I really enjoyed the first Fen Church mystery A Dangerous Goodbye. I’m pleased to say that this book picks up pretty much where the first one left off and the transition is virtually seamless.
After the sad findings at the end of the previous book, Fen heads to Paris to regroup. I thought that the author did a great job of capturing post-WWII Paris. Even as it was war-torn and battered, it still managed to maintain its mystery and the aura that made it famous.
Although, in this case, that aura is most apparent in Rose’s (Fen’s godmother) apartment. I liked how the author used the beauty of art to show that Paris could return to its former glory (at least, that’s what I got out of it).
Of course, nothing is going to go smoothly for Fen, and it isn’t long before she is thrust into the middle of another investigation. The historical angle of Rose’s work was fascinating to me because I have studied the era and the dealings that Nazis had with art are indicative of their depravity.
It makes for a good basis to the mystery because Fen has to find out what part Rose played in the Jewish artworks trade. Was she part of a resistance or was she complicit?
Of course, since it’s Fen, there are cyphers and puzzles involved with one in particular playing a major part in the plot.
I enjoy how the author writes. It’s easy to understand but because of Fen’s love for crosswords and cypers, there’s some thinking to be done in addition to trying to solve the mystery. This makes it doubly entertaining.
It’s another winning investigation for Fen Church, and I look forward to more.
Author Bio: Fliss Chester lives in Surrey with her husband and writes historical cozy crime. When she is not killing people off in her 1940s whodunnits, she helps her husband, who is a wine merchant, run their business. Never far from a decent glass of something, Fliss also loves cooking (and writing up her favourite recipes on her blog), enjoying the beautiful Surrey and West Sussex countryside and having a good natter.
This book has all of the hallmarks of a good psych thriller.
Opening scene that grabs the reader? Check.
Cool plot point that sets the scene and tone? Check.
Unreliable narrators who throw the reader off balance? Check.
Chapters with a mystery character who could be anybody? Check.
And don’t forget a few red herrings thrown in the mix.
I was never quite sure where this one was going. There were definitely times where I thought the author was throwing a curve ball (sometimes I was right, sometimes I was wrong).
I liked how the plot unfolded and thought the conceit (Phil losing his memory of two years) worked well for being able to question what was real and what wasn’t. I also thought the character relationships were realistic.
I thought the author did a decent job of creating doubt as to whose story was more accurate. There were a few times that I found myself doubting Freya because there was just enough uncertainty in her perspective to make Phil’s concerns legitimate.
As the truth starts to come out, however, it becomes apparent as to why those doubts are given any attention at all. I don’t want to give away a major plot point (you can find those spoilers elsewhere).
But I do think that once the reality of the entire situation comes to light, there are a few lapses in logic that were hard to overlook.
Without giving too much information, I found it difficult to believe that Freya would even consider giving Phil another chance. I mean, those memories she had were real regardless of whatever else happened.
In that regard, Freya’s characteristic was the most real because she was the stereotypical person in that situation, always making excuses, thinking that the next time will be different.
Again, don’t want to say more – but as you can see from other reviews, there may be some triggering events in this story.
I thought that the author handled it well, but it made me question how strong Freya really was.
Ultimately, I did get that answer. I also guessed a few other “twists” but they were still good. I would recommend this book. I understand this is the author’s first psych thriller and I think it’s a good start. I hope to see more.
FACEBOOK: KarenKingAuthor TWITTER: @karen_king
Author Bio:
Karen King is a multi-published bestselling author of fiction for both adults and children. She has also written several short stories for women’s magazines.
Currently published by Bookouture and Headline. Karen has recently signed a two-book deal with Bookouture to write psychological thrillers. The first one will be out in November, and the second one in 2021. She is also contracted to write three romance novels for Headline, which will be out in 2021 and 2022
Here’s an interesting thing about psychological thrillers.
Sometimes they’re slow burns that draw the reader in with sinewy turns, keeping both the characters and the readers off balance.
Sometimes they’re roller coasters with sharp about faces and twists that make the reader question what they thought they knew, and what is “real” or not within the story.
And sometimes they’re heavy on they “psychological” part, delving into the characters’ motivations with long internal monologues and deep thoughts.
I would put this book firmly in the last category. And that’s both good and bad.
The good is that we get intense insight into Emily’s thought processes and motivations. There are various chapters from other characters’ points of view (her daughter and husband mainly) but the story belongs to Emily.
It was interesting because Emily has a lot of baggage that causes her to overthink and overreact to events and minor incidents. It made her an unreliable character because it was often hard to tell if her reactions were justified or not.
