Book Review: "Tilt" by Emma Pattee

Wow. This was such a powerfully written book, one which filled me with anxious tension.

It’s the first day of Annie’s maternity leave, as she’s nine months pregnant and ready to give birth. She decides to go to IKEA to buy a crib for the baby, as she and her husband haven’t gotten around to that task yet. In the middle of shopping, a massive earthquake hits Portland, Oregon, throwing the city—and Annie—into utter chaos.

“Last I checked, your father and I have $836 in a checking account at Wells Fargo, a Subaru with 160,000 miles on it, and a two-bedroom apartment we can only afford because the landlord feels too guilty to raise our rent or kick us out. And here I am, thirty-seven weeks pregnant at IKEA. On a Monday. With a credit card I’ll probably die before I pay off.”

With no way to reach her husband because phone lines are down, and with the streets either wrecked or clogged with traffic, Annie decides to walk to the cafe where her husband works.

As she walks through the streets and witnesses the destruction first-hand, Annie reflects on her life, her marriage, and her anxieties over the impending birth of her baby. Her emotions spiral through fear, anxiety, grief, and anger, and she grows more uncomfortable physically.

Along the way she encounters examples of human kindness as well as the chaos that occurs during natural disasters like this. She’s not fully sure that she and her husband are ready to be parents (or adults, for that matter), especially as she witnesses the anxieties of parents.

Emma Pattee is a climate journalist, and that expertise is truly evident in the imagery she uses. I felt like I was walking beside Annie, seeing the same destruction and feeling aftershocks along the way. This book really made me think how I’d handle being in this situation.

Book Review: "Broken Threads" by Sagit Schwartz

I definitely fall prey to the whole #Bookstagrammademedoit concept, but never have I finished someone’s review of a book and immediately bought the book. At least until I read the review of Sagit Schwartz’s excellent short story, “Broken Threads.”

Clare has always dreamed of being a bestselling author but she can’t seem to land a deal. The longer it takes, the more resentful she becomes of those who do succeed, especially those she believes she has more talent than.

When Clare’s longtime job as a technical writer is eliminated because she can be replaced by AI, her desperation grows. She knows her historical fiction novel is excellent, but no agent will talk to her because she’s older and not photogenic. But with barely any money to cover rent, she’s willing to try anything.

Her last shot is approaching her neighbor, Amber, who has built a career as a successful influencer. Nearly everything Amber owns or wears has been given to her in exchange for mentions. Clare thinks having Amber promote the book will be a great idea, but Amber doesn’t think that effort will be successful. And then Amber suggests that she tell people she wrote the book, and in exchange, she’ll give Clare 50 percent of the profits.

Of course, when things seem too good to be true, they usually are. The book becomes a huge success but Clare starts suspecting that Amber is ripping her off. And then Amber winds up dead.

I devoured this in a very short time and I honestly could’ve read a full-length version of this. @sagitschwartz had me hooked from the very first word! This was a great story and so timely.

Book Review: "Almost Surely Dead" by Amina Akhtar

Well, I was having an unexpectedly good run of thrillers for a while, so I knew it was bound to end at some point. And even though some friends had great things to say about this book, I felt like it started out really strong but then changed into something completely different that I didn't enjoy.

⁣ ⁣ Dunia was a pharmacist in New York City. Her life was relatively ordinary, although her relationship with her fiancé recently ended, but despite the fact that he broke up with her, he won’t seem to leave her alone. And then one night everything changes, when someone tries to murder her.⁣

⁣ The attempt on her life shakes Dunia to her core. Who was the man that tried to kill her, and why? When another attempt on her life occurs, and then another, no one—not even the police—can figure out who is responsible. And then, Dunia goes missing. Is she hiding, or did the person behind the murder attempts finally succeed?⁣

⁣ The book is told from multiple perspectives and timelines—Dunia’s childhood, the attempts on her life, and snippets of a true crime podcast investigating her disappearance. You find yourself wondering what the truth really is, and who was responsible.⁣

⁣ I found this to be an interesting and intense story, but the multiple perspectives didn’t really work for me. And suffice it to say, the book takes a strange turn that I wasn’t expecting at all, and honestly, if I had known about it, I might not have picked it up.⁣ ⁣

Book Review: "These Silent Woods" by Kimi Cunningham Grant

These Silent Woods was an excellent book—emotional, suspenseful, and it packed a real punch. Definitely one of the best I've read all year.

Cooper and his young daughter, Finch, have lived off the grid in a remote cabin in the Appalachian woods for eight years now, since Finch was an infant. They survive off the land, raising a few chickens, and Cooper’s best friend Jake delivers a massive amount of supplies once a year. The only other person they see is their neighbor, Scotland, who seems to be a thorn in Cooper’s side more than anything. Is he spying on them for a reason?

It’s not an optimal existence, particularly not to raise a young girl in, but it’s all Cooper can do. Because to come out of hiding would mean the secrets he’s kept would be revealed, and it would jeopardize his ability to raise, or perhaps even see, his daughter.

