Category: Mystery

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Kimberly reviews Stranger In The Lake by Kimberly Belle

TITLE: Stranger In The Lake
CHARACTERS: Charlotte & Paul
AUTHOR: Kimberly Belle
PUBLICATION DATE: 06/09/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
When Charlotte married the wealthy widower Paul, it caused a ripple of gossip in their small lakeside town. They have a charmed life together, despite the cruel whispers about her humble past and his first marriage. But everything starts to unravel when she discovers a young woman’s body floating in the exact same spot where Paul’s first wife tragically drowned.

At first, it seems like a horrific coincidence, but the stranger in the lake is no stranger. Charlotte saw Paul talking to her the day before, even though Paul tells the police he’s never met the woman. His lie exposes cracks in their fragile new marriage, cracks Charlotte is determined to keep from breaking them in two.

As Charlotte uncovers dark mysteries about the man she married, she doesn’t know what to trust—her heart, which knows Paul to be a good man, or her growing suspicion that there’s something he’s hiding in the water.

REVIEW:
I have never read this author before but I enjoyed the story. I will probably read her again.

In this story, Charlotte falls in love with a man the town suspects killed his wife but of course Charlotte does not believe it. But when another body is found at the same location as Paul’s wife Charlotte begins to wonder.

I thought the story was well written but I never really got into the story completely. Meaning I enjoyed the story but it didn’t drag me in as some books do. Well, maybe it did. To slap Charlotte a time or two. But other than that I just wanted to read it and see what happened.

I can see how this would not be everyone’s cup of tea but I think it was a solid read.

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

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Kimberly reviews Crimes And Survivors by Sarah Smith

TITLE: Crimes And Survivors
CHARACTERS: Perdita, Alexander & Gilbert
AUTHOR: Sarah Smith
PUBLICATION DATE: 04/15/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Titanic was a white ship–once. Now? Rock the boat.

It’s 1912, the era of Jim Crow and lynchings, and a young society woman learns that her grandfather, the grandfather she barely knows, may be passing for white.

She has a family. She has a child. She can’t be black. She doesn’t know how.

She follows him onto the newest, safest, biggest ship in the world to find a truth she can live with.

But after the iceberg, she has to find the truth from his whole family. And it’s more complicated than black and white. More loving, more inspiring…and far more dangerous.

REVIEW:
The Titanic is the ship of dreams but the irony is if it had never sunk most would not even know the name. And certainly only been a footnote as being the biggest ship of it’s time a century later. But because the ship did sink the world still stays entranced by it.

So here is the thing. Do not take this as fact of events on the Titanic. This is a story of the time that just happens to be set on the Titanic. A story of racism and family drama.

Reading other reviews it seems that Sarah Smith has written other books with these characters but nothing is missed by not having read the other books. You do not need to be a fan of the Titanic’s story but it helps.

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

4 Hearts

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Kimberly reviews The Goodbye Man by Jeffrey Deaver

TITLE: The Goodbye Man
SERIES #: Colter Shaw #2
CHARACTERS: Colter Shaw
AUTHOR: Jeffrey Deaver
PUBLICATION DATE: 05/12/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
A thrilling new Colter Shaw adventure by the master of suspense, Jeffery Deaver.

In pursuit of two young men accused of terrible hate crimes, Colter Shaw stumbles upon a clue to another mystery. In an effort to save the life of a young woman–and possibly others–he travels to the wilderness of Washington State to investigate a mysterious organization. Is it a community that consoles the bereaved? Or a dangerous cult under the sway of a captivating leader? As he peels back the layers of truth, Shaw finds that some people will stop at nothing to keep their secrets hidden.

All the while, Shaw must unravel an equally deadly enigma: locating and deciphering a message hidden by his father years ago, just before his death–a message that will have life-and-death consequences.

REVIEW:
Colter Shaw is a bumbling idiot (that may be a bit strong but still) with a heart of gold and I adore him. Somehow he figures everything out but the laughs he gives me along the way are worth the read in and of itself but the mystery of what is happening is a good read as well.

Shaw reminds me of Myron Bolitar from Harlan Coben’s series. There is humor in the way that Shaw does everything and yet he comes up with the answers.

This series is great for a humorous read with a bit of mystery and who-dun-it. A great beach read.

