#murderthrillers – Page 2 – Rosepoint Publishing

Beyond Reasonable Doubt by Robert Dugoni #BookReview #TuesdayBookBlog Keera Duggan Book 2

Keera Duggan Book 2

Book Blurb:

A master manipulator accused of murder. An attorney sworn to defend her. Keera Duggan returns in a riveting novel of suspense by New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni.

When Jenna Bernstein, disgraced wunderkind CEO of a controversial biotech company, is accused of murdering her former partner and lover, she turns to Seattle attorney Keera Duggan to defend her. Keera is more than a master chess player who brings her intuitive moves into court—she’s Jenna’s childhood friend. But considering their history, Keera knows that where Jenna goes, trouble follows.

Five years earlier, Keera’s father successfully defended Jenna when she was tried for the killing of her company’s chief scientist who threatened to go public with allegations of corporate fraud. Keera knows Jenna too well. When she was a kid, Keera saw Jenna for what she was: a manipulative and frighteningly controlling sociopath. Now, with only circumstantial evidence against Jenna, Keera is willing to bury any trepidation she might have to defend a woman she believes, this time, to be innocent.

As the investigation gets underway and disturbing questions arise, Keera puts her trust in a client who swears that this time she’s telling nothing but the truth. If this is all just another devious game, Keera might be working to set a murderer free.

My Review:

The second in the series, the first Her Deadly Game read by the CE in October 2022, was my turn and I had no problem reading it as a standalone.

Keera’s father taught her to play chess and play very well. She uses many of those techniques as she takes on Jenna Bernstein, an old childhood friend turned nemesis. Jenna will never tell the truth when a lie will do and at this age doesn’t seem to be able to distinguish between the two. She declares her innocence, however, when her business partner is found murdered. And what do you know? She clearly has motive, means, and apparently opportunity. Or was the latter just more manipulation to play the all too obvious?

“…any kind of SODDI defense–some other dude did it.”

As always with Dugoni’s complex plots, it won’t be easy to get to the bottom of the disturbing premise. Jenna is a deeply unlikable character. Keera comes off as smart, quick-witted, and street-smart savvy. She was taught by the best, her dad, the “Irish Brawler.” I appreciated her character as she turned a jaundiced eye on Jenna, who clearly appeared to be a sociopath. There is the promise of what might be a romantic thread with open-minded Detective Rossi, who appears may be strong support in coming series episodes.

Of course, it is a legal thriller and as always I love those courtroom scenes, the jousting, the timing, and the use of the nuances of the law—so like chess moves—with an eye on plays well down the line.

As the book weaves the way through the mysteries, twists, and revelations, the storyline moves smoothly into the conclusion. Any reader who enjoys legal thrillers will certainly appreciate the Dugoni writing style. It’s gripping, entertaining, and well paced.

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, Murder Thrillers
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
ISBN: 166250022X
ASIN: B0CRWV4125
Print Length: 365 pages
Publication Date: October 22, 2024
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble

The Author: Robert Dugoni is the critically acclaimed New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and #1 Amazon bestselling author of the Tracy Crosswhite police series set in Seattle, which has sold more than 10 million books worldwide. He is also the author of The Charles Jenkins espionage series, the David Sloane legal thriller series, the Keera Duggan legal thriller series, and several stand-alone novels including The 7th Canon, Damage Control, the literary novels, The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell – Suspense Magazine’s Book of the Year, for which Dugoni’s narration won an AudioFile Earphones Award and the critically acclaimed, The World Played Chess; historical novels based on true events: A Killing on the Hill about Seattle during the great depression and Hold Strong, a WWII novel; as well as the nonfiction exposé The Cyanide Canary, a Washington Post Best Book of the Year. Several of his novels have been optioned for movies and television series. Dugoni is the recipient of the Nancy Pearl Award for Fiction and multiple awards for best novel set in the Pacific Northwest. He has also been a finalist for many other awards including the International Thriller Award, the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction, the Silver Falchion Award for mystery, and the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award.

Robert Dugoni’s books are sold in more than thirty countries and have been translated into more than thirty languages.

