Hunted by the Past by Jami Gray

Description from Amazon:

She’s a reluctant psychic. He’s the man who walked away. Can they see beyond their painful past to survive a sadistic killer’s lethal game of revenge?

No matter how far she runs, she can’t escape…

Changing the past is an impossibility ex-Marine, Cynthia “Cyn” Arden, understands all too well. Struggling in the aftermath of a botched mission, which cost her two teammates, her military career, and a fledging relationship, her world’s upended once more by a panicked phone call. The psychic killer behind her nightmares has escaped military custody and is hunting down her remaining teammates, one by one. Up next on his murderous list—Cyn.

Unless she can trust the one who walked away…

The killer’s game brings her face to face with the one person guaranteed to throw her off kilter—the unsettling and distracting man she left behind, Kayden Shaw. Once she believed he’d stand by her side, then he chose his job and secrets over her, leaving her heart scarred by their tumultuous past.

Can Cyn overcome her past to trust the man she loves and master the psychic ability she spent years denying before it’s too late?

Granted, it took me a while to finish this book as I was reading physical copies of others and doing book reviews, etc. so I had to come back a couple of times and reread things. The idea was great: a military unit with psychics and other supernatural-type abilities – sounds intriguing, right?

 

In the beginning there is quite the dramatic episode and you get to witness what Cyn can do. An interesting ability indeed. And you hear of her backstory and what happened to her leg and how she just wants to stay away from it all. But then the past comes back and people she never wanted to speak to again are once more in her life as a madman is after them and taking them down one by one. It seems the villain is in her head and she is struggling to differentiate reality from the past.

So the action is pretty uptempo and the fights are pretty believable (especially the physical damage afterward) but then the intimacy after the physical damage sounds, well… anyway…

Besides the dreadful punctuation and grammar mistakes, was Cyn’s constant anguish. Her being on the verge of tears and curling into a ball on someone’s lap to be held with his head on her head and his arms around her just became repetitive. I never felt a synergy between the team, and in fact, never felt close to any of the characters. They came and went and even the villain was one-dimensional.

The ending was over in a flash and it was, unfortunately, just not a book I would have sat down and been so engrossed in I could read from start to finish. I was hoping for more, considering the plot, but it was not the spectacular psychic thriller I expected.

 

The Girl Before by JP Delaney

Description from Amazon

Please make a list of every possession you consider essential to your life.

The request seems odd, even intrusive—and for the two women who answer, the consequences are devastating.

EMMA
Reeling from a traumatic break-in, Emma wants a new place to live. But none of the apartments she sees are affordable or feel safe. Until One Folgate Street. The house is an architectural masterpiece: a minimalist design of pale stone, plate glass, and soaring ceilings. But there are rules. The enigmatic architect who designed the house retains full control: no books, no throw pillows, no photos or clutter or personal effects of any kind. The space is intended to transform its occupant—and it does.

JANE
After a personal tragedy, Jane needs a fresh start. When she finds One Folgate Street she is instantly drawn to the space—and to its aloof but seductive creator. Moving in, Jane soon learns about the untimely death of the home’s previous tenant, a woman similar to Jane in age and appearance. As Jane tries to untangle truth from lies, she unwittingly follows the same patterns, makes the same choices, crosses paths with the same people, and experiences the same terror, as the girl before.

 

Again… too many people singing this book’s praises and yet it’s flawed in so many ways.

So it starts off with a very intriguing premise and the idea that the very same things are happening to another person makes it feel as though there is something about the house that catches our attention and makes us want to know more. The story does pull you in in the beginning, but it becomes a bit confusing to jump between the two women as you go between chapters. Sometimes when you think you are in the same character’s POV, you have to go back to the start to find out which person it is as so many settings and scenes involve the same people or places.

I understand that the women were so happy to have this upscale, minimalistic place at the incredibly low price, but the 200-plus rules they had to follow about no curtains, no mess, no books, no carpets, etc. was just bizarre. And that they had to fill in surveys about how they feel in order to have the amenities in the house continue working (read water or electricity here) was mind-boggling.

As the story moves on and you, as the reader, realise what Edward (the architect) wanted from the women (and what they gave him), especially after finding out what happened to his family, you start moving away from the credibility of the story more and more (and take that with a pinch of salt). He buys them the same dresses and necklaces, then takes them to the same restaurants (and the description of the living fish they eat pieces of as it’s dying… just no) indicates just how messed up he is. So when Jane starts putting these pieces together (and by the way, the two women look almost identical) she just has to know what happened to Emma.

