The Resemblance by Lauren Nossett @macmillanaudio #audiblebook #audiobook #booktwitter #bookreview

Overview

Lauren Nossett’s artfully written debut, The Resemblance is an exhilarating, atmospheric campus thriller reminiscent of The Secret History and The Likeness.

Never betray the brotherhood

On a chilly November morning at the University of Georgia, a fraternity brother steps off a busy crosswalk and is struck dead by an oncoming car. More than a dozen witnesses all agree on two things: the driver looked identical to the victim, and he was smiling.

Detective Marlitt Kaplan is first on the scene. An Athens native and the daughter of a UGA professor, she knows all its shameful histories, from the skull discovered under the foundations of Baldwin Hall to the hushed-up murder-suicide in Waddel. But in the course of investigating this hit-and-run, she will uncover more chilling secrets as she explores the sprawling, interconnected Greek system that entertains and delights the university’s most elite and connected students.

The lines between Marlitt’s police work and her own past increasingly blur as Marlitt seeks to bring to justice an institution that took something precious from her many years ago. When threats against her escalate, and some long-buried secrets threaten to come to the surface, she can’t help questioning whether the corruption in Athens has run off campus and into the force and how far these brotherhoods will go to protect their own.

Review

There has been a hit and run on the University of Georgia campus. All of the witnesses say the driver of the vehicle looked just like the victim. Detective Marlitt Kaplan is the first on the scene. She immediately feels there is just something off about this case. Her superior fights her tooth and nail about her theories.

Marlitt is a tough lady. She knows the history of the crimes on campus and the problems with the Greek system. She actually has a past issue with the Greeks and she may be a tad bit biased. Now, there were several times I questioned Marlitt’s judgement. She is definitely on the right track and following her gut. But she just seems to be going against her own self, or rather, she is self destructive.

I loved the setting of an SEC university. And of course…all the fraternity secrets. Made this whole novel for me. Give me a good southern murder, and I am hooked!

I enjoyed the narrator, Saskia Maarleveld. I recently listened to another one with this narrator. She is very talented and did not try to kill a southern accent. HUGE PLUS!

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

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

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Behind Her Lives by Briana Cole @tantoraudio #audiobook #audiblebook #booktwitter #bookreview

Overview

Secrets, suspense, and a missing sister—who may not want to be found—are at the center of Briana Cole’s latest enthralling multicultural drama. Will appeal to fans of psychological suspense, gritty drama, and fans of De’Nesha Diamond, Kiki Swinson, Saundra, Wahida Clark, Ashley & JaQuavis, Victoria Christopher Murray, and Shelly Ellis.

“That’s not my sister.” Overwhelmed by shock and relief, those are the only words Deven can muster when she is called to identify the body of a suicide victim. A body she was informed was her sister, Kennedy. But as she stares at the lifeless stranger, she’s filled with questions: Who is this woman? Why was Deven listed as family? And most important, where is Kennedy? Her intuition tells her just one thing: this can’t be a total coincidence.

Desperate to put the pieces together, Deven launches her own investigation. Soon, she finds herself tangled in a web of secrets and lies so twisted that it blurs the lines between fact and fiction. And between the sister she thought she knew and the one who seems to have many hidden, dangerous lives. But only Kennedy would have the answers to increasingly urgent questions. Just one possibility is clear: Kennedy isn’t missing. Maybe she just doesn’t want to be found. And maybe you can never truly know another person. Even your own sister.

Review

Deven is determined to find out where her sister is. She knows it is not the dead body in the morgue. But she just can’t prove it. Everyone believes she is dead but NOT Deven. And the further Deven delves into Kennedy’s disappearance, the more questions she has.

Deven is not a quitter, I will give her that. I enjoyed her tenacity. And the history of these two young ladies….even though they are sisters…their lives were so different!

I have never read this author before. How I have missed her…who knows!?!? But I loved this twisted tale. I had no idea who to believe. When Deven said “That is not my sister!”…I knew I was about to be in for a wild ride.

The narrator, Diana Blue, is spot on! She kept the intensity and the drama up at the perfect level!

Need a good mystery which will have you questioning everything…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

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

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Murder at Black Oaks by Phillip Margolin #booktwitter #bookreview #suspense #audiobook @macmillanaudio

Overview

In Phillip Margolin’s Murder at Black Oaks, Attorney Robin Lockwood finds herself at an isolated retreat in the Oregon mountains, one with a tragic past and a legendary curse, and surrounded by many suspects and confronted with an impossible crime.

Defense Attorney Robin Lockwood is summoned by retired District Attorney Francis Melville to meet with him at Black Oaks, the manor he owns up in the Oregon mountains. The manor has an interesting history—originally built in 1628 in England, there’s a murderous legend and curse attached to the mansion. Melville, however, wants Lockwood’s help in a legal matter—righting a wrongful conviction from his days as a DA. A young man, Jose Alvarez, was convicted of murdering his girlfriend only for Melville, years later when in private practice, to have a client of his admit to the murder and to framing the man Melville convicted. Unable to reveal what he knew due to attorney client confidence, Melville now wants Lockwood’s help in getting that conviction overturned.

