Downstate by Jeffery Deaver

Constant Marlowe is back! And she returns with her impressive investigative instincts as well as her boxing skills. This is the second novella in the series and it does help to have read the first one just to understand her story. Luckily, I had!

Constant is after “Mr X” who she is hoping to turn witness in a case. But when she lands up in pokey Downstate, she stumbles across a case that, at the outset, seemed cut and dry, but has tendrils that extend from robbery to as far as human trafficking. And every time you think you can see the plot twist coming... you can’t!

As always, I loved the author’s style of writing. It’s physical and cerebral and as though each angle is dissected and brought to you. Like watching a movie but really having to think about why each thing is happening. Small interactions that you take for granted as moving the story along actually turn out to be something important. So this really is a quick read as you can just fly through it to get to figure out the why and who.

I had two gripes. One was the bow that was a little too neat at the end. I’m all for her to take into account all the aspects of the investigation, but when the bow is double knotted and sparkly after ALL the action (and there was a LOT) that took place... um... okay... The second gripe is entirely on me and it’s just something my eye kept noticing. When dialogue opened a chapter, the opening quotation marks were missing off the drop cap. I know some take this as a style issue but it was enough to make me pause for a second and I don’t like doing that when reading!

Overall a great story with info and action galore. I look forward to seeing where Constant and her “I’ll do it my way, thanks” is going next!

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to review the book.

All I Need to Know I Learned from the Golden Girls by T Ann Pryor

 All I Need to Know I Learned from the Golden Girls is the author’s love letter to the show, if you will, of her life experiences and what she took from them based on how the Golden Girls had dealt with it. She incorporates the scenes with her events and examines life from their view. Each Golden Girl is studied and their positive and negative escapades compared to how we can all deal with life.

I went into this book with a very open mind as I was a big fan of the Golden Girls way back when and I wondered about the “all I need to know” part, considering some of Blanche’s exploits. What makes me laugh now when I look back at the show is just how times have changed in the way people look. Everyone besides Sofia was meant to be in their fifties and yet if you look at a lot of fifty-year-olds now, there is a huge difference!

The book is very short, which makes it a quick read. I liked the quotes that started the chapters off and many of the stories brought the characters’ voices back to me so I could hear it like a movie.

The story is written from a very chatty perspective and is not a tale from outside looking in at the author, but more like a sharing from the inside out. She holds nothing back when she wants to admit something and even if it’s a little more out there, it’s not sugar-coated. It could have used a good edit though as there are punctuation errors like missing quotation marks, lines are repeated, and the flow of the info sometimes doesn’t work. By this I mean she will be in the middle of a story and the next thing she goes back to something she was speaking about ages ago. It becomes rather confusing.

As a quick read I enjoyed its humour but I didn’t feel it was quite what its title said. The author did not really say they were prepared for a situation because of a lesson learnt from the show. It was more of a “Oh and something similar happened when...” A fun book, but not one I would read again.

Thanks to Reedsy Discovery and the author for the opportunity to review the book.

The author has since assured me that the incorrect version was uploaded and that all editing and formatting issues were sorted out.

You Wanna Put What, Where? by Brian Fasterling

As the author began his tale with the image of tomato juice being the result of a “Number 1”, I could just imagine the horror and worry that this must have caused. To take the subsequent events and treat them in such a light-hearted manner showed the author’s grit in sharing what could potentially have been devastating news to create a story to perhaps help others.

A lump in the renal system that turns out to be a polyp and leads to a stent and a biopsy and further surgery (that goes wrong but eventually right) and and and forms the basis of this medical mayhem.

The editing overall was good but there were some odd punctuation errors where unnecessary commas were placed after dialogue already closed with the correct punctuation mark. The writing style flowed well and was easy to read as the author tried hard to take a subject that was serious and unnerving for him and make it less medical and more humorous. To me, this worked, but it also didn’t. I understood and appreciated the humour but found it became a bit too much. It felt as though every single incident had to be made fun of, which didn’t allow for a change in tone and kept the reading on a constant “snark alert”. Don’t get me wrong, many incidents needed the lightening up, I just wanted to take a break every now and then.

 Especially when there were literal LOL moments like the urine bag falling out of the bottom of the tracksuit pants’ leg. And I felt a little vindicated when he finally realised the indignity of stirrups and what women feel.

 The length was good so that it didn’t go into too much jargon and kept the reader wanting to find out how it ended. I would love to have found out a bit more about his wife and how she coped with it too. A fun read and a good lesson in how we are all connected by our unpredictable bodies and how grateful we should be for medical professionals. 

Thanks to Reedsy Discovery and the author for the opportunity to review the book.

The Canine Collection by Laura Shell

The Canine Collection is a bundle of short horror stories with a supernatural element and all involving a dog or two It runs the gamut of alcohol and domestic abuse leading to violence and a lifechanging discovery, to wishes (even when for good) having consequences, to vampires making choices, to shapeshifters protecting those they love.

 

The author’s writing style is very easy to read and she has a lovely flow where you are involved in the story and then she throws a twist that makes you pause and possibly reread a line. But in a good way. What did trip up the story were the punctuation errors like missing quotation marks or lowercase words meant to be capped or full stops that should have been commas. Even phrases like vice versa were mixed up and made visa versa. These things make me pause in a bad way! Not to mention that the chapters in the first story were all out of whack and had me confused. I wish each story had started with a title too as it went directly from the last chapter of the previous story to chapter one of the next and you weren’t sure if it was a numbering error. It seems the edition sent for the Reedsy review was not the one uploaded for publishing.

 

Immortal Me has a great parallel storyline to it in the question of whether a domestic abuser will ever change his spots. In Jinn or Jinx? I wish the dog had had a bigger role but I loved Eric’s wishes and the way he saw the world. In My Sister’s Keeper there is almost a punishment Emma gets for the choice she makes, but the underlying reason of sacrifice is very sad. I didn’t agree with the synopsis for the story as the “turning” was not really the concern. In The Shape of the Shift the canine is not what you expect and there was a question in there I would have loved an answer to.

 

The collection is good and the ideas work well as short stories as they are punchy and able to offer a packed plot. With extra editing, this would be a great afternoon read.

