NetGalley Top Reviewer

NetGalley Top Reviewer
NetGalley Top Reviewer

Monday, March 18, 2024

Dark Dive (Underwater Investigation Unit #5) by Andrew Mayne

 Don't miss the latest in this crime thriller series.


Are you a fan of crime thrillers and mysteries but looking for a unique approach? Look no further, as the members of the Underwater Investigation Unit in Florida are investigating unusual cases below the surface. Their specialty is diving for exploration, body retrieval, crime scene analysis, and other bad stuff that can be discovered in the depths. From canal to ocean to sinkholes in the marshland, the squad is on the job. 


In this 5th installment, Sloan McPherson and her partner, Scott Hughes, are searching for a friend of hers, another diver, who has gone missing. Fred Stafford was apparently checking out isolated ponds or sinkholes, but his truck and some gear is found with no sign of him. When they start checking into what he might have been doing before he vanished, they find something really odd in a secret storage shed.  Seems he's gotten himself mixed up in something quite unexpected. 


I enjoyed this one as Sloan actually gets to use some of her archeology background knowledge. As always, the details of the dive experiences are interesting, and the reader feels as if alongside them. Although not a diver myself, I find the descriptions of the hows and whys quite absorbing. There was an instance where a line of the plot simply went nowhere, but other than that, this was a solid c narrative that kept me engrossed. I'll continue on in this series and do think it should be read in order. I like the characters and the changes they go through in their work and personal lives. 


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend.

This is the 5th in the series that should be read in order.

Genre - mystery, crime thriller, diving, archeology

Saturday, March 16, 2024

Mother of the Bride by Samantha Hayes

 Predictable domestic drama.


Liz and her new fiancĂ©, Owen, are visiting her mother to announce the news of their engagement. Intending to keep their pregnancy secret, they tread lightly around Liz's erratic and unstable mother. Poor Liz can't bring herself to share stories about her mother with Owen as her childhood was difficult. Liz is uncomfortable being back in the house where she grew up, but is happy to see her sister, Shelley, and dad again. All have been treading lightly and carefully around the mom for years. Now she wants to play mother of the bride in earnest and is determined that she will organize Liz and Owen's wedding at the beautiful local church. What can go wrong? None want the reminder of what happened when Shelley tried to get married last year. 


Again, a very predictable plot with all the tells being easy to see from the start. The characters were stereotypes and mostly their thoughts and behavior were very irritating. It always seems that they deliberately close their eyes to the most obvious of signs that there are things amiss. The climax was exactly as anticipated and the outcome as I expected. It's a fast read, though, so it will likely keep some entertained for a couple of hours. 


Thanks to the publisher for the ARC e-book and audiobook as I both read and listened. 

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

Genre - domestic drama

Friday, March 15, 2024

The Teacher by Freida McFadden

 A totally over-the-top hot mess of a psychological drama and thriller.


A young married couple are teachers at a local high school. Nate teaches English and Eve's subject is math. It's the start of a new school year, and Eve is dismayed to find that one of her students, Addie Severson, was the cause of a scandal that had resulted in the firing of a faculty member. That girl is trouble. But is she the only problem at Caseham High?


Oh, the story here is beyond explaining without giving away all the spoilers and twists. Suffice to say that every single character is repressible and deplorable in his/her own way. This has every trigger from pedophilia, sexual abuse, grooming, alcoholism, academic dishonesty, murder, bullying...and just for fun, the author tossed in a shoe fetish. 


As the narrative progresses, plot holes develop that will make you just shake your head. I both listened to the audio version (excellent voice narrators by the way) and read along with the e-book ARC. The reader is tantalized by the entertainment and shock value alone, always wondering what in the world these unbelievable characters will do or say next. The climax and conclusion were off the charts nuts and the final twist was one that almost made me throw my kindle at the wall.


Should you read it? Well, it is fast paced and keeps you hooked because you just can't wrap your head around all that is going on. But the subject matter might offend many with the whole cliche of inappropriate student and teacher relationships in the worst ways possible. 


I received an ARC compliments of the publisher and got the audiobook from my local library. 

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

Genre - psychological drama and thriller, child sex abuse

Thursday, March 14, 2024

The Princess of Las Vegas by Chris Bohjalian

 Intrigue and drama in sin city...


Crissy Dowling has a residency at the second-rate Buckingham Palace Casino in Las Vegas where she spends most nights of the week doing two shows as a Diana impersonator. She's spent years becoming Diana and has really embraced her character. Crissy isn't very social and spends her days poolside, drinking or dropping some pills, in a cabana that she has earned as one of her perquisites. She's not close to her younger sister, Betsy, and so is stunned to hear that Betsy has adopted a teenage girl and is moving out to Las Vegas to take a job with her current boyfriend, Frankie. Betsy's job is ostensibly as a secretary for a company that intends to make cryptocurrency big in the city. Unfortunately, they are most likely gangsters and bad things start to happen. 


After a very slow start and lots of boring information about fintech and crypto, this got a little more exciting toward the very end -- even if most of what happened was fairly implausible. I didn't care for the Diana angle nor the way the narrative was obviously speaking the author's opinions about the royal family. That whole aspect of the novel had so little to do with the actual plot.  That said, the other angle, the Vegas mafia, is also not of interest either. I never grew to like any of the characters and the conclusion was quite predictable. 


