#bookblogger – Page 25 – Rosepoint Publishing

Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe – #AudiobookReview #HumorousFiction&Satire

Best Books of the Year So Far 2024

Book Blurb:

Audiobook Narrated by Elle Fanning!

As the child of a Hooters waitress and an ex-pro wrestler, Margo Millet’s always known she’d have to make it on her own. So she enrolls at her local junior college, even though she can’t imagine how she’ll ever make a living. She’s still figuring things out and never planned to have an affair with her English professor—and while the affair is brief, it isn’t brief enough to keep her from getting pregnant. Despite everyone’s advice, she decides to keep the baby, mostly out of naiveté and a yearning for something bigger.

Now, at twenty, Margo is alone with an infant, unemployed, and on the verge of eviction. She needs a cash infusion—fast. When her estranged father, Jinx, shows up on her doorstep and asks to move in with her, she agrees in exchange for help with childcare. Then Margo begins to form a plan: she’ll start an OnlyFans as an experiment, and soon finds herself adapting some of Jinx’s advice from the world of wrestling. Like how to craft a compelling character and make your audience fall in love with you. Before she knows it, she’s turned it into a runaway success. Could this be the answer to all of Margo’s problems, or does internet fame come with too high a price?

Blisteringly funny and filled with sharp insight, Margo’s Got Money Troubles is a tender tale starring an endearing young heroine who’s struggling to wrest money and power from a world that has little interest in giving it to her. It’s a playful and honest examination of the art of storytelling and controlling your own narrative, and an empowering portrait of coming into your own, both online and off.

My Review:

Okay…SORRY! I’m too old to know about OnlyFans…there IS such a thing? Not that I was ever in the loop, but at my age, I don’t even remember what the loop was. Obviously, it’s changed, and this narrative will pull the uninitiated oldsters into a whole new world of hip. (Or maybe hip is an old word too.)

I’m still debating about whether or not that’s a good thing.

I suppose I’m guilty of relating to the title and that cover? Oh yeah…that’s a gotcha.

I should have read the blurb, but even so having done that would not have prepared me for the smart and modern reality the reader is thrown into. (Sex and the City? Gasp.) But, as the blurb would tell it, when she keeps the baby from a brief affair with her English professor, her world will definitely do a 180. Not the baby fantasy she had in mind? Unemployment won’t stave off eviction? What to do if you need money…quick!

Jinx, her estranged father shows up needing a place to live. How timely. He’ll provide some childcare about the time she’s introduced to the idea of an OnlyFans website.

Innocent fun—you know? And as an ex pro-wrestler, Jinx has lots of advice on getting her site out there. He’s ready to help her promote.

Margo is no bimbo and she learns quickly. Her mother is totally disgusted with her but she has support from friends. After a learning curve, she’s astonished to discover it’s taking off and lucrative. Now she’s sparking off ideas, increasing her research, trying new staging techniques, getting braver in her presentations.

No, it’s not like I could identify with Margo, except for the money part, but the characters are all unique and very modern and forthright in blazingly raw and frank conversations.

There are several themes here, and pretty much all of them are taking me out of any comfort zone I have. While it’s a world alien to me, knowing it exists, and getting to know those who inhabit that world is a revelation.

The more determined Margo is to be successful, the deeper she sinks into moral undergrounds. Until, finally, she is questioning herself and looking for a reckoning. The author mixes in humor (laughter a great tension releaser), as she hones a perceptive and entertaining storyline that appears to go places I’d never have considered. It’s alternately heartwarming and shocking. And the baby in all of this? At times barely an afterthought.

The book is currently being adapted for television by A24 and AppleTV.

I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Humorous Fiction & Satire, Coming of Age Fiction, Humorous Fiction
Publisher: HarperAudio
ASIN: B0CJ5WLM5M
Listening Length: 10 hrs 21 mins
Narrator: Elle Fanning
Publication Date: June 11, 2024
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: Margo’s Got Money Troubles – Amazon-US
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Author: Rufi Thorpe received her MFA from the University of Virginia in 2009. She is the author of four novels, The Girls from Corona Del Mar, Dear Fang, With Love, and her most recent, The Knockout Queen, which was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner award. Her newest book, Margo’s Got Money Troubles, is due out June of 2024. She lives in California with her husband and two sons, and teaches at The Book Incubator.

Happy Thursday!

