Biscuits and Slashed Browns by Maddie Day (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"For country-store owner Robbie Jordan, the National Maple Syrup Festival is a sweet escape from late-winter in South Lick, Indiana--until murder saps the life out of the celebration . . .

As Robbie arranges a breakfast-themed cook-off at Pans 'N Pancakes, visitors pour into Brown County for the annual maple extravaganza. Unfortunately, that includes Professor Connolly, a know-it-all academic from Boston who makes enemies everywhere he goes--and this time, bad manners prove deadly. Soon after clashing with several scientists at a maple tree panel, the professor is found dead outside a sugar shack, stabbed to death by a local restaurateur's knife. When an innocent woman gets dragged into the investigation and a biologist mysteriously disappears, Robbie drops her winning maple biscuits to search for answers. But can she help police crack the case before another victim is caught in a sticky situation with a killer?"

My Thoughts:

This cozy mystery series is a personal favorite of mine so I've been waiting impatiently to get my hands on this book.  There is just something so delightful about diving back into this series with each book.  They have almost become comfort reads at this point as I know to expect mouthwatering descriptions of all sorts of food along with a mystery that keeps me guessing.  In this book, Robbie gets involved in the search for a killer after her aunt comes across a body during the Maple Syrup Festival.  Robbie's knack for puzzles and natural curiosity always seem to pull her into investigating which in turn leads her into trouble.  I loved that with this book we got to see all of the characters that we know and love but also were introduced to a few new ones.  My favorite parts of the book though are the times when Robbie is working in her restaurant.  I love the little details that are included about prepping the various foods that she is going to serve.  The times when she is actually working in her restaurant and interacting with her customers are just so fun to read about!

Overall, I enjoyed this book and thought it was another good addition to this series.  I feel like you basically know what you are getting when picking up these books but that isn't a bad thing.  It is just that feeling of visiting with old friends - I look forward to these books so that I can dive into this world once again. It is going to be another long wait for the next book to be released but it will be worth the wait!  I'm actually really excited because it looks like we will be getting the fifth book this year as well.  You can certainly read this book as a standalone but I would recommend reading the series in order if possible.  There are pieces from previous books that you will miss out on otherwise.  Overall, this is a cozy series that I highly recommend!  One of my favorites and one that I wait impatiently for each new book on.

Bottom Line:  Another great addition to one of my favorite cozy mystery series!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.

Biscuits and Slashed Browns was released today on January 30th!

Dark River Rising by Roger Johns (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"A tense and expertly-plotted debut mystery set against the bayous of Louisiana.

Baton Rouge Police Detective Wallace Hartman has had better days. With her long-time partner and mentor on medical leave and a personal life in shambles, she’s called to the scene of a particularly gruesome murder: the body of a known criminal has been found in a deserted warehouse, a snake sewn into his belly. Obvious signs of torture point to a cunning and cold-blooded killer who will stop at nothing to find what he’s looking for.

When Federal Agent Mason Cunningham arrives on the scene, Wallace expects a hostile takeover of the case. But when a scientist with ties to the victim goes missing from a government lab, she needs Mason’s federal connections as much as he needs her local insight, and the two form an uneasy partnership to solve a case that grows more complicated—and dangerous—by the minute.

Meanwhile, the killer lurks in the shadows with an agenda no one saw coming, and when Wallace and Mason threaten to get in the way they risk losing everything they hold dear. Including their lives."

My Thoughts:

I picked this book up off of the library new releases shelf purely based off of that cover and the above summary.  I hadn't heard about it previously so it was one of those rare library finds that I can't help but adore when it happens.  It feels like serendipity!  I'm glad that I brought it home with me because I really enjoyed this one.  Wallace is a detective investigating the brutal death of a known drug dealer when Mason enters into her investigation.  He has his own federal investigation relating to drugs as well but they soon find that the two tie in together.  I enjoyed my time reading this book because it was different than the usual mysteries I read.  I mean there was a murder but really they were trying to figure out what was going on in the drug world.  Was there possibly a drug war about to begin?  I also really, really liked both of the main characters.  Wallace has had some bad things happen to her in the past which she is still working on dealing with. And Mason just wasn't your typical federal agent that you read about in other books.  I loved the way that they worked with each other and the relationship that developed between them.  It was all just really great to read about!  I also really appreciated the ending of this book.  I didn't see any of it coming until I was supposed to so I was very surprised by the ending.  I could definitely read more about these characters so I would love if this author made this into a series!  As far as I can tell it is currently just a standalone but I can sure wish otherwise!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would love to read more!  I'm really glad that I decided to bring this one home from the library and didn't let it go back unread.  It was an enjoyable read and I'm looking forward to seeing what else this author comes up with in the future.  It had a really great mystery at the heart of it and an ending that I just didn't see coming.  I would recommend this book to both thriller and mystery fans.  It was a great choice and I need more books like this in my life.

Bottom Line:  An enjoyable mystery with characters that I want more of!

Disclosure:  This book came from my local public library.

Edited to add:  I was just on Goodreads and there IS going to be a book two so this will be a series!  2nd book due to release this year!!  I'm pumped!

Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Sisters. Strangers. Survivors.

More than twenty years ago, Claire and Lydia's teenaged sister Julia vanished without a trace. The two women have not spoken since, and now their lives could not be more different. Claire is the glamorous trophy wife of an Atlanta millionaire. Lydia, a single mother, dates an ex-con and struggles to make ends meet. But neither has recovered from the horror and heartbreak of their shared loss—a devastating wound that's cruelly ripped open when Claire's husband is killed.

The disappearance of a teenage girl and the murder of a middle-aged man, almost a quarter-century apart: what could connect them? Forming a wary truce, the surviving sisters look to the past to find the truth, unearthing the secrets that destroyed their family all those years ago . . . and uncovering the possibility of redemption, and revenge, where they least expect it."

My Thoughts:

This book was by far the darkest and most thrilling book that I finished in 2017!  It was so very intense and a complete page turner!  I picked this book up finally thanks my personal TBR challenge - it's the first book that I've read off of my list of TBR reads.  It was so unbelievably good and I'm kicking myself for waiting until now to read it!  I've now read three books by Slaughter and she has jumped on to my must read everything she writes list!  She definitely writes books that are on the darker side so they won't be for everyone.  They are my kind of books though as I couldn't get enough of this one!  I found myself completely immersed in this book from the very beginning.  The thing about reading it was that you just never knew what was going to happen next.  The author had me twisting and turning right along with the characters - I just couldn't stop reading because of it!  I found myself so immersed in this book trying to figure out what was going on!   And how it was all going to end - I just didn't want to stop reading.  I'm trying not to go into too much detail as I don't want to give anything away.  This is a book that you just need to read and experience for yourself!  The book begins when Claire's husband is killed which in itself is a pretty intense moment and literally doesn't stop from there.  I'm just basically gushing at this point but it was just that good!

