Category: Mystery/Thriller

Phantom Limb by Lucinda Berry

Title: Phanton Limb
Author: Lucinda Berry
Pub Date: 15-Dec-2016
Rating: 4.5 Stars

This is Elizabeth (Bethy) and Emily Rooth’s tragic story. They are identical twins and according to Elizabeth they have lived as if they were conjoined twins that were never separated. “Mother” was very abusive. She would keep them locked in their bedroom and would disappear sometimes for days. As they grow older Mother started bringing home special friends, male friends, and the abuse escalated to an unimaginable level.

One day the girls accidentally start a fire in the kitchen. When help arrives they are discovered and removed.  The Rooths, a loving couple who could not have children, adopt them. Despite the Rooth’s best efforts there were some scars that their love could not erase.

Ms. Berry, the author, did an outstanding job of putting a face to the disease of mental illness. I expected no less since she is a clinical psychologist. The twins’ story is raw and emotional and Berry has given us a unique glimpse into the mind of someone who has experienced traumatic events. The entire story is fiction, but it is so well written it feels like it could be nonfiction.

This is a fast paced book with masterful twists. It is dark and it hooks you in the first few pages; so be prepared, once you start reading you will not be able to stop until the end. Be aware that some of the subjects presented in the book, such as child abuse, self-harm, and rape, may not be for every reader.

I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

Never Let You Go by Chevy Stevens

Title: Never Let You Go
Author: Chevy Stevens
Pub Date: 14-Mar-2017
Rating: 5 stars

Never Let You Go is an engaging thriller written by Chevy Stevens. The plot is well thought out and had me totally vested, which kept me turning pages well into the early morning hours. The character develop was excellent also. I especially liked getting into Lindsey’s head a little to understand how an abusive relationship starts and then escalates. How the mental abuse wears a person down and they begin to question everything and are so afraid to seek help.

In the story we meet Lindsey and her daughter Sophie who live in a remote part of Canada’s Pacific Coast accessible only by boat. They escaped there after Andrew, Lindsey’s ex-husband, is sentenced to 10 years in prison for killing a woman one night while drinking and driving. They have been carefully building their new lives. Lindsey now has a successful cleaning business with a few employees. She is finally feeling like her life is nearing normal. Sophie is a gifted artist and is finishing high school with plans to attend college.

Then strange things start happening shorty after Andrew’s release from prison. For example, Lindsey finds her keys and phone placed just so on her purse when she is at a client’s house cleaning. This is something she never does, but Andrew always berated her about losing them. How could Andrew have found her… and so quickly? Deep down Lindsey knew this day would come. Andrew is never going to let her go. She is his and he will go to any length to keep her. At least that is the logical conclusion given Andrew’s history.

Even though I figured out Andrew’s role or lack thereof as the case may be, I was still truly surprised by the ending. A great story and it was intense. If you love thrillers, you have to read this book and you will devour it.

Please note, I received a copy of this book from the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, through a Shelf Awareness giveaway.

 

The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel

Title: The Roanoke Girls
Author: Amy Engel
Pub Date: 7-Mar-2017
Rating: 4 Stars

The Roanoke Girls is a shocking tale, by Amy Engel, about a girl struggling with a closely held family secret. Forewarning, the dark family secret is hinted at very quickly. Yet, when it was revealed, I still found it very disturbing and revolting. The story, thou despicable at times, felt real. People and families alike have secrets just usually not of this magnitude.  I liked the main character of Lane a lot. She was so flawed and it worked so well for this story. Unfortunately, the supporting characters were somewhat lacking in depth.

The book shifts between the present and the past. In the present, Lane Roanoke receives a phone call from her Grandfather with the news that Allegra, her cousin, is missing and convinces her to return to Kansas. Lane returns with the intention of helping find her. As Lane proceeds with her search we get snippets of what happened the one and only summer she spent at Roanoke after her mother committed suicide.  Gradually the past is revealed and all the secrets that she has tried to bury comes to the forefront. The question is will they continue to haunt her or will she find some closure with her past so she can move on?

