"Paradox (FBI Thriller #22)" by Catherine Coulter

I love justified revenge: Four Brothers, Carrie, Taken, Remember, True Grit and my all-time favorite The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Now that is some beautifully orchestrated justified revenge! And I can’t wait for Jennifer Garner’s new movie, Peppermint. That one looks awesome!

The problem is that everyone who seeks revenge thinks it’s justified. That’s what’s going on in Catherine Coulter’s latest Sherlock and Savich case, “Paradox”.

The book begins with a botched kidnapping of their son Sean. While trying to figure out who could want to kidnap him and why, they are called in to assist in another case. Willicott, Maryland’s police chief witnesses a murder early one morning while gazing at the lake from her home. When local officials drag the lake for the body, they discover bones from several bodies. A subsequent search uncovers an odd clue as to whom the bodies may belong. This seemingly idyllic little town has lots of secrets and a creepy murder house to boot!

Meanwhile, they discover that the kidnapper may be someone out for revenge and they must stop him before their family and others are devastated.

A great read for any Sherlock and Savich fans. Coulter tackles forgiveness and mental illness in this one, too.  Good story; this one has a truly satisfying ending! After all, some revenge may truly be justified!

#Paradox #CatherineCoulter #NetGalley

Publication Date: July 31, 2018

Genre:  Thriller, Suspense, Mystery, Kidnapping, Mental Illness

Cover: Perfect

Rating: 5 stars

Source:  I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to read this great book!

"When the Lights Go Out" by Mary Kubica

Spoiler alert!

Flashback to 1986. I was 18 years old; sitting in my dorm room eagerly awaiting the Dallas season finale with my roommate. Way back when entire seasons didn’t drop on the same day. Back before binge watching whole seasons in a weekend was a thing. Back when you talked about the season finale all summer long.

And ding dang it… Bobby Ewing steps out of that shower. What the heck? How can that be? We all saw him die! Really? The entire last season nothing but a freakin’ dream. You could hear the shock and dismay up and down the hallway as we watched with our doors open.

Fast forward 32 years. I feel almost as cheated. Even if you are under 40 and did not watch with the rest of the world, you are probably familiar with the way that producers tried to bring back an actor that had quit the show and subsequently been killed off and buried.

The title should have been a huge clue. What happens “when the lights go out”? I thought it would be a bit more interesting than going to sleep and having a scary dream. Read the book synopsis (I won't regurgitate it here); it is so intriguing.

The book was great until the twist reveal. It was well-written and engaging moving between 1996/1997 and 18 years later, to tell this story of mother and daughter. 

In the end, I gave it three stars. I mean, it was a surprise and diversion from her other books. And after all, she gave Jessie what everyone eventually craves at some point in their lives: a few more minutes with someone they love. Something even Pamela Ewing got!

#WhenTheLightsGoOut #NetGalley

Publication Date: September 4, 2018

Genre:  Thriller, Suspense, Mystery

Cover: OK

Rating: 3 stars

Source:  I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to read this great book!

"Under My Skin" by Lisa Unger

Do you ever start a book by a favorite author when it’s quiet and no one is around so you can read quickly and uninterrupted? Then, it’s so good, you slow down to savor the ending… not wanting it to end? This is one of those books!

“Sometimes we invite darkness.” Yes, Poppy, whether inadvertently or intentionally, sometimes we do! This is the gist of this book, to me.

The book begins with the main character, Poppy, in a bar talking to a stranger. However, too much to drink and too many pills to dull the pain render her unable to fend off her date when he tries to force her. A hooded man saves her just as she falls unconscious.

Poppy’s husband, Jack, was brutally murdered a year ago. With no leads, the murder is still unsolved. Just after the funeral, Poppy disappears for several days and has no memory of where she was or who she was with before turning up on her best friend’s doorstep in a red party dress. She is in counseling, but continues to self-medicate with pills and alcohol and suffers from insomnia. She soon realizes she is suffering from hypnogogia… the transitional phase between sleep and wakefulness or vice versa. She has no idea what is real and what is dream. She is being followed; she is seeing her dead husband. But, she is also seeing a strange woman that appears to her as being savagely beaten.

The Hollows is one of my favorite places and while “Under My Skin” is not set in this strange town, the main character does make a visit. While there, she also runs into one of my favorite characters, Jones Cooper. If you have read a few of Lisa Unger’s other novels, you know where and who I am talking about. I won’t lie… I was giddy when I got to those parts.

Read it… you won’t be able to put this book down!

Publication Date: October 1, 2018

Genre:  Thriller, Suspense, Murder, Mystery, Paranormal

Cover: OK

Rating: 5 stars

Source:  I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to read this great book!

#UnderMySkin #NetGalley