It Had to be You #8 by Mary Higgins-Clark and Alafair Burke BOOK Review

I can’t tell you how amazing it is that Alafair has continued the Queen of Suspenses legacy. Always a guaranteed GOOD read!

In this episode of Under Suspicion we have twin brothers accused of murdering their parents years ago with their sister wondering if her brothers are guilty. Why would the twins murder their parents on the night of their college graduation? Years later, as their estranged from one another their wives and sister still curious “whodunnit”?

This story flew by, it read easily and kept my attention from the first to the last page. The characters were very well detailed and the story/plot marvelously written. It was a cliffhanger and one that I didn’t even see coming. Four stars!

The New Couple in 5B by Lisa Unger BOOK Review

Whew! I timed this book soo close! It’s literally due back at my library tomorrow with 17 people waiting behind me. There was no renew button to press lol! It was a really great read!

A couple inherits a really expensive apartment from an uncle. An apartment building with a history of murders and suicides. Rosie and Chad are on the struggle bus but, with Chads uncle dying away and leaving his amazing apartment to them, things seem to be looking up. Rosie, a writer and Chad an actor. The tenants in the building are all older and seem friendly but, Rosie starts to experience some odd things happening. Are their ghosts in the building and what’s with the creepy kid in the basement?

I really enjoyed this story, it had the creep moments and a lot of suspense. It kept me interested and looking at everyone to figure out the whodunnit. I admit I’m a haunted ghost story lover so, it right up my alley. Great details and plot with a perfectly placed twist! Four stars!

Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll BOOK Review

This story…oh SO good!!

It’s a story that’s well known, well let me backtrack – the defendant is well known. The hottie Zac Efron made him more famous in a series several years back. The stories of the women – not so well known. How embarrassing is it that as a society we’ve been so focused on the killer and not on the women whose lives were affected.

While this book is “fiction”, it is based on the lives of one of the girls in the sorority at FSU and another of his victims. It goes back and forth in time periods and it is engrossing. It’s interesting and it tells the tale of female empowerment, Ted Bundy thought he took that from all of his victims but, he did not. It begins with the attack in the sorority house and goes to the year 2021.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I enjoyed the telling and importance of showing that despite the innocent lives he took, they will be remembered by saying THEIR names and NOT his. In fact, his name was never mentioned and I applaud Jessica for that. This book exceeded my expectations and I’m giving it five stars for that.

Murder Road by Simone St James BOOK Review/Tour

Picture it: a long dark highway…a long dark highway that’s deserted. Deserted until you see a light in the woods and a lone figure barely walking on the side of the road. Would you slow down and offer help?

A couple on their honeymoon, picks up a woman, a woman who ends up dying. The road they picked her up from isn’t the first to claim a victim either. Many murders have happened and the police don’t have a suspect. All identified except for the first..why was she different?

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. If you’ve read Simone before, you know she’s a master of creepy, ghost infused stories. And Murder Road was no different. In fact, she excelled at this storytelling and I’m here for it! As always, Simone was brilliant at her job, she drew me into the story and held me captive until the end. The characters were detailed and their own stories were perfectly spliced into the main storyline.

I really loved this story. It was full of suspense and mystery and kept me engaged. A definite must read! Four stars!

The Drowning Woman by Robyn Harding BOOK Review

I’m not sure how I’ve managed to read five amazing books in a row but, WOW!! Robyn, thank you for a truly memorable and awesome read!

Lee, our main character is homeless living in her car. After having an upscale restaurant where the pandemic forced her to close, we find her here. In her new “normal”. Living in her car is dangerous and thank goodness for the knife a fellow transient gave her but, it proves useless when two guys hooked on meth rob her. With her purse gone, she’s invisible and completely reliant on herself. Then she meets Hazel and that’s when things get even more strange and wild.

