ARC Review: The Neighbors Are Watching by Aggie Blum Thompson

The Neighbors Are Watching
Author: Aggie Blum Thompson
Publication: Minotaur Books (June 30, 2026)

Description: From the "master of suburban scandal" (Samantha M. Bailey) comes a scandalous twisty thriller about obsession, betrayal, and the price of perfection

Just outside Washington, DC, sits Eastbrook, Bethesda―a leafy suburb with top schools, pristine landscapes, and perfect neighbors. It’s not the kind of place where nannies are killed during robberies gone wrong. And in this picture-perfect neighborhood, someone is desperate to plaster over the cracks in that façade.

A year after the unsolved neighborhood murder, Caren, nearing fifty and staring down an empty nest, has one too many drinks at a graduation party and blacks out on her way home. At least, that’s what everyone says happened. Caren suspects she was drugged by someone. But who?

When Caren teams up with a new neighbor who is obsessed with figuring out who murdered his best friend, they start to uncover what Eastbrook has tried to forget. But in a place where appearances are everything, their search for the truth means not only shattering carefully curated perfection ― but putting themselves squarely in the crosshairs of a killer.

My Thoughts: This domestic thriller is told from three viewpoints. 

Caren is nearing fifty, newly unemployed and she fears unemployable, and facing an empty nest. She attends the graduation party of one of her daughter's former friends and has a couple of drinks. On her way home, she is attacked and put in the basement of the house where a young nanny was murdered about a year ago. 

She awakens with a concussion and no memory of her evening beyond leaving the party to go home and walk her dog. She is told by her best friends from the party that she had too much to drink and must have blacked out. Even her husband is casting doubts on what little she does remember. 

Finn in a young man working as a librarian and living in the basement of an elderly neighborhood resident. He was the best friend of the young nanny who was murdered. He's convinced that the killer was one of the neighbors mainly because he was facetiming with her and heard her tell him that a neighbor was at the door.

Tori is a newly divorced woman living in a house chosen and paid for by her ex. She's the mother of a toddler who spends time each week with his father. She a clinical psychologist who went deeply in debt to soothe herself after her divorce. Her best friend seems to be an AI that she confides in for advice and comfort. Being divorced, she isn't well accepted in the neighborhood filled with traditional families. 

The main viewpoint is Caren's who is struggling to remember what happened on her lost night, but who is also discovering things about her neighbors that reveal deep secrets and shady dealings. She becomes friends with Finn as he investigates his friend's death which she comes to believe involves her daughter. 

This was an enjoyable thriller filled with gaslighting and the things upper class families will do to make life better for their children. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Beach Thriller by Jamie Day

Beach Thriller
Author: Jamie Day
Publication: St. Martin's Press (June 9, 2026)

Description: Some people lose themselves in a novel. Others lose everything.

Holly Sinclair, a struggling author, is dead broke. After being evicted from her New York apartment, she returns to her family’s dilapidated beach house in coastal New England with one urgent goal: write a book that sells. Fast.

Reinventing herself won’t be easy, but the old seaside town offers a few unexpected allies. Gail, a driven local Realtor, introduces her to a charming handyman who can help her get back on her feet. Serena, the town psychic, offers encouragement and an unsettling warning about danger ahead. And Jade, a teen runaway, is hiding out in Holly’s attic and desperately needs a safe place to land.

Holly takes Jade in, and soon the girl finds work with the powerful Carmichael family. Their dynasty has faded, but their connection to Holly’s past is darker than she wants to remember. Their secrets could put both women at risk.

Not everyone is glad to see Holly return. Someone in town is watching her every move. The Watcher knows something Holly doesn’t. The past may be a foggy echo, but it’s close enough to come rushing in with the tide.

My Thoughts: Holly Sinclair doesn't want to return to her hometown of Beauport, Massachusetts, but when she's evicted from her NYC apartment, she doesn't have a choice. She's hoping she can find an idea for her next book which is being very illusive. 

Jade Jensen is looking for answers in Beauport. She's run away from a bad family situation and is squatting in the attic Holly's old house. She's seventeen and has a stint in juvie in her past. 

Holly is dead broke, but she has inherited the family beach house now that her mother has passed away. The local lawyer who managing her mother's estate isn't encouraging about how soon the house will be through probate but he's willing to front her the money she needs to fix it up. 

But someone doesn't want Holly to stay and maybe find some answers to questions she still has about her older sister Anna's death in the guesthouse of Miramar, the home of the wealthy Carmichaels, and the place where Anne met with Conrad Carmichael for a summer romance. 

Holly had half-written a book about Anna and Conrad's summer romance which Jade discovers in the attic. She encourages Holly to finish the story, but Holly doesn't know the ending. This book reveals it through the viewpoints of Holly, Jade, and a mysterious Watcher. 

I enjoyed this story. I love the beach setting. I loved both Holly and Jade's characters. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: Don't Open the Door by Allison Brennan

Don't Open the Door
Author: Allison Brennan

Narrator: Amy McFadden
Series: Regan Merritt (Book 2)
Publication: Mira (January 24, 2023); Harlequin Audio (January 24, 2023)

Length: 11 hours and 11 minutes

Description: A family torn apart. A botched investigation. She’ll stop at nothing to get answers.

US Marshal Regan Merritt never bought the FBI’s theory that her ten-year-old son’s murder was tied to her job. Yet as leads went cold, she’d had to walk away from the marshals, the case and her now ex-husband, Grant, who blamed her for Chase’s death.

After Regan receives a chilling voice mail from her former boss, Tommy, claiming new information about Chase’s murder, she can no longer stay away from her pain-filled past. Especially when Tommy’s murdered before she can return his call.

Now more than ever, Regan’s determined to find the truth, but the more she digs, the more evidence points to Grant as the killer’s true target. But Grant isn’t talking. As she tries to pin down her ex, Regan discovers something much bigger and far more sinister is at play—and she’s running out of people she can trust.

My Thoughts: Regan Merritt left her career as a US Marshal after her son was murdered in their home. She and her husband divorced, and he blamed her and her work for their son Chase's death. She left the DC area and returned to her home in Arizona.

