The Boy from the Woods by Harlan Coben

"How far would you go to save millions of lives, Wilde?"
"...life is lived in the gray. Life is lived in the nuances."

This is an entertaining standalone suspense and mystery novel by a prolific writer who's had a couple of his books adapted to Netflix miniseries. The main character is the boy from the woods - his name is Wilde, and he was found ages ago as a feral child who had been living on his own in the local state forest in the Ramapo Mountains outside Westville. "It's like Mowgli in the 'Jungle Book' movie" He was adopted and years later becomes a partner with his foster sister in a PI business and still lives in Westville in a special home in the woods. Wilde is connected to Hester Crimstein, a 70-something defense attorney and local television celebrity, through her deceased son, David, and is godson to David's son Matthew. Wilde and David had been good friends so when Matthew asks Hester to find a missing friend, Hester engages Wilde to help. The plot evolves further when another teen later goes missing as well and his wealthy parents need Wilde and Hester to help them with sensitive issues involving a presidential candidate who some feel is the "most dangerous man in America." NO SPOILERS.

This was quite the convoluted tale with a heavy political theme and actually didn't reveal as much about the main character, Wilde, as I had hoped. The story line was fairly predictable and long-time readers will probably recognize some familiar characters, especially Hester. The narrative is straight forward and everything is tied up neatly for the reader. I wonder if Coben intentionally didn't give too much information about Wilde so to revisit his character in the next book. I've read all the standalones by this author and will likely read the next as they are all so similar in basic ways to provide a good diversion for a couple of hours.

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

This is a standalone and not part of a series although there are some reoccuring characters.
Genre - mystery, suspense

Flowers on her Grave (Detective Katie Scott #3) by Jennifer Chase

A fast-paced police procedural/crime thriller --the third installment in a series featuring Detective Katie Scott of the Pine Valley Sheriff's Department.

Katie has been promoted to head the cold case division by her uncle who happens to be the Sheriff. She has a part-time partner, Deputy McGaven, who also works patrol on alternate days. Katie is a vet with history of two tours as a K-9 operative in Afghanistan. She suffers from anxiety and PTSD and has finally sought some therapy. She has a new man, Chad, in her life and things are going well for her.

Katie and Chad attend an anniversary party at the home of Katie's uncle and aunt. The next morning, as is their tradition, she shows up to the house to find her uncle dazed and bloody and her aunt dead in the laundry room. Immediately, the Sheriff is arrested and Katie -- though officially barred from the case -- begins her own shadow investigation with the help of her mentor, Nick. Meanwhile, Katie and McGaven are looking into a cold case murder that occurred many years ago as well as a missing persons case. Katie is determine to prove that her uncle did not kill her aunt and to solve the other old cases as well. NO SPOILERS.

Katie Scott is the typical female detective of this genre. Headstrong, rebellious, doesn't follow rules or procedures, and somehow manages to get all kinds of support and backup to follow her down into danger. After 3 books, I find her irritating. Everyone is always asking how she is and despite her PTSD and anxiety, she manages to get the job done taking huge risks herself and endangering other people as she goes off on her own without telling anyone her plans. And does back-up show up in time when she needs it? I can't figure how she keeps her job -- oh wait, she's the Sheriff's niece. Anyway, the story is decent though convoluted. I didn't guess the identity of the killer and there were plenty of red herrings and suspects though the motive was ever so very teeny tiny slim. Lots of convenient coincidences for sure. It was a quick, easy read over a couple of hours. I will most likely want to read the future books in this series as I'm invested.

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

This is the third book in a series and I've read both #1 and #2 in order.
Genre - police procedural, crime thriller

A Conspiracy of Bones (Tempe Brennan #19) by Kathy Reichs

"What is real and what is not?"

North Carolina is humid and sticky in the summertime heat. Dr. Temperance (Tempe) Brennan, exiled from the MCME after a new boss replaced her colleague, Larabee, becomes involved in an extremely complicated investigation along with her PI friend, Skinny Slidell. This is the 19th book in a popular, long-running series featuring the forensic anthropologist and is another entertaining and compelling read. I've been hit and miss following the release of new novels by this author, and can attest to the ease of dropping in out of order. Reichs gives plenty of background so that you won't feel lost.

