I love a good crime novel with a mystery that is just waiting to be solved. I find it particularly interesting when the author keeps you guessing till near the end of the book on who the guilty party is. Jane Harper accomplishes this in her book The Dry. In The Dry there is not just the current crime (a possible murder/suicide) but also a death from twenty years ago that is still unexplained.
Thursday, February 22, 2024
Book Review of The Dry
I love a good crime novel with a mystery that is just waiting to be solved. I find it particularly interesting when the author keeps you guessing till near the end of the book on who the guilty party is. Jane Harper accomplishes this in her book The Dry. In The Dry there is not just the current crime (a possible murder/suicide) but also a death from twenty years ago that is still unexplained.
Tuesday, October 17, 2023
Book Review: Lights Out by Elise Hart Kipness
So imagine you're on suspension from your job and your best friend's husband is killed, it just begs for you to solve the crime really doesn't it? Kate Green is the main character and she's a former professional soccer player who is now a network sports reporter (well she's on forced suspension, but you can find out all about that in the book!). The author, Elise Hart Kipness is a former television sports reporter which may be why the book's scenes seem really authentic.
Her best friend's husband is a much-loved elite basketball player and the prime suspect is his wife, Kate's best friend Yvette. Kate knows a lot of Yvette's flaws, but she doesn't believe that she is capable of murder. The fly in the ointment is the lead detective in the case who is always camera-ready and seems determined to jail Yvette without investigating other leads.
Along the way, we meet Yvette and Kurt's (the aforementioned basketball player) daughter and Kate's son and daughter. We also meet Kate's ex-husband and third wife, and we also discover that the pin for his phone is Kate's birthday - does this mean anything.
We also learn a little bit about Kate's life such as her relationship with her mother and stepdad and the fact that her father is an NYPD detective and just like that when assistance is needed from the NYPD it comes in his form! He also makes a cryptic comment towards the end of the book which had me hoping for another book.
Luckily as I looked up the book on Amazon to see if it's available for everyone to purchase yet (it is) I see it is now titled Lights Out (Kate Green Book 1) and there is a the title of a second book in the series which you can preorder. The release date is next year.
One reviewer called this book an entertaining read and summed it up rather aptly with this sentence, 'There is a clever plot, twists and turns and a satisfying ending with a hint of intrigue'. I think that sums it up beautifully and I thoroughly recommend this book.
I enjoyed reading this book with a large fizz and a couple of protein cookies, what will you be enjoying when you read this book?
Thursday, June 8, 2023
Book Review - Toes on the Dash
AI Creation |
Character Summary
Saturday, May 6, 2023
I Will Find You – A Book Review
The latest suspense thriller by Harlan Coben
Storyline
As the story begins, David Burroughs is in his fifth year of a life sentence for murdering his three-year-old son, Matthew. Only one problem; he didn't do it.
David was alone with his child that night, as his physician wife was working a night shift. He knew he got drunk the night it happened and apparently slept through the whole thing. He woke up to discover that Matthew had been murdered. Since there was no evidence pointing to anyone else, and since David had no real alibi, he was convicted and sent to prison.
Half a decade later, his wife Cheryl has divorced him and remarried. David has had no visitors all this time. Then, Cheryl's younger sister, Rachel, comes to see David to show him a strange photograph taken by friends of Rachel's on vacation at an amusement park. In the background is a boy who bears an eerie resemblence to David's son. It doesn't seem possible; it just can't be, yet David just knows. Matthew is still alive.
Somehow David has to get out of prison, search for his son and discover what really happened. To do so, he plans and successfully accomplishes a daring prison escape.
Now David's life is on the line and the FBI is following his every move. Can David evade capture long enough to discover what really happened, save his son and clear his name? The shocking truth will be revealed in the final moments of the story.
Summary
Another thriller by this master of suspense. I Will Find You is Harlan Coben's most recent (March 2023) novel.
