Tag: mystery

The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey

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The List of Suspicious Things is an unforgettable, tragic story with a serial killer, two twelve-year-old girls and a small town frantic to figure out who the murderer is and why. But the story is so much more. It encapsulates how people who are different are treated, grief, mental illness and determination. And of course, the shocking discovery of just who the killer is. But by the end of the story and the damage to the mystery has caused to some of the innocent is palpable.

Twelve-year-old Miv and her best (and only) friend Sharon have decided to try and investigate who is killing women in their town. Miv needs to find out as her father has just told her they may be moving to another town. With Miv’s mother who does nothing but stay in her room, not speaking to anyone and then getting shuttled off for months at a time to somewhere, Miv has no idea where to, she cannot and will not accept the move.

So, she and Sharon devise a plan to look at the local men and write down reasons they feel they may be the killer. Unfortunately, they have many on their list. As they begin to investigate Miv is much more determined to find the killer. Sharon just wants to be with Miv and be her listener.

As they gather information, what they discover is there is much more going on in this small town than just having a serial killer amongst them. They will learn people who are innocent of everything can be found guilty just by the color of their skin. They will also learn some married couples have deep dark secrets which they desperately try to hide. And they will also learn that evil is not that far away from them.

Their lives will be changed forever as the danger intensifies, but Miv will try to help those who can’t help themselves, and try and put a murderer, yet unknown in jail.

The List of Suspicious Things is a thriller but also explores many different types of characters and their deep flaws as well as loss, grief and humanity. In the end, this story has so many lessons which the reader needs to see and understand in order to discover who and why the characters do what they do. The ending, bittersweet…

Thank you #NetGalley #SourcebooksLandmark #JennieGodfrey #TheListofSuspicousThings for the advanced copy.

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Where Secrets Stay by CherAnn Wright

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Where Secrets Stay, which is based on real events, is an unexpected, chilling, incredible psychological thriller in which we have a missing young girl, a very dysfunctional family, murders, hidden items and dark secrets. As the mysteries unfold, the reader will hardly be able to fathom the intricate weavings of an incredible plot.

When Kevan comes back home to bury her grandmother, the memories of her abusive childhood and fear return. If it wasn’t for her grandmother, she would not be the woman she has become and would still be living rotting in this small town. Her grandmother was Kevan’s only lifeline to normalcy.

As she and her friend Beth try to sort out her grandmother’s items, there is an old key which for some reason jolts some sort of memory. What the key’s meaning holds is not only something which may perhaps open a door but open a pandora’s box of clues with dark hidden memories.

Nathan has come back home as well. He is here to help his mother’s best friend take care of her place. But this visit is bittersweet for him. His young sister went missing years ago. She went out for a walk and just vanished without a trace. Coming back has made Nathan decide that he will once again try and discover what happened to his little sister all those years ago.

Incredibly, Kevan and Nathan’s worlds will come crashing down around them and then mysteriously collide when they separately find a dilapidated house in the woods with secrets which will change both their lives forever.

Filled with mystery, murder and suspense, Where Secrets Stay will grab you from the very first page, and keep you guessing as the past suddenly meets the present and all the answers come to light.

Thank you #NetGalley #SleuthingSlothPress #CherAnnWright #WhereSecretsStay for the advanced copy.

The Forget-Me-Not Library by Heather Webber

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Get cozy, sip a cup of something and begin to read The Forget-Me-Not Library the latest book by the magical, wonderful Heather Webber. The story, uplifting and comforting, tells the tale of a town, if you are honored to be drawn there, who will know exactly what you are looking for, even if you don’t have a clue. Along the way, you will meet very special people who will become your friends and whom you will cherish forever.

Julie Nightingale is a school nurse from Alabama who has decided to take a road trip to try and figure out her life. Lost in so many ways especially about her grandfather who recently was tragically killed and whom she feels responsible for being unable to help him is searching…for what? she has no clue. So, when her car breaks down suddenly in a small town called Forget Me Not, she just wants to get her car fixed and move on. But the town has other ideas.