An Insignificant Case: A Thriller by Phillip Margolin #BookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

Book Blurb:

A new standalone legal thriller from the international bestselling author of GONE, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN.

Charlie Webb is a third rate lawyer who graduated from a third rate law-school and, because he couldn’t get hired by any of the major law firms, has opened his own law firm, where he gets by handling cases for dubious associates from his youth and some court appointed cases. Described as “a leaky boat floating down the stream of life,” Charlie has led unremarkable life, personally and professionally. Until he’s appointed to be the attorney for a decidedly crackpot artist who calls himself Guido Sabatini (born Lawrence Weiss). Sabatini has been arrested – again – for breaking into a restaurant and stealing back a painting he sold them because he was insulted by where it was displayed. But as Lawrence Weiss, he’s also an accomplished card shark and burglar and while he was there, he stole a thumb drive from the owner’s safe.

Not knowing what else Sabatani has stolen, Webb negotiates the return of the painting and “other items’ for the owner dropping charges against Sabatini. But the contents of the flash drive threatens very powerful figures who are determined to retrieve it, the restaurant owner (Gretchen Hall) and her driver (Yuri Makarov) are being investigated for the sex trafficking of minors, and there are others who have a violent grudge against Sabatini. When a minor theft case becomes a double homicide, and even more, Charlie Webb, an insignificant lawyer assigned to an insignificant case, is faced with the most important, and deadliest, case of his life. Going back to his long-time bestselling roots, Phillip Margolin returns with a brilliant standalone legal thriller in the tradition of John Grisham.

My Review:

I have read and enjoyed a number of Margolin’s books but usually in the Robin Lockwood series. This one, as a standalone, creates what could be the start of another great series.

The reader is introduced to Charlie Webb, definitely not caliber class attorney material who barely scraped by from a third-rate school to become a third-rate lawyer. No problem, he opens his own office and, again, barely scrapes by with what business he can glean, most often lately from a motorcycle gang often finding its members in a hassle with law enforcement.

Gees, I loved him already!

So when he gets a file for Guido Sabatini, local artist and nut case, he takes it on thinking it’s a simple B and E. Well, then, of course, there is the small matter of his also lifting something from the safe he got into while on a mission to steal back his painting that found him insulted by its placement. He felt it should have been hung where the public would have full view—not in someone’s back office. Oops.

It’s not the painting so much as the little device he stole and that sets up a whole different breed of case and one not in Charlie’s bailiwick. He is badly in over his head, knows it, tries to refuse the case. Guido insists it must be he. I guess you have to start somewhere, but Charlie has to find some help—quick.

As you might suspect, it’s a fast read, engaging with unusual characters, and entertaining. Yes, there are some twists and it’s possible that a reader who enjoys not only a legal thriller, but mysteries, crime fiction, and courtroom dramas would enjoy this one. If you like Grisham, you’d surely like this as well.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author and publisher through @NetGalley that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Legal Thrillers, Murder Thrillers, Murder
Publisher: Minotaur Books
ISBN-10: ‎1250885825
ISBN-13: ‎978-125088582
ASIN: B0CQHMJKWN
Print Length: 304 pages
Publication Date: November 5, 2024
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: PHILLIP MARGOLIN has written over twenty novels, most of them New York Times bestsellers, including Gone But Not Forgotten, Lost Lake, and Violent Crimes. In addition to being a novelist, he was a long time criminal defense attorney with decades of trial experience, including a large number of capital cases. Margolin lives in Portland, Oregon.

#TuesdayBookBlog

Late Checkout: A Mess Hopkins Novel by Alan Orloff #BookReview #amateursleuthmysteries

Book Blurb:

Motel proprietor Mess Hopkins is more interested in helping others than turning a profit, so he opens the doors of the Fairfax Manor Inn to those seeking refuge from a bad situation. But when his cousin Finn shows up in trouble, his world is rocked, because Mess had thought Finn was dead, having run away six years earlier.

Unfortunately, Finn was in the wrong place at the wrong time and saw the wrong thing—an incident with deadly consequences.

It’s up to Mess, his girlfriend/newspaper reporter Lia Katsaros, and buddy Vell Jackson to solve the crime before some bad men achieve their goal—killing the only eyewitness.
Mess’s frightened cousin Finn.

His Review:

Running a motel is not an easy task. Mess Hopkins expects to inherit one from his parents, but he has been left with the management task. Problem is, Mess is a very compassionate man and is a sucker for a sob story. The motel is barely staying afloat and continues to limp along.

