What I've Been Reading...(January 2021 Edition Part 1)

I thought that I would try something different this year and share my thoughts on the books that I read each month all in one go.  Maybe I will have months where I read a ton and split the posts up or I might let things carry over from each month.  I just really, really want to get into the habit of sharing about ALL of the books that I read and not just some of them.  I might share full reviews for certain books depending on if I have more to say...but we will cross that bridge when I come to it. EDITED to add:  I started this post off completely optimistic thinking I would share about ALL of the books that I read in January - and then never finished the post.  We will see how the year goes on but here are my thoughts on the 1st two books that I read in January:

Summary from Goodreads:

"Documentary filmmaker Alice Lindstedt has been obsessed with the vanishing residents of the old mining town, dubbed “The Lost Village,” since she was a little girl. In 1959, her grandmother’s entire family disappeared in this mysterious tragedy, and ever since, the unanswered questions surrounding the only two people who were left—a woman stoned to death in the town center and an abandoned newborn—have plagued her. She’s gathered a small crew of friends in the remote village to make a film about what really happened.

But there will be no turning back.

Not long after they’ve set up camp, mysterious things begin to happen. Equipment is destroyed. People go missing. As doubt breeds fear and their very minds begin to crack, one thing becomes startlingly clear to Alice:

They are not alone."

My Thoughts:

Wow, wow, wow!  This was one of my most anticipated reads for 2021 and it definitely didn't disappoint!  I absolutely loved this book - it's just that easy to say!  All I can think is that if this is the author's debut, then I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next!  If you read the above summary, the premise for me was just irresistible.  The comparison on the back of the book to The Blair Witch Project was spot on when it came to the atmosphere that was present throughout this book.  I just knew that I needed to pick up this book, and see what in the heck was going on.  Let me just say that I was not disappointed in the answers that I got!  But what made this book absolutely brilliant for me was the creeping dread that the author built up in this book from the very beginning pages.  This book was a slow burn in the best of ways.  I am HERE for all of the creepy, slow burns like this so please give me all of your recommendations.  Simply put: I need more books like this in my life!  One of the things that I really enjoyed about this book was the premise.  The idea of an entirely abandoned village was just delightfully creepy to think about.  I also really enjoyed the fact that this book was told in two parts.  One was in current day with Alice and her crew and the second part was told in the past from the viewpoint of a woman named Elsa.  I really liked the way that these two storylines tied together.  The feeling of dread that just kept building especially towards the end had me reading as fast as I could.  And the ending was perfection in my opinion.  It's a month later and I'm still thinking about this book.  What a way to start off my year of reading in 2021!

Bottom Line:  A standout way to start off my reading year - I would be very surprised not to see this book on my best reads list at the end of 2021!

CW: Murder, abuse, religious elements (hard to explain without spoilers so message me if you need to know more)

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher.  Honest thoughts are my own.

Summary from Goodreads:

"Along the ever-changing border of gentrifying Los Angeles, a seventeen-year-old girl is found dead at a construction site, hanging in the closet of an unfinished condominium. 

Homicide detective Elouise “Lou” Norton’s new partner Colin Taggert, fresh from the Colorado Springs police department, assumes it’s a teenage suicide. Lou isn’t buying the easy explanation. For one thing, the condo site is owned by Napoleon Crase, a self-made millionaire… and the man who may have murdered Lou’s missing sister thirty years ago. 

As Lou investigates the death of Monique Darson, she uncovers undeniable links between the two cases. She is convinced that when she solves Monique’s case she will finally bring her lost sister home. But as she gets closer to the truth, she also gets closer to a violent killer. After all this time, can he be brought to justice… before Lou becomes his next victim?"

My Thoughts:

Land of Shadows is the 1st book in the Detective Elouise Norton series.  I've read two of this authors books previously (both standalones) and enjoyed them so much that I knew that I wanted to dive into her backlist.  I'm really glad that I did because I enjoyed this book a lot.  Lou's character is one that I instantly liked.  She didn't take crap from anyone and knew that she was good at her job for a lot of different reasons.  I love a mystery series focused on a strong female lead detective - this is like my reading catnip.  Lou has a darker past though because years ago her sister went missing and she still doesn't have the answers she has been searching for.  Then she gets assigned to this case and it seems like the two cases are tied together even though her sister went missing so long ago.  This book was a definite page turner!  I found myself really hooked by the premise and the way that this book was set up.  Parts of the book were set in the past leading up to Lou's sister's disappearance and then the other parts of the book were focused on Lou's current investigation.  I had no idea where it was all going and I couldn't stop reading as I just had to find out.  My one complaint with this book was there was a bit of inappropriate language (I really don't know how else to explain it).  This is an older book - it was published back in 2014 - so maybe it wasn't considered offensive back then but I did want to mention it.  One of the things that this book did so well though is that it made me sit back and think.  The author makes a point of looking at the reasons why the police didn't really look into her sister's disappearance that closely - it's a poignant look at how differently these types of case are treated when it is a girl of woman of color that goes missing.  I definitely will be continuing on with this series.  Rachel Howzell Hall is an author not to be missed!

Bottom Line: A really solid beginning to this new to me mystery series!

CW: Suicide, murder, cheating, derogatory language, loss of a child, death

Disclosure:  I checked this book out from my local library.  Honest thoughts are my own.

