In this crime thriller from #1 New York Times-bestselling J.D. Robb, a small and easily concealed weapon wreaks havoc, and the killer is just a face in the crowd.
Jenna’s parents had finally given in, and there she was, at a New York club with her best friends, watching the legendary band Avenue A, carrying her demo in hopes of slipping it to the guitarist, Jake Kincade. Then, from the stage, Jake catches her eye, and smiles. It’s the best night of her life. It’s the last night of her life.
Minutes later, Jake’s in the alley getting some fresh air, and the girl from the dance floor comes stumbling out, sick and confused and deathly pale. He tries to help, but it’s no use. He doesn’t know that someone in the crowd has jabbed her with a needle―and when his girlfriend Nadine arrives, she knows the only thing left to do for the girl is call her friend, Lieutenant Eve Dallas.
After everyone on the scene is interviewed, lab results show a toxic mix of substances in the victim’s body―and for an extra touch of viciousness, the needle was teeming with infectious agents. Dallas searches for a pattern: Had any boys been harassing Jenna? Was she engaging in risky behavior or caught up in something shady? But there are no obvious clues why this levelheaded sixteen-year-old, passionate about her music, would be targeted.
And that worries Dallas. Because if Jenna wasn’t targeted, if she was just the random, unlucky victim of a madman consumed by hatred, there are likely more deaths to come.
His Review:
Frances is by far the smartest young man in his age group. At 16 he was given his own chemistry lab by his wealthy father. He has already developed some of his own chemical products and is able to synthesize and reproduce others. He is at the top of his class in everything he tries. Problem is, he is only 5’6″ and none of the girls in his exclusive schools will have anything to do with him.
He begins to develop a hate for the obviously inferior females who snidely dismiss him whenever he is around. He decides to make them pay for consistently rejecting him. He perfects the delivery system for poisons he will administer to make them pay for their rejections. Any sixteen-year-old girl will do and a function where most of his classmates will attend is his perfect venue.
He plans the situations meticulously and his escape routes are previewed. All goes well until his third victim screams when he administers the tonic and he is barely able to escape. Eve Dallas is a detective vowing to end his killing spree. This novel hooked and is fast paced. Putting it down will not be easy. Enjoy! 4.5 stars – CE Williams
A library loan provided me the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions are mine own.
Rosepoint Publishing:Four point Five Stars
Book Details:
Genre: Police Procedurals, Women Sleuths Publisher: St Martin’s Press ISBN-10: 1250336554 ISBN-13: 978-1250336552 ASIN: B0C1X8GDPV Print Length: 362 pages Publication Date: January 23, 2024 Source: Publisher and NetGalley
The Author:J.D. ROBB is the pseudonym for #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts. She is the author of over 200 novels, including the futuristic suspense In Death series. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print.
From Robert Dugoni, Jeff Langholz, and Chris Crabtree comes an epic and inspiring novel—based on true events—about love, heroism, and resilience during the darkest chapters of World War II.
Sam Carlson is a projectionist in small-town Minnesota, where fantasies unspool in glorious black and white—for him and for his sweetheart, college-bound math whiz Sarah Haber. When the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, Sam is sent to the Philippines and captured as a POW. Brutalized but unbroken by the Bataan Death March and POW camps, Sam is one of eighteen hundred starved and weakened prisoners herded into the cargo hold of a barbaric hell ship called the Arisan Maru, his survival doubtful.
Determined to use her math skills on the home front, Sarah is recruited to Washington, DC, into the covert field of code breaking. When Sarah intercepts a message about a Japanese convoy, the US Navy’s mission is clear: sink the Arisan Maru and send it to the bottom of the South China Sea. Now, the lives of the two young lovers are about to inadvertently collide in one of the most shocking acts of World War II.
Anchored in an extraordinary true story and breathlessly re-created, Hold Strong is a one-of-a-kind novel that explores faith, courage, survival, and coming home against insurmountable odds.
