Monday, December 24, 2018

Review - Hello Again

Title:  Hello Again
Author:  Brenda Novak
Series!  The Evelyn Talbot Chronicles #2
Genre:  Mystery/Thriller
Publisher:  St. Martin's
Format:  Kindle
No. of pages:  384
Published:  October 3, 2017
My Rating:  5 Stars

DESCRIPTION:

SHE CAN MAKE SENSE OF A COMPLEX CRIMINAL MIND.

Evelyn Talbot, a psychiatrist at a maximum-security prison in Alaska, studies some of the world's worst serial killers. But she's about to meet her most elusive patient at Hanover House yet: Dr. Lyman Bishop, AKA the Zombie Maker given his fondness for performing ice-pick lobotomies on his victims. A brilliant cancer researcher, Bishop is either the most cunning psychopath Evelyn has ever encountered--or he is wrongly convicted.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A CRIMINAL CAN SEE INTO HER OWN?


When a new ice-pick fatality occurs, it seems Bishop really was wrongly convicted. Except...Evelyn has a personal connection to the victim and that suggests the killer may be someone from her own past: Jasper Moore, her high school boyfriend who tortured her and left her for dead when she was only sixteen. Jasper also murdered three of her friends--and was never caught. Is he trying to send a message with this copycat crime? The only thing Evelyn knows for sure is that if Jasper is on her trail, she might not be able to escape again . . .
 




MY THOUGHTS:

Evelyn has gotten some positive results with setting up Hanover House, a maximum-security prison in Alaska. It has been an uphill battle. The world’s worst psychopaths are now housed there. One of the most difficult patient’s, Dr. Lyman Bishop has been quite slippery, despite having been arrested for several brutal murders. Bishop’s method of madness is exceptionally heinous. While studying Bishop, Evelyn has to deal with the fact that Bishop might indeed be an innocent man. 

Meanwhile, Evelyn’s past kidnapping and torture never remains far from her mind, especially as she is still being hounded by the man responsible, Jasper Moore. There are horrific things happening now that make it seem to Evelyn, and Amarok, the sheriff and Evelyn’s lover, that proves that Jasper may still be a real danger to Evelyn, as well as to others. 

This is a fast-paced and twisty psychological thriller. The danger is palpable and kept me on my toes. Despite the dark nature of this series, and some rather despicable characters, these books are very compelling. It is multi-layered, with the existing romance, brutal crimes and the way that the book delves into the mindset of the world’s most brutal minds, especially Jasper’s. 

Who doesn’t want resolution when reading books like this? I know I certainly do! I have the audiobook version and could not turn it off until I reached the very end. However, I have to hurry up and read the next book in the series, Face Off, as soon as possible for some unanswered questions. Thankfully, I have that book on my Kindle. 

Hello Again is the 2nd book in the Evelyn Talbot Chronicles. I read the first book, as well as the prequel, and definitely think that this series should be read in order.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

It was a shocking experience that jump-started Brenda Novak’s bestselling author career.

“I caught my day-care provider drugging my children with cough syrup and Tylenol to get them to sleep while I was away,” Brenda says. “It was then that I decided that I needed to do something from home.”

However, writing was the last profession she expected to undertake. In fact, Brenda swears she didn’t have a creative bone in her body. In school, math and science were her best subjects, and when it came time to pick a major in college, she chose business.

Abandoning her academic scholarship to Brigham Young University at the age of 20 in order to get married and start a family, Brenda dabbled in commercial real estate, then became a loan officer.

“When I first got the idea to become a novelist, it took me five years to teach myself the craft and finish my first book,” Brenda admits. “I learned how to write by reading what others have written. The best advice for any would-be author: read, read, read….”

Brenda sold her first book, and the rest is history. Many of her novels have won or placed in contests such as the National Reader’s Choice, the Bookseller’s Best, the Write Touch, the Award of Excellence and the Beacon Award for Published Authors.

Brenda and her husband, Ted, live in Sacramento and are the proud parents of five children—three girls and two boys. When she’s not spending time with her family or writing, Brenda is usually raising money for diabetes research. Her youngest son, Thad, has diabetes, and Brenda is determined to help him and others like him. She also enjoys traveling, watching sporting events and biking — she rides an amazing 20 miles every day!

Contact her

Web - https://brendanovak.com/

7 comments:

  1. Awesome, maybe ill add the book to my psych thriller list.

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  2. Glad you enjoyed this book enough to make you jump readily on the next book in the series. :)

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  3. This sounds excellent - thanx for the review

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  4. Whoa sounds like a really good Thriller. Unfortunately, I don't usually read thrillers. Great review!

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  5. I love a good psycho thriller. I’m gonna check it out!

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  6. Another great sounding mystery/thriller. My TBR is taking a hit.

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