Review: The Therapist by B.A. Paris

I always forget how much I love B.A. Paris's writing until I start another one of her novels and then her talent is hard to ignore! I've loved some of her previous works, including Behind Closed Doors, The Break Down, and The Dilemma. She writes in the domestic suspense genre, which is important to know. I would not describe her novels as thrillers, but they keep me up reading late into the night regardless. If you're unfamiliar with her work, you should really check out some of her books. Her latest release, The Therapist, would be a great place to start!

Much like her previous work, The Therapist is a slow burn with a lot of character development and tension that builds with each page until an intense climax. The reader follows Alice, a woman who moves into a gated community in London with her boyfriend, Leo. Hoping that this will be the start of their happily-ever-after, Alice blissfully moves into one of the twelve homes in The Circle and immediately tries to make friends with the neighbors. It doesn't take long before Alice learns that the former owners of their new beautiful home met a tragic end in an apparent murder-suicide. The murdered woman shares the name of Alice's sister who, along with their parents, died a long time ago in a car accident. Because of this coincidence, Alice becomes obsessed with the details of the murder and is not ready to accept the murder-suicide label as fact. Enter a mysterious stranger who crashes a party within The Circle's gated community, which sets Alice off on what may or may not be a delusional trip down the rabbit hole.

If you've enjoyed B.A. Paris's previous work, you're sure to enjoy this latest novel as well. If you haven't read this author before, then you're in for a real treat!

My Rating: ★★★★★

At the time of this post, this title is set to be released on July 13th, 2021.

*Thanks to the author, St. Martin's Press, and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Review: Fallen by Linda Castillo

Reading the next installment in the Kate Burkholder series has become a summer tradition for me. After the school year ends, I read the next short story in the series and then dive into the next novel as soon as it becomes available. I love this series and cannot wait to read about Kate's next adventure as a cop in Amish country and also check in on how her relationship with Tomasetti is progressing. 

I have no idea how she does it, but Linda Castillo has written another amazing thriller starring the ex-Amish Chief of Police. Fallen starts out with a bang as the opening scene details the murder of another formerly Amish woman who returned to Painters Mill only to be greeted by a murderer. The beginning is definitely graphic, which will bother some readers, but I didn't find it overly grotesque. It definitely gave the story an edge that has not always been present in previous Kate Burkholder novels. Kate feels connected to the victim because of her own experiences leaving the Amish fold and sets out to apprehend the killer before more victims show up. This novel is full of suspense and has twist after twist to keep you on your toes. All of the readers' favorite characters are there to support Kate as well.

I consistently give 4-star reviews to many of these books. I love the characters and the mysteries are always entertaining, but, as you probably already know, I'm stingy when it comes to giving out 5-star ratings. In fact, the last Burkholder novel I gave 5 stars to was #8, Among the Wicked. It has to be un-put-down-able (yes, I'm making a new word here) to earn such a high rating from me and I'm so happy to say that Fallen checked all the boxes. I devoured it in two sittings. It was so action-packed and suspenseful that the pages seemed to turn themselves. Kudos to Linda Castillo for being able to still write such fresh and exciting material thirteen novels in to a series. The only bummer here is that now I have to wait a whole year to read the next one!

My Rating: ★★★★★

At the time of this post, this title is set to be released on July 6, 2021.

*Thanks to the author, St. Martin's Press, and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Review: The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

Alex Michaelides's previous novel, The Silent Patient, got a ton of buzz when it was released and even won some readers' choice awards for its unique plot. Having read and enjoyed it immensely, I was excited to read Michaelides's next novel, The Maidens. I have to say that it exceeded my expectations and (in my opinion, of course) is better than The Silent Patient.

The Maidens follows Mariana Andros, a group therapist who is still dealing with her husband's tragic death a year later. The only person left in her family circle is Zoe, her niece who was left in Mariana's charge when her parents were killed in a car crash. While attending university, Zoe's best friend is found murdered, her throat slit and her body found in a way that makes her death seem almost sacrificial or ritualistic. Mariana immediately goes to Zoe and her mama bear claws come out as soon as she realizes that a young, handsome professor might be preying on his unsuspecting students. Determined to find the person responsible for the murder, Mariana gets herself into all kinds of trouble with the police. Her digging continues even as more bodies of young girls start to show up. The victims all have one thing in common-they were part of a secret group on campus called "The Maidens," which shows all the signs of being a cult run by the suspicious professor. The police don't seem to be putting two and two together, so Mariana sets off to find the killer and stop him before he can turn his sights to her beloved Zoe.