Julie meets Tallulah Byrd Mayfield and her children. Tallulah works at the Forget Me Not Library. Recently divorced, she and her two very young children now live with her grandfather. She is trying her best to keep everything together, work a full-time job, and take care of her family.

As Julie waits for the part for her car to come in, she and Tallulah begin to get close as Julie watches her children, takes them to the library and even begins to volunteer. Julie also begins to learn all about the mysterious Forget Me Not town. She starts to meet some of the very eccentric townspeople and well, starts to actually feel as if she is healing. How can that be?

But that’s the magic of The Forget Me Not town and yes, there is a lure that their Library and who resides there is “special” as well.

Is it truly possible that a town can heal heartbreak? And fear? And panic?

Well, in the end, it’s truly the people who open their arms and embrace those who need love and care to try and make them whole again, but there truly is something which draws the lost to the town in order to have them find exactly what they are looking for, and even more. For some, they will never leave while others will get what they need and move on.

The Forget-Me-Not Library is an enjoyable, wonderful feel-good read with so much heart and soul and love and mystery.

Thank you #NetGalley #St.Martin’sPress #HeatherWebber #TheForget-Me-NotLibary for the advanced copy.

Five Found Dead by Sulari Gentill

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Five Found Dead is quite the mystery/thriller/whodunit with bodies which keep adding up and so many suspects your head will explode! On top of that we get to ride on the Orient Express…hmm…did someone else write a book about that train? Anyway, the story is unique, enjoyable and quite surprising!

Joe Penvale a writer and his sister Meredith a lawyer are twins. They have just boarded the famous train, the Orient Express. Joe who is a famous crime story author had recently completed treatment for cancer. Joe wants to begin a new novel, and Meredith just wants to relax because she was Joe’s caretaker during his cancer journey. Also, she wants to keep an eye on him to make sure he eats and drinks well with absolutely no libations!

Less than twenty-four hours later everything will change. Something has happened in Cabin 16G which is close to their cabin. There’s blood everywhere but shockingly no body! Both Joe and Meredith had seen the previous night a man enter the cabin. But now, he is missing.

As the passengers begin to congregate to swap stories as to what could have happened, they are hit with another emergency. Some of the passengers have tested positive for some illness and they must now be quarantined!

But lucky for them there seem to be a few criminal professionals on board, i.e. retired police, crime solvers and even a criminal podcast team who are friends of Joe’s. They are asked by the train manager if they would be able to try and figure out what happened. And just as they decide to go into the missing man’s cabin, they discover the steward who was guarding the room is dead!

As another person is discovered dead…and still no sign of the guest from the room, things begin to get even crazier when the train which is headed to Paris is told it must release the train which has the quarantined passengers if they want to get into the city! But if they do this what if the killer is living among them?

With everyone seeming to have alibis, Joe and Meredith race to discover who the killer could possibly be. What they all will discover is that deception and vengeance run deep; a masterful murder plan was created, and a mind-boggling conclusion which will knock your socks off! Five Found Dead will have you wanting to race to the end of the story and the bombshell ending!

Thank you #NetGalley #PoisenedPress #SulariGentill #FiveFoundDead for the advanced copy.

The Killer Question by Janice Hallett

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Pour yourself a beer and settle into a comfy chair for another funny, entertaining mystery by the master of using social media in her written books, Janice Hallett. In her unique writing style, email, text and notes, you will begin to explore the goings on in a small town and its pub life including their exciting and competitive trivia nights. With very quirky, some humorous and some shady characters, and a sudden murder to solve, your only job if you should accept it is to enjoy the ride!

Mel and Sue Eastwood own a pub called The Case is Altered in a small town in England. They run a popular trivia game each week. Through text we soon will discover that some teams are more competitive than others. There is also a bit of cheating which is tried, but the pub owners in the area try to keep each other abreast of who the other’s need to watch out for.

