This book starts with a heartbreaking event and takes an interesting turn almost immediately. Pretty soon, things are happening at a rapid pace and the reader is hit from all sides. It’s a well-plotted and intricate story that frankly left me a little tired after reading it.
Not that that’s a bad thing.
The author does a good job of dealing with timely references. It’s not a spoiler to say that child trafficking, widespread environmental pollution, and corporate greed are all bound together within the plot.
Honestly, it’s in the blurb as well.
While I read this, I got the feeling that there was a bit of background that I was missing. Shame on me for not realizing that it was the second in a series.
That didn’t dim my enthusiasm for reading, but as there are only two books, I would recommend reading in order, if only to get the full scope of the two main characters, Quinn and Costa.
Apparently, they had a bit of history, and their roles in this book complicate what is an obvious chemistry between the two of them. Again, I think reading the first book might be helpful, because it kind of felt like the author was reluctant to explore their personal relationship any further.
That could also be because there were so many layers to the events in the book. Undercovers in various places, investigations that produce side-investigations, lies upon lies…it’s a lot to keep up with. And nobody really heeds the title of the book (oh, the irony).
But it does make for a page-turning read. Just start at the first one so this one is more enjoyable, and you have a firm basis going forward.
About the author:
ALLISON BRENNAN is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of over thirty novels. She has been nominated for Best Paperback Original Thriller by International Thriller Writers and the Daphne du Maurier Award. A former consultant in the California State Legislature, Allison lives in Arizona with her husband, five kids and assorted pets.
Part mystery, part suspense, part psychological thriller, part Gothic Agatha Christie and all crazy, this was one page-turner of a book.
The haunting atmosphere was set in the prologue and the author did a great job of maintaining it throughout the entire twisty plot.
I don’t want to give anything away, so I think I’ll refer to the notes that I made as I read.
I liked how the author emphasized Claire’s artist background in the narration, specifically giving names to the colors that she was seeing. It was done with an artist’s eye which was impactful and helped me get a better feeling for Claire.
I do wish they had continued, but as the plot became more complicated, Claire’s descriptions became less embellished. I guess that does make sense for her character – she no longer had the time or inclination to notice the details.
I also liked how the author set the tone for how the Compton family dealt with things. The repeating of statements, mantras to remind themselves, etc. were all consistent and added to the mystery surrounding the family.
I did think that the family business got short shrift. I wish there had been a bit more detail about it, as it certainly was a unique prospect – and not all that unbelievable given the current state of affairs worldwide.
But as it was it served more as a mechanic to illustrate the family’s wealth and need for privacy without elaborating and giving it a lot of depth. I think this is why another aspect didn’t completely come together for me.
I don’t know how to address that without giving anything away, but the motivations of a main character seem to spring from what the family can offer, but that was never made crystal clear to me.
Or maybe the character was just supposed to be a total sociopath and none of that matters.
I guessed early on what was really going on so there was no mystery there for me at all. Other readers may not make the connections. The author did have me second guessing a few times, and I have notes speculating that other characters were to blame (when they had nothing to do with the incidents in question).
The plot also took an Agatha Christie-like turn, where multiple people were under suspicion but just as quickly were proven to not be responsible (for various reasons).
That last third of the book was pretty gonzo. There was a lot of build-up, but then things really started happening quickly. In some ways it felt almost too frantic because it was all rapid-fire events and revelations.
There are times when I will skim parts of a book to get through because of repetition or just not holding my interest. This is NOT one of those books. I read every single part – it definitely kept me engaged.
I would certainly recommend this one. It’s an excellent brain break from reality and you’ll enjoy trying to figure out who is reliable and who isn’t.
About the Author:
J.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 25 novels, and the EMMY® award winning co-host of the literary TV show A WORD ON WORDS. With millions of books in print, her work has won critical acclaim, prestigious awards, and has been published in 28 countries. Ellison lives in Nashville with her husband and twin kittens.
Thriller is an excellent description for this book.
Also, if you are interested in cults, they get good attention here. Those sections were actually quite informative.
The blurb for this book says that it’s a stand-alone, but there were times that I felt like I was coming into a series. The way the characters related and referred to each other made me feel like I was missing some background.
That didn’t detract from the overall plot, however, which was extremely interesting. After a prologue that really drew me in, the action shifted to a macabre finding and that’s where the investigation starts.
It took a while to circle around to connecting the prologue, but the ride on the way was entertaining. I liked the mysterious aura that Hunter had (at least, that’s how I felt about him). It made me question what was personal and what was professional in his motivations. That made him a particularly interesting character.
