Tag: Thriller

Categories
Fiction Thrillers

Deadlock by James Byrne (ARC Review)

I was psyched when Minotaur Books reached out about the second Dez Limerick novel! Last summer, I wrote this about The Gatekeeper:

This is what I like in a summer read – nonstop action, banter, entertaining main characters, over the top fighting scenes, a few laughs thrown in, and a plot that is easy enough to follow without burning all the brain cells trying to keep up. Plausible, nah, but entertaining as heck – 100%.

I can’t agree with myself more and actually found Deadlock  to be an even better read. I liked the plot more and Dez is an extremely likeable character. This book was another wild ride and just everything I want in a summer thriller!

Bookish Quick Facts:
  • Title: Deadlock
  • Series: Dez Limerick #2
  • Author: James Byrne
  • Publisher & Release: Minotaur Books, 08/08/2023
  • Length: 368 pages
  • Rate & Recommend: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ for fans of thrillers and action books with quirkier character elements
Here’s the synopsis from Am*zon:

In this sequel to the highly praised The Gatekeeper, Dez Limerick, one of the best new thriller heroes returns.

Desmond Aloysius Limerick (“Dez” to his friends and close personal enemies) is a man with a shadowy past, certain useful hard-won skills, and, if one digs deep enough, a reputation as a good man to have at your back. Now retired from his previous life, Dez is just a bloke with a winning smile, a bass guitar, and bullet wounds that paint a road map of past lives.

Jaleh Swann, a business journalist hot on the trail of an auditor who was mugged and killed, lands in the hospital just one day after her Portland apartment is ransacked. When Jaleh’s sister, Raziah, reaches out to an old friend for help, Dez has no choice but to answer. The Swann sisters have been pulled into a dizzying web of cover-ups and danger. At the center lies an insidious Oregon-based tech corporation, Clockjack, which has enough money and hired guns to silence just about anyone―including this rag-tag trio. Luckily, Dez’s speciality is not just to open doors, but keep them open―and protect those working to expose Clockjack’s secrets

My thoughts:

Most of what I think can be summarized by saying: this is everything I want in a summer thriller.  Some characters from book one make guest appearances and provide some continuity to the storyline, although these can totally be read as standalones.

Between the character stories and the action things are happening nonstop.  I flew through this book and even though it’s not out until August I had wanted to check it out asap!

The stakes are high and Dez is back with his bag of tricks. He starts out just trying to protect his friend and ends up stumbling into an international conspiracy that of course, he is in a unique position to stop. With some help from MI6 and the U.S. Marshalls.  Overall it was exciting and easy to follow: AKA a perfect summer read.

It has some darker elements too as we got some history of Dez and his soldiering days.  He’s funny with this happy go lucky persona, but Byrne didn’t let us forget that the guy tends to leave a wake of corpses behind and some are innocent.

Brits trying to make sense of America (and vice versa) was another fun element. I stopped trying to we understand them too. Plus all the American carbs ha ha it’s true. Like you know while reading that it is an American author but he’s spot on sometimes.

Overall:

Totally recommend for fans of action books that don’t take themselves too seriously. I learned a lot looking up words and phrases as I went so I felt like I got something educational out of it too.

The surprising end sets the tone for book three – like what! I can’t wait until hopefully next year when it comes out. I have a feeling that I’ll be reading this series for as many books as Byrne writes

Thanks for checking out my early book review of Deadlock by James Byrne. I received a free digital copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review and as always, all opinions are my own ♥️

Categories
Crime Fiction Suspense Thrillers

Monday Mourning by Kathy Reichs (Book Thoughts)

The weather is getting warmer which means I’m breaking out the old school police procedurals and forensic files types of books.  I’m also passing on these books once I read them so I’m targeting the beaten up old paperbacks.

I love Kathy Reichs because she’s essentially writing a fictionalized version of herself and she writes what she knows – bones and forensics.

I love how much she loves Montreal. I do wish she would back off on street names and locations because unless someone is familiar with the city (yay, I am) I think it could be a turn off.  For me, I love picturing where we are going and all the old buildings, touristy areas, china town, etc.  There are lots of fond memories in Montreal and I enjoy the setting.