As is the case with one group who come in and try and start trouble in The Case is Altered. Mel will have none of it and immediately throws them out.

It also seems there is a new group called The Shadow Nights who have been coming around and they are beating all the other quizzers by a mile. None of the pubs can figure out how they are cheating.

They come to trivia night at The Case is Altered and needless to say, win so big it makes the other quiz teams reevaluate themselves. The Shadow Nights decide they like Mel and Sue’s pub and become regulars…and weekly winners.

But a dead body changes everything.

One of the men who came into the pub that Mel threw out is found dead in the water near the pub. It looks like someone murdered him. As the police begin to investigate it is discovered that Sue and Mel use to be police detectives, (as seen through chapters which go back to a particular case, they were in charge of years ago). This is information they never wanted anyone to know about their past for reasons unknown.

Another question… why is their nephew trying to sell a documentary about Sue and Mel’s lives to Netflix?

How on earth does all this come together and solve a murder?

Are you exhausted? Well don’t be!

The Killer Question will have you hooked from the first text, keep you laughing and intrigued and startled at the explosive outcome to the story!

Thank you #NetGalley #AtriaBooks #JaniceHallett #TheKillerQuestion for the advanced copy.

The Busybody Book Club by Freya Sampson

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The Busybody Book Club is an enjoyable, cozy, funny mystery with so much heart and soul. You will fall in love with the characters, warts and all as they try and play amateur sleuths to solve a terrible crime, find a missing person, keep their community center open and most importantly learn so much about themselves and each other and the secrets they all carry that they will be friends for life.

Nova Davies has just moved from London to a little village with her fiancé. His parents live here, and they are staying with them until their wedding which is in just a few short weeks. Nova was fortunate enough to get a job working at the local community center thanks to her best friend. Although new at this job, she was a social worker back in London and is pretty good at handling people. Or so she thought.

On this night, the book club is gathering to discuss the book, Where the Crawdad Sings. The regulars are filing in. We have elderly Phyllis and her faithful companion Craddock, a bulldog. An Agatha Christie specialist, Miss Marple being her favorite, she would prefer to read something different. She is a bit of a curmudgeon. Then there is Arthur who is also elderly and takes care of his wife. He reads romance stories to her as she is blind. He enjoys getting out and the book club is one of his favorite activities. He sees the good in everyone and everything! Ash is a teenager who rather enjoys science fiction and is quite shy. Although he normally doesn’t participate, he’s trying to learn how to be more outgoing. There is a reason for this!

As they begin their discussion, a man walks in. He seems a bit sketchy. His name is Michael, and he seems nervous. Not really participating, he suddenly gets a text and shoots up and leaves. Needless to say, the group don’t know what to make of this.

The next day when Nova comes in she discovers someone last night stole the money which was set aside for the new roof for the community center. She realizes she accidentally left the office door unlocked. She is beside herself. And of course, they blame her.

Well, the book club group with Phyllis as their leader decide to investigate. They all believe it had to be Michael who stole the money. But when they finally find out where Michael lives, they discover he has disappeared, and his mother has been murdered.

Thus begins the most adorably well crafted, funny yet charming mystery. All of them trying to figure out who took the money and especially how to save Nova’s job. But be careful what you wish for because there are people who will try and stop them.

What they don’t realize is this mystery will not only bring The Busybody Book Club closer to each other but change their lives forever in the best way possible! The characters are entertaining, the mysteries a complete surprise! Hopefully they will be back to solve another whodunit!

Thank you #NetGalley #Berkley #FreyaSampson #TheBusybodyBookClub for the advanced copy.

Everyone This Christmas Has A Secret By Benjamin Stevenson

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Everyone This Christmas Has A Secret is one of the most unique and funniest books I have read in a very long time. Although this is the third in the series, I can promise you not only will that not hinder the read, but more than likely have you go back and buy the previous two (on their way). The story is told by Ernest Cunningham a detective/not a detective getting ready to be married and oh, it’s less than a couple of weeks before Christmas.