His Review:
The United States was neutral before the WW II. Our military was at peace and the port of Pearl Harbor was enjoying leave for the majority of its sailors and soldiers. The Philippines had a large contingent of U.S. military stationed near Clark Air Force Base and the island of Corregidor. After the attack at Pearl Harbor, the Japanese immediately attacked the bases in the Pacific and in the Philippines.
The bases were quickly overtaken because the military lacked shells and bullets. The entire contingent of men was forced to march nearly 3,000 miles in extremely hot and humid weather. Many of the men collapsed from the lack of food and water and were shot or bayonetted where they lay. Also, the prisoners were beaten and stabbed on the march. The Japanese were cruel and ruthless.
This story chronicles the terrible conditions they faced both during the “Battan Death March,” and the trip aboard the Arisan Maru. Eight thousand troops were forced into the ships’ hold with no place to sit or lay down. No fresh air was piped into the hold and many died of starvation or thirst. The Japanese commander was educated in the United States and loathed the Americans from Bataan and Corregidor.
Many perished aboard this terrible Japanese freighter and were simply thrown overboard without ceremony. Burial at sea duties were carried on by the prisoners without any coverings for the bodies. The Japanese allowed the prisoners half a cup of watery rice per day as food. All of the prisoners lost weight until they looked like walking skeletons. Many tried to help their fellow prisoners of war until they were so emaciated they could hardly walk themselves.
This novel highlights the plight of these 8,000 troops and the brutality that was inflicted by their Japanese captors. The Japanese felt the Americans were not good soldiers and sailors and would cave under the pressure. The average walk per day was around 30 miles. Food supplied by the Red Cross was enjoyed by the Japanese and never shared with the captives.
This novel would be enjoyed by anyone who appreciates historical biographical fiction or biographical fiction of WWII. There are times you can feel the heat and the desperate attempt at life, knowing the odds are against you. The descriptions bringing the scene to life are all too real. It’s crushing. Look for the release of this one in late January or pre-order now to enjoy massive savings. 5 stars – CE Williams
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: Historical Biographical Fiction, Biographical Fiction, Historical World War II Fiction Publisher: Lake Union Publishing ISBN:1662516304 ASIN: B0CW1FVMPG Print Length: 503 pages Publication Date: January 28, 2025 Source: Publisher and NetGalley
Robert Dugoni is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and Amazon Charts bestselling author of the Tracy Crosswhite series; the Charles Jenkins series; the David Sloane series; several standalone novels, including A Killing on the Hill, The World Played Chess, and The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell; and coauthor of the nonfiction exposé The Cyanide Canary, a Washington Post Best Book of the Year. Dugoni is the recipient of the Nancy Pearl Book Award for fiction, a multi-time winner of the Friends of Mystery Spotted Owl Award for best novel set in the Pacific Northwest, and 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 forty countries and have been translated into more than thirty languages and have reached millions of readers worldwide.
Visit his website and follow him on Amazon, Goodreads, twitter, Facebook, Tik Tok and other social media sites]. For more information, visit robertdugonibooks.com.
Dr. Jeff Langholz is an award-winning teacher, researcher, entrepreneur, and writer whose work has appeared in more than 250 media outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, National Geographic, and the Economist. His adventures span five continents and include stints as a rice farmer in West Africa with the Peace Corps, a Fulbright Scholar in South Africa, a salmon fisherman in Alaska, a tree farmer in Central America, and a mediator in New York. He lives along Monterey Bay in California [with his wife, dog, and two semiferal cats].
Chris Crabtree teaches middle and high school English language arts and literature at Costa Rica International Academy in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Chris and his wife, Vera, live in a rustic, rural town on the outskirts of Santa Cruz, Costa Rica, with their dogs Bety and Bruno.
From Indiana, Chris Crabtree attended the Indianapolis high school named after one of Hold Strong’s most heroic characters. His personal connection to the story also includes time spent in The Philippines, where the story starts. Chris served as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in Sierra Leone, West Africa, where he and Jeff forged their decades-long friendship. He is an award-winning high school History and Literature teacher at Costa Rica International Academy in Guanacaste, Costa Rica.
