Review: The Collector by John Maher

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Publisher: Inkubator Books

Published: July 05, 2020

Genre: Mystery, Crime Thriller

#netgalleyarc

They say human life is the most precious thing. The Collector doesn’t agree.

When world renowned archaeologist Philip Carlton suddenly and unexpectedly commits suicide, the police are called to investigate. Heading up the investigation is Detective Lucy O’Hara, a Forensic Linguist – and she immediately sees something is wrong with the suicide note. In her gut, she knows this was cold-blooded murder. 

Battling sceptical superiors and the Irish establishment, Lucy digs for the truth and begins to uncover a shadowy trade in ancient artefacts led by a mysterious figure known only as ‘The Collector’. 

As Lucy works to uncover his identity, she soon realises she is up against a ruthless mastermind who is systematically eliminating anyone who might lead her to him. But Lucy won’t give up and soon The Collector turns his attention to her… 

The Collector – the first in a gripping new series featuring Detective Lucy O’Hara.

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MY REVIEW:

Seeing that cover and the synopsis, I was really looking forward to reading this book. It sounded full of mysteries and murder.

It didn’t quite hit the mark for me though. This book was long and usually I can still finish within a day or two but this one took me almost three weeks. It failed to keep my attention and I did have to force myself to finish it. The mystery and investigation aspect was there but not completely. I felt like the investigation kept stalling and there was a lot of repetition. Interrogating the same individuals over and over again but never really getting anywhere. Nothing remotely happened until the 80% mark for me.

There was also a lot of random mundane things that were unnecessary to the story. It broke up the flow and diverted my attention. For example: at one point the main character Lucy stops at a park or beach and just watches the people there. Then she leaves. What was the point of that? And it was literally a small paragraph. She didn’t think about anything or have any major revelations. It just happened. Also Lucy had a lot of potential to be a badass character but she was a bit dulled down. I feel like she wasn’t portrayed to her fullest in the book.

The ending was okay, I expected who the killer was but his motive wasn’t all that clear to me. It wasn’t explained thoroughly or what role he played exactly.

Overall this was a good book but just needed a little extra something to make it more thrilling.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for this digital arc!

Review: After All I’ve Done by Mina Hardy

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Publish date: November 10, 2020
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Standalone
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She’s lost her best friend, her husband–and possibly, her mind.

Five months ago, an accident left Diana Sparrow badly injured and missing a few months of her memory. As if that’s not enough, she’s started having recurring nightmares about the night of the accident. Dreams that feel so real, she’s left questioning: maybe she didn’t just slide off the road into a ditch. Maybe, just maybe, she hit something. Or someone.

She can’t turn to her former best friend Val, who’s been sleeping with Diana’s husband Jonathan for months, but she might find some comfort in newcomer Cole Pelham. Yet the closer they become, the more Diana begins to wonder what really happened that night–and how Cole might be connected. Worse, it seems everyone else could be involved, too. 

Who was with her that night? What really happened? As her life unravels thread by thread and the dreams become too real to ignore, Diana will have to face the unthinkable–and do the unforgivable.

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MY REVIEW:

“Letting something die is not the same as killing it.”

Excuse me while I pick my jaw off the floor. This was pretty incredible. At the beginning it gave off Women in the Window vibes but it turned out so much better!

Missing memory, traumatic accident, secrets and lies … what really happened to Diana?

I felt the plot was very compelling and it kept my eyes glued to the book until I finished it in one sitting. The “bad guy” was a little obvious to me but I did not expect the ending and the big revelations. It was disturbing and chilling to read what other people are capable of. It also makes you question putting your trust in others especially the ones closest to you.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for this arc!

