returns with a superb novel of psychological suspense about a pair of lovers with the best intentions and the worst luck: two people locked in a passionate yet uncompromising game of cat and mouse. But instead of rules, this game has dark secrets, forbidden desires, inevitable betrayals—and cold-blooded murder. . .

One is playing a long game. But which one?

They meet at a local tavern in the small town of Belleville, Delaware. Polly is set on heading west. Adam says he’s also passing through.

Yet she stays and he stays—drawn to this mysterious redhead whose quiet stillness both unnerves and excites him. Over the course of a punishing summer, Polly and Adam abandon themselves to a steamy, inexorable affair. Still, each holds something back from the other—dangerous, even lethal, secrets that begin to accumulate as autumn approaches, feeding the growing doubts they conceal.

Then someone dies. Was it an accident, or part of a plan? By now, Adam and Polly are so ensnared in each other’s lives and lies that neither one knows how to get away—or even if they want to. Is their love strong enough to withstand the truth, or will it ultimately destroy them?

Something—or someone—has to give.

Which one will it be?

Inspired by James M. Cain’s masterpieces The Postman Always Rings Twice, Double Indemnity, and Mildred Pierce, Sunburn is a tantalizing modern noir from the incomparable Laura Lippman.

What is coming soon …. to a bookshelf near you?

Let me know – I am always looking for a good read!

The Wife

Posted on by
1

Author: Alafair Burke
Publisher: Harper
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Source:  Jennifer at HarperCollins

Goodreads:  When Angela met Jason Powell while catering a dinner party in East Hampton, she assumed their romance would be a short-lived fling, like so many relationships between locals and summer visitors. To her surprise, Jason, a brilliant economics professor at NYU, had other plans, and they married the following summer. For Angela, the marriage turned out to be a chance to reboot her life. She and her son were finally able to move out of her mother’s home to Manhattan, where no one knew about her tragic past.

Six years later, thanks to a bestselling book and a growing media career, Jason has become a cultural lightning rod, placing Angela near the spotlight she worked so carefully to avoid. When a college intern makes an accusation against Jason, and another woman, Kerry Lynch, comes forward with an even more troubling allegation, their perfect life begins to unravel. Jason insists he is innocent, and Angela believes him. But when Kerry disappears, Angela is forced to take a closer look at the man she married. And when she is asked to defend Jason in court, she realizes that her loyalty to her husband could unearth old secrets.

This much-anticipated follow-up to Burke’s Edgar-nominated The Ex asks how far a wife will go to protect the man she loves: Will she stand by his side, even if he drags her down with him?

Ope’s Opinion: This story definitely had a lot of twists.  It had short chapters, which kept it moving quickly.  I kept thinking, one more chapter, just one more! This felt like it was partly taken out of the headlines that are happening today, but the rest of it was definitely amazing fiction.

It was interesting that Angela’s history played such a large part in the story.  She had her own secrets and her own agenda.  Jason had his issues and keeps you questioning about who he really is.  This makes the mystery / thriller intriguing.

The end of the story was breathtaking, but the end of the book felt like the story was left open.  Read it and you’ll understand!

Coming Soon….

Posted on by
1

…. On a Bookshelf near you!

In January I hope to read….

Publication Date: January 23, 2018
Publisher: Harper

Goodreads:  When Angela met Jason Powell while catering a dinner party in East Hampton, she assumed their romance would be a short-lived fling, like so many relationships between locals and summer visitors. To her surprise, Jason, a brilliant economics professor at NYU, had other plans, and they married the following summer. For Angela, the marriage turned out to be a chance to reboot her life. She and her son were finally able to move out of her mother’s home to Manhattan, where no one knew about her tragic past.

Six years later, thanks to a bestselling book and a growing media career, Jason has become a cultural lightning rod, placing Angela near the spotlight she worked so carefully to avoid. When a college intern makes an accusation against Jason, and another woman, Kerry Lynch, comes forward with an even more troubling allegation, their perfect life begins to unravel. Jason insists he is innocent, and Angela believes him. But when Kerry disappears, Angela is forced to take a closer look at the man she married. And when she is asked to defend Jason in court, she realizes that her loyalty to her husband could unearth old secrets.

This much-anticipated follow-up to Burke’s Edgar-nominated The Ex asks how far a wife will go to protect the man she loves: Will she stand by his side, even if he drags her down with him?

What is coming soon …. to a bookshelf near you?

Let me know – I am always looking for a good read!

