Thicker Than Water

Thicker Than Water by Megan Collins
7/11/23; 320 pages
Atria Books

Thicker Than Water by Megan Collins is a highly recommended drama/murder mystery that closely relies on complicated family relationships while seeking the truth.

Julia and Sienna Larkin are sisters-in-law, best friends, and business partners. Julia is married to Sienna’s brother, Jason, and the two have a teenage son, Aiden. Sienna is sure her brother is perfect, while Julia knows he isn't but that he tries to do his best. Their relationship is tested when Jason's boss is found brutally murdered and Jason is hospitalized and in a medically induced coma after a serious car accident. Then the police reveal that Jason is the prime suspect in the murder. The two are convinced Jason is not guilty so they set out to investigate on their own.

The narrative is told through the alternating points-of-view of Julia and Sienna, which works out well because, although they are great friends, they also have very different personalities. Both of these women are portrayed as fully realized individuals with unique personalities.

The actual plot is a slow-burner. The interest lies in the very different approaches and temperaments of the two women and their search for evidence to prove Jason's innocence. Readers who like to explore complicated female friendships will appreciate this aspect of the plot. The mystery is more low key and somewhat predictable.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Atria Books.

Go Find Daddy

Go Find Daddy by Steve Goble
7/11/23; 320 pages
Oceanview Publishing

Go Find Daddy by Steve Goble is a recommended investigative novel and the third book featuring PI Ed Runyon.

Ed Runyon is hired by the wife of a man wanted for murder. She wants Ed to find him. However, the case isn't quite as simple as that. A cop was found murdered in rural Ohio on Donny Blackmon’s property and Donny has disappeared with no way for anyone to find him. His wife needs to find him because she has just learned that their daughter is dying from cancer. Once the young girl asks Ed to find her Daddy, Ed knows he's taking the case.

You can still follow the plot and won't feel as if you are missing too much backstory, but as the third book in the series, it might behoove readers to start with the earlier two novel, City Problems and Wayward Son. Additionally, Ed can be a bit of an annoying character and his personality may not endear him to some readers. All in all, this is a decent PI novel, not a favorite, but not awful. Perhaps I would have liked it more if it was just a story and kept current events out of the plot. This element to the narrative is tiresome and dates the novel immediately, before it is even released.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Oceanview Publishing via NetGalley.

With a Kiss We Die

With a Kiss We Die by L. R. Dorn
7/11/23; 336 pages
William Morrow

With a Kiss We Die by L. R. Dorn is a very highly recommended investigative mystery/thriller presented in the format of the dialogue/script from a true-crime podcast.

Ryanna Raines is an investigative journalist and the host of The Raines Report, a popular true-crime podcast. Jordan De Carlo and Victoria Berne are both theater majors at UC Santa Barbara and also murder suspects. The two are suspects in the violent, brutal murder of Jordan's parents in their multi-million-dollar estate in Southern California. Jordan and Victoria left the country and have been in Mexico for a month.

Now they are coming back and have contacted Ryanna. They want to share their side of the story before their arrest and indictment. Ryanna will have an exclusive inside look into their stories and will be able to record what Jordan and Victoria say for her podcast. She and her producer decide to proceed, which places Ryanna closer to a breaking story than is normal for her show and The Raines Report goes viral.

With a Kiss We Die is written like a script for a true-crime podcast that also includes discussions between Ryanna and her producer, contact with her family, and insight into other events happening around her. I liked the format for this novel and thought it added an interesting dimension to the narrative. It allowed new revelations and twists in the plot to be delivered at an even pace. It also introduces readers to Jordan and Victoria as they tell/perform their story to Ryanna.

The plot was very compelling and I was totally immersed in it. There are several clever twists and revelations along the way. Admittedly, what sent my evaluation to my top rating was the fact that my kindle lost its charge right during the final big twists and I had to frantically grab my phone to open the app and finish the novel. Any novel that has me that frantic to know what really happened is worth the bump up to five stars. (L. R. Dorn is the pen name for Matt Dorff and Suzanne Dunn.)

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of William Morrow via Edelweiss.

What Never Happened

What Never Happened by Rachel Howzell Hall
8/1/23; 428 pages
Thomas & Mercer

What Never Happened by Rachel Howzell Hall is a highly recommended investigative mystery.

Twenty years before, Colette “Coco” Weber was the only survivor of a deadly home invasion the took the life of her parents and brother. She was more than willing to leave the Catalina Island home she inherited with her Aunt Gwen in residence and make a career on the mainland. She does well and finds success as an award winning obituary writer. Later, when her relationship breaks up and she learns Aunt Gwen may need some assistance, she accepts a job with the local paper and moves back to Catalina. Once she returns, strange and ominous things begin to happen.

