reecaspieces

Overview

Private investigator Rick Cahill has been running from his past and chasing the truth his whole life. But his past is relentless—and so is his CTE, a disease caused by repeated head traumas that has attacked his body and his mind. As his CTE progresses, he realizes that the disease not only threatens his life but also endangers his family’s wellbeing.

As Rick struggles to keep his family together, he does a favor for Sara Bhandari, a business contact. Then, Sara is murdered, and the police believe her to be yet another victim of a serial rapist who has been terrorizing greater San Diego. But Rick has reason to question their theory. Determined to find the truth at any cost, and against his wife’s warnings, he investigates on his own.

Along the way, he bumps up against a sinister private investigative agency and a shady shell corporation that may be hiding more than company secrets. As Rick digs for the truth about Sara’s death, he risks his own life and the lives of countless innocents caught in his relentless crusade. Ultimately, Rick must decide if his quest is worth the risk of losing his family forever.

Review

Rick is a private investigator in the San Diego area. He does quite a bit of work for several of the local businesses. When one of his business contacts ends up murdered, Rick knows something is very wrong. He ends up investigating the murder on the sly. But, as you can guess, this leads to more questions than answers.

Rick is a very damaged character and I loved him. He is smart when it comes to investigations but pretty dang dumb when it comes to family. But he is so endearing in his efforts.

This story is complex with all the twists and turns. It definitely keeps the readers on their toes. I mean…I thought I had it figured out but it twisted again!

Since we went to San Diego for vacation this year, I loved the setting of this book. Now, this book is number 9 in a series. I have not read a single one. How I have missed this, I have no idea. I did not feel lost at all during this novel but I do want to pick up some if the others. I want to know more about Rick and his background.

Need a good intricate mystery…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for an honest opinion.

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Overview

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From Pulitzer Prize–winning author Elizabeth Strout comes a poignant, pitch-perfect novel about a divorced couple stuck together during lockdown—and the love, loss, despair, and hope that animate us even as the world seems to be falling apart.

“No novelist working today has Strout’s extraordinary capacity for radical empathy. . . . May droves of readers come to feel enlarged, comforted, and genuinely uplifted by Lucy’s story.”—The Boston Globe

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New Yorker, Time, The Washington Post, PopSugar

With her trademark spare, crystalline prose—a voice infused with “intimate, fragile, desperate humanness” (The Washington Post)—Elizabeth Strout turns her exquisitely tuned eye to the inner workings of the human heart, following the indomitable heroine of My Name Is Lucy Barton through the early days of the pandemic.

As a panicked world goes into lockdown, Lucy Barton is uprooted from her life in Manhattan and bundled away to a small town in Maine by her ex-husband and on-again, off-again friend, William. For the next several months, it’s just Lucy, William, and their complex past together in a little house nestled against the moody, swirling sea.

Rich with empathy and emotion, Lucy by the Sea vividly captures the fear and struggles that come with isolation, as well as the hope, peace, and possibilities that those long, quiet days can inspire. At the heart of this story are the deep human connections that unite us even when we’re apart—the pain of a beloved daughter’s suffering, the emptiness that comes from the death of a loved one, the promise of a new friendship, and the comfort of an old, enduring love.

Review

If you have never read this author…BUCKLE UP! She is blunt, truthful and insightful. And this book nails them all. This is a story about Lucy and William, AGAIN! They have a history. They have been married before and share two children. But William cheated on their marriage. So, divorce was inevitable. Now, here it is years later and William moves Lucy in with him in Maine to avoid the pandemic in NYC. These two have a bond and a friendship that is hard to come by.

The first time I read this author, I thought, how depressing. I remember sending in my review to the publisher and it said “I read to escape, this book is no escape!” But, there is just something about her books that keep me thinking and I just keep coming back. Her books make you reflect on your past and sometimes that is just not a happy process. But, it is a necessary process to grow. So, once again, Elizabeth Strout is amazing with Lucy By The Sea!

This is a story about love, family, friendship, and trying to survive. I could name a thousand more astute areas of this novel. Just know, it is a novel which just might put you in a pensive mood. But everyone needs to read Elizabeth Strout! Trust me!

Need a book which will have you reflecting and just enjoying the moment…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

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Overview

Erika T. Wurth’s White Horse is a gritty, vibrant debut novel about an Indigenous woman who must face her past when she discovers a bracelet haunted by her mother’s spirit.

Some people are haunted in more ways than one.

