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A Likeable Woman by May Cobb [Book Review]

Posted on December 27, 2023December 28, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: A Likeable Woman

Author: May Cobb

Publisher: Berkley

Publish Date: July 11, 2023

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

BOOK BLURB

Kira’s back in her affluent hometown for the first time in years and determined to unravel the secrets of her mother’s death—hidden in the unpublished memoir she left behind—even if it kills her. . . .

After her troublemaker mother’s mysterious death, Kira fled her wealthy Texas town and never looked back. Now, decades later, Kira is invited to an old frenemy’s vow renewal celebration. Though she is reluctant to go, there are things pulling her home . . . like chilled wine and days spent by the pool . . . like sexy Jack, her childhood crush. But more important are the urgent texts from her grandmother, who says she has something for Kira. Something related to her mother’s death, something that makes it look an awful lot like murder.

When her grandmother gives Kira a memoir that her mother had been working on before she died, Kira is drawn into the past and all the sizzling secrets that come along with it. With few allies left in her gossipy country-club town, Kira turns to Jack for help. As she gets closer to discovering what—and who—might have brought about her mother’s end, it becomes clear that someone wants the past to stay buried.

And they might come after Kira next.

MY REVIEW

Kira returns to her hometown to uncover the secrets surrounding her mother’s death. Kira’s mother died over twenty years earlier, but Kira suspected there was more to her mother’s death than she was told.

A Likeable Woman is told using multiple points of view and timelines. Kira is telling the present day events, and Sadie, her mother, is the voice for the past. The characters are interesting. The East Texas setting is atmospheric.

A dramatic thriller. Recommended for fans of domestic thrillers, cold cases, and old secrets.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Books by May Cobb:

The Hunting Wives
My Summer Darlings
A Likeable Woman
The Hollywood Assistant

The Last One by Will Dean [Book Review]

Posted on December 27, 2023January 15, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: The Last One

Author: Will Dean

Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books

Publish Date: August 8, 2023

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

When Caz steps onboard the exclusive cruise liner RMS Atlantica, it’s the start of a vacation of a lifetime with her new love, Pete. On their first night they explore the ship, eat, dance, make friends, but when Caz wakes the next morning, Pete is missing.

And when she walks out into the corridor, all the cabin doors are open. To her horror, she soon realizes that the ship is completely empty. No passengers, no crew, nobody but her. The Atlantica is steaming into the mid-Atlantic and Caz is the only person on board. But that’s just the beginning of the terrifying journey she finds herself trapped on in this white-knuckled mystery.

MY REVIEW

Caz and her boyfriend go on a cruise. After waking the first morning, Caz realizes her boyfriend is gone. Then she realizes everyone is gone.

Caz is an interesting character. She finds herself alone on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean. At first, panic seems the appropriate response, but she soon gets smart about finding help and surviving.

The Last One is one shocking thriller with a fantastic twist ending. A clever and intense locked-room mystery about trust and survival.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Books by Will Dean:

The Last Thing to Burn
First Born
The Last One
The Chamber

The Long Way Back by Nicole Baart [Book Review]

Posted on December 27, 2023January 15, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: The Long Way Back

Author: Nicole Baart

Publisher: Atria Books

Publish Date: June 13, 2023

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

Mother and daughter Charlie and Eva never sought social media fame, but when a stunning photo of Eva went viral, fame found them. Now, after more than two years documenting life on the road in their vintage Airstream trailer, the duo has temporarily settled on the North Shore of Lake Superior. Eva is happily finishing her senior year of high school and applying to college, but Charlie longs for the adventures they left behind.

When Eva goes missing less than a week before her graduation, it’s Charlie who is immediately suspected of foul play—not just by their fans, but also by the police and the FBI. As a fight about one more road trip comes to light, and the truth about their relationship is questioned, Charlie realizes the rosy facade they portrayed online hid a complicated and potentially dangerous reality. Now, to clear her name and find out what has happened to her daughter, she’ll have to confront her own role in Eva’s disappearance—and whether she knows her daughter at all.

MY REVIEW

A mother and daughter found social media fame while traveling in their Airstream. When the daughter goes missing, the mother is the first suspect.

