The Five Year Lie by Sarina Bowen

 Entertaining domestic mystery thriller.

A woman whose boyfriend disappeared and then subsequently died receives a text message 5 years later asking her to meet him in the park they had frequented during their time together. Shocked but eager to see him again, Ariel Cafferty rushes to the location. But he never shows up. Ariel has never forgotten Drew and the explanation for the text has her doing a deep dive into everything she thought was true about their relationship, her relatives, and the family business. 

This was fast paced and quite interesting as it involved the technology behind door cameras and the subsequent threats to privacy that they can create. Having access to the footage of those cameras can be used for good and also, as is discovered, for evil. As Ariel searches for the truth, she discovers more than she anticipated. She's been lied to and it's cost her everything. 

I liked the main character and though some stereotypical trope friends gave me pause, the narrative played out as I expected with some surprises along the way. A bit of romance and a harrowing cross country bus trip kept me glued to the pages. The conclusion was a bit anticlimactic but anticipated.

I was able to listen to the audiobook while following along in the e-book ARC provided by the publisher. There were 3 narrators, a woman and two men. All did decent jobs for their related male and female spoken parts, but the voice for the child grated as did the instances where men spoke for women and vice versa. Overall, however, the production did enhance my appreciation of the book.

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

Genre - mystery, thriller, domestic drama, cyberstalking

An Insignificant Case by Phillip Margolin

 Entertaining and fast-paced legal thriller.

This is a standalone, so I was able to jump right in and get my fix as I love fiction involving legal maneuvering and complicated plots. This one however, got me with the characters. So many different personalities on the legal end and a really quirky mathematician turned artist who made for a very interesting criminal. 

The basic plot involves an inappropriately displayed painting, a stolen flash drive, sex trafficking, murder, and vigilantism. The story takes off quickly and the excellent writing kept me hooked. As the action ricochets from one scenario to another, the attorneys adapt and try to keep their client alive. 

Guido Sabatini (born Lawrence Weiss) is a most unlikely criminal as he's a slightly crazy painter who believes he was trained by the masters in a past life. He gets mad when a painting he sold to a restaurateur is not hung out in the main dining area but hidden away in an office. He decides to break in and liberate it, but also, in spite, takes a flash drive from the office safe thinking he will simply give it back once the owner hangs the painting in a more suitable place. Arrested for theft, he needs an attorney. Enter third rate lawyer Charles Webb. Charlie's a good guy but he's no match for what's coming. Oh, Guido. What a nest of serpents he let loose. There is something on that flash drive that many people will get to keep secret.

I really liked this story and was lucky to be able to listen to the audiobook while also following along in the e-book ARC provided by the publishers. The narrator did an excellent job of voicing the characters with appropriate tone, accents, and dramatic flair. The production was well done and enhanced my enjoyment of the book.

This is a standalone and not part of any series.

Genre - tags: legal thriller, sex trafficking of minors, rape, murder

The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden

 This melodrama is filled with stupid characters who behave in completely outlandish ways. You know it's bad when you want the main character to be killed off (yes, I'm talking about you, Sydney). I know I have to think way outside the box of reasonable and believable when I pick up a McFadden, but these twists have gone way crazy now. The mystery to me is why I keep hoping that the next book I pick up will be different. 

I listened to the audiobook and hoped it would save a ridiculous premise but that wasn't enough to save it, in fact, can't say I really liked the narrator but am blaming that on the dialogue and action scenes that the author wrote. Since the narrator has to read what's on the page, she really had little choice in how to portray the characters. 

Stop with the insanity of completely improbable twists. It was a surprise only because it was so preposterous, and not in a good way. 

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

Genre - drama, dating, relationships, murder

Taken in the Cold (#7 Tori Hunter) by Roger Stelljes

 Action packed crime thriller!

Even though this is the 7th book in the series and only the second installment I’ve read (just #1), I can say that this is definitely one of the better ones out there. I enjoyed the plot and how the investigation came together with all of its twists and turns. I like the characters, especially Tori Hunter and Chief Detective Braddock. Despite the gap between 1 and 7, I never felt lost as there was plenty of backstory and I was able to catch up quickly.

Though this involves domestic terrorism and also a few other issues like embezzlement and kidnapping, it all flows well and moves quickly. I like the writing style and also the vivid descriptions of the Minnesota weather and the lakes areas. 