Finn is his cousin who has been missing for years. He suddenly shows up after being a lost soul and his family is very irritated with him. Mess and Finn were best friends as youngsters and they are happy to be back together. Finn has declared that he is gay and also that he witnessed a murder. He is sure that the murderers are after him.

The manager that Mess hired to help run the motel is a character who really does all the work. He is continually admonishing Mess for his lack of attention to detail and also for letting rooms to vagabonds who are unable to pay.

Killers hunting for Finn and continual management issues keep this novel moving. Will mismanagement finally doom the motel? Will the killers catch up with Finn and eliminate the family problem? Will the rest of the family finally accept Finn for who he is and bring him back into the fold? Read this well-written novel and find out. 4.5 stars – CE Williams

Note: The CE read and reviewed Sanctuary Motel last year and greatly enjoyed it. This series is well-plotted and moves smoothly through the storyline. Mess is an emotive character, garners empathy, and is easy to become invested in.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Amateur Sleuth Mysteries, Crime Thrillers
Publisher: Level Best Books
ASIN: B0DGJY67Q2
Print Length: 310 pages
Publication Date: October 22, 2024
Source: Author and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Before Alan stepped off the corporate merry-go-round, he had an eclectic (some might say disjointed) career. As an engineer, he worked on nuclear submarines, supervised assembly workers in factories, facilitated technology transfer from the Star Wars program, and learned to stack washing machines three high in a warehouse with a forklift. He even started his own recycling and waste reduction newsletter business. Now he writes fiction.

Alan Orloff’s debut mystery, DIAMONDS FOR THE DEAD (Midnight Ink), was a 2010 Agatha Award Finalist for Best First Novel. He’s written two books in the Last Laff mystery series, KILLER ROUTINE and DEADLY CAMPAIGN (also from Midnight Ink), and writing as his darker half Zak Allen, he’s published three books: THE TASTE, FIRST TIME KILLER, and RIDE-ALONG. His novel, RUNNING FROM THE PAST, was one of the initial Kindle Scout selections.

His novel, PRAY FOR THE INNOCENT, won the 2019 ITW Thriller Award for Best E-Book Original.

His novel, I KNOW WHERE YOU SLEEP, was a Shamus Award Finalist for Best First PI Novel.

HIs YA thriller, I PLAY ONE ON TV, won both the Agatha Award and Anthony Award for Best Children’s/YA Mystery.

His short fiction has appeared in numerous publications, including JEWISH NOIR, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, CHESAPEAKE CRIMES: STORM WARNING, Mystery Magazine, Black Cat Mystery Magazine, WINDWARD, SNOWBOUND, LANDFALL, SEASCAPE, and MASTHEAD (BEST NEW ENGLAND CRIME STORIES 2016 – 2020), THE NIGHT OF THE FLOOD, MYSTERY MOST GEOGRAPHICAL, GUNS + TACOS, and MICKEY FINN: 21st Century Noir, Volumes 1 and 3.

His flash fiction story, “Happy Birthday,” was nominated for a 2018 Derringer Award, and his story, “Dying in Dokesville,” won a 2019 Derringer Award.

His story, “Rent Due,” won the 2021 ITW Thriller Award for Best Short Story, and “Rule Number One” (SNOWBOUND, Level Best Books) was selected for the 2018 edition of THE BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY STORIES anthology, edited by Louise Penny.

He loves arugula and cake, but not together. Never together.

Alan can be followed/stalked on Facebook (www.facebook.com/alanorloff) and Twitter (@alanorloff). For more info, visit http://www.alanorloff.com.

Have a great week!

A Dog’s Courage and A Dog’s Promise by W Bruce Cameron #AudiobookReview #ThrowbackThursday

Book 2 (of 2), the sequel to A Dog’s Way Home (a hit movie) and Book 3 (of 3) from A Dog’s Purpose (another major motion picture stemming from A Dog’s Journey.

Without looking more closely, I thought I was getting Book 2 and 3 of the same series. Apparently not. Which one did I prefer?

A Dog’s Courage

Book Blurb:

Bella was once a lost dog, but now she lives happily with her people, Lucas and Olivia, only occasionally recalling the hardships in her past. Then a weekend camping trip turns into a harrowing struggle for survival when the Rocky Mountains are engulfed by the biggest wildfire in American history. The raging inferno separates Bella from her people and she is lost once more.

