The House Swap by Rebecca Fleet

Secrets and lies are at the heart of this domestic psychodrama. Once again, the blurb doesn't really give a very good picture of the crux of the story and I'm not sure if describing it more accuretly would be considered spoilers, but the foundation for the issues at the center of the plot involve unsavory behaviors such as adultery, drug addiction and death.

Caroline and Francis need to get away alone and they decide to do a house swap. It's once they get to the place on a quiet cul de sac and step inside that Caroline becomes quite unsettled and knows that there is something else going on besides a change of housing vacation. Things that only have meaning for her in the context of her past appear in a house that is nearly empty in its starkness. Flowers on the windowsill, a particular fragrance, a photograph. Who does this house belong to? And what does this all mean? Suffice to say that Caroline is slammed back 2 years to a time, place and person she's been trying to forget.

Tons of drama and some tension as the point of view flips back and forth between persons and time. The reader finds out what Caroline had been up to, what Francis has done, and then there's a neighbor across the way who seems to really want an instant friendship with Caroline. It all comes together with a surprising revelation and resolution of sorts.

As far as the characters in this sordid tale, well, they aren't particularly likeable really. Certainly not any of the lot that I'd like to befriend -- way too messed up. But they made for a good story and I was engrossed as I read it in one sitting. If you enjoy psychological thrillers, you'll not want to miss this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Group (Pamela Dorman Books) for the e-book ARC to read and review.

Last Goobye (#1 Quinn and Malloy) by Arlene Hunt

 Totally enjoyed the introduction to Detectives Eli Quinn and Roxy Malloy of the Garda. This first in a new series featuring those characters and the others on their team was fast-paced and absorbing. I read it in a single sitting as the police procedural developed and they worked the case.

A serial killer is out there targeting couples -- but it appears as if it's the woman who's the main focus. The murders are staged with champagne and yellow roses. Complicating the two cases they've identified as being those by the "sweetheart killer" is another homicide with different aspects -- dissimilar enough to make them all wonder if they are looking at two different killers. Dogged investigative techniques may help them but there are many other factors at play and politics involved.

The reader doesn't get to know much about the characters in this novel, and I look forward to their development in future books. I'm sure they have some interesting backstories though we only find out a few snippets here and there. The narrative shifts around a bit between the players, even giving the point of view of the killer and the reasons used to rationalize the murders.

Definitely will want to read the second book as the writing was crisp and the characters and action believable. Although Eli Quinn has a second in command in DS Miranda Lynn, he's taken on Roxy Malloy to his team and it appears as though she will be more his partner in the future.

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

Tell Me a Secret by Samantha Hayes

"The worst kind of secrets are always the ones we keep from ourselves."

What a compelling and unputdownable psychological thriller! Yes, read in a single sitting, and could not look away as all the secrets, lies, betrayals, and confusion bubbled to the surface in an explosive conclusion that I really didn't see coming. I love it when I'm surprised!

Lorna is married to Mark and has a stepson, Jack, and they have a daughter, Freya. She's a therapist and he's a dentist. They have a nice little life. Except for the fact that Lorna has been carrying on a torrid affair that she wants (needs) to end...She feels that she is in love with this man, Andrew, and when he won't let her go, she finds herself falling apart both personally and professionally. But, wait! There are a couple of things going on behind the scenes that are really going to wrench her ordered life about. Nothing is quite what it seems.

This book was full of pathology and characters that draw you in even as you're thinking there is something not quite right about them. I have to say that I really enjoyed this one! Domestic drama, psychopathy, dangling clues and hints to something darker than what it first appears.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to review. Don't miss it!

The Chosen Ones by Carol Wyer (DI Robyn Carter #5)

I'm a little miffed because the synopsis on the book information page is so misleading and I've found this to be a disturbing trend. I often wonder if the person who writes the descriptions has any true knowledge what the book is about.

This is the 5th in series that features DI Robyn Carter and her team out of Stafford. The investigation involves the murders of 3 different people connected to the nearby town of Coltron. Jordan Kilby, age 23, is found strung up like a scarecrow in a local farmer's field. Owen Falcon is a football buddy of Jordan's and he's found dead in his garage, the victim of a gruesome murder. The final death is Dr. Lucy Harding, a GP just starting out at the local clinic. How are these 3 linked? Who is killing them in such particularly savage ways and why? The investigation sort of plods along as Robyn, Mitz, Anna and David try to figure out if there is a message in the murders. There are many additional characters to keep track of and plenty of red herrings but most readers will figure out the "who" quickly but the "why" takes a bit longer for the reveal.

