Jenn's Review: On The Hunt

Author: Iris Johansen
Series: Kira Drake #1
Publication Date:  August 1, 2020
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Pages: 364
Obtained: owned
Genre:  Thriller
Rating: 2/5
Bottom Line: Not need to search this one out
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Summary: Kira Drake has come to Paris with her highly trained Golden Retriever, Mack, to investigate the horrific bombing of a museum in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.  What she doesn’t know is that one powerful man has a special reason to find the person responsible.  

Jack Harlan has all the money in the world, but it can’t bring his brother back. His sibling was murdered during the theft of a scientific discovery that could have made the world a better place. Now, after a four-year search, Harlan learns that this bombing was the work of the same twisted man. ~amazon.com

Review: I’ve adored many other Iris Johansen books and I so wanted to love this one, but I just didn’t. The novel drops the reader right into the story with absolutely no plot exposition. I knew the characters of Sarah and John Logan from her Eve Duncan series which gave me a little context… but not enough. While we are given more background on the characters as the story progressed, it felt like they were never really fleshed out; I was never fully invested in any of them. 

The main character of Kira seemed to be neurodivergent so her interactions were awkward but they became even stranger when paired with Harlan whose character was almost cartoonish. And although I found the plot interesting, the two dimensional characters made it seem like a rough draft of an excellent Iris Johansen novel.

The true test is whether or not I would continue this series: maybe, but based more on Ms Johansen reputation for writing exceptional novels, in hopes that this series improves.

Jenn's Review: The Viper

Author: John Verdon
Series: Dave Gurney #8
Publication Date:  July 18, 223
Publisher: Counterpoint LLC
Pages: 400
Obtained: purchased
Genre:  Crime, Thriller 
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: Couldn't get it out of my head
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Summary: Pushed to his breaking point and accused of murder, retired NYPD detective Dave Gurney must face his greatest adversary yet to solve a mystery that is quickly tearing his world apart. Tennis bad boy Ziko Slade is serving twenty years for the grisly murder of small-time criminal Lenny Lerman. The facts of the case--and Slade's checkered past--seem indisputable. What begins as a cursory review of the case as a favor to Dave Gurney's wife's friend soon spirals into something much more complicated. When Gurney's involvement threatens to expose a viper's nest of corruption, he finds himself framed for murder and pursued by a sensational media, a ruthless district attorney, and a coldblooded killer. As he evades the law and attempts to solve the case to salvage his reputation, Gurney grapples with the realization that his unshakable need for police work is costing him more than the brilliant detective ever suspected. The Viper is the most shocking and riveting chapter yet in the internationally bestselling Dave Gurney series. ~amazon.com

Review: I have been a long time fan of this series and I returned to it for a comforting familiarity and a visit with old friends, but this installment of Dave Gurney was too unsettling.

After the last case I would have imagined Gurney becoming more protective of his wife and the effects of his investigations. Gurney seems to have become more recklessly obsessed with solving the case. True, this time she brought him the case, but he was blinded to the point of recklessness. This case brought out a darkness in Gurney. I missed his meticulous attention to detail and moral compass.

I have long thought Gurney and his wife were mismatched but being a bystander to the self destruction of their relationship was hard, more difficult than I imagined, actually.

Although the case is mostly resolved, there are a lot of open ends and unresolved issues. There is no neat ending here and many of the methodical fact gathering was abandoned. I realize I’m not meant to, but I don’t like where things were left. I hope none of the characters are broken beyond repair but it is a definite possibility. It was a difficult place to leave my Walnut Crossing friends and definitely not the comfort I was seeking.

Julie's Review: The Lioness

Author: Chris Bohjalian
Series: None
Publication Date:  May 10, 2022
Publisher: Doubleday
Pages: 317
Obtained: publisher via NetGalley
Genre:  Historical Fiction, Thriller
Rating: 5/5
Bottom Line: Intense
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Summary: Tanzania, 1964. When Katie Barstow, A-list actress, and her new husband, David Hill, decide to bring their Hollywood friends to the Serengeti for their honeymoon, they envision giraffes gently eating leaves from the tall acacia trees, great swarms of wildebeests crossing the Mara River, and herds of zebras storming the sandy plains. Their glamorous guests—including Katie’s best friend, Carmen Tedesco, and Terrance Dutton, the celebrated Black actor who stars alongside Katie in the highly controversial film Tender Madness—will spend their days taking photos, and their evenings drinking chilled gin and tonics back at camp, as the local Tanzanian guides warm water for their baths. The wealthy Americans expect civilized adventure: fresh ice from the kerosene-powered ice maker, dinners of cooked gazelle meat, and plenty of stories to tell over lunch back on Rodeo Drive. What Katie and her glittering entourage do not expect is this: a kidnapping gone wrong, their guides bleeding out in the dirt, and a team of Russian mercenaries herding their hostages into Land Rovers, guns to their heads. As the powerful sun gives way to night, the gunmen shove them into abandoned huts and Katie Barstow, Hollywood royalty, prays for a simple thing: to see the sun rise one more time. A blistering story of fame, race, love, and death set in a world on the cusp of great change, The Lioness is a vibrant masterpiece from one of our finest storytellers. ~amazon.com

Review: I have long been a fan of Chris Bohjalian's novels but The Lioness is very different than his other novels. This is a great combination of Historical Fiction and Thriller but a bit of old Hollywood glamour. Mr. Bohjalian always has an interesting take on societal issues and this one is no different. Are humans really that much different than the wild animals that live in the Serengeti? Would you want to die at the claws of a wild animal or by the gun of a human?

Katie Barstow and her husband, David Hill decided to take their closets friends and family on a honeymoon Safari with Katie footing the bill for everyone. Except this isn't a hunt Safari but rather a photo Safari with famed white hunter, Charlie Patton. It all starts out well enough, they enjoy the Wildebeast crossing the river and hoping to see other animals of the Serengeti. Quickly, this trip goes very wrong and they are ambushed by Russian mercenaries that take them hostage and brutally kill their guides. 