Overall, this book easily ended up on my top reads list for 2017 as I absolutely loved it!  Not sure exactly what that says about me considering the subject matter and how dark the book was but there you have it.  This is one of those thrillers that I won't be forgetting about any time soon.  It was intense and heart pounding but just oh so good!  I'm really glad that this challenge finally helped me to pull this one off of my TBR list.  It's been on there since August of 2015 according to Goodreads.  Yikes!   I would recommend this one to fans of thrillers and mysteries a like.  Just be warned that there is some difficult subject matter and that this is an author not afraid to pull punches with her main characters.  Highly recommended!

Bottom Line:  Heart-stoppingly good!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley - my review copy expired a long time ago so I read a library copy.

Final Girls by Riley Sager (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Ten years ago, college student Quincy Carpenter went on vacation with five friends and came back alone, the only survivor of a horror movie–scale massacre. In an instant, she became a member of a club no one wants to belong to—a group of similar survivors known in the press as the Final Girls. Lisa, who lost nine sorority sisters to a college dropout's knife; Sam, who went up against the Sack Man during her shift at the Nightlight Inn; and now Quincy, who ran bleeding through the woods to escape Pine Cottage and the man she refers to only as Him. The three girls are all attempting to put their nightmares behind them, and, with that, one another. Despite the media's attempts, they never meet.

Now, Quincy is doing well—maybe even great, thanks to her Xanax prescription. She has a caring almost-fiancé, Jeff; a popular baking blog; a beautiful apartment; and a therapeutic presence in Coop, the police officer who saved her life all those years ago. Her memory won’t even allow her to recall the events of that night; the past is in the past.

That is, until Lisa, the first Final Girl, is found dead in her bathtub, wrists slit, and Sam, the second, appears on Quincy's doorstep. Blowing through Quincy's life like a whirlwind, Sam seems intent on making Quincy relive the past, with increasingly dire consequences, all of which makes Quincy question why Sam is really seeking her out. And when new details about Lisa's death come to light, Quincy's life becomes a race against time as she tries to unravel Sam's truths from her lies, evade the police and hungry reporters, and, most crucially, remember what really happened at Pine Cottage, before what was started ten years ago is finished."

My Thoughts:

Final Girls was on my radar to read before it was even released which makes it so crazy that I waited until now to read this book!  I read that premise and just KNEW that this was a book that I had to read.  Let me tell you though that this book deserves all of the hype and praise that it has gotten!  This was one whirlwind of a ride and a book that I won't be forgetting about any time soon!  I'm not going to lie - I picked this book up with pretty high expectations after seeing so many other readers love this one.  Happily enough this book was able to live up to those high expectations and so much more.  I picked this book up and was basically hooked from page one.  I found myself unable to set it down and really didn't want to.  For me, this was one of those books where I just had to see what was going to happen next.  And even when Quincy was making stupid choices, I didn't want to stop reading. 

One of the things that I loved most about this book was the horror vibe that it had going on.  I'm not a huge horror movie fan but I've watched enough of those types of movies to recognize that same feel in this book.  It really added this layer of suspense and tension to the story!  I also really enjoyed the fact that as the reader I didn't know whether or not to trust Sam and her intentions.  I'm pretty sure that isn't a spoiler as it is alluded to in the above summary.  Books where you aren't sure who to trust are basically my reader catnip.  I just cannot resist books like this!  I found myself just so completely caught up within the pages of this book.  I can't say it any better than that!  And that ending was just absolutely not what I was expecting in the least!  I am being very careful here as I don't want to overshare and spoil anything but wow, wow, wow!  I loved the way that this book ended and I won't say any more than that.

This book was easily a five star read for me and made my top reads list for 2017!  It was such an intense reading experience!  I will be reading anything/everything that this author writes after loving this book so much.  What makes it even better is that he has a new book releasing in 2018 for me to look forward to!  I read this one in a matter of a few days because I just couldn't stop reading and had to see how it would all end.  It was a wild ride and one that I won't be forgetting about any time soon.  I would highly, highly recommend this book!  Such a great read!

Bottom Line:  One of the best thrillers that I read it 2017!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publishers and NetGalley.

The Body in the Casket by Katherine Hall Page (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"For most of her adult life, resourceful caterer Faith Fairchild has called the sleepy Massachusetts village of Aleford home. While the native New Yorker has come to know the region well, she isn’t familiar with Havencrest, a privileged enclave, until the owner of Rowan House, a secluded sprawling Arts & Crafts mansion, calls her about catering a weekend house party.

Producer/director of a string of hit musicals, Max Dane—a Broadway legend—is throwing a lavish party to celebrate his seventieth birthday. At the house as they discuss the event, Faith’s client makes a startling confession. “I didn’t hire you for your cooking skills, fine as they may be; but for your sleuthing ability. You see, one of the guests wants to kill me.”

Faith’s only clue is an ominous birthday gift the man received the week before—an empty casket sent anonymously containing a 20-year-old Playbill from Max’s last, and only failed, production—Heaven Or Hell. Consequently, Max has drawn his guest list for the party from the cast and crew. As the guests begin to arrive one by one, and an ice storm brews overhead, Faith must keep one eye on the menu and the other on her host to prevent his birthday bash from becoming his final curtain.

Full of delectable recipes, brooding atmosphere, and Faith’s signature biting wit, The Body in The Casket is a delightful thriller that echoes the beloved mysteries of Agatha Christie and classic films such as Murder by Death and Deathtrap."

My Thoughts:

This series is a favorite of mine even though I'm reading the books completely out of order at this point.  It's funny because I started with the first book like most readers would do and then jumped ahead to the 23rd book in the series.  Here I am now having finished the 24th book and even though I've read them out of order, this series has still become a personal favorite of mine.  What I love about these books is just the normal, every day feel to them (besides the fact that there is usually a murder or mystery involved).  I get so caught up with these characters and their lives - I find it just so fun to read about!  This book was different than the other two books that I've read in this series because a murder hasn't actually happened.  Instead Faith is asked to investigate and basically help prevent a murder from happening.  This book was really fun to read!  It had the feel of the game Clue - was it going to be Ms. Scarlett in the study with the candlestick?  I loved playing this game when I was younger so I was delighted that this book had that same kind of feel at times.  I do feel at times that I'm missing out a bit from not having read the previous books in this series.  The author throws out references here and there from those earlier books and it makes me want to have read them all.  It doesn't affect my enjoyment of the book overall, I just know that I'm missing things that I wouldn't if I had read those books as well.  It sure gives me a reason to work on catching up on this series in 2018!  

Overall, I found this book to be another enjoyable addition to this mystery series!  I really enjoyed the set up for this book and thought that it added a different level of tension compared to other more typical mysteries that I have read.  I will say that there were a lot of other different storylines with this book that at first I had a hard time following along with.  Halfway through though, I was fully invested in each and eager to see how everything was going to turn out.  I would be remiss if I also didn't mention how much I enjoy the references to Faith's cooking in these books.  Mysteries that include food seem to be a favorite of mine that I can't get enough of!  I wish that I was half as good of a cook as Faith is!  I can easily recommend both this series and this book though!  I don't plan on waiting too long before I move on to book two in this series!