I loved this one! While I enjoyed The Silent Patient, I was worried The Maidens would fall victim to the same kind of ending where the reader is expected to suspend reality a bit to accept the resolution. This plot veered towards unbelievability for a moment, but righted itself in time. I did not see the big twist coming and there were plenty of red herrings that kept me guessing throughout. The pacing was quick and had I not been so end-of-the-year-teacher tired, I would have finished it in just a few sittings. I think those who liked The Silent Patient will definitely like this one, especially since there are some 'Easter egg' references to characters and places from that novel sprinkled into the Maidens. If you didn't love The Silent Patient, I still think there's a good chance you'd like this book as it doesn't have any of the same issues that I found with the other title.

My Rating: ★★★★★

*Thanks to the author, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for providing me with the audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

At the time of this review, this title will be available to purchase on June 15th, 2021.

Review: The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon

"There's something in the water." In Jennifer McMahon's latest novel about a hot springs that grants miracles, this is most definitely true. If you're familiar with McMahon's work, then you know she has perfected the creepy ghost story. Her novels are usually classified as mystery and sometimes get labeled as horror, but it's a very subtle sort of fear that she creates for her readers. I read The Winter People years ago and remember being unsettled down to my core after I finally finished it. I've never really been big into ghost stories, but McMahon writes in such a way that I never realize I've crossed into supernatural territory. Maybe that's what makes her stories so downright chilling.

In The Drowning Kind, people from all around the country travel to visit some mysterious springs that are said to cure ailments of every kind and grant miracles. The locals tell people to stay away and warn that the springs give, but they also take away. Readers follow the story of two women, Ethel and Jackie (aka Jax) and their experiences with the mystical water. Ethel's narrative takes place in flashbacks, back when a hotel that tried to profit from the springs met a tragic end. Ethel asked the springs to grant her deepest desire-a baby. The springs deliver on that request almost immediately, but it doesn't take long for Ethel to realize that along with every blessing, there is a curse to balance out the forces in the universe. 

Meanwhile in present day, Ethel's great-great-granddaughter Jax is mourning the death of her mentally ill sister, Lex, who drowned in the springs while living alone at the family estate. Lex had called Jax several times the night of her death, leaving manic messages for her sister about the water in the springs. Jax chose not to answer and now lives with the guilt of knowing she'll never get the chance to speak with her sister again. Her death makes no sense to Jax because Lex knew those springs like the back of her hand, having swam in them daily since she was a small child. Jax arrives to the property only to find the house in a peculiar state. All the light bulbs have been busted out of the sockets and every surface is covered with cryptic notes written in Lex's handwriting. Jars of water are scattered everywhere and upon further inspection, Jax realizes that Lex was investigating the springs when she died. Perhaps her sister had actually stumbled upon something during her investigation that could explain her untimely death? Jax decides to continue her sister's research, but it takes her down a dark road from which there may not be a way to turn back.

This was such an enjoyable book! I've been a fan of Jennifer McMahon's writing for awhile now, but even I was surprised how much I ended up liking this one. Like I said before, it didn't keep me up at night from fear, but it was scary in a much more nuanced way. I was starting to feel a little disappointed as I neared the end of the book, not really liking the way it was wrapping up and then WHAM! The story shifts just a tad and blows me away. I loved that ending! If you've ever read McMahon's other novels, you should definitely check this one out and if you haven't, then do yourself a favor and start reading one on a chilly, dark night. I guarantee you'll be spooked!

My Rating: ★★★★★ out of 5

*Thanks to the author, Gallery Books, and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!  

At the time of this review, this title will be available to purchase on April 6th, 2021.

Review: Pretty Little Wife by Darby Kane

I finished Pretty Little Wife by Darby Kane the day I saw it was one of the November choices for the Book of the Month Club. I wasn't surprised at all to see it had been chosen. It's a tightly woven murder  mystery that is sure to please fans of the domestic suspense genre.

Right from the start, this novel hooked me. Lila is a trophy wife who is sick of taking her husband's abuse and finally decides to put an end to their marriage in the most vengeful way possible. She's plotted his murder out to the tiniest of details, but things do not go as planned. Instead of the police knocking on her door to tell her that her husband's body has been found, she answers it to find Aaron's boss instead. He tells her that Aaron didn't show up for work that day, which isn't a surprise to Lila. Dead men don't show up for work. What is a surprise, however, is that his car isn't where she left it and there is no sign of Aaron's body anywhere. Dead men also don't come back to life and drive away...or do they?