I really can't review too much more of it'll give away key elements to the story that I don't want to ruin for you. I flew through this book and enjoyed every single minute of it. It kept me guessing on the outcomes and who or what group was behind this kidnapping scheme. I will say that none of the characters are the same after this trip and for some it changes the trajectory of their careers and lives. 

Do yourself a favor and pick this latest Chris Bohjalian novel up; you won't regret it. 

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Julie's Review: Forget You Know Me

Author: Jessica Strawser
Series: None
Publication Date: February 5, 2018
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pages: 352
Obtained: publisher via NetGalley

Genre:  Mystery, Thriller
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: Solid mystery with an AHH moment
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Summary: Molly and Liza have always been enviably close. Even after Molly married Daniel, the couple considered Liza an honorary family member. But after Liza moved away, things grew more strained than anyone wanted to admit―in the friendship and the marriage. When Daniel goes away on business, Molly and Liza plan to reconnect with a nice long video chat after the kids are in bed. But then Molly leaves the room to check on a crying child. What Liza sees next will change everything. Only one thing is certain: Molly needs her. Liza drives all night to be at Molly’s side―but when she arrives, the reception is icy, leaving Liza baffled and hurt. She knows there’s no denying what she saw. Or is there? In disbelief that their friendship could really be over, Liza is unaware she’s about to have a near miss of her own. And Molly, refusing to deal with what’s happened, won’t turn to Daniel, either. But none of them can go on pretending. Not after this. Forget You Know Me is a “twisty, emotionally complex, powder keg of a tale” (bestselling author Emily Carpenter) about the wounds of people who’ve grown apart. Best friends, separated by miles. Spouses, hardened by neglect. A mother, isolated by pain. One moment will change things for them all. ~amazon.com  


Review: Forget You Know Me can be a mystery/thriller/women's fiction depending on which part of the novel you are reading. Molly and Liza have been friends since they were young girls but distance has put a dent in their once strong bond; not only physical but emotionally. Molly has been dealing with debilitating pain for years since having her kids with no answers. She struggles with daily chores and tasks while getting little help from her husband, Daniel. Liza has been trying to adjust to Chicago and her life there. So it's understandable that maybe things aren't how they used to be when they were together all the time.

This all changes one night when Liza sees a man creep into Molly’s house while they are video chatting when Molly goes to check on the kids. Liza freaks out while Molly acts like it's no big deal. Meanwhile, Liza has to deal with her own tragedy that causes her to move back home and start her life from the ground up.

What is revealed is a web of lies that threaten Molly’s marriage and her friendship with Liza. What Ms. Strawser conveys through her writing is that friendships like marriage have peaks and valleys. Friendship takes work just like marriage but it often the thing that we put the least effort into during certain times in our lives. Neither Molly or Liza received more sympathy from me because their situations were very different. Molly was desperate for help that she felt she wasn't getting and it led her to make some stupid decisions. I felt that Daniel's subplot wasn't fully necessary but I understand why she wrote it in: to make Molly and him on even ground.

The book does have a shoe dropping moment that blind sided me which definitely added to the novel. I would definitely recommend this one to those who like a mystery woven in with contemporary/women's fiction. 


 

Julie's Review: Liars' Paradox

                                  Author: Taylor Stevens

Series: None
Publication Date: December 18, 2018
Publisher: Random House
Pages: 352
Obtained: publisher via Netgalley
Genre:  Thriller, Mystery
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: An action packed book that will have you waiting for the next installment
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Summary: They live in the shadows, Jack and Jill, feuding twins who can never stop running. From earliest memory they’ve been taught to hide, to hunt, to survive. Their prowess is outdone only by Clare, who has always been mentor first and mother second. She trained them in the art of espionage, tested their skills in weaponry, surveillance, and sabotage, and sharpened their minds with nerve-wracking psychological games. As they grew older they came to question her motives, her methods—and her sanity . . . Now twenty-six years old, the twins are trying to lead normal lives. But when Clare’s off-the-grid safehouse explodes and she goes missing, they’re forced to believe the unthinkable: Their mother’s paranoid delusions have been real all along. To find her, they’ll need to set aside their differences; to survive, they’ll have to draw on every skill she’s trained them to use. A twisted trail leads from the CIA, to the KGB, to an underground network of global assassins where hunters become the hunted. Everyone, it seems, wants them dead—and, for one of the twins, it’s a threat that’s frighteningly familiar and dangerously close to home . . .  Filled with explosive action, suspense, and powerful human drama, Liars’ Paradox is world-class intrigue at its finest. ~amazon.com


Review: I'm a big fan of Ms. Steven's Munroe series and I also get her emails so I knew she was working on something new but that it was taking a bit of time to get it right. I'm so happy she took the extra time because Liars' Paradox is exactly what I would expect from her; high-octane! Jack and Jill (not their real names) are siblings who have always been pitted against each other by their mother Clare while she trains them to survive. Although they aren't sure what they are supposed to be on the look out for. Jill is more action while Jack likes to be a bit more methodical about how to go after a target. They both are loose cannons in their own ways. They are definitely not siblings who send each other holiday cards.

When they are called by their mother to come to her location, Jack kidnaps Jill out of her boyfriend's apartment and just as they show up her house explodes. All of the sudden they are being hunted by whomever blew up Clare's house.

What occurs throughout the rest of the book is Jack and Jill trying to fit the pieces of the Clare's past together and who has a bounty on both of them now. Can they use everything that Clare taught them to save themselves and perhaps find her? Who is behind all these webs that their mom has tried to shield them from all these years.

Some parts of the plot are hard to follow because of all the intricacies of it but in the end it comes together and you understand all the players in the game. Clare might be the most masterful of all of them.