Alone in the wilderness, Bella unexpectedly finds herself responsible for the safety of two defenseless mountain lion cubs. Now she’s torn between two equally urgent goals. More than anything, she wants to find her way home to Lucas and Olivia, but not if it means abandoning her new family to danger. And danger abounds, from predators hunting them to the flames threatening at every turn.

Can Bella ever get back to where she truly belongs?

A Dog’s Courage is more than a fast-paced adventure, more than a devoted dog’s struggle to survive, it’s a story asking that we believe in our dogs as much as they believe in us.

A Macmillan Audio production from Forge Books

My Review:

Unfortunately, this one is narrated by a woman who over-dramatizes pretty much everything. After I started the audiobook, I remember I’d started it before and DNF. This time I tried finishing the novel as the plot is interesting and it’s well-paced. The plot mirrors an often repeated problem in the mountains, that of forest fires, and just how quickly they can explode from tree-top to tree-top incinerating everything below.

This is the story of Bella, once a lost dog apparently doomed to repeat the experience and this time with the addition of the cubs and the fire. How the dog handles the cubs and her connection to the felines is engaging, suspenseful, and gratifying borne of her independent and wild experience before. The thought processes of the dog, the POV, often seem as authentically from the canine herself. Oh yes, and I liked that the main character was a female this time.

Book Details:

Genre: Animal Fiction, Family Life Fiction
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
ASIN: B08KYJRQ27
Listening Length: 10 hrs 18 mins
Narrator: Ann Marie Lee
Publication Date: May 4, 2021
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: A Dog’s Courage [Amazon]

>——————-

A Dog’s Promise

Book Blurb:

A Dog’s Promise continues the story of Bailey, the good dog whose journey started in A Dog’s Purpose (the international hit film) and continued in A Dog’s Journey (soon to be a major motion picture in May 2019). This time, Bailey is joined by Lacey, another very special dog, who helps Bailey fulfill his promise over the course of several lives.

This charming, wise canine soul brings joy, laughter, and comfort as he unites a family fractured by life’s inevitable obstacles. The love and loyalty of these two memorable dogs shows us the incredible power of hope, truth, and unending devotion in this moving audiobook by award-winning author W. Bruce Cameron.

My Review:

This is the story of Bailey who is joined by Lacey, his soul mate. This one is narrated by a man who does an admiral job of being the main character’s POV.

This one threw me when the main character dies about a third into the book. Then he begins as a puppy again and passes about two-thirds into the book, and, you guessed it, becomes a puppy again, each time with a new name but essentially the same characteristics, even some of the memories, particularly scent memories. Each time he finds his purpose as an adult and it’s during this memory of previous jobs that the humans in his life discover a possible connection. Some skepticism, but perhaps arguable points.

I liked the human characters in this book, a diverse cadre of people, although I did tire of the animosity between the brothers. The life span of the dogs takes the main human characters through years of life until all the threads are neatly brought together in conclusion, as I correctly assumed they would. After all, it’s a feel good book.

Book Details:

Genre: Animal Fiction, Family Life Fiction
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
ASIN: B07THCL254
Listening Length: 10 hrs 48 mins
Narrator: William Dufris
Publication Date: October 15, 2019
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: A Dog’s Promise [Amazon]

The Author: W. Bruce Cameron is the New York Times bestselling author of 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter, The Dog Master, and the A Dog’s Purpose series. In 2011 he was named Columnist of the Year by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. He lives in California.

Summary

Both books are good although I found the inner dialogue of the dog in A Dog’s Courage a bit more intelligent using more thought processes than in A Dog’s Promise. Bailey and his successive soul brought into those dogs a more simple thought process, immediate gratification, concentrating on food first and his lady-love Lacey second. Also, the plot appears to meander a bit, sometimes losing the main thread before ascending into the next mini-drama.

No clear winner here. Preferred the male narrator of Courage, but the storyline of Promise. Plot for plot, each reader might find their preference—animal driven or (human) character driven.

I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.

#ThrowbackThursday

Death by Jelly Beans by Susan Black #BookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

Holly Swimsuit Mystery Book 5

Book Blurb:

Mermaid Swimwear President Holly Schlivnik discovers the Bainbridge Department Store Easter Bunny slumped over dead and obnoxious swimwear buyer Sue Ellen Magee is arrested for the crime. Despite her differences with the nasty buyer, Holly is convinced the Queen of Mean didn’t do it. The wise-cracking, irreverent amateur sleuth jumps into action to nail the real killer. But the trail has more twists than a pretzel and more turns than a rollercoaster. And nothing turns out the way Holly thinks it will as she tangles with a clever killer hellbent on revenge.