To make matters worse, Lila starts receiving threatening notes. She doesn't want to believe it's Aaron, but who else could possibly know what she tried to do? As if she doesn't have enough to worry about, Lila has become the target of a bulldog detective who isn't buying her clueless wife act. Lila feels the walls begin to close in around her as her husband's disappearance becomes connected to a series of missing women. She's not sure what to believe anymore, but one thing she knows for certain- if Aaron is still alive, he won't rest until he's killed her.

This novel was a thrilling ride from start to finish. I loved every twist and turn and even though I was able to figure out some of the ending, Kane did a wonderful job explaining all the whys and answering all the questions I had. The story was fast-paced throughout and I'd give it a solid 4.5 stars out of 5. My only complaint was in the characterization of Lila. Despite having valid reasons for portraying her as cold and unfeeling, she was just too hard a character to connect with. She was flat and lacked the depth I was really hoping for. If Kane had developed Lila the same way she did Ginny, the bulldog detective, then this would have easily been a 5/5. Despite that small critique, this was a gripping novel perfect for a chilly fall or winter night and I encourage you to pick up a copy if you're a fan of domestic suspense.

My Rating: ★★★★ 1/2 out of 5

*Thanks to the author, HarperCollins Publishers, and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

At the time of this review, this title will be available to purchase on December 29, 2020.

Review: She Lies Close by Sharon Doering

I just finished reading She Lies Close by Sharon Doering and I have to say that it exceeded my expectations! I've read a ton of mysteries involving missing children, but if you asked me to give you details about one, I probably wouldn't be able to. While plenty have been great- full of suspense and shocking twists- they just don't have characters that stick with me. Doering's take on the popular theme caught me by surprise as I found myself laughing and connecting with the protagonist in a way I hardly ever do. There's one point in the story where the main character is annoyed at being delayed on her way home because all she is looking forward to is taking off her pants. (Lady, I feel you!) That's not to say the plot doesn't check all the genre's boxes; it is suspenseful and creepy and sad in all the right ways.

Grace Wright is a recently divorced mother of two who is just trying to survive each day. Her first priority is taking care of her young children, which seems all the more challenging when she realizes her next-door neighbor is a suspect in the disappearance of a local girl, Ava Boone.  Grace does her best to appear "normal," but it's not hard to see that she's a hot mess. She already struggles with ADD and anxiety, and on top of that her insomnia is keeping her up for days at a time, causing her to hallucinate and black out in the middle of the night. She obsesses over her neighbor, convinced he is grooming her three-year-old daughter to be his next victim. One day, she thinks she sees little Ava in her neighbor's house and that pushes Grace to act. She breaks into his house and finds disturbing evidence that only make her all the more certain he is responsible for kidnapping Ava, but no one will listen to her concerns. When the neighbor turns up dead, Grace finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation.

This novel has a lot of dark humor that makes it stand out from typical books in this genre. Grace is snarky and sarcastic, which I loved! If I could choose a fictional best friend, she'd definitely be in my top three. She comes across as so real and vulnerable which is so refreshing. The plot itself is solid, but I will remember She Lies Close because of the life Doering brings to her characters. Readers who are not fans of crass language or sexual details in their books should probably stay away from this one, but I'd highly recommend it to anyone else looking for a well-written mystery with memorable characters.

My Rating: ★★★★★

*Thanks to the author, Titan Books, and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Review: The Search Party by Simon Lelic

"A missing girl. Five friends. Not everyone will make it home alive."

This mystery centers around Sadie Saunders, a popular teenager who has gone missing. Everyone in town believes she has to be dead after being gone for more than a few days. As the cops are searching the nearby woods and using dive teams to explore the bottom of the powerful river that winds around the sleepy town hidden in the middle of nowhere, everyone knows it's a body they're really searching for. Enter Fleet, the typical damaged detective with a heart of gold. This is the first time he's returned to his hometown since he lost someone he loved here a long time ago. The locals aren't shy about voicing their doubts about Fleet's ability as an investigator. They put pressure on the police force to solve the mystery of Sadie's disappearance and Fleet's boss is ready to lock someone up just to appease them, justice be damned. Obviously our detective's moral compass cannot allow this and so Fleet sets out to uncover the truth and apprehend the real party or parties responsible for Sadie's disappearance. 

Meanwhile, rumors swirl around the town and seem to settle around Sadie's closest friends. There's Abi and Cora, who are constantly competing to be Sadie's BFF. Mason has been the subject of most of the rumors as he's Sadie's boyfriend and is known to have quite a bad temper. There's also Fash, a kind kid from a strict household, and Luke, Sadie's twin brother. These five teens take it upon themselves to conduct their own search party in the woods after coming to the conclusion that the cops are planning to have Mason take the fall. Poorly prepared, they set out into the wilderness to find their missing friend and quickly realize that they all have their own motives for wanting Sadie gone. Their distrust of one another erupts into violence and one member doesn't make it back from the search party alive.