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"No visitors. No nights spent away from the apartment. No disturbing the other residents, all of whom are rich or famous or both. These are the only rules for Jules Larsen's new job as an apartment sitter at the Bartholomew, one of Manhattan's most high-profile and mysterious buildings. Recently heartbroken and just plain broke, Jules is taken in by the splendor of her surroundings and accepts the terms, ready to leave her past life behind.

As she gets to know the residents and staff of the Bartholomew, Jules finds herself drawn to fellow apartment sitter Ingrid, who comfortingly, disturbingly reminds her of the sister she lost eight years ago. When Ingrid confides that the Bartholomew is not what it seems and the dark history hidden beneath its gleaming facade is starting to frighten her, Jules brushes it off as a harmless ghost story—until the next day, when Ingrid disappears.

Searching for the truth about Ingrid's disappearance, Jules digs deeper into the Bartholomew's dark past and into the secrets kept within its walls. Her discovery that Ingrid is not the first apartment sitter to go missing at the Bartholomew pits Jules against the clock as she races to unmask a killer, expose the building's hidden past, and escape the Bartholomew before her temporary status becomes permanent."

My Thoughts:

This book well and truly creeped me out!  Like I was reading it at night in bed and had to stop because it was making me anxious type of creepy.  It has this feeling of dread from almost the very first page that I absolutely loved.  I found myself reading in short bursts and then setting it down because I just knew bad things were going to happen (and I wasn't sure if I was ready for it yet).  It was just so darn creepy!  I'm going to get into slightly spoiler-ey territory so if you aren't here for that skip on ahead to the next paragraph and my final thoughts on this one.  I feel like I went into this book knowing that bad things were happening at the Bartholomew.  The reader is probably meant to guess more on if bad things are happening or if it was all in Jules' mind.  I just was certain that there were dark things going on and was intent on figuring out what.  I spent a lot of the beginning half of the book just trying to guess what was going on.  Let me tell you that we hit that second half though and the danger Jules was in got real!  By this point in the book I was already thoroughly creeped out by this book in general.  And then something that happened that I didn't see coming from a mile away.  I honestly have no idea if I should have seen this coming or not but I definitely didn't!  I finished this book while my youngest was practicing basketball, in a noisy gym, with the threat of being hit with a basketball in the head present the entire time.  Do you think I looked up once to ensure my safety because of this ending?  Heck no!  Also, who knew that you could be terrified while reading a book in a gym full of nine and ten year olds?  Lesson learned there because this book and that ending was truly terrifying!  Holy cow!  This author is officially on my must read everything he writes list! What a book!  If you've read this one, let's discuss because I am truly curious if I'm the only one who was blown away by this book and the answers behind everything or if other readers were able to guess the answers beforehand.

Overall, I enjoyed this book immensely and will be reading everything this author writes at this point!  It was just so darn good!  I loved the horror type vibes that Sager uses in his books.  They were present in Final Girls and they were definitely present in this one as well!  I love a dark and creepy thriller which is exactly what this book is!  I'm so glad that I listened to the hype on this one because it deserves every single word of praise in my opinion.  I would recommend this book to fans of thrillers, mysteries, and suspense!  Highly recommended!

Bottom Line:  One of the creepiest books I have read this year!  Five stars!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book originally from NetGalley but ended up checking out a copy from my local library.  Honest thoughts are my own.

Still Life by Louise Penny (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surêté du Québec and his team of investigators are called in to the scene of a suspicious death in a rural village south of Montreal. Jane Neal, a local fixture in the tiny hamlet of Three Pines, just north of the U.S. border, has been found dead in the woods. The locals are certain it’s a tragic hunting accident and nothing more, but Gamache smells something foul in these remote woods, and is soon certain that Jane Neal died at the hands of someone much more sinister than a careless bowhunter. 

Still Life introduces not only an engaging series hero in Inspector Gamache, who commands his forces--and this series--with integrity and quiet courage, but also a winning and talented new writer of traditional mysteries in the person of Louise Penny."
My Thoughts:

"Choice?'

'We choose our thoughts. We choose our perceptions. We choose our attitudes. We may not think so. We may not believe it, but we do. I absolutely know we do. I've seen enough evidence, time after time, tragedy after tragedy. Triumph after triumph. It's about choice." 
from Still Life by Louise Penny

I first read this book back in 2012 according to my Goodreads account (I never actually shared my thoughts on it though it looks like).  I never continued on with the series though afterwards.  Fast forward seven years and I decided that it was time to reread this one thanks to all of the love this series gets from bookstagram.  I enjoyed my time rereading this book immensely.  I immersed myself within the pages of this book and almost didn't want to come up for air.  This book isn't one to rush through but instead is one to just savor.  With such gorgeous writing I don't know how you would want to do anything else if I'm being honest.  I'm not one that marks passages that speak to me but I did while rereading this book.  Maybe it was the perfect timing of reading this book again at just the right point in my life.  I can't say for sure but there were various points where this book just spoke to me.  It made me sit and think with it for awhile which I certainly don't do often enough.  I saw somewhere that Inspector Gamache had been compared to Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot.  I can definitely see what they mean and feel like it explains all the more my enjoyment of Gamache as I'm a huge fan of Christie's Poirot books.  Reading this book again after seven years was an interesting reading experience also because my memory of the storyline was basically forgotten.  I could remember who I thought was behind everything but the why's, what led there, and everything else all still felt knew to me.  It honestly felt like I was almost experiencing this book again for the first time.  I'm so glad that I went back and reread this book so that I can now continue on with reading more of this series.  It's a reading experience that I'm not likely to forget any time soon as this book just struck a cord with me!

