The Pages of this Intricately Woven Story Will Hold You Captive
SUMMARY Past: Amelie’s father is dying of alcoholism and cancer; she is taking care ofThe Pages of this Intricately Woven Story Will Hold You Captive
SUMMARY Past: Amelie’s father is dying of alcoholism and cancer; she is taking care of him all by herself. She is 16 and in Paris with no help. She does all the shopping, cooking, and cleaning for her father; there are no other relatives that can help. When he died, she had no choice but to leave the house and make her way on her own. She goes to London and eventually meets Carolyn, who generously offers her a job as a live-in housekeeper and cook. It's a great opportunity, and she meets Carolyn’s friends who all work at the same magazine. Eventually, she also goes to work at the magazine for Ned Hawthorne, a billionaire who takes a particular interest in the women at the magazine. Now he has his sights set on Amelia. He asks her to accompany him on a business trip to Las Vegas.
Present: Amelie is startled awake in the dark of night. Her head is covered with a black hood, and her wrists are bound behind her. She is escorted from the mansion and stuffed in the footwell in the back seat of a car. Ned is placed in the trunk. She is terrified but tries to stay calm and breathe. Now she is in a dark room and doesn't know who has kidnapped her or what they want.
REVIEW THE PRISONER is a dramatic and riveting psychological thriller. The pages of this Intricately woven story will hold you captive. The pacing is fast, and the viewpoint of the story is unique. The vivid descriptions and dialog rapport keep your head in the book.
Amelie is a delightful character who carries the story well. She is strong and smart, yet at times is naive and vulnerable. Her bad decisions somehow make her come alive on the page. Amelia is contrasted by the story’s villain, her billionaire husband Ned Hawthorne, who is so unlikable he gives all billionaires a bad name!
My favorite part of the book is Amelie’s input into the post-nuptial agreement. You have to read it to believe it. Amusing.
B. A. Paris once again surprised me with how much I like her books. I both read and listened to THE PRISONER. I particularly loved the experience of hearing the text. The narrator, Georgia McGuire, was flawless in her performance. Her voice, tone, and pacing were delightful. Her performance sounds effortless and a perfect match for the book.
Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A riveting, thought-provoking novel about life, death and the path not taken
SUMMARY Have you ever wondered where you would be if you had made differenA riveting, thought-provoking novel about life, death and the path not taken
SUMMARY Have you ever wondered where you would be if you had made different decisions in your life? Fifteen years ago Dawn Edelstein, was following her dream to be an archeologist studying ancient Egyptian hellographic, When she gets a call from her dying mother everything changes. She rushes home and becomes the caregiver for her mother and her thirteen year old brother. Today she is living in Boston with her physicist husband and their beautiful teenage daughter with self-image issues. Instead of her career in Egyptology She is a death doula and spends her life helping people make the final transition to death. But now she is thinking, what if....
Several factors have caused Dawn to begin questioning her past . After miraculously surviving a plane crash, Dawn is now contemplating which path to take. Should she return to Boston, and her beloved family. Or should she journey back to the Egyptian archaeological site she left over a decade earlier, and attempt to reconnect with her long lost love.
REVIEW THE BOOK OF TWO WAYS is a riveting, thought-provoking novel of a woman questioning life-changing decisions she made years earlier.
Picoult’s writing covers an intriguingly wide array of heavy topics for one novel. In addition to her typical emotionally evocative writing, in this case a long lost love story, she throws in a little education for us on quantum mechanics, end-of-life coaching, and Egyptology. Love it!
Picoult also draws symbolic parallels of the ancient Egyptian, text of The Book of Two Ways and Dawn’s current mid-life crisis. The ancient text depicts the paths a soul can take through the afterlife. The two paths, one land and one water, zigzag across a dangerous landscape and are separated by the Lake of Fire which can destroy, but also revive.
I particularly enjoyed Dawn’s character and the exploration of how the choices we made in the past changed our lives and make us who we are today. I listened to the audio version of the book and loved the narration.
Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Publisher Random House Publishing Group Ballantine Published September 22, 2020 Narrated Patti Murrin Review www.bluestockingreviews.com...more
A perfect blend of fascinating characters, picturesque setting and a delightfully complicated and mesmerizing story.
SUMMARY On their first night in ParA perfect blend of fascinating characters, picturesque setting and a delightfully complicated and mesmerizing story.
SUMMARY On their first night in Paris, the Gamache family gathered for dinner at a bistro with Armand’s godfather, the billionaire Stephen Horowitz. Walking home together after the meal, they watch in horror as Stephen is hit by a car and critically injured in what Gamache believes is no accident, but a deliberate attempt on the elderly man’s life.
When a strange key is found in Stephen’s possession it sends Armand, his wife Reine-Marie, and his former second-in-command at the Sûreté, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, knee deep in secrets Armand’s godfather has apparently kept for decades.
A gruesome discovery in Stephen’s Paris apartment makes it clear that the danger is greater and more imminent, than they realized. Gamache will have to decide whether he can trust his friends, his colleagues, his instincts, or even his own family.
