Book Review: "A Novel Crime" by Deborah Levison

This book was wild! I found myself laughing and rolling my eyes (in a good way) at these characters and the trouble they found themselves in. Be careful what you wish for: you might just get it!

Marcy has dreamed of being a writer for years. She’s been trying for so long to finish her damsel-in-distress historical romance so she can become the bestselling, prize-winning, universally adored author she knows she’s meant to be. And she finally wants her daughter to be proud of her.

She and the other aspiring authors in her writing group lament over their lack of progress or success. Going to a book signing for famed novelist Francesca Barber makes Marcy even hungrier to achieve her dreams and more desperate to get her shot. When she discovers Francesca in a compromising position, Marcy may have just found her opportunity.

Desperate to keep her secret hidden, Francesca lets Marcy (who has adopted a pen name, Summer Branigan) bully her into finishing her novel. But Francesca keeps trying to wiggle out of the deal, no matter how much leverage Marcy may have over her.

It’s at this point that the book goes spectacularly off the rails. But while lies are spun, kidnappings are faked, and you have no idea whom to trust, the book adds a layer of social commentary about just how difficult the publishing world can be, and how nice women get taken advantage of far too often in life. If you don’t fight for yourself, who will?

There’s not a likable character in the book, but that didn’t bother me at all. If you’re in the mood for some laughs along with your twists, give this one a try!

Book Review: "So Far Gone" by Jess Walter

“Right, he thought. We live only as long as someone remembers us. Only as long as someone cares.”

A former environmental journalist, Rhys has very little patience for fools. And Shane, his ultra-conservative, religious-nut son-in-law, is definitely a fool. One Thanksgiving, even though Rhys promised his daughter Bethany he’d behave, Shane’s conspiracy theory rants became too much to take. Rhys punched Shane, left dinner, and decided to live off the grid.

It’s been a few years now since Rhys escaped to his family’s dilapidated cabin in the woods of Washington State. Most of his conversations are with himself. So he’s completely surprised to find his grandchildren, Leah and Asher, on his doorstep. Apparently Bethany has gone missing and she had asked a friend to bring the kids to Rhys if anything ever happened to her.

Rhys is worried about his daughter and wants to take care of his grandchildren. But not long after they show up, the kids are kidnapped by members of a violent militia affiliated with Shane’s church. He is determined to rescue the kids and find Bethany, even if he hasn’t used a cellphone or the internet in 4+ years.

With the help of his ex-lover, as well as his best friend and a slightly unhinged ex-cop, Rhys has to confront the kidnappers and a world that has grown even more unhinged. But he also has to deal with the strains that have existed in his relationship with Bethany since she was a teenager, and his regrets about so many things he’s done.

This was a funny, endearing, and satirical read that I really enjoyed. Jess Walter is such a talented writer, and he deftly maneuvered between the emotions of the story, the social commentary, and the wild interactions between characters.

Book Review: "Killer Potential" by Hannah Deitch

What a crazy, fun debut this was! This book definitely read like a movie at times, and I mean that as a compliment.

Evie was one of those kids with bucketloads of promise. She was super smart and dreamed of making her mark on the world. But despite graduating from a prestigious college, she now spends her days as an SAT tutor for privileged kids in Los Angeles.

One day when she arrives at the home of the Victor family for her appointment with their daughter Serena, she walks into a nightmare. She finds both parents dead, obviously murdered, and as she’s trying to make sense of it all, she finds a young woman tied up in a closet. Evie frees the woman and they escape before the police arrive.

Of course, it’s not long before law enforcement and the media are determined to find Evie and her “accomplice.” Suddenly she’s being called a brutal murderer, a smart girl gone bad, even Manson-like. But Evie doesn’t want to spend the rest of her life hiding or on the run. She hopes to find the real killer so she can have her life back.

What ensues is a race against time, as Evie and her new companion —who refuses to speak—try to keep ahead of the authorities. Their escape plan takes them across the country and makes them wonder where things will end for them.

I definitely had high hopes for this book. It was a quick read and it hooked me completely. Of course, parts of the plot require you to suspend your disbelief, and I thought the ending didn’t quite match the promise of the rest of the book, but this is still really enjoyable!