I liked this well enough but it was sort of slow. There was a narrative written in italics that hinted at the genesis of the motives for the killings, or at least an attempt to explain the psychopathology involved in the making of the murderer. This was not particularly suspenseful and not a thriller per se, mostly a standard police procedural. Again, Robyn's personal life is tangentially addressed with no resolution there either -- and this has gone on for several of the books in series. It's getting old. I just wonder why female detectives can't have normal, healthy, and dare I say it -- somewhat happy -- lives and families?

Will I read a #6? Probably, because now I'm a little invested in these people so I hope that none of the characters go the way of other stories in this genre and get killed off willy nilly. Anyway, in this outing, and this is not a spoiler, Robyn and her team catch the killer and tie up the loose ends as expected.

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

Three Secrets by Clare Boyd

Francesca's husband goes out to get cigaretttes one night and ends up jumping from a bridge. What drove Robert to commit suicide? Turns out that this family is hiding some really nasty secrets, telling some self-serving lies, and covering up most of the truth. You see, Robert had a brother...and parents. And they all seemed to be good at only one thing -- deception. What a dysfunctional collection of people making up the Tennant clan. Francesca included.

Domestic drama populated by a cast of completely despicable characters! Not a one was honest or moral and though I read it all in one sitting, it was only to verify that I had correctly anticipated its conclusion. I had a hard time with this book and probably will be in the minority opinion so will just leave it at that. I did like the author's previous book, LITTLE LIAR, much better.

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

The Boardwalk Trust (Beach Lawyer #2) by Avery Duff

Absorbing legal drama, the second in a series featuring "beach lawyer", Robert Worth.

In this case, Worth helps out a troubled and homeless father and daughter who received information that indicates they are the beneficiaries of a family trust. Teo and Delfina Famosa have been living in a box truck and hope that receiving this money will lift them out of the life they've been living. Worth soon finds more than he ever imagined when he shows up to a court hearing only to hear that the trustee, the now deceased Carlos (Teo's brother) has completely spent all the assets leaving nothing. So why is the Dragnov crime syndicate interested? Worth and his girlfriend, Gia, and his friends Erik and Reyes, go to great lengths to figure out what happened to the trust and to help the Famosas.

Lots of action and legal detail with complex characters that have layers and depth. Worth is a good guy, trying to do his lawyerly best for his clients, but the case becomes very personal to him as well.
I enjoyed this and the first book in the developing series, and though this could be read as a standalone, it's best if the reader has the background from the debut. I'm definitely going to want to read #3. I'm a fan of legal thrillers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the e-book ARC to read and review.

Dying Truth (DI Kim Stone #8) by Angela Marsons

"...the past never stays in the past."

The deaths of several children at a private, exclusive school will test the skills and emotions of Kim Stone's detectives. Much of the plot centers around secret clubs that exist at the co-ed Heathcrest Academy -- a school that caters to the rich and whose graduates usually go on to illustrious careers and exist at the top of society. Once a member, always a member. And no one can turn down an invitation to join. Consequences and rules govern the members' behavior and it seems some are meant to pay the biggest price for getting on their wrong side. The legacy is forever.

This 8th book in the DI Kim Stone series has all the pieces that make a page-turning crime thriller and police procedural. Great writing, lots of detail about the investigation, and the characters we've all grown to know and love through the other books -- yes, I've read them all, in order, to this point.
When reading a book is much like attending a family reunion, you know the author has developed characters that have personality and depth. So, to do what Ms Marsons did feels a little like betrayal. But no further spoilers here -- and as someone else mentioned in another review, Karin Slaughter made me feel this way at another time and book. I can't accept it!

Is the tear-jerker ending enough to make me quit reading this series? Probably not, though I don't like to be manipulated this way. I'm sure I will still want #9. After all of these books, however, I do wish that Kim would get some serious psych help to get over her issues and resolve some of the problems she has from her own past!