Quick Links to more reviews of Harlan Coben:
- Book Review of CAUGHT by Wednesday Elf
- TV Series Review of THE STRANGER by Lou16 aka Louanne Cox
- Book Review of WIN by Wednesday Elf
- Review of the Mickey Bolitar Series of Young Adult Books by Wednesday Elf
- The Boy from the Woods – review by Wednesday Elf
- The Woods Book Review by Wednesday Elf
- The Match – A Novel by Harlan Coben – Book Review by Wednesday Elf
Saturday, March 18, 2023
Book Review of 'Love You More'
Who do you love and how far would you go to save her?
A D.D. Warren novel by Lisa Gardner
Synopsis
The Massachusetts State Police are called to the residence of Tessa Leoni, a young State Trooper from their barracks. Her husband lies dead on their kitchen floor and Tessa claims she has shot him in self-defense. Her bruises and injuries appear to back up her tale. But the worst part is that her six-year-old daughter, Sophie, is missing.
Because the state police cannot investigate one of their own, Detective D.D. Warren of the Boston Police Department is called in to handle the homicide investigation. Bobby Dodge, investigator for the State Police (and D.D.'s former lover) is assigned as liaison to work with Detective Warren. Bobby's input is helpful in seeking to understand the inner workings of a trooper's mind. Would a trained police officer shoot her own husband and would a mother harm her own child?
Tessa is hospitalized for her injuries and is represented by her Union Rep and a lawyer and is not immediately available for questioning. The investigation into how and why Tessa's husband, Brian Darby, was shot three times mid-torso with Tessa's own police revolver is nearly stalled while they wait for Tessa to be able to answer their questions.
Meanwhile, for Tessa Leoni, the worst has yet to happen. She has nowhere to turn and trusts no one even as the clock ticks down to a terrifying deadline. Tessa has one goal in sight and uses her training to do what must be done. Because ~ a mother knows who she loves!
Summary
Love You More is Book 5 of 11 in Lisa Gardner's D.D. Warren suspense novels series.
This story features two very believable female protagonists. Trooper Leoni tells us her own story in the first person while Warren's investigation is narrated in the third-person. Tessa Leoni's motives are discovered as the story continues, but her passion and conviction draw us in even before we know whether she is guilty or innocent. The reader roots for Warren and Dodge to make sure justice is done, but we cannot argue with Tessa's absolute drive to find her daughter.
Fans of Gardner's D.D. Warren series will definitely enjoy reading Love You More.
*Love You More Book Review is written by Wednesday Elf.
Available on Amazon |
Thursday, February 9, 2023
Above the Bay of Angels - Book Review
Above the Bay of Angels |
The Book on Amazon
Book Summary
Thursday, November 3, 2022
The Lies I Tell - Book Review
Meg Williams, aka Maggie Littleton and Melody Wilde, is supremely gifted in becoming who you need, or want her to be. She is a master of psychology and Internet research. By the time you meet her, she knows you better than you know yourself.
Meg/Maggie/Melody, the three-in-one, shape-shifts between personas. Some know her as a college student, others as a life coach, and now a Senate candidate has hired her as his exclusive real estate agent. Ron Ashton is going to wish he had never met Meg Williams. You'll see.
Kat Roberts, a victimized journalist, has waited ten excruciating years to take Meg down. Kat is desperate to expose the grifter for who she really is, and at the same time, to right the wrong that wrecked her own life and career. Kat believes she can go head-to-head with Meg because she knows the games she plays. In this cat-and-mouse chase, could it be that the mouse has underestimated the cat?
How will it all end? Will Meg get the justice she seeks? Does Kat get the revenge she has longed for (and the publishing deal of her dreams)?
And you: Will you be cheering at the end, or shaking your head? How will you feel about the choices that are made? What would you have done? I hope you read The Lies I Tell and return here to respond to these questions.
I love a book with a surprise ending. This read kept me highly engaged the entire way. And, I have to tell you, it makes me want to lock down my social media accounts. Repelling a couple of scammers online this week really brought home the message of how very real and present are the Meg, Maggie, and Melody's of the world. This is just barely a work of fiction.
Tuesday, August 16, 2022
Katherine Faulkner's Greenwich Park Book Review
Helen has been described as someone who has everything including “a perfect husband, a perfect brother and a perfect sister-in-law. When she meets Rachel, she also has the perfect nightmare.”