Overall, I enjoyed my time with this book so much and am grateful that I've found this series (again?) thanks to bookstagram!  I can tell you that I certainly won't be waiting seven years before finally moving on to the second book in this series.  I actually think that this is a series that I'm going to want to own and have on my own shelves so I'm going to start picking up copies as I can.  I've always been a huge fan of mysteries but a book like this really stands out from the rest.  I loved my time with this book and almost wasn't ready to see it end.  I'll leave you with another quote that I couldn't help but savor.  Highly, highly recommended!

"Life is change. If you aren't growing and evolving you're standing still, and the rest of the world is surging ahead. Most of these people are very immature. They lead "still" lives, waiting.'

'Waiting for what?'

'Waiting for someone to save them. Expecting someone to save them or at least protect them from the big, bad world. The thing is no one else can save them because the problem is theirs and so is the solution. Only they can get out of it." from Still Life by Louise Penny

Bottom Line:  An outstandingly good read!  I cannot highly recommend enough!

Disclosure:  I checked this book out from my local library - it is my mission to now have this one on my own shelves in the near future.

The Craftsman by Sharon Bolton (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Florence Lovelady's career was made when she convicted coffin-maker Larry Glassbrook of a series of child murders 30 years ago in a small village in Lancashire. Like something out of a nightmare, the victims were buried alive. Florence was able to solve the mystery and get a confession out of Larry before more children were murdered., and he spent the rest of his life in prison.

But now, decades later, he's dead, and events from the past start to repeat themselves. Is someone copying the original murders? Or did she get it wrong all those years ago? When her own son goes missing under similar circumstances, the case not only gets reopened... it gets personal.

In master of suspense Sharon Bolton's latest thriller, readers will find a page-turner to confirm their deepest fears and the only protagonist who can face them."

My Thoughts:

Sharon Bolton is one of my favorite authors for a reason and books like this are exactly why!  Wow, wow, wow - this book sure creeped me out at times!  It was everything that I absolutely love in a thriller though.  It was dark, twisted, and filled with suspense that kept me reading nonstop.  Sharon Bolton is the queen at creating these eerie books where you are kept guessing the entire time.  What I loved about this book was the way that it was set up.  I don't think it spoils anything to say that it goes from present day to the past and then back again to the present day.  And it sets up everything just beautifully by doing it this way.  This book also has a hint of the paranormal to it that gives the book an even darker feel.  Florence was a great main character to follow and I especially liked that we had the chance to see the struggles that she went through as a female police officer back at the beginning of her career.  This case shaped her career and really her life afterwards.  The entire book was just so compelling and nail bitingly good!  I felt like I just flew through the pages of this book as I didn't want to stop reading.  The descriptions especially at the beginning of the young girl waking up in a coffin had this claustrophobic feel to them.....it was disturbing to say the least!  I was guessing throughout the entire book on what was really going on.  I had my theories and while some of it turned out to be correct - it wasn't for the reasons I thought and basically was still left stunned by the ending.  My one and only complaint was that I wasn't sure how I felt about the ending of the book.  I had to think about it for a day or two because it was good and it did all work if that makes sense.  It definitely wasn't what I expected though and yet it fits.  I don't even know how to explain it but I wasn't sure on it at first and now that I've thought on it more I feel like it was the right ending for the book.  I don't want to say any more than that.

Overall, this book was just as good as I hoped and expected it would be!  It was all of my favorite things about thrillers and mysteries wrapped into one really great book!  I'm especially excited because it looks like it may be the start of a series.  I'm intrigued to say the least!  It didn't necessarily feel like a book that was going to be the beginning of a series when it ended but I'm so here for it!  I would love to read more about Florence!  This is definitely going to be one of those rare books that ends up on my best of list by the end of the year!  The creepy factor alone was enough to get my heart racing!  And then you add everything else up to it for one perfect read.  I would recommend this book to fans of mysteries and thrillers easily.  I cannot recommend this author enough honestly!  If you haven't read her Lacey Flint series yet, then check those books out too!  She is just SO good and this book is another perfect example of that!!

Bottom Line:  This book is a perfect example of why I love this author so much - a five star read for sure!

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

Crime and Poetry by Amanda Flower (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Rushing home to sit by her ailing grandmother’s bedside, Violet Waverly is shocked to find Grandma Daisy the picture of perfect health. Violet doesn’t need to read between the lines: her grandma wants Violet back home and working in her magical store, Charming Books. It’s where the perfect book tends to fly off the shelf and pick you...

Violet has every intention to hightail it back to Chicago, but then a dead man is discovered clutching a volume of Emily Dickinson’s poems from Grandma Daisy’s shop. The victim is Benedict Raisin, who recently put Grandma Daisy in his will, making her a prime suspect. Now, with the help of a tuxedo cat named Emerson, Violet will have to find a killer to keep Grandma from getting booked for good..."

