Don't Talk to Strangers by Amanda Kyle Williams

Fast-paced and engrossing, this third book in the Keye Street series is one any lover of suspense thrillers must read! 

Keye Street, disgraced and fired former FBI profiler, has her own private firm dealing with assorted investigations as well as tracking down bail jumpers and serving subpoenas. This time, she's asked to consult on a possible serial murder case in the small town of Whisper, Georgia. The body of a 13-year-old girl has been found deep in the woods in a National Park -- right next to another body of a girl approximately the same age who had been reported missing 11 years previously. With no obvious connection between the victims who did not know each other, Keye and Sheriff Ken Meltzer see some clear evidence that these murders are related and that it might be the work of the same killer.  As they pursue their investigation, the secrets of this small town are given up one by one. When they finally seem to be closing in, another young female victim is abducted. Can they find this sadistic psychopath before she too is murdered?

Nonstop action with a very believable and flawed female protagonist! Even though the reader might make the obvious jump to the identity of the serial killer, the path to the exposure is well-paced and it is impossible to put this book down until the unmasking.

I think it's very important to have read the previous books before opening this one as the character of Keye Street develops over the course of the narratives in each. She's a recovering alcoholic and totally self-destructive, but her mistakes and her relentless pursuit of insight make her a heroine to root for despite some of her missteps. More than a little insecure and afraid of commitment, she is slowly finding her way.  I look forward to the next installment in this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Bantam Dell for the ARC ebook to review!

Previous titles in this series:

The Stranger You Seek: A Novel by Williams, Amanda Kyle (Aug 30, 2011)

Stranger in the Room: A Novel by Williams, Amanda Kyle (Aug 2, 2012)

Above by Isla Morley

"Freedom...Its other name is Choosing."

Abduction and Apocalypse - a story of "survival, resilience, and hope."

First off, this novel has little to no similarity to either ROOM or to THE LOVELY BONES. To compare them is to do all of the very different stories an injustice. Start with an open mind.

Blythe is just 16 years old when she is kidnapped and taken down below ground into an abandoned missile silo in Kansas by a disaster survivalist who has created an impenetrable bunker deep in the bowels of the earth. Dobbs Hordin met Blythe when he was working in the Eudora high school library and abducts her while she is walking home from a town celebration. He's completely convinced that armegedon is imminent and has made complex and complicated plans for survival and for propagating the species afterwards. The first part of the book deals with Blythe's life while imprisoned in the silo. Every day and each event that Blythe endures in the dark and stale compartments below the Kansas plain is one of self-sacrifice and infused with desperation for freedom and return to the family and life she knew before. Dobbs makes frequent missions outside of their compound and returns with supplies and news -- but he is not to be trusted so Blythe has no way to know what is really going on in the world above. Blythe struggles as she is first required to be Dobbs's mate and then to raise a child. She tries to stay alive and mentally intact through her memories but all she can think of is getting OUT.

That day of emancipation comes after 17 years in captivity and what she finds when she and Adam open the doors of the silo is not at all what she had prayed for, hoped for, or imagined it would be. The last parts of the book deal with Blythe and Adam as they come face to face with a changed world and try to reconcile all that happened and forge a new existence. To discover that to live might just take more than to survive the worst.

The book is set in current day but sometimes the character of Blythe didn't ring true when compared to teenagers I know -- she seemed much more old-fashioned -- which was sort of off putting. There are serious religious overtones at times in the writing, though the apocalypse isn't suggested to be a punishment, but definitely it is has heavy social commentary. Sometimes the internal dialog that Blythe has with herself seems a stream of consciousness blathering that occasionally went on too long and the reader indeed gets the message that this is not the world whose memories kept Blythe  going and to which she wanted to return. Yes, there were deaths and changes. Many stereotypical characters that will be recognized by anyone who reads post-apocalyptic fiction -- the good guys and the bad guys.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. I think it's one that all ages will devour -- it would make a great movie!  Lots of good points for discussion in a book club and I'm definitely going to recommend it to young adult readers as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books for the ARC e-book to review.

When the Cypress Whispers by Yvette Manessis Corporon

3.0 out of 5 stars - Greek mythology come to life in this romantic tale set on the magical island of Erikousa, off the coast of Greece.

Daphne, a young widow with a little daughter, was raised in the Greek ways by her parents and beloved Yia-yia. She alternated between time in New York wit her hard-working parents and summers on the island with her grandmother.  Now after years of struggle away in America setting up her famous restaurant, and with her parents also dead, Daphne feels the call to return to Erikousa to be married there. She's found a new man and she's ready to share the memories and the island with her daughter and fiance. She returns to the idyllic place to relive some of the happy moments she experienced there and to spend time with her aging Yia-yia. Though they've remained in contact through the intervening years, Daphne senses that there are still things that her grandmother has to tell her. Even though it seems that Daphne has achieved her dreams, is it possible that her soul is centered on the island and that it's time to find out if she is ready again for love.

The novel is replete with details about Greek island life, customs and food. The reader can taste the meals, smell the herbs and flowers, and see the beauty  of the isolated island where not much has changed to modern times. Yia-yia has more than nourishment for the body to give her beloved granddaughter -- she has a last lesson to teach and a very big secret to share.

Women looking for a predictable romance set in Greece will enjoy this book.

Amazon Vine ARC.

The Possibilities by Kaui Hart Hemmings

4.5 out of 5 stars - "You can't compare pain and rank heartache. Pain is pain is pain. There is no precise measurement. No quarter cup."

What a marvelous book - an exploration of grief and stream of consciousness beauty of a story with prose that resonates for anyone who has suffered a loss!

Sarah St. John had a son, Cully, who recently died in an avalanche. She's paralyzed by so many conflicting emotions as she forces herself to get up each morning and deal with the devastation Cully left behind. Knowing and not knowing so many things about him, she's searching for any explanation or reason to still be alive -- for how can you be a mother if you have no child? If motherhood didn't define her, what did? Sarah reluctantly returns to her job and tries to live amiably with her dad who had moved in with her and Cully years ago. It doesn't seem that either will reach any sort of equilibrium as each is still reeling from everything that happened that brought them to this place and time. Breckenridge is a lovely, historical place that is home to both of them, but neither can reconnect with their joy of being a part of it anymore. Lyle tries to meet his needs by buying stuff he doesn't need off the home shopping channel and Sarah spends a lot of time enjoying her wine and arguing with her best friend, Suzanne. As time goes by, Sarah must face the fact that Cully had a hidden life of his own -- it wasn't intentional, it was just that he was growing up, moving into adulthood, and becoming the man he would become. Except he didn't "become" -- he died.