Anyway, it’s hard to go wrong with Bones. I liked the show. I like Reichs’ writing style. It’s easy to digest and while her scientific explanations occasionally make my eyes glaze over, I enjoy learning a thing or two and seeing the team solve the case. Brennan tries hard not to get emotionally involved but she feels deeply for the injustices done to the girls and women in her case. She also has this ping pong style of thinking that I can relate to.

Monday Mourning, like all of the Brennan books, can 100% be read as a standalone but when you read them in order you get the full picture of Tempe’s life.  There’s a despicable series of crimes here to be solved that start with three skeletons in a pizza parlor’s basement and end with danger to everyone involved.  Brennan is on the case with the Montreal detectives and it’s a book that I can read for an hour or two before bed and enjoy trying to solve the case with them. 

This ending I didn’t see coming at all. The book is exciting and fairly fast paced and there’s plenty of personal things for Tempe to deal with too. I’m a fan of this series and hope to make the time to read more of them this summer!

Bookish Quick Facts:
  • Title: Monday Mourning
  • Series: Temperance Brennan #7 (reads as standalone)
  • Author: Kathy Reichs
  • Publisher & Release: Scribner, 2004
  • Length: 383 pages
  • Rate & Recommend:. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ For fans of the genre
Here’s the synopsis:

Internationally acclaimed forensic anthropologist and New York Times bestselling author Kathy Reichs explores the Stockholm syndrome—the psychology of a captive submitting to the ideology of a captor—in this mesmerizing new thriller.

Temperance Brennan, forensic anthropologist for both North Carolina and Quebec, has come from Charlotte to Montreal during the bleak days of December to testify as an expert witness at a murder trial.

She should be going over her notes, but instead she’s digging in the basement of a pizza parlor. Not fun. Freezing cold. Crawling rats. And now, the skeletonized remains of three young women. How did they get there? When did they die?

Homicide detective Luc Claudel, never Tempe’s greatest fan, believes the bones are historic. Not his case, not his concern. The pizza parlor owner found nineteenth-century buttons in the cellar with the skeletons. Claudel takes them as an indicator of the bones’ antiquity.

But something doesn’t make sense. Tempe examines the bones in her lab and establishes approximate age with Carbon-14. Further study of tooth enamel tells her where the women were born. If she’s right, Claudel has three recent murders on his hands. Definitely his case.

Detective Andrew Ryan, meanwhile, is acting mysteriously. What are those private phone calls he takes in the other room, and why does he suddenly disappear just when Tempe is beginning to hope he might be a permanent part of her life? Looks like more lonely nights for Tempe and Birdie, her cat.

As Tempe searches for answers in both her personal and professional lives, she finds herself drawn deep into a web of evil from which there may be no escape. Women have disappeared, never to return…Tempe may be next.

Thanks for checking out my book review of Monday Mourning by Kathy Reichs. This one comes off of my own shelves and as always, all opinions are my own ♥️

Categories
Fiction Horror Suspense Thrillers

The Whisper Man by Alex North (ARC Review)

Three years ago when I transitioned all of my Wix reviews to WordPress and had no idea what I was doing, I thought they all came over without a fuss. I was wrong. I recently posted a review for Alex North’s new book The Angel Maker and realized that I couldn’t link to The Whisper Man, his debut, because it didn’t exist on my website. Well – thank goodness for GoodReads.

Originally posted in August 2019, here is my review of this creepy little thriller’s ARC

Bookish Quick Facts:
  • Title: The Whisper Man
  • Author: Alex North
  • Publisher & Release: Celadon Books, 2019
  • Length: 368 pages
  • Rate & Recommend: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
Here’s the synopsis from Am*zon:

In this dark, suspenseful thriller, Alex North weaves a multi-generational tale of a father and son caught in the crosshairs of an investigation to catch a serial killer preying on a small town.

After the sudden death of his wife, Tom Kennedy believes a fresh start will help him and his young son Jake heal. A new beginning, a new house, a new town. Featherbank.

