Tag: mystery

REVIEW: Death with a Dark Red Rose by Julia Buckley

REVIEW: Death with a Dark Red Rose by Julia Buckley

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Berkley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Lena and her friends are settling into a quieter pace of life after their recent adventures. Fall has arrived, and everyone is enjoying the colors of the season. Camilla and Adam have a getaway planned. Lena and Sam are making wedding plans. And Doug and Belinda are also going on a trip. But when Doug goes to pick her up, he finds her gone. Her car, purse, phone and keys are still at the house. Doug, Sam and Lena start looking for her.

Belinda’s parents inform them that Belinda’s brother, Carl, is living nearby. Belinda adores her brother and might have met up with him. And if Carl hasn’t been taking his medication, he might have met up with Belinda unexpectedly.

While Belinda is found safe, Carl reached out to her because he thinks someone else isn’t. Carl’s friend, Luis, has been missing for 5 days. Luis’ wife seems unconcerned, and the management at work is dismissive. But Carl is certain something is wrong. And because Luis and Carl work for the mysterious Plasti-Source, the disappearance will give the police an inroad into the company so they can check it out.

Review

This was fantastic! I’ve been a fan of the Writer’s Apprentice Mystery series since book 1, A Dark and Stormy Murder. I’m two books behind, but I was able to drop into this one because I understood the primary characters, and the story didn’t require me to know all of the back story. (The larger over-arching mystery from the start of the series was wrapped up in the books I haven’t gotten to yet.)

I always feel like I get my money’s worth (so to speak) from this series because the books are dense with material. Yet none of it feels like fluff or filler. I love the ensemble and the ways they work together on the mysteries. The addition of Belinda’s brother Carl was great. What an endearing character! There are tidbits of character and relationship development here and there, but they are always well-balanced with the meaty mystery central to the book.

The mystery here was top notch as usual. Lots of twists that kept me guessing to the end. I also enjoy the writing pieces in the series with Camilla and Lena. Each chapter starts with either writing notes from Camilla or lines from the fictional story they are working on in the book. I appreciated the fact that they often throw out several ways for the fictional story to go, acknowledging that the details get sorted out in the writing process. Terrific!

I loved this book, and I highly recommend the whole series to mystery and cozy fans!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

BONUS REVIEW: Microphones and Murder by Erin Huss

BONUS REVIEW: Microphones and Murder by Erin Huss

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Edelweiss and Henery Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

After several years as an engineer on a successful podcast, Liv pitches the idea of her own true crime show, Missing or Murdered. But the “talent” says she doesn’t have the experience or the gumption to do it well. So Liv quits her job.

She gives up her life to move to Santa Maria where Amelia Clark lived before she disappeared in 2008. Liv is accompanied by her enthusiastic younger biracial step-sister, Camry. Camry’s great aunt, Hazel, lives in Santa Maria and is letting them stay with her while they launch the podcast and learn everything they can about Amelia.

Liv’s early investigation goes poorly. Witnesses are hard to find or reluctant to share. Her primary source is only able to give them some files on the case before he’s no longer able to help. The area where Amelia’s car was found has changed a lot in 10 years making it hard to get clues in that space. There’s a reason this case has gone unsolved for so long. Liv starts to wonder if she’s made a BIG mistake.

But when an apple comes crashing through the bedroom window at Hazel’s, the sisters have to wonder if they have more information than they realize, and if they have gotten too close to a killer desperate to protect their secrets.

Review

This was OUTSTANDING!! I was pulled into the story form the first page. I loved the characters! By the end, there’s a little group of 5 working on the podcast and the case, and they are delightful. Liv and Camry are sisters, but by marriage, which makes for an interesting dynamic. Hazel, Camry’s great aunt, looks like Mrs. Claus, but sounds younger and sexier when she’s recorded for the podcast. Oliver is a Deaf YouTube star with millions of followers. He speaks as well as signs. As his grandmother, Hazel signs as does Liv who studied ASL in high school and college. This dynamic made for some fun moments in the story. And Austin is a reporter with a stutter, a crush on Camry, and some contacts around Santa Maria that the sisters really need. I loved how they all came together as a group and how they worked together.