Sarah never married Cully's father, Billy, but discovers that the two had been seeing each other. In fact, there's even more incredible shock when a girl she's never met appears on her doorstep claiming that she's pregnant with Cully's child. The interactions that follow between them all and pregnant Kit are totally heartwarming, funny, and poignant. Decisions must be made and none are easy. Reading this novel is a journey in self-discovery.

This book will be a hit with book clubs for many reasons -- and there is so much here to love, to quote, and to discuss. I'll be recommending it highly.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the e-book ARC to review.

Doing Harm by Kelly Parsons

4.5 out of 5 stars - Fast-paced and exciting medical thriller!

Dr. Steve Mitchell is chief resident in surgery at University Hospital in Boston. He's in line for consideration of an appointment to the faculty of this institution after graduation if he just stays on course and works hard. He's flying high until he has a VERY BAD week and things start to spiral downhill rapidly. He makes some serious errors in judgment and is investigated by the safety committee of the hospital. He may even get fired as things go from bad to worse. It seems that someone is killing his patients and has issued a challenge to Steve: stop me if you can!

Loved this novel -- one of the best medical suspense stories that I've read in ages! It was original and quite a roller coaster ride. I simply could NOT put it down and stayed up way late into the night because I had to know what happened. I'm sure I might be in the minority, but I enjoyed every single minute detail about the surgical procedures, medical treatment and care, and the diseases and problems the patients had.

The flawed and all-too-human protagonist vs a completely unusual foe -- bravo for a fresh medically focused thriller by an author whose work I'm going to seek out again! I can tell you that the author not only knew medicine, but also wrote very well.

POSSIBLE SPOILER(The psychopath reminded me of Gretchen Lowe in the series by Chelsea Cain.)

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this ARC ebook. 

Mind of Winter by Laura Kasischke

3.0 out of 5 stars - Dark and disturbing...

This unusual psychological drama takes place over the course of a single Christmas day as the increasingly unreliable narrator, Holly, is set to prepare a dinner for guests that end up unable to come for the feast due to a severe winter storm that blankets the Michigan area in a huge amount of snow. Holly is not alone at home, however -- her adopted 15-year-old daughter, Tatiana, is asleep when husband and father, Eric, leaves for the airport to pick up his parents before the storm hits. The reader immediately knows that something is not quite right about Holly when the phrase: "Something had followed them home from Russia," is repeated so often in her thoughts as to become more annoying than chilling. A bit later, it comes clear that something is also a bit off with Tatiana - a beautiful "Jet Black Rapunzel" whom Holly and Eric had brought back and adopted from Pokrovka Orphanage #2 in Siberia.

The twisting tale has flashbacks that reference Holly's medical issues and childhood and to her and Eric's visits to Russia during the adoption process. She's quite quickly painted as being a bit unstable with a huge propensity for denial. Tatiana is particularly difficult throughout the day as Holly continues to prepare the meal, and secrets that Holly has locked away inside her winter mind start to affect and disorder thoughts and behavior. Just what happened at the orphanage 13 years ago -- and exactly what is going on there in the cozy house between mother and daughter on this Christmas day?

I found the ending both somewhat predictable and also surprising. The writing is a cross between prose and poetry and I read the book in a matter of a couple of hours but had to go back and reread several sections just to make sure I "got" it all. There are some unresolved issues, however, but those dangling ends probably can best be left to the reader's imagination. Enjoy!

I selected this book because I had read and enjoyed two of this author's other novels: The Raising: A Novel and In a Perfect World: A Novel.

Amazon Vine ARC

One Plus One by Jojo Moyes

4.0 out of 5 stars - "Life was a series of obstacles that just had to be negotiated, possibly through sheer act of will." Jess is a single mom to an unusual pair of children: Goth Nicky and Geeky Tanzie. After her depressed husband left to get himself together, she takes whatever jobs she can find to make ends meet but still is falling behind. A chance encounter with Ed Nicholls, co-owner of a software development company, and a man about to be indicted for insider trading, turns her busy life around -- but not in the way anyone expected. This is the kind of novel that you know in advance is going to have a happy ending -- but even so, you don't mind getting there after all. Despite its predictability and saccharine conclusion, the story provides laughs, sighs, and the type of insights that you get with the wisdom of experience. Mistakes made and lessons learned. Definitely it is chick lit, with a degree of sentimentality and a huge measure of romance, but I enjoyed the book anyway! Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Viking for the ebook ARC to review.

Innocence by Dean Koontz

2.5 out of 5 stars - "Depart, impious one, depart, accursed one, depart with all your deceits." Addison Goodheart is said to be an abomination who lives alone beneath the city, hidden in an old bomb shelter. He spends his days quietly down under while roaming the uptop world at night -- to gather supplies, food, thrift store clothing. One night, while exploring the library, he meets a girl who appears to be just as broken and damaged as he is. Her name is Gwyneth and they instantly become friends. (Oh wait, it was love at first sight.) After establishing some ground rules - she is not to look at him and he is not to try to touch her - they embark on a series of missions during a winter snowstorm that has nearly shut down the city. These activities require that Addison trust Gwyneth as their purpose becomes more clear. First, I must say that I have read almost every Koontz novel ever written, and there are many I really enjoyed, especially his earliest ones. I have noticed, however, that Koontz tends to write as if he wants to impress the reader with his vocabulary and long detailed descriptions of scenery, weather, etc. None of which add to the story or advance the plot. The narrative in Addison's point of view goes back and forth in time (painfully, tediously) as the reader slowly gets more details about him and his life. The meandering doesn't create suspense, just irritation. When (most) all is finally revealed and the whole point of the story becomes known, the denouement is totally unexpected and not necessarily in the good way of a thriller. During the course of the story, the reader is treated to what I imagine are the author's own viewpoints on religion, humanity, the nature of evil, and the nature of innocence or purity. I'm sure a book club could pick up on any of these themes and have quite a discussion if the members are inclined to the debates. I was disappointed by the turn taken and the ultimate conclusion to yet another TEOTWAWKI novel. I received this book as an ARC in a LibraryThing early reviewers giveaway.

