The Crooked Staircase (Jane Hawk #3) by Dean Koontz

Jane Hawk is the real Wonder Woman -- no super powers, just an amazing, highly skilled ex FBI agent who sees a wrong and needs to right it.

This third in the series (yes, there will be a #4) takes up right where the second left off so you absolutely need to read these from the beginning, in order. From the blurb, the reader knows that Jane is running for her life as she is hunted by some of the most skilled and highly placed government agents who have a way to track even those who are completely off the grid as is Jane. Her son, Travis, hidden in the care of friends, is safe FOR NOW, and Jane is seeking out members of the Techno Arcadians to eliminate them and shut them down. Remember, this hideous elitist group is intent on implanting nanobots and converting them to automatons to use as they wish. The Hamlet list, devised by those members at the very top, is a computer generated program that identifies those at greatest risk to the new planned utopia where the Arcadians will reign supreme.

Incredibly fast-paced with lots of action and bloody murder, the book zips along so quickly that you barely have time to take a breath, gasp, sob or sigh. No spoilers, but some of those deaths were really hard to take. Conversion is a nasty, scary business.

Despite Koontz's penchant for ten dollar words and maximum verbosity -- with metaphors and similes galore -- I love this series and cannot wait for the next. I had NO idea that this third was not the end, so the cliffhanger ending made me want to throw the book across the room in frustration at now having to wait to see what happens next. Not nice, Mr. Koontz! All the loose ends are coming together as Jane gets nearer to the rotten core at the center of this terrible conspiracy. The characters are so well drawn that the reader is drawn completely into this world and fears the consequences of world leaders gone mad, drunk and euphoric with their power.

This would make the most fantastic movie or miniseries evere -- do you hear me out there, producers? Option it already!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam Random House for the e-book ARC to read and review. PLEASE hurry, Mr. Koontz, so I can relax.

Wave of Terror by Jon Jefferson

Are you in the mood for a great disaster novel? Well, this is the one for you!

I'm a sucker for disaster novels and I comb the lists regularly to see when a new one is due to be released. I lucked out and, thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer, I received this ARC to read and review.

The premise -- an astronomist is in La Palma (in the Canary Islands 250 miles off the coast of Africa) looking for Planet Nine when she notices abnormal seismic activity that is not being transmitted to the scientists who monitor that sort of thing. When she does the research, she finds that a quake along the fault line there will result in catastrophic tidal waves that will decimate coastlines from North America and other countries along the Atlantic coast.

Dr. Megan O'Malley is no Cassandra but, in desperation, she contacts her ex-husband and the government. Unwittingly, an FBI special agent Chip Dawtry, gets the information she's trying to share to get out the warning. Can they make the authorities LISTEN before it's too late? This tsunamic wave will wipe out entire coastlines and cause millions of deaths -- not to mention the damage it will do to the economy and the infrastructure of all the areas affected. She's a lone voice, a scientist, but will those in power take her discovery to heart and intervene before it is too late?

I loved this very fast-paced novel and read it over a matter of hours, not wanting to put it down. It's tense and action-packed with all sorts of interesting characters and geography. Not to mention the incredible scientific detail about the fault line and the resultant catastrophe. Megan and Chip are a dynamic due who defy the odds and make the play to save the earth. What could be a more fun read?

The authors of this are quite well-known -- in fact, Jon Jefferson IS Jefferson Bass of the Body Farm series! If you're in the mood for thrills and heart-pounding adrenalin rush, this is the novel for you!
I only wish there were more titles like this available to read these days as I thoroughly enjoyed the break from my usual genre (mysteries and police procedurals).

Scarred for Life (Jessica Daniel #9) by Kerry Wilkinson

GOBSMACKED. That's my takeaway. No spoilers...

What is this 9th in the DI Jessica Daniel Series about? The blurb gives a decent overview as there are a lot of cases that Jessica and her team are juggling in this outing. I've read the previous ones, in order, so following along with the changes wasn't difficult as I'm familiar with the backstory. I'd urge anyone interested in this series to do the same as they don't work well as standalones.

Character development, especially of Jessica, is ongoing and, though she still can't sit still for a minute and is ridiculously headstrong, she's matured a bit since the beginning of her career. She works for the Manchester Metropolitan CID, based at Longsight, and her supervisor is DCI Jack Cole. Fortunately, she's not as messed up emotionally as a lot of other female protagonists in many of the books I read in this genre. That said, I'm not sure about her future.

