Bad Robot (Luke Daulton #2) by John Benedict

 This is the second in a medical thriller series featuring Dr. Luke Daulton, an anesthesiologist working at Swatara Regional Hospital. This story takes place a couple of years after the events in the first book, and Luke now has a two-year-old daughter. 

With the blend of medical and technical details, mad gossip about affairs, and the endless dynamics of hospital politics, there’s a lot happening. There’s the usual mix of bad guys and gals and it’s quickly clear that Brandt Stevens, a nurse in the SICU, is one to keep an eye on. Unfortunately, his girlfriend has a roving eye and has her sights set on the handsome new robotic heart surgeon, Dr. Dominic Salazar. My goodness — what jealousy will do.

I enjoyed this a bit more than the first one though I wasn’t that interested in the computer tech aspects of it as much as the hospital scenes and the medical parts. The love triangle stuff was completely ridiculous as were the endless pages describing how various men felt about women and sex. Ugh. 

On to the third installment. Let’s just say that there is indeed a lot of drama within and all these life and death scenarios are a bit far-fetched when they involve the medical personnel and not the patients!

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

Genre - medical thriller, Techno, murder 

Fatal Complications (Luke Daulton #1) by John Benedict

 I'm a huge fan of the medical thriller, but the plot and action within these pages was quite far-fetched and left me a bit underwhelmed.

This is the first in a series featuring anesthesiologist Dr. Luke Daulton. He's just starting a new job and is also trying to make friends and prepare himself for the imminent birth of his daughter. During one of his first days in the OR, a colleague's patient dies from malignant hyperthermia. The experience makes Luke suspicious but he's unable to pinpoint the source of his concern. Meanwhile, there's a lot going on behind the scenes with a large cast of characters.

Many subplots and plenty of good and bad characters fill this story. The narrative jumps from person to person with Luke being the main character. Almost too much going on with limited detail as to how it all really ties together. Luke and others are put in extreme peril as the climax is reached. The story will require a great deal of suspension of disbelief. I do enjoy the medical details about conditions and treatment, but that whole side bar of the weird supernatural stuff and the excessive amount of religion were not aspects that intrigued me. The conspiracy stuff was just too far off an unexplained.

Will I read another by this author -- well I'm tied to the first 3 in this series so I guess I will give the second a try and hope for the best.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for this e-book ARC to read and review. 

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

Genre - medical thriller, conspiracy, murder for hire

Cobalt Blue by Matthew Reilly

 Fast and fun novella. Totally predictable in the superhero genre norm fashion, but entertaining nonetheless. Characters are stereotypes of good and bad with clear bias present at the outset. Seems like this would be more suited to a graphic novel or the screen. Not sure if there will be a follow-up or a series. Since I'm not really a huge fan of the whole superhero thing, I'll have to think about revisiting. Lots of bloody death in this.

This is a standalone so far, not part of any series.

Genre - superhero, world domination, Russia vs USA

The Drift by C.J.Tudor

Dystopic apocalyptic fiction with a touch of horror driven by a global pandemic.

Narrated by 3 different characters, the novel focuses on survival in a world that has been changed by a virus that keeps mutating and infecting. Students bound for safety are stranded in the snow after their bus crashes. A cable car with workers going up the mountain to volunteer at the Retreat stops halfway up to the control station. In the former chalet, the staff at the Retreat are tested by dwindling supplies and power failures. Hannah, Meg, and Carter are willing to do whatever it takes to stay alive. Everyone has a secret and all are lying. 

This was OK but I didn't find it suspenseful or compelling. Many characters, but they were dropping so fast that I didn't invest much into them and couldn't work up the empathy needed to care. The Whistlers were much more interesting to me and I would have preferred to read about them rather than the 3 sets of people in the bus, cable car, and chalet. The sketchy details about the virus and the pandemic left me wanting more. Much of the action and all that happened required a great deal of suspension of disbelief. Lots of blood and gore if that's your thing.  A few twists and turns along the way to a reveal and the sort of unsatisfying conclusion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the e-book ARC to read and review. 

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

Genre - dystopian, virus, pandemic, horror 

The Forever Witness: How DNA and Genealogy Solved a Cold Case Double Murder by Edward Humes

 Fascinating true crime.

"Genetic genealogy...was the source that never lied, never faded with time, never forgot. It was the forever witness."

The murdered bodies of Tanya Van Cuylenborg and her boyfriend, Jay Cook, were found separately in isolated parts of Washington State in November, 1987. The lack of clues hampered the investigation and eventually the case went dormant without new leads. Decades later, in 2018, Detective Jim Scharf working the cold case in Snohomish County, Washington, would team up with genetic genealogist, CeCe Moore, to identify the killer. The man, William Talbott II, was subsequently tried and convicted using this new and powerful forensic tool -- but it has been widely misunderstood. 