I am definitely looking forward to the next book in the series.

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Julie's Review: The Flight Attendant

Author: Chris Bohjalian
Series: None
Publication Date: March 13, 2018
Publisher: Doubleday
Pages: 368
Obtained: publisher via NetGalley
Genre:  Suspense, Thriller
Rating: 5/5
Bottom Line: Another fantastic novel by one of my favorites
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Summary: Cassandra Bowden is no stranger to hungover mornings. She's a binge drinker, her job with the airline making it easy to find adventure, and the occasional blackouts seem to be inevitable. She lives with them, and the accompanying self-loathing. When she awakes in a Dubai hotel room, she tries to piece the previous night back together, counting the minutes until she has to catch her crew shuttle to the airport. She quietly slides out of bed, careful not to aggravate her already pounding head, and looks at the man she spent the night with. She sees his dark hair. His utter stillness. And blood, a slick, still wet pool on the crisp white sheets. Afraid to call the police - she's a single woman alone in a hotel room far from home - Cassie begins to lie. She lies as she joins the other flight attendants and pilots in the van. She lies on the way to Paris as she works the first class cabin. She lies to the FBI agents in New York who meet her at the gate. Soon it's too late to come clean-or face the truth about what really happened back in Dubai. Could she have killed him? If not, who did? Set amid the captivating world of those whose lives unfold at forty thousand feet, The Flight Attendant unveils a spellbinding story of memory, of the giddy pleasures of alcohol and the devastating consequences of addiction, and of murder far from home. ~amazon.com  

Review: Prior to reading the book I saw a lot of people commenting on how they didn’t like Cassie. I’m a believer that you don’t have to like the main character to enjoy a novel. I didn’t have such strong feelings for Cassie. I'm not saying she wasn't a hot mess because she was that and a while lot more but I felt sorry for her because she didn’t have any strong relationship and didn’t really care about herself. She was an alcoholic, which is a disease but she was self-destructive.

Waking up beside a man she barely knows isn't really new for Cassie but him being dead in the morning is. Since she's pretty much a blackout drunk, she can't say for sure if she murdered him or not but she does feel like she is capable of that even at her drunkest. What happens next has you guessing who to believe and who to not believe. Did Cassie kill him? Was it in self-defense? Or has she stepped into something much more sinister than she could ever imagine. Will she keep lying to herself and those around her or will she realize that this is perhaps the best time to tell the truth.

Mr. Bohjalian really does keep the reader engaged and on their "toes". There are many twists and turns that I truly didn't see coming but looking back I feel like there were probably hints. I also wonder if Cassie was targeted from the beginning because of her drinking and blackouts.

I love spy movies and books so I was thrilled when this book had that edge to it. It is a fast paced thriller that will have you wondering what the hell is going on until it all comes together in the end.
The Flight Attendant is another fantastic character study novel by Mr. Bohjalian. I can only imagine the research that went into this one!


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Julie's Review: The Girlfriend

Author: Michelle Frances
Series: None
Publication Date: January 30, 2018
Publisher: Kensington
Pages: 432
Obtained: publisher via Netgalley
Genre:  Suspense,Thriller
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: Starts off a bit slow but definitely builds up
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Summary: Laura has it all. A successful career, a long marriage to a rich husband, and a twenty-three year-old son, Daniel, who is kind, handsome, and talented. Then Daniel meets Cherry. Cherry is young, beautiful and smart but hasn’t led Laura’s golden life. And she wants it. When tragedy strikes, a decision is made and a lie is told. A lie so terrible it changes their lives forever…The Girlfriend is a taut and wickedly twisted debut psychological thriller—a novel of subtle sabotage, retaliation, jealousy and fear, which pivots on an unforgivable lie, and examines the mother–son–daughter-in-law relationship in a chilling new light.~amazon.com  

Review: Listen up sons: Your mother always know best even if we go about it in the wrong way. In The Girlfriend, Laura was determined to be friendly because it was obvious that her son, Daniel was a bit smitten with her. Yes, she was left with an unsettled feeling after their first meeting, but she cut Cherry some slack figuring that it was just initial nerves of meeting her boyfriend's parents. Given as close as her and Daniel are, she wants to make every effort to welcome Cherry in to the fold but she keeps holding Laura at arms length.
 
Cherry, on the hand, is all about seizing an opportunity that will help her and Daniel is that opportunity for her from the minute he walks into her realty office. She immediately notices that Daniel and his mom are close, which really won't work for her. She has to be the most important woman in his life. She quickly starts putting plans in motion to drive wedges between them even if they are small at first.

While I will say that there were some things that Laura did that I wholeheartedly didn't agree with, I understood why she did what she did. She needed and wanted to protect her family; although that ended up biting her in the buttocks. I also felt sorry for Laura because she didn't have the strength to fight back when Cherry "attacked" her. For as put together as Laura seemed, she really was falling apart. I knew she wouldn't really fight back because for the better part of her marriage, she let her husband walk all over her.

There were times when I wasn't sure who was off their rocker more, Laura or Cherry. Although in the end it seemed that Cherry really did have some issues that stemmed from her issues with how she grew up.

The Girlfriend took a bit for me to get into just because it's a lot of build up but it definitely pays off in the end. It would definitely be a great movie with the right director and actors. If you are looking for a novel that slowly builds up and lays a lot of crumbs, then this one is for you.