Unfortunately for Ernest it will not be the most wonderful time of the year!

When his ex-wife Erin calls him to say she is in police custody because she was found with blood all over herself when she woke up that morning and to her horrible surprise discovered her beloved boyfriend, Lyle Pearse a wealthy philanthropist who has an organization for struggling addicts dead in the kitchen, well, what else was she supposed to do?

Ernest was planning to go see a magician named Rylan Blaze at a holiday party at Pearse’s Foundation. So of course, he decides to go early and see what he can sniff out for suspects. And of course, to help his ex!

As he begins to question those on staff as well as volunteers, most of whom owe their lives to Lyle Pearse, it seems like there are no suspects. Until that evening during the show, Rylan himself is murdered. Yes, during the show.

So now everyone is a suspect and what a cast of characters they are: the executive, a hypnotist, the twin of the hypnotist, the assistant and a fired volunteer. And yes, they all carry secrets.

As the days on the advent calendar count down…remember this clue…Ernest is baffled. But he will try and put the pieces of the puzzle together, giving the reader hints to follow along. He will also remind us he has done this!

The story and investigation move quicky and with the hysterical dialogue and its snarky tone (in my head), it’s a very enjoyable murder, yes, I know that’s an oxymoron… but it is riveting and quite amusing and of course a shocking twisted ending!

You will fall in love with Ernest the detective/not detective in this can’t put down book Everyone This Christmas Has A Secret!

Thank you #NetGalley #MarinerBooks #BenjaminStevenon #EveryoneThisChristmasHasASecret for the advanced copy.

The Tapes by Kerry Wilksinson

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Imagine you’re mourning the loss of your father, cleaning his house out and in the garage, you find old, dusty cassette tapes one of which has your name written in your mother’s handwriting. Except your mother disappeared years ago. You begin to listen and after the shock of hearing your mother’s long forgotten voice you hear…If they say I’m missing, I’m not. If you are listening to this, I have been murdered.

Thus begins a quest for answers in this absolutely chilling all-consuming mystery which involves a missing woman who had emotional issues, her daughter hanging on by a thread to her sobriety and keeping her daughter in check and also, a serial killer. Get ready for the ride of your life!

Eve’s life has been hard. She dealt with her mother leaving years ago, got into trouble herself but now she is clean and sober, and she and her daughter Faith are now trying to deal with the death of her father who they will be burying at the end of the week.

But now after finding a tape made by her mother, Angela, and not being able to ask her father about any of this, she begins to investigate. Her mother had many emotional issues including she was a habitual liar and a kleptomaniac. As Eve begins to read the tapes, she discovers that her mother says she had stolen a jewelry box which she insisted was from the Earring Killer, a serial killer who tortured their town years ago. She also states she knows the name of the killer. But is any of this true? With her mother’s history, what should she believe?

Where is this jewelry box? Eve has never seen one in their house. Does she go to the police? She feels like with her history they would discard anything she has to say. So, she begins to try and not only piece whether her mother was killed, but also if her disappearance could really have been from this mysterious killer who after torturing their victim took one of their earrings as a souvenir.

Solving this mystery will not be easy for Eve. But what she does not realize as she begins her search is that she has accidentally awakened a serial killer who has been dormant for years and now she could possibly be the next victim.

The Tapes is a terrific murder mystery with a great deal of heart and soul and love. You won’t be able to put the book down and you won’t be able to breath until you discover the shocking, twisty ending you never saw coming.

Thank you #NetGalley #Bookouture #TheTapes #KerryWilkinson for the advanced copy.

Murder Takes A Vacation by Laura Lippman

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Murder Takes A Vacation is a wonderful combination of Agatha Christie and Jessica Fletcher from the Murder She Wrote series. It’s an enjoyable who-done-it with wonderful locations and tempting cuisine. But there is so much more to this mystery as our heroine, an older woman who is a widow now at a crossroads in her life with some regrets to come to terms with. Yet who would ever imagine that a murder could be so much fun!