Not sure that I will go on with the series though I've loved and enjoyed it to this point. It's too bad as I always looked forward to another JD episode. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read and review.

The Missing Hours by Emma Kavanagh

"You do not go looking for kidnap and ransom. It comes looking for you."

Incredibly tense police procedural and complicated mystery involving a woman's disappearance and a man's murder -- that just may be connected.

Dr. Selena Cole vanishes from the playground near her house, just leaving behind her young daughters. When she reappears over 20 hours later, she can't remember anything of the missing hours. Or is she lying?

Defense solicitor Dominic Newell is found dead on the side of a mountain road. He was respected and well-liked. Who killed him and why?

Sister and brother Detective Constable Leah Mackay and Detective Sergeant Finn Hale of Endleby -- on the border of England and Wales -- work in the Criminal Investigation Department of a small police force there. Leah is on the Cole case and newly promoted Finn is working the Newell homicide. As the investigation proceeds, it appears that the cases are somehow related, but they have a long and circuitous road of leads and suspects to follow. In addition, it was fascinating to read about the murky world of kidnap and ransom crimes and the secrecy surrounding the efforts of those private security companies that seek to rescue the hostages.

I enjoyed the characters and the depth portrayed by the author as they come to life before the reader's eyes. Told in alternating points of view, mainly from Leah and Finn, the different aspects of the crimes become three dimensional. Great storytelling and prose with excellent detail and description. The narrative tackles a lot of complex issues that are very timely considering what is going on in the world today. Loved the ending.

 I really enjoyed this novel and will definitely look for more by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the e-book ARC to read and review.

Tell No Lies by Lisa Hartley

The life of DS Caelan Small: "Fooling people, using them, spending days, weeks and months living as someone she usually despised. It was a strange way of meting out justice, and she had to wonder, was she making any sort of difference?"

Fast-paced police drama centered on thugs and drugs. Set in London and the second in a series featuring this undercover detective, the action moves the narrative forward. It all starts with the discovery of two separate victims, both tortured to death and one a cop. Were they connected somehow? Sent back into the field following a previous case that ended in her having some injuries and causing the breakup of a long-term relationship, Caelan is intent on finding the perpetrators. Seems like a new drug lord is coming into territory recently vacated by the previous kingpin who is now in prison. Caelan has to reach into herself to find the mental and physical reserves she needs to tackle this investigation and stop this explosion of crime in Edmonton without blowing her cover. And all the while having to work with her former lover.

I enjoyed this very much but wish I had read the first one in the series prior to starting this second. Allusions were made to the previous case/book, and yeah, you could figure it out more or less, but I think I missed a few things though this could work as a standalone. I'll definitely be looking for the third book in this series to find out more about Cailan and what she will be involved in next. She's a loner by nature, and perhaps also because of what she must do for her job -- which is her life. She's tough and edgy and vulnerable. Smart with nerves of steel to do what she does. Encore, please!

Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo Publishing Company for the e-book ARC to read and review.

The Reunion by Samantha Hayes

Twenty years ago, August 1996, 13-year-old Lenni Lucas disappears while walking to get ice cream.
Claire Lucas, now Rodway, older sister to Lenni, was 18 years old at the time. She and her friends were splashing about in the water of Trevellin Bay, a normal day at the beach. When Lenni did not return, the Lucas family, their friends, relatives and the police searched and did all the normal things that people do when a child goes missing. To no avail. The only signs were a dropped ice cream cone and a pair of shorts. Lenni was gone.

The family somehow puts itself back together over the next 20 years without the baby of the family. Patrick, the patriarch, is a well-loved husband and father to the Lucas kids as well as to their childhood friends. Shona, mom to all, handles everything -- especially now that Patrick has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Claire and her brother Jason get on with their lives, marry, have their own families -- but still have so many questions. "In the end, our suffering came from not having anyone to blame, from not knowing what happened."

Claire decides that it would be a good time to get some of the old crowd together to help her dad with his memory issues. She has two children (Marcus and Amy) and her best friend from back then, Maggie, has a 15-year-old daughter, Rain. Old flame Nick -- Claire often wonders what might have happened between them had Lenni not vanished. Sets it all up for lots of potential drama considering that Claire has a son about Rain's age. All the relationships are complicated. The big impetus, however, is that Shona wants to sell the old farm because she can't take care of it and her husband too. So, a last little reunion to celebrate and reminisce. Things don't quite go as planned.