“A small and insulated world for both of us, and there is a simplicity to it that makes it difficult to explain the complexities of life. The unreliable and often shifting line between right and wrong.”

This year, Jake doesn’t show up. They knew this could happen one day but it necessitates Cooper taking actions he wasn’t prepared to. And when a stranger appears in the woods, a stranger Finch becomes fixated on, the whole life Cooper has so carefully prepared for him and his daughter could be totally upended.

I’ve been waiting to read this for so long, since so many others on Bookstagram received advance copies. And boy, it lived up to the hype in every way. (There are some very brief scenes of animal death but you can skim them easily.) What a gorgeous, lyrical, suspenseful, thought-provoking book.

Book Review: "I Am Not Who You Think I Am" by Eric Rickstad

Wow, this was dark and twisty.

When he was eight years old, Wayland’s father killed himself in front of him. The only explanation was a cryptic note which read, “I am not who you think I am.” He can’t understand why his father would’ve killed himself or why his mother has gotten rid of anything connected with him.

Now 16, Wayland is still haunted by the memories of that day, but when he makes a startling discovery, he thinks the note his father left may be the key to some answers around his death. But the more he digs, things get more mysterious, and Wayland gets more and more unhinged. And what he finds out may be far more bizarre than he ever imagined.

I Am Not Who You Think I Am was a definite slow burn but it was very intriguing. But as Wayland started to lose his grip, the book starts getting darker and darker and definitely more bizarre. By the end it felt a little like a mashup between a gothic novel and Riley Sager’s Lock Every Door, more in tone though, not horror.

If dark and twisty books are your jam, check this out!

Book Review: "Survive the Night" by Riley Sager

In thriller author Riley Sager's latest book, Survive the Night, a troubled young woman thinks she may be stuck in a car with a killer, but her mind might be playing tricks on her.

Charlie is obsessed with movies. I mean, she's even named for a character in Shadow of a Doubt. In her tragedy-filled life, they’re the only thing that have given her comfort. Until she met Maddy, her brash, confident roommate, who tried to drag her out of her self-imposed loneliness. And sometimes she succeeded.

But when Maddy is murdered by a serial killer who has been preying on young women near their college campus, Charlie falls apart, her grief and guilt taking her down. She needs to leave college and go home to Ohio, to try to pull herself back together, if such a thing is possible.

She meets Josh at the campus ride board. He's handsome, wearing a college sweatshirt, and he’s looking for someone to drive with him to Ohio, since he needs to care for his sick father. Even though driving in a car for 9 hours with a man she doesn’t know, especially in the wake of a serial killer on campus, may not be the wisest choice, Charlie agrees to ride home with him.

It’s not long into the ride that Charlie starts wondering if Josh really is who he says he is. As she starts catching him in little lies, she knows he’s hiding something—but what? Could it be possible that Josh is the Campus Killer? And if so, what should she do—try to escape or stay and fight?

The entire book takes place over the course of one night in November 1991. Sager certainly captures the mood of that time well and creates a sense of tension throughout the book.

That being said, I thought it took a really long time for Survive the Night to get going, although when it did, it took off quickly. And while there are lots of twists, I cynically predicted whom the killer would be early on, and I really hate being right. (In thrillers, lol.)

Lots of people are loving this and if you’re one of them, I’m glad! Thrillers and me, we just don’t mesh all the time.

Book Review: "Don't Look for Me" by Wendy Walker

Wendy Walker does it again with her latest thriller, Don't Look for Me!! Wow!

Molly is driving home in the middle of a rainstorm that’s about to turn into a hurricane. She’s driving home but she doesn’t know why—her husband barely looks at her and her daughter hates her.

She doesn’t know how long ago her empty light went on, but she knows the gas station is coming up. Her car stalls out just before that, and the station is closed anyway for the impending storm.

Her car is found abandoned after the storm passes. A day or two later a note is found in her handwriting telling her family not to look for her, that she’s been a burden to them.

Did Molly just walk away from her life and her family? Where is she, and is she okay?

Walker did such a great job here, ratcheting up the tension and suspense. There’s so much going on in this book but it’s best just to go in not knowing too much and let it all unfold.

I’m a big fan of Walker’s books and this is probably one of her best. If you’re looking for a good, slightly creepy thriller, grab this one!

St. Martin's Press provided me with a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!!

Book Review: "What You Don't Know" by Bianca Sloane

Everything falls apart in just a split second in this taut, suspenseful thriller by Bianca Sloane.

It was just another Saturday morning. Malcolm Gilbert is about to leave for his weekly golf game; his wife, Blair, has a hair appointment. The two have been arguing a little (well, Blair has) but nothing major.

The doorbell rings. Malcolm answers the door, and everything changes. At the door are three people who want to take all they can from the Gilberts. And they’ll stop at nothing to get what they believe is coming to them. But why are they there? Was their appearance at random or was someone behind it?