Along with details about the Cuylenborg/Cook case, the book also focuses on the controversial use of genetic genealogy as a method of fighting crime and identifying criminals. The argument centers on privacy and the rights of those who submit their DNA to both public or private labs. Many of us have willingly put our saliva in a tube and mailed it to one of the ancestry sites looking for information. The question then is whether or not that voluntary surrender implies consent for police or other organizations to search those data bases for their own purposes -- mostly to secure and identify a suspect in a murder or other violent crime. Keep in mind that when you send off your DNA, you are also revealing that of your relatives and mostly without their knowledge or consent. It's definitely an interesting debate, and I know on which side I fall. Several US States have already begun the process of regulating and establishing clearcut laws about using genetic material. 

I found the entire book absorbing and extremely interesting. I was not aware of the cold case and was astonished to hear the outcome of the trial and subsequent appeal. I liked the way the author wrote the story of Tanya and Jay and the way the narrative included so much detail that created in me a desire for the couple to get some sort of resolution and ultimately, justice. Sometimes I forget how much I enjoy reading well-written true crime. I recommend it. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for this e-book ARC to read and review.

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

Genre - true crime 

Stay Awake by Megan Goldin

 Fast and fun psychological thriller.

Liv Reese has a huge gap in her memory. The last thing she remembers is answering the phone at her office over two years ago. Every time she falls asleep and wakes up, she has forgotten everything that happened since. Obviously, this means she wanders around a lot trying to figure out where she lives, where she works, and why everything is so strange. She can't find her phone or her wallet. Her roommate and her boyfriend aren't answering her calls Then, she sees herself on TV as a suspect in a murder. All she has to do is STAY AWAKE in order to try to put the pieces of her fracture memory together and figure out what is going on. 

I had sworn to myself that I would not read any more books that had the words "amnesia" or "memory loss" in them. I'm not sure why this beckoned, but it did and I picked it up and was immediately hooked. Sure it was predictable, and this narrator was certainly unreliable, but it was entertaining, and I actually liked most of the characters. Even the flawed protagonist, Liv, wasn't as annoying as so many have been. 

I liked the fast pace and the narratives from the point of view of Liv and also of the police who are trying to investigate the murder. The time shifts can be a bit disconcerting and helps get the reader in the frame of mind of the dissociative fugue state that Liz is experiencing. I enjoyed it. 

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend.

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

Genre - psychological thriller, mystery, amnesia

Observer by Robert Lanza and Nancy Kress

 Mind-bending science fiction that blends physics and biology into an incredible tale of what could be the future.

Or, should I say, what I wish would be the future. This novel was completely absorbing, and it took me longer than usual to read because it required a lot of thinking as I tried to make sense of the science and the concept that is called, in the book, The Primacy of the Observer. This theory focuses on the suggestion that "instead of matter and evolution giving rise to consciousness, the truth is the other way around."  Yeah, this is deep and heavy stuff, but the authors did an incredible job turning all this into a story that is relatable and easier to understand.

When Dr. Caroline Soames-Watkins is forced from her job as a neurosurgeon after she reports an incidence of sexual harassment to the hospital board, she's invited to work for a distant relative she has never met -- the famous Nobel Prize winning scientist, Dr. Samuel Watkins, her great uncle. He and two other brilliant men have set up a medical compound in the Cayman Islands where they are doing groundbreaking research and experiments that involve deep brain stimulation. Their goal is to discover the nature of consciousness, reality, and possibly, life after death. 

Read this if you want to expand your mind and if you enjoy entertaining science fiction that seems plausible. I liked the characters, the science, the writing style, and the story itself. I only wish that new discoveries and inventions were not deemed so scary that they invite the attention of hate groups or the cancel culture. This would make a great film.

Thank you to NetGalley and The Story Plant for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend.

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

Genre - science fiction, medicine, surgery, physics

Murder at the Charity Ball (Miss Underhay #11) by Helena Dixon

 A Christmas cozy historical mystery in a favorite series.

It's almost time for Kitty Underhay and her fiance, Captain Matthew Bryant, to marry as scheduled on Christmas Eve in 1934. Excitement and anticipation build as Kitty's father, Edgar, is coming to visit and to walk her down the aisle on her wedding day.  But first, Kitty and Matt are to attend a charity ball at the home of Lady Eliza Foxley. An evening of entertainment turns deadly when the lady of the manor is found murdered in her room. Things take a sudden turn when Edgar, who was staying at the house of their hostess, is arrested. Then, an attempt is made to poison Eliza's sister. What is going on at Villa Lemora?

Along with their usual cohort of friends and family, Kitty and Matt help Inspector Greville question the suspects and try to solve the case in time to enjoy their wedding day. 