Hell is empty, and all the devils are here.” William Shakespeare
REVIEW This is only the fifth Louise Penny novel I have read. While I have been intrigued with her books I have not been truly in love with them, until now. This book made me want to start at the beginning of the series and read them all in order. I am now hooked. One of life’s pleasures is a book that comes to life in your hands as you read it. This book was real. I felt as if I was in Paris with the Gamache’s, staying at the Hotel Lutetia, touring the Eiffel Tower and tasting the delicious pastries from the boulangerie.
Penny’s writing is meticulously descriptive and and delightfully captivating. She hooks you with the tragic accident and the action doesn’t stop until you close the cover. It’s both exhilarating and emotionally exhausting following the activities of the entire Gamache family as they work together to search for the reason behind and the parties responsible for the attack on Stephen.
Combined this minding-bending search with the a plethora of subplots. Gamache’s daughter, Annie is expecting a child at any moment, and revelations regarding the long held tensions between Armand and his son. lead the list,
My favorite part was how so many long held secrets come to light during the story and how the story unfolds one delicious morsel at a time. ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE is a perfect blend of fascinating characters, picturesque setting and a delightfully complicated and mesmerizing story. I loved the title, the literary references and the atmosphere of the story.
Thanks to Netgalley and Minotaur for an advance copy of the audio book for this title in exchange for an honest review. The narration and delivery by Robert Barthurst was absolutely superb.
SUMMARY 1913 - Laura Lyons and her husband Jack and their two children live in a seven room apartment tLove the characters, the setting and the story.
SUMMARY 1913 - Laura Lyons and her husband Jack and their two children live in a seven room apartment tucked in a corner of the grand New York Public Library. Jack Lyons is the library superintendent and an aspiring novelist. Laura, a graduate of Vassar, wants more out of life than just being a wife and mother. She was recently accepted to the newly established Columbia School of Journalism. Her studies take her all over the city and ignite a desire to write about women”s rights, birth control and suffrage. But when some valuable books go missing from the Library Laura is force to reevaluate her priorities
1993 - Sadie Donovan struggles with the legacy of her grandmother, the famous essayist Laura Lyons. Particularly after she has lands her dream job as the curator of the New York Public Library, Berg collection. But the job quickly becomes a nightmare when rare manuscripts, notes, and books for the exhibit Sadie is curating begin disappearing. Determine to save the exhibit and her career Sadie teams up with a private security expert to uncover the thief. Things unexpectedly become personal when the investigation forces Sadie to face some unwelcome truth about her own family heritage..
REVIEW The Lions of Fifth Avenue is an intriguing and poignant read. I savored every page. The New York Public library setting is absolutely delightful. Who wouldn’t want to live in a famous library! But can you imagine rare library books being stolen? It hurts my heart, but I know it’s happens. There was even a recent news story of this very same topic where extremely rare books and documents, like the Christopher Columbus letters were stolen and replaced with forgeries from the most prestigious national libraries in the world. Anyone who loves and values books and libraries will enjoy this creative historical fiction/mystery novel.
The writing is smart, enjoyable and bounding with interesting architectural details. One of my favorite parts was how Laura would allow her children, Harry and Pearl to have a ten minute “stomp” every evening after the library was closed. The three of them would leap about the hallways dancing and singing. Harry would run laps and Pearl might practice her yodeling. What fun!
Laura and Sadie are both delightfully strong-willed and smart women characters Laura was way ahead of her time in 1913, by wanting to work outside the home. It was this work that opened her eyes to a whole other world and lifestyle. When books were stolen from Sadie’s upcoming exhibit in 1993, she was certainly no shrinking violet. She was able to uncover the truth about the thief and at the same time discover the truth about her family’s history with the library.
Author Fiona Davis had me with her initial description of the immense lions that stand guard over the entrance. I even have pictures of the lions from a recent trip to NYC. She is is the nationally bestselling author of five novels, including The Dollhouse (2016), The Address (2017), and the Chelsea Girls (2019). She lives in New York City and is a graduate of the College of William & Mary in Virginia and the Columbia Journalism School.
Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
An absolute must read for lover’s of the Ryan DeMaro series.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
SUMMARY Former State Trooper Jayme Matson and Former Sergeant Ryan DeMarco are sAn absolute must read for lover’s of the Ryan DeMaro series.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
SUMMARY Former State Trooper Jayme Matson and Former Sergeant Ryan DeMarco are spending some quiet time recovering from some recent cases and the loss of their unborn child. But the door bell rings and once again the two are dragged into another case.
Two bodies are discovered in a smoldering car in the Pennsylvania woods, and another body is found brutally impaled to a tree nearby. As much as Ryan and Jamye would like to leave the case to former colleagues, they just can’t say no. Who committed these heinous act? Why?
REVIEW No Woods So Dark as These is the fourth book in the Ryan DeMarco series. If you have read the other three books you absolutely have to read this one. It will leave you speechless.
My favorite thing about this book, as well as the series, is Ryan’s character. He ponders of the meaning of life and love and forges ahead despite the horrendous experiences he has had in his lifetime. But even more than that he has tremendous respect and love for Jayme and he is not afraid to show it or to talk about the impact that their relationship has had on him. His emotions are real and raw.