Gemini by Carol Cassela

4.0 out of 5 stars - Medical drama, mystery and love story...

Dr. Charlotte Reese, an intensivist, is on duty at Beacon Hospital near Puget Sound when an unidentified woman is admitted to the ICU -- the victim of a vehicular hit and run. Severely injured and unresponsive, the Jane Doe begins to consume Charlotte's thoughts and life. Who is this woman and why has no one reported her missing? Since there is no family to give medical directive, the hospital executives and legal team step in to assume responsibility. Meanwhile, in her personal life, Charlotte, is conflicted over her relationship with Eric as it seems to be going nowhere.

Flashback to a small town near Olympic National Park where Raney, 13 years old and living with her grandfather, meets Bo, a twelve year old boy who is visiting for the summer. The shift in perspective and time was disconcerting until this second story's connection became obvious.

Throughout the rest of the narrative, this changing point of view provided the backstory that ultimately connects to the present day and current situation with all the characters. The conclusion is predictable and mostly satisfying though I found it ultimately quite heartbreaking.

I have read Cassella's two previous books (Oxygen and Healer) and was so excited to see a new one. The writing is beautiful and a smooth blend of scientific fact, philosophy, religious speculation, discussion of ethical issues, and an exploration of love in its many forms. The female characters are multidimensional and believable. I would have preferred more medical focus and a more linear tale by a single narrator, but the construction of the story does work when it converges. The author provides many subjects for discussion and debate so it would be a great choice for a book club.

This book was an ARC and reviewed for Amazon Vine.

The Book of Someday by Dianne Dixon

4.0 out of 5 stars "Some people are defined by what they're looking for. Others by what they're hiding."

Typically I don't care for a book with an ambiguous ending; I feel frustrated that there is no conclusion and no logical completion of a story arc. In the case of this book, however, I found it to be perfect.

Three women, seemingly unconnected, are searching for a sense of love and belonging. Their poignant stories of longing and a sense of "aloneness" streams across their collective consciousness. The narrative is told in the alternating viewpoints of Olivia (Livvi), Micah, and AnnaLee from 1986 to present day. The main theme of the book is love -- in all its forms -- the love that exists (or doesn't) between family members, between a man and a woman, and between mother and child. Throughout the perspectives of each is this sense of foreboding as the reader feels that there is a sinister hidden truth in their stories that will propel the women to a cataclysmic revelation.

Livvi is a writer who felt unloved and unwanted by her father and stepmother and who finally meets the man who can give her everything she's missed -- or can he? Micah, a famous photographer, is dealing with a death sentence in the face of a cancer diagnosis but her internal demons ask if she should bother to try to save herself because of a horrendous crime she committed years ago. AnnaLee, who was forced to give up her dreams when a horrific accident destroyed her ability to dance, is married to a man who has intellect but no courage -- can she help him be the man he needs to be to save her and their child? Each story is heartbreaking in its earnestness and each woman feels the pain of the circumstances that ultimately bring them together in a fascinating tale of sorrow and loss. The reader is drawn to each woman in this deftly drawn tale where there are more questions than answers. Why and how are they affected by the photograph of the woman in the silver dress and the pearl-button shoes?

I loved the story. It is a very fast-paced novel with characters that tug at heartstrings without feeling melodramatic or manipulated. This novel would provide great topics for a book club discussion and I recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the e-book ARC to review.

Love Story with Murders by Harry Bingham

3.0 out of 5 stars - This is the second novel in the series following "Talking to the Dead" featuring protagonist Detective Constable Fiona Griffiths. I didn't enjoy this as much as the first book - the pace was slower and the overall plot of the story was a bit confusing and less interesting to me.

The setting is Wales, and it's very cold when Fi and her partner receive a call to pick up some strange "rubbish" at the end of a long day. What they find is a leg with a high heel on it, packaged and frozen in the garage chest freezer of a recently deceased old woman. Shortly after, body parts of another person are found scattered throughout the area - but this one's parts are male. Two murders -- both involving dismemberment -- are they related? The case takes Fiona and her boss Inspector Watkins off on several other tangents including illegal arms dealing. The reader needs to pay close attention to all the details as the investigation probes many angles and Fiona experiences several harrowing incidents, including an attempt on her life.

Still unsolved is the central mystery -- who is Fiona Griffiths and where did she come from? She suffers from a rare mental disease but is getting better. But the book still leaves a lot of loose ends and her character is not as fully developed as she seems to be a cross of several other memorable "off" characters in recent crime fiction. The people around her and with whom she is involved don't really get much fleshing out and seem one-dimensional: the loving boyfriend, the boss who likes her, the dad with a gangster-like past.

Not sure I'll move on to another book in the series, but definitely Fiona is a complex character with lots of room to grow.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Bantam Dell for the ebook ARC to review.

Talking to the Dead by Harry Bingham

4 out of 5 stars - Trust reason, not feelings... This novel, the first in a series, introduces an unusual protagonist Detective Constable Fiona Griffiths. She's a rookie on assignment in South Wales when a prostitute and her 6-year-old daughter are found dead in a squat there. What's unusual about the case is that a debit card belonging to a millionaire who died in a plane crash is found in the squalor. In an interesting twist, Fiona begins to feel that this murder is related to an embezzlement investigation she is concurrently working on. Drawn especially to the dead child, Fi goes out on a limb seeking answers for the victims and ultimately for herself. For, you see, she suffers from a very rare psychiatric condition that she and others refer to as her two years of "breakdown." I found this to be a very fast-paced and compelling read. I am enjoying getting to know Fi and her family and colleagues. There's a bit of a surprise at the end that didn't really ring true (would parents really keep that sort of secret from a traumatized child who had a breakdown like that?), but other than that I find the portrayals intriguing and interesting. I'm off to start book two in the series!   (Library Book)

The Supreme Macaroni Company

Life, love and family...Italian style!, January 3, 2014

This third book in the series, after Very Valentine: A Novel and Brava, Valentine: A Novel, is definitely not a stand-alone so you will most certainly need to have read those others prior to starting it to get the full scope of the trilogy. This one was not as happy and fun for me, it didn't create the same mood and feelings that the previous books had. In fact, it was very sad. I had enjoyed the other books because of the connection they provided to my own memories of family and food and work. I always felt that Trigiani had the uncanny ability to make me taste the food, see the sights, smell the scents, and touch the fabric of the materials used in creation of the shoes. I truly reveled in the details of the wonderfully chaotic and mostly happy life led by Valentine Roncalli and her large Italian clan. I wish this had ended differently.

