When You See Me by Lisa Gardner (series DD Warren #11)

Whew! I have to stop and catch my breath after reading this extremely fast-paced, action-packed, and suspenseful crime thriller. I certainly didn't intend to start and finish this in one sitting today but I just let everything else go because I could not put it down. I've read a couple other books by this author, sort of hit and miss in series, but so glad I came upon this one in my TBR. Lisa Gardner is an excellent writer and this book hits all the high points of story, characters, and menace.

Two day hikers go off trail to look for a hiking stick but instead find human bones. The remains of Lilah Abenito have been discovered in the mountains of Georgia. The victim had been missing for 15 years. A task force is formed and included characters from other Gardner novels. FBI SSA Kimberly Quincy joins Boston homicide detective Sergeant D.D. Warren. In addition, two civilians -- one is Flora Dane, a survivor of the serial killer Jacob Ness, but now a sort of vigilante; the other is her "almost" boyfriend and computer nerd, Keith Edgar -- a true crime enthusiast. As this team joins other law enforcement in Niche, Georgia, to examine the area for further evidence related to Lilah Abenito as well as to determine if Jacob Ness had used that area as part of his hunting grounds, i.e., will they find more remains? What they discover there in that little community that feeds onto the Appalachian Trail is more than they could have ever imagined. NO SPOILERS.

The narrative takes off like a rocket and the reader is immediately propelled into the chilling tale of evil and madness through the viewpoints of several of the main characters -- one is that of a mute young girl who was injured and abducted by the beast who killed her mother. I know it's a cliche to say that I couldn't turn the pages fast enough, but it was definitely true here. I loved all the characters and how the case came together with everyone working their end. I'm definitely going to be on the lookout for future titles by this author. Don't miss this one if you're a fan of the genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton Penguin Random House for this e-book ARC to read, review and recommend.

This is part of a series, however, it combines characters from different series to create a whole new approach. I've not read all of them in any series featuring the 3 main characters and I didn't have any issues with enjoying the book though now I definitely want to seek out other titles.
Genre - suspense, crime thriller

I Could Be You by Sheila Bugler

Mistaken identity, lies, secrets, and revenge culminate in murder on the narrow road near the shingle coast on the outskirts of Eastbourne.

When ex-journalist, 51-year-old Dee Doran, finds the dead body she immediately recognizes her as neighbor and friend, Katie Hope. Instantly she's concerned because Katie has a two-year-old son, Jake, whose buggy is broken and twisted by a ditch. But Jake is not there. It looks like a hit and run, but where is the little boy? The police get involved and during the course of their investigation they discover that the dead woman may not actually be Dee's tenant and friend after all. But who is she, then, and where is the person that Dee had befriended? NO SPOILERS.

This is a convoluted tale of jealousy and hatred that stems from the past. The story is told from the points of view of 3 different women and shifts in time. The central characters are all actually unlikeable and the twists fairly predictable. It is fast-paced and easy to read in a single sitting as the details and clues are dangled like crumbs for the reader to follow to the inevitable conclusion.

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

This is a standalone and is not part of a series.
Genre - crime thriller

House on Fire (Nick Heller #4) by Joseph Finder

"And the snake says, 'Yeah, but you knew what I was when you picked me up.'"

This fourth installment of the Nick Heller series has the elite private investigator taking on the rich Kimball family. They own a pharmaceutical company whose main product is an opiate, Oxydone, a nasal inhaler that quickly delivers a powerful dose of the substance. Result - almost instant addiction. In addition, lots of deaths due to overdoses. Nick is hired by one of the Kimball daughters to find evidence to take her family business down -- the hidden clinical study that shows how addictive the drug is and she feels that it should be taken off the market and all the victims compensated. So he's off...NO SPOILERS.

Lots of action and nonstop fight scenes with clever Nick finding all sorts of ways to get the information he wants. He soon has a personal stake in the hunt and ramps up his investigation to even higher levels. It's all quite predictable and a fast read. The narrative is told in the first person POV with Nick integrating himself into the Kimball family and using all sorts of cool spy toys to find out what he wants to know. It gave me a couple of hours of entertainment. I've read two of the other books in the series. I'm sure fans of this type of character and story line will enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for this e-book ARC to read and review.

