Where the Road Ends by Brian Freeman (Jonathan Stride #12)

 Authentic and suspenseful crime thriller with psychological depth.

In this police procedural, part of the Jonathan Stride series, he and wife Serena deal with the fallout from a devastating double homicide of a judge and his wife. The two detectives find that the crisis escalates quickly when Stride’s partner, Maggie Bei, shoots an unarmed intruder fleeing from the murder scene. Maggie is put on probation and faces a media storm and internal investigation. Meanwhile, Stride and Serena try to figure out what happened in the home of Judge Gordon Hartwick and his wife, Tracy. As the investigation widens, a strange connection to a cold case develops, centered on a teenage girl named Emma Strong who was kidnapped six years prior. 

Fast paced and full of interesting, complex characters, this provided twists and a multilayered plot. An ideal pick for me as I really enjoy realistic crime thrillers with some emotional weight. The setting of Duluth, Minnesota, with the cold and snow, adds to the tone of the story matching the moral gray areas and angst of a tragic mistake. I’ve read a couple of others in this series but now want to go back and get the ones I missed. Like the writing style and these characters. 

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 was the incomparable January LaVoy. I love her voice and the way she inhabits the characters and makes them all sound unique. Listening to her dramatic flair and expression totally immersed me in the story and enhanced my enjoyment of the book. She’s one of my favorite audio book narrators and I highly recommend the listen.

This is the 12th book in the series but I’ve read only a couple. This worked OK for me as enough backstory was given so I don’t feel that I missed out.

Genre and tags: police procedural, murder, gambling, corruption, police shooting, unwed pregnancy, adoption, psychological 

Drowning in Paper Flowers by E. L. Westbury

 The first thing to say is that the publisher’s description of the book is quite misleading and don’t decide not to read it because of what’s said. I was pleasantly surprised by the real story. 

Ruby Powell leads a seemingly nice life in an affluent Dallas neighborhood. But, behind closed doors, she relies on anti-anxiety meds to cope with a failing marriage, as well as trying to deal with a daughter who apparently detests her and a son who suffers some nightmares from a toddlerhood kidnapping. She knows her husband’s secret and decides to bide her time as problems with her children start to upend her life. Especially when she’s threatened. 

This was quite the wild ride and totally not what I expected given the plot summary. The story is told from various points of view with some flashbacks that make sense at the climax and final reveals. I honestly didn’t see that coming and I love when a twist can shock me. The characters were sure interesting and I gravitated between disgust and empathy. I really had a hard time dealing with how Millie treated her mom so hideously beyond normal teenager bad behavior. I appreciated how the epilogues tied things up and all the loose ends came together. I liked the ending. What a messed up family for sure but the most interesting kind are the messy ones. It was a little heavier than I prefer with kid and teen drama but I enjoyed it. And, perhaps an unpopular opinion, but I liked Ruby even if she is really whack. 

I listened to the audiobook while also following along in the e-book ARC given to me by the publisher and NetGalley. At first I wasn’t sure I was going to like her voice, but the narrator, Jessica Taige, ended up doing a fantastic job giving life to all the characters. Her performance definitely enhanced my enjoyment of the book. 

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

Genre and tags: domestic thriller, adultery, family trauma and drama, mental illness. PTSD, teacher-student relationship with grooming, sexual assault, rape

Witch Trial by Harriet Tyce

 This pairing of legal drama with psychological horror struggles to strike a tone and left me unimpressed.

When a boarding school student, Christian Shaw, is found dead in an Edinburgh park, her close friends, Eliza Lawson and Isobel Smyth, are brought to trial for her murder. Heart surgeon Matthew Phillips serves as an initially enthusiastic and devoted juror while the prosecution presents a shocking claim: the death was connected to the practice of witchcraft. As courtroom testimony unfolds, Matthew begins experiencing strange visions, leaving all to question whether supernatural forces are at play or if it is all a calculated deception and the two on trial just carried bullying too far. 

