Blood Runs Cold (#2 DI Anna Anna Gwynne) by Dylan Young

This second book in the DI Anna Gwynne with the MCRTF at Avon and Somerset is an abosrbing and well-written police procedural. Along with other members of her team, specifically DCs Justin Holder and Ryia Khosa, their unit looks at cold cases hoping that some fresh insight will bring closure. The old case they are working on is a child murder; Rosie Dawson had been kidnapped in 2008 when she was 10 years old. When her bones were found demonstrating a horrific murder story, the squad can't help but wonder if a recent abduction, that of Blair Smeaton from Ediburgh, could be related.

Although I typically like to read book of series in order, there is quite a bit of backstory within so that you could read it as a standalone if you like. In fact, I'd actually forgotten much of the first book anyway by the time I got to this one, and I was able to follow along just fine. The details of the investigation take the reader along as the squad reinterviews witnesses and reviews specifics about Rosie Dawson's case. Once they find that, indeed, there is a tenuous link between the old and new, the action gears up as suspects and persons of interest are examined. This particular story involves crimes against children involving the Dark Net and pay per view torture so not for the squeamish.
Again, Anna has an unlikely colleage in the imprisoned Harvey Shaw -- who seems to know the mind of a serial killer. And, could it be, that there is romance in the making for Anna?

Great characters (that I want to know more about) and lots of interesting information about the detestable underbelly of the Dark Web make this one that any fan of police procedurals won't want to miss. I can't wait for #3 in the series! Anna is growing on me, though some things about her I still find rather annoying!

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

The House Swap by Rebecca Fleet

Secrets and lies are at the heart of this domestic psychodrama. Once again, the blurb doesn't really give a very good picture of the crux of the story and I'm not sure if describing it more accuretly would be considered spoilers, but the foundation for the issues at the center of the plot involve unsavory behaviors such as adultery, drug addiction and death.

Caroline and Francis need to get away alone and they decide to do a house swap. It's once they get to the place on a quiet cul de sac and step inside that Caroline becomes quite unsettled and knows that there is something else going on besides a change of housing vacation. Things that only have meaning for her in the context of her past appear in a house that is nearly empty in its starkness. Flowers on the windowsill, a particular fragrance, a photograph. Who does this house belong to? And what does this all mean? Suffice to say that Caroline is slammed back 2 years to a time, place and person she's been trying to forget.

Tons of drama and some tension as the point of view flips back and forth between persons and time. The reader finds out what Caroline had been up to, what Francis has done, and then there's a neighbor across the way who seems to really want an instant friendship with Caroline. It all comes together with a surprising revelation and resolution of sorts.

As far as the characters in this sordid tale, well, they aren't particularly likeable really. Certainly not any of the lot that I'd like to befriend -- way too messed up. But they made for a good story and I was engrossed as I read it in one sitting. If you enjoy psychological thrillers, you'll not want to miss this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Group (Pamela Dorman Books) for the e-book ARC to read and review.

Last Goobye (#1 Quinn and Malloy) by Arlene Hunt

 Totally enjoyed the introduction to Detectives Eli Quinn and Roxy Malloy of the Garda. This first in a new series featuring those characters and the others on their team was fast-paced and absorbing. I read it in a single sitting as the police procedural developed and they worked the case.

A serial killer is out there targeting couples -- but it appears as if it's the woman who's the main focus. The murders are staged with champagne and yellow roses. Complicating the two cases they've identified as being those by the "sweetheart killer" is another homicide with different aspects -- dissimilar enough to make them all wonder if they are looking at two different killers. Dogged investigative techniques may help them but there are many other factors at play and politics involved.

The reader doesn't get to know much about the characters in this novel, and I look forward to their development in future books. I'm sure they have some interesting backstories though we only find out a few snippets here and there. The narrative shifts around a bit between the players, even giving the point of view of the killer and the reasons used to rationalize the murders.

Definitely will want to read the second book as the writing was crisp and the characters and action believable. Although Eli Quinn has a second in command in DS Miranda Lynn, he's taken on Roxy Malloy to his team and it appears as though she will be more his partner in the future.

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

Tell Me a Secret by Samantha Hayes

"The worst kind of secrets are always the ones we keep from ourselves."

What a compelling and unputdownable psychological thriller! Yes, read in a single sitting, and could not look away as all the secrets, lies, betrayals, and confusion bubbled to the surface in an explosive conclusion that I really didn't see coming. I love it when I'm surprised!

Lorna is married to Mark and has a stepson, Jack, and they have a daughter, Freya. She's a therapist and he's a dentist. They have a nice little life. Except for the fact that Lorna has been carrying on a torrid affair that she wants (needs) to end...She feels that she is in love with this man, Andrew, and when he won't let her go, she finds herself falling apart both personally and professionally. But, wait! There are a couple of things going on behind the scenes that are really going to wrench her ordered life about. Nothing is quite what it seems.

This book was full of pathology and characters that draw you in even as you're thinking there is something not quite right about them. I have to say that I really enjoyed this one! Domestic drama, psychopathy, dangling clues and hints to something darker than what it first appears.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to review. Don't miss it!

The Chosen Ones by Carol Wyer (DI Robyn Carter #5)

I'm a little miffed because the synopsis on the book information page is so misleading and I've found this to be a disturbing trend. I often wonder if the person who writes the descriptions has any true knowledge what the book is about.

This is the 5th in series that features DI Robyn Carter and her team out of Stafford. The investigation involves the murders of 3 different people connected to the nearby town of Coltron. Jordan Kilby, age 23, is found strung up like a scarecrow in a local farmer's field. Owen Falcon is a football buddy of Jordan's and he's found dead in his garage, the victim of a gruesome murder. The final death is Dr. Lucy Harding, a GP just starting out at the local clinic. How are these 3 linked? Who is killing them in such particularly savage ways and why? The investigation sort of plods along as Robyn, Mitz, Anna and David try to figure out if there is a message in the murders. There are many additional characters to keep track of and plenty of red herrings but most readers will figure out the "who" quickly but the "why" takes a bit longer for the reveal.

I liked this well enough but it was sort of slow. There was a narrative written in italics that hinted at the genesis of the motives for the killings, or at least an attempt to explain the psychopathology involved in the making of the murderer. This was not particularly suspenseful and not a thriller per se, mostly a standard police procedural. Again, Robyn's personal life is tangentially addressed with no resolution there either -- and this has gone on for several of the books in series. It's getting old. I just wonder why female detectives can't have normal, healthy, and dare I say it -- somewhat happy -- lives and families?

Will I read a #6? Probably, because now I'm a little invested in these people so I hope that none of the characters go the way of other stories in this genre and get killed off willy nilly. Anyway, in this outing, and this is not a spoiler, Robyn and her team catch the killer and tie up the loose ends as expected.

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

Three Secrets by Clare Boyd

Francesca's husband goes out to get cigaretttes one night and ends up jumping from a bridge. What drove Robert to commit suicide? Turns out that this family is hiding some really nasty secrets, telling some self-serving lies, and covering up most of the truth. You see, Robert had a brother...and parents. And they all seemed to be good at only one thing -- deception. What a dysfunctional collection of people making up the Tennant clan. Francesca included.

Domestic drama populated by a cast of completely despicable characters! Not a one was honest or moral and though I read it all in one sitting, it was only to verify that I had correctly anticipated its conclusion. I had a hard time with this book and probably will be in the minority opinion so will just leave it at that. I did like the author's previous book, LITTLE LIAR, much better.

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

The Boardwalk Trust (Beach Lawyer #2) by Avery Duff

Absorbing legal drama, the second in a series featuring "beach lawyer", Robert Worth.

In this case, Worth helps out a troubled and homeless father and daughter who received information that indicates they are the beneficiaries of a family trust. Teo and Delfina Famosa have been living in a box truck and hope that receiving this money will lift them out of the life they've been living. Worth soon finds more than he ever imagined when he shows up to a court hearing only to hear that the trustee, the now deceased Carlos (Teo's brother) has completely spent all the assets leaving nothing. So why is the Dragnov crime syndicate interested? Worth and his girlfriend, Gia, and his friends Erik and Reyes, go to great lengths to figure out what happened to the trust and to help the Famosas.

Lots of action and legal detail with complex characters that have layers and depth. Worth is a good guy, trying to do his lawyerly best for his clients, but the case becomes very personal to him as well.
I enjoyed this and the first book in the developing series, and though this could be read as a standalone, it's best if the reader has the background from the debut. I'm definitely going to want to read #3. I'm a fan of legal thrillers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the e-book ARC to read and review.

Dying Truth (DI Kim Stone #8) by Angela Marsons

"...the past never stays in the past."

The deaths of several children at a private, exclusive school will test the skills and emotions of Kim Stone's detectives. Much of the plot centers around secret clubs that exist at the co-ed Heathcrest Academy -- a school that caters to the rich and whose graduates usually go on to illustrious careers and exist at the top of society. Once a member, always a member. And no one can turn down an invitation to join. Consequences and rules govern the members' behavior and it seems some are meant to pay the biggest price for getting on their wrong side. The legacy is forever.

This 8th book in the DI Kim Stone series has all the pieces that make a page-turning crime thriller and police procedural. Great writing, lots of detail about the investigation, and the characters we've all grown to know and love through the other books -- yes, I've read them all, in order, to this point.
When reading a book is much like attending a family reunion, you know the author has developed characters that have personality and depth. So, to do what Ms Marsons did feels a little like betrayal. But no further spoilers here -- and as someone else mentioned in another review, Karin Slaughter made me feel this way at another time and book. I can't accept it!