Book Review: "Leave the Girls Behind" by Jacqueline Bublitz

“There are just so many ways, Ruth thinks, for a girl to disappear.”

When Ruth-Ann was 7 years old, her best friend Beth was kidnapped and later found murdered. The perpetrator was Ethan Oswald, music teacher and church choir director.

As Ruth grew older, she remained haunted by Beth’s murder and became obsessed with true crime websites which talked about Oswald. Ruth is convinced that Oswald was actually responsible for the deaths of other young girls across the country, but no one—not even the police—bought her theories.

When another young girl goes missing from Ruth’s Connecticut hometown, she starts becoming obsessed again. She believes that all those years ago Oswald had help in committing his crimes, and perhaps that person is responsible for the latest disappearance.

Ruth becomes single-minded in her focus on finding Oswald’s accomplice. Her search for answers takes her across the globe and connects her with three women, one who might be the person she seeks. But in order to figure out the truth, she’ll have to accept her own truths as well.

I was drawn into this story pretty quickly, and while the pacing was a little uneven at times, I couldn’t tear myself away. I enjoyed this take on the amateur detective trope, and while I’m not always a fan of paranormal storylines, this worked for me. Lots of twists and some unlikable characters, but a compelling mystery for sure.

Book Review: "Holmes is Missing" by James Patterson and Brian Sitts

Having devoured the first book in this series, Holmes, Marple & Poe, you can bet I snapped up the second book as soon as it hit stores! This really is a great series and now we’ll see how long it takes for Book 3 to come out.

Brendan Holmes, Margaret Marple, and Auguste Poe are best friends and private investigators who have become the talk of NYC after their success solving a few cases. (It doesn’t make them popular with the police, however.)

The latest case they become involved in deals with the kidnapping of six babies from the nursery of a NYC hospital. The families want to hire the trio to find their babies, but they’re not at full strength, as Holmes has been away dealing with a personal issue. And even though he agrees to help with this case, he makes it very clear he wants out of the business afterward.

As they try and figure out what happened, they discover that the kidnappings are related to other cases, both in the U.S. and the U.K. But what ties all of these incidents together, and what’s the motive behind them? It seems like it’s only a matter of time before more children are kidnapped.

Meanwhile, Holmes encounters an amateur detective who tells of a fascinating set of cases. But it’s not long before he realizes that the cases are real, and there’s more danger afoot, which could land closer to home. And Poe has problems of his own, mainly dealing with Police Detective Helene Grey.

I love these characters and how well they play off one another. Marple, in particular, proves to be a total badass in this book. There’s pulse-pounding action and great banter, and I couldn’t put this down.

Book Review: "Free Fall" by Kathryn Nolan

I was yesterday years old when I discovered that there’s a bodyguard romance sub-genre. I mean, I read Katherine Center's The Bodyguard, but who knew it was an actual sub-genre? If there are other books like this one, my devotion to hockey romance might be in jeopardy!

When Luke Beaumont’s enormously wealthy father, whom he hadn’t spoken to in five years, dies, he is shocked to learn that he’s now the heir to a massive real estate development company. Luke doesn’t get why his father would leave him the company, when he was grooming his brother Preston to take over.

Luke would like to get as far away from the family business as he can, and continue working as a water safety and surfing instructor. Of course, his father manipulated things so he’d lose his trust fund if he tried to shirk his responsibilities. Another thing that Luke inherited is a need for a full-time bodyguard, especially because his father had been getting death threats.

Elijah, his bodyguard, is a strict rule-follower, and he doesn’t like that Luke won’t listen to him. Elijah is also seriously sexy, which isn’t lost on Luke. They feel a very strong connection, but Elijah doesn’t want to jeopardize his imminent promotion—plus if he lets Luke distract him, it could prove dangerous.

Just as the death threats are heating up, so is the fire between them. When Luke is kidnapped, Elijah will do anything to find Luke, not just because it’s his job, but because it’s the man he loves.

“When I stayed close, I kept Luke from danger. When I stayed close, Luke was the danger.”