A faceless corpse discovered in the woods, a cold case involving a missing child, a conspiracy-crazed talk show host, a hidden and rehabbed missle silo ready for the apocalypse, and so much more combine to give Tempe and her cohort a seriously challenging situation. Compound all that as Tempe is recovering from surgery after discovering that she has a brain aneurysm with Andrew Ryan (her Canadian boyfriend) being back in Montreal and not around to provide a foil for her intensity. The truth will take a long time to uncover and require Tempe to do some very frequent self analysis as she navigates the twists and turns of this unusual web with more questions than answers. Who is the dead man and what happened to him are only a small part of the big picture. NO SPOILERS.

I like the first person narrative and I like the character that is Tempe Brennan. She's complicated, super smart, and sometimes very funny. I enjoy the forensic details and I relish reading how Tempe's mind works though she's a bit determined and not as cautious as she should be. The writing is excellent and, even though there are a ton of characters to keep straight, the strings are all nicely tied together. It's fun to read how Tempe learns and uses new technology and how she works all the angles of a particular problem or issue. I definitely recommend this series. Even though the TV show, BONES, is based loosely on the persona that is Temperance Brennan, the books have a lot of differences to that whole set-up and are so rewarding to read. I can't wait for #20 in the series.

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

This is #19 in the series but can be read as a standalone.
Genre - forensic anthropologist, mystery

Knock Knock (DI Dan Lockhart and Dr. Green) by Chris Merritt

This is the first book in a new series featuring DI Dan Lockhart of the Putney MIT and Dr. Alexis (Lexi) Green, a psychologist with the NHS. Although she's been seeing Lockhart as a patient, a series of linked murders forces him to use her expertise to help develop a profile of the killer. The murders are brutal and all the victims are women. There's no shortage of suspects but the case and investigation are going nowhere despite the team working full out. NO SPOILERS.

A very well-written crime thriller and police procedural with an unusual theme to motivate the killer. It held my interest and I definitely want to learn more about the two main characters as well as those who are part of Lockhart's MIT 8. There's a bit too much hinting of more than professional interest between Dan and Lexi and, honestly, I don't want to see a romance there. Hopefully Dan will stay focused on finding out what happened to his missing wife...

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read, review and recommend. I've read the 3 books in the Zac Boateng series and look forward to the second in this one.

This is the first book in a new series. I plan to read them in order.
Genre - police procedural, crime thriller

Some Days are Dark by Miranda Smith

"People aren't all bad or all good...Pain comes in all sorts o' shades, honey."

This is a debut that I'd categorize as domestic drama with a mystery at its core. Who killed Dane Miller on that hot July night in Whitaker, Tennessee?

Since she found the body, police initially question his wife, Olivia Miller. She's the prime suspect for awhile but then, a confession by Marcus Rowe, a small-time thief, takes the pressure off until he later recants and is set to be released. Olivia, living in the condo that she and her dead husband had shared, is now back in the spotlight. Though she's not unhappy he's dead, she wants to clear her name but has no idea exactly who her husband was after all. That's because she's a pill popper, a party girl and a big drinker. In fact, she had left her nice home and former husband, Frank Grier, to be with Dane. In addition, she had to give up custody of her son to Frank because of all the attention focused on her as the possible killer. Her life is a big mess and someone needs to answer for the murder. NO SPOILERS.

I really dragged through this one and I'm not sure why it wasn't able to hold my attention and interest. Part of the issue, I'm sure, is that I absolutely couldn't stand Olivia and the rest of the characters in the story really weren't all that likeable either. Dane was a loser, for sure, but Olivia wasn't exactly a real catch herself. All her decisions were made under the influence and they were all mostly bad. The narrative is told in alternating BEFORE and AFTER chapters detailing all events that led up to the crime and then everything that happens when Dane is shot. A journalist with a popular blog and dreams of writing a best-selling true crime novel shows up in town to try to get some answers for his followers and wants Olivia to help him out. But everyone has secrets and tells likes (as always) and it takes awhile to get the whole story. The writing was good, it's just that the plot wasn't anything new and I'm sure most will have the whole thing sussed out before the halfway mark. It lacked any tension or suspense for me and I just wanted confirmation and to be done.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read and review. I would look at a new title by this author in the future.