The Long Way Back is told using the dual points of view of the mother and daughter. The characters are realistic and relatable. The story is complex and well written.

An atmospheric, suspenseful, and twisty mystery thriller. This is the first books I’ve read by this author, and I look forward to reading more from her.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

What the Neighbors Saw by Melissa Adelman [Book Review]

Posted on December 27, 2023January 15, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: What the Neighbors Saw

Author: Melissa Adelman

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Publish Date: June 20, 2023

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

What the Neighbors Saw by Melissa Adelman

BOOK BLURB

Sometimes the darkest acts occur in the most beautiful houses…

When Alexis and her husband Sam buy a neglected Cape Cod house in an exclusive DC suburb, they are ecstatic. Sam is on the cusp of making partner at his law firm, Alexis is pregnant with their second child, and their glamorous neighbors welcome the couple with open arms. Things are looking up, and Alexis believes she can finally leave her troubled past behind.

But the neighborhood’s picture-perfect image is shattered when their neighbor Teddy – a handsome, successful father of three – is found dead on the steep banks of the Potomac River. The community is shaken, and as the police struggle to identify and apprehend the killer, tension in the neighborhood mounts and long-buried secrets start to emerge.

In the midst of the turmoil, Alexis takes comfort in her budding friendship with Teddy’s beautiful and charismatic widow, Blair. But as the women grow closer, the neighborhood only becomes more divided. And when the unthinkable truth behind Teddy’s murder is finally uncovered, both Blair and Alexis must reexamine their friendship and decide how far they are willing to go to preserve the lives they have so carefully constructed.

MY REVIEW

A married couple moves into a fancy neighborhood. One of their new neighbors is killed. Turns out their are a lot of secrets in their new neighborhood.

What the Neighbors Saw is told through the dual points of view of Alexis and Blair. Alexis is new to the neighborhood, pregnant, and grew up in poverty. Blair is wealthy, confident, and newly widowed. Alexis and Blair become friends, though Alexis suspects Blair may be hiding secrets.

Unlikable characters in a wealthy neighborhood is a favorite trope of mine, so I was excited to read this one. A slow-burning, suspenseful, and entertaining debut novel.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Girls and Their Horses by Eliza Jane Brazier [Book Review]

Posted on December 27, 2023December 28, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: Girls and Their Horses

Author: Eliza Jane Brazier

Publisher: Berkley

Publish Date: June 6, 2023

Genre: Domestic Suspense

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

Girls and Their Horses by Eliza Jane Brazier

BOOK BLURB

When the nouveau riche Parker family moves to an exclusive community in the heart of Southern California, they believe it’s their chance at a fresh start. Heather Parker is determined to give her daughters the life she never had—starting with horses.

She signs them up for riding lessons at Rancho Santa Fe Equestrian, where horses are a lifestyle. Heather becomes a “Barn Mom,” part of a group of wealthy women who hang at the stables, drink wine, and prepare their daughters for competition.

It’s not long before the Parker family is fully enmeshed in the horse world—from mean girl cliques to barn romances and dark secrets. With the end of summer horse show fast approaching, the pressure is on, and these mothers will stop at nothing to give their daughters everything they deserve.

Before the summer is over, lies will turn lethal, accidents will happen, and someone will end up dead.

MY REVIEW

A wealthy family moves from Texas to California for a fresh start. The mother signs her daughters up for riding lessons. Soon they are fully involved in the horse world.

Girls and Their Horses is told using multiple points of view, including chapters for the police interviews. Unlikable characters, a dead body, and plenty of suspects.

Rich people behaving badly and lots of drama. A fun, slow-burning mystery with toxic people.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Books by Eliza Jane Brazier:

If I Disappear
Good Rich People
Girls and Their Horses
It Had to Be You

Try Not to Breathe by David Bell [Book Review]

Posted on December 27, 2023January 15, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: Try Not to Breathe

Author: David Bell

Publisher: Berkley

Publish Date: June 27, 2023

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

An ex-cop sets out to find her missing sister and discovers the shocking truth about her family…

A traumatic experience in the line of duty forces thirty-year-old Avery Rogers to abandon both her relationship and her position as a Kentucky State Police officer. She retreats to a college town where she works an unfulfilling job as a security guard, breaking up fights between drunken frat boys.

