Month: August 2026

Stay Buried by Jennifer McMahon

lisascubby

Stay Buried is a give you goose bumps horrific thriller, part supernatural, part ghost story and believe it or not, part love story. It is an absolute must read! Told between two timelines, it centers around a small forgotten town in Vermont where no resident ever leaves because well, they are afraid to! Except for one who did years ago to only have her grandchildren come back to ask some questions. Questions that hit too close to the truth about what has been going on there. It also centers around a strange plague which hit the town back in 1919 and what happened to all the residents who were living there as fear took overtook them.

In 1919 in a small town called Boone’s Ferry, Vermont, Dr. Thomas Endicott a physician and his niece/apprentice Frankie O’Malley are called out to a farm where the horses have gone crazy. Not a vet, he does the best he can. Suddenly it seems all the horses in the town are doing the same thing. Then whatever symptoms the horses seem to have begun to appear in the residence. The Knackerman who goes around to houses and picks up and collects dying animals is the first. His symptoms aggressive and he becomes dangerous to others. But when he dies, his body seems to disappear. This unfortunately is the beginning of the end of the peaceful town as they know it.

The year is now 2016 and Ashley and her brother Malcolm are mourning the loss of their grandmother. They had always been told she was from Boston and are shocked to learn she was actually born in a town called Boone’s Ferry. The same town their mother had visited two years ago and was never seen again. Why would their grandmother lie to them.

They decide to take the trip to the town to see if they can discover any information about not only their grandmother, but their mother. As soon as they enter the town, they get the distinct feeling they are not wanted. The town, still living in the dark ages has no Wi-Fi and only have rotary phones. Questions they ask go unanswered, and suddenly they begin to feel as if they are in danger. But when no one remembers ever seeing their mother two years ago they know they must leave. Something is not right with these people. But they are too late. The inhabitants must keep the secrets, and they won’t let them leave.

Stay Buried will bury you! An incredible, terrifying story with secrets galore, questions you will need (and get) answers to as well as the electrifying ending which will put you over the edge!

Thank you #NetGalley #GalleryBooks #StayBuried #JenniferMcMahon for the advanced copy.

Amazon.com: Stay Buried: A Novel: 9781668069455: McMahon, Jennifer: Books

Edit Review – Stay Buried | Goodreads

Don’t Cross Mo Ellery by Birdie Horne

lisascubby

Be prepared to laugh out loud during the reading of this book. Don’t Cross Mo Ellery is hysterical, honest, absurd and crazy all rolled into a smart, shrewd story! I mean, if the first few pages don’t pique your interest, I don’t know what will! Watch as Mo Ellery’s life goes from pretty ok, then bad to worse, and worse and worse, yet you will ride the comedy into the wonderfully funny ending!

On Mo Ellery’s birthday, she accidently displays her boyfriend’s ahem on a zoom call which not only gets her fired, but at the same time she discovers her boyfriend wants to break up, and she must pack up and leave their apartment. To add insult to injury, no one wants her…not her mother and father or her best friend who is a major social internet influencer.

With no money in her savings, she finds a crappy small apartment and a part-time job as a crossing guard. How low can she go? Well, lower! There is one particular driver who becomes her nemesis. One day as he begins to fly by and she prepares herself, something terrible happens and he crashes into a sink hole (which may or may not have been caused by Mo). He is dead in his car. Along with him in said car are three show poodles.

As Mo and a woman named Claudia try to figure out exactly what happened, somehow Mo gets the job of taking the dogs. All three! But it’s what Claudia thinks that has Mo nervous. She thinks he was murdered. Seriously?

So, Mo does what any normal person would do. She takes the dogs to the funeral of their “dad” to try and not only pawn the dogs off to his brother, but to see if there could be any truth to what Claudia has said. And guess what? She thinks Claudia is right! And guess what else? The brother won’t take the dogs!

So along with Claudia and oh yes, a very techy middle schooler, they begin to try and figure out the who, what, where and how of the murder. Then there is another death.

Mo, exhausted from taking care of three dogs, crossing guard duty, watching videos on how to be a detective and trying to discover clues as to what could possibly have happened and oh yes, dating a woman in an Alderman’s office because you know, for leads, what else could possibly go wrong? Well, so much more and it is such fun!

Don’t Cross Mo Ellery will keep a smile on your face the whole time you’re reading the book. This story is about someone who is down on their luck but takes all the danger in stride and in the end well, it may be luck that she figures it out, but she figures it out! And the ending is perfectly Mo Ellery!

Thank you #NetGalley #WilliamMorrow/HarperCollins #BirdieHorne #Don’tCrossMoEllery for the advanced copy.

Amazon.com: Don’t Cross Mo Ellery: A Novel – A Laugh-Out-Loud Cozy Mystery with a Reluctant Detective and Three Chaotic Poodles: 9780063473089: Horne, Birdie: Books

Edit Review – Don’t Cross Mo Ellery | Goodreads

The Women in White by Sarah Pekkanen

lisascubby

The Women in White is an explosive psychological thriller which includes mystery, secrets and a deep dive into telepathic transmissions unbeknownst to four innocent, naive women during the 1960’s who were being used in psychological experiments. The story we will discover by Pekkanen’s impeccable research is something which has been happening for years. in the military, at colleges and even being used for assistance in missing person cases. Her afterward is jaw dropping!

The story jumps from the 1960’s to the present as we see what happens to four women who are recruited by a doctor because of their possible telepathic ability. What happens to them during the experiments the reader will see is inhuman.

