Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Review - Don’t Go Down There

Title:  
Don’t Go Down There
Author Kiersten Modglin 
Genre:   Psychological Thriller 
Format:  Kindle ARC
Date of Publication:  February 28, 2023
My Rating:   5 Stars 
DESCRIPTION:

An unputdownable, totally twisted domestic thriller from bestselling author Kiersten Modglin.

Spencer Edwards has a beautiful wife, two perfect children, and a sinister secret locked in his basement…

When Andi Edwards discovers her husband isn’t where he’s supposed to be and isn’t answering her calls or texts, a flurry of scenarios races through her mind.

Is he hurt?
Is he cheating?
Is he dead?

The truth, she soon finds out, is so much worse than she could’ve imagined.

As she struggles to make sense of her new and chilling reality, she must decide whether to stand by the man she loves and help protect him or walk away and let him pay for his sins.

With time running out, the secret in the basement becomes more dangerous, and the spine-chilling truth becomes clear: if she makes the wrong decision, she stands to lose much more than her marriage.

When their best laid plans come back to haunt them, what will Spencer and Andi be willing to sacrifice to survive?


MY THOUGHTS:

Andi arrives home and does not know where her husband Spencer is. When she does see him, he looks more than a bit disheveled. Then she hears something in the basement and he gives her an edict: “Don’t go down there”. That’s fine by Andi, because the basement is her least favorite part of their house. But at least she wants answers from Spencer. In fact, she deserves an answer from him and she wants it immediately.

Most people act on their gut instinct. Andi sensed something was wrong almost from the moment she walked in the door, and after going room by room looking for Spencer, and then for him to tell her to not go in the basement, the question is, will she listen to her husband or how far will she go when it comes to finding out for herself what is really going on? Having always been one to catastrophize, Andi expects the worst. 

In this exciting domestic thriller by Kiersten Modglin, the twists are many. They are shocking. They are compelling. It was impossible not to connect with Andi as she struggled to deal with what was facing her. I was fully drawn into the story and literally stayed in my seat and kept tapping the screen of my Kindle until I got to the shocking ending. In fact, if you pick up this latest book by this amazing author, make sure that you have a few hours in your schedule clear because you will not want to put this book down either.

Many thanks to Kiersten Modglin for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please enjoy my YouTube video review - 




ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kiersten Modglin is an Amazon top-30 bestselling author of award-winning psychological thrillers and a member of International Thriller Writers. Kiersten lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband, daughter, and their two Boston Terriers: Cedric and Georgie. She is best known for her unpredictable suspense and her readers have dubbed her 'The Queen of Twists.' A Netflix addict, Shonda Rhimes super-fan, psychology fanatic, and indoor enthusiast, Kiersten enjoys rainy days spent with her nose in a book.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kierstenmodglinauthor 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kmodglinauthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kierstenmodglinauthor

BLOG TOUR - The Mother Next Door


DESCRIPTION:


I glance over at Lou’s house as I pull onto my drive, surprised that it is still in darkness. Lou and the kids should have been home from school long ago. I should be preparing a delicious meal for my children as they tell me about their day. But Lou’s car is nowhere to be seen…

The night is drawing in and Lou has still not returned. I try not to panic, but deep down I know something is wrong. Lou is the most dependable friend. Our children are at the same school. We always help each other out, and she cares for my two like only a mother can.

As a storm rages outside and local news reports tell everyone to stay indoors, a feeling of deep dread starts to swell. Then the call comes. The police have found Lou’s car, with my children’s schoolbags still inside along with Lou’s phone. But they are nowhere to be seen.

Clutching my husband’s hands, willing our children to be found safe and sound, I try to silence the voice inside my head. 
I’ve not been honestI’m being punished for what happened all those years ago.

And then I get Lou’s message and I know that if I want to see my children again, I need to tell the truth to everyone I love.

What I don’t yet know is that Lou has been keeping her own dark secret. And once the storm passes, nothing will ever be the same again.

A gripping and addictive psychological suspense about dark obsession, intense motherly love and how far we will go to protect those we love the most. Perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty, Adele Parks and Sally Hepworth.