Is the tear-jerker ending enough to make me quit reading this series? Probably not, though I don't like to be manipulated this way. I'm sure I will still want #9. After all of these books, however, I do wish that Kim would get some serious psych help to get over her issues and resolve some of the problems she has from her own past!

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

The Woman in Blue (#8 Ruth Galloway) by Elly Griffiths

Mystery and police procedural set in Walsingham. The book description given is not really what this particular book is about.

Briefly, and without spoilers, a woman is found murdered in a ditch close to an old church graveyard where she was seen by Cathbad, one of the recurring characters in this series, while he was housesitting at the cottage attached to the church. She was wearing a white nightdress and blue robe, but she is not a vision of the Virgin Mary, but a patient at a nearby drug treatment facility. Nelson and his team are investigating when a second murder follows. Both victims were blonde. In addition, a group of female priests is visiting the area for a course and one of them is an old schoolmate of Ruth's. Hilary is receiving threatening notes because the writer doesn't think there should be female priests. Is the killer the sender of the notes? Nelson has his hands full to solve this case. Meanwhile, the story line continues from previous books as Ruth struggles as a single mother to Kate and Nelson deals with some marital problems.

I am not positive, but I think I've only read one other book in this series and I think it may have been the second book. So this 8th was quite a fast forward as far as relationships and events that developed. I didn't feel too lost, but I hesitate to say this is just as good if read as a standalone or if this is the one you pick up first. I wish I had read them all in order! The reason I went back to this one is because I also have The Dark Angel (#10) to read and review.

I like the writing and the interplay between the characters. The fact that Ruth is an archeologist who sometimes works with the police on cases is also very interesting though she didn't really figure much into this particular book. Loved all the details about the history of Walsingham, discussion about religion, pilgrimage and such. I look forward to another episode. I'd like to start from the beginning but I don't know if that will happen!

Thank you to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the E-book ARC given to me for review back in 2016. Sorry it took so long!

For Richer, For Poorer by Kerry Wilkinson (#10 Jessica Daniel)

Another compelling read in this tenth book of the excellent police procedural series featuring Detective Jessica Daniel of the Longsight Police. In this outing, as usual, Jessica is juggling multiple cases but most of the focus is on solving one that involves home invasion robberies. In addition, there's a human trafficking situation. Jessica's colleagues are mostly the same as in previous books with a few changes, most notably the second appearance of DS Archie Davey and the absence of DCI Jack Cole -- so she has a new boss. I enjoy her interaction with the team.

I am a fan of this series and I've read them all, in order, and would urge anyone interested to do the same so that you see all of what Jessica has gone through from the start. Her character is well-developed and constantly adapting to the events that happened and the people she works with. I look forward to #11 and definitely like the writing style of Kerry Willkinson. The plots are usually quite complex and, though there is action, the pace is more measured as the investigations develop.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the e-book ARC to read and review.

The Child Next Door by Shalini Boland

Magnolia Close. Wimborne. Dorset. The Rawlings live at number four -- Dominic, Kirstie and their 6-month-old baby, Daisy. It's a lovely and quiet neighborhood. But who knows what goes on behind those closed doors?

The drama begins when Kirstie wakes from a nap to hear a man's voice on her baby monitor -- "Quick, let's just take the baby now and go." When she rushes to Daisy's room upstairs, Kirstie finds her daughter safe in her cot, sleeping peacefully. There's no one in the house. No one there trying to steal away with her baby. After the police have come, interviewed the neighbors and found no babies in any other house, and gone -- that's when things start to fall apart for this little family. As Kirstie's concern for Daisy's safety escalates to paranoia, as Dom begins to wonder if she's not having some sort of breakdown, and as her friends become wary, Kirstie is no longer the same doting new mother and wife. What is going on in this neighborhood?

This was a quick read and a page turner as I definitely wanted to get to the conclusion and find out all the answers. I found myself thinking Kirstie was a total nutjob on one hand and feeling sorry for her on the next. I thought I knew where it all was going -- but I didn't! NO SPOILERS. The characters were quite an odd assortment with behaviors that threw up red herrings left and right and that kept the narrative interesting and me guessing. An entertaining standalone psychological thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the e-book ARC to read and review.

Deep Fear (#2 Kelly Porter) by Rachel Lynch

Action packed and utterly gripping police procedural.

"And much it grieved my heart to think, what man has made of man."

In this second thriller featuring Detective Inspector Kelly Porter of the Cumbria Constabulary, a serial killer uses The Lake District in the United Kingdom as a dumping ground. This is not the typical psychopath but a fiendishly clever tormentor who leaves handwritten poems with the bodies and is thought to be engaged in "punishing" the victims. The victimology indicates that each of the dead women was held to account for some kind of sin. No spoilers! Can the detectives find the killer and save the last victim in time? The "Teacher" might have outsmarted them all!

The gang is all here and it was great to "see" Kelly's team back in action in pursuit of this heinous criminal mastermind. I could not put this book down and was fascinated by all the detail of the investigation and by the locale described. Having never been to the area of the Lakes or Lakeland, I had to Google it and spent some time looking at the images of that beautiful mountainous scenery. (It's now on my list of places that I must see in my lifetime). I love it when the setting becomes an essential part of a narrative, and this place certainly does.

Kelly Porter is a great character -- complex and interesting, multidimensional and smart. She can be tough but she also has good insight into herself and others and can show a compassionate side. I like the interaction between the team members and always love finding out more about them as the series develops. Can't wait to read the next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo for the e-book ARC to read and review.

The Retreat by Mark Edwards

Is it a Beddmawr urban legend or does evil walk along the banks and lurk in the woods by the River Dee?

Seven magpies scattered and flew to high branches. "How did the rhyme go?  'Seven for a secret never to be told.'

Life changed for Julia Marsh 2 years ago when her husband, Michael, drowned trying to rescue their 8-year-old daughter Lily. They had been walking by the River Dee in North Wales when she disappeared. Her body was never found even after an intense police investigation. Julia believes that Lily is still alive and has set up an author's writing retreat in the huge old stone house known as Nyth Bran where the family had lived together in order to make some money and stay close by.

Surrounded by woods, the retreat provides the solitude and quiet that Lucas Radcliffe needs in order to complete his next novel. Along with other authors who are staying at the house, Lucas settles in and hopes to find inspiration and motivation. It's not long before he and the other 3 writers begin to notice some very odd disturbances in the house. Things go missing, there are noises in the night, and they feel that someone is watching them. No spoilers, but one of the main teasers in this gothic-like tale is an old local folk tale about the 'Red Widow' -- who cursed the town after a mining accident -- and who requires that a child be sacrificed to her every 35 years or she will come and take one.

This is a convoluted and complicated suspense thriller that has many different lines of action and focus. The tenseness you'll feel while reading it comes from the tone and atmosphere evoked by the writing. The setting is perfect for a spooky tale and there are a lot of characters that you will have to keep straight in order to follow the tangled threads. The reveal is not so much a twist or surprise as it is a skillful accomplishment of plot weaving. The epilogue was a shocker for me though. I enjoyed this and the best part was that it wasn't so much scary as it was weighted with dread and sparked my curiousity to figure out what the heck was going on and how it would all end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the e-book ARC to read and review.

Our Kind of Cruelty by Araminta Hall

Gripping psychological drama that I just couldn't put down!

"I must be cruel only to be kind / Thus bad begins and worse remains behind,"

Michael Hayes, banker, is totally obsessed with Verity Walton. When she breaks off their love affair to marry another man, Angus Metcalf, Mike knows that she doesn't really mean to do it. She's just punishing him for an act of stupidity that he committed when he was working in New York for his job and she was in London.

Mike knows Verity better than she knows herself. He reads between the lines, parses words said and unsaid, and gleans his truth from his absolute conviction that she and he were meant to be together forever. Even when she says they're not. He goes to great lengths to possess her and nothing and no one will stand in his way. Because he loves her and believes that she loves him. Everything she says contains clues that indicate to him that she is his. His unshakeable belief leads them both to a point of no return.

I really liked this book. The writing kept me pulled into the story and never once seemed to veer off track. The characters were quite well constructed and felt real. Despite it being psychodrama, it also had action and touched on other themes that would make great discussion for a book club. I'm sure it's not everyone's cup of tea, but it sure worked for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the e-book ARC to read and review.

The War Nurses (#1) by Lizzie Page

Riveting historical fiction!

"Elsie Knocker -- 'Gypsy', motorcyclist nurse, dare-devil mother -- one of only two women on the Western Front and the best friend I ever had."

1914 -- Mairi Chisholm is 18 years old when she is recruited by Dr. Munro to accompany him to Belgium and join the war effort as part of a team he was setting up -- the Flying Ambulance Corps. Mairi was known for her mad motorcycle skills and Munro thought that despite the fact that Mairi was not trained as a nurse, that she could retrieve soldiers and give a hand. And so it begins. Soon Mairi meets Elsie Knocker, a free-spirited woman out of her time, and the two set up a cellar close to the Western Front. The war-time story highlights their activities in the care of the sick, wounded and dying men.

This is also a story of a friendship more like sisterhood. The two are opposites in many ways but form a bond through their courage, dedication and sacrifice. It was a sentimental and sweet saga though they went through horrors and fractious times. Definitely a departure from my usual reading genre, but I enjoyed it and look forward to the next book in what is meant to be a trilogy.

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

If He Wakes by Zoe Lea

"They say that when you have a traumatic event, there is the 'before' and the 'after', that all things fall under those two categories, but no one talks about the precipice."

