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Release date: November 29, 2016

Publisher: Berkley Publishing 

Genre: Romantic Suspense 

Blurb: 

Jayne Ann Krentz, the New York Times bestselling author of Secret Sisters, delivers a thrilling novel of the deceptions we hide behind, the passions we surrender to, and the lengths we’ll go to for the truth…

When Charlotte Sawyer is unable to contact her step-sister, Jocelyn, to tell her that one her closest friends was found dead, she discovers that Jocelyn has vanished.

Beautiful, brilliant—and reckless—Jocelyn has gone off the grid before, but never like this. In a desperate effort to find her, Charlotte joins forces with Max Cutler, a struggling PI who recently moved to Seattle after his previous career as a criminal profiler went down in flames—literally. Burned out, divorced and almost broke, Max needs the job.

After surviving a near-fatal attack, Charlotte and Max turn to Jocelyn’s closest friends, women in a Seattle-based online investment club, for answers. But what they find is chilling…

When her uneasy alliance with Max turns into a full-blown affair, Charlotte has no choice but to trust him with her life. For the shadows of Jocelyn’s past are threatening to consume her—and anyone else who gets in their way… 

Review: 

This was a total cover request for me, it’s so gorgeous! I think I may have even clicked request on NetGalley before I properly read the blurb. Whoops. But when I did read the description fully, I was even more interested. I like a little bit of romance mixed in with my mysteries occasionally and Krentz definitely nailed that aspect. Unfortunately the mystery aspect was lacking for me and overall I was feeling underwhelmed in the end.

Charlotte finds herself entangled in a web of secrets and lies when her step sister, Jocelyn cannot be reached. Max is a PI looking into the murder of Jocelyn’s best friend, Louise, and she begins to help him as the two incidents seem to be related. 

As I’m feeling pretty lackluster about this book, I’m going to try and keep things brief. I’ll start with what I liked, because there were definitely some parts of the story that were solid. I did keep reading it after all. Krentz is a polished writer and I enjoyed her approach and style. It was obvious from the blurb alone that Charlotte and Max would wind up together, but I still liked seeing it play out. They didn’t have sizzling chemistry, but they did have a spark. 

My biggest problem was with the mystery itself. For a book labeled a romantic suspense, I was suspecting more…well, suspense. There were no big surprises here, everything was a bit predictable and easy to figure out. While I liked the relationship between Charlotte and Max, she was actually quite boring. I was never all that invested in her, but I didn’t dislike her either. Max was definitely more interesting to me, his past was fascinating and if Krentz writes a sequel focusing on him, I would read it. 

Overall this was just an ok read for me. There was nothing noteworthy or anything that would make this stand out. I can’t wholeheartedly endorse it either, as I’m feeling pretty indifferent about the book.

Overall rating: 3/5

Thanks to Berkley Publishing for my review copy.

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Release date: November 24, 2016

Publisher: Bookouture

Genre: Crime Fiction, Mystery/Thriller 

Blurb: 

A severed hand is discovered in the centre of Manchester and the only clue Detective Sergeant Jessica Daniel has to go on is CCTV footage of a woman in a long black robe placing it carefully on the ground. 

With a growing missing persons list and frantic families wondering if the body part could belong to their absent loved ones, Jessica must solve the case fast. 

When a second hand is found and a local politician’s wife goes missing, Jessica is left struggling to find out who the appendages belong to. The mother of missing Lewis Barnes, is convinced his girlfriend, twenty-six year-old January Forrester is responsible, but something doesn’t add up. Who is the mysterious woman in black and how is she connected to the abandoned body parts? 

Then, unnervingly, a detached finger arrives in the post for Jessica – and it’s clear that someone knows exactly who she is. 

Review: 

This is book three in Wilkinson’s Jessica Daniel series and though I struggled a bit with book two, I’m happy to report that I was more happily satisfied with this one! Book two left me feeling underwhelmed, mostly because things seemed a bit too far fetched to be entirely believable. The Woman in Black restored my hope in the series and has me waiting impatiently for the release of book four.

Jess is assigned to a whopper of a case this time. A severed hand is found in the middle of the city and it’s clear that whoever left it there wanted it to be found. Before long, another hand is found and then Jess receives a finger in the mail. Why is it that body parts being found instead of a entire body is so much creepier?!  I think for me it’s because I was constantly wondering if the victims were just maimed or were they murdered? What do these random hands have in common? A link seems to be non existent (forget about a motive!)which makes answering the sobering question, who will be next, all the more difficult to answer.

