The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer

Interested to see how Stephenie Meyer can transition away from vampires, werewolves and parasites!

Answer -- meh

I decided to read this hoping that, since it wasn't YA, that it would measure up to other thriller suspense novels that are my true pleasure. I was somewhat disappointed to be honest -- I had expected a bit more than the contrived juvenile romance between the female character and Daniel. The whole plot is implausible and the book is overly long and could use a serious editing.

She (let's call her Alex cause she has a lot of different names) is an ex government agent of the super secret kind -- an expert in chemical torture (nice girl right?) and is on the run from her employers who are trying to kill her. They entice her with a last job -- and she agrees to kidnap a man (Daniel) who is supposed to be making a biologic weapon -- BUT he doesn't look like the picture when she meets him in person. She does it anyway. They "fall in love" in the most ridiculous fashion imaginable (reeks of sparkly vampires and Twilight style) and go on the run together when she finds out that she's been lied to.

Lots of violent fight scenes, death, mayhem -- oh and a twin brother (sorry if this is a spoiler but the "tell" for that was early on in the book) who is the opposite in personality of Daniel and of course there is tension between him and Alex. Anyway, this narrative gets to the obvious conclusion that ties up everything and give that HEA ending typical of YA.  It would have been better without a romance, without the dogs, no twin brother, more about the chemistry and less about the guns -- anyway, managed to finish it just shaking my head that it didn't live up to the promise of the premise.

Everything You Want Me to Be by Mindy Mejia

"Just another small town girl..."  with big dreams and a talent for being the person everyone else expects to see. Hattie Hoffman is a senior at Pine High School but she has plans to leave the place behind and move to New York. She's bright and wants to be an actress -- she gives the performance of her life as Lady Macbeth, but hours later she is dead in an isolated barn. Who'd want to murder this popular girl who had so much promise?

Told from 3 different viewpoints and with shifts back and form in time, the reader follows the narratives of Hattie, Del Goodman (the Sheriff) who is investigating this murder of his good friends' daughter, and Peter Lund (the new high school English teacher, married). Parts of the plot are anticipated as affairs between students and teachers are not uncommon themes, but the author surprised me with a few twists that I didn't see coming. I thought I had the whole thing figured out. I liked the way the backstory evolved and that details were dangled inviting the reader to keep flipping the pages -- so a good one to read in one sitting.

An enjoyable mystery that has elements of the standard police procedural, psychological drama, and the lure of the forbidden. Temptation is one thing, giving into it is yet another.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the e-book ARC to review.

Blood Lines (DI Kim Stone #5) by Angela Marsons

Another thrilling episode in the DI Kim Stone series.

#5 continues the compelling storyline of Kim Stone, giving us further glimpses into her character and her relationships. Alexandra Thorne is back, this time spinning her evil plans from a prison cell -- and her reach is long. Though Kim is nearly undone by the manipulations of sociopathic psychiatrist Dr. Thorne, she and her team investigate a series of murders that leads to a surprising conclusion. In a related subplot, Kim sees her mother again after over 20 years.

Although I sometimes feel that Kim is meant to be superwoman, I do find her flawed psyche interesting and I'm curious about what case she will confront next. Love the series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the e-book ARC to review -- can't wait for #6.

Got this approved from NetGalley after I bought the e-book (had some promotional credit to use). Now I wait.

The Perfect Girl by Gilly Macmillan

Zoe and Maria, mother and daughter, finally have a second chance at a happy family life when Maria marries Chris Kennedy. Chris has a son, Lucas, from his former wife (deceased) and now Chris and Maria have a new baby girl they've named Grace. The "Second Chance Family" is calm, reserved, and behaves perfectly -- though Maria and Zoe have a secret they've kept from Chris and Lucas. When Zoe was 14 she was driving a car full of school friends who died and she has completed her sentence and they have put their past behind them -- but they lie by omission. When Zoe is outed during a piano concert (she's a music prodigy), their carefully created facade starts crumbling. The family returns home, Zoe was so upset that she couldn't finish, so Lucas played on alone (yes, he's a prodigy too). Everything falls apart that night and Maria ends up dead. In this domestic drama, the reader waits to find out who killed her.