Thanks to Reedsy Discovery and the author for the opportunity to review the book.

Gore by Kane Szoke

Gore is a grimdark story set in a dystopian world and tells of the warrior Gore – a man born in a sea of blood as his mother lay dying, who fights demons... those without and within. Fated to battle with the demonic Goredus, who himself is battling his brothers, Gore must attempt to navigate the harsh landscape of the nightmare around him and in his mind. As Gore faces what may be an enemy too strong for him, he must accept aid where he can. But when the pale knight sees the Red Sea, Gore knows his journey is just beginning and he must not become a head on Death’s belt.

 

The book is short but sets the main character up for further volumes. Initially, you think the story starts with Gore looking for a girl. Then it changes dramatically and shifts into a demonic dreamscape where Gore battles to keep his identity intact. He is constantly reminded of his failures by those taunting him and his inability to keep the ones he loves safe. This pulling on his psyche and forcing him to confront his past and future, makes for a physical and psychological battle that becomes emotive to read.

 

The imagery in the book is almost overwhelming. The descriptions of tortured bodies and entrails and blood was continuous. I could just picture a landscape devoid of joy and filled with everchanging nightmares. Sometimes it became a bit too much.

 

The book seemed to have language suited slightly higher than YA, and occasionally it became difficult to picture where you were as thoughts mingled with reality and mingled with memories and you had to reread passages to see if you were in a dream or in the present world. The proofing was good but often too many adjectives were used to tell us how people felt. This was my first foray into grimdark fantasy and while the story had merit, it wasn’t enough to make me want to find out more of Gore’s journey.

 

Thanks to Reedsy and the author for the opportunity to review the book.

The Girl in the Fire by Sarah K Stephens

Grace really loves Damien... or so he thinks. So why would she disappear just before their wedding? When looking for clues as to where she could have gone, he finds a newspaper article with her picture in it claiming she died in a fire many years before and that her name was Leanne. What is going on?

 

As Damien investigates further into family relations, he finds out that secrets are buried behind secrets. And that revealing some of the secrets could be deadly.

 

The premise of this book had me really excited as I love a good and well-thought-out psychological thriller. But it kind of left me hanging. The idea is great and the short chapters between POVs from the present to the past make you want to jump to the next chapter each time one finishes. It does become a little confusing to keep up with the characters and name changes at times but you do get into it.

 

My issues were with the story itself. I get that not every book needs to be thoroughly explained or tied up with a bow but so many subplots and parts of the story were left open or were ended so quickly they made little sense. Leanne and Tasha’s big plan was so slow in the making and the explanation felt unfinished. There will always be unlikeable characters in books, but there were more unlikable characters in this book than likeable ones. And the more you read, the more your empathy switched sides.

 

But no. Once the physicality started and the reasons behind things were explained, it just got “really???” Grace’s life choice was eye-raising and if the family had had one decent conversation, none of this would have happened. It felt like too many forced twists and turns to explain it all. And the lack of comma before direct address drove me nuts!

 

The idea was great but the slow execution, leading to a fast and forced reveal, made for a disappointing last page turn.

 

Thanks to Voracious Readers Only and the author for the opportunity to review the book.

Snow Star: Fading Stars by Susanne Ertl

When Namila, a hunter of night walkers for the Elites, encounters a naked girl on her doorstep in winter begging to stay with her for a while, she is completely confused. Where could this girl, Astara, have come from? And how could she let her stay at her home while out hunting each night? These questions open up a new world to Namila, where she learns that there is a lot more out there than the horizon and that what she believed about who her enemies were might not be true...

 

This is a very short book and the first of four, so I presume each will cover a season. The book opens with a conundrum straight away, which draws you in and leaves you with questions about Astara, who the Elites and night walkers are, and why Namila seems to be somewhat of an outcast. Then the addition of Trean makes for a lovely dynamic of job versus relationship.

 

I liked Namila’s balance between being a kickass hunter and wanting to be alone and not vulnerable in sharing emotions, with her opening her heart to Astara and then wanting to trust Trean. When the possibility that the Elites were lying to her and that the night walkers may have a different agenda came up, it seemed Namila was conflicted. But her true colours shone through and she went with her heart.

 

The editing was good with only a few mistakes. (The mix of straight and curly quotes irked somewhat, however!) The book was well written but very short so it was a pity that place and people descriptions were not as developed as I’d liked and it felt like more could have been explained about the conflicts and about the hidden agendas (the priest) and more about the star memories that were not meant to remain that were still there. But the ending does have a great lead into the next book!

 

Thanks to Reedsy Discovery and the author for the opportunity to review the book.

Eyes of the Spyglass by Steven Wagner

If you need an undercover issue sorted then Max Wayne is your guy. A spy and master in anticipating and then fixing, Max will stop at nothing to bring down the bad guys. So when he is presented with a cyber case, Mac pulls in a hacker to complement his abilities. However, they are kidnapped and it seems there are a number of people playing both sides. The world needs Max so it’s time for him to use his special abilities...

 

The premise of the novel and dealing with cyber crimes leading to an actual physical kidnap sounded very intriguing and I was looking forward to learning something “behind the scenes” about cyberwarfare. However, from the start, it became difficult to read the book.

 

It is written in present tense but with the reader being the main character, so it’s all “You pick up the pen and write” or “You turn the pc on”. This makes for a lot of uses of “you” and as you read the word keeps jumping out over and over again. The first 8% of the book is mainly taken up by Max declaring he is going to take the billionaire down and looking at files and “steeling himself” (this is said a lot) for the investigation as justice needs to be done. It is repeated over and over that he is determined to get justice and is looking through files. All of a sudden “you” becomes Max and the present tense moves into past so “Max narrowed his eyes”. Then it jumped back again. Certain paragraphs were repeated from one page to the next (not just once but a couple of times) and hard section breaks are missing to indicate a change in place – in one paragraph he is in his office and in the next he is in the billionaire’s office and is able to glimpse at his monitor and almost figure out his plan. All this after basically being in the office for five minutes and saying the billionaire could use better security and the guy just agreeing. No checks into backgrounds, no lead into why his company is better.