It’s a fast moving and dark story of murder and mayhem. The short chapters make the book a fast read. The light in this dark story is Hero, the shepherd-mix puppy that Ryan rescues from an abusive dog-stealer. The descriptions of Ryan and Jayme’s interactions and relationship with the puppy are fun.
I have loved this series and this book is no different, although this one seems to have a few more rough edges, repetition and incongruent thoughts than in the past. Despite that it’s still worth the read, particularly if you have read the others.
Author Randall Silvis is an author of over a dozen novels most recently his Ryan DeMarco series which includes: Two Days Gone (2017), Walking the Bones (2018), and A Long Way Down (2019).
Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A timely and dynamic story full of twists and turns.
SUMMARY Pharminex, is a pharmaceutical company owned by the powerful and wealthy Vanderwald familyA timely and dynamic story full of twists and turns.
SUMMARY Pharminex, is a pharmaceutical company owned by the powerful and wealthy Vanderwald family. The company president Winton Trevor Vanderwald, Jr, is soon to be awarded the Massachusetts Medical Science Association’s Humanitarian of the Year award for his continuing and generous contributions to science and medicine. A huge gala will also be held to raise money for a scholarship in honor of the Vanderwald’s deceased son.
Pharminex has a new drug on the market. Monifan has been approved by the FDA but only to be used to decrease recovery time after surgeries. Pharminex thinks Monifan can also help women with fertility issues who are desperate to have a child. But the drug is not approved for that. What if it doesn’t work? What are the risks associated with marketing a drug off-label Is the company willing to take that risk Exactly how much is a human life worth? Pharminex has calculated that cost.
Nora Quinn is an auburn hair new sales rep for Pharminex. According to her training she has one goal: to make sure doctors prescribed the drugs offered by Pharminex, as often as and as much as they can. The hot drug on the market...Monifan.
Ellie Berensen, a blond “wholesome” and determined reporter, is on the trail of the Monifan story. Her new job at Channel 11 depends on her producing a blockbuster story.
Brooke Vanderwald is the Vanderwald’s only daughter if her grades are good she will be headed to Vasser or Yale shortly. At least that’s what her mother thinks. Brooke has a better idea.
Lacey Grisham Vanderwald is the new wife of Trevor Vanderwald the only son and rightful heir of Pharminex. More than anything Lacey wants a baby to cement her position in the Vanderwald family.
Who will be the first to lie?
REVIEW What a vexing book! The First to Lie is told from four perspectives and multiple time frames you’ll want to hang on to your hat, because it's going to be a bumpy ride. It’s a phycological thriller, with the emphasis on phycological. The characters are both intriguing and perplexing and propel the narrative through a plethora of twists and turns.
More than anything else I really appreciate the timely and dynamic story of a drug being marketed to women for an off-label use, with devastating consequences for some. It’s so terrifying that stories such as this have some basis in reality. We are seeing examples on the news of real life situations where pharmaceutical companies have put their profits over safety, responsibility or due diligence.
Author Hank Phillippi Ryan has plenty of tricks up her sleeve because of her real world experience as a television investigative reporter in Boston Massachusetts. Her writing deftly peels away layer after layer to reveal the truth of who is the first to lie.
She is also the best-selling author of 12 thrillers and has received numerous awards. Her most recent books include The Murder List (2019), and Trust Me (2018)
Thanks to Netgalley and Forge Books for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A dramatic, diabolical and spellbinding story just perfect for a day at the beach
SUMMARY Small-town girl, Tabitha Girard is waitressing at a bar and gA dramatic, diabolical and spellbinding story just perfect for a day at the beach
SUMMARY Small-town girl, Tabitha Girard is waitressing at a bar and grill just trying to make ends meet when her long lost summer love walks back into her life. The handsome Connor Ford is now ten years older, even richer than before, and unhappily married. Connor is married to the wealthy, powerful businesswoman and philanthropist Nina Ford of Southampton. She is much older than Connor and had made him sign a pre-nuptial agreement prior to their marriage—if her cheats on her or leaves her, he gets nothing from her immense fortune.
When Nina takes her own life, Conner is finally free. He immediately marries Tabitha, who he says he has loved since their summer fling ten years earlier. Soon after the wedding, questions arise about whether Nina really committed suicide in her Southampton pool. Who would have murdered her? Connor certainly had the most to gain. Was Tabitha involved too?
REVIEW THE WIFE WHO KNEW TO MUCH is a fast-moving compulsive read. The writing is tight, clever and satisfying and will immediately capture your attention. It’s a dramatic, diabolical and spellbinding story with an unexpected ending.
Tabitha’s character is totally out of her element when she marries Connor and moves into Windswept, Nina’s immense beachfront home in the Hamptons. Tabitha’s naiveté and her poor judgement is sometimes frustrating but is what propels the narrative. The characters of Nina and Conner were well developed. My favorite part of the book was the many twists and turns throughout. This is a highly recommended reading escape experience
Michele Campbell is a graduate of Harvard College and Stanford Law School and a former federal prosecutor in New York City. She gave up her big-city legal career and moved with her husband and two children to an idyllic New England college town. Since then, she has spent her time teaching criminal and constitutional law and writing novels.
Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.
A captivating historical fiction story full of bravery and resilience.
SUMMARY Eva Traube was forced to flee Paris in 1942 with her mother after the arrA captivating historical fiction story full of bravery and resilience.
SUMMARY Eva Traube was forced to flee Paris in 1942 with her mother after the arrest of her father, a Polish Jew. She finds a refuge in a church in a small mountain town in the Free Zone. There she begins forging identity documents for Jewish children fleeing to Switzerland.
In erasing these children’s identity Eva knows she must find a way to preserve the real names of the children who are perhaps too young to remember who they really are. She and Remy, her forging partner, keep records of the children secretly coded in a eighteenth century religious book she now calls The Book of Lost Names.
Eva survives the war and now over 65 years later, She is a semi-retired librarian in Florida. It is at the Library that she spies a photograph of her book from 1942, The Book of Lost Names along with thousands of other valuable books had been looted by the Germans in the final days of the war and it is now housed in a Berlin library. At 86, Eva questions whether she has the strength to revisit old memories And see the book again.
REVIEW THE BOOK OF LOST NAMES is a tension-filled and thought-proving World War II historical fiction drama. Eva’s character is a strong, smart and resilient woman, who is the pillar of the story. Her character is well-developed and the dialog is delightful.
This riveting story is as smartly structured as the code in Eva’s secret book. The writing is engaging and evocative and transports us to Paris and the fictional town of Aurignon, South of Vichy during the height of the war. You can’t go wrong with this engaging story of bravery and perseverance. If you liked The Lilac Girls or The Alice Network you will love this one
Author Kristen Harmel is a international best selling author of numerous books including The Winemaker’s Wife and The Room on Rue Amélie. Kristin was born just outside Boston, Massachusetts. After graduating with a degree in journalism from the University of Florida, she spent time living in Paris and Los Angeles and now lives in Orlando, with her family.
Thanks to Netgalley and Gallery Books for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A dark and haunting novel of a woman on the edge of reality.
SUMMARY
“Her name was Magda. Nobody will ever know who killed her. It wasn’t me. Here is hA dark and haunting novel of a woman on the edge of reality.
SUMMARY
“Her name was Magda. Nobody will ever know who killed her. It wasn’t me. Here is her dead body”
A seventy-two year old widow finds this sinister note on her morning walk through the birch trees near her cabin. It was written in blue ink on a page of lined paper from a spiral notebook and was weighted down by black rocks. There is no body, but our narrator, Vesta is shaken and determined to create a personification for Magda and find her killer. Her tenaciousness soon turns to an obsession as she invents a list of suspects and motives for the murder. Somehow, with her imagination running wild, her suppositions just might have found some traction. But then Charlie her beloved dog goes missing.
REVIEW DEATH IN HER HANDS is a haunting atmospheric tale of a self-isolating woman who is losing touch with community, reality and herself. Vesta lives in a remote cabin on a lake all by herself with only Charlie for company,. She has no phone, an unreliable car and little desire to interact with anyone other than Charlie. The note gives her a purpose and her research on how to solve a murder and her imagination serve her well.
The writing is good, and the loneliness, tension and angst throughout the book is highly perceptible. Vesta’s character, while frustrating at times was well developed. The story, a little obtuse for my liking is perhaps a metaphor for crime writing. The ending however, morphes into something totally unexpected and leaves you questioning your own grip on reality.
This was my first novel by author Ottessa Moshfegh. Her debut novel, Eileen (2015), won the Hemingway Foundation/ PEN Award was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, it was a fiction finalist for the National Books Critics Circle award.
Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A delightful story of new beginnings for the Rutledge family.
SUMMARY Linnea Rutledge returns to Sullivan’s Island near Charleston, South Carolina with A delightful story of new beginnings for the Rutledge family.
SUMMARY Linnea Rutledge returns to Sullivan’s Island near Charleston, South Carolina with her tail between her legs after losing both her job and her boyfriend in San Francisco. The first place she stops after her flight lands is Primrose Cottage to see her Aunt Cara. She’s been homesick for the Atlantic Ocean and she needed advice from Cara, who sixteen years ago had also returned to the island after losing a job.
Cara is busy panicking over the elaborate and expensive wedding festivities for her June marriage to the wealthy David Wyatt. At fifty-five, she just want something small and intimate, but that is not what was being planned. As wedding plans progress a devastating illness hits a member of her family, and brings Cara and David’s wedding plans to a screeching halt. Will they ever be able to get married?
REVIEW Love the characters, love the setting, love the story! Mary Alice Monroe has written another delightful addition to her immensely popular Beach House Series. Place this one on your night stand or in your beach bag, it’s a perfectly charming and comfortable escape.
Cara’s beloved yellow Primrose Cottage on the Isle of Palms is like one of the characters in the book. It’s the heart of the story, bursting with wild roses, honeysuckle and a pergola, it’s just the perfect beach cottage. And the loggerhead sea turtles are back! In Mary Alice Monroe’s signature flair, she creatively and smartly weaves the sea turtles return into the story and gives us all a lesson in starting again.