Bottom Line:  A solid mystery that added to my love of this series!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss. 

The Breakdown by B.A. Paris (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Cass is having a hard time since the night she saw the car in the woods, on the winding rural road, in the middle of a downpour, with the woman sitting inside—the woman who was killed. She’s been trying to put the crime out of her mind; what could she have done, really? It’s a dangerous road to be on in the middle of a storm. Her husband would be furious if he knew she’d broken her promise not to take that shortcut home. And she probably would only have been hurt herself if she’d stopped.

But since then, she’s been forgetting every little thing: where she left the car, if she took her pills, the alarm code, why she ordered a pram when she doesn’t have a baby.

The only thing she can’t forget is that woman, the woman she might have saved, and the terrible nagging guilt.

Or the silent calls she’s receiving, or the feeling that someone’s watching her…"

My Thoughts:

What a way to end my reading year in 2017!  I was literally sitting in bed last night thinking about what I wanted to say about this book in my review (yes, I'm crazy like that!).  It was such a wild reading experience and way more intense than I expected.  The book starts with Cass seeing a woman in a car on the side of the road.  The next day she wakes up to find that the woman has been brutally murdered.  Cass doesn't share with anyone that she saw the woman before she was killed which means that she is keeping this huge secret.  Add to that the fact that she also seems to be having memory issues - forgetting things more often then is normal and doing things that she doesn't remember having done later on.  She begins to think that the murderer is possibly after her which sets her even more on edge.  And from there everything really seems to spiral out of her control.  I was of two minds reading this book which is why it is almost so hard to share my thoughts on it.  For a good portion of the book, I was just so completely frustrated by Cass and her lack of control with everything.  I kept putting the book down and then picking it up five minutes later because I also didn't want to stop reading.  It was like a constant tug of war to see what was going to happen next along with the desire to kick the main character so she would do something already.  LOL!  The only book that I can possibly compare my reading experience to was The Girl on the Train but I liked this one more than I did the other.  I did have that same feeling though of just wanting to shake the main character in order to get her to wake up already!

I'm going to get slightly spoiler-ey here so just a word of warning if you haven't yet had the chance to read this book - you might want to stop reading.  Obviously this book made me feel all of the emotions which led to quite the reading experience!  What really made me love this book though was the last quarter of it when Cass started to really stand on her own two feet.  This had me cheering inside because this was really what I had been waiting for.  It's funny because I feel like I guessed early on a part of what was possibly going on, but I was still so invested in seeing how this book was going to play out.  It was a page turner and a reading experience that I won't be forgetting about any time soon!  I peeked to see other reader's reactions and it looks like people either loved it or hated it.  I can see both opinions because really my emotions were all over the place when reading this one.  Ultimately this book will end up being a four star read for me for those reasons alone.  Any book that can make me react and feel like this deserves those four stars!

Overall this book was a way more intense reading experience than I expected.  It was absolutely a great way to end my reading year because this isn't a book that I will be forgetting about any time soon.  I am so completely excited to read more by this author!  She has a new book coming this year that I'm going to have to get my hands on plus I haven't yet read her first book.  Eek!  I love when I find new authors with books to look forward to!  I can definitely recommend this one - be warned that you aren't going to want to put it down though!  I'm still feeling the after effects from finishing this one!

Bottom Line:  An absolutely thrilling read!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.

The Vanishing Season by Joanna Schaffhausen (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Ellery Hathaway knows a thing or two about serial killers, but not through her police training. She's an officer in sleepy Woodbury, MA, where a bicycle theft still makes the newspapers. No one there knows she was once victim number seventeen in the grisly story of serial killer Francis Michael Coben. The only victim who lived.

When three people disappear from her town in three years, all around her birthday—the day she was kidnapped so long ago—Ellery fears someone knows her secret. Someone very dangerous. Her superiors dismiss her concerns, but Ellery knows the vanishing season is coming and anyone could be next. She contacts the one man she knows will believe her: the FBI agent who saved her from a killer’s closet all those years ago.

Agent Reed Markham made his name and fame on the back of the Coben case, but his fortunes have since turned. His marriage is in shambles, his bosses think he's washed up, and worst of all, he blew a major investigation. When Ellery calls him, he can’t help but wonder: sure, he rescued her, but was she ever truly saved? His greatest triumph is Ellery’s waking nightmare, and now both of them are about to be sucked into the past, back to the case that made them...with a killer who can't let go."

My Thoughts:
  
The Vanishing Season was a thrilling read that left me really excited to read more by this author.  It was also a much darker mystery than I expected which I enjoyed.  I don't know why that I thought it was going to be closer to a cozy mystery but that definitely wasn't the case!  Instead, this book was filled with suspense and had me reading late into the night.  In this book, Ellery is investigating the disappearances of three different individuals who she believes are now dead and possibly the victims of a serial killer.  She has no proof though and no one will listen which is why she then turns to Reed Markham, the agent that saved her when she was younger from a serial killer.  That's enough right there to get things started, and to get me as the reader turning the pages.  I loved that I was instantly caught up within the pages of this mystery.  What happened to Ellery when she was a young girl was horrifying but she has basically hidden her past from everyone that is in her life now.  Those secrets though are about to brought into the open as someone else is about to go missing.  I felt like this added such a different layer of tension to the book because as the reader you are just waiting to see when her past will be revealed.  

I also really enjoyed the fact that because Ellery kept her past hidden from others that there is a layer of mistrust of her intentions present.  I'm trying not to say too much but you are led to wonder on if she is right that there is a serial killer at work or if there are other reasons behind her pushing for these investigations.  I won't say more than that though!  I really enjoyed both Ellery and Reed as main characters - I would love if this was just the beginning of a new mystery series focusing on them!  They are both so damaged but in different ways.  I just couldn't get enough of either of them.  The ending was intense and unexpected - I didn't figure out who the killer was until I was supposed to.  At that point I found myself unable to stop reading as I just needed to see how it would all end.  I was left wanting more from these characters, more from this story.....but all in a good way as I just wasn't ready to see the book end.  I can easily say that this is an author that I will be watching and reading more of!

Overall I really, really enjoyed my reading experience with this book!  It was dark, creepy, and thrilling - everything that I enjoy in a great mystery read!  I really couldn't get enough of it which should be apparent in my review.  Ha!  I would say that I flew through the pages but I read it on my e-reader so should I say I swiped through the pages as past as I could?  LOL!  Honestly it was a really great mystery and I'm so glad that I had the chance to read it.  I will be reading whatever this author writes next since I enjoyed this one so much!  I would recommend this one to fans of mysteries and thrillers alike.  Highly recommended!

Bottom Line:  A really great mystery that I couldn't put down!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.

The Vanishing Season just released on December 5th if you want to check it out now!