Kari James, Urban Native, is a fan of heavy metal, ripped jeans, Stephen King novels, and dive bars. She spends most of her time at her favorite spot in Denver, the White Horse. When her cousin Debby finds an old family bracelet that once belonged to Kari’s mother, it inadvertently calls up both her mother’s ghost and a monstrous entity, and her willful ignorance about her past is no longer sustainable…

Haunted by visions of her mother and hunted by this mysterious creature, Kari must search for what happened to her mother all those years ago. Her father, permanently disabled from a car crash, can’t help her. Her Auntie Squeaker seems to know something but isn’t eager to give it all up at once. Debby’s anxious to help, but her controlling husband keeps getting in the way. Kari’s journey toward a truth long denied by both her family and law enforcement forces her to confront her dysfunctional relationships, thoughts about a friend she lost in childhood, and her desire for the one thing she’s always wanted but could never have.

Review

Kari is an Urban Native living in Denver. She loves to visit her favorite dive bar, the White Horse. She actually hopes to buy the place one day. But, things change drastically when her cousin Debby finds a bracelet that once belonged to Kari’s missing mother.

I had some big feelings about Kari! She is a struggle in more ways than one. Honestly, I hated her one minute and loved her the next. She is definitely a complex character. She has been traumatized by the disappearance of her mother when Kari was just a baby. So, when her mother makes a ghostly appearance, it sends Kari into a complete tail spin.

I’m a bit late with my Halloween reads. But this book fits the bill! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the Indian lore and the Indian mystification. It really kept the story moving…oh and we won’t talk about the monster OR Geronimo’s weapon. Talk about edge of your seat suspense…THIS BOOK HAS IT!

Need a mystical ghost story with a spattering of Indian lore…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

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Chirp

Overview

Despite losing her parents in a tragic accident just before her fourteenth Christmas, Susan Norcross has had it better than most, with loving grandparents to raise her and a gang of quirky, devoted friends to support her. Now a successful bookstore owner in a tight-knit Michigan lakeside community, Susan is facing down forty—the same age as her mother when she died—and she can’t help but see everything she hasn’t achieved, including finding a love match of her own. To add to the pressure, everyone in her small town believes it’s Susan’s destiny to meet and marry a man dressed as Santa, just like her mother and grandmother before her. So it seems cosmically unfair that the man she makes an instant connection with at an annual Santa Run is lost in the crowd before she can get his name.

What follows is Susan and her friends’ hilarious and heartwarming search for the mystery Santa—covering twelve months of social media snafus, authors behaving badly and dating fails—as well as a poignant look at family, friendship and what defines a well-lived and well-loved life.

“Viola Shipman has written a captivating story for anyone whose memories run deep… This book keeps faith and hope alive!” —New York Times bestselling author Sherryl Woods

Review

Susan is approaching middle age fast and she is still struggling with the loss of her parents when she was a teenager. She was raised by her grandparents and they are still a major part of her life. But, they are aging and she just can’t face losing someone else. As 40 approaches, Susan realizes she has not met the man of her dreams. Even though she owns a successful book store, Susan knows something is missing from her life. And her quirky friends are going to help remedy this situation.

Viola shipman has recently become one of my go to authors. This book hit the Christmas spot! I loved Susan and her friends. And I know some of you will roll your eyes, but there are a lot of profound statements in this novel. It is not one of your cheesy Christmas romances. This story has a lot to say and Viola Shipman says it well!

Need a heartwarming, Christmas novel…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

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Overview

Mariah Fredericks’s The Lindbergh Nanny is powerful, propulsive novel about America’s most notorious kidnapping through the eyes of the woman who found herself at the heart of this deadly crime.

“A masterful blending of fact and fiction that is as compelling as it is entertaining.”—Nelson DeMille

When the most famous toddler in America, Charles Lindbergh, Jr., is kidnapped from his family home in New Jersey in 1932, the case makes international headlines. Already celebrated for his flight across the Atlantic, his father, Charles, Sr., is the country’s golden boy, with his wealthy, lovely wife, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, by his side. But there’s someone else in their household—Betty Gow, a formerly obscure young woman, now known around the world by another name: the Lindbergh Nanny.

A Scottish immigrant deciphering the rules of her new homeland and its East Coast elite, Betty finds Colonel Lindbergh eccentric and often odd, Mrs. Lindbergh kind yet nervous, and Charlie simply a darling. Far from home and bruised from a love affair gone horribly wrong, Betty finds comfort in caring for the child, and warms to the attentions of handsome sailor Henrik, sometimes known as Red. Then, Charlie disappears.

Suddenly a suspect in the eyes of both the media and the public, Betty must find the truth about what really happened that night, in order to clear her own name—and to find justice for the child she loves.

Review

Betty Gow, a Scottish immigrant, has been hired to take care of little Charlie Lindbergh. Betty discovers the Lindberghs to be very distant from their child and their home. But, Betty steps into her role and falls quickly for little Charlie. When he disappears, she is the first suspect in the public eye.