I will say that this isn’t for the squeamish. There is extensive detail regarding both dead bodies and the psychological abuse suffered within a cult. Those things don’t bother me, but fair warning to others.
This is also a well-researched book. I don’t want to give anything away, but the details (and motivations) of the murders (no spoiler) were intriguing as well.
As a personal note, I got a kick out of the Everglades location, because we just moved to the region so some of the references were familiar (or at least made me think of where we have already explored).
Not that we’ve explored the small towns and found anything like described in this book! 😊
Anyway, for a stand-alone, this was a pretty decent read. I’d recommend it but with the warnings above.
Author Bio:
Heather Graham is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author has written over two hundred novels and novellas, has been published in approximately twenty-five languages and with about 60 million books sold in print in the categories of romantic suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, and Christmas holiday fare. For more information, visit her at TheOriginalHeatherGraham.com.
This is becoming a common refrain, because DK Hood just keeps churning out the Kane and Alton series. BUT (and I can’t stress this enough), the series still manages to feel fresh and exciting.
You’d think that at book 11 (holy moly) that things would be stale, or run-of-the-mill.
You’d be so wrong.
This time around, cheerleaders are disappearing and meeting terrible ends. It would be easy to insert a joke in here about easy targets or something, but it would be too flippant. The author manages to take a cliché and turn it into a serious case.
If you’ve read any of the books, you already have a feeling for how Kane and Alton work together, and this case is no exception. There’s something to be said for familiarity.
But again, that doesn’t mean it’s boring. I found myself confident in the characters enough that I was actually able to see other things that I might have missed if these were “new-to-me” characters.
Does that make sense? I guess I was able to pay attention to smaller details because I wasn’t hyper-focused on the main characters. Maybe other readers will understand what I’m trying to say.
I really enjoy the relationship that they have built with each other. I will say as with any male/female partnership, there is some push-pull as to whether the female can “hang” with the guys. This might irritate some readers.
At this point Jenna has more than proved herself, however, and I feel strongly that any “male dominance” is tempered by her wit, her ability, and her savviness.
Plus, you know, there’s that ending.
Anyway, it’s another solid entry in the Kane and Alton series. I’m sure it will continue just as strongly.
Oh, and yes, it can be read as a stand-alone. But with this number of books in the series, you’d certainly do yourself a load of favors by starting at the beginning. There’s a lot of backstory, and some attitudes/conversations will make more sense if you have a history of the characters.
I really enjoyed the set up for this book. Seemingly disparate people are visited in different situations, but they all end up in the same result.
Dead.
It reminded me of the beginning of a television show or movie, because it set the stage for the reader to try to figure out what the victims had in common. I liked that challenge.
And there is a challenge in this book. There is a lot going on. Fair warning: do NOT try to read this when you are distracted or on the fly when you have time for a few pages.
The author has crafted a story that demands attention to detail as the plot twists its way from serial killers to political intrigue, from police procedural to morality story.
Trust me, it all works for one page-turner of a book.
I thought the pairing of a fallen WaPo writer (American) and a female officer with a secret she struggles to keep hidden (British) was unique. Their baggage both hinders them and gives them insights to the problems at hand.
They both also have something to prove which drives them to discover who the perpetrator is. I don’t know if it was just me, but there were a few times that I felt like they were competing against each other. Not overtly, but just…I dunno. Just a feeling.
I thought the use of red herrings and unexpected twists was well-done. They all seemed natural and none of them were of the “gotcha/wait what?” type. You know, the ones that come out of nowhere and leave you scratching your head?
Oh, and don’t get too attached to any of the characters. You can probably guess why, but I will neither confirm nor deny if your guess is accurate.
I really got into this book. It allowed me to sink into another world and be absorbed by a fast-moving plot with interesting characters.
Not a book vacation, but a definite brain-break that I enjoyed immensely.
About Geoff Major:
A long time ago, Geoff Major had an idea for a story, whilst walking his girls to primary school. Two years ago, he decided he had the time and patience to try to write the story down. His wife was wholly supportive, so he turned from full-time to part-time for four months and now – 23 years after that idea first popped into his head – it has been published.
As a self-employed business consultant for 18 years and a fundraising adventurer for 10 years (including ski-trekking 50 miles, over 6 days and 6 nights, to the geographic North Pole), he now works for a debt charity whilst plotting his next three books.
I used to love to re-read early books in a series each time a new book would come out. I did that countless times over the years (as a result, I feel like I often memorized the first couple books because I read them many more times).
