 Favorite part of this book (besides the intriguing story line) - definitely the quirky chapter titles! It’s been so long since I read a book where the chapters weren’t simply numbered, or named for the character that was narrating them. This book had chapter titles like “if you answer the door for strangers...” and “don’t ask a question you don’t want the answer to.” You get the idea. Loved how clever these were!!!
The Last Thing He Told Me is about Hannah’s search for who her husband really is. Hannah and Owen have been married for several years, and Hannah has a somewhat rocky relationship with Owen’s 16 year daughter, Bailey. One day, the company that Owen works for is raided by the FBI, and Owen disappears. All that he leaves behind is a note for Hannah, “protect her.” Hannah and Bailey are devastated, and each struggles to piece together the few clues they have to find out what happened to Owen and where he may have gone. Hannah has several mysterious visitors that lead her to question her husband’s honesty with her, and she begins to investigate on her own to try to find out if she knows the truth about her husband. Was Owen who he said he was? Why did he run and where did he go? This book was unputdownable and unique!! I’ve already ordered some other books by Laura Dave and can’t wait for them to arrive!! This gem will be available on May 4th, 2021. Preorder!!!!!
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 DJ Palmer does not disappoint! I have enjoyed all of his books so far, but this one is my favorite!
The Perfect Daughter is about Penny, an adopted teen that is suspected to have dissociative identity disorder and is suspected to have murdered her birth mother. Penny’s adoptive mother works with both Penny’s psychologist and lawyer to build a case for their plea of not guilty, due to her mental illness. Things are complicated even more as Penny has no memory of what happened that night- it’s suspected that another one of her alters took over, which explains why Penny cannot access the memory. Does Penny really have dissociative identity disorder? Or is Penny a brilliant psychopath? As I said, this is my favorite of DJ Palmer’s books thus far. I couldn’t put it down! I was fascinated by Penny’s various alters and the triggers that caused her to switch between them. The pacing of this kept me on the edge of my seat, and little clues were given throughout that kept me trying to put together the pieces, but I was still surprised by the final verdict! A must read for thriller fans!! The Perfect Daughter will be published on April 20 - preorder now!!  Do No Harm is heart wrenching! How far would you go to save your child? When Emma’s young son, Josh, is diagnosed with a often fatal type of leukemia, she is faced with this question. How far will Emma go to save Josh?
Emma is a doctor, married to a police detective. She seemingly has the perfect life, but underneath this facade is a history of drugs and lies that threatens to surface. As she fights to get her son the necessary treatment for his leukemia, things begin to unravel for her both personally and professionally. And for the first time, Emma and her husband aren’t on the same page. Emma is in a race to save her son while her husband strives to solve his case - and things keep circling back too close to home for both of them. Do No Harm uses the unconditional and limitless love of a parent for their child to explore the opioid crisis, and repeatedly asks the question, “does the end justify the means?” That’s for the reader to decide. A must read for Christina McDonald and thriller fans!! In her typical style, Christina McDonald keeps you turning pages. Do No Harm is one you won’t want to put down! I couldn’t put this book down!! What a fantastic new release!! You’ll want to grab a copy of this one - review to come!!   The Wife Upstairs grips you from the beginning and propels you through the story to the end!
Jane is a young 20 something fresh out of school and foster care, trying to make ends meet. One of her jobs is walking dogs in a very posh neighborhood. While walking a neighborhood dog one day, she nearly gets run over by Eddie, whose wife recently died in a boating accident. Eddie invites Jane in for coffee, and they begin to fall for each other. However, they both have their secrets, which will lead to rocky moments along the way. As Jane runs from her past and learns more about Eddie’s deceased wife, she isn’t always sure where to turn or whom to trust. Can she live up to the legacy of Eddie’s wife? Has her luck really changed for the better or is this all too good to be true? The Wife Upstairs is an edge of your seat thriller, told in multiple viewpoints at different times The story alternates mostly with Jane as narrator, but also we hear from Eddie’s deceased wife and Eddie. Neither Eddie nor Jane are completely honest with each other, and this leads to several pivotal moments in the book. This thriller was a clever twist on a love triangle, and a definitely must read for lovers of domestic suspense.  Migrations is the tragic tale of our planet after humans have driven most animals to extinction. Franny is a young woman obsessively and desperately searching for the last of the wild terns and attempting to follow them on their migration. Many obstacles are in her way - she must get trackers on the birds, she has to find a boat to follow them, and the journey itself is perilous.
