#nottobemissed – Page 14 – Rosepoint Publishing

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

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

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty #AudiobookReview #FamilyLifeFiction

Amazon Charts #1 this week

Book Blurb:

Life is full of twists and turns you never see coming. But what if you did?

The plane is jam-packed. Every seat is taken. So of course the flight is delayed! Flight attendant Allegra Patel likes her job—she’s generally happy with her life, even if she can’t figure out why she hooks up with a man she barely speaks to—but today is her twenty-eighth birthday. She can think of plenty of things she’d rather be doing than placating a bunch of grumpy passengers.

There’s the well-dressed man in seat 4C who is compulsively checking his watch, desperate not to miss his eleven-year-old daughter’s musical. Further back, a mother of two is frantically trying to keep her toddler entertained and her infant son quiet. How did she ever think being a stay-at-home mom would be easier than being a lawyer? Ethan is lost in thought; he’s flying back from his first funeral. A young couple has just gotten married; she’s still wearing her wedding dress. An emergency room nurse is looking forward to traveling the world once she retires in a few years, it’s going to be so much fun! If they ever get off the tarmac. . . .

Suddenly a woman none of them know stands up. She makes predictions about how and when everyone on board will die. Some dismiss her. Others will do everything they can to make sure her prophecies do not come to pass. All of them will be forever changed.

How would you live your life if you thought you knew how it would end? Would you love who you love or try to love someone else? Would you stay married? Would you stop drinking? Would you call up your ex-best friend you haven’t spoken to in years? Would you quit your job?

Intricately plotted, with the wonderful wit Liane Moriarty has become famous for, Here One Moment brilliantly looks at friends, lovers, and family and how we manage to hold onto them in our harried modern lives.

My Review:

Cherry is a fascinating character, no denying that. She has a history that is woven in and out of the story as we begin to know those deeply affected by her predictions on the plane and how they confront the information.

The rich character development engrains an investment in them and morbid curiosity in how they will confront and possibly work the knowledge advantageously. Can you change fate? Or is this fate written in stone by an old woman who then has no memory of her delivery of the edicts?

It comes down to: How seriously would you, in that situation, take the prediction? What if other predictions began manifesting true?

Well, you can’t say it isn’t thought-provoking, a psychological challenge to delve into that reverberates after the novel is finished—quite handily—I might add. It’s an oddly satisfying conclusion, albeit leaving a few unanswered questions, challenges.

There is a complex storyline, lots of characters. Moments of humor, emotions first jerked one way and then the other. The narrators were super.

This is one I’d recommend purely for the unique premise in a psychological thriller, one that grips quickly and doesn’t sag midway through. It is well-plotted and paced throughout to denouement. I read this author the first time in 2021 with Apples Never Fall, slow burn and thoughtful. Thinking I’ll watch for this author again.

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: Family Life Fiction, Women’s Domestic Life Fiction
Publisher: Random House Audio
ASIN: B0CVSJJLW4
Listening Length: 15 hrs 53 mins
Narrator: Caroline Lee, Geraldine Hakewill
Publication Date: September 10, 2024
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: Here One Moment – Amazon-US
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Author: Liane Moriarty is the Australian author of nine internationally best-selling novels: Three Wishes, The Last Anniversary, What Alice Forgot, The Hypnotist’s Love Story, Nine Perfect Strangers and the number one New York Times bestsellers: The Husband’s Secret, Big Little Lies, Truly Madly Guilty and Apples Never Fall. Her books have been translated into over forty languages and sold more than 20 million copies.

Big Little Lies, Nine Perfect Strangers and Apples Never Fall were adapted into popular television series with the star-studded casts including Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Melissa McCarthy and Annette Bening.

Her new novel, Here One Moment will be released in 2024.

Liane lives in Sydney, Australia, together with her husband, son and daughter.

Happy Autumn Sunday!

The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough #AudiobookReview #throwbackthursday

in Groundwater & Flood Control

Tycoons of the time, among them, Andrew Carnegie, Henry Clay Frick, and Andrew Mellon, rebuilt an old earthen dam in the mountains above Johnstown and created what they called the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club. It would lead to a disaster of massive proportions and the death of over 2,000 persons.

