I know I didn’t read the blurb before taking the advanced reader opportunity here – if I like a cover and it gets presented to me generical
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I know I didn’t read the blurb before taking the advanced reader opportunity here – if I like a cover and it gets presented to me generically as “mystery” or “thriller” I’ll read the book. I also don’t know why my hopes were so high for this one, but they were. Maybe if I had lower expectations it would have worked better for me.
I thought the story here was about a young doctor whose body is found hanging in a remote area only accessible by water and the attempt to figure out if it was suicide or murder (and if murder, the whodunit). And it was about that, but it also timehopped right away to some teenage love story that I absolutely was not digging whatsoever. I’ll blame myself for not being aware of the “Crawdads” comparison (a book which I loved, by the way, but either because right time/right place is everything for me or because it was “fresh” enough that I got absorbed). This love story portion did not seem particularly fresh, nor did all the "homesteading" about a boy who returns to his small hometown after failing as a novelist who knows all about how to not only forage everything edible off the land as well as how to can veggies and make homemade jams and preserves, but somehow doesn't think about fishing until he has a real Homer Simpson "DOH!" moment and wishes he knew how to make a pancake. Srsly? Not to mention the real rush towards justice at the end with a nearly zero page trial thrown in complete with surprise exhibits and witnesses that 100% does not happen in real life. And don't even get me started the big “twist” when it came to the reveal. Chrissy Teigen eesh face for sure.
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review....more
(And yes I already know I’m going straight to H-E-Double-Hockey Sticks for continually thinking of the old Chris Rock special every time getting “high” on Robitussin was mentioned in this book.)
I am an O.G. James Renner fan. Despite my hatred for most covers not house related, I snatched up a copy of The Man from Primrose Lane (which, ironically features a main character who wrote a true crime novel) after some Goodreads friends dug it and then was lucky enough to get a reader copy of The Great Forgetting which earned all the Stars from my stingy butt too.
Imagine my dismay when Renner started writing true crime novels rather than fiction. You see, I’m a girl who loves to take a deep dive into all things murdery and culty on the boob tube, but aside from the occasional Ann Rule, only dabble in the written version. I made an exception with True Crime Addict because, once again, I was offered an early copy and also at that point I might have been somewhat addicted to Websleuths and the crazed keyboard commandos that could be found there. And it was good, but still the fact remains that I read garbage so this latest release has been sitting gathering dust for an age.
Buuuuuuuut, then I was looking for something to listen to on my “walk ‘n talks” and this was available in audio format from the library so I figured, why not? For audiobook listeners, the author has a great reading voice that should generate zero complaints. And as far as the subject matter? I had zero problems walking five miles while listening and was completely invested in this story of “crazy little children” who spent their free time having “Robitussin parties,” sex and sleepovers all in the suburb of Shaker Heights with apparently none of their parents all the wiser.
Renner’s version of true crime is different than a lot of authors. His stories are not well known and he sticks close to home with those that took place in Ohio. But he’s two-for-two when it comes to me getting totally caught up in the telling.
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. ...more
By now you are probably aware of how far behind I continually am when it comes to posting reviews. This morning, however, when I logged on to GoodreadBy now you are probably aware of how far behind I continually am when it comes to posting reviews. This morning, however, when I logged on to Goodreads I saw this little diddy was right up there on the heading ticker which was just the nudge I needed I guess to write something up real quick.
The best way for me to describe Friends in Napa is that it is Big Little Lies meets Keeping Up With the Kardashians meets The Big Chill - and if that sounds like a Frankenmashup to you, well . . . .
If you too are a trash goblin and are experiencing some unseasonably warm weather and enjoy reading some pure stabby fluff on the deck, or like the same stuff Kelly Kapoor likes, then definitely give this a go.
The premise here is a fairly familiar one: There’s a dead body and you meander your way to the big reveal while meeting these various “friends in Napa” and watching their various skeletons fall out of closets. It’s vapid in the best guilty pleasure way possible and I gobbled it right up.