But a frantic phone call turns Avery’s life upside down. Her father—a retired cop who never fails to convey his disappointment in Avery—says her half sister is missing and in danger. Avery is sure Anna’s just crashing with friends, but her father strong-arms her into searching for the sister she barely knows.

Anna Rogers is fed up with her family—a half sister who resents her existence and a domineering father who thinks it’s okay for cops to shoot unarmed civilians. She hits the road to attend a protest against police brutality, unaware of the danger that awaits her there.

Just after catching a glimpse of Avery at the protest, Anna receives a shocking text. Now she’s no longer road-tripping; she’s running, pursued by an older sister she doesn’t trust and a violent stranger who has been stalking her for weeks.

When Avery discovers Anna’s hiding place near a remote cave system, she risks everything to save her. Little do the sisters know that a secret is catching up to them—a secret at the very heart of their family history.

MY REVIEW

An ex-cop looks for her missing sister. They don’t know about the family secrets people want to keep hidden.

Try Not to Breathe is told using multiple points of view. Avery and Anna are interesting characters. The story is well paced and intriguing.

A fast-paced and intense thriller full of family secrets. Readers who enjoyed David Bell’s other books are sure to enjoy this one too.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Books by David Bell:

Cemetery Girl
The Hiding Place
Never Come Back
The Forgotten Girl
Somebody I Used to Know
Since She Went Away
Bring Her Home
Somebody’s Daughter
Layover
The Request
Kill All Your Darlings
The Finalists
She’s Gone
Try Not to Breathe

The New Mother by Nora Murphy [Book Review]

Posted on December 27, 2023January 15, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: The New Mother

Author: Nora Murphy

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Publish Date: May 30, 2023

Genre: Domestic Suspense

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

BOOK BLURB

Isolated. Lonely. Tired. It’s hard being The New Mother. Sometimes it’s murder.

Nothing is simple about being a new mom alone in a new house, especially when your baby is collicky. Natalie Fanning loves her son unconditionally, but being a mother was not all she wanted to be.

Enter Paul, the neighbor.

Paul provides the lifeline she needs in what feels like the most desperate of times. When Paul is helping with Oliver, calmed by his reassuring, steady presence, Nat feels like she can finally rest.

But Paul wants something in return. It’s no coincidence that he has befriended Nat—she is the perfect pawn for his own plan. Will Nat wake up in time to see it?

MY REVIEW

Natalie is a new mother having a hard time adjusting to the demands of motherhood. When she meets her neighbor, Paul, he seems to have a magic touch with her son. But Paul has an ulterior motive for befriending Natalie.

The New Mother is told using the dual points of view of Natalie and Paul. The characters were interesting, but the buildup was slow. I had a hard time getting into this one.

This is novel focuses a lot on Natalie and her postpartum depression. Recommended for readers who enjoy slow burning domestic thrillers.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Books by Nora Murphy:

The Favor
The New Mother

A Killer in the Family by Gytha Lodge [Book Review]

Posted on December 27, 2023January 15, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: A Killer in the Family

Author: Gytha Lodge

Publisher: Random House

Publish Date: August 8, 2023

Genre: Police Procedural

Series: DCI Jonah Sheens #5

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

A woman uploads her DNA online, searching for her father—but the man who contacts her is Detective Chief Inspector Jonah Sheens. From the acclaimed author of Little Sister, this endlessly twisty crime novel asks: What might a family do to protect or expose a serial killer in its midst?

When the police found the first body, left on a bonfire in the forest, they worried it had the hallmarks of a serial killer.

Now, as they find the second, they know for sure.

Panic about the “Bonfire Killer” quickly spreads through the sedate suburban area of Southampton. Women are urged not to travel alone at night, and constant vigilance is encouraged among the local residents. But single mom Aisling Cooley has a lot to distract her: two beloved teenage sons and a quest to find her long-lost father, whom she hasn’t seen since she was a teenager.

After much debate, she decides to upload her DNA to an ancestry website. When she gets a match she is filled with an anxious excitement that her questions about her father’s disappearance from her life might finally be answered.

But to her horror, it’s not her father who’s found her. It’s a detective.

And they say her DNA is a close match for the Bonfire Killer. . . .