Murder, friendship and abuse play a part in this deliciously, fast paced read and can I tell you, I am HERE for it! Another of those reads that you just can’t put down, essentially this book made me happy like eating a good pasta dish. It gave me everything I want in a thriller and more. I enjoyed the details, I could see everything as it played out. This is a five star read but, that’s really nothing new when it comes to Robyn – I began reading her with The Arrangement and after that have looked forward to each of her reads. Definitely a must read! Also, I could totally see this turning into a series or movie.

Midnight by Amy McCulloch BOOK Review

Suspense, mystery, murder on a ship in harsh Antarctic conditions…YES please!

Eliminate big cities and countless places where murderers can hide, put them on a ship where no one can hide and you have the perfect thriller! Olivia and Aaron are going on an Antarctic cruise which will also feature an art display featuring an artist Aaron represents. Olivia has been through the wringer and is ready to get away with her boyfriend Aaron. Except, the trip ends up being something much more harrowing and bloody than she ever thought it could be.

Equal parts suspense and mystery line up for a really terrific read in Midnight. It reads easily and becomes addictive, quite fast. Everything is in the details and the story plays out perfectly in your head. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Four stars for a really great read.

One Wrong Word by Hank Phillippi Ryan BOOK Review

“Money. Money and greed. And making the world be the way you wanted it to be. But she, Monelle Churchwood, wanted the world a different way. She wanted justice.”

This is a story about a man’s innocence or possibly lack there of. A story of a man not being convicted of a death and all the ramifications that come after that. Is he guilty or was he framed. Can his new crisis management expert, Arden, help he and his family return to their lives after the judgement is handed down? Or will fate intervene and keep convicting them?

I have to be honest here, I began really reading this yesterday during my lunch break – I made it to about 17% in AND it sucked me in! I got home and had to keep reading until I finished it shortly before 2am. It was SO good and really that’s no surprise for me. Hank is truly a wonderfully gifted writer. She exudes mystery, suspense and thrills in just one page. She knows how to bring you into her stories and keep you intrigued. I loved it and that’s why I’m giving it five stars!

Divinely Dramatic by Sandra L. Young BOOK Review and Tour

The great follow up to Divine Vintage and I can’t say enough wonderful things, bravo Ms. Sandra!

Marcy, who also works at Divine Vintage with her boss Tess (we met in Divine Vintage), has agreed to be the costumer on a play by Oscar Wilde. She may have bitten off more than she can chew when she begins to see an aura in the attic of the theater. Ultimately she gets cast as the leading lady and things get even more ghostly. Can she juggle being a costumer, actress and retail assistant or has she put too much on her plate?

I really loved this follow up! It gave me everything I want in a good read. Romance, paranormal, suspense and a great deal of character development. It had a nice pace and ultimately I could have finished much quicker but, I enjoyed taking my time. Very well done, a definite must read! Five stars for this paranormal romance reading gift!

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins BOOK Review

“Sometimes, when I look up at Ruby’s portrait, I think about how happy she was when it was painted. She thought she’d beaten it then, the dark thing that was lurking inside her.”

Another Rachel Hawkins gem completed and WOW!! It was truly a page turner that had me in its grips and still hasn’t let me go after finishing it.

The story of a family filled with secrets, murder and lots of money. A kidnapping, the death of four husbands and a mansion filled with people who can’t stand the others. Can money make everything better or does bad karma follow you wherever you go, regardless of the circumstances?

Truly a great read, I’m giving it four stars for the way it kept me intrigued, curious and flipping the page on my kindle. I loved it!!

No One Can Know by Kate Alice Marshall BOOK Review

“But tonight, they’re here. They lie down on their sleeping bags and whisper late into the night. This is a sacred place. A place that is not out in the world, where they have to keep up appearances, or in the house, where they have to watch their every step. Here, in the dark, they can say all the dangerous true things they keep locked away from the light.”

A tale about a mother and father murdered, their three daughters full of stories and a town that doesn’t forgive or forget. A twisty story of trying to figure out secrets that don’t want to be found out. Is blood thicker than water?

This story was really unique, creepy and suspenseful. The plot was very well developed and not easily guessed. It kept me interested, it kept me trying to figure out “whodunnit” in my head and I really enjoyed it! Four stars for this new release!