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

The Woman in Blue (#8 Ruth Galloway) by Elly Griffiths

Mystery and police procedural set in Walsingham. The book description given is not really what this particular book is about.

Briefly, and without spoilers, a woman is found murdered in a ditch close to an old church graveyard where she was seen by Cathbad, one of the recurring characters in this series, while he was housesitting at the cottage attached to the church. She was wearing a white nightdress and blue robe, but she is not a vision of the Virgin Mary, but a patient at a nearby drug treatment facility. Nelson and his team are investigating when a second murder follows. Both victims were blonde. In addition, a group of female priests is visiting the area for a course and one of them is an old schoolmate of Ruth's. Hilary is receiving threatening notes because the writer doesn't think there should be female priests. Is the killer the sender of the notes? Nelson has his hands full to solve this case. Meanwhile, the story line continues from previous books as Ruth struggles as a single mother to Kate and Nelson deals with some marital problems.

I am not positive, but I think I've only read one other book in this series and I think it may have been the second book. So this 8th was quite a fast forward as far as relationships and events that developed. I didn't feel too lost, but I hesitate to say this is just as good if read as a standalone or if this is the one you pick up first. I wish I had read them all in order! The reason I went back to this one is because I also have The Dark Angel (#10) to read and review.

I like the writing and the interplay between the characters. The fact that Ruth is an archeologist who sometimes works with the police on cases is also very interesting though she didn't really figure much into this particular book. Loved all the details about the history of Walsingham, discussion about religion, pilgrimage and such. I look forward to another episode. I'd like to start from the beginning but I don't know if that will happen!

Thank you to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the E-book ARC given to me for review back in 2016. Sorry it took so long!

For Richer, For Poorer by Kerry Wilkinson (#10 Jessica Daniel)

Another compelling read in this tenth book of the excellent police procedural series featuring Detective Jessica Daniel of the Longsight Police. In this outing, as usual, Jessica is juggling multiple cases but most of the focus is on solving one that involves home invasion robberies. In addition, there's a human trafficking situation. Jessica's colleagues are mostly the same as in previous books with a few changes, most notably the second appearance of DS Archie Davey and the absence of DCI Jack Cole -- so she has a new boss. I enjoy her interaction with the team.

I am a fan of this series and I've read them all, in order, and would urge anyone interested to do the same so that you see all of what Jessica has gone through from the start. Her character is well-developed and constantly adapting to the events that happened and the people she works with. I look forward to #11 and definitely like the writing style of Kerry Willkinson. The plots are usually quite complex and, though there is action, the pace is more measured as the investigations develop.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the e-book ARC to read and review.

The Child Next Door by Shalini Boland

Magnolia Close. Wimborne. Dorset. The Rawlings live at number four -- Dominic, Kirstie and their 6-month-old baby, Daisy. It's a lovely and quiet neighborhood. But who knows what goes on behind those closed doors?

The drama begins when Kirstie wakes from a nap to hear a man's voice on her baby monitor -- "Quick, let's just take the baby now and go." When she rushes to Daisy's room upstairs, Kirstie finds her daughter safe in her cot, sleeping peacefully. There's no one in the house. No one there trying to steal away with her baby. After the police have come, interviewed the neighbors and found no babies in any other house, and gone -- that's when things start to fall apart for this little family. As Kirstie's concern for Daisy's safety escalates to paranoia, as Dom begins to wonder if she's not having some sort of breakdown, and as her friends become wary, Kirstie is no longer the same doting new mother and wife. What is going on in this neighborhood?

This was a quick read and a page turner as I definitely wanted to get to the conclusion and find out all the answers. I found myself thinking Kirstie was a total nutjob on one hand and feeling sorry for her on the next. I thought I knew where it all was going -- but I didn't! NO SPOILERS. The characters were quite an odd assortment with behaviors that threw up red herrings left and right and that kept the narrative interesting and me guessing. An entertaining standalone psychological thriller.

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

Deep Fear (#2 Kelly Porter) by Rachel Lynch

Action packed and utterly gripping police procedural.

"And much it grieved my heart to think, what man has made of man."