The tagline for Simon Lelic's The Search Party immediately grabbed my attention. It was oozing with suspense, so I decided to give it a try. I'd previously read another of Lelic's works earlier this year, The New Neighbors, and while I liked it, it didn't blow me away.  So I thought it only fair to give the author another shot. There were plenty of good things about this book. Mysteries involving crimes among a close-knit group of friends are a dime-a-dozen it seems, but Lelic's smooth writing and genuine characters made the familiar premise feel fresh and exciting. Each of the teens was presented authentically with his or her own realistically flawed personality. The dialogue seemed natural and kept the story moving quickly. On the other hand, Fleet's character was far too stereotypical to capture my interest. Throw him in the mix with a bunch of other mystery novel detectives and you'd never be able to pick him out. Besides the characters, the overall narrative was just one note for me. The climax never reached the level of intensity I was hoping for, partially because the final "twist" wasn't as unexpected as I think the author intended it to be. The Search Party was entertaining enough, but it's not a book that is going to stay with you long after you've put it down.

My Rating: ★★★☆☆

*Thanks to the author, Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Review: The Heatwave by Katerina Diamond

After a few disappointing reads, I was in desperate need of a great thriller. You know the ones; the kind where you don't even realize you've spent hours reading because the plot is so compelling. I picked up The Heatwave by Katerina Diamond because I saw a friend with similar tastes had recently left a promising review about it. It absolutely did not disappoint! Books like this make me happy and remind me why I love to read in the first place.

The storyline alternates between the past and the present through the use of two narrators. Felicity is a wife and mother of two who drops everything to return to her hometown when she sees on the television that a teenage girl has mysteriously disappeared there. This strikes a nerve with her because when she was growing up, another teenage girl went missing under similar circumstances. For reasons that aren't immediately revealed to the reader, Felicity feels like she is the missing link that connects these two disappearances. She sets out to do some investigating on her own, hoping to get answers to questions that have plagued her for years and save the latest missing girl. This is the first time she's returned home since she left as a teenager after having done something terrible. Jasmine is the narrator for back "then" when the first girl went missing. She is best friends with Felicity and lives a privileged life, spending her summers with her parents traveling the world as they do charity work. This particular summer, however, plans have fallen through and Jasmine is excited by the prospect of actually getting to experience a normal summer vacation. Jasmine's family has recently relocated and taken on a renter, Tim, who lives in a small garden house in the backyard. Jasmine can tell immediately that Tim is not the picture-perfect man her parents believe him to be. She embarks on a dangerous journey when she decides to find out what Tim might be hiding. Felicity and Jasmine's stories interweave seamlessly to tell a thrilling tale full of deception and depravity.

This book was just what I was hoping it would be! I have never read anything by Katerina Diamond before, but she is definitely an author I will be following from now on. I don't typically think too much when I read mysteries. I'm not a reader who is constantly trying to figure out the twists before they come. I simply read it and let the plot unfold as it may, but I wouldn't have been able to figure out the ending of this book no matter how hard I tried. There were several twists and reveals that I never saw coming. This book was just so...effortless. It was so easy to get sucked in and before I knew it, I had finished it! This would definitely make a great summer beach read and has been one of my favorites of 2020 so far.

My Rating: ★★★★★
At the time of this post, this title is set to be released on June 25, 2020.

Thanks to Avon Books and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Review: The Guest List by Lucy Foley

I chose this title for my April Book of the Month selection and it was a fantastic read! I was worried when I saw that the chapters were written from the viewpoints of so many different people because I sometimes can have a difficult time remembering who's who, but that was not an issue this time around. Foley is adept at weaving through multiple POVs in a way that is not overwhelming for the reader. I actually enjoyed the constant change between characters and the unique insights each one was able to add to the plot. The characters include:

