Rogue Justice (Avery Keene #2) by Stacey Abrams

 Compelling and suspenseful legal thriller.

"Sabotage, espionage, system disruption, and propaganda" propel the highest levels of government into near meltdown as an unknown and malignant entity comes under the radar of Avery Keene in this second book in the series written by former Georgia State Representative, Stacey Abrams.  

Avery Keene is a young law clerk for the comatose Justice Howard Wynn who is sidelined from her job after discoveries caused a political crisis that brought the President to impeachment proceedings. While cooling her heels attending seminars, she receives information about a deep fake video and some suspicious deaths. With little else to do while testifying in hearings related to the disgraced President Stokes, Avery starts digging. The brilliant Avery with her eidetic memory immediately sees the potential for devastating effects related to massive blackmail, tech hacking, and malware. It seems that the USA's "secret court" has been granting an unusual amount of surveillance requests. Something or someone very well-financed is poised to disrupt the nation in a spectacularly destructive fashion. 

This was fast-paced and extremely interesting with a twisty plot and clever revelations no doubt enhanced by Ms. Abrams having a great insider's perspective. I like the main characters previously met in the first book, and especially the way that Avery's mind works. The writing is excellent and the story so plausible. I suggest that any reader considering this read the first in the series before tackling this one. I look forward to the next installment.

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

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

Genre - legal, crime thriller, politics

Dogboy v Catfish by Luke Gracias

 An addictive page-turner of domestic drama and crime fiction.

Lindsay Kramer (AKA Dogboy) is the second husband of Katherine (Catfish) Fisher. Kath's first husband, and the father of her daughter, Emma, had died in Bangkok, but she found and married the wealthy Lindsay shortly after. Now after 18 months of marriage, and well versed in Australian law, Katherine visits a family law specialist to initiate a separation. Kath's behavior in the attorney's office is so unpleasant that Freya Keogh, wary and suspicious, ultimately declines to pursue the case. It's then that Lindsay goes missing. 

This conniving woman is not the mourning wife that she pretends to be on social media. She's got her fingers in a lot of, shall we say, illegal business interests. But, thinking she is much smarter than the police, she attempts to carry on her activities involving drugs, money laundering, and counterfeit designer goods. She leads all on a merry chase with the big question always there -- where is Lindsay? 

This was great fun and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Found it hard to put down as I wanted to see how this would all end. So different to this author's previous two books, I was a bit nervous about reading this one since I had really loved the others. No worries. The characters were great, and it was easy to root for the good guys all the while wondering how Australia can have what seems to be terribly unjust divorce and property laws. The details about the scam were intricate and extremely interesting and the reader can tell that the author did a lot of research as always. I liked the writing style and the clever plot. Enjoy!

I definitely recommend this one!

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

Genre - domestic drama, crime fiction

The Lie Maker by Linwood Barclay

 Fast and fun, a thriller with some great twists.

Many years ago, Jack’s father was put into the Witness Security Program after testifying against his former boss. Although Jack Givens and his mother could have gone with him, they did not and rebuilt their lives. Jack, however, has always missed his father and has channeled his emotional pain into writing. When he’s approached by a US Marshal to write backstories for people in the protection program, Jack begs Gwen to help find his dad.

The narrative introduces the reader to several different characters whose presence in the novel is not initially clear but it all comes together as revelations and discoveries are made. The main characters are well-developed and Jack was certainly a likeable protagonist. I always enjoy Barclay’s writing style and plot lines. Found this one hard to put down. 

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

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

Genre - suspense thriller

Intrigue in Istanbul (Jane Wunderly #4) by Erica Ruth Neubauer

 Historical mystery set in and around Istanbul in 1926.

Jane Wunderly and her new fiancé, Redvers, are on a mission to track down her father before their row house in the USA is repossessed by the bank. Her father is abroad, apparently determined to find an ancient Ottoman relic — the lost heart of Sultan Suleiman. Unfortunately, they can’t find Jane’s father and are being stalked and watched as they travel from Turkey to Hungary in search of Henry. Jane and Redvers are joined in their adventures by her Aunt Millie and Lord Hughes. Another surprise for Jane awaits along with danger on the Orient Express.

This was the 4th in series and the first I’ve read. I admit I wasn’t enamored with the characters and find Jane quite irritating for several reasons — mostly she seemed immature. I doubt I will go back to the beginning installment and not sure if I will read another in the future. The details about the places and such were interesting, but the story just was not that exciting or compelling and very predictable.

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

This is the 4th in a series.

Genre - historical mystery

Fit to Die by Daniel Kalla

 Contemporary issue in a fast-paced thriller.

What price are you willing to pay to lose weight and be fashionably thin? Are you willing to die to be fit? Detectives in LA and Vancouver are racing to find the supplier of diet pills and supplements that contain DNP -- a weight loss agent that has significant toxicity. 

The son of a senator and a social media influencer are found dead due to overdose of the toxin DNP, a deadly chemical that was once used as an explosive agent during WWI. When more body builders and people with eating disorders come to emergency rooms with high fevers and uncontrollable seizures, the hunt is on to find out where those people are getting DNP and to stop the supply chain. 

This was another great read by an author who has become a favorite of mine. He always finds an issue that needs to be addressed and I love the medical aspects and details. The characters in this were not really as well developed but the focus was on the drug and its effects as well as shedding light on the difficulties in managing eating disorders. Many people have an obsession with fitness and weight so definitely a timely topic -- and who doesn't want a fast and easy way to shed those extra pounds. Unfortunately, there is no method that works like that, and definitely it's not one that is healthy. 

Thank you to the publisher for granting access to this ARC for me to read, review, and recommend. Looking forward to Kalla's next book. 

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

Genre - medical thriller, drug abuse, weight loss, eating disorders

The Marriage Act by John Marrs

 Excellent speculative fiction that will make you pay much closer attention to what's going on in the tech industry and the political arena.

In the near future, in Britain, The Sanctity of Marriage Act is law. Everything possible is done to encourage marriage and those who sign up are rewarded while those who refuse are punished. Everyone is strongly urged to marry and to get the maximum benefits by agreeing to a Smart Marriage. A wide chasm between the haves and have-nots has formed and growing larger every day. The government controls the lives and relationships of those citizens and monitors them 24 hours a day. Several couples whose activities and communication indicate that they are in trouble will soon learn just how far the proponents will go and how impossible it is to escape. 

This was super good and I really enjoyed it. It is sort of a companion to the previous novels by this author, The One (DNA love match), and The Passengers (autonomous vehicles). The character development was excellent, and the writing style and pace were perfect. I had such a powerful reaction to the situations that occurred in the novel and fearful about how much of the plot could be taken from the headlines today. Scary stuff here. As someone who is very leery of AI and its potential for misuse, my fears were not alleviated but heightened. I am already also concerned with government intrusion and overreach into personal and private life. This was all too believable and the absolute chill I felt while reading the last paragraph was undeniable and alarming. 

What a great discussion this would create for book clubs and I highly recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, Hanover Square Press for this e-book ARC to read and review. Don't miss it!

This is a standalone but a companion to the two novels mentioned in my review. It is not absoltely necessary, however, to have read them. 

Genre - speculative fiction, thriller, futuristic,