What You Don’t Know chronicles what happens in the Gilbert household over a 48-hour period. Interspersing real-time narrative with interview snippets from friends and family of the Gilberts as well as the investigators and a true crime writer, you watch everything unfold as it happens.

This was quite a thriller! Even though some elements seem familiar, Sloane weaves them together in her own way, creating a book you can’t stop reading. It was really tense and intense at times, but in a suspenseful way.

I was a little distracted by the switching back and forth between the story and interviews at first, but as the story picked up the pace, the interviews enhanced it. Sloane knows how to ratchet things up as the story moves forward!

I was excited to be part of the blog tour for this book. Kate Rock Book Tours and Bianca Sloane provided me a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!

The book publishes 9/23.

Book Review: "The Last Flight" by Julie Clark

Hollywood, here’s the basis of your next thriller: Julie Clark's The Last Flight!!

Claire thought she’d found the perfect man when she met her husband. The son of a powerful politician, he is handsome and ambitious, and he swept her off her feet. But through the years, as his ambition has grown, so has his need to control her every move—and his temper has grown more violent.

She can't stay in this marriage. She has been plotting her escape for months. She knows she has one chance.

In an airport waiting for her flight to a fundraiser in Puerto Rico, she meets a woman who is equally desperate for a new life. In a split-second decision, the two women swap tickets—Claire will go to Oakland and Eva will go to Puerto Rico.

But when the flight to Puerto Rico crashes, while it gives Claire even more of an escape route, she must assume Eva’s identity—but she has no idea why Eva was so desperate to leave her life in the first place.

I thought this was a great book. I have been so disappointed in general with thrillers lately, with a few exceptions, but this one kept me hooked from start to finish. So many times I figured it would veer into expected territory, and it surprised me.

The book shifts back and forth from past to present a lot, so you need to pay attention at times. But Julie Clark did an excellent job telling this story and weaving a great web of suspense. It was just so good!

Book Review: "Eight Perfect Murders" by Peter Swanson

Is there really such a thing as a “perfect murder”?

Malcolm Kershaw leads a fairly quiet life. He co-owns a mystery bookstore in Boston, and apart from his employees and the occasional friend, he mostly spends his evenings alone, listening to music and reading, ever since his wife died a few years ago.

One snowy day he gets a visit from an FBI agent about a series of murders which seem to replicate those committed in Agatha Christie’s A.B.C. Murders, as well as one that might be patterned after James M. Cain's Double Indemnity.

It’s not that the FBI agent (necessarily) thinks Mal had anything to do with the murders, but years ago he wrote a post for the store’s blog called “Eight Perfect Murders,” in which he chose eight books in which the seemingly perfect crime had been committed. It appears someone is killing people using Mal’s list as a guide. But not just that, it appears the killer wants Mal to know what they’re doing...and this killer may know some of Mal’s secrets, too!

I tore through this book in one sitting. While it had a few quirks, I thought this was a great mystery which kept me on my toes, and I loved the concept of the plot. I really wasn’t sure whom to suspect at one point, and I suspect everyone when I read mysteries!!

It’s been a while since I’ve read one of Peter Swanson’s books, and I’d forgotten just how much I enjoy the way he writes. (I loved The Kind Worth Killing.) If you like mysteries that make you think, here’s one for you!

Book Review: "The New Iberia Blues" by James Lee Burke

"For good or bad, my preoccupation with death and the past had defined much of my life, and a long time ago I had made my separate peace with the world and abandoned any claim on reason or normalcy or the golden mean. Waylon Jennings said it many years ago: I've always been crazy but it's kept me from going insane."

World-weary New Iberia Police Detective Dave Robicheaux returns in James Lee Burke's 22nd book in this series, The New Iberia Blues. Dave is visiting local boy-turned-film-wunderkind Desmond Cormier at his waterfront estate, looking at the water through binoculars, when Dave thinks he sees a body tied to a giant cross, floating on the waves.

As Dave is more than prone to seeing things that don't exist, like the ghosts of soldiers he fought with and those he killed in Vietnam, he asks Cormier and his odd friend, Antoine Butterworth, what they see. Both claim to see nothing, yet Dave was right: there was a woman floating on the waves, and she has been crucified to a wooden cross.

The woman had apparently worked for The Innocence Project, but was recently more interested in a career in film. Cormier and Butterworth both claim never to have seen her before, but how did she wind up in the water near his house? Meanwhile, Clete Purcel, Dave's loyal yet troubled best friend and former partner, witnessed an escaped death row inmate from Texas running for shelter, and no one is quite sure whether he is guilty of the horrible crimes of which he is accused, or if he happens to be the victim of his overzealous nature.

The crucified woman's murder is just the tip of the iceberg in a series of increasingly ritualistic, grotesque murders which rock Dave and his colleagues. They don't know whether these crimes are the act of a deviant killer who believes in the occult, or if they're simply being staged to appear that way. And as Dave's suspicion of Cormier and Butterworth and their movie-making colleagues grows, he and his colleagues also run afoul of the mob, corrupt cops within their own parish, and a deranged man with a strange honor system. It's more than enough to make Dave question everything he believes in, including his hard-fought sobriety, and puts at risk everyone and everything he loves.

