Last Witness (DI Zac Boateng #2) By Chris Merritt

When your past comes back to haunt you...

Crime thriller and police procedural, the second in a series featuring Detective Inspector Zac Boateng of the Lewisham Major Investigation Team. An old colleague is found dead -- a suspected suicide. Then another. And yet another. Three dead cops, all from the team that had responded to a 999 call years ago when they were all new to the police force. Obviously the deaths are murders, and Zac knows that he's next on the list because he was there that night as well. Something happened inside that house years ago and someone wants them to pay for it.

This is rather slow moving and also involves a concurrent unrelated investigation into hate crime in the area. I knew almost immediately who was behind the killing of the cops, so the reveal came as no surprise. I had enjoyed the first book in this new series, BRING HER BACK, so had wanted to follow up. I know there's a third in the works. The character of DI Boateng is rather stereotypical of male detectives -- strong silent type family man. Zac carries a lot of guilt (from events related to the first book) and with what happened to cause a killer to come after him in this book. Some interesting themes in the book include police welfare (psychological counseling and all-t00-common problem of police suicide) and the unique use of the drug, succinylcholine, a paralyzing agent.

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

Slowly We Die by Emelie Schepp (Jana Berzelius #3)

Nordic Noir at its best!

Excuse me while I take a moment. Reverence! This book was absolutely fantastic and I can't believe I came in on the third in such a series having never heard of this author before (I don't know who to blame for that.) This is simply a great thriller. It has themes of loss, murder, revenge, redemption, and loyalty. It's part mystery, part police procedural, and partly just a darn great story. However, it is NOT a medical thriller (that is very misleading in the blurbs) by my reckoning. But, I'm going to let it go as I loved it anyway. 

This suspenseful novel is set in Norrkoping, Sweden. There are so many characters in this novel that it would be impossible, without spoilers, to give a run down of who is who and how they were involved in the plot. The main character is, obviously, meant to be Prosecutor Jana Berzelius (and whoa what a backstory she has) followed by the police team -- there's Gunnar, Mia, Henrik, Anneli, and technician Ola. Then there are the secondary characters about whom the action revolves -- paramedics Philip and Sandra. Then the victims -- murdered in their homes in most gruesome style. At first it's a little hard to keep them all straight. There's also a mystery man with whom Jana has a history -- and it's not the romantic kind. But I won't say more so that you can work it all out for yourself and enjoy it as much as I did. The writing and characterization are top-notch and, even if you guess ahead at what might be going on as I did, you will still enjoy the ride!

What are you waiting for -- get this on your TBR as soon as you can. Best would be if you read #1 and #2 first, I'm sure, though I didn't have that luxury. I can only imagine, given the little dangling morsel at the end, that there is going to be a fourth and I've already got it on my MUST READ list.

Thank you to NetGalley and MIRA Books/Harlequin Enterprises for this e-book ARC to read and review. Don't forget me when I come begging for more Jana Berzelius.

Portraits of the Dead (DI Gravel #1) by John Nicholl

"If heaven can be a place on earth, then so can hell."

When 19-year-old Emma Jones wakes in a windowless cell, she knows that her hell has just begun. Kidnapped from her bedroom in the middle of the night, she's held prisoner by a man who speaks to her through an intercom and hides behind a clown mask. Pictures on the walls show 5 other girls that look just like her. The man glories in sadistic torture and murder -- will she be next?

Detective Inspector Gareth Gravel and DS Clive Rankin of West Wales Police catch the case when the mother of a missing girl comes into the station. Shortly afterwards, the bodies of 5 unidientified young women are discovered in nearby Caerystwyth Wood. The hunt for a serial killer begins.

This grisly, dark thriller is immediately absorbing and tense. Though the identity of the killer is shared early, the narrative shifting between points of view, the reader is kept glued to the pages as the story progresses. Part police procedural, but with more emphasis on other disturbing action, it is difficult to put aside the book so I had to read it all in a single sitting. I must say I was rather upset by the climax and conclusion; it was unsettling and unexpected. The ending is abrupt in some ways.