Regan's partner Tommy never gave up on investigating Chase's murder. He took a leave of absence around the time of the one-year anniversary of the murder. He left a message on Regan's phone that he had found something and was going to his bosses to lay out the facts. Before he could, a sniper shot and killed him outside his home. They took his files leaving Regan with only his cryptic message.

Regan comes back to Virginia to bury her friend - and continue his investigation. She soon learns that her ex was in communication with Tommy but is very reluctant to meet with Regan to tell her what he knows. It seems his law firm was into something really shady. 

There are lots of clues and lots of suspects in this story which might start with a bank robbery and the murder of a teller. The teller's sister has some information that she didn't know was important until Tommy tracked her down. Now the sister is on the run from fake FBI agents and Regan is trying to find her to learn what she knows.

This was a fast-paced and twisty thriller.

I bought this one May 12, 2025. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Such a Good Mom by Julia Spiro

Such a Good Mom
Author: Julia Spiro
Publication: Minotaur Books (April 29, 2025)

Description: Bestselling author Julia Spiro's Such a Good Mom is a brilliant standalone mystery that's the perfect beach read. In the heat of summer, a murder on Martha's Vineyard rocks one new mom to the core, leaving her to search for answers.

With a healthy newborn baby, a devoted husband, a successful career, and a busy life on Martha’s Vineyard, Brynn Nelson should be the happiest she’s ever been. But Brynn is struggling. Her husband, Ross, grows more distant by the day, and the challenges and exhaustion of postpartum make Brynn feel like she’s slowly losing pieces of herself to motherhood. Pieces that she might never get back.

But it’s summer on the Vineyard, a beacon for wealthy visitors, and a place so beautiful that it seems immune to tragedy and crime. Except for locals, like Brynn, who know all too well that tragedy can strike at any point. And this time, it hits close to home when a friend of the family is found washed ashore. Dead. And Brynn’s already hectic life is turned upside down when Ross is arrested for the crime.

My Thoughts: This was a mystery where postpartum depression was the main character. Brynn Nelson has recently had a baby. She is struggling with managing her emotions and everything else. She keeps trying to tell herself that everything is fine - just fine. Neither she nor her friends believe that is true. 

When her husband Ross is accused of murdering a young college student who works on the island, Brynn feels even more stress. She wants to believe that her husband is innocent of the crime except she is so angry at him because of her depression that she is finding it hard. It doesn't help that her in-laws seem to have written him off.

Still, Brynn begins to look into the case and finds some glaring holes in it and some possible suspects really close to home. 

I learned more than I ever needed to know about postpartum depression and life on Martha's Vineyard while reading this story. The mystery almost took a distant second place. I also had some issues with the timing of the story. The first 90% of the story seemed to take place over just a couple of days. The last 10% neatly wrapped everything up and, by the end, more than a year had passed. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Between Two Strangers by Kate White

Between Two Strangers
Author: Kate White
Publication: Harper Paperbacks (May 16, 2023)

Description: A woman receives a bewildering inheritance that may have something to do with her past in this twisty and addictive psychological thriller from the New York Times bestselling author Entertainment Weekly calls “impossible to outwit.”

Struggling artist Skyler Moore is flabbergasted when she receives a suspicious phone call from a lawyer she’s never met regarding a “private matter.” As soon as she arrives at the law firm’s office, she learns she’s the recipient of a large inheritance, a life-changing sum that will allow her to realize her long-held dream of becoming a mother. But who was her benefactor, Christopher Whaley? The late man’s name means nothing to Skyler, and she has no idea why he would leave her such an enormous bequest.

Looking into his background, Skyler finally realizes they met once at a hotel bar and shared a one-night stand. But they never exchanged numbers, or even last names, and that was over a decade ago. She wonders if the inheritance is meant to be a message of some kind, but can’t imagine what it might be.

Chris’ family is confused and suspicious too, and his widow accuses Skyler of having an affair with her late husband, then threatens revenge. In order to protect herself, Skyler has to understand the reason the money was left to her. But as she digs for the truth, it becomes clear that Chris Whaley might have taken other secrets to the grave, ones that could have terrifying consequences for her . . .

My Thoughts: When artist Skyler Moore gets a phone call from a lawyer telling her that it is urgent for her to see him, she first thinks it is a scam. However, curiosity and the possibility of an inheritance has her making the trip to Scarsdale from her East Village flat. 

It seems that Skyler has been given a trust after the death of Christopher Whaley. The only problem is that Skyler doesn't know Christopher Whaley and has no idea why he would leave her $3.5 million. Christopher's mother and wife don't know why he's pick her either. While the mother seems sanguine about the inheritance, the wife is not.

However, when she hears that Christopher Whaley's nickname was C.J., she remembers him as a man she had a one-night stand with when she was a graduate student in Boston. A lot of the one-night stand has left her memory because it happened at the same time that her younger half-sister disappeared from a party they both attended and was found a couple of days later by Skyler. The trauma around her sister's death put the one-night stand way in the background of her memory. 

When Skyler starts being harassed, i.e. her apartment broken into, her studio almost broken into if not for the intervention of a fellow artist, a feeling that she is being followed when she is out scouting for art materials for her next collage, a note with the stamped word "whore" placed in her tote bag, and the same word stamped on the collages that are supposed to be viewed at her first show, she at first thinks that it is a former boyfriend who didn't take their break-up well. 

The fear Skyler feels when she is harassed comes right out of the pages and managed to scare me too. Skyler already suffers from anxiety which is only getting worse as she gets older. She is just managing to restart her art career after years when she was still dealing with her sister's death and ruin of her relationship with her mother who has always felt Skyler could have done more for her sister. 

The story was fast-paced and intense. I liked that it was told in alternate time periods from the Now when she inherits the money and Twelve Years Ago when she has her one-night stand and when her sister disappears and is found dead. 

I couldn't put this one down. 