Wow, there's a LOT going on in this book. Many different characters and narrations from different points of view. It's hard to imagine all this happening to a single group of people in a small little town, but all the big themes are there. Deceit, betrayal, heartbreak. Not a single character in the book has an easy time of things. It was almost too much, if you know what I mean. I won't say more to prevent spoilers, but despite all the red herrings that the author uses to obfuscate, some things were obvious quickly but one took a little longer to become clear. I am sorry to say that I really didn't like any of the characters in the book very much. Couldn't relate to them. But it was a good family drama story. I am not sure I would call this a "thriller" but more a mystery. I didn't find it suspenseful or heartpounding, etc., but definitely the word I'd use is DRAMA. I did have a hard time putting it down as I wanted to see what was going to happen to this poor messed up group of people next! The ending came a bit abruptly and a few dangling ends were left to my imagination.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read and review. I think most people will be fascinated by the train wreck that is the Lucas family! Enjoy!

Next to Die by TJ Brearton

Is someone targeting case workers from the Department of Social Services?

Setting -- Lake Haven in the Adirondacks. A DSS worker is stabbed to death in her car outside the office after hours one night. Harriet Fogarty wasn't scheduled to be working that evening, so perhaps Bobbi Noelle, who was meant to be on duty but was home sick, was the intended victim? Things in the small town heat up pretty quickly as Detectives Mike Nelson from the New York State Police and Detective Lena Overton with the Lake Haven Police start to work the case.

But there is a lot more going on in Lake Haven. Suspects are identified and the investigation painstakingly plods along as more questions are raised than answers can be found. There are parallel plots and it is all quite complex. Red herrings abound, but most astute readers will figure out where this is going though it takes a long while to get there. There are so many characters that sometimes the names all became a jumble and they were all very superficially constructed. The main character of Bobbi narrates part of the story as it alternates between her and Detective Mike. There's also a romantic element for both of those two (not with each other) that really didn't add anything to the forward movement of the plot.

This works find as a standalone though I've read others in the series. I enjoyed it but it seemed like it took a lot of pages to get to the denouement and the final showdown when all was revealed. I'll definitely read more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read and review.

The Art of Fear by Pamela Crane (#1 The Little Things That Kill)

"If you go poking around in shadows, you'll find darkness."

Ari was ten years old when she was held responsible for her little sister's death. Tina (Sophia) was sold into sex slavery by her parents when she was 6. These two young women meet at a suicide support group, bond, and start looking for answers to explain their miserable lives. Although complete amateurs at the investigation business, they somehow find out more than expected and track down the different parties as it seems that there is a connection between events that happened over fourteen years ago.

Despite the need to completely suspend my disbelief in the action and plot, and never mind that the characters were flat and stereotypical, I moved through this rapidly. I really didn't like any of the characters in the book and the coincidences were often just too extreme. Ari and Tina are supposed to be two tough chicks who'd survived really hard times (and yeah, I am sure the sex slavery was total horror and sometimes I can't even stand to think about it much less read about it), but I just couldn't buy into Ari's personality. The romance that blossomed with Tristan was...well, most know how I feel about romance in these thrillers...but how convenient that his job proves so HELPFUL to Ari right?
No spoilers, but the ending shows that Ari is moving forward into a new direction -- no longer a retail sales clerk after her stellar investigating techniques -- finding out stuff that defied all the efforts of previous law enforcement types.

Although this was OK, I don't know that I'd invest the time in another of this series. I didn't like the interaction between the characters, the dialogue or the need to be so incredulous at outcomes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tabella House for the e-book ARC to read and review.

The Fear Within by JS Law (LT Danielle Lewis #2)

"Good people do bad things, and bad people do good things...the world doesn't work in absolutes."

Gripping thriller set mainly near and on a Royal Naval base in Portsmouth. Lieutenant Danielle Lewis and partner, Master at Arms, John Granger, work for the Special Investigation Branch. In this second book the pair face a series of disasppearances and crimes that tie back to the TENACITY (a submarine) and their previous case. A very complicated plot with lots of characters, this moves along quite quickly with information and action.

After rescuing an abused wife in an abandoned shop, the duo is called to the ship, DEFIANCE, because a young female stores assistant had gone missing. Meanwhile, Dan (oh how I HATED everytime I saw that masculine name used for Danielle in the entire book -- but this was an ARC and I am hoping that someone talked some sense into the powers that be and got that changed) is also talking to a serial killer because body parts thought to belong to his victims have come to the attention of her bosses, AND she is also still secretly working on the former case involving a drug smuggling operation on the submarine. Busy lady!