  

Bloodstains With Bronte by Katherine Bolger Hyde (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"It’s a dark and stormy autumn on the Oregon coast. Windy Corner, the Victorian mansion Emily Cavanaugh inherited in Arsenic with Austen, is being remodeled into a writers' retreat. Two of the young workers, Jake and Roman, are showing too much of the wrong kind of interest in Katie, Emily's young single-mother housekeeper. Their boss, Jeremiah, is a disturbing presence in a different way with his obsessive, tormented piety. Soon the passions in the house grow as dark and stormy as the weather, and Emily begins to feel as if she’s living in a Brontë novel.

Meanwhile, to raise money for the local clinic, Emily and Katie host a murder mystery dinner on Halloween night. All goes well until the supposed corpse turns up actually dead—with Katie standing over him, a bloody knife in her hand.

Luke Richards, local sheriff and Emily’s true love, is forced to regard Katie as a suspect, but Emily refuses to accept the situation. Her loyalty to Katie crashes against her duty to Luke and to the truth as she fights to save Katie from a murder charge."

My Thoughts:

Bloodstains with Bronte was a fun follow-up and second book in this cozy mystery series.  Also, how great are these titles?  I was really looking forward to jumping back into this series as I enjoyed the first book so much.  In this book, Emily is working on converting her house into a writer's retreat. As I absolutely love her house and the descriptions of it, I couldn't get enough of this part of the story.  I find it so fun to imagine inheriting a big rambling house like this filled with secret passageways and other fun stuff.  It is just one of those things that makes these books such a pleasure to read!  Then she is talked into hosting a murder mystery dinner at her house and that is when the real trouble begins.  I've got to be honest and say that the premise is what made want to read this book (and ultimately got my reading this series) in the first place.  Such a fun idea!  This book had my attention from the very beginning thanks to all of this.  I just couldn't stop reading and really didn't want to.  That's really what I am loving about this series - how easily I fall into the books and the fact that I just can't seem to stop reading.  It makes for a really great reading experience.

All of those positives being said, I did not care for Emily's choices in this book and found her to be quite frustrating at times.  She basically punished Luke for doing his job and I just couldn't get behind that.  I did appreciate though that the story wasn't told just from her viewpoint or I don't think that I would have enjoyed this one as much.  Instead we also got to see Luke's point of view and even Katie's at times.  I adore her as a character so much so that was really a delightful surprise!  I really appreciated that we got to see more of her history in this book even if it wasn't always easy to read about.  I've been curious as to who her daughter's father was and now we know (although I won't spoil anything by saying who).  The mystery portion of this book was fun although I was able to pick out the killer myself.  I definitely didn't figure out the why's behind it all until the very end which helped to make this still a suspenseful read.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and thought that it was a solid follow-up to book one.  I'm really looking forward to continuing on with this series whenever the next book is released.  I have added this series to my must read cozy series list because I have enjoyed the books so much.  This book was a fun read and a great change of pace from some of the darker reads that I have finished lately.  And while I had a few complaints with it, I still really enjoyed my time with this book.  That should tell you everything that you need to know!  I don't think that you necessarily "have" to read this series in order but with only two books, why wouldn't you?  Recommended to fans of cozy mystery series and also those who enjoy classics.  The author does a great job of really including pieces here and there from books by the authors that she includes in her titles (and I've actually read Wuthering Heights so that's a win for me).

Bottom Line:  An enjoyable read!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.

*This book is released on December 12th if you want to check it out!

Into The Drowning Deep by Mira Grant (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Seven years ago, the Atargatis set off on a voyage to the Mariana Trench to film a “mockumentary” bringing to life ancient sea creatures of legend. It was lost at sea with all hands. Some have called it a hoax; others have called it a maritime tragedy.

Now, a new crew has been assembled. But this time they’re not out to entertain. Some seek to validate their life’s work. Some seek the greatest hunt of all. Some seek the truth. But for the ambitious young scientist Victoria Stewart this is a voyage to uncover the fate of the sister she lost.

Whatever the truth may be, it will only be found below the waves.

But the secrets of the deep come with a price."

My Thoughts:

Yes!  This book was just as good as I had hoped that it would be - actually I would say it was even better.  I'm going to start off by stating for the record that I love, love, love Grant's Newsflesh trilogy (of which I've read each book multiple times minus Feedback which I haven't read yet).  Because I love those three books so much, I've been very hesitant to pick up anything else by her.  Not because I don't expect to love everything that she writes.  At this point I actually do expect to love all of her books.  But more because I remember clearly the first time that I read Feed and how it managed to rip my heart out after I had come to care about the characters so much.  That might sound slightly like a spoiler so I won't say more than that.  I just knew that there was a good chance that anything else I read by her would either not live up to my very high expectations or would also rip my heart out.  I told myself though that I wasn't waiting to read this one and I'm so glad that I didn't.  It was absolutely fantastic!  Yet again I found myself completely immersed in this world that Grant has created.  This time though there was a creepy horror movie vibe to the book that I just couldn't get enough of.  Killer mermaids folks.....that should tell you everything that you need to know.  

One of the things that I really loved about this book was the characters.  Grant has a knack for creating characters that I really come to care about.  These characters were no different and I grew to care for them at my own peril.  As soon as you start reading this book, you basically know that things may not turn out well for everyone.  In fact, just from reading the summary you can see that they are heading straight into the danger zone in the attempt to determine what actually happened to the Atargatis so long ago.  Cue the creepy horror music from here on out.  The author starts dropping hints from the very beginning that things may not go as planned.  It adds this layer of tension to the story that made for quite the reading experience.  I won't say too much more but the comparisons to horror movies should tell you all you need to know.  And yet again I say, killer mermaids folks.  This book was everything I wanted to read and didn't even know it!  I basically couldn't stop reading this book.  I ended up finishing it late in the night because I just needed to know how it was all going to end.  I was thrilled when after finishing I realized that it looked like this is going to be part of a series.  I can't wait to read more!  Also, there is a prequel that I need to check out as soon as possible because I just can't get enough of this world that Grant has created!

Overall, I can tell you that this book will easily be on my best reads of 2017 list!  It was such a great reading experience and just writing up my thoughts has me so excited to read everything else that Grant has written.  I've always wished that they would have made a movie (or movies) based off of the Newsflesh trilogy.  I have to say that this book would make an amazing horror movie as well!  I will always sing Grant's praises because her books are just that good!  The worlds that she creates are just so unique and complex - I just can't say enough good things about her or her books.  This book was dark, tense, and so flipping good that I can't even talk coherently about it.  I'm going to need a copy of this one for my own shelves for sure!  Highly, highly recommended!  Readers of horror, science fiction, everyone really....check this one out!

Bottom Line:  One of the best books that I have read in 2017!  I don't need to say more than that!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.       

A Twist of the Knife by Becky Masterman (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Ex-FBI agent Brigid Quinn, now happily settled in Tucson, doesn’t go back to visit her family in Florida much. But her former partner Laura Coleman, whose life she has saved and who saved her life, is living there now. When Laura calls about a case that is not going well, Brigid doesn’t hesitate to get on a plane.