I bought this one January 2, 2025, when it was a BookPerks deal for $1.99. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Summer of the Dragon by Elizabeth Peters

Summer of the Dragon
Author: Elizabeth Peters
Publication: William Morrow; Reissue edition (October 13, 2009)

Description: A good salary and an all-expenses-paid summer spent a sprawling Arizona ranch is too good a deal for fledgling anthropologist D.J. Abbott to turn down. What does it matter that her rich new employer/benefactor, Hank Hunnicutt, is a certified oddball who is presently funding all manner of off-beat projects, from alien conspiracy studies to a hunt for dragon bones? There's even talk of treasure buried in the nearby mountains, but D.J. isn't going to allow loose speculation -- or the considerable charms of handsome professional treasure hunter Jesse Franklin -- to sidetrack her. Until Hunnicutt suffers a mysterious accident and then vanishes, leaving the weirdos gathered at his spread to eye each other with frightened suspicion. But on a high desert search for the missing millionaire, D.J. is learning things that may not be healthy for her to know. For the game someone is playing here goes far beyond the rational universe -- and it could leave D.J. legitimately dead.

My Thoughts: Grad student in anthropology, D. J. Abbott takes a job with Hank Hunnicutt, millionaire and eccentric, in order to get away from her family for the summer. Hank has a job for her but he's reluctant to tell her about it. 

While D. J. is waiting, she gets a chance to get to know the various hangers-on who live at Hank's Arizona compound. She isn't at all reluctant to let them know that she finds their various theories about Atlantic and aliens way off base. There are a few relatively normal people among the guests including a brother-sister team of anthropologists digging at a local site and the treasure hunter filled with stories about the Lost Dutchman mine and the Seven Cities of Cibola. And Hank's secretary Tom De Karsky is relatively normal though he seems to have taken a dislike to D. J.

But a series of suspicious accidents and the kidnapping of Hank mean that D.J. can't just sit back and enjoy the eccentrics. At least she can't if she wants to survive.

The story is told in the first person by D. J. who is prone to going off on tangents. It has a lot of information about the various weird theories of the guests at Hank's ranch since D. J. decides she needs to study up before arriving at her summer job. 

I thought it was a fun romantic suspense story. 

Favorite Quote:

De Karsky let out a muffled sound that might have been a laugh if it had lived to grow up. 

I bought this one July 24, 2024, when it was a BookBub $1.99 deal. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Pike Island by Tony Wirt

Pike Island
Author: Tony Wirt
Publication: Thomas & Mercer (November 1, 2024)

Description: From the bestselling author of Just Stay Away comes a haunting thriller about a rising politician whose shadowy past threatens to end his career―and his future shot at the presidency.

What happens at the cabin stays at the cabin. Right?

Andrew Harrison “Harry” Leonard is destined for politics. Getting his start on the Rochester City Council, he quickly rose to become the youngest representative in Congress. Now the up-and-comer from Minnesota is on the brink of something big. If all goes well, he’ll be in perfect position to aim for the presidency.

Then a postcard arrives, blank except for the name on the address: Leonard. Harry hasn’t used that name since high school. Krista Walsh, Harry’s chief of staff, recognizes his old moniker, and when he dodges questions about it, she wonders what he’s trying to hide. She soon discovers the lake pictured on the postcard holds secrets too.

Krista’s investigation into Harry’s past uncovers the truth of what happened one fateful teenage summer. But as disturbing details come to light, how far will Krista go to keep Harry’s career―and her own―headed to the top?

My Thoughts: When a strange postcard arrives at the offices of Freshman Representative Andrew Harrison Leonard, his Chief of Staff Krista Walsh is concerned and puzzled. A picture of a lake in Minnesota leads to discoveries about the man she has supported since his days on the City Council in Rochester, Minnesota, to his current position and hopes to be with him until he is elected President of the United States. She thought she knew everything about Harry's past, but the postcard leads to new potentially damning information.

As Harry gradually doles out information to Krista, alternate chapters show what really happened at Cedar Lake the summer after Harry and his three best friends graduated from high school. And, the more Krista learns, the more she is concerned about Harry's political future and her own future too. 

This was an exciting and page-turning story. I couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting. Fans of suspenseful stories will really enjoy it. I enjoyed it especially because the setting was a part of Minnesota that was familiar to me. I also liked the moral dilemma that Krista faced as she had to decide what to do about the new knowledge she gained about her boss. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day

One Big Happy Family
Author: Jamie Day
Publication: St. Martin's Press (July 16, 2024)

Description: Could this reunion be the death of them?

The Precipice is a legendary, family-owned hotel on the rocky coast of Maine. With the recent passing of their father, the Bishop sisters--Iris, Vicki, and Faith--have come for the weekend to claim it. But with a hurricane looming and each of the Bishop sisters harboring dangerous secrets, there's murder in the air-- and not everyone who checks into the Precipice will be checking out.

Each sister wants what is rightfully hers, and in the mix is the Precipe's nineteen-year-old chambermaid Charley Kelley: smart, resilient, older than her years, and in desperate straits.

The arrival of the Bishop sisters could spell disaster for Charley. Will they close the hotel? Fire her? Discover her habit of pilfering from guests? Or even worse, learn that she's using a guest room to hide a woman on the run.

With razor-sharp wit, heart, thrills, and twists, Jamie Day's ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY delivers a unique brand of summertime suspense.

My Thoughts: The Precipice Hotel is the scene of a locked room mystery when the Bishop sisters come to claim their inheritance just as Hurricane Larry has the hotel in its sights. 

Chambermaid Charley Kelley has worked at the hotel since she was seventeen and left school in order to earn money to keep her grandmother who suffers from dementia in her nursing home. She was willing to put up with a handsy boss if that was what it took. But she doesn't know what changes will happen now that the sisters are in charge. 

Each sister has her own secrets. Vickie is the oldest. She comes with her husband Todd and is later joined by her son Quinn. Next comes her sister Faith and her wife Hope and their son Oliver. Finally comes Iris. They are quickly followed by Brenda Black, the attorney who is set to read the Will.

Charley has taken in a new acquaintance with a sob story: abusive boyfriend and a need to hide out until she can get out of town. Bree offers Charley enough money to pay for her grandmother's care for a while which is the main reason she agrees to let her stay in the hotel. 