Dispute the dark nature of the story, I had a hard time putting the book down even when it was well past my bedtime.  The author did an outstanding job of walking that fine line between utterly revolting and totally compelling.

I received a copy of this book from Crown Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

Everything You Want Me to Be by Mindy Mejia

Title: Everything You Want Me to Be
Author: Mindy Mejia
Pub Date: 3-Jan-2017
Rating: 4.5 Stars

Everything You Want Me to Be is the tale of the murder of high school senior Hattie Huffman. The story is told from three points’ of view, Hattie’s, Del’s (the local sheriff and family friend) and Peter’s (Hattie’s high school English teacher).  There are a few twists in the story but the real zinger is saved for the end. There were some things that I found very predictable about the story and that is the reason I could not give this one a five star rating (my rating is 4.5 stars). Ultimately Hattie’s character is what made the story for me.  She is such a typical teenager and this added an extra level of believability.

Hattie is typical in that she is so naive. She thinks she understands the world and that she plays her parts in life just as well as she plays her role as Macbeth in the school play. How can one be so dumb at 50ish yet so brilliant at 17/18? So like a teenager!

Hattie wants to be accepted so badly that she is willing to throw her own identify away in order to please those around her. Now that Hattie is reaching maturity she is struggling with finding herself. Despite this identity crisis of sorts, Hattie is an outstanding student and a budding actress. On the surface all seems well in Hattie’s world…. until her murder that is.

Now Del must find the murderer and fast. He has promised. As he digs deeper, he discovers that Hattie may not be the person everyone thought she was.

Despite the predictability, it is still a very good story. Reads of YA and thrillers alike will enjoy.  I suspect most will gasp with surprise at the ending.

I received an ARC from the publisher, via NetGalley, in return for my honest review.

 

Dandelion Dead by Chrystle Fiedler

Title: Dandelion Dead Author: Chrystle Fiedler Pub Date: 27-Sep-2016 Rating: 5 Stars
Title: Dandelion Dead
Author: Chrystle Fiedler
Pub Date: 27-Sep-2016
Rating: 5 Stars

Dandelion Dead, by Chrystle Fiedler, is the fourth book in the Natural Remedies series. Even though this is the fourth book in the series, it can be read as a stand-alone book. Ms. Fiedler did an excellent job of giving the reader enough background information on the characters so you do not miss out on anything happening in the story.

Willow McQuade wears many hats, owner of Nature’s Way Market and Café, holistic doctor, animal rescuer and part time sleuth. It all starts when Willow is catering an event for Pure, a local winery, run by her ex-boyfriend Simon. All is going well, at least on the surface, until during the party the body of Amy Lord is found and it is discovered that she died from ingesting poison hemlock. Amy is the sister-in-law to Simon’s business partner David. The leading suspect in the case is Willow’s assistant Lily and the police are convinced they have their killer since Amy had both motive, opportunity and the knowledge of poisonous plants.

With the police refusing to look for another suspect, the trio of Willow, Simon and Willow’s boyfriend Jackson team up to put their amateur sleuth skills to work. What they uncover is a tangled web of lies, jealousy and deceit. They suspect that David was the real target and not Amy. As they try to unravel the mystery of Amy’s death there are additional attempts on David’s life confirming their theory and spurring them on to discover who the real killer is.

There are several interesting twists that made the story very compelling. The back stories of the characters were very thoughtful done and gave the story a real believability. The pace of the story was good and I particularly liked how all the lives of the characters were intertwined. All in all, this book is a great cozy mystery. I really loved all the herbal lore and remedies in the story. The author’s love of herbs and holistic remedies really shows in this book.

Anyone who loves mysteries is bound to fall in love with this one. Looking forward to reading more by this author.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in return for my honest review.

When Darkness Comes by John Anthony Miller

Title: When Darkness Comes Author: John Anthony Miller Pub Date: 8-Jul-2016 Rating: 5 Stars
Title: When Darkness Comes
Author: John Anthony Miller
Pub Date: 8-Jul-2016
Rating: 5 Stars

When Darkness Comes is another brilliant historical novel from John Anthony Miller. The story is fiction but the facts surrounding it are all too real. The story is about three people who are working for the French Resistant in Paris during World War II.  Each person has a reason to loath the Germans.  Yet, not all Parisians feel this way and some even profit from the occupation. In this kind of atmosphere it is difficult to know who you can trust. Your neighbor, a coworker, anyone can turn you over to the Gestapo.