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Julie's Review: One Perfect Lie

Author: Lisa Scottoline
Series: None
Publication Date: April 11, 2017
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pages: 368
Obtained: publisher via Netgalley
Genre:  Suspense, Thriller
Rating: 4.75/5
Bottom Line: A quick read that will having you saying "What?" a few dozen times
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Summary: On paper, Chris Brennan looks perfect. He's applying for a job as a high school government teacher, he's ready to step in as an assistant baseball coach, and his references are impeccable. But everything about Chris Brennan is a lie. Susan Sematov is proud of her son Raz, a high school pitcher so athletically talented that he's being recruited for a full-ride scholarship to a Division I college, with a future in major-league baseball. But Raz’s father died only a few months ago, leaving her son in a vulnerable place where any new father figure might influence him for good, or evil. Heather Larkin is a struggling single mother who lives for her son Jordan's baseball games. But Jordan is shy, and Heather fears he is being lured down a dark path by one of his teammates, a young man from an affluent family whose fun-loving manner might possibly conceal his violent plans. Mindy Kostis succumbs to the pressure of being a surgeon's wife by filling her days with social events and too many gin and tonics. But she doesn’t know that her husband and her son, Evan, are keeping secrets from her – secrets that might destroy all of them. At the center of all of them is Chris Brennan. Why is he there? What does he want? And what is he willing to do to get it? Enthralling and suspenseful, One Perfect Lie is an emotional thriller and a suburban crime story that will have readers riveted up to the shocking end, with killer twists and characters you won’t soon forget. ~amazon.com


Review: One Perfect Lie is perhaps Lisa Scottoline's best novel today. Is there such a thing a perfect lie? If so, can you live it, breathe it and be it? Is a secret a lie? If so, everyone in this book is living a lie and I'm guessing most of us have a secret(s) we keep.

Chris Brennan isn't who he says he is but we aren't really sure who he is we just know he's telling some big lies that have a major end game in play. He weasels his way into a high school and as an assistant coach for the baseball team all so he can find a young impressionable boy to do his biding for him. He assesses the students and see which one that he can bring to his side.  He's got a limited amount of time to do this in because his deadline is less than a week. What is his deadline? What are his plans? As you are reading this, you just know that he is up to a nefarious act.

We also get to know a bit about each of the boys that Chris is targeting and their family. Raz has recently lost his dad to cancel and the family finds itself reeling in more ways than one in dealing with his death. His mother is at a loss on what to do because Neil was the glue that kept their family together.

Jordan has worked hard for his place on the varsity baseball team and his mom, Heather, couldn't be more proud. Will his hard work cost him his friendship with Raz? Heather is also dealing with her own issues since she walked out of her job. What will she do to support them?

Evan Kostis is the golden child. He's the one that has the charisma, the looks and the money. His mom though is hiding the fact that she drinks to hide the fact that her marriage isn't happy. The fact that her husband is never at home. She's not sure what is going on but she's determined to find out.

Ms. Scottoline covers a lot of ground with One Perfect Lie but she doesn't overreach, in my opinion. What I came away with though is that family always comes first, especially for us momma bears. If something is going wrong with our kids, we will be there to help them. There are twists and turns that I didn't see coming and caused me to go "whoa".

If you want a great suspense/thriller novel, then you will definitely want to pick up One Perfect Lie.


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Julie's Review: The Cutaway

Author: Christina Kovac
Series: None
Publication Date: March 21, 2017
Publisher: 37 Ink/Atria
Pages: 320
Obtained: publisher
Genre:  Thriller
Rating: 4.5/5
Bottom Line: A puzzle that is worth putting together
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Summary: When brilliant TV news producer Virginia Knightly receives a disturbing “MISSING” notice on her desk related to the disappearance of a beautiful young attorney, she can’t seem to shake the image from her head. Despite skepticism from her colleagues, Knightly suspects this ambitious young lawyer may be at the heart of something far more sinister, especially since she was last seen leaving an upscale restaurant after a domestic dispute. Yet, as the only woman of power at her station, Knightly quickly finds herself investigating on her own. Risking her career, her life, and perhaps even her own sanity, Knightly dives deep into the dark underbelly of Washington, DC business and politics in an investigation that will drag her mercilessly through the inextricable webs of corruption that bind the press, the police, and politics in our nation’s capital. ~amazon.com  

Review: Cutaway is a read that lets the reader into what it takes to put together the evening news. As a person who wanted to get in the news business years ago, I found this story to be extremely fascinating and a new lens on the thriller genre.Virginia is putting together the evening news when she gets a notice that a young woman has gone missing from Georgetown. The thing is that people don't go missing from Georgetown. As Virginia starts to get her nose into the story she starts to dig up information that leads her down a path of politics and greed.

There are many twists and turns during the novel. I felt like every time I had a good grasp on the culprit, I was steered in another direction, which to me is what a good thriller writer does. There are a couple subplots going on in the book but I felt that the enhanced the main plot. Virginia is an easy character to root for and hope that she cracks her investigation. She's tenacious and yet honest; she isn't ruthless which makes it easy for people to trust her. Virginia herself doesn't trust many people and she has her own reasons for her walls.

All the characters are well written and D.C. makes for an interesting background. Never mind the pulse of the city with politics both overtly and covertly. It seems that Ms. Kovac's uses her knowledge of both the news business and politics in her first novel.

I was fascinated by how much goes into pulling an investigative story together just to get the bylines and the leads. How they write the scripts for the evening news and pull the full story together. I would love for her to write another book.

If you are looking for a great thriller with a different angel, then you will definitely want to pick up
Cutaway.




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Julie's Review: Home

Author: Harlan Coben
Series: None
Publication Date: September 20, 2016
Publisher: Dutton
Pages: 400
Obtained: publisher via NetGalley
Genre:  Thriller
Rating: 4.75/5
Bottom Line: So happy that Win and Myron are back!
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Summary: A decade ago, kidnappers grabbed two boys from wealthy families and demanded ransom, then went silent. No trace of the boys ever surfaced. For ten years their families have been left with nothing but painful memories and a quiet desperation for the day that has finally, miraculously arrived: Myron Bolitar and his friend Win believe they have located one of the boys, now a teenager. Where has he been for ten years, and what does he know about the day, more than half a life ago, when he was taken? And most critically: What can he tell Myron and Win about the fate of his missing friend? Drawing on his singular talent, Harlan Coben delivers an explosive and deeply moving thriller about friendship, family, and the meaning of home. ~amazon.com

Review: Home is one of those books where you think you have it figured out but you really don't until the last page is turned and the last word is read. I forgot how much I love the duo of Myron and Win. They are yin and yang, bread and butter for each other. Win has been gone for a year and in that time a lot has changed but a lot remains the same. When Win calls Myron goes to help. This time Win calls because he thinks he's found one of the boys that has been missing for 10 years and needs his help.