Rachel sees a man in a BMW who looks a lot like her husband hit and run. WHAT? That cannot be her Phil. They have two daughters (Katie and Jessica) and a wonderful life -- and is he having an affair? Rachel has worked so hard to start up a new events business with partner, Suzie, and now she's laid up with a broken ankle and everything is falling apart. Suzie is beside herself -- her fiancé, Adam, has vanished, her credit cards are frozen, and she's getting threatening calls from creditors demanding money that Adam has borrowed without her knowledge. Their nightmare has just begun.

This was a great fast-paced psychological thriller that I could not put down. I really enjoyed the narrative from the points of view of both Rachel and Suzie as they deal with the drama each faces. I don't want to give any spoilers, so I'll just say that the central issue was one I didn't anticipate at the outset but is very timely and important. Sometimes it's hard to DO the right thing -- or even know what the right thing is...

Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo for the e-book ARC to read and review.

The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner

 "Retain the innocence of the most wholesome feeling you ever had in your life."

Romy Leslie Hall, inmate W314159, is on her way to Stanville Women’s Correctional Facility, deep in California’s Central Valley. She has a past life lived in San Francisco, a present life in prison, and no future. She's meant to serve 2 consecutive life sentences plus 6 years. She left her son, Jackson behind with her mom. She doesn't plan on anything. Prison life is a world apart and the other inmates, guards and staff have their own agendas. There's nothing at all for Romy to do but continue to exist -- whether she wants to or not.

This was quite the book. I'm sure some of the details about prison life are true enough and I imagine there are places both better and worse than Stanville depending on where one is remanded. Identity is stripped, there is no meaningful work, and nothing to look forward to when you have no chance of parole. You know you will die in prison. Romy has no one on the outside to communicate with and no one inside who can be trusted. It's lonely and it's hell. But the uncaring guards say, "You made your choice." In many ways, this novel was very depressing and left a lot more questions than it provided answers. It would definitely make a good selection for a book club as there is much to discuss about crime and imprisonment.

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

Alter Ego by Brian Freeman (Jonathan Stride #9)

"...he wouldn't change a day of his past or correct his mistakes even if he could. They were part of him. They were who he was. They were what made him Jonathan Stride."

A man is found dead inside a car on a snowy Duluth backroad -- he's got no identification but there's a recently fired gun and a copy of an entertainment tabloid in the vehicle. In addition, there's a report of a missing girl -- an intern who was working on the set of a movie being filmed in town. The Hollywood people are all there for THE CAGED GIRL and it stars one of the biggest names in the business -- and it so happens that this film is based on one of Stride's old cases. Eleven years ago 4 women were kidnapped at intervals and left to die alone in a soundproof cage. Luckily, Stride was able to find and rescue the last girl in time. Is there a connection between the dead man and the missing girl? Stride and his team are on the investigation. And what are these nasty rumors going around about the star of the movie?

Fast-paced and suspenseful police procedural thriller with a large cast of interesting characters. As this is the 9th book in a long-running series featuring Jonathan Stride, most of them are probably well known to fans. I have read only the first two and obviously missed a lot in the intervening books, but there was enough detail and backstory that I didn't feel lost.

I enjoyed this a lot, no spoilers, but I do have one huge irritation with the story. And that is Cat. Her actions and involvement just seemed over-the-top and completely triggered my disbelief meter. Other than that, I'd definitely recommend it and I want to go back and read the other books featuring these characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus for the e-book ARC to read and review.

Cross your Heart (Jessica Bishop #2) by Kierney Scott

"I wanted her to have one perfect day, that's it."

Special Agent Jessica Bishop is finally back to work after an altercation with a killer destroyed the use of one of her hands. She's a mess in every way but fights for the right to return to her team. While she was off on sick leave, she found a link between missing young girls that indicated a serial killer was at work. At first her fellow agents don't believe her, but then another girl goes missing. The signature is the same. Can they stop another young child's death?

This was the second book in a series featuring this character and I can't say that I liked Jess Bishop well enough to continue on. Way too much mental angsting and she is really screwed up in many ways. I didn't care for her at all and honestly can't believe that the FBI would have someone so emotionally and physically damaged working for them. Most of this was unbelievable and I never got to involved with the story. The conclusion was unsurprising and I don't know that I care to see any more cases or a further story about Jessica Bishop. She's such a stereotype of all the messed up female law enforcement personnel and I'm tired of the lack of a normal woman in the role. The other characters were merely sidebars to Jessica and no one struck me as being of further interest. I never really felt much tension or suspense as the novel progressed so can't say this was a thriller for me. It was OK and I have no doubts that some fans will enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the e-book ARC to read and review.

The Neighbor by Joseph Souza

"We all have secrets...Having secrets is a trait that all humans share."

But nobody has secrets like these neighbors -- a collection of seriously flawed, conniving psychopaths involved in a series of events that spiral out of control and escalate into murder.

Leah and Clay live with their 11-year-old twins next door to Clarissa and Russell and their two kids in an all but deserted cul-de-sac in Dearborn, Maine. The developer was a crook and skipped town before completing the rest of the subdivision and just those two families have homes. The Daniels are white and the Gaines family is black -- race is a huge issue in this psychological domestic drama/thriller. Clarissa and Russell have money and both are employed at nearby Chadwick College. Clay has started his own struggling brewery in town, works long hours, and Leah is a stay-at-home mom. Unfortunately for all, Leah is lonely and bored and curious. Leah is obsessive and gets sucked up into local drama especially with regard to the case of a missing female coed. She starts sneaking into the neighbor's house when they're at work -- and that's when she finds Clarissa's diary. Meanwhile, all sorts of other activities are going on behind the scenes. When the dust finally settles on all the lies and manipulative behavior, who will be left standing?

The reader is immediately engaged with this story despite finding it hard to believe that this much craziness can exist side by side in one little neighborhood. The relationships between all of the characters are so messed up that it almost defies belief. Add in extra-marital affairs, racial tension, secrets and lies and you get an explosive reaction. It is the kind of book that you just can't put down because you just can't imagine people acting like this and doing the things they do. I don't want to spoil the twists and turns for anyone, so I'll leave it here -- make sure you have some uninterupted time to get through this in one sitting. I really enjoyed it! Thank heavens I was able to catch my breath after its conclusion. The book is narrated by Leah and by Clay, but I daresay you won't be able to guess how it's all going to end! Who will you believe?

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Books for this e-book ARC to read and review. I definitely will read more by this author. The book was not what I expected, but that was all to the good.

Finders Keepers by K.T. Finch

"Something bad is going to happen. I can just feel it. But I have no way of stopping it."

What would you do if you found 2.2 million dollars in a duffle bag alongside a frozen dead girl in a car on a snowpacked Alaskan side road?

Noah -- high school English teacher, aspiring novelist, husband to Emily and father of Ava -- decides to take it. Who will find out, right? The trouble starts almost immediately when his ex brother-in-law, Colton Hays, happens to come by and finds Noah counting the money in his home office. One thing leads to another and, NO SPOILERS, soon Noah has to wonder if his lies are going to catch up to him in a fatal way.

This was a fast-paced story told from two different voices -- one is Noah's and the other is Charlie's -- a neighbor who inadvertently gets very involved with Noah's plot to keep the cash despite all that goes wrong. Noah is determined to leave his unsatisfying teaching career behind him spends a lot of effort justifying all he does to ensure that his new-found wealth is going to fund his dreams. Basically the average family man gone rogue. Big money will do that to a person.

Although there were several times that I had to suspend my disbelief at different turns of events, I did enjoy the story and kept reading to see how this was all going to play out. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read and review. I'll look for other titles by this author in the future.

The Family at No. 13 by S.D. Monaghan

"Life was a series of decisions and reactions and then it was over."

A body lies near death on the driveway. Who is dead and who is the killer?

Oh what psychopathy! This was a complete trainwreck of a domestic drama, but I actually ended up enjoying it! Despite despising every single character within the pages, the narrative gives an up close view of a really messed up family dynamic. Let's just say that I am so glad that I don't live anywhere near St. Catherine's Hill.

There are 3 main characters in this novel and their interactions and conversations with each other reveal that secrets and lies are the order of the day. When it all erupts, it's obvious that this was years in the making. Mary, married to Andrew, has a passionless existence as she cares for the very damaged Finn, the son of her mentally ill and institutionalized sister, Erme. Brona, the youngest child, seems to have it all -- looks and fortune -- and seemingly escaped the trials endured by her sisters. Connor, the hapless psychologist who ends up living in their midst, is completely blindsided by the mess he's waded into and can't stand by as merely a voyeur to the drama. What a story -- but no spoilers. This is one you have to read carefully for all the nuances.

I'm going out on a limb and disagreeing with the negative reviews here, I actually liked it and will look for the other title by this author. Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the e-book to read and review.

Then She Ran by Charlie Gallagher

Fast-paced crime thriller/police procedural featuring Detective Inspector George Elms of the Major Crimes Unit based out of Langthorne Police Station. In this standalone novel by a prolific author of the Langthorne Police Series, a young woman, Jenny, escapes after a shootout on the main roads in Dover kills her boyfriend. She leaves her 4-month-old baby on the bonnet of a police car and runs for her life.

While most of the force is occupied with figuring out the details of the shooting spree, George is tasked with investigating the case of a home invasion robbery gone wrong. The elderly couple was awakened by masked men and the woman, Janice, has been killed by a shotgun blast. Her husband of 60 plus years, Stan Wingmore, is devastated. George attempts to get the information he needs and eventually it comes to light that these two cases may be related.