This isn’t a particularly new sort of mystery plot: It starts with a party, someone gets murdered, everyone is a suspect and then you spend the rest oThis isn’t a particularly new sort of mystery plot: It starts with a party, someone gets murdered, everyone is a suspect and then you spend the rest of the book figuring out the whodunnit. Good news is, I generally love this storyline. Bad news is this one wasn’t much of a stand-out.
The specifics here are the Calhouns are having their annual Cherry Blossom party . . . and the police are there are on page one. By the 20% mark you know who the victim is and then you get to find out exactly what skeletons are hiding in the closets of each family member (as well as a neighbor or two). Things play out via sort of an “everything but the kitchen sink” approach and you really have to throw all common sense out the window when it comes to things like police procedures or legal work – not to mention that no one is likeable or more than a cardboard cutout as far as character development. But it’s getting real high ratings, so what do I know?
I’m going to steal from Rotten Tomatoes and certify this one as fresh.
When Hannah’s most recent soulmate ghosts her and her BFF gets engage
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I’m going to steal from Rotten Tomatoes and certify this one as fresh.
When Hannah’s most recent soulmate ghosts her and her BFF gets engaged, Hannah takes her obsession with true crime to a whole different level and starts looking for love in all the wrong places. Specifically, as a pen pal with a suspected serial killer who has been charged with murdering four women and dumping their bodies in a ravine. What’s the harm, right? I mean all signs point to a conviction so it’s not like she’s actually at risk of being victim #5. That is until an actual fifth body is found while William is on trial which obviously makes him not guilty, he gets released and is ready for his happily ever after with his new girlfriend. Then it becomes a question of did he or didn’t he . . . or maybe more appropriate, will he or won’t he?
Simply put, this was a lot of fun. From the “Burn Book” style of cover art to the new take on “romance” in your 30s, I had a ball. The whodunit won’t be much of a shocker, but this made for a most enjoyable day out on the deck soaking up some unseasonably warm weather here in flyover country.
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review....more
I really dug All the Dangerous Things and was so excited when my turn for this one came at the library I pushed all of my other checkouts to the side in order to start it right away. And then I spent three days waiting for something . . . ANYTHING . . . to happen.
Yesterday I reviewed a 5 Star thriller and commented that most are a dime a dozen and don’t earn more than 3-3.5 Stars from me. This is one of those cYesterday I reviewed a 5 Star thriller and commented that most are a dime a dozen and don’t earn more than 3-3.5 Stars from me. This is one of those countless many. The story here is about a woman who returns to the family home where her parents were murdered when she was a teen . . . murders for which she was the main suspect. In addition to sister #1, Emma, two more sisters (“JJ” and Daphne) are also thrown into the mix after being estranged for well over a decade. It’s a long way to get to the final destination of the whodunit with plenty of red herring suspects (even though the actual culprit is pretty obvious) and I kept having to check if this was a Reese’s Book Club selection because it seemed right up her alley. Basically? Meh. Great house cover, though!
We all know I’m a sucker for a house cover and shame on me because Megan Collins has now fooled me twice with one. I’d like to WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD
We all know I’m a sucker for a house cover and shame on me because Megan Collins has now fooled me twice with one. I’d like to say after two fails with this author I’ll be passing her up in the future, but I’m an idiot so give me another house on the front and I’ll probably be first in line.
The story here revolves around the brutal murder of Julia’s husband (and Sienna’s brother) Jason’s boss. Found in his own yard stabbed, suffocated and with his lips sewn shut this has the entire town on edge . . . and has Jason as the police’s #1 suspect.
And then things just become a mess beginning with the coppers telling Julia and Sienna to keep their nose out of things, which promptly leads to . . .
You then get some convoluted back story thrown in about a dude from the past who killed Jason and Sienna’s parents as a drunk driver, a coma, multiple sexual harassment/assault subplots and a teenage son who has become distant from his mother. Mess.
