Kill for Me, Kill for You: A Novel by Steve Cavanagh

 Suspenseful and unputdownable psychological thriller -- don't miss this one!

Two emotionally traumatized women, Amanda and Wendy, meet in a bereavement group and devise what they think will be a foolproof plan for them to get revenge and justice. On the other side of New York City, Ruth is the target and victim of a home invasion that she barely survives. 

This was fast, fun, and based in part on the premise of Patricia Highsmith book, Strangers on a Train. After the women come to an agreement, the action escalates, and the story takes off. Finely and deftly plotted, this is a book that kept me glued to the pages as I read while also listening to the audiobook. The characters were interesting and well-developed as their emotions and reactions to their past experiences are explored. I thoroughly enjoyed this and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a twisty and shocking murder mystery. I was almost holding my breath until the end. 

Thank you to Atria Books for the e-book ARC to read and review and to my local library for the audiobook. This would make a great TV series or movie.

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

Genre - psychological thriller, suspense, murder mystery

Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter by Nicci French

 Compelling family drama and mystery.

Charlotte Salter never made it to her husband's 50th birthday party in 1990. Her children almost immediately called the local police but no trace of her was ever found. Although her husband was initially a suspect, another death in the area convinced them that the case was solved despite never finding Charlotte. The absence of their mother destroyed the lives of the Salter children. 

Thirty years later, the two brothers whose father had ostensibly committed suicide because of his affair with Charlotte, are making a podcast about the lack of closure between the Salter and Ackerly families. Will this media attention finally bring the answers they need?

This was a slow burning and very well written mystery with lots of red herrings and great characters. I kept trying to guess at what must have happened but never got the right answer and so was surprised at the denouement. And kind of bummed. The audio narrator did a good job and I enjoyed listening to her as I followed along in the e-book. 

Normally I don't want books in series, but I really feel that the character of London Detective Inspector Maud O’Connor was fascinating and I'd love to read more about her. 

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for advance copies of this book.

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

Genre - family drama, crime, mystery

A Death in Venice (Lady Eleanor Swift #17) by Verity Bright

 A murder interrupts a vacation in this cozy mystery. 

Lady Swift and her household are on a grand tour when they stop in Venice. While gliding along the canals in a gondola, Eleanor and her butler, Clifford, witness a murder. Of course, they get involved and uncover a longstanding family feud reminiscent of Romeo and Juliette. Can they save the day and let true love prevail.

I was a bit disappointed in this installment. It was quite like a tour guidebook about Venice, which is interesting enough, but the actual plot and the murders and their involvement seemed a bit too far-fetched. I missed the usual funny banter between Ellie and Clifford. For some reason, it all just seemed off from the usual stories in this series. Truth told; it was sort of boring. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read and review. I really have enjoyed this series and have read all of the books and hope for a return to the usual in the next volume. 

This is the 17th in a series that should be read from the beginning, in order.

Genre - cozy golden age mystery, historical fiction

The Deep by Nick Cutter

 Shocking and utterly depressing horror.

Not normally my cup of tea, but I was intrigued by the plague that was destroying the normal lives of humans worldwide. It was causing people to forget things and eventually they forgot to breathe and died. Searching for a cure, scientists have gone to the deepest part of the ocean to study a substance that has been found that they hope will help. 

A veterinarian, Lucas (Like) Nelson, receives a message that the deep-sea station 8 miles below has gone dark and the scientists there incommunicado. His brother, the brilliant Dr. Clayton Nelson wants him and is down there in the Trieste working with two other men on their discovery. Luke is meant to go down and find out what is going on. He will soon be very sorry he did.

This was crazy descriptive with all kinds of hideousness. I recommend no one read this alone, late at night, without all the lights on. I both listened to the audiobook and read along, and all the icky stuff is within. The dreams are nightmares, and the waking experiences mostly match. it was all quite too much, and I kept going hoping that something good would come of it. 

I ended up being a bit disappointed because the whole plague thing fizzled out and was never really part of the plot in the end. Every type of grossness imaginable in this book. 

Thanks to the publisher for the e-book and I got the audio version from the library. The narrator was quite apt with the voices and the many different sounds and noises.

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

Genre - horror, psychological thriller

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

 Contemporary suspense — fast and fun!

Once upon a time, three little girls from difficult family situations came to live with a beautiful young princess at Wild Meadows, a country estate in a small town in Australia. Unfortunately, the princess was not a good foster mother, and her darling girls just could not please her. In fact, mummy was a monster.

Told in a shifting timeline between past and present, and with the narrative alternating points of view between Jessica, Alicia, and Norah, the story is engrossing and keeps you guessing. Each girl was affected differently by their time spent with Miss Fairchild. What was always obvious was how the trio had formed such strong bonds of sisterhood and continually looked out for one another long after their shared experience at the house. 