• Aoife, the Wedding Planner: Along with her husband, she has rented out her remote Irish island for an extravagant wedding at a deep discount in the hopes that the publicity will spur future business. She is cool-headed and no-nonsense and knows how to handle any issues that threaten to ruin a couple's big day.
• Jules, the Bride: She knows what she wants and heaven help anyone who tries to stand between her and her desires. She's the visionary behind a wildly successful online magazine. Her confidence comes across as arrogance most of the time. She strives to maintain a perfect image in all regards.
• Olivia, the Bridesmaid: She's Jules's younger, gorgeous half-sister. She's really struggling to come to terms with something that happened in her recent past and resorts to self-harm as a way of dealing with her trauma. Overall, she's an emotional wreck and Jules sees her as a potential wedding liability.
• Hannah, the Plus-One: Married to Jules's best man and the MC of the wedding, Hannah is in her mid-30s and reveling at the thought of a weekend getaway with her husband away from the kids. She's hoping they can rekindle their former passion, but her husband's relationship with the bride is a constant source of conflict for the couple.
• Johnno, the Best Man: He's the groom's childhood friend from boarding school. Time hasn't been as kind to him as it has been to the groom however, and Johnno is regarded by everyone as a pathetic screw-up who reflects poorly on those who know him.

The reader knows from the off-set that something terrible has happened on the wedding night that results in murder. The who and the why are not answered until the very end, which provides constant suspense and keeps the reader invested. The short chapters that alternate POVs also helps the pacing of the novel. I found myself sitting down with the book, only intending to read for a few minutes before noticing that an hour or more had passed. Even though, as some discontented reviewers pointed out, the backstories of the main characters are very slowly revealed, the constant change of time between the wedding night and events prior kept me interested. I personally never felt bored as I learned each character's past. The characters were very three-dimensional and the way their stories intertwined so seamlessly was fascinating to me.

Overall, I think fans of the suspense and thriller genre will enjoy this book, although there's not much "thrill" per se until the final few chapters. It's very reminiscent of a few Agatha Christie classics, but with original twists that will keep you guessing until the end. This really is a perfect summer read and I think I'll check out Foley's previous novel The Hunting Party since I enjoyed The Guest List so much.

My Rating: ★★★★★
At the time of this post, this title is set to be released on June 2, 2020.

Review: Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell

I have read a few of Lisa Jewell's books before and she always does a great job with her mystery/suspense novels. This one is no different.

In Invisible Girl, three narrators masterfully guide readers through an intriguing plot with memorable characters. We have Saffyre, a teenage girl who has not had it easy. She's been abused and orphaned, causing her to self-harm. This behavior gets her sent to see Roan Fours, a child psychologist. Her relationship with this therapist is the catalyst for a lot of the events that take place in the story. Then we have Cate, a naive, hardworking mother of two and the wife of Roan Fours. She spends her days taking care of the house and making sure dinner is ready for her husband when he gets home, whenever that might be. Every part of her identity seems to be wrapped up in her role as doting wife and mother. Finally, there's Owen. (Oh, Owen!) He's a 33 year-old bachelor who lives in his aunt's spare bedroom which is situated across the street from the Fours family's apartment. He teaches coding to teenagers at a local school and is unique in that he is a virgin. Owen's life is upended when students at his school accuse him of sexually inappropriate behavior. He is pretty sure he is innocent, but he doesn't exactly remember the night in question, so that's a problem. The accusations light a fire in Owen and kick off a series of cringe-worthy attempts to reinvent himself.

When Saffyre suddenly goes missing after last being seen talking to Owen outside of the Fours family home, an investigation ensues. At the same time, a series of sexual assaults are being committed throughout the neighborhood. Everyone is on high alert, especially Cate, who fears for her teenage daughter's safety. She sees Owen as the creepy, lurking predator across the street and sends the police his way. Owen has had a lot of time on his hands since being out of work and has not used that time productively. In fact, a lot of his choices end up making him look quite guilty when it comes to new accusations being made against him. Owen claims to be innocent, but (yet again) cannot completely remember what happened the night that Saffyre disappeared. Even though Owen seems to fit the requirements of a sexual predator, Cate isn't quite sure if he actually is the culprit behind these crimes. After all, there's a lot of unanswered questions she has, such as why was Saffyre, her husband's former patient, standing outside of their home the night she went missing? Where was her husband when the girl disappeared?

While I enjoyed this book, I did have a few critiques that kept this from being 5 stars. First of all, Cate's naivety was really quite annoying. She had every right to question her husband about her concerns, but she was worried that would make her seem too "crazy." I sympathized with her for the first half of the novel and then after that, I was just mad that she wouldn't stand up for herself. Secondly, the ending felt too rushed. After spending so much time building up to the climax, it felt like everything was wrapped up in a neat little bow in just a few pages. I wanted some more explanation regarding the resolution to the sexual assaults especially because without it, I'm just not fully buying into the last twist. It just seems really unlikely as it was presented.

