The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen

 Compelling psychological thriller about sisters with a unique connection. 

Georgia Cartwright is locked up in the psych ward after she’s accused of murdering her younger sister, Annabelle. Pretending to be in a disassociate state, she is desperate to prove her innocence and reaches out to Amanda — her twin. The shock of finding that she has a twin is almost too much for Amanda, owner of a bar, to process, but she tries to wade through all the secrets and lies of Georgia’s wealthy family to find out the truth. 

I enjoyed the dynamic between the sisters and the slow reveals about their relationship as well as what happened with Annabelle. Some of it was predictable, but definitely kept be interested and invested. The narrative is told in alternating points of view between Amanda and Georgia. Raised separately, their twinship is an awakening for them both. The other characters were rather one dimensional and it seemed like a few threads were left unanswered, like who were their birth parents, etc. and what about Patty? Anyway, I liked it well enough.

I was able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book ARC provided by the publisher. The narrator, January LaVoy, did a great job of giving two distinct voices to the twins and even included a fairly convincing southern accent. She always brings te characters in the book to life and her performance enhances my appreciation of the story.

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.

Tags - twins, murder, psych ward, adoption, mystery, lies and secrets

The Woman in Suite 11 (Lo Blacklock #2) by Ruth Ware

 Entertaining mystery thriller that is as predictable as it is entertaining. 

First and foremost, before you open this book, you need to know that it features many of the characters from The Woman in Cabin 10 and it's probably a really good idea to read it first if you have not.

Secondly, you must suspend any and all disbelief as this entire story will seriously strain any credulity you have. 

It's been 10 years since Laura (Lo) Blacklock experienced all of the traumatic events on the Aurora. Since her lucky escape from death, she's gotten married, had two children, and written a bestseller about her experience on that ship. She has, however, not worked at all since and wants to get back to her old career as a travel writer. Out of the blue, she gets an invite to the opening of a grand hotel owned by Marcus Leidmann, a billionaire. Lo manages to leverage that name with an old contact who works for Financial Times publication who encourages Lo to go to Switzerland and try to get an interview with the man. Lo does go to Switzerland and finds herself quickly in way too deep in a new and crazy situation. And it gets even more wild when she reconnects with someone from her past.

As always, Ruth Ware hooks the reader quickly and you're in way too deep before you realize that Lo hasn't changed a bit and she's still not experienced as much personal growth as we would have hoped. There are lots of twists and turns and many red herrings though a savvy reader will be able to guess where it's all going. The fun is in seeing how the author gets you there. Was this sequel necessary? Nope, not at all, but it was a quick read and kept me dialed in and amused.

I was able to listen to the audio book while reading along in the e-book ARC provided by the publisher. I liked the narrator, Imogen Church, only when she was voicing the main character. The way she did other voices, especially the kids, was almost cringe sometimes. (Maybe there should be a prohibition in adult books with narrators trying to imitate children.) The accents and male voices didn't fare much better. In any event, I do enjoy the immersive experience of both at once.

This is a sequel to The Woman in Cabin 10 and it should be read before this one.

Tags - travel writer, murder, naive, Britain, mystery, suspense, thriller 

Coded Justice (Avery Keene #3) by Stacey Abrams

 Artificial intelligence — villain or savior?

This is a thriller that tackles many different aspects of AI, but specifically in this book it is working on delivering medical care to marginalized veterans. Avery Keene, now working in the private sector, is hired by Dr. Rafe Diaz, CEO and founder of Camasca, an AI enabled healthcare tech company after an incident that resulted in the death of one of the head programmers. Ruled an accident in a cursory police investigation, Diaz is concerned that there’s something going on that might impact the IPO he’s planning. Avery is meant to assemble a team as an internal investigative unit with attorney client privilege to see if there are any potential issues that might derail the big debut. So Avery gets her best friends and boyfriend on board and they get busy.

There’s a lot of technical jargon and detail about AI and a lot of other things in this novel. It’s almost exhausting to read through the info dumps, even though it’s all very interesting. And scary. Especially when it starts to look like the various components of this huge neural network might be going rogue. I really liked the medical application aspects and the mission of Camasca with its focus on veterans. But the bottom line is that giving over a huge part of anything to quantum computers with sophisticated learning models could prove more deleterious than it does good. 

I wasn’t sure who or what was going to answer the questions about the issues at the company so I had to finish the book in one sitting. Definitely mind boggling and will provide a lot to think about. At present, there’s no regulation or set of rules about how this type of technology is to be created, implemented and evaluated so I still feel that without some checks and balances it could all be a very dangerous tool in the wrong hands. And certainly I don’t want to see sentience. 

The author is obviously creative and brilliant and I’ve enjoyed the previous Avery Keene books as well. Who knows what’s next for her and friends, but I look forward to reading more.

I was able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book ARC provided by the publisher. The narrator, Adenrale Ojo, did a great job of voicing the characters and giving the appropriate dramatic flair. The voices were distinct, but of course I always wish for a male to be doing the men. The production enhanced my enjoyment of the story. 

This is part of a series, the third book, and they should be read from the beginning in order.

Tags - legal thriller, suspense, AI, medical, veterans, murder, greed

The Hampton’s Lawyer (Jane Smith #3) by James Patterson and Mike Lupica

 Fast and entertaining legal thriller.

This is the third in the series featuring criminal defense lawyer, Jane (Effing) Smith, who is, at least in her own mind, the best of the best but definitely so in this part of Long Island. This is the only one I’ve read, but I’m definitely hooked and look forward to checking the others out.

