"We Were Killers Once" by Becky Mastersman

“Anyways, we drove up to the Clutter ranch after dark and parked within view of the place, waiting for the lights to go out. The kid was still in the back seat.”......


In 1959 there was a crime that would become the center stage of Truman Capote’s movie, “In Cold Blood.” A family murdered by two cold blooded killers. The killers were caught and executed. There was also another unsolved murder at that time of another entire family in Florida, the Walker family.

This story takes us on another road of that horrific time. An alternate take on what could have happened. What if one of the executed men left a confession behind of a third man and another dead family?

A hidden written letter to the prison chaplain may just come back to haunt former prisoner Jerry Beaufort. Jerry is out, and would like nothing better than to find out about cold cases and DNA evidence. What man wants to go back to prison on a murder charge? He’d like to get his hands on whatever it is that could link him to those murders.

The chaplain has moved on, and is now a married to a retired FBI agent. Carlo and Brigid are trying to enjoy this peaceful time in their life. The past is haunting. Jerry is out there, and the only thing standing between him and that letter is Carlo and his wife. This is the fourth book in the “Brigid Quinn” series, and my first read by this author. I found it well written, and definitely intriguing.

An alternate look at what could have been a truth. We will never know for sure. I always find true crime a hard story to read. This isn’t just a book. Two real families died. Could there have been another killer? Could they have also killed the Walker family? Thought provoking.

Thank you Becky Masterman, Netgalley, and St. Martins Press

Buy "We Were Killers Once" on sale June 4th!: click here!

"Mine" by Courtney Cole

"I trail my finger along the spines as I pace, and it's so hard to take everything in. My mind is a rubber band, expanding and expanding, until it snaps back, unable to fathom everything, unable to understand. Is adultery an inevitability of life? Do men just get tired of their wives and cheat? The thought weighs my heart down. Like jagged rocks on the bottom of the ocean, with each pull of the tide, the rocks rake over my lungs, making it harder and harder to breathe."...…...

Tessa and Ethan. The couple and their children live an upscale life in Florida. A hurricane is headed their way, and Ethan can’t make it back home in time. The kids are away for the weekend, and Tessa finds something that proves Ethan has been cheating. Tessa’s whole world is about to crash down around her. If the hurricane doesn’t take everything from her, perhaps the girlfriend will.

Tessa makes a wild decision to lure the woman, Lindsey, to her home. Now trapped together, they’re about to face everything that has been kept secret. Not to mention the hurricane, that may solve everything for both of them. Tessa's rage is frightening.

The story is told back and forth between the womens point of view. The betrayal so heartbreaking for Tessa that you can feel it. What about the “other woman?” Is she sorry? Can you possibly feel sorry for Lindsey? Is Lindsey heartbroken? Lindsey appears to be the typical stereotype of a gold digger who doesn't mind waiting for Ethan to leave his wife.

Will Ethan make it back home, and what will he find when the storm passes? Either woman would say that Ethan is “Mine.” Will they still feel that way when the storm is over? I don’t think if I’ve ever read a more truthful work of fiction. What an exceptional story of one of the most painful things a married woman can endure.

Thank you Courtney Cole, Netgalley, Gallery, Pocket, Threshold Books 

Buy "Mine" on sale May 28tth on Amazon: click here!

" I Know You" by Erik Therme

"She slowly reached inside and took it out. It was unsealed. She lifted the flap. Inside was a photograph of Alissa sitting on a concrete floor surrounded by concrete walls with both knees drawn into her chest. Below that, written in marker: IF YOU TELL ANYONE SHE DIES."..…...


Bree and Alissa Walker are close as sisters can be, along with their brother Tyler. A shared misery of their current home life makes them depend on each other.

Now Alissa is missing. Bree will do whatever she can to bring her sister back home. Family secrets will be revealed. Friends are keeping things to themselves. Can Bree uncover these things in time to save Alissa? Why would anyone take her 16 year old sister to begin with? What could they want?

The hunt includes tracking down Tyler, getting the truth from friends and family, and a wild ride into the dark night. Suspense and danger at every turn. Will they all survive to see Alissa again? Family loyalty and strength will be what they all need to hold on to.

This is the 5th book I’ve read by this author. I love his characters. I love the way the stories flow and keep you entertained. Another successful suspense novel by Erik Therme!

Someone knows the family and their secrets. You don’t remember me, but...”I Know You.”

Thank you Erik Therme, Netgalley, and Bookouture. 

Buy "I Know You" on Amazon: click here!

"Living in the Middle" The Slavery and Beyond Series by Robert Allen

"Jimmy sat up and hoped to see her impressive dimples fire in his direction when she opened her eyes. Instead, he saw a look of fear and terror. Outside the restaurant window, two fully robed Klansmen dangled a noose while pointing at Jimmy."