James Lee Burke is one of the finest living writers today. I have been reading his books for 30 years now, and not only is his storytelling top-notch, but few match his talent for imagery and setting as well. When I first started reading his books, he described New Orleans so vividly that when I made my first trip there, I was amazed at how spot-on what I pictured in my mind was to the reality I saw. Here's just an example of his poetic imagery:

"The sunrise was striped with pink and purple clouds, the live oaks a deep green after the rain, the bayou high above the banks, the lily pads and elephant ears rolling with the current. It was a study in the mercurial nature of light and shadow and the way they form and re-create the external world second by second with no more guidance than a puff of wind."

Burke's books are brooding and atmospheric, meditations on good and evil (and man's penchant for both), and the demons that haunt us. They're also stories about fierce love, friendship, and loyalty, and how sometimes our need for self-preservation leads us down paths we'd be better off avoiding. The New Iberia Blues is trademark Burke—full of twists and turns, tremendously thought-provoking and dense with philosophical and psychological insight, and a sometimes troubling look at the horrible things people do to one another, sometimes for no reason at all.

These books aren't as fast-paced as typical crime novels, but they're just so well-written I enjoy the time to marvel at Burke's language and the complexity of his flawed characters. Reading this series for as long as I have always feels like reuniting with old (yet troubled) friends, and I am so grateful to have discovered Burke all those years ago.

Book Review: "The Wives" by Tarryn Fisher

Whoa, now that was a crazy ride!!

“Imagining what the future holds proves difficult when factoring in two other women who share your husband.”

Thursday only sees her husband once a week. It’s not an arrangement she likes, but it’s one she has to live with, since Seth has two other wives. She sometimes can’t believe she agreed to this, and at times she wishes she could just have him to herself.

She’s never met either of the other women. She doesn’t even know their names, although Seth shares small tidbits about each from time to time. But when she finds a piece of paper Seth left behind with one of their names on it, she can’t resist. She scours the internet for information about Hannah, and then one day she plans to “bump in” to her, without telling her who she really is.

Seeing Hannah, and talking to her, doesn’t satisfy Thursday’s curiosity: it makes her angrier, more jealous. And when she discovers something about Hannah and Seth’s relationship that alarms her, it presses Thursday to act.

The Wives is tremendously fast-paced and it gets CRAZY. The first half of the book is really excellent and it draws you in completely. I couldn’t stop reading it even though I wasn’t happy with how Tarryn Fisher ultimately resolved things. I'm tough on thrillers so you may be completely or partially surprised with the way things end up. (I'm being pretty vague in my description of the plot because I don't want to ruin any of the twists.)

If you’re looking for a thriller that will hook you from start to finish, one that will leave you at least slightly breathless, The Wives is one for you!!

This book will publish December 30.

Book Review: "Thin Ice" by Paige Shelton

I've commented before just how much I love books set in Alaska. It doesn't matter what kind of book—the imagery of the wilderness (and wildness), even the danger posed by the elements both animal and meteorological fascinate me. That was definitely one of the characteristics that led me to pick up Paige Shelton's new mystery, Thin Ice, but boy, it's so much more than just its setting.

Beth Rivers is known to the world as best-selling thriller author Elizabeth Fairchild. There are times she really can't believe a woman who started out a secretary to her police chief grandfather in Missouri could be a best-selling author. But when she is kidnapped and held captive in a van for three days, everything changes. She must overcome her fear and the ways her kidnapper has restrained her to escape, or she'll face certain death, if not worse before that.

She is able to escape the van one day but sustains a brain injury in the process. But with her kidnapper still at large, she worries how she can live the rest of her life without being afraid and looking over her shoulder every minute. So when she's (mostly) well enough, she decides she's going to run as far away as possible—to the remote town of Benedict, Alaska. It seems like the best solution, at least until the police find the suspect.

When she arrives in Benedict she discovers that a lot of people come to Alaska to run away from something, so while her presence drums up some curiosity, she probably fits in better than she would in most places. She also finds out that she booked herself a room at a halfway house for women rather than the historic inn she assumed she was, but she takes some comfort in knowing these women aren't violent felons, and the house is run under the watchful eye of Viola, a tough, take-no-prisoners-type of woman.

As she settles in, she finds that the fickle nature of the weather takes some getting used to, but she enjoys the relative isolation the town provides her. At the same time, she starts remembering bits and pieces of her kidnapping, which cause her to experience fear and paranoia, and prevent her from the full recovery she desperately needs. But when the local police chief, who knows her real identity (her pen name was how most people knew her), asks for her help looking into a suicide that doesn't quite look like one, it both gives her an opportunity to stay busy, and it forces her to confront some of the fears that sent her into hiding in Alaska.

