The Lawyer’s Husband by Robin James

 Fun but predictable mystery thriller.

Mina Sobel Manning is an attorney who is handling a very high profile case involving several murdered women when she suddenly hears details about the killer that suggest the suspect might be her very own husband, Lock. Could the man she trusted and adored, whose rules she has followed since they met, be the person the witnesses are describing. 

Fast paced with a focus more on domestic dread rather than legal aspects, the narrative from dual perspectives kept me engaged. Mina seems to go from super competent to sort of unhinged rather quickly, however. Some of the interaction between Mina and the detective and her boss makes her appear to be a mess and don’t get me started on some of her actions and decisions. Also, what’s with the repeated use of the word “sinfully” to describe activities in the bedroom? Corrine is something else. I didn’t really care for any of the characters and as I said, I knew immediately how it was all going to end for the most part, but I enjoyed it.

I was able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book ARC, both provided by the publishers. The two female narrators, Elise Roth and Madeline Pell, did an adequate job with the two main women characters. Their voices barely changed when speaking male dialogue, though, and that really made the whole production less entertaining when there wasn’t that feeling of listening to a full cast. It was like being read to rather than performed. I usually count on audio to create an immersive experience and that didn’t happen. 

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

Domestic suspense, psychological, marriage, murder, legal, detectives

The Broken Plea By Christopher Whitcomb

 This is going to haunt me for a long time. I thought I knew the story. I thought they got the killer. This true crime account makes me question everything!

A very detailed account of all that went into the investigation and analysis of the crime scenes, the victims, and the identified perpetrator. Bryan Christopher Kohberger pled guilty to the murders of four college coeds before his case went to trial. In accepting the plea, many questions were never answered and the families and public will never get the answers they crave. 

In this well written documentary, the author describes all the ways in which the case was improperly handled and how the local Idaho  police might have zeroed in on their target without the evidence and proof they should have obtained. The prosecutor was trying to obtain the verdict and the public defender tried but was sidelined despite having some serious reasonable doubt. 

It makes me sick to contemplate. But why, if the revelations in this book are true, did Bryan go ahead with this plea and skip the trial? He’s never explained or answered to any of it. Makes no sense and after reading I’m still so torn. I remember reading about this at the time it happened and how I, along with most of the public, thought Bryan was guilty as charged and was happy he saved the taxpayers and went on to jail without the spectacle of a trial. I hope we find out the truth of it all someday, but not sure we ever will. Very compelling and interesting story that kept me glued to the pages despite all the heavy scientific information about DNA and the descriptions of information about vehicles, college life, the friendship and relationships among the group, and the attempt to explain the blood evidence at the crime scene. 

Drinking and drug consumption among college students made this even more difficult because the only witness can’t remember anything. Which I sort of find suspicious. There was a lot of that. 

I was able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book, both provided by the publisher. The narrator, the author himself, Christopher Whitcomb, did a great job of  using his voice to explain his story. He speaks with conviction and handles the complex investigation very well. I enjoyed immersing myself in the story and thing that this audio enhanced the book and my enjoyment.

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

Genre and tags: true crime, murder, Idaho killer, Bryan Kohberger

Two Kinds of Stranger (Eddie Flynn #9) by Steve Steve Cavanagh

 This was such a good legal thriller and I enjoyed everything about it EXCEPT the last chapter.

Elly Parker is a high profile social media influencer famous for her public acts of kindness. Her curated, perfect life shatters publicly, however, when shse accidentally live streams her new husband having sex with her best friend. Reeling from that ultimate betrayal, Elly tries to pick up the pieces and get over her bitterness. When she spots a man on crutches struggling with a heavy yellow suitcase at a subway entrance, she decides to help. It’s a decision that plungers her into a living nightmare. For the stranger is a meticulous diabolical serial killer who has chosen Elly as his next target. Then she’s accused of murder and all the forensic evidence points to her so she turns to Eddie Flynn, defense attorney, and his brilliant team for help. 