“Brassard’s accents—whether French Canadian, Italian, or continental French—create indelible characters. His performance lets us feel Reine Marie’s warmth and Armand’s affectionate nature, and he adds an additional layer to surly Ruth and her potty-mouthed duck. Exciting and entertaining.”—AudioFile (Earphones Award winner)
The 19th mystery in the #1 New York Times-bestselling Armand Gamache series.
Relentless phone calls interrupt the peace of a warm August morning in Three Pines. Though the tiny Québec village is impossible to find on any map, someone has managed to track down Armand Gamache, head of homicide at the Sûreté, as he sits with his wife in their back garden. Reine-Marie watches with increasing unease as her husband refuses to pick up, though he clearly knows who is on the other end. When he finally answers, his rage shatters the calm of their quiet Sunday morning.
That’s only the first in a sequence of strange events that begin THE GREY WOLF, the nineteenth novel in Louise Penny’s #1 New York Times-bestselling series. A missing coat, an intruder alarm, a note for Gamache reading “this might interest you”, a puzzling scrap of paper with a mysterious list—and then a murder. All propel Chief Inspector Gamache and his team toward a terrible realization. Something much more sinister than any one murder or any one case is fast approaching.
Armand Gamache, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, his son-in-law and second in command, and Inspector Isabelle Lacoste can only trust each other, as old friends begin to act like enemies, and long-time enemies appear to be friends. Determined to track down the threat before it becomes a reality, their pursuit takes them across Québec and across borders. Their hunt grows increasingly desperate, even frantic, as the enormity of the creature they’re chasing becomes clear. If they fail the devastating consequences would reach into the largest of cities and the smallest of villages.
Including Three Pines.
A Macmillan Audio production from Minotaur Books.
My Review:
At installment nineteen, I’ve obviously missed a tremendous upheaval in an earlier successful and beloved series that heavily included the people of Three Pines. Alas, that is no more and what I’ve come into now is a long story that begins simply enough then multiplies and divides into an overly complex and far-fetched scenario.
If a dramatic shift in plot mining is not enough, so apparently is the replacement of a much-loved narrator with another, approved by the author, but sure to add to the upheaval in a series that’s lost steam apparently owing to the loss of the writer’s husband. (Did the man co-write?) It appears evident that the radical shift in the loss of prose, the familiar inhabitants of Three Pines, and the lengthy mind-numbing storylines may have lost a few diehard fans.
I did have the occasion to catch Book 16, All the Devils Are Here and found it as conflicted and confusing as this one. I did enjoy Robert Bathurst as narrator in that episode but thought Brassard delivered a credible reading as well.
The main characters? Gamache becomes a hero of epic proportions, saving Canada—nay—possibly the US as well. Gamache and his cronies become globe-trotting officers to chase down…who? Monks? And then do they find the evidence they need?
While I enjoyed the beauty of the language, the pace was agonizing, lots of new characters, and the laudable effort to save the day pushed disbelief.
The conclusion didn’t pull it together and instead left it open in a cliffhanger. Ugh! I thought I was being heroic finishing the audiobook and now I have to wait for full revelation? My patience gets shorter with each birthday.
I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.
Rosepoint Publishing:Three Stars
Book Details:
Genre: International Mystery & Crime, Movie, TV & Video Game Tie-In Fiction, Police Procedural Mysteries Publisher:Macmillan Audio ASIN: B0CRHYCSQM Listening Length: 14 hrs 19 mins Narrator: Jean Brassard Publication Date: October 29, 2024 Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections) Title Links:The Grey Wolf – Amazon-US Amazon-UK Barnes & Noble Kobo
The Author:LOUISE PENNY is the #1 New York Times and Globe and Mail bestselling author of the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novels. She has won numerous awards, including a CWA Dagger and the Agatha Award (five times) and was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Novel. She lives in a small village south of Montréal.
The Narrator: A son of Quebec, Canada, Brassard is an actor, composer, and narrator and can be seen in a number of popular TV show series. He was born on November 6, 1958.