This was STEAMY, emotional, romantic, and suspenseful. Couldn’t get enough!!

Book Review: "All Good People Here" by Ashley Flowers

This is my first backlist read (a book published more than a year ago) of 2024, so please clap!

Margot is now a big-city journalist, but she grew up in the small town of Wakarusa, Indiana, where keeping up appearances was vital. When Margot was six years old, her next-door neighbor and playmate, January Jacobs, went missing from her home and was found dead shortly after. It’s always been a memory that has weighed on Margot’s mind, because she has wondered what made January's killer choose her and not Margot.

Twenty years later, Margot returns to town to help her uncle, who was recently diagnosed with early-onset dementia. She finds not much has changed in Wakarusa—everyone still knows everyone’s business. But when a five-year-old girl disappears from the neighboring town and the circumstances seem eerily similar to January’s disappearance, Margot is determined to uncover the connections between the two. But with no one in town willing to talk, and everyone—including her uncle—keeping secrets, is it worth stirring up the past? Is the connection real or imagined?

I enjoyed much of this book, but then so many things started happening at once and it became hard to follow. And then the ending was far too abrupt. It was disappointing because I really was hoping things would tie up differently. I will say that Ashley Flowers (and, apparently, her ghostwriters) definitely captured the small-town feel of the setting.

Book Review: "Local Woman Missing" by Mary Kubica

Local Woman Missing, Mary Kubica's newest book, is a twisty, slightly creepy mystery/thriller about a small town dealing with the reopening of old wounds.

Eleven years ago, Shelby went out for a run late one night, leaving her infant daughter at home with her husband. She never returned. Shortly thereafter, Meredith, a doula, and her young daughter, Delilah, disappear.

Are these disappearances related? Did the women even know each other? Their small town is rocked as they search for answers, but eventually, although some leads are found, the cases grow cold.

It turns out both women had secrets and, quite possibly, enemies. Did those secrets lead to their disappearance?

When a young woman is found after being held captive for a long time, many questions arise. Is it Delilah? All signs seem to point to that, but why does her younger brother Leo, who was just an infant when Delilah disappeared, have doubts?

Local Woman Missing had me on edge throughout nearly the entire book, as I couldn’t wait to see how everything tied together. There was definitely a creepy vibe to it.

And then...I felt completely let down by the ending. I like twists and surprises but I don’t like when things come out of left field as they did. It seemed like everything to that point was just to throw you off the track. It was disappointing because I thought the book was so good until then.

I know lots of people have raved about Local Woman Missing. Some have complained about the ending but said that they loved the rest of the book so much that they didn't let it bother them. I definitely think this is still worth a read; hopefully you won't feel the same way I did.

Book Review: "Falling" by T.J. Newman

If you’re looking for a thriller that reads like a movie, here’s one for you: T.J. Newman's upcoming debut thriller, Falling!

Are you a good flyer or a nervous flyer? If you are a white-knuckle flyer you’ll probably want to skip this one so it doesn’t give you something else to worry about when you get on a plane!

Captain Bill Hoffman is ready to fly 143 people from Los Angeles to NYC for Coastal Airways. He’s done his preflight checks and his favorite flight attendant, Jo, is in charge of the cabin. Bill and his first officer are ready to go, and they expect a smooth flight across the country.

Then he receives an email message: his wife and two young children have been kidnapped and have bombs attached to them. If Bill doesn’t crash the plane, the kidnapper will kill his family. His choices: kill everyone on board (including himself) or let his family die. And he can't involve the authorities, because his family will suffer the consequences.

Falling was written by a former flight attendant who wrote most of this during cross-country flights when her passengers were asleep. It definitely reads like a book written by someone who knows her s—t!! (Plus, I've heard from two friends who are flight attendants that it's pretty authentic.)

This was one of those books that you frantically turn the pages of, as you can’t wait to see what unfolds. It’s a tremendously entertaining thriller, fast-paced in many ways, with a diverse and enjoyable supporting cast. As I was reading it, I was totally casting the movie in my head!