 
BUY LINKS:

Audio:
UK: zpr.io/CBBavquf3nKR
US: zpr.io/N2wgSwFGRhRP

Listen to a sample here: https://soundcloud.com/bookouture/the-mother-next-door-by-leah-mercer-narrated-by-jasmine-blackborow

You can sign up for all the best Bookouture deals you'll love at: http://ow.ly/Fkiz30lnzdo

MY THOUGHTS:

Title:   The Mother Next Door
Author:  Leah Mercer
Publisher:  Bookouture
Genre:   Psychological Thriller
Format:  Audiobook ARC
Narrator:  Jasmine Blackborow
Length:  8 hr 7 min
No. of Pages:  255
Date of Publication:  February 27, 2023
My Rating:  5 Stars

Three mothers, Fiona, Allison and Jasmine, are beside themselves when their children are not returned home after school. Their neighbor and friend, Lou, who is the mother of two children, had picked their children up after school. This was a common occurrence as Lou has always been very helpful and a good friend. However, this day she does not bring the children home. The mothers are in a panicked state, which is completely expected.

Lou has a reason for not returning the children. She makes a big reference that unnerves Fiona, Allison and Jasmine. They all share a secret from when they were teenagers. Apparently, the secret has come back to haunt them and now their children’s lives are at risk. Will the mothers reveal their secret in time to get their children back safely? This is especially imperative because a storm is about to break out, with heavy rain and flooding threatening the area. In fact, authorities are having trouble even searching where they think the children could possibly be because of the inclement weather.

Meanwhile, the three women have a decision to make. In a dual timeline fashion, as well as multiple points of view, the secret of the past is revealed to the reader of this thrilling book by Leah Mercer. They kept this secret for years. Each of them marrying and having children. Their reactions to the current situation varies among each of them. But ultimately, they want their children home safely.   

I was able to listen to this exciting book as an audiobook, which played into the intensity that this story told. The narration was perfect, and this increased the tension in this story. The sense of urgency was strong, especially when it came to one of the children being asthmatic, as this added to the level of danger in this book. While we as the reader knew the secret that the women were hiding, the connection when it came to Lou was woven into the story with shocking twists and turns, leading to a jaw-dropping ending. The pacing never let up for one moment in this book that captivated me from beginning to end.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please enjoy my YouTube video review - 




ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Leah Mercer was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on the east coast of Canada. Her first ambition was to be a journalist, but after completing a master’s in journalism, she soon realised she preferred anything other than reporting the news. After trying her hand at public relations, teaching and recruitment in various countries around the world, she finally settled in London and returned to writing… fiction, this time. Her first two novels, Who We Were Before and The Man I Thought You Were, were shortlisted at the UK’s Romantic Novelists’ Association Awards. Leah loves books, running and visiting historic houses with her husband and their son.

Author Social Media Links
Bookouture Email Sign Up: https://www.bookouture.com/leah-mercer

Monday, February 27, 2023

BLOG BLITZ - Cold-Blooded Liar

Title:  Cold-Blooded Liar
Author:  Karen Rose
Series:  McKittrick & Reeves #1
Publisher:  Berkley Books
Genre:   Mystery & Thrillers
Format:  Kindle ARC 
No. of Pages:   464
Date of Publication:  February 28, 2023
My Rating:   5 Stars

DESCRIPTION:

Brace yourself for a scorching new series from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Karen Rose, where San Diego means sun, surf, sand...and serial killers.

Sam Reeves is a kindhearted psychologist who treats court-ordered clients. After one of his patients—a pathological liar—starts revealing plausible new details from a long-unsolved serial murder case, he’s compelled to report anonymously to the SDPD tip line, though his attempts to respect patient confidentiality land him facedown and cuffed by the aggressive (and cute) Detective McKittrick.

San Diego homicide detective Kit McKittrick loves the water. She lives on a boat, and when she’s not solving crimes with the SDPD, she’s assisting her foster sister with her charter fishing business or playing with her poodle. But there’s nothing that intrigues Kit more than a cold case, so when an anonymous caller leads her on the path of a wanted killer, she’s determined to end the decade-long manhunt.

Sam is soon released but goes home with both a newfound distaste for the SDPD and a resolve—not unlike Kit’s—to uncover the truth. Kit and Sam repeatedly butt heads in their separate investigations but are forced to work together to find one of the deadliest serial killers the city has faced in years.


MY THOUGHTS:
 
Kit McKittrick is a solid cop, a homicide detective who has a very good reason for the career that she chose. Having lost her foster sister to murder when they were teens, Kit has always wanted to find her sister’s killer. When other cold cases start to come to her attention, Kit begins to find direction from an unlikely source. 

Sam Reeves is a psychologist and one of his patients whose treatment has been ordered from the court is a pathological liar who seems to live in a fantasy world. However, he has lately began to slip some details about murders that were never solved. This places Sam in a quandary. For ethical and confidential reasons, he cannot reveal what his patient has shared with him, but Sam wonders if this man is telling the truth about some things, and if any other lives will be at risk.  

