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Release date: September 1, 2017

Publisher: Legend Press

Genre: Crime Fiction

Blurb:

Be under no illusions by her kind face and eloquent manner… This woman is guilty of murder.

Grace Bannister is distraught after her daughter’s body is found in a Leicestershire country lane. With her family falling apart and the investigation going nowhere, Grace’s only solace is the re-emergence of Faye, an old friend who seems to understand her loss.

DI Will Jackman delves into the case, until a family tragedy and a figure from his past threaten to derail him.

When the police discover another victim, the spotlight falls on Grace. Can Jackman find the killer, before she is convicted of a crime she didn’t commit?

A gripping thriller perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn, S.J. Watson, B A Paris and Sophie Hannah 

Review:

This is the third book in a series but I jumped in here with no issues whatsoever. Isaac provided enough pertinent background information concerning Jackman’s personal life that I felt I had a firm grasp on what type of man he is. It seems he’s had a rough time as of late and my heart truly went out to him, he was one of those characters that I warmed to almost instantly. 

It opened with a very strong prologue as Grace is on trial for murder, then it jumps back to ten months before. Grace’s daughter, Jo was murdered and I had a hard time reconciling this grieving mother with a supposed cold blooded killer. What had happened in the preceding months between her daughters death and her trial? Let’s just say that I couldn’t have predicted anything and was shocked several times along the way. 

Though this is firmly a police procedural, and a very well accomplished one I might add, it dips it’s toe into some other genres which was a pleasant surprise for me. You get a dash of courtroom drama giving it a legal thriller feeling and when Grace bumps into an old school friend, Faye and swiftly rekindles a friendship there was definitely a psychological thriller vibe. I admire the way Isaac was able to blend all these genres without things feeling overdone and convoluted, it was executed seamlessly.

Per usual I’ll not be discussing the plot in detail, but the ending was fantastic, one that had some gasp worthy moments right within the final pages, I LOVE that! I’ll definitely be following this series from here on out, Isaac has a new fan in me. 

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy. 

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Release date: September 19, 2017

Publisher: Dutton Books

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Blurb: 

The New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of The Keeper of Lost Causes delivers his most captivating and suspenseful Department Q novel yet—perfect for fans of Stieg Larsson. 

Detective Carl Mørck of Department Q, Copenhagen’s cold cases division, meets his toughest challenge yet when the dark, troubled past of one of his own team members collides with a sinister unsolved murder.

In a Copenhagen park the body of an elderly woman is discovered. The case bears a striking resemblance to another unsolved homicide investigation from over a decade ago, but the connection between the two victims confounds the police. Across town a group of young women are being hunted. The attacks seem random, but could these brutal acts of violence be related? Detective Carl Mørck of Department Q is charged with solving the mystery.

Back at headquarters, Carl and his team are under pressure to deliver results: failure to meet his superiors’ expectations will mean the end of Department Q. Solving the case, however, is not their only concern. After an earlier breakdown, their colleague Rose is still struggling to deal with the reemergence of her past—a past in which a terrible crime may have been committed. It is up to Carl, Assad, and Gordon to uncover the dark and violent truth at the heart of Rose’s childhood before it is too late.

Review: 

Before I get into my review I wanted to share my series overview with you guys again. If you haven’t read any of the books in the Department Q series yet it will catch you up and enable you to jump right in! 

The Scarred Woman had one complex, elaborate plot, there were so many plot threads that I kept wondering how in the world they would all come together?! Don’t get me wrong, there wasn’t too much going on and I wasn’t overwhelmed or anything like that. It actually made the book really exciting, it just made me think really hard about where things were headed. At one point Carl and the rest of the Department Q team are working on five different cases at once and trying to figure out if they’re related or not. When the puzzle pieces started to fit together I was truly blown away by how intelligent and well thought out this book was. 

Department Q is down to just Carl, Assad and Gordan as Rose is dealing with some severe mental health issues. I thought the author did a remarkable job of tackling a sensitive subject with delicacy and sensitivity as he explored Rose’s mental health. Her illness puts extra strain on her fellow team members and adds an additional layer to the story. 

One of the biggest surprises here (for me at least) was how funny this book was! It’s definitely not a comedy or anything and it’s still very dark but there was a ton of humor added. Carl himself has a very dry wit and ironic sense of humor. Assad mangles several common phrases and Carl is always quick to correct him and every time I snorted with laughter. It made Assad so adorable and endearing though there is a sense of mystery surround his background that I’m hoping is explored further in the next book. These characters are extremely well drawn and well considered, you can tell that Adler-Olsen did his homework. 

I do want to point out that this is a rather dense read with heavy themes such as mental illness, benefit fraud, prostitution, etc. It was just under five hundred pages but I never felt like it was overdone at all. It’s set in Denmark and the sense of place is excellent, having never been there myself I felt like I had a strong grasp of what it’s like there and how it would feel to live there. 