Visit his website and follow him on Amazon, Goodreads, twitter, Facebook, Tik Tok and other social media sites.

#TuesdayBookBlog

Best House on the Block: A Thriller by T R Ragan #BookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

Book Blurb:

Revealing a neighbor’s deep secrets and dark obsessions turns to murder in a shocking novel of psychological suspense by a New York Times bestselling author.

Aspiring investigative journalist Shannon Gibbons and her family have moved into a beautiful house in the Fabulous Forties of East Sacramento, where Shannon finds a fast connection with a new neighbor. Renowned journalist Rosella Marlow appears to have a genuine interest in giving Shannon’s own career a boost―as personal assistant on Rosella’s new project. Appearances are deceiving.

Bitter, resentful, and consumed by excruciating grief, Rosella is obsessed with wiping the smiles off her contented neighbors’ faces. Now she’s watching closely, ready to expose their secrets. Secrets dark enough to destroy lives. In Shannon, Rosella has a trusting and unwitting accomplice. But Rosella is being watched, too. And when someone is found murdered, everyone on this quiet block is a suspect. Because everyone has a motive.

With the help of a friend, Shannon begins an investigation into the death of a person she just met. As neighbor is pitted against neighbor, the truth is much scarier than anything they imagined.

My Review:

“If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.” Yup, and investigative journalist Shannon Gibbons should have remembered that old quote when she responded to the inquiry from Rosella Marlow. Rosella was a renowned journalist in the day and one of Shannon’s heroes. Excited about the prospect of being mentored by Rosella, she moves her family to the very neighborhood where Rosella lives.

Unfortunately, Rosella doesn’t live up to the hype and instead turns out to be a bitter, nasty woman who is the scourge of the neighborhood. It’s also unfortunate that the neighborhood is square in the Fabulous Forties of East Sacramento which is definitely not a fictional upscale historical area but certainly breathtakingly rich, impressive, and gorgeous.

Shannon is almost immediately introduced to the clique of the neighborhood but then before she can even start emptying boxes, the neighbor is murdered. One of the lady’s has a keen interest in figuring out which of her friends is responsible and Shannon sees an opportunity for collaboration and a story.

Okay, but what do all these busy-bodies have to do with the prologue? There is a plethora of suspects. Everyone disliked the woman intensely and all had a motive and opportunity.

After the hook, the pace slows somewhat to introduce all the support characters—and there are a lot.

For an aspiring journalist, Shannon seems a bit clueless where or how to begin the investigation and is directed by the neighbor-turned-friend. Of course, her friend knows everyone and pretty much their business and it doesn’t take long before they begin to uncover some interesting secrets. Throw in a twist or two.

The denouement is neatly drawn together with one final douzy that was one too many and just didn’t work for me.

I noticed a couple places where even the author or editor used a name incorrectly, but no problem. I also stumbled on non-gender names used for either boy or girl and confused which gender we were talking about more than once (i.e., Mac, Ridley, Blake, Rowan), already having trouble with the sheer number of support characters. Interesting plot. I waited to see where the prologue ties in, but after getting a few more clues, I knew.

I did, however, get a small chuckle out of the reference to an old Volkswagen van. “It was orange and Stephanie called it Pumpkin, as if it were a beloved pet.” Funny, because we recently adopted an orange, white, black, and brown Pomeranian we named Punkin. (Yeah—adopted her in October.)

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: Three point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Domestic Thrillers, Kidnapping Thrillers, Murder Thrillers
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
ISBN-10: ‎ 1662517300
ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1662517303
ASIN: B0CWF9Z1MB
Print Length: 287 pages
Publication Date: November 5, 2024
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble

The Author: T.R. Ragan (Theresa Ragan) has sold over four million books and is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling mystery and thriller author.