But the town has a dark past. Twenty years ago, a serial killer abducted and murdered five residents. Until Frank Carter was finally caught, he was nicknamed “The Whisper Man,” for he would lure his victims out by whispering at their windows at night.

Just as Tom and Jake settle into their new home, a young boy vanishes. His disappearance bears an unnerving resemblance to Frank Carter’s crimes, reigniting old rumors that he preyed with an accomplice. Now, detectives Amanda Beck and Pete Willis must find the boy before it is too late, even if that means Pete has to revisit his great foe in prison: The Whisper Man.

And then Jake begins acting strangely. He hears a whispering at his window…

My thoughts:

Thanks to Celadon books for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own!

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I was dually hooked and creeped out after reading a few chapters of this book and honestly stayed that way (creeped out and hooked) until the very end.

Holy cow what a page turner. I hate cliches but there were so many twists and turns and nuances and beautiful little insights, that I could NOT stop reading! I think I read the last 120 pages in one sitting.

My favorite parts included a sweet little storyline with the boy Jake’s ‘imaginary friend’. Ghosts freak me out though. At the end when Jake is talking to someone else … No spoilers but it’s one of those things that makes me say “hmmm”.  A touch of magical realism, or something more sinister?

What a great level of suspense too. I felt a lot of fear for Neil and Jake throughout, which is what makes a thriller good for me. I need to feel the urgency. The killer was well hidden too and I liked how those revelations were brought out. I think I missed something the first time I read the book, but went back and gained some insight into the killer which made more sense once I realized that it was a generational abuse issue.

4.5 stars and I definitely recommend for fans of thrilling, suspenseful, paranormal novels. Be warned that it’s more literary than most books in these genres so it likely won’t appeal to those coming in for a fright. If you’re looking for atmosphere and suspense, look no further!

Thanks for checking out my book review for The Whisper Man by Alex North. I received my early copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review and as always, all opinions are my own ♥️. Stay tuned for more back content as I parse out which reviews never made it to WordPress!

Categories
Mysteries Thrillers

A Bad Day for Sunshine by Darynda Jones (Book Review)

Back in 2020, St Martin’s Press sent me a box of hot summer reading paperbacks. One of them was Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris, another I can’t remember, and the third was A Bad Day for Sunshine.  I read and featured the other two books long ago but for some reason this one never made it into my TBR pile, so let’s rectify that situation 🤷‍♀️

Bookish Quick Facts:
  • Title: A Bad Day for Sunshine
  • Series: Sunshine Vicram #1
  • Author: Darynda Jones
  • Publisher & Release: St Martin’s Press, 2020
  • Length: 400 pages
  • Rate & Recommend: ⭐⭐⭐✨ for a mature audience of mystery fun
Here’s the synopsis from Am*zon:

Sheriff Sunshine Vicram finds her cup o’ joe more than half full when the small village of Del Sol, New Mexico, becomes the center of national attention for a kidnapper on the loose.

Del Sol, New Mexico is known for three things: its fry-an-egg-on-the-cement summers, strong cups of coffee―and, now, a nationwide manhunt? Del Sol native Sunshine Vicram has returned to town as the elected sheriff―thanks to her adorably meddlesome parents who nominated her―and she expects her biggest crime wave to involve an elderly flasher named Doug. But a teenage girl is missing, a kidnapper is on the loose, and all of this is reminding Sunshine why she left Del Sol in the first place. Add to that the trouble at her daughter’s new school, plus and a kidnapped prized rooster named Puff Daddy, and, well, the forecast looks anything but sunny.

But even clouds have their silver linings. This one’s got Levi, Sunshine’s sexy, almost-old-flame, and a fiery-hot US Marshal. With temperatures rising everywhere she turns, Del Sol’s normally cool-minded sheriff is finding herself knee-deep in drama and danger. Can Sunshine face the call of duty―and find the kidnapper who’s terrorizing her beloved hometown―without falling head over high heels in love…or worse?

My thoughts:

This is an incredibly silly and surprisingly good book that had great storylines at heart. It’s part thriller and part cozy mystery with kidnapping, murder, and more.  I liked the actual danger and high stakes  mixed with many moments of laughs and antics from all the crazy side characters.