The plot certainly has several plot points that make the reader (and Emily) think one thing when something else is actually the truth. This is that “off-balance” part I mentioned earlier. There were several red herrings, which made for a few page-turning moments.
However, the not so good part of the reliance on inner monologues is that it makes for long passages with no action. That’s tough to get through. For me, that type of writing requires paying close attention to the details.
Recently it seems as if I don’t have it in me to concentrate that carefully. That’s absolutely no fault of the author at all – I usually appreciate those insights and the effort that goes into creating a character’s perspective.
But for whatever reason, the long “thoughts’ made it more difficult for me to read. That’s totally on me.
The author has crafted a good story with an ironic title because it’s nearly impossible to know who to trust in this twisted tale. You’d do well to pick this one up and give it a try.
Author Bio: Sheryl Browne writes psychological thriller and edgy contemporary fiction. A member of the Crime Writers’ Association, Romantic Novelists’ Association and awarded a Red Ribbon by The Wishing Shelf Book Awards, Sheryl has several books published and two short stories in Birmingham City University anthologies, where she completed her MA in Creative Writing.
It is apparent from the very start that Eleanor Raven is not going to be your typical heroine. The opening scene makes it obvious that this woman walks a different path – the question is, why? It’s a heck of an introduction to the main character, but it doesn’t stop there. Eleanor quickly finds herself in the middle of quite the investigation.
That’s just one of the appealing things in this series from Karen Long. The book starts strong and doesn’t really let up. The author does a good job of introducing the characters and relating them all to each other.
I will say that Eleanor is a tricky character. On the one hand, she is a cool character. Her analytical sense comes through loud and clear, and her methodology is logical. This is good for policework, because it enables her to work through the case efficiently.
However, her reserve also makes it difficult to really “get to know” her, which in turn made it a little bit difficult to really get behind her. The aloofness worked on one hand but was a hindrance on another.
The subject matter itself is not for the faint of heart. A killer is on the loose and is playing a very dangerous game. Eleanor figures out that there is a connection to a cold case…but just how cold is it? And are the victims random, or is there a pattern?
I thought the investigation and the attitudes of the entire team were realistic. Yes, there’s swearing and it’s gritty, but that’s simply policework. It’s realistic (from my experience).
This book was originally released under a different title a few years ago. I don’t know if there were any changes made between the original publication and this one. I do know that it was a good read, and I look forward to more investigations with Eleanor.
Author Bio:
Karen Long was born in Wolverhampton but has spent the last few years living in California. She worked as an English and Drama teacher for many years, before becoming a full-time writer.
She has written screenplays and articles, but primarily dedicates her time to writing crime fiction and observing wildlife. She loves to travel, which is a great source of inspiration; Toronto became the backdrop to the Eleanor Raven series of thrillers after Karen spent several months there.
A passionate conservationist and lover of the crow family in particular, she has rehabilitated and adopted ravens, crows, magpies and rooks, many of whom became integrated into family life, much to the distress of household members and soft furnishings. She now volunteers regularly at Los Angeles Oiled Bird Care Centre.
Alma is an unlikely heroine. She scorns everything and rues the choices that she made that led her to be a prisoner at Auschwitz.
But when an opportunity presents itself, she grabs it and uses her musical talent to save other women by forming an orchestra.
But even as she works to survive, she still recognizes the reality of her situation.
When events at the camp take a turn, Alma remains even more determined to live life on her own terms. Even if that means not necessarily “living.”
I’m not going to say more than that about the plot itself.
The characters are vivid, the scenes are graphic (both good and bad), and it’s all memorable.
What sticks with me is the heart of people. That not everyone who is bad stays bad, and good can be found even in seemingly evil people.
How good people can do good things, but still make horrible choices that have long-term affects on others.
And truly, how music can heal and bring people together in the strangest of ways.
I recognize that this is an unusual review. But it’s an unusual book. It’s heart-wrenching, realistic, and emotional.
And it will definitely stay with me for a long time. In fact, I wish I didn’t have other tours coming up, because I really want to think about this one for a while.
Ellie Midwood is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning historical fiction author. She owes her interest in the history of the Second World War to her grandfather, Junior Sergeant in the 2nd Guards Tank Army of the First Belorussian Front, who began telling her about his experiences on the frontline when she was a young girl. Growing up, her interest in history only deepened and transformed from reading about the war to writing about it. After obtaining her BA in Linguistics, Ellie decided to make writing her full-time career and began working on her first full-length historical novel, The Girl from Berlin.’ Ellie is continuously enriching her library with new research material and feeds her passion for WWII and Holocaust history by collecting rare memorabilia and documents.