Lots of action and typical police investigative teamwork though George tends to want to handle everything quickly and on his own. He's definitely a maverick and has personal problems that make him keep on working the case rather than going home on his own. A couple of other team members are mentioned but their characters are never really fully developed, they are more sidekicks that George uses to get what he needs to solve the crimes. The results are a bit unexpected with a little twist toward the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Joffee Books for the e-book ARC to read and review.

Never Goodbye by Adam Mitzner

Are you looking for a really good legal thriller? Then queue this one up and prepare yourself for a dizzying whirl of a ride! Better yet, read the first book featuring one of the characters (this is a sequel -- which I did not know and I am so sorry to have missed out) titled DEAD CERTAIN. And a little endnote tells me that there may be another one. Definitely for you if you're a fan of Law and Order or any of the other crime dramas featuring special victims.

It doesn't get much better than this -- lies, secrets, betrayal and great courtroom action with all the authentic legalese that only an author who knows it can tell it. I loved the details! This author is new to me, but I intend to rectify that by going to the backlist.

"The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law"

Ella Broden, former sex crimes prosecutor with the Manhattan DA's office, now lounge club singer, is in therapy recovering from the fallout after the murder of her younger sister. She's trying to get her life back together and is working on her relationship with Lieutenant Gabriel Velasquez of the NYPD.
Though she misses the practice of law, she needs this break.

Dana Goodwin has Ella's old job and is working under the tutelage of Lauren Wright, the chief of the Special Victims Bureau. Dana is married to Stuart and they have a 5-year-old son. Dana loves her new job and gets some information that allows her to dream of taking over as head of the office soon.

But -- NO SPOILERS -- things change as an explosion of events dramatically shift everything and this puts the two women at odds with each other. In the courtroom. I don't want to say any more and hope that you enjoy the twists and turns of this story as much as I did!

I can't wait for more! Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this e-book ARC to read and review.

The Girl I Used to Be by Mary Torjussen

Fifteen years ago, Gemma went to a party with her classmates to celebrate exam results. The next day, she was not the girl she used to be.

Flash forward to present day in this work of psychological fiction. Gemma is married to Joe and they have a son named Rory. She owns her own business, an estate agency, and Joe is a stay-at-home carer for their child. Gemma works all the time trying to make a go of her business and has several employees. She doesn't think anything of David Sanderson when he comes into the office wanting to be shown some properties and she takes him around but he doesn't buy anything. When Gemma meets him later when she is out of town at a conference, it seems natural for her to offer to buy him dinner -- after all, it's business and he is a client so she can write it off. Great conversation and two bottles of wine later, Emma barely makes it to her room before passing out. Her hangover the next day is fierce. She returns home and gets back to work. It's then that the trouble begins -- in the form of a copy of the restaurant bill sent in the mail. More incriminating pieces are sent and Gemma knows that she can lose everything if her husband finds out that she has not been truthful. NO SPOILERS.

The reader experiences the tension as the blackmailing escalates and Gemma is in a state of anxiety not knowing what to do. Of course we want her to just TELL JOE already, and go to police and figure out what is going on, but Gemma has her own way of doing things and wants to figure out who is behind this and why. It was an easy, fast read and the conclusion was satisfying and it all turns out the way you would expect.

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

After Anna by Lisa Scottoline

"You can't believe people when they look you in the eyes. You gotta look behind them. See what they're standing in front of. What they're hiding."

Maggie Ippoliti Alderson is married to a widower, Dr. Noah, and she's ectastic when she gets a call from her long absent 17-year-old daughter, Anna Desroches. Maggie had lost custody of the infant Anna due to post-partum psychosis. She hasn't seen Anna in all that time. Anna wants them to meet and soon it is arranged that she will come live with Maggie, Noah and Noah's son, Caleb. Anna's wealthy father has died, and she wants to make up for lost time. Maggie and Noah help Anna move in and everything is finally as Maggie has dreamed -- until it all starts to go wrong. The next thing they know, Anna is dead and Noah is on trial for her murder.

The narrative starts at trial and goes backward in time with present day interspersed. Courtroom action, family disintegration, emotional pain and bewilderment as the happy family implodes. But it's not over, yet...NO SPOILERS

With an unusual twist that almost completely defies belief, the story concludes in a very unexpected way given all the events that transpired. The denouement took the book in a completely different direction to what was anticipated. Not sure I bought it, but I was definitely glued to the pages. Some of what transpired was hard for me to buy, but I did enjoy the action, the drama and the writing even it didn't ring plausible. I love a good legal thriller and all the legalese, but this ended up more being a bit off of that path. I'll continue to read books by this author.

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

The Last Thing I Saw by Alex Sinclair

What would a mother do to protect her family? "You understand more than anyone how people are when it comes to family. It brings out the best and worst in all of us."

Emma Turner is in a psychiatric hospital after an event that has shattered her. She and her husband, Darren, and 14-year-old son, Jayden, lived in a lovely home in Clearwater Hills, Illinois. Darren owned a construction company and, when an employee accident happens that threatens their financial livelihood, they try to make things right. Threats against their safety and wellbeing drive them to desperate acts -- but it's money that's wanted.

From her vantage point as an in-patient, during therapy, and through interactions with others, Emma is trying to force herself to remember exactly what happened on the night that preciptiated her breakdown. But will total recall restore her to the life and family she loved more than anything else?

Tense psychological drama told in "before" and "after" first person narrative. A savvy reader of this genre may be able to figure out what is going on before the big reveal, but NO SPOILERS here. The pace is smooth and, even as the narrative highlights some of the horrors of being in a psych hospital, it keeps the reader engaged and involved in getting to the truth of the matter at hand. I enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the e-book ARC to read and review.

The Girl with No Name (Josie Quinn #2) by Lisa Regan

Police Chief Josie Quinn has her hands full in this second book of the series. A badly beaten woman, a stolen newborn, a woman who claims she doesn't know her own name, and a missing fiance. Her missing fiance, Luke. How are all of these connected? The investigation keeps Josie and her team busy as they search in Denton for clues and evidence. Bodies keep turning up in town and Josie can't make the pieces fit until she gets some very important information from a most unusual source.

This was very fast-paced and, though Josie seems to require no food or sleep, the action moves the narrative forward in classic police procedural. Although I like the character of Josie, she -- like seemingly all other female detectives -- is quite messed up in her personal life. Josie takes risks and trusts in her own judgement no matter how dangerous the situations in which she becomes involved. She's nursing old wounds both physical and emotional and a little more of her backstory is revealed in this book. It would be best to read the first one in the series before reading this one as there are several references to the previous case. I hope Josie will get herself together so she can find some personal satisfaction as all she seems to do is work.

I enjoyed this and look forward to reading the next one in the series. Very easy to get through this in a day and just as well in order to keep all the characters and their relationships straight as the case is very complicated.

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

White Lies by Lucy Dawson

"The truth does not always out, and for that we must all be thankful."

Dr. Alexandra Inglis has what she says was a one night stand while on a girls weekend to Ibiza. The other party, a boy she didn't realize was 17 years old, Jonathan Day. He says that Alex had come on to him and that they had been carrying on previous to the trip. He was her patient at the clinic where she worked. What follows is a classic tale of two people telling a story, but which one of them -- if either -- is telling the truth?

This drama is sort of like a train wreck. You don't want to look, but you can't help yourself. Throughout the narrative, I had to come to grips with the fact that I had no clue who was revealing an accurate depiction of the events. First I believe one, and then the other. NO SPOILERS. But the conclusion was unexpected.

The novel is compulsively readable and kept my interest. That said, I am still not sure what to think of the whole fiasco. Definitely would be a book where the themes beg discussion. Would it ever be OK for a 40 year old woman to have a sexual affair with a 17 year-old boy -- consensual or not? Read it and see what you think.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the e-book ARC to read and review.

Deadly Secrets (DCI Erika Foster #6) by Robert Bryndza

Who is stalking the streets of London wearing a gas mask? With six sexual assaults on record and now a murder, DCI Erika Foster and her team must work to find and apprehend whoever is responsible.

The murdered girl was Marissa Lewis, a young and beautiful burlesque dancer, who was moving up in the world. She was viciously stabbed to death right outside her front door while her mother slept inside. No CCTV and no witnesses. The narrative moves forward with the investigation and a solid police procedural follows. Lots of possible suspects to detain, question, eliminate. They have a little trouble trying find a motive but it soon becomes obvious that Marissa had a bad reputation and was not well-liked at work or in her neighborhood.

This 6th book in the series is another hit and the whole team is back together until Erika needs to take some time off and puts Moss in charge. I always enjoy reading more about the characters and, in each book, some undergo changes that occasionally affect the dynamics and relationships within the team. It was nice to see Moss move into a stronger role though a bit disappointed when Erika had to save the day at the end. I do have to ask, however, why do these police characters always end up putting themselves in danger by rushing in alone and unarmed. I'm sure being headstrong and independent are decent qualities in a police officer, but can't a book climax occur without one of the main characters ending up alone with the suspect and getting harmed?

The story was fast-paced and this series is addictive. Erika is making some changes in her life and I can't wait to see where her story goes next. Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the e-book ARC to read and review.

Too Close to Breathe (DCS Frankie Sheehan #1) by Olivia Kiernan

''There is an unsettling truth to be learned when profiling a killer. That is: how incredibly alike all humans are; how worrying similar our desires, our drives, our fears."

DCS Frankie Sheehan, recently severely injured in the course of a case, has big problems at hand in Dublin. She's preparing for the court case regarding the murder of Tracy Ward (when Sheehan was stabbed) as well as investigating the deaths of Eleanor Costello and Amy Keegan. Their chief suspect is nowhere to be found. What follows is an excellent police procedural that deals with a very unsavory subset of people -- those who enjoy pain, seek it out, revel in it. What secrets lie behind the faces of those that others see and interact with everyday? And what is the meaning of the main clue -- Prussian Blue paint found on the victims. Frankie intends to find out through dogged police work with her team and they work every lead as they attempt to discover the identity of the killer before another murder takes place.  