“Great news…
I will have the honor and pleasure to bring Louise Penny’s new Gamache investigation in her famous Three Pines village to her numerous fans’ ears with The Gray Wolf, which will be available October 29.
Pre-order your copy, or rather recording, here now!”
The Heroes and Villains of the Johnstown Flood, America’s Astonishing Gilded Age Disaster
Book Blurb:
A gripping narrative history of the 1889 Johnstown Flood – the deadliest flood in US history – from New York Times best-selling author, NBC host, and legendary weather authority Al Roker.
May 1889: After a deluge of rainfall – nearly a foot in less than 24 hours – swelled the Little Conemaugh River, panicked engineers watched helplessly as swiftly rising waters threatened to breach the South Fork Dam in central Pennsylvania. Though they telegraphed neighboring towns on this last morning in May, warning of the impending danger, residents, used to false alarms, remained in their homes.
At 3:10 p.m., the dam gave way, releasing 20 million tons of water. Gathering speed as it flowed southwest, the deluge wiped out entire towns in its path and picked up debris – trees, houses, animals – before reaching Johnstown, 14 miles downstream. Traveling 40 miles an hour, with swells as high as 60 feet, the deadly floodwaters razed the mill town – home to 20,000 people – in minutes. The Great Flood, as it would come to be called, remains the deadliest in US history, killing more than 2,200 people and causing $17 million in damage.
Al Roker tells the riveting story of this tragedy, which remains one of the worst weather-related disasters in American history. Ruthless Tide follows a compelling cast of characters whose fates converged because of that tragic day, including John Parke, the engineer whose heroic efforts failed to save the dam; Henry Clay Frick, the robber baron whose fancy sport-fishing resort was responsible for modifications that weakened the structure; and Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross, who spent five months in Johnstown leading one of the first organized disaster relief efforts. Weaving together their stories and those of many ordinary citizens whose lives were forever altered by the event, Roker creates a classic account of our natural world at its most terrifying.
My Review:
Yes, I found not only the authoritative book and then the movie narrated by Richard Dreyfuss regarding the Johnstown Flood and posted that review on October 3, 2024. No, I’m not fascinated with the disaster, but having read what I thought was the definitive book on the subject, discovered Roker’s book on the flood and thought I’d give it a whirl; see if or how it differed from McCullough’s book.
The City Of Johnstown Pennsylvania From The Highest Point
McCullough’s book was almost a textbook on the who, why, and how the devastation occurred. Although that book named names, those who were the responsible parties on the side of human failure, it also described the rampage of Mother Nature that resulted in a foot of rain in a twenty-four hour period.
As noted previously, Johnstown PA was a booming coal and steel town of some 20,000 people, enjoying the gains of the Industrial Revolution. An old earthen dam had been built to create a premiere fishing lake and resort area for the wealthy tycoons of the time heavily involved in steel production and mining, including Andrew Carnegie.
Al Roker creates a more emotive human interest story, citing both those worker bees in the lower income strata as well as the merchants and the wealthy, the latter of which willing to ignore repeated warnings from knowledgeable engineers regarding the safety of the dam.
So many individual stories, from the six-year-old girl who is separated from her family by the ferocious rampage to the heroes who put their own safety behind the rescue of any they could manage. It puts the “human” back into the human interest story, a loss of more than ten percent of the population with graphic description of the horrific circumstances they faced.
The narrator puts a sober voice into the storyline, telegraphing the terrifying sight of upwards of a sixty-foot wall of mud and debris barreling down on them.
A disaster movie—real, horrifyingly real–and you don’t want to be in it.
The Johnstown Flood (locally, the Great Flood of 1889) occurred on Friday, May 31, 1889, after the catastrophic failure of the South Fork Dam, located on the south fork of the Little Conemaugh River, 14 miles (23 km) upstream of the town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The dam broke after several days of extremely heavy rainfall, releasing 14.55 million cubic meters of water. With a volumetric flow rate that temporarily equaled the average flow rate of the Mississippi River, the flood killed 2,209 people. Illustration from 19th century.