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
Genre - domestic drama, mystery

Dead Wrong (DC Maggie Jamieson #2) by Noelle Holten

This is the second in a crime thriller series featuring DC Maggie Jamieson. This installment has her returned to Stafford Police Station after a secondment in the Domestic Abuse and Homicide Team (DEAD INSIDE - BOOK #1) that ended the career of the criminal known as The Chopper -- Bill Raven -- who was convicted and now serving life in prison. Back with the team at the Major and Organized Crime Department, she finds that Raven has suddenly claimed his innocence in the death and dismemberment cases and may now be released. In addition, she's being accused of coercing testimony. Of course she's livid as she knows she had him dead to rights, but his solicitor has filed an appeal. Before that can get off the ground, a bag of body parts is found in a bin and the female is identified as Lorraine Rugman, the woman Bill Raven had claimed killing in what he is now calling a confession drug from him during a drug induced psychosis. Soon, two other body bags are found and, with Raven behind bars, some think that he may be innocent after all. But not Maggie Jamieson who is convinced that he's involved despite forensics showing that the women found were recently killed. So who is killing these women two years after Raven initially claimed he'd done it? It can't be Raven as he's been locked up, coming off heroin, and getting treatment from the prison psychologist. Now, it's up to Maggie and the rest of the team to find the real killer and tie Raven to the crimes. NO SPOILERS.

This was straight-forward police procedural and the narrative moves between different points of view as the case is worked. I didn't find myself becoming particularly attached or interested in any of them as all are fairly one-dimensional. A disconnect occurs because, although Maggie is a DC, it seems like she leads the others around almost taking charge of the case and everyone just lets her. There is very little about anyone's personal lives in the story, but Maggie's bisexuality is mentioned as almost an aside with nothing ever coming of any romance within. The DI allows Maggie a lot of leeway and eventually the case is solved and it's proved that Maggie was right about her theories of course and not much of a surprise. It all ends rather quickly without much explanation of the relationship between Raven and the killer. I'm over him so I hope we're done with all that and can move on to something more interesting hinted at by the cliffhanger ending. All in all, there was just nothing much new here to separate this from the standard detective series so I truly hope that, in future books, Maggie becomes more three-dimensional. I will definitely want to read #3 to see.

Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter (HarperCollins Publishers) for this e-book ARC to read and review.

This is the second in the series and has different characters to the first so could possibly be read out of order or as a standalone. I don't recommend that.
Genre - police procedural and crime thriller

The Diary of a Serial Killer's Daughter by L.A. Detwiler

"We'll believe what we want to...People will believe the story we sell to them, even if it clearly isn't true."

Ruby Marlowe knows all about secrets. She's grown up keeping them -- from age 7 she realizes that something about her father is not normal and very scary. He doesn't know that she's watching him very carefully and learning a lot about what he is doing although she has no way of understanding why he's doing it. But Ruby loves her daddy and he has always taken care of her. It's been the two of them, alone in their isolated house by the fields and the woods. The two of them, alone, don't need anyone else. But Ruby is growing up and her being "different" is making things hard. Daddy has taught his daughter well. NO SPOILERS.

This is some sick stuff here. Told in diary format, Ruby details her thoughts and feelings about her life as the daughter of a serial killer who's driven by a darkness that engulfs Ruby as well. I don't really care for the style, especially the entries Ruby makes at an age where most children can't express themselves very well or write at that level. It's definitely twisted and sad and awful and I couldn't help but wonder how the family avoided any protective services intervention. It was an extremely fast read and I found myself unable to put this horror story down, hoping that somehow Ruby would be able to be saved. Nothing about this was predictable, which was different for me, but I can't say I enjoyed it. I also can't say I liked any of the characters but I did feel quite sorry for Ruby growing up as she did, keeping herself to herself, and also being privy to her father's secret life. That father-daughter bond was unbreakable since all they had was each other.