Frankie Sheehan is an interesting character but one whom readers of this genre will be quite familiar with. Of course she doesn't follow orders from superiors, she's messed up and work is her life. Since this is the first in a new series, I see there is room for character development as several hints about her past are dangled in front of the reader. I'd definitely be interested to read more.  I enjoyed this debut and the unusual aspects of this particular case. Technology and the Dark Web prove to be an integral connection, especially a site called the Black Widow. The site allows those with some dark fantasies to interact with others also interested in various forms of BDSM.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton Publishers for the e-book ARC to read and review.

Lies by T.M. Logan

Oh, what a tangled web...

"The truth of the battle is whatever the victor deems it to be --Sun Tzu"

This was an action-packed domestic drama that centers on two couples, a "meeting, a fight, a lie." The scene -- Joe, on his way home with his son, sees his wife's car in a place where it should not be. A question -- who was she meeting there? One lie follows another as Joe is reeling from Mel's tearful confessions. Because of the circumstances, Joe is caught up as the person of interest in a murder investigation.  Dominoes start to fall and the truth is revealed in a surprising twist of events.

I first started out listening to this book on audio files. I confess, I simply can't stand audio books for the most part. The reading pace is way too slow and the voices always irritate me. (This narrator did OK for the male voices, but those of the females and William (the son) drove me out of my mind.) So I quickly asked for the e-book and was granted approval (THANK YOU) and could rip through it at a better pace.

As far as the story goes, it was the basic theme of average family man finds the strength to prevail against all odds. Common enough premise, and this one followed the same course. I had to suspend a lot of disbelief throughout as Joe ricocheted from one revelation to the next. I really didn't care for any of the characters and especially detested the obvious attempts to make me feel some sort of care and concern about Joe's family and his marriage. I must say, however, that I was not quite sure where this was going even as I was led along. Nice little twist, but NO SPOILERS here.

I did enjoy it and it certainly kept my attention as I finished this in a couple of hours. Despite some minor annoyances with the "family man" and "good guy" tags, I liked the writing well enough to want to read more by this author. If you like authors Harlan Coben and Linwood Barclay, and the other male writers who tend toward this particular subgenre, you will like this book. If nothing else, the novel will make you think twice about your online presence, technology, and personal privacy.

Thank you to Edelweiss, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-book (and audio) to read and review.

Dark Lies by Nick Hollin (Rhodes and Radley #1)

"We do know the truth about ourselves. We will always have our own secrets. And we will always seek  to uncover other people's."

A murderer known as "The Cartoonist" is on a killing spree. DI Kate Rhodes enlists the help of a former partner profiler, Nathan Radley, to help find him. Regrettably, both of them have history and terrible memories of the past. The killer knows them very well.

This could have been a brilliant suspense thriller. Unfortunately, the narrative was so disjointed and so full of distractions and distortion that the reading was frustrating and so much work. I personally don't like to have to put so much effort into reading a story -- I just want it all laid out in an organized fashion so I can follow the plot and enjoy the ride to catching the bad guys. I'm sure that the way the author wrote this was designed to increase intrigue and suspenses, but I found myself extremely irritated at the way it all developed. I don't feel that I got to know the main two characters or that they had any depth that would make me want to read about them again. I guess the main feeling I came away with was disappointment. A good premise but poorly executed. I see this is the first in a series, but I don't think I would want to continue if the writing and the style is the same. Yeah I get that Kate and Nathan are really messed up people. I probably would have identified with them more if the story had not included so much of their fractured lives with just hints dropped here and there. I failed to connect all the dots.

Again, I find that the blurb doesn't really tell you accurately what this book is about.

This book, when I read it, was titled IN THE BLOOD. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the e-book ARC to read and review.

The Next Girl (DI Gina Harte #1) by Carla Kovach

"The world wasn't a good place. It wasn't all roses, cake, parties and nice things. It was a dark place, a place that she'd yet to fathom."

DI Gina Harte is looking for a missing woman, Deborah Jenkins, who vanished on the way home from work 4 years ago. Deborah's husband, Luke, and their two children were moving on with the help of Deborah's mother, Cathy, until an abandoned baby shows up -- and is purported to be the daughter of Deborah. She's still alive! The squad goes all out to look over past witness statements, interview those who knew Deborah, and to try -- again -- to find out who has her or where she might be.

This was a fast-paced police procedural with a likeable new protagonist in Gina Harte. She is beset with the past demons of her own life while trying to find Deborah. Fellow team members are also interesting and the reader can see that there is a lot of room for character development in this series. I enjoyed it and look forward to reading the next one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the e-book ARC to read and review.

Low Lake (Tyrone Swift #5) by Gretta Mulrooney

"Dig deep and deeper still. It's not what you FIND, it's what you FIND OUT."

Kim Woodville drowned at Low Lake two years ago. A very close friend, Jack North, hires private investigator (and former Met detective) Tyrone Swift to look into the matter because North doesn't believe it was an accident. Kim has led a very troubled life as a ward to the Ramsays living there at property on the lake and no one seems to be very upset that she has died. Kim suffered from epilepsy and had a horrible fear of water because her drug addled mother had tried to drown her in the bathtub when she was a toddler. As Swift begins his investigation in the the circumstances of Kim's death, he finds lies, secrets and betrayal. "Women, money and power."

This fifth in the Tyrone Swift series is the only one I've read and I'm very sorry about missing out on the others. I usually try to read books in order and hate not knowing the backstory of Tyrone but I was able to follow along as the author provides some of the historical detail. This was, for me, a mystery novel that I found hard to put down. I enjoyed it and thought it very well-written with a plot written in layers that slowly revealed the truth of what happened to Kim. The characters were interesting and believeable and I really am looking forward to reading the next installment.

Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for the e-book ARC to read and review.

The Murder List (DI Zac Boateng #1) by Chris Merritt

"Never give up. You owe it to that person you loved. To the memory you still love, that no one can take away."

Fast-paced police procedural with the theme of revenge. DI Zac Boateng’s 9-year-old daughter, Amelia, was a victim of a stray bullet when they were going on an errand to the local newsagent one morning 5 years ago. The killer was never identified or apprehended. Zac, his wife, and surviving son have not passed a day without remembering Amelia. But Zac wants much more -- he wants the killer behind bars -- or dead. He moonlights on a solo investigation to track down the killer's identity and bring him to justice and meanwhile puts himself in danger because others are looking for the same man for different reasons.

Darian Wallace spent time in prison but is now out. He wants to recover the stolen items that resulted in his imprisonment, but more than that, he wants to punish those who ratted him out after the robbery. The reader sees a glimpse into his twisted psyche as he attempts to rationalize his behavior and life of crime. He can't leave London until he's taken care of business...

An ex-military man named Spike is also looking for Darian Wallace at the behest of Susanna Pym, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health. She has her own reasons for finding Wallace. Seems he stole something very valuable from her in the robbery that landed him in prison.

A complicated manhunt as Wallace is determined to complete his tasks and Spike is mission with Zac Boateng right on their heels. The writing is good, the characters well-drawn, and the action almost non-stop. Very enjoyable. I'll definitely want to read the sequel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the e-book ARC to read and review.

Beneath an Indian Sky by Renita D'Silva

"All it takes is one decision, one moment of madness, of curiosity winning over sense, for your life to change for ever."

Mary and Sita meet in India as children but then tragedy interupts their idyllic life of freedom. Each girl fights against expectations of parents and society as they grow into adulthood. Both independent and single-minded, Mary and Sita try to make their dreams come true. Unfortunately, betrayal and jealousy mar their lives and prevent happiness.

Set against the lush background of India beginning in 1925, the narrative goes back and forth in time and alternates between the voices of the Englishwoman, Mary, and the Indian, Sita. One can almost see, smell, hear and taste the country through the eyes of the women. This novel is rich in detail and description.

Those readers who enjoy historical fiction will surely find a dramatic and moving story within these pages.

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

No Safe Place (DI Lottie Parker #4) by Patricia Gibney

"Love can do strange things to people."

DI Lottie Parker has her hands full. A recently dead body found in an open grave, a missing girl and a stand-in boss who won't let her chase her cases in her own way. Not to mention the usual havoc on the home front -- it's not easy working full stop when you're a widow with 3 children and a new grandson. Lottie's life is very complicated and she doesn't always handle things..."a past master at burying emotional turmoil deep beneath the mundanity of everyday life." Some of those events have led her to pills and drink but she's trying hard to get a handle on that even while holding her partner, (and maybe a new love) DS Boyd, at arm's length.

During the course of the investigations, a ten years old missing persons case looks to have some similarity to the current situation. It's coming up on the anniversary date of when Lynn O'Donnell got off the train in Ragmullin and was never seen again. It seems that the girl in the grave, Elizabeth, and the missing girl, Mollie, were also on the train before they went missing. DON'T TAKE THE TRAIN FROM DUBLIN TO RAGMULLIN...

This is so much more than a hunt for missing girls or to solve a murder. The investigation by Lottie and her team is complicated and tedious. There is definitely something rotten in Ragmullin and the menace is probably in their midst. Although you may figure out where this is going, the process is excellent police procedural.

I note that others have said that this can be read as a standalone, but I disagree. There is too much of Lottie's backstory that gives history for her behaviors both professionally and personally. I have read #1, #3 and unfortunately missed #2 -- which I need to rectify. I want to know ALL about Lottie. Can't wait for the next in this great series.

