In the tradition of Craig Johnson and C. J. Box, a compelling new series set in the high desert of Nevada featuring Sheriff Porter Beck.
Porter Beck is the sheriff in the high desert of Nevada, north of Las Vegas. Born and raised there, he left to join the Army, where he worked in Intelligence, deep in the shadows in far off places. Now he’s back home, doing the same lawman’s job his father once did, before his father started to develop dementia. All is relatively quiet in this corner of the world, until on old, retired FBI agent is found killed. He was brutally tortured before he was killed and clues at the scene point to a mystery dating back to the early days of the nuclear age. If that wasn’t strange enough, a current FBI agent shows up to help Beck’s investigation.
In a case that unfolds in the past (the 1950s) and the present, it seems that a Russian spy infiltrated the nuclear testing site and now someone is looking for that long-ago, all-but forgotten person, who holds the key to what happened then and to the deadly goings on now.
Review
A retired FBI agent has been brutally tortured in Porter Beck’s county. Clues at the scene open up a mystery dating back to the 50’s and the nuclear age. Now, Beck is tied up in an old Russian espionage case that hits a little close to home.
This story has a lot of moving parts. But, keep up because you do not want to miss a trick!
Now, when this story began, it had a terrible torture scene. I thought…hmm…not sure I can do this. But, there was just something about this tale which kept me wanting to know more. I was transported to Russia, the dessert of Nevada and back again. Then there is a big, ole twist at the end. I did not see THAT coming!
The narrator, James Babson, did a very good job. I will be looking for him!
Need a good, intricate thriller…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
1970s San Francisco: the sights, the sounds, the serial killers
As the ’70s draw to a close in San Francisco, things do not bode well for the city—or for ex-con PI Colleen Hayes, whose daughter Pam, in a tragic turn of events, has lost her baby. Pam leaves San Francisco, and Colleen, who moved there to reunite with her, starts to wonder what she’s doing in the Bay Area.
Meanwhile, a serial killer given the name “Night Candy” is targeting sex workers, both male and female. The situation doesn’t improve when Colleen’s friend and ally—SFPD Inspector Owens—is arrested for the murder of his ex-wife, who was found burned in a fire the same night the pair had tried to rekindle their love. Could Owens have really done what they say? Even Colleen has her doubts.
But there are people depending on her: Owens, who needs help finding his ex-wife’s real killer, and a trio of sex workers Colleen keeps her eye on—especially with Night Candy on the loose. Then, one of the three girls is next to disappear. If anything is to test Colleen’s resolve, December 1979 seems to be it.
Perfect for fans of Steve Berry and Harlan Coben
While all of the novels in the Colleen Hayes Mystery Series stand on their own and can be read in any order, the publication sequence is:
Vanishing in the Haight Tie Die Bad Scene Line of Darkness Night Candy
Review
Inspector Owens and his estranged wife are going to give their marriage one more try. But their night turns deadly and Owens is arrested for her murder. But, his good friend Colleen, knows there is something not right and she doesn’t stop until she knows the truth.
I love the setting of the 1970s. And the author did a great job with the clothing, the cars and the whole feel of the 70s. I also found Colleen a fantastic character. She is a strong, no nonsense type of gal. And she takes no crap off these men! Plus, she is smart and it shows!
This story weaves a great mystery with a kick. The twist and turns are exciting. I love how the author entangled the story around Inspector Owens and then contorted all the pieces together. And this book hit me at just the right time. I needed a good thriller to get lost in and this one fit the bill!
Need a good tale with a twist or two or three…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
A heartfelt novel about self-discovery, grief, and a once-in-a-lifetime chance to start over.
Rose Zadeh pleases everyone, except herself. Memories of her late Iranian-immigrant father, who valued hard work and family, keep Rose in a dead-end job as a Silicon Valley copywriter, and tethered to her guilt-trippy mom and needy sisters. As much as it would disappoint her father, Rose needs an escape. Voilà! A mandated vacation gives her the chance. Three weeks on a long-dreamed-of trip to the City of Light.