Overall, I enjoyed the series despite not ever really liking the main character, Valentine Roncalli, since most of the time I just wanted to shake her and tell her to stop being so self-centered and single-minded. I eventually developed some empathy for her and grew to admire her struggles to save the Angelini Shoe Company and continue the family legacy.

This series is one any fan of Trigiani's work won't want to miss. It was a sentimental and moving story of a very interesting family business and their interwoven lives.

Amazon Vine ARC

Happy 2014!

4.0 out of 5 stars -- It amazes me how I ended up liking this series even though I can't honestly say that I really like the character of Valentine Roncalli! Most of the time I want to shake her, but I usually end up empathizing with her struggles and challenges. This series continues where the first book left off as Valentine's grandmother and mentor in the shoe company marries her love and moves to Italy leaving Valentine her business, her building, and the chance to make Angelini Shoes grow and prosper. The trouble starts when dear Gram designates Alfred, Valentine's older know-it-all brother, as Valentine's partner in the business. They've never gotten along -- he even tried to get Gram to sell the building, but there they are left, stuck trying to turn a profit together in a bad economy.

The other difficulty is that Valentine has met a man -- and since she has some trust issues, she can't commit to him because she has come to believe that men can't be faithful.

Meanwhile there's a lot of fun in this huge Italian family with their squabbles and foibles -- some truly memorable characters.

I loved the descriptions of the food, the scenery, and the details about making shoes. I do have a minor complaint -- I don't speak Italian and it irritates me when I have to stop to look up words in the online translator! And yes, I have to do that because I want to know, not guess.

I'm off to start the last in the series! Enjoy!

(Library Hardcover)

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert

3.0 out of 5 stars - "Anything less than a fight for endurance is a refusal of the great covenant of life."

I started out really liking this book! Set in the early 1800s, the story focuses on Alma Whittaker, the daughter of a self-made wealthy entrepreneur who is born in and lives on a huge estate in Philadelphia, PA. To me, these first chapters were extremely absorbing and fast paced as the reader hears how Henry made his fortune and about his household. Alma's parents were not exactly gushing over their little newborn girl, but during her young years they both nurtured her development of a consuming passion for knowledge and she was allowed access to every part of the activities around the estate.

Midway through, the book fell flat, especially when circumstances call Alma to travel to Tahiti. The rambling about her time there, the long treatises on religion, mysticism, spiritual, supernatural, etc., just didn't absorb me and I didn't really find it interesting. Then there was the really tedious part about her thesis writing (think: Darwin)... I was not sure if I was reading a novel or a textbook at some points. I just wanted Alma's story, not a professional scientific paper! There are huge segments of the book devoted to botanical detail as well.

The story ends with Alma in Holland as an elderly scholar, The Curator of Mosses (her passion).

Overall, the story was interesting, but I really felt like I was getting a lot of lectures in some parts of it. Alma was a very interesting character with a quite unusual life for the time period. She certainly was not a typical female (some of those scenes in the binding closet got really old hearing about). The supporting cast of characters provided not much more than short term foils for Alma as she pursues her dreams and passions but never gets the one thing she really wanted == love of a man. She also falls a bit short in getting the academic respect she so craves, hesitating to publish her thesis, and living in relative obscurity despite her vast knowledge.

Overall, the book had some great writing. The research on the science was very obviously deep and well done. I think a large part of it could be excised without damaging the main story, but I'd recommend it to a serious book club who would love to discuss many of the circumstances that Alma faces.

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking for the ebook ARC to review.

The Whole Golden World by Kristina Riggle

Facing painful truths...

We've all read the news stories and tabloid scandals that have become more heartrending as the frequency seems to increase. A person in a position of power abuses that trust and commits a breach -- a sexual tryst, embezzlement, lying under oath -- something sordid. Some of us greedily pounce on the gossip and devour the details with a sense of Schadenfruede and a certainty (and fervent hope?) that this would never happen to us. The truth is -- we don't know what is possible. We can't always imagine under what circumstances the situation got out of control. We aren't able to control the actions of others. This is the story of three women whose lives collide in ways none of them ever anticipated or expected.

At issue are questions about consent and responsibility. Though the legal age of "consent" in most states is variable, the law becomes moot when one of the parties involved is a teacher and the other is one of his(her) adolescent students. In that case it is a crime.

Morgan Monetti - a 17-year-old honors student and talented cello soloist, believes herself to be more mature than others her age and fancies herself in love with her married calculus teacher, TJ Hill. He's clearly enthralled by Morgan's view of him as her hero and allows himself to cross over the line -- meeting secretly with her in empty practice rooms and other places, even once in his own home. Meanwhile, TJ's wife, Rain, has been undergoing fertility treatments as she is single-mindedly focused on having a baby. It's easy for Morgan to believe her own fantasy of a future with TJ, even though their relationship isn't the romantic liaison she had imagined. When the police discover the couple together in his car, Morgan half undressed, everything unravels quickly. TJ is arrested and Morgan, in an unguarded interview, explains that they are in love and that there was no coercion, that she totally consented to everything, and indeed they are having an affair.

The central themes in the novel -- lies, betrayal, adultery, manipulation, maturity, marriage -- are handled deftly and realistically. Both Morgan and Rain "stand by their man" and believe everything will come out all right in their "whole golden world." The characters are interesting and though somewhat stereotypically portrayed, the reader develops empathy for everyone involved while trying to understand all of their reactions and motivations.

I enjoyed this novel and think it would be fabulous for a book club discussion as there are so many different topics that could be addressed.

Amazon Vine ARC

The Deepest Secret by Carla Buckley

4.0 out of 5 stars - What lengths would you go through to protect someone you loved?

I thought about this one overnight, deciding how to rate it. Even though it left a few unanswered questions and loose ends, I thought the topics raised within the story would make for a great book club discussion.