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

The Third Victim by Phillip Margolin

Well there went a good night of sleep! I started this one late in the evening and did not put it down until after 3 am -- definitely a "read in one sitting" type of legal thriller that I hope is the first in a new series by this talented author.

The plot is described in the blurb but essentially it is full of twists, turns and surprises that begs the question -- who is the real victim? No spoilers, but when a tortured and starved woman is found at the edge of a road in Whisper Lake -- one whose horrible treatment bears similarities to two other cases of dead women -- many different groups of law enforcement and justice kick into action. The prime suspect is a prominent attorney and the prosecutor goes for the death penalty.

A large cast of characters and interesting detail about their lives provide a sidebar to the legal maneuvering. I found all of it quite absorbing and, though I guessed where it all might be going, I love to see the process of how the truth is revealed despite the red herrings.

I really would like to see more of Robin Lockwood and the legal team. I'm worried about Regina Barrister. I liked the Oregon setting. I do enjoy a good legal thriller and this fit the bill. Bring it on!
It was a refreshing change for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this e-book ARC to read and review.

Exhibit Alexandra by Natasha Bell

"The very worst things in life, our most fearful nightmares, they don't happen all at once. They creep up, lodge themsevles gradually in our brains..."

I just finished reading this, in one sitting, because I could not put it down. From the blurb, believe me when I say that you can't imagine what a ride you're getting on. I would say that this psychological thriller will be very polarizing and that you'll either love it or hate it. I fall on the love side because it was quite unique, despite the inevitable (and so tiring) comparisons to GONE GIRL and the like. It seems I read so many books in this genre that are full of secrets and lies between husbands and wives, etc. Well, most have nothing on this one.

I'm trying to figure out how to review this without ruining it for future readers  -- the initial point is "explaining the absolute abnormality of a woman who had always come home...not walking through our front door that night," says Marc when Alexandra Southwood goes missing. The family, living in York, has two young daughters. The police get involved quickly and begin an intense hunt, but this is not a typical 'detectives searching for a missing person' novel. The narrative is so bizarre as Alex tells an unidentified man her story "more honest than the police reports and newspaper articles. If it is not an actual truth, it is very much a human one." Interspersed between Alex's account are other points of view -- that of Marc, letters from her college friend, Amelia, and flashbacks painting a picture of their married life together. Bizarre, right?

Right away the reader senses something really off about this whole scenario. Where is Alex? What happened? Why? Lots of questions. Along with the forward motion of the story describing how Marc, his friends and family react to Alex's disappearance and the search for at least a body so they can have some closure, there is ART. ALL CAPS ART. I don't pretend to know much about art other than to be able to say whether or not I like a particular piece of it or not. It's not my thing, so I learned a lot about it from a much more learned source! I must say that was the least compelling part of this book to me until I got further in and found out more about Alex and what makes her tick. I can't say I liked her at all, was totally empathetic to Marc all along, and the other characters in the story were only peripheral to their relationship. Alex's main relationship was with herself.

So forgive this meandering and probably pointless review and take a chance on reading the book itself as it is far too complex for me to reduce to these few paragraphs to try to explain my reaction. I think the ending was quite a masterpiece even as I anticipated what was coming as I rushed to the conclusion. Certainly it would make an excellent book club book as there are so many ideas and issues that could be discussed and debated. Definitely one that was thought-provoking and I'll be pondering some of it for a long time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the e-book ARC to read and review.

Dark Waters (#3 Alex Devlin) by Mary-Jane Riley

"Nothing was black and white in life, nothing was certain."

Alex Devlin has moved from London where she previously worked as a journalist for THE POST. She fills her time doing a bit of freelancing, feature stories, etc. Her father suffers from early onset dementia and her sister, Sasha, is being released from the psych institute where she was committed. Alex returned to Sole Bay to be close by to help them out.

Her quiet and somewhat lonely life is disrupted, however, when two men are found dead on a pleasure boat off the Norfolk Broads. Her investigative instincts kick in when she discovers that the two men were chatting online about suicide. When she learns the identity of the men, she calls her old boss in London and begs to be put on the story but another reporter, Heath Maitland, is sent down instead. Alex and Heath agree to a quid pro quo as there is something that Alex wants him to do for her in exchange for her doing a lot of the legwork for the story. Abruptly, both are called off by the home office, but Alex can't let it go. She's figured out some interesting connections...

This was a mystery with a lot going on in the plot. Many different characters -- some who featured in the previous 2 books in the series (which, unfortunately, I have not read). That said, there was enough information about some of the backstory so that I didn't feel entirely lost. It moved along quickly with the pieces slowly coming into place. Of course there is no one that Alex can work with or trust while she is busy ferreting out the truth. Goes to show, again, that the past won't stay buried.

I enjoyed this and will definitely look for another in the series should there be a 4th book. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for the e-book ARC to read and review.

Cold Heart (Kate Matthews #3) by Stephen Edger

A missing 15-year-old girl, a severed female foot found in a school sports center marked for demolition, and the heart of a male victim delivered to the police station. Are these connected? That is what Detective Kate Matthews and her team try to figure out in this police procedural.

The investigation hits one wall after another as little headway is made. The painstaking methods of tracking down all leads and clues take valuable time with hope running out that Daisy is still alive. They can't find her and the other two who were eventually identified offer no evidence to chase. As they haul in first one suspect and then another, the team is working long hours and nearing exhaustion without having any luck. Meanwhile, Kate is dealing with one of her fellow team members and a personal situation. NO SPOILERS.

This is the third in the series featuring Kate Matthews and the second that I have read. I am fully vested in learning more about the characters on the team and about Kate's personal life outside of the police. The author is able to evoke reader response as tension builds and frustration mounts. I am definitely looking forward to further revelations in the next book.

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

I Know Where She Is by S.B. Caves

"A white envelope, unmarked, no stamp. Scrawled in chicken scratch: I KNOW WHERE SHE IS."

Francine receives this message ten years after her daughter, Autumn Cooper-Wright, went missing and no amount of searching ever turned up a clue. Francine descended into an alcoholic haze, she and her husband, Will, divorced and only recently has she begun to get herself put back together. Francine frantically calls her husband for a meet, but he's moved on, has a new wife and is expecting a child, and he thinks it's just a prank. When Francine meets 18-year-old Lena out by her car next to her job place the next day, she's not convinced that Lena is anything but a cruel joke when Lena says she knows Autumn -- whom she knows as Melody. And, Lena says that Autumn is still alive. Lena only begins to believe it when Lena tells her things that make her blood run cold.

"Even if you got her back...She's not the same little girl you lost...None of us are."

As messed up and unstable as Francine appears at first, she pulls herself together quickly and is off on a mission to rescue her daughter from unspeakable circumstances. NO SPOILERS, but the situation Autumn is in is horrible and one that no parent wants to imagine. The book really takes off after this and ratchets toward a spectacular, if somewhat unbelievable, climax. The narrative is well-paced and tension builds as Francine seeks to find and regain her daughter. Francine changes into something approaching Super Woman before the reader's eyes and the transformation is necessary considering what she is up against. Can she rescue Autumn when there is no one to turn to for help?

This was quite the unexpected thrill read for me as I had not anticipated the direction it was going. I enjoyed it as the pages flew by. As others have said, set aside a block of time as this begs to be read in a single sitting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo Publishing for the e-book ARC to read and review.

The Babysitter by Sheryl Browne

This suspenseful thriller is like a train wreck. You don't really want to see the damage, but you can't help yourself and look anyway. Throughout the whole of the novel, I was screaming at the characters to open their eyes and see what was happening.

Now let me ask you, ladies especially -- would you really take a near stranger into your home and put her in charge of your children?? NO WAY. Especially if she was young and pretty and seemed the answer to an overworked mother's dream. So when Melissa and Mark Cain try to help their poor neighbor who was burned out of her home by a fire, you just KNOW that nothing good is going to come of this. They are too nice and you sense the menace of Jade immediately. Would you check references before you hire on a nanny -- of course you would. But, do they? Oh no, they are so happy to have some help in their busy and chaotic lives.

What Jade does to this family is pure evil. Should we overlook Jade's past and excuse her behavior? I don't think so! Even as the chapters roll by and as you are glued to the pages to see what heinous act Jade will pull next, you can't help but turn the pages as fast as you can to see if she is a master manipulator and a shrewd planner.

This book was great fun to read because, even as you knew (hoped) that Jade would be outed and taken out before she could ruin the family, you weren't quite sure what damage she would leave behind. What I didn't understand was how Mark and Melissa so totally missed the clues and evidence that Jade was not the paragon she seemed to be. When everything started to fall apart right after Jade came to live with them, I was sure that one of them would be suspicious. But, oh no, we had to go through a lot of drama. Nevertheless, I guess it wouldn't have been such a story if they had!

You can read this in a couple of hours and I can honestly say that I enjoyed it though there is one character I would have liked to see get his comeuppance! And, I'm a little worried about Dylan...

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the e-book to read and review.

Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris

"...love makes us behave out of character...it drives us to do things we never thought we'd do."

Finn McQuaid and his girlfriend, Layla, are driving back home to St. Mary's (in Devon) after skiing in Megeve when they pulled off the motorway into a picnic area at Fonches. It's not a service station, its main appeal is that it has a toilet. When Finn returns to the car after using the facilities, Layla is gone. Over the next 12 years he exhausts various methods looking for her, but never finds a trace. Was she kidnapped, is she dead? Finn has no clue.