In this second thriller featuring Detective Inspector Kelly Porter of the Cumbria Constabulary, a serial killer uses The Lake District in the United Kingdom as a dumping ground. This is not the typical psychopath but a fiendishly clever tormentor who leaves handwritten poems with the bodies and is thought to be engaged in "punishing" the victims. The victimology indicates that each of the dead women was held to account for some kind of sin. No spoilers! Can the detectives find the killer and save the last victim in time? The "Teacher" might have outsmarted them all!

The gang is all here and it was great to "see" Kelly's team back in action in pursuit of this heinous criminal mastermind. I could not put this book down and was fascinated by all the detail of the investigation and by the locale described. Having never been to the area of the Lakes or Lakeland, I had to Google it and spent some time looking at the images of that beautiful mountainous scenery. (It's now on my list of places that I must see in my lifetime). I love it when the setting becomes an essential part of a narrative, and this place certainly does.

Kelly Porter is a great character -- complex and interesting, multidimensional and smart. She can be tough but she also has good insight into herself and others and can show a compassionate side. I like the interaction between the team members and always love finding out more about them as the series develops. Can't wait to read the next book!

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

The Retreat by Mark Edwards

Is it a Beddmawr urban legend or does evil walk along the banks and lurk in the woods by the River Dee?

Seven magpies scattered and flew to high branches. "How did the rhyme go?  'Seven for a secret never to be told.'

Life changed for Julia Marsh 2 years ago when her husband, Michael, drowned trying to rescue their 8-year-old daughter Lily. They had been walking by the River Dee in North Wales when she disappeared. Her body was never found even after an intense police investigation. Julia believes that Lily is still alive and has set up an author's writing retreat in the huge old stone house known as Nyth Bran where the family had lived together in order to make some money and stay close by.

Surrounded by woods, the retreat provides the solitude and quiet that Lucas Radcliffe needs in order to complete his next novel. Along with other authors who are staying at the house, Lucas settles in and hopes to find inspiration and motivation. It's not long before he and the other 3 writers begin to notice some very odd disturbances in the house. Things go missing, there are noises in the night, and they feel that someone is watching them. No spoilers, but one of the main teasers in this gothic-like tale is an old local folk tale about the 'Red Widow' -- who cursed the town after a mining accident -- and who requires that a child be sacrificed to her every 35 years or she will come and take one.

This is a convoluted and complicated suspense thriller that has many different lines of action and focus. The tenseness you'll feel while reading it comes from the tone and atmosphere evoked by the writing. The setting is perfect for a spooky tale and there are a lot of characters that you will have to keep straight in order to follow the tangled threads. The reveal is not so much a twist or surprise as it is a skillful accomplishment of plot weaving. The epilogue was a shocker for me though. I enjoyed this and the best part was that it wasn't so much scary as it was weighted with dread and sparked my curiousity to figure out what the heck was going on and how it would all end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the e-book ARC to read and review.

Our Kind of Cruelty by Araminta Hall

Gripping psychological drama that I just couldn't put down!

"I must be cruel only to be kind / Thus bad begins and worse remains behind,"

Michael Hayes, banker, is totally obsessed with Verity Walton. When she breaks off their love affair to marry another man, Angus Metcalf, Mike knows that she doesn't really mean to do it. She's just punishing him for an act of stupidity that he committed when he was working in New York for his job and she was in London.

Mike knows Verity better than she knows herself. He reads between the lines, parses words said and unsaid, and gleans his truth from his absolute conviction that she and he were meant to be together forever. Even when she says they're not. He goes to great lengths to possess her and nothing and no one will stand in his way. Because he loves her and believes that she loves him. Everything she says contains clues that indicate to him that she is his. His unshakeable belief leads them both to a point of no return.

I really liked this book. The writing kept me pulled into the story and never once seemed to veer off track. The characters were quite well constructed and felt real. Despite it being psychodrama, it also had action and touched on other themes that would make great discussion for a book club. I'm sure it's not everyone's cup of tea, but it sure worked for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the e-book ARC to read and review.

The War Nurses (#1) by Lizzie Page

Riveting historical fiction!

"Elsie Knocker -- 'Gypsy', motorcyclist nurse, dare-devil mother -- one of only two women on the Western Front and the best friend I ever had."