The novel is about an ordinary woman -- a wife, a mother of teenagers, a friend. Eve Lattimore has a son, Tyler, who has a rare medical condition that makes him so sensitive to light that exposure to any UV or sunlight could be fatal. So Tyler lives in a darkened boarded up room upstairs, allowed out only at night. He roams the streets and area surrounding the cul-de-sac that his family lives in, peeking in neighbors' windows, uncovering some secrets that can only be hidden under the cover of night. Because he's only 14, with limited outside interaction, he doesn't always fully process what he sees, and his basic drive for survival is tied very closely to his need to protect his family -- the ones who have safeguarded him for his entire life despite his champing at the bit for a little freedom and a normal existence. His desire to experience the normal joys of growing up is hampered by the fact that those with XP rarely make it to age 20 so he lives with the constant threat of death.

One stormy evening, Eve is on her way to the airport when something happens that will change the course of her life and all of those around her. The decisions she makes and the resultant consequences strain and rip the fabric of her relationships in her family and throughout the neighborhood. Does anyone really have control over another person -- and how can a mother fail to protect her child no matter what the cost? What secrets would you keep? What lies would you tell?

I think that it is true that you never really know another person -- you know what you are allowed to know. There are some things that people keep in the deep, dark recesses of their hearts and souls that are never let out to see the light of day. What are yours?

I really enjoyed this novel and will think about it for a long time to come. I had previously read Buckley's other novel: The Things that Keep Us Here, so I was happy to see that she had written another. Both of these books dealt with ordinary women forced to extremes by things that happen to their families. Highly recommended!

Thank you to LibraryThing Early Reviewer program for the ARC to review.

The Last Winter of Dani Lancing by P.D. Viner

3.0 out of 5 stars Relentlessly depressing and heartbreaking...   Dani Lancing was 21 years old when she was found dead in an abandoned room - the victim of vicious rape and murder. Her parents, Patty and Jim, were devastated by the death of their only child and, over the ensuing twenty years, have divorced but never moved "on" with their lives. The young man who desperately loved Dani, and who rose up in the ranks of the police department, Detective Superintendent Tom Bevans, has not given up on the cold case and stays in touch with Jim Lancing, Dani's father. Patty Lancing hunts ceaselessly, preparing for the ultimate revenge -- she wants to track down and find the murderer and kill him. Jim Lancing was destroyed by the divorce as he still loves Patty, and he imagines that he "sees" and interacts with Dani who is a ghost saving him from abject loneliness. Patty can't give up her search and finally thinks she has found the perpetrator. Little does she know that she will set events in motion that will finally lead them all to a startling conclusion that provides answers to the mystery but destroys all they ever believed about their daughter and themselves. This was not a light read. It's dark and full of much emotion as the reader watches the characters go through their ordeals. I was a bit put off by the disjointed narrative as the reader goes back and forth in time and also by changing points of view. I normally don't care for supernatural elements or believe in ghosts, so I had a little trouble with that part of the novel. Other than that, it was not exactly "enjoyable" but I did sigh with relief when it was over. Interesting debut and I'll think about this very tragic tale for quite some time. Anyone with children will.    Amazon vine ARC.

Death of a Nightingale (Nina Borg #3) by Lene Kaaberbol

"In Stalin Land, Stalin decides what is true and what is a lie."

Described as Nordic crime fiction, this is the best thriller series I've read in ages. This book is the third one I've read after The Boy in the Suitcase (Nina Borg #1) and Invisible Murder (Nina Borg #2). Quickly hooked, I could not put it down as I was re-introduced to Nina Borg, a Red Cross nurse who works in a camp for refugees. Nina is a middle-aged mother of two and recently divorced from her long suffering husband who finds her behavior often inexplicable and finally had enough of her. She has a history of rushing off to "save" people and in this case it's no different -- this time she's protecting Katarina (Rina), the eight-year-old daughter of Natasha Doroshenko - a women who had fled to Copenhagen and is an illegal from the Ukraine and who finds that things have not improved much for her. Natasha is jailed after attempting to murder her abusive fiance, Michael, and escapes custody on her way to police headquarters. This is when things really get interesting! Natasha is desperate to be reunited with her daughter, but there are other people now looking for them both. Who are they, and what do they want? Now Michael is dead and Natasha is accused of the crime. And, as Nina finds out, this may not be the first time Natasha has murdered someone...

Along with this storyline, the reader is exposed to another that is set in the Ukraine during the early years of the Stalinist regime (Soviet Republic) in 1934. At that time, there was a terrible famine and the concurrent rise of the political machine (Party) that encouraged children to report on their family and neighbors as kulaks who wanted to be fed by the proletariat. Two little girls, Olga and Oxana watch as their life, village, and family change under the Soviet state. These two sisters are being trained as young pioneers when Oxana is singled out for her singing ability and is asked to perform at a meeting. Jealousy, extreme cold, hunger, and the other problems within their family, lead to a decision that ruins them all. How is this story related to Natasha?

Even though a bit confusing with the multiple narratives and points of view, it all converges in an interesting climax by the end of the book. I had to flip back and forth at times to keep track of names, places and dates. Nina is an interestingly flawed character who is emerging stronger though she still has a lot of issues to work through. Other characters in the book have appeared in previous novels and it's important, I think, to have read the other two books in the series before you tackle this one as there is quite a bit of history and detail there. I think it would be weak as a stand alone and probably quite hard to understand all the motivations.

I'd recommend this series to anyone looking for a strong heroine who is not a detective, but who is peripherally involved in a mystery that involves different police agencies and that has an unusual setting. Often the novel leaves the reader with issues to ponder (illegal immigration, abuse, communism, murder, vendetta, informing on family) and for book groups to discuss.

Amazon Vine ARC.

The Midwife of Venice by Roberta Rich

3.0 out of 5 stars - Intrigue and treachery...

Hannah is a midwife in Venice, a Jewish woman living in the ghetto area there. Her husband, Isaac, has recently left on a ship to Constantinople with silk to sell and the intent to return to his wife with the profits and some spices. Unfortunately, his ship is highjacked by those in the pay of the Knights of Malta and he is captured and sold as a slave. Hannah desperately needs the money to ransom him so when a rich count begs her to attend his laboring Christian wife, Hannah cannot refuse though a Papal edit forbids a Jewess from attending a Christian. She successfully delivers the baby with the help of her special spoons (forceps) and the drama begins.