Readers interested in signing up for a monthly newsletter or getting their name in a TR RAGAN book should check out her website at http://www.trragan.com

Facebook • Twitter • Instagram: @trraganauthor

LIZZY GARDNER SERIES
Abducted
Dead Weight
A Dark Mind
Obsessed
Almost Dead
Evil Never Dies

FAITH MCMANN TRILOGY
Furious
Outrage
Wrath

JESSIE COLE SERIES
Her Last Day
Deadly Recall
Deranged
Buried Deep

SAWYER BROOKS SERIES
Don’t Make a Sound
Out of Her Mind
No Going Back
Count to Three
Such A Beautiful Family

Theresa Ragan Novels: Return of the Rose, A Knight in Central Park, Finding Kate Huntley, Dead Man Running, Having My Baby, An Offer He Can’t Refuse, Taming Mad Max, and Here Comes the Bride!

The Boys Are Back in Town: A Brody James Mystery by Karl Kling – #BookReview

Book Blurb:

“He smoked that pretty good,” Bullock said as he looked down the ravine at where the car landed. “Autopsy said he didn’t have a heart attack or anything, so the impact must have killed him. Hell of a way to go.”

“Every way is a hell of a way to go,” I said as I knelt closer to the road looking in both directions.

My name is Brody James. After 15 years I’ve returned to the hometown I swore I’d never return to.

This is my first case since coming back, and one thing I’m sure of is that Gary Hutchins didn’t kill himself.

My partner Bullock isn’t so sure. He’s young, he’s passionate, can be annoying as hell sometimes, but he’s a good cop. I like him.

With Gary’s death one month after Rebekah Wertheimer overdosed, I know there’s a connection.

Bullock thinks I might be too personally involved in the case since I went to school with both victims. To be honest, I didn’t really like either of them or their friend Joseph Agam.

I’m willing to bet he’s in danger too. Bullock is willing to bet that I’m trying to solve these cases to impress Chloe Brown, who smells of lilacs and roast beef.

I have to remember that Bullock is young, he’s passionate, can be annoying as hell, and sometimes, I just want to punch him in the face.

His Review:

Brody James is a recent addition in the police force. Bullock is his senior partner and not the least bit shy in managing. Brody has to get used to a pushy partner after nearly a dozen years in the navy. Three people have died in their town of Stonington and they are tasked with finding the reason. The fact that one seemed like a suicide and the other a car wreck did not detour this intrepid duo.

This tome has brilliant writing at times and I enjoyed the tale. Trying to fit a square peg into a round hole seemed to be the officer’s tactic. Decide who did the crime and then prove it. Occasionally forensics would help but the crime did not always fit their theory with confounding evidence.

I enjoyed the book but found it aggravating to have to untangle some of the words grouped together in one or two lines of text—a formatting problem. The final conclusion was well thought through and overall all the book was entertaining. Otherwise, an additional editor or two would greatly smooth the narrative as well as increased attention to the formatting problems. 4 stars – CE Williams

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

Rosepoint Publishing: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Murder, Police Procedurals, Murder Thrillers
Publisher: Three Dorks Publishing
ASIN: B0CM1KJJ8N
Print Length: 308 pages
Publication Date: October 27, 2023
Source: Publisher and NetGalley
Title Link(s): The Boys Are Back in Town [Amazon]

The Author: The Boys Are Back in Town is the first book written by Karl Kling, who has had a varied career.

A longtime baseball coach, Karl has owned a training facility in Howell, Michigan for the past 13 years with his wife, Debra, and three sons. He has coached at the collegiate level (17 years) and the high school level (9 years). He also currently serves as the Field Director for the Detroit Tigers Summer Youth Camps.

Previously, Karl worked as a Sports Information Director at the collegiate level, was a local newspaper reporter and editor (he guided the Milford Times to the Michigan Press Association Newspaper of the Year – Class C Weekly – in 2002). He also spent much of the 90s working in politics as well as being a mobile disc jockey for a few years.

Have a good one

The Debt Collector by Steven Max Russo #BookReview #OrganizedCrimeThrillers

Rosepoint Publishing: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

Abigail Barnes is young, pretty and petite, but her looks and size can be deceiving. A tough as nails drifter who makes her living collecting outstanding debts for low-end bookies and loan sharks, Abigail arrives in Hackensack, NJ, from Baltimore, MD, and gets a job collecting for a small-time bookie, who winds up dead.

