Paolo takes Emily, who has finally managed to get her bi-polar under
control, out on his boat for a romantic date. After a wine-filled
evening, Emily awakens to find herself alone on the boat. A roller
coaster ride through the police investigation reveals a different
Paolo, and Emily must work to prove herself innocent in this missing
man mystery. Jacobs does a great job of eliciting sympathy for his
unreliable narrator, and the twists and turns are credible and
gasp-worthy. Fans of Catherine Steadman’s Something in the Water
and / or Kelly Simmon’s Where She Went will appreciate Jacobs’
style of storytelling. I received a digital copy of this fantastic
thriller from the publisher through NetGalley.
Eva meets Lt. Spencer on the SS Lurline on her way to Hawaii, where
her fiance and a nursing position await her in Pearl Harbor. Their
story incorporates the real history of a mysterious message and
government coverup exposing Pearl Harbor to attack. This is a good
story even if you’re not a huge fan of WWII novels. There’s
espionage, danger, injustice, and romance. The only niggle is the
anachronistically feminist Lt. Spencer. The characters are complex,
with multiple storylines blending seamlessly toward the inevitable
end. I was graciously provided a copy through a Goodreads giveaway.
Guests at a dinner party on a yacht in Maine end up in the hospital
with food poisoning. The chef blames her carelessness in mushroom
scavenging, but then discovers one of the guests was an MI5 agent and
a friend of her father, who is a toxicologist in hospital in Britain
dying of mushroom poisoning, blamed on his carelessness. Local FBI
agents and MI5 colleagues, suspecting foul play, parse their
communication, with intermittent inexplicable forthrightness. The
constant repetition of characters’ main traits of being government
agents blends them together in a brothy soup of spyness. Suddenly,
there’s a culprit, with no previous hints or any indication of
involvement, so that backstory must be thrust in awkwardly. I
received a digital copy through NetGalley, where the synopsis
provided no clue that it was 9th in the series,
information only to be found at the end of the book. Perhaps if Dear
Reader is already invested in these spy characters, this particular
story would hold more credibility.
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR:
Carla Neggers is the New York Times bestselling author of
the Sharpe & Donovan series featuring Boston-based FBI agents
Emma Sharpe and Colin Donovan, the Swift River Valley series set in
small-town New England and many other novels of romance, mystery and
suspense. With dozens of bestsellers to her credit, Carla and her
husband divide their time between their hilltop home in Vermont, a
pull-out sofa at their kids’ places in Boston and various spots on
their travels, frequently to Ireland. Learn more at CarlaNeggers.com
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Undercover FBI agent Colin Donovan joins his wife, Emma Sharpe, an
FBI art crimes expert, for his brother’s wedding in their fishing
village on the southern Maine coast. When Kevin Donovan, a marine
patrol officer, receives a call to check on suspected food-poisoning
at a party aboard a yacht Colin, a former marine patrol officer, tags
along.
It’s quickly evident this is no ordinary case of food poisoning.
They’re dealing with a deliberate attack. Most of the victims are
one-time associates of an imprisoned arms trafficker—a Russian
national whose arrest the previous year was made possible by Colin’s
undercover work and Emma’s art crimes expertise.
A rare, boutique deadly poison is responsible for the deaths and
near-deaths aboard the yacht. From his federal prison, the trafficker
claims to know nothing of the attack but he believes one of his
rivals is responsible or at least involved. Whoever distributed the
poison had to be on the yacht at some point and therefore was either
a passenger or a guest. Given the nature of the weapon used, the
attacker also would have to be highly skilled in handling its
volatile, deadly components. Who made the poison? What was the
purpose of the attack—revenge, greed, a message, ideological?
With more questions than answers, Emma and Colin enter the shadowy
world of the victims of the attack. They discover someone is out to
sell extremely dangerous poisons to organized crime networks. The
trail takes them to an unlikely source.
Emma, Colin, HIT and their family and friends must stop the
poisoner before he facilitates his next attack.
PRAISE FOR CARLA NEGGERS:
“Well-plotted, intriguing and set mostly in the lushly
described Irish countryside, the novel is smart and satisfying.”
—Kirkus Reviews on Declan’s Cross
“Saint’s Gate…is a fast-paced, action-packed tale of
romantic suspense that will appeal to fans of Lisa Jackson and Lisa
Gardner.” —Library Journal
An “intense, edge-of-your-seat whirlwind.” —Booklist
on Liar’s Key
“Insanely
sensational….engaging, complex, unforgettable.”
—RT
Book Reviews, a September Top Pick!, on Liar’s Key
A
“suspenseful, fast-moving thriller with plot twists and
excitement to the delightful conclusion.”
—Reader to
Reader, on Liar’s Key
“A richly atmospheric,
beautifully drawn tale with echoes of Daniel Silva and even Dan
Brown.” —Providence Journal on Liar’s Key
“Carla Neggers has long excelled at forging neo-gothic,
brooding tales rich in setting and atmosphere. With Thief’s Mark,
though, she ups the ante in fashioning a crime thriller of rare depth
and complexity.” —Providence Journal
Grace Kelly brought British journalist James Henderson into French
parfumeur Sophie Duval’s life when she hid in Sophie’s shop to
avoid another paparazzi, setting in motion the tale of the
star-crossed lovers, resurrecting the Duval family business, and
laying the foundation for the parallel story of Kelly’s wedding to
Prince Rainier of Monaco. Gaynor and Webb paint a lush, yet pragmatic
picture of Monaco, the Monegasques, and the Princess, with foremost
the blossoming emotions of Sophie and James, characters clearly not
products of their time, but who stand out from the crowd.