When Todd is murdered, almost all of the new residents have a reason to want him dead. And then Brenda Black disappears and is found dead at the bottom of a cliff. By this time the storm has hit, suspicions are raised, and secrets are starting to come out.

This was an incredibly twisty story. Todd's relationships with all three sisters certainly give all of them reason to want him dead. And his influence on George Bishop which led to a very unfair Last Will didn't endear him to any of the Bishop sisters. 

Mostly told by Charley, the story also includes flashbacks to some of the secrets the Bishop sisters are keeping. Charley is an interesting character with a hard life. I liked her and was wishing her well as the story went on. 

This was an interesting story. I did feel that the ending was a little too rosy considering the personalities of the sisters. 

Favorite Quote:

But when the person you love most in the world can't remember your name, it leaves you feeling adrift. I want so badly to be seen and heard, to feel like my story, small as it is, matters to somebody other than me. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Don't Ask, Don't Follow by Mary Keliikoa

Don't Ask, Don't Follow
Author: Mary Keliikoa
Publication: Oceanview Publishing (June 4, 2024)

Description: Murder, dark family secrets, and the unwavering bond of sisterhood—regardless of the cost

Beth Ralston, a paralegal in Portland, Oregon, would rather be racking up billable hours than mingling at an office party—especially when her sister Lindsay, aka her plus one, is a no-show.

After making her obligatory rounds, Beth returns to her office to find that her boss, who she’d talked with moments before, has been murdered. She sees a woman fleeing the scene. Wait—was that Lindsay? Unable to catch up to her in time, Beth waits for the police to arrive and notices that Lindsay has left her phone behind with an unsent text message to Beth displayed on the screen: “Don’t ask. Don’t follow.”

Lindsay is unreachable for days, and when Beth starts to come under suspicion for the crime, she decides that waiting is impossible. While retracing Lindsay’s steps, determined to bring her home, Beth uncovers what her sister, an investigative reporter bent on changing the world, was trying to expose—corruption, secrets, and betrayal on an unimaginable level. Revealing the truth might bring back the one person she’s desperate to find—but it could also destroy the only life and family Beth’s ever known.

My Thoughts: Beth Ralston finds her life spiraling out of control when she discovers her boss murdered and her sister Lindsay, apparently, fleeing the scene. Beth is a paralegal working in her father's firm and her sister is an investigative journalist. When her sister disappears after the murder, leaving only her cell phone with a message saying "Don't ask. Don't follow," Beth is determined to ignore her sister's message and find her.

As Beth tries to track down her sister, she learns that her sister was investigating a possible black market baby selling scheme. Poor women were told that their babies died after they gave birth at a special clinic. A DNA report seems to indicate that Lindsay's genetics don't match their parents which makes Beth wonder just how long this baby stealing racket has been going on. 

As she checks out the adoption agency and some of the women she could track down, she's sure that she's being followed. Her father, who is busy running for mayor, tells her to back off and let Lindsay get out of her own mess. He tells her to avoid the police detective who is investigating the murder claiming they had run-ins at a trial that prejudices him against her father. 

Not sure who to trust, Beth finds herself discovering all sorts of things about her family and learning who she can really trust.

I enjoyed this fast-paced thriller.

Favorite Quote:

My whole world had been surrounded by justice and books and law. Because of my father, sure, but I'd become enamored by it early on. A desire to have things orderly and in place--for things to make sense and have a reason for being--had long been inside me. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Original Twin by Paula Gleeson

Original Twin
Author: Paula Gleeson
Publication: Thomas & Mercer (June 1, 2024)

Description: In this haunting tale about the bonds between sisters, one young woman must follow the invisible thread that connects her to her missing twin before someone else can sever it for good.

Twin sisters May and June couldn’t be more different. May is quiet, self-conscious, withdrawn; June is boisterous, beautiful, magnetic…and missing.

It’s been a year since June disappeared, a year of May waiting for her to turn up with an explanation of where she’s been and why she left. But with the discovery of an old newspaper article comes a secret: their mother once vanished, too, on the same date when she was nineteen years old.

This was no coincidence. June was investigating this buried family mystery, and she left May a series of clues to pick up where she left off. Now, if May wants to find June, she’ll have to retrace her footsteps through their mother’s past.

The more answers she digs up, the more questions May has. And the biggest one of all: When her sister’s trail of breadcrumbs runs out, what or who will she find?

My Thoughts: This debut novel is filled with secrets and plot twists. It is hard to say anything about the story that isn't a spoiler. It was a fast-paced, compelling read. 

The story is told from three main viewpoints. May and June are the twin daughters of Diana who recently passed away in a swimming pool accident. Then June disappears leaving May to try to find out what happened to her twin. 

May and June are quite different characters being fraternal twins. May is quiet and introspective while June is loud and boisterous. 

May's thread of the story begins one year after June's disappearance when she has come home for the empty casket funeral. She discovers a newspaper article which indicates that Diana also disappeared when she was nineteen. She was gone for three weeks and claimed ever afterward not to remember what happened to her while she was missing. One thing is certain though, she was or became pregnant during those missing three weeks. 

This article comes as a complete surprise to May detailing a family past she had known nothing about. As she tries to find out more, she learns that many people were keeping secrets. As she talks to her grandmother Pat and her Aunt Sue she learns precious little and decides to investigate - with the help of June's clues. 

As May searches, we get chapters from Diana with give us some information about her missing three weeks and about her raising May and June. We also get letters written by June to her dead mother detailing her own search for what happened to their mother nineteen years earlier. She's also trying to find out who her father was. 

I enjoyed this story and was gobsmacked by all the twists and turns in this complicated plot. I liked the growth May shows as she progresses through this story. 

Favorite Quote:

June had always liked hiding things. She held information and secrets at arm's length, dangling like a carrot. To get it, you had to earn it. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Hollywood Hustle by Jon Lindstrom

Hollywood Hustle
Author: Jon Lindstrom
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (February 6, 2024)

Description: Set in the dark underbelly of the LA film industry, Hollywood Hustle is the perfect read for fans of Alex Finlay and Jeffrey Deaver.