I don’t have time for that anymore, so I have to make do with re-reading my reviews of previous books. It’s not as effective, but at least it gives me a quick reminder as to where plot lines ended up.
And then there are the books that stick with me. All I have to do is see a character name or location and it all comes back to me.
Why do I tell you all of that?
Because without a doubt, this book falls into the latter category.
Is it because it’s set in an around the Appalachian region, so it’s familiar territory? Maybe.
Is it because the heroine and other characters are memorable? Sure.
Is it because the previous plot was so shocking that I can’t forget how it all tied together?
Definitely.
This one takes place only three weeks after The Silent Dolls, and as with that book, the author jumps right into the action and doesn’t let up.
There is just a way that Ms. Herron tells a story that grabs me and doesn’t let go.
Ellie is still carrying heavy baggage from the revelations in The Silent Dolls, so (as she is wont to do) she heads out to hike the Appalachians to clear her head…where she promptly discovers a body posed in a very ritualistic manner.
And that’s just in the first couple of chapters.
Once again, the author has crafted a sinuous plot that twists its way through, winding the reader into the story. All of the characters from the first book still have issues. For some, this case gets much more personal
I liked the use of the childhood rhyme. I liked how the serial killer left the clues. And (oddly) I liked the motivations. I thought the whole thing was just overall really well done.
I’ve mentioned before that it can be difficult to write a review for crime/mystery books. I hate giving away plot points, and I 100% hate spoilers.
I will just say that you’re missing out if you don’t get in on this series now, because if book two is any indication, there’s a lot more to come!
Author Bio:
USA Today Bestselling and award-winning author Rita Herron fell in love with books at the ripe age of eight when she read her first Trixie Belden mystery. But she didn’t think real people grew up to be writers, so she became a teacher instead. Now she writes so she doesn’t have to get a real job.
With over ninety books to her credit, she’s penned romantic suspense, romantic comedy, and YA novels, but she especially likes writing dark romantic suspense and crime fiction set in small southern towns.
Seriously, before I say anything else, I just have to say that if you are a fan of mystery thrillers you need to get this book.
If you’re a fan of tough, smart heroines who are very real, you need to get this book.
And if you’re a fan of being taken along on a detailed case that follows an investigation perfectly, you need to get this book.
I can’t say enough good things about it.
Right from the prologue, where Victoria “Tori” Hunter is questioned about her sister’s disappearance, I could tell that it was going to be a well-told story. There was something about the style of writing and the interplay between characters that drew me in.
The story then jumps to present day and takes off from there. Honestly, it was so well-plotted I don’t want to give anything way, but the way the author moves between characters and events was flawless.
I really liked Tori. She was one of the most real characters I have “met.” Everything that was part of her story rang true – nothing seemed to be overdone or manipulative to fit the narrative. Her career trajectory, life choices, and attitude were all spot on.
I also appreciated Braddock and his history. I’m partial to NYPD stories, but I’m also picky about them. Authors often use a well-known department as a mechanism but treat it as any other law enforcement agency.
This author either did copious research or knew someone on the job, because he captured the attitude (and background) of an NYPD MOS perfectly. I think I actually knew this guy. I also appreciated that 9/11 wasn’t used as a crutch, but as a pivotal event that was a part of Braddock’s history. It was accurate.
The plot was excellent. Once again, everything just flowed. I especially liked how there was a side story that focused on Tori’s normal “every day” job. That was an interesting detour that gave the reader insight to Tori’s drive and professional persona. It also provided additional background.
The author does a great job of creating a “real” investigation. There are swings and misses, wrong avenues and surprise suspects. Again, I can’t stress how natural everything was.
I’m starting to repeat myself, but that’s because I want to emphasize how great the book was – but not give any plot points away.
Suffice to say that I’m very excited to have found Agent Tori Hunter, and I can’t wait to read more of her stories. Definitely one of my top reads for the year.
Author Bio:
Roger Stelljes is the acclaimed New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of pulse-pounding murder mystery and suspense novels, including the Tori Hunter and McRyan Mystery Series. Roger’s crime thrillers are noted for their fast-paced, yet intricate plots filled with layered and complex characters.
Roger started his first novel in July 2002 while on vacation in Minnesota’s Brainerd Lakes area and has been writing ever since. His debut book, The St. Paul Conspiracy, was nominated in genre fiction for the Minnesota Book Awards along with finalists Brian Freeman and William Kent Krueger. With his follow-up, Deadly Stillwater, where Vince Flynn hailed Roger as a “powerful new thriller voice”, he won the Midwest Independent Book Publishers award for commercial fiction.