If I had any criticism, I felt the kidnapper was a little too stereotypical, but as my friend Phil and I discussed in our impromptu buddy read, it could’ve been problematic any way Newman went. But the book had more emotional depth than I expected, which was great. I devoured this in one sitting.

NetGalley, Avid Reader Press, and Simon & Schuster provided me a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!!

Falling publishes 7/6.

Book Review: "Out of the Red and Into the Black" by Shane Ahalt, Sr.

If you like your thrillers/crime novels gritty and intense, you might want to check out Out of the Red and Into the Black by Shane Ahalt, Sr.

The brutal murder of Eric and Tammy Creasy doesn’t necessarily surprise the small southern town where they lived, but people want to know what happened to their teenage son, Tyler, who has gone missing since his parents’ murder. Will the kidnappers hold him for ransom, or will he meet a similar fate to his parents?

The more Chris Caldwell, the chief of police, and his team look into the murder, the more they discover just how horrible the Creasys were and the awful things they put their son—and others—through. It opens up a real web of secrets spanning decades, secrets that affect more people than the chief can imagine.

Meanwhile, as they try to track what might have happened to Tyler, they discover that the kidnappers may not be their enemies, although their methods may be questionable. Should the chief turn a blind eye or try to apprehend these people?

Out of the Red and Into the Black deals with a disturbing subject—sexual abuse of children—although it’s not graphic in any way, nor does it describe incidents. But this affected me a great deal and it may be a trigger for some.

This book is intense and graphic at times in ts description of violence, but it raises some interesting questions. It definitely kept me turning the pages to see what would happen.

The author provided me with a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!!

Book Review: "Bitter Falls" by Rachel Caine

I think my heart rate needed a few hours to return to normal after reading this book!

Gwen Proctor and her family are back in Bitter Falls, Book 4 of Rachel Caine’s Stillhouse Lake series.

While Gwen and her children, as well as her partner, are trying to put all of the past horrors of their lives behind them, everyone around them won’t let them forget. Her kids are constantly bullied at school and their neighbors want them gone, because the more attention they attract, the more it hampers everyone else’s unsavory activities. And of course, they're subject to constant online harassment and horribly violent threats.

Still, Gwen is working as a private investigator and hoping the hubbub will eventually die down. She lands a cold case of a young man who went missing three years ago in Tennessee, after telling his family he was trying to help a girl he met at church. The family has no clues but they’ve not given up hope even if it seems they should.

What Gwen stumbles into is far more lethal and widespread than she even imagined. Once again, those she loves wind up in the crossfire, and the result could prove deadly. It’s going to require every last bit of strength and cunning she has, not to mention an alliance with an unsavory group of people. But Gwen will stop at nothing to save those she loves, and perhaps solve the case at the same time.

I’ve really enjoyed this series, and find Gwen in particular a fascinating character. These books are intense but I can’t get enough of them, and Caine ratchets up the pace and the tension throughout.

The one thing that is starting to frustrate me with the last few books is that so much trouble is caused by Gwen's kids. I get that they have been through so much trauma and are chafing from all the restrictions on their lives but after a while it gets annoying when one of their actions sets trouble in motion.

I found out today that Caine lost her battle with cancer earlier this month. I'm so sad to hear this news, as I've really been enjoying her books. The good news is that Book 5 in this series will be published in the spring of 2021.

If you love thrillers, this is a great series to explore. Gwen is definitely a badass!

Book Review: "A Bad Day for Sunshine" by Darynda Jones

A Bad Day for Sunshine is a fun, slightly wacky mystery with a great set of characters I can’t wait to see again!

Although it’s the last thing she really wanted to do, Sunshine Vicram returns to her crazy hometown of Del Sol, New Mexico with her teenage daughter, Auri, in tow. She didn’t have much of a choice, really, because her parents somehow got her elected sheriff, which doesn’t sit too well with the mayor or the incumbent she defeated, since Sunshine never actually expressed interest in being sheriff in the first place).

She figures the sheriff gig can’t be all that bad, so she’ll stick around long enough to find those responsible for the reason she left town years ago. And apart from two neighbors fighting over a rooster named Puff Daddy, all is calm—for a few minutes. Then a friend of her mother's sends over a basket of her famous muffins and all hell breaks loose. (This apparently happens every time Ruby sends muffins.)

