Vendetta In Death (In Death #49), by J.D. Robb ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Suspense

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

Release Date: September 3, 2019

368 Pages

Synopsis: The predator becomes the prey in the newest thriller in the newest thriller in the #1 New York Times bestselling series featuring homicide detective Eve Dallas.

She calls herself Lady Justice. And once she has chosen a man as her target, she turns herself into a tall blonde or curvaceous redhead, makes herself as alluring and seductive as possible to them. Once they are in her grasp, they are powerless.

The first victim is wealthy businessman Nigel McEnroy. His company’s human resources department has already paid out settlements to a couple of his young victims—-but they don’t know his crimes go far beyond workplace harassment. Lady Justice knows. And in one shocking night of brutality, she makes him pay a much steeper price.

Now Eve Dallas and her husband, Roarke, are combing through the evidence of McEnroy’s secret life. His compulsive need to record his misdeeds provides them with a wide range of suspects, but the true identity of Lady Justice remains elusive. It’s a challenging case, made even more difficult by McEnroy’s widow, who reacts to the investigation with fury, denial, and threats. Meanwhile, Lady Justice’s criminal crusade is escalating rapidly, and if Eve can’t stop this vigilante, there’s no telling how much blood may be spilled…

I know I’ve raved about a lot of authors over the five years this blog has been online, but there’s one that I’ve severely neglected—J.D. Robb. Robb is actually the pseudonym Nora Roberts writes her bestselling In Death series under, and I was lucky enough to be approved for #49, Vendetta in Death.

Vendetta in Death is a perfect example of why this series continues to be so successful even after almost twenty-five years. In their 49th outing, Lieutenant Eve Dallas, her dishy multi-bazillionaire husband Roarke, her trusty partner Peabody, and the rest of the familiar cast of characters, take on Lady Justice, a vigilante who takes avenging women who have been assaulted, much too far. As Robb does in many of her set slightly in the future books, she takes a real world issue like the #MeToo movement, and puts her own unique spin on it. Although the identity of Lady Justice is evident early on, which took a tiny bit of the suspense away, most of the fun is seeing Team Eve get their man, or in this case, woman. 

As usual, the chemistry between Eve and Roarke is absolutely sizzling. They are hands down, one of my favorite fictional couples. The love and passion these two have for each other makes them true soulmates. And as entertaining as they are, likewise are the relationships Eve has with Peabody and the other secondary characters, who are so likable that they really each could have their own spinoff series.

Once again, Robb has spun a thoroughly enjoyable mystery that kept me utterly captivated for the three hours it took me to read it. Vendetta in Death will surely please her longtime fans. While I think this could work as a standalone, I do recommend you read the series in order. Eve and Roarke have a dense and complex backstory, as do most of the other characters, and this really adds wonderful layers to the story. I know you’re thinking “Kim! There’s no way I’m tackling a 49 book series. No author is that good!” Well let me assure you, Robb is indeed worth it. All the books are very quick reads and I guarantee that once you start them, you won’t be able to stop. Just in case, the first book is Naked in Death!

 

 

 

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The Light at the Bottom of the World (The Light at the Bottom of the World #1), by London Shah ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adventure, Climate Change, Government Corruption, Mystery, Science Fiction, Terrorism, Thriller, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: October 29th, 2019

320 Pages

Synopsis: Hope had abandoned them to the wrath of all the waters.

In the last days of the twenty-first century, sea creatures swim through the ruins of London. Trapped in the abyss, humankind waivers between fear and hope—fear of what lurks in the depths around them, and hope that they might one day find a way back to the surface.

When sixteen-year-old submersible racer, Leyla McQueen is chosen to participate in the prestigious annual marathon, she sees an opportunity to save her father, who has been arrested on false charges.The Prime Minister promises the champion whatever their heart desires. But the race takes an unexpected turn, forcing Leyla to make an impossible choice.

Now she must brave unfathomable waters and defy a corrupt government determined to keep its secrets, all the while dealing with a guarded hotheaded companion she never asked for in the first place. If Leyla fails do discover the truths at the heart of her world, or falls prey to her own fears, she risks capture—or worse. And her father will be lost to her forever.

