Survive the Night by Riley Sager

 "Be smart. Be brave. Be careful."

Charlie Jordan, a college student at Olyphant University, was none of these things the night she accepted a ride share with a total stranger on November 19, 1981. Charlie, a distraught wreck after the murder of her roommate, Maddy, was desperate to get home to her beloved grandmother in Youngstown, Ohio. The handsome young man standing at the ride board as she put up her flyer seemed the answer. Although she doesn't know Josh Baxter, Charlie packs up her dorm room, says goodbye to her boyfriend, Robbie, and hops in the car. Soon, her suspicions and paranoia creep in and Charlie -- movie obsessed with a vivid imagination -- wonders if he could be the Campus Killer. No spoilers.

This was a very quick read but I had some issues with it right from the start. As the narrative continued, I was often confused as to what was really happening, what was the movie, and what was Charlie's fugue states. Sager tries a few of the usual twisty tricks, but the rising action and the denouement were quite a stretch for my believability scale. Perhaps you will have better luck relating to this protagonist and find it less predictable than I did. I've read all of Sager's previous books, but did not enjoy this as much as I had hoped.

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

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

Genre - suspense thriller

Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult

 No spoilers...

This novel focuses mainly on the experiences and thoughts of one particular woman, Diana O'Toole, during the surreal period of time surrounding the initial changes in the world due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Although the narrative didn't go anywhere that I had expected given the synopsis, I am sure that it will create an intense dialogue and would make an excellent choice for a book club. Finding myself unable to really give an analysis of the story because of possible spoilers, I do think that there were several truths that were articulated quite well by the author even though I'll admit that I really hated the ending. Isolation, quarantine, multiple losses, and the realization that most everything is not really under our control were universal experiences during the lockdowns. Changes happened. Are any of us the same person we were before this virus exploded?

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

More to come after publication.

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

Genre - realistic fiction, Covid story

The Evidence by K.L. Slater

 Domestic melodrama with a histrionic protagonist.

There's a lot going on in this novel. Part of it deals with Esme Fox and her podcast featuring Simone Fischer -- a woman who murdered her husband and has been convicted. Simone has agreed to talk to Esme about her situation and the transcripts of those interviews are the best part of this novel.

But, Esme has a handicapped son (hurt in a hit and run), is dealing with a missing sister (found beaten nearly to death and in the ICU), an estranged husband, Owen, who gets arrested -- and all other sorts of goings on that really detracted from what could have been a very interesting story.

I really tried to like this but I just couldn't stand Esme after all. I never found any empathy for her and she irritated the heck out of me. I am not a fan of lots of angsting, and Esme is a star at it. The other characters were paper thin and it was fairly clear early on which ones were the bad guys.

So -- solve the Simone Fischer situation, deal with the hit and run doer, face her marriage, get rid of her inlaws, accept her betrayals in her business -- it was just way too much. And, all I wanted to do was hear the podcasts of the Simone story.

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

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

Genre - domestic drama

Safe and Sound by Philippa East

 If you died -- would people notice? Can you imagine a scenario where your body would have lain in your apartment, undiscovered, for over 10 months?  That's the situation that confronts estate agent Jennifer Arden when she's tasked with evicting the resident for nonpayment of rent. Sarah Jones is found on the couch, the radio playing, and the tiny table set for dinner.  Jenn, who suffers from anxiety disorders, can't let this go. Who was Sarah and why didn't anyone realize she was dead?

I enjoyed this but it was not a suspense thriller nor was it full of tension, action, or twists. It was a slow burner, a psychological profile of Jenn and also tantalizing glimpses into a "before" narrative that gives some explanation for Sarah. I didn't expect to like Jenn, but I did, despite the fact that she's pretty messed up. The writing was good and the story was compelling enough to keep me reading the entire book in one sitting.

Thank you to Harper 360 HQ for this e-book ARC to read and review.

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

Genre - mystery, psychological drama

Hairpin Bridge by Taylor Adams

  This is a fast-paced, if somewhat disjointed, thriller full of action and grisly details.