There is a lot to love and I read it incredibly quickly in about two days.  There are two points of view, Sunshine and her daughter, both which were fun in their own ways. I liked the family bonding and how Auri navigated her issues at the new school before getting involved with the mystery.

I did not like how Sunshine rated every single male character based on how hot he was. Like really? If a male author described every female character by how much of an erection they gave the male main character, the author would be chewed up and cancelled. It was funny at first but got old real quick and I docked a star for it by the end. I wrote mature audience above for some of the language used to describe men, and one alarmingly explicit sex dream. For me, I hope she cleans it up in the next book 🤷‍♀️

I’m not sure if I’ll keep reading the series but I really do like the characters. The women are strong in the ways that matter and I genuinely liked the side characters. The book babes with their wine, the grandparents, the barista couple, even the other police officers, they’re a great big crew of hilarity and close knit community.  I would like to give book two a chance just to see how things pan out for everyone.

For a lighter type of mystery read, the action and clues were well distributed so that I never got bored. I was so worried for the kidnapped girl that it was hard to put down! I also liked how Jones managed to make us feel for so many different characters.

I will probably check out the next books in the series. Thank you to St Martin’s Press for sending me the paperback finished copy when it was released!

Disclaimer: if I receive a book unsolicited from the publisher, I do not feel obligated to read or review it at all.  This book was heavily featured on my Instagram at the time so I believe that the publicity obligation was met. I endlessly appreciate St Martin’s for all the lovely books and merch and arcs over the past few years, for real ♥️

As always, all opinions are my own

Categories
Crime Fiction Mysteries Thrillers

Good Dog, Bad Cop by David Rosenfelt (ARC Review)

As always, thanks so much to Minotaur Books for letting me read another K-Team novel early!  I have read all four of them and do enjoy these fast paced detective stories with at least one K-9 takedown per story 😅

Bookish Quick facts:
  • Title: Good Dog, Bad Cop
  • Series: K Team Novels #4
  • Author: David Rosenfelt
  • Publisher & Release: Minotaur Books, 03/14/23
  • Length: 288 pages
  • Rate & Recommend: ⭐⭐⭐✨ for fans of snarky detective stories
Here’s the synopsis from Am*zon:

For the K Team, playing “good dog”, “bad cop” is all fun and games… until there’s a body on the scene, in the next K Team Novel by bestselling author David Rosenfelt.

The K Team enjoys investigating cold cases for the Paterson Police Department. Corey Douglas, his K-9 partner Simon Garfunkel, Laurie Collins, and Marcus Clark even get to choose which cases they’d like to pursue. When Corey sees the latest list of possibilities, there’s no question which one to look into next.

Corey’s former mentor, Jimmy Dietrich, had his whole identity wrapped up in being a cop. When Jimmy retired three years ago, his marriage quickly deteriorated and he tried–and failed―to get back on the force. Jimmy was left to try to adjust to life as a civilian.

Not long after, two bodies were pulled from the Passaic River. A local woman, Susan Avery, and Jimmy Dietrich. With no true evidence available, the deaths went unsolved and the case declared cold. This didn’t stop the whispers: an affair gone wrong… a murder-suicide committed by Jimmy.

Corey never believed it. With this case, the K Team has the opportunity to find the real murderer, and clear Jimmy’s name. Bestselling author David Rosenfelt returns in Good Dog, Bad Cop, where there’s little to go on, but that won’t stop Paterson, New Jersey’s favorite private investigators from sniffing out the truth.

My thoughts:

I do have some mixed feelings about these books but I keep reading! Rosenfelt writes fast paced books with snarky characters that can be read in a few (or fewer 😅) sittings. They’re relatively short but I tend to be thrown off by the lack of chapter headings – that said, the finished copies may be different from the ARCs.

This story once again features the Corey and Dani relationship when they aren’t solving cases. He can’t say the word, but he is thinking about “M…ing” her now and it’s hilarious that he’s thinking about it like that.

I like the case itself. I didn’t see the answers coming at all, except for those that Rosenfelt gives us as foreshadowing.  That said, my least favorite part is his bad guy “foreshadowing” chapters. He just gives us a few of the answers and then lets the detectives work back to that point, or not, but the readers know either way.  I just don’t love that style and he does it in many of his books.