 

There is a lack of information and a lot more filler. Evidence is presented about the attacks but nothing is actually explained. Instead, you get sentences like this that take up the majority of the writing: The weight of responsibility settles on your shoulders, heavy and unyielding. You know that the choices you make in the coming hours will shape the fate of countless lives, that the path ahead is fraught with danger. It does not bring the narrative forward at all. And roughly seventy times, it is said: “For you are Max Wayne, the protector who never rests / harbinger / seasoned spy etc. etc.” Or in one chapter the hacker explains to Max that the billionaire took everything from their family and ruined them and in the next chapter Max asks if the hacker’s vendetta is personal. It felt like things were being said for the sake of being said.

 

The characters are not always described so it was difficult to envisage them and some didn’t have names. So when tech billionaire was mentioned I wasn’t sure whether it was the one they were looking for or not as the second time he meets him the guy doesn’t seem to recognise him.

 

I struggled through this as it could not keep me interested and even at the end I had no clue what the billionaire had actually done (I understood the general idea but the specifics are not elaborated on). The kidnap section seemed an afterthought and over in three pages. But what really confused me was when it was all done, his name was printed in the paper along with the expose on what he did. But he is supposed to be a super-secret spy!

 

Thanks to Reedsy Discovery and the author for the opportunity to review the book. Two stars from me.

The Bluff by Bonnie Traymore

Kate Breslow moved to a beautiful house on Crest Lake with her husband Ryan. It was against her wishes as she had a thriving job and really loved living in the city but she loved Ryan and didn’t want to go against his choice. Now Ryan is dead, having died in a car accident that is still under investigation. And the house she poured all her money into is sitting on a crumbling bluff.

 

Kate is on a committee to decide on a course of action to correct this but there are a number of different opinions and a group of extreme environmentalists who don’t seem to play by the rules. As things start happening to those on the committee, old secrets are brought up and indiscretions exposed. It seems someone is out for revenge, but the reason for the revenge might not be what they think it is.

 

This definitely had another edge coming into it than your usual thriller as there were so many characters keeping secrets that landed up intersecting with each other. It is a quick read but some arcs are slow in coming as the characters keep mentioning past secrets that are horrific or things they are hiding and yet they turned out not to be.

 

I found the technical aspects very interesting when it came to what could be done to stop the bluff from crumbling. It must be a nightmare to have land so close to the edge when Mother Nature decides to take some back. I couldn’t even imagine what it would be like to “pick your house up” and move it backwards.

 

I can well imagine that in such a small place people’s lives are going to interfere with one another and relationships will be tested but it also showed what a lack of communication and friendship can cause. The different POVs that drove the story made for an interesting look at different sides and the psychological explanations of narcissists/psychopaths/sociopaths were illuminating.

 

The story was easy to read if a little slow in places and there were some unanswered questions. No cliffhanger as such but when the end arrived, I did turn the page to look for more. The twist is also not that surprising as there are clues in the inactivity.

 

Overall a good read that brought an interesting perspective into a domestic thriller and made people question the severity of punishment based on what led to the crime.

 

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to review the book.

The Treasure Hunters Club by Tom Ryan

The Obelisk Treasure that came off the pirate ship has been a drawcard to Maple Bay for years. People have searched high and low, from townsfolk to visitors, and each has come up empty handed. Or have they?

 

Peter has been contacted by the grandmother he never knew to come back to Bellwoods in Maple Bay – a large estate that has been in the family for years. Dandy is a teen who fancies herself the next Nancy Drew and when she recently lost her Grandy, he left her a clue about a secret society she just has to follow up on. Then there is Cass who, after having a successful YA book published, has developed writer’s block. Luckily, she has taken up an offer to look after a house in Maple Bay and the fates are definitely conspiring to get these three together. But where will the meeting of the trio take them?

 

I thoroughly enjoyed this as a classic treasure tale. The way that the old town’s secrets mixed with the new made for a good guessing game. The clues led in unexpected directions and then more clues were added to prove the directions wrong. I loved how the ripple effect was wider than expected but that so many were willing to forgive.

 

The characters were a great foil for each other and the amalgamation of enthusiastic innocence versus world-weary experience worked well together. Dandy was definitely my favourite character and her bravery astonishing. Cass was an odd one as I wasn’t entirely sure if she really needed to be there. As for Peter, well he certainly had no clue what the invitation would bring. The descriptions of places and scenes were very well done and easy to imagine – the staircase must have been quite something!

 

The writing was very easy to read and it was just comfortable to sit with a cup of tea and fly through the book. I definitely recommend it for a fun-filled spirited mystery whose history and the secrets it kept buried will keep you second guessing yourself until the end.

 

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to review the book.

Don't Lie to Me by Willow Rose

Eva Rae Thomas has moved back to her hometown with her three children. She has left the FBI to focus on the kids, seeing as her husband decided to leave her. But even her good intentions of staying away from cases don’t help when she is caught up in a murder straight away.

 

Sophie Williams, a rising surfing star, has gone missing from a scout camp. When her body is discovered, it leads to a string of abducted and murdered children that leaves the police confounded. Eva is asked for assistance and when videos surface of the killer blaming divorce and the consequences on children for the reason behind the abductions, Eva knows time is of the essence. But with memories of her abducted sister coming to mind, Eva knows this one will feel close to home. She just doesn’t realise how much...

 

I’ve read a number of books by this author but each series I start I feel disappointed. There are always too many ideas and things thrown into the plot and some lead nowhere while others are meant to hint at the ending but majority never do. There are just too many “huh?” moments in this to allow you to read the book and escape into it.

 

So firstly you have a killer who is doing this to show their deep hatred of divorce and the consequences it has on the children. The killer is killing innocent children to prove this? Um, why? Then you have an ex-FBI agent who has no jurisdiction but constantly goes into crime scenes, gets involved, and the police are so befuddled that she has to join them? But does not actually use her profiling skills. She has promised to be more of a mother now that she has all this time with her children but cannot keep up with groceries, laundry, or school events because she is too busy helping her old flame in the police and even leaves her hyperactive child in the car while she checks out a crime scene?

