The Launch Party

The Launch Party by Lauren Forry
10/15/24 (originally in 2023); 400 pages
Bonnier Zaffre Books UK

The Launch Party by Lauren Forry is a highly recommended locked room mystery set in the first hotel on the moon.

Ten lucky people have won a free trip and the opportunity to be the first guests at the grand opening of the Hotel Artemis, the first hotel on the moon. After their arrival it quickly becomes clear that things have gone badly awry. While champagne and a buffet dinner are waiting, all their bags are piled up in the lobby and there is no staff available anywhere. In fact they appear to be completely alone in the hotel. After the guests decide to find their rooms and then rejoin each other to drink and dine the night away.  

The next day the guests are shocked to see one of their own dead. The group pushes the emergency alarm, calling for help back at the hotel, which is at least three days out. What follows is a search for who is the killer among them, trying to figure out the layout of the hotel, and striving to not be the next one targeted.

With a police detective, Penelope Strand, and an investigative reporter, Tonya Burton, among the guests, there is sure to be an investigation. Also among the guests are Dr. Erik Wyss, Dai Uchida (a billionaire), Frau Charlotte Richter, Alison Crane, Robert (Bobby) Rannells, Jackson Smith, Sasha Eris, and Freddy Nwankwo. The characters are unique enough to easily follow who's who. All the characters, except Penelope, are suspects.

After setting any and all disbelief aside, I was totally entrench in this entertaining character- driven locked room murder mystery taking place in a unique setting. The descriptions of their accommodations is interesting as you follow the investigation Penelope undertakes. The atmosphere is appropriately creepy and frightening, after all they are all on the moon with no support staff or help in sight. The tension increases right up to the satisfying conclusion.

The Launch Party is a satisfying mystery in an unusual setting and is certainly worth reading for all mystery lovers. Thanks to Bonnier Zaffre Books UK for providing me with an advance reader's copy via Edelweiss. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

A Little Getaway

A Little Getaway by Bonnie Traymore
10/9/24; 261 pages
BooksGoSocial

A Little Getaway by Bonnie Traymore is a highly recommended suspense novel.

Morgan Murphy is concerned that her husband, Kyle Murphy, may be cheating. They have always had a spicy marriage but Kyle's attention has diminished lately. Morgan's friend Carla Flores, actually follows Kyle and does get photo of a woman that he may be involved with. While Morgan tracks her husband’s movements, he increases their life insurance policies and then surprises her with a weekend getaway. 

At the resort cabin, Kyle disappears and Morgan is attacked and nearly kidnapped. Could Kyle be hiding something from her and is Morgan still in danger? And will investigative reporter Tara Harker from K-PAL, who is now following the case uncover what is really going on?

This is a fast-paced thriller that is best enjoyed after you set all disbelief aside and just go with the flow. There are plenty of unrealistic situations, but the fast pace, action, brief chapters, and short length means you can breeze through the novel quickly while following the various plot twists. Everyone has something to hide, no one seems trustworthy, and it is hard to know anyone can be believed. Even though the novel is subtitled "A Spicy Suspense Thriller" any spice is talked about rather than endlessly described.

None of the characters are likeable or that well-developed, but this makes sense with the abbreviated page count. Everyone in this novel is an unreliable character. Morgan is, however, an interesting character. Tara comes the closest to having some code of ethics later in the novel, but she starts out just in it for the story.

This is an excellent choice if you are looking for a quick, fast-paced novel of suspense. Thanks to BooksGoSocial for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Happy-Go-Lucky

Happy-Go-Lucky by David Sedaris
5/31/22; 273 pages
Little, Brown and Company

Happy-Go-Lucky by David Sedaris is a highly recommended collection of his essays on a wide range of subjects. The subject matters covered lean more to deeper, serious topics, including his father's death, with a few lighter musings included, like  buying gummy worms to feed to ants. Everything still has Sedaris's unique irreverent take on it.

After reading and enjoying almost everything Sedaris has written for years, in this outing he is, perhaps, showing his age. I was expecting the collection to leave me laughing and guffawing out loud throughout the collection and then spend days quoting various parts to everyone I see. Instead these stories are uneven. There are several quotable comments and laughs along the way, but not as many as I was expecting. Perhaps it's due to the essays stepping into the whole Covid lockdown.

Long time fans will definitely want to read Happy-Go-Lucky and will grant Sedaris a measure of grace for the inconsistent set. Those new to him will want to start with his earlier work. 

Close Range

Close Range by Shannon Baker
10/8/24; 300 pages
Severn River
Kate Fox #9

Close Range by Shannon Baker is a highly recommended mystery and the ninth book in the Kate Fox series set in the sandhills of Nebraska.

There is plenty of small town intrigue as Sheriff Kate Fox is facing a recall election started by a petition her very own sister Louise filed. Kate's best friend, Sarah, is at the hospital awaiting the birth of her next child when Garrett Haney,  Sarah's brother, is found electrocuted.  Kate has the state police start the investigation, and then, after she loses the recall, she and the new, young Sheriff Zoe also look into it and find his death to be suspicious.

The focus of most of the plot is a whole lot of on-going family drama that I'm sure was started much earlier in the series. Admittedly, I haven't read the other books in the series and did lose track of some of the family and interpersonal relationships at times, but could parse out all the connections I needed to in order to follow the narrative in Close Range.

Fans of the series who have been introduced to all the characters are very likely going to easily jump right into the action. The main characters receive further development and experience some growth. However, there were some characters that I never quite figured out how their inclusion in the plot mattered.