I also didn’t think the “big threat” in Good Dog, Bad Cop was handled well.  It was presented as one big bad guy and then didn’t impact the case at all, nor did it add a lot of threat for me since no one was that worried about it.  The cases that the K Team were working on were fun though and it was interesting to see the clues come together.

So…I don’t *love* these books but I keep reading because I love K9 detectives and they’re quick, fun books.  I still wish Simon got more page time but I’ll always applaud when he gets to take down a bad guy.

Overall: not a perfect read but lots of fun to be had with the K Team, with appearances from Andy Carpenter. Would recommend for fans of fun detective novels with fairly high stakes and cold cases.

Thanks for checking out my book review of Good Dog, Bad Cop by David Rosenfelt. I received my early digital copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review and as always, all opinions are my own ♥️

Categories
Thrillers

The Last Orphan by Gregg Hurwitz (ARC Review)

It’s February 7th and I’ve finally finished a book this month! Thank you so much to Minotaur Books for the early copy of The Last Orphan. I needed new X in my life! This is another solid installment in the Orphan X series, a fast paced read that presents a little less action with a more human side to Evan and the crew.

Bookish quick facts:
  • Title: The Last Orphan
  • Series: Orphan X, #8
  • Author: Gregg Hurwitz
  • Publisher & Release: Minotaur Books, 02/14/23
  • Length: 352 pages
  • Rate & Recommend: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ for fans of high tech assassins, thrillers, suspense, snark
Here’s the synopsis from GoodReads:

Evan Smoak returns in The Last Orphan, the latest New York Times bestselling Orphan X thriller–when everything changes and everything is at risk.

As a child, Evan Smoak was plucked out of a group home, raised and trained as an off-the-books assassin for the government as part of the Orphan program. When he broke with the program and went deep underground, he left with a lot of secrets in his head that the government would do anything to make sure never got out.

When he remade himself as The Nowhere Man, dedicated to helping the most desperate in their times of trouble, Evan found himself slowly back on the government’s radar. Having eliminated most of the Orphans in the program, the government will stop at nothing to eliminate the threat they see in Evan. But Orphan X has always been several steps ahead of his pursuers.

Until he makes one little mistake…

Now the President has him in her control and offers Evan a deal – eliminate a rich, powerful man she says is too dangerous to live and, in turn, she’ll let Evan survive. But when Evan left the Program he swore to only use his skills against those who really deserve it. Now he has to decide what’s more important – his principles or his life.

My thoughts:

I’ve really enjoyed the Orphan X books so far.  Like most series of this type, the author has to find ways to keep the books fresh and moving forward or they face the chance of repetitive material becoming stale.

Thankfully I don’t think X is stale yet.  If you’ve never read the series, each book does stand alone just fine but I think you’ll appreciate the characters more if you know the whole story.

Here the Mia storyline comes to a close, Evan is rattled enough to make a mistake, and an encounter with a brilliantly powerful man makes him more introspective than usual. Has he finally found his match? Aragon (from the last book) makes an appearance, Tommy is back, and Joey & Dog are here as well.  Even Orphan V has a small role.  Do y’all think Vera III is still alive?

There’s plenty of action too.  I missed the hi tech stuff and major operations that feature more prominently in other books but like I said, sometimes doing things differently is the best way to keep it fresh.  The Last Orphan is a fast read and I love the mostly funny chapter titles.

I docked a star because it’s bogged down a bit with long talks and philosophy (from Devine), but don’t worry, there’s a reminder or three that Evan is still actually a deadly assassin.  Seeing the bad guys get what’s coming to them is great. That said, I also liked the glints from his pre-orphan life too, hinting that we might get more “human Evan” in the next book.

Can’t wait to see where this series goes next!

Thanks for checking out my book review of The Last Orphan by Gregg Andrew Hurwitz. I received my e-copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, and as always, all opinions are my own ♥️

Categories
Thrillers

Medusa’s Child by John J. Nance (The Shortest Book Post EVER)

It took me all of January but I managed to read one physical book off of my shelves: a beaten up copy of Medusa’s Child by John J. Nance!