I really enjoyed Thin Ice and read it in just a few hours. It's a mystery with lots of twists and turns, and while the culprit wasn't quite surprising (although I suspected the heck out of everyone who appeared in the book, which is my usual way with mysteries and thrillers), I love the way Shelton told her story. I'm hoping the cliffhanger-type ending means this is the start of a new series, because I really enjoyed these characters and the small-town setting.

I'm fairly critical of mysteries and thrillers because there are so many out there and many seem to share similar characteristics. Thin Ice hooked me from the get-go, and while it relies more on character development than action and danger, that's perfectly fine. I hope we'll see more of Beth and her fellow citizens of Benedict in the future.

Book Review: "The Chain" by Adrian McKinty

It seemed like any other morning. Rachel's 13-year-old daughter Kylie was waiting at the bus stop while she headed to a doctor's appointment. On the way she received a call from an unknown number. The call told her that Kylie had been kidnapped, and she was now part of The Chain.

Rachel was given explicit instructions. She has to pay a ransom electronically and then kidnap another child as her daughter had been kidnapped. If she follows the instructions to the letter, and the family of the child she kidnaps do the same, then Kylie will be released. Any deviations from this script, any calls to the police or FBI for help, any trying to outsmart those in charge will result in Kylie being killed, if not Rachel as well.

"You've never experienced fear until something or someone puts your child in danger. Dying is not the worst thing that can happen to you. The worst thing that can happen to you is for something to happen to your kid. Having a child instantly turns you into a grown-up."

Rachel is utterly overwhelmed by the tasks that lay ahead, but she has no choice. She never imagined she'd be the type of person to kidnap a child, be willing to sacrifice their life for her daughter's, but protecting your child makes you do unbelievable things. When your life is falling apart completely, how do you convince the world that it's just another day, that you're perfectly fine?

I'm giving a fairly vague plot summary because it's best to let things unfold without much knowledge or expectation. Adrian McKinty's The Chain has an amazing concept at its core—talk about the worst kind of pay-it-forward you've ever seen! Rachel and some of the others involved are tremendously believable even as the things that they are doing are utterly unbelievable, but it makes you wonder how you might react if faced with the same situation.

The book starts with a bang, but the pace starts to lag after a bit. At times the narrative gets a little too technical, and I'm never a big fan of when a book needs to spend a lot of time explaining the evil plot. And while the pace picks up toward the end, I found the conclusion tremendously predictable and a little ridiculous, which is saying a lot considering how crazy the whole concept is.

I've seen a few friends rave over this book, so maybe my cynicism with thrillers is showing again. McKinty is a talented writer and I love the concept he has come up with. If this interests you, I'd definitely encourage you to read it—July seems to be the month for me to challenge a lot of highly rated favorites!!

Book Review: "Lock Every Door" by Riley Sager

You know the old saying if it seems too good to be true, it probably is? Well, that's something that Jules Larsen should have thought of when she accepted an assignment as an apartment sitter at one of the oldest and most exclusive NYC apartment buildings, the Bartholomew.

Jules is between jobs and, because her relationship with her boyfriend just ended, between apartments. The Bartholomew was the setting of her favorite book from childhood, so the thought of living in those glamorous, hallowed halls almost seems like a dream. When she sees the enormous, duplex apartment at the top of the building, and learns that she'll receive a salary of $4,000 for each month of her three-month assignment, how could she resist?

Sure, there are a lot of rules. She must sleep in her apartment every night. She can't have anyone over to visit because the residents of the Bartholomew cherish their privacy. No pictures of anything related to the building on social media. She's also not allowed to bother any of the residents.

But even those and other slightly strange rules are enough to dissuade her, given how desperately she needs the money. Even as she starts to learn about the Bartholomew's somewhat-scandalous and creepy past, she feels lucky. When she meets fellow apartment sitter Ingrid, she feels she has found a kindred spirit. As Ingrid shares her feelings about how things about the building frighten her a bit, Jules tries to help assuage her fears (and perhaps calm some of her own).

The next morning, Ingrid is gone. She apparently left the Bartholomew without a word to anyone, and she won't return Jules' texts or phone calls. Little by little, Jules starts to become more worried about Ingrid's safety, and wonders if perhaps there is more to the things Ingrid was afraid of. As Jules tries to dig into Ingrid's disappearance with the help of her handsome neighbor, she starts to discover that things in the Bartholomew aren't as idyllic as they seem—and Ingrid isn't the first one to disappear.

Riley Sager knows how to ratchet up the suspense, and he definitely did so here in Lock Every Door. There is such a pervasive sense of danger permeating through the book from the minute Jules first arrives at the Bartholomew. You know it's too good to be true, you know she shouldn't trust people, but as the reader, you're powerless to shake some sense into her.

The narration shifts between the present and Jules' arrival at the building a few days earlier, so you get glimpses of what will happen but nothing too concrete to fully give it away. Sager's storytelling is taut and reads like a movie, so I could picture what was happening in my mind's eye.