There were a couple nice twists and the ending was a surprise. Thanks to Severn River for providing me with an advance reader's copy via Edelweiss. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

What Does It Feel Like?

What Does It Feel Like? by Sophie Kinsella
10/8/24; 144 pages
Random House/The Dial Press

What Does It Feel Like? by Sophie Kinsella is a very highly recommended, heartbreaking, fictionalized, powerful account of the author's real life brain cancer diagnosis. Sophie Kinsella writes that the book "is fiction, but it is my most autobiographical work to date. Eve’s story is my story."

Eve is a successful author, married to Nick, and mother to five children. The novel opens showing her success as an author, and then, abruptly, has Eve waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there. Her patient, loving husband is always there to explain what happened and encourage her. She learns, and needs to be told this repeatedly, that she was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma which is a cancerous brain tumor and had an eight hour long operation to remove the large, malignant tumor growing in her brain. The narrative then follows Eve learning walk, talk, and write again, as well as explaining her illness to her children.

After the operation, the story is told through brief chapters. As Eve can't remember anything due to the loss of her short term memory, she must have everything repeated, everyday. Her determination and bravery is shown as she as she learns to walk and talk again, along with doing the most basic things. Her husband is admirably ever patient with her. She even has humorous passages among the heartbreaking ones.  The fact that this is based on her real life experiences make it even more compelling, poignant and powerful.

Sophie Kinsella writes, "Why did I write such a personal book? I have always processed my life through writing. Hiding behind my fictional characters, I have always turned my own life into a narrative. It is my version of therapy, maybe. Writing is my happy place, and writing this book, although tough going at times, was immensely satisfying and therapeutic for me."

What Does It Feel Like? is an excellent, heartrending book. Tears are going to fall while reading, but it is definitely worth reading. Thanks to The Dial Press for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The Blue Hour

The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins
10/29/24; 320 pages
HarperCollins 

The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins is a highly recommended, atmospheric, even paced psychological thriller.

The late painter Vanessa Chapman has a retrospective at the Tate Modern when a forensics expert says a bone in one of her sculptures is a human bone. The Fairburn Foundation manages her estate and sends James Becker to Eris Island, where Chapman lived for the last decade of her life, to discuss the matter with her companion, Grace Haswell, who was willed the property and is the executor of Vanessa’s will.  Admittedly, Grace has been hesitant to hand over all of Vanessa's papers, journals, and art work, causing a dispute between her and the foundation. The Scottish Eris Island has only one house on it and is accessible only twice a day, at low tide.

There are many characters, rumors, obsessions, and secrets introduced in the novel and all of them centers on the enigmatic artist. It is clear that not all hidden truths are meant to be uncovered and some may lead to danger. Chief among the secrets is the disappearance of Julian, the notoriously unfaithful husband of Vanessa who disappeared twenty years ago. The Lennox family behind the foundation has their own secrets, as does the island itself.

The writing is masterful. The narrative is written through multiple points-of-view and follows several timelines. Interspersed between chapters are excerpts from the artist’s journal entries. The island setting is part of the atmospheric novel. Expect dislikeable characters. The pace is even and slowly reveals insights into the characters along with a few surprises. Thanks to HarperCollins for providing me with an advance reader's copy via Edelweiss. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Broke Heart Blues

Broke Heart Blues by Joyce Carol Oates
10/1/24 (re-release, originally published in 1999) 446 pages
Akashic Books 

Broke Heart Blues by Joyce Carol Oates is a recommended celebration of high school notoriety and obsession. Originally published in 1999, it is being re-released on 10/1/24.

The novel unfolds over three parts to tell the story of John Reddy Heart, mainly through the eyes of others. The first part covers his arrival in Willowsville, NY, from Las Vegas, at age 11 in the 1960's, and the murder he commits when he shot his mother's lover. Each chapter is told through the point-of-view of a different classmate but what they all discuss is a circular repetition of the same lore of John Reddy. The second part follows the adult John Heart and is actually more interesting. The third part returns to the former classmates now at their 30th high school reunion where they all return to acting like adolescents.

The first and the third parts of the novel are a struggle to read and develop any kind of engagement with the chorus of anonymous voices. The second part is the only compelling part of the narrative with any kind of a plot. It has been said that the point of the novel was to capture how our imaginations create our own reality, which I can see, but I also believe it failed to do that.

Apparently this was one of JCO's favorite novels. I found most of the narrative incredibly boring, tedious, and never understood the endless nostalgia for high school exhibited by her characters. Did none of these characters actually grow up? According to one of her characters, "After high school in America, everything's posthumous." This is simply not true for most people.

This is a novel where it is best to understand what you are about to read before you start it. Thanks to Akashic Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via LibraryThing. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

 

The Day He Disappeared

The Day He Disappeared by Catherine Miller
10/3/24; 282 pages
Bookouture

The Day He Disappeared by Catherine Miller is a highly recommended family drama/love story for the right reader.

Kate meets Theo when she is rushing back from a bachelorette party to get to her brother's bedside at the hospital where she works as a nurse. Her brother, Matthew, has cystic fibrosis and her parents called her to let her know he has taken a turn for the worse and may not live much longer. When thee train is delayed by a tree on the track, Theo notices her distress and offers her a tissue. The two strike up a conversation and Theo offers to drive Kate to the hospital. 

Later, a chance meeting between the two happens when Theo was bringing his Nan in and sees Kate. The two happily exchange numbers. Before he dies, Matthew meets Theo and asks him to make a promise. The two begin dating and Theo is there for Kate when Matthew dies. Their relationship is going well until Theo gets some bad news and ghosts Kate. She knows something isn't right, but first she has to get Theo to talk to her.