On leave from the Bureau, Laura has been volunteering for a legal group that is trying to prove the innocence of a man who is on death row for killing his family. Laura is firmly convinced that he didn’t do it, while Brigid isn’t so sure—but the date for his execution is coming up so quickly that she shares Laura’s fear that any evidence absolving him from the crime may come too late."

My Thoughts:

 I'm basically obsessed with this series at this point.  A few years back I received the second book for review - Fear the Darkness - and it was AMAZING!  I then read and also adored the first book in this series last year which is Rage Against the Dying.  Here we are with the third book and we have yet another winner.  This author can't write fast enough for me at this point!  The thing is it really doesn't feel like enough readers how found this author and these books.  They are so flipping good though so what a shame!  Or maybe I'm crazy and I'm just not following the bloggers who have read and loved this series as much as I have - that's entirely possible.  I'm getting completely off track though.  This book was yet another great addition to this series.  I said this before (maybe on Litsy?) but this wasn't even my favorite of the series and it is still WAY better than so many other books like it.  This author can write a tense and thrilling mystery like few others.  I loved this book (as I knew that I would) and flew through the pages.  My one and only complaint was that we didn't get to see as much of Carlos (Brigid's husband) as we have in previous books.  I really like this character so I missed him in this one.  

I love how in each of these books Masterman has created such a compelling mystery.  I always feel like I need to know what is going to happen next.  And I do mean need.  I can't ever seem to put these books down and this was no exception.  I have yet to figure out the mystery portion of the book on my own with these.  Am I babbling at this point?  I liked that we got to learn more about Brigid's family in this one.  The thing about this book that really stood out for me was that you never fully knew if you could trust Laura.  I love the unreliable narrator trope and although that wasn't the case here - it gave me the same feel which made this book an easy winner.  I also really liked the focus on the death penalty in this book.  This is definitely one of those issues that people have strong feelings on and it still made me think.  You've got to appreciate when a book does that for you while reading. 

Overall, this was another great addition to one of my very favorite mystery/thriller series.  I love, love, love these books.  It is hard to wait for each new book to release but completely worth the wait.  I can't say enough good things about it obviously.  I think that readers who enjoy Sharon Bolton should give this series a shot.  They are two of my favorites and authors that I can't recommend enough.  I flew through the pages of this book and already want more.  Before I forget- you don't have to read this series in order.  I didn't and it has still become a personal favorite.  Highly recommended!

Bottom Line:  A favorite of 2017.  Enough said!

Disclosure:  I checked this book out from my local library.

Murder On the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Just after midnight, the famous Orient Express is stopped in its tracks by a snowdrift. By morning, the millionaire Samuel Edward Ratchett lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. Without a shred of doubt, one of his fellow passengers is the murderer. Isolated by the storm, detective Hercule Poirot must find the killer among a dozen of the dead man's enemies, before the murderer decides to strike again."

My Thoughts:

I'm getting some great reading recommendations thanks to the Read or Dead podcast! This is the second book that I've read so far this year thanks to hearing about the book on their podcast (it also helped that a movie was coming out based off of both books).  It has been entirely too long since I last read a novel by Christie!  This was a delight to read and really made me want to get back to reading more of her books.  I'm glad that the upcoming movie gave me the push to read this book sooner rather than later because this felt like the perfect late fall read.  The idea of being stuck on a train due to a snowdrift and being completely isolated after a murder has occurred is just so creepy!  Then you add in all of these mysterious clues that don't fit together in any way that makes sense....and you end up with classic Agatha Christie if I do say so myself.  This isn't my favorite book by hers - that is still And Then There Were None - but it was a pretty darn good read!  I love how Christie can always seem to keep me guessing until the very end.  Even when I think that I've got it figured out I'm usually wrong.  At first I was a bit worried with this book because there were so many characters and I wasn't sure how I would keep track of them all.  I found though that the way the book was set up allowed for me to get a feel for all of them which helped me keep them straight.  And really I just breezed through the pages of this book.  The ending was a bit over the top but it actually fit with the story so it worked.  I'm actually really eager to see the upcoming movie now and see how it all plays out on the big screen!

Overall, this was an enjoyable read and has me in the mood for some more Agatha Christie.  I think that I need to visit with a Miss Marple book soon!  I'm glad though that I didn't wait to read this one and can now watch the movie.  It was a fun read and just perfect for this time of year.  I've got to say that I'm ready for the snow to start falling around here as well.  I'll pass on being trapped on a train for any length of time though!  Fans of mysteries and suspense should definitely check this book out.  I feel like this book is a great place to start for readers that haven't read anything by Christie before.  You don't have to read her books in order (I'm actually thinking that this is one of the later Poirot books) at all which makes it easy to just pick this one up and give her a try.  I would highly, highly recommend this author.  I can also easily recommend this book!

Bottom Line:  Another classic mystery read from one of my favorite authors!

Disclosure:  I checked this book out from my local public library. 

Locked in by Kerry Wilkinson (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"When a body is found in a locked house, Detective Sergeant Jessica Daniel is left to not only find the killer but discover how they got in and out.

With little in the way of leads and a journalist that seems to know more about the case than she does, Jessica is already feeling the pressure—and that’s before a second body shows up in identical circumstances to the first.

How can a murderer get to victims in seemingly impossible situations and what, if anything, links the bodies?"

My Thoughts:

I bought this book on Amazon just based off of the summary alone.  At the time I couldn't get it through my library system and wanted so badly to read it so I couldn't resist buying it for myself.  I'm really glad that I had the chance to read this one because I enjoyed this mystery just as much as I had hoped to.  In this book, Detective Sergeant Jessica Daniel is in charge of investigating a murder where it seems impossible to discover how the killer got in or out as the house was locked.  I was so intrigued by the idea of how a murder could have been committed when the house was all locked up.  The idea of it kept me reading because I couldn't figure out how it had been done.  It was almost as much of a puzzle for me, the reader, as figuring out who the killer was.  I found that the questions surrounding how the killings helped to create that layer of tension that I love to have in the mysteries I read.

It took me a bit to get into this one though and I'm really not sure why.  I'm guessing that it was just the reading mood that I was in - it happens sometimes.  Once I was well and truly hooked though, that was when I couldn't stop reading.  It's funny but I kind of started to guess the truth behind the mystery but then something happened and I figured that I was wrong.  It was a suspenseful enough read that even being not as surprised by the ending as I hoped left it still being a solid read.  It looks like there a bunch of books in this series so I'm really looking forward to continuing on with.  I even have book two on my kindle so I don't need to wait long if I don't want to.  

Overall, I found that I enjoyed this book a lot and am looking forward to reading book two in the near future.  I love when I find a well established series like this - I'm not patient and this means that I don't have to wait for the next book in the series to release.  It was suspenseful and fast paced enough that I found myself unable to put it down by the end.  Recommended!  

Bottom Line:  Worth the money I spent on it!

Disclosure:  I purchased this book off of Amazon.