My Review:

Oh my stars, I did it again—accepted another cozy mystery (yes, me), cleverly reeled in by the cover and the request by Holly Schwartz for Susie Black. This is that one, you know, with the unlikely protagonist, Holly Schlivnik. Nothing boring about Holly! She lives in a houseboat while being a President of Mermaid Swimwear. (Yes, and there are interesting bits of marketing strategy included.) She also has Siggie, the dog with all the answers, if you know how to interpret them appropriately.

Once again, dialogue can be refreshingly sharp, Holly doesn’t always apply a filter. Still, she seems to have that sixth sense in these matters, albeit at times difficult to grasp. Once again, she meets the Yentas daily, including Queenie Levine. Her bestie, Assistant Medical Examiner Sophia Cutler MD (also known as Snip) is good for a laugh.

Need I say there is a raft of remarkable support characters? This time the crew put their heads together to solve the mystery of the death of the department store Easter Bunny when Sue Ellen (aka the “Queen of Mean”) is arrested for the crime. Okay, granted she wasn’t exactly a favorite among the industry, but Sue Ellen? No way!

I did note in Book 4, Death by Cutting Table, the number of references to Nancy Drew. I didn’t see as much of that this time, but a new one popped up, “Thank the Goddess.” Where did that come from and why?

On the whole, I enjoy this wacky series, the main characters and those around her. The narrative generally stays on track, although there are some twists and red herrings, still some involvement in the romance interest this time, although she is reconsidering it. The novel moves with a good pace and is well plotted, and I always appreciate a good dog involved in the storyline. Additionally, there are always a few tidbits to learn.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Amateur Sleuths
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press Inc
ASIN: B0D12LQBXL
Print Length: 207 pages
Publication Date: September 4, 2024
Source: Author

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Susie Black biography

Named best US author of the year by N. N. Light Book Heaven, award-winning cozy mystery author Susie Black was born in the Big Apple but now calls sunny Southern California home. Like the protagonist in her Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series, Susie is a successful apparel sales executive. Susie began telling stories as soon as she learned to talk. Now she’s telling all the stories from her garment industry experiences in humorous mysteries.

She reads, writes, and speaks Spanish, albeit with an accent that sounds like Mildred from Michigan went on a Mexican vacation and is trying to fit in with the locals. Since life without pizza and ice cream as her core food groups wouldn’t be worth living, she’s a dedicated walker to keep her girlish figure. A voracious reader, she’s also an avid stamp collector. Susie lives with a highly intelligent man and has one incredibly brainy but smart-aleck adult son who inexplicably blames his sarcasm on an inherited genetic defect.

Looking for more? Reach her at mysteries_@authorsusieblack.com

#TuesdayBookBlog

Going Dark by George K Mehok #BookReview #technothrillers

Rosepoint Publishing: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

In the aftermath of 9/11, remnants of Bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda network quietly infiltrated the U.S. heartland, lying dormant for over two decades. On Thanksgiving Day, they strike—triggering a sinister cyber-terrorist plot poised to plunge America into unparalleled digital darkness. But it’s only the beginning.

Paul Knox, a seasoned NSA cybersecurity expert and former Air Force communications officer, is thrust into a clandestine conflict spanning generations. As Knox delves into a complex web of cyber intrigue, he must confront both the mission’s high stakes and personal demons, including the unwitting involvement of his daughter, Emma, a brilliant MIT computer scientist who holds the key to the next-generation internet.

The narrative intertwines with the origin story of the Liberty Unit’s first member, John “Jack” Jouett. In 1791, Jouett embarks on a perilous mission to deliver a critical message from Thomas Jefferson to General Henry Knox, altering the Revolutionary War’s trajectory.

As the lines between past and present blur, Knox races against time to save his daughter and unravel mysteries that could reshape history. Going dark won’t be a problem for a man who’s spent his life tracking the “worst of the worst” on the dark web. But in this game, every move could be his last.

His Review:

The Revolutionary War is cleverly juxtaposed against the current world stage. The culprits are a brother of General George Washington and Hassan from Damascus who sees the United States and its citizens as the enemy of the Islamic world and worthy of the most painful of deaths. Struggles are very personal during any war, be it the Revolutionary War in America or the struggle of the Islamic Revolution against the Western infidels.