Sam devise a plan to give the police enough details so that they can start looking for clues to solve some of these murders. However, it does not take the police long to identify Sam, and in fact, he ends up being their main suspect. However, there is just something about the kind, gentle psychologist that makes Kit certain that he is no killer. 

The cold case that has Kit’s attention has been going on for years, and she is bound and determined to be the one to solve the case. Meanwhile, Sam has his own ideas and between the two of them, although independently for the most part, is looking for answers of his own.

Cold-Blooded Liar was an excellent, excellent book with fabulous characters that were easy to relate to. Not only were Sam and Kit wonderful, there were also Kit’s uncle and aunt Sullivan and Marion, as well as her partner, Baz and her new partner. I love that this book laid the groundwork for what promises to be a fabulous series. This book is serious and heartbreaking but offers so much promise when it comes to the strength of the characters and their determination to find justice. This was a thrilling book that I literally sped through because I just had to know what was going to happen next, and I am very excited for the next book in the series. 

Many thanks to Berkley Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please enjoy my YouTube video review - 



Please enjoy the following excerpt:
COLD-BLOODED LIAR by Karen Rose

Berkley Hardcover | On sale February 28, 2023

Excerpt


  Longview Park, San Diego, California



Monday, April 4, 5:30 p.m.



Kit pulled the handkerchief across her nose and mouth as she watched the two CSU techs meticulously uncovering what was, indeed, a grave. Based on the odor, the body had been there awhile.



They'd arrived at the mystery caller's coordinates to find that the ground had settled somewhat, creating a slight depression that measured five and a half by two and a half feet.



Ground-penetrating radar had shown a body.



The victim had been small.



Kit slipped her hand into her pocket, finding the little cat-bird figurine. Stroking it with her thumb. Please don't be a child.



"I hope it's not a kid," Baz murmured, echoing her thoughts.



All homicides were difficult. Even drug dealers murdered on the street had been loved by someone. Were missed by someone.



But the child homicides were a completely different level of hell.



She looked away from the grave to where Sergeant Ryland, the CSU leader, was making a plaster cast of the only footprint they'd found in the area. It was a man's shoe, size eleven.



"You got anything for us, Ryland?" she called.



"I just might."



She and Baz walked from the grave site to where someone had stepped off the asphalt path, leaving the single footprint in the strip of ground between the path and the field of grass.



Ryland finished pouring the plaster over the footprint, smoothed it out, then set the timer on his phone. "Thirty minutes for the plaster to set. Come see the photos I took of the print while I wait." He retrieved his camera and beckoned them closer. "There was lettering on the sole of the shoe-likely a brand name. I can't quite make it out in the photo, but I'm hoping to get detail from the plaster cast."



"So it'll be seventy-two hours or so," Baz said and Ryland nodded.



Kit leaned closer to the screen. "Can you zoom in on it?"



Ryland did, handing the camera to Kit. "I can make out what looks like a Y at the end of the brand name, but-"



"Sperry," Kit said. "Sorry to interrupt, Sergeant. I recognize the logo. They're Sperry Top-Siders." She gave him back his camera. "My sister runs a charter fishing business and sometimes I first mate for her on my days off. A lot of her customers wear them."



Ryland studied the photo. "You could be right."



She was, Kit was certain. "Trouble is, that's a popular shoe. I've even got a pair."



"So do I," Baz said. "Tracking those will be nearly impossible."



Kit shrugged. "But when we find the guy who owns these shoes, we can put him at the scene. Any way to get a weight estimate on the wearer?"



Ryland shook his head. "Ground's too hard. Barely enough sinkage to get the plaster cast. I'll let you know when I have something definite."



"Detectives?" one of the techs at the grave called, his tone urgent. "Something over here you need to see."



"Thank you, Sergeant," Kit said, then approached the grave alongside Baz, schooling her expression. If it was a child's grave, she would maintain her professionalism. She'd let herself react later, when she was alone.



"Victim's a postpubescent female," the tech said when they were graveside. "The ME will be able to give you a better age than I can, but I'm guessing somewhere between fourteen and eighteen."



Feeling Baz's eyes on her, Kit reassured him with a quick glance. She was fine.



He always worried about her reaction when the victim was the same age that Wren had been when she'd been murdered, but after four years as a homicide detective, Kit had seen far too many victims who'd been Wren's age. It never got easier.



She hoped that it never would.

  Excerpted from Cold-Blooded Liar by Karen Rose Copyright © 2023 by Karen Rose. Excerpted by permission of Berkley. All rights reserved. 


