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Bayou Book Thief by Ellen Byron [Book Review]

Posted on December 31, 2022January 16, 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: Bayou Book Thief

Author: Ellen Byron

Publisher: Berkley Books

Publish Date: June 7, 2022

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Series: Vintage Cookbook #1

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

Twenty-eight-year-old widow Ricki James leaves Los Angeles to start a new life in New Orleans after her showboating actor husband perishes doing a stupid internet stunt. The Big Easy is where she was born and adopted by the NICU nurse who cared for her after Ricki’s teen mother disappeared from the hospital.

Ricki’s dream comes true when she joins the quirky staff of Bon Vee Culinary House Museum, the spectacular former Garden District home of late bon vivant Genevieve “Vee” Charbonnet, the city’s legendary restauranteur. Ricki is excited about turning her avocation – collecting vintage cookbooks – into a vocation by launching the museum’s gift shop, Miss Vee’s Vintage Cookbooks and Kitchenware. Then she discovers that a box of donated vintage cookbooks contains the body of a cantankerous Bon Vee employee who was fired after being exposed as a book thief.

The skills Ricki has developed ferreting out hidden vintage treasures come in handy for investigations. But both her business and Bon Vee could wind up as deadstock when Ricki’s past as curator of a billionaire’s first edition collection comes back to haunt her.

Will Miss Vee’s Vintage Cookbooks and Kitchenware be a success … or a recipe for disaster?

MY REVIEW

Bayou Book Thief is the first book in the Vintage Cookbook mystery series by Ellen Byron. I have enjoyed Byron’s Cajun Country series, so I was excited to see she had a new mystery series.

Ricki James has moved back to New Orleans. She lands a dream job running a gift shop at the Bon Vee Culinary House Museum in the Garden District. The shop, Miss Vee’s Vintage Cookbooks and Kitchenware, is housed in the former home of a Vee, a late New Orleans restaurateur.

While going through boxes of donated books, Ricki finds the body of a recently fired employee of Bon Vee. The employee was exposed as a book thief and let go. Ricki puts her research skills to the test, and investigates the murder. She is especially interested in finding the killer, after one of her new friends is considered a suspect.

Bayou Book Thief has quirky characters, an enchanting setting, and a well-plotted mystery. This was a delightful start to a new cozy mystery series.

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

Books in the Vintage Cookbook series:

Bayou Book Thief

Best Mysteries & Thriller of 2022

Posted on December 31, 2022February 26, 2025 by Darinda

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

Below are the best mysteries and thrillers that I read in 2022. These were gripping, suspenseful, and clever mysteries. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham

The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James

My Top Ten Mysteries & Thrillers for 2022

A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham
Girl, Forgotten by Karin Slaughter
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
Over Her Dead Body by Susan Walter
The Night Shift by Alex Finlay
The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James
The It Girl by Ruth Ware
Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney
The Lying Club by Annie Ward

Local Gone Missing by Fiona Barton [Book Review]

Posted on December 31, 2022December 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: Local Gone Missing

Author: Fiona Barton

Publisher: Berkley Books

Publish Date: June 14, 2022

Genre: Crime & Detective

Series: Elise King #1

My Rating: 3/5

BOOK BLURB

Elise King is a successful and ambitious detective—or she was before a medical leave left her unsure if she’d ever return to work. She now spends most days watching the growing tensions in her small seaside town of Ebbing—the weekenders renovating old bungalows into luxury homes, and the locals resentful of the changes.

Elise can only guess what really happens behind closed doors. But Dee Eastwood, her house cleaner, often knows. She’s an invisible presence in many of the houses in town, but she sees and hears everything.

The conflicts boil over when a newcomer wants to put the town on the map with a weekend music festival, and two teenagers overdose on drugs. When a man disappears the first night of the festival, Elise starts digging for answers. Ebbing is a small town, but it’s full of secrets and hidden connections that run deeper and darker than Elise could have ever imagined.