Successful in their efforts, Melville invites Lockwood up to Black Oaks for a celebration. Lockwood finds herself among an odd group of invitees—including the bitter, newly released, Alvarez. When Melville is found murdered, with a knife connected to the original curse, Lockwood finds herself faced with a conundrum—who is the murder among them and how to stop them before there’s another victim.

Review

Robin is a talented defense attorney. She has been summoned to a meeting by retired District Attorney Francis Melville at his home at Black Oaks. Black Oaks is a mansion with a strange past. But, Robin has been called for a legal matter. Francis knows he put the wrong man behind bars decades ago. He wants Robin to correct his mistake.

There are a lot of moving parts to this novel and I enjoyed every one. I loved the creepy setting of the house and the weird legend. Then there is the case. Jose was wrongly accused of killing his girlfriend. It derailed his whole life. But, Robin is successful and brings Jose back to Black Oaks. Then the real story begins…you will have to read this to find out!

Now, I did figure it out. However, I enjoyed the intensity and the quest to find the killer…was it a family member, the legend, or an outsider?!?! READ IT!

The narrator, Thérèse Plummer, is excellent. She is one I will be on the look out for!

Need a good mystery with a creepy feel… THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

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

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Doomed Legacy by Matt Coyle @oceanviewpub #bookreview #mystery #thriller #booktwitter

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!

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Lucy By The Sea by Elizabeth Strout #fiction #bookreview #booktwitter @randomhouse

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!

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White Horse by Erika T. Wurth @macmillanaudio #bookreview #fiction #booktwitter

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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Haunted in America by Leslie Rule Bookreview #nonfiction #audiblebook #audiobook

Overview

From best-selling author Leslie Rule comes a collection of stories about things that go bump in the night—true accounts collected from her years of research on ghostly encounters in the United States, including revised and updated content in Rule’s singular voice.

Whether you’re a believer, a skeptic, or somewhere in between, you’ll find a story that sticks with you in this compendium of the best of Leslie Rule’s ghost explorations and interviews. With the most-spine tingling stories from the author’s previous four books, Coast to Coast Ghosts, When the Ghost Screams, Ghosts Among Us, and Ghost in the Mirror, along with new and updated accounts and theories, Rule brings her original voice to this omnibus of chilling, fascinating tales.

Review

Do I believe in ghosts? I really do not know. But the idea of them fascinates me. So, this book hit the spot. I really want to travel to many of these places and see what happens! Don’t laugh…I really do!!

Leslie Rule is the daughter of the author Anne Rule. She has a lot of her mother’s insight in this book. Leslie has a wealth of knowledge and she has done a ton of research on the history of these places and the people who possibly haunt them. She even added the story of the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis. I have heard this story numerous times. I loved hearing about through Leslie’s eyes!

The narrator, Lisa Flanagan did an excellent job. She is very matter of fact and sincere.

Need a great book about true life hauntings…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

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A Wish for Winter by Viola Shipman @harlequinbooks #booktwitter #fiction #bookreview

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.

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The Lindbergh Nanny by Mariah Fredericks #bookreview #historicalfiction #booktwitter @macmillanusa

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!

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The Prisoner by B.A. Paris @macmillanaudio #audiobook #audiblebook #bookreview

Overview

With Behind Closed Doors, New York Times bestselling author B. A. Paris took the psychological thriller to shocking new heights. Now she’ll hold you captive with THE PRISONER—a stunning new thriller about one woman wed into a family with deadly intentions.

Amelie has always been a survivor, from losing her parents as a child in Paris to making it on her own in London. As she builds a life for herself, she is swept up into a glamorous lifestyle where she married the handsome billionaire Ned Hawthorne.

But then, Amelie wakes up in a pitch-black room, not knowing where she is. Why has she been taken? Who are her mysterious captors? And why does she soon feel safer here, imprisoned, than she had begun to feel with her husband Ned?

In the vein of Behind Closed Doors and The Therapist, multimillion-copy bestseller B. A. Paris is back with a gripping new suspense novel.

Review

Amelie is trying to make a go of it. She has lost her parents and she has moved to London to get a new start. She ends up marrying a billionaire…YES…You heard me right! But, it is an arrangement to help her reach her college goals. However, her husband, Ned, is not the person she thought he was. Then she and Ned are both kidnapped and kept prisoner for ransom.

Amelie is a naïve, young lady thrown into a situation she cannot get out of. Her husband is a piece of work and y’all will just have to read this and find out how bad he really is. Then there are the kidnappers. Geez, this girl just can’t win! Talk about captivating!

Lord have mercy, this story is intricate, intense and fierce. There were places in which I was gasping for air. Now, I did fluctuate between 4 and 5 stars. I think, basically, it is a bit far fetched. But, then again, is it really? See my dilemma!?!

I enjoyed this narrator, Georgia Maguire. She just does a great job, especially during the intense sections! This is really how I measure a narrator. If they can get the intense sections right, then they are excellent in my book!

Need a good guessing game…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

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