Instead of landing in a Parisian fairy tale, Rose falls under the spell of a charming and possibly dangerous expat and encounters an old family friend keeping a surprising secret. With the aid of a French self-help guru, Rose really believes she’s blossoming. Until an unwelcome reminder of home proves that finding herself will require more than a change of scenery.
From Paris’s cobblestone streets to Provence’s sun-soaked hills, Rose embarks on a journey of adventure, betrayals, and even amour. For the first time, the directions she follows are up to her.
Review
Rose has never missed a day of work. She has accrued many days of vacation. Now her boss says she MUST take a vacation. Rose really does not want to leave her safety net. But, she takes a leap of faith an books a 3 week trip to Paris. Needless to say, this changes her whole outlook on her life!
I adored Rose. She has tried her whole life to please everyone. Now, she has decided to please herself. And boy does she do it big! She takes off on her dream trip…TO PARIS! She ends up tangled up in more family drama. She thought she had left that at home AND a possible art theft. So, needless to say, her trip is definitely memorable.
I enjoyed so much about this tale. The characters and the setting create a wonderful story which will stay with you for several days!
Need a book about finding oneself…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.
I received this novel from the author for a honest review
From Nora Murphy, author of The Favor, The New Mother is both relatable and nerve-wracking, sympathetic and bone-chilling— a fresh new twist on motherhood and murder in suburbia.
Isolated. Lonely. Tired. It’s hard being The New Mother. Sometimes it’s murder.
Nothing is simple about being a new mom alone in a new house, especially when your baby is collicky. Natalie Fanning loves her son unconditionally, but being a mother was not all she wanted to be.
Enter Paul, the neighbor.
Paul provides the lifeline she needs in what feels like the most desperate of times. When Paul is helping with Oliver, calmed by his reassuring, steady presence, Nat feels like she can finally rest.
But Paul wants something in return. It’s no coincidence that he has befriended Nat—she is the perfect pawn for his own plan. Will Nat wake up in time to see it?
Review
Natalie has just had sweet, little baby boy. But he is colicky and never sleeps. She decides to take a sabbatical from her job and stay home. Enter her neighbor Paul. Paul understands everything that Natalie is going through. After all, he is a stay at home dad. He worms his way into Natalie’s life…but it is not all that it seems.
Natalie is a character which got on my nerves in places. She is very obsessive about her baby and refuses to have anyone help, including her husband. So, she sort of reaps what she sows. But Paul is the creeper. He knew exactly which buttons to push to make sure Natalie never knew of his plan.
This story could have been a very good read. But the author just kept on and on about breast feeding and new mother issues. Yes that is part of the plot. But I felt it was a bit excessive. And the ending is pretty abrupt. However, it is a slow burn and the intensity just keeps building. Plus, it is a very creative tale!
Need an unusual thriller…this is it. Grab your copy today.
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
Cheyenne Ashby knows the dark and disturbing history of her hometown of Blue Cliff, Virginia, all too well. It’s why she left. Growing up deep within the woods with her eccentric mother, Constance, she was raised on the unusual customs and generational superstitions linked to the local legend of an evil entity that haunts the forest.
Five years ago, the bodies of three children were found in the woods. It was a man—not a mythical beast—named Jasper Clinton who was convicted of these heinous crimes. For five years the town breathed just a bit easier with a real-life monster behind bars. But when another child goes missing, Cheyenne and Natalie are determined to discover the truth and uncover the town’s dangerous secrets rooted in its terrifying past.
The two women must confront the reality of the superstitions they always believed in and their town’s complicated connection with who—or what—lives in the woods. In the tradition of Lisa Jewell and Ruth Ware, Katherine Greene’s debut thriller is a dark descent into the sinister traditions and customs of a small town in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.