The Light at the Bottom of the Sea is a spectacular debut from author London Shah, and one that’s sure to be one of the most memorable YA novels of 2019!

Let’s begin with Leyla. She’s a British-Muslim teen who not only is deeply connected to her family, but to her faith as well. Reading about her devotion to her Afghan heritage and her religion was wonderful, especially in a science fiction setting. While naive, she’s also clever, brave, and resourceful, which drew me even more to her. I love the way she grows and develops throughout the course of the story, and I felt as though I was going on her journey right along with her. Her relationship with her family, friends, and her love interest, Ari, are tender and sweet. Leyla is someone who gives everything she has to protect the people she loves. This also includes her puppy JoJo, who completely had my heart melting. Which leads me to my one and only spoiler. There’s a fight scene where JoJo is hurt badly, but she does recover. It was tough for me to read though, so for anyone who has an especially difficult time with animal cruelty, you might want to skim this thankfully short section.

The imaginative world-building is simply phenomenal. Try to picture a submerged London in 2099, the victim of an asteroid and climate change. Underwater cities, without sun, under terrorist attacks by the Anthropoids, who look human but have the ability to breathe underwater, and whose citizens are now falling to a mysterious sickness on top of everything else. The way London Shah beautifully details this vast watery world, left me feeling as though I was there. Combining the majestic ocean scenery with the futuristic technology is a brilliant combination. Also included are images of how life was above the water, before the disaster.

The storyline itself is intriguing and exciting and Leyla’s and Ari’s quest to rescue her Papa absolutely captivated me. Adding to this are the real world social ills that plague us: government corruption, climate change, terrorism, and genocide. This all comes together in an entirely unique way which opens boundless opportunities for discussion with teens.

Overall, The Light at the Bottom of the World, is a brilliant introduction to a planned duology. The only reason I’m not giving it a full 5 stars is because as much as I love Leyla, Ari, and JoJo, I think the secondary characters, some of who play pretty important parts in the story, need to be fleshed out some more. But this is a relatively small complaint. I unhesitatingly recommend this to teens and adult fans of YA science fiction who are looking for a thrilling and mesmerizing adventure with fantastic main characters, an intriguing political conspiracy thriller, and beautiful imagery. I’m eagerly looking forward to not only the next book, but also any future books by London Shah.

Imaginary Friend, by Stephen Chbosky ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Non-Fiction, Child Abuse, Domestic Violence, Horror, Mystery, Substance Abuse, Suicide, Suspense, Torture

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

Release Date: October 1st, 2019

720 Pages

Synopsis: Christopher is seven years old. Christopher is the new kid in town. Christopher has an imaginary friend. The epic work of literary horror from the #1 bestselling author of THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER.

We can swallow our fear or let our fear swallow us.

Single mother Kate Reese is on the run. Determined to improve life for her and her son, Christopher, she flees an abusive relationship in the middle of the night with Christopher at her side. Together, they find themselves drawn to the tight-knit community of Mill Grove, Pennsylvania. It’s as far off the beaten track as they can get. Just one highway in, one highway out.

At first, it seems like the perfect place to finally settle down. Then Christopher vanishes. For six awful days, no one can find him. Until Christopher emerges from the woods at the edge of town, unharmed, but not unchanged. He returns with a voice in his head only he can hear, with a mission only he can complete: Build a tree house in the woods by Christmas, or his mother and everyone else in the town will never be the same again.

Soon, Kate and Christopher will find themselves in the fight for their lives, caught in the middle of a war between good and evil, with their small town as the battleground.

Imaginary Friend is probably one of the most anticipated books of 2019, as it’s the first book written by The Perks of Being a Wallflower author, Stephen Chbosky, in twenty years. Given how much I loved POBAW and the film adaptation, as soon as I found out about it I contacted the publisher and begged for an eARC. Grand Central Publishing was already one of my favorite publishing houses, but now they’ve gone to the top of my list thanks to their generosity.

Chbosky’s first book as well as its film adaptation has an enormous cult following, so his second twenty years later, is a dream come true, particularly as it’s so different. If you look on Goodreads you’ll see a lot of mixed reactions to it. After spending the last four nights reading, I can say that while I did have a couple of issues, for the most part I really enjoyed it. 