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

4 Hearts

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Kelly reviews Flowers On Her Grave by Jennifer Chase

TITLE: Flowers on Her Grave
SERIES #: Detective Katie Scott#3
CHARACTERS: Katie Scott
AUTHOR: Jennifer Chase
PUBLICATION DATE: March 24, 2020
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
On the floor, amongst the piles of freshly pressed laundry, lay the woman’s lifeless body, her pale yellow nightdress soaked in blood. “I didn’t do it…” came a whisper from the corner of the room.
Detective Katie Scott has never seen two people more in love than her aunt and uncle as they danced together on the night of their wedding anniversary party. But the next morning, when Katie finds her aunt’s body sprawled across the floor, that perfect image is shattered forever.
All fingers point to Katie’s uncle, Pine Valley’s beloved sheriff and protector – after all, his prints are all over the antique knife found at the scene. Grieving, but certain of her uncle’s innocence, Katie is consigned to the cold case division after she’s discovered searching the house for clues.
Does someone want to keep her as far away from this investigation as possible?
Ignoring warnings from her team, Katie digs into her uncle’s old case files and discovers photographs of the body of a young girl found tied to a tree after a hike in search of a rare flower. Her body is covered with the same unusual lacerations her aunt suffered. Katie knows it can’t be a coincidence, but every lead she follows takes her to a dead end.
Moments before the sheriff is arrested, Katie realizes that a single piece of thread she found at the crime scene could be the missing link that will stitch old crimes to new.
But how can she prove her uncle’s innocence without throwing herself directly into the line of fire? She doesn’t have a choice, he’s the only family she has left…

REVIEW:
3.5 Hearts Flowers on Her Grave is the third installment in Jennifer Chase’s Detective Katie Scott series. Once again we get to follow Katie while she solves yet another cold case but this one is different. This cold case is eerily similar to the murder of her beloved Aunt. Katie jumps at the chance to solve not one but possibly two murder cases. That is if she can keep her eye on the prize and not get murdered in the process.

I enjoyed this installment to the Detective Katie Scott series. While I was not surprised by the who ending up being the murderer the journey to find the said murder was a good one. I also enjoyed seeing Katie’s relationships with her friends and Uncle grow. I am looking forward to the next book in this series.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley & Bookouture in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

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Kimberly reviews The Rivals Of Sherlock Holmes by G.K. Chesterton & Jacques Futrelle

TITLE: The Rivals Of Sherlock Holmes
CHARACTERS: Various
AUTHOR: G.K. Chesterton & Jacques Futrelle
PUBLICATION DATE: 12/18/19
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Enthralled by the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Victorian readers around the world developed a fascination with eccentric detectives and bizarre crimes. Featuring an international array of authors and characters, this compilation of 16 short stories showcases the best of the mysteries inspired by the Baker Street sleuth. Their heroes range from famous figures like G. K. Chesterton’s Father Brown and Maurice Leblanc’s Arsene Lupin to lesser-known but equally captivating characters.
“The Problem of the Stolen Rubens,” by Jacques Futrelle, centers on Professor Van Dusen, also known as The Thinking Machine, whose superior mental powers and dispassionate approach resemble Holmes’. Robert Barr’s “The Absent Minded Coterie” presents French detective Eugène Valmont, a cultured and elegant gentleman . . . but a rather poor investigator. “The Murder at Troyte’s Hill,” by Catherine L. Pirkis, “The Ninescore Mystery,” by The Scarlet Pimpernel author Baroness Orczy, and “Cinderella’s Slipper,” by Hugh C. Weir, feature a Victorian novelty—a detective heroine. Holmesians and other lovers of old-time mysteries will thrill to these tales of dark deeds and their discovery.

REVIEW:
As a fan of Sherlock Holmes and ACD’s work I just had a hard time with this writing. ACD wrote Sherlock Holmes to be mentally introverted. He saw things and understood things others could not. And it seems hard for me to imagine there were “rivals” of Holmes that possessed the same attributes.

I will be honest and say I skimmed over a few of the stories. I would start them and just couldn’t bring myself to read every word but I did skim it so I would know where the short story went.

Others I enjoyed for lack of a better word. I had to put aside my fandom of Holmes and ACD and read them for themselves which at times was difficult.

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

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Spotlight feature and review of Melinda Leigh’s Cross Her Heart

A homicide detective’s violent family history repeats itself 

in #1 Wall Street Journal and #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author Melinda Leigh’s new novel of murder, secrets, and retribution.