Review: The Request by David Bell

Publish date: 06/30/2020
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
#netgalleyarc

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Ryan Francis has it all—great job, wonderful wife, beautiful child—and he loves posting photos of his perfect life on social media. Until the night his friend Blake asks him to break into a woman’s home to retrieve incriminating items that implicate Blake in an affair. Ryan refuses to help, but when Blake threatens to reveal Ryan’s darkest secret—which could jeopardize everything in Ryan’s life—Ryan has no choice but to honor Blake’s request.

When he arrives at the woman’s home, Ryan is shocked to find her dead—and just as shocked to realize he knows her. Then his phone chimes, revealing a Facebook friend request from the woman. With police sirens rapidly approaching, Ryan flees, wondering why his friend was setting him up for murder.

Determined to keep his life intact and to clear his name, Ryan must find the real murderer—but solving the crime may lead him closer to home than he ever could have imagined.

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MY REVIEW:

David Bell has a way of crafting an intriguing and compelling mystery. I read this book with rapt attention and didn’t stop until I had finished it. It was a quick read and I mostly enjoyed it.

I did have the feeling of wanting to smack the main character a couple of times because I was over it with the secrets and his impulsive decisions. Another thing that led to me only giving the book three stars was I kind of predicted who the suspect was and why some events occurred. It was a little obvious to be honest, and that took a little away from my completely loving this book.
The plot and mystery were done very well and I appreciated the originality behind it.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this digital arc!

Review: The Secrets They Left Behind by Lissa Marie Redmond

Publish date: April 07, 2020
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Genre: Mystery, Thrillers
#netgalleydigitalarc

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Three college freshmen go missing from their rural hometown of Kelly’s Falls while on Christmas break. Their cell phones, coats, and purses are left behind, but the girls have disappeared without a trace. As the days turn into weeks and the investigation grows cold, twenty-three year old Buffalo police officer Shea O’Connor is called on to dig up leads undercover.

Still bearing the emotional and physical scars of a previous case, O’Connor infiltrates as eighteen-year-old Shea Anderson, a college freshman and the “niece” of the town’s police chief. As she begins to immerse herself in the missing girls’ world, befriending their friends and family, and doing whatever it takes to maintain her cover, O’Connor realizes the track is far colder than she initially thought. But whoever was behind the girls’ disappearance was only warming up, and they have set their crosshairs directly on her.

The heat is on for O’Connor as she closes in on the shocking truth about what really happened the night the girls vanished.

Review: The Bride by Wendy Clarke

Publish Date: May 20, 2020
Publisher: Bookouture
Genre: Mystery, Thillers
#digitalarc

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The moment Joanna told me she was engaged, I had this awful feeling that something was wrong.

We used to speak on the phone every day. Growing up I spent more time at her house than I did at my own. I’d always imagined what it would be like to see her get married, and now I didn’t even know her fiancé’s name.

She asked me to come and meet Mark and I intended to tell her to slow down. You can’t know someone for a month and be sure that you want to spend the rest of your lives together.

When I got to Joanna’s front door, only Mark was there. He was charming and gorgeous and nothing but nice to me, and I started to understand.

And then he told me that Joanna was missing.

Review of The Essence of Darkness by Tom Clearlake

Publisher: Moonlight

Publish Date: April 18, 2020

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Horror, Paranormal

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Five unexplained child disappearances have plagued the small town of St. Marys in the space of four months. All the elements indicate that these are abductions. FBI Special Agent Eliott Cooper is sent to investigate.  

Little by little, he uncovers facts that he can’t rationally explain. Soon, he discovers that a dark and very ancient evil seems to have taken over the forests around the city. This is only the beginning of his investigation… 

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My Review:

“Cooper was a seasoned agent, but at that moment, he felt the cold bite of fear. A primal fear. From the depths of his being, his instinct warned him of an unspeakable danger.”

Ohhhh this book had such potential! It started off so good. So disturbing and chilling. But once we actually figured out what was going on, things just went downhill for me. I didn’t like the whole reason behind the missing children. I didn’t like what was happening to Cooper and the events afterwards. Everything sort of stalled after all the revelations. There was a lot of just waiting around and then some pow wow and finito.

