Don’t Let Go, by Harlan Coben ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Conspiracy, Mystery, Suspense Thriller

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

Release Date: September 26th, 2017

400 Pages

Synopsis: Suburban New Jersey Detective Napoleon “Nap” Dumas hasn’t been the same since senior year in high school, when his twin brother Leo and Leo’s girlfriend Diana were found dead on the railroad tracks—and Maura, the girl Nap considered the love of his life, broke up with him and disappeared without explanation. For fifteen years, Nap has been searching, for both Maura and for the real reason behind his brother’s death. And now, it looks like he may finally find what he’s been looking for.

When Maura’s fingerprints turn up in the rental car of a suspected murderer, Nap embarks on a quest for answers that only lead to more questions—about the woman he loved, about the childhood friends he thought he knew, about the abandoned military base near where he grew up, and mostly about Leo and Diana—whose deaths are darker and far more sinister than Nap ever dared to imagine.

I’m a huge fan of Harlan Coben and I’ve reviewed a few of his standalone novels. After finishing Don’t Let Go last night, I can honestly say it’s his best story yet!

Coben starts by relating in his Author’s Note, what inspired him to write this. During the Cold War, there were hundreds of Nike missile sites scattered all over the U.S. These were ostensibly created to shoot down any bombers that Russia may send our way. Many of these bases were located in or near major population centers including the town in New Jersey where Coben grew up and my own town in MA. Naturally these places were magnets for the child and teen residents of the towns. My husband recalls being confronted by an armed soldier when he and a friend got a little too close to the perimeter. Thankfully these sites were all closed by the mid-1970s, especially in light that some of these missiles were tipped with nuclear warheads! So, there’s my brief history lesson, now for the actual review.

Building upon his hometown legend, the book is centered around all the secrets and lies surrounding the deaths of the main character, Nap’s twin brother Leo and Leo’s girlfriend Diana, 15 years ago. While the rest of the town has accepted that this was either a suicide pact, or a tragic accident, Nap has never attained closure, partly because of his belief that the tragedy is tied to to the mysterious disappearance of his own girlfriend, Maura which happened about the same time. Now, a police detective, Nap is determined to uncover the truth, when a former classmate and friend is found murdered, and Maura’s fingerprints turn up at the scene. 

Without a doubt, Nap is one of my favorite characters that Coben has created and that includes Myron Bolitar (who makes a brief appearance) from that popular series. His past, his continuing love for Leo—with who he converses with in his mind, and his stubborn determination to solve this mystery even when others, including friends, seek to discourage him, makes him a likable and relatable character. Like all of the characters that make up this tale, he’s flawed, yet he’s someone you’d not only want in your corner, but also as a friend in real life.

The plot itself takes off immediately from the first page. It’s full menacing and suspenseful, and of red herrings and other surprises, which had me second-guessing myself right up until the satisfying conclusion. While Nap’s quest for the truth is a dark and dangerous one, his sarcastic sense of humor had me laughing more than once.

I think I’ve said this before, but if you haven’t tried Harlan Coben and you’re a fan of suspense/thrillers, you’re missing out! If you don’t want to commit to a series, his standalones are exciting and entertaining, and Don’t Let Go is a great place to start. I guarantee that once you’ve picked it up, you won’t be able to tear yourself away!

 

 

 

Advertisements

Murder, Magic, and What We Wore, by Kelly Jones ~ 3.5 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, Mystery, Regency England, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: September 19th, 2017

304 Pages

Synopsis: The year is 1818, the city is London, and 16-year-old Annis Whitworth has just learned her father is dead and all his money is missing. And so, of course, she decides to become a spy.

Annis always suspected that her father was himself a spy, and following in his footsteps to unmask his killer makes perfect sense. Alas, it does not make sense to England’s current spymasters—not even when Annis reveals she has the rare magical ability to sew glamours—garments that can disguise the wearer completely.

