Goodreads

Release date: March 12, 2024

Publisher: MIRA

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

Three women work to uncover the scorching lies and scandal behind a self-help movement, igniting a powder keg of secrets that could blow their town apart, in this suspense novel perfect for readers who love Southern mystery.

It’s early morning in the small Texas town of Edenberg when the body of sixty-seven-year-old Beverly Hoffman is discovered in the Guadalupe River—drowned in only two inches of water.

After elementary school teacher Nichole Miller discovers the woman’s body, she makes two phone calls: first to the police, who call Beverly’s death a slip and fall, and second to her best friend, journalist Jenny Martin. Jenny is attempting to revive her flailing marriage and her all-but-DOA career, and she knows foul play when she sees it. The two women enlist the help of Beverly’s daughter-in-law, Robin, who’s eager to expose the truth.

Beverly had been beloved in the tight-knit community, having cofounded the wildly popular personal-development company Genetive, Inc., alongside her influential husband. But something sinister has been smoldering beneath the surface of their picturesque hometown. And Genetive is at the center of it all.

Review:

There was so much about this one that I liked from the cult like vibes to the multiple viewpoints to the conservative Texas setting and while I did like it, I didn’t love it as much as I expected to. I’ve read two other books by the author and her Southern style mysteries are always pretty unique and told in a manner that holds my attention but there was something small missing for me here. The cult vibes were pretty creepy and unsettling and gave me shades of Scientology which is a subject I’ve been endlessly fascinated by for years. I think when it lost me a bit was in the pacing, I would’ve liked a more excitement and tension in the end but it fell flat for me. But overall I’m glad I read it, as I said before lots to like and the overall themes are strong.

Overall rating: 3.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: March 5, 2024

Publisher: Berkley

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

A young couple find themselves haunted by a string of gruesome murders committed along an old deserted road in this terrifying new novel.

July 1995. April and Eddie have taken a wrong turn. They’re looking for the small resort town where they plan to spend their honeymoon. When they spot what appears to be a lone hitchhiker along the deserted road, they stop to help. But not long after the hitchhiker gets into their car, they see the blood seeping from her jacket and a truck barreling down Atticus Line after them.

When the hitchhiker dies at the local hospital, April and Eddie find themselves in the crosshairs of the Coldlake Falls police. Unexplained murders have been happening along Atticus Line for years and the cops finally have two witnesses who easily become their only suspects. As April and Eddie start to dig into the history of the town and that horrible stretch of road to clear their names, they soon learn that there is something supernatural at work, something that could not only tear the town and its dark secrets apart, but take April and Eddie down with it all.

Review:

This one starts out so strong and it never let up for me, I was hooked after one chapter and that never waned for one minute. The author is one of a select few who can get me to read anything with a supernatural twist and it’s really just due to the fact that she’s so damn good at incorporating things of that nature into an everyday setting. Speaking of setting, the vibes from the start were so creepy and unsettling to the point where I felt like someone was watching me while I was reading 😂 A deserted road where strange stuff happens and a legend about The Lost Girl who haunts the road is already super creepy, then you throw in finding a hitchhiker who has been stabbed, and yeah creepy vibes for sure. The tension steadily builds as things progress and there are several interesting angles that are explored as the local cops are quick to want to pin the murder on April and Eddie and then this married couple are both harboring secrets of their own as well. The secondary characters were great too, specifically Rose who owns the house where April and Eddie are staying and the Snell sisters who are quirky teenagers with an obsession for true crime. It all leads up to an excellent conclusion with twists I didn’t see coming and answers that shocked me. The author can do no wrong for me, I loved all of her books!

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: February 6, 2024

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

Lesson #1: trust no one

Eve has a good life. She gets up each day, gets a kiss from her husband Nate, and heads off to teach math at the local high school. All is as it should be. Except…

Last year, Caseham High was rocked by a scandal, with one student, Addie, at its center. And this year, Eve is dismayed to find the girl in her class. 

Addie can’t be trusted. She lies. She hurts people. She destroys lives. At least, that’s what everyone says. 

But nobody knows the real Addie. Nobody knows the secrets that could destroy her. And Addie will do anything to keep it quiet.

Review:

This was the most unhinged book I’ve read in a long time and I truly mean that as a compliment. If I’m in the mood for a bananas thriller, but one that provides a great escape and is a whole lot of fun along the way I know I can always turn to this author. Her plots are always slightly ridiculous and some things just work out a little too conveniently, but if you want brain candy this was a blast. The chapters are short, you get several POVs and with lots of twists you will have a hard time setting this one down. Don’t think too much when you’re reading this, suspend all disbelief and just enjoy the ride and I think you’ll have a good time with this addictive read.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: March 19, 2024

Publisher: Atria

Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Romance

Synopsis:

Daphne Bell believes the universe has a plan for her. Every time she meets a new man, she receives a slip of paper with his name and a number on it—the exact amount of time they will be together. The papers told her she’d spend three days with Martin in Paris; five weeks with Noah in San Francisco; and three months with Hugo, her ex-boyfriend turned best friend. Daphne has been receiving the numbered papers for over twenty years, always wondering when there might be one without an expiration. Finally, the night of a blind date at her favorite Los Angeles restaurant, there’s only a name: Jake. 

But as Jake and Daphne’s story unfolds, Daphne finds herself doubting the paper’s prediction, and wrestling with what it means to be both committed and truthful. Because Daphne knows things Jake doesn’t, information that—if he found out—would break his heart. 