In this incredibly dangerous environment, Rachel a young Jewish girl and her family barely escape Paris with their lives. The Resistant helps to resettle them in the country side with new identities. Yet, Rachel feels a strong need to help put an end to the Nazi occupation and decides to return to Paris to help the Resistant. Together with Claire, a book store owner, whose husband was killed during the initial invasion of France and Paul, a banker, whose wife and daughter where murdered by the Nazis, they work to gather information that will assist the Allies. After a dangerous turn of events, Rachel becomes involved with helping other Jews escape Paris via the underground tunnels in Paris. All is going smoothly when disaster strikes and it could cost all three their lives.

The story is truly a nail biting, suspenseful ride and you will not want to put it down. The story moves quickly and not all the characters are what they seem. Wonderfully written and sure to keep any reader up into the wee hours of the morning to finish. I was almost disappointed when I got to the end. It was that good!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Risen by Ron Rash

Title: The Risen Author: Ron Rash Pub Date: 16-Sep-2016 Rating: 5 Stars
Title: The Risen
Author: Ron Rash
Pub Date: 16-Sep-2016
Rating: 5 Star

The Risen is another Ron Rash novel that the prose just sings off the page. Rash never fails to disappoint me in his use of descriptive verse. He so easily transports me to the stage of his characters. It was as if I was sitting on that river bank soaking my toes in the icy waters of the mountain stream known as Panther Creek. The story itself is rather quiet and ambles along at a nice pace and then before you know it you have reached the end. Then I exhale in a long sigh because it is always bittersweet to come to the end of a story well told.

The book is both a coming of age story and a murder mystery wrapped up in one neat package.  The story revolves around two brothers, Eugene and Bill Matney, 16 and 20 respectively, and one pivotal summer in 1969. Bill is home from Wake Forest for the summer and he and Eugene have gone fishing after church, as they do every Sunday, when they meet Ligiea. Ligiea, 17 herself, has been exiled by her parents to her Uncle’s in rural Western North Carolina in an attempt to remove her from the drugs and counterculture of the 60s she has been involved in at Daytona Beach.

For these young boys/men, she is a temptress. She is worldly to their innocence and Eugene is captivated by her. With her, he experiences alcohol, drugs and sex for the first time. Bill, is much less progressive, while at first he joins in, later, after his girlfriend visits, he under goes a metamorphosis. A sibling rivalry of sorts ensues and the brothers drift apart.

Years later, Eugene is an alcoholic and his brother is a prominent surgeon in Asheville and though the physical distance between them is short, in reality, they are worlds apart. Then the unimaginable happens, a body is found near the spot where they fished that summer in 1969. The remains are identified as Ligiea’s. The police start asking questions. She can’t be dead, Eugene knows Ligiea was on a bus bound for Florida.

I have had this book on my desk for over a month. I kept putting it off for others that were more pressing. Now I want to read it again. Great Stuff!

God of the Internet by Lynn Lipinski

Title: God of the Internet Author: Lynn Lipinski Pub Date: 15-Aug-2016 My Rating: 5 Stars
Title: God of the Internet
Author: Lynn Lipinski
Pub Date: 15-Aug-2016
My Rating: 5 Stars

God of the Internet, by Lynn Lipinski, is a thriller about a Muslim extremist computer hacker, aka God_of_Internet, who has developed a worm that will infect computers in the western world in increasing disruptive acts. The story is fast paced and even though I figured out who the hacker was the story was so well written I didn’t care. In addition, the story is not a stretch at all. I can easily see this type of cyber terrorist attack happening and suspect it will only be a matter of time.

Ms. Lipinski did a good job of explaining the mechanics behind hacking and how through back doors and security lapses this type of scenario is possible. We, meaning humanity in general, are addicted to our technology. I shudder to think of the repercussions of an attack of this type would have on our society. Continue reading “God of the Internet by Lynn Lipinski”