The Project, By Courtney Summers ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Cults, Mystery, Physical Abuse, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: February 2nd, 2020

352 Pages

Synopsis: “The Unity Project saved my life.”

Lo Denham is used to being on her own. After her parents died, Lo’s sister Bea, joined The Unity Project, leaving Lo in the care of their great aunt. Thanks to it’s extensive charity work and community outreach, The Unity Project has won the hearts and minds of  most in the upstate New York region, but Lo knows there’s more to the group than meets the eye. She’s spent the last six years of her life trying—and failing—to prove it.

“The Unity Project murdered my son.”

When a man shows up at the magazine Lo works for claiming The Unity Project killed his son, Lo sees the perfect opportunity to expose the group and reunite with Bea once and for all. When her investigation puts her in the direct path of its charismatic and mysterious leader, Lev Warren, he proposes a deal: if she can prove the worst of her suspicions about The Unity Project, she may expose them. If she can’t, she must finally leave them alone.

But as Lo delves deeper into The Project, the lives of its members, and spends more time with Lev, it upends everything she thought she knew about her sister, herself, cults, and the world around her—to the point she can no longer tell what’s real or true. Lo never thought she could afford to believe in Lev Warren…but now she doesn’t know if she can afford not to.

Welcome to The Unity Project.

The next pulls-no-punches thriller from New York Times bestselling and Edgar award winning author Courtney Summers about an aspiring young journalist determined to save her sister from a cult.

I loved Courtney Summer’s Sadie, so I was quite excited when I saw The Project on NetGalley, especially with that gorgeous cover! I’ve read a few books centered around cults, but this is the first time I could see why one like this would attract so many people. I spent the majority of the book second guessing as to whether The Project really was dangerous, or was its charismatic leader, Lev Warren, sincerely trying to use the trauma of his abusive childhood to help others. The question of whether The Project is a cult is played out through alternating chapters between Lo and Bea. Both sisters are very strong characters, yet each have unique vulnerabilities which make them very relatable. I was kept guessing until the last few chapters, and even then there were a couple of surprising twists.

Overall, while I don’t think The Project was quite as good as Sadie, it was a thought-provoking read, and I was still musing over the characters and various aspects of it two days after I read it. For me, that makes it a resounding success.

The Scorpion’s Tail (Nora Kelly #2), By Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child ~ 3.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Archaeology, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: January 12, 2021

480 Pages

Synopsis: Following the acclaimed debut of Old Bones, this second “happily anticipated” new thriller in Preston & Child’s new series, features Nora Kelly, archaeologist at the Santa Fe Archaeological Institute, and rookie FBI agent Corrie Swanson as they work together to solve a twisted crime that reaches far beyond any of their worst fears. (Booklist).

 A mummified corpse, over half a century old, is found in the cellar of an abandoned building in a remote New Mexico ghost town. Corrie is assigned what seems to her a throwaway case: to ID the body and determine cause of death. She brings archaeologist Nora Kelly to excavate the body and lend her expertise to the investigation, and together they uncover something unexpected and shocking: the deceased apparently died in agony, in a fetal position, skin coming off in sheets, with a rictus of horror frozen on his face.

Hidden on the corpse lies a 16th century Spanish gold cross of immense value.

When they at last identify the body—and the bizarre cause of death—Corrie and Nora open the door into a terrifying, secret world of ancient treasure and modern obsession: a world centered on arguably the most defining, frightening, and transformative moment in American history.

Scorpion’s Tail is the second book in Preston & Child’s Nora Kelly spin-off series and while I didn’t like it quite as much as last year’s Old Bones, I’m still looking forward to future books featuring Nora and Corrie.

As always, the research Preston and Child put into this story is meticulous, but there seemed to be something missing here that I’m not sure I can put my finger on. I liked the historical mystery behind this, but perhaps due to the length of the book, I found my attention wandering more than once. Also, while both women have been recurring characters in the Pendergast series, Nora Kelly is much more relatable. Corrie Swanson is in her early twenties, yet strikes me as an old soul. I like her, and find her intriguing, yet I’m frustrated by her at the same time because she has a remote personality that makes it difficult to connect with. I’m hoping to see her character develop as she and Nora work more cases together. And finally, (here’s my one spoiler), while I enjoyed Pendergast’s cameo at the end of the previous book, this time I found it unwarranted and a bit annoying.