My Thoughts:

I enjoyed this book so much!  It was just such a fun read that had me laughing out loud on multiple occasions.  I've had this book on my TBR list for over two years which is a shame considering how much I enjoyed it.  But that's what happens sometimes, and I won't be waiting that long to pick up the next book in this series!  In this book, Violet gets drawn into a murder investigation because her grandmother is considered to be the prime suspect.  One of the things that caused me to hesitate a bit with picking this book up at first was the idea of a magical bookstore.  I'm here for any and all cozy mysteries set in bookstores but I wasn't sure how the author was going to work a magical bookstore.  She did it beautifully though and in a way that just fit in perfectly with the story.  What could have been over the top just seemed to fit perfectly.  I really loved everything about this book!  It was a fun read and kept me guessing throughout.  I also really, really enjoyed that the author included some pieces of history in the book.  I don't want to say more than that as I feel like it is a slight spoiler.  

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am left very excited to have finally tried this cozy mystery series.  I've got two more books now to look forward to which is always a good thing!  I'm glad that my personal TBR challenge finally gave me the push I needed to read this book.  It was a great way to start off this challenge for me in 2019 even if it added more books to my TBR rather than lessening it.  What a great problem to have!  I would recommend this book to fans of cozy mysteries and mysteries alike.  It was a really fun read so I hope that other readers enjoy this one as much as I did!

Bottom Line:  A fun beginning to this cozy mystery series!  I can't wait to read more!

Disclosure:  I read this book courtesy of my local library.  Thoughts as always are my own.

Lost Lake by Emily Littlejohn (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"On a bright Saturday in early spring, Detective Gemma Monroe responds to a missing person call at Lost Lake, near the small town of Cedar Valley, Colorado. With its sapphire waters and abundance of wildflowers, the lake is a popular camping destination in the summer. But for now, ice still grips the lake and snow buries the flowers.

When Gemma arrives at the shore, she meets three friends who have been camping there: the fourth of their group, Sari Chesney, has disappeared in the night without a trace. Sari is an assistant curator at the local museum, which is set to host a gala that night--a project she's worked on for months and would never intentionally miss. As Gemma begins to understand the complex dynamics of the supposedly close-knit friendship group, she realizes that more than one person is lying to her--and that the beautiful, still waters of Lost Lake may hide more terrible secrets . . ."

My Thoughts:

Lost Lake was another really great addition to what has fast become one of my favorite mystery series.  There is only three books in this series so far (counting this one) but they have all been at least four star reads for me which really says a lot in my opinion!  There is something about the way that this author writes that I just can't get enough of.  The descriptions that she includes within the pages of these books is both beautiful and haunting.  I found myself re-reading sentences just so that I could savor the writing and this author's way with words.  I think describing the way she writes as lyrical would be another good description if I'm being honest.  In this book, the descriptions around Lost Lake were both evocative and chilling.  I could just picture everything that she was describing so clearly in my head - I was just as creeped out by the lake as Gemma was in the book!  I really cannot say enough good things about the writing in these books!  I also always enjoy the mysteries in these books and this was no exception.  I loved how in this book there were three separate mysteries or cases that Gemma was investigating that all possibly tied together.  I spent the entirety of the book trying to figure out if the three cases did actually tie together or if it was all coincidence and completely separate.  Honestly I really just lost myself in the pages of this book even as I tried to take my time and savor it.  It's a long wait for each book when you love a series so much so I wasn't ready to finish this one right away.  I obviously can't say enough good things about this book.  I did guess part of the ending but not the why's behind it all which kept up the suspense until the very end.  I'm left very excited to continue on with this series!  Now begins the wait for book four!

Overall, I really enjoyed my time with this book (and this series to be honest) immensely.  These books have all been so good that I almost can't put into words how much I have enjoyed them.  Just the writing and this author's way with words set this series apart from so many of the mystery series out there.  I don't think that you have to read them in order necessarily but I would recommend it.  There are pieces from that first book that still carry into this one so I think that you will enjoy these books that much more by reading all of them.  I can highly recommend this book and this series as a whole!  Each book has been suspenseful and hard to set down.  Highly recommended!

Bottom Line:  A gorgeously written mystery that I savored the entire time!

Disclosure:  I read this book courtesy of my local library system.

I've Got You Under My Skin by Mary Higgins Clark (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"When Laurie Moran's husband was brutally murdered, only three-year-old Timmy saw the face of his father's killer. Five years later his piercing blue eyes still haunt Timmy's dreams. Laurie is haunted by more: the killer's threat to her son as he fled the scene: Tell your mother she's next, then it's your turn . .

Now Laurie is dealing with murder again, this time as the producer of a true-crime, cold-case television show. The series will launch with the twenty-year-old unsolved murder of Betsy Powell. Betsy, a socialite, was found suffocated in her bed after a gala celebrating the graduation of her daughter and three friends. The sensational murder was news nationwide. Reopening the case in its lavish setting and with the cooperation of the surviving guests that night, Laurie is sure to have a hit on her hands. But when the estranged friends begin filming, it becomes clear each is hiding secrets . . . small and large.

And a pair of blue eyes is watching events unfold, too . . ."

My Thoughts:

It has been entirely too long since I read a book by Mary Higgins Clark!  Honestly I didn't even realize that she had a series of books out until I saw someone (no clue who now) who was talking about the most recent book maybe.  I was instantly intrigued and had to grab a copy of this book from the library.  I'm so glad that I did because this book was everything that I love about this author and the books she writes!  One of the things that I've always enjoyed about her books is how easily they suck me and how suspenseful they are!  The short chapters from multiple viewpoints always keep me reading way longer than I ever intend to.  I breezed through the pages of this book completely caught up within the mystery.  I spent the entire time I was reading it trying to figure out the killer only to be wrong and surprised by the ending.  I also really enjoyed that in this book there was the secondary mystery of who killed Laurie's husband.  That storyline added a few creepy moments for me while reading because I was so worried over how everything was going to turn out!  When I finished I was left so excited to have started this series and ready to continue on!  What an enjoyable mystery this was!