Book Blurb:

The stunning story of one of America’s great disasters, a preventable tragedy of Gilded Age America, brilliantly told by master historian David McCullough.

At the end of the last century, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was a booming coal-and-steel town filled with hardworking families striving for a piece of the nation’s burgeoning industrial prosperity. In the mountains above Johnstown, an old earth dam had been hastily rebuilt to create a lake for an exclusive summer resort patronized by the tycoons of that same industrial prosperity, among them Andrew Carnegie, Henry Clay Frick, and Andrew Mellon. Despite repeated warnings of possible danger, nothing was done about the dam. Then came May 31, 1889, when the dam burst, sending a wall of water thundering down the mountain, smashing through Johnstown, and killing more than 2,000 people. It was a tragedy that became a national scandal.

Graced by David McCullough’s remarkable gift for writing richly textured, sympathetic social history, The Johnstown Flood is an absorbing portrait of life in 19th-century America, of overweening confidence, of energy, and of tragedy. This is a powerful historical lesson for our century and all times: the danger of assuming that because people are in positions of responsibility they are behaving responsibly.

My Review:

It’s not as if the dam hadn’t been inspected. It’s not as if those who should have acted didn’t have the warning. Was it complacency then? How many people had heard that warning before? Nothing happened that time. Why would it this time?

But it did.

And when it did, a wall of water gathered trees, buildings, people, and everything else in its path in a rush down the valley towards Johnstown where witnesses estimated the brown wall of debris and death at approximately 35 to 40 feet in height.

The chronicle the author writes of this man-made and natural disaster is gripping, terrifying, and infuriating when you think it could have been prevented. Who, in the end, was to blame? The survivors worked it out but even then it lingered in the courts until nothing and no one felt the anvil.

The author describes the iconic valley with both the Conemaugh and Stony Creek Rivers providing the life-giving watershed from the mountains and allowing the burgeoning iron commerce to thrive. He brings the Gilded Age time and the people’s lives to life and plants investment in them—knowing what is to come. Where will they be?

Tick. Tick. Tick.

The details of the failure of the dam and the research of the people are extensive and fill the book with the incredible statistics of the flood. It’s fascinating and devastating at the same time. There are a few periods of info dump that slow the narrative just slightly changing the narrative from a storyteller to a text reader. These are then interwoven with the situation or coming events which explains the how and why.

I’ve read this author before. He never fails to deliver a mind-blowing account of a historic event or person and his books are heartily recommended. 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: Groundwater & Flood Control, Disaster Relief Studies, Disaster Relief
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
ASIN: B0009YT418
Listening Length: 9 hrs 3 mins
Narrator: Edward Herrmann
Publication Date: June 17, 2005
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: The Johnstown Flood [Amazon]
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Author: David McCullough has twice received the Pulitzer Prize, for Truman and John Adams, and twice received the National Book Award, for The Path Between the Seas and Mornings on Horseback; His other widely praised books are 1776, Brave Companions, The Great Bridge, and The Johnstown Flood. He has been honored with the National Book Foundation Distinguished Contribution to American Letters Award, the National Humanities Medal, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

#ThhrowbackThursday

Rosepoint Reviews – September Recap – No More Tomatoes

Rosepoint Reviews-September Recap

Definitely flirting with inclement weather patterns when you wait until September in the Midwest to go on a road trip! That is becoming, however, our annual get-together time with our old Navy buddies from Texas. Last year we went to Hot Springs, Arkansas. Love those hot springs! This year it was Cherokee Village and Hardy, Arkansas. Why Arkansas? It’s approximately half way between the two of us—them coming from Texas.

The AirB&B was disappointing, but the area (seven lakes) was delightful and we lucked out with the weather, both coming and going and while we were there…home in time to miss the mess from Helene.

The Spring River area is absolutely lovely and the boys got in enough fishing to fill their hearts content—trout—a succulent feast. Regardless where we stay, we eat well! Lots of river and lake recreation from boating and fishing to swimming and rafting. We thought the fish were ours, the snake thought they were his. Kit and I were going to go kayaking until we saw the snapping turtles off the wharf where we stayed. And so much for swimming below the Mammoth Spring Dam (pic behind cover banner) when we got into a wrestling match for our trout left on the line in the water with a water moccasin. The snake got downright angry with me. (Pic cut from video.)