Born and raised in Minnesota, Roger still lives there with his family. In addition to his work as an author, Roger is a partner in his law firm. Roger is an avid sports enthusiast and enjoys spending time outdoors boating, attending hockey games, and honing his golf game.
Hands down, this is one of the most lushly described, detailed, creepy, and hauntingly beautiful serial killer stories I have ever read.
And those are words I never thought I would put together into a sentence.
Honestly, though, I can’t remember a time that an author paid so much attention to the criminal, and the story is so much better for that attention. It elevates this book beyond a normal serial killer/crime procedural.
The author even manages to make the reader (well, at least this one!) sympathetic to the killer. That’s a tough road to go down, because it could make a person turn against the plot and dislike the book.
Not the case here.
Adam obviously has some deep seated issues, but tracing his journey from sweet boy on his grandmother’s knee reading fairy tales to psychopathic killer who (for all intents and purposes) stalks his victims is fascinating.
In fact, I found myself more intrigued with Adam’s story than that of his main target, Laura’s. Not to say that she wasn’t interesting in her own right. The character study of her grief is the perfect backdrop for not being totally aware of the impending events.
I particularly liked how the author used flowers and their “language” (i.e. Wood sorrel: Maternal tenderness) as each chapter heading. It was a unique indication of a focus or point of importance of the chapter.
I highly recommend this book. But be warned: it is not one that you can just rush through. This one takes its time setting the stage and slowly entwining the characters (not unlike ivy or some other flowering vine). That’s not to say that it’s boring because it’s nowhere near that. But the action does accelerate to a thrilling finish.
The only other warning I can give is that you might find yourself wondering what’s wrong with you that you are feeling for (and maybe even rooting for) Adam’s misguided vision of love and protection. But don’t worry, you won’t be alone in that feeling.
Author Bio: Barbara is the Amazon and USA Today bestselling author of psychological thrillers INVISIBLE, FLOWERS FOR THE DEAD, THE DARKEST LIES, and HER LAST SECRET.
More importantly, she loves cakes, wildlife photography and, last but definitely not least, her two dogs, Scamp and Buddy (who force her to throw tennis balls for them for hours).
Having spent over twenty years as a national newspaper and magazine journalist, Barbara has interviewed the real victims of crime – and also those who have carried those crimes out. She is fascinated by creating realistic, complex characters, and taking them apart before the readers’ eyes in order to discover just how much it takes to push a person over a line.
When not writing feverishly, she is often found hiding behind a camera, taking wildlife photographs.
Trying something new on the blog today. Here’s an excerpt from a new release. Check it out and see if it’s something that grabs you!
Prologue
May 1976
Simon was six years old when he first tasted beer.
He was bathed and ready for bed wearing soft pyjamas, even though it was light outside; still early. Other kids were in the street, playing on their bikes, kicking a football. He could hear them through the open window, although he couldn’t see them because the blinds were closed. His daddy didn’t like the evening light glaring on the TV screen, his mummy didn’t like the neighbours looking in; keeping the room dark was something they agreed on.
His mummy didn’t like a lot of things: wasted food, messy bedrooms, Daddy driving too fast, his sister throwing a tantrum in public. Mummy liked ‘having standards’. He didn’t know what that meant, exactly. There was a standard-bearer at Cubs; he was a big boy and got to wave the flag at the front of the parade, but his mummy didn’t have a flag, so it was unclear. What was clear was that she didn’t like him to be in the street after six o’clock. She thought it was common. He wasn’t sure what common was either, something to do with having fun. She bathed him straight after tea and made him put on pyjamas, so that he couldn’t sneak outside.
He didn’t know what his daddy didn’t like, just what he did like. His daddy was always thirsty and liked a drink. When he was thirsty he was grumpy and when he had a drink, he laughed a lot. His daddy was an accountant and like to count in lots of different ways: “a swift one’, “a cold one’, and ‘one more for the road’. Sometimes Simon though his daddy was lying when he said he was an accountant; most likely, he was a pirate or a wizard. He said to people, “Pick your poison’, which sounded like something pirates might say, and he liked to drink, “the hair of a dog’ in the morning at the weekends, which was definitely a spell. Simon asked his mummy about it once and she told him to stop being silly and never to say those silly things outside the house.