Though she was the love of his life, he has finally managed to move on and has become involved in a serious relationship -- with Layla's sister, Ellen. They are to be married and Finn is happy enough. Soon after the wedding announcement, Finn starts to receive some creepy indications that perhaps Layla is still alive. Or is someone just messing with his head not wanting him to finally have some happiness. Has she finally come back to him and what in the world is he to do about Ellen?

Creepy is a good word to describe this novel of psychological drama. It will become clear to the reader quite quickly that something weird is going on here, but NO SPOILERS. There are many clues and the astute reader will see where it's leading fairly quickly though the author makes a valiant effort to throw in many red herrings to divert away to other conclusions. It was hard to really get into the true nature of the characters and I didn't find myself identifying with any of them except I could feel the tension and frustration that Finn experienced. The believablity factor also comes into play so you have to allow for the fact that you'd probably do things a bit differently to Finn as events spiral out of control. The writing was good and the pacing was appropriate to the story. I think I can say that the overall feeling I came away with was just sadness.

I've read both other novels and still think that Behind Closed Doors was the best of the 3, but I enjoyed this one. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-book ARC to read and review. B.A. Paris is still on my "to-read" list.

Don't Believe It by Charlie Donlea

WOWZA -- fantastic read! "Is fame and fortune enough or is the truth the only thing that matters?"

Wow, Charlie Donlea -- you have done it again! Written a suspense thriller that grabs from the first page and never lets go. It took me through all of the emotions on a twisty ride where I first thought one thing, and then another. Just be careful -- and don't believe anything!

The story -- in 2007, at Gros Piton on St. Lucia at the Jalousie Plantation resort, Julien Crist fell to his death from the bluff. In addition to those injuries, the fatal wound, however, was to his head before he went over. His girlfriend at the time, Grace Sebold -- a medical school graduate about to embark on a neurosurgery residency -- was convicted of his murder.

Ten years later, Sidney Ryan, a documentary producer of some renown, decides to take on this case as a possible expose of miscarried justice. She plans to go back over every element of the situation and show, in real time, everything that she discovers through interviews and evidence. The main question -- did Grace really kill her boyfriend? As her show rockets to unimagined ratings success, Sidney becomes emeshed in a deeper mystery than she anticipated. Her investigation leads her to secrets and lies -- but can she get Grace the reprieve that many believe she deserves?

I loved the narrative as it highlights excerpts from the initial police interviews and investigation as well as examination of all the evidence from the case. Since the trial took place in St. Lucia, it could be that the US government was derelict in duty to one of its citizens. A very complicated endeavor, but Sidney has the clout and the brains to do this well. She's a new network darling and everything she worked for is about to pay off big time. And then... (NO SPOILERS). Yeah, I was sure I knew where this was going -- several times. It wasn't until the very last paragraph that I got my answer!

If you read any of my reviews, you know that I am partical to this genre and read almost everything of this nature. This was exceptional on several counts, but mostly it is the writing style and the way that Donlea tells a great story. Trust me on this, you won't want to miss it!  And if you haven't read his other two novels (all standalones), SUMMIT LAKE and THE GIRL WHO WAS TAKEN, you need to rectify that immediately. I promise you won't be disappointed!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this e-book ARC to read and review. I admit that I shamelessly begged for it! And I'm so happy I did. Sign me up for #4 now!

Need to Know by Karen Cleveland

What are you willing to do to protect your family?

Vivian Miller is a CIA counterintelligence agent working to uncover a network of Russian sleeper agents hidden in the USA. She's married to Matt, an IT guy, and has 4 children. Just a normal family with two working parents and busy hectic lives. Except that Vivian's job is going to take them all to the brink of disaster because she's uncovered a secret that calls into question everything she knows and believes.

This is an incredibly fast-paced suspenseful thriller that draws you in so fast -- by the time I got to the second chapter, I felt that I WAS Vivian. And that this was my life and my problem. Told in the first person, it ricochets from one tense moment to another mind-numbing revelation. You can feel her anxiety and her fear -- and you are almost afraid to read on to see what happens next. Vivian's main goal is to protect her family and to avoid being a traitor to the government she has sworn allegiance to serve.

NO SPOILERS, but if you haven't read this yet, put it on your list immediately. It's one crazy, wild ride and would make a fantastic movie. It's not often I gush about a book, but forgive me this time because I loved this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the e-book ARC to read and review.

The Visitor by K.L. Slater

"I'm always just a visitor in everyone's life...I come and go, but nothing ever changes."

Holly grew up in Nottingham but ran off to Manchester for a better life. Things happened and she's now returned to try and make a new start. She's been taken in as a "visitor" by elderly Cora Bennett and soon gets a job selling furniture. But, poor Holly, nothing ever seems to go right. Has her past caught up with her?

David is an odd duck who's had his share of problems -- and he still lives at home with mom at age 40. Although he's on meds and has a job of sorts, he's consumed with monitoring all that is going on in the neighborhood. Keeping everyone safe. He lives right next door to Holly and can't help but notice that she seems to need his help. Is he offering friendly protection or is he a stalker?

The chapters are told in the alternating point of view of Holly and David. Also shifting back and forth in time for the history of each, we finally come to present day and some interesting revelations. It seems that neither of these two are really the people they pretended to be.

I had a hard time dredging up any empathy for either of the main characters, nor did I identify with them. There was a huge sense of menace as the reader knew something was off and that bad things were coming, but not quite from which direction. After all the hints that were dropped, it was not so much a twisty or surprising conclusion as it was a relief to finally have the salient points exposed. I don't really like when dangled snippets and then have an abrupt shift just when the truth is about to be revealed! Regardless of these annoyances, I did enjoy this pscyholgical drama and am glad that I'll never meet Holly or David.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read and review. I enjoy the titles by K.L. Slater and will definitely read more from her.

The Liar's Girl by Catherine Ryan Howard

Imagine that your college boyfriend, Will, turned out to be a serial killer and has been locked away in the Central Psychiatric Hospital for the past 10 years. He, at age 19, confessed to the murders of four young women -- and was dubbed "the Canal Killer".  Alison Smith barely survived the emotional trauma and hasn't returned to Dublin since she fled both Will and St. John's.

Flash forward 10 years -- another college girl has been killed in the same manner.  Alison is asked to return to Dublin to meet with Will -- who may be innocent after all. Along with the Garda detectives Malone and Shaw, Alison visits the CPH and all of the feelings she thought she had long buried come again to the light. Can Alison make up for the past and help free Will now even though she feels responsibile for helping put him where he is?

Well written but predictable drama with a time shifting first person narrative as Alison goes back and forth between "then" and "now".  There is another voice that appears in the story line every so often. Alison isn't the most sympathetic character nor did I identify with her nor understand most of her reactions and actions. The Garda detectives and other characters are fairly one dimensional with the main focus on Alison and only vaguely on Will. This wasn't action packed but more of a plodding expose with the revelations coming slowly as Alison is supposedly drawn into the investigation. Will she be able to prove that Will is not the Canal Killer? And has he now, finally, told her EVERYTHING?

This is the second book by this author that I've read and I'll look out for another by her. Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing Company for the e-book ARC to read and review.

The Crooked Staircase (Jane Hawk #3) by Dean Koontz

Jane Hawk is the real Wonder Woman -- no super powers, just an amazing, highly skilled ex FBI agent who sees a wrong and needs to right it.

This third in the series (yes, there will be a #4) takes up right where the second left off so you absolutely need to read these from the beginning, in order. From the blurb, the reader knows that Jane is running for her life as she is hunted by some of the most skilled and highly placed government agents who have a way to track even those who are completely off the grid as is Jane. Her son, Travis, hidden in the care of friends, is safe FOR NOW, and Jane is seeking out members of the Techno Arcadians to eliminate them and shut them down. Remember, this hideous elitist group is intent on implanting nanobots and converting them to automatons to use as they wish. The Hamlet list, devised by those members at the very top, is a computer generated program that identifies those at greatest risk to the new planned utopia where the Arcadians will reign supreme.

Incredibly fast-paced with lots of action and bloody murder, the book zips along so quickly that you barely have time to take a breath, gasp, sob or sigh. No spoilers, but some of those deaths were really hard to take. Conversion is a nasty, scary business.

Despite Koontz's penchant for ten dollar words and maximum verbosity -- with metaphors and similes galore -- I love this series and cannot wait for the next. I had NO idea that this third was not the end, so the cliffhanger ending made me want to throw the book across the room in frustration at now having to wait to see what happens next. Not nice, Mr. Koontz! All the loose ends are coming together as Jane gets nearer to the rotten core at the center of this terrible conspiracy. The characters are so well drawn that the reader is drawn completely into this world and fears the consequences of world leaders gone mad, drunk and euphoric with their power.

This would make the most fantastic movie or miniseries evere -- do you hear me out there, producers? Option it already!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam Random House for the e-book ARC to read and review. PLEASE hurry, Mr. Koontz, so I can relax.

Wave of Terror by Jon Jefferson

Are you in the mood for a great disaster novel? Well, this is the one for you!

I'm a sucker for disaster novels and I comb the lists regularly to see when a new one is due to be released. I lucked out and, thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer, I received this ARC to read and review.

The premise -- an astronomist is in La Palma (in the Canary Islands 250 miles off the coast of Africa) looking for Planet Nine when she notices abnormal seismic activity that is not being transmitted to the scientists who monitor that sort of thing. When she does the research, she finds that a quake along the fault line there will result in catastrophic tidal waves that will decimate coastlines from North America and other countries along the Atlantic coast.