With a large Wall Street firm moving into town bringing jobs, prestige, and money, the press is soon up in arms about the killing. So the cops put the squeeze on Ronnie “Slacks” Falcone, a mobster who heads organized crime in the Jersey City area, to help find the killer.

Soon Abigail finds herself being sought by a gang of hoodlums, the mob, and the police. She knows she can’t run and she won’t turn herself in because she has a past that could send her to jail. She has little choice but to try and find out who killed the bookie – without getting killed in the process.

His Review:

Abigale Barnes is a lovely 5 ft. plus blond who turns many heads. Men wanted to protect her like a long-lost daughter. She disarms them with her smile and always presents as a very demure person. Abigale is a debt collector though; not for small bills but for large gambling debts. Most men laugh when she tells them why she is there. Her fees are not cheap, usually 35% of the amount owed plus expenses. Misjudging this person can be very painful.

Most collections are handled by big burly men who promise to break legs if they have to come back. Abigale has found that the best place to collect is at the source, the bookie’s office. Many bookies have made the mistake of underestimating her. Usually, weeks of recovery from broken bones is the reward.

I’ve found Mr. Russo’s writing style to be retro in its’ presentation and mesmerizing once engaged. I recommend his books for light hearted yet suspenseful entertainment. Enjoy! 5 stars – CE Williams

I read and reviewed The Dead Don’t Sleep back in April of 2020 and thoroughly enjoyed it. These are standalone novels that are fun, fast reads and recommended.

Many thanks to the author for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. Any opinions expressed here are my own.

Book Details:

Genre: Organized Crime Thrillers, Murder Thrillers, Literature & Fiction
ASIN: B0CZ3XVQLM
Print Length: 197 pages
Publication Date: April 1, 2024
Source: Author

Title Link(s): The Debt Collector [Amazon-US]
Amazon-UK

The Author: Steven Max Russo (no bio listed on Amazon or Goodreads)

Christmas typewriter

The Spy Coast: A Thriller by Tess Gerritsen – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

Amazon Charts #14 this week

The Martini Club Book 1

Rosepoint Rating: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

A retired CIA operative in small-town Maine tackles the ghosts of her past in this fresh take on the spy thriller from New York Times bestselling author Tess Gerritsen.

Former spy Maggie Bird came to the seaside village of Purity, Maine, eager to put the past behind her after a mission went tragically wrong. These days, she’s living quietly on her chicken farm, still wary of blowback from the events that forced her early retirement.

But when a body turns up in Maggie’s driveway, she knows it’s a message from former foes who haven’t forgotten her. Maggie turns to her local circle of old friends—all retirees from the CIA—to help uncover the truth about who is trying to kill her, and why. This “Martini Club” of former spies may be retired, but they still have a few useful skills that they’re eager to use again, if only to spice up their rather sedate new lives.

Complicating their efforts is Purity’s acting police chief, Jo Thibodeau. More accustomed to dealing with rowdy tourists than homicide, Jo is puzzled by Maggie’s reluctance to share information—and by her odd circle of friends, who seem to be a step ahead of her at every turn.

As Jo’s investigation collides with the Martini Club’s maneuvers, Maggie’s hunt for answers will force her to revisit a clandestine career that spanned the globe, from Bangkok to Istanbul, from London to Malta. The ghosts of her past have returned, but with the help of her friends—and the reluctant Jo Thibodeau—Maggie might just be able to save the life she’s built.

My Review:

I love it when I discover an author new to me that has me digging into my library for more books, series, that I can plow into. This is one.

Even better, this is the first of a new series that left me anxious for the second. It’s a spy thriller that women, including “mature” women, can get into.

Maggie Bird is sixty and now a chicken farmer. She did a lot of research until she found this one little property—Blackberry Farm—it’s perfect. Even better, she has some likewise retired acquaintances close by with whom she gets together on a regular basis. They call themselves The Martini Club, ostensibly a book club. But is it really?

“Retired does not mean useless.”