Since I didn’t end up having the time to read the first six books before I jumped into this one I was a tad apprehensive about forming a connection to the characters but I shouldn’t have worried. I will be going backwards and reading some of the earlier books though since I enjoyed this one so much! I just wanted to encourage those of you who may be hesitant to start with the seventh book, do it! I don’t think you’ll regret it. 

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy. 

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Release date: September 5, 2017

Publisher: MIRA

Genre: Women’s Fiction 

Blurb:

Mothers and daughters, sisters and cousins–they lived for summers at the lake house until a tragic accident changed everything. The Summer That Made Us is an unforgettable story about a family learning to accept the past, to forgive and to love each other again. That was then… For the Hempsteads, two sisters who married two brothers and had three daughters each, summers were idyllic. The women would escape the city the moment school was out to gather at the family house on Lake Waseka. The lake was a magical place, a haven where they were happy and carefree. All of their problems drifted away as the days passed in sun-dappled contentment. Until the summer that changed everything. This is now… After an accidental drowning turned the lake house into a site of tragedy and grief, it was closed up. For good. Torn apart, none of the Hempstead women speak of what happened that summer, and relationships between them are uneasy at best to hurtful at worst. But in the face of new challenges, one woman is determined to draw her family together again, and the only way that can happen is to return to the lake and face the truth. Robyn Carr has crafted a beautifully woven story about the complexities of family dynamics and the value of strong female relationships. 

Review: 

Wow this book was such an emotional read, way more than I was expecting it to be! There were highs and lows, ups and downs and I loved every minute of getting to know the dysfunctional Hempstead family. When I say dysfunctional I’m not even sure that word accurately describes things, this is a family steeped in tragedy going all the way back to the summer of ’89 and to say the events of that fateful summer messed them all up something fierce is putting it mildly.

Megan’s dying wish is to reunite her shattered family. At one point they were all super close and twenty seven years later most of them hardly speak at all. Jo and Lou are sisters who married brothers and they each had three daughters. They spent magical summers at their family lake house and life was pretty damn perfect for those summer months. When the youngest child, Bunny drowns the family is completely broken. Jo and Lou don’t speak and the daughters all mostly went their separate ways as well. Twenty seven years later and they’re back, for better or worse.

What makes Carr’s books standouts for me is her phenomenal characterization. Almost immediately I find myself invested and engrossed in the lives of her characters and this may be my favorite book of hers to date. I can’t even pick a favorite one here because they were all so real and raw, but Megan definitely wormed her way into my heart. I also really liked Krista, she is fresh out of prison after serving twenty five years and she was just such a unique women’s fiction character with her own type of spunk. 

The plot mostly focused on repairing the families fractured relationships while slowly revealing secrets from the past and there were quite a few doozies. I’m always fascinated by complex families and hidden stories and there were so many here. There was one little twist that I totally didn’t see coming, twists in women’s fiction always through me for a loop because I’m not waiting on the edge of my seat for them like in a thriller. 

Despite it being a highly evocative read it’s still very much a lighter read with substance. Carr’s trademark charm and easy writing style is in full effect making the perfect combination for a late summer read. 

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Thanks to Little Bird Publicity for my review copy. 

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Release date: September 1, 2017

Publisher: BQB Publishing

Genre: Chick Lit

Blurb:

A reserved wallflower discovers that reality TV is the perfect backdrop to develop her confidence in this lighthearted rom-com. Megan Malone is the ultimate homebody. When her sister talks her into going on The Leftover, a local version of the TV show Survivor, she isn’t sure she’ll make it past the first vote. Meanwhile, Cane Trevino is nursing a broken heart by joining the show as a medic. With time away from his regular job and a dozen contestants to distract him, he hopes he can finally get over the woman he thought was “the one.” 

Review: 

I’m a huge fan of reality TV so when I first read the blurb for The Leftover I was soooo in. When people ask what my other hobbies are besides reading/blogging I always want to say I’m a reality TV aficionado (😂😳) so the idea of two of my favorite pastimes merging was pretty much the perfect combination for me.

Megan is the sweetest character, she’s not your typical chick lit heroine. She’s awkward, goofy and clumsy but she is so cute and endearing. When her sister talks her into taking her spot on the local version of Survivor she is beyond nervous but figures she’ll get voted off pretty quickly, so why not give it a shot? Then she finds out Cane, a local celebrity is the shows medic and things get a little complicated because she has a pretty major crush on him.

As much as I like romance novels to break things up between my beloved crime novels I’m not a huge fan of love scenes. I always feel uncomfortable reading them and find myself skimming over them. I was so relieved when I realized this was a clean romance and even more relieved when it wasn’t cheesy whatsoever. It was infused with so much humor and funny moments and the burgeoning romance between Megan and Cane was sweet and easy. 

This was an light, breezy read with a completely relatable and lovable protagonist. I was rooting for Megan from page one and loved seeing her gain self confidence and become comfortable in her own skin. This was one of those books that just makes you happy, you can’t help but smile while you’re reading and sometimes that’s exactly the type of book that I need!