One of the chief complaints seems to be the length. Yes,720 pages makes for a long story, but this didn’t bother me until the last 200 pages. At that point I think the battle between good and evil goes on a little too long and could have been pared down some. One saving grace is that Chbosky and his editor were smart when they decided to make the chapters short because this helps keep the pace going even during the slower sections. The actual horror portion doesn’t truly kick in until a little past the first quarter. Instead, this first part is spent introducing the characters which I didn’t mind at all because I loved them, especially Christopher, a seven-year-old boy who literally winds up having the fate of the world resting on his tiny shoulders. Having a small child be the main character in an adult novel carries quite a bit of risk, but Stephen Chbosky successfully pulls it off. He perfectly captures Christopher’s feelings of confusion, frustration, and fright, as well as his love for his mother and friends. The bond between Christopher and his mom, Kate, is beautiful and one of my favorite parts of the story. 

The story itself is a creative spin on the familiar good vs evil theme. There’s a ton of religious symbolism which may not appeal to every reader, but I thought was entirely in keeping with the storyline. There’s some awkward and repetitive phrasing scattered throughout which was occasionally distracting, but it didn’t substantially detract from my enjoyment. In addition to the main story with Christopher and his family and friends, there are others centered around secondary characters which blend intriguing layers into the larger picture. There are quite a lot of twists, and one in particular that I thought particularly brilliant. The ending perfectly wraps all the plot lines up yet leaves the door open a crack for a possible sequel.

Imaginary Friend may not be the same generation-defining literary achievement as its predecessor was, but it’s a thoroughly enjoyable horror story that’s perfect for fans of books like The Stand, by Stephen King. One word of caution. There are quite a few themes here that may be triggers for some people. These include: child abuse, domestic violence, suicide, torture, substance abuse, and extreme violence and gore. Also, I am now terrified of deer! 

Good Girls Lie, by J.T. Ellison

Tags

Adult Fiction, LGBT, Mental Health, Mystery, Suspense

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

Release Date: December 31st, 2019

384 Pages

Synopsis: 

Goode girls don’t lie…

Perched atop a hill, in the tiny town of Marchburg, Virginia the Goode School is a prestigious prep school known as a Silent Ivy. The boarding school of choice for daughters of the rich and influential, it accepts only the best and the brightest. Its elite status, long-held traditions and honor code are ideal for preparing exceptional young women for brilliant futures at Ivy League universities and beyond. But a stranger has come to Goode, and this Ivy has turned poisonous.

In a world where appearances are everything, as long as students pretend to follow the rules, no one questions the cruelties of the secret societies, or the dubious behavior of the privileged young women who expect to get away with murder. But when a popular student is found dead, the truth cannot be ignored. Rumors suggest she was struggling with a secret that drove her to suicide. 

But look closely…because there are truths and there are lies, and then there is everything that really happened.

I love mysteries set at boarding schools, so naturally Good Girls Lie called out to me. Unfortunately after struggling to read this over the last week, I’ve reluctantly come to the conclusion this just isn’t for me. 

This is a tough review for me to write because I actually liked the plot. It’s dark and twisty and kept me guessing. However, there were a couple of things that drove me up the wall. First, I am 54-years-old so it’s been many years since I’ve a teenager, but I can say unhesitatingly that teens do not talk the way they do in this book. For example, there’s a scene where an adult is telling a 16-year-old girl that he approves of her not being an active user of social media. Her reply is: “Goodness no. I find social media a waste of time. Not to mention an invasion of privacy.” Or how about this: “Epochs of  instinct tells me this is an important moment.” Goodness no. No teen talks like or thinks this. I could bore you with the many other examples of this, but trust me. The teens consistently talk and think like 50+-year-olds. There are also sections where the author inserts an interactive narrative that directly speaks to the reader. Instead of coming across as clever, which I’m sure was the intention, to me it was grating and self-indulgent. And finally, without venturing into spoiler territory, there’s a mental health issue that’s a big part of the plot, and I vehemently disagree with the way it’s handled and discussed.