Jess is still the same woman I’ve grown to really like, but she is starting to show some maturity and growth. She still doesn’t always think before she speaks and tends to put her foot in her mouth at the most inopportune moments. I can’t help but love her for it, I like when characters are flawed and raw. The banter between her and Dave is fantastic and their rapport just keeps getting better. A new detective joins the team, Izzy, and I really warmed to her right off. It was nice to see Jess making a female friend and their budding relationship is one I’ll be looking forward to seeing develop further.

This was a wildly entertaining and compulsive read that I finished within a few hours. The plot was unpredictable with plenty of false starts and dead ends to keep the reader and Jess and team on their toes. If this series continues to get better with each book then I’m in for a real treat. 

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to Bookouture for my review copy. 

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Release date: September 20, 2016

Publisher: Dutton Books

Genre: Mystery/Thriller 

Blurb: 

Ten years after the high-profile kidnapping of two young boys, only one returns home in Harlan Coben’s next gripping thriller, to be published in September 2016.

A decade ago, kidnappers grabbed two boys from wealthy families and demanded ransom, then went silent. No trace of the boys ever surfaced. For ten years their families have been left with nothing but painful memories and a quiet desperation for the day that has finally, miraculously arrived: Myron Bolitar and his friend Win believe they have located one of the boys, now a teenager. Where has he been for ten years, and what does he know about the day, more than half a life ago, when he was taken? And most critically: What can he tell Myron and Win about the fate of his missing friend? Drawing on his singular talent, Harlan Coben delivers an explosive and deeply moving thriller about friendship, family, and the meaning of home. 

Review: 

The gang is back and I couldn’t be more thrilled! After waiting for what feels like forever book eleven in the Myron Bolitar series is finally here and despite the agonizing wait, it was well worth it. When I say the gang is back, I do mean the entire game; Myron, Win, Esperanza, Big Cyndi and even Mickey and crew. This should not be read as a standalone. There is just way too much history and backstory that you would be missing out on. Besides the ten books in the series before this one, Coben also wrote a three book YA series introducing Mickey Bolitar (Myron’s nephew) and his friends. Having read all of these books, I was completely caught up and really able to appreciate the deep characterization and overall growth and I would highly recommend the entire series. It is one of my favorite series out there, if not my favorite, and Home is the best book in the series hands down. 

One of my go to mystery plot lines, a missing persons case, is the basis here so if I already wasn’t hooked enough, this just upped my interest. Win receives an anonymous email with information about his cousins missing son. Ten years ago Rhys and Patrick vanished without a trace and after an initial ransom demand, there were virtually no leads. The addition of a personal connection to the case amped up the tension and I was both intrigued and anticipating how such a close connection would impact Win’s involvement. He’s already…unpredictable so how would he handle things now? Classic Win is all I’m saying.

To my absolute delight we heard things from Myron’s point of view, but we also heard from Win! What a bonus, and Coben was able to craft such unique and distinct voices for both men that I immediately noticed a change in narration. Per usual, the banter between the two is unparalleled full of razor sharp wit and finely crafted dialogue. Win is still his sardonic self and Myron is a big old softy which always makes me melt. His struggles with morality have always been a big factor in this series and continued to surface here.

Plot wise, this was classic Coben;  pacey, action packed, and nail biting. In his true fashion, the ending had the big twist followed by several other turns that left me breathless. The ending left me stunned but it was utterly perfect. Coben is an absolute master. His books have everything a good mystery/thriller should, he nails every single element. Can I rate this one higher than a five?! 

Overall rating: 5/5

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Release date: November 15, 2016

Publisher: Lake Union

Genre: Psychological Suspense 

Blurb: 

Daniel is my son. He has always been mine. And he always will be.

On some level deep inside, Laura Bateman knows something is wrong. That her relationship with her son is not what it should be. That it is based on lies.

But bad things have happened to Laura. Things that change a person. Forever.

For twenty-six-year-old Daniel, the discovery that his mother is not who he thought comes close to destroying him. As his world turns upside down, he searches for sanity in the madness that has become his life. Daniel is left with nothing but questions. Why did Laura do something so terrible? Can he move past the demons of his childhood?