The Day He Disappeared is a light read. There is no complicated, twisty plot. It is not a thriller and much closer to a love story. The plot is predictable. This is not my usual fare at all as I prefer more action and complicated plots, but I will admit that The Day He Disappeared is a heartbreaking emotional novel that held my attention throughout.

If you enjoy love stories that move at a fast pace and have an emotional impact, then this would be fine choice for your next book. 3 stars for me personally, but 4 for readers who gravitate toward this genre and because I kept reading even after I realized it was not a thriller. Thanks to Bookouture for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Loving Mothers

Loving Mothers by Miranda Smith
10/3/24; 316 pages
Bookouture

Loving Mothers by Miranda Smith is a highly recommended suburban mom domestic thriller.

After gated community Hickory Hills holds a neighborhood halloween party, Donna Bledsoe's sixteen year old daughter Shelby goes missing. She calls her friend Mary Holden, the queen bee, because Mary's daughter Grace is best friends with Shelby. Friends and neighbors Naomi Davis and Janet Parks come to lend their support. New-to-the-neighborhood Stella Moore also lends her support. Her son Hudson is the new kid at school. Mary keeps insisting Hudson was Shelby's boyfriend, but he says no. He and Grace are actually talking to each other.

There is no doubt that Loving Mothers has plenty of twists and will hold your complete attention from start to finish, however, it can also be said that this plot, protective secretive mothers, has been covered many times before. Think 'Mean Girls' but with suburban moms in their thirties and forties. 

The well constructed plot unfolds from the multiple viewpoints of several characters and covers the missing teen along with other personal problems and gossip between neighbors. Every character is flawed. Expect plenty of secrets, twists, drinking, drama, gossip, and deflection. The ending is surprising. Thanks to Bookouture for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The Bad Neighbor

The Bad Neighbor by Jenifer Ruff
10/1/24; 310 pages
Greyt Companion Press/BooksGoSocial
Agent Victoria Thriller #9

The Bad Neighbor by Jenifer Ruff is a highly recommended investigative thriller. This is the ninth book in the series featuring FBI Agent Victoria Heslin but can easily be read as a standalone novel.

Chris and Zoey Hamilton have just moved from California into their dream home, a fixer-upper in the affluent Virginia community of Mountain Meadows. The house was the home of a notorious embezzler Steve Johnson who disappeared without a trace five years and his wife decided to sell it. The two are trying to fix it up while building a new life together when Zoey suddenly disappears.

FBI Special Agent Victoria Heslin and her fiancé veterinarian Ned Patterson also live in Mountain Meadows. When out running early one morning they discover two dogs running free without an owner around. The dogs belonged to Zoey and while returning them Victoria learns that Zoey is missing. She and Ned help look for her on the trails and then Chris contacts the police. It appears that something happened to Zoey, leaving her dogs to run loose. Since Victoria and Ned were taking the week off, they become involved in the search for Zoey.

This is a nightmare neighborhood full of people who are potential suspects, with the exception of Victoria and Ned. The narrative moves back and forth in time through mainly three different viewpoints, with a fourth added later. Chapters follow Zoey's story leading up to her disappearance, the opinions of a snobbish neighbor named Grace, and Victoria in the present day investigation. All of the characters are delineated as individuals and it is easy to distinguish between them.

The investigation moves a quick pace with short chapters alternating the points-of-view and time periods. This choice helps keep interest high as clues are discovered in both timelines and it introduces all the suspicious neighbors. The pages flew by quickly as both timelines are equally compelling. Thanks to BooksGoSocial for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The Life and Death of Rose Doucette

The Life and Death of Rose Doucette by Harry Hunsicker
10/1/24; 320 pages
Oceanview Publishing

The Life and Death of Rose Doucette by Harry Hunsicker is a very highly recommended PI novel with serious noir undertones. I enjoyed this novel a lot!

Dallas private investigator and former police detective Dylan Fisher hasn't seen Rose Doucette, his ex-wife and a homicide detective, for three years so he is surprised when she asks him to meet her at an exclusive hotel. Rose wants him to investigate a murder that happened at the hotel. Josh Gannon, a drug dealer fresh out of prison, was shot on the grounds a few days earlier. Now it's all cleaned up and Rose has been taken her off the case claiming it was a suicide. While talking on the grounds where the body was found the two are told to leave by hotel management.

As Rose leaves, Dylan notices a car following her, so he follows both cars while trying to text Rose to warn her.  Once she parks, the driver of the car shoots Rose and sets up the evidence to implicate Dylan in the crime. Now Dylan is charged with murder. The lawyer he works for, Mia, gets him released and must find out who really killed Rose. Along the way Dylan teams up with Rose’s second husband, defense attorney Tito Mullins to solve the murder.

The Life and Death of Rose Doucette is a well-written, fast-paced, compelling investigative novel that is full of secrets and surprises as the progressively dangerous investigation unfolds. Since Rose's murder happens early in the novel, a sense of urgency and danger is immediately present and is followed by increasingly tense situations and twists. The underlying mystery that needs to be solved becomes more complex as the risks increase.

The narrative unfold through Dylan's first person account, which works quite well and helps create the noir atmosphere in the mystery. Dylan is a fully realized character with a great personality. The rest of the cast of characters are realistic, varied, and unique in the novel. As the narrative continues Rose's backstory brings her to life.