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: Disaster Relief Studies, Natural Disasters, Disaster Relief Publisher:HarperAudio ASIN: B07BK9YB3J Listening Length: 8 hrs 27 mins Narrator: Mirron Willis Publication Date: May 22, 2018 Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections) Title Link: Ruthless Tide [Amazon]
The Author: In addition to being known to over thirty million viewers for his work on NBC’s Today show, a role that has earned him 13 Emmy awards, Al Roker is a bestselling author with many acclaimed books to his credit.
His first book, “Don’t Make Me Stop This Car: Adventures in Fatherhood” spent weeks atop the New York Times best-seller list. In May 2002, “Al Roker’s Big Bad Book of Barbecue” was published and, quickly became a summer blockbuster hit. His second cookbook, “Al Roker’s Hassle Free Holiday Cookbook”, became a huge success as it prepared America’s budding chefs for the holidays. “Big Shoes: In Celebration of Dads and Fatherhood” honors fathers and their contributions to lives of their children.
Working in fiction, Roker’s trilogy of murder mysteries are exciting crime novels that revolve around a fictional TV program much like TODAY. This trilogy includes “The Morning Show Murders” (recently made into a TV movie for Hallmark Movies & Mysteries starring Holly Robinson Peete and Rick Fox), “The Talk Show Murders,” and “The Midnight Show Murders.”
Al’s 2013 book, “Never Goin’ Back-Winning The Weight Loss Battle For Good” was a NY Times Bestseller and told Al’s personal struggles with his own weight, bariatric surgery, and diet/nutrition. It even included healthy eating recipes!
In 2015, Al published “The Storm Of The Century: Tragedy, Heroism, Survival, and the Epic True Story of America’s Deadliest Natural Disaster: The Great Gulf Hurricane of 1900.” In less than twenty-four hours, one storm destroyed a major American metropolis—and awakened a nation to the terrifying power of nature. Al’s use of first person narrative received rave reviews.
Al collaborated with his wife, ABC News correspondent, Deborah Roberts, on “Been There Done That – Family Wisdom For Modern Times.” BTDT has been described as a funny, heartfelt, and empowering collection of life lessons, hard-won wisdom, and instructive family anecdotes from Al and Deborah’s lives, from their parents and grandparents, and from dear friends, famous and not.
Al also recently wrote his first children’s book, “Al Roker’s Extreme Weather: Tornadoes, Typhoons, and Other Weather Phenomena” in 2017. With this mesmerizing book that covers a wide range of topics, readers will learn about the conditions that generate unique weather occurrences like red sprites, thundersnow, and fogsicles.
Al’s latest book book “Ruthless Tide – The Heroes And Villains Of The Johnstown Flood” was released in May 2018. In Ruthless Tide, Al Roker follows an unforgettable cast of characters whose fates converged because of that tragic day, including John Parke, the engineer whose heroic efforts failed to save the dam; the robber barons whose fancy sport fishing resort was responsible for modifications that weakened the dam; and Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross, who spent five months in Johnstown leading one of the first organized disaster relief efforts in the United States. Weaving together their stories and those of many ordinary citizens whose lives were forever altered by the event, Ruthless Tide is testament to the power of the human spirit in times of tragedy and also a timely warning about the dangers of greed, inequality, neglected infrastructure, and the ferocious, uncontrollable power of nature.
Check the EVENTS tab on Facebook/BooksByAlRoker for appearances by Al Roker.
Detective Elise King investigates a man’s disappearance in a seaside town where the locals and weekenders are at odds with each other in this rich and captivating new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Widow.
Elise King is a successful and ambitious detective–or she was before a medical leave left her unsure if she’d ever return to work. She now spends most days watching the growing tensions in her small seaside town of Ebbing–the weekenders renovating old bungalows into luxury homes, and the locals resentful of the changes.
Elise can only guess what really happens behind closed doors. But Dee Eastwood, her house cleaner, often knows. She’s an invisible presence in many of the houses in town, but she sees and hears everything.