In her free time, Ellie is a health-obsessed yoga enthusiast, neat freak, adventurer, Nazi Germany history expert, polyglot, philosopher, a proud Jew, and a doggie mama. Ellie lives in New York with her fiancé and their Chihuahua named Shark Bait.
I have to start this review with a couple of disclosures.
First, at one point, I majored in history in college. I’ve always been a history buff of all time periods and thought I might like to teach it. There were two classes that absolutely kicked my butt.
The first was an Ancient Egyptian class that was fascinating, but the professor was a savant of some kind and his test questions were the “Who was the fifth king of the 23rd Dynasty, and why was he important” type. A LOT of minutiae that was difficult to remember.
The other class was Russian history in two parts. The first was the early years of the tsars (c. 1500-c. 1700) and the second class was the emperors (Peter the Great through Nicholas II). They were fascinating classes but full of so many people and twisty relationships that I couldn’t wrap my head around it.
I flunked it twice and switched to a Theatre/English major.
The other disclosure is that my parents and I visited Russia in the mid-1990s. At the time I wished that I had made it through the history classes, but our tour was so informational (and honest) that I still count it as one of my favorite trips ever.
I say all this because I obviously have a love/hate relationship with Russian history. That’s just one reason that I was excited about reading this book. I didn’t know exactly what to expect, but whatever it was, I was not disappointed.
The author managed to convey all of the intrigue and intricacies of the Russian Courts without it being mind-numbingly confusing. That right there is a feat of its own.
The other thing that I found interesting was the author’s choice to show the rough side of the monarchy. That was something that we learned while we were in Russia. The courts were definitely wrapped in pageantry, wealth, and opulence (as can be seen in their palaces) but the underbelly was quite sordid.
I liked how the author chose the “warts and all” approach. It made everything much more vivid. And boy, are things vivid. Sexual encounters and fights, feasts and festivities, all get lavish descriptions. I will say that if you are faint of heart, some of the more graphic encounters may be a bit much for you. Read wisely.
As to the plot itself, well…let’s just say that it in some ways it doesn’t matter what is real and what is the author’s artistic liberties, because it all weaves together seamlessly. If there is anything that is not factual, it is close enough to the truth to fit into the narrative.
It’s a story about the two extremes of society, the nobles who constantly angled for higher status and the poor who were nothing to the aristocracy and there to be used. Ultimately, it’s also about a woman who went from one of those extremes to the other and ruled Russia as any man would.
It’s an epic read for anyone who is interested in historical fiction that sticks to the reality of history (not some romanticized version of it).
Author Bio:
ELLEN ALPSTEN was born and raised in the Kenyan highlands. Upon graduating from L’Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris, she worked as a news anchor for Bloomberg TV London. Whilst working gruesome night shifts on breakfast TV, she started to write in earnest, every day, after work and a nap. Today, Ellen works as an author and as a journalist for international publications such as Vogue, Standpoint and CN Traveller. She lives in London with her husband, three sons and a moody fox red Labrador. Tsarina is her debut novel.
Social Link: https://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/client/ellen-alpsten
As with other “psychological thrillers with a twist” stories, I’m not going to give any of the twists away here – you can read blurbs and spoilers elsewhere. But I am going to tell you what worked in this book.
The prologue gives the reader enough of a hint that something might be off in the interactions between two characters. It’s obvious that something isn’t quite right, and the author wisely leaves it to the reader’s own assumptions to try to figure out what is going on.
This continues throughout the book. There are several points where the author merely throws out a suggestion – sometimes in the form of an incident, sometimes a thought of a character – and lets the reader take it however they choose.
I love it when an author values the reader’s intelligence this way. Are they vital pieces of info or are they red herrings? Who knows…that’s the fun of it.
I totally felt for Maddy throughout the story. She had these events thrust upon her and had to deal with the brunt of everything even as she had no idea what was really going on. I liked her character, because her reactions seemed very natural. I could see myself reacting much in the same manner.
I also like how the author used past events to give us hints as to Maddy’s perspective and reasons for her reactions. It was cleverly done and very illuminating. I’ll not say more than that. The author also captures small-town life, and the personalities that emerge in small towns, perfectly.
Even as the truth finally comes out about…well, everything…she is still unsure about what steps she will take next. I also liked this about her (and about the story) because it was realistic. Not everything is wrapped up neatly. I admire the author’s willingness to leave things a little unfinished.
One picky thing. The cover should have had a red coat. ‘Nuff said.
This is another strong entry from this author. I’m getting used to them and look forward to the next one.
