The Maze (John Corey #8) by Nelson DeMille

 Convoluted thriller involving former NYPD Detective John Corey.

After leaving his previous job as a Federal Agent, John is recovering in Long Island when he is asked by a former lover, Detective Beth Penrose, to help her out with an investigation. John is hired by a local security company and infiltrates their organization trying to get to the bottom of a series of murders in the area. 

I was quite disappointed with this book and it took me forever to read. I did not like the cocky jerk of a main character who is sexist in the extreme and thinks quite highly of himself and his abilities. For the longest time, I wasn't even sure what the story was about as it was slow going and boring. The rest of the characters in the book were total stereotypes. The action (in the maze), when it came, went on and on and ended exactly as expected. I can't think of any reason to recommend this one but I would guess that the serious Corey fans will check it out. The plot went nowhere for ages until something finally happened. I did not enjoy Corey's interactions with the other people in the book and I won't be reading another in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for this e=book ARC to read and review. 

This is the 8th book in a long series.

Genre - crime thriller

Next of Kin by Kia Abdullah

 Oh my my.... what did I just read? Review follows now that my heart rate has returned to normal. This book delivered quite the visceral punch.

On a hot morning in London, Leila Syed agrees to help out her desperate brother-in-law by picking up 3-year-old Max and taking him to nursery. Unfortunately, Max doesn't make it to school. Leila has forgotten that he was strapped in the back seat and Max is found dead, inside the vehicle, in the parking lot of her office building several hours later. What happens next?

The book is divided into 3 different parts and focuses on the crime, the trial, and the aftermath. It is quite gripping and tense though the characters were so unlikable that I was sometimes unable to elicit any empathy for them. I was so torn in my emotions as various details were revealed and the narrative really kept me guessing.

What a great story as long as you can suspend disbelief and go with all the twists and turns. It's definitely more a domestic drama than a legal thriller as, even though I know next to nothing about the British legal system, I think the courtroom scenes were unrealistic. Something that was totally missing was extended interaction between Leila and her attorney. There was no trial prep and it all just seemed that was not the focus of the book. But, whoa, the drama!  

In any event, I enjoyed this one and have also really liked two other books I've read by this author. She has a knack of finding some very timely issues and writing great stories about them. I definitely feel that this novel will invite some lively discussion about several different aspects of the legal case and the nature of family and female ambition. The less you know going into the book, the better.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend. I am looking forward to the author's next book.

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

Genre - marketed as legal thriller but really more of a domestic drama

Murder on Board (Kitty Underhay #10) by Helena Dixon

 A lovely return to familiar characters in this delightful cozy mystery.

It's always nice to go visit those you have come to know in the book world. The setting and the people are like old friends and reading another installment in a series feels like you're taking a vacation. I've enjoyed every episode featuring Kitty Underhay and all of the interesting cases and mysteries that she becomes involved with along with her beau.

This time, Kitty is trying to get a party organized for a friend of her grandmother. The festivities are going along just fine until a murder occurs on board a steamer river cruise that was engaged for dining and a birthday celebration. In addition, an extremely valuable necklace disappears from around the neck of the birthday girl when the lights dim for the cake presentation. Kitty and Matthew are obliged to help with the investigation and are surprised at some connections and discoveries that bring them up against an old nemesis.

I'm looking forward to another in this series as I always enjoy spending time in the 1930s with these characters. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC and I definitely recommend to that anyone who enjoys a good comforting and predictable cozy.

This is #10 in a long running and fun series that should be started at beginning.

Genre - cozy mystery, 1930s, Torbay, Dartmouth, Devon UK

The Iceman's Curse by Gary F. Jones

 Quirky characters and lots of action make this medical thriller an entertaining read.

A crazy luggage mix-up at the airport during a blizzard leaves Professor Louis Antoine, from Zurich,  stranded in Kirby, Wisconsin, and a pair of drug mules hot on his tracks. The situation becomes even more fraught when the Swiss prof realizes that the samples taken from a 1200 year old corpse that his team found in the Alps, and that he was bringing illegally for a colleague, are missing. Even more scary -- apparently those samples are infected with a virus that could result in some serious medical issues in the USA. The CDC sends their best woman for the job of containing and tracing this virus before it becomes an epidemic but way too many people could already be exposed.

This was fun and fast and I enjoyed it though it was predictable and there was far too much time spent with Frank on the run instead of on the actual medical situation with the virus. I liked the author's humor and his writing style, and will be looking for future books. The way it was written reminded me of the style of Carl Hiaasen and several passages were laugh out loud clever. I was just wishing for a lot more of the medical aspect instead of the focus on the criminals or the pop-up romance. I would say more drama than thriller.

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

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

Genre - medical drama, virus, romance

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan

 I can't recommend this novel that is only marginally related to the description and synopsis given by the publisher. I almost stopped reading when the big shocker appeared at the 45% mark and I realized exactly what this whole book was going to be about.

Basically -- a lecture on every contemporary and controversial subject as the authors flex their virtue, tolerance, and understanding. You name it, this book has it: race, color, politics, the justice system, gender and sexuality, transgender, women's rights, spousal abuse, etc. If you like being told what to think and how to think, this is one for you.  It's not that I agree or disagree with the authors, mind, it's that every single concept of diversity is all mashed up in this singular story. I wish that I could just read a great plot with characters I could imagine all on my own without the author describing things in such detail as often much of that has nothing to do with the actual point of the novel. Perhaps I am an outlier, but I am tired of books trying to push a social agenda, and I should have known better than to pick up this one as JP has often been a miss for me because she does it all the time. Sometimes those twists that get tossed in her books are just too much for me to tolerate.

Despite how much I disliked the main narrative, the reason I gave the book two stars is because of the information about the bees. Now, that I found interesting. I like books with legal and courtroom drama, and I like a story with a medical slant, but some of that was quite obviously creative license. Anyway, I'm done and I think I can pass on any future books without FOMO.

I would love to discuss this book with others, especially the fact that there is some discussion about whether or not someone should reveal the fact that they are transgender. For real? Anyway, I see mixed reviews for this book and glad that people feel comfortable sharing their opinions. Others have written their thoughts much better than I can, but I don't recommend it.

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

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

Genre - contemporary fiction

Suspect (Kindle County #12) by Scott Turow

 Legal drama and high stakes investigation into a scandal involving a police chief.

Lucia Gomez has just been forced to a hearing because 3 male police officers have accused her of forcing them to have intimate relations in order to be promoted within the Highland Isle PD. Her friend, attorney Rik Dudek, is helping her navigate the federal grand jury investigation and Chief Gomez is insistent that these fake allegations are hiding part of a bigger issue within the community. Clarice "Pinky" Granum (granddaughter of Sandy Stern to those familiar with this series) is a bit of an outlier but she is working with Rik as they build a defense and response to the situation facing Chief Gomez. But, the accusations against the Chief are just the tip of an iceberg that is meant to cover up much more serious criminal activities.

I do not remember having ever read a book by this author before, and certainly none of the Kindle Country series, so I had no preconceived notions going in and it seemed to work fine as a standalone. I enjoy good legal drama and this case was complicated with lots of interesting details and side schemes that gave the whole plot a lot more substance. I enjoyed the writing style and the characters who were quite contemporary and diverse. It did seem to be a little bit too long and slow moving at different points along the way, but the narrative flowed well and came to quite an abrupt conclusion that left some questions. I may check out a follow up to this one if only to find my answers if they will be forthcoming in another novel.

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

This is part of a long running series and was the first one I had read.

Genre - legal thriller, drama, private investigator