This is the 4th book in a series about Nick Heller, private investigator and I've read #2, #3 and now #4. 

Genre - action, private investigator

Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain

"You have to make peace with the past or you can never move into the future."

This novel, categorized as Women's Fiction, relates the story of an artist from the 1940s and a present day parolee tasked with restoring a mural in Edenton, North Carolina.

Anna Dale is 22-years-old when she wins a mural competition and, since her mother has just died, finds herself in Edenton in 1940 to produce a 12 foot by 6 foot project for installation in the post office there. Deciding to stay on while painting the mural, she learns that things are quite different in the south than they were in her hometown of Plainfield, New Jersey. Because of events that transpire, Anna vanishes and the mural is never hung.

Present day finds Morgan Christopher in the North Carolina Correctional Facility for Women in Raleigh, North Carolina. She's been imprisioned as the result of a drunk driving accident that paralyzed a young women. Hope comes in the form of two African-American women who visit to offer her probation and a job. It seems that, although she never finished art school due to her crime, a famous artist has recently died and wants to open a gallery in his hometown. There is a mural that she is meant to restore, one that has been hidden and nearly destroyed. Of course she accepts even though she knows nothing about art restoration and finds herself in Edenton. Morgan becomes obsessed with the mural's artist, Anna Dale, because the images on the mural are quite disturbing and no one knows what happened to the young woman. As she works, hints of the secrets and lies in that small town are revealed on the canvas. NO SPOILERS.

This novel is told from the viewpoints of Anna and Morgan and each chapter reveals how the mural affected them and describes the events that link them together. Though it is all thoroughly predictable, the writing is good and the description made me really want to actually "see" that piece of artwork in all of its restored form. It's an easy, quick read that discusses the prejudices in a small, southern town during that period of time in history. The themes are self-discovery and redemption and the conclusion is fitting.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-book ARC to read and review.

This is a standalone that is not part of any series.
Genre - Women's Fiction

Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel

"Once upon a time, they said, a wicked mother gave birth to a daughter. The daughter appeared to be very sick...for 18 years, no doctor could figure out what was wrong with her." The daughter was rescued and it turns out that the mother had been behind the many ailments all along. "The mother had to be punished."

Rose Gold Watts was 18 years old when her mother went to prison for aggravated child abuse. Freed from the torment of constant illness, Rose Gold has to make a life for herself. Unfortunately, she's not emotionally equipped to do so having been controlled by her mother, Patty, for so long. Unable to form new, sustaining and meaningful relationships, Rose Gold can't help but be angry. But now, 5 years have passed and "Poisonous Patty" is due for release. And Rose Gold has offered to pick her up.
NO SPOILERS.

What a story! Though the central conflict is the mother-daughter relationship, it is complicated by the Munchausen Syndrome by proxy element. There are themes of childhood abuse, abandonment, revenge and mental instability. Told in the alternating viewpoints of both Rose Gold and Patty, the narrative also flips back and forward in time. The book was impossible to put down so I read it over a couple of hours in one sitting. I anticipated that there would be twists and turns and knew there would be a dramatic conclusion although I wasn't sure what form it would take. Honestly, I didn't like either of the two main characters but I could definitely empathize with how each of the women became who they were. The writing was excellent and it is a very impressive debut in the psychological fiction category.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this e-book ARC to read, review and recommend.

This is a standalone, debut, and is not part of any series.
Genre -- psychological fiction

Bitter Falls (Stillhouse Lake #4) by Rachel Caine

This is the 4th installment in a series featuring Gwen Proctor, the former wife of notorious serial killer, Melvin Royal. She and her two children, Lanny and Connor (now 16 and 13), have been evading the tabloids and trying to escape their infamous past association with the now-dead Royal. Gwen is currently working as a PI and living at Stillhouse Lake with her children and her partner, Sam Cade. Everything should be settling down for them now and giving a chance for their family to find peace, but the people in town don't want them there and so many others still believe that there's no way that Gwen didn't know what her husband was up to. Lanny and Connor aren't doing well at school and it looks like they're going to have to move again. Then Gwen takes a missing persons case that makes the decision moot. Her boss asks her to look into a 3-year-old cold case involving a 21-year-old college student, Remy Landry, who vanished after going out drinking with his friends. Gwen goes to interview the parents and finds them totally broken. Her only lead is that he was apparently recently trying to help a girl named Carol but no one knows much about her. The investigation leads to a secret compound known as Bitter Falls and involves a lot more than one missing young man. NO SPOILERS.