Wasn’t enough that she responded with intelligence and resiliency—she needed compassion as well. A tragic backstory makes Bree driven to help others who have also suffered. To her, every case feels personal. But the last thing she expects is having to solve her own sister’s murder.  I’m so excited to finally share CROSS HER HEART with readers.”  

TITLE:  Cross Her Heart
SERIES #: Bree Taggert #1
CHARACTERS: Bree Taggert & Matt Flynn
AUTHOR:  Melinda Leigh
PUBLICATION DATE:  March 17, 2020
ORDER LINKS:  Amazon | B&N  

BOOK SYNOPSIS: 

A homicide detective’s violent family history repeats itself in #1 Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh’s novel of murder, secrets, and retribution.

For more than twenty-five years, Philadelphia homicide detective Bree Taggert has tucked away the nightmarish childhood memories of her parents’ murder-suicide…Until her younger sister, Erin, is killed in a crime that echoes that tragic night: innocent witnesses and a stormy marriage that ended in gunfire. There’s just one chilling difference. Erin’s husband, Justin, has vanished.

Bree knows how explosive the line between love and hate can be, yet the evidence against her troubled brother-in-law isn’t adding up. Teaming up with Justin’s old friend, former sheriff’s investigator and K-9 handler Matt Flynn, Bree vows to uncover the secrets of her sister’s life and death, as she promised Erin’s children. But as her investigation unfolds, the danger hits close to home. Once again, Bree’s family is caught in a death grip. And this time, it could be fatal for her. 

REVIEW PROVIDED BY: Kelly
NUMBER OF HEARTS: 5

Bree Taggert has to return to her hometown to once again face a violent death in her family.  Once Bree returns to town she finds that she can’t just sit back and let the local police handle the investigation. Bree will team up with Matt Flynn (who just happens to be the prime suspects best friend).  

But will Bree be ready for all the secrets and lies she is about to uncover?

Another great story by Melinda Leigh!  Cross Her Heart is the first book in her new Bree Taggert Series. I am very excited to see where this series goes. It was fun to see a few familiar names from past series also. I am already looking forward to book two See Her Die (September 1, 2020).  

 

If you’re a fan of mysteries, thrillers and Melinda Leigh’s fast-paced tales, be sure to add CROSS HER HEART to your reading list this Spring!

For further information, please contact Rachel Tarlow Gul at Over the River Public Relations: rachel@otrpr.com, 201-503-1321. 

 

 

About Melinda:
Her other novels include She Can Tell, She Can Scream, She Can Hide, She Can Kill, Midnight Exposure, Midnight Sacrifice, Midnight Betrayal, Midnight Obsession, Hour of Need, Minutes to Kill, Seconds to Live, Say You’re Sorry, Her Last Goodbye, Bones Don’t Lie, What I’ve Done, Secrets Never Die and Save Your Breath. She holds a second-degree black belt in Kenpo karate, has taught women’s self defense, and lives in a messy house with her family and a small herd of rescue pets. For more information, visit www.melindaleigh.com. 

Look for more stops on Melinda’s tour here:

 

 

 

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Kimberly reviews Phantom Echoes by B.D. Wilson

TITLE: Phantom Echoes
SERIES #: Ghostlines #1
CHARACTERS: Holden
AUTHOR: B.D. Wilson
PUBLICATION DATE: 09/30/18
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Being a psychic doesn’t mean you have to believe in Ghosts.
Unfortunately for Holden, his best friend refuses to accept that.
Holden can read the history of an object just by touching it. It’s been a struggle most of his life and every time he’s tried to use it for a beneficial purpose it’s gone horribly wrong.
But when his best friend convinces Holden to step in for a paranormal investigation, it turns out hauntings are as real as psychics. Sticking with the investigation risks landing him in the hospital again. Leaving means abandoning the ghosts who are repeating the night of their deaths over and over forever. Can he really walk away when he might be the only one who can help?

REVIEW:
This was a short story that honestly could have been longer and may have been more interesting. The concept is great. And who doesn’t like a psychic suspense? But being so short we don’t get to know the characters enough.

I believe I would have enjoyed this being a full story instead of a short story.

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

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Kimberly reviews Woman On The Edge by Samantha M Bailey

TITLE: Woman On The Edge
CHARACTERS: Morgan
AUTHOR: Samantha M. Bailey
PUBLICATION DATE: 03/03/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
A moment on the platform changes two lives forever. But nothing is as it seems…

‘Take my baby.’