Sometimes having alternate points of view is illuminating and essential to the story and at other times, like in this novel, it just hampers the progression of the narrative with lots of extraneous detail that is probably meant to give the reader insight into the characters and paint a more dastardly picture of the killer. The pace was rather slow, and I am sorry but I really despised the conclusion.  There was such limited honestly by all the characters that I had no empathy for any pain they might have experienced because I do not feel that the lies and secrets met any criteria for ends justifying means. I can't say I liked Zoe and definitely am not a fan of how it all resolved -- too unbelievable and pat.

I got this book from the library because I had enjoyed Macmillan's debut.

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

"Most of us think the word racism is synonymous with the word prejudice. But racism is more than just discrimination based on skin color. It's also about who has institutional power."

It is difficult for me, a white woman, to fully accept that I have been given advantages that made my success easier to achieve. This book challenges all of us to look deep within ourselves -- is it possible to truly admit that -- just because of skin color -- the American dream is not really accessible to all who live here. I will be thinking about many of the issues and points raised in this fictional account of an African American nurse who was charged with murder of a baby who goes into cardiac arrest when she had been told not to touch this white newborn by the parents and her supervisor.

Definitely would be a great book club read or even required reading for anyone interested in having a very difficult conversation about racism. Does this mean there will be a sequel:  (Ruth Jefferson #1)???

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

While You Were Sleeping by Kathryn Croft

Preposterous. I despised every single character in this book and the ridiculous plot was completely unbelievable from both a police procedural standpoint and a mystery. The notion that someone could wake up naked in a neighbor's bed with said neighbor bloody and dead beside her compounded by amnesia and what must be completely inept police with no DNA or forensics capabilities...I'll stop here. Don't recommend.

This is the first by this author I've read. Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the e-book ARC.

Evil Games (#2) by Angela Marsons

Second in the series that I seem to have read backwards! Enjoyed this one as well as the other 3 I have read. DI Kim Stone is a complicated woman -- a bit of a psychological mess -- but she is determined to close her cases despite some unorthodox methods. She's the typical cop in genre fiction who doesn't follow the rules, obey superiors, or work very well with others. This means she is always in some sort of personal physical danger -- and of course, she always escapes to chase down the bad guys another day. Despite these flaws and stereotype, the plots are interesting and cover a wide range of crimes from murder, abuse, psychological manipulation, etc.

I am looking forward to #5 and intend to read them in order from now on -- definitely would have helped to have the backstory on DI Stone because I read #3 first. I hope that one day she will be somewhat normal and actually have some relationships in her life. Wouldn't it be nice if, for once, some of these tough female characters could have a good woman friend? I'm not meaning romance as I think Kim Stone is nowhere ready for that! She does need a bit of a "life" however. It gets boring reading about her lonely life with her motorcycles!

Bought this one too!

Silent Scream (#1 DI Kim Stone) by Angela Marsons

Suspenseful debut of new series kept me glued to the book from start to finish. Two and a half hours later, whew -- what a character!  I'm a fan of female detectives, so this introduction to DI Kim Stone hooked me from the prologue through to the surprising conclusion.

Five people gather around a shallow grave outside of a children's social services care home burying their secret. Years later, the land is set to be dug by a team of archeologists. Suddenly, the members of that clandestine group start dying. There is a lot going on in this case and it centers mostly on how children in the care system continue to be misused and abused by those paid to care for them -- "out of the frying pan into the fire". The most horrifying thing about this novel is that probably many of the bad things that happened to the kids in care might still continue in these social systems and justice centers today.

Glancing back through my "books read", however, I noticed that I had read #4 and #3 (in that order) back at the beginning of the year. In those reviews, I remark that I can't stand Kim Stone -- perhaps that was because I didn't have any idea of her background to explain why she is so brash, cocky, obsessed, and haunted. She does that have annoying characteristic of always being right (to show up everyone she works for or with), but she has a loyal team despite all. I like the interaction between Kim and her usual partner, Bryant. Her snarky comments are sometimes funny.

Since I started at the wrong point, I'd suggest if you're interested in gritty police thrillers that you begin with the first and progress up. I just queued up #2 and catching up!

Actually bought this e-book I needed to catch up the series.