I've been with Gwen since the beginning and I'm afraid the series is running out of steam as this felt so similar to the previous books in the series. Gwen's character hasn't changed much and, even though the whole family is in therapy, it doesn't seem to have done a lot for her or the kids. This is a fast read with the narrative shifting between points of view and it has lots of action between the good guys and the bad guys. Easy to read in a single sitting, I'm sure fans of the series won't be likely to miss this but I surely hope that Gwen starts moving in a different direction and can settle down somewhere and leave her past behind her once and for all.

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

This is the 4th book in a series that I have read from the beginning and I suggest readers do the same.
Genre - thriller

The Other People by C.J. Tudor

"Welcome to The Other People"
"We know about pain. We know about loss. We know about injustice. We share the pain...with those who deserve it."

Tragedy happens to many but we always hope to keep it away from ourselves and those we love. When or if the unthinkable happens, there's absolutely no way to avoid the grief, the rage, or the hopelessness. Sometimes it occurs due to accident, but what if it was something caused by another person -- such as murder? And, just say, that there was a way for you to get justice -- an eye for an eye -- so to speak? Would you do it?

Reminiscent of The Chain but equally clever, this novel explores how hate and bitterness can lead people to make choices and decisions that will have far-reaching repercussions that they could never anticipate. Blinded by desolation and loss of hope, unable to see the future without their loved one, individuals might feel bent on revenge.

This deliciously sinister novel tells the story of Gabe whose daughter, Izzy, was murdered along with his wife. He's lost in suspended animation because he thinks that his daughter is still alive even though she's buried next to his wife in the local cemetery. He believes this because he saw his daughter in a car that night, but no one will listen and, in fact, he's initially thought to have been involved in the double homicide. In addition, there's Fran: on the run with Alice and they can't seem to get away from those following them. And, Katie, a waitress who works in the cafe at Newton Green Services off the M1 Junction. She serves Gabe his coffee every day as he spends all of his waking hours driving up and down the highway where he had last seen his daughter. Katie, divorced with 2 young children, has a drudge of a life and hasn't quite recovered losing her father -- killed in his own garage. What do these three have in common? NO SPOILERS.

This was a great story and I found it impossible to put down so read it in a single sitting this evening. It hooks you from the beginning and reels you in as the narration flops between different points of view and time. The writing is excellent, the characterization strong and believable. There's a bit of paranormal involved but I could overlook that because the rest of it had more realistic tone. Definitely a must read as it's a very well-crafted thriller.

Just beware the stranger who seems to offer you a strange bit of comfort in your moments of desolation. Don't take them up on their brand of resolution.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House/Ballantine Books for this e-book ARC to read, review and recommend.

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
Genre - Thriller with themes of revenge, grief, vigilantism

Tell Me Lies (Max Carter #1) by Ed James

This is the first in a new crime thriller series featuring  Special Agent Max Carter of the FBI. He heads up the Seattle Field Office's Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team.

Agent Carter is called to the home of Senator Christopher Holliday and his wife. Megan Holliday has woken to find herself on the front porch and her two young children, Avery and Brandon, are gone. Assuming some sort of abduction, the agency kicks into high gear and begins a search. Max, however, is finding it odd that he can't seem to get in touch with Senator Holliday even though he was told to come home immediately. Meanwhile, Holliday is contacted by the abductor and is meant to meet him. Hoping to get his children back safely, Holliday goes off on his own. Things go from bad to worse and the case soon becomes quite complex and involves the CIA and an illegal mission on US soil using hired thugs. NO SPOILERS.

This was a fine start to a new series and a quick read that I finished in a couple of hours. There was lots of action and quite a bit going on. The narrative shifts between points of view so the reader has a much larger picture of the motives behind the entire operation. The characters, at this point, are not fully developed and thus don't create much empathy or relatabiililty. The basic plot elements include secrets, lies, murder and corruption. I did feel that, despite the build up, the ending was a bit of a letdown and left some loose ends. I may or may not continue reading the subsequent books in the series.