In a split second, Morgan’s life changes forever. A stranger hands her a baby, then jumps in front of a train.

Morgan has never seen the woman before and she can’t understand what would cause a person to give away her child and take her own life.

When the police question Morgan, she discovers none of the witnesses can corroborate her version of events. And when they learn Morgan longs for a baby of her own, she becomes a suspect.

To prove her innocence, Morgan frantically tries to retrace the last days of the woman’s life. She begins to understand that Nicole Markham believed she and her baby were in danger. Now Morgan might be in danger, too.

Was Nicole a new mother struggling with paranoia?

Or was something much darker going on?

Pulse-pounding, heartrending, shocking, thrilling. This is one book you won’t be able to stop thinking about.

REVIEW:
Another story that I am on the fence about. The idea of the story is good and has a lot of potential. I think a little more time would have helped this story a bit. I had a bit of trouble with the writing. Maybe it is because the author is from Canada but I just had a hard time with it.

It almost seemed like the author wrote quickly and didn’t give a lot of background to each scene.

Just not sure how I feel about this one.

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

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Kimberly reviews The Other Mrs. by Mary Kubica

TITLE: The Other Mrs
CHARACTERS: Sadie & Will
AUTHOR: Mary Kubica
PUBLICATION DATE: 02/18/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Sadie and Will Foust have only just moved their family from bustling Chicago to small-town Maine when their neighbor, Morgan Baines, is found dead in her home. The murder rocks their tiny coastal island, but no one is more shaken than Sadie, who is terrified by the thought of a killer in her very own backyard.

But it’s not just Morgan’s death that has Sadie on edge. It’s their eerie old home, with its decrepit decor and creepy attic, which they inherited from Will’s sister after she died unexpectedly. It’s Will’s disturbed teenage niece Imogen, with her dark and threatening presence. And it’s the troubling past that continues to wear at the seams of their family.

As the eyes of suspicion turn toward the new family in town, Sadie is drawn deeper into the mystery of Morgan’s death. But Sadie must be careful, for the more she discovers about Mrs. Baines, the more she begins to realize just how much she has to lose if the truth ever comes to light.

REVIEW:
3.25 Hearts Boy the beginning of this book had me going. The thrill of it and the intensity was leading up to… well nothing.

After the first third to half of the book it was good. But then bam… nothing seemed real, logical or really interesting. I was looking for more of a spooky feel but the story just didn’t end with that and really was a let down.

Maybe I built it up to much but I the best way I can describe it is the author started this book, put it aside because of writers block then came back with a whole different mindset.

Giving it 3.25 because of the beginning and the concept.

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

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Kimberly reviews Close To You by Kerry Wilkinson

TITLE: Close To You
CHARACTERS: Morgan & David
AUTHOR: Kerry Wilkinson
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/17/19
ORDER LINKS: Amazon

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
I pinch the screen to zoom until I’m staring at the face of a ghost. A man with very short hair, staring directly at the camera with piercing brown eyes.

He is as he was when I last saw him: wrinkles around the corners of the eyes and a knowing smirk. That’s the expression I see when I can’t sleep.

My body tenses. It can’t be him. It’s not my ex-husband. It’s not David.

I know that better than anyone because he didn’t walk out on me.

He didn’t disappear two years ago and he’s not a missing person.

I know that for a fact because I’m the one who killed him.

A brilliantly twisty thriller which will have fans of The Girl on the Train and Gone Girl absolutely gripped.

REVIEW:
The concept of this book, according to the synopsis, sounded great. The widow believes she is seeing her dead husband come to life. Most times this happens in a story she is excited he might be back but not in this book. Morgan knows this can’t be her husband since she killed him years ago.

I am not sure what I expected but it wasn’t this. Maybe a woman tormented by her husband and accidentally killed him. Or was finding out he was an axe murderer and wanted to save others by killing him first. Heck I don’t know but what I found was a woman who I just didn’t care much about.

She seemed almost psycho at times. I just had a hard time understanding her.

Maybe some will enjoy this but it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

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

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What’s New: Kelly gives The Institute by Stephen King 4 Stars!

TITLE: The Institute
CHARACTERS: Luke Ellis, Avery Dixon and the other kids of the Institute
AUTHOR: Stephen King
NARRATOR: Santino Fontana
RUN TIME: 18 Hours & 59 Minutes
PUBLICATION DATE: September 10, 2019
ORDER LINKS: Audible | Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Stephen King, the most riveting and unforgettable story of kids confronting evil since It—publishing just as the second part of It, the movie, lands in theaters.