Well, if the spies are too pigheaded to take on a young woman of quality, then Annis will take them on. And so, she crafts a new double life for herself. Miss Annis Whitworth will appear to live a quiet life in a country cottage with her aunt, and Annis-in-disguise as Madame Martine, glamour artist, will open a magical dressmaking shop. That way she can earn a living, maintain her social standing, and in her spare time, follow the coded clues her father left behind and unmask his killer.

It can’t be any harder than navigating the London social season, can it?

Murder, Magic, and What We Wore is a cute Recency romp, that had me laughing out loud more than once. 

Annis is a refreshing young miss. Despite her magical talent, she’s no special snowflake. She’s intelligent, but very naive and because of this, makes mistakes and has to rely on others to help fix them. Annis is not afraid to get her hands dirty, and in addition to investing her father’s mysterious death, takes time out to help others.

Millie, the maid to Annis and her aunt, actually wound up being even more interesting to me. She’s far more practical than Annis, and saves the day more than once. I also enjoyed the close friendship that developed between these two girls despite their dissimilar backgrounds. There’s a lot of “girl power” moments courtesy of these two as well as some secondary female characters.

I loved the fantasy elements added to this, but while there’s an acceptance that magical abilities are par for the course, there’s no other details on how they came to be. Also lacking is some character development, specifically in regards to men. There’s a hint of a potential future romance between Annis and her father’s lawyer, Mr. Harrison, but to be honest, by the last page I knew nothing more about him than I did at the beginning of the book. 

The mystery is intriguing and although I guessed who the villain was about halfway through the book, it still kept me reading. The ending isn’t a cliffhanger, but it leads me to believe there will be additional books.

Overall, Murder, Magic, and What We Wore may be a little short on details and development, but is still a quick and enjoyable read. I’m definitely interested in where Kelly Jones takes her characters and story next.

 

 

Odd & True, by Cat Winters ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Family Secrets, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Paranormal, Sisters, YA Fiction

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

Release Date: Available Now

368 Pages

Synopsis: Trudchen grew up hearing Odette’s stories of their monster-slaying mother and a magician’s curse. But now that Tru’s older, she’s starting to wonder if her older sister’s tales were just comforting lies, especially because there’s nothing fantastic about her own life—permanently disabled and in constant pain from childhood polio. 

In 1909, after a two-year absence, Od reappears with a suitcase full of weapons and a promise to rescue Tru from the monsters on their way to attack her. But it’s Od who seems haunted by something. And when the sisters’ search for their mother leads them to a face-off with the Leeds Devil, a nightmarish beast that’s wreaking havoc in the Mid-Atlantic States, Tru discovers the peculiar possibility that she and her sister—despite their dark pasts and ordinary appearances—might, indeed, have magic after all.

Cat Winters has grown to become one of my favorite YA authors because of her lyrical style of writing, and the wonderful way she combines historical fiction with the supernatural. Although Odd & True was not at all what I expected, I think it might be her best novel yet! 

The story is told from both sisters’ perspectives—Tru’s in 1909, and Od’s farther in the past during the two years she was away. I thought this was going to be a book about hunting monsters, but it’s really about Tru and Od coming to terms with the tragedies in their pasts and coming to facing reality, as long buried family secrets come to light. As they cope with all this, there’s a lot of sadness, but the love and support these sisters share is so pure and beautiful, that it’s obvious that in the end they will pull through.

The story is more family drama than thriller, but it does have a hint of the paranormal in the last third of the book. I found this to be a quick page-turner, because I loved both Tru and Od, and also because of the intrigue surrounding their family. Their battle with the Leeds Devil is a nice touch especially as the events surrounding it are based upon actual events. The ending is absolutely perfect as everything comes full circle and I found myself tearing up a bit reading the last few pages.

With Odd & True, Cat Winters has definitively proven what a creative writer she is. This is a story about hardship, loss, family secrets, monsters and myths. But most of all, it’s a beautiful story of two sisters who overcome the setbacks in their lives because of the love they have for each other. I highly recommend this for older teens and adults who enjoy historical fiction with character-driven plots, that are infused with traces paranormal elements.