 

I found the writing stilted to read and the chapters that were in the child’s POV were written in an adult voice. Then there were so many kids either left alone overnight or not contacted in months and the number of times people said Sophie would be the next Kelly Slater was crazy. There are other surfers from Cocoa Beach! And the mother turning a blind eye to their child being molested so that they could be coached by the best? I don’t think so! And the abuse of one of Eva’s friends? What did that have to do with the whole story? A subplot that didn’t add anything.

 

Then when the killer is outed (which was a very unrealistic time grudge to hold) the families carry on as though “Oh well, these things happen” when for it not to be noticed was highly suspect.

 

It started out with a hook but landed up going in tangents and not a series I would continue as I didn’t connect with any of the characters.

 

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review the book.

 

All the Good Girls by Willow Rose

All the Good Girls is a thriller and the first in the Harry Hunter series.

 

Lucy just wanted to stay out at the beach party a little later than usual. Then her dad gets a call that she has been sexually assaulted and now Lucy is missing. Four girls from Lucy’s class have been murdered on a boat they took out to have a good time on and another girl’s body has been found in a dumpster.

 

Harry Hunter is a homicide detective who is tasked with babysitting William, the next potential victim, but also the one accused of raping Lucy and found not guilty. Harry is given a lot of leeway due to his wife, Camille, being in a coma from a drug overdose but pushes this leeway as far as he can. William seems to have a hold on many people in the community and Harry knows there is a deeper story there.

 

When Harry takes his eye off the ball to check on something while meant to be babysitting, another person dies. Now in trouble with the boss even more, Harry needs to redeem himself. But the killer could be coming after Harry or his family next...

 

This is a really quick read and starts off well but falls in the middle and continues downhill to the end. First off, Harry gives out Jack Reacher vibes. Big guy, soft spot for the underdog, prepared to go vigilante, and knows people off the grid who are experts in certain things. So it was hard to see him as a character in his own right. I did appreciate his back story with Camille and his sister as well as his love for his daughter, Josie.

 

What I struggled with were implausible scenarios like the control William had over others and the ability someone had to kidnap an ICU nurse in the manner they did. Plus the ending is pieced together by clues the reader is not privy to, so when the killer is revealed it is confusing.

 

The writer tends to use long-winded sentences that sometimes detract and can be confusing by the time you get to the end of the sentence. It was an average read for me and one that does not make me want to continue the series.

 

Many thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review the book.

The Agent's Demon by LE Medlock

Agent Turner is dead and her demon Lavender is missing. This is not what Hazel Locke, her apprentice and member of Her Majesty’s Paranormal Investigative Agency, wanted, as suddenly she is thrust into the limelight.

 

Turner was investigating a string of murders in Whitechapel. Granted, it was in her own style and not the way the agency wanted, but Turner was a force unto herself and someone Locke admired. When Locke is required to take over her position, it becomes time for her to summon her own demon. But the Hound she is supposed to get is not what she expected.

 

Agent Locke is now a firecracker in an era where women are told to hold their mouths and keep their ideas to themselves. With her demon, Steel, by her side, Locke is desperate to solve the women’s murders and to find out who killed Turner. But every way she turns, she is blocked by politics or archaic rules. Time to get a little creative?

 

I admit I had to start this a number of times as the names and characters were a little confusing at first, but once I got going, I was hooked. Locke’s mix of wanting to follow the right path but also wanting solve the murders no matter what, takes the reader on a roundabout journey to find the truth. It also speaks to her loyalty to Monaghan, her boss and the man who rescued her, but her deep-seated desire to do the right thing and be truthful and help others. The places and scenes are well described and you can picture the dark of Victorian England and see the gruesome crime scenes as well as enjoy the images of the clothing and the innovation of Maia’s food.

The author has a lovely flow to her writing and it’s one of those books you can just pick up and read and the time flies by before you know it. The pacing was great and there were moments you could take a breath and enjoy the banter between Locke and Steel and then it speeds up where Rayne and Cassius insert themselves. The story is a fantastic take on a historical paranormal plot and the nuances of the agency and the hierarchy of the agents (with their own agendas) and their demons was cleverly thought out. The agents all had good stories to fit in with the overall account. It was well edited too with only a few pesky mistakes sneaking through.

 

While the book does not end on a cliffhanger, it was enough to make me get to the last sentence and say NOOOOOO! I need more!

 

Thanks to Voracious Readers Only and the author for a copy.

Metaville by Charlotte Brough

Metaville is a thriller told from various POVs.

 

The Point is a successful teen drama with some crazy twists and turns that has starred a number of twenty-somethings for years. But now, tragedy has struck. Bobby Palmer, one of the more seasoned actors on the show has gone missing. And even though no body has been found, it is presumed that he has died. With all of the actors being very close, having to shoot the scene where he dies in the show will be one of the hardest, yet almost requiring no acting, pieces to pull off.

 

First you have Mason – he who came off another successful teen drama but is plagued by addiction issues. His complete opposite twin, Shauna, is the golden girl, who works in movies and bails Mason out of the serious issues he finds himself in. Mason is in love with Callie, who plays his love interest, but theirs is a complicated relationship. Added into the mix are regulars Tim, Maya, and Will, who, together with Mason and Callie, know a little about the last night Bobby was seen alive.

 

When Bobby’s jacket is discovered, the secrets are pushed down a little deeper but as the actors all start getting threatening messages about the truth coming out, they know that someone is out to get them. And that someone seems to know a lot – could it be one of them?

 

This story is cleverly told using different POVs so that you get to learn much more about the feelings and history of each character. Behind the scenes is very often way more intriguing than the plot line! So, most of these personalities and actions seem to need to be taken with a grain of salt, as, like in Riverdale, they truly hit some bizarre times. Mason’s experiences being the most obvious. It’s like they are a bunch of youngsters playing in an adult world where bad choices are the norm and they are linked because of an incident where not everyone has all the facts (a la I Know What You Did Last Summer).

 

If you look carefully, you can make a good guess at the ending and how the secret is unveiled but not all is obvious from the beginning and the author manages to weave a great storyline keeping all the guesswork together.