Overall I really enjoyed my time with this book, and am super excited to pick up the second book in the near future.  This was the mystery that I was looking for without really realizing it - it was a great change pace from some of the darker thrillers that I've been reading lately.  There's just something about Ms. Clark's books that I enjoy so much.  I'm really excited to be diving back into her backlist again!  I would recommend this book to fans of mysteries and suspense.  This is an easy recommend on my part!

Bottom Line:  An enjoyable mystery that kept me guessing until the very last pages!

Disclosure:  I checked out this book from my local library.  Thoughts are my own!   

Watch the Girls by Jennifer Wolfe (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"SOMEONE IS WATCHING
Washed up teen star Liv Hendricks quit acting after her beloved younger sister inexplicably disappeared following a Hollywood party gone wrong. Liv barely escaped with her life, and her sister was never heard from again. But all this time, someone's been waiting patiently to finish what was started...

FOUR MISSING GIRLS
Now fifteen years later, broke and desperate, Liv is forced to return to the spotlight. She crowdfunds a webseries in which she'll pose as a real-life private detective--a nod to the show she starred on as a teen. When a mysterious donor challenges her to investigate a series of disappearances outside a town made famous by the horror movies filmed there, Liv has no choice but to accept.

FOLLOW THE WHITE WOLF
Liv is given a cryptic first clue: Follow the white wolf. And now a darker game is about to begin. Through social media, someone is leaving breadcrumbs to follow. As Liv makes increasingly disturbing discoveries, her show explodes in popularity. A rapt internet audience is eager to watch it all--perhaps even at the cost of Liv's own life..."

My Thoughts:

Thinking back on my year of reading, this may be the creepiest book that I've read all year.  Watch The Girls straddles the line between thriller and horror - and it does it with absolute perfection.  There are all of these horror elements throughout the book and creepy moments but it reads like a thriller.  I don't know that I've read anything like it but I loved every minute of it!  I'm actually a bit surprised that I haven't heard more buzz over this one with other readers if I'm being honest.  Liv is quite the main character.  She starts off in this book drinking heavily and it almost felt like the unreliable narrator element all over again that you see in so many books lately.  I instantly didn't trust her and wasn't even sure if I liked her based off of the decisions she was making.  But as the book goes on my viewpoint on her definitely began to change.  I'm going to hit slightly spoiler-ey territory here so feel free to skip ahead so I don't ruin anything for you.  I started to realize that something had happened to Liv all of those years ago when her sister disappeared that she wasn't remembering.  I wasn't sure what but knew that it was important.  I also started to trust her more the further I got into the book.  There is all of these different things going on and as the reader I was trying to figure out how they all tied together.  It was so completely tense and suspenseful!  Plus the horror films that were filmed in this small town are there own element themselves in this book.  They help to give this book the horror vibe that I got throughout.  Plus, as we learn about the different movies you start to wonder if maybe they are playing out in real life.  It was creepy let me tell you!  

Overall, I enjoyed my time with this book immensely!  It was dark and twisted which is everything that I enjoy in a thriller!  My favorite part of this book was the sense of foreboding that was present throughout. There were times when I almost didn't want to keep reading because I just had that bad feeling but I literally could not stop reading.  It's funny because I actually started reading this one and then it had to go back to the library unfinished (I was pretty early on in the book).  I instantly put it back on hold and jumped in as soon I checked it back out.  I'm so glad that I didn't let this one linger on my TBR because I enjoyed it so much!  I just cannot wait to see what this author comes up with next!  Fans of suspense, thriller, or horror should definitely give this book a shot.  I can highly recommend!

Bottom Line:  One of the creepiest thrillers I've read all year (if not the creepiest)!

Disclosure:  I checked this book out from my local library.  Thoughts are my own! 

Point of Origin by Patricia Cornwell (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Dr Kay Scarpetta, Chief Medical Examiner and consulting pathologist for the federal law enforcement agency ATF, is called out to a farmhouse in Virginia which has been destroyed by fire. In the ruins of the house she finds a body which tells a story of a violent and grisly murder.

The fire has come at the same time as another even more incendiary horror: Carrie Grethen, a killer who nearly destroyed the lives of Scarpetta and those closest to her, has escaped from a forensic psychiatric hospital. Her whereabouts is unknown, but her ultimate destination is not, for Carrie has begun to communicate with Scarpetta, conveying her deadly - if cryptic - plans for revenge."

My Thoughts:

I don't usually review books that are part of long standing series for various reasons but the main one being that it is so hard!  It's so hard to not share spoilers both intentionally and unintentionally.  If you haven't read this book or the earlier/later books in this series and intend to (which you should as I'm a huge fan of this series overall), go ahead and move right along and skip reading this post.  I'm giving you the FULL warning here that I intend to spoil the heck out of this book because I have so many feelings and need to get them all out.  Okay, I've given the spoiler warning so let's move on to my thoughts on this book!