MY REVIEW

A woman uploads her DNA to an ancestry website in the hopes of locating her father. It’s not her father who contacts her though, it’s a detective looking for a killer.

A Killer in the Family is the fifth book in the DCI Jonah Sheens series, but it can be read as a standalone. This series has some gripping mysteries, and I suggest reading the other books.

This book uses multiple points of view – the detectives working the case, the woman with a DNA match to the killer, the killer, and a victim. The characters are interesting and the mystery is intriguing.

A Killer in the Family is dark, tense, and twisty. Recommended for fans of British police procedurals.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Books in the DCI Jonah Sheens series:

The House on Prytania by Karen White [Book Review]

Posted on December 27, 2023January 15, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: The House on Prytania

Author: Karen White

Publisher: Berkley

Publish Date: May 9, 2023

Genre: Paranormal Mystery

Series: Royal Street #2

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

Nola Trenholm may not be psychic herself, but she’s spent enough time around people who are to know when ghosts are present, and there are definitely a few lingering spirits in her recently purchased Creole cottage in New Orleans. Something, or someone, is keeping them tethered to this world. And not all of them are benign.

But with the sudden return of Sunny Ryan, Beau Ryan’s long-lost sister, Nola has plenty to distract her from her ghostly housemates. Especially when the tempting—yet firmly unavailable—Beau, wanting to mete out justice to those he blames for Sunny’s kidnapping, asks Nola for a favor that threatens to derail her hard-won recovery and send her hurtling backward. He asks her to welcome Michael Hebert back into her life, even though Michael is the reason for Nola’s bruised heart. Beau is convinced that Michael’s powerful family was behind Sunny’s disappearance and that Michael is the key to getting information the police won’t be able to ignore—if Nola is willing to risk everything for which she’s worked so hard.

Torn between helping Beau and protecting herself, Nola doesn’t realize until it’s almost too late why the ghosts are haunting her house—a startling revelation that will throw her and Beau together to fight a common enemy. Assuming Nola can get Beau to listen to what the spirits are trying to tell him, because ignoring them could prove to be a fatal mistake…

MY REVIEW

The House on Prytania is the second book in the Royal Street series. Nola Trenholm moved to New Orleans for a fresh start. Her new home is a fixer upper with a few spirits hanging around. The spirits may help solve a mystery Nola is involved in with her friend Beau.

The House on Prytania can be read as a standalone, but I recommend starting with the first book in this series, The Shop on Royal Street. Fun characters, a charming setting, and intriguing stories make this an enjoyable series.

An atmospheric mystery with paranormal elements and a hint of romance. Recommended to fans of Southern fiction and light paranormal mysteries.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Books in the Royal Street series:

The Shop on Royal Street
The House on Prytania

Deep Tide by Laura Griffin [Book Review]

Posted on December 27, 2023June 28, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: Deep Tide

Author: Laura Griffin

Publisher: Berkley

Publish Date: April 25, 2023

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Series: The Texas Murder Files #4

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

An undercover FBI agent and a coffee shop owner who values her independence must team up when a local barista is found dead in their coastal Texas town in this new romantic thriller from New York Times bestselling author Laura Griffin.

With two brothers on the police force, Leyla Breda is well aware of the rising crime in her small beach town, but she never expected it to show up on her doorstep. When Leyla finds one of her employees murdered in the alley behind her coffee shop, she’s deeply shaken, and as a new law enforcement officer in town begins to circle her place of business, her instincts only sharpen.

Sean Moran is on an undercover mission: The seaside community of Lost Beach may look like a picturesque postcard, but his team suspects it’s a point of intersection for several crime syndicates that the FBI has been investigating for years. Even so, when the brash and beautiful Leyla Breda starts bossing him around, he’s immediately intrigued. He knows her brothers want him to back off, but every time he sees her, he feels more of a spark.

Leyla’s connections in the local community and Sean’s skills allow them to go deeper into the case together than they would be able to go alone. But when a single crime spirals into something much darker, Sean’s carefully planned mission takes a deadly turn.

MY REVIEW

Leyla finds one of her employees murdered body in the alley behind her coffee shop. Sean is an undercover FBI agent in town on an assignment. Leyla and Sean want to solve these cases, but they are also immediately attracted to one another.