The case was top notch! They got breakthroughs at reasonable moments where just the right question or contact opened a new avenue for the investigation. The pacing was terrific. There were early roadblocks to test Liv’s commitment to this path. And future discoveries came in a way that never pointed to police incompetence – they just didn’t find the right information in the right combinations to put all the pieces together. There were reluctant witnesses and others who never knew they had relevant information before. And the overall resolution was very satisfying!

I can’t tell you how often I laughed while I was reading. Between the humor and the great characters and the fantastic plot, I was in mystery-lover bliss with this book. I cannot recommend this highly enough! I noticed a couple details that were inconsistent, but I trust those were worked out in final edits. I’ll definitely be picking up my own copy of this now that it has released. Mystery fans and podcasting fans should not miss this one!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

BONUS REVIEW: Tell Me Lies by Ed James

BONUS REVIEW: Tell Me Lies by Ed James

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Bookouture in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Megan Holliday is shopping at the mall with her two kids. Avery is four. Brandon is three. They can both be a handful. The family has  no idea the guy in the elevator with them has been waiting for them. Watching them.

Megan wakes up on her porch with a note in her lap telling her not to call the police. Her children and her van are gone.

Senator Chris Holliday is in a congressional hearing when his phone buzzes. It’s in bad taste to check it, but it’s his private cell. Megan might need him. He sees a picture of Avery and Brandon with the morning paper, asleep in their van. The message that accompanies it sends him into a panic.

Special Agent Max Carter heads up the Seattle Field Office for the FBI’s Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team. He interviews Megan. She can’t reach the Senator. Carter promises he’ll do all he can to find the kids. But inside he’s wondering where the Senator has disappeared to.

Review

This was a great, suspenseful thriller. The twists and turns in this were like trying to get through a complicated maze. Every time a character made progress toward finding the truth, it opened an alley to another cover up, another lie, another suspect.

I liked the multiple perspectives in this. It allowed the reader to get into the heads of several characters including the kidnappers. There are so many secrets and lies in this, it added to the suspense to read the story from different perspectives. The reader keeps having to ask, “Is this character even trustworthy?”

There’s some darkness in this – violence, a good bit of foul language, and the dark subject matter. Kidnapping, murder, cover ups. It didn’t feel excessive for the story, but sensitive readers might run into issues with some story elements/moments.

If you love suspense, thrillers, conspiracy stories and twisty mysteries, be sure to check this one out. It’s a wild ride! It looks like this is the first in a series starring Special Agent Max Carter. There are a couple threads of this left open, so future books might pick up pieces from this one, but the case is mostly resolved by the end. (Language, sexual references, violence, TW: suicide)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: The Thief Knot by Kate Milford

REVIEW: The Thief Knot by Kate Milford

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Clarion Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

A girl has been kidnapped and the police have come to the Liberty of Gammerbund, and Marzana’s parents, for help. Marzanna’s parents have had “adventurous” lives, and they have contacts in the Liberty who might not respond to police questions, but would answer theirs. So her parents start working their contacts, investigating the crime.

Marzana and her best friend Nialla have been looking for an adventure of their own, so they decide to follow their own leads to try to find the missing girl. Teaming up with a ghost named Meddy, a girl from school named Emilia, and two boys, Ciro and JJ, they form the Thief Knot. And together they start looking for the kidnappers.

Review

I know that’s a pretty short summary, and it doesn’t say a whole lot, but this is a hard book to explain. It’s really best read for itself. This was terrific! I didn’t realize it was part of a larger story until I started digging into the book. It’s not a series, necessarily, but maybe more of a spinoff of the Greenglass books. And I loved it. Some of the history of the characters and the magic of the world was missing for me because I haven’t read any of the other stories. But I was able to follow this without those details with no issue (other than wondering about the stories I have missed).

I love ensemble stories like this. The Thief Knot crew is terrific – with interesting connections and skills they bring to the adventure. The mystery was top notch. Lots of great twists – one big one I only half predicted and another big one I didn’t see coming at all. It was so fun to read! I don’t know that I’ll go back to read the other books in this world – I can only read so many things – but I will absolutely read more books with these characters if this becomes a series of its own. I loved these kids!

This would be a fascinating read aloud for a classroom or a family. Terrific for mystery fans. There’s a slight “heist novel” feel to this that I loved, too. This might also appeal to fans of books like The Great Greene Heist (♥♥♥♥), and other heist stories. This book is targeted to older middle grade readers (ages 10-12+).