Tip to authors: Maybe tell your readers to throw every bit of common sense out of the window or do a teensie lil’ bit of research about how policing, brain injuries and/or medically induced comas work. Also? Maybe don’t have someone be known for their sewing skills if you don’t want us to know the whodunit immediately and then spend the remainder of our reading experience pissed off for wasting our time through hundreds of additional pages. ...more
Do you ever find yourself reading books that randomly have things in common? Generally, for me at least, it comes in the form of a song I haven’t hearDo you ever find yourself reading books that randomly have things in common? Generally, for me at least, it comes in the form of a song I haven’t heard in a billion years being referenced in back-to-back reads or a not often used city somehow being the setting. This time it was the plot itself – the whodunit surrounding the death of a nanny. (In case you are curious/are a sufferer of the FOMO like myself – the book I read before this was The Other Mothers - and it was a winner).
I snagged this copy without even taking a gander at a blurb when it was offered up as a Read Now on NetGalley and didn’t pay attention to the fact that Sarah Pekkanen had not partnered up with her usual other half Greer Hendricks for this one - but it REALLY felt like it was co-written. I loooooooooved the storyline regarding the dead nanny and the potential suspects (should her death be proven to be intentional and not merely a horrible accident). The rich wife, the adulterer husband, the silent (yet oh so creepy) daughter and the doting granny ALL had my hinky meter going off. And the divorce proceedings which brought our leading lady Stella in as an advocate for Rose to determine which custody arrangement would be in her best interest was excellent. But then there was the subplot regarding Stella’s dead mother and . . . . .
Not only was it completely unnecessary, it really derailed a quality murder mystery for me (and felt like it was written by someone else and merely spliced together). 3.5 Stars, but rounding down. (Oh, and it should go without saying I really do not like the cover – good thing this was a known-to-me author so I overlooked it ha-ha.)
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley! ...more
This was pretty much a you had me at hello for a couple of reasons . . . .
First, the cover. As much as I despise face covers, I don’t mind this creepy peeper whatsoever. Also, I’m a HUGE fan of authors who stick with the same font/format for their books. I have soooooo many problems recalling names and titles, but I can remember cover art nearly every time.
These bishes were everything I wanted them to be. Like grown up Mean Girls – or even better since they were not only wealthy, but Londoners, a gaggle of Caroline Stanburys . . .
But what is it about you might be asking. Lemme tell you. Tash is trying to navigate her way through balancing motherhood while simultaneously trying to gain a name for herself as a freelance journalist. Her latest story involves looking into a supposed accidental drowning – as requested by the dead girl’s mother. In order to get some free time to work, she enrolls her son in a playgroup containing a group of cliquey, well-to-do mothers. When they take Tash under their wing, she leans right in to keeping up with the Joneses only to discover they knew the deceased as well.
If you like a quality Lifetime Stabby Stab/Desperate Housewives sort of whodunit I’m telling you this is a winner. So satisfying to my little garbage addicted persona! The only complaint????
Come on, authors! You think we’re amateurs? We know all about this stuff – and don’t even get us started on petechiae. Or maybe I should make a note to myself if this is how police investigations/forensic pathology works across the pond and if I ever decide to murder someone, make sure to do it over there ; )...more
I attempted (and failed) to clean out my “Currently Reading” items (FYI – I only read one book at a time and listen to one audio) last week by simply I attempted (and failed) to clean out my “Currently Reading” items (FYI – I only read one book at a time and listen to one audio) last week by simply throwing ratings on some books I found to be average. Then I realized not only was this an ARC from NetGalley so I should probably spew something out about it, but that nearly all of my friends had 4 or 5 Starred it so I decided to give it a quick re-read . . . . and yeah, I stand by my 3 Stars.
The premise here is about a grieving mother who from all appearances simply walked away from her car and into the middle of a storm. A note is found at a local casino hotel room saying “don’t look for me.” We then fall into a dual narrative – one by the missing mother starting day one after she has disappeared and one by the daughter who is not willing to accept that she is gone starting thirteen days after her mother’s disappearance. The story unfolds until the two timelines converge.
I think my mediocre rating for this one can be blamed on a few things. First, when there are only a limited amount of characters the red herring suspects always seem pretty easy for me to spot. Which leads to a big “DUHHHHHH” moment when I finally get told whodunit. ACTUAL SPOILER AHEAD:(view spoiler)[Not to mention how severely disappointed I am whenever a leading lady turns into some dumb bimbo sexing up the baddy. (hide spoiler)] And unlike this lady . . . .