This one barely earns 3 stars from me. I was eager to read this debut historical fiction set in Venice and Malta circa 1575 but ended up being disappointed by the poorly depicted characters and their lack of depth. I also did not like the "she said, he said" alternating points of view of Hannah in Venice and Isaac in Malta. The chapters had cliffhanger endings, another irritating thing that made the narrative choppy. The story is predictable with the ensuing and somewhat unbelievable situations that Hannah and Isaac find themselves in and, of course, find ingenious ways to get out of on their journey back to each other.

I read this because I have a copy of the second book in this series and wanted to get all the background. I'll be reading the sequel - The Harem Midwife: A Novel -- shortly.

Library book. 

Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan

3.5 out of 5 stars - "The life we receive is not always what we choose."

I enjoyed this sweeping epic -- the tale of a mother and daughter spanning early 1900s to 1940. Told from the point of view of daughter Violet Minturn, the narrative tells the the story of her early life as a the spoiled, headstrong child of mother Lulu, the owner of a popular courtesan house, and the circumstances that tear Violet from that privileged life. The events that transpire are heartbreaking and relentlessly hopeful as obstacles stand in the way to prevent Violet's search for love and happiness as a half-American, half-Chinese girl, then woman, in Shanghai. She endures many false loves, disrespect, and losses through the years after her mother seemingly abandons her.

Although the book is long, I found many parts of it so fascinating. The historical detail is obviously well-researched and I loved reading about the life of women in that time and setting.
I felt the ending was a bit too neatly tied up, and had some unanswered questions (such as what became of Teddy??) but still was left satisfied by the conclusion. I'd recommend it for anyone who loves a good historical novel set in China.

Thank you to Goodreads for the complimentary copy.

4.0 out of 5 stars -- Another great Nordic crime fiction novel featuring nurse Nina Borg. In this story, two Roma (Gypsy) boys discover a hidden cache of items to sell in an old abadoned military post hospital basement. Because of their extreme poverty and in ignorance, they start a chain of events that involves Nina and a very interesting cast of new characters. This second novel in the series is every bit as good as the first, and as is their specialty, the authors touch on some hot button topics: the social and political climate of Denmark and Hungary as well as other issues such as racial prejudice and illegal immigration. I really enjoyed it and think readers who like a good thriller will snap it up and turn the pages just as quickly as I did. Lots of action and believable characters. I can't wait to start #3 in the next day or so.

4+ stars -- Described as Nordic crime fiction, this is the best thriller I've read in ages. Quickly hooked, I could not put it down as I was introduced to Nina Borg, a Red Cross nurse who works in a camp for refugees and other desperate people. Nina is a middle-aged mother of two and wife to a man who finds her behavior often inexplicable. She has a history of rushing off to "save" people and immediately answers a call for help from her former best friend Karin. Karin gives Nina a key to a locker in the Copenhagen train station and when Nina lugs the heavy suitcase to her car and opens it to find an unconscious 3-year-old boy, the chills begin. Who put this child in the case and why -- just the first of many questions that Nina tries to answer as the other characters come into the action and the teasers to explain motivation. Loved it!    Recommend to anyone looking for a suspenseful and gripping read. This was the first in a new series and I'm off now to start the second book.

3.0 out of 5 stars -

Not bad for a YA dystopian novel -- this is set in California with 3 different factions -- The Republic, the Patriots, and the Colonies -- at war with each other. June is a military prodigy with the Republic and Day is a criminal who she thinks murdered her brother so she is the agent put in charge of hunting him down. When they meet, she finds Day trying to help his family survive the plague and suddenly she questions all that she has known. I liked this book better than Divergent, but felt that the age of the characters (15) was a little too young to really see a lot of maturity and character development beyond the stereotypical and I had to smile a bit at the purported depth of the inevitable romance. Much of the story was predictable, but the pace was good and the action kept me turning the pages. I think I've read that the author started to work on writing this when she was 14, however. I read this for my teen book club and am eager to hear what they think of it! There is a glut of this type of novel out right now based on the appeal of and success of The Hunger Games trilogy, and I may have to read the other two to see where this ones goes. Another movie - sure, why not?!

4.0 out of 5 stars "Each of us is born into this life with a light inside of us..."

Sylvie Mason is a bright eighth grader living with her parents and sister in the tiny town of Dundalk, Maryland. They are anything but a normal family, however, as Mr. and Mrs. Mason have quite the unusual line of work -- they help the "haunted" -- souls in need of prayer or something to guide them to peace. Calls often come in the middle of the night -- and Sylvie's parents put on their "costumes" and head out to meet a desperate someone or prepare their basement to receive a guest in need of further intervention. On the night Sylvie hears this particular call, she doesn't realize that her life will change forever and she will be come embroiled in the mystery of discovering what happened to her parents on that fateful winter night. Older sister Rose who has become the legal guardian to Sylvie is abusive and self-centered. Rose and her parents had fought hard and often, and Sylvie senses that Rose has no compulsion to seek answers to how their parents came to be found shot dead in that cold church. Sylvie has a bit of hearing loss as she witnessed the shooting but her memory is faulty and she backtracks to relive the moments that brought them all to the fateful night.

What great characters in this book! I really felt for orphaned Sylvie and detested Rose. Others were not always what they seemed at first exposure. We come to the truth slowly as the narrative is told in the first person by Sylvie and shifts back and forth in time revealing tidbits and teasers. The atmosphere is slightly Gothic and there are shivers and chills when certain pieces of information come to light.

I thoroughly enjoyed the writing and think this book will really appeal to teen and young adult readers as well. The only part of the book that fell a notch short was the conclusion; I was a bit disappointed in the whodunit. Despite that, I was quite satisfied with this and I'll be recommending it!

Amazon Vine ARC

4.0 out of 5 stars -- Historical fiction about the wealthy Blackshaw family who live on an estate, Tyringham Park, in Ireland. The main character, Charlotte, is abused by her nanny and ignored by her mother. When Charlotte is 8 years old, her younger sister Victoria -- who is the favorite daughter -- goes missing one afternoon. The loss of Victoria shatters her family and changes Charlotte's life forever. Though she is talented on horseback and in painting, Charlotte cannot seem to escape her personal demons and desperately tries to obtain the love and happiness denied her. She is exiled to Australia with her new husband to avoid scandal, and it is there that she finally is granted her most desperate wish. When Charlotte returns to her family after several years gone, she has to deal with secrets, lies and betrayals that finally come to light.