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation by Stuart Gibbs

REVIEW: Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation by Stuart Gibbs

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

In 1955, as Albert Einstein lay dying and under the influence of morphine, the great genius spoke of a secret work. One he never trusted to humanity. And ever since then, the CIA has been trying to find it.

They aren’t the only ones. Over the years different governments – and spies – of the world have tried to track it down with no luck. The latest group calls themselves the Furies. They are disgruntled white supremacists, angry at the world and bitter about all they feel has been “stolen” from them. They would be among the worst of those hunting for Einstein’s final equation. And they are close to finding it.

The CIA has become desperate. That’s the only reason they would bring in a reckless, impulsive 12-year-old genius named Charlie Thorne. Agent Dante Garcia knows Charlie’s story and believes her brilliance could be just what they need to solve the mystery and find the equation before the Furies. But Charlie may be more trouble than the CIA is prepared for. And Charlie might not be prepared for what could happen to her once the CIA has what they want from her.

Review

This was great! I enjoyed the combination of mystery and action/adventure. Charlie is an interesting character – so smart but at times immature and naive. For much of the book, she was the only one I trusted. And that was a factor in the story, too. There was no super-surprising twist. The puzzles are pretty straightforward once Charlie figures them out. I loved the things I learned about Einstein and other scientists from the story. The ending was great.

There were parts that seemed too easy or too perfect. It was easy to suspend disbelief, though, because I was having so much fun with the story.

This has a lot more violence and death in it than you’ll find in most middle grade books, even if this one is for Older Middle Grade readers (ages 10 and up). It felt more like a YA novel in that way, although the 12-year-old protagonist would be young for a straight up YA novel.

Readers who can handle the violence (gun battles, fighting, death threats, death, etc.) will find a smart, fun adventure story here! I can’t wait for book 2.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: The Princess Plan by Julia London

REVIEW: The Princess Plan by Julia London

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and HQN in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

The Crown Prince of Alucia has come to England for two reasons – to forge a trade agreement and to find a wife. And at the masquerade ball, he also finds a few… distractions. A redhead who distracts him for a few hours and another woman who flirts with him in a secret passageway.

Eliza is in the passageway to hide from the matron who wanted to fill up her dance card with what would probably be horrible dance partners. Spinsters like her were hardly the top prospects at these events. Eliza is happy to enjoy the rum punch  in peace while she tries to meet the Crown Prince.

While Sebastian and Eliza meet at the ball, they are thrown together more forcefully when Sebastian’s friend and personal secretary is murdered. Eliza was paying attention to the man at the ball because he’d been kind to her. Prince Sebastian is determined to have all the details she can provide. But Eliza isn’t like the simpering, acquiescing women he’s used to meeting. She won’t be cowed by his title or his attitude. And Sebastian finds he likes that about her.

Review

Don’t be fooled into thinking this is a mystery. While there is a murder, and Sebastian and Eliza go looking for clues to the killer, that is secondary to the romance plot. I would have liked this to be both, frankly. It would have been great to see Eliza and Sebastian take down the killer together AND sort out their romantic woes. But while the killer is unmasked, it is revealed in a detached, distanced way, and the reader is clued in later on the details.

Romance fans who are less attached to the mystery likely will not care. Sebastian and Eliza have great friction early on. He’s arrogant and entitled, and she’s old enough and experienced enough not to kowtow to him. I loved how direct and sassy she was with him. The relationship is pretty typical for a romance between royalty and a commoner. Once they connect, how will they go on because of his obligations and her lack of status? The finagling of those issues made for a decent and happily ever after ending. (Sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Deadly Little Scandals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

REVIEW: Deadly Little Scandals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Freeform in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Sawyer is still reeling from the things she discovered about her family when she, Lily, Campbell, and Sadie-Grace worked together to make sure Campbell’s father was held accountable for his crimes (Little White Lies). She finally knows who her biological father is, and it changes everything – her relationship with her mother, her grandmother, and with the rest of the family she lived with for her debutante year.