My favorite part was the special relationship between Linnea and Cara. They keep each other grounded and in check despite their differences in age. Thanks to Netgalley and Gallery Books for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
An intriguing and amusing book of our dependence on our phones and the realities of social media.
SUMMARY Mia Bell is one of the most popular influenceAn intriguing and amusing book of our dependence on our phones and the realities of social media.
SUMMARY Mia Bell is one of the most popular influencers on social media. She is planning the ultimate virtual wedding entirely paid for by her sponsors. But off-camera, her world is no so perfect.
She has beenjilted by her handsome fiancé and fakes her nuptials to please her sponsors. Mia finally has had enough. She heaves her phone off a cliff, ready to live offline for a change.
Paige Miller, is a high-paid computer nerd, who hacks Mia’s account and begins impersonating the internet celebrity. Paige has her reasons. Her half sister, Jessica, idolizes Mia and desperately needs something to believe in. If taking over Mia’s online persona is Paige’s only means of connecting to her sister, so be it.
Paige has more fun creating posts for Mia account than she expected. But when she forgets who she is supposed to be online she is caught in the act. A fiasco ensues that could forever change Mia, Paige, and the people who love them. But somewhere amid the chaos is a real life lesson.
REVIEW What would it be like to get rid of your cell phone? Can you even imagine yourself heaving it off a cliff? THE BRIGHT SIDE OF GOING DARK is a clever and intriguing story that makes you give a lot of thought to that little device you hold so dear! It’s an amusing, fast and easy read, perfect for a day in the mountains or at the beach...if you can just put the phone down for a few hours! And by the way...you may not want to tKe it with you when you go on that mountain hike!
The tight writing alternates between Paige and Mia perspectives and moves swift. Both characters are unique and well-developed and will have you invested in the story. At times you will want to to throttle one or the other of them, and at times you’ll be cheering them on. One of my favorite parts of the book was Paige’s renewed relationship and her dedication to help her half-sister, Jessica.
Do you ever think your life should be just as perfect as what you see on Instagram or Facebook? THE BRIGHT SIDE OF GOING DARK’s reveals a reality of social media, It also touches on depression, attempted suicide and recovery, but finishes with personal growth and maybe even a little romance.
Author Kelly Harms also wrote bestselling book The Overdue Life of Amy Byler (2019). She lives in Madison Wisconsin and has been working in the publishing business for two decades.
Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A clever and consuming story of Crosby Lake and the many secrets it holds.
SUMMARY When Charlotte, who grew up in a trailer park, married older and weaA clever and consuming story of Crosby Lake and the many secrets it holds.
SUMMARY When Charlotte, who grew up in a trailer park, married older and wealthy widower Paul, it caused a ripple of gossip in their small North Carolina lakeside town.
Despite the whispers their life is good, and with some recent news, maybe even great. Everything starts to unravel when Charlotte discovers a young woman’s body floating in the exact same spot where Paul’s first wife, an avid swimmer, drowned. Coincidence?
The stranger in the lake is no stranger. Charlotte had seen Paul talking to her the day before, even though Paul tells the police he’s never met the woman. Why did he lie, and then he disappears, What is Paul hiding? Charlotte doesn’t know what or who to trust. She knows Paul is a good man, but she becomes suspicious that there’s a story he’s desperate to hide.
REVIEW STRANGER IN THE LAKE is a clever and consuming tension-filled mystery. The story is smartly structured, weaving together the events from twenty years ago and the present day mystery. The writing deftly peels away layer after layer through the wrenching backstory.
The depth and contents of Crosby Lake gives a huge feeling of curiosity and creepiness to the story. How would you like to live on Skeleton Cove, where bodies seem to pop up regularly?
The North Carolina lake/mountain setting was my favorite thing about the book. Having been to the Highland/Cashiers area several times I appreciated the descriptions and references. I particularly loved the Whiteside Mountain and the famous bear shadow shoutout.
Interestingly, while Paul is a primary part of the story, he is rarely physically present in the present day story. It’s Charlotte who carries the weight of telling us about Paul. Charlotte’s, aka Charlie character is wholesome and good, who wants the fairytale but not at the risk of selling her soul. I liked her strength and her willingness to call on her brother, Chet, when she needs help.
Kimberley Belle is the author of 2019 best seller Dear Wife. Stranger in the Lake is her sixth novel. She is a graduate of Agnes Scott College, and divides her time between Atlanta and Amsterdam.
Thanks to Netgalley and Park Row for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
An enjoyable and entertaining suspense novel with well drawn characters.
SUMMARY A young wild-hair boy, thought to be between the age of 6 to 8 was fouAn enjoyable and entertaining suspense novel with well drawn characters.
SUMMARY A young wild-hair boy, thought to be between the age of 6 to 8 was found living in the woods all alone. No one has any idea who the boy was or how long he had been there. That was thirty years ago. “Wilde” still prefers to live in those woods today. The woods are the air for his lungs. Now an adult, he still doesn’t know who he is, and another child has gone missing.