As I've been reading the earlier books in this series, I've gotten many comments on how this series kind of gets off track at some point causing many readers to stop reading.  I WOULD NOT be surprised if it was because or starting with this book.  Although I didn't love the first book, Postmortem,  I did enjoy it enough to continue and have really loved many of the first eight books in this series.  Looking back at Goodreads shows that I rated at least two of them five star reads (and honestly I don't even think I rated or reviewed the others due to not always sharing my thoughts about books that are part of a series).  I started off really loving this book!  It was just as compelling, suspenseful, and eerie as many of those other books were which is why I have loved them so much.  Cornwell is amazing in my opinion at leaving the reader guessing throughout most of the book which makes it hard to stop reading.  I was trucking along with this book when the author completely pulled the rug out on me.  Benton dies in this book?!?!  What in the world?  What made it even more confusing for me as the reader is that I've read two later books in this series - it's what got me started on reading this series from the beginning in the first place.  And Kay is married to him in those books so he is very much alive.  Knowing that made reading the last half of this book so confusing.  I kept waiting for Kay to find him - to realize that he was alive - thinking that this was all Carrie's doing - only to find that was not the case at all.  This book even ends with the scattering of Benton's ashes.  By the time I finished this book I was annoyed.  Annoyed because not only does this book end with Benton apparently dead but also Carrie Grethen is too - and she is ALSO alive in later books.  Seriously?!?  I'm trying to understand why the author would even make this decision with Benton's character but then also to do it with another major character?  I'm at a loss here folks.  So what do you think I did?  I went and read the summaries for the next books in this series to figure out when Benton comes back because he obviously does. And then I read reviews of this book to see if others would spoil what happens/how in the heck Cornwell believably or unbelievably brings Benton back to life.  Color me severely annoyed to find that not only does she bring him back but that both Marino and Lucy were in on it the entire time.  You've got to fucking be kidding me here (pardon the language but c'mon).  I just don't get it, I really don't.  If she wanted to kill Benton's character off for whatever reasons, she should have stuck with that decision.  Not go back and change your mind which is REALLY how this feels to me/comes across and then write him back in what sounds like a laughable manner.  I literally do not know how I'm going to read the next couple of books.  Part of this is my fault - I read those later books first so when reading this one I knew that it couldn't possibly be the truth when it all went down.  But really, even if I hadn't read the books in the order I did I can almost guarantee how cheated I would have felt when I got to whatever book that he returns in.  The ending of this book was so emotional and heartbreaking that I just cannot begin to understand her decisions afterwards with those next books.  Bleh.  This book would have been a 4 1/2 star read for me but I don't even know how to rate it now.  

The question remains - will I continue on with this series?  The answer at this point is yes but not any time soon.  I read this one a couple of weeks ago and I still get heated when I think about it.  I'm going to give myself a bit of a break and work on other books from my never-ending TBR list.  I'll go back and we will see how it all plays out.  The positive side of all of this is that I know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and the books get better (or more like what I enjoyed in these earlier reads).  So I have that to look forward to which helps make me want to keep reading.  And I must admit to still being very curious.  Where does she go from here?  Is this what actually turned off other readers from this series or is there something else?  I don't know at this point because I definitely didn't see this coming so who knows what else I can expect.  So there's my convoluted thoughts on this book.  I really liked it until I didn't.  For the series as a whole I can definitely recommend books one through eight.  It's super important to read them in order as events that happen in one become important in others - that kind of thing.  But they really are so good and that's why this book was so hard for me to stomach by the end.  If you've read this series and this book - what were your thoughts?  I would love to discuss this one with other readers!!

Bottom Line:  I don't even know what to say here - I'm a bit bitter overall with this one is the best way to put it.

Disclosure:  I checked this one out from my local library.  Thoughts are my own.

The Anatomist's Wife by Anna Lee Huber (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Scotland, 1830. Following the death of her husband, Lady Darby has taken refuge at her sister's estate, finding solace in her passion for painting. But when her hosts throw a house party for the cream of London society, Kiera is unable to hide from the ire of those who believe her to be as unnatural as her husband, an anatomist who used her artistic talents to suit his own macabre purposes.

Kiera wants to put her past aside, but when one of the house guests is murdered, her brother-in-law asks her to utilize her knowledge of human anatomy to aid the insufferable Sebastian Gage--a fellow guest with some experience as an inquiry agent. While Gage is clearly more competent than she first assumed, Kiera isn't about to let her guard down as accusations and rumors swirl.

When Kiera and Gage's search leads them to even more gruesome discoveries, a series of disturbing notes urges Lady Darby to give up the inquiry. But Kiera is determined to both protect her family and prove her innocence, even as she risks becoming the next victim..."