 

The editing was great and the story was an easy read. The author has a lovely writing style where even when the plot goes skew sometimes, you never feel as though you are pulled out of the world. A great read where you can just switch off and read something for a good “fun” thriller.

 

Many thanks to Voracious Readers Only for the copy.

Stephen King: His Life, Work, and Influences by Bev Vincent

Having been a Constant Reader from the age of nine when I picked up and devoured Christine, I had to grab this book to review.

 

While aimed at the younger reader just discovering Stephen King, I found the book very interesting for adults too. There were covers and pics I had not seen before, and I enjoyed the range of info offered – from the plots of the books, to titbits about how they were written, to pieces about Stephen’s life and his family.

 

The layout of the book was eye-catching, but some of the book plots were covered a little too well and if you hadn’t read the book, well, you’d know the ending now! However, a sneak peek into upcoming works was a treat.

 

A must-have addition to the Stephen King books filling the bookcase, I highly recommend this collection of information and pictures for the reader who would like to know a little more.

 

All things serve the beam...

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review the book.

Teacher by James Eric Riley

James Eric Riley did not set out to be a teacher. The dream was to be an actor via a number of different jobs. But when a skating accident causes an injury that puts one of those jobs and thus the income in jeopardy, he realises that stability is what he needs. And since teaching offers paid holiday and paid sick leave, that’s the way to go.

 

But what he couldn’t have foreseen was being placed in a Special Education class where the Emotionally Disturbed students are a lot more challenging. No amount of training could prepare him for the type of teaching involved, as well as being able to field the profanity and physical assaults he would be facing.

 

Being very careful to document any altercations, one day he is faced with a worse-than-usual interaction and the evidence and statements to back him up seem to be intentionally ignored. With his job and possibly career on the line, is the system failing him or are there people out there with ulterior motives?

 

This whole story and the incidents were eye-openers for me. We never had classes like this where I went to school and indeed it was a case of “Yes, Ma’am,” or “Yes, Sir,” and no one contemplated lifting a hand to the teacher. So to be shown what some teachers go through elsewhere, was horrifying. How is a person supposed to defend themselves from a physical attack when they aren’t allowed to do anything?

 

And then the deviousness of the authorities in dealing with the case. How could all the evidence be presented and cast aside? How could pertinent facts be overlooked? How could statements be hidden because of personal feelings? In fact, at one point I didn’t want to carry on reading because of the evil ill will that came across.

 

But while the story heads in a positive direction, I was a little annoyed at where it ended as it felt unfinished. The writing, however, felt authentic and I was experiencing what he was experiencing. This made the story flow quickly and it never felt forced or preached.

 

To the teachers out there who deal with this on a daily basis and actually want to help their students with their education, I take my hat off to you.

Thanks to Loudhailer Books and the author for the opportunity to review the book.

One by One by Freida McFadden

Three couples, all with their own issues, head off to spend some time together at a luxurious hotel. On the way, the road to the hotel becomes difficult to navigate and the minivan they are in breaks down. Do they shelter for the night or carry on? With the decision to carry on made, they grab a few things and head off. But the hotel remains elusive and it seems a night out in the woods is inevitable.

Then, one by one, they start disappearing or dying. Who or what is after them and will any survive the woods?

When I read the title, it smacked of Agatha Christie and the premise sounded very interesting. I’d never read this author before, so was looking forward to it. But straight away, there is something just a little off about it.

Claire’s character comes across as whiny and selfish, which may have been intentional, so we keep on reading. Now we have three couples going off on a short vacation together, but some of the people don’t even like each other. This seems odd considering why would you want to spend time with someone you don’t like?

Anyway, so we have Claire and her husband Noah, who are unhappy in their marriage and Claire wants out. In fact, she is putting the cart before the horse and indulging in another too soon. This vacation for her is to muster up the courage to say no more as they have separate rooms and she just needs to do it. She loves her kids but the marriage is a sham. We also have Lindsay and her new surgeon boyfriend, Warner, who suggested the hotel they are about to stay at. Warner is good looking (as Claire constantly alludes to) but is very controlling over Lindsay. Red Flag indeed. Then there is Jack, who has long been friends with Noah and Jack’s wife Michelle. She is a high-ranked divorce lawyer and is only interested in work. Why she is there, who knows? Jack has a little secret of his own too.

 

So here are five adults relying on someone they just met who has a map on a piece of paper, and the road to the luxurious hotel is almost impassable. First implausible thing. Then the responses to the situations are very juvenile. Compass obviously leading you in a circle? Must be human error? Only two hours to the hotel on foot (on the road meant to go to the luxurious hotel that suddenly ends) and six hours later still in the woods? Sounds legit. The girls wanting to pee in the woods but not knowing how to and the guys having to instruct them? Really??? Things just got weirder and weirder as though someone had taken a list of plot points, a list of evidence, and a list of reasons to kill, and then jumbled them all up and said somehow they will connect. But they didn’t.

Mercifully, the story is not long and the writing enough to keep you reading. The writing... not the plot or characters. Although the interjection of the chapters by “anonymous” made for an interesting sideline. If the goal was to get rid of someone, why take so long in the story? All could have been accomplished within the first few hours of the car breaking down. The intimate moment at the end? The timing was rather off. There were other silly errors, too.

A psychological thriller? Nope. The plot of a B-grade movie of the horror in the woods? Maybe. Or maybe just some good base ideas that didn’t mesh well with each other and characters that were not formed enough for a reader to care about. Just an average read...

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review the book.

The Therapist by SA Falk

Dr Fletcher works as a psychiatrist with some of the most serious criminal offenders who have been found criminally insane and thus evading the death penalty. Trent Davis, a musician who is suspected of killing six women, has landed under Dr Fletcher’s watch and she is hoping to find out what’s going on in his mind.

 

Through a number of sessions, Trent has the doctor spinning in circles as she learns about the abuse he suffered (or didn’t), about the demon coercing him (or isn’t), and the bodies he ate (or didn’t). Then packages start arriving for Trent and more bodies turn up – the work of a copycat? When one of the packages has the doctor’s home address as the return address, Dr Fletcher knows she is in danger. Is she too close to the case?