P.S. I’m not only sick but I had to speak to my brother, which means I’m pretty well intoxicated too, so this is going to be the shortest book review / book thoughts post EVER

Long story short, a crazy & genius scientist wanted to simultaneously blow up DC and torment his already psychologically abused ex wife. If you want Speed but on an airplane, and with some aviation lingo, Medusa’s Child is great for you.  Nance was a pilot and obviously knows his shit, so there’s that. There’s lots of 90s nostalgia too like AOL chat rooms and I’m sure some outdated military technology.

The fictional president is such a bad ass in this book.

The whole plot takes place on a plane, except the novel also bounces around to Air Force One and a few other people & places in real time, but man he managed to stretch one ticking thermonuclear bomb (a few hours) into a long ass book.  Also the ‘terrorist’ is white so y’all can’t bitch about brown terrorists like, that Falling book that came out recently. Is that the name of it?

Overall:  fast ish pace, good writing. Nance had McKay and McCoy as two main characters. A tad confusing and he droned on with aircraft lingo at times. I can’t really find anything too bad to complain about. It was terse and fun to read, although not great enough that I’m going to read the other Nance that I have, they can.both go in the ‘unhaul’ box.

Who doesn’t love a good beaten up 90s paperback though?

P.s. I have no idea if this ever became a mini series or not (see the cover) if it did, did you see it? How was it?

Bookish quick facts:
  • Title: Medusa’s Child
  • Author: John J. Nance
  • Publisher & Release: St Martin’s Paperbacks, 1997
  • Length: 464 pages
  • Rate & Recommend: ⭐⭐⭐✨ for fans of 90s or aviation thrillers
Here’s the GoodReads synopsis:

In the high-flying tradition of his extraordinary New York Times bestseller Pandora’s Clock, author and aviator John J. Nance launches Medusa’s Child, an explosive new thriller that takes to the skies-and takes you to the height of terror.

Now he brings you to the brink of nuclear catastrophe

At 10,000 feet, Captain Scott McKay gets the nerve-shattering news: aboard his Boeing 727 is a ticking time bomb-and not just any bomb. It’s the Medusa Project, a thermonuclear monster that could wipe out every computer chip on the continent, obliterating any and all traces of modern technology. Now Scott is flying blind, with nowhere to land and nothing to rely on but his own instincts. And one wrong move could ignite a worldwide apocalypse by unleashing…

Categories
Science Fiction Thrillers

Recursion by Blake Crouch (Book Thoughts)

Oh, oh, this is a hard one to write. Crouch is one of my favorite sci-fi authors and I fully enjoyed flying through this book.  Recursion is another total mind fuck and while I loved it, it also got lost in it’s convolution and created way too many inconsistencies and discordant notes for my poor little brain to handle.

That said, I love the ideas and themes and still fully recommend this one to anyone that enjoys sci-fi thrillers.  I’m pretty sure it’s at least partially a me-not-you issue. Let’s take a look at the book then I’ll pick it apart a little more!

Bookish Quick Facts:

  • Title: Recursion
  • Series: N/A
  • Author: Blake Crouch
  • Publisher & Release: Ballantine Books, 2019
  • Length: 339 pages
  • Rate & Recommend:⭐⭐⭐ ✨ yes for sci-fi & thriller fans. This isn’t actually a bad review!

Here’s the synopsis via Am*zon:

From the bestselling author of Dark Matter and the Wayward Pines trilogy comes a relentless thriller about time, identity, and memory—his most mind-boggling, irresistible work to date, and the inspiration for Shondaland’s upcoming Netflix film.

Reality is broken.

At first, it looks like a disease. An epidemic that spreads through no known means, driving its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived. But the force that’s sweeping the world is no pathogen. It’s just the first shock wave, unleashed by a stunning discovery—and what’s in jeopardy is not our minds but the very fabric of time itself.

In New York City, Detective Barry Sutton is closing in on the truth—and in a remote laboratory, neuroscientist Helena Smith is unaware that she alone holds the key to this mystery . . .and the tools for fighting back.