1914 -- Mairi Chisholm is 18 years old when she is recruited by Dr. Munro to accompany him to Belgium and join the war effort as part of a team he was setting up -- the Flying Ambulance Corps. Mairi was known for her mad motorcycle skills and Munro thought that despite the fact that Mairi was not trained as a nurse, that she could retrieve soldiers and give a hand. And so it begins. Soon Mairi meets Elsie Knocker, a free-spirited woman out of her time, and the two set up a cellar close to the Western Front. The war-time story highlights their activities in the care of the sick, wounded and dying men.

This is also a story of a friendship more like sisterhood. The two are opposites in many ways but form a bond through their courage, dedication and sacrifice. It was a sentimental and sweet saga though they went through horrors and fractious times. Definitely a departure from my usual reading genre, but I enjoyed it and look forward to the next book in what is meant to be a trilogy.

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

If He Wakes by Zoe Lea

"They say that when you have a traumatic event, there is the 'before' and the 'after', that all things fall under those two categories, but no one talks about the precipice."

Rachel sees a man in a BMW who looks a lot like her husband hit and run. WHAT? That cannot be her Phil. They have two daughters (Katie and Jessica) and a wonderful life -- and is he having an affair? Rachel has worked so hard to start up a new events business with partner, Suzie, and now she's laid up with a broken ankle and everything is falling apart. Suzie is beside herself -- her fiancé, Adam, has vanished, her credit cards are frozen, and she's getting threatening calls from creditors demanding money that Adam has borrowed without her knowledge. Their nightmare has just begun.

This was a great fast-paced psychological thriller that I could not put down. I really enjoyed the narrative from the points of view of both Rachel and Suzie as they deal with the drama each faces. I don't want to give any spoilers, so I'll just say that the central issue was one I didn't anticipate at the outset but is very timely and important. Sometimes it's hard to DO the right thing -- or even know what the right thing is...

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

The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner

 "Retain the innocence of the most wholesome feeling you ever had in your life."

Romy Leslie Hall, inmate W314159, is on her way to Stanville Women’s Correctional Facility, deep in California’s Central Valley. She has a past life lived in San Francisco, a present life in prison, and no future. She's meant to serve 2 consecutive life sentences plus 6 years. She left her son, Jackson behind with her mom. She doesn't plan on anything. Prison life is a world apart and the other inmates, guards and staff have their own agendas. There's nothing at all for Romy to do but continue to exist -- whether she wants to or not.

This was quite the book. I'm sure some of the details about prison life are true enough and I imagine there are places both better and worse than Stanville depending on where one is remanded. Identity is stripped, there is no meaningful work, and nothing to look forward to when you have no chance of parole. You know you will die in prison. Romy has no one on the outside to communicate with and no one inside who can be trusted. It's lonely and it's hell. But the uncaring guards say, "You made your choice." In many ways, this novel was very depressing and left a lot more questions than it provided answers. It would definitely make a good selection for a book club as there is much to discuss about crime and imprisonment.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the e-book ARC to read and review.

Alter Ego by Brian Freeman (Jonathan Stride #9)

"...he wouldn't change a day of his past or correct his mistakes even if he could. They were part of him. They were who he was. They were what made him Jonathan Stride."

A man is found dead inside a car on a snowy Duluth backroad -- he's got no identification but there's a recently fired gun and a copy of an entertainment tabloid in the vehicle. In addition, there's a report of a missing girl -- an intern who was working on the set of a movie being filmed in town. The Hollywood people are all there for THE CAGED GIRL and it stars one of the biggest names in the business -- and it so happens that this film is based on one of Stride's old cases. Eleven years ago 4 women were kidnapped at intervals and left to die alone in a soundproof cage. Luckily, Stride was able to find and rescue the last girl in time. Is there a connection between the dead man and the missing girl? Stride and his team are on the investigation. And what are these nasty rumors going around about the star of the movie?

Fast-paced and suspenseful police procedural thriller with a large cast of interesting characters. As this is the 9th book in a long-running series featuring Jonathan Stride, most of them are probably well known to fans. I have read only the first two and obviously missed a lot in the intervening books, but there was enough detail and backstory that I didn't feel lost.

I enjoyed this a lot, no spoilers, but I do have one huge irritation with the story. And that is Cat. Her actions and involvement just seemed over-the-top and completely triggered my disbelief meter. Other than that, I'd definitely recommend it and I want to go back and read the other books featuring these characters.

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