I really enjoyed this novel and the shifts in time and perspective kept me glued to the pages seeing what would transpire next with the many interesting characters. I was empathetic toward Charlotte and very angry about several of the other persons in the story! The only thing that kept me from rating this higher was the ending -- which came suddenly and left many questions unanswered and dangling ends to several stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the e-book ARC to review.

3.0 out of 5 stars - It is a rainy and stormy season in Philadelphia. A man is found with a railroad spike driven into his head in Priory Park, close to the old shut down Delaware Valley State Hospital at Cold River which used to hold many insane and homeless patients. It closed its doors forever more than twenty years ago but a man who was perhaps a patient there, Luther Wade, never left, and roams the catacombs, sewer and storm drainage tunnels beneath the city, and now commits horrific crimes. He seems to be targeting people who once were associated with that old hospital. Why them? Why now? And is there a connection to a toddler found in the middle of the street one night? Detectives Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano, long time partners with the PDD, are assigned to the case. This book was creepy and quite hard to follow at times with the jumps back and forth in time and the characters and their relationships to each other both past and present. I found it confusing but the excellent writing kept me glued to the pages trying to see what would happen next. To tell you the truth, I am still not quite sure I understand completely who did what and all that went on from the asylum to the current murders. The last couple of chapters helped tie it up a bit, but the end of the investigation still didn't completely explain everything to my satisfaction -- or maybe I need to reread with the ending still fresh in my mind. I found the description of Cold River and the practice of psychiatric "care" there quite unnerving and mostly unbelievable, even for fiction. I know that conditions at some of those homes for the insane bordered on inhumane and bedlam, but I'd like to think that perhaps there were one or two good staff who had an idea of patients who were dying in hallways, giving birth in corridors, and escaping regularly. I did like the book, but feel that the non-linear narrative made it hard to completely grasp all the motivations of the criminal(s) and their history. I liked the partnership of Jessica and Kevin and wonder how the author will handle that in the future. I loved the police procedural details as well. I'd read another by this author. *Part of a series that I have not read previously. This seemed to stand alone but perhaps the book was a bit confusing to me because I didn't know all the previous history of the main characters. The ending of this one seems to leave room for yet another installment in the series. Thank you to NetGalley and Mulholland Books for the eBook ARC to review.

3.0 out of 5 stars - This is a fast read about the very public meltdown of a megastar and is just like a tabloid article you'd see on the magazine racks by the grocery checkout. Those in the limelight are denied privacy and often very basic desires to have a real life away from fans and reporters. Although it's fiction, I'm sure all readers will see the similarities in the story to current scandals and personal tragedies of those on the top tier of fame though in this book, we get to see the toll that all of that takes on the star and her family.

Kelsey is a music sensation when her cousin, Logan, comes to LA to act as her personal assistant. Close as children, a family rift separated them for years. As they work together to orchestrate Kelsey's very complicated touring lifestyle, other forces are at work to bring Kelsey to ruin. What is the price of fame and what will those Kelsey trusts do to keep themselves part of the money machine? Kelsey isn't allowed to run her own life nor can she avoid public exposure of every high and low moment as she tries to find love and happiness while staying on top of her career. Can Logan help Kelsey to have a normal marriage and motherhood or will the demands of the celebrity life and the news media destroy it all?

In the end, what do you owe another -- and can you save them -- and, at what cost?

I enjoyed this novel and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in the lifestyles of the rich and famous!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the ebook ARC to review.

The Stranger You Know by Andrea Kane

3.0 out of 5 stars - Formulaic romantic suspense thriller.

This third in the Forensic Instincts series has Casey and company on a manhunt for a serial rapist murderer who seeks out red-headed college age girls as he moves closer and closer to his ultimate victim -- Casey herself. Their major problem with this case, however, is that the criminal identified by DNA and other factors is locked up in a secure prison. Casey knows there is no such thing as a copy-cat killer so the race is on to find the partner on the outside who is doing the killing and even taken the violence and staging to a whole new level.

Can Casey and her cohort find this taunting devil before he is able to abduct and strangle Casey?

Predictable, fast-paced, and ultimately unsatisfying as yet another thriller follows the same formula of hunter becoming the hunted.

I don't think I'll read another in this series. The characters are stereotypes - the beautiful women, the hunky Rambo men, the electronic wizard, the loyal cop, etc.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin MIRA for the ebook ARC to review.

3.5 stars - Delicious literary buffet -- historical fiction featuring Edgar A. Poe and poetess Frances Osgood...did they or didn't they? Set in New York during the 1850s, this novel imagines a love affair between the mysterious author Poe who was married to his cousin, Virginia, and Fanny Osgood during a time when NEVERMORE was the rage and all the famous names in American literature would gather for gossip and readings at the homes of the wealthy elite. I like reading about this time period in American history, the setting of New York, and just thinking about how all those great authors may have known one another socially. The drag in the book was the romance part! Frances is way overwrought over her doomed illicit love of Edgar and Poe is written as brooding, mysterious and somewhat cruel. Since it was fictional, I just got past that nonsense and enjoyed the other details.   I think book clubs would really enjoy this one -- lots of room for discussion and speculation, plus enjoyment of some of the quotes, poems and prose.  Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books for the ebook ARC to review.

The Truth About You by Susan Lewis

2.5 stars - Lainey is the heart and soul of her blended family -- or she believes until her famous author husband announces that he has another daughter (the same age as his and Lainey's 16-year-old daughter) whose mother is terminally ill.

What follows this decent premise is a mess of missed connections, deplorable attempts at communication, and lack of meaningful confrontation that would have solved the drama quickly. Most of the time, I wanted to shake all the characters as none seemed to have any redemptive qualities. Although Lainey spent most of the time after this revelation crying and suffering in relative silence while carrying on gamely (think: martyr style), she should have been keeping a closer eye on her teenage daughter and older stepson who were -- I hope -- completely unbelievable representations of their age group. What was ludicrous to me is that Lainey and her husband did not sit down to actually talk face to face about the situation -- they were sending text messages and attempting cell phone conversations with lost signals and all of that nonsense. In a side story, Lainey goes to Italy to try to find her roots and that part of the novel was even less interesting as a plot device. She should have been at home talking to her husband.

I would say this book was frustrating and annoying and I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone. It was quite a disappointment as I generally love relationship stories. References to sexual promiscuity, i.e., the "Shades of Grey" trilogy by teenagers who are acting it out, adultery, rape, incest are themes.