It’s really odd how Emma’s character changed and the lies emerged and how Edward chose her, yet when she changed 180 degrees, he wanted her even more. And the “Yes, Daddy. Yes.” (insert facepalm here).

By the end of it, with the really rushed ending (that ended with a sliver of reality holding it together), I felt nothing but contempt for all the characters. A psychological thriller that strung you along and had you gasping at the end? NO… It tried too hard to be like a mix of books before it and fell short in so many ways.

The Milk Tart Murders: A Tannie Maria Mystery by Sally Andrew

Description from Amazon:

Who knew a Marilyn Monroe movie could kill you? When Oom Frik of Oom Frik’s Fantastiques dies during a vintage movie screening in Ladismith, Tannie Maria and her policeman boyfriend Henk are on the scene.

Ja, the old thrift-shop owner had a heart condition, but was there more to his demise? It’s rumoured that among Frik’s junk are valuable treasures, and the grumpy, paranoid old guy frequently altered his will.

When a second body turns up, there’s a clue: a letter addressed to Tannie Maria asking for advice – and a milk tart recipe. Fifty-plus agony aunt Maria and feisty young journalist Jessie conduct their own treasure hunt and murder investigation. The police are looking for the perpetrator too, but the amateur detectives have unique skills, and Tannie Maria’s food is a powerful incentive to get people to talk.

Maria and Jessie step into deep danger, but all is not doom and gloom. Spring has arrived in the Karoo, and Henk and Maria discuss moving in together, even though his home is full of his late wife’s stuff. Maria knows food has a way of filling the dark spaces, for better or for worse. Perhaps, once the Klein Karoo crime-buster’s work is done, she might follow her own advice and try a healing recipe.

 

And with that, the series ends. My oh my, but Ladismith certainly is a town filled with mystery and crime! For such a quiet Karoo dorpie, there is a lot of action there.

Maria and Henk’s relationship definitely took a battering in this one, with each believing the other had eyes for someone else. This takes a toll on Maria’s ability to give sage advice to those who write in to her column. After all, when love is being questioned and the past interferes, how are you supposed to help others? And when Maria felt her love of food was becoming for more than pleasure, she had to take a serious look at herself and what she felt was important in life. When she looked into Overeaters Anonymous, this gem was in the book:

Overeaters Anonymous came from far away, probably America. They wouldn’t understand about rusks. If you live in South Africa, you know that rusks are not stuffing your face – they are a way of life. It’s just bad manners not to have one with your coffee.

I shall miss Hattie with her perfect hair, excellent Excel system, and lack of ability to make a cup of coffee, and Jessie, with her gecko tattoo, red scooter, and enthusiasm to help everyone.

The story itself was as outlandish as ever, with murders, mystery, sneaking around, wills, treasure, a pink lacy bra, and Karoo Zoo biscuits. And the recipes look as good as before – I’ll be trying Zaba’s Harissa paste for sure.

A great end to a fun series – what a pity it’s over!

Death on the Limpopo: A Tannie Maria Mystery by Sally Andrew

Description from Amazon:

Tannie Maria might be the Karoo’s favourite agony aunt, but when it comes to matters of her own heart, she doesn’t have all the answers. Why is she having trouble telling her beau – the dashing Detective Henk Kannemeyer with the chestnut moustache – that she loves him?

There are other, more pressing problems too. A tall, dark stranger zooms in on her Ducati motorbike: she is Zabanguni Kani, a journalist renowned for her political exposés, who, after receiving threats, moves in with Tannie Maria for safety.

And who could tell that a trip to the country’s northern parts was on the cards? The journey plunges Maria and her friends into pools of danger, amid water maidens, murders, and Harley Davidsons.

Ladismith’s famous crime fighter is back – with a tin of buttermilk rusks in hand – to restore peace from the Klein Karoo to the great Limpopo River.

 

Well I got my paws on the third and fourth book so am currently working my way through them. The third was not what I expected at all, as it leans quite heavily into politics and the ramifications of apartheid and not the murder mystery we had come to expect.