No one seems to take Naomi Pine’s disappearance seriously, not even her father-with one exception. Hester Crimstein, a television criminal attorney, knows through her grandson that Naomi was relentlessly bullied at school. Hester asks Wilde-with whom she shares a tragic connection-to use his unique skills to help find Naomi.
Wilde can’t ignore an outcast in trouble, but in order to find Naomi he must venture back into the community where he has never fit in, a place where the powerful are protected even when they harbor secrets that could destroy the lives of millions . . . secrets that Wilde must uncover before it’s too late.
REVIEW The Boy From the Woods is an enjoyable and entertaining suspenseful novel set in Westville, New Jersey. The novel is smart and full of terrific twists and turns. The writing was smooth and easy and the characters are distinct and delightfully well-drawn.
I absolutely loved Hester, she is strong, bright and thinks quick on her feet. She has one or two soft spots that makes you believe she’s real. If I ever need an attorney I’m calling her! Wilde also surprised me. I really liked his intelligence, compassion and sensitivity. Hard to believe, with his childhood he turned out way better than ok. I wouldn’t mind seeing Hester and Wilde again.
Author Harlan Coben has given us yet another suspense-filled novel destined for the number one spot on the best-seller list. The ending had me completely gobsmacked! You should immediately add this to your “to be read” pile. Thanks to Netgalley, and a Grand Central Publishing for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Temperance Brennan takes us on a robust and non-stop ride.
SUMMARY Recovering at home from surgery for an aneurysm, Temperance Brennan is suffering froTemperance Brennan takes us on a robust and non-stop ride.
SUMMARY Recovering at home from surgery for an aneurysm, Temperance Brennan is suffering from migraines and nightmares and just can’t sleep. At midnight, she glances out the window and catches a flicker of movement in the trees. It’s a silhouette of a man in a trench coat. Why was there a man on her property? A week later, Tempe receives four images of of a faceless mangled corpse. But who sent the pictures and why? To discovered the corpse’s identity she must work outside the system. Tempe new boss is determine to keep her out of the case and has banned her from the medical examiner’s office. Regardless, Tempe pushes forward with her own investigation of the faceless man in the pictures. Was he a spy? A trafficker? Who killed him and why? The more she uncovers the darker the picture becomes.
REVIEW A CONSPIRACY OF BONES intricately combines a perilous medical condition, a midnight stalker, a grotesquely unidentifiable dead body, an untenable work situation and a plethora of missing children with fake news, the dark web and arson. This is my first book by Kathy Reichs...are they all this involved? I enjoyed the story but felt a little left out.. It’s like I just met a new group of friends and know nothing about their backstory, their relationships or their personalities. Perhaps this book, while very good is not the best one to start the series with. I’m sure readers of Kathy Reich will love #19 (I had loved the Bone television series back in the day, but recognize few similarities)
I did love the strength of Tempe’s character. I knew what she was made of when, without hesitation she was willing to go out in the middle of the night to chase down a man wearing a trench coat. Or was it really a hallucination? I found it delightfully humorous and ironic that Tempe’s mother knows so much more about technology and the dark web than Tempe did! Go mom!
KATHY REICHS is an accomplished forensic anthropologist. In Charlotte NC. She writes what she knows and her writing is well planned and robust. You best be ready when you pick this one up, because it’s a nonstop ride. Thanks to Netgalley and Scribner for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A memorable and mesmerizing love story amid a backdrop of war, politics, and folklore
SUMMARY The students at Minghua University are ordered to evacuateA memorable and mesmerizing love story amid a backdrop of war, politics, and folklore
SUMMARY The students at Minghua University are ordered to evacuate as Japanese bombs begin falling on the city of Nanking in 1937. Nineteen-year-old Hu Lian and her classmates, a convoy of more than a hundred students, faculty, and staff must walk a thousand miles to the safety of China’s western provinces. It’s a journey marked by hunger, cold, and the constant threat of aerial attack.
The student are asked to carry a priceless treasure on the journey, a 500-year-old collection of myths and folklore known as the Library of Legends. This story is based on true events and rich in Chinese history and lore,
Lian finds friendship and a cautious romance with the handsome and wealthy Liu Shaoming. But after one classmate is murdered and another arrested, Lian realizes she must escape from the convoy before a family secret puts her in danger. Accompanied by Shao and his maidservant Sparrow, Lian makes her way to Shanghai, hoping to reunite with her mother. On the journey, Lian learns of the connection between her two companions and a tale from the Library of Legends, The Willow Star and the Prince.
REVIEW The LIBRARY OF LEGENDS is a delighful and dramatic tale of a heroic effort to preserve China’s intellectual and cultural history. Can you imagine walking a thousand miles? Not only has author Janie Chang enlightened us with a piece of China’s history but she has also creatively woven in a part of China’s folklore into the story.
