Caged by Ellison Cooper (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"FBI neuroscientist Sayer Altair hunts for evil in the deepest recesses of the human mind. Still reeling from the death of her fiance, she wants nothing more than to focus on her research into the brains of serial killers. But when the Washington D.C. police stumble upon a gruesome murder scene involving a girl who'd been slowly starved to death while held captive in a cage, Sayer is called in to lead the investigation. When the victim is identified as the daughter of a high profile senator, Sayer is thrust into the spotlight.

As public pressure mounts, she discovers that another girl has been taken and is teetering on the brink of death. With evidence unraveling around her, Sayer races to save the second victim but soon realizes that they are hunting a killer with a dangerous obsession...a killer who is closer than she thought."

My Thoughts:

Oh my goodness - this book is easily a five star, going on my top reads of the year list type of book!  I enjoyed my time reading this one immensely to say the least.  I feel like this type of book is totally my own personal reader catnip if you will.  It features a female lead detective (in this specific case she is a FBI agent but you get the gist) that is emotionally closed off due to her past.  It's a police procedural which I absolutely adore (or FBI procedural - take your pick).  And it focuses on a dark, twisted mystery that pulled me in until the very last page.  What more could you want in a book like this?  It's everything that I love all wrapped up into one amazing read!  Now I need more books just like this or at least just as good!  It's funny but before I started this one I remember seeing a slightly negative review (I don't remember the specifics or anything - just that the reader wasn't wowed by it) so I didn't know what to expect when I picked it up.  I knew it sounded like my type of read but would it live up to those expectations?  It sure did and then some!  This is one of those books that just sucks you in and doesn't let you go.  It wasn't one that I felt the need to read fast or fly through the pages.  Instead I found myself unable to set it down and just so immersed in the ongoing investigation.  I took my time with this one and loved every minute of it!  Every time I thought I had a handle on it, the author was able to turn it around so completely that I just knew that I was wrong.  I didn't figure out the ending until exactly when Sayer did which was the perfect way to experience the book.  This book was just so unexpected and fresh compared to much of what is out there in the world of thrillers nowadays.  I don't want to spoil anything so I won't say too much but this is exactly the book that I hoped it would be and so much more!

Overall, I'm pretty sure that it is clear that I loved this book!  I read the majority of this book during a long break in my daughter's softball tournament which was the perfect way to read this one!  I just couldn't stop reading as I had to see how everything would end.  I'm absolutely stoked that this is the beginning to a series so I have another book featuring Sayer to look forward to.  Especially as the author set up another mystery outside of what was going on in this book that she left open for possibly the next book.  I'm so intrigued and will be impatiently waiting to get my hands on that book whenever it releases!  I just cannot say enough good things about this book.  I can highly, highly recommend to those who love mysteries and thrillers.  It's going on my top reads list this year without a doubt so that should tell you everything you need to know!

Bottom Line: A five star read that I can't stop gushing about!

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

Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"This is the story of three best friends: one who was murdered, one who went to prison, and one who's been searching for the truth all these years . . .

When she was sixteen years old, Angela Wong—one of the most popular girls in school—disappeared without a trace. Nobody ever suspected that her best friend, Georgina Shaw, now an executive and rising star at her Seattle pharmaceutical company, was involved in any way. Certainly not Kaiser Brody, who was close with both girls back in high school.

But fourteen years later, Angela Wong's remains are discovered in the woods near Geo's childhood home. And Kaiser—now a detective with Seattle PD—finally learns the truth: Angela was a victim of Calvin James. The same Calvin James who murdered at least three other women.

To the authorities, Calvin is a serial killer. But to Geo, he's something else entirely. Back in high school, Calvin was Geo's first love. Turbulent and often volatile, their relationship bordered on obsession from the moment they met right up until the night Angela was killed.

For fourteen years, Geo knew what happened to Angela and told no one. For fourteen years, she carried the secret of Angela's death until Geo was arrested and sent to prison.

While everyone thinks they finally know the truth, there are dark secrets buried deep. And what happened that fateful night is more complex and more chilling than anyone really knows. Now the obsessive past catches up with the deadly present when new bodies begin to turn up, killed in the exact same manner as Angela Wong.

How far will someone go to bury her secrets and hide her grief? How long can you get away with a lie? How long can you live with it?"

My Thoughts:

Jar of Hearts was just as dark and twisted as the above summary sounds!  It was also a compelling thriller that I couldn't stop reading!  This is only the second book by Hillier that I've read but I am truly hooked on her books at this point.  She is fast becoming a must read author for me thanks to how much I enjoyed both of her books that I've read so far.  One of the things that really has stood out to me while reading both of her books is how completely fearless she is when it comes to her writing choices.  She isn't afraid to make choices for her characters and plot lines that I just don't feel like many other authors would take.  It makes for such a fascinating read because as the reader I just never know what to expect.  In this book especially I was constantly trying to figure out how everything was going to turn out.  Because let's be honest here - it sure didn't seem like anything could turn out well for Geo after everything she had done.  I really loved her as the main character!  The past is something that she holds very close to her chest and we only get pieces of what happened slowly throughout the book.  It gives her that questioning feel that I love similar to an unreliable narrator.  I was always questioning her true intentions on everything that she did and her motivations behind it all.  I don't think that it is too spoiler-ey to say that she keeps secrets throughout the book - as the reader you know that- even if you don't know what they are and why she is keeping them.  It all just builds up layer by layer creating this building tension and suspense.  I just couldn't get enough of it!  I kind of guessed parts of the ending but that didn't make it any less horrifying or suspenseful!  I literally had to force myself to slow down at the end just so I could take it all in.  What a book!