Together, Barry and Helena will have to confront their enemy—before they, and the world, are trapped in a loop of ever-growing chaos

My thoughts:

So yeah, this was actually a really cool book and it tackled all the bigtime sci-fi dilemmas about humanity, memory, power, life and love, and the meaning of everything.  He even quoted Vonnegut in the epilogue and then gave us a typical Crouch ending, which I loved because it boiled the entire book down to inevitability 😅

Similar to Dark Matter, this is a huge mindbender that I don’t think the reader is supposed to think too hard about.  Just read the thriller and let it race over you, right? I am all for that method except there were so many layers that my brain kept saying “wait I’m pretty sure this event isn’t possible, or XYZ would have happened earlier…” Or “wait wait wait, he already disproved that…”  I COULD BE TOTALLY WRONG SO DON’T LISTEN TO ME, JUST GO READ THE BOOK 😅

I do always feel pretty disgruntled after finishing a Crouch though so … I’m probably wrong.

If nothing else, it was easy to root for the characters.  I liked how they discussed the ideas and drilled home the points Crouch was trying to make about second chances and inevitability.  How terribly things can go when power is placed in the wrong hands, but then things can also get equally fucked when handled with the best of intentions.  Helena started out with the absolute best of intentions, trying to help her mom, and look where they all ended up…

He summarized the book (and honestly his entire bibliography) with this one rough quote from the main character: We are fucking with shit that’s not supposed to be fucked with!

Overall: if you like thrillers, sci-fi, big ideas, and books that will make your pulse race while also taking your brain for a ride, I fully recommend anything by Blake Crouch.

Thanks for checking out my book review of Recursion by Blake Crouch! I bought this one on my own when it was published and as always, all opinions are my own ♥️

Categories
Suspense Thrillers

The Prisoner by B.A. Paris (ARC Review)

Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press for the eARC of The Prisoner! I will always covet the chance to read an upcoming B.A. Paris book, especially when it follows something strong like last year’s release, The Therapist.

Unfortunately, The Prisoner mostly missed the mark for me and I don’t find it to be one of her stronger books.

Bookish Quick Facts:

  • Title: The Prisoner
  • Series: N/A
  • Author: B.A. Paris
  • Publisher & Release: St Martin’s Press, 11/01/22
  • Length: 304 pages
  • Rate & Recommend: ⭐⭐ (Sorry – yes to fans of the author & genre though)

Here’s the synopsis:

With Behind Closed Doors, New York Times bestselling author B. A. Paris took the psychological thriller to shocking new heights. Now she’ll hold you captive with THE PRISONER―a stunning new thriller about one woman wed into a family with deadly intentions.

Amelie has always been a survivor, from losing her parents as a child in Paris to making it on her own in London. As she builds a life for herself, she is swept up into a glamorous lifestyle where she married the handsome billionaire Ned Hawthorne.

But then, Amelie wakes up in a pitch-black room, not knowing where she is. Why has she been taken? Who are her mysterious captors? And why does she soon feel safer here, imprisoned, than she had begun to feel with her husband Ned?

My thoughts:

The plot itself sounds interesting enough, a husband and wife are kidnapped and we have to learn why, then how it unfurls, and then what happens afterward.  I’m always down for a psychological or domestic thriller with these plots.

The issue is that in order for these kinds of books to be interesting or terrifying, they have to be if not real, at least believable. Even the believable parts in this one weren’t believable. Those older women wouldn’t just invite 18 year old Amelie into their lives so quickly, and Ned doing the things that Ned does, even the twists at the end involving Amelie’s money, none of it really worked for me.  It just all felt very cartoon like and more eye rolls happened than they should have.

And the end didn’t work – yeah yeah yeah Amelie wants to straightaway get involved with another very dangerous accessory to murder No. It was just too easy to wrap everything up with that super long conversation at the end.

Also the entire book was repetitive.  It had short chapters that are good for flipping pages quickly, but for something so short it seems like it should have moved forward more than sideways sometimes. The other issue is that unless we were told, it was hard to keep track of how much time was passing overall.  Four years from start to finish, how did that even happen? I think dates would have helped this one a lot for the segments taking place in the past.