The writing is captivating, tender and entertaining. My favorite part was reading about the magically spirits and immortals that the caravan unknowingly passed on their journey. The three main characters, Lian, Shao, and Sparrow were each delightfully developed and draw you into the story. The story has something for everyone...love, legends, murder, politics and history. A true gem of a novel. . Author Janie Chang has written two previous novels, Three Souls and Dragons Spring Road have been nominated for the 2019 international Dublin Literary Award. She was born in Taiwan, but has lived in the Philippines, Iran, Thailand, and New Zealand. She now lives in Vancouver, Canada with her husband.
Thanks to Edelweiss and William Morrow for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A heart stopping thriller that is diabolical and haunting.
SUMMARY Boston Detective D.D. Warren, FBI Agent Kimberly Quincy and vigilante Flora Dane joiA heart stopping thriller that is diabolical and haunting.
SUMMARY Boston Detective D.D. Warren, FBI Agent Kimberly Quincy and vigilante Flora Dane join forces to investigate new evidence in a cold case in a small Georgia town. Quincy and D.D. Rely on their considerable skills and experience to crack the most disturbing case of their careers—and Flora must face her own troubled past, in the hope of saving others.
REVIEW WHEN YOU SEE ME is a heart-stopping thriller that is immediately captivating. Lisa Gardner certainly knows how to grab your attention and not let go. Her female characters are vulnerable yet strong, courageous and admirable. They each come alive on the pages of the novel. The story alternates between Kimberly, D.D., Flora, and a young girl who will steal your heart with her fortitude and strength.
The story behind the cold case is diabolical and haunting, but you won’t be able to stop turning the pages. It is full of action and suspense and the tension is unrelenting. My favorite character is the young girl who looses her mother at the tender age of five, but knows she can still make a difference.
Author Lisa Gardner is a best-selling author of 21 previous thriller novels including her most recent, Never Tell. Her Detective D. D. Warren novels include Find Her, Fear Nothing, Catch Me, Love You More, and The Neighbor, which won the Best Hardcover Novel from the International Thriller Writers. She lives with her family in New England.
Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Water Keeper is a riveting and breathless boat trip down the Florida Intercoastal Waterway
SUMMARY Murphy Shephard is a man with many secrets. He lThe Water Keeper is a riveting and breathless boat trip down the Florida Intercoastal Waterway
SUMMARY Murphy Shephard is a man with many secrets. He lives alone on a island in Northeast Florida, tending the grounds of a church with no priest and no parishioners. He has quietly dedicated his life to rescuing women in peril. No one knows who he is or what he does. But as he mourns the recent loss of his mentor and friend, Murph himself may be more lost than he realizes.
When he pulls a beautiful woman name Summer out of the Florida Intercoastal Waterway, Murph’s cruise to lay his mentor to rest in the water of the Keys, takes an unplanned and dangerous turn. Drawn to help Summer find her missing daughter, Murphy is pulled once again, into the dark and dangerous world of human-trafficking.
Murphy gets help from some unexpected new friends, including a faithful Labrador he plucks from the ocean, and an ex-convict name Clay. Murph races against the clock to locate Summer’s daughter. At the same time he is unknowingly uncovering secrets of his past.
REVIEW THE WATER KEEPER is another fabulously powerful novel by Charles Martin. It’s a story of love, friendship, sacrifice, dedication and forgiveness. The writing is absorbing and beautiful, and each of the characters are well drawn. This is a BlueStocking Best read for 2020.
Murph is an amazingly strong, sensitive and faith-filled man. His past, present and future collide in this smartly structured action-packed thriller. Just be prepared for a fast and furious roller-coaster of a boat ride.
There is danger around every bend, as Murph races down the Intercoastal to find the bad guys and rescue Summer’s daughter before it’s to late. A big shout out to Gunner, the resilient Labrador Retriever. Even he helps bring the story to life with his boundless energy, stamina and loyalty.
Author Charles Martin lives in Jacksonville, Florida and has portrayed the beauty of the eastern coastline of Florida magnificently. This is his fourteenth novel. His prior novels include Send Down the Rain Long Way Gone and The Mountain Between Us, which was made into a major motion picture
Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A continuous flow of suspense. and a terrific blend of characters, setting and story.
SUMMARY Marin’s life is perfect. She lives in Seattle, owns a chaiA continuous flow of suspense. and a terrific blend of characters, setting and story.
SUMMARY Marin’s life is perfect. She lives in Seattle, owns a chain of hair salons, and is married to her college sweetheart. They're admired in their community and are a loving family—until their world falls apart the day their four-year-old son Sebastian is taken.
A year later, Marin is still struggling to get through the day. The FBI search has gone cold and the publicity has faded. Marin and her husband Derek, rarely speak. She hires a P.I. to pick up where the police left off, but instead of finding Sebastian, she learns that Derek is having an affair with a younger woman. This discovery sparks Marin back to life. She's lost her son; she's not about to lose her husband, too. Kenzie, the other woman, is a problem that Marin can fix.
REVIEW LITTLE SECRETS is as deliciously written as the chocolate creme truffles at La Parisienne Doux. You will be hooked in Chapter one and will not be able to put it down. The story is riveting. You will just have to find out what happened to Sebastian, in his cute little reindeer sweater.