Deep Tide is the fourth book in The Texas Murder Files series. While this book is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone.

There are two investigations happening in Deep Tide. The murder of Leyla’s employee and Sean’s case. Sean quickly believes the cases are related, and starts working with the detective on the murder case. This book is told using three points of view – Leyla, Sean, and Nicole. Nicole is the local detective. The setting is a small beach town in Texas.

A combination of mystery and romance. Deep Tide is a fun and suspenseful addition to this series.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Books in the The Texas Murder Files series:

Hidden
Flight
Midnight Dunes
Deep Tide
Liar’s Point

Not So Perfect Strangers by L.S. Stratton [Book Review]

Posted on December 26, 2023January 15, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: Not So Perfect Strangers

Author: L.S. Stratton

Publisher: Union Square & Co.

Publish Date: March 28, 2023

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

Not So Perfect Strangers by L.S. Stratton

BOOK BLURB

One fateful encounter upends the lives of two women in this tense domestic thriller, a modern spin on Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers On A Train that flips the script on race and gender politics.

“I’m a big believer that women should help each other, Tasha,” she says. “Don’t you think?”

Tasha Jenkins has finally found the courage to leave her abusive husband. Taking her teenage son with her, Tasha checks into a hotel the night before their flight out of D.C. and out of Kordell Jenkins’s life forever. But escaping isn’t so easy, and Tasha soon finds herself driving back to her own personal hell. As she is leaving, a white woman pounds on her car window, begging to be let in. Behind the woman, an angry man is in pursuit. Tasha makes a split-second decision that will alter the course of her life: she lets her in and takes off.

Tasha and Madison Gingell may have very different everyday realities, but what they have in common is marriages they need out of. The two women want to help each other, but they have very different ideas of what that means . . .

They are on a collision course that will end in the case files of the D.C. MPD homicide unit. Unraveling the truth of what really happened may be impossible‒and futile. Because what has the truth ever done for women like Tasha and Madison?

MY REVIEW

Not So Perfect Strangers is a retelling of Strangers on a Train. Two women have a chance meeting one night. Both women are looking to escape their spouses, and one of them suggests they kill each other’s husbands.

Told using dual points of view, the reader gets both women’s perspectives on their lives and what they think of each other. Not So Perfect Strangers is a fun, dark, and twisty thriller.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A Flaw in the Design by Nathan Oates [Book Review]

Posted on December 26, 2023January 15, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: A Flaw in the Design

Author: Nathan Oates

Publisher: Random House

Publish Date: March 21, 2023

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

The cleverest psychopaths hide in plain sight.

Gil is living a quiet life as a creative writing professor in a bucolic Vermont town, when he receives some shocking news: His sister and her husband have been killed in a car accident, and their only son is coming to live with him and his family.

Gil and his wife are apprehensive about taking in seventeen-year-old Matthew. Yes, he has just lost both his parents, but they haven’t seen him in seven years—and the last time the families were together, Matthew lured their young daughter into a terrifying, life-threatening situation. Since that incident, Gil has been estranged from his sister and her flashy, wealthy banker husband.

Now Matthew is their charge, living under their roof.

The boy seems charming, smart, and urbane, if strangely unaffected by his parents’ deaths. Gil hopes they can put the past behind them, though he’s surprised when Matthew signs up for his creative writing class. Then Matthew begins turning in chilling stories about the imagined deaths of Gil’s family and his own parents. Bewildered and panicked, Gil ultimately decides he must take matters into his own hands—before life imitates art.

MY REVIEW

After Gil’s sister and her husband die in a car accident, Gil and his family open their home to his nephew. Gil hasn’t seen his nephew Matthew in seven years. The last time the families had been together, there was an incident that strained their relationship. Gil teaches creative writing, and is surprised when Matthew signs up for his class. He is shocked when Matthew starts turning in disturbing stories.

A Flaw in the Design is told from Gil’s point of view. Gil is hesitant to have Matthew move into their home. He doesn’t trust him, and becomes consumed with proving Matthew is evil. However, everyone else believes Matthew to be a smart and charming young man.

A dark and intense thriller. Recommended to readers who like clever psychological thrillers.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.