The Liar's Room by Simon Lelic

Susanna Fenton has spent the past 14 years running from her past. A tragedy for which she might have born a degree of responsibility has come back to slam her without warning and she faces an unexpected adversary in this drama about parenting and loss.

Adam Geraghty, a new patient, shows up at the appointed time to Susanna's counseling practice office. He's young, and she gets the feeling she might know him but proceeds with the session. It seems Adam has an issue with Susanna and is there to hear her confession before deciding what he's going to do about a certain other situation that he's set up to punish her with. NO SPOILERS

This was an interesting psychological thriller with a style that allows for a slow reveal of the history of Susanna's past troubles and what has led to this confrontation. Adam has an agenda but his vendetta is fueled by lies and a lack of perception of events that transpired many years ago. I wasn't particularly drawn to the characters and the particular drama but did have some empathy for a mother's pain when faced with dealing with a troubled teenager. Domestic drama always holds my interest and it certainly held my attention until the conclusion.

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

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

Where Secrets Lie (DS Karen Hart #2) by D.S. Butler

A cold case suddenly becomes very hot...

An old man has fallen down the stairs and when the police arrive to check on him at the behest of a concerned neighbor, they are warned not to go upstairs. Intrigued, they investigate and discover a skeltonized body in a suitcase inside a padlocked room. It turns out that this is the body of Oliver Fox who went missing over 30 years previously. In addition, a note is found in the kitchen and reads: "it's time to pay for your crime." The old man, Albert Johnson, succumbs to his injuries before the police get a chance to question him about the body and the note, but he's the obvious suspect when a postmortem exam proves that Oliver Fox was probably murdered. So, the death of Fox is old but the note is new. Have DS Karen Hart and DI Morgan stumbled upon a case that is going to be more complicated than they first imagined? After some investigation, Hart and Morgan discover that Johnson and Fox worked together at Greenhill Secondary School. Was Johson's death an accident or was there foul play involved? Hart and Morgan, along with DCs Jones and Cooper, are pulled into a complex web with an unsolved crime that happened so long ago that it will be difficult to figure out.
NO SPOILERS.

This was an evenly-paced, if somewhat pedantic, police procedural that weaves the past into the present with a connection that presents them with many suspects and strong motives. I hadn't read the first book in the series so the characters were all new to me and I was able to enjoy this without having done so. I can see that Hart is a fairly genre-stereotypical female detective -- she's had a loss, she's on her own, and she's mentally tough. Hart, however, doesn't seem to have a dark side or engage in maverick behaviors at this point -- for which I am glad. I'm tired of damaged female police detectives! I'm a bit wary of a potential romantic development on the horizon as the signs are there. This was easy to read in one setting and though some red herrings are dangled, the revelations didn't come as a big surprise. I liked it well enough that I'm sure I'll try to read the next in the series.

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

This is the second book in the DS Karen Hart series. The first one is titled Bring Them Home.

The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh

"Once there was a father who thought he could protect us."

King has sequestered his wife and 3 daughters in a large house by the ocean. Their aim is to be kept separate and safe from the rest of any place off their property where men and civization are toxic. The parents have strange ideas about raising Grace, Lia and Sky and they are subjected to all sorts of strange therapies and treatments -- including "the water cure." The notions and fallacies forced upon the girls by their parents shape them into creatures devoid of most female tendencies and bereft of true knowledge about themselves and the world at large. It is the worst kind of dystopia and their formative years spent in this place have warped them. When King goes off to obtain provisions and never returns, the girls and Mother are ill-equipped to continue on. Then, one day, 2 men and a little boy appear on the shore. Nothing has prepared them for this invasion. NO SPOILERS.

