Hope Rises (Walter Nash #2) by David Baldacci

 Gripping sequel brings the thrills.

After a brutal syndicate destroys his life, Walter Nash reinvents himself as Dillon Hope to hunt down the woman he holds responsible, Victoria Steers. He puts himself into her inner circle in a series of manipulations where he becomes a loyal body guard to the woman he intends to kill. Once embedded, he finds that things are not exactly as they first seemed. He must decide how far to go and whom to trust as he navigates the lethal tightrope he must walk to stay alive and get his revenge for all that was taken from him. 

This was a gritty and fast-paced story that was full of action and double cross. Nash, as Dillon Hope, has become a cold and calculated operative who must be alert to every changing and challenging situation as he penetrates Victoria’s world. There is a nonstop action and lots of tension as he tries to stay one step ahead of the nefarious plotting of all of the different factions and people involved in the crime world.  There was a lot going on and a lot of characters that might be good or bad at any moment. There was psychological tension as Walter grapples with the morality of what he’s doing and the choices he’s making. It’s definitely engaging and kept my interest. I’m hoping there will be another in this series as I don’t feel that his story has ended with all the tumult and changes.

I was able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book ARC, both provided by the publishers. The full cast of six narrators were simply amazing and brought the book to life. The dramatic flair, the accents, the performances all contributed to make this one of the best audio books I’ve had the pleasure of listening to. I’d highly recommend everyone enjoy this as I did as it was a truly immersive experience that enhanced my pleasure in the story.

This is the second in the Walter Nash series and should be read after finishing NASH FALLS.

Genre and tags: mystery thriller, murder, syndicate, drugs, body guard, intrigue

A Very Irish Mystery (Lady Eleanor Swift #25) by Verity Bright

 

Historical cozy mystery in the golden age of detective fiction.

In this 25th installment of the series, we travel to Dublin along with Lady Eleanor Swift, 
her husband, Hugh, and their butler, Clifford. This is no ordinary vacation, however, as she and Hugh have come to meet a man who holds the key to her parents' disappearance. While waiting to connect with him, they decide to visit the legendary Finnegan's Brewery only to discover the owner, Fergal Finnegan, murdered. The head of operations immediately hires the Byron Detective Agency to help solve the case before the police get involved and the brewery's reputation is ruined. 

This was a classic whodunit with lots of suspects. The 1920s Dublin backdrop provides atmosphere and a history lesson. Of course the emotional weight that Eleanor carries about what happened to her parents infused the narrative and provided some new information for her which I hope will be resolved sooner rather than later has this has drug on long enough. The team enjoys their usual repartee and points of peril in their usual fashion. 

I like this series and it's one of the few I continue to read because I've stuck with them since the beginning. I feel that most of the installments don't work well as standalones as there is a ton of backstory. Although the new agency is in its infancy, I do long for that team to stay back home at Henley Hall in Little Buckford as I miss the manor life and the details as well as the ladies who work the house. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend. 
Book Blog Tour Date 4-14-26

This is the 25th book in a series that should be read in order from the beginning.

Genre and tags: murder, brewery, Ireland, Dublin, 1920s, amateur detectives, historical, cozy 

When I Kill You by B.A. Paris

 A predictable but fast paced mystery thriller.

Fourteen years ago, Elle Nugent witnessed a young woman being snatched off the street and driven away in a car. Elle is adamant when she identifies and names the man behind the wheel. Unfortunately, she was proved wrong. Not only did she destroy the life of the man, she eventually achieved such notoriety that she fled and changed her name. Trying to escape her past has been difficult now that she is Nell Masters. She’s living in London in an inherited house and has just met and fallen for a new man. Alex spends a lot of time in the US, however, so Nell becomes convinced that she has a stalker and she still can’t let go of her obsession as she believes that the stalker is part of her past that has finally caught up to her.

This story was told in dual timelines with Elle of the past and Nell in the present. Nell is paranoid and does crazy things. There’s a lot of coincidence and bad decisions made. The reveal seemed to veer off course from the direction the mystery seemed to be heading and it was quite a letdown. There were some real stretches to get to the conclusion. I’d say this was OK but nothing spectacular though I kept on reading just so that I could find out who was doing all the harassing. The motive was just lame.

I was able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book ARC, both provided by the publisher. The narrator, Georgia Maguire, did a good job with bringing the characters to life in this production. She wasn’t overly dramatic and handled the main character’s moods and reactions very well. Her performance definitely enhanced my enjoyment of the book.

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

Tags and Genre - mystery thriller, stalkers

Murder by Moonrise (Dr. Julia Lewis #3) by Patrice McDonough

 This third in the Dr. Julia Lewis mystery series finds her and Inspector Richard Tennant connected to several incidents involving the British Royal Family and some of their staff and servants. It starts when a young servant of Princess Louise is found dead on the Isle of Wight. The maid is found to be pregnant when Julia performs her autopsy. Julia’s examination proves the cause of death was murder. As Tennant and Scotland Yard try to find the killer, yet more murders occur that appear to be linked and this discovery leads the investigating Tennant to uncover a Fenian plot targeting Queen Victoria. It seemed a rather convoluted plot using both real and fictional characters. The threads tying everything together took a while to pull in. 