Kerry Wilkinson has had No.1 crime bestsellers in the UK, Australia, Canada, South Africa and Singapore. He has also written two top-20 thrillers in the United States. His book, Ten Birthdays, won the RNA award for Young Adult Novel of the Year in 2018 and Close To You won the International Thriller Award for best ebook in 2020.
As well as his million-selling Jessica Daniel series, Kerry has written the Silver Blackthorn trilogy – a fantasy-adventure serial for young adults – a second crime series featuring private investigator Andrew Hunter, plus numerous standalone novels. He has been published around the world in more than a dozen languages.
Originally from the county of Somerset, Kerry spent way too long living in the north of England, picking up words like ‘barm’ and ‘ginnel’.
When he’s short of ideas, he rides his bike, hikes up something, or bakes cakes. When he’s not, he writes it all down. Learn more on his website at https://kerrywilkinson.com/
After some psych thrillers and crime procedurals, I was ready to get back to history. Next on my list was this one. I had enjoyed The Italian Villa and was hopeful that the author had maybe improved upon the last book.
What I found however, is that much of what I said in that review still applies.
It’s a similar plot. A woman, Luce, goes to Italy to find out her historical roots. There is a hint of mystery because her mother, Angelina, left Italy when she was young, rarely talks about family, and has hinted at how dangerous it would be to dig up the past.
I liked that premise. I should put in here that I found out in my teens that I am half-Italian. When my mom and I went to Italy while I was in college, I felt like I had come home. There was no reason for it – I know nothing about my heritage or lineage.
But I understood people, I felt comfortable wherever we went in the country, and I felt like a part of me had been awakened. In that regard, I totally related to Luce. I “got” her desire to find out more about her heritage.
I also liked how she found that things weren’t what she expected, what she’d been led to believe by her mother over the years. I think it was a good way to illustrate the importance of finding your own truths.
I suppose that could be said about Luce’s personal life as well. Not giving anything away, but she finds answers to more than just her heritage.
That itself is also interesting. She finds out more about the family history from her grandmother, as well as her own experiences with other family members.
When I see that something promoted as a “historical novel,” I usually expect there to be a contemporary storyline that sets the stage for the historical part, which then takes up the majority of the story.
In my humble opinion, to be considered such there should be at least a 50/50 split, preferably more. If a majority of the story isn’t in the past, I’m not sure it can be considered historical.
I’m sure we can all relate to choosing a book based on “what do I feel like reading now?” And then having certain expectations of the book based on those conceptions.
And now we come to the reason I brought it up.
I stand by my critique in my review of The Italian Villa. Once again, the historical parts are told in passive voice, as Luce’s grandmother tells the stories of the past more as a reminiscence. It takes a lot of the bite out of the history and makes it difficult to become engaged.
It also leaves too little to the historical sections. Because they are told from one person’s point of view as a memory, there’s no life to the actual events. It’s all just ghosts. And it seemed as if the contemporary storyline far outpaced the historical – as I mentioned, that makes it difficult to read as a “historical novel.”
For the points of this story, and for how important the past was, actual flashbacks would have been so much more effective. It was actually quite convoluted as is, especially with the confusion surrounding the characters in the contemporary storyline.
It’s really a shame, because the secrets that Luce’s family were hiding were real doozies. I just wish the revelations would have been more impactful.
I’d still recommend the book because the family secrets that are finally revealed are interesting, and there are some truly compelling moments filled with emotion.
But know that (for me at least), it doesn’t fit the definition of a true “historical novel.” There was no chance to be immersed in the past. And that’s a major reason I like the genre.
Author Bio: Daniela Sacerdoti is the author of the bestselling Glen Avich series which has sold over one million copies in ebook to date, Sacerdoti’s debut novel Watch Over Me was named the eighth bestselling Kindle book of all time in 2015, when she was also ranked as the eleventh top-selling Kindle author. She lives in a small village in the middle of nowhere, with her Scottish husband, two children, a Cocker spaniel and a foundling kitten (who was definitely a witch in a past life). Visit her website at https://www.danielasacerdoti.com
I really enjoyed the first book in this series (The Next Widow), so I was excited for the next installment to see what was up next for Luka and Leah. I came to some very interesting conclusions after reading this story.
First, I found that I was more interested in the character arcs of Luka and Leah than I was about the plotline itself. That’s not to say that the plotline was bad in any way. But it didn’t hold my attention the same way the characters did.
That’s interesting to me, because usually the plot enhances the characters and vice versa. For whatever reason this time, though, I kind of found them to be…separate.
Which actually is a little weird, because both Luka and Leah have personal ties to the plot of this book. So, I really can’t figure that out.
But I digress.