This has to be, without a doubt, one of the weirdest books I've ever read. I don't even know if I liked it but only that I was so glad when I finally finished. It was confusing, rambling, and hard to follow as the narrators changed and sometimes I wasn't sure whose voice I was hearing. The girls had some very peculiar thoughts, obviously warped by their upbringing and all so extremely odd. I didn't know whether to pity them or root for them not sure at all where this was all going. The underlying theme seemed to be that women should be very wary of all men who only meant them harm. Also that love was a dangerous feeling and the sisters had no way of understanding themselves without a barometer with which to measure themselves. I don't think this was the book for me but I've no doubt that others will find something profound within the pages that just escaped me. I can't enjoy working this hard to enjoy a book and this was a difficult read because of the subject and the strangeness of the lives the girls led. I don't know who I could recommend this book to. The characters were all messed up and no wonder with what they had endured by their parents in the name of protection and under the guise of love.

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

This is a standalone and not part of any series.

Run Away by Harlan Coben

Simon Greene is a financial planner with a pediatrician wife (Ingrid) and 3 children. His daughter, Paige, is a drug addict and when he tries to approach her in Central Park, she runs off. What's a father to do? Well, try to track her down of course. That's when the drama starts and evolves into quite the complicated novel of domestic suspense.

As in every Coben novel, the protagonist is painted as the ultimate family man who is dedicated to his wife and children. One who will take great risks and do some pretty unbelievable things to achieve his goal -- in this case -- finding his daughter and getting her off the drugs to re-unify the family unit. Although that's the main story line, there happens to be a lot of other crazy stuff going on in this book. The characters are many and quite stereotypical and predictable. There's mayhem and murder. The point of view alternates between some of the main players so the reader knows more of the big picture throughout. Some of what happens may require a great deal of suspension of disbelief as well as a quick check to answer the moral question -- do the ends justify the means? I personally couldn't relate to any of the main players nor did I like them.

As always, Coben finds a way to interject his personal politics and makes social commentary through the voices of his narrators. Although I find it annoying, I know it's going to be there so I just skip over. The novel is fast-paced so it was easy to keep turning the pages though I found much of what happens hard to buy into but it certainly provided a couple of hours of entertainment. I must comment on the "shocking twist" that may or may not surprise an astute reader -- really???? Sort of felt set up for that big reveal. Anyway, that seems to be almost expected in this genre.

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

This is a standalone and not part of any series.

The Au Pair by Emma Rous

"We all did bad things..."

This is a complicated and completely absorbing mystery/drama about family. It's told from the point of view of two different narrators: Seraphine Mayes in the present day and Laura Silveira from the past.

The set-up reveals that 25 years ago Laura was working at Summerbourne as an au pair to Edwin Mayes, the 4-year-old son of Dominic and Ruth. Laura initially enjoys her new job and settles in with the family quite easily. Ruth is a bit temperamental and Dominic is gone off to work away from the estate quite often. Ruth longs for another baby and she soon becomes pregnant. That's when everything falls apart. Almost immediately after she gives birth, Ruth commits suicide by jumping off a cliff leaving behind twins -- a boy and a girl -- to be raised by their father, Dominic, and their maternal grandmother, Vera, who owns the manse. Laura, who helped Ruth give birth, leaves Summerbourne that very day.

Flash forward -- Dominic has recently died in an accident and while Seraphine (the twin daughter) is going through some papers, she finds a photo of her parents, with Edwin, and with her mother holding only one infant. The photo was taken on the day of her birth. She's very confused about the picture and has questions about what really happened and is concerned about the fact that her mother is holding only one baby. So she determines that she will find Laura to get her answers. What ensues is quite the story and I'll give no spoilers here.

I was quite surprised to find myself entranced with this family and the saga. I'm not saying that I didn't have suspicions that proved accurate as far as what had gone on, but it was all so well-written that I was happy to let the revelations come at their own pace. The characters were interesting and complex and their relationships described in such as way as to make it all believable even as fantastic as it was. The somewhat gothic tone, the tales of sprites and curses, as well as the close-knit nature of the villagers -- and who isn't interested in a story about ill-fated twins? I think it's best to read this in one sitting, if possible, as there are so many people and details to keep straight!