I need to be honest and say that Good Girls Lie is getting many 4 and 5 star reviews on Goodreads, so maybe I just wasn’t in the right mood for it and I’m being overly picky. This is why I’m not rating it. If you do decide to give it a try, please keep in mind that despite the boarding school setting and the age of some of the characters, this is not a YA book. 

#MurderFunding (#MurderTrending #2), by Gretchen McNeil ~ 3.5 Stars

Tags

Horror, Humor, LGBT, Mystery, Suspense, YA Fiction

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

Release Date: August 6th, 2019

336 Pages

Synopsis: WELCOME TO WHO WANTS TO BE A PAINIAC? the latest reality TV show on the hunt for the next big-hit serial killer. But don’t worry—no one is actually going to murder anyone, as real as the fake gore and pretend murder may appear…uh right?

Seventeen-year-old Becca Martinello is about to find out. When her perfectly normal soccer mom dies in a car crash, a strange girl named Stef appears to let Becca know that her Mom was none other than one of Alcatraz 2.0’s most popular serial killers—Molly Mauler. Soon, Becca ends up on Who Wants To Be a Painiac? to learn the truth about her mom’s connection to Molly, but things turn sinister when people are murdered IRL. Will Becca uncover dark secrets and make it out of the deadly reality game alive? Or will she get cut?

While I didn’t review last year’s #MurderTrending I really enjoyed the completely over-the-top storyline mixed with spot-on biting social commentary. The premise of the first book is that in the not too distant future, convicted murderers are sent to an island called Alcatraz 2.0 to be hunted down and killed gruesomely by costumed government sanctioned serial killers. And this is all broadcast for the masses as a bloody reality show. There’s even an app where the show’s legions of fans can comment and place bets. Of course, just as in real life, some of those convicted are actually innocent. Sound familiar? I’ve been looking forward to seeing where Gretchen McNeil was going to go with the sequel.

My biggest issue in this book is with the pacing. While there’ a lot of build up, the action frustratingly doesn’t start until the second half of the book. Because of that, the action does kick in, everything seems extremely rushed. I also didn’t connect with the new characters as much as I did with the original “Death Breakfast Club.” Becca’s being an LGBT character is welcome, but without going into spoilers, her overall attitude about Alcatraz 2.0 really got on my nerves. The relationship between her and Steph also didn’t click with me. Steph remained a standoffish mystery until the last couple of chapters and because of this I never connected with her. I actually liked the secondary characters more, especially Coop and Fiona. The survivors from Alcatraz 2.0 also make some brief appearances which I was happy to see. There are a couple of welcome twists that caught me by surprise, and while everything for the most part is wrapped up at the end, the last sentence has me wondering if there will be a third book.

Although I don’t think #MurderFunding is quite as good as it’s predecessor, overall I still enjoyed it. Questions left at the end of #MurderTrending are answered and while there are a couple of loose ends left, they could be due to the rumored third book. Because of some pretty gory scenes in the second half of the book, I wouldn’t recommend this for anyone younger than high school age. That said, I think both these books could be used to introduce some interesting discussions about our increasing reliance of social media, our fascination with realty shows, and most importantly the negatives surrounding the death penalty.

Cold As Marble (Light As a Feather #2), by Zoe Aarsen ~ 3.5 Stars

Tags

Mystery, Romance, Supernatural Fiction, Suspense, YA Fiction

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

Release Date October 8th, 2019

384 Pages

Synopsis: McKenna’s mission to save her friends from their predicted deaths continues in the second installment in the Light as a Feather series that’s perfect for fans of Pretty Little Liars and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina!

The deadly game continues…

Olivia and Candace are dead, both casualties of Violet’s deadly game of Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board. McKenna and Misha are the only ones left, and having failed to locate and destroy the source of Violet’s power, her curse still abounds, eager to claim more lives.

What does Violet want? And how can she be stopped? Armed with a mysterious package containing clues, McKenna hopes to end this once and for all…before it’s too late.