 I finished the book rather quickly despite everything, so that’s something. For the four Paris novels I’ve read now: I loved Behind Closed Doors, liked The Therapist, kind of sort of tolerated Bring Me Back, but The Prisoner to me is the worst of the bunch. Sorry, I just know BA Paris can do better!

Thanks for checking out my book review of The Prisoner! As always, I endlessly thank St. Martin’s Press for being a wonderful partner and providing me with so many amazing free books to review! All honest opinions are my own

Categories
Fiction Mysteries

The Lost by Jeffrey B. Burton (Book Review)

Thank you endlessly to Minotaur Books for sending over another great read this spring!  I feel terrible because it came out back at the end of June. The book was received in exchange for an honest review and as always, all opinions are my own!

When I finally got into my lovely finished copy of The Lost, I found it to be a quick, engaging K9 mystery with some thrilling aspects as well. This is #3 in the series but totally reads as a standalone. 

The K9 mystery genre is one that I’ve really been getting into with the Search and Rescue books, Rookie K9 unit, and anything by David Rosenfelt, so if you like lighter, funnier mysteries and K9 detectives definitely check this one out!

Bookish Quick Facts:

  • Title: The Lost
  • Series: Mace Reid K9 Mystery, #3
  • Author: Jeffrey B Burton
  • Publisher & Release: Minotaur Books, June 2922
  • Length: 288 pages
  • Rate & Recommend: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ for a quick and fun mystery read

Synopsis:

The Lost is the next mystery from author Jeffrey B. Burton starring an extraordinary cadaver dog and her handler.

Glencoe, Illinois: A home invasion turned kidnapping at the mansion of billionaire financier Kenneth J. Druckman brings Mason “Mace” Reid and his cadaver dog, Vira, to this wealthy northern suburb of Chicago. Druckman was assaulted, left behind while his wife and young daughter were taken for ransom.

Brought to the scene by the FBI, Reid specializes in human remains detection, and Vira is the star of his pack of cadaver dogs he’s dubbed The Finders. After Vira finds the dead body of the mother, former supermodel Calley Kurtz, everyone is on high alert to find Druckman’s missing daughter before the five-year-old disappears forever. But the trail Vira finds on the property’s dense woodlands leads right back to Druckman himself.

With the help of Detective Kippy Gimm, Reid and Vira must race against the clock. Nothing is as it appears to be . . . and the red herrings could be lethal.

First off, I definitely liked this one as a standalone.  I had no trouble meeting the characters and understanding what was happening, although I am definitely 100% adding the first two books to my TBR to meet the dogs more in depth.

This is a relatively short mystery with shorter chapters too so it’s a very quick read, perfect for the summer!

The characters are funny and kind but also talented as heck.  I liked seeing a lot of Vira the golden retriever’s tricks and abilities, especially her capacity to recognize feelings and stand in as a therapy dog.  Then she can turn around, find a body, nail a bad guy – Vira is an all around pro.  I would have liked to see more of the actual dog training though I imagine it featured in prior books.

There’s plenty of action too. The plot is decent, it’s a little heavier than the average mystery and while it is labelled as a “cozy animal mystery” on Amazon, I didn’t recognize the cozy element as much.  Mace is an amateur sleuth but his dogs know their business, and he was extremely observant.  His cop girlfriend/partner did good work too and seems kind & intelligent as well as bad ass.

Where the book lost a star with me was the format of the reveal – like the book started with an unknown bad guy, then the plot and mystery developed – right in the middle, the answer was revealed – then the last half dropped the mystery and turned into a thriller, featuring the characters trying to locate a kidnapping victim and dodge various curve balls including the Russian Mafia and a crazy rich person.

My only gripe is that giving the answer away in the middle took a bit out of the second half for me since I was expecting red herrings and mystery and had to adjust my expectations. I also wish the events at the start of the book tied into the rest a little more, finding some resolution for that crime. Maybe the next book?

Overall – I liked this one. It was thrilling, interesting, funny at times, and the dogs were great. Everything that a K9 detective mystery should be!