I was able to listen to the audiobook while following along in the e-book ARC (both provided by the publishers) and I highly recommend you do that if you can. The narrator did a great job voicing all the characters and adding an appropriate amount of dramatic flair to the story. Listening while reading definitely enhanced my enjoyment of the book. 

Can’t wait for the next in series. Only sorry that I missed 2 through 6!  I’ve given up on many series lately but I’m making an exception with this one. 

This is the 7th in a series that would be best read in order from the beginning.

Genre - crime thriller, detectives, domestic terrorism, money

Local Gone Missing (DI Elise King #1) by Fiona Barton

 Deftly plotted crime thriller kept me entertained.

This is one of those books where you feel like you need a spreadsheet to keep track of all the characters so you can cross reference as you read. There are so many of them but eventually the loose ends all tie together and the conclusion is satisfying when you reach the denouement.

Told in multiple points of view and in a shifting timeline, the plot revolves around a missing local man who is revealed as a con artist who has destroyed many of the residents' lives in the seaside town of Ebbing. He's caught them up in financial schemes but now they want him to pay. There are a lot of suspects with plenty of motive, means, and opportunity to put the fix on Charles Perry. But who took care of him?

This is the first in a new series featuring Elise King -- a former DI who has been off on sick leave after having treatment for breast cancer. While recuperating, she and her neighbor do some snooping on the side, but then Elise goes back to her job and officially investigates the case. 

I was able to listen to the audiobook while also following along in the e-book ARC provided by the publisher. The production was very well done using multiple female and male voices to give distinct personalities to all the many characters. The performances definitely enhanced my enjoyment of the book.

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

Genre- crime thriller, mystery

You Can Kill (Laurel Snow #4) by Rebecca Zanetti

 Absorbing and suspenseful crime thriller.

First off, this is the first book and only one I’ve read in the Laurel Snow series so I believe that left me a bit overwhelmed as I tried to get a feel for all the characters that surely were much more familiar to those fans who have read the previous installments from the beginning. That said, I still enjoyed the story and managed to figure out the good guys from the bad pretty quickly. 

I liked the writing style and the pace though I could happily have not had to read the on page sex scenes. I don’t like them in any of my books, so generally I just skip right on past. The action and the plot moved right along with few surprises along the way though I was eager for justice to be served and the bad guys to pay. If you like this type of mystery with a strong and unusual female main character then you will probably want to check out this series. It’s not likely that I will go back and read from the beginning, but I’ll definitely be tempted to read the fifth installment to see how Laurel and Huck pick up the pieces after the events at the conclusion. Can’t see how much more mileage they can get out of the sister, Abigail, so I guess will wait and see.

I was able to listen to the audiobook while also following along in the e-book ARC provided by the publisher. I liked the narrator’s voice for the female characters with her tone and accents, but honestly, having a male voice for the many different men in the story would have definitely improved the sound recording and enhanced the production. The men’s voices all sounded the same and not very masculine. 

I’d give this a solid 3.5 stars that I rounded up to 4 because I do think I would have liked it even more had I read the first three books. 

This is the fourth book in a series that should have been read from the beginning, in order, but this is the only one of them I have read.

Genre -tags, suspense, crime thriller, mystery, romance 

Silenced Girls (Agent Tori Hunter #1) by Roger Stelljes

 Riveting crime thriller.

First in a series, this introduces Agent Tori Hunter of the FBI returning to Minnesota where she grew up. Lured by a newspaper clipping sent to her via mail, Tori goes back home in hopes of finding out what happened to her identical twin sister 20 years ago. Although not on the job, she partners with a local detective, Will Braddock, as he investigates a missing person case involving a local woman who disappeared off a lonely backroad. 

This was super good and I could barely put it down. Although quite a bit lengthier than is typical, I was intrigued and quickly invested in the characters and the plot. I liked Tori and many of the others in that small town. The red herrings tantalized and kept me guessing as I tried to figure out who the bad guy was. I'm excited because I really would like to read more books featuring Tori Hunter and I see many are available. I typically avoid series and prefer standalones, but I think I may need to make an exception with these. A solid and suspenseful mystery. 

I was lucky and got to listen to the audiobook while also following along in the e-book ARC, both provided by the publishers. I liked the narrator who did a great job voicing the characters with the appropriate amount of dramatic flair. The experience definitely enhanced my enjoyment of the book.

This is the first in a series featuring Tori Hunter.

Genre - crime thriller, mystery, suspense