This is an engrossing mystery that held my complete attention right up to the surprising twist at the end. Thanks to Oceanview Publishing for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The Son's Secret

The Son's Secret by Daryl Wood Gerber
1/2/24; 256 pages
Severn House

The Son's Secret by Daryl Wood Gerber is a recommended mystery.

Maggie Lawson is a dean at a small private college in New Orleans. Her son Aiden is a college senior at Tulane. When he stops responding to her texts, she is hurt. When he still doesn't respond after his father, Josh, an investigative reporter, is shot and in the hospital, she becomes very concerned. Maggie is sure something is wrong. She talks to Aiden's wife, Celine, it becomes clear that Aiden appears to be missing. Maggie talks to the police but, since Aiden is an adult, she also sets out to investigate on her own.

The good: I did finish reading the novel and was engaged to the end. It was a fine, average novel that created enough interest and suspense to hold my attention. However, there were also several mitigating factors that lowered my enjoyment.

Logically, looking for Aiden is the premise of the novel so Maggie has to be overly concerned to increase the tension and suspense. Realistically, Aiden is a college senior and married young man in the novel so her helicoptering over his whereabouts feels over-the-top from the start. The plot is contingent on an increasing concern over Aiden's whereabouts. When his father is in the hospital and he doesn't respond, well, you realize that this has to be the case or there is no plot.

The plot is predictable. The journey there is interesting and full of various motives, revealing information, and red herrings, but most readers are going to know almost at once what is going on. The details will be a surprise, but not the guilty party.

Honestly, none of the characters are remotely appealing. Maggie was a completely unappealing character. I quickly tired of hearing about what she was wearing, her money problems (especially when she seemed to spend a whole lot eating out, getting drinks, etc.), the leaving work on a whim, and the constant worry about Aiden.

In the end The Son's Secret is an okay, average novel. Thanks to Severn House for providing me with an advance reader's copy via Edelweiss. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Playground

Playground by Richard Powers
9/24/24; 400 pages
W. W. Norton & Co

Playground by Richard Powers is a highly recommended literary eco-drama of AI and oceanography that follows four different personal perspectives over decades. Opening on the French Polynesian island of Makatea the creation myth of Ta'aroa cracking out of his eggshell, and uses the shards to make the world is told.  On Makatea, which was once mined for the deposits of phosphorus on the island, the residents must now vote on whether they want to approve a seasteading project on and off their shores.

Jumping back in time, twelve-year-old Evie Beaulieu tests one of the first aqualungs and goes on to become a celebrated Canadian marine biologist and one of the world's best divers. She is now in her nineties and lives on the island. Rafi Young and Todd Keane meet at an elite Chicago high school and bond over a three-thousand-year-old board game called Go. The two are roommates in college where Rafi focuses on literature while Todd works toward a breakthrough in AI. Ina Aroita grows up on naval bases across the Pacific with art as her only home. At college Rafi falls in love with Ina whose mother is Tahitian.

The lives of these four people all converge on Makatea. Evie, Rafi, and Ina all live on the island. Todd is behind the seasteading project to create artificial islands that will be launch to float on the sea. Todd tells part the story of the past involving Rafi in retrospect at age 57, while he is dealing with his diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies. He is not always a reliable narrator. The main characters are all well-developed, but also feel a bit idealized or symbolic.

As expected, Powers writes eloquently, with wonderfully descriptive passages. There are parts that soar and will totally hold your complete attention. He writes with reverence about the natural world. Many of the underwater passages are spellbinding. He explores friendship, AI, and play. On the other hand, many of the complex passages require great patience to read, which makes the flow and pace of the novel feel uneven. Parts felt incomplete, unrealized and the final denouement felt too open ended. Thanks to W. W. Norton & Company for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

A Dark Place

A Dark Place by Trevor Negus
9/22/24; 436 pages
Inkubator Books
DCI Danny Flint Book #13

A Dark Place by Trevor Negus is a highly recommended intense procedural. This thirteenth book in the series has DCI Danny Flint and team searching for a monstrous killer using acid.

Homeless addict Terrence McAvoy is found dead, secured up right. His death was clearly torture. The killer used acid in a horrific manner. Then an off duty police officer who was walking his dog late at night is found shot. It is unknown if this death is related to the first. This is followed by another victim of the acid killer found, a pharmaceutical companies CEO. And then another victim, a scientist who worked for the same pharmaceutical company, is found killed in the same manner. Now the search is on for a serial killer.

Be forewarned that the manner of death used by the killer is gruesome and horrific in this well-written procedural. A Dark Place is a perfect choice for fans of procedurals as each new piece of information or clue that the investigations undertake are closely followed. The narrative is basically following the police investigation with some chapters from the point-of-view of the perpetrator. 

While I enjoyed the novel, it did feel a bit slow a bit too long and drawn out. Even though it is part of a long running series, it can be read as a standalone novel. Thanks to Inkubator Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom

I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom by Jason Pargin
9/24/24; 400 pages
St. Martin's 

I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom by Jason Pargin is a very highly recommended unique, humorous thriller and road-trip novel set in the digital age featuring a mismatched couple. I love everything about this highly entertaining novel!

When Abbott Coburn heads over in his father’s Lincoln Navigator to pick up a Lyft fare he encounters a young woman sitting on a large black box. The woman, who later introduces herself as Ether, offers Abbott $200,000 cash, $100,000 now and the rest when they arrive, to transport her and that box across the country, from California to Washington, DC. There are a few rules: don't look inside the box, no questions, he can't tell anyone, they must leave now, and all trackable devices must be left home.