While The Scorpion’s Tail is not my favorite story from Preston and Child, it’s still a worthwhile read. And to be honest, I’ve been reading their books since the 90s, and have extremely high expectations for each new entry. If any of you are fans I’d love to know your thoughts about this once you’ve read it. 

The House on Vesper Sands, By Paraic O’Donnell ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Victorian Historical Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Tin House Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: January 12th, 2021

408 Pages

Synopsis:

London 1893: High up in a house, on a dark, snowy night, a lone seamstress stands by a window. So begins the swirling, serpentine world of Paraic O’Donnell’s Victorian-inspired mystery, the story of a city cloaked in shadow, but burning with questions: why does the seamstress choose to jump out of that window? Why is there a cryptic message sewn into her skin? And how is she connected to a rash of missing girls, all of whom seem to have disappeared under similar circumstances?

On the case is Gideon Bliss, a young Cambridge dropout who is in love with one of the missing girls, and his partner, Inspector Cutter, a detective as sharp and committed to his work as he is wryly hilarious. There is also Octavia Hillingdon, a young reporter determined to tell stories despite her employer’s preference that she write a woman’s society column. By turns, clever, surprising, and impossible to put down, The House on Vesper Sands peels back the mystery layer by layer, offering in the strange undertow of late 19th century London a startling glimpse at the secrets we all hold inside.

The House on Vesper Sands is a little slow in the beginning, but it gathers steam as it moves along, and turns out to be an imaginative Victorian mystery, touched with a bit of the supernatural. The characters are well written and I especially enjoyed the engaging repartee between Inspector Cutter and young Gideon Bliss. Their exchanges provided some much needed moments of levity amidst the darker, eerie tones of the story. While much of the action takes place in the final chapters of the book, I found O’Donnell’s atmospheric writing and quirky characters quite entertaining, and was thoroughly satisfied with the way the ending wrapped everything up. I’m actually hoping that O’Donnell turns this into a series because I’d love to see more of Cutter and Bliss. While it shares some similarities of other books in the sub-genre of Victorian Gothic, it contains many unique elements that make it stand out. I particularly recommend The House on Vesper Sands for fans of classic authors such as Wilkie Collins and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

In the Garden of Spite: A Novel of the Black Widow of LaPorte, By Camilla Bruce ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Fiction Based On a True Story, Historical Fiction, Horror, Psychological Thrillers

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: January 19th, 2021

480 Pages

Synopsis: An audacious novel of feminine rage, about one of the most prolific female serial killers in American history—and the men who drove her to it.

They whisper about her in Chicago. Men come to her with their hopes, their dreams—their fortunes. But no one sees them leave. No one sees them at all after they come to call on the Widow of  La Porte. The good people of Indiana may have their suspicions, but if those fools knew what she’d given up, what was taken from her, how she’d suffered, surely they’d understand. Belle Gunness learned a long time ago that a women has to make her own way in this world. That’s all it is. A bloody means to an end. A glorious enterprise meant to raise her from the bleak, colorless drudgery of her childhood to the life she deserves. After all, vermin always survive.

As nighmare-inducing as In the Garden of Spite is, the fact that it’s based on true events, gives it an extra level of horror. Many of you know I’m a fairly quick reader, but once I started reading, it was impossible for me to put this down, and I flew through this in the course of one night!

I hadn’t heard of Brynhild Paulsdatter Størseth, aka Belle, before now, and this book is a mix of fact, embellishments, and fiction. In the beginning I felt sympathy for her and the bleak circumstances of her growing up dirt poor and ultimately the victim of a severe beating which resulted in the loss of her unborn child at the hands of the father, in Norway (this event is rumored to have happened, but is unproven). However, that feeling waned as her victims began to pile up. The story is a slow burn in the beginning, yet I was completely engrossed, wanting to know what turned this woman into such a cold-hearted, prolific serial killer. Alongside Belle’s chapters are her older sister Nellie’s which give further insight into the development of this sociopath.

Normally I’d say almost 500 pages would be too long for a book like this, but Camilla Bruce does such a wonderful job blending fact with fiction in her portrayal of the enigmatic Belle, that I soon lost interest in the page count. The Afterward is a must read as well, as Bruce talks about how she came to write this, as well as what is documented as fact and what fictional elements she added. In the Garden of Spite, is a multi-layered blend of horror, true crime, historical fiction, and psychological thriller that I highly recommend. It’s left me wanting to do more research, which I call a huge success. I unhesitatingly recommend it to readers who enjoy books like Erik Larson’s The Devil in the White City.