I really liked the writing style and the way the characters told their truth. I enjoyed how the details were revealed and the way the secrets and lies were exposed. I both read the e-book ARC and listened to the audiobook version of this novel and highly recommend it. 

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced reader copies. 

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

Genre - contemporary fiction, drama, thriller, suspense

Dark Dive (Underwater Investigation Unit #5) by Andrew Mayne

 Don't miss the latest in this crime thriller series.

Are you a fan of crime thrillers and mysteries but looking for a unique approach? Look no further, as the members of the Underwater Investigation Unit in Florida are investigating unusual cases below the surface. Their specialty is diving for exploration, body retrieval, crime scene analysis, and other bad stuff that can be discovered in the depths. From canal to ocean to sinkholes in the marshland, the squad is on the job. 

In this 5th installment, Sloan McPherson and her partner, Scott Hughes, are searching for a friend of hers, another diver, who has gone missing. Fred Stafford was apparently checking out isolated ponds or sinkholes, but his truck and some gear is found with no sign of him. When they start checking into what he might have been doing before he vanished, they find something really odd in a secret storage shed.  Seems he's gotten himself mixed up in something quite unexpected. 

I enjoyed this one as Sloan actually gets to use some of her archeology background knowledge. As always, the details of the dive experiences are interesting, and the reader feels as if alongside them. Although not a diver myself, I find the descriptions of the hows and whys quite absorbing. There was an instance where a line of the plot simply went nowhere, but other than that, this was a solid c narrative that kept me engrossed. I'll continue on in this series and do think it should be read in order. I like the characters and the changes they go through in their work and personal lives. 

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend.

This is the 5th in the series that should be read in order.

Genre - mystery, crime thriller, diving, archeology

Mother of the Bride by Samantha Hayes

 Predictable domestic drama.

Liz and her new fiancé, Owen, are visiting her mother to announce the news of their engagement. Intending to keep their pregnancy secret, they tread lightly around Liz's erratic and unstable mother. Poor Liz can't bring herself to share stories about her mother with Owen as her childhood was difficult. Liz is uncomfortable being back in the house where she grew up, but is happy to see her sister, Shelley, and dad again. All have been treading lightly and carefully around the mom for years. Now she wants to play mother of the bride in earnest and is determined that she will organize Liz and Owen's wedding at the beautiful local church. What can go wrong? None want the reminder of what happened when Shelley tried to get married last year. 

Again, a very predictable plot with all the tells being easy to see from the start. The characters were stereotypes and mostly their thoughts and behavior were very irritating. It always seems that they deliberately close their eyes to the most obvious of signs that there are things amiss. The climax was exactly as anticipated and the outcome as I expected. It's a fast read, though, so it will likely keep some entertained for a couple of hours. 

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC e-book and audiobook as I both read and listened. 

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

Genre - domestic drama

The Teacher by Freida McFadden

 A totally over-the-top hot mess of a psychological drama and thriller.

A young married couple are teachers at a local high school. Nate teaches English and Eve's subject is math. It's the start of a new school year, and Eve is dismayed to find that one of her students, Addie Severson, was the cause of a scandal that had resulted in the firing of a faculty member. That girl is trouble. But is she the only problem at Caseham High?

Oh, the story here is beyond explaining without giving away all the spoilers and twists. Suffice to say that every single character is repressible and deplorable in his/her own way. This has every trigger from pedophilia, sexual abuse, grooming, alcoholism, academic dishonesty, murder, bullying...and just for fun, the author tossed in a shoe fetish. 

As the narrative progresses, plot holes develop that will make you just shake your head. I both listened to the audio version (excellent voice narrators by the way) and read along with the e-book ARC. The reader is tantalized by the entertainment and shock value alone, always wondering what in the world these unbelievable characters will do or say next. The climax and conclusion were off the charts nuts and the final twist was one that almost made me throw my kindle at the wall.

Should you read it? Well, it is fast paced and keeps you hooked because you just can't wrap your head around all that is going on. But the subject matter might offend many with the whole cliche of inappropriate student and teacher relationships in the worst ways possible. 

I received an ARC compliments of the publisher and got the audiobook from my local library. 

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

Genre - psychological drama and thriller, child sex abuse

The Princess of Las Vegas by Chris Bohjalian

 Intrigue and drama in sin city...

Crissy Dowling has a residency at the second-rate Buckingham Palace Casino in Las Vegas where she spends most nights of the week doing two shows as a Diana impersonator. She's spent years becoming Diana and has really embraced her character. Crissy isn't very social and spends her days poolside, drinking or dropping some pills, in a cabana that she has earned as one of her perquisites. She's not close to her younger sister, Betsy, and so is stunned to hear that Betsy has adopted a teenage girl and is moving out to Las Vegas to take a job with her current boyfriend, Frankie. Betsy's job is ostensibly as a secretary for a company that intends to make cryptocurrency big in the city. Unfortunately, they are most likely gangsters and bad things start to happen. 