Win of course goes a little too far and gets caught up in a local crime lord's web of evil but it doesn't last for long when he figures out who Win is and just what he is capable of doing. Myron is there to keep Win in check a bit but also to help put the pieces of this seemingly complex puzzle back together.

I loved the puzzle of what happened to the two boys Patrick and Rhys. How it has affected the families and the people around them, even the community to a certain extent. It changes their view on life and they are constantly wondering when their boys will come back or if they will ever come back.

Home is a book that will have you wondering where Win and Myron have been all your life or maybe just that you've missed them since their last adventure. It will also make you appreciate Mr. Coben's sense of humor and how he works it in at just the right time.



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Julie's Review: Fool Me Once

Author: Harlan Coben
Series: None
Publication Date: March 22, 2016
Narrator: January LaVoy
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Length: 10 Hours 5 Minutes
Obtained: purchased
Genre:  Mystery, Thriller
Rating: 4.75/5
Bottom Line: Harlan Coben does it again
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Summary: In Fool Me Once, Coben once again outdoes himself. Former special ops pilot Maya, home from the war, sees an unthinkable image captured by her nanny cam while she is at work: her two-year-old daughter playing with Maya’s husband, Joe—who was brutally murdered two weeks earlier. The provocative question at the heart of the mystery: Can you believe everything you see with your own eyes, even when you desperately want to? To find the answer, Maya must finally come to terms with deep secrets and deceit in her own past before she can face the unbelievable truth about her husband—and herself. ~amazon.com

Review: Fool Me Once is another great novel from Harlan Coben. Once it starts it never stops, especially with the twists and turns. I wouldn't say that I liked Maya but I respected her. She was focused and determined and she must have been one hell of a soldier. Now she's trying to figure out why Joe was murdered and why is he showing up on her nanny-cam that she received after his funeral.

Seeing this video sends Maya on a crazy chase that not only brings in Joe's murder but the murder of her sister as well. How are the two connected? Are they connected? Does Maya's military history have anything to do with this?  Also what are these flashbacks she keeps having?

Mr. Coben knows how to suck me in from page one and his novels never disappoint me. While this one took me longer because it was on audio, I have no doubt that in print I would have flown through it. Ms. LaVoy did a great job with it but I think that I will stick to reading his books instead of listening to his novels.

This book keeps you guessing until the very under with quite the double whammy in the end. If you haven't read his novels, then Fool Me Once isn't a bad place to start. He does have quite the back-list if you get hooked!



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Julie's Review: Saving Jason

Author: Michael Sears
Series: Jason Stafford #3
Publication Date: February 2, 2016
Publisher: Putnam Books
Pages: 368
Obtained: Amazon Vince
Genre:  Crime, Thriller
Rating: 5.0
Bottom Line: Captivating
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Summary: Jason Stafford used to be a hot Wall Street trader, went too far, and paid for it in prison. Now a financial investigator, he’s been asked to look into rumors of a hostile takeover of his firm, but he has no idea it will turn his whole life upside down. Suddenly embroiled in a grand jury investigation of Mob-related activities on Wall Street, and threatened by some very serious men, he is thrust into witness protection with his young autistic son. And then his son disappears. Has he been kidnapped, or worse? With no choice but to act, Stafford has no choice but to come out of hiding and risk everything to save his son, his firm, his pregnant girlfriend—and himself  

Review: Saving Jason is book 3 in the  Jason Stafford series is always one of my favorite to pick up and escape in. Jason may not be the nicest or best guy, he's made some questionable choices in the past, but he's trying to change his life. His focus is making the best life he can for his son, affectionately called the Kid. They have a special bond and it gets even more cemented in the third novel.

As the novel opens,  Jason uncovers a scam at Becker Financial while looking at penny stock trades. Of course it can't just be something he can hand over to Compliance and let it go. He gets into the thick of it quick and of course it's unscrupulous. He lands his boss in jail, himself in WITSEC and puts people he knows in jeopardy. Not only that but if he lands charges for anything, he will find himself back in jail serving the remainder of his sentence.

It isn't so much the cases that keep me engaged in this series but the relationships that have developed from the cases. Now, don't get me wrong I find the predicaments that Jason gets himself into intriguing but how do you go from being a white-collar criminal to having the FBI listen to your theory and then put it in play? I also know this is fiction and I accept that as part of the deal of reading it.

I love the pace of these books and I always end up learning something about the financial world. I can't wait to see where we go next in the series.


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Julie's Review: Stay Close

Author: Harlan Coben
Series: None
Publication Date: February 12, 2013
Publisher: Signet
Pages: 448
Obtained: purchased
Genre:  Thriller
Rating: 3/5.0
Bottom Line: If only the secret Megan was keeping was interesting
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Summary: Megan is a suburban soccer mom who once upon a time walked on the wild side. Ray used to be a talented documentary photographer, but now he finds himself in a dead-end job posing as paparazzo. Broome is a detective who can’t let go of a cold case. Three people living lives they never wanted are hiding secrets that even those closest to them would never suspect. And as each confronts the dark side of the American dream—the boredom of a nice suburban life, the excitement of temptation, the desperation and hunger that can lurk behind even the prettiest facades—they will discover the hard truth that the line between one kind of life and another can be as whisper thin as a heartbeat. ~amazon.com  

Review: I love Harlan Coben's books. They are usually a quick and surefire read for me but not with Stay Close. While at first I was pretty engaged in the mystery of who was killing the men or why were they disappearing, after a while I just stopped caring. Frankly all of the men had it coming one way of another, but not that murder is the way to go.