The conflicts boil over when a newcomer wants to put the town on the map with a giant music festival, and two teenagers overdose on drugs. When a man disappears the first night of the festival, Elise is drawn back into her detective work and starts digging for answers. Ebbing is a small town, but it’s full of secrets and hidden connections that run deeper and darker than Elise could have ever imagined.
My Review:
I do enjoy mysteries and whodunits and always willing to try a new author to me. The blurb sets up a mystery involving conflict between the residents of a little seaside village and the seasonal weekenders who are buying up the older homes and turning them into luxury getaways.
And that prospect begins the storyline with a music festival that ends in tragedy when two teenagers OD. Guess I expected that’s the direction the plot would take, but you know what happens when you jump to assumptions.
The reader is introduced to Elise King, fighting her way through a cancer regime and still experiencing chemo brain. Admittedly, she acknowledges brain fog, memory loss, and concentration. She was a successful detective prior to her diagnosis and treatment and now would love to return to work. But she’s a little afraid to push it, recognizing her current limitations.
So when the teenagers OD and Charlie Perry disappears, Elise is a bit reluctant to jump back into her role when requested to do so by her old boss. Fortunately, she has a rather nosy older neighbor who would love to be an unofficial associate and is more than happy to help when Elise requests her assistance with Ronnie’s expertise in researching.
In the meantime…enter the housekeeper of many of the local homes forced into the role by the loss of her hubby’s job and income. Dee Eastwood has discovered she’s “invisible” to those whose homes she quietly goes about cleaning, while being privy to their conversations, secrets around the house, and their relationships.
Charlie Perry becomes sympathetic when the reader is introduced to his wife Pauline who appears to be more than a little narcissistic. But then it’s also discovered that Charlie wasn’t the sweet, friendly neighbor thought to be and in fact had put himself in a precarious financial position trying to care for his daughter.
Multiple POVs, lots of characters, many of whom are not wholly developed. The plot breaks down into sub-plots. I did like Elise and admired her successful struggle with her health circumstances, but with all the characters and a rather slow moving pace, there were times when I tuned out the narration of the audiobook. There is a twist at the end I didn’t expect and in the end a surprising discovery in conclusion.
I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.
The Author:Fiona Barton’sdebut, The Widow, was a Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller and has been published in 36 countries and optioned for television. Her second novel, The Child, was a Sunday Times bestseller. Born in Cambridge, Fiona currently lives in Sussex and south-west France.
Previously, she was a senior writer at the Daily Mail, news editor at the Daily Telegraph, and chief reporter at the Mail on Sunday, where she won Reporter of the Year at the British Press Awards.
While working as a journalist, Fiona reported on many high-profile criminal cases and she developed a fascination with watching those involved, their body language and verbal tics. Fiona interviewed people at the heart of these crimes, from the guilty to their families, as well as those on the periphery, and found it was those just outside the spotlight who interested her most . . .
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Jenna’s parents had finally given in, and there she was, at a New York club with her best friends, watching the legendary band Avenue A, carrying her demo in hopes of slipping it to the guitarist, Jake Kincade. Then, from the stage, Jake catches her eye, and smiles. It’s the best night of her life.
Frances is by far the smartest young man in his age group. At 16 he was given his own chemistry lab by his wealthy father. He has already developed some of his own chemical products and is able to synthesize and reproduce others. He is at the top of his class in everything he tries. Problem is, he is only 5’6″ and none of the girls in his exclusive schools will have anything to do with him.
He plans the situations meticulously and his escape routes are previewed. All goes well until his third victim screams when he administers the tonic and he is barely able to escape. Eve Dallas is a detective vowing to end his killing spree. This novel hooked and is fast paced. Putting it down will not be easy. Enjoy! 4.5 stars – CE Williams
The Author: J.D. ROBB is the pseudonym for #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts. She is the author of over 200 novels, including the futuristic suspense In Death series. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print.
Rosepoint Publishing 