I really enjoy this series and I hope to read further installments. I really like Julia and am happy that she and Richard have finally declared their intentions. I hope there are future cases that the pair will work in the late 1800s London setting. I enjoyed this story but noted that it focused more on the police and conspiracy themes than the medical situations that I prefer. Although Julie was called to attend members of the Royal Family, she didn’t do much real doctoring in the book. Or not nearly as much as I would have liked. 

I was able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book ARC, both provided by the publishers. The narrator, Marian Hussey, did an admirable job of handling the British and Irish accents as well as the different tones of male and female characters. She has a very expressive voice and spoke clearly which was necessary to follow the complex plot and the very large cast of characters in the story. I find that a good narrator definitely enhances my enjoyment of a book.

This is the third in the series that should be read in order.

Genre - historical fiction, British Royal Family, woman physician, Scotland Yard, murder, Fenian plot

It’s Not Her by Mary Kubica

 This is both mystery and domestic drama.

Courtney Gray’s family vacation at a Wisconsin lake resort turns into a nightmare when she finds her brother and sister-in-law brutally murdered in their cottage. While her nephew, Wyatt, is found upstairs in his room unharmed, her 17-year-old niece, Reese, has disappeared.

The story alternates between Courtney’s frantic search in present time and Reese’s perspective in the days leading up to brutal crime. 

Fully of really icky people, terrible behavior, and a definite need to suspend disbelief at times, the book mostly suffered from a bloated teenage narrative with its typical angst, inappropriate use of social media, drama, and a super sketchy romance. I didn’t like the flip between the adult and teen points of view and never have been a fan of a mystery where an amateur protagonist is off trying to solve the case. Courtney spends a lot of time doing things she shouldn’t and the author throws up a lot of red herrings on the way to what I’d call a ridiculous ending. Come on. Sometimes there is just that twist too far. 

I was able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book ARC provided by the publisher. The narrators, especially the females, were just too melodramatic and theatrically overwrought. I almost stopped listening because it got on my nerves, but stayed on til the end.

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

Genre and tags: mystery, dual perspective that ultimately reads more like YA due to teenager point of view, murder, missing persons 

Alibi by Accident (Verona Montero #1) by Kayleigh Suggett

 I found this debut quite entertaining and laugh out loud funny.

This first in the Verona Montero series is silly and exaggerated camp at times, but turns out to be a cozy murder mystery that takes a sharp turn. 

Verona Montero is an irreverent and foul-mouthed private investigator (insists on the term private dick) who is hired by a client (Miami) to find proof that her billionaire husband, Javier, is cheating. Miami's goal is to overcome the strict prenup agreement and get herself a massive divorce settlement. Javier is a huge jerk so there's no love lost there. Before Verona can get the proof, Javier is found murdered in Greece and of course the wife is the main suspect. Verona jets of to Mykonos to see what she can find out and discovers that he was a nasty man who probably deserved his fate. An unfortunate twist, however, is that an innocent man has been arrested. 

This is not deep nor probably very accurate in the portrayal of lawyers and private detectives, but it was fun to read and I needed something to make me laugh after a run of more serious reads. I do think I will read the next in the series because I just have to know if Verona's obsession, a divorce attorney named Quentin, will ever take her out of the friend zone. 

I was able to listen to the audio book while also reading along in the e-book ARC, both provided by the publishers. The narrator, Carlotta Brentan, did a great job of voicing all the characters including the various accents required. She brought the story to life and definitely enhanced my enjoyment of the book. 

This is the first in a new series.

Genre and tags - cozy murder mystery, infidelity, sexual assault, murder, private investigators, romance, funny, lots of f-bombs 

None Left to Tell by Noelle Ihli

 Absolutely devastating and searing historical fiction novel rooted in real events.

It will be a minute before I forget the story of “The Mountain Meadows Massacre.” I was not familiar with this terrible slaughter and its coverup and need to come to grips with the violence perpetrated on the members of the wagon train headed to California from Arkansas in 1857.

The author writes with the authority of someone raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is a descendant of families involved in the massacre. I think this connection makes the book even more powerful. It was many years before most of the truth of that attack was revealed, and there are still attempts to cover up details today.

The story is told from the perspectives of 3 women who belonged to the three main groups involved. The Mormons (under the direction of Brigham Young), a local Indian tribe (it still is unclear which tribe actually was involved), and a wagon train of families from Arkansas. The Baker-Fancher wagon train consisted of approximately 120-150 people. Only 17 children (all under the age of 7) were spared and only because they were thought too young to remember. 

My heart totally aches thinking of all that happened leading up to the moment in the meadow when one man’s voice was the signal to start the carnage. I cannot even imagine the horror. And, I’m so glad that some involved felt enough guilt to come forward with the truth despite the Morman leadership demanding oaths of secrecy. 

As it is based on a true story, it’s hard to stay objective, and the worst part is knowing that only one person was actually punished. Ah the powerful men justifying their deeds in the name of religion. When all the time it was misguided vengeance. 

If you’ve the stomach for it, this was a riveting read. 

I tried to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book, but I did not care for the overly dramatic, breathy voice of the narrator, Lisa Cordileone. Especially when she sang or did the voices of the children, so i finally just deleted it and returned to the library. 

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

Genre and tags: historical fiction, true event. Meadows Massacre, wagon train, murder, Mormons