Cold As Marble actually improves upon Light As a Feather in terms of snappier dialogue, better character development, smoother pacing, and more scares replacing teen angst and drama. The characters are more fleshed out and relatable, especially McKenna, whose shallowness seriously got on my nerves in the first book. Zoe Aarsen also throws more interesting elements like occult and Wiccan magick. The plot is fast moving and entertaining and and I zipped through this in about two hours. The ending sets things up nicely for the final book, Silent As the Grave, which doesn’t have a release date yet. I have be honest and say there are better supernatural/paranormal books out there for teens, but overall Cold As Marble is a fun, mildly scary and suspenseful read that will appeal to fans of Pretty Little Liars.

 

Small Spaces (Small Spaces #1), by Katherine Arden ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Death of a parent, Greek Mythology, Horror, Juvenile Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books For Young Readers, for providing an eBook in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

218 Pages

Synopsis: Bestselling adult author of The Bear and the Nightingale, makes her middle grade debut with a creepy, spellbinding ghost story destined to become a classic. 

After suffering a tragic loss, eleven-year-old Ollie only finds solace in books. So when she happens upon a crazed woman at the river threatening to throw a book into the water, Ollie doesn’t think—-she just acts, stealing the books and running away. As she begins to read the slender volume, Ollie discovers a chilling story about a girl named Beth, the two brothers who both loved her, and a peculiar deal made with “the smiling man,” a sinister specter who grants your most tightly held wish, but only for the ultimate price.

Ollie is captivating by the tale until her school trip the next day to Smoke Hollow, a local farm with a haunting history all its own. There she stumbles upon the graves of the very people she’s been reading about. Could it be the story about the smiling man is true? Ollie doesn’t have too long to think about the answer to that. On the way home, the bus breaks down, sending their teacher back to the farm for help. But the strange bus driver for the kids left behind in his care: “Best get moving. At nightfall they’ll come for the rest of you.” Nightfall is, indeed, fast descending, when Ollie’s previously broken digital wristwatch, a keepsake reminder of better times, begins a startling countdown and delivers a terrifying message: RUN.

Only Ollie and two of her classmates heed the bus driver’s warning. As the trio heads out into the woods—-bordered by a field of scarecrows that seem to be watching them—-the bus driver has one final piece of advice for Ollie and her friends: “Avoid large places. Keep to small.”

And with that, a deliciously creepy and hair-raising adventure begins.

I loved Katherine Arden’s YA/Adult Winternight Trilogy, but somehow I missed her middle-grade debut last year. I’m so glad I stumbled across Small Spaces on NetGalley, because it’s just as good as her fiction for older readers.

Both upper elementary-school age readers and adults will fall in love with Ollie, a young girl who a year after her mom’s death, is still trying to come to terms with it, mainly with the support of her dad and by escaping into books. Even though she’s withdrawn into herself, it’s obvious from the beginning that she’s a natural born leader. Brian and Coco, are also relatable, with Brian developing into so much more than the stereotypical bullying jock, and Coco displaying her own hidden strength under her outwardly fragile physical appearance. They wind up making quite the formidable team by the end of the book.

The story itself a wonderful blend of horror, Greek mythology, and coming-of-age. Although only 218 pages, it surprisingly manages to pack in quite a bit of material. It’s quick moving and I finished it in a bit over an hour. The ending was satisfying but it’s most likely this is going to be at the very least, a trilogy. The second book, Dead Voices, is coming out on August 27th, so lovers of horror and mythology have plenty of time to catch up!

 

The Retreat, by Sherri Smith ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Child Molestation//Rape, LGBT, Mystery, Self-harm, Substance Abuse, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. 

Release Date: August 13th, 2019

 

352 Pages

Synopsis: Sherri Smith illuminates the dark side of the self-care and wellness industry in a thrilling ride of revenge perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty’s Nine Perfect Strangers. The Retreat is a twisting, bone-chilling suspense that asks: how well do you really know your friends?

Four friends.

Four secrets.

A weekend that will change them forever…if they survive.

Kate Manning was a beloved child star until her mid-teens when her manager attacked her and permanently scarred her face, effectively ending her career and sending her on a path of all-too-familiar post-Hollywood self-destruction. 

Now twenty-seven, Katie wants a better answer to those clickbait “Where Are The Now?” articles that float around online. An answer she hopes to find when her brother’s fiancée invites her to a wellness retreat upstate. Together with Katie’s two best friends—-one struggling with crippling debt and family obligations, one running away from a failed job and relationship—-Katie will try to find the inner peace promised at the tranquil retreat. But finding oneself might just drudge up more memories than Katie is prepared to deal with.