Overall, the plot of Invisible Girl is really engrossing. I read the book in just a few sittings. The story is fast paced and suspenseful. There are twists that will keep you guessing. Some of the characters, Owen especially, are very original, which is refreshing when you read a lot of mysteries that all seem to recycle the same kinds of characters over and over again. This book will surely not disappoint and makes a great summer read. If you've enjoyed any of Lisa Jewell's previous works, the chances are you'll enjoy this one as well.

My Rating: ★★★★☆
At the time of this post, this title is set to be released on October 13, 2020.

*Thanks to Atria Books and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Review: Outsider by Linda Castillo

Kate Burkholder, everyone's favorite ex-Amish Chief of Police, is back in Linda Castillo's latest novel, Outsider. This is the 12th novel in the series that follows the life and cases of the aforementioned cop in the small town of Painter's Mill, Ohio.

This time around, Kate comes face to face with her past in the form of Gina Colorosa, an old friend from her police academy days. Gina is discovered by Adam, a young Amish widower, after crashing her truck during a snow storm and almost freezing to death in the elements. His Amish nature compels him to bring the strange woman home despite his gut telling him that there is more to this story than an innocent accident in a blizzard. Gina, having barely escaped with her life, is on the run from some supposedly crooked cops who see her as a threat to their illegal activities. Despite the falling out that resulted in the former friends not seeing or speaking to each other in over a decade, Gina asks to see Kate because she has nowhere else to go. The two women get snowed in while at Adam's house and are forced to spend the next few days with him and his young children. Kate listens to Gina's story about being framed for heinous crimes by angry colleagues, but she has her doubts about Gina's culpability and sincerity. She wants to believe that her old friend isn't capable of the things she's been accused of doing, but how well did she ever really know Gina? With the help of John Tomasetti, Kate must put her old feelings to rest in order to find the truth and make the tough decision of protecting Gina or turning her in to the proper authorities.

This was a great addition to the Kate Burkholder series. The storyline is solid and suspenseful. It kept me reading late into the night. The twists made the story entertaining, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't see them coming. While the main plot doesn't focus on the Amish this time around, the reader still gets a lot of insight into the Amish way of life through Kate and Gina's time with Adam and his family. I enjoyed learning about some of the family's winter customs, such as ice skating on a frozen pond and going on sleigh rides. I was also happy to get more of a glimpse into Kate's past after she decided to leave the Amish way of life. Castillo sheds some light on Kate's struggles as she learns to navigate the English world alone and how she ultimately ended up pursuing a career in law enforcement. The reader can also look forward to seeing how Kate and Tomasetti's relationship continues to develop. One thing that is missing from the story is the other members of Kate's team. Because of the blizzard, Kate is stuck at Adam's farm and has almost no interaction with the rest of the characters I've grown to love throughout the series. Other than that small complaint, this is an enjoyable read that lives up to the rest of the series. While all the novels can stand alone, I highly recommend starting from the very first book in order to fully understand and appreciate the complicated protagonist that is Kate Burkholder, Chief of Police.

My Rating: ★★★★☆
At the time of this post, this title is set to be released on July 7, 2020.

*Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Review: The Night Swim by Megan Goldin

I don't quite know how to begin this review other than to say that The Night Swim by Megan Goldin is an amazing read! If you like murder-mysteries and are a fan of true crime podcasts, then this book will be right up your alley!

The story follows Rachel Krall, a podcaster who has made quite a name for herself in the true crime genre, much like the real-life Serial. The latest season of her hit podcast "Guilty or Not Guilty" centers around a violent rape case very reminiscent of the Brock Turner scandal that was in the news a few years ago. A rich, talented college kid is accused of brutally raping a high school girl. He claims that the sex was consensual and she's made up the rape story because she was angry when she found out he rated her sexual performance poorly to his friends. His family has money and pays everyone and anyone they can to portray their son as this angelic, kind-hearted young man on his way to earning a spot on the Olympic swim team.

Rachel attends the trial and records her podcast episodes in real time as a way of putting her listeners "in the jury box." The chapters in the book alternate between Rachel in real time, her podcast episodes, and letters from Hannah (more on her later). The rape trial itself is very interesting. Goldin does a great job making the trial experience seem authentic and suspenseful. She shows how rape accusations divide people. Defendants of the accused claim that women can be vengeful and falsely cry rape whenever they get their feelings hurt and want to destroy a man's life. Defendants of the accuser cry out against the unfair treatment victims often undergo after they've summoned the courage to come forward. Some would say that victims are violated all over again by the justice system when they go through the painstaking process of testifying in court only to see their rapists set free because of reasonable doubt. 