I've read one other book in the DI Gravel series (unfortunately out of order) but will be starting the 3rd book, A COLD COLD HEART, immediately. Good stuff if you like serial killer chiller thrillers!

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

Tiffany Blues by MJ Rose

"...grief is the price we pay for love."

Jenny Bell is a gifted artist living in New York City in 1924 when she and her best friend, socialite Minx Deering, are invited to an 8-week course on Long Island at Louis Comfort Tiffany's art colony. Off they go to the beautiful Laurelton Hall estate where art will meet paradise. It is there that Jenny comes face to face with her demons, finds love, and refines her passion and talent as a painter of light. But happiness eludes her as the past she's hidden for so long comes back with a vengeance.

This lovely, romantic historical novel evokes all the frenzy that was the 1920s -- the music, the fashion, the art, the literature and the easy use of drugs and alcohol. Everyone was frantically trying to rid themselves of the horrors of the war and so much death. Jenny and Minx are quintessential young adults in a world where life and color rule and people are entranced by new inventions and radicalism. As they begin their course at Laurelton Hall, both are committed to winning the competition among the fellows that summer -- but their ambitions will be derailed by matters that neither predicted nor could control.

The detail and the descriptions of the scenery at Laurelton Hall and everything about their experiences are well rendered making the reader feel a part of that period in time. The clothes, jewelry, food -- the famous names dropped so casually -- it is obvious that M.J. Rose has a deep appreciation and understanding of beauty and art. I felt transported back in time and loved it all. Less compelling was Jenny's story and the drama (somewhat unbelievable) surrounding her backstory, but fortunately that wasn't why I read the book so that aspect was easy for me to overlook while savoring the rich historic period, the information about Tiffany, and the joy of imagining what it would be like to actually see that famous estate.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the e-book ARC to read and review. I've read many books by this author and the most compelling part of each is always her ability to bring the creation of art (or perfume or jewelry, etc.) to life.

This is a standalone and is not part of a series. #JazzAge #romance #art

Pretty Ugly Lies by Pamela Crane

"...sacrifice could teach us how to live fuller, that being true to oneself wasn't about temporary happiness, but about enduring the hardships and finding strength within."

Oleander Way, North Carolina. Four families. Four wives who are also mothers. Mothers who are drowning under the weight of demanding husbands and children. Something has to give.

This psychological thriller and mystery is told from the viewpoint of four different women. All are doing their best to take care of their children and their husbands -- and largely failing. One of these women decides to take matters in hand. The result is family annihilation. How did it get to this point -- was there a moment when everything broke or was it a slow, eroding process borne of frustration and futility?

A slow burner of suspense, this novel shows motherhood and marriage as a thankless prison. The anguish of the women is palpable, all the more because I struggled to understand it and empathize. The mother with a special needs child, the one whose husband was having an affair, the other with a secret lover who wouldn't let go, and the woman whose child was kidnapped from the park as retaliation for a long ago mistake. What do these women have in common? Real life and all its toll on their hearts, minds and time. NO SPOILERS.

An extremely fast paced book that begs to be read in one sitting. At the outset, the reader knows that a there has been murder, but it takes most of the narrative -- told from different points of view -- to get to the who and why. Although I'm not quite sure I liked how it all turned out, it definitely was a compelling read. I feel that the overall tone was quite depressing and certainly would make me question my desire to have children or a family (if I hadn't already gone that route with much different results). We read about women who "snap" and commit horrific crimes against their families and always wonder -- what was the last straw -- and WHY? There are no answers here, really, but maybe just the underlying theme: endure.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloodhound books for this e-book ARC to read and review. This is a standalone and is not part of any series.

The Perfect Friend by Barbara Copperthwaite

"We all have locked boxes inside us that only certain people get the keys to."

A dark and twisty psychological drama that starts slow and builds to a suspenseful climax.