I am not sure what type of psycho chiller thriller fan would like this with its very dark subject matter. Be warned! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-book ARC to read and review.

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
Genre - psycho thriller, twisted, dark, disturbing

Her Broken Wings (Detectives Kane and Alton #8) by D.K. Hood

It seems that Black Rock Falls, Montana, must be a sociopathic serial killer magnet and, this time at Halloween, another has found his way to the small town by the mountains. The bodies are coming fast and furious and Sheriff Jenna Alton and Deputy Dave Kane enlist the help of FBI operatives in a nearby town to help them nab this one known as the Chamelon Killer. Lots of grisly murders and a host of suspects keep the detectives busy. This 8th book in the series has lots of action and many different characters to keep readers fully engaged and rapidly turning the pages. Even though the outcome is predictable, it was an entertaining police procedural and crime thriller.

I've read all the previous books in the series and will continue to do so. Kane and Alton have a work partnership as well as an obvious personal connection. Their relationship is a co-dependency and they certainly have plenty to do in "Serial Killer Central" as the crime rate in Black Rock Falls is off the charts!

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

This is the 8th book in the long-running series that should be read, from the beginning, in order.
Genre - police procedural, crime thriller

The Red Lotus by Chris Bohjalian

"...[he] would be called, with the gallows humor of the beleaguered who fear that death is but a sneeze distant, the Rat King."

A timely global thriller that hits all the right notes in the current atmosphere -- basically it's a suspenseful story about a plague bacteria carried by rats. So, if you are triggered by reading about rats, you definitely are going to want to avoid this. There's a lot of detail.

But, back to the story. A young man, Austin Harper, works at a large university hospital in New York in the fundraising and development wing. His girlfriend, ER physician, Alexis Remnick, accompanies him on a trip to Vietnam, ostensibly on a bike tour but Austin claims he also wants to find the sites there where his uncle died and his father was wounded when they were posted there during the Vietnam War. When Austin doesn't return to the Villa Haldina Hotel in Hoi An after a solo bike ride one afternoon, Alexis contacts the local police and the Consulate. When the FBI legal attaché stationed at the US embassy gets involved the search for the missing Austin Harper shifts into high gear. As things evolve, Alexis discovers that she did not know Austin well at all and it turns out that he was involved with something completely unexpected and terribly wrong. NO SPOILERS.

Just read this. I really enjoyed it, not only because of the medical and science facts which I love, but the story is fast-paced and so realistic. The anticipation of what was going to happen kept me flipping the pages and I only wish I could have had a couple of hours to read it all in one sitting as I was always thinking about what was going to happen next whenever I had to put it down. Chris Bohjalian is an excellent writer (I've read every one of his books) and he always manages to surprise me by tackling so many different topics and does an incredible amount of research. I learned a lot about rats and disease; I'll be thinking about all the possibilities and suffer some anxiety for awhile. I thought he did a good job of giving us characters that were interesting and relatable. I was going to wait to read this closer to publication date, but the lure was too strong and I succumbed.

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

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
Genre -- medical, global thriller, plague, RATS

You Are Not Alone by Greer Henricks and Sarah Pekkanen

"...numbers affect the way people see you."

Shay Miller, 31-years-old, single, recently downsized, lives with roommates Sean (who she secretly loves) and his girlfriend, Jody. Nothing is going so well in her life and her apartment is no longer the happy haven it used to be so one Sunday she decides to head out and find a nice place to work on her resume. She grabs a latte and heads for the subway when the event that changes her life takes place right in front of her on the platform: a young woman jumps in front of the train. Shay can't get over the shock and finds herself a bit obsessed finding out about the woman and the circumstances. That's when she meets Cassandra and Jane Moore -- friends of Amanda Evinger, an emergency room nurse who committed suicide by train. Soon things are looking up for Shay and it's all because the sisters have taken her under their wing. But they have a reason for this and Shay has no idea what they have planned for her. NO SPOILERS.