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

This is the first book in a new series by the author. I've not read any of his previous books.
Genre - crime thriller, FBI, corruption

Long Bright River by Liz Moore

"...all of them gone. People with promise, people dependent and depended upon, people loving and beloved, one after another, in a line, in a river, no fount and no outlet, a long bright river of departed souls."

Although marketed as a suspense/crime thriller, I would have to say that it is more of a character study and a family drama. Yes, one of the main characters, Mickey Fitzpatrick, is a cop with the Philadelphia Police Department, but she's on the Kensignton beat and the main focus of the book is on her dysfunctional relationship with her family and her lack of personal relationships. Yes, the story does have a series of murders in it -- drug addicted women -- some of whom Mickey knows. This novel does not focus on a police investigation of those cases. It's the story of two sisters who couldn't be more different. One an addict who lives on the streets and the other a cop. Kacey and her older sister, Mickey, haven't spoken in 5 years. Nevertheless, Mickey still looks for Kacey on the Kensignton streets and lives in constant fear that she will find her sister dead of an overdose, or worse. NO SPOILERS.

The narrative is unusual, lacking in quotation marks, and is told from Mickey's viewpoint. There are some time shifts as Mickey reflects on her childhood growing up with her younger sister, Kacey, in the care of their grandmother. With their mother dead and their father long gone, the girls mostly shift for themselves and Kacey eventually falls prey to drugs. Mickey is righteous and rigid, disapproving but still feeling that she must take care of her sister. Overall the tone of this story was quite depressing to me. I understand the scourge of drugs. I've felt the pain of losing a relative to drugs. I know that something must be done to save the users. It seems that all the efforts directed toward this end haven't been successful and so many different methods have been tried from rehab to methadone to NarcAnon. I have no answers. It was a difficult read for me and although the writing was quite good, I found it slow moving and it took me longer than usual to finish. I think, however, that I was expecting a police procedural and a murder case. Drugs lead to broken families, crime, poverty and death and it's usually a one-way ride. Drugs corrupt and destroy people and by extension, everyone the user knows. Police are not immune to the effects on a community. There are a million reasons why people get into drugs and you know, if you could, you'd try to prevent that from happening. And though you'd likely fail, because people will do what they do in the end, I'm sure that the struggle is real and it's everywhere.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin RandomHouse and Riverhead Books for this e-book ARC to read and review.

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
Genre - depressing family drama centered on drug addiction, dysfunction

The Stranger's Wife (DI Dan Riley #3) by Anna-Lou Weatherley

"The heart wants what the heart wants."

This third installment in the series featuring DI Dan Riley blends domestic drama with police procedural to create a satisfying police procedural. A crime thriller that touches on many different issues and introduces some interesting characters has a familiar plot but unique pacing. I read it in a single sitting over a couple of hours and it kept me fully engaged throughout.

Two different women suffering at the hands and antics of their husbands who are abusive in different ways. Beth Lawler lives in an upscale area and is married to a wealthy, powerful man. She's miserable and finds love and happiness in an adulterous affair that puts her and her daughter, Lily, in an untenable position. Catherine Patterson is Saul Bennet's "zombie" -- her brute of a husband is an addict who regularly beats her but this time he has gone too far. Two vengeful wives who meet by accident on the 3:15 PM train to Bristol.

The detective, Dan Riley, is about to become a father with a woman he respects but doesn't love. He understands grief but has a solid moral compass. What's he to do with this case that has so many shades of gray? As he runs down the events and the suspects, Dan wants to do the right thing but the ramifications are made obvious by his supervisors. The age old question -- is there ever a justification for murder? NO SPOILERS.

I really like this series and I do appreciate the righteousness of Dan Riley however much I wanted this all to end differently. The writing is excellent, the pacing is perfect, and the premise was intriguing. The issues were handled in a masterful manner by the author and I really connected with both Beth and Cath as women put in situations that would make even a saint go crazy. The law limits what can be done.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read, review and recommend. I've read all three books in this series and urge other readers to do the same. I'm looking forward to the next installment.