I've found the Bohjalian novels to be hit or miss with me and this one was the latter. It took me forever to read because I just never got fully vested in the story. Was glad to finally finish.


Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday books for the e-book ARC to read and review. 

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

Genre - drama, crime, murder, gangsters

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Granite Harbor: A Novel by Peter Nichols

 Mystery thriller set in Maine.


The setting for this novel is the fictional small coastal town of Granite Harbor. With a population of 5000, the unusual novelist turned only detective on the police force, Alex Brangwen, hasn't had much exposure to real crime and definitely not murder. It seems that there is a serial killer hidden in plain sight in the area and the targets are teenaged boys. 


A ton of characters are introduced, and it takes a while to keep them straight. I personally did not care for any of the adults (parents, townspeople) and really disliked the depiction of the 16-year-old teens in the book. It baffles me how parents do not seem to have any ability to monitor and appropriately discipline and guide their adolescents (not just in this book but in many I seem to read). Of course, most of these adults are messed up too. Anyway, I was put off by the descriptions and activities of the characters which made me less inclined to worry too much about them running around making dumb decisions. 


The plot, with a deranged and obviously weird serial killer whose history we get glimpses of, sort of drug on. As the small police force, along with temporary help from an FBI agent, struggles to align the few clues to identify a suspect, the parents who know there is someone in their town who is a bad actor, should be locking down their kids. There's some strange ritual stuff with animals and a bit of supernatural clairvoyance that sort of made me tune out. 


Anyway, not one I will enthusiastically recommend as it really did not live up to the blurb description. 


I both read the e-book and listened to the audio production. The narrator was OK. Thanks to the publishers for those ARC copies. 

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

Genre - mystery thriller, crime, suspense, serial killer

Friday, March 8, 2024

Devil's Bridge (Alexandra Cooper #17) by Linda Fairstein

 A different perspective in this 17th book of the Alexandra Cooper series.


After one of her cases blows up in court, Alexandra Cooper goes missing. She had left her friends at a local bar and restaurant and then vanished before she could get into the Uber she'd called. The NYPD and the DA's office all get involved in the search with Mike Chapman nearly going of the rails with concern and worry. What has happened and who has taken their beloved friend and colleague? The entire cohort is stymied, and every criminal connected to Alex is a possible suspect. There are a lot of possibilities.


This was my least favorite of all the books I've read in this series. I did not care for the main voice in this story to be that of Mike Chapman with Alex putting in only a cursory appearance at the beginning. I missed all the legal and courtroom drama -- one of the main reasons I read these novels. The plot got really bogged down with a lot of historical detail that was basically irrelevant, especially when it got to the Irish criminal aspects and the connection to Chapman. The whole scenario and reason for Alex's disappearance was just not very compelling. I actually don't care that much for Mike Chapman despite the fact that now he and Alex are in a romantic relationship. It just doesn't seem like a match made in heaven to me. Regardless, I thought the whole last half of the book was actually rather boring. 


One thing I did enjoy was the audio version due to the skills of the narrator. The male/female voices and the accents were really well done making each character stand out clearly. 


I will likely read future installments hopeful that the story lines will return to the typical legal thrillers they were in the past. 

This is the 17th in a long running series. Although it can be read as a standalone, it is best to read the books in order.

Genre - legal, crime thriller

Formats: Audiobook from library; ARC from NetGalley 

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Black Wolf: A Novel (#2 Antonia Scott) by Juan Gomez-Jurado

 Exciting and fast paced, this suspenseful crime thriller is the second in a series featuring the enigmatic, brilliant Antonia Scott and her squire, Inspector Jon Gutierrez. 


The duo works behind the scenes in Spain as part of the secret Red Queen project. They are assigned to the most difficult cases and try to stay within the boundaries of the law. After a harrowing pervious job, they are again sent into a delicate situation involving the mafioso. Yuri Veronin, a man known for his money laundering expertise, is found brutally murdered in Costa del Sol and his pregnant wife, Lola Moreno, is on the run after an attempt is also made on her life. The Russian cohort is hot on her trail and even call in the notorious contract killer, the Black Wolf. Antonia and Jon are meant to find Lola first. It seems that there is a lot of double crossing and profit skimming going on and no one is to be trusted. 


I really rated the first two books in this series and can't wait for the third installment. I like the short chapters and the writing style. I both listened to the audiobook and read along with the e-book so I could fully appreciate the nuances and also helped with the fact that I am not fluent in Spanish. I love the characters of Antonia and Jon and they make quite an unusual pair. Appreciate so much that there is no romance and enjoy each of their personalities and quirks. The story line is great and there are some surprises along the way. Definitely some dark humor as well. 


The audio was a superb production and I absolutely love the narrator, Scott Brick. He has the most wonderful voice and gave life and individuality to all of the characters he voiced in this novel.  


I am recommending this series to everyone who likes a good crime thriller and am thankful for receiving the ARC audiobook and e-book from the publishers. Looking forward to the next, White King. 


Also -- there is an adaptation of the first book in this series, Red Queen, on Prime right now and I sure hope to see this one there as well. 

This is the second in the Red Queen series. Read in order.

Genre - mystery thriller, crime, mafia, Russia, Spain