Hate is a basic element of any conflict. Hassan sees the Americans who are the root of his country’s struggles and should die for their interference in his country’s business. He even kills his younger brother sending him to his reward in heaven to illuminate the injustice of the struggles.

General George Washington is the leader of the American Revolution and is leading the Revolutionaries in battle against the British Dragoons at various locations. He is the target of an extensive effort by the British to eliminate the struggle by a group of revolutionaries who object to the lack of representation in Parliament despite being heavily taxed and levied. King George III will entertain no delegation from “The Colonies”.

The plots are interesting and well developed. The action is fast paced and keeps the readers’ attention with suspense and questions. This is a fun historical read and a very well written dual plotted novel. 5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. These opinions are my own.

Book Details:

Genre: Technothrillers, Terrorism Thrillers, Historical Thrillers
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
ASIN: B0DG72F3KY
Print Length: 398 pages
Publication Date: November 12, 2024
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble

The Author: George K. Mehok is an author, technologist, and entrepreneur with a distinguished career in designing software and leading high-performing teams in the financial services, telecommunications, and aerospace industries. His insights have been featured in prestigious tech journals and notable publications like the Wall Street Journal, CIO Review, and InformationWeek, covering wireless communications, cybersecurity, and data analytics. George’s expertise has earned him accolades, including Crain’s Business Magazine CIO of the Year award, and his work has been recognized in InformationWeek’s Annual Elite 100 ranking of the most innovative technology users in the United States. An avid storyteller, George weaves his real-world knowledge into gripping narratives, crafting thrilling plots that captivate readers. GOING DARK, the first in Mehok’s Liberty Unit series, combines his extensive technology background with historical intrigue, presenting a captivating blend of modern-day suspense and revolutionary-era secrets. When not reading or writing, George enjoys fly fishing and competitive US Masters swimming.

Happy Autumn

What Have You Done?: A Novel by Shari Lapena #AudiobookReview #psychologicalthriller

As any parent with a teenager knows, they can sometimes become people you realize you don’t even know. When did that happen?

Book Blurb:

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

Dark · Addictive · Twisty · Chilling · Domestic Suspense

Nothing ever happens in sleepy little Fairhill, Vermont. But this morning that will change. And one innocent question could be deadly. What have you done?

The teenagers get their kicks telling ghost stories in the old graveyard. The parents trust their kids will arrive home safe from school. Everyone knows everyone. Curtains rarely twitch. Front doors are left unlocked.

But Diana Brewer isn’t lying safely in her bed where she belongs. Instead she lies in a hayfield, circled by vultures, discovered by a local farmer.

How quickly a girl becomes a ghost. How quickly a town of friendly, familiar faces becomes a town of suspects, a place of fear and paranoia.

Someone in Fairhill did this. Everyone wants answers.

My Review:

The author uses the discovery of the horrific death of a young female teenager to set up a plot filled with multiple POVs, including the paranormal POV of the victim, to complete the picture of the small Vermont town shaken to its core. Diana Brewer was well known and loved by classmates and adults alike. She was sweet, generous, and kind. Who could do this to her?

The reader is introduced to her mother, her friends, and the teachers with whom she’s thought close. Additionally, Diana works at a Home Depot where she is creeped out by a customer paying unusual and unsolicited attention. As the narrative progresses, it becomes apparent there might be several persons of interest.

Riley and Evan were close and Riley appears most distraught, finally revealing a scene Evan was not aware of.

Gradually, the reader is additional info on a lecherous teacher and the itinerant worker who frequented her station at her job. Yes, it does ramp up the tension, creates further suspense, and awaits the next revelation. It is her boyfriend who appears most needy, clingy, controlling. But it’s also readily apparent he didn’t do it. The author manages to string out bits of his last night with her revealing just enough to keep you hanging in there with him. But if not him. Who?

I enjoyed the narrators doing a great job and the dialogue, even providing little gems of prose gleaned occasionally. I particularly liked the reference to some parents regarding their teenagers with “willful ignorance” and wondered if I was, occasionally, guilty of the same thing.

It is well-plotted, a bit slow paced, but overall entertaining and kept me listening, not just from morbid curiosity but also to confirm I was on the right track with guessing the culprit, and whoa! That shocker in the conclusion did, but once again got the same twist into psychotic as the last Lapena I listened to, Everyone Here is Lying.