And the biggest question of all: can he ever forgive Laura?

Review: 

This was an emotional and heartbreaking read! At the age of twenty six, Daniel finds out that his mother isn’t actually his biological mother. He’s always felt like something was off and wondered why he felt a lack of a connection between his mother, Laura and himself. So it all makes sense in a way, but then there is so much that doesn’t make sense to him and probably never will. This book is the story of a completely broken pair of people who have experienced pain and hurt that is unfathomable. 

The story starts from Laura’s perspective right after she’s been detained after the truth about what she’s done comes to light. She’s very adamant that she never did anything wrong and that no matter what DNA tests say, he is her son. She comes off as delusional and ill, with no grasp on reality. Over the course of the book, she details her own life and the hardships she’s endured, and she has dealt with some truly terrible things. Though kidnapping Daniel is completely awful, after hearing her motivations I could at least understand what drove her to do it. I didn’t agree with her, but I could empathize with her. 

In between Laura’s chapters you hear from Daniel and man did he completely shatter my heart. I cannot imagine how it would feel to learn your entire life was a lie and that you can’t even trust your own mother. Terrible. His story is just so very sad and I really felt for him as he struggled with his emotions throughout his journey. I wanted him to find peace so badly and felt he deserved a chance at a happy life. 

I do want to say that there is some very heavy subject matter here and many references and descriptions of abuse. If that is at all a trigger for you, you may want to steer clear. Though much of the story is difficult to read, it was also very necessary to the characters background and present life. There is nothing gratuitous or added for shock value, only added for relevance and understanding. 

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to Lake Union for my review copy. 

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Release date: November 3, 2016

Publisher: Headline Books

Genre: Thriller 

Blurb: 

You wake. Confused. Disorientated. A noose is round your neck. You are bound, standing on a chair. All you can focus on is the man in the mask tightening the rope. You are about to die.

John Wallace has no idea why he has been targeted. No idea who his attacker is. No idea how he will prevent the inevitable. 

Then the pendulum of fate swings in his favour. He has one chance to escape, find the truth and halt his destruction. The momentum is in his favour for now. But with a killer on his tail, everything can change with one swing of this deadly pendulum…

You have one chance. Run. 

Review: 

This one first came to my attention when I read Kate’s review at Bibliophile Book Club. Her wonderful review made me run to Netgalley and request it, then she was recently on a podcast where she discussed and recommended it again, so I knew I had to read it right now. I’m so glad that I did, it was quite an exciting and engaging read.

Hamdy wastes no time and jumps straight into the action. Wallace wakes up and realizes, with horror that there is a noose around his neck and he definitely didn’t place it there. Somehow, he manages to escape this madman, but he realizes swiftly that he is not out of danger just yet. No one believes his claim that he did not try to commit suicide and he finds himself trapped in a mental institution. Caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse, Wallace is quite literally, running for his life.

I’m going to be even more vague than usual when it comes to discussing plot details with this one. Mostly because I went into it only having read the synopsis and two reviews from trusted reviewers whom I know would never spoil things, and I’m confident that’s the absolute best way to approach this. 

What I will say is that most of Pendulum was completely unexpected and there were tons of shocking moments to get my blood pumping. It read like a high octane action movie and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if this hits the big screen in the future. The pacing is relentless, never letting up and the story takes you from London to NYC and back again. On top of that, there is really great characterization and growth, especially with Wallace. Though the ending was satisfactory, there was a few things left open ended so I was pretty pleased to see that there will be a second book! 

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to Headline Books for my review copy. 

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Release date: November 16, 2016

Publisher: Bookouture

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Blurb: 

You wake up to find the man beside you is dead. 

He is not your husband. This is not your bed. 

What do you do? 

Tara Logan lives a quiet life with her husband, Noah, and two children, teenager Rosie and eleven-year-old Spencer. 

But her peace is shattered when she wakes in her neighbour Lee’s bed, with no memory of how she got there or what happened between them. 

And worse – he has been stabbed to death.

Convinced she didn’t kill Lee, Tara stays silent, fearing the truth will rip her family apart. 

But as her daughter spirals out of control, and her husband becomes increasingly distant, Tara soon realises that someone in her life knows what really happened to Lee. She must get to the truth before they do. 