The initial premise of blending courtroom procedures with teenage occultism created real intrigue and hooked me, and the Edinburgh setting lends a fittingly bleak atmosphere, but the whole witch and devil thing really just lost me. The courtroom scenes are repetitive and Matthew is clearly in need of antipsychotic medication as he flips out really early on and I stopped buying into the story. I was not invested in the girls on trial and it all became rather boring. The author attempts a last twist but it falls flat and the final part of the book just left me shaking my head. I don’t think I’m the right target audience for a book of this nature with all of the witchcraft, tarot, ouija boards, devil messages, etc. 

I was provided with an audio book which I listened to while also reading along in the e-book ARC gifted by the publisher. The narrator, Angus King, did and OK job but he really had a heavy accent which made him hard for me to understand and his female characters all sounded the exact same and it wasn’t good. This would definitely have benefited from a female narrator to add some contrast and a change in tone. Usually the audiobook enhances my enjoyment but I had to stop listening at times and forced myself to go back to it. 

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

Genre and tags: teen witchcraft, occult, devil, spells, murder, trial, courtroom, jurors

You’ll Be Sorry by Liz Alterman

 Satisfying and suspenseful domestic thriller.

On the eve of her 40th birthday, successful and wealthy Amelia (Mia) Montgomery spots an advertisement featuring Ethan Blackmore, the ex-fiancé who shattered her life and left her humiliated over a decade ago. Mia rebuilt her entire identity from scratch to escape her past so she’s totally not meant to look deeper into what Ethan has been doing. She can’t help herself. Mia finds that he married well and has a couple of kids, but has lost his fortune and has had some trouble. While she’s happy he’s not on top of the world, she still has unresolved trauma and a deep desire for revenge. Mia can’t leave it alone and now it’s on. She’s going to dismantle everything in his life. 

This was fast and fun and kept me engaged. This is definitely one of those where the main character walks that line between seeking justice and becoming obsessed to her own detriment. Mia was easy to understand, especially at first, but as she went deeper into her dark desires to destroy him, she became unlikeable. Enough is enough. She definitely went too far, and she sort of missed her target (no spoilers) but I don’t think anyone was sorry about that. Mia was malicious and single minded losing sight of the end goal and carried things just a bit too far. I do think she got what she deserved and I doubt she got the closure she wanted, but it goes to show how retaliation can backfire. 

I was able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the ebook ARC provided by the publisher. The narrators, Christine Lakin and Stacey Carolan, did an excellent job of voicing the characters and bringing appropriate dramatic flair. Their performances really enhanced the immersive effect and increased my enjoyment of the story. 

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

Genre and tags: psychological thriller, suspense, domestic, murder, twins, revenge

Malice by Design (Jack Wyatt #2) by Gary Birken

 Medical sleuth Dr. Jack Wyatt and Dr. Madison Shaw return in this second installment of the medial thriller series.

The pair are called in to investigate a terrifying anomaly at a top pediatric oncology hospital. Children who were in remission from leukemia are suddenly developing an inexplicable, severe wasting disease that they name Leukemic Malnutrition or LM. The doctors race against time to uncover the root cause navigating hospital politics as well as discovering links to past unethical research. They ultimately find a secret that someone is willing to kill to protect. 

I had some problems with this book and ended up being disappointed. While it had a decent medical plot, the book as a whole just didn't hit right and was almost a duplicate of the first book as far as these two doctors coming in to save the day with this same obscure type diagnosis and a sinister bad actor behind it all. The characters of Jack and Madison just don't act right, I mean they are supposed to be a romantic couple, and all they ever did was run around the hospital, eat, and talk about the disease. Absolutely no tension or suspense in this story. It was actually kind of boring and slow. Also some errors where the wrong character's name was used, etc.  I have no issues with the medical jargon and descriptions, in fact, that's the only part of this that I liked was the discussion of prions. 

I don't know if I'll bother with further books in this series. The characters need some life and the stories need a new tangent. I am just not buying this super medical detective brilliance stuff. Definitely way too much ethics discussions and yeah, they are self-righteous and know they're correct about everything. 