Told with her signature warmth and insight into matters of the heart, Rebecca Serle has finally set her sights on romantic love. The result is a gripping, emotional, passionate, and (yes) heartbreaking novel about what it means to be single, what it means to find love, and ultimately how we define each of them for ourselves. Expiration Dates is the one fans have been waiting for.

Review:

I have mixed ratings and thoughts when it comes to this author but I have to say, this is definitely one of my favorites from her. Her books are always quick, short reads and this one packs quite a punch with some really unexpected twists that got me good. I had no idea how this would end but the direction the author went was so great for me and it’s narrated by Julia Whelan so the audio version was a must for me. She’s just so damn good!

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: March 12, 2024

Publisher: Grand Central

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

No man truly fears a woman. Not even one who is her father’s daughter.

The case was sensational. Kaylee Pierson had confessed from the very beginning, waived all appeals. She had called herself “death,” but people called her the devil. Despite the media’s chronicling of her tragic circumstances—the childhood spent with a violent father—no one could find sympathy for “the Beautiful Butcher” who had led eighteen men home from bars before viciously slitting their throats.

Now, with only twenty-one days left to live, Pierson has finally received a lead on the whereabouts of the sister who was kidnapped over a decade ago, and she needs Frankie’s help to find her. The Beautiful Butcher’s offer:

When was the last time your search ended with finding the living?

Unable to resist the chance for a rescue, Frankie takes on Pierson’s request. Twelve years ago, five-year old Leilani went missing in Hawaii. The main suspect? Pierson’s tech mogul ex-boyfriend, Sanders MacManus. Now, on a remote island in the middle of the Pacific—the site of MacManus’s latest vanity project—fresh evidence has appeared. In order to learn the truth and possibly save a young woman’s life, Frankie must go undercover at the isolated base camp. Her A dozen strangers. Countless dangerous secrets. Zero means of calling for help. And then the storm rolls in…

Review:

This is the third book in the Frankie Elkin series and it is best if you read them in order because there are some minor spoilers here. Frankie is still dealing with the repercussions from the last book and she references previous events a few times so definitely go back to the first two books, they’re SO good! Frankie is exactly the type of character who can truly carry a thriller series, she’s highly complex and very interesting and with every book a new piece of the puzzle of Frankie is revealed making me only want to know more.

Although I was interested in the story right away it does take some time for things to really get going but the journey to get to the true action was still entertaining for me. Frankie is undercover for this case posing as an employee and she’s as out of her element as she was in the last book. The location of the island and how very isolated everyone is added so much tension and unsettling feelings to the story, I always love when a beautiful locale is the setting for something creepy and this definitely had that. The twists were really good and I definitely didn’t see them coming and the last quarter was really gripping. LG is such a trusted author for me, she always delivers and this one was fantastic.

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: February 1, 2024

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

Never trust a stranger…But, late at night and trapped in the middle of nowhere during a terrible snowstorm, Tibby and Walker have no choice.With roads shutting down and cell towers out, running into each other and deciding to travel together could either be their saving grace or worst mistake. When they’re forced to take an unexpected detour and seek refuge in a roadside motel, the storm quickly becomes the least of their worries.A disturbing discovery in the motel, the questionable actions of the mysterious owner and fellow guests, and a news report about a missing couple in the area set the scene for a terrifying night, but the worst is yet to come.Each stranger holds a secret…but which one should be trusted?From million-copy bestselling author Kiersten Modglin comes a fast-paced, heart-pounding thriller filled with secrets, lies, and hairpin twists and turns as dangerous as the icy roads the story is set upon.

Review:

I really liked the setup for this one and especially the idea of being forced to trust and rely on a stranger or even more than one and found myself wondering throughout the book how I would react and what decisions I would make. Knowing that all of these people had some sort of secret they were keeping really had me switching back and forth on who was trustworthy and who wasn’t and as clues were slowly revealed I still never quite figured it out before things were over. This was a snappy read, very short but also incredibly fast paced with a lot of action packed in a small package and it begs to be read in a single sitting. It’s also perfect for this time of year if you’re a seasonal reader because it’s set during an epic snow storm which gives everything an added dangerous feeling. I always have fun with the authors books and I sure did here too!

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the author for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: February 13, 2024

Publisher: Thomas and Mercer

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

For a bride-to-be and her fiancé, secrets and lies make this a killer celebration in this psychological suspense. Carrie and Oliver. A couple completely in love and the hosts of a wedding to remember at Colorado’s legendary Stanley Hotel. This is Carrie’s fairy tale come true. Her fiancé, Oliver, is Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome; successful; and utterly devoted to her. Now family and friends have gathered to celebrate. It’s sure to be a wild night as the drinks flow freely and the fun begins. But the morning after is murder. FBI agent Andi Castle was just supposed to be a plus-one. This should have been a calming weekend getaway from what she does catch killers. Instead, Andi’s on the hunt again. The hotel is on lockdown. Secrets are being unearthed. And no one is above Andi’s suspicions. But which secrets are worth killing for? Andi’s forced to find the answers fast…before someone else dies.

Review:

This was one of those fun mysteries that really kept me guessing right up until the very end. You get two POVs, Andi an FBI agent who is attending events with an old friend of hers and Carrie, the bride to be. I loved Andi as a character and thought she was so interesting and layered, I could easily see her carrying a series because there was so much about her to like. The author used some dark humor throughout which I always like and things were pretty fast paced with me guessing and second guessing my opinion every chapter. Lots of suspects to choose from with plenty of secrets to uncover and when all was revealed I was satisfied.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.