 

A psychiatrist working with the criminally insane – definitely the basis for a good story. Dr Fletcher’s interactions with Trent were very intense and the way he came across as completely sane in his thoughts but insane in his actions was macabre. His lyrics and convictions were disturbing and I was looking forward to finding out the whys and hows of his killing spree.

 

But then the concentration shifted. Suddenly it was all about the copycat and the answers about Trent never came. Dr Fletcher became more of an annoying character as time went by and her professionalism certainly fell by the wayside. The book moves from a heightened sense of emotions and a need to find out more, to a slower feeling of acceptance, and then moves into a possible life or death situation and suddenly (when your kindle says there is 9% left in the book), the story ends. And the ending feels like a copout.

 

The author has managed to convey Trent’s psychological state well, but the “unputdownable thriller with an incredible twist” did not come through.

 

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review the book.

The Murder Club by Sam Baron

Susan Parker has been called to investigate the death of Derek Chen. But his mother, Margaret, is convinced it’s murder and that it’s linked to The Murder Club. Upon delving deeper, Susan finds out that there is a club of wealthy people who are currently stalking a murderer. Once who has videos of his killings and whose feed the club has hacked into.

 

Naved Seth, who is in local law enforcement, brings a young lady named Urduja to meet Susan. Susan knows her as the local pizza delivery person, but it turns out Urduja and friends have been gathering information on the murderer and have identified the type of victims and their connection. But is this enough to tie to the club murderer who has now taken another victim?

 

And then it becomes personal. With the murderer entering Susan’s home and intimating he can take her daughter or sislaw at any time, Susan needs to get her head in the game and stop him. Everyone has family somewhere, and rotten seeds make for rotten trees...

 

Having not read the book before this, it became a little confusing at times to figure out characters and where everyone slotted in. Yet even for someone starting the series with this book, it was annoying the number of times the murder case from the first book was mentioned. And about how great Susan is at her job and how amazing she was at solving the case. And the fact that she is a marginalised woman of colour. And her ire towards white males. I understand that these needed to be introduced to the story, but saying them over and over wanted to make me skip paragraphs.

 

A lot of themes from the first book are brought over like Susan’s husband’s death, her attitude towards her husband’s family, and other relationships, and most of these remain open. It leads me to wonder how many books will be written in this series where these questions are strung out while cases are solved within.

 

I didn’t really connect with any of the characters and mainly read it for the story. This is odd, as in most books I can identify with a character’s feelings or actions. And I did not find this to be a gripping thriller. For that to happen, I need to feel I can’t put the book down without reading just one more chapter. It didn’t happen here. Susan and her team were obviously very close, but some procedures broken and collective decisions made were very iffy. There is loyalty and then there is the law. The twist, well... the clues are there from the chapter that makes it obvious.

 

The writing is easy to read with no major errors and even though this book ends off with questions and leads into the next, I would not buy the next one to find out the answers. It was just a “meh” for me.

 

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review the book.

The Girls Next Door by Anita Waller

Four girls are born within six months of each other on the same street. Four girls destined to be friends for life. Four girls who share all their secrets – except maybe secrets are being kept about them...

 

Chantelle has twins and has just found out her husband, Andrew, is having an affair. When she prepares to deal with the situation, her husband is found dead. Jess wants a baby and possibly a job, but her husband, Mike, wants her at home as his career comes first. Mel is a paralegal but has fallen out of love with her job and is having an issue with a coworker. Erin loves her job working with books but feels something is missing in her life. And it’s not the guy who buys the first editions and constantly flirts with her.

 

Now having to deal with Andrew’s funeral, the four friends all have a turn in their lives where more deaths occur and life-changing decisions must be made.

 

This was a very quick read, but didn’t come across as a psychological thriller at all. In fact, the thriller part, or even the psychological reasons behind it, didn’t make much sense. When a confession is made, the reason behind the decision to make sure the girls are safe seems trite. And the twist? Well... it was accepted rather easily.

 

If it had been advertised as a friendship drama, it would have made more sense. In the prologue, you are told that a murder will be linked to one of the girls so the thriller part is not unexpected. The repetition of only “one glass of wine” or about tea/coffee became a bit tiresome. I did feel, however, that the emotions brought across by the characters in having to deal with grief and love or loss thereof, plus the friendship was done well. The editing was good and the story easy to read, but in one section Pam is Mel’s secretary and then for three lines after that Mel is referred to as Erin. A definite mistake in there.

 

Not a bad story but it didn’t engage me in the way I’d hoped. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review the book.

The Guest House by Bonnie Traymore

Allie Dawson has been offered an amazing opportunity by Laura Foster and is keen on bringing her entrepreneurial concept to life. Allie lost her hearing at a young age, and together with her brother and a partner, has created a screen that clips onto eyeglasses and captions speech in real-time.

 

But life in Silicon Valley is expensive and Allie is struggling to find a place to stay. When a gentleman named Mike, claiming to be in real estate, approaches her at Starbucks and offers her a rental in his guest house, she is initially sceptical. But beggars can’t be choosers so Allie takes a chance. Initially, Allie is happy, but when she sees him dragging something across the lawn in the middle of the night, she has questions.

 

And, adding to her questions is the mysterious Hungarian Barnat, who also has a place at the guest house. After meeting a potential investor, Allie is over the moon about the future. But things take an odd turn when she realises that some people will do anything to get their hands on the newest idea.

 

I read the previous book in the series, which helped to understand some of the characters’ choices in this one as it continues where the previous one ended. However, there were directions some plot lines went in that didn’t seem necessary. For example: why the secret/angry looks from Susan and Willa?

 

I loved Allie’s concept and her portrayal as D/deaf and to be let into how she experiences the world was very interesting. Lots of things hearing people take for granted are highlighted here.

 

Laura has grown in this one and I liked the fact that she decided to take care of herself. But did Peter’s story have to go in that direction in order to get the closure she needed on her decision?

 

Shep was my favourite in the last book and I’m glad his story took a good turn in this one.

