"The Good Daughter" by Karin Slaughter

Two bowls of ice cream… I can’t get that out of my mind after reading this book. However, there are lots of other significant “twos”.  Two daughters (Charlotte and Samantha Quinn), two heart attacks, two houses, two pictures, and two very horrific, devastating, life-altering events; connected even though they are years apart.

The reader learns about the first event through each of the girls’ eyes and how it changed their lives and shaped them. I don’t want to offer any more details so that I don’t give anything away.

Start this book on a Friday evening when you can read until you finish. It’s that amazing… with an ending you will never see coming! And when you realize the significance of the two bowls of ice cream… wow! Karin Slaughter wove this story through 28 years in the girls’ lives, never omitting a significant detail or tidbit that enhanced the story and she tied it all up with a satisfying, bloody, ripped ribbon at the end.

Karin Slaughter has moved into the top 10 on my favorite author’s list. Before “The Good Daughter” I had only read three of her books which were decent, but “The Good Daughter” blows all three away. Thought this book was so great that I changed my vote in GoodReads Choice, Best Mystery & Thriller category (from another of my top 10 authors).

Release Publication Date: August 8, 2017

Genre:  Thriller, suspense, mystery,

Cover:  Perfect!

Source: I won this book through Goodreads First-Reads. Thank you for the opportunity to read this great book!

#slaughtersquad #thegooddaughter

"Where We Belong" by Lynn Austin

“God knows when the hour of our end will be” and “rich or poor, we each have a God-given calling to fulfill” are the primary themes of this novel. Rebecca and Flora Hawes are sisters who truly take this to heart and spend their lives finding and fulfilling God’s calling. They don’t let Victorian standards get in their way. Thanks to their Father, they don’t spend their days attending parties and looking for husbands but travel the Earth in search of and accomplishing their calling.

This book is five large sections with one from each of the four main character’s point of view. Rebecca’s stories sandwich Flora, Soren and Kate’s and tell how their lives intertwine.

The book begins in the Sinai Desert in 1890 and spans 30 years. The chapters jump to a different time in the sister’s lives before returning to 1890. With some books, this can be confusing but not in this case. As with all Lynn Austin novels, the timelines were well thought out and executed.

This book was very well researched. I enjoyed learning about Chicago, the Sinai Dessert and the Monastery of St. Catherine. The author’s descriptions made me feel as if I was there and a part of the story.

Be sure to read the Author’s Note at the end as this book was based on two sisters who really existed!

Release Publication Date: October 3, 2017

Genre:  Fiction, Historical, Christian

Cover:  Beautiful and absolutely perfect!

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

Rating: 5 stars

"A Christmas Return" by Anne Perry

A cannonball in a Christmas pudding? That is just how “A Christmas Return” by Anne Perry begins. Mariah Ellison receives this odd, anonymous gift a few days before Christmas. However, a card arrives with the last post of the day. It is from Peter Wesley; the grandson of a friend with whom she has not seen for some time… Rowena Wesley. A friend whose husband, Cullen, died under mysterious circumstances twenty years ago after he suddenly refused to represent a man accused of the rape and murder of a fourteen year old girl.

Mariah agrees to assist Peter as “it was something, at her age, to be needed-not to be taken in as a matter of kindness. An overdose of charity could kill something inside you.” The ensuing story is the tale of Mariah and Peter attempting to track down the murderer.

This was a quick, easy read and was not gruesome. It had some great moments, although none better than cutting into a Christmas pudding and finding a cannonball. For example, “… over a lunch of Welsh rarebit. There was always something extraordinarily comforting about melted cheese on toast.”

Very enjoyable, especially with the Christmas tie in and Anne Perry reminds us that “because of Christmas, love never dies’” This was my first Anne Perry book, but it won’t be the last.

Release Publication Date: November 7, 2017

Genre:  Fiction, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Crime, Women Sleuths, British

Cover: Perfect

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!

Rating: 4 stars

"Close to Home" by Robert Dugoni

“No parent should have to bury their child” detective Tracy Crosswhite thinks as she murmers “I’m sorry” to D’Andre Miller’s Mother Shaniqua. Twelve year old D’Andere was just murdered by a hit and run driver on his way home from a rec center basketball game; a hit and run driver who did not even slow down or hit the brakes.

“Close to Home” is Book 5 in Robert Dugoni’s Tracy Crosswhite series. Tracy is a Seattle homicide detective and if you have read any of the other books in the series, you are familiar with Tracy’s history; the kidnapping and murder of her sister Sarah.

After tracking down the driver of the car, who is in the Navy, they realize that the case is not as cut and dried as it first appeared, especially when evidence disappears.

Dugoni does a great job of describing the process the detectives go through to solve the case. He also details the steps that the Navy goes through when prosecuting one of their own, as in this case, and how that process is similar to or differs from cases that are outside of military jurisdiction.

Exciting, thrilling book that had me guessing to the end. Several great twists and turns toward the end. Great standalone book, but recommend starting with the first one so you know the recurring characters and events that have happened to the characters in the past to shape them.

