Murder in Manhattan (Lady Eleanor Swift #14) by Verity Bright

 A thoroughly entertaining Golden Age cozy mystery.

This delightful and easy to read series continues with installment #14 as Lady Eleanor Swift and her entourage arrive in New York after a harrowing transatlantic crossing. At first, Eleanor and Clifford are deluged with invitations to many lavish parties but all that changes when the doorman of her apartment building is killed in a hit-and-run. Eleanor knows this was no accident, but no one seems to care about justice. Then a wealthy businessman with a reputation for adultery is found dead in the street in a bad part of town. Eleanor knows these two deaths are connected but no idea who might be responsible. 

The action follows at a fast pace with the story a little darker than usual as corruption, vice, and greed expose the very seedy side of Manhattan. The interaction between the characters is fun and clever and the story has enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. This is one of the few series that I still try to keep up with as I enjoy the characters, the time period, and the historical details.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend. I do suggest that any prospective reader start at the beginning of the series and read the books in order.

This is the 14th book in a series that should be read in order.

Genre - cozy historical mystery, Golden Age

Zero Days by Ruth Ware

 Not the thriller I was expecting.

I was bored with this by the second chapter -- but I always try to finish something I've agreed to read and review. I should have DNF.

The plot is blah and predictable -- woman's husband is killed, she is a suspect, she tries to find out who killed him. Of course she succeeds. 

In this story, Jack (Jacintha) Cross is looking for the persons responsible for murdering her husband, Gabe. She can't trust anyone (and the reader will spot that immediately) and she's on the run enduring impossible scenarios of peril and being pursued by police. Her constant stream of internal dialogue, moaning and groaning, and repetitive thoughts drove me nuts. Without all the descriptive words used to describe her wound pain, how cold and tired she was, and how much she loved her husband -- well maybe this would have been a short story or novella. I found it boring.

Finished it, can't recommend it. Won't be rushing to obtain this author's next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for providing this e-book ARC.

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

Not really a thriller to me, mystery. 

A Killer’s Game (#1 Daniela Vega) by Isabella Maldonado

 Action-packed thriller pits an ex-Ranger against a criminal bent on revenge.

Dani Vega is currently an FBI agent working in New York when she sees an unusual assassination on the sidewalk. The dead man had political connections and soon the hit man has been turned into an informant and will need to work with Dani to uncover a wide-ranging conspiracy. Can Dani trust Toro? As they infiltrate a group of hired assassins to obtain the truth, they soon find themselves trapped in a game of survival. 

I was not expecting the events and narrative that this book provided. For some reason, I was reminded of Hunger Games and Squid Games instead of the actual spy story that I was prepared for. It was fast-paced and easy to read with few surprises. I didn’t feel any tension or suspense and I doubt I’d reach for another in this series. The main character, Dani, was quite stereotypical of the genre — at least there was no romance. 

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

This is the first in a series.

Genre - thriller, action, FBI, 

The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies (#1) by Alison Goodman

 Absolutely delightful historical mystery!

I fell in love with Lady Augusta (Gus) Colebrook and her twin sister, Lady Julia, in the first chapter of this novel set in Regency London. Both are unmarried ladies of a certain age and have been dismissed by most of the ton as old spinsters. Despite their younger brother's efforts to control them, the ladies put themselves into the position of rescuing women in distress. Their adventures are both dangerous and require clever ruses to outwit those who would hinder their efforts. Along the way, Gus meets her new partner in peril, Lord Evan Belford, shortly escaped from his prison sentence and on the run from Michael Kent, of Bow Street. 

The plot was great, and the narrative was full of great details and dialogue. I liked the main characters and those associated with them as well. Truly an enjoyable read with just enough romance though the three different situations that Gus and her sister get involved in were dark, suspenseful, and dramatic. I believe this is the first in a new series that I will be following as I wait for the second installment with high anticipation. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend. Don't miss this if you enjoy intriguing historical mysteries with unlikely heroines.

This may be the first in a new series!

Genre - historical mystery, suspense, Regency London, romance

I Will Find You by Harlan Coben

 Mystery thriller that requires more suspension of disbelief than I could manage.

A man serving a life sentence in prison is confronted with a photograph that suggests that the son he was convicted of killing is still alive. 

I haven't read Coben in some time despite really enjoying his first books. I picked this one to give the author another chance but ended up almost marking it DNF. The plot was riddled with so many holes and instances of ludicrousness that I was mostly shaking my head. I didn't care about the characters and the ending was so predictable -- it was only a matter of how far things would twist to get it done. 

In the end, the book met my every expectation. The story line was unbelievable and not at all compelling. I'm sure many Coben fans will disagree with me and that's fine -- to each their own. I won't be trying another. 

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

This is a standalone and not part of any series.

Genre: mystery thriller