The Memory Bank

The Memory Bank by Brian Shea and Raquel Byrnes
3/19/24; 328 pages
Severn River Books

The Memory Bank by Brian Shea and Raquel Byrnes is a murder mystery that features an exciting, action-packed blend of a police procedural and technothriller. It is very highly recommended and marks the start of an engrossing new series.

Detective Morgan Reed and new partner Detective Natalie (Nat) De La Cruz start an investigation into a series of deaths with some disconcerting and strange similarities. The most recent case is the death of technology pioneer Dr. Gerald Price. The evidence seems to point to a suicide, but after another death Reed notices a strange clue that becomes the impetus to further investigate the two cases along with some previous cases. Clearly, Reed and Nat are on to something as they discover more clues, they also become targets.

Set in a near future The Memory Bank features cutting edge technology that is easily to envision happening. The technology is in the hands of the police too, and Nat is the one gifted in knowing how to use it or who to go to for information. Reed is the one with the innate instinct to see clues and question assumptions. The two have skills that compliment each other, work well together, and have a dynamic partnership. They are both great characters and I look forward to their next case.

The well-written narrative moves at a lightning-fast pace and is compelling from start to finish. Once started it is impossible to put down. Sure, there are high-tech innovations as part of the plot, but the technology is well-presented and the concepts are easily grasped. The corporate treachery in the plot is readily understood as is the heart-stopping action. Thanks to Severn River Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via Edelweiss. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Good Half Gone

Good Half Gone by Tarryn Fisher
3/19/24; 304 pages
Graydon House Books

Good Half Gone by Tarryn Fisher is a thriller with two timelines following a sister seeking her twin who was abducted in front of her. It is highly recommended.

When they were both fifteen, twin sisters Iris and Piper Walsh went to the movies. As they were leaving a couple young men grabbed Piper, threw her into a car and sped off. Iris contacted the police, but the officers didn't believe her, assuming Piper was just another runaway. By the time they took her seriously, it was too late. The girls were being raised by their loving grandmother who rescued them from their neglectful mother. A decade later after college Iris accepts an internship at Shoal Island Hospital for the criminally insane. She believes her sister's killer is locked up there.

The plot unfolds through two timelines. In the first Iris is a teen looking for Piper, seeking clues about her abductors, and struggling to continue on without her twin. In the second Iris is now in her 20's with a son and she accepts the internship position at the Shoal Island Hospital with ulterior motives. Both plot threads are compelling and add important details to the narrative. They also move at an uneven pace with several distractions along the way.

Iris is a fully realized character. Readers will know what motivates her and drives her to proceed as she does in each time period. Piper, her twin, has a very different personality and that also comes through. Readers will appreciate her grandmother and the love she has for the girls. The depiction of the grief Iris and her grandmother share for the loss of Piper is well done, as is the obsession Iris has in her search for her twin.

The ending requires the reader to accept a colossal dose of disbelief, which I just couldn't do. I can often set aside disbelief and go with the flow, but in this case it was too implausible. I can't ruin the ending by listing all the reasons why, but let's just say it would be paragraphs and lists. However, it can't be denied that it is an entertaining, action-packed ending. Thanks to Graydon House for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter?

Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? by Nicci French
3/19/24; 544 pages
William Morrow

Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? by Nicci French is a domestic mystery which ends as a police procedural. This gripping story of families seeking closure while dealing with a missing person and death is very highly recommended.

It is December 22, 1990 in the village of Glensted in East Anglia and Alec Salter's 50th birthday party is being held in a cleaned-up barn. The four Salter children are present, Niall, Paul, Ollie, and Etty, along with most of the village. It becomes clear that Alec's wife, Charlie (Charlotte), is missing. Alec doesn't seem to care, but fifteen-year-old Etty becomes increasingly worried and finally ends up calling the police to report her missing. The police aren't as concerned. As the days pass by and nothing is heard. Then the body of neighbor and family friend, Duncan Ackerly is found in the river, a presumed suicide, and the police tie the two cases together with no supporting evidence.

