Category: 4 Star

TITLE: Every Last Fear
CHARACTERS: Matt Pine
AUTHOR: Alex Finlay
PUBLICATION DATE: 03/02/21
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
In one of the year’s most anticipated debut psychological thrillers, a family made infamous by a true crime documentary is found dead, leaving their surviving son to uncover the truth about their final days.

“They found the bodies on a Tuesday.” So begins this twisty and breathtaking novel that traces the fate of the Pine family, a thriller that will both leave you on the edge of your seat and move you to tears.

After a late night of partying, NYU student Matt Pine returns to his dorm room to devastating news: nearly his entire family—his mom, his dad, his little brother and sister—have been found dead from an apparent gas leak while vacationing in Mexico. The local police claim it was an accident, but the FBI and State Department seem far less certain—and they won’t tell Matt why.

The tragedy makes headlines everywhere because this isn’t the first time the Pine family has been thrust into the media spotlight. Matt’s older brother, Danny—currently serving a life sentence for the murder of his teenage girlfriend Charlotte—was the subject of a viral true crime documentary suggesting that Danny was wrongfully convicted. Though the country has rallied behind Danny, Matt holds a secret about his brother that he’s never told anyone: the night Charlotte was killed Matt saw something that makes him believe his brother is guilty of the crime.

When Matt returns to his small hometown to bury his parents and siblings, he’s faced with a hostile community that was villainized by the documentary, a frenzied media, and memories he’d hoped to leave behind forever. Now, as the deaths in Mexico appear increasingly suspicious and connected to Danny’s case, Matt must unearth the truth behind the crime that sent his brother to prison—putting his own life in peril—and forcing him to confront his every last fear.

Told through multiple points-of-view and alternating between past and present, Alex Finlay’s Every Last Fear is not only a page-turning thriller, it’s also a poignant story about a family managing heartbreak and tragedy, and living through a fame they never wanted.

REVIEW:
4.5 Hearts Wow what a start to what I am sure will be an incredible writing career. If this isn’t made into a movie, at least a NetFlix original, I will be surprised.

Finlay really has a lot of twists and turns. I could tell you about what happens but the synopsis really does a good job of explaining what happens but what it does not do is tell you how great of a story Finlay wrote. This book has so much more than I expected. It had me not wanting to sleep so I could read more and dinners were late needing to read one more chapter.

This story has everything a fan of suspense could want. A great character, angst, surprises and so much more. If a reader is disappointed in this book I have no idea what more they could want.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

TITLE: A Matter Of Life And Death
SERIES #: Robin Lockwood #4
CHARACTERS: Robin Lockwood & Joe Lattimore
AUTHOR: Philip Margolin
PUBLICATION DATE: 03/09/21
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Joe Lattimore, homeless and trying desperately to provide for his young family, agrees to fight in a no-holds illegal bar bout, only to have his opponent die. Lattimore now finds himself at the mercy of the fight’s organizers who blackmail him into burglarizing a house. However, when he breaks in, he finds a murdered woman on the floor and the police have received an anonymous tip naming him for the crime.

Robin Lockwood, an increasingly prominent young attorney and former MMA fighter, agrees to take on his defense. But the case is seemingly airtight—the murdered woman’s husband, Judge Anthony Carasco, has an alibi and Lattimore’s fingerprints are discovered at the scene. But everything about the case is too easy, too pat, and Lockwood is convinced that her client has been framed. The only problem is that she has no way of proving it and since this is a death case, if she fails then another innocent will die.

REVIEW:
3.75 Hearts This is the 4th in the series. I really enjoyed this read. The suspense was well written and kept me interested. This one had a bit more of a story than the last one.

I have been a fan of Margolin for a while and I think this might be one of his best in recent books.

I thought Robin was great at how she handled Joe’s case. I felt so bad for Joe. He is just a good guy trying to support his family who gets into trouble. Robin just wants to save an innocent man from the death penalty.

There are a lot of twists and suspense in this book and I recommend it to any fan of the genre.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

TITLE: The Kaiser’s Web
SERIES #: Cotton Malone #16
CHARACTERS: Cotton Malone
AUTHOR: Steve Berry
PUBLICATION DATE: 02/23/21
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
In New York Times bestseller Steve Berry’s latest Cotton Malone adventure, a secret dossier from a World War II-era Soviet spy comes to light containing information that, if proven true, would not only rewrite history — it could impact Germany’s upcoming national elections and forever alter the political landscape of Europe.

Two candidates are vying to become Chancellor of Germany. One is a patriot having served for the past sixteen years, the other a usurper, stoking the flames of nationalistic hate. Both harbor secrets, but only one knows the truth about the other. They are on a collision course, all turning on the events of one fateful day — April 30, 1945 — and what happened deep beneath Berlin in the Fürherbunker. Did Adolph Hitler and Eva Braun die there? Did Martin Bormann, Hitler’s close confidant, manage to escape? And, even more important, where did billions in Nazi wealth disappear to in the waning days of World War II? The answers to these questions will determine who becomes the next Chancellor of Germany.

From the mysterious Chilean lake district, to the dangerous mesas of South Africa, and finally into the secret vaults of Switzerland, former-Justice Department agent Cotton Malone discovers the truth about the fates of Hitler, Braun, and Bormann. Revelations that could not only transform Europe, but finally expose a mystery known as the Kaiser’s web.

REVIEW:
3.75 Hearts This is the 16th in the Cotton Malone series and I will admit that I have been in and out of this series but each time I come back it is an educational and enjoyable read.

The thing about the Cotton Malone books is you have to enjoy political reads. While there is real history and political imagination you need to be open to the political element.

Berry drags you in with his first words. He has his hand in the political field.

Worth the read and you can read each book as a stand alone but having the history of the characters is worth reading the entire series.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

TITLE: Can You See Her?
CHARACTERS: Rachel Ryder
AUTHOR: S.E. Lynes
PUBLICATION DATE: 04/22/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
What would you do if no-one was watching?

Rachel is afraid she may have done something terrible. She’s sitting in a room, being asked whether she killed someone.

She doesn’t understand how her life has changed so completely. When she was younger, heads would turn when she walked into a room. Her children needed her; her husband adored her.

But somehow the years wore that all away. She was so busy raising her children, looking after her parents, that the woman who used to be Rachel Ryder, whose husband told her she was out of his league, now quietly washes his clothes and makes his dinner, and can walk into a room without anyone knowing she’s there.

She knows that she thought: what would it take for you to see me again? What if I did something no-one thought I was capable of?

REVIEW:
I was pleasantly surprised how good this book was. We have all felt invisible to others around us. But the question is what would you do with your life? What would happen if while you were feeling invisible you were losing some periods of time that are blacked out in your mind. What in the world is happening? Now she is a suspect in murder.

This book was so bizarrely written that it was intriguing. Rachel is telling her story at times but there other parts of the book are by the forensic psychiatrist who is interviewing Rachel and all the other characters in the book which are so enjoyable to read.

It took a little bit to get into it and understand the flow but once you take the time you will not be disappointed. If I didn’t know better I would think it is a true crime book. Wonderful read!

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.