MY REVIEW

Elise is a detective on medical leave. She misses her work, but is uncertain of when she will return to her job. In the meantime, she spends her time watching the changes in her small town of Ebbing. One of Ebbing’s new residents wants to host a music festival in town. On the first night of the festival, a local man goes missing. Elise can’t resist investigating the disappearance.

Local Gone Missing is a slow-building story. The seaside town, atmosphere, and characters were all well developed. Elise’s detective skills were the highlight. This was a complex and clever mystery.

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

Books in the Elise King series:

Local Gone Missing
Talking to Strangers

Upgrade by Blake Crouch [Book Review]

Posted on December 30, 2022January 16, 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: Upgrade

Author: Blake Crouch

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Publish Date: July 12, 2022

Genre: Technothriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

BOOK BLURB

“You are the next step in human evolution.”

At first, Logan Ramsay isn’t sure if anything’s different. He just feels a little . . . sharper. Better able to concentrate. Better at multitasking. Reading a bit faster, memorizing better, needing less sleep.

But before long, he can’t deny it: Something’s happening to his brain. To his body. He’s starting to see the world, and those around him—even those he loves most—in whole new ways.

The truth is, Logan’s genome has been hacked. And there’s a reason he’s been targeted for this upgrade. A reason that goes back decades to the darkest part of his past, and a horrific family legacy.

Worse still, what’s happening to him is just the first step in a much larger plan, one that will inflict the same changes on humanity at large—at a terrifying cost.

Because of his new abilities, Logan’s the one person in the world capable of stopping what’s been set in motion. But to have a chance at winning this war, he’ll have to become something other than himself. Maybe even something other than human.

And even as he’s fighting, he can’t help wondering: what if humanity’s only hope for a future really does lie in engineering our own evolution?

Purchase Links: Amazon

MY REVIEW

Upgrade is set in the future, after “The Great Starvation” has killed two hundred million people. This famine was unintentionally caused by a genetic engineer. That engineer was Logan’s mother. She was a brilliant scientist, but her experiments had devastating consequences. Now, genetically modifying anything is a crime and Logan works for the Gene Protection Agency.

Logan is exposed to a gene modifying virus on the job, and starts to notice changes in his mind and body. He has become sharper than ever. He has better concentration, vision, and strength. With this new version of himself, Logan is the only one capable of saving humanity by stopping a plan that is already set in motion.

Action, drama, suspense, and science combine in this fast-paced technothriller.

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

Books by Blake Crouch:

Dark Matter
Recursion
Upgrade

Cold Fear by Brandon Webb and John David Mann [Book Review]

Posted on December 30, 2022January 16, 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: Cold Fear

Author: Brandon Webb and John David Mann

Publisher: Bantam

Publish Date: June 7, 2022

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: Finn Thrillers #2

My Rating: 4/5

Cold Fear by Brandon Webb and John David Mann

BOOK BLURB

Disgraced Navy SEAL Finn is on the run. A wanted man since he jumped ship from the USS Abraham Lincoln, he’s sought for questioning in connection to war crimes committed in Yemen by a rogue element in his SEAL team. But his memory of that night—as well as the true fate of his mentor and only friend, Lieutenant Kennedy—is a gaping hole.

Finn learns that three members of his team have been quietly redeployed to Iceland, which is a puzzle in itself; the tiny island nation is famous for being one of the most peaceful, crime-free places on the planet.

His mission is simple: track down the three corrupt SEALs and find out what really happened that night in Yemen. But two problems stand in his way. On his first night in town a young woman mysteriously drowns—and a local detective suspects Finn’s involvement. What’s worse, a SEAL-turned-contract-killer with skills equal to Finn’s own has been hired to make sure he never gets the answers he’s looking for. And he’s followed Finn all the way to the icy north.

MY REVIEW

Disgraced Navy SEAL Finn is on the run. He is wanted for events that happened on a botched mission in Yemen. Events that he can’t completely remember. Three members of his team were sent to Iceland, so Finn heads there to get information. While Finn is looking for those SEALs, someone else is looking for Finn.

The characters are well-developed and interesting. Cold Fear is told using the points of views of Finn, Krista, and Boone. Finn is looking for answers. Krista is a detective in Iceland working on a murder case. Boone is a contract killer after Finn.