Each woman has come to the retreat for different reasons. Each has her secrets to hide. And at the end of this weekend, only one will be left standing.

At about 50 pages in to The Retreat, I thought it was going to be a campy take on a familiar theme and that this was going to turn out to be a “meh” review. But then it took some twisty turns down the dark side, and I wound up enjoying this much more than I originally thought.

This is both a plot driven and character driven tale. No one here is very likable, at least at first. However, all the characters turn out to be much more complicated than they first appear to be. The story is told from former child star and scandal-ridden Katie’s POV, as well as those of her sister-in-law-to-be, Ellie-Rose, and her two best friends, Carmen and Ariel. All four women have secrets that they’re desperately trying to protect, and the way Sherri Smith teasingly reveals each backstory was mesmerizing.

The mystery itself was tantalizing and made for a true page turner with its shocking twists. While I was pretty sure who the villain was by the halfway point, I couldn’t figure out their motivation, so when the big reveal came I was caught by surprise. While the ending for the most part tied up Katie’s story, there were other loose ends that left me with some questions.

Overall, The Retreat is an entertaining and quick read that will make you think twice before going on a wellness retreat. There are several issues that come up that could prove a trigger for some readers. These include: child molestation/rape, substance abuse, gory violence (near the end) and self-harm. This is the first book I’ve read by Sherri Smith, but it certainly won’t be the last!

 

 

Good Girl, Bad Girl, by Michael Robothom ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Attempted Rape, Attempted Suicide, Child Abuse, Mystery, Substance Abuse, Suspense, Torture

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

Release Date: July 23, 2019

368 Pages

Synopsis: From the bestselling author of The Secrets She Keeps, the writer Stephen King calls “an absolute master…with heart and soul,” comes a fiendishly clever suspense novel about a dangerous young woman with a special ability to know when someone is lying—-and the criminal psychologist who must outwit her to survive.

A girl is discovered hiding in a secret room in the aftermath of a terrible crime. Half-starved and filthy, she won’t tell anyone her name, or her age, or where she came from. Maybe she is twelve, maybe fifteen. She doesn’t appear in any missing persons file, and her DNA can’t be matched to an identity. Six years later, still unidentified, she is living in a secure children’s home with a new name, Evie Cormac. When she initiates a court case, demanding the right to be released as an adult, forensic psychologist Cyrus Haven must determine if Evie is ready to go free. But she is unlike anyone he’s ever met—-fascinating and dangerous in equal measure. Evie knows when someone is lying, and no one around her is telling the truth.

Meanwhile, Cyrus is called in to investigate the murder of a high school figure-skating champion, Jodie Sheehan, who dies on a lonely footpath close to her home. Pretty and popular, Jodie is portrayed by everyone as the ultimate girl-next-door, but as Cyrus peels back the layers, a secret life emerges—-one that Evie Cormac, a girl with no past, knows something about. A man haunted by his own tragic history, Cyrus is caught between the two cases—-one girl who needs saving, another who needs justice. What price will he pay for the truth? Fiendishly clever, swiftly paced, and emotionally explosive, Good Girl, Bad Girl is the perfect thrilling summer read by internationally bestselling author Michael Robothom.

Good Girl, Bad Girl is the first book I’ve read by Michael Robothom, and while there were a couple of issues I ran into, I still really enjoyed it. 

The best part of the book are Cyrus and Evie. I loved both their backstories and the mystery surrounding Evie, I found especially compelling. I confess I thought her ability of being a “truth wizard” would be more of a focus of the book and was disappointed that it wasn’t. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the same emotional investment in discovering who was behind Jodie’s death. Don’t get me wrong, it was a solid mystery. I think I was just so captivated by the developing relationship between Cyrus and Evie, and the shared traumas between them, that I found Jodie’s story almost distracting. 

All of the characters are extremely well-written, with plenty of flaws amongst them, which serves to make them relatable (although there was one who I found thoroughly detestable and who didn’t get the just desserts they should have.) But again, it’s Cyrus and Evie who are the standouts here and raise this story above others in the same genre.