I really enjoyed this debut and I'd like to thank NetGalley and Berkley (Penguin Random House) for the e-book ARC to read and review. Recommended!

This is a standalone and not part of any series.

Silent Suspect (Jessica Daniel #13) by Kerry Wilkinson

All Jessica wants is an answer to the question of why Bex left...

She's been searching for months, and when Jessica finally receives a phone call from Bex, the only word spoken is, "Jessica." It takes Jessica two days to trace the call to a west coast pay phone in Blackpool. Taking some long overdue time off, Jessica heads there immediately hoping to find Bex but ends up in a disaster of the sort that involves Jessica being accused of murder. This is quite the complicated plot featuring all sorts of dastardly goings on and many interesting characters -- both good guys and bad guys. NO SPOILERS.

Since the ending of #12 was a cliffhanger, I jumped at the chance to continue the story arc and sat down to read this immediately after receiving approval for the ARC today. It's so fast-paced, absorbing and full of action that I found it impossible to put down and thus read it in a couple of hours. This isn't a typical Jessica Daniel police procedural as she's gone off on her own without her team into Blackpool and is operating in a sketchy area and hooking up with an unusual group of women. Her main mission -- to find Bex -- leads her into a huge network of criminal activity and puts her career and her life in serious danger. It's great writing and storytelling and I'm so happy that this series just keeps getting better. I've read all of them and can't wait for the next hoping only for the best for Jessica. I'll be eager for her to return to Longsight Police and am wishing for Jessica to find some peace and contentment in her personal life.

***And something really fun and special -- an appearance in this book by Andrew Hunter, the private investigator protagonist of another Kerry Willkinson series!

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

This is the 13th book in a series and I think it's best to read them all, in order.

Pandemic by Robin Cook (Jack Stapleton #11)

This is not science fiction. A biologically active chimeric molecule -- CRISPR/CAS9 -- can modify the genetic makeup of living cells. The potential for use and misuse of this mechanism is quite promising on one hand and quite scary on the other. This story featuring forensic pathologist Jack Stapleton of the New York City Office of Medical Examiners focuses on the use of CRISPR/CAS9 in transplantation.

A young woman who had a recent heart transplant collapses and dies on the New York subway. Jack Stapleton performs the autopsy and is initially convinced that she succumbed to a particularly virulent strain of influenza. Worried about the potential for an epidemic, and because the woman has no ID on her, Jack begins an intense investigation involving testing of body fluids and specimens by specialists and goes into the field to attempt to isolate the virus that caused this death. There are no immediate new cases and that increases his confusion -- until the next woman dies. It is obvious to him that this particular virulent organism is something completely new and it proves difficult to identify. Can Jack figure out the origin and stop the spread of illness before more people die? NO SPOILERS.

If you like science and medicine, this is a medical thriller that will keep you absorbed. I couldn't put it down and read it over the course of a couple of hours. I loved the details about the chimera and all of the forensic pathology and epidemiological investigation. It's just as well that I could focus on the science because I can tell you that I can't stand Jack. His personality is so annoying and fortunately I was able to ignore him most of the time while reading. Considering what benefits to medicine and health that could be achieved with CRISPR/CAS9 is mind-boggling. Alleviating organ shortage is just one possible positive use but there are many other indications. But using it will come with a cost and it would be easy for ethical boundaries to fall making it dangerous in the wrong hands. How to control something so revolutionary that almost makes the user a god-like creator. And because of the way the world is now, it's quite worrisome. This particular book may be fiction, but the science of gene-editing is, and will be, at the forefront of huge changes affecting everyone on the planet.

I've read all of Cook's novels despite not liking anything about his main protagonist, Jack Stapleton. Medical thrillers are my favorite genre and I can highly recommend this to like-minded readers.

This is part of a long-running series, however it can be read as a standalone.