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Karen Rose is the award-winning, #1 international bestselling author of more than twenty-five novels, including the bestselling Baltimore and Cincinnati series. She has been translated into twenty-three languages, and her books have placed on the New York Times, the Sunday Times (UK), and Germany’s der Spiegel bestseller lists.

Sunday, February 26, 2023

BLOG TOUR - The Polish Girl


DESCRIPTION:

Poland, 1944. “Please, officer, I beg you—”, I cry. But my father has already fallen. “Don’t leave me, Tata,” I whisper, rushing to desperately cradle him close. As the kind, loving man who raised me takes his last breath, I weep into my hands and promise to fight to end this terrible war, no matter the cost…

Although it won’t bring her beloved father back, twenty-three-year-old 
Wanda vows to honour his memory and all he stood for. Throwing herself into the Polish resistance, she risks her life on the dangerous mission of transporting ammunition for the underground network’s uprising against the Nazis.

Slipping through the night-time shadows of an empty park to meet an informant—one who could provide crucial supplies in the battle for what’s right—the sight of the man waiting turns Wanda’s blood to ice. Even in the dim light, 
she instantly recognises him as the soldier who killed her father.

The soldier claims he is a double agent, working for the resistance. Questioning everything, Wanda’s heart races as she is forced to make a split-second decision. Believe the man who she thought was the enemy? Or endanger the lives of her network—and their secret plans to fight the Germans?

Can Wanda trust the man she hates most in the world? Did her father die in vain? Or if she fights her every instinct, 
will she truly change the tide of the war?

Fans of The Alice NetworkThe Nightingale and The Tattooist of Auschwitz will adore this utterly heartbreaking page-turner. You will not forget this unputdownable story of love, loss, and the courage it takes to hold on to hope in darkest times.


Previously published as The Last Sketch.

 


MY THOUGHTS:
 
Title:   The Polish Girl
Author:  Gosia Nealon
Series:  The Secret Resistance, #1
Publisher:  Bookouture 
Genre:   Historical Fiction 
Format:  Kindle ARC 
No. of Pages:   274
Date of Publication:   February 24, 2023
My Rating:   4 Stars 

Wanda Odwaga witnesses her father killed by a German soldier. Eventually she begins working with the resistance and will never forget the face of that soldier. Meanwhile, Finn travels from the USA to impersonate his twin brother Stephan. Stephan brutally and unrepentantly killed countless Jews and has been captured and is now imprisoned. Finn’s job has been assigned by the British government in order to expose and bring Hitler and his minions down. 

Finn and Stephan could not have been more different. When their parents split up, Finn went to the USA with their mother, and Stephan stayed in Warsaw with their father, a staunch Nazi supporter, and Stephan followed right in his father’s footsteps. As Stephan is now engaged, Finn must not only fool the other German soldiers who worked alongside Stephan, but also his fiancée. 

Imagine Wanda’s anger, frustration and then confusion when she is certain that she spotted the solder that killed her father. Determined to kill him is her plan, but when she looks into his eyes, she finds that she is strangely drawn to him. Her work with the resistance is very important and she knows she can’t let these suddenly overwhelming feelings confuse her. 

Meanwhile, Finn has a job to do. Will he ever get the beautiful woman he recently met out of his mind, and will he be able to trust her enough to reveal his identity? Danger follows both Finn and Wanda as their separate paths eventually converge. Now it becomes a matter of trust. This exciting story is the first book in the Secret Resistance trilogy, to be followed by The Polish Wife in April. This was a story well told with secrets, revenge, tension and romance. 

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.


Please enjoy my YouTube video review - 



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

While Gosia Nealon is a proud New Yorker, she was born and raised in Poland. Her journey to the Big Apple revealed a wealth of cultural differences, but also the values that connect us all. Like the fierce desire to protect family, find love, and ultimately, discover who we are and why we’re here. 

 

Gosia’s award-winning short stories have always delved into life’s biggest questions, but it was the drama, sacrifice, and tragedy of WWII that led her to pen her debut novel, which won a gold medal in the 2022 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY).

 

Growing up in Poland, Gosia heard many firsthand accounts of the war, told from a perspective rarely captured in mainstream literature. She was compelled to breathe life into two young people falling in love in the midst of the most terrifying conflict of our time.

 

When Gosia isn’t tapping away at her laptop, she’s often walking the streets of New York. With her husband and two young sons in tow, they search for the most succulent pierogi, transporting them back to the cobbled streets of her childhood.