Even If It Kills Her

Posted on by
Reply

Author: Kate White
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
Genre: Mystery
Source: Abigail at HarperCollins

 

Goodreads: Kate White returns to her New York Times bestselling Bailey Weggins series with a riveting new psychological thriller featuring this beloved true-crime journalist turned amateur sleuth in her most spellbinding case to date

Like many thirty-somethings, Bailey Weggins has a few regrets, some involving her career and others her love life. But running into Jillian Lowe at her book signing, Bailey comes face to face with perhaps her biggest regret to date. For more than ten years, Bailey has felt guilty for not staying in closer communication with Jillian, her college roommate, after Jillian’s family was brutally murdered. Jillian had left their school in the middle of their sophomore year right after the tragedy, leaving Bailey to wonder how her friend’s life turned out.

Bailey is shocked to see Jillian and is even more stunned when her still-gorgeous former roommate approaches her with a case. The man accused of murdering her family has been cleared of the crime through new DNA evidence. With the real killer walking free, Jillian is desperate for Bailey’s help to identify him and finally secure justice for her family. As the two women return to Jillian’s childhood town to investigate, secrets from Jillian’s past begin to surface. And it doesn’t take long before they learn not everyone is happy with their sleuthing—not the local police, not family friends, and certainly not the true killer.

With someone watching their every move, Bailey and Jillian find themselves in grave danger and must decide how much they are willing to risk to finally uncover what happened that terrifying night.

Ope’s Opinion:  Even though this was the seventh book in the Bailey Weggins Mystery series, I could not tell.  This was the first one I read and I did not feel like I was missing any back story.

I really liked how the book jumped right into the story.  There wasn’t a lot of background or unnecessary information before we started right into who died and started trying to figure out who did it.

The book is about trying to figure out who killed Jillian’s family.  The middle drug out for me just a little, but I never wanted to give up reading to find out who killed them.  A long the way, there were a few surprises.  I did guess who the killer was before the end.  It made sense, but it wasn’t who I wanted it to be.  There was someone that I didn’t care for and wanted it to be that person.  It all made sense at the end.

The Silent Sister

Posted on by
Reply

Author: Diane Chamberlain
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Mystery
Source: Kristin of Kritters Ramblings

Goodreads:  In The Silent Sister, Riley MacPherson has spent her entire life believing that her older sister Lisa committed suicide as a teenager. Now, over twenty years later, her father has passed away and she’s in New Bern, North Carolina cleaning out his house when she finds evidence to the contrary. Lisa is alive. Alive and living under a new identity. But why exactly was she on the run all those years ago, and what secrets are being kept now? As Riley works to uncover the truth, her discoveries will put into question everything she thought she knew about her family. Riley must decide what the past means for her present, and what she will do with her newfound reality, in this engrossing mystery from international bestselling author Diane Chamberlain.

Ope’s Opinion: Although I figured some of the mystery and secrets before they were revealed, I enjoyed the whole story. It was an awesome story with lots of twists.  It read fast because I kept wanting to see if it was going to go where I thought it was going.  There were surprises right up until the end.

Hearing the story from both Riley and Lisa points of view moved the story along really fast.  I kept wanting Riley to know what I already knew!  It was fun to see her discover the secrets.  I thought the way she found out different information seemed realistic.  She had different sources for different secrets.

I enjoy Diane Chamberlain’s writing and I will definitely read another one by her.

The Good Widow

Posted on by
1

Author: Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Source: Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke

Goodreads:  Amazon Charts bestselling authors Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke make their suspense debut in this twisty, emotional thriller.

Elementary school teacher Jacqueline “Jacks” Morales’s marriage was far from perfect, but even in its ups and downs it was predictable, familiar. Or at least she thought it was…until two police officers showed up at her door with devastating news. Her husband of eight years, the one who should have been on a business trip to Kansas, had suffered a fatal car accident in Hawaii. And he wasn’t alone.

For Jacks, laying her husband to rest was hard. But it was even harder to think that his final moments belonged to another woman—one who had left behind her own grieving and bewildered fiancé. Nick, just as blindsided by the affair, wants answers. So he suggests that he and Jacks search for the truth together, retracing the doomed lovers’ last days in paradise.

Now, following the twisting path of that fateful road, Jacks is learning that nothing is ever as it seems. Not her marriage. Not her husband. And most certainly not his death…

Ope’s Opinion: This is the best book Liz and Lisa have written!  It starts with interesting characters, a great story and a wonderful setting – that is just the beginning!!  Keep reading…  it only gets better. 

There is so much I want to say, but I do not want to spoil the surprises and twists in this book.  This story is told from multiple perspectives – all labeled at the beginning of the chapter, so you know exactly who is talking and the time period.  It does go from past to present – back and forth.  I think that adds to the suspense in the story.