Megan is a classic soccer mom with a hidden secret but in my opinion it's really not that horrible. It's something that could have been forgiven easily if she would have just been honest with Dave from the beginning but then again there would be no backstory. Detective Broome has never given up on the case of Stewart Green. He gets a break in it when Megan comes waltzing back into town because she's restless and has some things to resolve.

From my perspective, there are no great characters in this novel. They are all selfish and just trying to clear their conscience. The characters never really move forward or grow, which is disappointing. While I might not have liked this one very much, it won't deter me from reading more of his books.

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Julie's Review: The Mask

Author: Taylor Stevens
Series: Vanessa Michael Monroe #5
Publication Date: June 30, 2015
Publisher: Crown
Pages: 352
Obtained: Amazon Vine
Genre:  Thriller, Suspense
Rating: 4.5/5
Bottom Line: Thrilling and exciting entry into one of my favorite thriller/mystery series
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Summary: Vanessa Michael Munroe, chameleon and information hunter, has a reputation for getting things done: dangerous and not quite legal things, in some of the world’s deadliest places. Still healing from a brutal attack that left her near death, Munroe joins her lover, Miles Bradford, in Japan where he’s working as a security consultant protecting high-value technology from industrial espionage. In the domesticity of their routine Munroe finds long sought-after peace—until Bradford is arrested for murder. She will soon discover how far she’ll go to save him from twenty years in locked-up isolation; how many laws she’ll break when the truth seems worse than his lies; and who to trust and who she’ll kill. Because she’s a strategist and hunter with a predator’s instincts, and the man she loves has just stabbed her in the back. ~taylorstevensauthor.com  

Review: The Mask is one of those books where I had to trust the author and it's a good thing I've read all the other books in this series to know I can trust her. I did seriously wonder what kind of ride she was going to take me on and how Michael was going to come out of this on the other side. I was worried that the only thing keeping Michael tethered was going to be ripped away from her. This trip to Japan to see Bradford was supposed to be a healing trip for her. Well, how much fun would that be to read about and write? Probably not very for this character. Michael needs action, she needs to feel purposeful. I doubt she's ever had a proper vacation.

Needless to say, Michael's skills are called into action quickly when Miles gets arrested for murder. She knows he didn't do it but he also wasn't fully honest with her. This is when she has to start putting together the puzzle pieces.

Michael is also operating in a culture that she doesn't quite understand but that she has to learn quickly to adapt to. She has to learn how to function and command respect from men in the office. She needs someone to help her adapt and to also figure out the pieces of the puzzle that she can't do on her own. She needs someone to team with this time. This time she can't do it on her own.

Ms. Stevens always does a great job of making two plot lines intersect and The Mask is no different. I never doubt the path or paths she's going to take us on. They are almost always a wild ride, which is what keeps this reader coming back. Plus I happen to think Vanessa Michael Munroe is one of the most interesting and complex characters I've ever read.

If you've never read any of Ms. Stevens books and you are a fan of thrillers plus excellent characters, then you need to pick up this series.


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Julie's Review: The Stranger

Author: Harlan Coben
Series: None
Publication Date: March 24, 2015
Publisher: Dutton
Pages: 455
Obtained: purchased
Genre:  Crime, Thriller
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: A deeper, fascinating look into living the American dream at all costs
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Summary: The Stranger appears out of nowhere, perhaps in a bar, or a parking lot, or at the grocery store. His identity is unknown. His motives are unclear. His information is undeniable. Then he whispers a few words in your ear and disappears, leaving you picking up the pieces of your shattered world. Adam Price has a lot to lose: a comfortable marriage to a beautiful woman, two wonderful sons, and all the trappings of the American Dream: a big house, a good job, a seemingly perfect life. Then he runs into the Stranger. When he learns a devastating secret about his wife, Corinne, he confronts her, and the mirage of perfection disappears as if it never existed at all. Soon Adam finds himself tangled in something far darker than even Corinne's deception, and realizes that if he doesn't make exactly the right moves, the conspiracy hes stumbled into will not only ruin lives—it will end them. ~Amazon.com

Review: The Stranger is exactly what I want and expect out of a Harlan Coben thriller. It's what he does so well: taking ordinary people and putting them in extraordinary situations to see how they react. It's a study of human psychology and resilience in unusual circumstances.

Adam Price is living the dream. He's got two great boys, a loving and beautiful wife. He also loves his wife. Unfortunately, things aren't  always as they appear. Corrine has been keeping a secret from Adam and his world falls apart when a complete stranger tells him the secret. As anyone would, Adam begins to investigate what the stranger told him. He quickly falls down the rabbit hole into a world where things quickly spiral out of control. It is pretty apparent that Adam is in over his head.

What Mr. Coben does so well is he keeps you guessing by throwing different issues or secrets into the mix. He likes to steer you in several directions and to keep you changing your theory. It really isn't until he starts to reveal the missing pieces of the puzzle that you say "AH HA".

There's a reason that Mr. Coben is one of the best thriller/mystery writers out there. He takes idealistic situations and turns them on their head. There's always some plausibility with his stories but he always ratchets it up a notch. I will say it's never unbelievable.

When reading his books you can always identify people you know in your neighborhood, school or heck even your friends. It's obvious he's a good at reading people and getting into their heads.

If you've never read him then The Stranger is a great one to start with or any of his other stand-alone novels. If you want to start a series then I definitely recommend his Myron Bolitor books.