Someone Else's Skin by Sarah Hilary (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Five years ago, a shocking and bloody crime left Detective Inspector Marnie Rome’s parents dead. Not even her partner, Detective Sergeant Noah Jake, knows much about Marnie’s past. Though as one of the few gay officers on the force, Noah’s not one to over-share about his private life either.

By chance, Marnie and Noah are at the domestic violence shelter when Hope Proctor stabs her husband, Leo. It should be an open and shut case of self-defense, but none of the eight witnesses tells quite the same story. And the question remains: How did Leo get into the secure building? As the violence spirals, Marnie finds herself drawn into a place where the past casts long shadows and she must tread carefully to survive."

My Thoughts:

It's funny because I've been wanting to read this book for quite some time but it kept getting put aside for other things.  I've even checked it out from the library multiple times but it kept going back unread.  Somewhere in there I thought that I knew what this book was going to be like or about (probably from reading the above summary so many times).  This book was so much better than I ever could have guessed though!  And the moral of that story folks is that you shouldn't wait so long to read the books you really want to because they are probably even better than you expected.  Case in point.  I'm getting off track though so let's get back to the book and what it is actually about.  Marnie and Noah literally walk into a shelter seconds after a woman stabs her husband.  This is the only truth that you know.  After that is when the questions start and really they don't end until the end of the book.  Honestly, I couldn't figure out how the author was going to pull off the witnesses all giving different versions of what happened (see above summary - not a spoiler).  She really did a great job with it and it rang true which didn't feel possible at first.  I also thought that it added a layer of tension to the story very similar to when you have an unreliable narrator.  Who do you believe?  Where any of them actually telling the truth on what happened?

I'm going into slightly spoiler-ey territory here so be warned.  One of the things that I liked most about this book was how the author took what I thought was happening and completely flipped it on its' head.  I totally didn't see the truth behind it all so to speak.  I really don't want to give it away for other readers so I'm going to leave it at that.  This wasn't an easy read at times - domestic violence is one of those subjects that isn't always comfortable to read about to say the least.  It was a page turner though - and one of those books that I won't be forgetting about any time soon.  I would be remiss not to mention how completely intrigued I am by the storyline that relates to Marnie's past.  I need to know more so I'm really hoping that future books in this series will give us some answers.

Overall, this was quite the beginning to a new series, and will in all honesty end up being a five star read for me!  I am really lucky because I have three more books in this series to look forward to.  I don't think that I will wait that long to get my hands on the next book.  I find that I'm really excited about both this author and this series!  I can't wait to see what else she comes up with in future books.  It is a bit early yet to say this (as I've only read one book) but this series reminded me a bit of Sharon Bolton's Lacey Flint series which I absolutely adore.  Highly recommended!

Bottom Line:  A five star read - that should tell you enough!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.  

A Season to Lie by Emily Littlejohn (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"In Emily Littlejohn's follow-up to her acclaimed debut, Inherit the Bones, police officer Gemma Monroe has just returned to work from maternity leave. And what a first day back: a blizzard is blowing into her idyllic Colorado ski town, and while Gemma hopes for a quiet, warm evening in, she knows it will mean plenty of calls out for snow-related accidents. But when an anonymous caller reports seeing a lurker at the local high school, Gemma gets far more than she bargained for. Behind the school building, half covered in a drift of snow, lies the gruesomely murdered body of a world-famous author—whose presence in town was meant to be a secret."

My Thoughts:

I was really looking forward to this book after enjoying Inherit the Bones so much last year (book one in this series).  It was funny because I realized while reading this book that I had forgotten some of the details from book one although nothing major.  I just went back and read my thoughts on it - I gave it five stars and wrote a glowing review so yeah....I would say I enjoyed it.  I can honestly say that I enjoyed this book almost as much as that beginning read.  It begins with Gemma returning from maternity leave back to police duty.  On almost the very first day that she returns a huge snowstorm hits the area and in the midst of it Gemma and her partner get called out and find a body.  I'm a huge sucker for mysteries set in the cold and especially in the midst of a snowstorm so honestly the author had me right from the beginning.  It just gave the book this eerie feeling which I'm now remembering that she also had in book one.  Probably another one of the reasons that I am enjoying this series so much!

I really enjoy this author's way with words.  There is just something about the way she describes things that I can't seem to get enough of.  There is this scene at the beginning of the book where Gemma goes to this home nestled in the woods - the way that the author compares it to a cottage that you would find in a fairy tale just made it all come to life for me.  It's funny because I guessed the killer early on in the book without really believing that I was right.  I spent the majority of the book trying to figure out who the killer was then only coming to the end and realizing I had been right in the first place.  Go figure!  But at least it kept that level of tension that I prefer when I'm reading mysteries and thrillers.  I read a slightly negative review on this book that left me a bit surprised but I don't believe that the reader had read both books.  Ultimately, I do think that this is a series where you need to read them in order just because so much carries over from the first book to the second.  I definitely felt differently and actually really enjoyed this book a lot!

This series has turned into a real winner for me!  Two books in and I'm definitely planning on reading the third...just as soon as it comes out that is.  I still think that the first book was my favorite so far but this was a really great follow-up.  It also really got me in the mood for winter with all of the talk about snowstorms and snow.  I love the snow so I'm more than ready for winter to hit although I will take fall weather any day!  I can easily recommend this book but do read Inherit the Bones first to get the full reading experience.  Highly recommended!

Bottom Line:  Another great addition to this series which has become a favorite of mine!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.      

A Season to Lie releases on November 14th!

Beneath the Surface by Sibel Hodge (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Dean Hudson didn’t look evil…so what could drive an ordinary boy to kill?

When the teenage son of Holly Gold’s school friend brutally murders his parents before killing himself, her sleepy home town is rocked by the sudden tragedy.

Appalled, Holly investigates. What could have caused the happy-go-lucky boy she remembers to commit such a heinous crime? When another teen commits suicide, she uncovers a horrifying link between the recent deaths and a dark conspiracy to hide the truth.

But someone doesn’t want Holly asking questions and, as she hunts for evidence to prove her theory, she’s dragged into a nightmare that threatens her life and her sanity. Then tragedy strikes again—and this time it’s closer to home…"

My Thoughts:

I requested this book from NetGalley because this author has been on my radar for some time now and I wanted to give her a try.  I had high hopes for this book because that premise had me intrigued instantly.  Ultimately though I was left with some mixed feelings on this book.  I think that I would classify it as a good read but I had a few issues with it.  I'm telling you this right off the bat so I don't spoil anything for anyone further on.  I will try to not to go into specifics but you know how that all goes.  This book is going to be hard to discuss without giving a few things away so reader be warned - don't read any further if you don't want to possibly read a spoiler.