Burntown, by Jennifer McMahon ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Coming of Age Stories, Fantasy, Mystery, Science Fiction, Supernatural, Suspense

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

Release Date: Available Now

336 Pages

Synopsis: Eva grew up watching her father, Miles, invent strange and wonderful things in the small workshop behind their house on the river that runs through their old mill town. But the most important invention of all was the one Miles claimed came from the mind of Thomas Edison himself–a machine that allowed one to speak with loved ones long passed. Smuggled out of Edison’s laboratory, the blueprints were passed down to Miles, and he’s been using them to protect Eva, her mother Lily, and her brother, Errol, ever since.

Then, one night when a storm is raging and the river is threatening to flood, the machine whirrs to life on it’s own. Danger, it says. You’re in terrible danger. The next thing Eva knows is waking up on the side of the river and seeing her mother’s grim face. Eva’s father and brother are dead, their house has been washed away and an evil man is searching for them both. They need to hide.

Eva changes her name to Necco–a candy she always loved–and tries to put everything in the past behind her as she adapts to her new life off the grid. But when her boyfriend is murdered and her mother disappears, she know the past is starting to catch up to her.

What really happened the night of the flood? As Necco searches for the truth, her journey unites her with two women who are on desperate quests of their own. And as the trio follows the clues to solving the mystery of Necco’s past, they discover that sometimes it’s the smallest towns that hide the strangest secrets.

Burntown is a genre-defying novel that’s an interesting mix of coming-of-age, supernatural, fantasy, science fiction, mystery and suspense. I’ve read previous books by Jennifer McMahon’s and one thing I’ve learned is to expect the unexpected, and this latest book is no different.

In addition to the quirky characters, there are mysterious murders, a flood, an obese former circus performer, a machine that may let you communicate with the dead, and a sinister figure wearing a chicken mask. Yes. You read that last bit correctly! While it seems as though all these separate elements are just too dissimilar to work together, somehow the author weaves everything together in an entertaining way.  

The story might be a bit strange, but it’s oddly enjoyable. The only reason why I’m marking this down is because after being captivated throughout the entire book, I found the ending to be a bit anticlimactic. Overall though, Jennifer McMahon has once again proven what an imaginative writer she is. Burntown is a vividly written tale with endearing and memorable characters, and a unique and suspenseful plot.

 

 

 

 

The Screaming Staircase (Lockwood & Co. #1), by Jonathan Stroud ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Middle School Fiction, Mystery, Supernatural Fiction, Suspense

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

Release Date: Available Now

401 Pages

Synopsis: A sinister Problem has occurred in London: all nature of ghosts, haunts, spirits, and specters are appearing throughout the city, and they aren’t exactly friendly. Only young people have the psychic ability required to see—and eradicate—these supernatural foes. Many different Psychic Detection Agencies have cropped up to handle the dangerous work, and they are in fierce competition for business. In The Screaming Staircase, the plucky and talented Lucy Carlyle teams up with Anthony Lockwood, the charismatic leader of Lockwood & Co., a small agency that runs independent of any adult supervision. After an assignment leads to both a grisly discovery and a disastrous end, Lucy, Anthony, and their sarcastic colleague, George, are forced to take part in the perilous investigation of Combe Carey Hall, one of the most haunted houses in England. Will Lockwood & Co. survive the Hall’s legendary Screaming Staircase and Red Room to see another day? 

I’ve had this series on my tbr for what seems like forever, but somehow just never seemed to find the time to start it. So, when the first book, The Screaming Staircase, popped up on NetGalley as a Read Now offer, I immediately jumped, and now I’m left asking why I waited so long.

I have to be honest and say that Lucy, who’s the narrator is a little on the dull side. Her personality is well developed, but she’s very reserved, especially when compared to the gallant Anthony and amusing George. I liked her, but she seemed to be missing a certain spark. The relationship between the three is at the heart of this book and I liked that they weren’t copycat characters of others from series like Harry Potter. They’re engaging and work well together, and I was fully invested in seeing what happened with them 

I loved the world-building which is set around an alternate current day London, which has an almost Victorian age feel. There’s a bit of an info-dump which does slow the pace somewhat, but it still makes for a suspenseful and at times, humorous read. 