My Thoughts:

I picked this book up at my library after seeing a few reviews (and the gorgeous cover) for the latest book in this series.  I decided it was time to give this series a try and I'm really glad that I did!  This book was a really great read and one that I just immersed myself within its' pages.  I most enjoyed this book how the author was able to really make me feel like I was there in Scotland 1830.  The details she gave, the way the characters talked and dressed, it all added up to make such a great reading experience for me.  I was sucked into the mystery as well as the struggles one faced as a woman during that time period that didn't fit into the norm.  Kiera's character was one that I connected to and felt for because she just wasn't able to fit in with society thanks to her deceased husband's dark past.  When she is pulled into the investigation it brings many of the things from that time in her life back to the surface.  To protect both herself and her family she begins to work and investigate with Sebastian Gage.  This might be a slight spoiler but the chemistry between these two has me very excited to get my hands on book two.  I won't say any more than that but suffice it to say that I'm very curious as to where that next book may lead.  The mystery portion of this book was actually darker than I expected.  I can't say that I read a lot of historical mysteries but I kind of equated them to the same or similar as a cozy mystery.  You can imagine my surprise with this book then, when it was quite the opposite of a cozy and was a bit more graphic than I expected it to be.  It didn't effect my enjoyment in the least but just thought I would mention it.  It was such a compelling mystery though and I couldn't quite set this one down.  I thought I had the whodunnit figured out until 3/4's of the way through book when I realized I was completely wrong.  The ending tied everything up quite nicely but left me wishing I had my hands on the next book.  I just wasn't ready to see these characters go and am really looking forward to seeing what mysteries and adventures they get up to next.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am so excited that I have six more books or so to look forward to!  I won't be waiting long to see what kind of trouble Lady Darby finds herself in next!  This book was the perfect blend of mystery and historical fiction which makes me want to find more books just like it.  What other historical mystery authors am I missing out on?  It's something that I'm going to be figuring out in the very near future!  I'm hoping that there will be some romance upcoming in those future books as well.  Fingers crossed at least!  I really can't say enough good things about the characters in this book and the mystery itself.  It felt like the perfect fall read (although it isn't quite fall yet) and one that I just adored.  I would recommend this book to fans of historical mysteries as well as mysteries in general!

Bottom Line:  Such a great beginning to this series and it has spurned my need to find other authors just like this!

Disclosure:  I checked this book out from my local library.  Thoughts are my own!

Unsub by Meg Gardiner (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Caitlin Hendrix has been a Narcotics detective for six months when the killer at the heart of all her childhood nightmares reemerges: the Prophet. An UNSUB—what the FBI calls an unknown subject—the Prophet terrorized the Bay Area in the 1990s and nearly destroyed her father, the lead investigator on the case.

The Prophet’s cryptic messages and mind games drove Detective Mack Hendrix to the brink of madness, and Mack’s failure to solve the series of ritualized murders—eleven seemingly unconnected victims left with the ancient sign for Mercury etched into their flesh—was the final nail in the coffin for a once promising career.

Twenty years later, two bodies are found bearing the haunting signature of the Prophet. Caitlin Hendrix has never escaped the shadow of her father’s failure to protect their city. But now the ruthless madman is killing again and has set his sights on her, threatening to undermine the fragile barrier she rigidly maintains for her own protection, between relentless pursuit and dangerous obsession.

Determined to decipher his twisted messages and stop the carnage, Caitlin ignores her father’s warnings as she draws closer to the killer with each new gruesome murder. Is it a copycat, or can this really be the same Prophet who haunted her childhood? Will Caitlin avoid repeating her father’s mistakes and redeem her family name, or will chasing the Prophet drag her and everyone she loves into the depths of the abyss?"

My Thoughts:

I requested this one from the library after hearing so many good things about this author and this series.  It had been on my radar but it was the comparison to Criminal Minds (a television show I enjoy) that bumped this one to the top of my TBR list.  I can honestly say that this book was just as enjoyable as I had hoped it would be!  From the very beginning, Caitlin is pulled into the hunt for a serial killer - the same one that her  father was hunting when she was a young girl.  This book starts off fast paced and that pace doesn't stop until the very last page.  Like I was seriously reading so fast that there were times that I had to go back and reread.  There was this constant layer of fear and tension that the author created in this book.  It had me unable to put this book down as I just needed to see how it would all end.  It was intense, dark, and twisted - just everything that I enjoy from a good thriller.  I really enjoyed how while reading this book I never knew what going to happen next.  I was just along for the ride and I enjoyed every minute of it!  It's funny because this author has been on my radar for awhile now but I'm just now finally giving her books a try.  This was a great book to start with and has me really excited for the next book in this series!  I really don't want to give you too many details as this is a book to experience for yourself.  I'll leave you with a READ THIS BOOK recommendation!   

Overall, I really enjoyed my time with this book and am super excited about this series.  I almost brought the second book home from the library with me the other day but I wasn't ready to be completely caught up with this series yet.  I'm so weird like that.  I don't think that I'll be able to hold out for very long though since I enjoyed this first book so much!  I can't say enough good things about this book though which should tell you how much I enjoyed it.  I would recommend this book to fans of thrillers and mysteries.  Be warned that it is dark and if that isn't your type of read, you might want to pass on this one.  This is exactly the type of book I enjoy though so I couldn't get enough of it!  I love when I find a book that I can't put down and has me unable to stop reading.  I also adore when that same book gives me creepy vibes as well.  I would highly recommend this one for just those reasons alone!

Bottom Line:  A tense and thrilling read that I couldn't get enough of!

Disclosure:  I read this book courtesy of my local public library!

Blue Monday by Nicci French (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"The abduction of five-year-old Matthew Farraday provokes a national outcry and a desperate police hunt. And when a picture of his face is splashed over the newspapers, psychotherapist Frieda Klein is left troubled: one of her patients has been relating dreams in which he has a hunger for a child. A child he can describe in perfect detail, a child the spitting image of Matthew.