As we travel with Franny on her quest to follow the tern migration, the storyline alternates between present, and the past from where she seeks redemption. Franny has always been a wanderer and had a hard life; she’s made her fair share of mistakes along the way. However, she has a good heart and wants to make things right, for the people in her life as well as for the animals of our planet. The mystery revolves around what happened in Franny’s past to set her life on this course - and will Franny be able to complete her self imposed penance? I loved how the author’s descriptive prose matched the situation throughout the book. For example, when Franny was anxious, sentences became more run on and paragraphs became longer, which really helped me identify with Franny’s emotions. The word choice helped set the tone, and the descriptions were so vivid! I really felt like I was in the Arctic or on the boat next to Franny. A tragic story with beautifully descriptive writing, Migrations is a good read for adventure and mystery lovers. Beautifully written!! Thank you to Flatiron Books, NetGalley, and Charlotte McConaghy for the advance copy! Pub day is August 4th - here’s a link to pre-order. His & Hers knocks it out of the park! As we all know, there are multiple sides to every story, and the truth is usually somewhere in the middle. Alice Feeney plays beautifully upon this principal in her latest thriller, and I dare say this was my favorite book of hers yet!! And I loved her other 2 books! Delightful twisted, His & Hers will keep you on your toes and guessing right up until the end....and then some, in true Alice Feeney fashion.  His & Hers is the story of Anna, a reporter, and Jack, a police detective. They were married, until the tragic death of their daughter tore them apart. Anna and Jack are unexpectedly thrown back together when Anna is sent to her hometown to cover a grisly murder, and as it turns out, Jack is the lead investigator on the case. Soon, nearly everybody is a suspect - evidence shows up in Jack’s car, Anna discovers a body, Jack’s sister jokes that she’s the killer, and Jack’s partner starts acting strangely. Anna’s memory becomes unreliable, and we are left to question her trustworthiness as a narrator. Who will survive? Will the killer be found?
His & Hers is a twisted tale of revenge and cunning, deceit and circumstance, and you’ll want to read it all in one sitting. PRE-ORDER THIS ONE and clear your calendars for July 28th!!! Thank you to Alice Feeney, Flatiron Books, and NetGalley for the early copy - this is a must buy!!  The Dilemma, by B.A. Paris, is a nail biting account of multiple characters undergoing different dilemmas, all while planning for Livia’s 40th birthday party. The story alternates back and forth mostly between husband and wife Adam and Livia and their tortured dilemma of when and how to reveal what they know to each other, but there are also smaller dilemmas that sneak in throughout the sordid tale of the evening.
Livia never got the wedding she wanted, so she’s saved up for her 40th birthday and is having a celebration to beat all celebrations. However, her mood is dampened because she knows a secret of her daughter’s. When is the right time to share this secret with her husband? How will their friends and family react when they find out? This secret won’t stay hidden, and Livia wants to be strategic about its reveal to minimize the damage done to her close relationships. Meanwhile, her husband Adam has been working with her daughter to plan a surprise visit for the party. Turns out, Adam discovers a secret also. Although he desperately wants to tell his wife, he wants her to have the party of her dreams and is torn - when does he share this secret with her? In typical B.A. Paris fashion, the story is laid out in such a way to racket up the tension. The alternating view points of husband and wife hour by hour as well as by chapter leave you on the edge of your seat as you wait for each reveal - just when you think you’re going to get the answer, there’s a new chapter with a different narrator. The reader can really feel the mental strain of each character as they ponder their next move in the game of life. Adam and Livia are both trying to look out for each other’s best interests while still maintaining the honesty that is important for a good marriage. And many, many little dilemmas sneak in throughout, contributing to the building of tension and propelling the reader through this delicious story. Thank you to B.A. Paris, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book. If you love suspense, grab this one!! The Dilemma comes to the US on June 30, so soon!! Enjoy :) Anna Downes debut novel Safe Place is an intriguing, spellbinding tale that pulls you in to its web. Right from the get go, you know something isn’t right, but you can’t quite put your finger on it.  Emily is a struggling actress who works temp jobs to stay afloat. Her life is falling apart - she loses her temp job, she’s evicted from her apartment, she botches an audition, and nearly gets hit by a bus, and that’s just the surface layer of Emily’s problems. Scott comes along and offers Emily what seems to be a dream job - working and living on his beautiful, secluded estate and helping his wife care for their daughter as well as estate upkeep. Emily arrives, and everything is serenely beautiful. She fits right in to Scott’s family, and they get along perfectly. However, something doesn’t feel quite right, and there are niggling clues throughout that lead Emily to think that her seemingly perfect job is actually not so perfect. Will Emily figure out her employers’ secrets before it is too late?
Safe Place was a wonderful debut thriller! I loved how Anna Downes places little clues throughout, and how she used flashbacks intermittently to help the reader piece together the story. The characters are intriguing and provide a balance to each other - Emily is a naive young lady that has been through hard times but looks for the good in others; Nina is seemingly a picture perfect wife and mother; Scott is a tortured, rich executive that is doing his best to provide for his family. The estate itself is also practically a character, oozing with charm and beauty. Together, they seem to bring out the best in each other, until they don’t. Thank you to Anna Downes, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for the early copy!! Safe Place comes out July 14, and you can and should preorder on Amazon using the link below. Don’t Look for Me is a pulse-pounding novel filled to the brim with shocking twists and turns! Wendy Walker has done it again - another delicious mystery that will keep you up furiously turning pages all night!  Five years ago when Molly was driving home, her youngest child ran out into the road and was hit by her car. Molly and her family have been spiraling downward ever since this horrific tragedy, and have grown apart while each has found their own ways to deal with their grief. Molly considers leaving her family and often thinks they would be better off without her. She is debating leaving on her drive home one day when she runs out of gas. Molly gets out of her car, and isn’t seen again.
Nicole is Molly’s surviving daughter. She’s searching for her mother, and for answers. However, she continuously uncovers lie after lie when she begins to dig in deeper to the investigation to her mother’s disappearance. Who is telling her the truth and who can she trust? Nicole needs to choose carefully.... I absolutely loved Don’t Look for Me!! Thank you to Wendy Walker, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the advance copy. Pub day is September 15, but you can preorder on Amazon now!!! |
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