Alex Appleby is 44-years-old. She lives alone, works as a dressmaker, and attends a support group for all sorts of trauma victims. She's a recovering anorexic, and she admits that she is a great liar.
Alex used to be married and she had twins -- a girl and a boy -- but no one knows exactly what happened though she admits that she is at fault for them being out of her life now. Alex has a lot of love with no place to express it, so she befriends a fellow group member, 24-year-old Carrie. Carrie is there because she just got a terminal diagnosis as her cancer has come back. Though there is a 20 year age gap, they become friends outside the group. Alex wants to "mother" and Carrie needs one. And that's when the trouble begins... NO SPOILERS.

The narrative, told from different points of view and a THEN and NOW as well, starts to build in the middle of the book. Little by little you learn the secrets that Alex and Carrie are hiding and start to see the nature of their bond. Although neither character really resonated with me, or compelled my sympathy and understanding, I must admit that I was not sure what was truth and what was a lie as both were unreliable. I stayed up well past my bedtime frantically turning the pages as fast as I could read in order to get to the end! I enjoyed the surprise of the unanticipated turns as Alex and Carrie are fully revealed.

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

This is a standalone and not part of a series.

VOX by Christina Dalcher

What would happen in America if the government decided that all females should be outfitted with a "bracelet" that limited them to speaking only 100 words a day? If the clock was rewound to mimic a period where women had, not only no considered opinions, but no jobs, no real education, and no ability to do anything besides care for the home, children and husband. That is the state of the nation in this near-future tale. The PURE movement, spearheaded by a preacher and the upper levels of government, has relegated women and female children to mere tools of the men to whom they belong. The men control every aspect of life. Propaganda fills the airwaves. Even the women, like Dr. Jean McClellan, a neuro linguist whose scientific research in eliminating Wernicke's Aphasia was about to make a huge difference in stroke and head injured people, have been silenced. Powerful men have reduced America to a fundamentalist state after subjugating half the population.

In this new world order, hope comes when it seems that all has been lost. Jean is called by the President to work on her project in a top secret lab because his brother has had a head injury from a skiing accident and the President needs him cured. When Jean arrives to begin the intense work demanded of her, she finds that something even more heinous is planned. NO SPOILERS.

This was quite the read -- shades of Atwood's chilling work, THE HANDMAID'S TALE -- but with the focus more on the voice of women and their need to pay attention to politics and their rights. To not stand idly by while government creeps into their homes and bedrooms. To use their power to vote and campaign for themselves. The story would definitely provide many themes and topics for a great book club discussion. It gave me chills to imagine how easily something like this could happen if fully half the population was lulled into a sense of complacency. Keep up the good fight, ladies.

The narrative itself was a quick read even though there was a ton of technical and scientific information. I found myself often wondering how far-fetched the science was though always rooting for it to be possible. I thoroughly absorbed it all and think it was a very interesting and compelling book. Sort of a wake up call to answer some of the current political shifts that have the potential to impact the lives of many women. People always say, "That couldn't happen here." But, they're wrong. All it takes is...and I'm paraphrasing...for a few good women to do nothing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the e-book ARC to read and review. I recommend it!

Standalone, not part of a series. This would make a great movie or miniseries!

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

After Alicia Berenson is brought to trial for shooting her husband, Gabriel, to death at their home, she's remanded into psychiatric care at the Grove, an old facility in North London that's about to be shut down. Her trial ended with this decision because it could not continue -- Alicia refused to speak. She was frozen, immobile, non responsive. It was said that she had a long history of mental illness. It's 6 years later, now, and Alicia still has not spoken a word. Enter Theo Faber -- a 42-year-old forensic psychotherapist. He is convinced that he's uniquely qualified to help Alicia Berenson to tell her story and to get well. In short, he seems almost obsessed about her. NO SPOILERS.