FAST FACTS:
Author – Katherine Faulkner
Format – Hardcover, paperback, Kindle, audiobook, audio CD
Genre – Domestic Psychological Thriller
Pages - 375
Publication Date – September 13, 2021
Publisher – Simon & Shuster
ISBN Number – 978-1-9821-5031-0
If you love a good thriller, you will enjoy Greenwich Park. The book is definitely dark, looking into the world of pregnancy and early motherhood, of friendships, of privileged lives lived and, of course, of the secrets that people keep. I think that it is an excellent first novel, which the author wrote while she herself was on maternity leave. The rights to the book have been sold and I will be watching for a movie or television series as well as for a second book by Faulkner. Meanwhile, you can order your copy of Greenwich Park from Amazon by clicking right here.
See you
Brenda
Saturday, July 16, 2022
The Match – A Novel by Harlan Coben – Book Review
We first met Wilde in The Boy From the Woods, reviewed earlier here on ReviewThisReviews!
Synopsis
Available on Amazon |
But suddenly a DNA match on an online ancestry database brings his lost past closer than he ever dreamed when he finds a match to his father. Wilde tracks his father down only to find the man extremely hesitant to establish a relationship. So then Wilde reaches out to his last lead ~ a second cousin. Before they can connect, he discovers that the cousin has disappeared after experiencing a fall from grace that can only be described as a waking nightmare. This is connected to a Reality Show where the cousin was very famous and popular, only to have lies told about him and his wife that brought about his downfall.
Summary
How Wilde discovers the circumstances surrounding his cousin's life and exposes a family's darkest secret, while also discovering the shocking truth of his own past, is a thrilling story that will keep you reading deep into the night.
Another outstanding novel by Harlan Coben.
The Boy From the Woods, Wilde, Book 1
*Book review of The Match written by Wednesday Elf
Saturday, June 25, 2022
Killing Season by Faye Kellerman – Book Review
A really good book is one you cannot put down. An excellent book is one you literally cannot stop reading! In my opinion, Killing Season by Faye Kellerman is such a book.
Synopsis
Sunset in New Mexico - Pixabay |
Ben, his parents and younger sister had all suffered the anguish of not knowing what happened. Later, the family also becomes friends with another local couple whose teenage daughter Katie went missing and she has never been found.
As the story begins, Ben, now seventeen, has committed himself to finding the monster who abducted and strangled Ellen. The police continue to investigate, but there is nothing new. But Ben, who is a math genius, sees patterns that don't fit and conducts his own investigation. As he gathers data, he discovers clues to other similar unsolved murders.
As Ben's senior high school year begins, he becomes friends with the new girl in school, Ro Majors. They bond over the fact that Ro lost a sister to cancer around the same time Ben lost Ellen. Ro ends up helping him with his research, and together they discover 3 other unsolved cases of teenage girls whose murders were almost identical to Ben's sister. And then.... they go on a hike in an area Ben has figured out is a logical place to find where the killer might have buried Katie, and they find her grave.
The police are not happy that Ben is investigating on his own, even though the police detective who was lead investigator on Ellen's case likes Ben and is as anxious as the family to solve her case.
As Ben gets closer to discovering who the killer is, his obsession marks him as a threat. The police want him to stop investigating, but Ben is worried about Ro and about his little sister Haley and her best friend Lilly. The little girls are now going on 15 and Ro is 17, all in the age-range the killer targets.
Learning the truth may not be enough to keep Ben and those he loves from this relentless killer.
Summary
I have never been as absorbed in a book to the point of ignoring everything else until I finished as I was with this one. Killing Season is so well written and captures your attention from the beginning. I enjoyed it very much.
I have been reading books by Faye Kellerman since 1986 when she began the 26 books in her Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus series. I've always enjoyed those books, and now am enjoying her stand-alone thrillers. Killing Season is the first one I have read that wasn't in the series I have been following and, as much as I liked the series, I like this one even more. Kellerman has done an outstanding job capturing this mystery fan's attention.
Note: Faye Kellerman is married to Jonathan Kellerman, also a writer, and together they are the parents of Jesse Kellerman, who has had several books published on his own and has co-authored several other books with his dad, Jonathan. A real writing family.