I was very invested in the court case and loved how Goldin was able to tie it into a second mystery within the same novel. While she is attending the trial and recording her podcast episodes, Rachel is sent several messages asking for her help in finding out the truth behind a murder decades earlier. This subplot revolves around Jenny, a young girl who supposedly drowned while swimming in the sea at night. Her sister, Hannah, knows that her sister was murdered, but needs Rachel's help to figure out who was responsible. Rachel divides her time between the rape trial and this murder mystery from the past. It turns out the two cases are connected, but in a way that I wasn't expecting. 

Overall, I couldn't put this book down. I loved every bit of it. Goldin did a wonderful job weaving the two storylines together seamlessly. The story was fast-paced and kept me reading late into the night. There are some scenes that were hard to get through because they were so heartbreaking and unsettling, but Goldin handled the sensitive material in a way that kept it from crossing a line for me. I will absolutely be checking out what this author comes up with next! 

My Rating: ★★★★★
At the time of this post, this title is set to be released on August 4th, 2020.

*Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Review: The Dilemma by B.A. Paris

I have been out of the reading loop lately since having a baby, but I'm getting back into the swing of things. I was so excited to see that one of my favorite recently-discovered authors had come out with a few new books while I was in my reading slump. I was first introduced to B.A. Paris when I read her novel Behind Closed Doors and devoured it within hours. (You can read my review for that title here.) I just finished reading her latest work, The Dilemma, this morning. It is being marketed as suspense and women's fiction, which is very accurate, but I can honestly say I was not emotionally prepared for this novel.

Despite the odds, Livia and her husband Adam have survived the trials life throws at young couples and seemingly have made it out the other side without too many scars to show for it. A teenage pregnancy out of wedlock stole the chance for Livia to have her dream wedding, so to make up for this, she has spent almost half her life saving for an extravagant 40th birthday party. The novel takes place mostly on the day of the party, alternating the narration between Livia and Adam every hour or so. We are immediately made aware that Livia feels some guilt over a secret she's keeping from Adam involving their daughter, Marnie. She loves her daughter, but is relieved that she won't be able to make it to her party because she wants to enjoy her night before the secret changes their entire lives. 

Meanwhile, Adam and Marnie have a secret of their own. Marnie is in another country studying abroad and is planning on traveling home to surprise Livia during her birthday party. Unexpected complications arise and Adam is forced to decide whether or not to keep a monumental secret of his own. There's not really a correct answer to his particular dilemma, but he self-consciously analyzes all his options until he's sure he's doing the right thing. Wracked with guilt and fear for the future, Adam does his best to make it through the party which seems to last a lifetime. He knows nothing will be the same once it's all over and he no longer has the party as an excuse for keeping the awful truth from his wife.

I was actually surprised at how suspenseful this domestic drama turned out to be. For me, if there isn't a blade-wielding psychopath chasing someone down, it usually tends to drag on, but I could not stop reading. Paris did a great job at making the party c-r-a-w-l by at the pace of a tortoise on sedatives. It was frustrating at times how slowly the night was moving, but it seems obvious to me that the novel was written this way intentionally as a way of letting the reader feel the hell Adam was experiencing as each second slowly ticked by. The party itself serves as this larger-than-life character all on its own. On one hand, it celebrates the loyalty and resiliency this couple has demonstrated over the last few decades. But on the flip side, it is also this ominous bomb that is set to explode when its time is up, potentially shattering the lives of this family. 

I didn't anticipate really feeling much for the two protagonists, so I was in disbelief when I realized I was crying while reading the final chapters in the novel. That just never happens for me. I think maybe three books have made me cry in my entire life and they almost all had to do with animals. Paris knows how to paint a picture of grief in such a way that will have readers revisiting past heartaches as if they happened yesterday. I feel emotionally raw after reading this book and I think there's something to be said about writing that can do that.

My Rating: ★★★★★
At the time of this post, this title is set to be released on June 30, 2020.

*Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Review: In the Clearing (Tracy Crosswhite #3) by Robert Dugoni

Along with Kate Burkholder, Kim Stone, and Erika Foster, Robert Dugoni's Tracy Crosswhite is one of my favorite female detectives. This series began with My Sister's Grave and was followed by Her Final Breath. I remember purchasing the first title for my Kindle at a great price and not expecting too much. (I've been let down by a lot of cheap ebooks. I suppose it's sometimes true that you get what you pay for!) However, Dugoni left me very pleasantly surprised. I loved following Tracy as she hunted for her sister's killer and was so excited when I saw that she would be starring in her own detective series. I've been straying from my usual detective novels lately, but I was surprised to see that I'd fallen so far behind on the Crosswhite books. The fifth installment in the series is going to be released in September, so I figured I needed to get caught up.