You'll really need to suspend your disbelief here as the book hurtles toward its conclusion. I'll admit I thought things went completely off the rails and I rolled my eyes toward the end. But I know many others loved this book, so perhaps I just thought things got a little too kooky for my own good.

I'm a fan of Sager's writing—his debut novel, Final Girls, was another book that read like a movie I'd totally see. If you like your thrillers on the crazy, slightly gothic side, Lock Every Door is one for you. And don't accept an apartment-sitting gig that seems too good to be true!

NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!

This book will be published July 2, 2019.

Book Review: "City of Windows" by Robert Pobi

When I was reading Robert Pobi's upcoming thriller City of Windows, I could hear what I imagined the movie trailer voice-over would be in my head. "Just when he thought he was out...they pulled him back in!"

New York City is hit by the worst blizzard in history. As a black sedan stops to allow a pedestrian to cross in front of it, an almost-impossible sniper shot hits the driver of the car in the head, killing him instantly, not to mention creating a grisly scene on the road in front of it. Given the car was at E. 42nd Street and Park Avenue, home to countless high-rise buildings, it is almost impossible to pinpoint the building from where the shot was fired, and the weather is wiping away any trace evidence that might help.

The FBI needs a miracle worker to help them figure out where to look. They turn to former agent Lucas Page, who left the Bureau after losing an arm, a leg, and an eye, and nearly his life. Given what he went through, he has no love for the FBI, and he has put that phase of his life behind him. He's tried to rebuild, as a college professor and an author, and he and his wife are foster parents to a fairly large brood of children.

The last thing Page wants to do—or his wife wants to allow him to do—is help the FBI. But he can't fight it, especially when he learns that the victim was his former partner, Doug Hartke.

Page has an uncanny ability to see trajectories, angles, and view the city landscape as a sort of geometrical landscape. His brain works in ways mysterious even to him, rapidly calculating figures, algorithms, and helping him solve the riddle of where the bullet was fired from. It's an ability he didn't lose, even after his injuries and the grueling recovery he endured.

"Lucas stood in the intersection, lifted his arms, and slowly rotated in place, absorbing the city in a numerical panorama that pulsed and danced and flashed through his head. He took in the numbers around him, feeding the data into a series of instinctive algorithms that even he did not understand. It was an immediate process, fired up with an automaticity he could not explain. It was like being at the center of a vortex, and the lines of code carpeting the landscape swirled around him at a speed too fast to absorb in any conscious way."

Hartke's murder is, sadly, just the tip of the iceberg. It seems as if every time Page solves a piece of the puzzle, everything changes again, leaving the FBI bringing up the rear, seemingly powerless to stop yet another murder with yet another miraculous sniper shot. Even though there are obvious similarities between the victims—each was in law enforcement—there has to be something more than that dooming them.

A reluctant man, hampered by the after-effects of serious injuries and immense resentment, is the FBI's only hope against a killer that seems to be taunting them. But the deeper Page digs, the more he uncovers, the more at risk he puts his family and himself. It's a race against time and the elements, and it could wind up with Page the victim once again.

I thought this was such a cool concept for a thriller. This was like a mash-up of that old television series Numb3rs with a touch of A Beautiful Mind (just the math genius part, not the schizophrenia) and a little bit of Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series thrown in for good measure, but in the end, this was a creation all Pobi's own.

Page is an absolutely fascinating character, and I was mesmerized by how Pobi described the way he thought and the way he worked. While there are certainly some clichés thrown in here, there is a tremendous amount of suspense, and the setting of the book definitely worked in its favor. Even though I joked about hearing the movie trailer voice-over in my head, I can absolutely see this being adapted into a fantastic movie.

At times I felt the book was a little more cerebral than I would have liked, but I still couldn't get enough of this story and Page's character. Just when I feel like so many thrillers feel like every other one, I find a book that proves me wrong. City of Windows is definitely one of those books.

NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!

This book will be published August 6, 2019.

Book Review: "Some Choose Darkness" by Charlie Donlea

There are so many thrillers and crime novels out there these days, so it takes something special to stand out. Sometimes it's crazy twists, surprise endings, or action that leaves you breathless. Other times it's the characters that get your attention, whether they're the heroes or the villains.

Some Choose Darkness, Charlie Donlea's upcoming thriller, didn't necessarily surprise me once the story got going, but its characters, particularly its protagonist, absolutely wowed me. That's what elevates a thriller.

Rory Moore is a forensic reconstructionist. She spends her days reviewing cold cases to see what the police and investigators might have missed, and she has an uncanny ability to forge a connection with the victims, to envision the most minute of details. But she knows her limits, and often needs to take breaks between cases to ensure she doesn't burn herself out or cause herself significant anxiety.

When Rory's father dies, as an unofficial partner in his law firm (she has her law degree but doesn't practice), she's responsible for disbursing his cases to other attorneys. But there's one case she can't pass off, because the client is about to be paroled, and the presiding judge worked closely with Rory's father on the terms of his parole. So reluctantly, Rory agrees to represent the man for the sake of the parole process.