I do seem to prefer my thrillers to either be campy fun or black as Mitchell’s heart so the Lifetime Television for Women types of tales just aren’t always my jam. (If you are looking for a missing person story that will knock you right out of your shoes, I highly recommend The Trap.) As for this one, when the shit about the apples came in, I was definitely NOT feeling like . . . .
Oh, I love Alfred Molina!!!! But I only have eyes for horrible reality television so I went to the ol’ Google to see if this series was a book – AND IT WAS! I did the second thing I do best which was to forego all of the advanced copies I have been lucky to receive along with my giant stack of already checked out library books and downloaded this one in order to bump it to the top of Mt. TBR.
I’m so glad I did. This was a good old fashioned murder mystery. Senior citizen Jane was a lifelong resident of Three Pines that no one had anything bad to say about. So how did she end up dead in the forest after being shot with an arrow? Was it simply a hunting accident with a shooter who is scared to come forth and admit to his deadly case of mistaken identity? Or is it worse and it was a murder? Only Chief Inspector Gamache and his crew will be able to tell us the answer.
So like I said, this was a solid murder mystery with some olde timey Hercule Poirot vibes. I had no idea who could have done it and meeting everyone in the community firmly held my interest at a time when my brain has been pretty easy to distract. I’m not a series reader, as you probably know, so I don’t know if I will continue on, but this was a quality stand-alone. ...more
I don’t know how this got on my TBR, but whoever is responsible I say many thankings! I didn’t read much while I was on vacation the last week and a hI don’t know how this got on my TBR, but whoever is responsible I say many thankings! I didn’t read much while I was on vacation the last week and a half, but I picked this up on Festivus and flew right threw it. The premise here is simple: Ellen is a gal after my own heart . . . .
Who has finally managed to snag her dream home (of sorts) after perusing the Zillow for the perfect location. Now she just has to wait out the remodel in order for this to be the family’s forever home. But when an ominous note appears threatening to shatter Ellen’s glass castle, we find out maybe our leading lady isn’t as squeaky clean as she would want us to believe.
Okay, so this was fun. As you probably know, I love trash and reality T.V. and Lifetime Stabbies and this was on the high-end of that particular genre. Loads of fun. ...more
Lisa Unger is definitely a go-to gal for me when I need to guaranty myself I’ll enjoy what I’m reading. This was the perfect option for the holiday seLisa Unger is definitely a go-to gal for me when I need to guaranty myself I’ll enjoy what I’m reading. This was the perfect option for the holiday season for many reasons: stabby stabby, missing person, former missing person, murder podcast, a cold case, novella length and . . . . .
I didn’t much care for On a Quiet Street, but generally give authors at least a couple of tries before putting them on the “fool me twice” list. I’m pI didn’t much care for On a Quiet Street, but generally give authors at least a couple of tries before putting them on the “fool me twice” list. I’m pretty sure one of my real-life friends told me to read Such a Good Wife, but the blurb WAS NOT calling out to me so I quickly returned it and went looking for a different option – and thanks to the instant gratification of Hoopla, this was the winner.
And oh what a winner it was! You’ve got a few different narratives going on here. Grace, who lives pretty much as a hermit as much as she can after a near-death escape years before; Kira, whose daughter is currently missing; and Aden, who is presumed simply to be fishing and without cell service, but whose wife has panicked and called Aden back home to help find him.
If you like missing person stories, this one is a winner. Man, what a satisfying reveal of the whodunit! Per usual, I could live without the Epilogue(s), but I realize that’s most likely a me thing.
Pretty much the only thing necessary for me to write here is that this is now BOOK FOUR in the series and I’m still putting my name on the library waiPretty much the only thing necessary for me to write here is that this is now BOOK FOUR in the series and I’m still putting my name on the library waiting list whenever a new one is announced. (If you aren’t familiar with me, I’m generally one and done when it comes to books in a series – even if I like them okay.) The people at Cooper’s Chase are indeed a rare exception to the rule and yesterday this was like catching up with some old friends.