I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Psychological Thrillers, Suspense
Publisher: Penguin Audio
ASIN: B0CNF9S93X
Listening Length: 8 hrs 49 mins
Narrators: January LaVoy, Jorjeana Marie, Barrett Leddy
Publication Date: July 30, 2024
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: What Have You Done? Amazon-US
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

Add to Goodreads

The Author: Shari Lapena is the internationally bestselling author of the thrillers The Couple Next Door, A Stranger in the House, An Unwanted Guest, Someone We Know, The End of Her, Not a Happy Family and Everyone Here is Lying which have all been Sunday Times and New York Times bestsellers. Her books have been sold in forty territories around the world. She lives in Toronto.

Have a good one

Echo by Tracy Clark #BookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

Detective Harriet Foster Book 3

Book Blurb:

From the award-winning author of Hide and Fall comes the third book in the Detective Harriet Foster thriller series, a taut tale of renegade justice with a heart-stopping finale.

Hardwicke House, home to Belverton College’s exclusive Minotaur Society, is no stranger to tragedy. And when a body turns up in the field next to the mansion, the scene looks chillingly familiar.

Chicago PD sends hard-nosed Detective Harriet “Harri” Foster to investigate. The victim is Brice Collier, a wealthy Belverton student, whose billionaire father, Sebastian, owns Hardwicke and ranks as a major school benefactor. Sebastian also has ties to the mansion’s notorious past, when thirty years ago, hazing led to a student’s death in the very same field.

Could the deaths be connected? With no suspects or leads, Harri and her partner, Detective Vera Li, will have to dig deep to find answers. No charges were ever filed in the first case, and this time, Harri’s determined the killer must pay. But still grieving her former partner’s death, Harri must also contend with a shadowy figure called the voice—and their dangerous game of cat and mouse could threaten everything.

My Review:

Of course, I chose this book because it was located in Chicago. Now that I live in “Chicagoland” I’m interested in local food, color, history, and atmospheric description. This one highlights Belverton College where the body of Brice Collier was found in a field near Hardwicke House and the exclusive Minotaur Society reigns supreme.

Coincidentally, or maybe not so, it “echoed” somewhat an unsolved death from thirty years before. Detective Harriet “Harri” Foster and her partner Detective Vera Li land the case. Harri is a strong protagonist, but I really appreciated Vera’s wise backup support. I loved the way they bounced off each other, Harri tending to explode into action while Vera quietly waited for her to chill. Vera can handle things thoughtfully—she has a family and errs on the side of caution.

The author builds the suspense slowly, dropping bits and pieces, supplying twists and turns for misdirection. It works. Interwoven with the main storyline is an unresolved plot line from a previous series installment and Harri is still hot on the trail of any thread she can pull looking to vindicate her former partner. Essentially kept in the background, it doesn’t over-power the current storyline.

This is the third in the trilogy and apparently the end of the series. It could be read as a standalone, however. I previously read Book 3 of the author’s Chicago Mystery series, What You Don’t See, and greatly enjoyed it. This is an author who writes strong but not infallible women within law enforcement. If you enjoy crime fiction, PI investigators, or women sleuths, you may very well enjoy her soft palate style of writing.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author and publisher through @NetGalley that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Domestic Thrillers, Police Procedurals, Crime Thrillers
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
ISBN: 1662517327
ASIN: B0CM7YTCWD
Print Length: 361 pages
Publication Date: December 3, 2024
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble

The Author: Tracy Clark, a native Chicagoan, is the author of the Cass Raines Chicago Mystery series, featuring ex-cop turned PaI Cassandra Raines. Her debut, BROKEN PLACES, made Library Journal’s list of the Best Crime Fiction of 2018 and CrimeReads named Cass Raines Best New PI of 2018. The novel was nominated for a Lefty Award for Best Debut Novel, an Anthony Award for Best Debut Novel and a Shamus Award for Best First PI Novel. Her second Raines novel, BORROWED TIME, was a finalist for the 2020 Lefty Award for Best Mystery Novel and won the 2020 G.P. Putnam’s Sons Sue Grafton Memorial Award. Book three in the Raines series, WHAT YOU DON’T SEE, was also short-listed for the 2021 Left Award for Best Mystery novel. Book four, RUNNER, releases June 29, 2021. Tracy, a proud member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America, is a lifelong South-Sider and roots for every Chicago team with equal enthusiasm. She is currently busy writing her next book.