Review
Cheyenne has returned home. She has been notified by the local authorities that her mother, Constance, has gone off the deep end, AGAIN. She soon discovers another child is missing and her mother is knee deep in her superstitions and false beliefs.
I really enjoyed this read. I did figure out who the killer is, but that may have been designed by the author. The setting of the woods in the Appalachian mountains and the weird superstitions just added to the mystique.
This was almost a 5 star read for me. The only issues I had were the different narrators or the points of view. This is told from Cheyenne and Natalie’s points of view and a lot of the time it was unclear when your narrator changed. But, this was a minor inconvenience.
The narrator, Angie Hickman, is wonderful. She did a great job with the intensity.
Need a good, creepy read…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
A REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK “A Time-Twisting Delight” —Reese Witherspoon (Reese’s Book Club June ’23 Pick)
If you had the power to change the past…where would you start? Cassandra Penelope Dankworth is a creature of habit. She likes what she likes (museums, jumpsuits, her boyfriend, Will) and strongly dislikes what she doesn’t (mess, change, her boss drinking out of her mug). Her life runs in a pleasing, predictable order…until now.
She’s just been dumped.
She’s just been fired.
Her local café has run out of banana muffins.
Then, something truly unexpected happens: Cassie discovers she can go back and change the past. One small rewind at a time, Cassie attempts to fix the life she accidentally obliterated, but soon she’ll discover she’s trying to fix all the wrong things.
“A great read-alike for The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion, Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore, and The Boys by Katie Hafner.” —Booklist (STARRED)
Review
Cassandra has lost her job and her boyfriend all in one flick. So, she decides to rewind time and fix it. So she does…it doesn’t work out the way she wants it to. So she does it again…and again.
I am in the minority on this one. I found parts of this story monotonous and I was not a huge fan of Cassandra. Now, she did redeem herself in the end. And yes, she is on the spectrum. But that does not excuse all of her behavior. I will be honest, it took me about 50 percent into this book to really decide if I was going to finish it or not. But, it does get better. So, stick with it!
Cassandra changes a bit in the middle of the book. She becomes more forgiving and accepting. She also has some family drama that reveals itself and this makes her more endearing to the reader. So, this book is not all that it seems. It is about acceptance, family and being true to oneself. So, don’t give up!
Need a good family drama and other stuff…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest opinion.
From the number one New York Times best-selling author of If You Tell comes the chilling, binge-worthy story of Sharon Nelson, the minister’s wife whose two husbands mysteriously ended up dead.
Colorado, 1976. When Reverend Mike Fuller and his beautiful wife, Sharon, arrive in the sleepy town of Rocky Ford, local residents think something’s off about the new couple. The God-fearing minister is gruff and cold, while charismatic Sharon has her husband wrapped around her finger.
It isn’t long before Sharon is charming her husband’s congregation and finds herself in a tryst with local, married optometrist Perry Nelson. After the affair ends both their marriages, Sharon and Perry tie the knot. But shortly afterward, Perry disappears. When his body is shockingly discovered the bottom of a canyon, his death is ruled an accident, allowing grieving widow Sharon to claim his substantial life insurance.
Trying to move on from the tragedy, Sharon soon remarries fireman Glenn Harrelson. But when the charred remains of Glenn’s body are discovered with two bullet holes in his skull, the police can’t help but question if both men dying in such mysterious circumstances is one coincidence too many….
Shocking, sensational, and gripping, this is the true story of the black widow Sharon Nelson, a must-hear tale of greed, sex, and murder in a sleepy Colorado town that will have true crime fans of The Staircase, American Mother, and Making a Murderer hooked from start to finish.
This book was originally published as Confessions of an American Black Widow and Bitch on Wheels.
Review
Sharon is married to a Seventh Day Adventist pastor. But that does not stop her from flaunting her goods. She struts around town in short-shorts and flirts with every man she sees. Before long, her husband has lost his job and they have to move to Colorado. This is where their marriage falls completely apart. Sharon has set her eyes on an optometrist and she is not to be stopped.