This is the third in a series that I think would best be read in order from the beginning.
Genre -- crime thriller, psychological, domestic drama

Her Last Goodnight (DI Finnegan Beck #3) by Michael Scanlon

"Secrets:  something kept unknown or unseen by others."

This is the third book in a series featuring Detective Inspector Finnegan Beck. For earl assigned in Dublin, Beck has been posted to Cross Beg due to indiscretions of a romantic nature up in The Smoke. He's in bad shape and suffers from nightmares and a tendency toward alcoholism because of unresolved issues in his family and personal life.

This installment brings Beck a complicated case that begins with the bludgeoning murder of an old man, Edward Kavanagh. Since he was respected and esteemed by most of the old-timers, no on can figure out why anyone would want to kill him. He's found with an old engagement ring in his pocket and the gossip is that he'd loved and lost a girl in his youth. Beck and his colleague, Detective Garda Claire Somers, question neighbors and other locals but can't find a motive. Then some interesting details come to light that indicate a connection to a traveling brothel, prostitution, kidnapping and sex trafficking. NO SPOILERS.

This was a book that I read in a couple of hours in a single sitting but it wasn't particularly action-packed or fast-paced. Although the elements were there for an exciting crime thriller, the focus on Beck and his "issues" took up too much page time. Although we're supposed to believe he's a brilliant detective, all I could see were the symptoms of a mental illness crisis. Why can't genre detectives be of sound mind and body? That aside, the premise was good but the execution was pedantic and I wasn't surprised at any turn nor did I find this suspenseful. It was a police procedural with Beck "mentoring" Claire about how those procedures are great in books but not in real life. I'll give this series another go, but this one was rather ho-hum. I'm also left wondering how this title relates in any way to the content of the book?

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

This is the third book in a series. I've read all 3, in order, and suggest others do the same.
Genre - crime thriller, police procedural

The Perfect Mother by Caroline Mitchell

If something sounds too good to be true -- run away!

When 24-year-old Roz Foley discovers that she is pregnant after a one-night stand with a most unsuitable baby daddy, she decides to investigate the possibility of adoption. Broke, jobless and sharing a flat with her best friend, Dympna, is not what she wants for her baby. She impulsively signs on with an exclusive agency, Miracle Moms, and immediately gets a hit. A "diamond couple" has offered to fly her to New York for a meet and greet if Roz is certain that she wants to go through with it. Off she goes, first class all the way, and arrives to find that absolutely nothing is what she'd hoped. In fact, she and her baby are in terrible danger. NO SPOILERS.

This was an easy, quick read that I finished in one sitting. Most of what transpired was a bit far-fetched and required a great effort to suspend disbelief, but it was an entertaining couple of hours. I've read other books written by Caroline Mitchell and much prefer her police procedurals. I never fully bought into the story or the characters and can't say that the writing created much tension or suspense as the twists were not completely unexpected. I know it's awful, but I was kind of hoping for a different end to Roz and her situation -- you know -- just to really surprise me!

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

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
Genre - psychological, domestic noir

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

"You only have to forgive once. To resent, you have to do it all day, every day. You have to keep remembering all the bad things."

I've had this book for a very long time but only picked it up because I was planning to watch the film last evening. I'd only gotten about halfway and decided to go ahead and see it despite my usual rule to read the book first. Although the book is so much better, the film was decent and gave me all the feels. Then, I went back and finished today and can't stop thinking about this very sad, but beautiful story.

The setting, the writing, and the characters are brought to life on the pages. Though it is slower than the action-packed novels I usually read, I was riveted from the beginning. The story begins by introducing us to Tom and Isabel Sherbourne as they discover the boat, the dead man and the baby that will both save their lives and nearly destroy them. They are living in isolation on Janus Rock where Tom is the lightkeeper. On that fateful day, Isabel and Tom are both still reeling after her third miscarriage and this infant girl seems to be a gift from God. That's when they make the fateful decision to bury the dead man, probably the baby's father, and keep this newborn that they name, Lucy. The narrative continues, but starts with details about Tom, his war service, and his posting to the Commonwealth Light Service. The reader learns about Tom and Isabel meeting, their unusual courtship, eventual marriage and life on Janus Rock. The descriptions are mesmerizing and the reader is drawn into their world. At times uplifting but eventually heartbreaking, this is a tale that is hard to forget. NO SPOILERS.