This psychological thriller is quite complex and though slow to start, once it gets going, the tale is very compelling. Sometimes a bit hard to follow, the reader knows that there's something very strange going on at the Grove. And a great deal wrong with certain people who work there. In addition, as Theo seeks out those who knew Alicia before her husband died, some disturbing information comes to light. Then, there's Alicia's diary. Either some folks are lying or Alicia is more messed up than anyone knew. Will Alicia ever speak to Theo and can he help her? The conclusion may surprise you!

I enjoyed this debut and will definitely look for future books by this author. Thank you to Edelweiss and Celadon Books for this e-book ARC to read and review.

Standalone, not part of a series. Psychological thriller.

The Birthday (DI Natalie Ward #1) by Carol E Wyer

DI Natalie Ward with the Samford Police Force has a chilling task -- to find the person who murdered 5-year-old Ava Sawyer and buried her behind a garden center 2 years ago. Ava had disappeared during a birthday party and was not found until the center was sold and excavation for expansion by the new owners had begun. After the discovery of the little girl's body, Natalie and her team are rocked by two new killings of little girls -- both found dressed in yellow party dresses.

DI Ward, Sergeants Lucy Carmichael, Murry Anderson, and PC Ian Jarvis make up the investigative unit that has a terrific job to do. Find out who is snatching and killing these little girls right under their noses. When a 4th girl is taken, the stakes are higher as this child is the daughter of a former detective who worked on the initial case. Can they find out the identity of the serial killer and stop him in time to save Sage?

Lots of red herrings and suspects in this one with the voice of the killer narrating an occasional chapter. Natalie is an interesting character, haunted by her failure in a former case involving a child, and is driven to solve this at the cost of her home and family life. I'm interested to see how she develops in the second book of this series. Looks like we will see more personal drama among members of the team as well. It's always fun to start a new series with fresh characters!

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

A Noise Downstairs by Linwood Barclay

What a fun, entertaining, page-turning suspense thriller that Barclay has written for our enjoyment! I've long been a fan, reading almost everything he's ever written, and this one does not disappoint! If you're looking for a compelling and enjoyable read this summer, pick this one.

Paul Davis is sort of a mess. He suffered serious head trauma when hit by a shovel after finding a colleague of his with two dead women in the back cargo area of a station wagon. Paul has a bit of PTSD along with some mental health issues, but he's seeing a therapist and starting to recover. Paul gets the notion that he will write about the events, visit the killer in prison, and get his life back. Someone has other ideas...NO SPOILERS.

Although I had some idea of where this one was going, it was still a well-written standalone novel with interesting characters and some great red herrings. For awhile, I wasn't sure I was right! This is definitely a book you can read in one sitting, it will be hard to put down, and had a very satisfying conclusion.

Thank you to LibraryThing and HarperCollins Publishers for the e-book ARC to read and review. 

Standalone but set in Promise Falls.

Into the Darkness by Sibel Hodge

"Sometimes the right thing to do is wrong. There were different kinds of justice."

An elderly couple is murdered on their isolated farm. THE DETECTIVE (DS Warren Carter) is working this homicide case. An 18-year-old girl (Toni) is MISSING. Toni's mom is desperate because the police are not being helpful, and hires THE VIGILANTE (Mitchell). Are these two investigations related -- and if so, why and how?

Toni is passionate about saving children from the horrors of the evil that is done to them. She finds evidence of snuff films on the dark web and wants to take this information to the local police when she's abducted. Will she be the next victim in the RED ROOM? Ex military SAS Mitchell was Toni's dad's best friend and when Toni doesn't come home, her mom calls him for help. Can he find her before it's too late?

DS Carter and his team can't figure out why the elderly couple was killed as there is no obvious motive. A set of handprints belonging to a missing prostitute named Tracy White is found at the scene. Why was she there? No link is found between Tracy and the owners of the farm.

This thriller is narrated by the three main characters -- Toni, Mitchell and Carter. As it unfolds, the connection becomes clear and the action ratchets up to a satisfying conclusion. The main theme of the book focuses on the activities of people trolling the dark web and the atrocities that are perpetrated in the name of entertainment for the sickos willing to pay for it. It's pretty gruesome stuff.