During a quick stop at his house to pack a bag for the trip, Abbott, who is a Twitch streamer, uploaded a short video to let his followers know he’d be offline for a while. This sets off a hilarious maelstrom of commentary, speculation, rumors, and conspiracy theories on social media regarding what Abbott is doing, the identity of the green sunglasses girl (GSG), and what is really in the black box. Reddit and subreditt communities are created to follow the pair online and theorizing about what is in the box. Also following them is an aggressive, huge tattooed man named Malort and a retired FBI agent Joan Key.

I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom is an exceptionally well-written, fast-paced novel/social satire set the modern age of anxiety and social media rumors. The narrative follows Abbott and Ether, Malort, Key, some of Abbott's followers, and many of the Reddit hypotheses along with comments on the threads. As they travel across the country, the increasingly dangerous narratives online followers imagine/create out of very little information are hilarious but also true to life in many ways.

As they travel, Ether and Abbott get to know and understand each other, which stands in sharp contrast to the out-of-control social media. The conversations between the characters feel authentic and relatable. This is especially effective because Abbott and Ether don't know they are trending online and that a host of people are trying to track their every move. Beyond the mystery of the contents of the box, the plot also follows discussions on culture, society, and the influence of technology on our lives.

Everyone in the novel has tunnel vision in some form or another as they follow their own assumptions, expectations, and theories as the trip heads into mad-cap comedy territory in the action-packed climax. By the way, the contents of the black box of doom will surprise you. Thanks to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Bad Liar

Bad Liar by Tami Hoag
9/24/24; 416 pages
Penguin Group/Dutton
Broussard and Fourcade #3

Bad Liar by Tami Hoag is a very highly recommended procedural and the third book in the series featuring  Det. Antoinette “Annie” Broussard and Lt. Nick Fourcade of the Partout Parish, Louisiana, sheriff's office.

Sheriff’s detective lieutenant Nick Fourcade starts his day investigating a murder. Identification will take time as the victim's face and hands obliterated by a shotgun blast. His initial round of questions during the investigation looking for the identity of the victim leads him to Marc Mercier, a  hometown hero who has been missing since he left home for a weekend hunting trip. 

Nick's wife, sheriff’s detective Annie Broussard, begins her first day back after a leave of absence facing a distraught mother, B’Lynn Fontenot, whose adult son Robbie has been missing for eight days. Robbie is a recovering addict and the local police didn't take her concerns seriously, but Annie does. It quickly becomes apparent that they can't identified the murder victim as either missing man and both missing men have more going on in their lives than initially thought.

This is a well-written, complex plot that closely follows Nick and Annie as they investigate their challenging cases and follow the clues where they lead. Those who enjoy detailed procedurals and crime fiction will enjoy Bad Liar. The plot starts at a fast pace, slows down during the middle of the novel, and picks up again toward the end. There are several interesting discoveries and twists during the investigations that will hold your attention.

Nick and Annie are fully realized characters and portrayed with real depth. Even the secondary characters are given a great deal of character development. The dialogue is full of Cajun phrases, providing an authentic regional feel to the setting.

Bad Liar is the third novel in the series featuring Nick and Annie that starts with A Thin Dark Line (1997) and The Boy (2018). Thanks to Dutton for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

A Reason to See You Again

A Reason to See You Again by Jami Attenberg
9/24/24; 240 pages
Ecco/HarperCollins

A Reason to See You Again by Jami Attenberg is a recommended dysfunctional mother/daughter drama spanning over forty decades.

After Chicago residents Frieda Cohen and her two daughters, Nancy and Shelly, lose their husband/father Rudy, a closeted Holocaust survivor, they slowly fall apart as a family under Frieda's sharp tongue. Nancy heads to college where she soon moves in with her boyfriend and future husband, Robby, and becomes pregnant at 21. They have a daughter, Jess. Shelly graduates early and heads off to the west coast for college and stays on the coast to work in the emerging tech industry. Frieda drinks, a lot, and eventually makes her way to Miami to drink some more. What follows is a portrayal of the women in a complex, troubled, unhappy family.

A Reason to See You Again is a character driven novel as it follows and develops the female characters who are members of this distinctly unhappy and dysfunctional family over a span of forty years. Chapters alternate between characters as they all experience resentment, unspoken anger, change allegiances, and hold grudges against each other. The male characters are basically despicable or irrelevant. Really, none of the characters are likable.

After a very promising start the narrative decidedly coasted downhill for me. There is no real, firm plot. As the chapters randomly jump ahead in time and follow a different character, I was often left wanting more as a reader. It also felt melancholy. I wanted to love this novel but ended up just barely liking some parts of it. Thanks to Ecco for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion

A Place Called Hope

A Place Called Hope by Morgan Greene
9/19/24; 383 pages
Canelo 

 

A Place Called Hope by Morgan Greene is a very highly recommended small-town crime thriller. This is an excellent, atmospheric, compelling novel that has great emotional depth.

Hope is the struggling, dying small town where Lucas Caldwell, 18, lives and wants to escape - but he can't. He has to take care of his little brother Rueben, who is delayed and acts younger than his 12 years. Their mother, Liss struggles with addiction to alcohol and drugs which makes her ability to hold a job problematic, let alone caring for her sons. Right now Lucas's job pays for food and clothes from the thrift store for Rueben. Liss has no idea how much Lucas does to make sure Rueben is cared for in her absence.

Liss ignores her father, Lucky, who is in a care facility, but Lucas loves his grandfather and visits him regularly. When Lucky takes a turn for the worse Lucas is able to talk to him just before he dies and Lucky confides a secret he has been holding for years. This secret leads to a decades old crime and potentially millions of dollars. Looking for the windfall that could bring his family out of poverty and provide for his little brother opens up the floodgates of violence, greed, and corruption.