And then that ending. What the heck even happened? Who was that at the end?! I felt like there were some parts left unanswered. I’m so disappointed with how this book turned out. It started SO good. Ugh.

Thanks to NetGalley and Moonlight for this digital arc!

Review: The Diary of a Serial Killer’s Daughter by L.A. Detwiler

Publish date: March 12, 2020

Genre: mystery, thriller, suspense

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If you knew your father’s darkest secret, would you turn him in? What if his secret was connected to you? Ruby Marlowe’s always been a daddy’s girl. Her mother died when she was two, and her single father has ensured she has everything she needs. However, everyone has dark secrets and Ruby’s father is no exception……

When she’s young, she doesn’t understand the weight of her father’s killing game. However, as she ages, she realizes her obsessive tendencies aren’t the only elements that separate her from her peers. After she begins she investigate her mother’s life and death, Ruby starts to believe there are some secrets even she doesn’t know about the serial killer she calls Daddy. As her father’s killing grows rampant, the secrets get harder and harder to hide – and she fears it will all come crashing down. Will Ruby seek a different life for herself and betray the only person who has ever loved her, or will she ever wrapped up in his sinister path?

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My Review:

Wowowowowowowowowowow. This book. This book was a complete mind fuck. Excuse my language.

I cannot even begin to describe my thoughts and feelings as I ventured through the dark and twisted life of Ruby and her relationship with her father.

The author plays the sympathy card very well. I emphasized with poor Ruby, her being bullied and struggling to fit in when she was so clearly different. At times, I found myself rooting for Ruby and her father and then I’d remember, “he’s a serial killer!” It really threw me for a loop. I can’t even fathom discovering someone close to me was a disturbing psychopath.

Being in Ruby’s head, seeing what she thought of her father and his murdering ways, was really difficult. I had a myriad of thoughts and emotions flowing through me and even now, after finishing this book, I still cannot fully express how I feel. I have this sort of inexplicable sadness weighing on me. I do recommend this book for EVERYONE! It was a fast read for me too, I devoured the pages. It was truly an incredible read.

Review: The Missing Sister by Elle Marr

Publish date: April 1, 2020

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Genre: mystery, suspense, thriller

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#arcfromnetgalley

In Paris, her twin sister has vanished, leaving behind three chilling words: Trust no one. Shayna Darby is finally coming to terms with her parent’s deaths when she’s delivered another blow. The body of her estranged twin sister, Angela – the possible victim of a serial killer – has been pulled from the Seine. Putting what’s left of her life on hold, Shayna heads to Paris. But while cleaning out Angela’s apartment, Shayna makes a startling discovery: a coded message meant for her alone… alive. Trust no one. Taking the warning to heart, Shayna maintains the lie. She makes a positive ID on the remains and works to find out where – and why – her missing sister is hiding. Shayna retraces her sister’s footsteps, and they lead her down into Paris’s underbelly. As she gets closer to the truth – and the killer – Shayna’s own life may now be in the balance.

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My Review

(sighs dramatically). I DNF this book. Just saying that makes me cringe because, if you’ve read my other reviews, you’d know I hate not finishing a book. It’s the worst feeling.

But… I just couldn’t keep going. I’ve been trying to finish this book for two months now and while I have been busy reading other books, this one just couldn’t keep my attention. I managed to read 46% and while the book isn’t bad, it’s just not great either.

The characters weren’t very likeable. The story dragged for a while without anything new happening. 46% in the book and no new leads or developments except the most obvious which we already expected. There was a lot of potential with this book but unfortunately for me, I couldn’t finish it.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for this digital arc!

Review: The Girls Weekend by Jody Gehrman

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Publish date: June 9, 2020

Genre: Mystery, thriller

#arcfromnetgalley

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Their reunion just became a crime scene . . .