This time around the Thursday Murder Club is tackling a case of a dead acquaintance, a handful of small-time crooks and some missing heroin. And thanks to the local cops being booted off the job when some higher-ups come to town, both Chris and Donna are sort of A-okay with Elizabeth and the gang helping to Nancy Drew this one.
I can’t imagine NOT wanting to continue reading these as long as Richard Osman keeps churning them out. And while I could maybe have done without the page count involving the “catfishing” subplot, at some point you have to introduce the next murder victim so maybe that was the entire point. I enjoyed getting to know a little bit more about Ibrahim’s backstory and the potential for Joyce’s magical meringue to finally snag her a new fella in the future. But I should have known when dealing with octogenarians that eventually we would lose one and oh my god . . . .
My husband was ready to call 911 during the Sunday Funday football games when I started sobbing uncontrollably.
Maybe the best thing of all when it comes to these books is the timing. What a delightful Christmas gift to look forward to every year. Oh, and the fact that I have a little red fox who has come to visit in the woods behind our house since Thanksgiving. I've named him Stephen....more
Thank goodness! Sally Hepworth has been a go-to for me when I want a solid family drama with a side of mystery type of read, but I found Th
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Thank goodness! Sally Hepworth has been a go-to for me when I want a solid family drama with a side of mystery type of read, but I found The Soulmate to be a real stinker. Luckily that was a one-off and this tale of a body discovered buried under a house, three (now grown) foster sisters and . . . .
Had me flying through the pages. Per usual some of the “mysterious” elements are fairly predictable, but once again Hepworth provides a real whammy of an ending.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley! ...more
While West Heart Kill will easily go down as one of my favorite covers of the year and while I’m always down for some locked door murder action, unforWhile West Heart Kill will easily go down as one of my favorite covers of the year and while I’m always down for some locked door murder action, unfortunately this felt . . .
Sometimes a good gimmick works for me – sometimes it doesn’t. I knew going in this was going to be “fourth wall breaking” – I guess I just expected more of a Deadpool sort of delivery rather than the super mansplaining Ted Talk delivery provided within these pages. Not to mention the ending? Soooooo dumb (and obviously predictable the way the entire book was laid out).
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ...more
Here’s another ancient ARC that’s been sitting around my NetGalley shelf for eternity. I picked this up despite the dreaded face cover (and let me telHere’s another ancient ARC that’s been sitting around my NetGalley shelf for eternity. I picked this up despite the dreaded face cover (and let me tell you the flowers/fruits/veggies covering the face cover is one of my absolute most hated face covers, but it actually makes sense here so kudos to you, cover artist) because I REALLY enjoyed Good Rich People by this author. But this one???? Woof.
So first, the entire premise of some woman who randomly listens to a podcaster and then not only assumes she has gone missing/has been murdered when said podcast stops casting lets you know right away the leading lady is . . . .
But I can get on board with a little Velma action sometimes, suspend my disbelief and lean into the crazy. The main problem with this is that nothing happened until the end. This could have been a pretty decent short story, but even at less than 300 pages it just drug on and on with nothing happening but repetition that the ranch was not the place Sera wanted to be.
1.5 Stars but rounded up because there was potential here and I appreciate second person narratives when they are done well. ...more
Per usual I went into this one blind without taking a gander at any blurbs. I’ve enjoyed Shari Lapena in the past and apparently a tree house is stillPer usual I went into this one blind without taking a gander at any blurbs. I’ve enjoyed Shari Lapena in the past and apparently a tree house is still house enough of a cover for me to gravitate toward it. I was a little worried upon beginning that this was going to be a fail for me because I’m not super into missing child stories. But man oh man what a page turner. I was totally invested right from the jump.
The story here is about Avery who has some sort of unnamed oppositional defiance disorder type of condition. She is missing and it could be anything from she ran off to her daddy doing her or someone else. The first 200 pages of the story play out sort of like The First 48 and a Lifetime Stabby had a baby while the police do their thing and you meet all of the neighbors – who of course are almost all hiding something.
You won’t up your I.Q. reading this one, but if you’re like me you’ll be invested throughout and breeze through it in a matter of hours. Oh and the very end????
Kelly (and the Book Boar)
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