The narrative is presented in three parts. Part one is in 1990 and covers the missing person case of Charlie and death of Duncan. It is mainly told through Etty's point-of-view. Part two is set in 2022 and finds the Salter's reunited to move their father Alec to a care facility. It has the two Ackerly brothers also reuniting in the area to make a podcast about their father's death and Charlie's disappearance. Part three has London sending Detective Inspector Maud O’Connor to Glensted to in response to the podcast. Her job is to seriously look at the facts and evidence to find a resolution to the 30 year-old case.

Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? is an exceptionally well-written character-driven murder mystery that transforms into a procedural. It was enjoyable to meet the characters when the majority were young and living in dysfunctional homes, and then viewing them as adults where you could see the damage the tragedies inflicted on them and how their lives will always be interconnected. The time span provided a full examination of them as individuals. Alec is shown to be an angry, disagreeable man. Both Charlie and Duncan are also developed as characters.

The first two parts are emotional, have an even pace, and the characters are handled with great compassion. The switch between a character driven mystery and psychological examination into a procedural, where the same characters are viewed by a third party was a wonderful choice. The contrast between the two investigations thirty years apart is disconcerting, as is the introduction of Detective Inspector Maud O’Connor into the plot. She is an excellent character and I quite enjoyed the switch to a procedural to bring closure to the case.

Nicci French is the pseudonym adopted by writers Nicci Gerard and Sean French. Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? is an excellent novel that showcases their skill and talent. This very highly recommended novel is outstanding. Thanks to William Morrow for providing me with an advance reader's copy via Edelweiss. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Still See You Everywhere

Still See You Everywhere by Lisa Gardner
3/12/24; 416 pages
Grand Central Publishing
Frankie Elkin #3

Still See You Everywhere by Lisa Gardner sends Frankie Elkin to a tropical island where her mission is to find a living girl who has been missing for twelve years. It is a very highly recommended thriller that is un-put-downable and compelling from beginning to end.

Frankie Elkin normally helps find the marginalized cold case missing persons that are overlooked, so she is surprised to be asked to locate a living person. It is the long-lost younger sister of Kaylee Pierson, a female serial killer facing execution in three weeks’ time. Twelve years ago, Kaylee's sister, five-year-old Lea (Leilani), went missing in Hawaii. She has received a letter from Leilani. Now she knows that Leilani is the "ward" of Kaylee's abusive ex-boyfriend, tech mogul Sanders MacManus and Kaylee believes he kidnapped her. Kaylee and her attorney are asking Frankie to take a job as base camp support staff on the remote Hawaiian island of Pomaikai in the middle of the Pacific where MacManus is building an eco resort. Once on the island she will hopefully be able to reach out to Leilani.

It was thrilling to read Still See You Everywhere, the latest novel by Lisa Gardner. Once I started reading, I was completely immersed in the satisfying and intense plot. Sure, readers will have to set aside some disbelief, but in such a well-written and irresistible narrative this is not a problem. The setting becomes part of the story as the island is remote and isolated. Adding this to the limited staff makes the novel akin to a locked-room mystery with heat, humidity, and huge, omnivorous coconut crabs.

Frankie is a great character and it was good to see her back. She is a recovering alcoholic who has settled into a nomadic life traveling and picking up jobs along the way. She fits right in at the island and joins an interesting group of characters. The development of all the characters and the descriptions of the island are pitch-perfect. The dialogue is engaging.  As reading you will feel like you are there, experiencing the events and the island along with Frankie. Adding to the atmosphere are plenty of unexpected twists and turns in the plot.

Even though it is the third book featuring Frankie Elkin, it can be enjoyed as a stand alone novel. Thanks to Grand Central Publishing for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

One Moment

One Moment by Becky Hunter
3/12/24; 352 pages
Forever (Grand Central Publishing)

One Moment by Becky Hunter is a domestic drama about friendship, grief, love, and living with MS. It is highly recommended.