This factual historical novel is based on a the life of a young man, and the time period of which he lived. The story begins in 1915. Jimmy Montgomery was raised in New York, and from an affluent family. Discovery of a family secret sets him on a journey.

Is he white or is he black? He needs to find his place in the world. At a time when the KKK is making a name for itself, and people are openly choosing sides, life could become dangerous for him. “The Tulsa Race Riots of 1921,” will play a part in his future.

For Jimmy, the decision is made. Now will the people in his life be with him or against him? Can he win over the woman he loves in spite of all the danger around him?

“Living in the Middle” is a stand alone book. It’s related, though, in theme to other books in this series. I’ve read several. This one, I read almost half of it in one sitting. It is that interesting and thought provoking.

I’ve enjoyed the history lessons, kind of a refresher, along with new knowledge that I didn’t know before. We should remember our history. The world has drastically changed, or has it? What will become of Jimmy? Will he find a way of life with his choice, or will it always be a hardship living one life over another?

Thank you Robert Allen

Buy "Living in the Middle" now on Amazon: click here!

"Beneath the Surface" Book 2 in the Oak Creek Series by B.K. Stubblefield

"She felt better when taking meds. Yesterday, she'd taken a double dose of sleeping pills by mistake; the slipup shaking her badly. She could appreciate Ryan's concern. But he made it sound like she was on the road to addiction, although he had no reason to think so. And that had pissed her off. His mention of Joe meant precisely that. Well, she was not!"......


I read the first book in the “Oak Creek” series last summer. I really enjoyed it, and was so happy to be asked to read this one. Emily is back, along with the man who could became her love interest, Ryan Carmichael. There is still danger lurking in Oak Creek.

Emily and Ryan witness something that have altered their lives. Ryan is a photographer, a job that can lead him away from Oak Creek. Will it lead him away from Emily? Ryan may have to leave to sort out the things he's dealing with. The question is if it does lead him away from her, will he ever come back?

Danger and life in a small town. A house to be restored, and a beloved dog named Bentley. The trauma from previous events will need to be resolved before Emily and Ryan can move on with their lives, together or apart.

This was a wonderful continuation of life in Oak Creek. The things lingering just “Beneath the Surface” always find a way to find the light.

Thank you B.K. Stubblefield 

Buy "Beneath the Surface" on May 15th. Amazon: click here!

"Last Night" (The Searchers Book 2) by Karen Ellis

"Glynnie knows she isn't stupid or hopeless (despite the lengthy narrative commentary of nearly every single end semester report), but she also knows that she hasn't stumbled on the locus of her intelligence, not yet. But she will. She feels it. And look: Crisp Crespo, academic wonder, is hanging out with her on what was supposed to be his graduation night."...…..

We are back in Book 2 of “The Searchers” series. The first was a good book that I really enjoyed. This one was just as well written. Detective Lex Cole takes the forefront as he investigates what happened, “Last Night,” to a young black man named Titus Crespo, or Crisp to his friends.

A valedictorian as he graduates high school, but one thing happens and changes the course of everything. A chance meeting with a rich, young white girl, named Glynnie, will alter Crisp’s future. Glynnie is more interested in spending her parents money, and doing the wrong things, rather than the right ones.

“Last Night” Crisp and Glynnie set off in the big city without telling anyone where they’re going. The story alternates between what happened to them last night, and the detectives search for them the next day. Will these kids survive a dangerous night in the housing projects? Will Detective Cole be able to help either of them?

Elsa, from the first book, does make an appearance in this one. I really like her character as well, and was glad to see her again. They are stand alone stories, and the characters are fully defined in each.

“Last Night” will lead to life altering changes for all. Elsa and Lex’s personal lives will finally go where I was hoping they would.

Thank you Karen Ellis, Netgalley, and Mulholland Books

#netgalley #amreading

Buy "Last Night" now on Amazon: click here!

"A Map of the Dark" (Book 1 in the Searcher Series) by Karen Ellis

"She too grew up in the city, but not Manhattan, and not Forest Hills. Her family lived modestly, way out in Ozone Park at the far end of Queens. She went to a decent high school, but not the best, and got through it. "Where did you go to college?' Curious, suddenly, about this detective who needed her help so badly that she was summoned away from her father's hospital bed."....


The first book in this series takes us deep into the life of FBI Agent Elsa Myers. Broken on the inside, and fighting on the outside to bring justice and help to those who need her.

The story involves the disappearance of a teenage girl from her Forest Hill neighborhood in Queens. Dealing with her sick father, Elsa is still front and center to help. The clues may lead her astray, but can she get on the right path? Things from her past keep coming to the forefront. She isn’t sure how to deal with the old wounds of her childhood. She knows what it’s like to be a teenage girl. It’s part of what makes her a good agent and successful at her job.