There is a lot that occurs in this lady’s life and IF she doesn’t like it, she gets rid of it and moves on to the next. It just amazes me the hold on the men this woman had. She was a master manipulator. And since she got away with it once, keep trying! She definitely lived in the moment. She did not expect any consequences to her actions. It was all about her and her WANTS! (Not needs…WANTS!)
The narrator, Karen Peakes, is excellent. She is very matter of fact. Which to me, is the best way to be reading a true crime.
Need a a good true crime thriller…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
For fans of A League of Their Own, a debut historical novel that gives voice to the pioneering Black women of the of the Six Triple Eight Battalion who made history by sorting over one million pieces of mail overseas for the US Army.
“What a beautifully imagined and important narrative. Sanders’ clear-eyed and powerful writing made this a hard one to stop reading!”
—Jacqueline Woodson, National Book Award-Winning Author
“This is a novel to cherish and share. And this is a history to sing about and affirm — to proclaim.”
— Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, New York Times Bestselling author of The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois, an Oprah Book Club Novel
Inspired by true events, Women of the Post brings to life the heroines who proudly served in the all-Black battalion of the Women’s Army Corps in WWII, finding purpose in their mission and lifelong friendship.
1944, New York City. Judy Washington is tired of having to work at the Bronx Slave Market, cleaning white women’s houses for next to nothing. She dreams of a bigger life, but with her husband fighting overseas, it’s up to her and her mother to earn enough for food and rent. When she’s recruited to join the Women’s Army Corps—offering a steady paycheck and the chance to see the world—Judy jumps at the opportunity.
During training, Judy becomes fast friends with the other women in her unit—Stacy, Bernadette and Mary Alyce—who all come from different cities and circumstances. Under Second Officer Charity Adams’s leadership, they receive orders to sort over one million pieces of mail in England, becoming the only unit of Black women to serve overseas during WWII.
The women work diligently, knowing that they’re reuniting soldiers with their loved ones through their letters. However, their work becomes personal when Mary Alyce discovers a backlogged letter addressed to Judy. Told through the alternating perspectives of Judy, Charity and Mary Alyce, Women of the Post is an unforgettable story of perseverance, female friendship and self-discovery.
Review
Judy is tired of working for pennies. She joins the WAC. She wants a steady paycheck and she wants to know where her husband is. He joined the army and she has not heard a word from him. She ends up becoming friends with several other women in her group. They all end up overseas (even though they are not allowed to go!) with specific orders to fix the mess of the mail.
Well! I am a huge WWII reader (if you have not guessed!). And I had never heard of the women who straighten out the mess of the mail in WWII. I learned so much reading this novel.
First of all, I didn’t know about the African American women in the Army. I didn’t know all the trials they had to overcome. But these women were amazing. Then there is the Slave Market in the Bronx during the 1930s and 1940s. You can read more about that piece of awful history here. Plus, Mary McLeod Bethune is mentioned in this novel. She has a special place in my childhood reading so I learned more about her in these pages.
There is so much that this novel encompasses. Not only is it full of rich history, it is also full of friendship, strength and a bit of romance.
Need a unique, well researched, WWII tale…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Joshunda Sanders is an award-winning author, journalist and speechwriter. A former Obama Administration political appointee, her fiction, essays and poetry have appeared in dozens of anthologies. She has been awarded residencies and fellowships at Hedgebrook, Lambda Literary, The Key West Literary Seminars and the Martha’s Vineyard Institute for Creative Writing. Women of the Post is her first novel.
A Most Anticipated Book by Real Simple ∙ SheReads ∙ BookBub ∙ and more!
Inspired by a remarkable true story, a young teacher evacuates children to safety across perilous waters, in a moving and triumphant new novel from New York Timesbestselling author Hazel Gaynor.