I've read a couple of other titles by this author and can tell she is passionate about protecting children and that she is definitely a human rights advocate. Some of her work has been about sex trafficking. I enjoyed the book and will look for others by this author.

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

How to Walk Away by Katherine Center

On the night that Margaret hopes to become engaged to Chip, she's on the brink of starting the wonderful life she's worked so hard to set up for herself. She's just landed the job of her dreams and everything is falling into place. Until the moment she's pulled from the wreckage...

I won this from Bookish First and promised to read and review. I think I should have examined the synopsis a bit closer, but all I remember seeing was "accident" and "plane crash." Most of you who follow my reviews know that I like all things medical, and I hoped that the story of Margaret's survival and recovery would be more about science -- but it was a romance novel through and through. Sure there was plenty of doom, gloom, despair and misery -- but it was so overshadowed by the improbable love story that I just couldn't get from the book what I'd hoped for.

I had a hard time with many aspects of this novel (I've worked with people who've had this type of injury) and though I know the author did a lot of research on the topic of the injury Margaret sustained, I had to suspend a lot of disbelief about the way things progressed with her treatment and therapy. Margaret's family seemed to be props just to propel the situations that develop in order to get to that happy ending that you know is coming. I didn't, for one minute, feel that everything wasn't going to turn out OK. The whole story never clicked for me, but then again, I am not a romance reader and I just didn't know that was the main point of the book.

So, if you are looking for a feel good, sort of overly sentimental type love-in-spite-of-the-dismal-odds tale to provide some entertainment by the pool or beach, this is the one for you.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

Standalone, not part of any series.

Believe Me by J.P. Delaney

All you need to remember after you pick up this psychological thriller is that CLAIRE is an actress. From Britain, now in NYC, she can't work legally while taking acting classes at Actors Studio. So she needs a job that pays cash to supplement her scholarship. Claire explains that, as an orphan who was shuttled from place to place in foster care, she learned the art of "behaving truthfully under imaginary circumstances." And, "It's what you imagine that defines you as a character."

So she gets a job acting as a decoy to tempt husbands to stray. She's very good at her role, but one night she is hired to lure the wrong man -- who is disinterested and preoccupied with his academic work -- the translation and teaching of the work of Charles Baudelaire. Patrick Folger is enamored of a particular book of Baudelaire's poetry, LES FLUERS DU MAL -- which happens to be morbid erotica after a fashion. When he departs without falling for Claire's enticements, she meets his wife, Stella, who had hired her through a law firm that Claire works for. Unfortunately, Stella ends up dead in her hotel room the next morning. Who killed her? Along with the murder, there is money missing. At first, Claire is a suspect, but then she is hired to pursue Patrick because the police believe he might have murdered his wife and that he is, in fact, a serial killer. There's the premise in a nutshell.

NO SPOILERS. Claire agrees to go undercover and assume the acting role of a lifetime. Be beware -- Claire is not entirely reliable as a narrator and the reader is never sure if she is being real or acting -- or even if Claire can tell the difference between the two.

The prose has an unusual style, written at times like a screenplay. While fitting for the subject matter, it was a little odd at first. The game of cat and mouse is such that, while you are drawn in with questions, you become less sure of what is going on as the book progresses. Definitely you will need to suspend disbelief as some of what happens seems completely unrealistic or likely to happen as described. I didn't really care for the ending and not sure that I really liked this book though it definitely held my interest well enough that I didn't want to put it down.

So, ultimately, should you read it? Depends on your BS meter and your ability to get into a character such as Claire. The details about Baudelaire and his poetry were quite interesting and macabre. I'd like to thank NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this e-book ARC to read and review. Looking forward to hearing others' opinions and thoughts on this second novel that I've read by this author.

Standalone, not part of a series.

The Forbidden Door (Jane Hawk #4) by Dean Koontz

Do YOU know Jane Hawk? Rogue FBI agent intent on saving the world from the Techno Arcadians? If not, you've missed out on one of the most entertaining thriller series available for your reading pleasure.