Winston Greene, a has-been film star, wakes one morning to find his six-year-old granddaughter at his bedside—traumatized, unattended, and gripping onto a thumb drive. She comes bearing video proof that her mother, Win’s troubled adult daughter, has been kidnapped by a murderous gang demanding all his “movie money” for her safe return. But what they don’t know is…his movie money is long gone.

Unable to go to the police for fear the kidnappers will make good on their promise to kill his daughter, Winston turns to two close friends—a legendary Hollywood stuntman and a disgraced former LAPD detective.

There’s no easy way out for Winston or his daughter—the gang is violent and willing to do anything to get the money they’re after, and Winston begins to realize that to get his daughter back, he’ll have to beat the kidnappers at their own game.

This propulsive and tense thriller will transport readers to the seedier side of LA, depicted in bold prose by a Hollywood insider.

My Thoughts: HOLLYWOOD HUSTLE was a gripping and gritty thriller set in LA. Winston Greene is a working actor who has overcome his addiction to alcohol and recently gotten through a cancer diagnosis. When his granddaughter is dropped off at his home with a flash drive showing her mother's plea to get her away from her kidnappers, Win is in big trouble. He's almost completely broke after letting his health insurance lapse after his wife's death and paying off his medical treatments for his cancer. 

Determined to do anything he can for his daughter, he calls on some old friends including a disgraced police officer turned Private Investigator and a legendary stuntman. He is willing to do anything he can to gather a ransom to rescue his daughter, but he doesn't have much to work with.

Meanwhile, we get to know the kidnappers who are all lazy, entitled men who think the world owes them a good living and are willing to kill or steal to get it. And we meet Win's daughter Clare who is also an addict and who was instrumental in the beginnings of the plot to get money from her father. The plot quickly goes out her her control making her an actual prisoner of her three co-conspirators. 

I liked the action in this thriller which pits a troubled but decent man against villains who are just barely under control of themselves and who have no respect for anyone but themselves. Lindstrom created a fast-paced plot inside an excellent setting. The contrast between the villains and Win and his friends was stark. 

Fans of gritty thrillers with a Hollywood connection will enjoy this one very much. I did.

Favorite Quote:

"Now you, I've heard a lot about. Win's always sayin' how he's gonna run away with this 'Lauren' woman. Now I see why."

"A pleasure to meet you too," she replied. "Are all of Win's friends such lying charmers?"

"I understood it was a requirement."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder by C. L. Miller

The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder
Author: C. L. Miller
Publication: Atria Books (February 6, 2024)

Description: In this irresistible and thrilling debut novel, a former antique hunter investigates a suspicious death at an isolated English manor, embroiling her back in the dangerous world of tracking stolen artifacts.

What antique would you kill for?

Freya Lockwood is shocked when she learns that Arthur Crockleford, antiques dealer and her estranged mentor, has died under mysterious circumstances. She has spent the last twenty years avoiding her quaint English hometown, but when she receives a letter from Arthur asking her to investigate—sent just days before his death—Freya has no choice but to return to a life she had sworn to leave behind.

Joining forces with her eccentric Aunt Carole, Freya follows clues and her instincts to an old manor house for an advertised antiques enthusiast’s weekend. But not all is as it seems. It’s clear to Freya that the antiques are all just poor reproductions and her fellow guests are secretive and menacing. What is going on at this estate and how was Arthur involved? More importantly, can Freya and Carole discover the truth before the killer strikes again?

My Thoughts: Freya Lockwood is entering a time of change in her life. Her daughter has gone off to college in the US and her ex-husband is pressing her to sell the family home. Then she receives a letter from Arthur Crockleford, her estranged mentor from the time she worked with him as an antiques hunter, which brings her back to the village and life she led more than twenty years earlier.

When Arthur dies in what looks like an accident in his antiques shop, Freya is called back home to support her Aunt Carole in her grief and maybe get a glimpse of what her new future will be. She is immediately involved in Arthur's business and soon becomes convinced that his death was not the accident it seemed. 

She and Carole are given a letter Arthur left in case of his death which contains clues that the two of them can decipher to find out what happened and what secrets Arthur was holding. They find themselves attending an antiques weekend at a local manor and find themselves mixing with a variety of suspicious characters. 

Since the story is told from multiple viewpoints, we have the opportunity to know more about each character's agenda than Freya and Carole do. However, the viewpoints are obscure enough that the reader isn't sure who the good guys and the bad guys are or even if there are any good guys. 

As Freya unravels the clues to a tragic episode in her past, she is also reclaiming it and paving the way for her new future. It was intriguing watching a woman who let her husband belittle her and damage her self-esteem find her way to reclaim it as she solves Arthur's murder. 

This is a first novel and has some strong and weak points. I was engaged with Freya's characters and her struggles and was glad to see a smart and adventurous woman rebuilding herself. 

Favorite Quote:

"Up you go, darling." Carole nudged my shoulder.

"I'm not a performing monkey," I replied.

"I know that and it's quite disappointing. If you were, we would've already had the keys in our hands."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: Found Object by Anne Frasier

 Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

The Friday 56 is currently on hiatus but many of us are still including them. Anne @ Head Full of Books is picking up the slack until Freda is ready to return. I think this link will get you to the correct place.

Beginning:

Minneapolis, Minnesota, present day

I looked down at the release form on the desk, my main focus being the empty line awaiting my signature. They couldn't hold me longer than seventy-two hours, but I still had to sign the paperwork to get out. I picked up the pen, leaned over, with a dramatic flourish, wrote Found Object.

Friday 56:

I took a deep breath and dove in, and we did our five-minute set. Most jokes elicited groans, as they very well should have, and when we were done, people clapped, probably glad it was over. Someone turned the jukebox back on, and it was like Max and I had our own soundtrack, a Leonard Cohen, song as we walked to the bar, where he ordered drinks.

This week I am spotlighting a Kindle/Audible Daily Deal that I bought earlier this year -- Found Object by Anne Frasier. Here is the description from Amazon:

A journalist begins to question everything she knows about her mother’s murder in a startling novel of suspense by the New York Times bestselling author of The Body Reader.