 

I think there were too many leaps to just “accept” in this. For Mike to invite Allie to stay and make her pay for three months meant he knew of the viability of her concept, otherwise what he was up to versus the timeframe is a waste. Barnat’s end story almost felt like a plaster on a plot hole. I also found Lydia’s fantasy oddly disturbing and hinted at something more maybe?

 

Again, I wouldn’t call this a psychological thriller but more of a suspense. However, the editing was great and the story kept me going. It does end with questions and seems to have been left open somewhat again. Is there another planned in the series? It is an enjoyable read but leaves you with questions and a feeling like it wasn’t quite finished off. I don’t mean things tied up with a bow, I mean loose tangents.

 

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for a chance to review the book.

The Stepfamily by Bonnie Traymore

It’s Laura Foster’s time. She raised her stepchildren, Lydia and Carson, after their mother died and helped her husband, Peter, with his work while putting her career on ice. Now she is back in the business world and doing well, the kids have grown up and left, and her training for the next Iron Man is spot on.

 

But strange accidents keep happening to Laura. The type of accidents that could get her killed. Is it a jealous coworker? Is it someone from Peter’s or even her own past? Or is it closer to home? As Laura starts investigating, she realises that Peter has not been as forthcoming as she thought about his past. A small lie told many years ago could be deadly...

 

It’s a quick read and while there were thriller elements involved, I’m not sure it was as much a psychological thriller. It goes into state of mind and the after-effects but I still didn’t feel it went that deeply.

 

The character I enjoyed the most was Shackler, the PI. Definitely not as slow as other characters made him out to be. But to be placed in the position he was at the end was not right at all.

Peter annoyed me with his lies and constant worrying. Considering Laura’s life was on the line, he really should have said something. His work, however, redeemed some of it!

I found Lydia’s attitude change toward Laura very quick and her character was not as genuine as I’d hoped.

 

The story ends on a bit of a cliffhanger that could continue or not. So it wasn’t that awful feeling when you get to the end and the book runs out. I thought the leap to “someone is trying to kill me” from brake fluid on the ground was a bit far. With the potholes around here, your whole tyre could have come off and no one would have batted an eyelash. The final confrontation was too quick. It all comes to a head and then it’s over. Just felt like the build-up was so long in the making and then the important part was rushed.

 

The editing was great with no glaring errors to interrupt the flow of reading. The writing that jumped between different narrators and first- and third-person POV made the action more present. While I enjoyed the book, I didn’t love it, but it is a good afternoon read.

 

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review the book.

The Rule of Threes by Jeffrey Deaver

The family didn’t witness the murder, but it seems the killer wants them dead too...

Constant Marlowe is in the town of Clark Valley, having been brought in to catch a killer whose MO suggests another murder very soon. But Clark Valley is also experiencing a land issue with a treaty and there are those willing to kill to keep it.

The parallel stories intertwine and Constant is now tracking the killer, protecting the family, and solving a land mystery. But with so many clues being thrown at her, which are real and which could get her killed?

Slightly longer than a novella but still a relatively quick read, this story sucks you in from the beginning but is not quite as slick as Deaver’s usual style. And, as usual, things are not always what they seem. I liked the path the opening took you on... until it didn’t.

Marlowe’s character is full of grit and I liked her this-is-me attitude but the fact that she was willing to change when presented with new opportunities. However, just one mention that her name was Constant and not Constance was sufficient. No need to let the reader know over and over again.

I enjoyed Tremain’s character as he seemed to be the unsung hero (once you got past the gruffness) who showed that sometimes you just have to do things yourself.

Eventide’s story was a lovely addition and her passion both at work and in her own life worked well.

A lot of detail was kept to when it came to weapons and ammo but was it necessary?

I’m not always one for wrapping things up with a bow but I don’t like a cliffhanger so this ending was interesting. A kind of “read into it what you will.” However, to get there, some truly implausible scenarios had to occur. I’m all for twists and things you don’t see coming, but with Deaver’s other books, the unsub could do dodgy things and be believed, for things to occur in this book seemed like it could have a TV show of its own. Don’t mess with the believable line because once you’ve gone too far, you can’t come back into readers’ accepted territory.

I still enjoyed it though, and will always be a Deaver fan!

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review the book.

Fatal Intrusion by Jeffrey Deaver and Isabella Maldonado

Carmen Sanchez, a Homeland Security agent, is out for blood. She is usually by-the-book, but this time it’s personal. Her sister Selina was attacked, and it seems to be connected to another murder. The attacker was slick and her sister was lucky to fight him off. She did notice a tattoo of a spider, however.

 

As Carmen deviates from her usual procedural ways, she uncovers more about the attacker and his ties, but this now ventures into technical territory she has no clue about. Cue Jack Heron, a professor of intrusion and security expert who knows a little thing or two about finding people behind the layers of the web.

 

But layers are what they are going to find, as each clue uncovered unearths something even more sinister and the connection seems out of reach. Will procedure or by the cuff prove to be the right choice?

 

Since the story takes place over seventy-two hours, the action is full-on from the beginning. Some might even say it was a little too much and a tad unbelievable to have things figured out so easily and slotted into place so nicely. I just read it for the adventure it was meant to be and enjoyed it.

 

The relationship between Carmen and Selina was interesting as the strain between them as well as the strain between Jake and Carmen ran parallel and had to intersect at some point. I was somewhat hazy over some of Jake and Carmen’s backstory as things offered to the reader can be interpreted differently.

 

The parts about the dark sites were actually quite scary in that there are so many layers of things happening out there and no matter how much we think we keep things private, there are lots of people able to find them and have an influence over them based on their own beliefs.

 

The technical stuff got pretty intense and considering the internet (as we know it) is relatively new, technology has broadened in leaps and bounds. In some ways a good thing, in some ways not.

 

The one thing that made me raise my eyebrows was the error in the casino. Maybe it was a play on words and done deliberately, but the bet on a roulette table that covers three numbers and pays 11:1 is called a street and not a streak. If done deliberately, this will have a number of readers in the know shaking their heads.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed the story for what it was, even though some things got figured out as easily as they did. When you need to read just one more chapter, you know it’s a good thing. I’ve been a Deaver fan for years and this didn’t disappoint. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review the book.