 

Initially I did not like Zaba as she seemed to arrive already having decided that things would go her own way. But as a murder happens close to them and Zaba is desperate to keep some letters that point to a killer safe, Maria realises there is a lot more to this than meets the eye.

 

Maria has some childhood memories of her father, but mostly that she didn’t get to see him a lot as he was murdered up North when she was young. However, he did introduce her to the concept of the “great grey-green greasy Limpopo” from the famous Kipling book Just so Stories. And when Zaba asks Maria to accompany her to the Limpopo, Maria’s newly awoken wanderlust comes into play (and a long trip in a bakkie that size is going to play hell with your butt).

 

The two head off to solve a mystery that somehow ties them together, but on the way are stalked and nearly killed a number of times. Henk wants Maria back ASAP, but this is her time – she needs closure on something she didn’t even know was coming. And she needs a bit of time away from Henk, who has professed his love for her. Something she can’t quite say back yet.

 

The story ends with a bit of an improbable scenario but who am I to argue with what a baobab can do? And who would kill to save their reputation? The family tie-in makes for an interesting connection and shows just how deep love is and has no boundaries.

 

As usual there is food involved – a lot of it. And the recipes at the back of the book sound fabulous yet again. Bring on the last book!

The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

Description from Amazon:

When you read this book, you will make many assumptions.
You will assume you are reading about a jealous ex-wife.
You will assume she is obsessed with her replacement – a beautiful, younger woman who is about to marry the man they both love.
You will assume you know the anatomy of this tangled love triangle.
Assume nothing.

Twisted and deliciously chilling, Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen's The Wife Between Us exposes the secret complexities of an enviable marriage - and the dangerous truths we ignore in the name of love.

Read between the lies.

 

With 19 “warnings” on Amazon and many before you even start the book of twists on twists, well… you can see where this is going. As soon as people start saying there are twists you don’t see coming, you start looking for them, and then pretty soon it’s easy to spot where the twist starts.

 

Granted… it was a good idea, but similar to ones I have read before. The first part has you looking for clues and keeps you captivated, but as the layers start unfolding, it becomes very drawn out with subplots that don’t feel necessary. So you have Nellie, who is engaged to Richard, who feels as though his ex-wife Vanessa (now struggling with alcohol and life itself) is trying to ruin the upcoming wedding.

 

Red flags are everywhere and should keep you questioning past and present decisions by the characters. This is one of those books that is difficult to explain where it goes wrong without giving it all away, but suffice it to say, I’m really not feeling the “let’s blame bad actions on our childhoods” or “oh gosh, my plan to ruin another’s life was all for the greater good”.

 

You’ll either love this book or hate it, and since part of it actually made me want to read more, I’m in the middle. Would I read it again to go back and see the trail of clues sprinkled to explain the ending? No.

A Place Called Here by Cecelia Ahern

Description from Amazon:

Ever wondered where lost things go?

 

Ever since the day her classmate vanished, Sandy Shortt has been haunted by what happens when something – or someone – disappears. Finding has become her goal.

 

Jack Ruttle is desperate to find his younger brother who vanished into thin air a year ago. He spots an ad for Sandy’s missing persons agency and is certain that she will answer his prayers and find his brother.

 

But then Sandy disappears too, stumbling upon a place that is a world away from the only one she has ever known. Now all she wants, more than anything, is to find her way home.

 

Having never read a Cecelia Ahern book before, I was intrigued first by the cover, and then by the description. Yes – the elusive socks and Tupperware bases or lids are all too familiar.

 

It is a lovely story indeed. Some might say twee but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

Sandy Shortt (who is anything but) comes across initially as an obsessive, self-absorbed, unlikable person, but once you understand her desire to help and how far she is willing to go to find people who have vanished, you realise what a heart of gold she has.

 

Jake was also an interesting character as his obsession in trying to find his brother showed his attitude in not wanting to give up but also that it became destructive as he was willing to let go of relationships to find answers.

 

The Here was a fascinating place, and the way missing people had come together to create communities was quite something. Their attitudes about staying put were quite strange, though. Sandy’s role in the Here and her desperation to get back made for some fun reading.

 

At the end of it all, you came to the realisation that missing can mean many things – it’s not just something physical. And at the end of the story, I longed for a place to exist where missing things do indeed go to.

I’ve looked at more of her books and while the rest might not be what I’d continue to read, this one was light-hearted fun.