Category: Families

THE LIAR’S CHILD by CARLA BUCKLEY

The Liar's Child

Set on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Paradise Apartments isn’t exactly the Ritz. It’s old and tired and falling down and just sad. Much like the people who call it home.

The most notorious residents are the Nelsons. Mrs. Nelson has issues. Serious mental issues and when she leaves her small son alone in a hot car all day, everyone is looking at her oddly. Most of all her 12-year-old, Cassie. Cassie knows what happened that day and has become sullen, rebellious, a thief and a liar.

When Mrs. Nelson disappears no one is surprised. And I was quite sure the husband had quietly killed her and disposed of her body.

Meanwhile next door Sara Lennox has moved in. It’s supposed to be a safe house for her to stay alive until her testimony that will put her boss in prison. She hates it. She hates the people next door. She is plotting her escape every day. And just when it seems she has everything set to flee, a hurricane comes barreling in over the islands. Ready to leave she sees the children from next door. She grabs them and runs to safety.

She’s no saint. No one is looking for a woman with 2 children. But then new information comes to light and she knows she can’t abandon them.

There were stories within stories here. Hank was in the first and then we don’t see him until the end. It was difficult to see why he was there at all.

Everyone in this tale had serious flaws! Not a one of them was likeable except the little boy Boon. It wasn’t my favorite by this author.

Netgalley/March 12th 2019 by Ballantine Books

 

 

 

 

BETWEEN THE LIES by MICHELLE ADAMS

Between the Lies

What would you do if you woke up and didn’t know who you were?

Within the first few pages of this thriller you just know it’s going to be good!

Chloe Daniels wakes up in a hospital bed having no idea how she got there, who she is or who these people calling themselves family are. Very scary.

Back in her parents home she struggles to remember what happened to her and as she snatches glimpses of her past she begins to believe her family are telling some pretty bad lies. What was she running from that night her car crashed? Even the police seem suspicious of the circumstances.

When she discovers one of the cruelest lies she has been told, she sets out to find the truth about who she was and who she can trust.

I felt so horrible for Chloe. She honestly had no one in her corner. And what a psychological thriller it was. I had no idea that ending was coming!

Another job well done!

Netgalley/St.Martin’s Griffin  March 05, 2019

 

 

 

 

 

 

LAST NIGHT by KAREN ELLIS (The Searchers #2)

Last Night (The Searchers, #2)

NYPD detective Lex Cole tracks a missing Brooklyn teen whose bright future is endangered by the ghosts of his unknown father’s past, in this highly anticipated sequel to A Map of the Dark.

In this second book in the Searchers series, Lex takes the lead with Elsa consulting. Lex is having problems with Adam and isn’t sure if they are even a couple anymore. But work is work and this is a case that just keeps getting more tangled up.

Titus “Crisp” Crespo is a mixed race kid from Brighton Beach. Raised by his mother and grandparents, Crisp is a smart guy a day away from graduating as Valedictorian when he is arrested on a charge of riding a bike on the sidewalk, so instead of going home, he gets tossed in jail for a night. From the roof he can see into the patio of a high-rise and a girl sitting smoking a joint and getting some sun. They both realize they met last summer and when Crisp is released he goes to meet Glynnie to explain why he was up there.

Crisp is a straight arrow. He doesn’t get into trouble. He’s going to Princeton.

Glynnie is the opposite of Crisp. Rich. Doesn’t care about school or college. And she is white.

When she begs him to come with her to visit her weed dealer, he impulsively agrees and that one bad decision leads them on a road that neither of them wanted to be on.

Now stuck in the projects with an arms dealer and a dead body they may not have to worry about college or anything else.

I felt so sorry for Lex in this one. Not just because he battles his own demons while battling real life bad guys, but because of the kids. Not one of them is telling the whole truth about that day. Now he has to think like a teenager. Which means don’t think.

I liked these characters and this series feels as if it is going in the right direction! A good one!

Well Done!

Netgalley/February 26th 2019 by Mulholland Books

 

A MAP OF THE DARK by KAREN ELLIS

A Map of the Dark (The Searchers #1)

The first in a series, A Map of the Dark by Karen Ellis, introduces us to FBI Agent Elsa Myers. Elsa is a complex character with a dark past and a lot of secrets.

Right now her father is dying and she is by his side when she receives a call for help from New York City. She has been asked for personally because of her track record finding missing people.

Ruby, a teenager, has gone missing. With a lot of misdirection from friends hiding their own secrets, the case is becoming more difficult and putting her own family in danger as well.

Working with Detective Lex Cole is proving difficult. Elsa is a very private person and Lex is trying to find a crack inside that hard shell she has put in place to protect herself. But for this case, she is going to have to face the darkness of the past and find these girls before it’s too late.

A new police procedural thriller series is always a welcome gift. While we didn’t get a lot of Elsa’s past and how she became an agent, it’s a series and since I’m now reading the second one, I can tell you it just gets better!

Well Done!

Netgalley/ January 2nd 2018 by Mulholland Books

 

 

MURDERS AND METAPHORS BY AMANDA FLOWERS

Murders and Metaphors (Magical Bookshop Mystery #3)

A Magical Bookshop Mystery #3

Niagara region booksellers Violet Waverly and Grandma Daisy sleuth the slaying of a sommelier whose book signing turned into her sayonara.

In this third installment of the Magical Bookshop Series, we are back in Cascade Springs with Violet and Grandma Daisy of Charming Books. Where books magically match themselves to customers.

January is time for the Ice Wine festivities and Violet is not feeling it this time. She’s had her heart-broken before and the one responsible is sure to be in attendance. Which means Violet will not be. No matter what. Not even magic is going to get her to go!

However Grandma Daisy has arranged for the book shop to host former resident and current book writing sommelier, Belinda Perkins, book signing. Belinda left town long ago after a fight with her sisters. One of those sisters may be still carrying a grudge and after the throw down at the book signing, one of them is left dead!

While Violet is almost certain sister Lacey is innocent, she herself turns to the magical bookshop for assistance. And as usual the help is spot on! But will it save Lacey or just leave them both out in the cold?

This is such a fun series and Amanda Flowers is one of the best at cozy mysteries. I love Faulkner, the crow. The characters are very well written and it’s what I would call an intelligent cozy!

Well Done!

Netgalley/February 12th 2019 by Crooked Lane Books

 

 

SAY NOTHING: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland

From award-winning New Yorker staff writer Patrick Radden Keefe, a stunning, intricate narrative about a notorious killing in Northern Ireland and its devastating repercussions.

The horrific conflict known as The Troubles is introduced to us beginning in 1972, when Jean McConville, 38 and a mother of ten children was abducted from her home in front of her children and neighbors, never to be seen again, until years later when bones found on a beach turned out to be hers.

Everyone knew it was the IRA, but no one was speaking out. Fear and Paranoia were rampant and no one was safe. Family members turned on each other. Neighbors turned a blind eye and some, like Dolours Price, were carrying on the family tradition of violence and proud of it.

This was a bitter conflict that I once thought was over Catholic vs. Protestants but that was only a small part of the story. Everyone wanted peace, but when it came, it was shaky at best.

This is one of the best books I have read on the Irish Conflicts. Turning loved ones against each other and so many deaths and in the end, who was right? Was it all worth it?

I don’t know but reading this account I fully intend to find out more.

Very Well Done!

Netgalley/ February 26th 2019 by Doubleday Books