Tara made a mistake … but will one night cost her everything? 

Review: 

Holy smokes, what an exciting and suspenseful read! There was twist after twist, and turn after turn in this one. What a completely addicting read, I was sucker punched repeatedly and the hits just kept on coming. I LOVE when a book can keep blindsiding me, and this one managed to do it many times. I was feeling like the dreaded reading slump was knocking on my door, but after reading this, the slump is no longer lingering!

Tara wakes up, naked in her neighbor, Lee’s bed. She can’t remember what happened the night before, and when she wakes up enough to realize Lee is dead beside her, she’s shocked and horrified. With an opening chapter like that, naturally I was hooked. Then, you quickly realize that the entire Logan family has problems with telling the truth. We’ve all read books with unreliable narrators, but what if an entire family is unreliable?!

With all of the plot twists and secrets and lies, I won’t be discussing many details. I will say I wasn’t fond of any of the characters though, but the teenaged daughter, Rosie, was by far the worst. She was so bratty and selfish I wanted to wring her neck. The rest of the family wasn’t much better as they all constantly lied and betrayed each other, but this added so much tension to the story that I loved. You really never knew who to trust, and just when one person seems believable, Croft throws a wrench into things and you’re back to square one, guessing and questioning all over again. 

My one small issue with this was the involvement of the police, specifically Holden Hunt. He just didn’t seem to handle the investigation properly whatsoever, and it wasn’t very believable. However, I didn’t really care all that much because everything else about the book was so fantastic! I was able to easily suspend my disbelief and shove my doubts to the side. The ending more than made up for my moments of doubt, I never saw it coming and was stunned.

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Thanks to Bookouture for my review copy.

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Release date: November 17, 2016

Publisher: Bantam Press

Genre: Mystery/Thriller, Crime Fiction 

Blurb: 

There’s no safety in numbers . . . 

Eve Singer needs death. With her career as a TV crime reporter flagging, she’ll do anything to satisfy her ghoulish audience.

The killer needs death too. He even advertises his macabre public performances, where he hopes to show the whole world the beauty of dying.

When he contacts Eve, she welcomes the chance to be first with the news from every gory scene. Until she realizes that the killer has two obsessions.

One is public murder.

And the other one is her . . . 

Review: 

I’ve been waiting to read this one for months having heard great things about it from other reviewers and I was really happy when I realized that release date was finally here and I could pick it up! It’s been taunting me from my shelf for months now, that cover is simply stunning and it’s even more striking in person. I may have even gave it a little pat or two. (That’s for you Chelsea! #bookpetter 😜😂) What’s inside is also fantastic and it was well worth the wait. 

Eve is a TV crime reporter who is more than accustomed to violent crime scenes and shocking deaths. She’s not exactly at the top of her game, there is always someone a bit younger and a bit more eager waiting in the wings to take her spot, but when a killer believes he has a connection with Eve, she may just have a chance to climb to the top of the media world. He believe they have a common goal, she needs people to die in order to have a job and he craves death as much as air. Sends a cold shiver of fear down the spine, doesn’t it? This book had plenty of creepy and bone chilling moments.

This is heavy on violence and graphic descriptions of the murders and the crime scenes, so if you’re squeamish, beware. Right from the start, the action is in your face, and the fast pacing never lets up. Besides the murder investigation, you follow Eve as she struggles to deal issues in her personal life. Her father has dementia and she is ill equipped to deal with such a difficult and heartbreakingly devastating illness. The character development of Eve throughout the book was excellent as she is pulled into a sick and deadly game with the killer. Will she agree to his twisted terms and play his depraved game even though she is a very unwilling participant? Is a story really worth following instructions from a serial killer?

That’s about all I can reveal about the plot without ruining things, but one thing that always makes a serial killer book stand out to me is when the killer has a unique motivation behind the killings and this one definitely provided that. I was totally immersed in the world Bauer created and she added the perfect amount of dark and macabre humor to bring levity to such a dark story. The killers obsession with Eve upped the creep factor several notches and added an extra layer of tension to an already tense plot. I would definitely recommend this one to crime fiction fans looking for the next book to get lost in and scared by.

Overall rating: 4/5

Huge thanks to Thomas Hill for my review copy.