Culpable in an exposé gone tragically wrong, investigative journalist Jupiter Bellarose takes her boss’s advice: head back to her hometown for a fluff piece and get her world in balance. But in Savannah, the past is waiting.

Twenty years ago Jupiter’s mother, actress and celebrated beauty Marie Nova, was murdered, leaving many in her wake: Jupiter’s father, who has erased memories of his wife’s murder with alcohol. The matriarch of the cosmetics company who helped make Marie a star—and who takes every opportunity to reopen old wounds. Then there’s the fragile cop with blood on his hands, and the killer whose confession no longer seems convincing.

With so many lingering questions, Jupiter must revisit the grisly event that has influenced every decision in her life. Maybe her homecoming will bring closure.

Or maybe the worst is yet to come.

ARC Review: The Engagement Party by Finley Turner

The Engagement Party
Author: Finley Turner
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (November 7, 2023)

Description: A lavish engagement party turns deadly and the bride-to-be is the primary suspect in this heart-stopping thriller exploring the dark underbelly of the uber wealthy and just how far people will go for revenge, in the vein of Sarah Pinborough and Ruth Ware.

Kass Baptiste is newly engaged to her fiancé Murray Sedgemont after a whirlwind romance. Before they even get to share the news, an invitation arrives via messenger - to an engagement party hosted by Murray’s parents. When Kass and Murray arrive at the Sedgemont Estate, she is astonished to learn that Murray’s family is one of the most powerful families in North Carolina. As Kass’s future mother-in-law, Beatrice, whips herself into a frenzy over the perfect party for the state’s elite, Kass begins to receive anonymous threatening social media messages.

On the night of the event, as champagne is popped and the celebrations begin, a body is found in the lavish home. All eyes are on Kass, the interloper amongst the rich and powerful guests. Over the course of the party , Kass’s dark past unexpectedly becomes intertwined with the murder, and in order to prove her innocence, she must finally come to terms with her secrets.

As Murray’s family secrets are revealed, Kass must prove herself innocent while evading the anonymous threats that haunt her every move.

My Thoughts: Kass Baptiste has just become engaged to Murray Sedgemont after a whirlwind courtship and will now learn some of the secrets he has been hiding at an engagement party thrown by his parents at their magnificent estate.

After graduating from NYU, Kass is working in her dream job as a set designer for plays. Murray runs an art gallery. But both of them are hiding secrets from their past that are exposed at the lavish party which also includes a murder.

The story is told from Kass's point of view and depicts a woman who is a fish out of water in the world of the uber rich. Her trip to Murray's family home in North Carolina exposes her to a side of her fiancé that had never seen before and wasn't at all sure that she liked. She also dislikes his parents. His ineffectual father and barracuda mother make no effort to welcome her, and his twin brothers are really, really creepy. 

When the man who was in line to take over the family business is murdered at the party, it seems someone is trying to frame Kass for the crime. An old enemy from her troubled past has finally seen an opportunity to get the revenge he has wanted for years.

The story was almost claustrophobic centered as it was on what Kass saw and knew. I liked Kass who finally managed to come to terms with her past and plan for her future. 

The descriptions of the characters and the home which included secret passages were vivid and eerie. Fans of domestic thrillers will enjoy this one.

Favorite Quote:

I lifted my drink in thanks and turned back to the crowd of people. I took a deep breath, holding it full in my chest before taking a gulp of my drink. I exhaled the fumes after I swallowed. It seemed like a crime to drink such an expensive bourbon so quickly, but it was my silent middle finger to Beatrice and everyone here who had given me a sideways glance tonight.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Not by Blood by Chris Narozny

Not by Blood
Author: Chris Narozny
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (July 18, 2023)

Description: In the tradition of Harlan Coben and Karin Slaughter comes Chris Narozny’s Not by Blood, a tense and twisty debut thriller about the extraordinary measures one woman will take to save her family.

When Tina Evans gets a call from her brother in the middle of the night, she doesn’t think much of it; she’s been fielding distress calls from Bill for the last twenty years, ever since the day their father killed their mother.

At first, this call seems just like all the others: Bill’s holed up in a Brooklyn drug den and needs her to come rescue him. But when Tina gets there, her brother’s nowhere to be found. Instead, she discovers the body of a private detective hidden in the junk heap out back. He’s been shot to death, and his gun is missing from its holster.

Tina’s about to dial 911 when she receives a three-letter text message from a number she doesn’t recognize: “Shh...”

Tina doesn’t believe in coincidence—the death of this detective and her brother’s disappearance must be related. But how? Could it be her father pulling the strings from his prison cell? And is she willing to risk her own freedom—and her life—to uncover the truth?

My Thoughts: NOT BY BLOOD was a twisty thriller told in the first person by Tina Evans. The story starts with a phone call from her drug addict brother asking for her help. By the time she gets to his flop, Bill is missing but the body of a private detective is there for her to find. Calling 911 isn't an option until she finds out where her brother is and what his role was in the scene she walks in on. 

Before she can decide what to do, she gets a text that just says Shhhh... Next there is a phone call telling her that her philanthropist husband has been hit by a car and is in surgery. She goes home, drops her six-year-old with her foster brother, and heads off to the hospital where she is confronted by a police detective who wants to know where she was and what she knows about her husband's accident. 

She lies and then begins a marathon search for her brother which involves contacting her father who has been in prison for the past twenty years convicted of murdering his wife over a dime bag of drugs. 

This twisty tale is full of all sorts of secrets from one her husband has never told her to what really happened when her mother died. Tina keeps discovering that those she thought she knew the best were still managing to hide major things from her. 

Tina was an interesting character. She was an EMT, her brother's would-be savior, the wife of a millionaire, and so many more things. She was also locked into her past traumas even though she thought she had moved on. 

Fans of twisty psychological suspense will enjoy this story. 

Favorite Quote:

How many times can you rescue a man who just keeps hurling himself back in the water?

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: Midnight Exposure by Melinda Leigh

Midnight Exposure
Author: Melinda Leigh
Narrator: Scott Schumaker
Series: Midnight (Book 1)
Publication: Brilliance Audio (August 21, 2012)
Length: 8 hours and 57 minutes

Description: The first suspenseful thriller in the Midnight series from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh.