This is the second book in the Finn Thrillers series. While Cold Fear can be read as a standalone, I recommend starting with the first book, Steel Fear.

Cold Fear is an exciting thriller with plenty of action.

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

Books in the Finn Thrillers series:

Steel Fear
Cold Fear
Blind Fear

Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris Pavone [Book Review]

Posted on December 30, 2022January 16, 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: Two Nights in Lisbon

Author: Chris Pavone

Publisher: MCD

Publish Date: May 24, 2022

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

BOOK BLURB

You think you know a person . . .

Ariel Pryce wakes up in Lisbon, alone. Her husband is gone—no warning, no note, not answering his phone. Something is wrong.

She starts with hotel security, then the police, then the American embassy, at each confronting questions she can’t fully answer: What exactly is John doing in Lisbon? Why would he drag her along on his business trip? Who would want to harm him? And why does Ariel know so little about her new—much younger—husband?

The clock is ticking. Ariel is increasingly frustrated and desperate, running out of time, and the one person in the world who can help is the one person she least wants to ask.

MY REVIEW

Ariel and her husband, John, travel to Lisbon on one of his business trips. One morning, Ariel wakes up, and her husband is gone. She contacts local authorities, but she is unable to answer some of their questions. When Ariel gets a ransom demand for John, she has to come up with the money, and that means turning to someone she was hoping to never have contact with again.

Two Nights in Lisbon has a complex and multilayered plot that took time to build. The twists and turns were unexpected, which is always enjoyable. A good read for fans of tense and suspenseful thrillers.

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

My Summer Darlings by May Cobb [Book Review]

Posted on December 30, 2022December 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: My Summer Darlings

Author: May Cobb

Publisher: Berkley

Publish Date: May 17, 2022

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

BOOK BLURB

A woman in the forest thinks she’s going to die.
I know he’s coming back for me.

Jen Hansen, Kittie Spears, and Cynthia Nichols have been friends since childhood. They are now approaching forty and their lives have changed, but their insular East Texas town has not. They stay sane by drinking wine in the afternoons, dishing about other women in the neighborhood, and bonding over the heartache of their own encroaching middle age and raising ungrateful teens.

Then Will Harding comes to town, moving into one of the neighborhood’s grandest homes. Mysterious and charming, he seems like the answer to each woman’s prayers. He’s a source of fascination for Jen, Kittie, and Cynthia, but none of them are ready for the way Will disrupts their lives.

As Will grows closer with each of the women, their fascination twists into obsession, threatening their friendships and their families. When he abruptly pulls away, each woman scrambles to discover the source of his affection. But what they’ll uncover is far more sinister and deadly than any of them could have ever imagined.

MY REVIEW

Jen, Kittie, and Cynthia lives in the same neighborhood and have been friends for years. A new man moves into town, and has caught all their attention. There goes the neighborhood.

My Summer Darlings is told through alternating points of view – Jen, Kittie, Cynthia, and an unknown person. The POVs are all distinct, though none of them are very likable.

Jen is recently divorced, and is immediately drawn to the new neighbor, Will. Her besties, Kittie and Cynthia, are both married, but they are also attracted to Will. This must be the world’s most charming man. Anyway, the women all fall for this new stranger, and are absolutely ridiculous trying to win him over. It should be no surprise that things do not end well.

My Summer Darlings is a guilty pleasure book. A steamy and dramatic story of rich people behaving badly, with a little mystery thrown in.

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 Likable Woman
The Hollywood Assistant

Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak [Book Review]

Posted on December 30, 2022January 16, 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: Hidden Pictures

Author: Jason Rekulak

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Publish Date: May 10, 2022

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

BOOK BLURB

Mallory Quinn is fresh out of rehab when she takes a job as a babysitter for Ted and Caroline Maxwell. She is to look after their five-year-old son, Teddy.

Mallory immediately loves it. She has her own living space, goes out for nightly runs, and has the stability she craves. And she sincerely bonds with Teddy, a sweet, shy boy who is never without his sketchbook and pencil. His drawings are the usual fare: trees, rabbits, balloons. But one day, he draws something different: a man in a forest, dragging a woman’s lifeless body.