Returning home, I discovered the tomatoes had given up for the season, the garden looking very sad, with only a couple viable peppers remaining. Horrible garden year. Never did get my fill of fresh tomatoes and one or two paltry cucumbers didn’t make more than one or two salads. The squirrels wouldn’t leave my fresh greens alone either. I’ll try again next year.

Update on Punkin the Pomeranian: She’ll officially have been adopted a year on the eighth of October. She has now (1) bonded with the CE, (2) bonded with our son (who is still staying with us), (3) beginning to enjoy treats, (4) going on two-mile walks with the CE). She is still not tolerating my advance to her (runs back to her kennel) and although doing better, can’t say she is house trained yet. She is inconsistent with letting us know she needs to go out to do her business and we don’t always catch her. UGH. It’s good she’s cute.

I realized after I’d left that I should have left a note on the blog that I would be gone and apologize for all the stacked-up emails, notes, comments, and likes that were not acknowledged. I won’t make that mistake again. I tried to schedule some reviews but then was unable to connect with my little tablet and answer, respond, or post on social media.

Reduced activity on the blog in September, although I did get some reading done. I continue to get books from NetGalley as well as author and publisher requests, and my local library, both ebooks and audiobooks. Together we read or listened to eleven books. As always, links on titles are to our reviews that include purchase or source information.

Rosepoint Publishing - September Recap

Battle Annie by Trish MacEnultyBattle
You’ll Never Find Me by Allison Brennan (audiobook)
The Second Smartest Dog That Ever Lived by Will Pass (CE review)
Saving the Guilty by Liz Milliron
Fire and Bones by Kathy Reichs (audiobook)
Death Stake by Andrew Mayne (CE review)
Running on Empty by Karin Fitz Sanford
The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins (audiobook)
Color Me Dead by Teresa Trent
Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth (audiobook)
In Too Deep by Lee Child, Andrew Child (CE review)

Favorite Book of the Month

While I enjoyed that little surprise at the end of The Heiress, I gave Battle Annie five stars. The CE gave Death Stake five stars. Still, Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth kept me hanging on every word on the audiobook.

**Favorites for September – Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth**

My Reading Challenges page…obviously been too crazy around here lately but I think I might see light at the end of the tunnel now. My Goodreads Challenge is at 97 towards a goal of 130 at 75%. As for the rest, I’m still catching up from the vacation.

Thank you new subscribers—welcome! Appreciate those of you who continue to monitor, read, and comment on my posts. That’s what keeps me plodding forward!

#TuesdayBookBlog

In Too Deep: A Reacher Novel by Lee child and Andrew Child #BookReview #suspenseaction fiction

Jack Reacher Book 29

in Suspense Action Fiction

Book Blurb:

The gripping new Jack Reacher thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling authors Lee Child and Andrew Child

Reacher had no idea where he was. No idea how he had gotten there. But someone must have brought him. And shackled him. And whoever had done those things was going to rue the day. That was for damn sure.

Jack Reacher wakes up alone, in the dark, handcuffed to a makeshift bed. His right arm has suffered some major damage. His few possessions are gone. He has no memory of getting there.

The last thing Reacher can recall is the car he hitched a ride in getting run off the road. The driver was killed.

His captors assume Reacher was the driver’s accomplice and patch up his wounds as they plan to make him talk.

A plan that will backfire spectacularly . . .

His Review:

Being in a car accident after hitch hiking and then suffering from amnesia does not make for a good witness. Jack Reacher cannot remember the accident nor anything else that happened before the accident. Being trussed up like a wild animal does not jog his memory. He remains silent because he cannot remember anything from the incident.

The central theme of this novel is a very large payday for whomever can disrupt a criminal activity and eliminate some very bad individuals. The plot is further complicated by the fact that the criminals include a couple of law enforcement individuals who are looking for a rich, early retirement.