Despite the couple of issues I had, overall I thought The Screaming Staircase was an enjoyable beginning to the Lockwood & Co. series and I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the books. I think middle-school age kids will gobble this creepy tale.

Duels & Deceptions, By Cindy Anstey – 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adventure, Historical Romance, Mystery, YA Fiction

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

Release Date: Available Now

368 Pages

Synopsis: Miss Lydia Whitfield, heiress to the family fortune, has her future entirely planned out. She will run the family estate until she marries the man of her late father’s choosing, and then she will spend the rest of her days as a devoted wife. Confident in those arrangements, Lydia has tasked her young law clerk, Mr. Robert Newton, to begin drawing up the marriage contracts. Everything is going to plan.

Until Lydia–and Robert along with her–is kidnapped. Someone is after her fortune and won’t hesitate to destroy her reputation to get it. With Robert’s help, Lydia strives to keep her family’s good name intact and expose whoever is behind the devious plot. But as their investigation delves deeper and their affections for each other grow, Lydia starts to wonder whether her carefully planned future is in fact what she truly wants.

Duels & Deceptions is a fun and frothy Regency-era read with a heroine who Jane Austen would have liked!

Lydia Whitfield is my favorite kind of character. She’s highly intelligent, courageous, has a dry sense of humor, and is a little snarky. The romance between her and Robert, starts a bit awkwardly, but by the end they were utterly endearing. The banter between them is funny and sharp, and I enjoyed seeing them match wits. They’re vividly brought to life by Anstey giving them both third person POVs.

The first part of the book is fast-paced and filled with humor. Then around the halfway point things seemed to slow down somewhat. It wasn’t boring by any means. It just didn’t seem to have as much action. Things picked back up though in the latter part of the story and the ending was picture perfect. 

I found the world-building to be well executed, and it’s obvious that Cindy Anstey did her research into 1800s societal norms, dress, and language. I’m a little fussy when it comes to anachronisms in any of the historical fiction books I read, but I really didn’t stumble across any here.

While the figure behind Lydia’s and Robert’s kidnapping isn’t difficult to figure out, the couple’s investigation is still enjoyable to follow.

There’s not a lot of straight historical fiction for YAs that doesn’t involve fantasy or paranormal elements, particularly Regency era stories, so I’m quite happy that Duels & Deceptions proved to be so enjoyable. The tone of the book is so lighthearted and fun, I think I had a smile on my face almost the entire time I was reading it. I highly recommend this for YA and adult fans of historical romance. I’m looking forward to reading more books by Cindy Anstey.

The Woman Who Couldn’t Scream (Virtue Falls #4), Christina Dodd ~ 3.5 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: Available Now

352 Pages

Synopsis: Beautiful Merida is married to a wealthy older man who takes her around the world as his trophy. Merida is everything a man could want. But a traumatic accident years before left her unable to speak. When her husband dies, she knows it’s her chance to exact revenge on those responsible for her accident—and that vengeance begins in Virtue Falls. Reinventing herself, she slips into village life, biding her time. But someone knows exactly who she is and will use this chance to finish what was started years ago. And this time an accident for Merida will mean silencing her forever.

The Woman Who Couldn’t Scream is the 4th book in Christina Dodd’s Virtue Falls series, and although I haven’t read the first three books, for the most part I had no problem following along. 

Although the premise makes it sound like the book is all about Merida, there’s another main character whose viewpoint also tells the story, Kateri. Both women share a past as well as a few other similarities. Despite the trauma they’ve both suffered from these are strong female characters and I liked both of them. That said, I do think the story would have been better served if it had just focused on one of the women. I grew frustrated at times when a revelation was about to be uncovered about Merida, only to be yanked into Kateri’s story. 

The plot itself focuses more on mystery instead of romance, and it kept me guessing with its many twists and turns. It’s extremely fast-paced and I breezed through it in two sittings.