The second thing I learned that it’s almost always important to give a book a chance, even when you feel like giving up. I thought the beginning this book was slow. It was very difficult for me to get into it.
Again, this was strange because it takes place just a month after the first book, and a lot in the characters’ lives (especially Leah’s) is new. She is trying to adjust, both in her personal (after the tragedy in book one) and professional (she has a new job – more on that in a moment).
The book also starts with a prologue involving the death of a woman who thinks of (calls to?) Luka as she drowns. What’s that about? (I’m not telling).
But the beginning dragged for me. I will admit, I was a bit turned off by Leah’s job. It was reminiscent of the push to defund the police. The attitudes of a couple of characters rubbed me the wrong way.
The dialogue surrounding her initial encounter with Walt was especially off-putting to me. That’s a personal thing on my part, though…I’m sure others won’t be bothered by it at all.
I also was able to peg the bad guy pretty easily, which was a little disappointing. I kept hoping that I was wrong and there would be a twist, but there wasn’t.
I did think that the plot picked up speed in the latter half of the book, with the last third especially being rapid fire and much more interesting. In spite of my suspicions being confirmed, I did like how it all ultimately fitted together.
But back to my initial thought about the characters – it really is about where Leah and Luka go next. I’ll still follow and hope for another good case for them.
As a pediatric ER doctor, New York Times and USA Today Bestseller CJ Lyons has lived the life she writes about in her cutting edge Thrillers with Heart.
CJ has been called a “master within the genre” (Pittsburgh Magazine) and her work has been praised as “breathtakingly fast-paced” and “riveting” (Publishers Weekly) with “characters with beating hearts and three dimensions” (Newsday).
Learn more about CJ’s Thrillers with Heart at www.CJLyons.net
This one was a quick and easy read. In a crime thriller, that can be both good and bad.
There was quite a bit of good. The author did a fantastic job creating an atmosphere right from the beginning. It’s no spoiler to say that a girl is running through the forest (but why?). Simple enough.
But the author’s use of imagery, similes, and other descriptive phrasing made the scene literally come alive. It also put me right into the frame of mind for the story.
Once the real story takes hold, the author maintains the crisp writing. Everything moves along at a quick pace. In rapid fire we meet the main characters, are introduced other key players, and jump right into the investigation.
On the one hand, I liked the pace because it kept me interested. There weren’t long stretches of introspection (for the most part) that slowed the investigation down. That was good. I also liked how the investigation flowed with issues from the past coming to the present. Those all seemed accurately portrayed.
There were an awful lot of characters to keep track of. There were a few times that I had to go back and remind myself of who a person was and refresh their relationship to the investigation. That didn’t bother me.
And the author definitely captured the mysteries that small-towns hide, as well as accurately portraying the lengths to which people will go to keep secrets hidden.
However, in writing of this style, with many characters and a long-winding investigation, it felt like there were some things that were overlooked or otherwise missing.
Now, this next part of the review should probably be taken with a grain of salt. Being involved in and knowledgeable of law enforcement, I tend to be pickier about things than most readers. But I can’t let these go by because they did affect my interest in the story.
For example, our hero Reed is “death investigator” for the New York State Police. That’s not technically a position. NY has medical legal death investigators, more like forensic coroners (think Ducky on NCIS). But Reed doesn’t seem to have that background.
He’s military and works for the NYSP. His actions in the book are definitely more along the lines of a criminal investigator. He also works in the “Major Crimes” division (if I understood correctly) – a division that doesn’t exist in the NYSP.
I guess it’s just a pet peeve of mine that if using a real agency, effort should be made to using actual divisions that exist.
In a similar vein, there were other times that language choices seemed lazy. These jumped out at me because of the great descriptions early on. One instance was when the author referred to the “body-recovery people.” Really? How about the Coroner’s Office, or Rescue and Recovery team?
Again, these could just be my pet peeves, but the did taint the story a tad for me.
Other than those things (and a few similar, but I’m not going to list all of them), I thought it was a good read, and I would definitely recommend it to crime thriller/police procedural fans. I’m sure other readers will have a different experience from mine.
T.J. Brearton’s books have reached half a million readers around the world and have topped the Amazon charts in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. A graduate of the New York Film Academy in Manhattan, Brearton first worked in film before focusing on novels. His books are visually descriptive with sharp dialog and underdog heroes. When not writing, Brearton does whatever his wife and three children tell him to do. They live happily in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. Yes, there are bears in the Adirondacks. But it’s really quite beautiful when you’re not running for your life.
T.J. is the author of Into Darkness, Road to Mercy and other crime thrillers. ROUGH COUNTRY will be his third novel published with Inkubator Books.