Release Publication Date: September 5, 2017

Genre:  Fiction, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Crime,  Police Procedural, Women Sleuths

Cover: Perfect

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!

"Enigma" by Catherine Coulter

“Enigma" is the 21^st installment of Catherine Coulter’s FBI thriller series featuring agents Savich and Sherlock. There are actually two separate enigmas or puzzling situations in this book.

The first enigma, is also a person; specifically, Enigma 2 or Arthur Childers. He breaks into a pregnant Kara Moody’s home, ties her up and tries to convince her to run away with him and that they have to get away from “them” before it’s too late. Savich happens to save Kara from this crazy stranger, but not before Arthur is left in a coma and Kara is in labor.

At the hospital, test run on Arthur yield strange, startling results. Kara’s labor goes smoothly, but soon after Alex is born, he is kidnapped. As answers are found, even more questions surface. Just who is Arthur Childers?

Second, Savich and Sherlock race to find Liam Hennessey AKA “Manta Ray”. Liam, a very charismatic thug, recently took a plea bargain for a bank robbery during which his partner died after killing a bank teller. The missing loot from the heist has not been found and Liam has communicated with no one other than his attorney during his time in jail. While Liam is being transferred to federal prison, his convoy is attacked and Liam escapes. They race to track Liam down before he recovers the stolen loot from the bank robbery.

“Enigma” is well written, an excellent story and has a super ending… up to par with Catherine Coulter’s other books in the series. Great stand alone book, but recommend starting with the first one so you know the recurring characters and events in the past.

Release Publication Date: September  12, 2017

Genre:  Fiction, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense , Crime,  Kidnapping

Cover: Perfect

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!

Rating: 5 stars

"Cherished Mercy" by Tracie Peterson

 

 

 

I love Tracie Peterson and have read many of her novels; I was looking forward to reading “Cherished Mercy”, which is the third and final book in her Heart of the Frontier series. She tackles lots of tough issues including the treatment of natives by the government, murder, rape, racism and adoption.

The book begins with Mercy Flanagan receiving a letter from a family friend requesting that she come to her aid as she is having a difficult pregnancy and could use her assistance as a healer, housekeeper, and baby sitter. Mercy struggles with the decision. She wants to help her friend, but does not want to leave her family. To travel to her friend, Eletta, would mean traveling to an area in Oregon where the native people are clashing with the white people who are invading their land. Some natives are peaceful, but many are not. Not only is this frightening, but Mercy also has a history with Native Americans. She survived the Whitman Massacre and was taken captive along with her sisters as a child. They were treated horribly and abused, but all survived.  However, the vivid memories haunt Mercy as does her sister’s child… a child that was adopted by Eletta at birth.

Mercy chooses to assist her friend, Eletta. Along the way she meets many natives and Adam, Eletta’s Brother-In-Law. The local tribe seems friendly enough, but rumors or massacres are running rampant. Will there be peace in the Rogue River Valley? If so, will Mercy survive it?

“Cherished Mercy” was a great read and an excellent reminder of how important prayer is in our daily lives.  It also reminds us that “faith isn’t faith unless it’s tested” and  God always has a plan! The book is a reminder of how important peace is and that we must fight for it.

I have not read the first two books in the series, but that in no way lessened my enjoyment. The author gave just enough tidbits about the first two so that everything made sense. She also researched the well and gave excellent descriptions of life in that era and the Oregon area.

Release Publication Date: September 5, 2017

Genre:  Christian Fiction, Romance, Western, Frontier, Historical

Cover: Perfect

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

Rating: 4.5 stars

 

 

"Persons Unknown" by Susie Steiner

"Persons Unknown" by Susie Steiner is the second book in the DS Manon series.  This police procedural focuses more on the relationships between the characters and less on police activities.

This book begins with Manon moving her family from London to Cambridgeshire so that her adopted son, who happens to be black, can live without being persecuted by the local police at every turn. Her sister, Ellie and nephew Solly move with her. Manon is now solving cold cases rather than working as a homicide detective.

The transition does not go as smoothly as planned, as Fly, Manon’s son, is not adjusting well to life away from familiar territory and friends. Oh, and surprise, Manon is expecting. I, along with Fly, wonder why this sudden urge to procreate so soon after adopting Fly.

Soon, this is the least of her worries. The victim of a local murder turns out to be none other than Ellie’s ex-husband and Solly’s father. To make matters worse, Fly is the prime suspect. The ensuing story is Manon’s attempt to prove Fly’s innocence and find the true killer.

Several nice twists and a good ending. Solid four stars. I have not read the first book in the series, “Missing, Presumed” but that in no way affected my enjoyment of this one. Several key elements were reiterated so I did not feel like I had been left behind. I look forward to finding out what happens to Manon, Fly, Ellie, Solly and the other characters in future books.

Release Publication Date: July4, 2017

Genre:  Mystery, thriller, suspense, crime fiction, noir, detectives

Cover: OK

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

Rating: 4 stars