Then, Teddy’s artwork becomes increasingly sinister, and his stick figures quickly evolve into lifelike sketches well beyond the ability of any five-year-old. Mallory begins to wonder if these are glimpses of a long-unsolved murder, perhaps relayed by a supernatural force.

Knowing just how crazy it all sounds, Mallory nevertheless sets out to decipher the images and save Teddy before it’s too late.

MY REVIEW

Mallory is looking for a fresh start. She’s just out of rehab and gets a job as a live-in nanny for a couple and their five-year-old, Teddy. At first, things are great, but then Teddy starts to draw creepy images. Mallory starts to suspect the drawings may have something to do with an unsolved murder.

Hidden Pictures starts strong. The story was intriguing and I was enjoying the characters. Halfway into the book, things took a turn. The story got wilder and more unbelievable. Overall, it was an entertaining read, but not as thrilling as I had hoped.

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

Little Sister by Gytha Lodge [Book Review]

Posted on December 30, 2022January 16, 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: Little Sister

Author: Gytha Lodge

Publisher: Random House

Publish Date: June 28, 2022

Genre: Crime & Detective

Series: DCI Jonah Sheens #4

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

Jonah Sheens is enjoying a moment of peace in a pub garden on his day off when a teenage girl wanders out of the woods. She’s striking, with flame-red hair and a pale complexion. She’s also covered in blood.

When Jonah races to help, the girl insists she’s fine. Then she smiles. It’s her sister he needs to worry about. Keely and her sister, Nina, disappeared from a children’s home a week ago. Now Keely is here—but Nina’s still missing. Jonah is sure Keely knows where her sister is—but before she tells him anything, she insists, he has to listen to her story from the beginning.

Is she witness, victim, or killer? And if Jonah follows the trail of clues in her story, will they lead him to the missing girl—or distract him until it’s too late?

MY REVIEW

A teenage girl wanders out of the woods, covered in blood. The girl, Keely, and her sister Nina have been missing for a week. Keely tells DCI Jonah Sheens that she will tell him everything, but he must listen to her whole story, starting at the beginning. Jonah agrees, but he and his team are also trying to find Nina.

Little Sister is told using alternating points of view – Jonah, Juliette (an officer on Jonah’s team), and Keely. Jonah and Juliette are trying to find Nina, and Keely is telling a tragic story of abuse in the foster system.

Little Sister is the fourth 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.

Little Sister is dark, twisted, and tragic. 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:

It’s News to Me by R.G. Belsky [Book Review]

Posted on December 30, 2022June 23, 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: It’s News to Me

Author: R.G. Belsky

Publisher: Oceanview

Publish Date: October 4, 2022

Genre: Amateur Investigator

Series: Clare Carlson #5

My Rating: 3/5

BOOK BLURB

When Riley Hunt—a beautiful, smart, popular student at Easton College in Manhattan—is brutally murdered, it becomes a big story for TV newswoman Clare Carlson.

After days of intense media coverage, a suspect is caught: a troubled Afghanistan war veteran with a history of violent and unstable behavior. The suspect’s mother, however, comes to Clare with new evidence that might prove her son’s innocence.

As Clare digs deeper into the puzzling case, she learns new information: Riley had complained about being stalked in the days before her murder, she was romantically involved with two different men—the son of a top police official and the son of a prominent underworld boss—and she had posted her picture on an escort service’s website offering paid dates with wealthy men.

Soon, Clare becomes convinced that Riley Hunt’s death is more than just a simple murder case—and that more lives, including her own, are now in danger until she uncovers the true story.

MY REVIEW

It’s News to Me is the fifth book in the Clare Carlson series by R.G. Belsky. Clare is a journalist who has worked on several high profile investigations. In It’s News to Me, Clare covers the murder of a popular college student.

Clare is an intelligent and witty, yet flawed character. She makes some questionable decisions, but does have good investigative skills and the determination to find truth.