Purity, Maine is a small village on the coast that has attracted its share of persons who would prefer not to be found. So when a body is dumped on her driveway, she has a strong feeling she’s been discovered and may have an idea who or why, but really? Sixteen years later?

I love these characters!

Maggie is magnificent. Don’t discount her because of her age. She was good at her former job and many of those instincts are still there. She’s smart, cool under fire, and capable. And she can easily handle Jo Thibodeau, the acting police chief.

The plot storyline goes back and forth with a switch of POVs and timeline and gradually adds colorful backstory that develops most of the main characters. There are support characters just as engaging and well-fleshed and as they become real so do the locations, particularly the isolated Maine winter setting.

It is a complex storyline with exotic location descriptions, despotic or empathetic characters, the business of the CIA and intelligence wrapped in a gripping, thoughtfully developed, and fast-paced novel.

You don’t have to love spy thrillers to love this creatively crafted narrative that is impossible to put down. I ripped through it and found the conclusion satisfying—loved how it was resolved. The action tumbles page by page—you have to know more!

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. I loved this one, start to finish, and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Book Details:

Genre: Espionage Thrillers, Murder Thrillers
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
ISBN: ‎ 0857505203
ASIN: B0C2F4V6BM
Print Length: 341 pages
Publication Date: November 1, 2023
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble

The Author: Internationally bestselling author Tess Gerritsen took an unusual route to a writing career. A graduate of Stanford University, Tess went on to medical school at the University of California, San Francisco, where she was awarded her M.D.

While on maternity leave from her work as a physician, she began to write fiction and in 1987, her first novel, Call After Midnight, was published. It was just the first of 32 suspense novels that she’s written over a 36-year writing career. She also wrote a screenplay, “Adrift,” which aired as a 1993 CBS Movie of the Week starring Kate Jackson.

Tess’s 1996 medical thriller, Harvest, marked her debut on the New York Times bestseller list and her novels have hit bestseller lists around the world ever since. Among her titles are Gravity, The Surgeon, Vanish, Listen to Me, and her upcoming spy thriller, The Spy Coast, which has just been optioned by Amazon Studios for a television series. Her books have been translated into 40 languages, and more than 40 million copies have been sold around the world.

Her series of novels featuring homicide detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles inspired the hit TNT television series “Rizzoli & Isles,” starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander.

She lives in Maine.

For more information on Tess Gerritsen and her novels, visit her website: http://www.tessgerritsen.com or
http://www.tessgerritsen.co.uk

#TuesdayBookBlog

The Ghost Orchid by Jonathan Kellerman – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

An Alex Delaware Novel

Rosepoint Rating: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

Psychologist Alex Delaware and Detective Milo Sturgis confront a baffling, vicious double homicide that leads them to long-buried secrets worth killing for in the riveting thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling “master of suspense” (Los Angeles Times).

LAPD homicide lieutenant Milo Sturgis sees it all the time: Reinvention’s a way of life in a city fueled by fantasy. But try as you might to erase the person you once were, there are those who will never forget the past . . . and who can still find you.

A pool boy enters a secluded Bel Air property and discovers two bodies floating in the bright blue water: Gio Aggiunta, the playboy heir to an Italian shoe empire, and a gorgeous, even wealthier neighbor named Meagin March. A married neighbor.

An illicit affair stoking rage is a perfect motive. But a “double” in this neighborhood of gated estates isn’t something you see every day. The house is untouched. No forced entry, no forensic evidence. The case has “that feeling,” and when that happens, Milo turns to his friend, the brilliant psychologist Alex Delaware.

As Milo and Alex investigate both victims, they discover two troubled pasts. And as they dig deeper, Meagin March’s very identity begins to blur. Who was this glamorous but conflicted woman? Did her past catch up to her? Or did Gio’s family connections create a threat spanning two continents?

Chasing down the answers leads Alex and Milo on an exploration of L.A.’s darkest side as they contend with one of the most shocking cases of their careers and learn that that some secrets are best left buried in the past.