But now that it’s summer, and the family is spending time at their lake property, there’s a new distraction. The White Gloves is a secret society that takes in a select number of young women from the best families each year. And Sawyer, Lily, Campbell and Sadie-Grace have all received invitations. The timing couldn’t be more perfect. Sawyer’s recent discoveries make things awkward at her grandmother’s house. Campbell’s mother is in a downward spiral after the fallout from her husband’s arrest.  Sadie-Grace knows her step-mother is faking her pregnancy, but she doesn’t know if she should confront her or let the charade play out. And Lily has her up-in-the-air relationship with Walker to figure out. The White Gloves are a perfectly timed distraction.

But the Gloves’ competition also gives Sawyer a chance to dig into one more mystery from her debutante year. Whatever happened to her mom’s best friend Ana who also got pregnant when Sawyer’s mom did – and who disappeared almost twenty years ago?

Review

This was absolutely stunning – dizzying! The twist and turns in this left me in knots – and I loved every minute of it. I couldn’t stop thinking about this for 24 hours after I finished the final page – I even had dreams about the book! When I think about where the book starts vs where it ends, it’s almost like two whole books. What a wild ride! Masterful plotting in this one!

I missed some of Sawyer’s sass and spunk from the first book. In Little While Lies, she’s an outsider; she uses her words as armor to protect herself. In this book, that edge isn’t as sharp. She’s found family to a degree, and she has her crew of friends. It’s a necessary evolution to the character, but I missed the snark. I also missed the fellas. Walker and Boone are absent for a lot of this since the White Gloves is only for the ladies. Again, necessary, but I missed them.

I love the core group of girls in this. They have distinct, fascinating personalities and family situations. And I loved seeing them as more of a team than they could be in book one.

The structure of this is similar to Little White Lies. In that book, the story starts with the girls in jail and then goes back in time around a year to fill in the story. Periodically there’s a paragraph, or a few sentences, from the jail timeline so you don’t forget where everything is headed. This time there are three timelines. This book starts again with Sawyer and a friend in some danger. Then it goes back a few months to the start of the story. The third piece is from 25 years ago, and that is also threaded into the larger story. The author does a great job of cuing where the timing changes so just watch the headings and you’ll be fine. I loved trying to figure out how the three pieces would come together in the end.

As I said, the plot of this is dizzying. I can think of six major twists/revelations without even trying hard, and I’m sure there are more. I had to write them all out when I finished the book just to help my mind take it all in. WOW! I loved it. So many great surprises. I’m not sure there are unanswered questions to prompt a third book, but if Jennifer Lynn Barnes writes one, I am here for it! She is still one of my favorite YA authors.

These books definitely need to be read in order. If you love suspense and mysteries, or if you love books with some unexpected twists, be sure to check out the Debutantes series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Titans by Kate O'Hearn

REVIEW: Titans by Kate O’Hearn

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

After the destruction of Olympus, the Titans and the Olympians are sharing the world of Titan. It’s tricky – plenty of the Titans remember their imprisonment in Tartarus. But they are working at getting along.

A big part of the cooperative effort is the school – Arcadia. The hope is that the young Titans and Olympians will learn to get along and lead the way for everyone else. It’s the only way for their world to survive.

Astraea, a Titan, and her best friend Zephyr, a flying horse, are supposed to be at Arcadia for the first day of school. But nothing goes right. Astraea has heard rumors of humans on Titan – something dangerous and forbidden. So she sneaks away from the first day festivities in order to spy and then gets caught. And then she ends up in a fight with some bullying centaurs and gets detention. Her parents are going to be SO ticked!

But they aren’t. Her parents don’t seem to care about all the trouble at school – or that she stayed out way past her curfew. And her mom’s weird behavior is only one of several signs that something is really wrong on Titan. Astraea is determined to hide and protect the human boy she finds on Titan, but as more weird things happen, she’s not sure who she can even trust on her planet any more.

Review

This is the first book in a long time to get me excited about mythology again! I didn’t read the whole Pegasus series by this author, but what I did read I enjoyed. There are references to that series here, but I was able to follow the action even though I haven’t read it all. (Since that series is complete, and contains some big, meaty books, it would be great for readers to go back to while waiting for the sequel to this one.)

I thoroughly enjoyed this. Astraea and her friends are great heroes. They are smart, and they learn to use their combined strengths to deal with the issues they discover on Titan. And these are no small problems!