The Woman Outside My Door, By Rachel Ryan ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Mental Health, Mystery, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: January 5th, 2021

288 Pages

Synopsis: All children have imaginary friends, Georgina tells herself. It’s perfectly normal, and they all grow out of it in the end. But when her seven-year-old son Cody, tells her about New Granny, the new friend he’s met in the park, Georgina is instantly suspicious. Something—call it maternal instinct—tells her he isn’t making it up.

But maybe Georgina is losing her mind. It wouldn’t be the first time, after all. And with her own mother’s recent death leaving her bereft and trying to cope with life as a busy working mom, it’s no wonder she’s feeling paranoid that Cody has invented a “New Granny” to replace his beloved grandmother.

Her husband Bren, becomes the voice of reason, assuring Georgina that it’s just a game, the product of their son’s overactive imagination. But what if Cody’s imaginary friend isn’t so imaginary after all?

The Woman Outside My Door, is the debut novel by Irish author Rachel Ryan, and much to my delight, while it seems at first as though it’s going down the same predictable road as others in this genre, it takes a surprising twist and brings in part of Ireland’s dark history to boot. I have to be honest and state I really didn’t care for Bren at all and continually questioned why Georgina didn’t show him the door, but that was my one and only issue with the book. Everything else, from Georgina’s self-doubt, her past trauma, the identity of New Granny and the numerous twists that had me guessing from beginning to end, made for an engrossing and quick read. I highly recommend The Woman Outside My Door to readers looking for a puzzling mystery. I’ll definitely be looking out for Ryan’s next venture.

Every Last Fear, By Alex Finlay ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Discussion of suicide, Mystery, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: March 2nd, 2021

368 Pages

Synopsis: “They found the bodies on a Tuesday.” So begins this twisty and breathtaking novel that traces the fate of the Pine family, a thriller that will both leave you on the edge of your seat, and move you to tears.

After a late night of partying, NYU student Matthew Pine, returns to his dorm room to devastating news: nearly his entire family—him mom, his dad, his little brother and sister—have been found dead from an apparent gas leak while vacationing in Mexico. The local police claim it was an accident, but the FBI and State Department seem far less certain—and they won’t tell Matt why.

The tragedy makes headlines everywhere because this isn’t the first time the Pine family has been thrust into the media spotlight. Matt’s older brother Danny—currently serving a life sentence for the murder of his teenage girlfriend Charlotte—was the subject of a true crime documentary suggesting that Danny was wrongfully convicted. Though the country has rallied behind Danny, Matt holds a secret about his brother that he’s never told anyone: the night Charlotte was killed, Matt saw something that makes him believe his brother is guilty of the crime.

When Matt returns to his small hometown to bury his parents and siblings, he’s faced with a hostile community that was villainized by the documentary, the frenzied media, and memories he’d hoped to leave behind forever. Now, as the deaths in Mexico appear increasingly suspicious and connected to Danny’s case, Matt must unearth the truth that sent his brother to prison—putting his own life in peril—and forcing him to confront his every last fear.

Told through multiple points-of-view, and alternating between past and present, Alex Finlay’s Every Last Fear, is not only a page-turning thriller, it’s also a poignant story of a family managing heartbreak and tragedy, and living through a fame they never wanted.

Oh my goodness! Every Last Fear was a nearly perfect page-turner for me. I’ll begin with my small issues. First, this is told through several POVs, yet Danny, who has been possibly wrongfully convicted, gets one chapter in the final half of the book. Seeing as how everything comes back to what happened the night his girlfriend was killed, I would have liked to have heard more from him. Also, the identity of the culprit was fairly predictable, but the journey getting there was still enjoyable. What I loved the most were the characters, particularly the Pine family. They helped turn this into not only a compelling suspense tale, but a heartbreaking family drama. I couldn’t tear myself away from this and finished the book in one sitting. Overall, Every Last Fear is an impressive debut from Alex Finlay, and I can’t wait to see what he comes out with next. I highly recommend this particularly to fans of authors like Harlan Coben and Linwood Barclay.