Scarlett and Evie became best friends after they first met at ten years old and have been there for each other ever since. The day Scarlett died changed everything. Now her spirit is still around, watching Evie grieve and reliving memories of her life. Evie is struggling with trying to live without Scarlett and dealing with her MS. Nate, the man who Scarlett was helping when she died, keeps turning up, trying to support Evie and help her live with her grief, while Scarlett watches everything.

Chapters alternate between the point-of-view of Evie and Scarlett and the two women are well-developed characters. While deeply missing Scarlett, Evie is dealing with her grief, flaring MS symptoms, and Nate constantly turning up. Scarlett observes this but also tells the reader stories from her past that she now views with a changed perspective. The depiction of Evie's love of music, grappling with grief, and her MS is well done. Nate is an essential character to the plot, as is Astrid, a teenage neighbor of Evie.

Admittedly, for me, the plot lagged a bit until later in the narrative. I'm also not a huge fan of the spirit of a deceased character looking on, following the actions of the living. It wasn't until much later in the story that I appreciated what Hunter was doing in this choice and it provides a poignant moment. The last part of the narrative actually raised the rating for me. Thanks to Forever for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Dark Dive

Dark Dive by Andrew Mayne
3/12/24; 296 pages
Thomas & Mercer
Underwater Investigation Unit #5

Dark Dive by Andrew Mayne brings back divers Sloan McPherson and Scott Hughes from the Florida Underwater Investigation Unit. It is a highly recommended procedural.

Sloan and Hughes are summoned by their boss George Solar to recover a coroners van and the two bodies in it from an alligator breeding ground. After the harrowing dive Sloan had to make, their next case is that of a missing person, Fred Stafford, who is also a longtime family friend of Sloan. It seems Stafford was diving and/or treasure hunting with a group of underwater cavern junkies called the Dive Rats. It also is clear that he was diving in the many sinkholes located in Florida and his truck is found near an unmarked sinkhole. Sloan is concerned that they may be looking for a body. The investigation takes some twists and turns along the way to an exciting conclusion.

Dark Dive meets the criteria for an exciting thriller/procedural, further cementing Mayne as a dependable go-to writer for the genre. There are plenty of twists and interesting details uncovered during the investigation. Although I was pleased with the main case, there is one story line that is left unresolved and a few other questions that were left unanswered. I liked the inclusion of Hughes' ROV, remotely operated vehicle, and AI into the narrative. Dangers the team face are numerous and many of them in the wild - big cats, alligators, crocodiles, anacondas, pythons, to name a few, along with the human threats.

For those new to the series, it can be read as a standalone novel. There is enough information and background about the characters to easily slid into their world and enjoy the investigation. Thanks to Thomas & Mercer for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Watch Where They Hide

Watch Where They Hide by Tamron Hall
3/12/24; 256 pages
William Morrow
Jordan Manning #2

Watch Where They Hide by Tamron Hall follows Chicago TV crime reporter Jordan Manning as she investigates the disappearance of an Indiana mother of two. It is recommended mystery.

Shelly Biltmore calls Channel 8 News to talk to reporter Jordan Manning because her sister Marla, has been missing for several weeks and she suspects foul play. Marla, who is in the middle of a divorce, dropped her two children off at daycare and then disappeared. Shelly doesn't think the police are taking her concerns seriously and does not believe her sister would leave her children willingly.  She thinks Marla's husband is responsible. Jordan travels to Indiana and begins to look into the case.

Jordan Manning is an interesting, fully realized, likeable character and it was a pleasure to see her following clues and uncover hidden secrets to solve the mystery of what happened to Marla. The missing person case here has Jordan mainly following up on information her sources uncover or reveal. It would have been nice to see some more ground breaking discovery of information, a more intricate, interesting plot, and some heart-stopping suspense along the way.

Even though this is the second in a series, it was easily read as a stand-alone novel. I like the character of Jordan Manning and see potential in future installments of the series. Thanks to William Morrow for providing me with an advance reader's copy via Edelweiss. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.