Overall, this book was everything that I look for in a thrilled so I loved my time reading it.  It had a unique premise which really made it stand out for me in the sea of thrillers and mysteries that are out there.  This book had a main character that I wanted to root for even though I didn't fully trust her.  It was dark, tense, and a page turning read!  I will definitely be there for anything and everything that this author writes in the future!  I believe I have a different book of hers on my shelves so I really need to bump that up on the TBR list.  I would recommend this book to fans of thrillers and suspense.  Be warned that there is some definite triggers in this book that may deter other readers.  It wasn't always an easy book to read but it was one that I won't soon forget!

Bottom Line:  A five star read for me.....enough said!

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

The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon (thoughts)

I adored this book!  In fact, I found myself so completely enthralled in the pages of this novel that I couldn't get anything accomplished while reading it.  The author did such an amazing job with the atmosphere in this book!  It was super creepy and was perfect for a cold winter night.  This book literally gave me the chills at certain points!  I had this book on my most anticipated reads list for 2014 and it certainly didn't disappoint!

This book tells two stories in one:  the story of Sara Harrison Shea who died under mysterious circumstances in 1908 and the story of Ruthie and her family who now live in Sara's old farmhouse.  When Ruthie's mom goes missing it will be up to Ruthie to figure out both the mystery of her mother's disappearance and the mystery of what happened to Sara all those years ago. 

McMahon does a marvelous job of intertwining those two storylines in a way that makes the reader not want to stop reading.  I just had to keep reading because I needed to see what was going to happen next!  And the atmosphere!  This book had this dark creepy tension feel to it that just wouldn't let up.  But my favorite part of the book was the isolated feel that the author created.  She used the snowstorms, the farmhouse, and the two storylines to create this layer of isolation for the characters from the outside world.  It felt like a living, breathing part of the story itself.  I loved it!  When you have two different stories being told, chances are that the reader will prefer one over the other.  Myself, I preferred Ruthie's story as I wanted her to find her mother.  Sara's story was really interesting though because it had hints of the supernatural.  In fact, the author also did a really nice job of taking those hints and managing them in a way that made them almost believable.  Which was quite horrifying when you think about it!  (Those that have already read the book will understand what I mean).  The ending was done quite nicely and while I didn't get all of the resolution that I wanted, I was left feeling satisfied.  Because sometimes it is best to be left guessing, and there were some threads to this book that definitely left me in the dark. 

Books like this are why I adore reading so much.  I am hard pressed to come up with a single complaint for this book so I just won't.  Instead, I will continue to gush because it was that good and this author is fast becoming one of my favorites.  It is early in the year to say this but I'm guessing it will be one of my favorites for the year.  And considering that I'm still thinking about it after finishing it a few weeks ago tells you how good this book really is!  Highly, highly recommended!

Bottom Line:  A book brimming over with atmosphere and creepy tension that kept me caught up within its' pages!

Disclosure:  I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this book for review from the publisher courtesy of NetGalley.  Thoughts are my own!

The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry

"Each Reader must choose a piece of lace. It is hers for life. It might be a pattern handed down through generations or a piece cosen by the reader for its beauty or familiarity. Many Readers prefer the handmade laces, particularly the laces of old Ispwich or the new circular pieces made by the women of Yellow Dog Island. - The Lace Reader's Guide" p. 6 of The Lace Reader

I'm not even sure where to begin with this review other than to say that I found this book to be an amazing read. The Lace Reader begins with the reader meeting Towner, the main character, who admits freely that she lies and that her name is really Sophya. Towner is going back to her hometown as her Great Aunt Eva is missing. While there she will be forced to confront her demons from the past and work through the issues that are still haunting her today. The women in Towner's family are all lace readers and can read the future in the lace. But something has caused Towner to vow never to read lace again...


Oh my goodness...how I enjoyed this book! From the very beginning, I was swept up in the story that the author had written and the atmosphere that she had created. I didn't quite know what to make of Towner, I mean she admits right from the beginning that she is crazy and that she lies. So I wasn't sure at any point in the book if she was telling the truth which made for an interesting read. I ended up just letting the author take me for a ride and what a ride it was! The story was told from different viewpoints at time but it didn't detract from the story whatsoever. In fact, it made me feel even closer to the main characters. I ended up caring about Towner even though I couldn't entirely trust the story that she was telling me. And the ending of this book...blew me away. Seriously, I might have seen pieces of it coming but really in the end when I closed the book I was stunned. I think that this would be a great book to read with a book group and have a discussion over. I myself would love to hear what other readers thought of the ending of this book.


All in all, I found this to be an amazing read and will probably go on to my top reads of 2009. I'm pretty sure I've gushed enough over this book...so go pick it up and give it a try. I doubt that you'll be disappointed. Highly recommended.


P.S.- This is me meeting my November goal of reviewing books directly after I read them. I can't possibly get more behind on reviews if I do this and I'll try and catch up on a few reviews that I am behind on at some point in this month as well.