In the late 1970s, the city of Chicago was rocked by the disappearances of five young women. Their bodies were never found and police couldn't find any clues, so the perpetrator was nicknamed The Thief by the media. It took meticulous research and investigative work by an autistic woman named Angela Mitchell (although back then no one knew what autism was, so she was labeled mentally ill) to help police break the case and identify the perpetrator. But Angela disappeared before the police could find out how she pulled all of this information together.

Forty years later, The Thief is about to paroled for Angela's murder. Rory doesn't understand why her father took such an interest in his case to the point that he represented this man for so many years, and even agreed to manage his financial assets why he was in prison. But the more she digs into the case, and the work her father did on The Thief's behalf, she uncovers secrets she was never meant to find, and connections between her father and Angela Mitchell that make her wonder if she ever knew him.

Donlea's previous book, Don't Believe It, was fantastic, so I had great hopes for this book as well. While I've read a lot of thrillers about murderers who enjoy the rush of killing, it wasn't until Donlea started revealing more about Rory's character, and telling Angela's story, that the book really hit its stride. It was the first thriller I've read that had people with autism as main characters who weren't necessarily the victim, and both characters were tremendously fascinating.

I really like the way Donlea tells a story, and he threw in some definite twists and turns along the way—some I saw coming and some that surprised me a bit. The narration shifts mainly between Rory in the present day and Angela in the late 1970s, with some periodic interjections from The Thief. The book really starts picking up steam, and I found myself racing to see how everything would be wrapped up.

If you want a thriller with lots of heart-pumping action, Some Choose Darkness isn't that book. But Donlea knows how to create suspense, and that, coupled with some unforgettable characters, makes this a book worth reading. I hope we haven't seen the last of Rory Moore.

NetGalley and Kensington provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!

This book will be published May 28, 2019.

Book Review: "Wolfhunter River" by Rachel Caine

Imagine what it must be like to discover the man you married was a horrible serial killer, and that he was torturing and killing women right underneath your nose. For Gwen Proctor, that nightmare was her reality. But after fearing him for years and trying to keep her kids out of danger, she has finally been able to pull their lives together into some semblance of normalcy.

But peace of mind and security don't last long. Her ex-husband Melvin had acolytes all across the country, people willing to do his bidding and inflict emotional torture on Gwen and her kids. People make threats against them on a daily basis, some of them bordering on true danger. And even worse, the families of Melvin's victims continue to believe that Gwen was a part of his crimes and are determined to make her pay, even developing a documentary which they hope will finally expose what they believe to be her guilt—no matter who gets hurt in the crossfire.

One day Gwen gets a call from Marlene, a woman in a remote Tennessee town called Wolfhunter. Marlene is among those strangers who call on Gwen, asking for advice or assistance in overcoming challenges like she did. Marlene is afraid of someone, but isn't willing to divulge the reasons for her fears. Marlene asks Gwen to come to Wolfhunter but she fears it's some sort of trap. Yet when the next call from Wolfhunter comes in it's not from Marlene, it's from her teenage daughter, Vee. Marlene is dead and the primary suspect is Vee herself, even though Gwen knows it's not her daughter Marlene was afraid of.

Gwen makes the decision to help Vee out, so she heads to Wolfhunter, along with her boyfriend Sam and her children. While she knows she may be stepping into something dangerous, she has no idea of the viper's nest they'll encounter, and the ripple effects that will be felt by Marlene's murder, Vee's alleged guilt, and the simple fact of Gwen's presence in Wolfhunter. Small, rundown towns are the perfect breeding ground for evil, and as the danger intensifies, so do the crises in her own life.

Wolfhunter River is Rachel Caine's third book in her Stillhouse Lake series (after Stillhouse Lake and Killman Creek). Gwen Proctor is an amazing character—flawed, brave, vulnerable, fierce, and utterly protective of her children. I found the first two books in this series absolutely spectacular, tautly plotted and full of action and suspense, and they provided a disturbing view into the heart of evil and how it can spread.

I found that this book took a little longer to build up steam, and once it did, there was so much going on and so many things were tangled together that the plot even got a little muddled. It felt like in trying to build on the intensity of the first two books, Caine thought she had to triple the suspense. Fortunately, there is still a lot of character development, and we learn more about Sam's life before he and Gwen met.

This book might be more of a standalone than the first two books were, but I'd still recommend you start reading the series from the beginning. Caine sure does love to keep you guessing about how the plot will unfold! I'm not sure if she intends to keep writing about Gwen, but I hope she does, because she's definitely one of my favorite female characters of late.

If you're a fan of creepy, well-written, suspenseful thrillers, I'd encourage you to pick up this series, starting with Stillhouse Lake. You may find yourself wondering just how you'd react if faced with the same situations Gwen was, and whether you'd be a total badass like she is.

NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!

This book will be published April 23, 2019.