Lena is determined to head to Montana and find out the truth of what happened to her twin on Hairpin Bridge. Lena doesn't believe the cop, Corporal Raymond Raycevic, as she can't imagine that Cambry would commit suicide.

I found much of this narrative to be hard to swallow and it tested my ability to suspend disbelief as Lena spends hours on the bridge talking to Ray. There are shifts in time and voice as the harrowing tale comes to light. There were a couple of twists but the outcome and conclusion were not unexpected. I found Lena very difficult to relate to and, sorry here, but I was sort of wishing for a different ending. It entertained me for a couple of hours but this story didn't wow me.

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

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

Genre - thriller, suspense

Murder at the Fair (Lady Eleanor Swift #6) by Verity Bright

 Another fun installment in this historical mystery series. Even though it's hot outside right now, everyone can still use a little cozy charm.

It's summertime, 1921, and the whole village of Little Buckford has turned out for the May Day celebrations. Lady Eleanor is the guest of honor and presides over the festivities. Little did she imagine that she would discover a dead man at the end of the raft race. Solemn Jon was the local undertaker and, though everyone thought well of him, an obituary in the next day's newspaper suggested that he was murdered. Soon, Lady Eleanor and Clifford, her butler in her amateur sleuthing adventures, are involved in an investigation. And her erstwhile beau, Detective Hugh Seldon, is none to happy about it.

I enjoy this series and have read all of them, in order, from the beginning. I always look forward to seeing what Lady Eleanor and the staff at Henley Hall get involved in next. The details about place, time, customs, etc. are so interesting as I love this era.

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

This is the 6th in a series that should be read in order.

Genre - cozy historical mystery

The Secrets of Us by Lucinda Berry

 After a compelling start, this psychological thriller quickly fell into a "roll my eyes, shake my head but power through it" narrative of melodrama.

Two women who were foster sisters lived through some bad experiences as teenagers. After they escaped, one became a family court attorney and the other married the man of her dreams. So what compelled Nichole to set her house on fire and trap her husband behind a desk in their bedroom? Krystal tries to unravel the night in question and finds that Nichole is more than seriously disturbed.

This story is told in a "then" and "now" format with Krystal taking the voice on the current situation and Nichole relating the past portions. I immediately did not care for either of the sisters and I guess I just don't deal well with the explanations and excuses for who they are as adults. I couldn't buy into the whole premise nor muster up much sympathy or concern for the pair. There's not much to be said about other characters in the book who are completely flat stereotypes.

The whole event surrounding the fire and the explanations of Nichole's descent into drug-induced madness really disappointed me because I understand this author is a psychologist. All the voices in the head stuff just pushed me beyond my ability to suspend disbelief that her psychosis hadn't rendered her institutionalized long ago. There's no suspense, there's no big twisty anything that brings this to a recommendation level. I was happy when it was over.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this e-book ARC to read and review. I've read a couple of this author's other books that I liked much better so I may give her next one another shot but this is one I should have missed.

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

Genre - psychological melodrama, psychotic behavior, foster sisters

The Disappearing Act by Catherine Steadman

 Actress Catherine Steadman writes about the world she knows in this mystery drama about a British woman, Mia Eliot, who travels from the UK to see if she can make it big in LA.

Mia is definitely out of her element when she arrives in LA to begin a series of auditions. The city, the weather, the car, the apartment, and the people are definitely nothing like her life back in London. When she meets Emily at a casting call, she's surprised and pleased that they connect so easily. So, when Emily goes missing after leaving her bank card and phone with Mia while she goes in for her audition, it's natural that Mia is concerned. And, then she goes looking.

All this seemed just so far fetched in so many ways. I never identified with Mia nor would I ever make any of the decisions she did. The insider information about the movie industry was interesting, but it wasn't compelling enough to carry the crazy story line to a point where I could have my buy in. Most of the time, I was just shaking my head as Mia made one dubious move after another. If you're a person who likes to figure out where a plot is going, you might have a little trouble with this one. I wish I could say that the book was redeemed by the ending, but, again, it just didn't work for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this e-book ARC to read and review. I did read and enjoyed one of her previous books, so I may try another in the future.