Dr. Megan O'Malley is no Cassandra but, in desperation, she contacts her ex-husband and the government. Unwittingly, an FBI special agent Chip Dawtry, gets the information she's trying to share to get out the warning. Can they make the authorities LISTEN before it's too late? This tsunamic wave will wipe out entire coastlines and cause millions of deaths -- not to mention the damage it will do to the economy and the infrastructure of all the areas affected. She's a lone voice, a scientist, but will those in power take her discovery to heart and intervene before it is too late?

I loved this very fast-paced novel and read it over a matter of hours, not wanting to put it down. It's tense and action-packed with all sorts of interesting characters and geography. Not to mention the incredible scientific detail about the fault line and the resultant catastrophe. Megan and Chip are a dynamic due who defy the odds and make the play to save the earth. What could be a more fun read?

The authors of this are quite well-known -- in fact, Jon Jefferson IS Jefferson Bass of the Body Farm series! If you're in the mood for thrills and heart-pounding adrenalin rush, this is the novel for you!
I only wish there were more titles like this available to read these days as I thoroughly enjoyed the break from my usual genre (mysteries and police procedurals).

Scarred for Life (Jessica Daniel #9) by Kerry Wilkinson

GOBSMACKED. That's my takeaway. No spoilers...

What is this 9th in the DI Jessica Daniel Series about? The blurb gives a decent overview as there are a lot of cases that Jessica and her team are juggling in this outing. I've read the previous ones, in order, so following along with the changes wasn't difficult as I'm familiar with the backstory. I'd urge anyone interested in this series to do the same as they don't work well as standalones.

Character development, especially of Jessica, is ongoing and, though she still can't sit still for a minute and is ridiculously headstrong, she's matured a bit since the beginning of her career. She works for the Manchester Metropolitan CID, based at Longsight, and her supervisor is DCI Jack Cole. Fortunately, she's not as messed up emotionally as a lot of other female protagonists in many of the books I read in this genre. That said, I'm not sure about her future.

Not sure that I will go on with the series though I've loved and enjoyed it to this point. It's too bad as I always looked forward to another JD episode. 

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

The Missing Hours by Emma Kavanagh

"You do not go looking for kidnap and ransom. It comes looking for you."

Incredibly tense police procedural and complicated mystery involving a woman's disappearance and a man's murder -- that just may be connected.

Dr. Selena Cole vanishes from the playground near her house, just leaving behind her young daughters. When she reappears over 20 hours later, she can't remember anything of the missing hours. Or is she lying?

Defense solicitor Dominic Newell is found dead on the side of a mountain road. He was respected and well-liked. Who killed him and why?

Sister and brother Detective Constable Leah Mackay and Detective Sergeant Finn Hale of Endleby -- on the border of England and Wales -- work in the Criminal Investigation Department of a small police force there. Leah is on the Cole case and newly promoted Finn is working the Newell homicide. As the investigation proceeds, it appears that the cases are somehow related, but they have a long and circuitous road of leads and suspects to follow. In addition, it was fascinating to read about the murky world of kidnap and ransom crimes and the secrecy surrounding the efforts of those private security companies that seek to rescue the hostages.

I enjoyed the characters and the depth portrayed by the author as they come to life before the reader's eyes. Told in alternating points of view, mainly from Leah and Finn, the different aspects of the crimes become three dimensional. Great storytelling and prose with excellent detail and description. The narrative tackles a lot of complex issues that are very timely considering what is going on in the world today. Loved the ending.

 I really enjoyed this novel and will definitely look for more by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the e-book ARC to read and review.

Tell No Lies by Lisa Hartley

The life of DS Caelan Small: "Fooling people, using them, spending days, weeks and months living as someone she usually despised. It was a strange way of meting out justice, and she had to wonder, was she making any sort of difference?"

Fast-paced police drama centered on thugs and drugs. Set in London and the second in a series featuring this undercover detective, the action moves the narrative forward. It all starts with the discovery of two separate victims, both tortured to death and one a cop. Were they connected somehow? Sent back into the field following a previous case that ended in her having some injuries and causing the breakup of a long-term relationship, Caelan is intent on finding the perpetrators. Seems like a new drug lord is coming into territory recently vacated by the previous kingpin who is now in prison. Caelan has to reach into herself to find the mental and physical reserves she needs to tackle this investigation and stop this explosion of crime in Edmonton without blowing her cover. And all the while having to work with her former lover.

I enjoyed this very much but wish I had read the first one in the series prior to starting this second. Allusions were made to the previous case/book, and yeah, you could figure it out more or less, but I think I missed a few things though this could work as a standalone. I'll definitely be looking for the third book in this series to find out more about Cailan and what she will be involved in next. She's a loner by nature, and perhaps also because of what she must do for her job -- which is her life. She's tough and edgy and vulnerable. Smart with nerves of steel to do what she does. Encore, please!

Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo Publishing Company for the e-book ARC to read and review.

The Reunion by Samantha Hayes

Twenty years ago, August 1996, 13-year-old Lenni Lucas disappears while walking to get ice cream.
Claire Lucas, now Rodway, older sister to Lenni, was 18 years old at the time. She and her friends were splashing about in the water of Trevellin Bay, a normal day at the beach. When Lenni did not return, the Lucas family, their friends, relatives and the police searched and did all the normal things that people do when a child goes missing. To no avail. The only signs were a dropped ice cream cone and a pair of shorts. Lenni was gone.

The family somehow puts itself back together over the next 20 years without the baby of the family. Patrick, the patriarch, is a well-loved husband and father to the Lucas kids as well as to their childhood friends. Shona, mom to all, handles everything -- especially now that Patrick has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Claire and her brother Jason get on with their lives, marry, have their own families -- but still have so many questions. "In the end, our suffering came from not having anyone to blame, from not knowing what happened."

Claire decides that it would be a good time to get some of the old crowd together to help her dad with his memory issues. She has two children (Marcus and Amy) and her best friend from back then, Maggie, has a 15-year-old daughter, Rain. Old flame Nick -- Claire often wonders what might have happened between them had Lenni not vanished. Sets it all up for lots of potential drama considering that Claire has a son about Rain's age. All the relationships are complicated. The big impetus, however, is that Shona wants to sell the old farm because she can't take care of it and her husband too. So, a last little reunion to celebrate and reminisce. Things don't quite go as planned.

Wow, there's a LOT going on in this book. Many different characters and narrations from different points of view. It's hard to imagine all this happening to a single group of people in a small little town, but all the big themes are there. Deceit, betrayal, heartbreak. Not a single character in the book has an easy time of things. It was almost too much, if you know what I mean. I won't say more to prevent spoilers, but despite all the red herrings that the author uses to obfuscate, some things were obvious quickly but one took a little longer to become clear. I am sorry to say that I really didn't like any of the characters in the book very much. Couldn't relate to them. But it was a good family drama story. I am not sure I would call this a "thriller" but more a mystery. I didn't find it suspenseful or heartpounding, etc., but definitely the word I'd use is DRAMA. I did have a hard time putting it down as I wanted to see what was going to happen to this poor messed up group of people next! The ending came a bit abruptly and a few dangling ends were left to my imagination.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read and review. I think most people will be fascinated by the train wreck that is the Lucas family! Enjoy!

Next to Die by TJ Brearton

Is someone targeting case workers from the Department of Social Services?

Setting -- Lake Haven in the Adirondacks. A DSS worker is stabbed to death in her car outside the office after hours one night. Harriet Fogarty wasn't scheduled to be working that evening, so perhaps Bobbi Noelle, who was meant to be on duty but was home sick, was the intended victim? Things in the small town heat up pretty quickly as Detectives Mike Nelson from the New York State Police and Detective Lena Overton with the Lake Haven Police start to work the case.

But there is a lot more going on in Lake Haven. Suspects are identified and the investigation painstakingly plods along as more questions are raised than answers can be found. There are parallel plots and it is all quite complex. Red herrings abound, but most astute readers will figure out where this is going though it takes a long while to get there. There are so many characters that sometimes the names all became a jumble and they were all very superficially constructed. The main character of Bobbi narrates part of the story as it alternates between her and Detective Mike. There's also a romantic element for both of those two (not with each other) that really didn't add anything to the forward movement of the plot.

This works find as a standalone though I've read others in the series. I enjoyed it but it seemed like it took a lot of pages to get to the denouement and the final showdown when all was revealed. I'll definitely read more by this author.

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

The Art of Fear by Pamela Crane (#1 The Little Things That Kill)

"If you go poking around in shadows, you'll find darkness."

Ari was ten years old when she was held responsible for her little sister's death. Tina (Sophia) was sold into sex slavery by her parents when she was 6. These two young women meet at a suicide support group, bond, and start looking for answers to explain their miserable lives. Although complete amateurs at the investigation business, they somehow find out more than expected and track down the different parties as it seems that there is a connection between events that happened over fourteen years ago.

Despite the need to completely suspend my disbelief in the action and plot, and never mind that the characters were flat and stereotypical, I moved through this rapidly. I really didn't like any of the characters in the book and the coincidences were often just too extreme. Ari and Tina are supposed to be two tough chicks who'd survived really hard times (and yeah, I am sure the sex slavery was total horror and sometimes I can't even stand to think about it much less read about it), but I just couldn't buy into Ari's personality. The romance that blossomed with Tristan was...well, most know how I feel about romance in these thrillers...but how convenient that his job proves so HELPFUL to Ari right?
No spoilers, but the ending shows that Ari is moving forward into a new direction -- no longer a retail sales clerk after her stellar investigating techniques -- finding out stuff that defied all the efforts of previous law enforcement types.

Although this was OK, I don't know that I'd invest the time in another of this series. I didn't like the interaction between the characters, the dialogue or the need to be so incredulous at outcomes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tabella House for the e-book ARC to read and review.