There was a lot going on in this book and quite confusing to me because I was not familiar with the characters and had not read the first book in the series. In this case, I think that was a huge mistake and would urge anyone considering this title to go back and read #1 first. As far as the character of Danielle Lewis (and just again metnioning that she was called Dan throughout), I'm not sure I can say that she was believable or likeable. Let's say that some of the scenes stretched credulity and leave it at that. The reader really doesn't learn much about her personally and so she was not very three-dimensional nor were any of the other characters in the book. I did find the military connection to be quite interesting as I haven't read many books where the investigators are part of the Royal Navy.

So, despite my annoyances as described above, I did enjoy it and will probably go back and read the first book at some point. Would definitely want to read #3 because this one ends on a cliffhanger!

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Company for the e-book ARC to read and review.

The Undertaker's Daughter by Sara Blaedel (#1 Ilka Jensen)

 The first book in a new series by one of my favorite authors!

Forty-year-old Ilka Nichols Jensen travels from Denmark to Racine, Wisconsin, USA, when her estranged father dies and leaves her his business -- a funeral home. Ilka's life as a widow in Copenhagen was nice and peaceful, she took school portraits for a living, and her mom and partner were close by. A nice, uncomplicated life. She's quite shocked when she finds out that the father who had abandoned them when she was 7 years old had made a new life in Racine. So what is she to do? She travels to Racine and finds not only a funeral business on the brink of bankruptcy, but a decades old murder mystery. The bodies keep on coming to the funeral home and Ilka finds herself in the middle of a huge mess. At first just eager to sort things and return home, she comes intent on discovering more about her father and the art of undertaking.

I really enjoyed this departure from the Louise Rick series for a couple of reasons. For one thing, I've always been secretly fascinated by the whole funeral business and actually considered whether to train in Mortuary Science so that I could work in one (before I found out how "family" controlled that the whole business actually is -- well, aside from the big conglomerates.) So I found the details absolutely fascinating as I believe it is both an art and a science to care for the dead and a ministry to attend to the families. I found the author's note explaining why she wrote this book quite illuminating and very easy to understand why she decided to write about this topic. Secondly, I loved the main character -- Ilka. What an unusual woman and an atypical protagonist. She's strong but sensitive, and I can't wait to learn more about her. Sure she has her personal demons, and coming to the USA where things were so different for her was quite a feat. I assume she's staying on at the funeral home and am eager to see how she assimilates in this unfamiliar territory.

So - it is not your typical Blaedel suspense thriller or police procedural, but there is a mystery and lots of intrigue. I'm sure the secondary characters will be developed further as well. And I can't wait to see what happens next as the book ended on a bit of a cliffhanger!

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the e-book ARC of this to read and review.

Little Liar by Clare Boyd

"Tell me. Explain to me. Describe to me."

The words used by the social services people when they interview Rosie, the 10-year-old daughter of Gemma and Peter Bradley. The neighbor next door, Mira Entwistle, has called the police about the screaming she's heard, and suspects that Rosie may be an abused child. Life in Virginia Close, Denton, is about to take a detour. For it seems that there are many secrets that may have led to this eruption in domestic life.

What a tense and almost, at times, excruciatingly painful drama to read! I felt so much sympathy for the parents of Rosie, and wondered when she would get the psychiatric help she obviously sorely needed! Being a parent is very hard, and that girl drove her mother to the near brink of madness with her acting out and tantrums. I wasn't sure what was going to happen and held my breath preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best. Suffice to say that Mira has her own demons -- no spoilers.

This was a domestic psychodrama that kept me glued to the pages. I was suspicious of the main characters and not quite sure what to make of any of them. Who am I to judge another? Their motives, their emotional reactions, their deeds? What a great choice this would be for a book group as there are many themes that most mothers especially could possibly relate to. And, haven't any of you heard a child's scream or cry from next door that you wondered about? After all, we hear stories everyday about mistreated children whose situations were never reported to any authorities! But, geez, who among us wants to see the police or DFS on our doorsteps after our children have misbehaved? Anyway, I thought this all was pretty scary stuff and I'll be thinking about it for a long while. Point being -- a mother is accused of hurting her child, lies are told, things go from bad to worse. We all want children to be safe, especially in their homes. Would YOU make the call? And, if so, what would be the trigger?

I look forward to reading more by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read and review.