I love a mystery and a legal thriller with all kinds of great lawyer maneuvers and terrific courtroom drama. Great pacing and alternating points of view kept me glued to the pages. The bad guy is super chilling as a villain and it sure makes one question the next act of kindness for a stranger! You’ll need a bit of suspension of disbelief as Eddie’s team goes a bit off piste and you might suffer some whiplash with the twists, but it was hard to put down and I really enjoyed it. Except as I said, for the last chapter which I didn’t like at all. No spoilers but I’m curious if you agree.

I was able to listen to the audiobook while also following along in the e-book ARC provided by the publisher. The narrator, Adam Sims, did a decent job with the male voices but this production could definitely have benefitted from a larger cast as the female voices weren’t up to par. I love immersing myself in a book while listening and reading, so I always enjoy a book more when I do this. 

This is the ninth in a series. I haven't read them all but this was easy to follow without needing any extra detail not already included.

Genre and tags: legal thriller, suspense, mystery, serial killer, murder, criminals, defense lawyer

Of Hoaxes and Homicide (Miss Hermione #2) by Anastasia Hastings

 Highly entertaining atmospheric whodunit.

In 1885 London, practical Violet Manville secretly writes a very popular advice column under the pseudonym "Miss Hermione." Bored with etiquette questions and endless whining, Violet gets her wish for a real mystery when a letter arrives from a frantic mother. Her daughter has run away to join a nature-worshiping cult that hints at rituals and orgies and is called the Hermetic Order of the Children of Aed. The stakes turn personal when Violet realizes that this very girl is actually Margaret, the best friend of her spoiled, fashionable, society obsessed half-sister, Sephora. 

Violet decides to infiltrate the cult's compound inside the old ruins of the Alburn Abbey in Nottingham. When one of the members is found poisoned to death and Margaret is accused of the crime, Violet must use her keen eye for human nature to separate the grand hoaxes from a very real homicide. And who should appear but Violet's crush, American investigator Eli Marsh. 

I enjoyed this second installment in the series. This was a classic cozy but with a hint of gothic intrigue and the creepy cult vibe. I love how Violet's intellect plays off Sephora's ditzy vanity and how they have this comedic friction. Very surprised to see Sephora develop a bit of resourcefulness. Appreciated that the romance factor didn't have a lot of play. Look forward to the third book.

I was able to listen to the audio book while also following along in this e-book. The narrator, Mia Hutchinson-Shaw, did a decent job trying to voice all the characters but this really needed a male performer to really enhance the production. 

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

Genre and tags: cozy mystery, historical, London, cult, poison, murder, penny dreadfuls, sisters 

Beach Thriller by Jamie Day

 Can we say domestic pop-gothic noir…

Holly Sinclair is broke. She is a struggling New York author who has hit a slump so she decides to move back to Beaufort, Massachusetts, to check out her late mother’s dilapidated beachfront home — the very town where her sister Anna died almost 20 years ago. Desperate to pen a bestselling thriller to save her finances, Halley finds herself drawn to investigate what really happened the night of the fire that resulted in her sister’s death. Was it an accident or was it murder.

Oh my my my. What started tentatively as an engaging summertime thriller turned quickly to a story that was so over the top and unbelievable that I had to shake my head. What a disappointment. The coincidences and the characters were just too much with their actions and motivations. The plot was eventually rather preposterous as the premise of a desperate writer confronting her sister’s cold case has potential, the execution spins into pure ridiculousness. The wrap up at the end as everything is revealed and, surprise, tied together, was just way out there. The characters are one dimensional and make baffling choices such as Holly allowing a random teenager hiding in her attic to move into the house. Then there’s the psychic medium and the busy body real estate agent along with some other crazy others. The insta romance also a turn off. Anyway. I didn’t end up liking this as much as I’d hoped.

I was able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book ARC, both provided by the publishers. The narrators, a cast of women, included Emily Shaffer, Jane Oppenheimer, Jennifer Pickens, and Megan Tusing. I preferred some of the voices over the others but really disliked when they veered into melodramatic screeching and overacting. I do not know who voiced which character. Usually an audio production enhances my enjoyment of a book and this one did that for me but it was ultimately the story that fell short, not the performances. 