The plot moves fast and you’ll have no problem consuming it all in one or two sittings. It’s a continuous flow of suspense. and a terrific blend of characters, setting and story. You can feel Marin’s panic when Sebastian disappears from the bustling Pike Place Market just before Christmas, her character comes to life on the pages. One of life’s pleasure is when a book unexpectedly surprises you with how good it is. This one did!
Author JENNIFER HILLIER was born and raised in Toronto, Canada, lived in the Seattle area for years, and has just moved back to Toronto with her husband and son. Jennifer is the author of Wonderland, Creep, and Jar of Hearts.
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
An intriguing female-centered thriller that will have you picking your friends very carefully.
SUMMARY It’s an hot muggy Sunday morning in August and ShAn intriguing female-centered thriller that will have you picking your friends very carefully.
SUMMARY It’s an hot muggy Sunday morning in August and Shay Miller is standing on the subway platform, when she notices a woman in a green polka dot dress standing to close to the tracks. Shay watches in horror as the woman jumps in front of the fast approaching train. Shay’s life is changed forever as the sole witnessed of this horrific suicide. She becomes fixated on the woman, Amanda Evinger, tracking down her address and attending her memorial service. Shay’s presence at the memorial service captures the attention of Amanda’s elegant and glamorous friends, Jane and Cassandra Moore. The Moore sisters want to know everything about Shay Miller and will stop at nothing to determine exactly what she knows. But why?
REVIEW YOU ARE NOT ALONE is a female-centered thriller featuring a lonely, and unemployed data researcher, and her glamorous and very generous new friends. Who wouldn’t want friends that give you a beauty makeover, a new luxurious sea-blue leather purse and more? But why?
Shay’s character was relatable, sensitive and smart. Her use of a “data-book” for her collection of statistics and factoids the way some girls keep a diary was charming. Did you know that the average person will walk past sixteen killers in their lifetime? I loved the use of statistics from her data book at the beginning of each of Shay’s chapter’s. It might just give us a little hint of things to come.
While I liked the story very much and found it intriguing, the cast of characters became a little complicated and the motive a little slow to reveal. I loved the New York setting and the use of both data and technology to propel the story.
Authors Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen also wrote the bestselling thrillers The Wife Between Us and An Anonymous Girl. Both books have already been optioned for television or movies, and I’ll bet this one might not be far behind. Numbers don’t lie. Read it and decide for yourself.
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A tight, riveting and intimate drama of a woman struggling with the debt, love and the death of her mother.
SUMMARY Casey Peabody gets up early every mA tight, riveting and intimate drama of a woman struggling with the debt, love and the death of her mother.
SUMMARY Casey Peabody gets up early every morning to work on her novel, while trying not to think about her huge college loan debt, love, or her mother’s death while vacationing in Chile last winter. Casey lives in Boston in an old potting shed that smells of mold and decaying leaves. She get a discount on her rent by walking her landlord’s dog. She’s thirty-one and rides an old banana bike she found at the dump, across the Charles River every day to work as a waitress at a restaurant near Harvard Square.
One evening, while attending a literary event she meets the handsome Silas, who she finds kind and interesting. Weeks later, Oscar, who is an established author and had recently lost his wife, walks into her restaurant with his two young sons in tow. Cassie instantly falls in love with the boys and promises to play miniature golf with them soon. Cassie soon finds herself torn between these two different men and two different futures.
REVIEW WRITERS & LOVERS is a dramatic, moving, and clever chronicle of a woman moving into full adulthood. Thirty-one-year-old Casey is depressed and devastated by her mother’s sudden death, and the end of a romantic relationship.
Author Lily King has brilliantly captured the wretched and desolate thoughts and feelings a daughter experiences following the death of a mother. Not only does King tell us about how Casey and her mom would spend hours talking on the phone, and how Casey wants to call mom to tell her about these men, only to remember she is no longer here.
I adored how King continues with the mother theme as Casey begins reading stories in the biography section of the public library about famous writers and their dead mothers. Among other she shares, that George Eliot’s mother died of breast cancer, to Edith Wharton mother who refused to let Edith read novels until after her marriage.
Despite her grief, Casey refuses to give up on her dream of becoming a author. King effortlessly blends Casey’s financial strain, her love life, her waitressing gig and her six year attempt at writing a novel and takes her to the brink of disaster. You’ll want keep your head in the book to see what happens next.
Casey’s character development was delightful. You can’t help but feel her vulnerability, her pain and her desolation, as well as her courage and strength to never give up on her dream.
Despite the novel’s dramatic tone, it is chocked full of clever and witty quips. One of my favorite’s was Casey’s discussion of authors book cover photos. She shows Silas how male author photo’s alway look so menacing in a ‘I might have to murder you if you don’t read this’ way. Conversely, she shows him how women author photos are pleasing, pleading and even apologetic.
From the squawking Canadian geese at the river to the writers workshop with the blue giraffe, King has written a tight and delightful emotional roller coaster of a read that is not soon forgotten.
King grew up in Massachusetts and received her B.A. in English literature from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her M. A. in creative writing from Syracuse University. I read her novel Euphoria (2014) and loved it.
Thanks to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Loading...