Lucas is a fully realized character who has strengths and flaws. His care for Rueben is thoughtful and loving. He shares his grandfather's secret with his best friends, Bryson Shaw, son of the richest, greediest man in town, and Constance Abernathy, who is truly a good person and long time friend. They become embroiled in the drama and violence, especially Bryson, who is really a jerk. The narrative mainly follows Lucas but there are several other minor characters who are struggling, living on the fringes of society, and feel hopeless. They stand in sharp contrast to those who are greedy and corrupt.

A Place Called Hope features excellent writing in the descriptive, atmospheric, compelling, tension-packed, and complex novel. It is also peripherally a story of the downtrodden. It is not always an easy novel to read as most of the characters are deeply flawed and the despair, maltreatment, violence, and corruption seem to be readily turned to as the greed increases. As the plot unfolds, the tension, danger, and violence increase incrementally right up to the heart-pounding ending. Thanks to Canelo for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

 

The Lake House Children

The Lake House Children by Gregg Dunnett
9/18/24; 356 pages
Storm Publishing

The Lake House Children by Gregg Dunnett is a highly recommended domestic mystery with some supernatural elements.

FBI Agent Jim McGee is close to retirement and is assigned one last case. There was been a lethal fire at a family's lake house resulting in four deaths. One of the survivors, Kate Marshall, is a prime suspect for setting the fire and she is being interviewed by McGee and his partner Billy Robbins. When he instructs Kate to tell him what really happened, she does. Her tale leading up to the fire starts a few years before the fire, the weekend when the three sisters and their families were invited to come spend the weekend at the lake house where their father lives. This was the weekend their father died.

The well-written narrative will immediately grab your attention as it focuses on Kate's story. It closely follows her family, her husband Nick and young son Jack, along with her relationship with her two older sisters. The plot unfolds through the interview, the bulk of which is Kate telling her story along with occasional breaks in her monologue which flips to McGee's point-of-view.

Part of Kate's tale includes her son Jack insisting he used to be someone else. At first, when he was a toddler, what Jack was trying to say was unintelligible, but became comprehensible as he got older. At age four what he was saying was clear. Nick, a scientist, is dismissive of their son's claims, but Kate is convinced Jack is telling the truth. This is a huge part of the plot and requires readers to believe that what Jack is saying is true.

There are many other compelling parts to this family drama, including enough bad behavior and questionable actions by many of the extended family members to hold your attention. There are a few surprising reveals the serve to propel the drama forward and keep the tension high. Thanks to Storm Publishing for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

 

The Solstice

The Solstice by Matt Brolly
9/17/24; 300 pages
Thomas & Mercer
DI Louise Blackwell #7

The Solstice by Matt Brolly is a very highly recommended procedural and the seventh book in the DI Louise Blackwell series.

In a cave near Weston, cave explorers (called potholers) discover the bones of a child. On her first day back from maternity leave, DI Louise Blackwell immediately finds herself leading the investigation with a new partner, DC Miles Boothroyd. The bones are identified as belonging to Hugo Latchford, a boy who went missing a decade ago, and whose parents belonged to an eco-pagan commune. It’s not long before rumors that he was sacrificed in a midsummer ritual resurface. Since the cult is still active and the summer solstice is fast approaching, the fear is very real that they may be planning another sacrifice.

The well-written plot moves at a quick pace with new discoveries seamlessly propelling the action forward. The narrative is mainly following Louise and the investigation with a few chapters from the point-of-view of Fiona, a member of the commune, who is afraid her son may be targeted next. The group is actually already secretly under surveillance for financial crimes by DI Pepperstone, who is less than happy with Louise also looking into the group members.

The case is complex, disturbing, and intense. Louise throws herself completely into the investigation hoping for answers before there is another victim. She is also experiencing guilt over missing time with her children due to work. This leaves her wondering if she should leave the force or if a potential promotion to DCI would help.

Even though this is the seventh book in the series, The Solstice can be read as a stand-alone novel too. There is enough background information about DI Louise Blackwell provided to easily follow the story. The case is solved in a heart-stopping ending, but Louise's personal quandaries are left as a cliff hanger for the next novel. Thanks to Thomas & Mercer for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The Camborne Killings

The Camborne Killings by Sally Rigby
9/13/24; 240 pages
Storm Publishing
Cornwall Murder Mystery #4

The Camborne Killings by Sally Rigby is a very highly recommended procedural and the fourth book in the Cornwall Murder Mystery series.

Detective Sergeant Matt Price has a former colleague from Lenchester, Ellie Naylor, visiting him in Cornwall when Detective Lauren Pengelly calls him about a murder outside Penzance. When Lauren and Matt arrive at the scene they see an older woman who has been killed. There is a note left by her body reading "Ten Green Bottles," which is part of an old English nursery rhyme. Since the department is down an officer, Matt ask Ellie, who has exceptional research skills, if she could assist. She quickly identify the victim as Carmel Driscoll, a former police officer, and additional helpful information for the investigation. When a second former officer is found murdered with the note "Nine Green Bottles" nearby, Lauren and Matt realize they could be dealing with a serial killer.

The Camborne Killings is a well-written, fast-paced murder investigation with ties to a decades-old case and the Camborne Criminal Investigation Department in the 1990s. The fast pace helps keep interest high while the complexity of the investigation, rumors of corruption, and the sense that more victims could soon follow create an intense atmosphere that will have you glued to the pages.