Told in the alternating points of view of Shay and the sisters, the reader gets a slow revelation of everything that has happened in the past as well as the current situation between them. At the beginning of every chapter narrated by Shay, there is a paragraph of a relevant statistic as Shay is very much a person who sees the world in terms of stats and data. Since she's a data analyst, she compulsively keeps data books "the way other kids kept diaries." Slowly the pieces start to fall into place and the reason for instant friendship between Shay and the sisters becomes clear. I enjoyed the story and it had a good amount of suspense but somehow, being a bit perverse, I wanted a different ending. Oh well, it was entertaining and it's a quick read. This is the third psychological thriller I've read by this duo and their collaboration and imagination keep me coming back for more. I definitely enjoyed all the data!

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

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
Genre -- psychological suspense thriller

Come From Away -- Welcome to the Rock

This is a hardcover inside look at the hit musical. The book, music, and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein with text by Laurence Maslon. A foreword by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

If you're a fan of the music and the story behind this totally fabulous hit musical, then you won't want to miss the chance to read about the development of the show. Inside are photographs and interviews with the community of Gander people who hosted the "come from always" or "plane people" on September 11, 2001. In a matter of hours after the US airspace was closed due to the terrorist attacks, 38 planes landed in Gander, Newfoundland, with a total of 6,595 strangers from all over the world. In addition to a full set of lyrics, there are the cut scenes and historical background of the island and surrounding towns as well as a narrative of actual events that took place there. The Gander people stepped up and took in these plane loads of men, women, and children -- they fed them, housed them and gave everything they had to their welfare while also providing emotional support during this horrific time. The last plane departed Gander on Sunday, September 16, 2001 and nothing for any of them would ever be the same.

This is a fabulous, uplifting and also heartbreaking story of what it means to be selfless and giving. All I could think as I closed the last page was that I wanted to be "an Islander" too. If you get an opportunity to see this musical, please don't pass. It's up there in my top 5 now. The book was well done and provided me with what I always crave -- more details, facts, information.

I got this from my local library and highly recommend it.

Non-fiction standalone not part of any series.
Genre - books based on a true story made into a Tony Award winning musical.

My Perfect Wife by Clare Boyd

I'm going to step away a bit from my usual review style as starting by giving my own synopsis of the plot would actually be a disservice as it's much too complicated to reduce to a paragraph. Simply pick this one up and read what is essentially a slow simmer tale of domestic suspense that builds tension with every chapter. I thought I had this pretty much all figured out after the first couple of chapters. In a way I did -- but the way this author breaks it all out is quite masterful.

The characters -- well, I'm not going to lie -- I didn't care for any of them really. Emotional, unstable, indecisive, trusting, naive, willful, obstinate, weak, and strong. Definitely unreliable narrators who alternate chapters telling their version of the story and the reader is unable to figure out whose is accurate. Lots of secrets and lying going on of course as usual in psychological thrillers and both Heather Shaw and Elizabeth Huxley are complex packages of longing and desire. Whose version of Lucas Huxley bears out after all? NO SPOILERS.

Did I mention that it's a slow burner? That bears repeating because it seemed to take forever to get to the rising action with lots of what appeared to be irrelevant detail and description. But, hang in there as the last third of the book brings all the drama to the forefront and it's quite hard to guess what will happen next. I found it all quite satisfying and read it all in basically a single sitting.

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

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
Genre -- domestic suspense, psychological thriller

Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson

The premise -- an introverted widower, Malcolm Kershaw, manages Old Devils Bookstore in Boston. Once upon a time, in 2004, he wrote a blog post as a store promotion listing perfect murders in crime fiction. He came up with 8 titles (listed in synopsis if you want to read or reread) after quite the agonizing ordeal and, in fact, even going so far as to put down a couple that he hadn't actually read but researched the plots. The obvious point of the post was to chose the most clever, most ingenious, and most foolproof in crime fiction history. The post was published and Malcolm expects a deluge of reactions and receives only two comments. So much for viral sensation. In fact, he's all but forgotten about the post until Special Agent Gwen Mulvey of the FBI shows up to ask some questions about it. Seems that someone is murdering people using the plots in the books that Malcolm listed. Intrigued, Malcolm decides to look into these unsolved crimes especially once he figures out that whoever is doing this must actually know him. NO SPOILERS.