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

Genre - mystery, drama, Hollywood

The Pilot's Daughter by Audrey J. Cole

This is a mystery thriller with a huge dose of romance and several unlikely outcomes.

Cora, a widow with young children, is seated in first class on a plane bound for Honolulu when the aircraft is hijacked. As events spiral out of control, both pilots are killed and Cora, a pilot's daughter, must work with Seattle Homicide Detective Kyle Adams to save everyone on board. Cora's skills as a nurse are much in demand until a larger need ensues: she's going to have to land the plane.

I love a good disaster scenario as long as everything is realistic, and this strained my credulity at various times. I'd also recently read another book in a similar vein, and have to ask -- how likely is it that people who work for the airlines would actually aid and abet terrorists or hijackers -- no matter what the threat? I don't know, but it's pretty scary to contemplate. Many of the details of the "talk through" emergency landing protocol seemed accurate, but I know nothing about flying an airplane. The narrative moved fast and the only jarring notes where when another character in the book took the lead voice. I thought that both Cora and Kyle were not well-developed characters and I never really connected with either. Their instant romance totally put me off as well. Nevertheless, this allowed me to pass a couple of entertaining hours but the conclusion was a bit lame.

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

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

Genre - mystery, thriller, romance

Murder at Elm House (Kitty Underhay #6) by Helena Dixon

 In this 6th installment, Kitty Underhay and her paramour, Captain Matthew Bryant, are investigating nefarious dealings and murder at an upscale care facility - -the Elm House Nursing Home. Residents there are dying under mysterious circumstances even though most were simply recuperating from minor ailments.  In addition, Kitty continues to search for information about her mother's death and the man she holds responsible.

I enjoy this series as a break from the grisly crime thrillers I tend to read. The details about the time period (1934) and the local color of the hotel and the little seaside town are comforting in their simplicity and the social mores of that period in history. Always a quick read, it allows a brief escape with enough depth to the plot to keep me interested. Looking forward to #7.

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

This is the 6th in a series that should be read in order.

Genre - cozy mystery, UK

The Lake House by Laura Wolfe

Although the synopsis really doesn't really give you a good idea of the story, it becomes obvious right away what this one is all about. Five college friends decide to take a girls' trip to reconnect since they haven't seen each other for some time due to their busy lives. They end up at a ramshackle cabin close to a lake -- there's no mobile or internet service and only one very creepy dude close by. Things don't look good for the ladies. Instead of backing out and heading to a different resort for their reunion, they decide to stay. That's when things start going wrong.

I struggled to finish this one. For one thing, I totally disliked all the women. The second issue was that it was totally predictable and I never found that "gripping psychological thriller" that the blurb promised. Their interaction was banal and lame and, once things started going from bad to worse, their actions bordered on simply ridiculous. I always hate it when I have to write a review of a book that didn't work for me, so I'm just leaving this here. My advice: skip it.

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

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

Genre - girls' weekend at the lake goes wrong, murder, resentment, drama, revenge

The Guilty Mother by Diane Jeffrey

 A standalone domestic/crime thriller involving a complicated case focusing on a woman in prison for the murder of her infant daughter.

Two reporters become interested in a campaign to free Melissa Slade and overturn her conviction, As they investigate those family members and other parties who were close to Melissa, they discover many secrets and lies. It seems that no one is exactly sure what happened in the family. One twin dead of cot death and the other apparently murdered. Is Melissa guilty?

This took awhile to build up tension because it was a bit of a slow burner as all the characters were introduced. I really enjoyed the duo of Jon and Kelly, the journalists, who adapted to the changing pieces of information as they were unearthed. The writing was good once I got on board with the changing points of view and the jumps in the timeline. Although the topic is Melissa Slade's guilt or innocence, the book focuses more on the many other discoveries made by the journalists and their own personal lives. I liked how it all came together and the conclusion wasn't a huge surprise, but it was a fitting end considering all that went on behind the scenes in the story.

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

This is a standalone that is not part of any series.

Genre - domestic/crime thriller, infanticide