Links to other Kellerman books reviewed here on ReviewThisReviews:
- Bone Box by Faye Kellerman
- The Burning by Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman
- Killing Season by Faye Kellerman, available on Amazon
*Killing Season Book Review written by Wednesday Elf
Saturday, January 22, 2022
Reviewing Harlan Coben's Stay Close, Netflix Series
Image from Pixabay, adapted via Canva by Lou16 |
Tuesday, November 9, 2021
The Burning by Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman – Book Review
A raging wildfire. A massive blackout. A wealthy man shot to death in his palatial hilltop home
Synopsis
Available on Amazon |
The protagonist of this story, Clay Edison, is a deputy coroner. Caring for the dead, he speaks for those who cannot speak for themselves. He prides himself on an unflinching commitment to the truth. Even when it gets him into trouble.
The Burning, set in the San Francisco Bay Area during one of the state’s terrible wildfires, is Book #4 in the Clay Edison series by Jonathan & Jesse Kellerman.
A murder scene becomes personal for this deputy coroner when he discovers a link to his brother, Luke, while investigating the crime scene.
Luke is fresh out of prison and struggling to stay on the straight and narrow. But when Clay calls Luke to find out why his lovingly restored vintage Camaro is in the murdered man's garage, he discovers his brother is missing.
While trying to find his brother before anyone else can, Clay is forced to do his job, as well as cope with a wildfire and a massive blackout occurring in his northern California area. Is his brother a killer or a victim? And, where is he?
Image Source: Pixabay |
The Kellerman Authors, Father & Son
Jonathan Kellerman is the well-known author of the Alex Delaware Series (36 books to date) and is married to author Faye Kellerman (known in particular for her 29 mystery novels in her "Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus" series. Now, Jonathan is joined by their son, Jesse, a writer in his own right. To date, Jonathan & Jesse have co-authored 5 books, including four in the Clay Edison series.
The Kellermans are an amazing family of writers of mystery thrillers.
Summary
The Burning is a real page-turner – a harrowing collision of family, revenge, and murder.
For more book reviews on ReviewThisReviews, check out ReviewThisBooks.com
Related Link:
The Bone Box by Faye Kellerman – a Decker//Lazarus Novel
*The Burning – a book review written by Wednesday Elf
Tuesday, August 31, 2021
The Boy From The Woods by Harlan Coben – Book Review
A man with a mysterious past must find a missing teenage girl in this shocking thriller by Harlan Coben
The Plot
A high school girl who was relentlessly bullied, disappears. No one seems to take it seriously, but a classmate is worried. When Matthew asks his grandmother (the well-known television criminal attorney, Hester Crimstein) for help in finding her, Hester asks Wilde to use his unique skills to help find Naomi.
Thirty years ago, Wilde was found as a boy living feral in the woods, with no memory of his past, not even that of his name. But his unique tracking abilities and knowledge of the woods give him an advantage in looking for Naomi.
To do this, Wilde must also go back into the community where he has never fit in and confront the powerful whose wealth and fame protect them even when they harbor secrets that could destroy the lives of millions. Wilde must uncover these secrets before it is too late.
A Few of the Many Outstanding Reviews of The Boy From the Woods
"The Boy from the Woods is as much an action as a psychological thriller, as much a riveting read as a superb character study in which Coben challenges himself by taking his story outside his suburban comfort zone. A must-read for any mystery or thriller fan."―Providence Journal
"The crafty Coben knows how to weave a compelling story with intriguing characters, and Wilde is one of his best . . . The narrative veers into such unexpected directions that even a true thriller aficionado will not see the multiple surprises the ending delivers." ―Associated Press
"There may be no other thriller writer alive today who has mastered that fundamental trick of the genre. When you start a new Coben novel, or just pick one up and read the jacket copy, you know that nothing will unfold as it seems. You can be assured that surprises will keep appearing until the final page."―BookTrib
My Opinion
Available on Amazon |
The character study is one of the most fascinating Coben has ever come up with. And the ending was a complete surprise. I recommend The Boy From The Woods to all who love suspense, thrillers and mystery.