In the middle of the night, in a house on a quiet street in suburban Minneapolis, intruders silently murder Luke Ellis’s parents and load him into a black SUV. The operation takes less than two minutes. Luke will wake up at The Institute, in a room that looks just like his own, except there’s no window. And outside his door are other doors, behind which are other kids with special talents—telekinesis and telepathy—who got to this place the same way Luke did: Kalisha, Nick, George, Iris, and ten-year-old Avery Dixon. They are all in Front Half. Others, Luke learns, graduated to Back Half, “like the roach motel,” Kalisha says. “You check in, but you don’t check out.”
In this most sinister of institutions, the director, Mrs. Sigsby, and her staff are ruthlessly dedicated to extracting from these children the force of their extranormal gifts. There are no scruples here. If you go along, you get tokens for the vending machines. If you don’t, punishment is brutal. As each new victim disappears to Back Half, Luke becomes more and more desperate to get out and get help. But no one has ever escaped from the Institute.
As psychically terrifying as Firestarter, and with the spectacular kid power of It, The Institute is Stephen King’s gut-wrenchingly dramatic story of good vs. evil in a world where the good guys don’t always win.

REVIEW:
Well now…..

The Institute is a classic Stephen King with all the “What the heck?’, ‘OMG could that really happen ?’, and the ‘I will never be able to trust that gut feeling without questioning everything’. The Institute was not scary like It or Pet Cemetery, but it was highly disturbing and will make you wonder.

There are a lot of moving parts in this story and listening on audio was a little confusing at the very beginning. Trying to figure out who and why we were following certain characters. But Mr. King does a great job of putting everything in order and give us as many answers as possible.

This is my first audiobook narrated by Santino Fontana. Mr. Fontana does a really good job bring the characters alive. My only struggle (and I think I struggle with a lot of male narrators) is the female voices. There were a few of them that I just wasn’t wild about. But other then that it was a wonderfully long audiobook.

Fans of Stephen King will enjoy this latest installment to his amazing library of classics.

Disclaimer:
I purchased this audiobook from Audible.com and this review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

4 Hearts
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Kelly reviews The Turn Of The Key by Ruth Ware

turn of the keyTITLE: The Turn of the Key
CHARACTERS: Rowen Gaine
AUTHOR: Ruth Ware
PUBLICATION DATE: August 6, 2019
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
When she stumbles across the ad, she’s looking for something else completely. But it seems like too good an opportunity to miss—a live-in nannying post, with a staggeringly generous salary. And when Rowan Caine arrives at Heatherbrae House, she is smitten—by the luxurious “smart” home fitted out with all modern conveniences, by the beautiful Scottish Highlands, and by this picture-perfect family.
What she doesn’t know is that she’s stepping into a nightmare—one that will end with a child dead and herself in prison awaiting trial for murder.
Writing to her lawyer from prison, she struggles to explain the unravelling events that led to her incarceration. It wasn’t just the constant surveillance from the cameras installed around the house, or the malfunctioning technology that woke the household with booming music, or turned the lights off at the worst possible time. It wasn’t just the girls, who turned out to be a far cry from the immaculately behaved model children she met at her interview. It wasn’t even the way she was left alone for weeks at a time, with no adults around apart from the enigmatic handyman, Jack Grant.
It was everything.
She knows she’s made mistakes. She admits that she lied to obtain the post, and that her behavior toward the children wasn’t always ideal. She’s not innocent, by any means. But, she maintains, she’s not guilty—at least not of murder. Which means someone else is.

REVIEW:
3.5 Hearts The Turn of the Key is was a very interesting book. Ms. Ware formatted this book is in a series of letters from Rowen Caine to a Mr. Wrexham. In those letters Rowen recounts the events the lead up to her being put in prison for murder. Rowen hopes that with these letters Mr. Wrexham will be able to help her.
The events that lead Rowen to become the nanny and being charged with murder are both shocking and sad. I enjoyed this book even if they ending leaving me with the What the heck feeling.
This is my first book by Ruth Ware and I am looking forward to reading more of her works. If you are a fan of Ruth Ware I think you will be pleased with this story.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley & Gallery/Scout Press, Pocket Books in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.