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Release date: October 24, 2017

Publisher: Thomas and Mercer

Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Blurb:
In this page-turner of a thriller by bestselling author T.R. Ragan, unlikely partners PI Jessie Cole and crime reporter Ben Morrison search for clues to a mystery buried in their own pasts—only to discover that sometimes the truth is better off buried.

Ten years ago, PI Jessie Cole and reporter Ben Morrison each suffered a tragedy that changed their lives—and now these two strangers are about to share a nightmare.

For Jessie, who makes her living finding missing persons, no case has consumed her more than the disappearance of her younger sister, Sophie. But left alone to raise Sophie’s daughter, she realizes that solving the case has become an unhealthy obsession.

For Ben, a horrific car accident resulted in scars both physical and emotional—and amnesia that has made his life a mystery. But curiously, out of his shattered memories, there’s one person he recognizes without a doubt: Jessie’s sister. He just doesn’t know why. Yet.

But Sophie isn’t the only phantom drawing Jessie and Ben together. An elusive serial murderer known as the Heartless Killer has reemerged from the shadows. His next move will cut even deeper into Jessie’s worst fears. And for Ben, what happens this time is going to be unforgettable. 

Review: 

Do you ever have mixed feelings when you pick up a book by an author you’ve heard plenty about but never actually read yourself? It’s like a blend of excitement that you may have just stumbled onto something great and apprehension that you’ll be disappointed. While the disappointment always stinks, finding a winner more than makes up for the flops and from the moment I started reading Her Last Day I knew that I had found a new favorite author!

This opens with an intense prologue that hooks you instantaneously, it’s fast and furious and that pace never lets up for one minute. It’s the beginning of a new series featuring Jessie, a PI with a troubled, complicated past who is flawed in the absolute best way. While I felt like I had a decent sense of who she is there is so much more to explore with her both in her personal life and her work life. It’s mostly told through the eyes of Jessie and Ben, a reporter that works cold cases, but there were chapters featuring the nameless serial killer that chilled me to the bone. The Heartless Killer is sadistic and twisted, there are some truly creepy moments that will make your skin crawl.

This was an effortless page turner, I absolutely flew through it, desperate to see how Ragan would weave various plot threads together. The chapters are short and snappy, the type that keep you up well past your bedtime, these type of reads are my hands down favorite. I’m so excited that Ragan has an extensive back catalogue that I can explore as the next book in this fantastic series won’t be out until next spring! 

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

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Release date: October 16, 2017

Publisher: Wyatt-MacKenzie

Genre: Mystery/Thriller, Psychological Thriller

Blurb:

Will, a recovering heroin addict-turned-counselor for whom truth is a championed element to recovery, has a dark secret — shared with no one outside of his anonymous support meetings. Over twenty years ago, after an ultimatum from his pregnant ex-wife, Will was forced to assume a new identity and to fake his own death to get out from under his dealer and user-friends once and for all. 

Now Will is counseling Thea, a young woman who has been diagnosed with a pathological addiction to creating fake social media identities, and who founded a start-up company (“Alibis”) that created false internet identities for clients, many with suspect pasts. Thea’s addiction has landed her in rehab as a condition of her parole — after a plea bargain cut short a court case that would have put both Thea and Alibis on trial for a very high-profile crime. 

As Will works with Thea, the truth is put into motion on a collision course. Both Will’s, and his young client’s, secrets start to unravel … and reveal, at long last, the truth about Thea. 

Review:

This will be one hell of a tricky review to write, there is SO much I wish I could say but it would all be one gigantic spoiler and y’all know I don’t do that. Whatever you think this book will be about based on the description doesn’t even come close to what it’s actually about, it goes in many unexpected directions and just when I thought I knew where it was headed Impellizzeri would throw a huge curveball and knock the entire book on its head. It’s twisty, dark, shocking and so very satisfying! 