Good Girl, Bad Girl was an entertaining and quick read, and from the way it ends I will be very surprised if this doesn’t turn into a series. Both Cyrus and Evie are characters I easily grew attached to and I’d love to see more of them. I do want to caution though, there are triggers which some people may have a difficult time with. These include: Descriptions of torture, child abuse, substance abuse, attempted suicide, self-harm, and attempted rape. Otherwise, I highly recommend this to fans of mystery, suspense, and character-driven stories.

 

 

Old Bones (Nora Kelly #1), by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Suspense

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

Release Date: August 20th, 2019

384 Pages

Synopsis: #1 bestselling authors Preston & Child bring  the true story of the ill-fated Donner Party to new life in a thrilling blend of archaeology, history, murder, and suspense.

Nora Kelly, a young curator with the Santa Fe Institute of Archeology is approached by historian Clive Benton with a once-in-a-lifetime proposal: to lead a team in search of the so-called “Lost Camp” of the tragic Donner Party. This was a group of pioneers who earned a terrible place in American history when they became snowbound in the California mountains in 1847, their fate unknown, until the first skeletonized survivors stumbled out of the wilderness, raving about starvation, murder, and cannibalism. 

Benton tells Kelly he has stumbled upon an amazing find: the long-sought diary of one of the victims, which has an enigmatic description of the Lost Camp. Nora agrees to lead an expedition to locate and excavate it—-to reveal its long-buried secrets.

Once in the mountains, however, they learn that discovering the camp is only the first step in a mounting journey of fear. For as they uncover old bones, they expose the real truth of what happened, one that is far more shocking and bizarre than mere cannibalism. And when those ancient horrors lead to present day violence on a grand scale, rookie FBI agent, Corrie Swanson is assigned the case…only to find that her first investigation might very well be her last.

The bad news for fans of Aloysius Pendergast, is that he doesn’t make an appearance in Old Bones until the epilogue. The good news is that while I personally deeply missed him, Preston & Child have taken one of my favorite secondary characters in the Pendergast series, and given her wings.

Nora was actually the main character in Thunderhead (1999). As the Pendergast series took off, she became a strong supporting character, featuring predominantly in the Diogenes trilogy. If after waiting for a year for a new book by the authors, I couldn’t have this feature my Pendergast, I couldn’t have asked for a better person to take the reins. 

Joining Nora is another Pendergast supporting character, Corrie Swanson, who having been mentored by Pendergast, is now making her solo debut as an FBI agent. Both Nora and Corrie are strong-willed women, so to say they initially bump heads is putting it mildly. Nora is much more established and comfortable in her career, whereas Corrie is eager to prove herself and as a result, doesn’t always play well with others. I liked the way their relationship developed and by the end of the book they turned into quite a formidable team. I’m hoping Corrie makes more appearances in future books because they make quite a dynamic pairing.

The storyline itself is fascinating and vintage Preston and Child. Taking the historical tragedy of the Donner Party, and blending it with a modern-day sinister conspiracy was sheer genius. While it was obvious after only a few chapters in, that the shadowy organization behind grave robbings and killings were interested in a particular member of the doomed pioneers, I was in the dark until the last part of the book as to the question of why. Likewise, I was completely surprised regarding the unmasking of the villains who Nora and Corrie come into personal contact with. Once the big reveal came though, I had one of those “Aha!” moments because everything came together and made sense.

The only reason why I’m not giving this 5 stars is because as enjoyable as the characters and the blending of history with a contemporary conspiracy thriller were, there was a certain multi-layered complexity that are always a big part of the Pendergast books, that was missing here. Also, I’m usually literally chewing my nails while devouring a Pendergast tale but here, while I definitely had an avid interest in what was going on, I wasn’t quite so desperate about it. That said, Old Bones is a fun and entertaining introduction to this new series, and I’m looking forward to more (hopefully after a new Pendergast novel comes out though!) For those of you who haven’t read the Pendergast series, but are getting tired of my ravings about it, this is an excellent place to begin your introduction into the wonderfully weird, creepy, mysterious, always intriguing and exciting world of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child!