Bitter Moon (#4) by Alexandra Sokoloff

"Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing." (John Stuart Mill)

Wow -- another great book in this amazing series! This takes the reader back to where it all began with Cara and why she does what she does. These must be read in order to fully appreciate the development of the character of Cara. Roarke is retracing the period of time Cara spent in Las Piedras 14 years before the current events and manhunt featured in books one through three. Cara had her choice -- to be afraid of the wolf or to become the wolf. She became the wolf.

Totally absorbing and fast paced as the narrative shifts between Cara in the past and Roarke in the present. Basically Roarke is channeling Cara as he investigates the deaths of two young girls in the town all those years ago. Although the repetition of the evil of "It" gets a little tiresome, I found it only a minor annoyance.  Even though I knew "who" because I read so many books in this genre, I found the process quite a thrill ride.

I love this series and I will be waiting eagerly for book #5. The author is writing fiction, yes, but she is quite passionate about the need to stop abuse and neglect of children in the social services programs. She's an advocate of those organizations that work with children and teens and her plea for all to open their eyes and help them.

PsychoAnalysis by V.R.Stone

"The mind...contains memories too painful to remember, elicits emotions we don't want to feel, and makes us do things we don't understand."

Three characters on very different paths, but all have personal issues from the past that will collide in the present. One is a Freudian psychiatrist and author -- Dr. Karl Gross who specializes in serial killers and celebrity sex addicts. Another is DI Martin White whose work days are usually spent looking at cold cases -- until he is assigned a partner for this investigation. And lastly, Sarah Smith (AKA Sarah Silver) -- a rarity -- female serial killer who has traveled the world for her prey. Just who is the hunter?

Lots of action and great messed up characters that remind us all of how complex humans can be. The detectives want to find and stop the killer. The psychiatrist wants to get inside her head and save her (and maybe write a book about her). Sarah wants to ...quit? Maybe. Told in alternating points of view, this psychological crime thriller takes the reader on quite the ride and begs the question -- what shapes human behavior?

This was an excellent debut and I'm definitely going to be eagerly waiting for this author's next book. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the e-book ARC to review.

Daisy in Chains by Sharon Bolton

Hamish Wolfe is a convicted murderer -- three young women met their fate at his hands -- or did they? He begs celebrated defense barrister and true-crime author, Maggie Rose, to take his appeal forward. Between Wolfe's mother and his fan club, Maggie is beseeched until she agrees to see him in Parkhurst Prison. He is indeed a very handsome man; she can see why he receives hundreds of letters a month from female admirers. Women drawn to the alpha man. Though initially refusing to take his case, and deterred as well by Detective Constable Peter Weston who arrested him, Maggie finds herself wondering-- not about his guilt as she doesn't care about that -- but whether or not she can get the conviction overturned.

Maggie Rose is a bit of an odd duck, reclusive yet flamboyant with her turquoise blue hair and slight stature. She finds it telling that all of the dead women were quite heavy and not especially attractive. Are those rumors about Hamish during his university days true? Hamish insists he was framed but Maggie cannot fathom who would do that to the good doctor. Regardless, she agrees to help and begins an investigation hoping to find evidence that will create doubt.

Setting: Somerset in the UK, present day. Sharon Bolton is an amazing writer with an eye for description and detail. You can feel the cold and the menace of the caves. Her characters are complex and interesting. Maggie is an enigma and there is a sense that she has a past that is only hinted at. A loner. The pace is fast as the narrative ratchets up the tension to a twisty conclusion that some might anticipate but that will be relished nevertheless. I loved it!

This is the second book I've read by this author and can't wait to see what's next. The setting is so vivid it is almost another character and allows for splendid visualization of the action as it happens. I'd recommend it!

See How They Run by Tom Bale

Ordinary couple caught up in extraordinary circumstances.

When Alice and Harry French are awakened in the middle of the night by intruders who threaten them and their baby daughter, Evie, they think at first that these men have gotten the wrong house. Neither Alice nor Harry know a man named Renshaw. Shaken, they don't call the police, but then events spiral out of their control and they are on the run pursued by the ruthless criminals. But -- they aren't together.

Great fast-paced action and suspense as Alice and Harry try to evade the criminals intent on recovering something that was stolen from them. Who can they trust? Forced into suspicious partnerships and separated from each other, Alice and Harry find themselves in life or death situations.