I truly did not like Betty Gow at the beginning. She just did not seem like the ideal nanny the Lindbergh’s would pick. But, she did grow on me. And of course, I had to google her. She really had a hard time when Charlie was kidnapped.

This story started very strong. It sort of slowed down a bit in the middle. I felt it had too many everyday mundane details However, it really is captivating in many places because of the catastrophe and the mystery. Plus, I knew about the kidnapping but I really did not know a lot of the circumstances. So, I learned a great deal and that is a huge bonus!

Need a good book about a real life tragedy…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

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Overview

From three bestselling authors comes an interwoven tale about a trio of World War II nurses stationed in the South Pacific who wage their own battle for freedom and survival.

The Philippines, 1941. When U.S. Navy nurse Eleanor Lindstrom, U.S. Army nurse Penny Franklin, and Filipina nurse Lita Capel forge a friendship at the Army Navy Club in Manila, they believe they’re living a paradise assignment. All three are seeking a way to escape their pasts, but soon the beauty and promise of their surroundings give way to the heavy mantle of war.

Caught in the crosshairs of a fight between the U.S. military and the Imperial Japanese Army for control of the Philippine Islands, the nurses are forced to serve under combat conditions and, ultimately, endure captivity as the first female prisoners of the Second World War. As their resiliency is tested in the face of squalid living arrangements, food shortages, and the enemy’s blatant disregard for the articles of the Geneva Convention, the women strive to keep their hope—and their fellow inmates—alive, though not without great cost.

In this sweeping story based on the true experiences of nurses dubbed “the Angels of Bataan,” three women shift in and out of each other’s lives through the darkest days of the war, buoyed by their unwavering friendship and distant dreams of liberation.

Review

Three women, Eleanor, Penny and Lita, become great friends as they are nurses in the US military. But, things change quickly in the Philippines as WWII rages around them. They become prisoners of war under the Japanese Army. Every day is a day filled with terror, hunger and death.

A lot of the books set in this time period of WWII are about the tragedy of the Jews. But, you forget how awful the Japanese were. This book brings that to light. And let me tell you, it is heartbreaking in so many places. I could not stop listening to it.

What these women went through…and I do believe the authors softened their mistreatment! The strength and resilience of these characters will have you cheering in one breath and crying in the next!

The narrator, Saskia Maarleveld, is amazing! She kept the emotions at just the right tone and all the voices…WOW! What a fantastic job!

Need an intense, emotional historical fiction you will not soon forget…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

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Overview

Winner of Crime Debut and Readers’ Choice Awards—Sisters in Crime

“A brave and timely novel.” —Clare Mackintosh, internationally bestselling author of Hostage

This is not just another novel about a dead girl. Two women—one alive, one dead—are brought together in the dark underbelly of New York City to solve a tragic murder.

When she arrived in New York on her eighteenth birthday carrying nothing but $600 cash and a stolen camera, Alice Lee was looking for a fresh start. Now, just one month later, she is the city’s latest Jane Doe. She may be dead but that doesn’t mean her story is over.

Meanwhile, Ruby Jones is also trying to reinvent herself. After travelling halfway around the world, she’s lonelier than ever in the Big Apple. Until she stumbles upon a woman’s body by the Hudson River, and suddenly finds herself unbreakably tied to the unknown dead woman.

Alice is sure Ruby is the key to solving the mystery of her short life and tragic death. Ruby just wants to forget what she saw…but she can’t seem to stop thinking about the young woman she found. If she keeps looking, can she give this unidentified Jane Doe the ending and closure she deserves?

A “heartbreaking, beautiful, and hugely important novel” (Rosie Walsh, New York Times bestselling author), Before You Knew My Name doesn’t just wonder whodunnit—it also asks who was she? And what did she leave behind?

Review

Alice Lee is the Jane Doe found raped and murdered in a very public place. But yet, no one saw a thing! Enter Ruby. Ruby is just trying to find her way and discover exactly what she wants to do with her life. But then she finds Alice’s body. Alice thinks Ruby can solve her murder. But, Ruby wants no part of it!

This novel is so freaking unique! I mean…honestly! One of the characters is dead and is narrating part of the story! Alice’s story is distressing and so sad. And Ruby! She is just struggling to overcome the trauma of finding Alice but it is just not happening.

Now, this is not a book to read quickly, in my opinion. You will miss something and get lost…believe me. I tried! I had to slow myself down and as everyone knows, that is so difficult for me. But, I am so glad I did! This novel is different but it is so heartbreaking and well written you do not want to miss it.

Need a beautiful story which will have you grieving when it is over…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

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