 

Author social media

Website: https://www.gosianealon.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GosiaNealon

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GosiaNealonHistoricalFiction

Email sign up: http://www.thread-books.com/sign-up/?source=endmatter&author=gosia-nealon-384

 


Saturday, February 25, 2023

BLOG TOUR - Their Resting Place


DESCRIPTION:

Out in the field the tall stalks sway in the breeze, hiding a girl lying on the ground as if asleep. But she doesn’t stir when rain falls from the gray sky and lands on her soft cheeks. Her beautiful dark eyes stare up, unseeing, as her blood mingles with the rich brown earth.


When a member of Detective Casey White’s team turns up at her door begging for help, Casey races to find the broken body of twenty-year-old Charlie Robson abandoned in a sunflower field. Yellow petals and broken stalks scatter the ground—and Casey immediately recognizes the red markings all over Charlie’s body as arrow wounds. Heartbroken, Casey vows to find the monster who would hunt Charlie down like this.


Interviewing Charlie’s distraught mother, Casey’s blood turns to ice when she learns about a tight knit group of Charlie’s best friends who once called themselves The Sunflower Girls. They met in archery club and have drifted apart since high school. Casey knows the killer is sending a message with arrows… could the other girls be next?


But as Casey instructs her colleagues to track down the five remaining friends, another girl’s body is found, shot with arrows in her own home. Clutched in her hand is a broken sunflower petal. Turning the house upside down Casey finds a bone-chilling, one-word note: Guilty.


Someone is picking off The Sunflower Girls one by one. But why? Interviewing the four remaining girls, Casey is certain they are hiding a dark secret that stretches back to their school days. Trusting no-one, Casey will have to risk everything to track down a deadly killer… but with her own team keeping secrets too, could the real danger be much closer to home?


An unbelievably twisty rollercoaster ride that will have fans of Robert Dugoni, Kendra Elliot and Lisa Regan totally hooked until the last explosive page!


MY THOUGHTS:
 
Title:   Their Resting Place
Author:  B. R. Spangler
Series:  Detective Casey White #8
Publisher:  Bookouture 
Genre:   Mystery & Thrillers 
Format:  Kindle ARC 
No. of Pages:  257
Date of Publication:   February 21, 2023
My Rating:   5 Stars

Detective Casey White and her fiancé Jericho are about a week away from leaving the Outer Banks to follow her daughter Tracy as she is moving out of town. It was not an easy decision but Casey has just found Tracy and longs to remain near her. While preparations are underway, one of their colleagues shows up at their home completely devastated. His niece has been murdered and he asks Casey to step in and to try and find the killer. Of course Casey will do anything and Jericho feels the same. 

Several years earlier, a young team of archery players had come up with a name for themselves, The Sunflower Girls. As the victim Casey and her team are desperate to find justice for was found in a sunflower field, Casey soon learns a possible reason. Sadly, when the girls were very young, their coach took advantage of them. Now, Casey has to understand why a brutal murder would take place that apparently connects back to that tragic time for the girls. 

Sadly, there is another victim, also connected to the case they are investigating, with the murders being very similar. There is another connection to both cases and it does not take Casey long to discover that it’s all goes back the abuse that the girls underwent at the hands of their coach. Could he now be exacting revenge on the girls that turned him in and testified against him? Or is something else at play? With their impending move weighing down on them, Casey stays laser focused in her attempts to identify and stop the killer. 

Although this eighth book in the compelling Detective Casey White series could be read as a stand-alone, there is a lot of back story about Casey, Jericho and Tracy that the reader would miss if this series is read out of order. I do love how B. R. Spangler gives details that will allow the reader to easily read this book on its own, but if you want a good, well-written book that follows the lives of these dedicated characters, reading the previous titles will definitely be time well spent and enjoyed. Having picked up this fabulous series from Book Two, I am fully invested and cannot wait for the ninth book in a series that has become one of my favorites. 

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.



Please enjoy my YouTube video review - 




ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

B.R. Spangler is a USA TODAY Bestselling Author of Mysteries and Crime Thrillers.

A resident of Virginia with a wonderful family, including five cats, two birds and a lizard. During the day, the hours are filled with engineering work. Off hours, time is spent writing, editing, and thinking up the next great story.

With too many stories to write, books are split across pen names, writing crime thrillers, science fiction, horrors, paranormal and contemporary fiction.

To keep up to date, sign up for the BRSpangler newsletter by copying and pasting this link into a browser: https://brspangler.com/sign-up. No spam will ever get sent, just some random musings or a heads up on when the next book is published.


Author Social Media Links:

To keep up to date, sign up for his newsletter by copying and pasting this link into your browser: https://brspangler.com/sign-up/  

 

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