June Moody, a thirty-something English professor, just wants to get away from her recent breakup and reunite with girlfriends over summer break. Her old friend and longtime nemesis, Sadie MacTavish, a mega-successful author, invites June and her college friends to a baby shower at her sprawling estate in the San Juan Islands. June is less than thrilled to spend time with Sadie–and her husband, June’s former crush–but agrees to go.

The party gets off to a shaky start when old grudges resurface, but when they wake the next morning, they find something worse: Sadie is missing, the house is in shambles, and bloodstains mar the staircase. None of them has any memory of the night before; they wonder if they were drugged. Everyone’s a suspect. Since June had a secret rendezvous with Sadie’s husband, she has plenty of reason to suspect herself. Apparently, so do the cops.

A Celtic knot of suspense and surprise, this brooding, atmospheric novel will keep you guessing as each twist reveals a new possibility. It will remind you of friendships hidden in the depths of your own past, and make you wonder how well you really know the people you’ve loved the longest.

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My Review:

You ever read a book where the characters are so annoying and make stupid decisions that you know will end bad but you can’t do anything but watch?

Yeah, that was this book. It was like a train wreck in slow motion. I didn’t like or relate to any of the characters. At times, I forgot they were women in their late thirties… they acted like teenage girls. So much petty jealousy, comparing of lives, and secrets.

June, the main character, talks about how they were the best of friends and had so many good times together and yet, I didn’t actually see that during their girls weekend. Could be that there were years of separation and a murder happening but still.

This book was a fast paced thriller. I did like the storyline. The writing was smooth and flowed very well. About half way through, I did guess who the culprit was. It wasn’t overly obvious which I appreciate but also kind of expected. The ending left you with a bad aftertaste. Mental health was an issue I wish could have been expanded on a little more but it was still an interesting and quick read.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the digital arc.

Review: Unspeakable Things by Jess Lourey

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Publish date: Jan 01, 2020

Genre: mystery, thriller

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#arcfromnetgalley

Inspired by a terrifying true story, a heart-pounding novel of suspense about a small Minnesota town where nothing is as quiet—or as safe—as it seems.

Cassie McDowell’s life in 1980s Minnesota seems perfectly wholesome. She lives on a farm, loves school, and has a crush on the nicest boy in class. Yes, there are her parents’ strange parties and their parade of deviant guests, but she’s grown accustomed to them.

All that changes when someone comes hunting in Lilydale.

One by one, local boys go missing. One by one, they return changed—violent, moody, and withdrawn. What happened to them becomes the stuff of shocking rumors. The accusations of who’s responsible grow just as wild, and dangerous town secrets start to surface. Then Cassie’s own sister undergoes the dark change. If she is to survive, Cassie must find her way in an adult world where every sin is justified, and only the truth is unforgivable.

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My Review:

This boooooook! It completely obliterated my heart into shreds! And I loved it.

This book was highly praised on my Instagram and as always, that makes me apprehensive. I decided to bite the bullet however and read it anyways. And it was the best decision. I admire a book that is original or that has a plot or point of view that hasn’t been overused before. The main character is a young girl of 11 or 12 (I think) that is growing up but still rooted in her childhood. Seeing the world and other people through her eyes was enlightening. She was so smart and so courageous! She tried to be normal and happy despite the nightmare she was living in.

The topic of the book is disturbing. It’s the sort of thing that leaves a black stain on your soul. I hate the fact that this child had to even know about it. Her strength and resilience reminded me of myself as a child. We all had a feeling of wanting to help and thinking we were, not necessarily invincible, but strong enough to overcome anything and stop all the horrible depravity in the world.

The ending was bittersweet for me. I loved how the author incorporated the necklace and it’s final destination. ALSO, the author had me guessing who the bad guy was. It was the most obvious choice but because it was so obvious I didn’t suspect them! Very nice move by the author.

I’d like to thank Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for this digital advanced reader’s copy.