"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!

"Premonition" by Tower Lowe (A Cotton Lee Penn Historical Mystery Book 2)

Buy "Premonition" now on Amazon: click here!

"Cotton Lee sat back down on the cool steps to finish her tea.  She thought about Anselm and Reni, and the Vietnam War that took Bedford away. In a trance of dark trees and brisk air, she tried to move back more than a hundred years to a time when a Union soldier left solid gold United States coins with his enemies. Or did the enslaved black people somehow get the coins? Or did those frightened Southern women, worried about starving, steal the gold pieces?".....


Cotton Lee is back in this historical mystery. This time she’s drawn into a perplexing murder, someone that her and friends know. Anselm is found shot to death in the woods. Is one of her friends a possible suspect?

A strange twist are the gold coins found on Anselm’s body. Minted in 1862, these coins have a story behind them as well. In 1864 the coins were a gift from a Union Soldier to a mistress. When the soldier dies the coins had disappeared, at least until 1972 when they are found on Anselm. Two mysterious deaths with the gold coins in common. Can Cotton Lee figure out what the connection is?

A trip back in time when everything was so different. A story of the south, and the results of war. Cotton Lee is a wonderful character. The story is told between two different times, but seamlessly brought together in the end. A fateful tale told so well, that you can feel yourself slipping into this story and back in time. A story of secrets revealed, and coins traveling through time.

Thank you Tower Lowe

"Michelle's Captivity" Part One:Mirror Mirror by William Rubin

"Clouds blanket the sky and the moon. The cool night air streams across the minivan as Michelle approaches the exit, her headlight beams cutting through the darkness on the unlit highway. She glances in her rear-view, noting the black car a quarter mile back.".....

The "Chris Ravello Medical Mystery Thriller" picks up in this backstory of the death and life of his wife Michelle. Believed to be dead, not once, but twice. At the end of the 3rd book in the series, Chris and his dad are at her grave. Waiting on the exhumation, and the final answer if she’s truly dead or not.

“Michelle’s Captivity” takes us on to the real story as to what happened to her. Michelle will be a force of her own. If her kidnapper expected a weak woman he will be greatly surprised. Meanwhile, her husband continues his hunt for her, and the evil that keeps her from her family. 

Another chapter in the life of Chris and Michelle Ravello, with more to follow.

Thank you William Rubin

"Forbidden Cure" Part Three: Sordid Aspirations by William Rubin

"My eyes fixate on Kennedy’s. A madman’s demanding release so he can free my wife and help us catch a killer. But I’m on the outside of this investigation looking in. How the hell can we make this work?”

Part three of the Chris Ravello, Medical Mystery Thriller. Chris is undergoing medical treatment that may save or take his life. Chris and his friend, Detective Kevin Kennedy, are on the hunt for who may be killing patients of experimental treatments. Is someone jeopardizing these treatments on purpose? 

A clue comes to light proving that Michelle, Chris’s wife, may in fact still be alive. A killer they’ve put away will help them find her, if they agree to help him get out of prison. They've all suffered her death, not once, but twice. Is it even possible she's still alive?

The story line is great. I enjoy the characters and the pace of this thriller. I think it would have been a little more enjoyable to have less break up of the story. The parts perhaps a little longer. Still, overall, an excellent read. Always a cliffhanger, you can’t help but want to find out what’s next. 

Thank you William Rubin

"My Lovely Wife" by Samantha Downing

                                                                                              

"My name is not Tobias. I use that name only when I want someone to remember me. In this case, the bartender. I introduced myself and typed out my name when i first walked in and ordered a drink. He will remember me. He will remember that Tobias is the deaf man who left the bar with a woman he just met. The same was for his benefit, not Petra's."..........

A contemporary serial killer story. A seemingly nice husband and wife, 2 children, nice neighborhood. A tennis teacher and a real estate agent, a normal family right?

This couple leads a secret double life, one that includes murder. They stalk, kill, and dispose of their victims. The story takes us on a chilling ride through their everyday life with teens, work, friends. It takes a turn to the dark side as the husband describes his adventures in making contact with their potential victims. I don’t know who scared me more, him or his wife. The ease with which it was done, as if all couple do these kinds of things, or the sheer terror that someone could do these things so calmly and so coldly.

Big secrets aren’t good to share with anyone. There’s always a weak link when more than one person knows. Will they get caught? Will they stop? A recent discovery of a past victims body sets them on edge. Especially when he realizes his “Lovely Wife” may have been keeping secrets from him.

Oh the damage from the secrets we keep. A thrilling ride with more than one shocking surprise. Loved this exciting thriller, and the ending was perfect. Cleverly written, and so hard to put down.


Thank you Samantha Downing, Netgalley, and Berkley Publishing Group.

#mylovelywife #netgalley

Buy "My Lovely Wife" on 3/26 on Amazon: click here!

"The Last Woman in The Forest" by Diane Les Becouets

“It was a beautiful spot, the river wide enough to let in a nice expanse of sunlight. Tate had chosen this location, had sat on the rocky outcrop a few feet from where Marian stood now, had pressed the river rock against her palm and asked her to remember. That was before the story Marian had believed in, the one she was certain had been written for her, had begun to change, like a kaleidoscope. Turn the cylinder one way, and the pieces shift, and a new image appears, as if each of her memories were a shard that could be rearranged to fit whichever story she chose to believe, and she wondered if truth existed at all. The only thing she was certain of was that each day forward would carry the past.”....Marian is living her dream job, and working out doors with rescue dogs used to protect wildlife, “K-9’s for Conservation.” Her job sends her to the wilds of Alberta, Canada. There she finds herself falling for a man named Tate. Believing him to be her one true love, they continue working together on special assignments. Happiness won’t last. When tragedy strikes, Marian will be left to question everything she thought she knew about Tate. Discovering the news of the unsolved murders of four women in the forest will leave her wondering if she ever really knew Tate at all. Is he a killer? Can she prove it one way or another? Marian contacts a man that may be able to help her. Nick Shepard is a retired forensic profiler. Perhaps he can help her uncover the truth. While they’re looking to prove one way or another if Tate is responsible, someone is watching Marian’s every move. An exciting mystery read. I loved the outdoor back drop to this story. I also liked that the author gave names and faces to the victims. Often in crime stories little more than a name is given. Here the women are made real, they are more than victims of a serial killer. Descriptive and eerily entertaining. Will Marian uncover the facts about these dead women? How will it leave her feeling about Tate? If she’s uncovering the truth, it may put her in danger. You’ll have to read for yourself and find the answers. Thank you Diane Les Becquets, Berkeley Publishing, and Netgalley.

    Buy "The Last Woman in The Forest" on Amazon 3/5: click here!                                                                                                    #thelastwomanintheforest #netgalley