Muriel Blossom is a senior whose husband passed away a decade ago. She lives for her daughter and grandchildren. But, through no luck of her own she won the lottery! Which should be great news but unfortunately, she has just found out her daughter and her family are moving to Japan! And she was not invited to go with them.

So, Muriel and her best friend Elinor decide to go on a European cruise! This should take her mind off of her sorrows…or so she thinks. Muriel used to work for a detective agency many years ago and looks at life and the world a bit differently than others. So, when she meets a charming man, Allan at the airport well, she is suddenly smitten, yet a bit reserved. Why on earth would he be interested in a frumpy old woman?

But she begins to see him differently and as they make their way to Paris where they will separate, Muriel decides to take a risk. Something she has never done since her husband’s untimely death years ago. And she finds she’s enjoying the attention. But as luck would have it once they arrive in Paris and go their separate ways Muriel discovers Allan has died. Muriel’s radar begins to see something is not right, but alas she will be leaving on the cruise in a few days.

Suddenly she meets another stranger named Danny who decides Muriel needs a makeover and talks her into buying herself a new wardrobe. But again, Muriel feels in her gut something is not right. When she discovers Danny is on the same cruise, well she firmly believes something is going on. But what?

What she discovers is there is a missing statue, a Pakastani jewel encrusted one. And now she believes Allan had something to do with its high jacking! So, Muriel begins to investigate onboard the ship and discovers no one is who they say they are, except for her best friend Elinor of course!

Was Allan killed? But why? And who is Danny? Why won’t he leave her alone?

Murder Takes A Vacation is an exciting mysterious read, with clues galore. You will fall in love with Mrs. Blossom for not only her way of thinking, but all the lessens she will learn as well as secrets she’s been holding on to for years which will change her life forever!

Thank you #NetGalley #WilliamMorrow #LauraLippman #MurderTakesAVacation for the advanced copy.

The Language of Birds by K.A. Merson

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The Language of Birds is a unique, very exciting thriller incorporating mysterious puzzles into the twisty plot which serves as clues as to who could be the villain and what they are looking for. We will follow the quest of a teenage girl who has recently lost her father and now must deal with another shattering loss…her mother’s kidnapping. Never sure as to where the clues will take her (and us) this ingenious story will have you on the edge of your seat!

Arizona, yes, that’s her name, is a seventeen-year-old who has recently lost her father to a horrible motorcycle accident. Her mother decides they need to get away and regroup so they decide to take a trip in their camper and visit some of the places they as a family had been. Along with their dog Mojo, they begin the journey. Arizona is a brilliant girl, but extremely awkward in social situations. So much so she has been home schooled. She is well read and amazing at puzzle solving thanks to her father.

But, as soon as they reach their first destination in which they decided to split up and meet back later in the day, something goes terribly wrong. Her mother is not there to meet her. Suddenly she gets a call in which a mystery man informs her they have kidnapped her mother and need for Arizona to solve a group of puzzles which will lead to an unknown which they refuse to tell her. Only then will they release her mother.

The reader then goes along for the ride with Arizona and Mojo as they are given different types of clues in which she must try and decipher only to have to go from location to location and keep solving puzzles.

But Arizona is not stupid. She sees a pattern. A pattern she keeps to herself. Will she be able to solve the final puzzle in order to get her mother released but also solve the true mystery before the bad men can.

The story is a treasure quest, something her father prepared her for since she was a child. What he did not prepare her for was the fact that she cannot just rely on herself and she must try and learn to trust others and more importantly keep herself calm something she is not very good at. These skills she must learn and learn quickly in order to save her mother.

The Language of Birds is an exciting rush to the finish line not really understanding where the line is or why we are there. But be sure, the ending will shock, surprise and satisfy the reader.

Thank you #NetGalley #BallentineBooks #K.A. Merson #TheLanguageofBirds for the advanced copy.