Interview with Fiona Barton (Talking to Strangers)

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Talking to Strangers by Fiona Barton is the second book in the series. This one involves three women out for the truth, all will be narrators in the story. Police detective Elise King is assigned to investigate the murder of local hairdresser Karen Simmons. Before her death, Simmons ran a singles group called the Free Spirits, and King immediately sets her sights on the men Simmons was dating. The author humanizes the detective by …

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Interview with Mary Burton (Another Girl Lost)

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Another Girl Lost by Mary Burton has suspense, intrigue, and mystery. This plot will keep readers wondering if her characters are like the ones in the book Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn or are they real heroines, especially after the victim becomes a suspect. Ten years ago, fifteen-year-old Scarlett Crosby was held captive in a terrifying ordeal with a girl named Della. Scarlett escaped, their predator was killed, and Della simply vanished. A decade …

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Interview with Lisa Childs (Last Mission)

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Last Mission by Lisa Childs is the finale to the Hotshot Heroes series. Those who like the characters will be saddened that they will not be able to read any more stories about them. In this one the hero is Mack McRonney, retired from military Special Ops. After his brother and sister were targeted by the saboteur, he decides to go undercover to find the culprit, working for the Hot Shots. Also, trying to …

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Interview with Joanna Schaffhausen (All the Way Gone)

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper All the Way Gone, the fourth book in the Detective Annalisa Vega series, delves into the world of sociopaths, wondering if there is such a thing as a good one. The plot has newly minted private investigator Annalisa Vega hired by Mara Delaney who insists that some sociopaths are beneficial to society. Mara has even written a book titled The Good Sociopath centered around Chicago neurosurgeon Craig Canning, surgeon. But Mara is now concerned …

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Review Roundup Summer 2024 – Part 4

A quick little roundup of several smaller reviews I wrote in Summer 2024. Beware of spoilers! Title: The Sorority Author: Nancy Bush Series: n/a Thank you to Nancy Bush, Brilliance Audio, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to a free eaudio ARC in exchange for an honest review. I’ve seen Bush’s name around for a long time but never got around to trying her work, so when I saw this galley I thought it was time to give her …

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Interview with Alyssa Maxwell (Murder at the Elms and Murder at Vinland)

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Each of Murder at the Elms and Murder at Vinland by Alyssa Maxwell intertwines a mystery within an historical novel. The setting is the turn of the century Newport where during the Gilded Age there is vast income and a power disparity. The main character, Emma Cross, is the “poor Vanderbilt” having inherited some money from the famous family. But she is an anomaly because she is independent and a working journalist who owns …

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Interview with Shelley Shepard Gray (A is for Amish)

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper A is for Amish by Shelley Shepard Gray has a premise where four English siblings with Amish grandparents are seriously thinking of becoming Amish. They are discontent with their lives and long for a change. Beth, Jonny, Kelsey, and Martin Schrock had their father leave the Amish faith, marry an English woman, and then had their parents get divorced. The parents were pretty much doing their own thing, searching for their own happiness, and …

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Interview with Patricia Johns (An Amish Country Reunion and Her Pretend Amish Beau)

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper An Amish Country Reunion by Patricia Johns centers around two people and one very special dog. The heroine, Trooper Genevieve Austin, arrives at the State Police K9 Training Center. She learns that she’ll be reporting to her former partner, Sergeant Scott Simpson who was not just her partner but her best friend. Gen hasn’t seen Scott since he ghosted her to protect his job. And after her own struggles to climb the ranks, she …

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Fated by Sarah Ready

Title: Fated Author: Sarah Ready Series: Ghosted #3 Much thanks to Sarah Ready, Swift & Lewis Publishing, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to a free eaudio ARC in exchange for an honest review. I LOVED this book. I did not want to stop listening; I know that’s over used hype for most books these days (I can’t believe we’ve made “unputdownable” a word), but I honestly was loath to stop listening, to the point that I had headphones …

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Review Roundup Summer 2024 – Part 3

A quick little roundup of several smaller reviews I wrote in Summer 2024. Beware of spoilers! Title: Thieves’ Gambit Author: Kayvion Lewis Series: Thieves’ Gambit #1 Thank you to Kayvion Lewis, Penguin Young Readers Group, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free copy in exchange for an honest review. I liked this book! I saw the twist coming from the start, though. I found little to relate to in Ross, except perhaps in wanting to pursue to her …

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