While Thea and Will are the two main characters this is filled with a supporting cast that all have questionable motivations as well. It’s the type of book where you should pay close attention to what’s going on and even then I really doubt you’ll be able to predict what’s coming next. The plotting is meticulous and super intricate, when things started to come together I was in awe, shock doesn’t even come close to explaining what I felt. 

One angle I absolutely loved was Thea’s addiction to social media, it was fascinating and so current. The whole thing was sharp, clever and very well executed, there were several head spinning revelations and the lies kept stacking up, when the truth about Thea (and everyone else!) was revealed I was stunned, what a surprising and memorable read. 

Overall rating: 5/5

Huge thanks to the author and the Great Thoughts Ninja review team for my copy! 

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Release date: October 3, 2017

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Genre: Psychological Thriller 

Blurb:

In the vein of Ruth Ware’s In a Dark, Dark Wood comes a novel of psychological suspense form debut author Michelle Adams, where a woman returns to her family’s home to learn the truth and escape her sister’s influence

If you knew my sister, you’d run too…

First there was the Robert Kneel incident.

Then what happened to Margot Wolfe.

And now she’s found me again.

Dr. Irini Harringford was given away by her parents just before her fourth birthday. Although she has spent her whole life trying to convince herself she doesn’t need them, deep down Irini longs to understand why she was abandoned, while her parents kept her older sister, Elle.

So when Elle gets in touch with news that their mother has died, Irini reluctantly agrees to return to the family home. But she is ill at ease. She and Elle are not close. Irini knows only too well what Elle is capable of. Inexplicably drawn to her enigmatic sister, yet terrified of the sway she holds, Irini tries to protect herself even as she is sucked back into her family’s toxic web of secrets…and soon realizes that the past is more complicated than she imagined, and that her very future rests upon discovering the truth about why she was really given away.

Review: 

Ahh sister relationships never fail to intrigue me, especially messy ones and Irini and Elle have one of the most complex relationships I’ve read about in awhile. Irini was sent to live with relatives when she was just three and she has no idea why, so when her mother dies and Elle summons her back home the idea of finally finding out some answers is too much for her to resist. Elle is toxic, manipulative and calculating but she is Irini’s sister and her hold on her is very strong. 

I was dying to learn exactly why Irini was sent away and to find out if Elle was really as crazy as Irini remembered, there was definitely that sense of uneasiness about both women throughout. Elle is clearly unbalanced but there were times that something about Irini seemed off as well. There was a heavy ominous undertone, something sinister and creepy lurking around that I really liked, it messed with my head in the best possible way. Put that together with really strong writing and I’m super impressed it was Adams debut, she has a subtle, nuanced style that worked really well for me.

There was something intoxicating about this book, it almost had me in a hypnotic state while I was reading it, I was that captivated by it. Despite it being a true psychological thriller I found it to be heavy on the psychological aspect and pretty light on the thriller part, but that did not in any way stop my enjoyment of this one. I actually think it further enhanced my experience and forced me to savor this read instead of rushing through it like I sometimes do in a twisty, fast paced thriller.  

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy. 

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Release date: October 17, 2017

Publisher: Berkley 

Genre: Contemporary Fiction 

Blurb:

A warm, wry, sharply observed debut novel about what happens when a family is forced to spend a week together in quarantine over the holidays… 

It’s Christmas, and for the first time in years the entire Birch family will be under one roof. Even Emma and Andrew’s elder daughter–who is usually off saving the world–will be joining them at Weyfield Hall, their aging country estate. But Olivia, a doctor, is only coming home because she has to. Having just returned from treating an epidemic abroad, she’s been told she must stay in quarantine for a week…and so too should her family. 

For the next seven days, the Birches are locked down, cut off from the rest of humanity–and even decent Wi-Fi–and forced into each other’s orbits. Younger, unabashedly frivolous daughter Phoebe is fixated on her upcoming wedding, while Olivia deals with the culture shock of being immersed in first-world problems. 

As Andrew sequesters himself in his study writing scathing restaurant reviews and remembering his glory days as a war correspondent, Emma hides a secret that will turn the whole family upside down. 