One of the things that I liked about this book was the look at prescription drugs.  It isn't often that you read a thriller that is based on such a serious and real issue.  I felt like I was learning while I was reading which doesn't usually happen unless I'm reading a nonfiction book.  Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure that a lot of what was included in here is pretty accurate which makes it even worse to think about.  Prescription drug use is a very hot topic and one that is just so scarily real.  I also like how fast paced and intense this book was.  It kept me reading even when I didn't necessarily want to.  The thing was I really didn't care much for Holly.  Holly made me crazy and reminded me slightly of Rachel from The Girl on the Train.  She wasn't as bad thankfully - but she made me all of these stupid decisions and a lot of it was based off of her drinking.  I just couldn't relate to her which always seems to hurt my reading experience.  I just didn't ever warm up to her - even by the end of the book I was pretty meh in regards to her character.  The other thing that really took away from my reading experience was the death of a certain character.  I won't give away who or anything but I almost stopped reading this book because of it.  I kind of felt betrayed as this was one of the few characters that I actually related to - it just really took me out of the book when that happened.  I decided to keep reading though because by that point I was invested and needed to see how the story would end.  I liked the way that everything was wrapped up and really this is why I found this book to be a good read overall.  Not my favorite by any means but I found it to be good enough for at least three stars.  And really, my feelings on this book were completely personal - I could see other readers enjoying this one much more than I did.  

Even now after writing up my thoughts, this book managed to really stir up some strong feelings on it which is always a sign of a decent read.  I would definitely be open to reading more by this author.  I'm actually really curious now to go read other reader's thoughts on this book to see what they thought.  I try not to read reviews until after I've written up my own thoughts but I will probably go check Goodread's soon.  This book was definitely not what I was expecting and overall I think that it is a solid three star read.  Recommended but with a few hesitations.

Bottom Line:  A good read but one that I didn't love.

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.

Arsenic with Austen by Katherine Bolger Hyde (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"When Emily Cavanaugh inherits a fortune from her great aunt, she expects her life to change. She doesn't expect to embark on a murder investigation, confront the man who broke her heart 35 years before, and nearly lose her own life.

Emily travels to the sleepy coastal village of Stony Beach, Oregon, to claim her inheritance, centered in a beautiful Victorian estate called Windy Corner but also including a substantial portion of the real estate of the whole town. As she gets to know the town's eccentric inhabitants--including her own once-and-possibly-future love, Sheriff Luke Richards--she learns of a covert plan to develop Stony Beach into a major resort. She also hears hints that her aunt may have been murdered. Soon another suspicious death confirms this, and before long Emily herself experiences a near-fatal accident.

Meanwhile, Emily reads Persuasion, hoping to find belated happiness with her first love as Anne Elliot did with Captain Wentworth. She notices a similarity between her not-quite-cousin Brock Runcible, heir to a smaller portion of her aunt's property, and Mr. Elliot in Persuasion, and her suspicions of Brock crystallize. But as she and Luke continue to investigate and events speed toward a climax, Emily realizes that underneath the innocent-looking rocks of Stony Beach lurk festering jealousies that would have shocked even the worst of Jane Austen's charming reprobates."

My Thoughts:

I'm really glad that I found this series and gave this new to me cozy mystery series a try.  I picked this book up from the library because I received a copy of the upcoming 2nd book for review.  With only two books in the series so far, I thought I would read the first book beforehand - this isn't always something that I do as I'm not a stickler for reading books in order.  I'm glad that I did this time because I really enjoyed this book.  Emily gets a letter in the mail that she has inherited something from her great aunt.  She goes to town and finds that she has inherited this huge, rambling house along with a ton of money and properties.  Basically overnight she becomes a very rich woman unexpectedly.  The idea of inheriting this amazing house and library just hit me straight in my bookish heart.  How could you not want to imagine this happening to yourself??  I was basically sold on this book right from the start after all of that.  Reading about the house she inherited along with all of the mysteries/problems that came with it was just gravy by that point.  I was hooked from the very beginning thanks to all of this.

I also really, really enjoyed the fact that Emily is an older woman.  You really don't see a lot of books where the main character is over forty and established in her life.  Emily was starting completely over thanks to all of this but she had life experience that I couldn't help but appreciate.  It just is a change from your normal main character and I really liked it.  The mystery portion of the book definitely came in second for me.  I just didn't care so much about who had killed her great aunt as I did reading about Emily's new life and how she was going to handle it all.  I guessed who the killer was behind it all easily but really it didn't matter.  I was reading this one for the characters and that often happens for me with cozy mystery series.  My one complaint was the book seemed to drag in the middle for a little bit.  The ending more than made up for it but I wanted to mention it.  

Overall, I found this to be a really solid beginning to this mystery series.  I'm really excited to start the second book - Bloodstains With Bronte.  Also I find these titles to be amazingly good.  How can you not want to read a book with a title like that?  I appreciated how bookish this book was.  I almost forgot to mention how I adored the little tributes to Harry Potter that were included throughout the book.  Such fun!  I shouldn't mention this but I've never even read Austen, and it didn't seem to matter so don't let it stop you from reading this book if you haven't as well.  I would recommend this series to cozy fans.  Definitely recommended!

Bottom Line:  A delightful read - I'm excited to have the next book ready to begin after this one!

Disclosure:  I checked this book out from my local library. 

All The Secret Places by Anna Carlisle (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Gin Sullivan is back in Pittsburgh on an extended leave from her job at the Chicago medical examiner's office and rekindling an old flame with her high school sweetheart, Jake. Gin is readjusting to life at home when Jake receives harrowing news early one morning. The new housing development his construction firm is building has caught fire and underneath one of the burnt homes is a dead body. When the body is identified as a man who may very well be the violent offender who terrified Gin's childhood town years ago, the pool of suspects broadens and it becomes a greater challenge to pinpoint his killer. Gin is determined to unearth old demons, hers included, but soon finds some people will kill to keep them buried. Small town secrets cast daunting shadows in All the Secret Places, Anna Carlisle's riveting second Gin Sullivan mystery."

My Thoughts:

Last year I read and loved the first book in this series titled Dark Road Home.  I've been impatiently waiting for this second book every since.  I cannot tell you the last time that I read a book in one day....it hasn't happened yet this year until now.  I started this book on a rainy Saturday morning and finished it late that night.  That's how good this book was!  There is just something about this author's books that absolutely suck me in.  I couldn't stop reading even when I was trying to watch the Harry Potter marathon at the same time.  There is something so real about these books and this small struggling town that is trying to get past the economic struggles it has been through.  When you add to that strong main characters and a solid mystery it equals out to a really great read.  

One of my favorite things about this series is the characters.  The author has managed to really bring them to life for me so I care about what happens to each of them.  My one and only complaint with this book was that I didn't care for the Tucker storyline.  I don't want to give anything away but I didn't care for his friendship with Gin at all.  I did really appreciate that we got the chance to see more of Olive who played a small but important role in the first book.  The mystery itself was really well done.  I didn't have the slightest clue to who was behind it all until the very end.  It made my reading experience that much more intense which is why I couldn't stop reading.  The ending of this book wrapped everything up perfectly and left me wishing for the next book right now.  I so enjoyed this book but it is going to be a long wait for book three! 

