Category: Suspense

TITLE: The Overnight Guest
CHARACTERS: Wylie Lark
AUTHOR: Heather Gudenhauf
PUBLICATION DATE: 01/25/22
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
A woman receives an unexpected visitor during a deadly snowstorm in this chilling thriller from New York Times bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf

She thought she was alone…

True crime writer Wylie Lark doesn’t mind being snowed in at the isolated farmhouse where she’s retreated to write her new book. A cozy fire, complete silence. It would be perfect, if not for the fact that decades earlier, at this very house, two people were murdered in cold blood and a girl disappeared without a trace.

As the storm worsens, Wylie finds herself trapped inside the house, haunted by the secrets contained within its walls—haunted by secrets of her own. Then she discovers a small child in the snow just outside. After bringing the child inside for warmth and safety, she begins to search for answers. But soon it becomes clear that the farmhouse isn’t as isolated as she thought, and someone is willing to do anything to find them.

REVIEW:
3.75 Hearts I have never read this author before but I was pleasantly surprised with this story. Taking place in three different times it was interesting to see how the author brought all three incidents together.

I will say the mother and daughter dynamic in the third story is hard to deal with. The daughter is being abused and it is very emotional and sometimes palpable through the pages.

I did figure out a lot of the suspense but I enjoyed the way that the author got there so I was not disappointed even though I found myself correct on most things.

I will certainly look this author up again.

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

TITLE: The Christmas Killer
SERIES #: DI James Walker #1
CHARACTERS: James Walker
AUTHOR: Alex Pine
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/12/21
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
As the snow begins to fall, the body count begins to climb…

DI James Walker is ready for a quiet family Christmas in the sleepy village of Kirkby Abbey.

But when he opens an early Christmas present left on his doorstep, he soon realises it is no gift. Inside is a gruesome surprise, and a promise – twelve days, twelve murders. Not long after, the first body is found, half frozen in the snow.

As the blizzards descend, panic spreads through the remote Cumbrian village – there’s a killer amongst them, and with eleven more victims to go, anyone could be next….

Can James stop the killer before they strike again?

The first in a new series, Alex Pine has written a dark, atmospheric crime novel, set in a snowed-in Cumbrian village, for fans of Val McDermid, Ross Greenwood and LJ Ross.

REVIEW:
2.5 Hearts Usually first books are slow but this one takes the cake. I had a hard time reading this story.

I was able to figure out the who-dun-it pretty easily and I will honestly say that I did a bit of skipping over parts because the writing was a bit boring.

I hope that the next in the series proves to be a bit more interesting since like I said sometimes the first can be slower as they introduce the character(s).

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

TITLE: Stillwater Island
SERIES #: Detective Megan Carpenter #4
CHARACTERS: Megan Carpenter
AUTHOR: Gregg Olsen
PUBLICATION DATE: 12/07/21
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
“Mommy, I’m scared.” Marlena’s precious boy lies with his little arm thrown over her thigh. It’s pitch-black, and she can hear seagulls. She realises they must be near water, and a new panic rises in her.

At 2 a.m. one icy winter morning, in the smart suburbs of Jefferson County, local father Ben Parker reports his wife Marlena and their little boy missing.

Rushing to the impressive family home, Detective Megan Carpenter finds the halls adorned with pictures of the beautiful, stay-at-home mom and their bright-eyed son. But that’s not all she finds…

A bottle of prenatal vitamins in the bathroom cabinet reveal that Marlena is pregnant. Why didn’t Ben mention this in his panicked call to the police?

Digging deeper into their seemingly perfect marriage, Megan’s fear begins to grow. The couple are separated, there’s talk of an affair, and the neighbors report loud fights. And then, Megan tracks a young woman believed to be Ben’s secret girlfriend, only to find her lifeless body in a secluded wood.

Ben’s watch lies in the undergrowth, and Megan’s team think she’s cracked the case, but she’s sure something’s not right. Ben’s family has wealth including a private island, and connections in high places. Is someone trying to block their investigation?

As Megan starts to wonder if the answer lies on the Parkers’ closely guarded island, just offshore, a shocking revelation makes her question everything. With a killer on the loose, can Megan find the missing pieces to the most complex case of her career and bring Marlena and her little boy home alive? Or will it be too late to save them?

REVIEW:
3.5 Hearts This is the fourth in the series and a bit slower than the last three books. Megan is coming into her own and we are getting to know her partner, Ronnie.

The nice thing about this story is it felt true to life. Meaning Megan assumes it is the husband because of the history he and his wife had. It seems that is what happens sometimes especially when the neon arrows are pointing at the husband’s head.

I enjoyed the story except I wanted to speed it along.

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

TITLE: The Bone Code
SERIES #: Temperance Brennan #20
CHARACTERS: Temperance Brennan
AUTHOR: Kathy Reichs
PUBLICATION DATE: 07/06/21
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
#1 New York Times bestselling author Kathy Reichs returns with her twentieth gripping novel featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan, whose examinations, fifteen years apart, of unidentified bodies washed up from the sea may be connected to a deadly new pestilence.

A storm has hit South Carolina, dredging up crimes of the past.

On the way to Isle of Palms, a barrier island off the South Carolina coast, forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan receives a call from the Charleston coroner. During the storm, a medical waste container has washed up on the beach. Inside are two decomposed bodies wrapped in plastic sheeting and bound with electrical wire. Chillingly, Tempe recognizes many details as identical to those of an unsolved case she handled in Quebec fifteen years earlier. With a growing sense of foreboding, she flies to Montreal to gather evidence and convince her boss Pierre LaManch to reopen the cold case. She also seeks the advice—and comfort—of her longtime beau Andrew Ryan.