The next thing Sun knows, a teenage girl has been abducted, a fugitive is on the loose, a boy with autism is lost in the snowy mountains, and Auri is getting seriously bullied at her new high school.

Sun is going to have to confront some painful memories, some truths will need to be revealed, and she’ll come face to face with the boy who broke her heart who turned into a man who is as sexy as hell, whose family can't stand Sun, to put it mildly. She's never quite been able to get him out of her system, family hatred or not. (Oh, and she has a bunch of crimes to solve.)

I really enjoyed this book. These characters were so much fun and there’s still so much history between them that Darynda Jones hasn’t even touched on, so I can’t wait for what she'll put in a second book.

At times the book got a tiny bit too silly for me—there’s humor and then there’s farce. One recurring joke, while it all revealed itself in the end to be for a purpose, annoyed me a bit. But in the end, this is a fun book with a badass female character I loved and one I'll eagerly await the chance to see again.

Book Review: "The Boy from the Woods" by Harlan Coben

With Harlan Coben's new book, The Boy from the Woods, the master delivers another twisty thriller full of secrets!

Thirty years ago a young boy was found living in the woods. It appeared he had been there for some time, but apart from some emotional trauma stemming from memories he can’t parse together, he was mostly fine. He befriended a boy who lived nearby, and he tended to break into people's houses to steal food, even watch television.

Now an adult who goes by the name Wilde, he is a highly intelligent former soldier who still lives in the woods, although he has worked as a private investigator. When famed criminal attorney Hester Crimstein, the mother of his best friend (the boy he met all those years ago), asks him to try and find Naomi, a bullied classmate of her grandson’s who has gone missing, it seems like a fairly routine case.

But Naomi’s disappearance, which no one really seems to care about (not even her father), is just the tip of the iceberg. Wilde steps into the middle of a high-stakes battle of cat and mouse, with betrayals, secrets, and the very fabric of society at risk. And all the while he’s struggling with whether he wants some insight into his own past.

There are a lot of threads to this story, some more interesting than others. I’ll admit that most of the thread about a potentially dangerous politician looking to tear society apart and manipulate the media hit a little too close to home for me, so my eyes kinda glazed over during those parts.

But Harlan Coben knows how to create fascinating characters, and Wilde is one of the best. I really hope he returns in another book. There is a lot going on here, with lots of twists and turns, including one that I’ll admit surprised me, and I couldn’t stop reading this book.

Coben's last three books, Home, Don’t Let Go, and Run Away, are among Coben’s best. The Boy from the Woods isn’t quite at that level, but it’s still a book that kept me guessing—and reading—to the very end.

Book Review: "Little Secrets" by Jennifer Hillier

Now THAT’S how you do a thriller.

It was a crazy day shopping at Pike Place Market since it was just before the holidays. Marin’s young son Sebastian was whining that he wanted a fancy lollipop from their favorite candy store, and she’ll get it for him as soon as she buys one last gift.

One second he’s right next to her and when she goes to reply to a text, in a split second, he is gone. Someone has taken Sebastian, and the two essentially have disappeared into thin air.

More than a year later, after an exhaustive search and an enormous promised reward, there’s been no sign of him. Marin can still barely go through the motions of daily life. She and her husband Derek barely speak and he’s rarely home. This isn’t a life but it’s the only one she can handle, although she knows what she’ll do if she ever learns Sebastian is dead.

One day she gets a call from the PI she hired when the FBI’s search turned up nothing. The PI has news—but it’s about Derek: he’s been having an affair with a much-younger woman.

While this news shakes Marin to her core, this time she’s not going to fall apart. Now she has an enemy she can fight to save her family. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Little Secrets was so good!! I really was captivated by this new book by Jennifer Hillier. It was full of twists and turns and emotional poignancy. While I figured stuff out before the end, I really kept waiting for another shoe to drop, and I was totally hooked. I was a huge fan of Hillier’s last book, Jar of Hearts, and this was equally great.

NetGalley and Minotaur Books provided me with an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!!

This book publishes April 21.