This is an enjoyable series with gripping mysteries. It’s News to Me can be read as a stand-alone, but I recommend reading the earlier books too.

It’s News to Me is a complex and suspenseful mystery. Recommended for fans of mysteries from a journalists point of view.

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

Books in the Clare Carlson series:

Yesterday’s News
Below the Fold
The Last Scoop
Beyond the Headlines
It’s News to Me
Broadcast Blues

Please Join Us by Catherine McKenzie [Book Review]

Posted on December 30, 2022January 16, 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: Please Join Us

Author: Catherine McKenzie

Publisher: Atria Books

Publish Date: August 23, 2022

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

At thirty-nine, Nicole Mueller’s life is on the rocks. Her once brilliant law career is falling apart. She and her husband, Dan, are soon to be forced out of the apartment they love. After a warning from her firm’s senior partners, she receives an invitation from an exclusive women’s networking group, Panthera Leo. Membership is anonymous, but every member is a successful professional. It sounds like the perfect solution to help Nicole revive her career. So, despite Dan’s concerns that the group might be a cult, Nicole signs up for their retreat in Colorado.

Once there, she meets the other women who will make up her Pride. A CEO, an actress, a finance whiz, a congresswoman: Nicole can’t believe her luck. The founders of Panthera Leo are equally as impressive. They explain the group’s core philosophy: they’re a girl’s club in a boy’s club world.

Nicole is all in. And when she gets home, she soon sees dividends. Her new network quickly provides her with clients that help her relaunch her career, and a great new apartment too. The favors she has to provide in return seem benign. But then she’s called to the congresswoman’s apartment late at night where she’s pressed into helping her cover up a crime. And suddenly, Dan’s concerns that something more sinister is at play seem all too relevant. Can Nicole extricate herself from the group before it’s too late? Or will joining Panthera Leo be the biggest mistake of her life?

MY REVIEW

Nicole Mueller is an attorney needing a boost in her career. She gets invited to join an exclusive group for professional women. She thinks this is just what she needs, so jumps at the chance to join. She soon sees improvement in her career and life. The favors she provides to the other members of the group seem minor, and she’s elated with how things are going. Then she gets called for more than a favor, she’s asked to help cover up a murder.

Please Join Us is told from Nicole’s point of view. The first part of the novel is slower paced. Nicole joins an exclusive networking group, and meets the other women. There is a good mix of professional women involved, and Nicole starts to immediately see the benefits of being a member. Later in the novel, things get messy. Nicole is in for a wild ride, and tries to escape the toxic group.

Please Join Us is a deliciously twisted thriller of corporate culture, first world problems, and secret organizations.

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

Books by Catherine McKenzie:

Smoke
Fractured
The Good Liar
I’ll Never Tell
You Can’t Catch Me
Six Weeks to Live
Please Join Us

First Born by Will Dean [Book Review]

Posted on December 30, 2022January 16, 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: First Born

Author: Will Dean

Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books

Publish Date: July 5, 2022

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

Sisters. Soulmates. Strangers.

Molly Raven lives a quiet, structured life in London, finding comfort in security and routine. Her identical twin Katie, living in New York, is the exact opposite: outgoing, spontaneous, and adventurous.

But when Molly hears that Katie has died, possibly murdered, she is thrown into unfamiliar territory. As terrifying as it is, she knows she must travel across the ocean and find out what happened. But as she tracks her twin’s final movements, cracks begin to emerge, and she slowly realizes her sister was not who she thought she was and there’s a dangerous web of deceit surrounding the two of them.

MY REVIEW

Twin sisters with opposite personalities. Molly lives a life of quiet and security in London. Katie lives a life of spontaneity and adventure in New York City. When Molly learns that Katie has died, and it may have been murder, she takes off for New York to uncover what happened to her sister.

First Born is told from Molly’s point of view. She is analytical and paranoid. At first, I found her eccentricities tiring, but they eventually grew on me. The characters, setting, and story are all a bit dramatic. As the story progresses, it grows more twisted and wild.

First Born is an intense and suspenseful thriller. Recommended for fans of thrillers with complex stories and surprising twists.

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