Meanwhile, a storm of a different type gathers force in South Carolina. The citizens of Charleston are struck by a bacterium that, at its worst, can eat human flesh. Thousands panic and test themselves for a rare genetic mutation that may have rendered them vulnerable.

Shockingly, Tempe eventually discovers that not only are the victims in both grisly murder cases related, but that the murders and the disease outbreak also have a common cause…

REVIEW:
This is the 20th in the series and I have read a few of them but, honestly, have not read some in a while so it was nice to catch up with the characters and see what has been going on.

This story is right on point with today’s climate of vaccinations and such. But we also have a murder that brings Tempe right back to a case she worked years ago but never solved. The suspense of the book was great. Having had the break from the series it was great to see that Kathy Reichs hasn’t lost her amazing writing skills.

Can’t wait to stay in touch with these characters from now on since I am caught up.

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

TITLE: The Hunted
SERIES #: Bane Island Trilogy #2
CHARACTERS: Olivia & Deacon
AUTHOR: Lisa Childs
PUBLICATION DATE: 11/30/21
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
YOU’RE GOING TO PAY

The pressures of fame and an obsessive stalker have driven pop star Olivia Smith to take shelter at Halcyon Hall, an exclusive spa on a remote island off the coast of Maine. Yet from the moment she arrives, there are rumors about women disappearing, and stories about the resort’s grisly past. Then a note arrives from her stalker, proving that nowhere is truly safe . . .

It’s been twenty-five years since Sheriff Deacon Howell discovered his first dead body on these grounds. Back then, Halcyon Hall was an asylum known as Bainesworth Manor. Others have perished here since, including Deacon’s wife. Many locals share his belief that her death wasn’t suicide. The difference is, they think Deacon killed her. But he has bigger problems than gossip, because another body has been found . . .

As Deacon investigates the increasing threats to the singer’s life, the danger becomes undeniable. Something evil lurks here—not just in the asylum’s grim history, but in the present. And there will be no rest at Halcyon Hall until every sin has been avenged . . .

REVIEW:
2.75 Hearts So the first book in the series was really dark. This one was a bit more of a romance but still had a bit of violence that was too much for me.

I am just not that thrilled with this trilogy but now that I have read the other two I will probably pick up number three from NetGalley.

I would suggest reading book one before reading book two. There is some background from book one that helps in book two. Yes, it does sum it up a bit but not as much as if you read book one.

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

TITLE: The Midnight Lock
SERIES #: Lincoln Rhyme #15
CHARACTERS: Lincoln Rhyme & Amelia Sachs
AUTHOR: Jeffrey Deaver
PUBLICATION DATE: 11/30/21
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
When a woman arrives home to her Manhattan apartment to find that her personal items have been rearranged while she slept, police initially dismiss her complaint. Nothing was stolen, and there’s no sign of breaking and entering. But when the same woman turns up dead, Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are brought in to investigate the murder. They soon learn that the murderer calls himself “the Locksmith.” He is obsessed with locks, slipping into homes in the dead of night and tying his victims up with knots or locks, ultimately strangling them.

Their hunt for the killer is interrupted when an internal investigation in the police force uncovers what seems to be a crucial mistake in one of Rhyme’s previous cases. He is removed from the case, and must investigate the Locksmith in secret to untangle the mysteries behind the psychotic killer before he can set his ultimate trap.

REVIEW:
I have read most, if not all, of the Lincoln Rhyme books and have enjoyed most of them. This is not high on my “enjoyed” list. Now I want to say that I am comparing this to other Jeffery Deaver books not to books in general.

I was really enjoying the book at first. The storyline was holding my attention but then something happened. I just stopped being interested. I, honestly, can’t even tell you why. Maybe I just wasn’t in the mindset or something. Because the writing seemed off.

I do really appreciate who Lincoln Rhyme is. And the mind that Deaver has given him. He is a fascinating character and even though I gave this 3 stars, as I said it is based on other Lincoln Rhyme books because honestly Jeffrey Deaver is one of the best.

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

TITLE: The Unheard
CHARACTERS: Tess
AUTHOR: Nikki French
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/26/21
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
‘He did kill. Kill and kill and kill.’

Tess’s number one priority has always been her three-year-old daughter Poppy. But splitting up with Poppy’s father Jason means that she cannot always be there to keep her daughter safe.

When she finds a disturbing drawing, dark and menacing, among her daughter’s brightly coloured paintings, Tess is convinced that Poppy has witnessed something terrible. Something that her young mind is struggling to put into words.

But no one will listen. It’s only a child’s drawing, isn’t it?

Tess will protect Poppy, whatever the price. But when she doesn’t know what, or who, she is protecting her from, how can she possibly know who to trust . . . ?

REVIEW:
This is a husband and wife writing team that I have never read before. And I would have said I am not interested in reading again, however after looking at a number of different reviews I have read many saying “This is not the normal writings of Nicci French” so I may be willing to try again.

One of my biggest issues is the fact that this seemed like the same old all over again. Distressed mom who is no longer in love with her husband but they stay together because of the kids. It just seems that that storyline is the soup du jour right now. Every suspense has a young mom in trouble.

I never really connected with the characters and I prefer a book where I do not have a chance of figuring out the answer and this is not one of them.

I will try the French duo again just to be sure.

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