Book Review: "One Good Eye" by Kevin Wade

Kevin Wade is a screenwriter and was showrunner for Blue Bloods. Given how much I loved that show, his first book, Johnny Careless, was a favorite of mine last year. Now, thanks to Celadon Books, I received an advance copy of his newest book, and it was just as great!

Jeep Mullane is the chief of police for four towns on Long Island’s Gold Coast. Following a hurricane, he gets called to the estate of his old friend Jenny, who was assaulted during a home invasion. But she’s not interested in filing a police report or finding out who hit her, despite Jeep’s encouragement to do so.

Jenny and Jeep have known each other since high school. Their relationship has always been complicated—part romantic, part platonic, part protective. Even when they’ve stopped speaking to one another, Jenny remains an enormous part of Jeep’s life. So of course he’s going to investigate who is behind Jenny’s assault.

What Jeep doesn’t count on is an immensely tangled web. There are definitely people he suspects but so much action and crime is swirling around him. From Jenny’s ex-husband to two local motorcycle gangs, federal agents and a police captain living under an assumed name, Jeep can’t quite figure out who was responsible and why. And of course, how much does he trust Jenny?

I thought this was excellent. Even though this is the second book featuring Jeep, you really could read it as a standalone. But Jeep is such a great character that you’ll want to read both!

Book Review: "Kill for Me, Kill for You" by Steve Cavanagh

Whoa. This book was twisty and intense, and I was hooked from the very first page!

Amanda has been filled with grief and anger since she experienced a double loss. The police know who is responsible but can’t find enough evidence to make a case against the suspect. She’s taken to stalking him and dreams of taking his life into her own hands, to make his loved ones suffer the way she has.

At a support group for grieving parents, she meets Wendy, and recognizes in this woman much of the same unresolved anger toward the man responsible for her own loss. One night over drinks, they agree to a plan: Wendy will kill the man responsible for Amanda’s loss, and Amanda will do the same for her.

One night when her husband is out with friends, a man breaks into Ruth’s house and violently assaults her. She barely saw her attacker, except for his piercing blue eyes and his calling her “sweetheart.” The aftermath leaves her in complete fear, desperate to know why she was singled out, and worrying he’ll be back to finish the job. Every man she sees frightens her. Her husband Scott is desperate to help her overcome her fears, but he feels powerless.

This really was a fast-paced book, and Steve Cavanagh ratchets up the tension and suspense little by little. While you think you know what will happen, the script gets flipped more than a few times.

I had seen a lot of great reviews for this book, and I’m so glad it lived up to my expectations. Definitely a twisty read I couldn’t get enough of!!

Book Review: "Hurricane Girl" by Marcy Dermansky

I literally read this in one sitting. I did not want to put it down!

Allison is tired of living in Los Angeles, tired of her movie producer boyfriend. After selling a script, she decides to take her money and buy a small beach house in North Carolina, where she can swim in the ocean and plan her next moves. But after living there only a week and a half, a Category 3 Hurricane hits the area and destroys her house.

Completely shaken by the sight of her house in pieces, scattered all around, Allison makes one bad decision after another. The next thing she knows, she decides to go home with a television cameraman who filmed an interview with her. He seems nice, and he says he has a cell phone charger, which she needs.

But the next day, things go spectacularly awry, and then she has a hole in her head and glass in her hair from a vase he hit her with. She’s determined to drive home to her mother in New Jersey despite her injury and the fact that she can’t quite think clearly.

This is a powerful, thought-provoking book, a significant portion of which is narrated by a woman with a brain injury. It’s tremendously accurate in the many different ways these injuries affect people physically, cognitively, and emotionally. And what’s so powerful is the fact that she’s desperately trying to regain control of her life at a time where she feels so out of sync.

I really was blown away by this. The narration is very blunt and to the point, and it works so well here.