She partners with Detective Lex Cole. He's asked for her help. Aware of her innate ability to solve these kind of cases, they have more in common then they first realize. He may be able to understand her. A friendship in the making?

All the things we hide inside a have a way of finding their way out. Elsa will
have to be strong in the face of a potential serial killer. Will Elsa connect the dots? Will she be in time to save the missing girl? The story is bigger than one missing teenager. Carefully crafted to twist and turn along a dark edge. Thrilling mystery from start to finish. I’m looking forward to the second book of this series, “Last Night.”

Thank you Karen Ellis, Netgalley, and
Mulholland Books. 

Buy this book on Amazon: click here!

"Down in the Belly of the Whale" by Kelley Kay Bowles

"When people around me are getting sick, my nose itches, or I start sneezing, or my body reacts in some bizarre way. It's not a gift or a power in my opinion, because it doesn't do anything for anybody. I can warn people to dive into the orange juice, I guess, but aren't you supposed to drink that stuff a lot anyway? Some help I am."......


Meet Harper Southwood. She’s a teenager with all the fears and hopes of a young girl. She has an uncanny ability to feel when others are getting sick. Of course it makes her feel like an outsider in her world. At least she has her friend Cora, and the cute boy she'd like to date. Her parents are ok, and her uncle is a great comfort to her.

When her mom suffers a mysterious sudden illness, and her friend suffers a personal crisis, Harper questions everything. Will Harper find her place in this world? Her family, and best friend Cora, and her special power are all at the forefront of her life.

With an interesting cast of characters, family ties and light comedy, it played well to the sudden changes in Harper’s life. I enjoyed this story more than I expected. The story took me in a direction I didn’t see coming. I like that. Unpredictable, and not your typical teen angst. Maybe the things you think you want in life are not really what you need.

Thank you Kelley Kay Bowles 

Buy this book! Now on Amazon: click here!

"Poison by Punctuation" Chalkboard Outlines Book 2 by Kelley Kaye Bowles

"Emma scooted away from the side of the pool when Leslie started snapping her wet towel. She skidded around the corner of the locker room and stopped short when she aw the foot protruding from the corner of the gym lockers. The foot was encased in a short white sock with a blue paw embroidered on the side. Oh my God. Oh no. Oh no.".......


Emma and Leslie are back in Book Two of the “Chalkboard Outlines” series. Taking place a year after the teachers first adventure together. 

This time Emma finds a body, and horrifying enough, it’s a student. Given their previous success in helping solve 2 murders last year, Emma and Leslie are determined to see this one solved as well. 

Emma is finally settling in after moving from South Carolina to Colorado. Leaving behind a philandering ex husband, she finds herself in a fairly stable relationship with Hunter. Although, there is a bad boy that may turn her head. With a mix of characters, teachers, neighbors, cops, and parents, one of them has to have knowledge of Kirsten’s death. 

I found this read enjoyable as the first in this series, maybe a little more so. This book felt more settled and comfortable. The characters are different and fun, not your usual sleuths. With quotes from Shakespeare, it really does remind me of high school. 

There’s no question that the killer will be found, and brought to justice. Emma and Leslie won’t have it any other way. 

Thank you Kelley Bowles 

                                                                                            Buy "Poison by Punctuation" now on Amazon: click here!

"Death by Diploma": Chalkboard Outline Series Book 1 by Kelley Kaye Bowles

                                                            

"Leslie held out her closed fist. "Let's do it. Let's solve it ourselves." Emma felt her face go through a range of expressions: surprise, doubt, then fear. That's the craziest thing I've ever heard. "Ah don't know, Leslie. Ah've never even seen a dead body before, much less tried to find his killer. It sounds dangerous. Or maybe stupid. Probably both.".......

Emma Lovett is a new teacher and carefully trying to navigate the waters at her first teaching assignment. Unfortunately, a murder is going to interfere in her enthusiasm.

A contemporary read, told with quick humor and wit. Emma is from South Carolina, drawl and all. She makes a new teacher friend, Leslie,  and has her by her side to keep her grounded.  

Such an entertaining read. It was easy to fall into the story, and the mystery Emma and  Leslie are now dealing with. Who was murdered, and why? Is Emma going to step aside and let the police handle it? Of course not. Not when Emma and Leslie have clues of there own to follow. A long list of suspects and many reasons why people commit murder, make for a roller coaster ride of a story. 

Will they solve the crime? Will they have jobs when it’s over? Come along and find out. Enjoy the pleasant distraction of a good book. 

Thank you Kelley Kaye Bowles

Buy "Death by Diploma"on Amazon:click here!