authentic reviews and insightful interviews for inquisitive readers
A quick little roundup of several smaller reviews I wrote in Summer 2023. Beware of spoilers! Title: A Fatal Illusion Author: Anna Lee Huber Series: Lady Darby Mystery #11 Thank you to Anna Lee Huber, Berkley, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Also thank you to Yazmine Hassan for inviting me to participate in the blog tour; I’m sorry I didn’t get my crap together in time to participate properly. …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Dead and Gone by Joanna Schaffhausen brings back popular police detective Annalisa Vega. In this latest installment there are not one but five crimes to solve. Because she is such an excellent author, readers do not get confused at all as to what is happening, and which crime is being focused on in a particular chapter. The plot has Annalisa Vega being pulled in by her boss, Commander Zimmer, to investigate the death of …
Title: Out of Nowhere Author: Sandra Brown Series: n/a good if not great Thank you to Sandra Brown, Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Aspects of this novel might fall short for some readers; they may feel it’s more romance than thriller or mystery, the mass shooting was blink and miss it, the characters were a bit off, Shawna was a cliche, the villain one-dimensional. And to …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper An Evil Heart by Linda Castillo is once again another home run. She blends an intense crime mystery with some light-hearted scenes and detailed insight about the Amish community. The story opens with twenty-year-old Aden Karn being violently killed with a crossbow. He was well-liked, kind, funny, hardworking, and engaged to be married. Now Kate Burkholder, Painters Mills police chief, must find his killer. But as she delves into Karn’s past, Kate begins to …
Title: Dead of Winter Author: Darcy Coates Series: n/a unsympathetic lead Thanks to Darcy Coates, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was an okay thriller, though the premise has been done. My chief complaints are the abrupt beginning and ending as well as the length/lack of energy, all of which relates to the main problem, a lack of sympathy for the lead character. So we start …
Title: The Soulmate Author: Sally Hepworth Series: n/a Well and effectively written Thank you to Sally Hepworth, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. I hate narratives that jump around in time while also switching POV. Those narratives make the worst audiobooks, because if you’re distracted for even a moment, you might miss a switch and become confused. However, this story could not have been told well without …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Syndicate Spy by Brittany Butler is an intriguing story that allows readers a glimpse into the espionage world. A former CIA operative, Brittany uses her personal experience to take readers on a thrilling ride. Brittany Butler spent nine years as a targeting officer within CIA’s Directorate of Operations, Counterterrorism Center. Both at Langley and on temporary assignments in the Middle East, Brittany spearheaded operational efforts to achieve some of the most sensitive foreign …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Night Agent by Matthew Quirk was published in 2021. It has been made into a Netflix TV series, http://www.netflix.com/thenightagent, and was released on March 23rd. Both the show and book are riveting thrillers that delve into corruption at the highest levels of government. The plot has FBI Agent Peter Sutherland tapped to work in the White House Situation Room. When Peter was a boy, his father was suspected of being a traitor, a …
Title: Don’t Open the Door Author: Allison Brennan Series: Regan Merritt #2 Loved this installment Much thanks to Allison Brennan, Harlequin Trade Publishing/MIRA, and Netgalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Also thanks to Justine Sha for providing the link to the galley. I’m relieved to say I greatly enjoyed this book! I’ve only read a handful of Brennan’s work, but so far it seems to be hit or miss—there’ll be a …
A quick little roundup of several smaller reviews I wrote in late 2022. Beware of spoilers! Title: A Sinister Revenge Author: Deanna Raybourn Series: Veronica Speedwell #8 Great thanks to Deanna Raybourn, Berkley, and Edelweiss for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Overall this was a good addition to the series. Not exceptional, but good. I love that Veronica and Tiberious have developed a deep fraternal bond, and I loved the interesting dinosaur …