Both Coco and Gwen are fully realized characters while the rest of the characters simply fulfill various roles in the plot. Coco has a prickly personality which may be off-putting, however she also has perfectly legitimate reasons for her attitude. The island and the inhabitants in general also become characters in the novel.

What Never Happened is plot driven by two different mysteries that beg to be solved. The first is who murdered Coco's family as new evidence exonerated the man convicted years earlier. The second mystery that officials seem unconcerned with involves the large number of elderly women who have recently been found dead on the island.

The pace of the novel is uneven. There were sections were I was fully engaged with the plot and immersed in the action. There were other times my interest in the narrative waned. Even with the murder mysteries I had to force myself to keep reading. At over 400 pages perhaps a bit more editing could have tightened up the narrative to keep the action moving along smoothly. Still, this is a very entertaining mystery.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley.

The Woods are Waiting

The Woods are Waiting by Katherine Greene
7/11/23; 288 pages
Crooked Lane Books

The Woods are Waiting by Katherine Greene is a highly recommended debut mystery.

Blue Cliff, Virginia, has a dark history pointing at the Hickory Man living in the woods preying on children. Children are taught to put soil from the woods in their shoes and carry silver coins to ward off the Hickory Man, but there is also a history of this not working. Cheyenne Ashby left five years ago without warning after three children were found dead in the woods. A local man went to prison for it, but doubts remain. 

Now Cheyenne is called to return home and help her mother, Constance, who lives in a cabin in the woods and is busy trying everything she knows to ward off the evil she sees coming. Another child has disappeared, which is what prompted her frantic activity. Cheyennes friend, Natalie, is still in town and the two are determined to discover what is really happening.

This is a solid debut mystery with a creepy something-is-in-the-deep-dark-woods plot element. Cheyenne and Natalie are not about to fall for the local rumors when looking for the answers to the latest missing child, as well as the truth about the previous three missing children. Greene does a respectable job of creating suspense and developing her characters while presenting local superstitions and the fear running rampant in the small town.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley.

Bodies of Light

Bodies of Light by Jennifer Down
9/28/21; 448 pages
The Text Publishing Company
Winner of the 2022 Miles Franklin Literary Award 

Bodies of Light by Jennifer Down is a highly recommended traumatic and heartbreaking story of the life of one Australian woman. Maggie's life has consisted of one appalling, traumatic experience after an other, starting with her childhood, her time in foster/group care homes and continuing with heartbreaking, dreadful events into adulthood. This is the winner of the 2022 Miles Franklin Literary Award.

This is not a pleasant novel to read. It is distressing, bleak, and harrowing throughout the entire novel. Yes, the quality of the writing is excellent, but the narrative never gives the reader a true pause from the feeling of a life of futility and hopelessness. There are brief periods where you think she is going to overcome her past experiences and live a fulfilling life, but they are brief as another horrific turn of events will quickly follow. Maggie does keep trying to cope with everything. The first half of the novel is stronger than the last half.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of the Text Publishing Company via Edelweiss.

 

The Theory of Everything Else

The Theory of Everything Else: A Voyage Into the World of the Weird by Dan Schreiber
6/27/23; 368 pages
HarperCollins

The Theory of Everything Else: A Voyage Into the World of the Weird by Dan Schreiber is a very highly recommended hilarious collection of eccentric beliefs, conspiracy theories and speculative encounters. As Schreiber notes: "None of the theories in this book are true. They're just ideas, speculations, beliefs and claims, begging to be accepted as truth." If you chose to believe any of them, that's on you. However, reading about them is sure to entertain you and perhaps become the impetus for some lively conversations.

Dan Schreiber collects several of the most interesting, humorous, and thought provoking stories in this collection. Some of the topics covered are obvious, while others are more obscure. Some topics include: time travelers, aliens, ghosts, seers, communicating with dolphins and plants, clairvoyance, pyramid energy, time travelers, Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster, a woman who reads butt cheeks, the hollow earth theory, reptilians, a fountain of youth, and more.

The Theory of Everything Else is a well-written, wildly entertaining compilation that doesn't take itself too seriously while discussing, in a conversational style, all manner of topics. As Schreiber writes, "Batsh*t makes the world go round and its footprint can be found everywhere you look. You won't always notice it, but it's usually there, hiding in plain sight." Here is an assortment of some of those wacky beliefs that is sure to hold your attention from start to finish.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins  via NetGalley.