I am so glad that I picked this up and I'd definitely recommend it, especially to book clubs as there is so much within to discuss and debate. The moral issues, theories about parenthood, doing the right thing, how love can transform everything -- it's all there. I'm sure I'll be thinking about this one for a very long time. I'm giving it 4+ stars.

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
Genre - literary fiction, family drama

The Man She Married by Alison James

How can you get to the truth if all you have to go on is lie after lie?

This was a fast and entertaining domestic drama about a woman who marries a man and then comes to find that he was not at all who he said he was.

Alice Palmer meets Dominic Gill on an elevator. She's at Ellwood Archer in Silverton to make arrangements for lunches that her catering company, Comida, is planning to bid for. He's there for a job interview. Over coffee, they find mutual attraction which rapidly leads to a proposal and marriage. So what if she sees -- and ignores -- some serious red flags? Their relationship is fairly good, but Alice wants a baby and Dom won't give the go-ahead. Then comes Valentine's Day about 3 years into their marriage. Dominic is dead. The shock deepens when Dominic's estranged brother arrives to identify him. Simon says that the dead man is NOT his brother, Dominic Gill. If that's the case, then who is this man? Alice needs answers, not only for herself, but for the unborn baby she's recently learned she's carrying. NO SPOILERS.

Very fast paced with THEN and NOW chapters as well as alternating point of view narration between Alice and "Gill" that give the reader a clearer picture of their situation and his past. I enjoyed it and the twists and turns along the way. Of course the reader knows Gill is a horrible man and constantly admonishes Alice to open her eyes and see it, but she's always giving him the benefit of the doubt because she loves her husband and wants their marriage to work. I read this in a single sitting and though it is similar to other books in this genre, it was a fun couple of hours.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read and review. 3.5 stars, rounded up.

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
Genre -- domestic drama, psychological suspense

In the Shadow of Vesuvius (Lady Emily #14) by Tasha Alexander

"None of us is safe from exposure after death."

I selected this mystery solely on the fact that it mentioned the words, "Vesuvius" and "Pompeii". I have not read any of the other books in the series and was a bit nervous coming in at this stage. I have long been fascinated with the story of the eruption and the discovery and excavation of the city as well as having a dream about actually visiting there one day. I absolutely loved all the details and it was obvious that Tasha Alexander did a lot of research so that she could describe it all so clearly to her readers. I also found it interested to read the alternating chapters as they jump between 79 AD and 1902, giving us a fictional account of a former slave and poetess from that time period. I'm giving the archeological component and the cultural elements a resounding 4 stars.

The actual mystery that drives the plot and fills in the pages around the depiction of the ruins, however, was fairly banal. I didn't grow to care much about the main characters who seemed to think they were quite superior and were very judgmental. Of course suspending disbelief of Emily's investigating talents and her aristocratic lifestyle was a stretch. The introduction of a new member of the family at this late stage in the series must have come as a surprise to long-time fans! The interaction between all of the characters seemed quite contrived and the whole murder mystery case part was not very interesting. Without the setting, it would have been even more lame -- and I can't believe the police weren't involved leaving the crime to be solved by outsiders? As an American, I had to cringe at some of the less than flattering characteristics attributed to those characters. Really?
Anyway, that aspect of the book left me bored and I didn't care about it at all and would rate that 2 stars. I suspect it's hard coming up with fresh material for the 14th installment in a series.

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

This is the 14th book in the series. It didn't seem to matter as I was able to follow.
Genre -- mystery

Deep State by Chris Hauty

"Trust no one."

3.5 stars rounded up. This is a timely political thriller released in a US election year when just about everyone is sharing an opinion, conspiracies abound, and fake news is rampant. The premise is that a "Deep State", a "shadow government...a hybrid association of elements of government joined with parts of top-level finance and industry that effectively governs the US without consent of the electorate" needs to be stopped from assassinating the sitting US President, Richard Monroe.