This is book #4. Under NO circumstances should you read this until you have read 1-3. This is not any kind of standalone, plus you'll be missing the amazing backstory and the incredible details that continue to make these episodes so compelling.

Nanotechnology is real, but the Techno Arcadians have taken the science to a whole new level. This group of powerful men and women seek to enslave or destroy anyone who doesn't share their vision of revolution in order to create their version of Utopia. Jane Hawk is on the run, ferreting out some of those rich egomaniacs, all the while trying to save her son, Jack, whom she has hidden because he is her Achilles heel. They get Jack, they get her.

The action is nonstop, and Dean Koontz, like no other author, loves description, metaphor, simile, and $25.00 words! I am in love with this series and with Jane Hawk. If you're in the mood to step into a world that may become real in the not-so-distant future, you will inhale these books as I have. Definitely my most anticipated read of summer in 2018, I can honestly say that it was just as good as I hoped. More information, more gore, more unique characters, more "adjusted" people and more of Jane Hawk's evasion tactics. This, folks, is pure entertainment! Don't miss it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Books for approving me to read and review this e-book ARC. I was happy to see a preview of #5 at the end of this, and cannot wait until I get to read it. Do we dare hope for a conclusion to this saga at that point, or will Koontz torture me further? 

Her Mother's Grave (Det. Josie Quinn #3) by Lisa Regan

The sins of a mother...

After the bones of a young woman, Belinda Rose, are found in a trailer park where she grew up, Josie Quinn is set to perhaps finally know the truth of her past. She had a childhood filled with loneliness and abuse, an evil mother, and many instances of trauma that have left her mistrustful, insecure, and haunted. With each discovery during the ensuing investigation, Detective Josie  Quinn and her team find one unsettling revelation after another. Complicated by questions that seemingly can't be answered, by hidden files and secrets that have bound the perpetrators, the case causes Josie to examine her memories and go back to that hated time of her life. Supported by her colleagues, Josie finds that the discovery of the bones is just the tip of the iceberg.

This series featuring Denton Police Chief Josie Quinn is simply one of the best out there! This is the third book, and if you consider reading it, I'd recommend starting at the beginning. I love police procedurals featuring strong female protagonists and, though Josie is as damaged as the rest of the ones typically appearing in genre fiction these days, there is something about her character that I find compelling and relatable. She's loyal, loves deeply and sincerely, and is painfully honest. As the series develops, with each new book, her personality becomes more defined and the characters of her colleagues and friends are also evolving -- becoming people you want to know better. The writing is excellent and the pace is fast, so this is a book you hate to put down. I can't wait to see what happens to Josie next, so come on, Lisa Regan -- get cracking on #4! Great mystery and suspense.

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

The Fifth to Die (4MK#2) by J.D. Barker

"You can't play God without being acquainted with the devil"

Anson Bishop is surely trying to be both. Detective Sam Porter knows Bishop well as he continues to follow the grisly clues that Bishop leaves in his wake...dead people. Beware -- this second book in the 4MK (Four Monkey Killer) series ends on a cliffhanger that will have you screaming for more!

Excellent writing, compelling action, complex plot, and intriguing characters make this a suspense thriller and police procedural that you won't want to miss. The story line is extremely complicated, so pay attention, and definitely, you MUST have read the first book before attempting this one.

Dead girls, dead parents -- what scheme has Bishop got going this time? He's changed his MO and signature a bit and Porter can't stand down from pursuing him even after he's put on suspension and the FBI has taken over the hunt for Bishop. Porter risks everything as he tries to find Bishop and stop his madness even as the victim count mounts. Bishop is an extremely brilliant psychopath whose strategy can't be anticipated. Can Porter trust anyone or does Bishop's network extend beyond the reach of any kind of justice. NO SPOILERS.  Highly recommended if you like thriller chiller killer novels!

Thank you to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the e-book ARC to read and review. PLEASE, J.D. Barker, hurry with #3!