All these women really wanted was to be married, cook, clean and take care of their husbands. But because of a doctor at Marquis University their lives will never be the same and they will become very close but, in the end something terrible occurs and they will never see each other again.

Betty Sadler was the first to be recruited because her husband worked for Dr. Silas Timble, whose research was on telepathy and extrasensory perception. Then three more joined her. But these experiments are not only exhausting for the women but will throw their lives into turmoil. Women during this time were supposed to stay home and take care of the household. These women had to do all that as well as “work” doing experiments sometimes overnight.

Jump ahead to the present and we meet Betty again, living a quiet life. Her wonderful husband has just passed, and she is looking for a caretaker/companion. When Riley comes for the interview, she is desperate for the job. Newly divorced and because her ex owed so much money she must somehow pay up. Betty immediately hires her which shocks Riley. When Riley walks into the house, she is immediately transported to the 1960’s. Nothing in the house has ever been updated or changed. She realizes Betty’s life has never moved from that era. She knows nothing about any changes which have occurred. What a cell phone is or even a microwave let alone a colored television or the internet.

As they get to know each other, Riley asks Betty if she has any regrets. Betty tells her the one regret she has is she never was able to reconnect with the women she became so close to. Her and her husband left the university so quickly she was unable to say goodbye to them.

Riley tells her she could look into what happened to them. But immediately Riley discovers there is no record of these women. How could that be? The more she goes down the rabbit hole, the more questions Riley has.

But once she visits Marquis University, she begins to understand something sinister was happening back then and it had been covered up. And someone now does not want the past exposed. And they will not stop no matter who they hurt.

The Women in White is mysterious, intriguing and very clever. These women were horribly taken advantage of and their lives shattered by people who only had nefarious ideas. The story so fascinating you won’t be able to put the book down!

Thank you #NetGalley #St.Martin’sPress #SarahPekkanen #TheWomeninWhite for the advanced copy.

Amazon.com: The Women in White: A Novel: 9781250349552: Pekkanen, Sarah: Books

Edit Review – The Women in White | Goodreads

The Reservation by Rebecca Kauffman

lisascubby

The Reservation is a clever story about of a group of restaurant employees from a celebrated dining establishment who are preparing for an extremely famous writer’s reservation. Of course, as luck would have it, things begin to go downhill very fast on the day of the event including stolen very expensive steaks which are needed for the evening and someone posting horrible yelp reviews. Over the course of the day, we will get to know the staff, the owners and how they not only interact with each other, but how although they have worked together, some for many years, they really don’t know each other at all. This story is part mystery, part who is the culprit and why, and the misconceptions people have about each other without really knowing them.

When a famous writer books a dinner at Aunt Olsa’s restaurant, everyone is on a code red. The place must be in pristine shape, everyone on top of their game and the food must be perfect. But unfortunately, when Olsa’s nephew comes in the morning of the big dinner, he discovers someone has taken twenty-two rib eyes which were reserved for the big event. As the day wears on they all begin to see someone is sabotaging the restaurant as it is discovered very bad reviews are being left on their site. Strangely all this is happening in real time!

Thus begins not only the hunt for the stolen rib eyes, but a day of discoveries and secrets for those who have worked so hard at their jobs, not only about each other, but about what drives each of them and how they became who they are.

The suspects;

The Chef, The Lead Line Cook, The Busser, The Host, The Bartender, The Pastry Chef, The Wait Staff

Who would want to ruin this event and why?

Yes, the mystery will be solved. But more importantly the reader will get a peek at what all these laborers must endure not only at work, but how their lives outside the job formed them way before they ever stepped into the restaurant.

The Reservation was a wonderfully different read, with a bit of humor, warmth and sadness. Who is the important writer? Well, you just have to read this terrific book to find out!

Published by Counterpoint

The Reservation: A Novel: Kauffman, Rebecca: 9781640097483: Amazon.com: Books

Edit Review – The Reservation | Goodreads

Buyer Beware by Catherine Ryan Howard

lisascubby

Buyer Beware is a psychological thriller with so many shocking layers to it that you won’t be able to put it down! And if you do, you will still think about the story, which revolves around a mysterious house in Dublin, it’s history and its curious past. But I am here to tell you that when the pieces all come together at the end you won’t be able to catch your breath!

One Delaney Row is where Ellie, fresh out of jail finds herself. Broke, hiding her real identity and somehow now a homeowner.

She immediately is welcomed into the neighborhood group chat, and one particular neighbor who seems to be obsessed with her. But her first night at One Delaney Row becomes a nightmare. First, she discovers some sort of stain on the floor of one of the rooms and then she wakes up to someone trying to break into the house. Thank goodness for her nosy neighbor who suggests she change the locks, which if she could afford them she would.

As the chapters take us back in time, we will discover Ellie is not her real name and there is another woman named Hannah. Of course there is also a man involved. But what could they all have in common? What could One Delaney Row be hiding and why are the neighbors so keen on protecting the house?

Buyer Beware is a superb mystery upon mystery upon mystery. You will be startled by the ending and the story itself.

Thank you #NetGalley #Simon&Schuester #BuyerBeware #CatherineRyanHoward for the advanced copy.

Amazon.com: Buyer Beware: A Thriller: 9781668075111: Howard, Catherine Ryan: Books

https://www.goodreads.com/review/edit/242978224-buyer-beware