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the author for my review copy. 

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Release date: September 1, 2017

Publisher: Lake Union

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Blurb:

When a family camping trip takes a dark turn, how far will one mother go to keep her family safe?

Struggling with working-mother guilt, Marlene Greene hopes a camping trip in the forest will provide quality time with her three young children—until they see fires in the distance, columns of smoke distorting the sweeping view. Overnight, all communication with the outside world is lost.

Knowing something terrible has happened, Marlene suspects that the isolation of the remote campsite is all that’s protecting her family. But the arrival of a lost boy reveals they are not alone in the woods, and as the unfolding disaster ravages the land, more youngsters seek refuge under her wing. The lives of her own children aren’t the only ones at stake.

When their sanctuary is threatened, Marlene faces the mother of all dilemmas: Should she save her own kids or try to save them all?

Review: 

For some reason I didn’t pick up on the fact that this was a dystopian novel based on the blurb so when I started reading it, I was a bit surprised. I don’t mean that in a bad way, I’m not opposed to a post apocalyptic book, I just didn’t catch the hints in the description (duh Amy) and I had to adjust my mindset and expectations right away. But once I did I found this book to be a pacey, compelling read though I did have a few issues by the end.

The entire thing is told from Marlene’s point of view and she was a really difficult character to like. She’s brusque and comes across as cold and unfeeling even when she’s in the role of mama bear protecting her cubs. Despite the fact that I didn’t really relate to her on a personal level I was invested in her story and I could relate to her doing her best to protect her children. Her sister in law Joni wasn’t my favorite either, but again these women were fighting for their lives so I tried not to judge them too harshly. But I was shaking my head in frustration quite a bit and wondering what they hell they were thinking?! 

This would be the perfect book club read as it poses many tough questions that could provide hours of discussion. How far would you go to protect your children? Would you try and keep other children safe at the possible risk of your own family? Are adults duty bound to step up and care for kids in serious times of need? There’s SO much to talk about here! 

This was a page turner that held my attention, there’s something fascinating about seeing ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. Furniss is a talented writer who conveyed a strong sense of urgency throughout, I was constantly worried about what would happen next. All was really going great until the ending and honestly, it really disappointed me. I don’t want to say too much but it was a huge cliffhanger and at first I assumed there would be a sequel, then I poked around and it sounds like there isn’t one planned?! It’s a pretty huge letdown and endings are super important to me and without the promise of another book to follow up I’m seriously displeased. Sigh. A cliffhanger is understandable, albeit frustrating, if you know that eventually you’ll get some answers, but never having any resolution always seems like a cop out to me. As annoyed as I am today it wouldn’t stop me from reading another book by Furniss, she really is a good writer so I would definitely give her a second chance!

Overall rating: 3/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy. 

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Release date: August 29, 2017

Publisher: Lake Union

Genre: Contemporary, Mystery

Blurb:

Ellie Brown thought she’d finally escaped her stifling hometown of Broadlands, Illinois; med school was supposed to be her ticket out. But when her father has a stroke, she must return home to share his care with her older sister, Amelia, who’s busy with her own family. Working as a paramedic, Ellie’s days are monotonous, driving an ambulance through streets she’d hoped never to see again.

Until a 911 dispatch changes everything. The address: her sister’s house. Rushing to the scene, Ellie discovers that Amelia and her husband, Steve, have been shot in a home invasion. After Amelia is rushed to the hospital, Ellie tries to make sense of the tragedy. But what really happened inside her sister’s house becomes less and less clear. As Amelia hangs on in critical condition, Ellie uncovers dark revelations about her family’s past that challenge her beliefs about those closest to her…and force her to question where her devotions truly lie. 

Review: 

Working Fire is told in dual timelines, the first is through Ellie’s eyes starting the day she gets a call that there’s been a shooting at her sister Amelia’s address and the second is from Amelia’s point of view six weeks prior. The alternating chapters each have a clear, distinct voice as the sisters were both well drawn and multidimensional, I had a strong sense of both of them as individuals as well as a firm grasp regarding the dynamic of their relationship with each other. 

While there is definitely a mysterious element at play here, I don’t think it’s the driving force of the book. Yes, I was super curious about exactly what had happened the day Amelia was shot as well as what events sent things into motion, but at its core this is a novel about family relationships and the secrets that can rip them apart. There’s really not much that interests me more than the bond between sisters and some good old fashioned family secrets and Working Fire had plenty of both. While I wouldn’t describe this as twisty, it did keep me guessing and still surprised me a few times. 

There was an emotional component to this, Bleeker has an evocative writing style that makes you care about the characters she creates even if you don’t always understand them. This would be perfect for people who don’t want violence or highly disturbing content in their mysteries, it’s on the lighter side yet still manages to pack a decent punch. The ending especially caught me off guard, it was unexpected and fitting. 

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.