My Review:

Okay, my turn for an Alex Delaware series novel by Jonathan Kellerman (the CE can’t have them all), one of my favorite series and authors. There have been almost forty installments but as numerous as that sounds, each is fresh (could be read as a standalone) and I never get tired of his descriptive writing style.

There are actually two threads in this one, a minor thread about an adopted juvenile whose parents decide they no longer want him. (Knife to the heart!) The major plot involves a double homicide. Alex is a child psychologist but is frequently pulled into an investigation by his homicide detective buddy, Milo Sturgis, as is this one after they discover the death of two persons poolside in the LA area.

Dr. Delaware is exceptionally observant and his training makes him uniquely qualified to get into the scene, postulate how and in what order the crime might have gone down. The lady in question is older and married (not necessarily to the young male found in proximity), extremely rich through her marriage. He is likewise embarrassingly rich, the young son of an Italian shoe empire.

No question there are negative feelings for both victims at the beginning of the book. Spoiled rich kid—mysterious lady, hidden past. Hmmm. So, who was the target? The collateral damage?

Obviously a layered investigation, more so on Alex’s side, that begins with the process of elimination and a lot of hours and manpower spent in mindless scouring of everything from phone calls to birth records.

[Side bar: Of course, Alex has green eyes—surprise!—so does another character along with the explanation that only two percent of the world’s population have them. Them and the CE! (It always frosted me that I never got my mother’s beautiful blue eyes. So what would be the odds that my son would have the CE’s green eyes? Despite my m-i-l declaring it would be impossible—apparently not.)]

As Alex and Milo progress through interviews, the sentiment gradually begins to sway just a tad to neutral and by the end of the book strongly sympathetic to both victims. Gees, can a person ever catch a break?

As always, I enjoy the aesthetics and atmosphere of the LA area and surrounds, and the characters, both main and support are well-developed, engaging, and magnetic. Of course, Alex and Milo spark off each other, the perfect antithesis and their dynamic works. The child custody case might be heartbreaking, but the conclusion is a positive one—a win when you need it. Now, the painting of the Ghost Orchid…

These installments always leave me anticipating the next one, but gotta say, I really enjoyed this one a lot! The CE last read City of the Dead and I The Wedding Guest but this one wins the five stars. Recommended—a don’t miss!

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.

Book Details:

Genre: Ghost Suspense, Ghost Mysteries, Murder Thrillers
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ASIN: B0C4JBJBFG
Print Length: 304 pages
Publication Date: February 6, 2024
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Jonathan Kellerman was born in New York City in 1949 and grew up in Los Angeles. He helped work his way through UCLA as an editorial cartoonist, columnist, editor and freelance musician. As a senior, at the age of 22, he won a Samuel Goldwyn Writing Award for fiction.

Like his fictional protagonist, Alex Delaware, Jonathan received at Ph.D. in psychology at the age of 24, with a specialty in the treatment of children. He served internships in clinical psychology and pediatric psychology at Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles and was a post-doctoral HEW Fellow in Psychology and Human Development at CHLA.

IN 1975, Jonathan was asked by the hospital to conduct research into the psychological effects of extreme isolation (plastic bubble units) on children with cancer, and to coordinate care for these kids and their families. The success of that venture led to the establishment, in 1977 of the Psychosocial Program, Division of Oncology, the first comprehensive approach to the emotional aspects of pediatric cancer anywhere in the world. Jonathan was asked to be founding director and, along with his team, published extensively in the area of behavioral medicine. Decades later, the program, under the tutelage of one of Jonathan’s former students, continues to break ground.

Jonathan’s first published book was a medical text, PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CHILDHOOD CANCER, 1980. One year later, came a book for parents, HELPING THE FEARFUL CHILD.

In 1985, Jonathan’s first novel, WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS, was published to enormous critical and commercial success and became a New York Times bestseller. BOUGH was also produced as a t.v. movie and won the Edgar Allan Poe and Anthony Boucher Awards for Best First Novel. Since then, Jonathan has published a best-selling crime novel every year, and occasionally, two a year. In addition, he has written and illustrated two books for children and a nonfiction volume on childhood violence, SAVAGE SPAWN (1999.) Though no longer active as a psychotherapist, he is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and Psychology at University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine.