In this book, Jane and her investigative partner, both ex NYPD cops, are defending a local real estate creep named Rob Jacobson. He’s been accused of murder, the triple homicide of a man, wife and teen daughter. The evidence against him is overwhelming, but Jane and Jimmy Cunniff have a plan. Unfortunately, the case has ties to a local bunch of bad guys who are into loan sharking, racketeering, and bookmaking. 

Meanwhile, Jane is dealing with a personal health crisis of her own that means she has to win this case if it is the last thing she does. 

Lots of action and bad guys doing what they do. The characters were interesting and I’d probably know them better if I had read the first two books. This was fine as a stand alone. The medical aspect was a bit, ok wildly, unbelievable but I just ignored that and went with it. This is the type of book you can just lose yourself in for a couple of hours and just have fun with it.

I was able to listen to the audio book while also following along with the e-book ARC provided by the publisher. The narrator, Eva Kaminsky, did a great job of voicing the characters and they were easy to differentiate. Her dramatic flair added a nice touch and made the immersive experience more pleasurable.

This is the third in a series and even though I didn’t, they probably should be read in order for best enjoyment.

Tags - murder, mob, loan shark, legal thriller, suspense

The Maid’s Secret (Molly the Maid #3) by Nita Prose

 Heartwarming cozy mystery series comes to a touching end.

It’s wedding bells for socially awkward Molly the Head Maid/Events Coordinator and her handsome chef fiancé, Juan Manuel. Both work at the Regency Grand, a five star hotel, and are looking forward to the big day. Plans are interrupted however, when Molly finds that a Faberge egg left to her by her grandmother is worth millions. With all the media attention and theft of the egg, Molly is overwhelmed but finds answers to many secrets hidden in her grandmother’s diary. 

This is part fairy tale with a riches to rags theme as well as an ill fated love story. I enjoyed the diary entries and Flora’s history which explains so much. In addition, we have the present day mystery of who stole the egg and why. The connections are a bit too convenient and hard to believe, and the conclusion is quite predictable. I think this was a bit more contrived than the other books in the series, but it wraps everything up and alls well that ends in a happy ever after, right? It might be a bit too much sappiness for some, but it seemed a fitting end to the series. 

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-book ARC to read and review. I did enjoy the series and would recommend it. I listened to the audiobook while reading and the narrator, Lauren Ambrose, does a fantastic job of voicing Molly. The other characters also have distinct voices which made the book come alive and created a more immersive experience.

This is the third in a series that should be read from the beginning in order. A novella, The Mistletoe Mystery, is also part of the story. 

Tags - cozy, mystery, neurodivergent main character, hotel, maid, family secrets, heirloom

Guess Again by Charlie Donlea

 Fast paced and convoluted psychological crime thriller.

3.5 stars rounded up

A teenage girl disappeared 10 years ago and detectives in Cherryview, Wisconsin found no clues so the case went cold. Ethan Hall, previously a detective, currently working as an ER physician, is called back into law enforcement by a former partner who is dying and can’t let it go. The situation is complicated because an inmate at the local prison (convicted and incarcerated for murdering Ethan’s father who was also a detective) seems to know something about Callie Jones and wants to make a deal. 

This was twisty but quite predictable despite the red herrings and diversions into other points of view and shifts in time. I love Donlea and will always want to read his new books despite the need to often suspend disbelief. How is it that everyone (but me) casually knows a fantastic hacker who can give them tons of information? I liked the main character ok, but honestly none of the cast was fully fleshed out and I never related to any of them. Multiple threads unwound for the big climax and reveal. The themes in the story are familiar ones of friendship, relationships, loyalty, revenge, and murder. 

I was able to listen to the audiobook while also following along in the e-book ARC, both provided by the publishers. The narrator, Vivienne Leheny, did an acceptable job of voicing the characters but the choice of a female for the voice seemed wrong as so much of the book was male point of view and the story would have been well served with a male narrator instead. I find that listening while reading allows for a more immersive and enjoyable experience with a book. 

This is a standalone and not part of any series though the ending leaves one to imagine that there might be a follow-up with this same main character, I would prefer not.

Genre and tags, mystery, crime thriller, serial killers, missing persons, teenagers

The List by Steve Berry

 Very entertaining novel of suspense and a departure from this author’s typical work.

Brent Walker has moved back to Concord, a small town in central Georgia, after being hired by Southern Republic Pulp and Paper Company as its assistant general counsel. When he left it behind years ago, he also left a woman he loved and his parents. Now, since his father is no longer alive, he is going to help care for his mom who has recently been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s. 

Not too long after beginning his new job and reuniting with an old friend, union leader Hank Reed, Brent faces a curious mystery when a list of names and numbers comes to his attention. Once the implications of that list becomes clear to Brent and Hank, they know that everything they believed about their town and its biggest employer was wrong. 

This was so well written and very fast paced. I found it hard to put down as things heated up quickly. So many characters, easily divided into the good guys vs the bad guys, but the premise was good and there was lots of action. It was a fun read and though the ending was anticipated to some degree, I enjoyed how it all played out.

I was able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book ARC, both provided for review by the publishers. The audio format was narrated by the incomparable Scott Brick. I love his voice and his dramatic flair that always brings the novel to life and this production was no exception. This immersive experience definitely enhanced my enjoyment of the book!

This is a standalone and not part of any series.

Genre - mystery, thriller, suspense, action