When two hikers disappear from their hometown in Maine, everyone blames the blinding storms. But the truth is far more sinister. Unaware of the danger, tabloid photographer Jayne Sullivan follows an anonymous tip to find the most reclusive sculptor in the art world. Instead, she finds mysterious handyman Reed Kimball - and a small town full of fatal secrets.

Five years ago, Reed buried his homicide detective career along with his wife. But when a hiker is found dead, the local police chief asks Reed for help. Why was a Celtic coin found under the body? And where is the second hiker? Desperate to avoid the media, Reed doesn’t need a murder, a missing person, or a nosey photographer. Until Jayne is attacked, and he realizes that her courage is his undoing. Reed must risk everything to protect her and find a cunning killer.

My Thoughts: MIDNIGHT EXPOSURE tells the story of a woman from Philadelphia making her way to rural Maine on the hunt for a reclusive sculptor. Her editor at the tabloid where she works wants photos. Jayne Sullivan needs the money since her regular gig of selling travel photos isn't paying enough to work down the debt her brother's treatment for PTSD has built. 

Reed Kimball has taken his son to rural Maine to get away from the notoriety he gained as a homicide cop in Atlanta accused of his wife's murder. The lack of a quick suspect caused the tabloids and newspapers to focus on him even though the cops knew he had an ironclad alibi. Now he's doing handyman work and secretly building a career as a sculptor. 

There is a big secret hidden in this small town which Jayne runs into right away when she arrives. Someone tries to kidnap her! Recently two boys had gone missing in the woods and only one of their bodies has been found. Reed thinks there is evidence of foul play, but the deputy sheriff wants to wait for confirmation from the State before he investigates. He's too busy campaigning for the sheriff's job and too busy resenting Reed's previous experience in Atlanta to do his job. 

The first kidnap attempt leads to a string of other attempts to kidnap Jayne. Reed doesn't want to get involved with a woman who is just visiting but she is able to get under his skin. His anti commitment attitude is crumbling more and more as he gets to know Jayne.

This was an engaging and action-packed romantic suspense title ably narrated by Scott Schumaker. I loved the slow building romance between Reed and Jayne. I liked the way they grew to trust each other and share their secrets despites those same secrets threatening any possible romance. 

I bought the Kindle copy and was able to add on the audiobook for $1.99. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood

The Marlow Murder Club
Author: Robert Thorogood
Series: Marlow Murder Club (Book 1)
Publication: HQ (January 7, 2021)

Description: To solve an impossible murder, you need an impossible hero…

Judith Potts is seventy-seven years old and blissfully happy. She lives on her own in a faded mansion just outside Marlow, there’s no man in her life to tell her what to do or how much whisky to drink, and to keep herself busy she sets crosswords for The Times newspaper. 

One evening, while out swimming in the Thames, Judith witnesses a brutal murder. The local police don’t believe her story, so she decides to investigate for herself, and is soon joined in her quest by Suzie, a salt-of-the-earth dog-walker, and Becks, the prim and proper wife of the local Vicar.

Together, they are the Marlow Murder Club.

When another body turns up, they realise they have a real-life serial killer on their hands. And the puzzle they set out to solve has become a trap from which they might never escape…

My Thoughts: An unlikely trio of detectives solve three murders in the cozy village of Marlow. Judith Potts is seventy-seven and lives alone in a run-down mansion. She's content with her life, enjoying her whiskey, and setting crossword puzzles to keep her mind sharp. 

When Judith is out swimming nude one evening, she hears a gunshot at her neighbor's house across the river. Unable to get out of the river, she returns home and calls the police. They look around and don't find anything. The next day Judith looks around herself and finds the body of Stefan Dunwoody in the garden. 

Judith becomes interested in trying to solve the murder though she's discouraged by Detective Sergeant Tanika Malik. DS Malik is in over her head since her boss is out sick and their boss isn't quick to assign a more experienced investigator. So Judith begins poking around. 

When a second man, cabdriver Iqbal Kassam is found dead in his bed with the same sort of wound as Dunwoody, dog-walker Suzie Harris gets involved in the investigation along with Judith. And along the way, Becks Starling who is the vicar's perfectionist wife becomes part of the team. When a third murder victim is discovered, the trio spends a lot of time trying to figure out the connections between the victims and trying to prove that various suspects were guilty of the crime. 

I really enjoyed the various personalities of the three amateur detectives. The mystery was enjoyable too with lots of twists and turns, clues and red herrings. This was an engaging cozy mystery.

Favorite Quote:

"Let's go and cut ourselves a couple of slices and I'll explain. Because, between Beck's loaf of bread, some shredded paper, and a charity shop wheelchair, I reckon we'll have a good chance of getting our hands on what we need by the close of play this afternoon."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from Edelweiss. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Every Last Fear by Alex Finlay

Every Last Fear
Author: Alex Finlay
Publication: Minotaur Books; 1st edition (March 2, 2021)

Description: In one of the year’s most anticipated debut psychological thrillers, a family made infamous by a true crime documentary is found dead, leaving their surviving son to uncover the truth about their final days.

“They found the bodies on a Tuesday.” So begins this twisty and breathtaking novel that traces the fate of the Pine family, a thriller that will both leave you on the edge of your seat and move you to tears.

After a late night of partying, NYU student Matt Pine returns to his dorm room to devastating news: nearly his entire family―his mom, his dad, his little brother and sister―have been found dead from an apparent gas leak while vacationing in Mexico. The local police claim it was an accident, but the FBI and State Department seem far less certain―and they won’t tell Matt why.

The tragedy makes headlines everywhere because this isn’t the first time the Pine family has been thrust into the media spotlight. Matt’s older brother, Danny―currently serving a life sentence for the murder of his teenage girlfriend Charlotte―was the subject of a viral true crime documentary suggesting that Danny was wrongfully convicted. Though the country has rallied behind Danny, Matt holds a secret about his brother that he’s never told anyone: the night Charlotte was killed Matt saw something that makes him believe his brother is guilty of the crime.