As the plot thickens, distrust expands between the various divisions of law enforcement and the perps. Jack Reacher’s loyalty and voracity are questioned! The prize continues to grow and the death count continues to rise. Who among the various law enforcement agencies can be trusted? C E Williams Reading this book was a delight and a very complex affair. Enjoy! 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: Suspense Action Fiction, War & Military Action Fiction, Action Thriller Fiction
Publisher: Delacorte Press
ASIN: B0CR2Z9KKD
Print Length: pages
Publication Date: October 22, 2024
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

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

The Author: Lee Child is one of the world’s leading thriller writers. He was born in Coventry, raised in Birmingham, and now lives in New York. It is said one of his novels featuring his hero Jack Reacher is sold somewhere in the world every nine seconds. His books consistently achieve the number-one slot on bestseller lists around the world and have sold over one hundred million copies. Two blockbusting Jack Reacher movies have been made so far. He is the recipient of many awards, most recently Author of the Year at the 2019 British Book Awards. He was appointed CBE in the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Happy Autumn Sunday!

Darling Girls: A Novel by Sally Hepworth #AudiobookReview #mysteryactionfiction

Rosepoint Publishing: Five Stars

Sally Hepworth can really write deeply flawed characters that come alive on the pages!

Book Blurb:

For as long as they can remember, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia have been told how lucky they are. As young girls they were rescued from family tragedies and raised by a loving foster mother, Miss Fairchild, on an idyllic farming estate and given an elusive second chance at a happy family life.

But their childhood wasn’t the fairy tale everyone thinks it was. Miss Fairchild had rules. Miss Fairchild could be unpredictable. And Miss Fairchild was never, ever to be crossed. In a moment of desperation, the three broke away from Miss Fairchild and thought they were free. Even though they never saw her again, she was always somewhere in the shadows of their minds. When a body is discovered under the home they grew up in, the foster sisters find themselves thrust into the spotlight as key witnesses. Or are they prime suspects?

A thrilling suspense of sisterhood, secrets, love, and murder by New York Times bestselling author Sally Hepworth.

My Review:

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia grew up in a foster home at Wild Meadows, viewed from the outside as the ideal. A beautiful property, lovely home, and anything but a loving mother. Miss Fairchild is the epitome of the horrors of foster care.

Sisters by their shared experience, they manage to survive the dreadful conditions until they manage their escape. Close as any biological sisters could be, they are brought together in adulthood again following the discovery of human remains on the property. With their heads together, they revisit the possibilities. Who could the remains belong to? Law enforcement also wants to know and they are called back to be interviewed.

Are they withholding information or sharing a secret each has vowed never to divulge?

Yes, the book will hook from the beginning and describe the background of each of the girls. The characters, both the girls and Miss Fairchild are very well developed. It’s easy to invest in the girls, root for them to survive the latest “discipline.”

There are twists and turns, flips between the present and the past. There were sub-levels of plot. There is a shocking disclosure in the conclusion. Psychological impact of the girls’ past is interwoven in their stories, the way each girl handled the situation, and their fit in the sisterhood. Miss Fairchild is a deeply flawed main character dealing emotional as well as physical abuse on her foster girls.

I read The Good Sister in June 2022 and loved it. This one hooked quickly and became a page-turning thriller, engaging, and fast paced. The narrator did a terrific job of driving the suspense. Recommended.

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

Book Details:

Genre: Mystery Action Fiction, Action Thriller & Suspense, Domestic Thrillers
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
ASIN: B0C3N8Z9FB
Listening Length: 9 hrs 6 mins
Narrator: Jessica Clarke
Publication Date: April 23, 2024
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Links: Darling Girls – Amazon-US
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Author: Sally Hepworth is the New York Times bestselling author of nine novels, including The Good Sister and The Soulmate. Her latest novel, Darling Girls, was released in Australia in September 2023, and will be released in North America in April 2024.

Drawing on the good, the bad and the downright odd of human behaviour, Sally writes incisively about family, relationships and identity. Her domestic thriller novels are laced with quirky humour, sass and a darkly charming tone. They are available worldwide in English and have been translated into twenty languages.

Sally lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her three children and one adorable dog. She has recently taken up ocean swimming (or to put it more accurately, ocean dipping.

Happy Listening!