This is the second in the series, best read in order.

Tags and Genre - medical mystery, prions, leukemia, experiments on humans, unethical research, murder 

What Happened That Night (Maud O'Connor #3) by Nicci French

 A slow-burning, deeply compelling mystery that hinges on tension and atmosphere.

After spending 30 years in prison for the murder of his university friend Leo, Tyler Green is released, still maintaining his innocence. He arranges a gathering of the 8 friends who were present on that tragic night for a reunion in London, seeking answers about what truly happened.  When another murder occurs late in the evening after dinner, Detective Inspector Maud O'Connor steps in to investigate. Tyler is immediately re-arrested and returned to prison but Maud isn't sure. As old secrets unravel and with the past repeating itself, Maud and DS Carrie Kessler must determine whether Tyler is a psychopathic killer seeking revenge or a scapegoat set up once again. 

This is one of those locked room type mysteries where the killer is hidden in plain sight and I suspected each person in turn. What makes the set up work so well in this case is the quiet paranoia and heavy sense of long-buried guilt among the friends. The story shifts focus from simple procedural tracking to a nuanced exploration of shifting loyalties, unreliable memories, past hurts as well as embarrassments, and evidence of how 30 years of secrets can corrode relationships. The characters were so well-developed and sharply drawn and as the friends reveal their stories in police interviews, Maud is laser focused on the timeline and their explanations about the night. The tension builds and the suspense escalates as things soon crystalize while Maud hones in on the likely killer and obtains the confessions. I could barely put this down wondering who did it making all sorts of guesses. It was a very engrossing book. I've read the first in this series but missed the second and now will definitely go back to catch up. 

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, Sophie Roberts, did a very good job of voicing all the characters, giving them unique and distinguishing tones. She had the appropriate dramatic flair which enhanced my immersion into the book and increased my appreciation of the story. 

Note - this book was previously titled Tyler Green Will Never Be Free

This is the third in series featuring DI Maud O'Connor and the second I have read.

Genre and tags: police procedural, murder, locked room, wrongful imprisonment, friendship 

The First Scarlet Door (Anson Bishop 4MK prequel #1) by J. D. Barker

Dark, atmospheric prequel that functions as a gripping origin story for a very unsettling serial killer.

In 1999, Anson Bishop, 15 years old, has escaped to Charleston after his childhood home burns down and his mother vanishes with stolen mob money. In a foster home sort of situation that reeks of child exploitation, he makes some friends who attempt to break free only to find that powerful forces are much more organized and stronger than anyone realized. The violence that surrounded his ruthless upbringing resurfaces and Anson, guided by his father's voice inside his head, is pushed to his limits and must rely on his highly analytical instincts to stay alive. All of his steps toward rescuing himself and the other kids are dangerous choices that push him down the dark path that will ultimately mold him into the notorious Four Monkey Killer. 

I had completely forgotten what a great writer this guy is and he's returned to top form with this first in what is meant to be three stories detailing Anson Bishop's growing up years. The main character is very interesting and you can see how his detachment style gives a unique perspective on the dangerous and scary situations he and the other kids are in. There's definitely a buildup of psychological momentum without losing the gritty and disturbing elements that make this a really great thriller. It's fast paced with short chapters of alternating viewpoints and some tight suspense with sharp plot twists. Who can be trusted in a world where unhoused children are for sale to the highest bidders. Reading this made me want to go back and reread the first trilogy but I'll probably wait until I've read all three of these origin stories. 

I thank NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC audio book which I listened to after also obtaining a copy of the e-book from the local library. The narrators, Michael Crouch and Piper Goodeve, were excellent in immersing me in this very dark world and I could not put this down so read it all in one sitting. Their voices created the tension and dramatic flair I appreciate for a story such as this and thoroughly enhanced my enjoyment of the book. 

This will surely captivate fans of the original 4MK series and likely secure more.

This is a prequel series related to the 4MK trilogy and I believe best read in publication date order.

Genre and tags: children, exploitation, trafficking, murder, torture, corrupt cops