Book Review: "Out of the Dark" by Gregg Hurwitz

"There are no good guys. There are no bad guys. There's only what needs to be done."

Nobody writes thrillers like Gregg Hurwitz, particularly his Orphan X series. What an incredible group of books, full of pulse-quickening suspense, whip-cracking action, and at their heart, a flawed yet amazingly appealing protagonist. Like Dexter or other anti-heroes, Evan Smoak is someone you root for wholeheartedly even if you're troubled by what actions he must take.

When Evan was 12 years old, he was taken from a group home and trained to become part of the Orphan program, a deep-deep-cover operation that created intelligence assets for the U.S., assets that could be used to create all kinds of mayhem—and become assassins. Evan spent a number of years following orders across the globe as Orphan X, but after a while, he decided he needed to be free of the program.

Evan reinvented himself as the Nowhere Man, the person people turn to when they have no hope left. Evan helps one person at a time, often putting himself at great risk, but the missions give him purpose, and helping others makes him feel like he's making amends for his past sins in some way.

Although the Orphan program was discontinued a number of years ago, someone deep within the U.S. government has made it their mission to kill all of the remaining Orphans and their handlers. Evan knows he is a prime target of this person, so he has to figure out a way to strike first, to not let this person destroy all of the evidence of the chaos he had the Orphans sow. His formidable enemy? The President of the United States, who had the Orphans, particularly Evan, create chaos that was beneficial to him.

The President knows Evan is on to him, and figures the only way to catch an Orphan is with another Orphan—Orphan A, the very first Orphan the program created, and one of the deadliest. Evan must devise a plan to take down the President before he can destroy all of the evidence of his past misdeeds, but this is the biggest challenge he's ever faced—and perhaps the most dangerous.

There's a lot going on in Out of the Dark, the fourth installment of Hurwitz's Orphan X series, and it's definitely one of the best. In addition to Evan's plan to assassinate the President, which requires more intelligence, firepower, and sheer chutzpah than even he may have, as the Nowhere Man, he also has to help someone out of a desperate, dangerous situation. At the same time, he also must confront the reality that who he is, what he has done, and what he is trained to do are not the ingredients for a "normal" life, no matter how desperate he may crave some normalcy.

Evan Smoak is one of my favorite characters of late. He's smart and dangerous, although principled, and he really has a good heart despite not always knowing how to handle his feelings. I love how Hurwitz balances his strength, intelligence, and potential danger with his more vulnerable side. But for the most part, this is a book with a tremendous amount of action and suspense. It's amazing to watch Evan face off with other Orphans.

Although this is the fourth book in the series, you could start by reading Out of the Dark if you don't want to read the series in order, as Hurwitz gives you enough information for things to make sense. But this is one of the strongest series out there over the last few years, so it definitely will be worth your while to read all of them when you can.

It's a mark of how terrific this book is—and how nice it was to have a holiday Monday—that I read the entire 400-page book today. I just couldn't get enough.

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

Book Review: "Looker" by Laura Sims

"I'm grateful they've never thought to install blinds. That's how confident they are. No one would dare stand in front of our house and watch us, they think. And they're probably right, except for me.

Laura Sims' Looker is a story about obsession, about how easy it can be to transfix on something when everything else isn't going your way. The unnamed narrator has had a tough time lately—her marriage has ended, partially because of her fertility problems, and her job as a lecturer at a local college is in jeopardy. All she has left is the cat her husband left behind, and the actress.

Ah, THE ACTRESS. She lives on her block, in a beautiful brownstone, with her screenwriter husband, their three young children, and a host of staff. The narrator is a bit obsessed with the actress—she's watched her career go from small indie films to blockbusters, and watched her profile grow. But more than that, she believes that she and the actress have so much in common, and that they could even be friends, if the actress would just give her a chance.

As things start to spiral out of control in both her job and her relationship with her estranged husband, she begins to focus more on the actress and her family. She even has a room in her apartment which she has filled with the actress' cast-offs, and she thinks the actress might even appreciate that. She just needs to figure out her approach, and when an interaction at the annual neighborhood block party shows promise, she gets excited and anticipates the start of a terrific friendship.

But that is not meant to be. And while most people would recognize the gulf between the two women, she does not. She is determined that the actress will notice her, no matter what it takes.

At just under 200 pages, Looker is a quick read that rapidly picks up steam. At times, you're not quite sure whether what the narrator is telling us is true, or if it is just a scenario she has created in her mind, so that adds another layer to the story.

Sims does an excellent job creating a portrait of mental illness and obsession, and how easy it is to focus on something you perceive to be happy and successful when you feel your life is in turmoil. The book is so short, however, that I felt things ended just as they were really taking off, and the ending itself was a little abrupt. But it's a suspenseful, sad, slightly creepy story that definitely kept my attention.

There is some animal cruelty in the book, for those of you who avoid books that include that. While some of the story certainly is predictable, some of it didn't quite go the way I thought it would, which actually pleased me, and kept me reading. You may think differently about your local celebrities after this!