It is so well written, I didn’t just know how Jacks was feeling, I was feeling it myself.  The ending is amazing, surprising and satisfying.   Read this one!

Working Fire

Posted on by
2

Author: Emily Bleeker
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Mystery
Source:  Ashley of Amazon

Goodreads:  From the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of When I’m Gone comes a compelling novel of a bond between sisters, tested by tragedy…

Ellie Brown thought she’d finally escaped her stifling hometown of Broadlands, Illinois; med school was supposed to be her ticket out. But when her father has a stroke, she must return home to share his care with her older sister, Amelia, who’s busy with her own family. Working as a paramedic, Ellie’s days are monotonous, driving an ambulance through streets she’d hoped never to see again.

Until a 911 dispatch changes everything. The address: her sister’s house. Rushing to the scene, Ellie discovers that Amelia and her husband, Steve, have been shot in a home invasion. After Amelia is rushed to the hospital, Ellie tries to make sense of the tragedy. But what really happened inside her sister’s house becomes less and less clear. As Amelia hangs on in critical condition, Ellie uncovers dark revelations about her family’s past that challenge her beliefs about those closest to her…and force her to question where her devotions truly lie.

Ope’s Opinion:  This is my second book by Emily Bleeker and I hope there will be many more.   She can really weave a story with twists that are believable.  The story is told from two sisters perspective – one from present and one from the past.  Most chapters left you hanging – leaving you wanting the next part.

There were some secrets that I figured out ahead of time, but there were several secrets that came out later and surprised me.  It was an enjoyable read that kept me thinking…

I am not sure Emily Bleeker left the ending open so there could be a  sequel, but it left me feeling it wasn’t finished.  I would still recommend the book.

Odd Child Out

Posted on by
3

Author: Gilly Macmillan
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Genre: Mystery
Source:  William Morrow Paperbacks

 

 

Goodreads:  How well do you know the people you love…?

Best friends Noah Sandler and Abdi Mahad have always been inseparable.  But when Noah is found floating unconscious in Bristol’s Feeder Canal, Abdi can’t–or won’t–tell anyone what happened.

Just back from a mandatory leave following his last case, Detective Jim Clemo is now assigned to look into this unfortunate accident.  But tragedy strikes and what looked like the simple case of a prank gone wrong soon ignites into a public battle.  Noah is British.  Abdi is a Somali refugee.   And social tensions have been rising rapidly in Bristol.  Against this background of fear and fury two families fight for their sons and for the truth.  Neither of them know how far they will have to go, what demons they will have to face, what pain they will have to suffer.

Because the truth hurts.

Ope’s Opinion:  This entire book takes place in about five days, so it seemed to move slow at some points for me.  As it moved along there was a lot of back story added.  Each chapter was told from a different point of view – there is no title or anything that tells you who is talking.  You have to start reading and figure out who is speaking.  That was  part of what  made this a three instead of a four chair for me.

This is the second book of Macmillan’s with Detective Jim Clemo.  I have not read the first one – you don’t need to in order to enjoy this one.  There is obviously some things about the detective that you don’t know, but it doesn’t effect the story all that much.

The ending fell flat for me.  It made me understand what happened, but didn’t really give me much satisfaction.

The Child Finder

Posted on by
Reply

Author: Rene Denfeld
Publisher: Harper
Genre: Mystery
Source:  Harper

 

Goodreads:  Three years ago, Madison Culver disappeared when her family was choosing a Christmas tree in Oregon’s Skookum National Forest. She would be eight years old now—if she has survived. Desperate to find their beloved daughter, certain someone took her, the Culvers turn to Naomi, a private investigator with an uncanny talent for locating the lost and missing. Known to the police and a select group of parents as The Child Finder, Naomi is their last hope.

Naomi’s methodical search takes her deep into the icy, mysterious forest in the Pacific Northwest, and into her own fragmented past. She understands children like Madison because once upon a time, she was a lost girl too.

As Naomi relentlessly pursues and slowly uncovers the truth behind Madison’s disappearance, shards of a dark dream pierce the defenses that have protected her, reminding her of a terrible loss she feels but cannot remember. If she finds Madison, will Naomi ultimately unlock the secrets of her own life?

Ope’s Opinion:  I found this hard to read, not really enjoyable, but told from interesting points of view.  I almost felt like at the end the author was going to tell me it was all a dream – it was told in such a manner that it didn’t feel real. 

The cycle of abuse was an interesting twist to the story.

The ending did make it some what better.