1940, Kent: Alice King is not brave or daring—she’s happiest finding adventure through the safe pages of books. But times of war demand courage, and as the threat of German invasion looms, a plane crash near her home awakens a strength in Alice she’d long forgotten. Determined to do her part, she finds a role perfectly suited to her experience as a schoolteacher—to help evacuate Britain’s children overseas.
1940, London: Lily Nichols once dreamed of using her mathematical talents for more than tabulating the cost of groceries, but life, and love, charted her a different course. With two lively children and a loving husband, Lily’s humble home is her world, until war tears everything asunder. With her husband gone and bombs raining down, Lily is faced with an impossible choice: keep her son and daughter close, knowing she may not be able to protect them, or enroll them in a risky evacuation scheme, where safety awaits so very far away.
When a Nazi U-boat torpedoes the S. S. Carlisle carrying a ship of children to Canada, a single lifeboat is left adrift in the storm-tossed Atlantic. Alice and Lily, strangers to each other—one on land, the other at sea—will quickly become one another’s very best hope as their lives are fatefully entwined.
Review
Alice has had a shock. She has found a downed airman and he dies right in front of her. From then on, she is determined to do her part in the war. She decides to escort a group of children away from the bombing in London to safer shores.
Lilly is a widowed mother of two. She makes the horrendous decision to send her children to a safe place, away from the blitz in London. Little does she know her life will be forever changed.
The ship carrying these children and Alice is torpedoed after their navy escort leaves them unattended. You can just imagine the heartbreak. A few manage to get on a life boat. It is a lifeboat not counted. So it stays for days out a sea. What these children and Alice experience is horrendous. And you will need to read this to see exactly how they are rescued…YOU WILL NOT BE SORRY!
Talk about an emotional read. This novel unravels you! I cannot imagine being a mother and having to make a decision to send my children away. And then not be able to save them. This book pulls at every heart string you have. And to know it is based on real life events. GEEZ!
Hazel Gaynor has done it again!
Need a fabulous story based on real events…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
For fans of The Age of Light and Z comes a “beguiling novel of artistic ambition, perseverance, and friendship” (Katy Hays, New York Times bestselling author) based on the true story of the 20th-century painters and tarot devotees Remedios Varo and Leonora Carrington.
In this “unforgettable adventure, and one you don’t want to miss” (Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling author), painter Remedios Varo and her lover, poet Benjamin Peret escape the Nazis by fleeing Paris and arriving at a safe house for artists on the Rivieria.
Along with Max Ernst, Peggy Guggenheim, and others, the two anxiously wait for exit papers.
As the months pass, Remedios begins to sense that the others don’t see her as a fellow artist; they have cast her in the stifling role of a surrealist ideal: the beautiful innocent. She finds refuge in a mysterious bookshop, where she stumbles into a world of occult learning and intensifies an esoteric practice in the tarot that helps her light the bright fire of her creative genius.
When travel documents come through, Remedios and Benjamin flee to Mexico where she is reunited with friend and fellow painter Leonora Carrington. Together, the women tap into their creativity, stake their independence, and each find their true loves. But it is the tarot that enables them to access the transcendent that lies on the other side of consciousness and to become the truest Surrealists of all.
Review
Remedios accidentally comes across a shop. Basically, she was being chased by the gendarme and she ran in to hide! The owner of the shop ends up teaching her about the tarot cards. This becomes Remedios faith. She discovers herself in these cards and she will never let herself be changed again.
I enjoyed Remedios. She has suffered at the hands of the Nazis and it traumatizes her. But, she never quits. She also is a true believer of the tarot. It is how she stays sane during all of her trials. And Benjamin, he is just a bit passive and not my favorite person.
This book fell a bit short for me. But honestly, it was probably because I had such high expectations. I love a good book about tarot cards and the occult. This one could have been better, and this is just my opinion. I did expect more of a mystical element than the author portrays.
Need a story about the practice of tarot cards…THIS IS IT. Grab your copy today.
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
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