In Her Shadow by Mark Edwards

Jessica Gardner once had an older sister, Isabel, who died in a fall from a balcony almost 5 years ago. Jessica and her family have tried to move on, believing that the death was an accident. The agony had "dimmed to a dull ache" until her 4-year-old daughter, Olivia, starts having some serious issues at school and home. It seems that Olivia is recalling memories and details about Izzy that she can't possibly know and even insinuates that Izzy is telling her some secrets. Jessica is no stranger to haunting as she experienced a series of events in her childhood remiscent of the things that are happening to the family now. Is Izzy trying to send a message about her killer from beyond the grave? NO SPOILERS.

If you like your domestic drama with a bit of supernatural then you will enjoy this book. The mystery begs to be solved and Jessica is determined to release her daughter from this seeming "possession" and get to the bottom of it once and for all.

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

This is a standalone and not part of a series.

The Songbird Girls (DI Tom Fabian #2) by Richard Parker

"Sisyphean sentence continues..."

It was 3 years ago that Detective Inspector Tom Fabian put a London serial killer named Christopher Wisher in prison for the murder and mutilation of nine people. So why is Christopher asking Fabian to visit him at Kerslake Prison after all this time? It seems that Wisher wants to give Fabian a diary. But once Fabian has it and reads it he finds that this is a manuscript that doesn't make any sense at all. It's a couple of seemingly random jottings. But then the bodies are found. The victims have been killed in exactly the same way as Wishers previous ones -- including the signature that wasn't publicized on the broadcast that resulted in Wisher's capture -- the dead bird beside the body. Fabian and his partner, DS Natasha Banner, of the Horseferry Police frantically try to revisit all those who visited Wisher in prison, former family, and other potential suspects to no avail. These must be copycat murders of course, but WHO has Wisher entailed with his mission? NO SPOILERS.

This was great crime drama with red herrings and misdirection as the suspense kept me glued to the pages. I had my suspicions and then, with the shifting point of view, I did get my revelations. I liked the writing and the methodical way that the detectives approached the case but THAT ENDING! I can only hope to see more of Fabian and Banner as they tackle what comes next. This is the second in the series and I did read the first one which I'd encourage a reader to do as the characterization of Fabian develops and, though he keeps us at arm's length, I hope to learn more about him and Banner.

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

This is book #2 in a series. Read in order for maximum enjoyment.

All the Pretty Brides (Lt. Jake Carrington #3) by Marian Lanouette

He calls himself, "The Groom," but the press refers to the cases as the Bride Murders. The police know that every July 6, for the past 4 years, a young woman had disappeared. The 5th woman, however, is not missing -- the body of Nadia Carren is found on the railroad tracks  She'd been tortured, branded and her throat was slit. Lt. Jake Carrington and his partner, Sgt Louie Romanelli, are in charge of the investigation for the  Wilkesbury, CT, police. It seems that in the mind of the sick psycho who is apparently kidnapping and killing these women, he's substituting them for someone in particular -- the woman who jilted him at the altar. This case is going to stretch them to the breaking point as other professional and domestic issues arise. It's going to take an incredible team and strong leadership to see it through...NO SPOILERS.

OK I do like this series, but I truly wish that Jake and Louie would concentrate more on police work and less on their romantic liaisons. I really hate that so much of the pages are wasted on "love" and sex. The details of the investigation are quite good and exhibit just how difficult it is to track and find a killer of this ilk. There are many characters in the book and some have a larger role than others but it sometimes hard to keep everyone straight. Jake Carrington is the protagonist and I run hot and cold with my feelings about him. Obviously he's a good detective and an effective boss, but he's got some serious flaws as well. Louie is a hothead but is Jake's right hand man. They have a long, strong friendship as well as an effective working relationship. Their women mostly annoyed me. The case is complex and the web is pulled tighter very slowly to the ultimate conclusion. Since the narrative flips in point of view and includes the killer's voice, it's not a surprise who has done the deeds, more a procedural of the painstaking work required to narrow down a huge list to the suspect.