If you're a fan of old, classic mystery thrillers, this is a quick read that should keep you fully engaged as you try to anticipate what is going on and why. I read this in a couple of hours this evening as it is quite short and moves along quickly. That said, I think I'm not really the most appreciative audience as I'm really only mildly interested in the type of books that the author has based the story on though I am a committed suspense thriller reader. I have read and really enjoyed Swanson's other books, but this one didn't quite hit the mark for me with twists, thrills, chills or suspense. I look forward to his next book.

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

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
Genre - crime thriller, classic mysteries

Little Doubt (DI Kelly Porter #7) by Rachel Lynch

This is the 7th book in a series that I've followed from the beginning. It features DI Kelly Porter and her division -- Serious Crime in Cumbria's Lake District. The cases are usually quite complicated and the setting is spotlighted in most of the books although not so much in this one. It's always nice to revisit characters that you've come to know from previous installments.

In this police procedural/crime thriller, Kelly and her team are focused on solving two fatal knife attacks. The first victim, Ella Watson (married to Thomas with 2 teenaged children) was an upper middle class homemaker out on a run in the park when she was attacked. The second murder was Keira Bradley, from a lawless area known as Beacon Estate. The two murders committed in the same 24-hour time period couldn't possibly be related, could they? The first issue for Kelly is that one of the deaths is considered a higher priority than the other. NO SPOILERS.

The main themes here are class differences and the rising problem of knife violence. These topics were extensively explored in the narrative and at times I felt that the underlying message overpowered the story line. I really have liked DI Kelly Porter and most of her team members in previous books, but in this one she comes off as almost too perfect -- as a cop, as a woman, as a human being -- and I guess I like my characters with a few flaws and not someone who everyone just adores. I don't need head cases here, but just a little bit less than Wonder Woman would be more believable?! I wasn't all that engaged with this plot as much as the others probably because it didn't seem as much about police work as it was about the social message and corruption in the police department there. I'm sure I'll still want to follow this crime thriller series and definitely will read the next one.

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

This is the 7th book in a series and I think they should be read in order.
Genre - crime thriller, police procedural

The Perfect Sister by Sheryl Browne

Claire's father, Bernard, is losing his mind and she has moved into her childhood home to take care of him. Her husband, Luke, is not happy with this decision although their 4-year-old daughter, Ella, is doing well enough with the situation despite the fact that her mom is overburdened and trying to deal with Bernard's increasing dangerous and aggressive behavior. In addition, Ella, is a hemophiliac and her parents worry that she's not safe. After an argument one evening, Luke storms out of the house, gets drunk at a bar, and ends up embroiled in a huge mess with a woman he meets that night. To top it off, considering that Claire is already at wit's end, she gets a text message from someone who claims to be her half-sister. And that's when the whole thing kicks off. NO SPOILERS.

I read this ARC titled as THE FAMILY SECRET -- which actually is a more apt title than the new one. This is a domestic drama about the effect that a parent's secrets and lies can have on their child. The unfortunate aspect is that this sort of trope has been done to death. I intensely disliked all the characters in this novel so much that I almost had to mark it a DNF. I don't know any woman who would act like Claire and I can't imagine how most of the events that transpired would ever take place as they defy even my imagination. I have read far too many similar books to be shocked or surprised by anything that happened and the conclusion was quite disappointing. I'm sorry to report that this just didn't work for me.

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

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
Genre - more domestic drama than psychological thriller

Dead to Her by Sarah Pinborough

"That's why secrets normally stayed secret. Secrets broke things."

Steamy Savannah, Georgia, fabulous mansions, old money, social standing and self-indulgence. It's a world that is dominated by men who have certain types of wives. When an old scion, William Radford IV,  gets himself a hot new wife after the death of the elegant Savannah belle, Eleanor, the tongues can barely stop wagging. Gossip is currency, and William's friends are both contemptuous and jealous of the lovely Keisha -- who's barely into her early twenties. "There's no fool like an old fool," they all say behind their social niceties. No one is quite as concerned, however, as Marcie Maddox. Marcie is also the second, younger wife but she displaced the former by having an affair that led to a divorce for Jason Maddox. When Marcie notices that Jason seems a bit too taken with Keisha, the claws come out. But then, to her surprise, she and Keisha find that they have quite a bit in common and become close. It's their need, their wildness, their hedonism that might upend it all. Things start to unravel almost immediately and everyone in their close circle will be affected. NO SPOILERS.