The Wife Upstairs, By Rachel Hawkins ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Mystery, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: January 5th, 2021

304 Pages

Synopsis: Meet Jane. Newly arrived to Birmingham, Alabama, Jane is a broke dog-walker in Thornfield Estates—a gated community full of McMansions, shiny SUVs, and bored housewives. The kind of place where no one will notice if Jane lifts the discarded tchotchkes and jewelry off the side tables of her well-heeled clients. Where no one will think to ask if Jane is her real name.

But her luck changes when she meets Eddie Rochester. Recently widowed, Eddie is Thornfield Estates’ most mysterious resident. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, their bodies lost to the deep. Jane can’t help but see an opportunity in Eddie—not only is he rich, brooding, and handsome, he could also offer her the kind of protection she’s always yearned for.

Yet as Jane and Eddie fall for each other, Jane is increasingly haunted by the legend of Bea, an ambitious beauty with a rags-to-riches origin story who launched a wildly successful southern lifestyle brand. How can she, plain Jane, ever measure up? And can she win Eddie’s heart before her past—or his—catches up to her?

With delicious suspense, incisive wit, and a fresh, feminist sensibility, The Wife Upstairs flips the script on a timeless tale of forbidden romance, ill-advised attraction, and a wife who just won’t stay buried. In this vivid reimagining of one of literature’s most twisted love triangles, which Mrs. Rochester will get her happy ending?

The Wife Upstairs is a modern day adaptation of Jane Eyre, and although it shares many similarities such as people’s names, and the plot, Hawkins deft hand gives it several twists which makes it stand apart from its predecessor. If you’ve read Jane Eyre, then the mystery at the heart of this won’t be a shock, but getting there is as delicious as a mint julep. That’s thanks to the inhabitants of Thornfield Estates, who might not be likable but they’re utterly fascinating. The main characters all have their backstories tweaked and modernized, making them familiar yet intriguing. This is the very definition of a page-turner and I gobbled it up in one sitting. The ending is a little different from the original classic, but it’s perfectly in keeping with the story and quite satisfying. I HIGHLY recommend The Wife Upstairs to anyone who loves sly twisty mysteries.

Notorious (Rebels of the Ton #1), By Minerva Spencer ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Diversity, Historical Mystery, LGBTQ, Regency England, Romance, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: November 24th, 2020

352 Pages

Synopsis: The cure for a willful wife…

Drusilla Clare is full of opinions about why a woman shouldn’t marry. But that doesn’t stop the rush of desire she feels each time her best friend’s brother, notorious rake, Gabriel Marlington, crosses her path. So imagine her dismay when she finds herself in the clutches of a scoundrel, only to be rescued by Gabriel himself. And when Gabriel’s heartless—and heart-pounding—proposal comes, it’s enough to make Dru’s formidable resolve crumble…

…is a smitten husband.

She’s sharp-tongued, exasperating, and due to one careless moment—about to become his wife. Still, something about Drusilla has Gabriel intrigued. First there’s the delicious flush of her skin every time she delivers a barb—and then the surprising sensual feel of her in his arms. Gabriel even finds himself challenged by her unusual philosophies. And when he discovers a clandestine rival for Dru’s affection, his temperature flames even hotter. But the real threat to their happiness is one neither of the newlyweds sees coming. If they’re to save their future—and their very lives—they’ll need to trust in each other and their growing love.

I have to confess that for the first few chapters I thought Notorious was going to be the second book in a row that would turn out to be a disappointment. I thoroughly disliked the shrewish Drusilla, and after a brief scene where Algerian born Gabriel, victim blames (he almost immediately apologizes), her, I wasn’t overly fond of him either. But then, much to my surprise they started growing on me. What begins as a cold marriage of convenience realistically develops into a true love match which was pleasurable to follow. The secondary characters are equally interesting, notably the villainous Godric Fleming, Earl Visel. Having done his best to torture Gabriel from the beginning of the book, his backstory is revealed about halfway through, and it makes him much more complex and sympathetic. I’m eagerly looking forward to the next book, Outrageous, which will feature him and Gabriel’s stepsister and Dru’s best friend, the impetuous Lady Eva de Courtney. Overall, Notorious is a thoroughly entertaining Regency romp with surprisingly diverse characters.

The Awakening (The Dragon Heart Legacy #1), By Nora Roberts ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Diversity, Fantasy, LGBTQ, Romance, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: November 24th, 2020

464 Pages

Synopsis: #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts, begins a new trilogy of adventure, romance, and magick in The Awakening.