Detective Chief Inspector Karlsson doesn't take Frieda's concerns seriously until a link emerges with an unsolved child abduction twenty years ago and he summons Frieda to interview the victim's sister, hoping she can stir hidden memories. Before long, Frieda is at the center of the race to track the kidnapper.

But her race isn't physical. She must chase down the darkest paths of a psychopath's mind to find the answers to Matthew Farraday's whereabouts.

And sometimes the mind is the deadliest place to lose yourself."

My Thoughts:

I'm so pumped about this series after finishing this book!  Last year I read and adored Dark Saturday which is a later book in this series.  I've been meaning to go back to the first book every since then and thank goodness that I finally did.  I started and finished this book in one day.  A day in which my husband was having shoulder surgery so that should tell you how compelling that I found this book!  I was able to lose myself in it despite everything that was going on.  It was the perfect distraction and way to keep me from just sitting there worrying (like I'm prone to do).  It's funny but having read a later book in this series first, I could see how this book sets everything up for books to come.  We meet characters that are still in those later books and a bad guy like no other.  I know that I'm missing pieces but they will all fall into place as I continue to catch up on this series.  I should have listened to some of blogger friends and started reading this series years ago!  In this book, Frieda gets involved in the search of a kidnapped boy - a kidnapping that is starting to seem like it is related to another kidnapping over twenty years ago.  Frieda is such a great main character and I really enjoy reading about her.  She is a bit of a mystery in that she just seems so distanced from those around her.  She walks at all hours of the night and as the reader I could never quite get a feel of what is going on in that head of hers.  I loved it though because I am so intrigued by her!  I never know what to expect from her and that's a good thing in my opinion.  The mystery portion of this book was so completely well done and unexpected.  I don't want to give anything away but if you like a good twist (as seems to be so popular nowadays) then check this book out!  I can honestly say that I won't be waiting long to continue on with book two because I just NEED to see what happens next!

Overall, I basically loved my time with this book which is really all you need to know.  It was such a compelling thriller, and has pushed both this series and author to my must read list.  I've heard that the eighth book is going to be the last one which is a bummer only in that I enjoy these characters so much.  That being said I still have a good number of this author's books to catch up on before then and hopefully they will continue to write other books in the future.  I'm basically gushing at this point but this is a series and author to definitely to check out in my opinion.  I can highly recommend to both thriller and mystery fans alike.  Trigger warning in that this book features a kidnapped child - I'm sure that isn't something that all readers will want to read about so thought I would give you a heads up.  Highly recommended otherwise though!

Bottom Line:  An amazing beginning to what is now fast becoming a favorite series of mine (and I've only read two books in it)!

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

Escape to You (Montana Heat) by Jennifer Ryan (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"He discovered her during a Montana blizzard, freezing cold, impossibly vulnerable, a little boy by her side. Undercover DEA Agent Beck “Trigger” Cooke is astonished to recognize Ashley Swan—award-winning actress, famous beauty—and missing for over a year. To keep her and the child hidden from a sadistic madman, he secrets the pair away to his isolated home.

No longer a prisoner, and protected at Hope Ranch, Ashley recovers and learns the tall, tempting federal agent may have a dark past, but it hasn’t destroyed his sense of honor.

As they shed past roles and find common ground, Ashley and Trigger can’t help but fall slowly, carefully, in love. But danger still lurks outside the boundaries of Hope Ranch, for until her crazed captor is brought to justice, and Trigger’s undercover past is laid to rest, none of them will ever be truly safe…"

My Thoughts:

My feelings for this book were kinda all over the place so my apologies ahead of time if my review is all over the place as well.  I wanted to love this book, I really did.  The summary sounded right up my alley, and as I love a good romantic suspense I was really looking forward to this one.  The suspense portions of this book were super good and were what made this such a fast read.  This author has created such a creepy "bad guy" and the idea of him finding Ashley again gave me chills.  I honestly feel like if this just had been a suspense/mystery read I probably would have given the book four stars.  That's how much I liked those portions of this book.  What I just couldn't get behind though was the insta-love between Ashley and Trigger.  I never connected to them as a couple even when I really wanted to.  It wasn't that I didn't like them together because I actually did.  I just didn't find their relationship believable in how instantly they came together and fell in love.  After everything that Ashley went through, you would think it would take time for her to trust another man let alone fall in love.  And from reading that above summary, I totally thought that was how it was going to happen.  Honestly, this could be a "it's not you, it's me" type of thing.  I don't usually care for insta-love romances in general.  I much prefer the slow burns where the couple have to really get to know each and build a relationship instead.  For me, Ashley and Trigger's relationship didn't add to my enjoyment of this book which is why this book is only a three star read for me.

All of that being said, I really do want to read more by this author.  I've heard from other readers that this wasn't their favorite book as well so maybe I just picked the wrong one to begin with.  I could definitely get behind the suspense and tense atmosphere that the author created with this book though!  It had me thoroughly creeped out at times - especially at the beginning before Ashley makes her escape.  I also really loved the snowstorm setting in this book!  I felt like this was the perfect time of year to pick this book up even if I didn't love it as much as I had hoped to.  I'm going to recommend this one but with hesitations.  If you don't mind relationships between characters that develop almost instantly, this is a book that you will probably enjoy more than I did.  For me, I will check out some of this author's other books instead.

Bottom Line:  A romantic suspense read that was better for me on the suspense portion, less so on the actual romance.

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

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!