After the first one, I wasn't sure I'd enjoy this, but I did -- even though I skipped number 2. I surprised myself by putting the 4th on my TBR as I do like the author's methods of demonstrating the workings of a case squad and the politics of the job. In my opinion, the series would be even better with LESS of the romance and probably appeal to a wider audience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing Corporation for the e-book ARC to read and review.

This is the third in series. Read in order if possible.

All the Deadly Lies (Lt. Luke Carrington #1) by Marian Lanouette

Newly promoted homicide detective, Lieutenant Jake Carrington of the Wilkesbury, CT Police Department, and his partner Louie Romanelli have several complicated cases on their hands. Jake is also dealing with a personal issue -- the man who was convicted of Jake's sister's murder is wanting a new trial and has asked for his DNA to be retested. Carrington and Romanelli are very busy interviewing suspects, chasing down leads, and reviewing case files. The homicides they are investigating include the bludgeoning murder of a young collect student, another involved a shot to the head of a divorced woman, and the rest of the squad is managing a hit-and-run death as well as a school shooting. They are working it with all the usual police procedural details.

I enjoyed this first in series to an extent but was totally irritated by the mad passionate love affair that Jake becomes involved in. I'm not a romance fan and I hate when it takes up so many pages in a book. I wish he would have just kept his mind on the cases. So this is not any sort of hard boiled detective novel, there wasn't much suspense typical of a crime thriller, so it was more a mystery with few surprises. I have the third in the series to read for review and will be skipping the second.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing Corp. for the e-book ARC to read and review.

First in series.

Something Hidden (Andrew Hunter #2) by Kerry Wilkinson

"Sometimes a person's truth was more powerful than the actuality."

Fiona Methodist comes to Andrew Hunter's PI office to clear her father's name. It seems that he was named as the killer of two students who'd witnessed and survived an armed robbery of a jewelry store. Luke Methodist is also dead at the scene and is the de facto murderer and now Fiona is barely getting by as her reputation is ruined by the association. Andrew and Jenny start to look into the case. In addition, Andrew is asked to find two stolen pedigreed cats for another heartsick client. All the while, he's also trying to get back with his ex-wife Keira and spends some time looking after the well-being of his aunt who is having electrical problems in her council flat. So how is it that he ends up interacting with so many unsavory characters as he investigates these very disparate cases and tries to resolve domestic situations? NO SPOILERS.

Andrew Hunter is an interesting character who has many flaws and knows exactly what they are while powerless to change much about himself and his personal life. The secret that cost him his wife hangs over his head constantly preventing him from finding any sense of present day happiness. Jenny is definitely odd -- "sometimes her quirkiness was endearing; too many times it was just strange." They make a great work couple and, thankfully, there's nothing romantic going on. The narrative is quite descriptive, especially about the city of Manchester and the weather, and it sometimes got overlong. There's not a lot of action, really, as the different investigations plod along. The resolutions weren't really all that exciting, but frankly, the cases weren't either. I think this series is more of a character study than a crime thriller or detective style novel. I've read both books in the series and I will likely want to check out the next because this ends on a bit of a hanger. Just FYI, it's not a pulse-pounding suspense thriller but it did provide me with a couple of hours of entertainment.

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

This is the second in a series. Read in order. Same author as the DI Jessica Daniel series.

Keep Her Close by Erik Therme

 "...there's no such thing as good or evil; there are only choices."  In the case of this book, all the choices are BAD ones!

This is best describe as a farcical domestic drama with a series of events so implausible as to defy even the strongest ability for one to suspend disbelief. From the opening premise to the inconclusive ending, the story takes the reader an a ride so wild that it left me shaking my head in wonder that I actually finished it.