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Julie's Review: The Girl on the Train

Author: Paula Hawkins
Series: None
Publication Date: January 13, 2015
Publisher: Riverhead Books
Pages: 336
Obtained: purchased
Genre:  Thriller
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: Trippy
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Summary: A debut psychological thriller that will forever change the way you look at other people's lives. Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. “Jess and Jason,” she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost. And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel offers what she knows to the police, and becomes inextricably entwined in what happens next, as well as in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good? Compulsively readable, The Girl on the Train is an emotionally immersive, Hitchcockian thriller and an electrifying debut. ~amazon.com  

Review: The Girl on the Train is a trippy thriller with not a single likable character. I am of the thought though that you can still appreciate a book even if you can't like or identify with the characters. Rachel is a drunk. Megan has some mental issues. Anna is a narcissist veiled as a loving wife and mother. Don't even get me started on the men in the book. Pretty much all of the characters are pathetic. That doesn't mean you shouldn't read this book because you should if you like thrillers especially ones that have you turning the page wondering what the heck was going on.

The novel alternates views but for this reader the most interesting POV was Rachel's. Was she seeing things as they really were or was her alcohol swimming brain altering her view? I vacillated between feeling sorry for Rachel and finding her pathetic. In the end though, I felt sorry for her. She was emotionally abused and walked all over. These things take a toll on someone and can change a person and how they cope with life. Rachel needs to take control of her life and by the end of novel I had hope for her.

Unfortunately for most of the novel Rachel is desperate to have some normalcy in her life so she makes up lives for the people she sees out the window of her train. She's desperate to be involved in something that she really does pick the wrong situation to insert herself into.

I figured the mystery out about halfway through the novel but I wanted to see how Ms. Hawkins would reveal it to the characters. I kind of hate to admit this but in the end I feel like Anna got what was coming to her. In many ways she was no better or different than the men in the novel. She was a home-wrecker who chose to not see the signs that things weren't what they seemed.

I know this book is getting a lot of comparison to Gone Girl but other than the unreliable narrator I don't see the similarities. I thought the ending of Gone Girl was much more twisted than The Girl on the Train.

If you want to read a page-turner of a thriller, then you should definitely pick up The Girl on the Train.


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Julie's Review: The Weight of Silence

Author: Heather Gudenkauf
Series: None
Publication Date: June 28, 2009
Publisher: Mira
Pages: 384
Obtained: on loan from a friend
Genre:  Mystery
Rating: 4.5/5
Bottom Line: Riveting
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Summary: It happens quietly one August morning. As dawn's shimmering light drenches the humid Iowa air, two families awaken to find their little girls have gone missing in the night. Seven-year-old Calli Clark is sweet, gentle, a dreamer who suffers from selective mutism brought on by tragedy that pulled her deep into silence as a toddler. Calli's mother, Antonia, tried to be the best mother she could within the confines of marriage to a mostly absent, often angry husband. Now, though she denies that her husband could be involved in the possible abductions, she fears her decision to stay in her marriage has cost her more than her daughter's voice. Petra Gregory is Calli's best friend, her soul mate and her voice. But neither Petra nor Calli has been heard from since their disappearance was discovered. Desperate to find his child, Martin Gregory is forced to confront a side of himself he did not know existed beneath his intellectual, professorial demeanor. Now these families are tied by the question of what happened to their children. And the answer is trapped in the silence of unspoken family secrets. ~amazon.com  

Review: The Weight of Silence is a taut mystery/thriller that happens over the course of 24 hours. At first it is easy for the reader to believe that these disappearances are related but it quickly revealed that they are not. We know what happens to Callie but the real mystery is what happened to Petra. Most of the novel is spent on the back-story of the Clark family. It is not the happiest back-story and we find out why Callie is mute, which is sad and disgusting.

My favorite character was Ben. The way Ms. Gudenkauf describes him, he sounds imposing but his actions are caring and gentle. No one could be a better big brother to and for Callie than him. He watches out for her and takes care of her when their mom has other things on her mind. It is Ben who runs into the woods to look for his sister. It is Ben who is distraught when she is not in all their special places and he is the one that continues to go looking for her.

Ms. Gudenkauf writes a riveting story about two best friends who understand each other so well that one doesn't even have to speak for her friend to know her needs. How many of us would love a friend (or husband) that can do that? Several times you think you know where the story is going and then she takes you down a different path. She does a fantastic job of describing the woods by the Clark's house. You really feel like you are with Ben searching for Callie.

The ending wasn't really what I expected but not in a bad way. I really enjoyed how it ended and how Ms. Gudenkauf gave us a glimpse into the future. I will definitely be looking to read her other books.

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Julie's Review: Long Way Down

Author: Michael Sears
Series: Jason Stafford #3
Publication Date: February 5, 2015
Publisher: Putnam
Pages: 352
Obtained: Amazon Vine
Genre:  Thriller, Crime
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: Another great installment that gives you an insight into white collar crimes and murder thrown in for extra excitement
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Summary: He approached me in the street—bone-thin, gray-bearded, holding out a small envelope. “The man said you’d give me five bucks for it.” Inside was a one-word message: RUN. Two years in a federal prison has changed Jason Stafford, is still changing him, but one thing it has taught him as a financial investigator is how to detect a lie. He doesn’t think Philip Haley is lying. An engineer on the verge of a biofuel breakthrough, Haley has been indicted for insider trading on his own company, and Stafford believes him when he says he’s been set up. Haley does indeed have enemies. He is not a nice man. Doesn’t make him a criminal. It does make him dangerous to be around, though. The deeper Stafford investigates, the more secrets he starts to uncover, secrets people would kill for. And that’s exactly what happens. Soon, it is Stafford himself who is under attack and, worse, his family—his fiancée, his young son—and he is a fugitive, desperately trying to stay one step ahead of both the killers and the law. ~amazon.com

Review: Long Way Down, is the 3rd in the Jason Stafford series. With each book, Mr. Sears' writing gets stronger. Jason Stafford is a fantastic character. He admits his flaws and acknowledges that he's not innocent. For me, that's what makes him a great character. He's not squeaky clean, which adds an edge to him.