The Woman Who Couldn’t Scream is really two stories that are connected by a very fine line. It’s a bit disorganized at times, but its fast pace, intriguing mystery, and likable main characters kept me reading. It’s also made me want to go back and read the other books in the series, so that’s a plus. Despite the issues I had with this, I’d recommend it for fans of mystery and suspense with some light romance thrown in.

The Girl Who Was Taken, by Charlie Donlea – 4.5 Stars

Tags

Abduction, Adult Fiction, Mystery, Relationships, Suspense

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

Release Date: Available Now

320 Pages

Synopsis: Nicole Cutty and Megan McDonald are both high school seniors in the small town of Emerson Bay, North Carolina. When they disappear from a beach party one warm summer night, police launch a massive search. No clues are found, and hope is almost lost until Megan miraculously surfaces after escaping from a bunker deep in the woods.

A year later, the bestselling account her ordeal has turned Megan into from local hero to nation celebrity. It’s a triumphant, inspiring story, except for one inconvenient detail: Nicole is still missing. Nicole’s older sister Livia, a fellow in forensic pathology, expects that one day Nicole’s body will be found, and it will be up to someone like Livia to analyze the evidence and finally determine her sister’s fate. Instead, the first clue to Nicole’s disappearance comes from another body that shows up in Livia’s morgue. that of a young man connected to Nicole’s past. Livia reaches out to Megan for help, hoping to learn more about the night the two were taken. Other girls have gone missing too, and Livia is increasingly certain that the cases are connected.

But Megan knows more than she revealed in her blockbuster book. Flashes of memory are coming together, pointing to something darker and more monstrous than her chilling memoir describes. And the deeper she and Livia dig, the more they realize that sometimes true terror lies in finding exactly what you’ve been looking for.

The Girl Who Was Taken is the first book I’ve read by Charlie Donlea, but I’m certain it won’t be my last! The only reason why I’m not giving this a perfect 5 stars, is because I thought the beginning was a little slow. There’s a lot going on with Megan and Nicole, with switching POVs and timeframes, and it took me a few chapters to get comfortable with the author’s writing style, but once I did I was completely glued to the pages and finished it in two sittings. 

Livia was my favorite character. She’s career driven and also shows a fierce determination to finding out what happened to Nicole. I can’t even imagine working as a forensic pathologist and having the ever present fear in the back of my head that the next dead body that comes in may be my missing sister’s. Yet Livia doesn’t let this effect her job performance, nor does it deter her from trying to find her search. Once Megan returns, and Livia finds what she believes may be the first clue on a body that shows up in the morgue, the two of them work together to uncover the truth of what happened that night. Other girls have also gone missing and while the police don’t see a connection, Livia does. Unfortunately, Megan is suffering from flashbacks and missing time, which further complicates things. 

As the narrative moves back and forth from months before Megan’s and Nicole’s abduction, to the present, in addition to the tension rising, you get to see how two girls who started off as good friends, wound up as enemies, although this was mostly on Nicole’s part. And the odd thing is, that even through these flashbacks, I found Nicole to be an obnoxious, jealous, attention-seeking twit, I was still fully invested in learning what happened to her. 

There were so many twists and turns, that all of my detective work wound up being wrong. There are definitely moments that require a little suspended disbelief, but nothing that’s over the top. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough because I needed to know what happened. The ending perfectly fits this harrowing tale, and while it leaves some loose threads, I’ve heard rumors there’s to be a sequel so I’m not taking any points off. 

The Girl Who Was Taken, is a well written mystery and suspense story that’s filled with realistic and relatable characters, and will keep you second guessing right up until the end. I cannot recommend it highly enough!

 

The Other Girl, by Erica Spindler ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Mystery, Psychological Thrillers, Romantic Suspense

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

Release Date: Available Now

352 Pages

Synopsis: Office Miranda Rader of Hammond PD in Louisiana is known for her honesty, integrity, and steady hand in a crisis–but that wasn’t always so. Miranda comes from Jasper, just south of Hammond, a place about the size of a good spit on a hot day, and her side of the tracks was the wrong one. She’s worked hard to leave the girl she used to be behind and earn respect in her position as an officer.