In close proximity, not much can stay hidden for long, and as revelations and long-held tensions come to light, nothing is more shocking than the unexpected guest who’s about to arrive…

Review: 

This had the exact type of premise that intrigues me, I love reading about families, especially when there’s secrets involved and add in a little dysfunction and I’m all in! I adore my own family but being locked in a house for a whole week together sounds pretty scary and we’re not nearly as screwed up as the Birch family. 

It’s told from every single family members perspective and I loved getting to see how each of them interpreted the same situations differently. Emma is the mom and while they all have secrets hers is a pretty major one. Andrew is the dad and he’s honestly pretty awful, he’s snobby, pretentious and  detached as a father. Olivia is the oldest daughter, she’s a doctor and she comes off reserved and pretty cold and then there’s Phoebe the youngest, she’s basically a huge  spoiled brat. I liked Jesse the most, he seemed to be the most down to earth and I usually gauge my likability of characters by who I would want to hang out with and he wins hands down. Overall a large cast of unlikable people that would’ve saved themselves SO much drama had they simply talked to each other, but where’s the fun in that?! 

This was a really entertaining read if kind of ridiculous at times. The behavior of the Birch family ranged from appalling to mildly amusing and I was hoping for more sharp humor but instead it was more emotional than I think the blurb described it to be and definitely not exactly what I was expecting. The writing was solid though and it was fairly fast paced making it an easy read, this would actually be perfect to read over the holidays to escape your own crazy family! If you like books like The Nest you would enjoy this one, I had really similar thoughts/feelings on both of those books, a mixed bag where I can’t really say I loved or hated it, but I would say I mostly enjoyed it despite a few minor issues. 

Overall rating: 3/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy. 

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Release date: October 10, 2017

Publisher: Lake Union

Genre: Contemporary Fiction 

Blurb: 

Betting on the city of Detroit’s eventual comeback, cousins Addie and Samantha decide to risk it all on an affordable new house and a culinary career that starts with renovating a vintage diner in a depressed area of town. There’s just one little snag in their vision.

Angus, a weary, beloved local, is strongly opposed to his neighborhood’s gentrification—and his concerns reflect the suspicion of the community. Shocked by their reception, Addie and Samantha begin to have second thoughts.

As the long hours, problematic love interests, and underhanded pressures mount, the two women find themselves increasingly at odds, and soon their problems threaten everything they’ve worked for. If they are going to realize their dreams, Addie and Samantha must focus on rebuilding their relationship. But will the neighborhood open their hearts to welcome them home? 

Review: 

Let’s start with that gorgeous cover, isn’t it stunning?! I’ve not read the authors previous book and based on the blurb I was expecting it to be on the lighthearted side, basic women’s fiction with a cutesy plot. Instead this was SO much more, it definitely has its fun moments and happiness but at its core it’s much deeper and full of substance. It tackles some extremely relevant and timely current issues in a really respectful and realistic manner. It touches on love, loss, community, and quite a bit more. 

This is told from two points of view, cousins Addie and Sam and it switches back and forth between the two every chapter. It follows their lives and those of the staff and their community over the course of a year. When it begins, The Welcome Home diner has already opened its doors and is struggling to find its place in this tight knit and hesitant neighborhood. The residents are suspicious and guarded and for good reason as Detroit has had many struggles as of late. Addie and Sam were both well drawn characters with interesting histories and plenty of emotional depth, I enjoyed getting to know both of them. There is a large cast of colorful supporting characters as well with often painful, unique pasts that added an extra layer of emotion. 

This story revolves around food and Lampman’s descriptions were scrumptious. She includes a handful of recipes from the story at the end and I will definitely be trying a few out! Interspersed between the food are some heavy hitting topics such as human trafficking, race relations and gentrification of a community. It’s all handled with grace and a style all of the authors own and leaves much to be discussed, this is an ideal book club read. 

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the author for my review copy.