This series has long been a favorite and I urge those interested to start at the beginning. I like the characters and the story lines with all the period and historical details from food to fashion. I always enjoy going to visit at the Dolphin Hotel and am happy to finally see Kitty and Matt married. I look forward to the next installment with all the changes in their personal lives as they embark on a new business arrangement along with their domestic bliss.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend. 

This is part of a series that should be read from the beginning in order.

Genre - historical cozy mystery, 1930s, Dartmouth

No One Knows Us Here by Rebecca Kelley

 Extremely disappointing mashup that is not suspenseful or entertaining. I should have stopped reading before the halfway point, but I stuck it out until the end hoping it would not go where it went. 

Why? The character of Rosemary was incredibly lame and every single decision she makes is the most wrong choice a person could make. She needs money so she agrees to be a billionaire's girlfriend. He's not nice. She keeps staying and collecting the money. She has grand schemes and intentions and does not follow through with any of them. Like she's pretending to be an actress in a movie of her own life, but doing a really bad job of it.  Of course he's hideous and controlling, that would be the expected stereotype so that Rosemary can rationalize what she does.  And, naturally, there's the boy next door trope and, gasp, is he going to save her?

All in all, this was a waste of my time and I can't think of a single person to recommend it to. The writing is repetitious and the narrative from Rosemary's point of view is irritating. The plot is predictable and unbelievable. There's nothing new to see here. 

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing.

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

Genre - psychological, domestic drama, relationships

SKIP IT

Reef Road by Deborah Goodrich Royce

 An unsolved murder creates damage that reverberates through decades.

This is a mystery that reads like true crime and is very hard to put down. Even as you imagine you know where it's going, the writing style and the narrative told in alternating points of view will keep you pushing on, analyzing, and guessing all the while. 

The past: in 1948, Noelle Grace Huber was stabbed 36 times in the kitchen of her home while she was baking a cake. Her parents were not home at the time. She was 12 years old. No-one was ever arrested or convicted for the crime. It was senseless and tragic, and everyone who knew the family suffered for years. 

The present: it's 2020 and the COVID pandemic has created a lockdown in Palm Beach, Florida. A young wife discovers that her family has gone missing. A middle-aged writer is working on a book about the murder of her mother's best friend. Why is the writer so interested in Linda Alonso and her children? Then, a severed hand is found on the beach. 

Past and present collide in spectacular fashion as truth and lies are exposed. There are some great reveals and twists along the way. I enjoyed this very much though it is a bit of a slow burner as the author sets the stage. The two female characters have traits and behaviors that I both loved and hated, and they certainly challenge beliefs about justice and revenge. Looking forward to reading other reviews and comments on this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Post Hill Press for this e-book ARC to read and review.

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

Genre = mystery, crime thriller, psychological, 

Devil's Way (Kate Marshall #4) by Robert Bryndza

 Entertaining thriller as Kate and Tristan investigate an old missing person case.

Kate and Tristan are running their fledgling detective agency on a shoestring and are always looking for new business. Kate, in the hospital after a near drowning incident, meets a fellow patient with a very sad story about her missing grandson. Even though it's been over 11 years, Jean can't accept that her 3-year-old grandson could really be dead. Kate and Tristan agree to start looking into old records and visit the location where Charlie vanished in the middle of the night. The more clues they discover, the more questions they have.

This is the 4th in a series that has really grown on me. I like the main characters -- Kate, a mature 47 mentoring Tristan, her former research assistant when she was professor in criminology. Her police background gives her credentials and respect, and he's a quick learner. Blessedly, no romance and Kate doesn't do stupid things to put herself in danger in this book. Nice and clever mystery with a predictable but satisfying outcome.

Thank you to NetGalley and Raven Street Publishing for this e-book ARC to read, review and recommend. I look forward to the next installment.

This is the 4th in a series that should be read from the beginning.

Genre - crime thriller, series, UK

The Third Instinct (Dan Clifford 2) by Kent Lester

 Action-packed sequel full of science, history, and moral/ethical dilemma is fast and fun.

This follow-up to THE SEVENTH SUN takes prediction scientist Dan Clifford and his girlfriend, Rachel Sullivan, to a new threat involving ancient, secret societies and the scary organism known as the Devil's Paradox. You will want to read the first book before opening this one. Full of realistic technology, conspiracy theories, political corruption, DNA hacking gone amuck, and all sorts of other interesting details, the story is a thriller as well as an adventure. There's even a bit of romance and the characters are unlikely, reluctant heroes who do their best to save the world. A bit of social commentary lends credence and believability to the narrative.

I enjoyed both books very much and recommend you read them back to back if possible. I like the writing style and the pacing that made this hard to put down. I'd love to see a film adaptation.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the e-book to read, review, and recommend.

This is the second in a series so be sure to read the first one prior to starting this.

Genre - thriller, historical, science, technology