In the realm of Talamh, a teenage warrior named Keegan, emerges from a lake holding a sword—representing both power and the terrifying responsibility to protect the Fey. In another realm known as Philadelphia, a young woman has just discovered she possesses a treasure of her own…

When Breen Kelly was a girl, her father would tell her stories of magical places. Now she’s an anxious twenty-something mired in student debt and working a job she hates. But one day she stumbles upon a shocking discovery: her mother has been hiding an investment account in her name. It has been funded by her long-lost father—and it’s worth nearly four million dollars.

This newfound fortune would be life-changing for anyone. But little does Breen know that when she uses some of the money to journey to Ireland, it will unlock mysteries she couldn’t have imagined. Here she will begin to understand why she kept seeing that silver-haired, elusive man, why she imagined his voice in her head saying “Come home Breen Siobhan. It’s time you came home.” Why she dreamed of dragons. And where her true destiny lies—through a portal in Galway that takes her to a realm of faeries and mermaids, to a man named Keegan, and to the courage in her own heart that will guide her through a powerful, dangerous destiny…

Many of you already know that I’m a longtime fan of Nora Roberts, and her upcoming novel is a perfect example of why. The first in a new fantasy trilogy, The Awakening is a gorgeously told tale that has left me eager for more.

For personal reasons, I really connected with Breen and enjoyed her transformation from timid mouse, to the beginnings of a fierce warrior. I was a little slower to embrace Keegan as his alpha male persona put me off in the beginning, but it didn’t take long for my feelings toward him to thaw. The secondary characters are numerous, but all are immensely likable. The world building is, well in a word, magical. From a Philadelphia drag queen club, to the misty Irish countryside, to the delightful world of Talahm, I was fully immersed with the delightful settings and characters. Except for a few scenes with the big bad and a couple of his minions, there’s not a lot of action, but due to Robert’s talented storytelling skills, this in no way takes away from the story.

For me, the mark of a perfectly written story is when it’s so immersive that it’s difficult to get my head back in the real world. If you’re looking for an escape I can’t recommend The Awakening enough. It’s an enchanting tale with memorable characters that will leave you eager for the next book.

Invisible Girl, By Lisa Jewell ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Mystery, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

368 Pages

Synopsis: Owen Pick’s life is falling apart.
In his thirties, a virgin, and living in his aunt’s spare bedroom, he has just been suspended from his job as a geography teacher after accusations of sexual misconduct, which he strongly denies. Searching for professional advice online, he is inadvertently sucked into the dark world of incel—involuntary celibate—forums, where he meets the charismatic, mysterious, and sinister Bryn.

Across the street from Owen live the Fours family, headed by mom, Cate a physiotherapist, and dad Roan, a child psychologist. But the Fours family have a bad feeling about their neighbor Owen. He’s a bit creepy and their teenaged daughter swears he followed her home from the train station one night.

Meanwhile, young Saffyre Maddox spent three years as a patient of Roan Fours. Feeling abandoned when their therapy ends, she searches for other ways to maintain her connection to him, following him in the shadows and learning more than she wanted to know about Roan and his family. Then on Valentine’s night, Saffyre Maddox disappears—and the last person to see her alive is Owen Pick.

With evocative, vivid, and unputdownable prose and plenty of disturbing twists and turns, Jewell’s latest thriller is another “haunting, atmospheric, stay-up-way-too-late, read.” (Megan Miranda, New York Times bestselling author).

Lisa Jewell is one of my go-to authors for exciting thrillers/mysteries, and she has never let me down. Her latest, Invisible Girl will undoubtedly will further cement her well-deserved reputation as wonderful writer of both character and plot-driven novels.

The story is told from the POVs of Cate, Owen, and Saffyre. Cate I thought was the weakest and found her to be much too easily manipulated. Owen and Saffyre however wonderfully complex characters and their chapters kept me riveted. As for the mystery, well, there are really two: what happened to Saffyre, and who has been sexually assaulting women and young girls in the area. I refuse to give any spoilers, but let me say that all is not as it seems. Just when I thought I had things figured out—BAM—another twist would come that turned everything upside down. Even the ending which at first seems to bring everything to a fitting conclusion, takes a sudden final twist in the last couple of pages.

I swear, at the end of every one of Jewell’s books I think to myself “THAT was her best book yet!” Well, Invisible Girl has done it again. This will definitely please her legions of fans, and most definitely attract new ones. I HIGHLY recommend it for readers who love complicated characters and twisty plots that keep you guessing.