Jonathan is married to bestselling novelist Faye Kellerman and they have four children. [Goodreads]

#TuesdayBookBlog

All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers – #Audiobook Review – #FlashbackFriday

Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Goodreads Choice Awards

Book Blurb:

Everyone from Wakarusa, Indiana, remembers the infamous case of January Jacobs, who was discovered in a ditch hours after her family awoke to find her gone. Margot Davies was six at the time, the same age as January—and they were next-door neighbors. In the twenty years since, Margot has grown up, moved away, and become a big-city journalist. But she’s always been haunted by the feeling that it could’ve been her. And the worst part is, January’s killer has never been brought to justice.

When Margot returns home to help care for her uncle after he is diagnosed with early-onset dementia, she feels like she’s walked into a time capsule. Wakarusa is exactly how she remembers—genial, stifled, secretive. Then news breaks about five-year-old Natalie Clark from the next town over, who’s gone missing under circumstances eerily similar to January’s. With all the old feelings rushing back, Margot vows to find Natalie and to solve January’s murder once and for all.

But the police, Natalie’s family, the townspeople—they all seem to be hiding something. And the deeper Margot digs into Natalie’s disappearance, the more resistance she encounters, and the colder January’s case feels. Could January’s killer still be out there? Is it the same person who took Natalie? And what will it cost to finally discover what truly happened that night twenty years ago?

Twisty, chilling, and intense, All Good People Here is a searing tale that asks: What are your neighbors capable of when they think no one is watching?

My Review:

So few books actually take place in Indiana that when I saw this did, I bit. Also, because it is mystery, thriller. And, the premise sounded good. Liked the cover. Did the book deliver?

Gees, it’s a debut novel by a true crime podcaster. Gotta be good, right? Some people thought so—many others did not.

Not to beat a dead horse, but it does sound strikingly familiar with another (real life) story that refuses to leave the hearts and minds of the people of another beautiful little girl. In this case, the stories of two little girls, twenty years apart and Margot Davies, the former little girl’s neighbor.

Margot returns to help take care of her uncle in Wakarusa. She is now a journalist and soon after her return another little girl goes missing—found days later under similar circumstances to January Jacobs, twenty years before. Coincidence? Maybe. Maybe not.

Naturally, Margot feels compelled to solve the mystery, find the perp, possibly put an end to it happening again. And, of course, it would appear her career could very well depend on the story she would reap from the reveal.

It’s amazing the doors and info Margot can glean from those who would not normally speak with a journalist. She goes about it step by step, after all, she’s done this before, crime beat reporting. Only this time it’s much more personal.

There are twists, a build-up of suspense with the story of the girls and their family circumstances as well as her own struggle with her uncle, diagnosed with dementia. I enjoyed the deep dive into the people and the rural countryside creating a depth to the bucolic nature of the area.

What I didn’t enjoy, as so many others noted, was that abrupt ending and multi-tasking as I generally do with an audiobook, thought I’d missed something. Apparently not. So yes, strongly suspected the who—but then what went down? I guess it’s up to you.

Did you read this one? I thought the audiobook was well done, kept my interest, with the author herself participating in narration. Still…

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

Book Details:

Genre: Murder Thrillers, Women Sleuth Mysteries
Publisher: Random House Audio
ASIN: B09QQVLPJC
Listening Length: 10 hrs 35 mins
Narrators: Ashley Flowers, Brittany Pressley, Karissa Vacker
Publication Date: August 16, 2022
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: All Good People Here [Amazon]

Rosepoint Publishing: Four Stars

The Author: Ashley Flowers is the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of audiochuck, the award-winning, independent media and podcast production company known for its standout content and storytelling across different genres, including true crime, documentary, fiction, comedy, and more. Ashley is the author of New York Times Bestseller, All Good People Here, a fiction crime thriller released in August, 2022.