Although this was definitely not the twisty, shock-of-a-lifetime thriller that was BEHIND HER EYES, it was entertaining though a bit more "racy" than I like with far too much focus on lust and sex. The shifting narrative between Marcia and Keisha's points of view was seamless, but it lagged in places even though there seemed to be almost too much going on. Lots of different themes within this novel but the overlying tension was weakened for me a bit because I really didn't care of any of the characters! It was quite a collection of pathological personalities and as the end came closer I discovered that I had guessed it out quite correctly. I'll still check out the next book by this author as the stories are unique in their own way, but the more I read, the less likely it is that I'll truly ever be totally surprised by a twist.

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

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
Genre - drama, mystery, sex, marriage, South USA

Mercy House by Alena Dillon

"Mercy House was a safe haven for victims of domestic violence, founded and operated by Sister Evelyn, Sister Josephine, and Sister Maria...Their row house in Brooklyn was almost always at capacity...Good for business, bad for humanity."

I am not sure what I was expecting when I selected this and started reading but I got so much more than anticipated. This was really a remarkable story about courage and resilience not only that of the women who came there to escape horrible situations, but also the Sisters of St. Joseph of Mercy who set up the safe house. These indomitable women faced incredible odds and the scrutiny of the Catholic Church whose efforts to destroy their mission almost ruined them all. The story has so many different characters whose backgrounds and experiences have shaped their lives and brought them to Mercy House right before the Vatican sends Bishop Robert Hawkins to scrutinize the activity of religious sisters -- hunting for deviations from doctrine. They call it the "nun-quisition, reproaching American nuns for their 'secular mentality' and 'feminist spirit."

Can Sister Evelyn and her cohort resist the efforts of the devious Bishop to close down Mercy House and get rid of her -- excommunicate her -- in the process? For Sister Evelyn has a secret that has shamed her for years and she may not be able to overcome years of indoctrination and self-hatred to reveal it. Because of Sister Evelyn's own inability to forgive the many transgressions committed against her, it comes as a surprise when she's offered both grace and mercy when everything finally falls apart. The details of convent life, the activities in Mercy House, the stories of the resident abused women who live there, and the atrocities committed by those in service to the Catholic Church will probably not surprise you, but will affect you. It was a very absorbing narrative that I found hard to put down and can't stop thinking about.

This novel is not just meant for Catholics, but it might affect reaction to it. That said, I am Catholic, went to Catholic schools for almost my entire education (including one year at a Catholic University), taught and worked in Catholic Schools for over 20 years -- you can say I've definitely been immersed -- and nothing in this book shocked me. I know there are those who wonder how someone can still claim to be Catholic despite all the horrible abuses that have come to light. I say that Catholicism is not based on those people but in the faith itself. There is incredible beauty and peace in many of the beliefs and rituals as well as in the community of the faithful DESPITE the sins of those who misuse their power and destroy souls. Is the church changing -- yes, definitely. I'll leave it for others to debate what those changes mean for the future and for the current members.

The writing was excellent and I look forward to reading other reviewers' thoughts and reactions. As Sister Evelyn learns, mercy has value to the person who bestows it and holding grudges destroys the spirit. Grace, undeserved love, is a gift to be treasured.

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

This is a debut, a standalone and is not part of any series.
Genre - fiction, Catholic Church, nuns,

In Plain Sight (DI Clare Mackay #2) by Marion Todd

This is the second installment in the series featuring DI Clare Mackay and her team and set in St. Andrews, Scotland. In this case, Clare, DS Chris West, PC Sara Stapleton and others are focused on handling a kidnapping situation. The baby, 6-month-old Abi Mitchell, was snatched from her pram while she and her parents, Kevin and Lisa, were at a charity fun run. The abduction is complicated by the fact that Abi has congenital heart disease and requires digoxin to keep her alive. The clues and leads are slim with only a single witness reporting that he saw a pizza delivery motorcycle leave with something wiggling in the side bag. It seems that the baby has vanished but soon events escalate -- there is something more going on and Clare et al need to solve this fast. NO SPOILERS.