Enjoyed the characters and the drama -- average family in peril. A good thriller with some nice twists make it a compelling read that was hard to put down.

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

Dark Water (Erika Foster #3) by Robert Bryndza

The bones of a child are drug from the quarry water and she is soon identified as Jessica Collins -- an 8-year-old who went missing on her way to a birthday party 26 years ago. As DCI Foster tries to find some clues about who may have abducted her and why, the discovery of the bones has ignited a series of events that result in the deaths of people connected to the investigation. The Collins family is a mess and Erika's team is desperate to get this case closed. A clever twist at the end! This hooked me from the start and kept me engrossed throughout. A London setting, vivid descriptions and great characters make this one I'll be recommending.

I love this series and have read all 3! The character of Erika Foster is so well-developed and she makes such a believable protagonist. Although you could read this as a standalone, I think that it is better if you do start from the beginning to see Erika's history leading up to this, book #3.  I can't wait for the next book.

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

Away from the Dark by Aleatha Romig

No one gets out of "The Light"...

This is a very suspenseful and worthy sequel to INTO THE LIGHT -- which had ended on a cliffhanger that left me desperately waiting for this followup. I can't help but wonder, however, if there is more to come though I understand that the author has indicated that the story arc featuring Jacoby and Stella is concluded?!  I definitely would read another featuring the characters from this duology.

Many of the questions asked in the first novel were answered in this one but I do not want to say more to avoid giving spoilers. Jacob (Jacoby) and Sara (Stella) are involved in very dangerous activities as they seek to expose the horrors of The Light and save those that are captive in the religious cult. This is definitely a duet that requires that you read it in order, so don't start this one unless you have read the first.

I liked the characters of Jacob and Sara and some of the minor ones as well. Though I typically dislike a lot of romance (lots of LOVE in this set), I wasn't as bothered by it as usual as their relationship was important to the plot. The evil in The Light's leadership was palpable and the subjugation of women was a bitter pill to swallow.  I had a hard time putting the book down as it raced to the conclusion even as I expected the outcome -- but not some of the twists. Definitely enjoyed both books.

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

The Sleepwalker by Chris Bohjalian

Absorbing story of a family reacting to the sudden disappearance and presumed death of the wife and mother. The twist is that she suffered from sleepwalking (parasomnia) -- so the reader learns a lot about this topic throughout the course of the narrative. 

What happened? Beautiful Annalee Ahlberg vanished after apparently walking out of her home in the middle of the night. The story is basically a family drama with a mystery that is told from the point of view of the oldest daughter, 21-year-old Lianna, who is trying to take care of her younger sister Paige and her father, Warren.

I found the information about parasomnia quite fascinating as it is not something I knew much about beforehand. However, I didn't care much for any of the characters in the book, I didn't relate to Lianna, and was quite disappointed in the ending when the mystery is solved. I did not find it suspenseful or "spine tingling" and would not say it is a thriller. I would say this is not my favorite Bohjalian novel and I have read all the previous ones so just making that comparison. Others may certainly find it more "mesmerizing" than I did.

Thank you to Edelweiss and Doubleday Books for the e-book ARC to review.

I See You by Clare Mackintosh

"You know exactly where you're going. You're not alone."

A secret website full of the personal details of your life and schedule available to anyone with a membership. Someone could meet you easily if he wanted. Or worse...

Zoe Walker is stunned to find her face on an advert in the classified section of the LONDON GAZETTE. When she talks to her family about it, they seem fairly unconcerned -- until Zoe discovers that another woman whose face had been pictured ended up murdered. Coincidence? And soon there are more linked cases. Then MIT gets involved and the hunt is on -- who is behind this game of cat and mouse?

This suspense thriller is filled with a large cast of characters and many red herrings as the police use all of their resources to find the mastermind behind the website. Zoe becomes a bit more unglued as each day she feels that she is being watched, stalked. The Metropolitan detectives are tracking the money, the CCTV, and the internet as the cunning owner tries to stay a step ahead with a last, desperate gamble to keep the game alive.

This was entertaining though I found Zoe more annoying than actually endangered. The climax was a bit over the top, but overall an enjoyable read. I'm wondering if this will be the first in a new series featuring the police team of Kelly Swift and DI Nick Rampello as the duo seemed to be the most fleshed-out and interesting characters. This is the second book by this author I have read.