2.5 stars raised

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

Genre and tags: beach read, convoluted plot, domestic, amateur investigation, author, runaway, rich people 

Heather by Caitlin Mullen

 A meticulous and atmospheric examination of a small town’s collective sins.

This was a haunting mystery that is set in the shadows of the New Jersey Pine Barrens. It takes place across dual timelines and is a slow burn noir that has a lot of deep emotional resonance. 

In the before: it’s 1990 and 16-year-old twins Annabelle and Sabrina Riley are seduced by an older man. Their father is often absent and their mother has vanished, so when they face a dire situation, no one really notices when both vanish without a trace. At the same time, a local girl delivering newspapers discovers a dead baby girl in the forest. 

Decades later, Callie Hauser returns to her hometown of Pine Lakes to serve as the new police chief. Her best friend, Jane Caputo, was severely injured in an accident and Callie wants to help Jane, her husband, Damien, and their small daughter as much as she can. 

Despite her own past and her messy situation with her mother, Jenna, Callie soon finds that her professional life and her personal life collide. A revelation by genealogical DNA forces Callie to face a legacy of family trauma that exposes the truth surrounding her own parents and uncovers the secrets tied to the disappearance of the twin sisters. 

Very well plotted with a slow unraveling of all the bits and pieces of the back story. I felt deeply for some of the characters whose life circumstances put them into such terrible situations with no one to help. I still don’t understand and was not happy about the legal charges but can’t say much due to possible spoilers. There were a few overwrought moments that veered into melodrama, but overall I enjoyed this book. 

I was able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book ARC, both provided by the publishers via NetGalley. The three female narrators, Bailey Carr, Christine Lakin, and Mia Wurgaft, did an excellent job of voicing the main characters. Their dramatic flair was appropriate and created an immersive experience that enhanced my appreciation of the book. 

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

Genre and tags: mystery, investigation, twin sisters, bad men, small town, bad parenting, drugs, murder, stillbirth, teen pregnancy, missing women, DNA, police 

The Break-up Retreat by Camilla Sten

 In the isolated Swedish wilderness sits the Himlafall Clinic, an ultra exclusive psychological sanctuary promising to cure vulnerable women of their devastating heartbreaks. Intrigued by whispers of malpractice and traumatized patients, investigative journalist Isobel Anderssen goes undercover armed with a fabricated backstory. She intends to expose the clinic’s popular founder, Dr. Martina Hastings. 

Upon arrival, Isobel’s investigation quickly unravels. Her inside contact has not shown up and someone steals her hidden phone. Worst of all, Dr. Hastings displays a predatory ability to get under Isobel’s skin and starts battering her psychological defenses by exposing her relationship issues. It’s as though the doctor is manipulating her and the others in therapy there. The unorthodox methods seem dangerous and Isobel starts to feel threatened as the other women crumble under the strange cult like treatment. 

This premise was good but the execution stumbled because Isobel made some really reckless and frustrating choices. It made me question her journalistic integrity and competence in her pursuit of an expose. The writing really forced that sense of doom as the author focused on creating an atmosphere involving bad weather, isolation, mistrust, the lack of outside communication, and no free will. I struggled to connect with the characters, especially the other patients. I never felt any emotional stake. Definitely the reader will have to suspend a lot of disbelief through some of the melodramatic turns and the over the top conclusion. The wrap up didn’t deliver the payoff I’d hoped for nor any revelations about the whole clinic process.

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, (in her debut performance) Payton Mader, did a fabulous job of voicing the characters and bringing them to life. She wasn’t overly dramatic and her smooth tone and pitch brought a welcome change to audio books where the narrators sometimes sound overwrought and screechy in tense situations. I enjoyed listening to her and the production definitely enhanced my enjoyment of the book. 

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

Genre and tags: psychological thriller, treatment, clinic, therapy, murder, unhinged characters