Overall I really, really enjoyed this book and have become such a huge fan of this series.  Loving this book just as much as the first book means that this author has been added to my favorites list.  I will reading everything she writes at this point because it is a rare event when a book compels me to read it in just one day.  While you don't have to read this series in order, I would highly recommend that you do as reading this one first will basically spoil for you the mystery in book one.  There are a lot of references to what happened in the previous book so it would be best to read the series in order.  I would recommend this series to mystery and suspense fans alike.  I highly recommend!

Bottom Line:  Finished this book in just one day...that should tell you all you need to know!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley.

Death Among the Doilies by Mollie Cox Bryan (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"For thirty-something blogger Cora Chevalier, small-town Indigo Gap, North Carolina, seems like the perfect place to reinvent her life. Shedding a stressful past as a counselor for a women’s shelter, Cora is pouring all her talents—and most of her savings—into a craft retreat business, with help from close pal and resident potter Jane Starr. Between transforming her Victorian estate into a crafter’s paradise and babysitting Jane’s daughter, the new entrepreneur has no time for distractions. Especially rumors about the murder of a local school librarian . . .

But when Jane’s fingerprints match those found at the grisly crime scene, Cora not only worries about her friend, but her own reputation. With angry townsfolk eager for justice and both Jane’s innocence and the retreat at risk, she must rely on her creative chops to unlace the truth behind the beloved librarian’s disturbing demise. Because if the killer’s patterns aren’t pinned, Cora’s handiwork could end up in stitches . . ."

My Thoughts:

I've been meaning to give this series a try for some time now so I'm glad that I finally did just that.  This book was an enjoyable cozy mystery although I did have a few issues with it.  Let's start off with the positives first though!  This author has created some really great characters with Cora and Jane.  I adore cozy series where I also adore the main characters.  In this book, Cora has started a new business by opening a "craft retreat" where fellow crafters can go and spend the weekend crafting all types of things together.  I don't know that I would consider myself a crafty person necessarily but I do enjoy trying different things (when I have the time).  I've been wanting to learn to knit for years but haven't yet taught myself - my plan is to learn by watching YouTube videos.  I'm getting off track here but I loved the idea of a mystery series featuring crafting so on to the never-ending TBR list this went.  I really felt like this was a unique set-up to this cozy mystery series which made it stand out to me.  I loved reading about the different arts and crafts - my favorite was actually the candle and soap making which sounds like something I would definitely enjoy doing!  I need to learn how to do this as well now!

One of the things though that I didn't care about with this series though is kinda difficult to put into words.  In this book one of the characters falls into bed with another (no this wouldn't be considered a spoiler at all I wouldn't think), and I didn't care for the way that this was portrayed.  There was a kind of judge-y feel to it and I can't really describe it any better than that.  All I know is that it took me out of the story while I was reading which is why it bothered me.  I was able to get sucked back in though so ultimately I enjoyed this book.  Just a few minor quibbles which maybe lowered my rating from 4 stars to 3.5 stars.  I found the mystery portion of this book to be very well done.  I didn't guess any of the ending which is always a good thing!  I also found myself unable to stop reading at the end.  I just had to know how everything was going to turn out!

All in all, I ultimately did enjoy this beginning to a new to me mystery series.  I'm planning on reading the second book soon and have already added it to my TBR list.  I'm always looking for new cozy mystery authors to follow and I do think that Mollie Cox Bryan will be one of those authors that I continue to read.  I really enjoyed reading about the crafts and am inspired to try to teach myself knitting yet again.  I feel like this would be the perfect winter hobby for me!  I would recommend this book to cozy mystery and mystery fans as well with only a slight hesitation.  Recommended!

Bottom Line:  A good beginning to this cozy mystery series and I will be reading more!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.

 

Asylum by Jeannette De Beauvoir (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Martine LeDuc is the director of PR for the mayor's office in Montreal. When four women are found brutally murdered and shockingly posed on park benches throughout the city over several months, Martine's boss fears a PR disaster for the still busy tourist season, and Martine is now also tasked with acting as liaison between the mayor and the police department. The women were of varying ages, backgrounds and bodytypes and seemed to have nothing in common. Yet the macabre presentation of their bodies hints at a connection. Martine is paired with a young detective, Julian Fletcher, and together they dig deep into the city's and the country's past, only to uncover a dark secret dating back to the 1950s, when orphanages in Montreal and elsewhere were converted to asylums in order to gain more funding. The children were subjected to horrific experiments such as lobotomies, electroshock therapy, and psychotropic medication, and many of them died in the process. The survivors were supposedly compensated for their trauma by the government and the cases seem to have been settled. So who is bearing a grudge now, and why did these four women have to die?

Not until Martine finds herself imprisoned in the terrifying steam tunnels underneath the old asylum does she put the pieces together. And it is almost too late for her..."

My Thoughts:

This book originally went on my radar went it was first released but then it sat on my shelves unread.  I'm so regretting this as I found this book to be absolutely fantastic!  There is a very good chance that this one will make my top reads list for 2017!  I loved the summary above which is why I originally wanted to read it.  What I didn't realize is that this author based some of the events of this book on a true and terrible event in Canada's history.  I don't want to say too much as it plays an important role in this mystery but I will say that it completely adds to this book even if it is horrifying to think about.  I found myself absolutely sucked into the story from almost the very beginning.  The book is set up in two parts.  One is focused on Martine LeDuc and her hunt to figure out who is behind the killings of these women in Montreal.  The other storyline focused on the story of one of the orphans and what happened to that individual so long ago.  These two storylines tied together so perfectly and I just won't say any more than that.  I was absolutely just blown away by how good this book was!

I also really enjoyed this book because it was set in Canada and the author managed to bring Montreal to life for me in this book.  This is the second book I've read set in Canada this year and I have just adored the chance to read about this country that I've never had the chance to visit for myself.  I loved the descriptions of Montreal that the author included and especially adored all of the French phrases that were included throughout.  It really made me feel like I was there with the characters.  I liked that Martine wasn't your usual detective - in fact she wasn't a detective at all but got involved with the hunt for this killer in a very realistic way.  I found myself unable to stop reading this book for long.  And the ending was so intense that I just gave up watching my son at football practice and lost myself completely in finishing this book.  The ending was so flipping good and I won't say any more than that.  I've tried to keep the spoilers to a minimum here but this is a book that I can't recommend enough!

Overall, I found myself so completely blown away by this book and I cannot even put into words how much I enjoyed it!  I feel like it's kinda awful to say when you think about the actual historical events that this book was based around but I still really, really enjoyed it!  I'm so excited that I have another book in this series to look forward to but I'm hoping the 3rd is on it's way.  This is an author to watch for as this is only her very first book!  Crazy!  I'm really excited that I finally pulled this one off of my shelves (thanks to my husband) because I was missing out.  I would recommend this one to both mystery and thriller fans alike!  Just be warned that there are some definite triggers here so sensitive readers be warned.  Highly recommended!

Bottom Line:  A mystery that will stick with me for a long time thanks to the events it was based around.  So good!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to a Goodread's giveaway and the publisher.