The team is working increasingly well together with Matt helping Lauren temper her abruptness with others. It was good to see Ellie providing excellent assistance to the case with her research skills. These are known characters for those who are following the series and author, but those new readers can easily read The Camborne Killings as a standalone novel. Thanks to Storm Publishing for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

My Sister's Boyfriend

My Sister's Boyfriend by Nicola Marsh
9/9/24; 266 pages
Bookouture
Martino Bay #2

My Sister's Boyfriend by Nicola Marsh is a recommended psychological thriller. It is highly recommended if you read the first book in the series, My Sister’s Husband.

Brooke has a new boyfriend, Noel. This is her first adult relationship. Brooke, who met Noel through her housekeeper, Hazel, is totally smitten with him. Her sister Lizzie, a psychologist, does not trust Noel, an ex-con. She wants to protect Brooke, who is juggling a new job while taking care of her daughter, Hope. After events from the past, the sister's are both estranged their Aunt Alice and working through their own troubled relationship for the sake of Hope. 

This is a tangled web of lies, secrets, threats, deception, and twists. Each chapter in the narrative is told through the individual point-of-view of either Brooke, Lizzie, or Noel. There is a whole lot going on in the plot concerning various plot threads along with all the numerous lies and secrets that abound in this very dysfunctional family.

Since this is the second book in the Martino Bay series, I think it would be beneficial to read the first book before My Sister's Boyfriend. Alas, I didn't read My Sister’s Husband before My Sister's Boyfriend and had a struggle session untangling all the characters and plot threads that were originally established in the first book. I did figure it all out but I sincerely think I would have enjoyed the novel more if I knew the backstory and wasn't trying to figure out all the previous family drama. There were also a few twists that were predictable. Thanks to Bookouture for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Here One Moment

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty
9/10/24; 512 pages
Crown Publishing

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty is a very highly recommended psychological thriller that explores existential questions regarding free will versus destiny. Here One Moment asks the questions: What would you do if you knew when you were going to die? Would you do things differently? Would you try to dodge your destiny?

After a long delay, a short domestic flight proceeds smoothly from Hobart, Australia, to Sydney. This ordinary flight turns extraordinary when an unremarkable older woman wearing a brooch stands up, counts to three, and then proceeds to walk down the aisle while proclaiming the cause of death and age at death for each passenger she encounters before the cabin crew intervenes. She also states, “Fate won’t be fought.”

For some passengers the date is far in the future and they laugh it off, but for some passengers their predicted deaths are not far away at all. Allegra Patel is predicted to die at 28 from self-harm on her 28th birthday. Ethan Chang, 29, will die at age 30 from assault. Leo, 42, will die at age 43 in a workplace accident. For Dom and Eve, a young couple on their honeymoon, she is predicted to die young at 25, from "intimate partner homicide." Sue and Max O’Sullivan are told he will into his 90s while she will die soon from pancreatic cancer.  Paula Binici learns her baby Timmy will die at age 7 from drowning.

A few months after the flight one passenger, Kayla, dies exactly as she predicted. Then two more passengers die as she predicted. The woman making the predictions is now nicknamed “The Death Lady” and no one is laughing off her predictions. In fact, they are trying to find out who she is. Her real name is Cherry Lockwood. She grew up with a mother who was a psychic who went by the name of Madame Mae, but does she actually posses any psychic ability?

Here One Moment is a well-written, intriguing, articulate, and compelling novel that follows a series of characters as they deal with the predictions handed to them by The Death Lady. It is a long book, but the short chapters make the length feel more reasonable and the pages fly by quickly. The chapters alternate between the point-of-view of the different characters, keeping the tension is high throughout the novel as you wait to see if someone dies and how they are dealing with everything.

The diverse cast of characters are all fully realized individuals whose flaws and strengths are clearly developed realistically as they deal with their predicted demise. I was invested in the lives of these characters. Cherry's life and background is also presented in much detail, making her a real person and not the horrific Death Lady that she is presumed to be from the flight. Her chapters could have been edited a bit to lessen the length of the novel. And, in actuality, I was more interested in the other characters dealing with the question of their impending fate.

The final denouement of Here One Moment is pitch perfect and pulled it all together nicely. Thanks to Crown Publishing for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Den of Iniquity

Den of Iniquity by J. A. Jance
9/10/24; 368 pages
HarperCollins
J. P. Beaumont #26

Den of Iniquity by J. A. Jance is a very highly recommended investigative mystery and the 26th novel in the J. P. Beaumont series.

J. P. Beaumont (Beau), currently a private investigator, formerly a Seattle homicide cop, undertakes cases both personal and professional in 2020, just before the lockdown occurs in this outing. First, his grandson, Kyle Cartwright, 18, shows up at his home in Bellingham, Washington, and asks to live with Beau and Mel and finish high school there. His parents are splitting up. His mother, Beau's daughter, has moved out. His father has a younger, pregnant girlfriend living with him and Kyle doesn't want to live there anymore. Beau begins looking into the girlfriend by running a background check and makes some discoveries.

Next, a friend asks Beau to look into the case of Darius Jackson, a young man whose death of a fentanyl overdose was ruled accidental. His grandmother has some legitimate questions about it. She says he was not using and has suspicions that something else happened. Beau begins looking into the death and his investigation leads him to uncover similar mysterious deaths that all point to a most unlikely suspect.