However, when Miranda and her partner are called to investigate the murder of one of the town’s most beloved college professors, they’re unprepared for the gruesomeness of the scene. This murder is unlike any they’ve ever investigated, and just when Miranda thinks she’s seen the worst of it, she finds a piece of evidence that chills her to the core: a faded newspaper clipping about a terrible night from her long-buried past. Then another man turns up dead, this one a retired cop, and not just any cop–Clint Wheeler, the cop who took her statement that night. Two murders, two very different men, two killings that on the surface had nothing in common–except Miranda, 14 years ago.

And when her fingerprints turn up at the scene of the first murder, Miranda once again finds herself under the microscope, her honesty and integrity doubted, her motivations questioned. Alone again, the trust of her colleagues shattered, Miranda must try to trust the instincts she’s pushed down for so long, and decide what’s right–before it’s too late.

I’ve been a fan of Erica Spindler for several years, and have always been able to count on her for a good suspense/thriller with interesting characters. With The Other Girl, The prolific author has once again proven why she’s one of the most well-known authors in this genre.

The story grabbed me from the very first page. Miranda and her partner Jake Billings are fantastic characters, and I was thoroughly invested in the two of them. Miranda, a former wild child, is someone that readers will root for. She’s worked so hard to pull herself up and become a well respected homicide detective, and she’s done so without stepping on anyone else. And this makes it especially heartbreaking when Miranda finds that her past has come back to haunt her and threatens to undo everything she’s accomplished.

Although it was almost immediately obvious who the murderer was, there are still enough twists that prevent this story from being predictable. It’s very fast-paced and I wound up finishing it in two sittings. When real life had the nerve to interrupt my reading, I was reluctant to put this down. The ending with its epilogue is perfect, and left me completely satisfied.

Long-time fans of Erica Spindler won’t be disappointed in The Other Girl, and for anyone who is new to her writing, this is a great book to start with. There are so many thrillers that are currently out there, with strong female leads, but in my opinion, this truly stands out from the rest and I can’t highly recommend it enough!

 

 

Unraveling Oliver, by Liz Nugent ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, France, Ireland, Mystery, Psychological Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

272 Pages

Synopsis: “I expected more of a reaction the first time I hit her.

So begins Liz Nugent’s astonishing debut novel–a chilling, elegantly crafted, and psychologically astute exploration of the nature of evil.

Oliver Ryan, handsome, charismatic, and successful, has long been married to his devoted wife, Alice. Together, they write and illustrate award-winning winning children’s books; their life together one of enviable privilege and ease–until, one evening after a delightful dinner, Oliver delivers a blow to Alice that renders her unconscious, and subsequently beats her into a coma.

In the aftermath of such an unthinkable event, as Alice hovers between life and death, the couple’s friends, neighbors, and acquaintances try to understand what had driven Oliver to commit such a horrific act. As his story unfolds, layers are peeled away to reveal a life of shame, envy, deception, and masterful manipulation.

Oh my gosh. Although I requested this, I have to be honest and say as soon as I was approved, I started having second thoughts. I absolutely loved the premise, but wondered how on earth Liz Nugent could possibly tell such a complicated story in under 300 pages. Well, not only does she pull this off, she does it brilliantly!

As the premise states, every chapter is from the POV of a different person who has come into contact with Oliver and Alice in some way. All of these voices have something important to add, even if you don’t originally think so. I mean, do we really have to hear from neighbors, childhood schoolmates, ex-lovers, and so on?. Yes. Yes we do. You see, every character adds to the puzzle that is Oliver, and their voices are all completely distinct from one another. The most chilling chapters are from Oliver himself, and I actually got goosebumps while reading. I connected with every single one of them, which itself is pretty amazing.

The story is filled with moments that shocked me, and it’s so cleverly told that it’s only at the very end that you see the entire picture. Unraveling Oliver is a captivating journey into the psyche of a monster, as well as the people whose lives are forever changed by being in contact with him. It would be a perfect choice for a book discussion group as it invites debate over the nature vs nurture question. I highly recommend this to fans of dark psychological suspense. I cannot wait to see what Liz Nugent comes out with next!