Just like the first two novels, In the Clearing was a smooth read. I finished it in a few days and was always trying to find time to sneak away and read just one more chapter. This time, readers accompany Tracy as she tries to solve an old case involving a Native American teenager whose body was found washed up on a river's shore, severely beaten and bruised.  Initially declared a suicide, Tracy is given a case file with contents that make her believe otherwise. The typical investigation ensues and a long-kept secret is finally revealed.

I should probably mention that I try not to solve the mystery about which I'm reading. I prefer to just let the story unfold on its own and I don't spend too much time over-analyzing it. That probably puts me in the minority of mystery fans, but I get very little satisfaction in "figuring out" the mystery early on in a book or movie. My husband is always pausing a movie to tell me his theories on whodunit and why. This drives me nuts because he's usually right and then I can't help but feel like I lost that element of surprise promised by the big reveal. It's not that I couldn't figure the twist out most of the time; I just choose not to (or so I let myself believe).

That being said, In the Clearing did disappoint me a little because I could see the ending coming a mile away. It took a lot of the suspense out of the story and I was bummed that it was so predictable. However, I liked that Dugoni wove in a topical issue of Native American mascots in a sensitive and respectful way. The characters, especially our brave heroine, were real and dynamic. Getting to watch Tracy as her personal life with Dan continues to grow is a treat. So far, this third book in the series was my least favorite. It just doesn't hold a candle to the intensity of the first two, but those were pretty exceptional. I did enjoy the story overall; I just wasn't blown away by it like I was hoping to be.

My Rating: ★★★☆☆

Review: The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

A kidnapped baby. Sexy neighbors. A marriage with secrets. A cynical detective. Lies, lies, and more lies. Don't shoot me for what I'm about to say, but....I think I found a novel I like as much as Gone Girl.  Are you still reading? Thank you if you are! Before you begin throwing flaming pitchforks at me, hear me out.

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena is a novel so full of suspense, I would have read it in one sitting had I not adult responsibilities to attend to. (Insert dramatic eye roll here.) At the heart of this book are our two protagonists, Anne and Marco. Anne comes from a wealthy family where mommy and daddy are always nearby with a million bucks in hand to rescue her from whatever trouble a privileged white girl can get herself into. Marco is the opposite of Anne in the biggest ways; he is from a poor family and even drives a motorcycle-gasp! The two fall in love and even the looming reality that Marco will never be good enough for Anne in her parents' eyes isn't enough to keep them apart.

Enter Cora, Anne and Marco's adorable six month old baby who is probably even more spoiled than Anne. One night the sitter cancels and since the dinner party the couple are meant to attend is literally next door (the houses share a wall), they leave Cora in her crib at home. Alone. They take a baby monitor with them and check on her every half-hour, but still. When they return in the early morning hours, you guessed it- the baby is gone!  Chaos ensues as a surly detective tries to figure out what happened to baby Cora and the doting grandparents offer to pay any price for the safe return of their beloved granddaughter. Anne and Marco start suspecting everyone and anyone of taking their baby-even each other. Dun, dun, dun!

This novel picks up almost immediately with the kidnapping and things just speed along from there. I never felt like the story hit a dry spot. Every chapter was filled with suspense as we learned about the characters' secrets and motives. It had several twists and turns that I never saw coming and I enjoyed Lapena's writing style. I thought it flowed smoothly and made reading effortless. I had much the same response during and after reading as I did with Gone Girl. Let me elaborate.

In both novels, the characters (pretty much all of them) are unlikable, but real. The couple in this story doesn't share quite the same level of maliciousness as Nick and Amy have towards each other in Gone Girl, but they are equally devious in their actions. They both center on a spoiled rich girl and a lying husband who are struggling within their respective relationships. Probably because of all that secret-keeping, but what do I know? The only character I felt was too flat in The Couple Next Door was the detective, but I'm able to overlook that. Mental illness seems to play heavily in both, as well as the fear that you can never truly know your spouse.  And the endings! I will not spoil anything about either book, but let me say that they were both shocking and seemed to come out of left field. Both left me unsatisfied, but that's what I kind of liked about them. Flynn and Lapena had the guts to finish their books with a bang and weren't scared of upsetting their readers. I can respect that and I give them credit for being able to keep me guessing even up to the final page.

If you liked Gone Girl, then The Couple Next Door is definitely something you're going to want to check out! Honestly, I think you should check it out even if you didn't like Gone Girl. Lapena's novel is just that good!

My Rating: ★★★★★