Although this should have been very gripping, it proved slow going for me though I read it in a single sitting. I had really enjoyed the first book but was not so drawn in by the plot here. I do like the characters and the setting and will likely continue on with the series. Clare has issues in her personal life that need resolution though her position with the police seems to be well set now and her cottage is finally renovated. Overall, it was a satisfactory police procedural.

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

This is the second book in the series and, although it could work as a standalone, I prefer to read in order.
Genre - police procedural and crime thriller

The Dark Corners of the Night (UNSUB #3) by Meg Gardiner

"I am legion of the night. I am beyond good and evil." The Midnight Man steals into their homes under cover of darkness, kills the parents, but leaves the traumatized children alive. He is terrorizing the greater Los Angeles area and the FBI is called in to assess the situation and create a profile.

Caitlin Hendrix is no stranger to hunting predators and serial killers; she works for the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit along with Unit Chief CJ Emmerich and Special Agent Brianne Rainey. They soon find that this is an UNSUB who is unlike any other that they've profiled or apprehended. They've come from Quantico to assist the LAPD but their efforts don't seem to be helping to stop these home invasion murders despite an all-out effort. The killings continue and the Midnight Man seems to be escalating. Few clues to follow until they finally get a survivor who can give them all some crucial information. NO SPOILERS.

If you're looking for an excellent crime suspense thriller with nonstop action and great characters, then look no further -- and I recommend you start with the first one in the series as this is #3. Definitely a one-sitting read if you can manage as it's incredibly hard to put this down. There is so much going on in this book and the author gives detailed descriptions, background information, and interesting facts to prop the narrative. The writing is very good and the tension created will be exquisite as the FBI team and the LAPD try to identify and close in on their elusive criminal. I'm giving this one 4.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for this e-book ARC to read, review and recommend. I can't wait a year for #4 -- honestly, it's that good a series.

This is the third book in a series that I recommend be read, from the beginning, in order.
Genre - Crime suspense thriller, FBI profiler

Her Secret Past (DI Jessie Blake #3) by Kerry Watts

This is the third book in a series featuring DI Jessie Blake and her partner, DC Dylan Logan. They get a callout on Boxing Day morning to a farmhouse in Perthshire. Inside are the bodies of 70-year-old Malcolm Angus and his wife -- both dead of a single gunshot wound. The victims were discovered by their son, Tommy, and grandson, Gordon. Both had come over to visit and to enjoy a meal after having talked to the elders earlier and then found them dead. The only lead happens to be the Angus's closest neighbor, Rachel Ferguson, and the possible motive a dispute over some land. That all sounds really flimsy until Jessie and Dylan find out about Rachel's past: it seems she was implicated in a horrific double murder when she was just 14-years-old. Rachel, then known as Alice Connor, and her older boyfriend, David Law, took hammers to her grandparents and hit them until they were dead. Rachel (Alice) spent only a short time in a young offenders place but David went to prison. Rachel insists that she is not that person any longer and wants to keep her identity secret and claims that she had nothing to do with the murder of Malcolm and Jean Angus. Of course Rachel becomes the main suspect but there's a lot more going on. The murder investigation leads them to new discoveries and revelations. NO SPOILERS.

I found the synopsis to be quite misleading after getting into the book. The main thing that bothered me, other than an intense dislike for Rachel and most of the other non-police characters, was how she could have spent so little time incarcerated for the murders she committed. Though excused due to her relative youth, it made no sense as teenagers in USA are often tried as adults in cases this heinous. Regardless, Jessie and Dylan have their work cut out for them. They make a good team but I just can't connect with them. I have read both other books in the series, but often lose track of characterization since it is the time between books and so many others read in between. I read this in a single sitting and anticipated any possible twists so there were no surprises.

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

This is the third book of a series that I think is best read in order.
Genre - police procedural, murder investigation, Crime thriller