Interview with Catherine McKenzie (You Can’t Catch Me)

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper You Can’t Catch Me by Catherine McKenzie is a psychological thriller where deception is the name of the game. The central theme of the story is identity theft with a side story involving cults. Although readers might think these two do not connect, McKenzie does a wonderful job tying them together. The story opens with Jessica Williams in an airport bar waiting for her flight. She meets a stranger with the same name and …

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Interview with Amanda Flower (Marshmallow Malice)

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Marshmallow Malice by Amanda Flower is another winner. As with all books in this series there are wonderful characters, a charming small-town setting, and a sense of community/family. Her mixture of murder and humor allows for a very fun read. This novel ties up loose ends with the marriage of Juliet Brody and Reverend Brook as well as the backstory on the Reverend. Everyone in the town is excited about attending the wedding, even …

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Interview with Melinda Leigh (Cross Her Heart)

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Cross Her Heart by Melinda Leigh is action-packed. This first in a series has great characters working together to solve a murder mystery. It is a tale of lies, deceit, abuse, jealousy, guilt, blackmail, and murder along with heartbreak scenes about family. The main character is Bree Taggert. She has left the town of her birth and rarely goes to visit, even though her sister Erin, her niece and nephew, and brother Adam live …

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Interview with Amanda Quick (Close Up)

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Close Up by Amanda Quick blends together the historical, suspense, and a tinge of the romance genres. Through a gripping mystery, readers also get a glimpse of the 1930s Hollywood-type glamour of California. The books opens with Vivian Brazier rushing to a crime scene to take photographs of a murder. Cut off from her family’s funds for pursuing her dream, a career in art, to make ends meet she takes crime scene photos and …

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Interview with Carla Cassidy (48 Hour Lockdown)

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper 48 Hour Lockdown by Carla Cassidy is the first in a series of four books. The books are an anthology of sorts, but instead of having short stories in one book each plot has its own novel. Basically, the four different authors were provided by the publisher an over-reaching arc that included a unit of the FBI, The Tactical Crime Division, TCD, and the four heroes and heroines. In this story, the hero is …

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Interview with Elizabeth Heiter (Secret Investigation)

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Secret Investigation by Elizabeth Heiter is the second book in the “Tactical Crime Division Series.” This series is an anthology of books where each author writes about a different character in the TCD. The opening prologue sets the tone for the rest of the book. It is very powerful and gripping as it shows how those serving in the military sacrifice their lives to protect Americans. The plot is a reminder of the early …

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Interview with Nicole Helm (South Dakota Showdown, Covert Complication, Backcountry Escape)

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Badlands Cops Series by Nicole Helm is a must read for anyone who wants a great suspense story intertwined with a romance and very likable protagonists. These novels explore if children can escape the sins of their father, who is the ruthless head of a murderous gang. The first book in the series, South Dakota Showdown has the oldest of the six Wyatt brothers, Jamison, helping his former beau, Liza rescue her four-year-old-kid …

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Interview with Marta Perry (Amish Protector)

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Amish Protector by Marta Perry has both the hero and heroine as each other’s defenders. The story skillfully explores how children feel they are to blame for the sins of their parents, and what happens when secrets are revealed that have the birth parents possibly coming back into a child’s life. All this comes into play, intertwined within the Amish culture. The main character, Joanna Kohler, the Bishop’s daughter, discovers a mysterious unconscious woman …

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The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

Title: The Sun Down Motel Author: Simone St. James Series: N/A Not her best but I still really enjoyed it Well, let me tell ya. I wasn’t going to review this book because I’m bitter that Berkley wouldn’t allow me to read an ARC. I’ve praised St. James’s books up and down since I discovered them a few years ago; I’ve recommended them to friends and family; and I was allowed to read The Broken Girls six months early. But …

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Interview with Luanne Rice (Last Day)

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Last Day by Luanne Rice is a gripping psychological suspense story. It starts out with an intensity from page one that never lets up. The story delves into survivors of trauma, sisterhood, best friends, and small communities shaken by violence or death. The plot begins with the brutal murder of Beth Lathrop who was six months pregnant. She is found by her sister Kate, strangled in her bed with her skull bashed. Kate also …

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