The story is terrific – tons of action, interesting creatures, and a great mystery to dig into. Riordan fans and fans of this author’s other series will not be disappointed with this one.

A major cliffhanger at the end will leave readers shouting, “NO!” And the book 2 teaser in the back promises a lot more peril for our heroes. The problems discovered in this book will not be solved quickly or easily. Book 2, The Missing, will release in the summer of 2020.

If you are a fan of mythology tales and/or action novels, don’t miss this one!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

BONUS REVIEW: Mistaken Reality by Traci Hunter Abramson

BONUS REVIEW: Mistaken Reality by Traci Hunter Abramson

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Covenant Communications in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Hadley had been looking forward to dinner out with her boyfriend, Spencer. But the evening didn’t go at all how she planned.

First it was dinner with Spencer’s boss and a couple work associates. Not very romantic. Then Spencer had gotten all weird. One minute he’s going on about how he wants to spend the rest of his life with Hadley. The next he says he never wants kids and if she disagrees, they should just break up right now. Hadley keeps asking herself, “What just happened?!”

As Hadley stands in the ladies room wiping off her dripping mascara, trying to figure out what to do next, the fire alarm goes off in the restaurant. Then a man barges into the bathroom and says they are evacuating the building. Before his statement really even registers for Hadley, he scoops her up and hustles her out of the building.

Just before it explodes.

FBI agent JD Byers has no idea who planted the bomb, why it was there, or how Hadley fits into his case, but he’s determined to keep her safe while they find answers to all of their questions.

Review

I didn’t realize the Mormon Church had their own publishing group until I stumbled across this book. This came up in my regular research, and I was so intrigued by the premise, I had to track it down to read.  I am so glad I did! This was highly suspenseful and engaging.

It took me a little while to catch on to the different characters in the side stories – the ones aside from Hadley, JD, JD’s partner Noah, and Noah’s wife, Kelsey. I was also distracted by the undercover mission in Abolstan. I had a hard time focusing on the early chapters that focused on that mission, but as the connections between the various threads became more clear, I became more and more engaged.

The mystery and suspense in this is excellent. Once the story was really clipping along, I didn’t put it down until the end.

While this is published by the Mormon Church, there aren’t a ton of faith references in the story – several references to prayer, a special blessing is performed in a scene, and there are references to missions work. I had an awareness of the faith pieces, but they were not a major factor to the story. If you are a fan of suspense stories, check out this author. Her books routinely receive strong reviews.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Skyjacked by Paul Griffin

REVIEW: Skyjacked by Paul Griffin

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Michelle Okolo was completing an internship at the National Air Traffic Investigation Center (NATIC). She was a rising high school senior hoping to attend the US Air Force Academy after high school. The NATIC tracked air travel around the country to be sure planes stayed on course. Michelle’s first big test – a preparedness drill – didn’t end well for her, or for the passengers on the pretend plane. She had to wonder if she’d ever be good enough for the Academy.

Cassie, Brandon, Tim and Emily were best friends. And they were in Idaho on a camping trip. Jay was new to their school, but Emily adopted him like a stray and insisted he join them. The flight from New York to Idaho was Jay’s first trip on a plane. The return trip would be his second. They were chaperoned by someone from Cassie’s dad’s company. They were travelling on his private plane, too. And other than some risky choices on Cassie’s part during the camping trip, it was mostly an uneventful vacation.

When the kids get to the airport, they discover their co-pilot is out with food poisoning, so they are getting a sub. Frankly, Cassie has been on enough of these flights, she could probably co-pilot the plane herself!

After take off, the kids notice they are flying west instead of east. Then the plane climbs much higher that it’s supposed to, supposedly because of weather. At NATIC, Michelle and her co-workers watch the plane disappear from the radar. It’s been skyjacked.

Review

This was terrific. The short chapters and the tension and danger of the story made this a fast read. It played out like a TV movie with the folks on the plane speculating about what’s going on and trying to make a game plan while the authorities on the ground dig into the background of everyone on board to see who could be involved.

Plenty of twists and perilous moments drive the reader to keep turning the pages – I finished this in one sitting. There’s not a ton of depth to the characters due to the speed and intensity of the story, although there is some character development in the beginning before they get on the plane. It all comes together in a satisfying way. Don’t miss this exciting, action-packed story! (Violence)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