After a very slow start and lots of boring information about fintech and crypto, this got a little more exciting toward the very end -- even if most of what happened was fairly implausible. I didn't care for the Diana angle nor the way the narrative was obviously speaking the author's opinions about the royal family. That whole aspect of the novel had so little to do with the actual plot.  That said, the other angle, the Vegas mafia, is also not of interest either. I never grew to like any of the characters and the conclusion was quite predictable. 

I've found the Bohjalian novels to be hit or miss with me and this one was the latter. It took me forever to read because I just never got fully vested in the story. Was glad to finally finish.

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

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

Genre - drama, crime, murder, gangsters

Granite Harbor: A Novel by Peter Nichols

 Mystery thriller set in Maine.

The setting for this novel is the fictional small coastal town of Granite Harbor. With a population of 5000, the unusual novelist turned only detective on the police force, Alex Brangwen, hasn't had much exposure to real crime and definitely not murder. It seems that there is a serial killer hidden in plain sight in the area and the targets are teenaged boys. 

A ton of characters are introduced, and it takes a while to keep them straight. I personally did not care for any of the adults (parents, townspeople) and really disliked the depiction of the 16-year-old teens in the book. It baffles me how parents do not seem to have any ability to monitor and appropriately discipline and guide their adolescents (not just in this book but in many I seem to read). Of course, most of these adults are messed up too. Anyway, I was put off by the descriptions and activities of the characters which made me less inclined to worry too much about them running around making dumb decisions. 

The plot, with a deranged and obviously weird serial killer whose history we get glimpses of, sort of drug on. As the small police force, along with temporary help from an FBI agent, struggles to align the few clues to identify a suspect, the parents who know there is someone in their town who is a bad actor, should be locking down their kids. There's some strange ritual stuff with animals and a bit of supernatural clairvoyance that sort of made me tune out. 

Anyway, not one I will enthusiastically recommend as it really did not live up to the blurb description. 

I both read the e-book and listened to the audio production. The narrator was OK. Thanks to the publishers for those ARC copies. 

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

Genre - mystery thriller, crime, suspense, serial killer

Devil's Bridge (Alexandra Cooper #17) by Linda Fairstein

 A different perspective in this 17th book of the Alexandra Cooper series.

After one of her cases blows up in court, Alexandra Cooper goes missing. She had left her friends at a local bar and restaurant and then vanished before she could get into the Uber she'd called. The NYPD and the DA's office all get involved in the search with Mike Chapman nearly going of the rails with concern and worry. What has happened and who has taken their beloved friend and colleague? The entire cohort is stymied, and every criminal connected to Alex is a possible suspect. There are a lot of possibilities.

This was my least favorite of all the books I've read in this series. I did not care for the main voice in this story to be that of Mike Chapman with Alex putting in only a cursory appearance at the beginning. I missed all the legal and courtroom drama -- one of the main reasons I read these novels. The plot got really bogged down with a lot of historical detail that was basically irrelevant, especially when it got to the Irish criminal aspects and the connection to Chapman. The whole scenario and reason for Alex's disappearance was just not very compelling. I actually don't care that much for Mike Chapman despite the fact that now he and Alex are in a romantic relationship. It just doesn't seem like a match made in heaven to me. Regardless, I thought the whole last half of the book was actually rather boring. 

One thing I did enjoy was the audio version due to the skills of the narrator. The male/female voices and the accents were really well done making each character stand out clearly. 

I will likely read future installments hopeful that the story lines will return to the typical legal thrillers they were in the past. 

This is the 17th in a long running series. Although it can be read as a standalone, it is best to read the books in order.

Genre - legal, crime thriller

Formats: Audiobook from library; ARC from NetGalley 

Black Wolf: A Novel (#2 Antonia Scott) by Juan Gomez-Jurado

 Exciting and fast paced, this suspenseful crime thriller is the second in a series featuring the enigmatic, brilliant Antonia Scott and her squire, Inspector Jon Gutierrez. 

The duo works behind the scenes in Spain as part of the secret Red Queen project. They are assigned to the most difficult cases and try to stay within the boundaries of the law. After a harrowing pervious job, they are again sent into a delicate situation involving the mafioso. Yuri Veronin, a man known for his money laundering expertise, is found brutally murdered in Costa del Sol and his pregnant wife, Lola Moreno, is on the run after an attempt is also made on her life. The Russian cohort is hot on her trail and even call in the notorious contract killer, the Black Wolf. Antonia and Jon are meant to find Lola first. It seems that there is a lot of double crossing and profit skimming going on and no one is to be trusted. 