Enter ex Army Infantrywoman, Hayley Chill. A boxer with an eidetic memory, Hayley leaves the military and obtains a recommendation from her former boxing coach to become an intern at White House. Assigned initially to the West Wing office of the Chief of Staff, she is an outlier who manages to do her job so well that she is noticed and appreciated by CoS Peter Hall. Just as she is getting her bearings, he's found dead in his home. Was it murder? Hayley finds some indication of foul play, but has no one to turn to in that hotbed of gossip with everyone jockeying for position and currying favor with the administration. She thinks she might be able to trust a new man in her life, Secret Service Agent, Scott Billings, but is hesitant to reveal her suspicions to him or to the FBI when questioned. As she moves closer to the Oval Office, she becomes more fearful of the President's safety and has no one to rely on except herself. Is there really some sort of Deep State operation imminent or is her sense of duty misplaced as other staffers seem to be afraid of the direction the President is taking with foreign governments? NO SPOILERS.

This was an easy read that I devoured in a couple of hours. Lots of action, cross and double-cross, twists and turns and an ending that was quite unexpected. That said, I found Hayley to be a bit unreal -- as a woman or even as a human being. Yes, we want our female heroes to be strong and mentally tough, but it is always reduced a bit when looks and sex appeal and youth are emphasized. Definitely she had a lot of luck on her side despite being nearly superwoman. The novel does read a bit like a screenplay and should translate well to the screen. I have to echo others because I, too, found that occasional futuristic toss (such as "he'll go on to eventually manage a hedge fund") a bit disconcerting but not a huge deal. Most of the other characters in the book were one-dimensional stereotypes who didn't add anything to the storyline. I guess I have to say this: call me naive but I found it all just a tad unbelievable and that strained my ability to fully get "all in" with the story. I was, however, entertained and enjoyed the wild ride.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for this e-book ARC to read and review.

As of now, this appears to be a debut and a standalone. I am happy with it ending here.
Genre - political thriller

Winter Dark (#1 in series) by Alex Callister

"Men are monsters but that doesn't mean they have to be monstrous."

What a ride! Full disclosure: I had this on my TBR and passed it over many times, picking another title instead. A mistake. I'm not sure why I circled back, but am sure glad I did. I've been in a bit of a slump and this catapulted me out and away before I even finished the first chapter. It was original, refreshing and action-packed -- a thriller with an unusual female protagonist as the main character.

The author said he wanted to create a female James Bond but Winter is a complete badass that some have compared to Lisbeth Salander, but actually she's much more hardcore and somehow, even likeable despite all the things she says and does. She's a sexually omnivorous (OK there is a lot of sex in this book) top agent for the snoop police in in the UK -- the GCHQ, an organization that has the power and ability to track almost anything and everyone in the world.

Set in the near future when any life can be taken by a contract killer hired by anyone with a web connection, Winter is most disturbed by a new sensation called Slashstorm -- basically an Internet voting phenomenon which allows the public to vote on which of 12 children will be killed online right in front of them. Rumored to be run by crime boss Alek Konstantin and his brother, Roman, it is Winter's mission to hunt him down and kill him before the next episode airs. I won't say more but I assure you that once you get on this roller coaster, you won't be able to put the book down until the end of the ride!

I really liked this and am giving it 4.5 stars. This screams out for film adaptation and I cannot wait for the second in the series as I enjoyed the writing quality, the details, the action, the characters and the wild romp over Europe and beyond. The narrative is told in first person from Winter's POV in a linear style and there are surprises and twists along the way. More, please, and soon!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read, review and recommend. Warning -- lots of graphic violence and descriptive sex scenes so be aware before you begin.

This is the first book in a new series -- a debut. Definitely read in order!
Genre - thriller featuring agent and martial arts expert

A Cry in the Night (DI Jessica Daniel #15) by Kerry Wilkinson

I've been hanging around with DI Jessica Daniel and her cohort from Manchester CID for a long time! Hard to believe this is #15 in the series and what a lot has happened over the years. Returning to Longsight Police Station to check in with the gang and see what cases they're dealing with, enjoying the banter, relishing old memories -- the series is still interesting though I always find it irritating when the author ends the book with a cliffhanger. No fair, Kerry Wilkinson.