He had been playing with his Etch A Sketch, which was only two months old and was a birthday present. Having seen it advertised on TV, Simon had begged for it, but it was disappointing. Just two silly knobs making lines that went up and down, side to side. Limited. Boring. He was bored. The furniture in the room was organised so all of it was pointing at the TV which was blaring but not interesting. The news. His parents liked watching the news, but he didn’t. His father was nursing a can of the grown ups’ pop that Simon was never allowed. The pop that smelt like nothing else, fruity and dark and tempting.
“Can I have a sip?” he asked.
“Don’t be silly, Simon,” his mother interjected. “You’re far too young. Beer is for daddies.” He thought she said ‘daddies’, but she might have said ‘baddies’.
His father put the can to his lips, glared at his mother, cold. A look that said, “Shut up woman, this is man’s business.” His mother had blushed, looked away as though she couldn’t stand to watch, but she held her tongue. Perhaps she thought the bitterness wouldn’t be to his taste, that one sip would put him off. He didn’t like the taste. But he enjoyed the collusion. He didn’t know that word then, but he instinctively understood the thrill. He and his daddy drinking grown ups’ pop! His father had looked satisfied when he swallowed back the first mouthful, then pushed for a second. He looked almost proud. Simon tasted the aluminium can, the snappy biting bitter bubbles and it lit a fuse.
After that, in the mornings, Simon would sometimes get up early, before Mummy or Daddy or his little sister, and he’d dash around the house before school, tidying up. He’d open the curtains, empty the ashtrays, clear away the discarded cans. Invariably his mother went to bed before his father. Perhaps she didn’t want to have to watch him drink himself into a stupor every night, perhaps she hoped denying him an audience might take away some of the fun for him, some of the need. She never saw just how bad the place looked by the time his father staggered upstairs to bed. Simon knew it was important that she didn’t see that particular brand of chaos.
Occasionally there would be a small amount of beer left in one of the cans. Simon would slurp it back. He found he liked the flat, forbidden, taste just as much as the fizzy hit of fresh beer. He’d throw open a window, so the cigarette smoke and the secrets could drift away. When his mother came downstairs, she would smile at him and thank him for tidying up.
“You’re a good boy, Simon,” she’d say with some relief. And no idea.
When there weren’t dregs to be slugged, he sometimes opened a new can. Threw half of it down his throat before eating his breakfast. His father never kept count.
Some people say their favourite smell is freshly baked bread, others say coffee or a campfire. From a very young age, few scents could pop Simon’s nerve endings like the scent of beer.
Adele Parks was born in Teesside, North-East England. Her first novel, Playing Away, was published in 2000 and since then she’s had seventeen international bestsellers, translated into twenty-six languages, including I Invited Her In. She’s been an Ambassador for The Reading Agency and a judge for the Costa. She’s lived in Italy, Botswana and London, and is now settled in Guildford, Surrey, with her husband, teenage son and cat.
This book started off a little on the slow side, and I thought I was in for a typical “why did the husband disappear” story. Which would have been fine with me.
I could not have been more wrong.
Little by little, the author started dropping hints that something more was at play than Faith’s husband Liam just disappearing. Then seemingly random events occurred that made Faith question what she thought she remembered. An email here found by a colleague there. Cryptic emails that indicate another person in the mix there.
As Faith tries to put all of the pieces together, she starts to uncover something much more sinister than a simple disappearance.
That’s all I’m going to say about the plot, because it would be too easy to give something away. And this book REALLY needs to be experienced without knowing too much.
The author did a fantastic job of scattering just enough information to keep the reader as off balance as Faith was. Being able to experience that feeling right along with her added to the tension of the story. Boy was there a lot of that! The good kind that makes you unable to wait for what happens next.
I would say that roughly halfway through the book it turned from a simple and interesting story into a “can’t-put-it-down-I’m-staying-up-until-3-am-to-finish” type of read. And the last quarter of the book was page-turning, psychological thriller at its finest.
I will also say that I am usually pretty good at figuring out at least part of “whodunit” in most books that I read. This one had me guessing right up to the 80% mark on my Kindle. I think that’s a record. But then the author pulled the rug out from underneath me that made me question what I thought. Just like Faith.
Honestly, I’m going to get myself in trouble if I keep going. Buy this book. The suspense will leave you breathless.
AUTHOR BIO
Seraphina Nova Glass is a professor and Playwright-in-Residence at the University of Texas-Arlington, where she teaches Film Studies and Playwriting. She holds an MFA in playwriting from Smith College, and has optioned multiple screenplays to Hallmark and Lifetime. Someone’s Listening is her first novel.