Ally was found in a parking structure when she was about 3 years old standing on a cardboard box that said, "FREE TO A GOOD HOME." A woman, apparently Ally's birth mother, had jumped to her death from the lot. A young couple finds her and later adopts her. All the while, Ally wants to find out more about her birth parents so when an email arrives saying that Frank wants to meet her, she can't say no. Since Ally has no sense at all, and since her adoptive father is a knee-jerk reactionary, things go from bad to worse quite quickly. The ensuing action and drama will leave you reeling. What a conglomeration of quirky, crazy characters! Because it was so off-the-wall outlandish, there was no way to figure where this story might go next. It was quite entertaining even so. I was very miffed at the ending, but then reminded myself that I really didn't even care anymore and was happy just to close the book and leave all these nuts behind!

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

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

Cold Dark Places (Cady Maddix #1) by Kylie Brant

"...traumas were never forgotten. They had a way of hanging around, ready to ambush when you least expected it."

The synopsis provided on this page is a bit misleading. This detective novel focuses on 3 characters whose lives will intersect in a plot that's quite complicated and only barely comes together to make sense toward the end.

Deputy US Marshal Cady Maddix holds her own secrets about something she did as a child so she is messed up emotionally and has trouble with relationships. She has returned to North Carolina to supervise her aunt's care of Hannah, Cady's mother, who has early onset Alzheimer's. She's assigned to track down an escapee from Fristol Forensic Center --Samuel Martin Aldeen -- who has been confined there for the last five years after the kidnap, rape, and cannibalization of children.  Fristol is a facility for the criminally insane. The third character is Eryn Pullman, now 21, who has spent 12 years in Rolling Acres Resort, a secure mental health facility, for the murder of her mother. Eryn is transitioning out of their care to her family home and will be living with her uncle, aunt and nephew there. There are other characters including those from various areas of law enforcement as well as acquaintances of Aldeen who helped in his escape and during his time as a fugitive. So a lot of people to keep track of and very convoluted relationships that tie Aldeen to Eryn. NO SPOILERS.

The narrative is quite jumpy going from past to present in Eryn's voice as well as the voices of Cady and Aldeen. I found the story hard to get into and it lagged as details labored to be revealed. I guessed certain truths at the outset and was irritated that it took so long for the convoluted history to come out. The payoff, for me, wasn't worth the slog through. I know this is meant to be the first in a new series but I don't think I'll be reading another as I really didn't care for Cady -- but perhaps I'm just tired of books that feature females that are so emotionally messed up.

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

Into the Night (DS Gemma Woodstock #2) by Sarah Bailey

"Obsession and love are good friends..."

In this second book of the series, DS Gemma Woodstock is partnered with DS Nick Fleet as they are assigned to investigate the murder of a film star, Sterling Wade, who was stabbed on the street during a live action shot of a scene. With hundreds of extras on site, but all in costume, there are plenty of witnesses but no one is able to identify who used the knife to kill the actor. There are plenty of suspects and much work for the team in Melbourne as this police procedural shifts into high gear. This case is extremely complicated with many characters and tons of suspicious behavior. Gemma and Nick are kept very busy running down leads, talking to the principals, and looking into the background of those closely associate with Wade. There are also other cases that are ongoing in the department that may or may not be related to their current murder investigation. Can they sift through all the red herrings and figure out who killed Sterling Wade? NO SPOILERS.

I really like this series. My only problem is with the main character of Gemma who continues to be such a mess though I hope that she will get herself together and deal with her issues before the next book. She's fairly typical of female detectives in this genre and hides a vulnerable side masked by self-destructive behavior. She deals with both personal and professional problems in this book along with her tireless efforts to do her job well. She has moved to Melborne from the more rural Smithson in this book and I feel that has been both helpful and detrimental for her. I'm eager to see what happens with her in the next book! The other characters weren't as well fleshed out though we do find out more about Fleet at the end and I hope the two can have the conversation they desperately need. I love the descriptions of the city and the details -- the writing is quite good and though the book seems to drag in a few spots as Gemma and Nick run into roadblocks, the conclusion was satisfying and believable.

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

This is the second book in the series. Best to read from the beginning so get #1 first.