More Book Reviews by Harlan Coben:
Read more Mystery book reviews on
*Book Review of The Boy From the Woods written by
Wednesday Elf
Tuesday, August 3, 2021
Ocean Prey by John Sandford – A Book Review
Ocean Prey is a Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers Novel.
Main Characters in John Sandford's two well-known suspense/mystery series.
The Virgil Flowers Series
The main character of the series, Virgil Flowers, is described as tall, lean, late thirties, three times divorced, with long hair. He often wears t-shirts featuring rock bands. Virgil works at the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA). He is good friends with Lucas Davenport and is frequently mentioned in various 'Prey' novels.
The Lucas Davenport 'Prey' Series
Davenport has been a police officer, a Minneapolis detective and Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigator. In later books, including Ocean Prey, he now works for the U.S. Marshall's Office. Lucas is tall with black hair, gray at the temples, blue eyes, and dark complexion.
Although each character has been mentioned occasionally in each other's series (as they are friends), this is the first book where they are featured working together on the same case.
Synopsis of Ocean Prey
Fan-favorite heroes Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers join
forces on a deadly maritime case
Since they are federal officers killed on the job, the FBI investigates. When the case stalls out, the FBI calls in the U.S. Marshall's office in the form of Lucas Davenport and his team.
When the case turns lethal, Davenport brings in a detective whose biggest asset is having a fundamentally criminal mind: Virgil Flowers.
Working undercover posing as a deep sea diver, with Davenport and the FBI supporting him in the background, Virgil infiltrates the group of notorious drug runners operating off the coast of Miami. They want the men responsible for the deaths of the Coast Guardsmen, but also the head of the organization which has been bringing in tons of illegal drugs in an unusual way. The main goal is to shut down the entire operation once and for all.
Summary
Ocean Prey brings us an outstanding and exciting story starring Sandford's two favorite characters, Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers. This may be a suspenseful mystery story, but it is also filled with humor of the type frequently used by police personnel to lesson the tension. The jokes and wisecracks among the characters made me smile often, and actually laugh out loud in two places. A very enjoyable read.
Quick Links:
Ocean Prey Book Review written by
Wednesday Elf
Saturday, July 31, 2021
Book Review of WIN by Harlan Coben
Best-selling author Harlan Coben has written 18 Non-series stand-alone suspense books, the latest of which is WIN. Coben is also well-known for his Myron Bolitar series. Throughout the Bolitar series, we follow the interaction between Myron and his best friend and 'side kick' in solving crimes, Windsor Horne Lockwood III - or Win. It wasn't until I began reading Coben's newest book WIN that I realized the story was about Myron's friend.
For the first time, we get the true inside story of Win. Myron Bolitar is not featured in this book, except for a few references about the two of them together. Instead, for the first time, this book gives us the background on the Win we have known and loved throughout the Bolitar series.
Windsor Horne Lockwood III (Win) is an extremely wealthy man with impeccable taste and a personal approach to justice that too often lands him on the wrong side of the law.
Synopsis
When the FBI takes Win to a murder scene in the upper West Side apartment of a recluse, Win doesn't know why. Then he sees two objects there, a stolen Vermeer painting and a suitcase bearing the initials WHL3 - his initials.
Win is baffled how his family heirlooms came to be in a dead man's apartment. All he knows is that they were stolen from Lockwood Manor over twenty years ago when his Uncle was murdered and his cousin Patricia was kidnapped. Even though Patricia escaped her captors, they were never apprehended, the murder of her father was never solved, and the stolen items were never recovered.
Now the FBI reveals that the murder victim in the apartment was also the mastermind behind a notorious act of domestic terrorism. Win must figure out the connection between the two cases.
Summary
WIN by Harlan Coben |
A dead man's secrets lead our hero down a dangerous road in this thriller from the author of the Myron Bolitar series – where we first meet Win. Harlan Coben writes with wit and irony in each of his suspenseful outings . A master storyteller ~ always a delightful read.
Quick Links to more reviews of Harlan Coben:
- Book Review of CAUGHT by Wednesday Elf
- TV Series Review of THE STRANGER by Lou16 aka Louanne Cox
- Book Review of WIN by Wednesday Elf
*Book Review of WIN by Harlan Coben written by
~Wednesday Elf
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