As CCO, Flowers works with her team to create an overarching content strategy and vision for the network of shows and company growth. She also hosts several audiochuck podcasts, including Apple Podcast’s #1 show of 2022, Crime Junkie, The Deck, and The Deck Investigates. At the core of the company and all its podcasts, Ashley and her team are committed to developing responsible true crime content.

Through her work at audiochuck, Ashley is passionate about advocacy work and established the nonprofit Season of Justice to provide financial resources to both law enforcement agencies and families in order to help solve cold cases.

Ashley Flowers was born and raised in Indiana, where she lives with her husband, her daughter, and their beloved dog, Chuck. She received a Bachelor of Science in Biological Services from Arizona State University.

Have a good Weekend!

Drowning in the Desert by Bernard Schopen – #BookReview – #murderthrillers

A Nevada Noir Novel (Western Literature and Fiction Series)

Book Blurb:

Norman “Fats” Rangle, an ex-deputy sheriff, operates a horse stabling and excursion business with his brother and sister-in-law on their family ranch in the small rural community of Blue Lake, a few hours outside of Las Vegas. But fate has other plans for him when, high on a southern Nevada mountain range, Fats discovers the wreckage of a plane that crashed two years earlier. Although he reports his find to the sheriff, he does not disclose that someone had already been to the crash site—evidence that Fats deliberately destroyed.

Soon, Fats is tracking back and forth between Las Vegas and Blue Lake in a search for a missing cousin, a briefcase full of cash, and finally, for a killer. Along the way, Fats also begins to understand that he’s searching for himself and his place in a rapidly changing West.

Angry and alienated, Fats distrusts everyone he meets, from sleaze-merchants and political power brokers to two women: one he wants to believe in, a retired judge; and one, a police sergeant, he can’t quite believe isn’t deceiving him. After all, in this Nevada, corruption is a given. Everybody lies. Much is uncertain—motives, loyalties, affections. But in Drowning in the Desert, one thing is certain: water is a precious resource that can both kill and be killed for.

His Review:

Norman “Fats” Rangle had been the sheriff in Pinenut County Nevada for over twenty years. The electorate is fickle, however, and although Fats had a very good record, a more attractive person was elected Pinenut County sheriff. He finds an old plane wreck in the mountains after a particularly warm spring and he reports it to the new sheriff. But this is Vegas. And it is Nevada.

Plans are quietly being made by a clique of people around Las Vegas to corner the water sources in the state. They are ruthless and will let nothing stand in their way.

There is missing money from the plane wreck and as evidence would have it later, perhaps a missing cousin. Someone suddenly shows up with funds to play the games.

Fats begins to suspect those he reported to might not be trusted. This is big business. Huge. It’s getting dangerous. Should he continue to look for his cousin or missing funds. Who will have his back?

The author writes an intriguing tale of the struggle for water in Nevada and the group that attempts to control the resource. There is never a dull moment in the storyline, it is fast-paced with gritty, determined characters. 4.5 stars – CE Williams

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: Murder Thrillers, Literature & Fiction
Publisher: University of Nevada Press
ISBN-10: ‎ 1647791189
ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1647791186
ASIN: B0C7VFQ8QF
Print Length: 221 pages
Publication Date: August 22, 2023
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Bernard Schopen received his degrees at the University of Washington and the University of Nevada, Reno. He held faculty positions at TMCC and at St. Anselm’s College in New Hampshire before returning to Reno to write and to teach. Since 1995 he has taught Core Humanities courses, and he is now a full-time lecturer in the program. He has taught thousands of students in all three courses, and trained other teachers in the program as well. He designed, and continues to teach, the online versions of all three CH courses for Extended Studies. In Spring 2007 he received the prestigious Alan Bible Teaching Excellence Award for the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Science. The prize augmented an earlier significant award: Schopen is an inductee into the Nevada Writers’ Hall of Fame, an honor recognizing his three Reno detective novels, The Big Silence, The Desert Look, and The Iris Deception, all now available from the University of Nevada Press. When not preparing his now award-winning lectures for Core Humanities, he is at work on another novel, this one set in London. [pic and bio courtesy Goodreads]