When Matt returns to his small hometown to bury his parents and siblings, he’s faced with a hostile community that was villainized by the documentary, a frenzied media, and memories he’d hoped to leave behind forever. Now, as the deaths in Mexico appear increasingly suspicious and connected to Danny’s case, Matt must unearth the truth behind the crime that sent his brother to prison―putting his own life in peril―and forcing him to confront his every last fear.

Told through multiple points-of-view and alternating between past and present, Alex Finlay's Every Last Fear is not only a page-turning thriller, it’s also a poignant story about a family managing heartbreak and tragedy, and living through a fame they never wanted.

My Thoughts: This massively engaging thriller tells the story of a family torn apart when their teenage son is accused of murdering his girlfriend, railroaded into a false confession, and imprisoned for life. 

The story begins with death when the bodies of Evan Pine, his wife Liv, his teenage daughter Maggie, and six-year-old son Tommy are found in a rental house in Tulum, Mexico. Special Agent Sarah Keller is tasked with notifying Matt Pine who is a senior at NYC studying filmmaking that his whole family - excepting his imprisoned brother Danny - is dead. 

Matt had been estranged from his father for some months because he couldn't deal with his father's obsession with trying to follow every clue and tap every source to prove that Danny wasn't the murderer. Danny's case had become Evan's preoccupation to the point that he had even lost his job.

Sarah Keller gets involved because her specialty is financial crimes and Evan was recently fired from a firm that is suspected of having ties to the Sinaloa Cartel. Sarah wanted to interview him about her case. 

The story is also told in flashbacks from multiple points of view. While Matt and Sarah's sections are told in the present, we also see Evan, Liv, and Maggie's points of view in the time leading up to their deaths. Also interspersed through the story are excerpts from the documentary that publicized Danny's case and, while it brought attention and offers of help for Danny, it made it impossible for the family to continue living in their Nebraska small town because of harassment from other locals. 

The tension builds and builds as the clues to what really happened the night Danny was supposed to 

have murdered his girlfriend Charlotte and what someone will do to cover up the crime are gradually revealed to the reader. 

I loved getting to know the characters and learning all the backstory. I couldn't put the book down.

Favorite Quote:

You have two choices when you're confronted with your every last fear.

Give up or fight like hell.

And I'm going to fight until my last breath for Danny, for Liv, for Matt, for Maggie, for Tommy–for Charlotte–to uncover the truth.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Under Currents by Nora Roberts

Under Currents
Author: Nora Roberts
Publication: St. Martin's Press (July 9, 2019)

Description: For both Zane and Darby, their small town roots hold a terrible secret. Now, decades later, they've come together to build a new life. But will the past set them free or pull them under?

Zane Bigelow grew up in a beautiful, perfectly kept house in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Strangers and even Zane’s own aunt across the lake see his parents as a successful surgeon and his stylish wife, making appearances at their children’s ballet recitals and baseball games. Only Zane and his sister know the truth, until one brutal night finally reveals cracks in the facade, and Zane escapes for college without a thought of looking back...

Years later, Zane returns to his hometown determined to reconnect with the place and people that mean so much to him, despite the painful memories. As he resumes life in the colorful town, he meets a gifted landscape artist named Darby, who is on the run from ghosts of her own.

Together they will have to teach each other what it means to face the past, and stand up for the ones they love.

My Thoughts: This is one Nora Roberts book that I was hesitant to read. I don't like stories about child abuse. I should have known that Nora Roberts could take a difficult subject and write a compelling story of love and survival.

Zane Bigelow and his sister Britta lived what looked like a perfect life. Their father was a successful surgeon; their mother on all the right committees. They lived in a beautiful house in a posh part of town. But their house hid many secrets. Their father had been beating his wife and son for years. Zane began keeping a diary of this abuse when he was a young teenager and his father's abuse broke his nose and caused a concussion that his father explained away as a bike accident or a ski accident depending on who he was telling the story too.

Zane wants very badly to get out but knows that his father has all the power, a pristine outer appearance, and powerful friends. He also has a complicit wife who likes the abuse she receives at her husband's hands and doesn't care about her children at all.

When Zane comes home from a school dance to see his father hitting his mother, he intervenes. His father pushes him down the stairs and breaks his arm and sprains his ankle. But worse of all he blames Zane for hitting him, hitting his wife, and hitting his little sister. He demands that Zane be arrested and sent to a juvenile detention center where he spends a horrible night until he is rescued by the actions of his little sister, his aunt, and a police detective who believes that it was his father who was to blame.

With his father and mother arrested, tried, and imprisoned, Zane and Britta have a chance at a new, better life with their aunt and loving grandparents.

Then the story jumps to the present day where Zane is a lawyer who is returning home and his father is finally getting ready to be paroled after eighteen years in prison. His mother had waited loyally for him after her own release from prison.

Then a new person comes to town. Darby McCray has her own history with violence. She managed to escape from her abusive husband who was convicted and imprisoned. She and her mother ran a successful landscaping business until her mother died in a hit-and-run accident. Darby sold up and needed to choose a new place to restart her life. She chooses the same town where Zane and his family live to begin her new business.

But both Zane and Darby are still of strong interest to their abusers and danger follows both of them home. I liked that both Darby and Zane were survivors who hadn't lost the ability to fall in love and trust. I also liked that neither of them was looking for a new relationship when they met.

As is common in Nora Roberts' books, there are a bunch of supporting characters who form a web of friendships and who are there for our hero and heroine. I loved Darby's personality. She's optimistic and seems to have a real gift for making friends. I liked Zane's resilience. I liked that the information about child abuse and domestic abuse were woven into the story but didn't dominate.

Fans of Nora Roberts won't want to miss this story with its memorable characters and suspense.

Favorite Quote:

He tipped down his sunglasses. "You're going to fit a tree in that car?"

"No, I'm buying a truck on the way there."

And just kept studying her over the tops. "You're buying a truck on your way to pick up a tree."

"I ordered it over the phone this morning."

"You ordered -- I have to stop repeating what you say just because what you say is weird."

"It's not weird. They had what I want, they're starting the paperwork. I go in, boom, boom, drive off and get the tree, and so on. Anyway, are you still my lawyer?"

"I...could be."

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.