It's the interaction with his family, his son, specifically that redeems him. Although, when he's working a case he tends to get wrapped up in it, which can cause some issues with safety for himself and his family. This case centers around a wealthy-man who is accused of insider trading who, of course, claims he is innocent. Jason is hired by the man's bank to see if he is innocent and if so, how do they clear him?

Of course, things aren't always as they appear and the further Jason digs into the rabbit hole, the more he falls in it. He's not sure who he can trust and not sure who to share his information with.

Long Way Down is a quick and enthralling thriller and this case highlights Jason's knowledge of the financial markets. It also deepens his relationship with The Kid and his fiance, Skeli. There is also a great cast of secondary characters that help to add a bit of humor to the mix. Sometimes a bit of levity is needed when you are on the run.

Mr. Sears writes white collar crime, specifically financial crimes, so that the reader can understand it. These are crimes that are not always easy to understand. Obviously, his financial background helps in this manner. 
I can't wait to see what's next for Jason and his friends.


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Jenn's Review: Made for You

Author: Melissa Marr
Series: none
Publication Date: September 15, 2014
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 368
Obtained: publisher
Genre:  YA thriller
Rating: 3.5
Bottom Line: Good page turner but lacking depth
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Just get it at the library...

Blurb:  When Eva Tilling wakes up in the hospital, she’s confused—who in her sleepy little North Carolina town could have hit her with their car? And why? But before she can consider the question, she finds that she’s awoken with a strange new skill: the ability to foresee people’s deaths when they touch her. While she is recovering from the hit-and-run, Nate, an old flame, reappears, and the two must traverse their rocky past as they figure out how to use Eva’s power to keep her friends—and themselves—alive. But while Eva and Nate grow closer, the killer grows increasingly frantic in his attempt to get to Eva.

For the first time, New York Times bestselling author Melissa Marr has applied her extraordinary talent to contemporary realism. Chilling twists, unrequited obsession, and high-stakes romance drive this Gothic, racy thriller—a story of small-town oppression and salvation. Melissa’s fans, and every YA reader, will find its wild ride enthralling

Review:  I wanted to love this book but I just didn't. It was enjoyable with a real page turner of a mystery, but...  I didn't love it. Actually the more I wrote this review, the less I liked the book.

I would have to say one of the things that held me back was that I never identified with any of the characters. As a matter of fact they were all so flawed that there wasn't a single overly likeable character.  Eva was a little shallow and complacent which I suppose describes many teens, but none that I want to read about. Her friends Nate and Grace were interesting characters but we only get to know them on the surface. 

When it came to the whodunit of it all the reveal wasn't a great 'A-ha!' moment, more of an 'Oh'.  As a matter of fact it seemed a little unrealistic.  After Eva and Nick figured it out, their actions were unnecessarily risky to the point of ludicrous.  Maybe it's just the mom in me but I had a very hard time with the excessive amount of danger they placed themselves in at the end of the novel.

Honestly, I kept hoping for more.  I have read three books by Melissa Marr and that seems to be how I feel after all of them. While I enjoy them, I am always left wishing they were deeper. 

Julie's Review: Inferno

Author: Dan Brown
Series: Robert Langdon #4
Publication Date: May 14, 2013
Publisher: Random House Audio
Narrator:Paul Michael
Hours: 17 hours 12 minutes
Obtained: purchased via Audible
Genre:  Mystery, Thriller
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: Classic Langdon
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Summary: In his international blockbusters The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, and The Lost Symbol, Dan Brown masterfully fused history, art, codes, and symbols. In this riveting new thriller, Brown returns to his element and has crafted his highest-stakes novel to date. In the heart of Italy, Harvard professor of symbology, Robert Langdon, is drawn into a harrowing world centered on one of history’s most enduring and mysterious literary masterpieces: Dante’s Inferno. Against this backdrop, Langdon battles a chilling adversary and grapples with an ingenious riddle that pulls him into a landscape of classic art, secret passageways, and futuristic science. Drawing from Dante’s dark epic poem, Langdon races to find answers and decide whom to trust...before the world is irrevocably altered. ~audible.com

Review: One thing that I love about Robert Langdon books is Robert Langdon. How can you not? He's smart, debonair and well traveled. I appreciate that each chapter is about 10-12 minutes in length, so it makes for easy listening at work. This format also lends itself to the pace of the book. As with all Robert Langdon books, there is action and a lot for Professor Langdon to figure out. Robert Langdon continues to know a lot of information about a lot of different subject matters. :) Regardless, he's still my favorite professor in modern literature.

No, I haven't read Dante's Inferno and I don't plan to but that doesn't make Inferno any less intriguing. You don't have to have an understanding of Dante's because Mr. Brown walks you through the gist of it.
I am always interested in how Mr. Brown weaves the history, literature and a moral implication into his story. Although, I'm not sure there were any truly "bad" guys in this one. Which of course begs it's own questions about the morality of someones actions. Can one person truly determine what is good for the entire human race?

As always, this novel is action packed but also intelligent. It kept me on my toes listening to it. There were a couple of times that I had to go back to ensure that I heard something correctly. There are a lot of characters in the beginning of the story and frankly you don't know who is on the side of Robert and who is against him. I always find the slow reveals in these kind of books to be great. I love it when authors can turn a novel on its head and as a reader you don't see it coming. Mr. Brown is a master at that.

Paul Michael is a fine narrator for Inferno and captures Landgon well along with the other characters in the novel. His inflection and accents are well done and not overdone.

Inferno is a solid read/listen. If you are a fan of the Langdon books then you will want to continue the series with novel. My favorite is The Lost Symbol and if you haven't read it I highly recommend it.

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