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

Love Gone Mad by Mark Rubinstein

2.0 out of 5 stars Doctor meets nurse. Instant relationship. Couple is terrorized by nurse's ex-husband (a strong, brilliant madman) intent on killing them both. I found the story and the romance quite ridiculous. The overlong action scenes involving Adrian and Megan in peril almost got the best of me. As did their "true love at first sight" drivel and the unending descriptions of how beautiful Megan was ad nauseum. Most of the time she was having a panic attack, breakdown of terror, and freaking out. I kept reading only because of the interesting details about the laws and court scenes related to the not guilty by reason of insanity plea and the references to the psychiatric definitions of delusional thinking. I had originally picked this because I thought it was a medical thriller -- not so. The only true medical aspect is that the parties being stalked by the psycho were a surgeon and a nurse.  I didn't like any of the characters nor did I find any of this believable. I found myself flipping through pages just to get through it. The author uses a lot of cliches and repeats many of the same phrases time after time. Redundant, overly descriptive prose. Ricochets from one chase to the next...ho hum    Thank you to NetGalley and  Thunder Lake Press for the e-book ARC to review.

Stella Bain by Anita Shreve

3.0 out of 5 stars - Lovely story about rebuilding life and family during the horrors of war...

A woman awakens inside a casualty tent in France in 1916. She cannot remember who she is or how she came to be there. Wounded in body and spirit, she chooses the name Stella Bain for herself as she resumes familiar duties as nurse aide and ambulance driver. For some reason she is driven to London to seek out Admiralty House where she believes she will figure out some answers to her situation. She leaves France and is found in desperate circumstances outside a lovely home owned by Dr. August Bridge and his wife, Lily. Stella falls ill with pneumonia and is nursed back to health by the Bridges. Finally, upon visiting Admiralty House after her convalescence, she is recognized and called by her real name. It is then that she begins to recover her memories and to remember what drove her from her home and to the battlefields far away. She begins a course of "talk therapy" with Dr. Bridge who has developed an interest in psychiatry and her reawakened artistic abilities help her make decisions about how to return to claim what is hers and to make amends for her mistakes.

Through the course of what is sometimes a bit of a disjointed narrative, Stella (Etna) moves steadily toward forgiveness of herself and others as well as to achieve her independence and seek the love she was denied. An interesting topic in the book was that of shell shock, seen in so many returning soldiers after the war.

I'd recommend this to any fan of Anita Shreve and to a book club group wanting a novel dealing with the human side of the effects of war in a time when women were not allowed much freedom in their personal lives.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the e-book ARC to review.

The Never List by Koethi Zan

3.0 out of 5 stars

This story is one that ALMOST might have come from recent current event newspaper articles.

Sarah and Jennifer were best friends with many of the same interests -- including the desire to protect themselves from danger to the point of compiling risk assessments and a "Never List' of things they simply would not expose themselves to.  Their attention to the list and their safety is all for naught, however, when they are kidnapped by a man who kept them, and two other girls, captive in a cellar for 3 years. The girls were starved and tortured. Jennifer was kept locked in a box down there, and eventually was taken out of the cellar and likely murdered.

Flash forward years later. Jennifer is presumed dead and Sarah is trying to regain control of her life. Now an agoraphobic, she doesn't leave her apartment and is still not recovered. When she gets yet another taunting letter from her captor who is about to come up for parole, she makes a determined effort to face the past and try to recover Jennifer's body to get some closure and also to prevent the release of her captor. She leaves her apartment and relative safety to return to the scene of her imprisonment and also reunites with the other two victims for the first time since they all were rescued.

This story started out well but then became quite convoluted and completely unbelievable. The situations that Sarah put herself in required more suspension of disbelief than I was capable of. Many times I almost scoffed out loud at the perilous predicaments that she was all of a sudden able to manage. It was a good premise, but ultimately the tale was unsatisfying and ludicrous. I simply did not like any of the one-dimensional characters nor did I buy into how they reacted to the events that transpired once they decided to revisit what had happened to them and begin playing amateur detectives. Their decisions and activities made no sense given what they had been through. The story line takes a sudden twist adding in a new dimension and more flat characters to the original crime and I didn't buy into that grand scheme either.

All in all, although it was absorbing and entertaining at first, and I did finish it quickly, I was disappointed in the novel. As far as recommending the book, it would depend on the particular person, but the whole story just didn't ring realistic and true despite the fact that recent current events report on other cases of long term imprisonment and kidnapping that are much more chilling than this tale. I just didn't buy into Sarah being so damaged and then all of a sudden able to do all this investigation from her new-found willpower and without any police or FBI oversight. I would likely try the next book by the author, however. It might make a good choice for a book club if only to talk about whether or not one can actually predict every possibility for oneself enough to ever be completely SAFE.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Viking for the E-book ARC to review.

Harrowgate by Kate Maruyama

4.0 out of 5 stars

Deliciously chilling...

 

 

Michael returns home after an extended work-related trip to find that his wife has given birth, a bit prematurely, to a son that she has named Tim. Michael is, at first, overjoyed with his new little family but that feeling changes to one of foreboding and a sense that something is a bit off despite his excitement settling in. Things are definitely pretty strange. Why does his wife, Sarah, look so odd and act so strangely? Sarah refuses to allow Michael to answer the door or to let anyone -- even their own family -- into the apartment. Who is Greta and why does she seem to have assumed control of his household and have such power over his wife? Michael knows that the birth of a baby changes things, but soon he finds just HOW MUCH happened in his absence.

Not a spoiler: This is not a ghost story, per se, but it is about dead loved ones returned to life. It is also an exploration of grief and loss as well as touching on speculation regarding an afterlife or what might lie beyond for those who die. Written from the points of view of both Michael and Sarah, the novel is a page turner and kept me enthralled. In the end, however, I was left with several unanswered questions and wish there had been a bit more detail.

I'd highly recommend this for a book club as it would allow for plenty of discussion on many topics related to family, death, grieving, and loss. I'm not typically a fan of the horror genre and I was glad this was not that type of novel. It is nice and creepy without going over the line and, just ALMOST, completely believable. The reader feels the menace in the house and and the darkness. I enjoyed it! Good title too. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon.com for the ARC to review.