Francophiles, parfum lovers, and Grace Kelly fans will love this
novel, though other readers will appreciate the descriptive details
of the setting and the intriguing characters. I was fortunate to
receive a digital copy from the publisher through NetGalley.
Lucy Goodwin’s mother-in-law Diana died. A decade earlier, she’d imagined a mother figure once again in her life to counter the absence left by her mother’s death when she was thirteen. Instead, she met a future mother-in-law who seemed austere, disapproving, and unreachable, often leaving her in tears. Diana allows Lucy rare glimpses into her closely guarded heart and ultra private history. After her death, secrets surface, family dynamics shift, and Lucy and husband Oliver forge a new pathway, professionally and personally. Hepworth’s characters are realistic and compelling, eliciting emotional responses to impossible situations with muddled journeys toward resolution, as in real life. The story elucidates complex relationships, the ethereal nature of personal connections, and the dynamics of marriage and family. I was fortunate to receive a digital copy of this wonderful, well-written story from the publisher through NetGalley.
Rachel North finds herself in a precarious situation, interning for Assistant DA Martha Gardiner, the nemesis of her defense lawyer husband Jack Kirkland, who warns his wife about the woman’s sketchy tactics to win at all costs. Gardiner in turn hints to Rachel of her husband’s ulterior motives, placing Rachel in a quandary as to whom she can trust. Gardiner then thrusts her into a cold case, the death of a young woman who worked under Rachel in her previous incarnation as a Senator’s Assistant. Alternating between the present and the past, Phillipi Ryan develops an intriguing, complex tale of trust, relationships, and marriage, and how a person’s breaking point can lead to murder. Fans of Andrea Bartz’ “The Lost Night” and Megan Goldin’s “The Escape Room” will appreciate the writing style and the wild ride to the finish. I was fortunate to receive a digital copy of this compelling murder mystery from the publisher through NetGalley.
Katie Rose Guest Pryal elicits emotional responses not expected from non-fiction, especially a business guide to freelancing in the academic world. As she takes Dear Reader through her journey from “always the outsider” academic positions to the freedom of working for herself, she lays out the pitfalls she learned the hard way, and the joys of discovering a viable pathway through this gig economy. She’s frank and honest in this guidebook, that although marketed toward a specific niche, offers practical advice for anyone becoming their own company, with useful suggestions such as setting reasonable pay for your services and being your best advocate. Pryal digs deep into herself to empower her readers. As a novelist, academic author, and essayist, she’s a literary Renaissance woman. Learn more about her and her work on her website katieroseguestpryal.com. I was fortunate to receive this wonderfully written book of Katie’s own story from the author for an honest review.
On the night Cassie Hanwell received the Austin Fire Department’s
Valor Award—the youngest and first female—for saving children
from a sinking school bus, the unexpected presenter takes her back to
the night that formed her opinion of love and family. Her award night
again changes her life drastically, returning her reluctantly to
family and more than one potential disaster. Center’s skills draw
readers into the lives of her complex and deeply flawed characters,
causing at least this reviewer to gasp out loud multiple times at
wondrous and astonishing events. She brings tears with realistic
emotional turmoil and unforeseen joy. Fans of Ann Garvin, Camille
Pagan, and Liane Moriarty will appreciate Center’s writing style,
sense of humor, and credible, relatable characters. I was fortunate
to receive a digital copy from the publisher through NetGalley.
A movie producer / author and a journalist collaborated to find
uplifting stories of real life kindnesses, the author inspired by the
journalist’s Good Sam story about a stranger buying a van for a
single mom. The tales of compassion and giving are divided into
thematic chapters: Kindness at Any Age, Finding Purpose Through
Kindness, Connecting to Others Through Kindness, Unique Ways of
Showing Kindness, and Kindness Movements. The Good Sams come in all
ages, from children to seniors, answer requests or volunteer where
needs are seen, and give from their hearts with no expectations,
building unexpected relationships, businesses, and movements. From a
9-year-old inventor to a 100-year-old seamstress, from an interior
designer to a farmer, from a veteran to a veterinarian, from bikers
to a college student, individuals give back to their community. It’s
a definite must-read book of heartwarming humanity. Those seeking the
goodness in people will find it here. I was fortunate to receive this
wonderful book of true-life stories of compassion in a giveaway.
Sylvie, Sam, and Jules are summoned, along with their boss Vincent,
to a meeting in a remote office still under construction, with no
explanation, and no knowledge of who the summoner might be. Following
directions, they ride the elevator up, but it stops and the display
gives clues to the summoner and instructions in riddle format to
escape the elevator. The anonymous summoner has no idea the volatile
emotions these four feel for each other. Goldin starts the story off
a bit slowly, but builds tension quickly with integrated flashbacks
in this scathing take on how corporate Wall Street destroys people.
Filling in Dear Reader on their backgrounds invokes sympathy for
these unlikable characters, and the end is a gasping surprise. Fans
of Liane Moriarty will appreciate this story. I was fortunate to
receive a copy from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley.