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

Good as Gone by Amy Gentry

What would you do if the worst thing that had ever happened was suddenly undone?

That's the dilemma facing the Whitaker family when their kidnapped older daughter, Julie, appears on their doorstep one evening -- 8 years after she had vanished! They all want to believe -- but is this girl who is so different really Julie? Her stories about what happened during those 8 years reveal horrible abuse and degradation. Is that why she seems changed?  Anna, the mother, has some doubts that she can't seem to face. Denial. Hope. In equal measures.

Although this is a mystery in some ways, it is more a story of relationships between mothers and daughters. Of things spoken and those words left unsaid. A chasm of needs not met due to a lack of communication. And a tragedy that results from that kind of neglect.

I thought I would like this more than I did, but mostly I was just annoyed because a simple DNA test at the outset would have answered all the questions. No, I'm not giving it away here. I don't understand denial as a self defense mechanism, so that's probably why I have some issues. Found the whole story a bit hard to believe, really, and the ending where it was all neatly tied up fell short of meeting my expectations for a climax. I never connected with any of the characters, especially not Anna, and the sister and husband of Anna were completely undeveloped.

It was fast paced and I read it in an evening but would not really consider it suspenseful or any type of thriller -- more domestic drama. Thank you to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the e-book ARC to review.

The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

OK -- book wins. I have no idea what the heck I just read. I don't understand really what happened or why or anything. Perhaps that was the point. A totally crazy (forgive the pun) rollercoaster ride that ends in a spectacular crash. What was real, what was true -- no clue.

I can't say I enjoyed reading this, but definitely it will be interesting to discuss at book club this week. Mental illness of this nature can be a very scary thing and whether or not one believes in the controversial state of DID, it totally freaked me out seeing that probably there was no way that Kaitlyn/Carly would ever be well.

Definitely a book I would not have read had it not been a book club selection by the teens and I am not into horror, supernatural, magic, demons, possession, etc., but I did like the way the author used different approaches to advancing the narrative. From the transcription of video, interviews, diary entries, etc. to the police reports and summaries, the reader is caught up in a maelstrom from the beginning and it's hard to take a complete breath until it's over.

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

The Girl Before by JP Delaney

Psychological suspense that keeps you guessing -- and of course, with the expected twist as that is the nature of most books of this genre right now!

Just who is the psychopathic narcissist?

Emma and Jane both live in the same house -- One Folgate Street -- Emma a couple of years prior and Jane now. They both become involved with the architect who designed the unique dwelling and who insists upon the "rules" for those who live there. The idea, he claims, is that people can be changed by this state-of-the art dwelling and minimalist living style.

The narration alternates between Emma (THEN) and Jane (NOW). Each has her own personality and both have recently experienced an event that has left them vulnerable and weakened. Now they become obsessed by the house, the architect, and those that lived there before -- especially when it seems that death has visited. The characters have a lot of depth and the chapters are short so the book moves very fast. Manipulation, deception, and suspicion lead to only one end.

Ignore the fact that these books of psycho drama featuring women are now always compared to those titles I will not name, but you know what I mean. There is a lot of hype about this novel, and it is definitely one all fans of this genre should read.  The author is writing under a pseudonym and you can tell it's not a debut work.

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

Gone Without a Trace by Mary Torjussen

Excellent suspense -- kept me guessing.

What would you do if you came home to a house that had been stripped of every single piece of your live-in boyfriend's presence and he went missing as well?

Hannah goes completely off the rails and becomes obsessed with tracking down Matt and begging him to return to her and their life together. She tries everything she can think of, and her work and job start to suffer, but she cannot find a trace of him and starts to doubt herself and their relationship. Though focusing on their good times, and claiming that nothing had changed in the weeks and days leading up to Matt's disappearance, her friends can't help but wonder what really had been going on between the pair. Hannah is about to lose everything in pursuit of Matt.

I really did not like Hannah at all, and was very unsympathetic to her desire to track Matt down and get him back (ladies, we all know that never works, they leave for a reason), I was suspicious of her and the story line looking for the big twist. It was a very fast read and I enjoyed it very much because of the writing style and the characters -- who were all a bit unsavory!

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC to review. This would make a great choice for a book club discussion.