Benetton by Francesco della Barba

Francesco della Barba is the key player in this tale of the shaping of the Benetton brand and their expansion in geographical territories and other areas like F1.

 

I was hoping for a story filled with intrigue and glamour, but I felt the story jumped all over the place. Not just with the timeline but also with the characters (some who are named but never introduced and some who appear only briefly). A lot of personal information was given in the story about the author that did not necessarily have to do with the idea behind the book. I felt it didn’t move the story forward and seemed instead like a book about the author. For example, he spent a lot of time discussing how he felt about the differences between Italian road rules and English road rules – rather odd and nothing to do with the company. And while telling the reader how people have affairs in Dubai it might have seemed interesting additional information, it came across rather flippantly and had nothing to do with Benetton itself.

 

A lot was offered about sales and stores and buyouts but the narrative did not feel cohesive. If it had followed a timeline and his involvement in the timeline, it would have made more sense. I was quite looking forward to the parts about the F1 involvement but very little was said about this. What he does explain well are the egos and decisions based on tradition instead of forward thinking.

 

What really let this book down was the grammar usage (which got worse as the book went on), punctuation errors, and incorrect words used. There was a lot of passive voice and saying things like “the car of my uncle” or “I asked to the agent”. Words were used that I couldn’t even work out the error like “he was discontinue in his behaviour” – was this meant to mean that his behaviour lacked continuity? Then there were the outright incorrect words like “weather (whether) you bought it in London” or “waving (waiving) the ticket” but the best was the “walking (walk-in) refrigerator”.

 

I had high hopes for this book but it was disjointed and since it was so short, lacked the full impact the author may have had on the brand.

 

Many thanks to Loudhailer Books for the opportunity to review the book.

 

It gets an average three out of five quills from me.

Werecats Emergent by Mark J Engels

Twins Pawly and Tommy want to finish high school and just do what typical teenagers do. But they know their lives will forever be different since the family has the ability to morph into werecats (of the lynx type) but what they don’t know is how the Affliction then breaks the body down with each morph. The twins are under the impression they won’t be able to morph, but one Halloween night Pawly jumps to Tommy’s defence, and once the red vision overwhelms her, there is no holding her back. After tasting human blood in her first morph, things can only get worse.

 

The family have entered into some shady deals in the past with mafia, gangs, and, most recently, a drug cartel while trying to figure out the morphing curse, stopping the Affliction from breaking down bodies, and just staying alive. But now the stakes are raised. With the twins’ mom, Alex, needing a breakthrough to stop her body from rapidly breaking down, and their father, Barry, swearing he will kill to keep them safe, their Uncle Ritzi needs to use all his scientific knowledge to find a cure ASAP. But of course, when an outside clan member offers assistance, hard decisions must be made. Do something for the greater good? Or keep things as close to your immediate family as possible? Sometimes all the alternatives are wrong...

 

Well, this was action-packed from start to finish, with loads of tangents to follow. Sometimes, I found that there was too much action, too much going on, and just as you were trying to figure out the whys and whens, a mother or an uncle would come roaring in to save the day or move things in a different direction.

 

The story seems to come from Pawly and Ritzi’s POV and both of these bring a very different feel. Pawly’s is young and new and innocent and learning how the world is so much more than she thinks. Ritzi’s is very scientific and calculating and trying to figure out where things went wrong and how he can fix the family he loves.

 

It was sometimes difficult to keep up with characters and their connections to the various “gangs” as well as countries (where from and where in currently) at times, as a lot of info is introduced and if you were to stop reading for a few days, you might have to begin again. I also found it difficult that sometimes foreign words were not translated so I didn’t catch the nuance that the meaning would have had on the sentence. Some characters played minor roles so you didn’t get too involved with them, and some characters were only touched on but left with a story open that obviously leads into later in the series.

 

It's interesting that the modern werecats don’t necessarily know all their history and that they are living by trial and error – probably the same as those that came before them. It seemed a blend of the old and the new – the traditions of the turn and what happens to those who taste human blood during it versus those who don’t. Yet they all lead down the same path. If the DNA problem is not sorted, then their bodies will decay. Ritzi’s exceptional turn was a little confusing but that was probably because I was trying to keep track of loads of characters and the meandering of the story. When it comes to a story where a lot of info is to be remembered it can be difficult for the reader the first time around as the author will have had this in their head for years and had all the intricacies mapped out but not necessarily allowed the reader space to breathe to absorb it.

 

I liked that werecats branched out into different species and how different types of cats were affected. I have a feeling Lim and a young one will have a big part to play in the next book. One thing about this story that made me think was how we accept supernatural areas of fiction without thinking of the processes. Werewolves have to find clothes again after turning. Vampires... well, we won’t go there. And werecats need to shed. Not just a bit, but all of it after turning. The colander in the shower not to clog the drain had me thinking. It opens a minefield of questions – like what happens to whiskers? If they can growl, do their larynxes change? Where do their claws retract to? So many logistics!

 

But back to the story. The writing was very fast-paced and sometimes I would have liked more time taken to explain and absorb the story as it felt frenetic very often. With a lot of things from the past brought in as a one-liner to explain something or a past incident alluded to. These led to questions that multiplied and it was sometimes difficult to slot everything in place. The villain was a villain and then an ally and then a villain and a hero was a hero then a villain then a hero and then it got confusing. In the end I wasn’t even sure who I was rooting for as I wasn’t sure if the person I was backing had an endgame. However, I appreciated the editing and the minimal number of errors. It made the reading a lot easier.

 

The depth of writing can be seen in places like the boat scene with the rescue and the waves. The writing was intense and the descriptions so realistic that the threats involved and the feeling of death looming were palpable.

 

The story covers more than just incidents. It covers the history of clans and what happens when clans betray each other as well as the punishment meted out from clans and human legalities alike. It gives a glimpse of what their futures hold and how they can take past mistakes and turn them into positives.

 

A fast ride with a story that has openings to lead into the second that lovers of all things supernatural and urban fantasy will enjoy. A decent four quills here (make them claw marks!).

 

Many thanks to the author for the opportunity to review the story.