Beau is a great character and it is a pleasure to follow along as he investigates. As a character, Beau is very appealing, witty, and insightful. He and Mel, who is still working as the Police Chief of Bellingham, Washington, have a good relationship and work together well adding their grandson to the household. I appreciated their understanding and wisdom in helping Kyle handle the personal, emotional situation he is in. They provided him gentle but good advice. 

In this well-written investigation, both cases are interesting, complex, and compelling, which means following the discoveries as Beau looks into things is highly entertaining. The plot moves at a smooth, quick pace and held my complete attention. Even though this is the 26th novel in the series, there is enough background information provided to easily slip into the lives of these well established characters. 

This is an excellent addition to the series. Thanks to HarperCollins for providing me with an advance reader's copy. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The Essential Elizabeth Stone

The Essential Elizabeth Stone by Jennifer Banash
9/10/24; 301 pages
Lake Union Publishing 

The Essential Elizabeth Stone by Jennifer Banash is a highly recommended domestic drama about a Martha-Stewart-like character and her daughter.

Through her renowned parties, books, and TV show, Elizabeth Stone was a food and lifestyle icon for thirty years before her sudden death. She left her multimillion-dollar empire to her daughter, Juliet. A year later Juliet is still mourning the loss of her beloved mothers and is struggling to fill her mother's shoes. The company is in financial trouble and the idea of writing the definitive biography of her mother is set forth as a way to keep the company solvent.

While researching her mother's past with writer Noah Sharpe, he discovers that Elizabeth Stone never existed and the story she often told about her childhood in Bar Harbor, Maine, was a fabrication. The two set out together to discover who Elizabeth Stone really was. They find out she was originally Billie (Elizabeth) Abbot and did not come from a life of privilege. She worked her way up from nothing to become the entertainment brand known across the world.

The narrative alternates between chapters following Juliet's research into her mother's past and chapters set in the past as Billie struggles to make her way in the world. The alternating viewpoints works out quite well in the plot and will keep interest high in both time lines. It makes a clear point that secrets and lies are not always what they seem to be and not always devious.

With each new fact, emotional details, and surprises uncovered, Juliet's emotions are expertly captured and shared. Billie's emotions are equally well presented. Readers will come to appreciate both of these complicated women, mother and daughter, and what they encounter along the way. Thanks to Lake Union Publishing for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

 

Calico

Calico by Lee Goldberg
9/3/24 (original release Nov. 2023); 416 pages
Severn House

Calico by Lee Goldberg is a very highly recommended and very entertaining fusion of a procedural, historical western, and science fiction novel.

In Barstow, California, a city in the Mojave desert, detective Beth McDade is now working after a fall from grace banishes her from the LAPD. The first strange case she encounters is a man who is killed after he runs in front of an RV outside Peggy Sue’s in Yermo. By all appearances he appears to have come out of the 1800s. Oddly enough, next an extinct grizzly is killed after attacking a camper. Then Owen Slader, a chef and food writer, completely disappears on his way from Las Vegas to LA with no trace and no car. While she is search for leads, his bones, buried in a coffin, are found a week later. They appear to be over 100 years old. Beth is suspicious that the nearby Marine Corps Logistics Base may be involved, although they deny everything.

The novel follows two story lines in two different time periods. The present day follows along with Beth as she investigates. The second follows Owen back in the 1880s. I'll freely admit that the novel became more interesting as both stories were further explored and I was hooked. Admittedly, you have to suspend disbelief along the way, but once the dual narratives both got going I was totally immersed.

Beth is a highly flawed character, She drinks too much and makes poor personal choices. I can't say I really liked her, but by the end of the novel I did respect her insight and intelligence during her investigation. Owen is more likeable character while being thrust into a surreal situation that forces him to make a way for himself. The descriptions alone of life in the 1880s are great. There are many other characters in both time lines that fall clearly on the side of good or bad.

This is a very entertaining compelling blend of three different genres with many clever scenes and moments along the way. Realistic, nope, but sit back, read, enjoy, and picture the movie Calico would make. Thanks to Severn House for providing me with an advance reader's copy via Edelweiss. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Your Little Lies

Your Little Lies by Sue Fortin
9/6/24; 336 pages
Storm Publishing

Your Little Lies by Sue Fortin is a highly recommended novel of domestic psychological suspense.

Hannah, Jasper, and their seven-year-old daughter Pia moved to the exclusive gated neighborhood of Silverbanks. Their new home has direct access to the beach and is part of a community and all of the activities it provides. After she meets an outgoing neighbor on the beach, Annabelle, she is sure she has made a friend in the area. Hannah had some trauma in her background that she refuses to talk about with anyone, including Jasper, but her past comes back when at a neighborhood barbecue she realizes that their next door neighbor, Bryan, was a part of her secret past. He later privately acknowledges their past connection, when she was known as Laurel, but he assures her that he will not reveal her secret. Soon it becomes clear that someone else knows her secret and is going to make her pay for it.

After readers learn early on that Hannah used to be called Laurel, the chapters alternate between the point-of-view of Hannah in the present and Laurel from ten years ago. The present day story moves faster than that of the past which is providing background information. This information serves to develop Hannah as a complex character and does eventually lead up to a huge reveal that will make her present day concerns understandable. You don't learn about her neighbors connection to her until much later in the novel but at that point there are more prevalent concerns.

The writing is good and pace is even as several disquieting events occur. All the action unfolds through Hannah's point-of-view and things left unspoken serve to increase the suspense and tension. You'll be questioning what is going on until a more serious event happens, followed by an increase of information being disclosed closer to the end. Admittedly, you have to set disbelief aside several times and parts are a bit too predictable, but it is still a satisfying story. Thanks to Storm Publishing for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.