In this installment, we are introduced to a blind boy, Samuel, who uses echolocation to help him navigate his world. He's there on the night his mother dies and can definitely give Jessica clues about the two men who were there in the flat when it happened. But Evie Briers's death is just the beginning of this complicated investigation that also involves stolen goods, money laundering, and creative accounting. NO SPOILERS.

I enjoy the characters, the relationship they have to each other and the police procedural aspects of their jobs with the police. Wilkinson has a great writing style and a sharp wit -- sometimes I almost laugh out loud. I like Jessica and I do hope that she will one day have a partner and a family that will mesh with her career. I noted that Jessica interacts, albeit only by phone, with Andrew Hunger, a character in Wilkinson's other series and am interested to see if that will be a new thing in the future. It goes without saying that I'll be in line for the next book whenever it is available.

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

This is #15 in a long-running series that is best read, from the beginning, in order.
Genre - police procedural, crime thriller

The Playground by Jane Shemilt

Domestic drama that illustrates just what can happen when adults are not paying attention to what is going on with their children. The evil might not come from the outside...

A close circle develops around Sunday tutoring when a stay-at-home mom starts giving special help to children who have dyslexia. Eve (married to Eric) comes from money and has a lovely home complete with woods, pond and donkeys. She loves cooking and allows her own children (Poppy, Sorrel and baby Ash) a lot of freedom to run around the property secure in the safety of her life. The children who come on Sunday quickly become tight knit while their parents drift in and out of Eve's home. There's Paul and Melissa, he's an architect and she's a designer, and their daughter, Izzy. Novelist Martin is married to Grace who works to support the family while he attempts to write, and their two children Charley and Blake. While the adults are absorbed with themselves and each other, the children are left to their own devices. And that benign neglect leads to tragedy. Someone should have been watching the kids. NO SPOILERS.

I found this to be intriguing at first and then maddening as it became obvious what was going on. There were a lot of characters to get to know and different points of view in the narration to adjust to, but I never really related to any of them. The children needed supervising, that was obvious, and the parents kept on blithely getting drunk, forming illicit relationships, or just not paying attention. I couldn't understand why no one was taking care of them, asking them questions, being more observant. It mystified me how the truth could go unnoticed for so long. I like suspenseful thrillers and I might have quit reading had I not agreed to write a review and also having a compulsion to finish every book I start. I wanted to like it more than I did and the vague ending left me a bit unsettled.

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

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
Genre - domestic drama, marital abuse, tragedy

Their Final Moments (DI Mike Croft #3) by Jane Adams

My first book of 2020 is this very grisly crime thriller, the third in a series featuring DI Mike Croft. It was originally released in two parts: Part One, "Fade to Grey" in 1998 and Part Two published as "Final Frame" in 1999. Although not completely updated to reflect current technology, the police procedural details were solid and it was tension-filled and full of action. I have not read the first two books in the series, but I do plan to move on to #4 shortly.

In summary, Croft and many colleagues are pursuing a man who is basically a ghost. Jake Bowen operates under many different aliases and his claim to fame is filmmaking. He charms or abducts women into making various types of porn films and then he kills them -- putting it all on tape. As he gets rich from the proceeds of his "made to order" movies, he stumps the detectives by being completely under the radar. He can't be caught because no one knows who or where he really is but he's hiding in plain sight. This is a very complex case and the details of the investigation are thorough and it seems that they will never catch up and stop Jake Bowen. NO SPOILERS.

I am glad that I restarted the book today after being on holiday hiatus so that I could read it all in a single sitting as there are many characters whose relationships are complicated and quite interesting. I am looking forward to meeting up with them again in the next book and getting to know them better. The narrative is told from several points of view, including that of Jake Bowen, and the writing is quite good and the story absorbing. I liked how the switch at the end of the chapters kept me on tenterhooks wondering what would happen next. Lots of grisly details. I enjoyed it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for this e-book ARC to read, review and recommend. On to the next in the series...

This is the third in a series and this is the only one I've read thus far. It worked fine for me as a standalone and I didn't feel lost or that I'd missed anything.
Genre - crime thriller, police procedural