I really rated the first two books in this series and can't wait for the third installment. I like the short chapters and the writing style. I both listened to the audiobook and read along with the e-book so I could fully appreciate the nuances and also helped with the fact that I am not fluent in Spanish. I love the characters of Antonia and Jon and they make quite an unusual pair. Appreciate so much that there is no romance and enjoy each of their personalities and quirks. The story line is great and there are some surprises along the way. Definitely some dark humor as well. 

The audio was a superb production and I absolutely love the narrator, Scott Brick. He has the most wonderful voice and gave life and individuality to all of the characters he voiced in this novel.  

I am recommending this series to everyone who likes a good crime thriller and am thankful for receiving the ARC audiobook and e-book from the publishers. Looking forward to the next, White King. 

Also -- there is an adaptation of the first book in this series, Red Queen, on Prime right now and I sure hope to see this one there as well. 

This is the second in the Red Queen series. Read in order.

Genre - mystery thriller, crime, mafia, Russia, Spain 

Murder Road by Simone St. James

 Paranormal mystery thriller.

April and Eddie Carter, recent newlyweds in the summer of 1995, are on their way to Five Pines Resort for their honeymoon when they take a wrong turn off the Interstate and end up on a deserted road named Atticus Line. Suddenly, they spot a young woman walking along and stop to ask her if she needs a ride. When she gets into their backseat, April notices that the woman is bleeding and they rush her to a local hospital in Coldlake Falls. That’s when their plans are completely derailed. 

The woman dies and suddenly April and Eddie are suspects. Turns out that this is not the first murder on that road. There have been 6 known victims over the past 19 years. Since they are not allowed to leave town, April and Eddie start looking into these strange, linked cases. 

I enjoyed this well enough but somehow missed the word, paranormal, in the description when I requested it from NetGalley. I can’t bend my rational, pragmatic mind enough to buy into this aspect of a murder mystery investigation that is beyond scientific reasoning. The plot was interesting if predictable, and I did like April and Eddie as the main characters. I’ve no doubt it will prove popular among readers who will more enjoy this creepy tale with its haunting elements. 

Thank you to the publisher for granting access to this title to read and review. 

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

Paranormal mystery thriller 

Extinction: A Novel by Douglas Preston

 Suspenseful and thrilling mystery adventure!

High up in the Colorado Rockies, deep in a beautiful valley, lies the immense Erebus Resort. It draws the most exclusive guests and gives them the unique opportunity to explore and view formerly extinct animals. When a honeymooning couple is kidnapped, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation sends Agent Frances (Frankie) Cash to liaise with county sheriff James Colcord and the Erebus security team to find out what happened to the wealthy newlyweds. 

The usual characters are all there with it immediately obvious to see the malevolence and conceit of the bad guys and the righteous clarity of those pursing answers. There is lots of action and I found this impossible to tear away from. I was lucky enough to have both e-book and audio review copies and I found it all great fun in the vein of other wildly popular books written in a similar fashion. If you liked "Jurassic Park" or "The Great Zoo of China", you would also love this one. I wish, however, that just once, these resorts would be successful and provide us all with some sort of validation for continuing to pursue these scientific advances with DNA. It would be such a cool vacation. 

This novel explores the science of de-extinction and the ethical and legal consequences of gene manipulation. As always, the author's extensive research and understanding of the topic lends credibility to the story. In addition, the social implications of messing with thousands of years of evolution. Preston is an excellent writer and I always enjoy his books. 

Lastly, any movie producer should be vying for the rights to bring this to the big screen. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with advance copies to review and recommend. 

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

Genre - adventure, mystery, thriller, genetic manipulation, extinction

A Grave Robbery (Veronica Speedwell #9) by Deanna Raybourn

 Enjoyable historical mystery and adventure.

There are not too many books that are classified as historical fiction that are fast and fun. With this series, it’s the witty repartee between Veronica and Stoker and their friends JJ and Mornaday that makes me actually laugh out loud sometimes. 

A beautiful young woman’s body is found, perfectly preserved and resting in a glass casket. Who is she? The plot thickens as the group investigates the strange case and the villain’s murderous intentions become clear. 

I love the details in this series and the characters have become like old friends that I can’t wait to visit. The grounds of the estate, the little folly buildings, the daily activities of Veronica and Stoker as they do their various jobs taking care of Lord Rosemorran’s various collections and treasures. So many interesting bits of natural history and relevant particulars around the time period. Sure sometimes Stoker seems like a pouty baby, but all is forgiven because he’s buccaneer hot. They have a lovely, steamy romance where all the bedroom action is off page. Veronica is impetuous and daring and definitely not a typical woman of her era — the late 1800s. It all makes for an entertaining read. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend. If you are looking for a fun historical mystery series, this is a good choice. Be sure to start at the beginning.

This is the 9th book in a series that should be read in order from the beginning.

Genre - historical fiction mystery and adventure late 1800s London