Tag: mystery

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#BlogTour: My Sister’s Boyfriend by Nicola Marsh

For this blog tour, we’re looking at a dark, creepy yet non-supernatural sequel perfect for the fall/ Halloween mood. For this blog tour, we’re looking at My Sister’s Boyfriend by Nicola Marsh.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (BookHype.com / TheStoryGraph.com / BookBub.com / Goodreads.com):

Dark. Creepy. Maybe Read My Sister’s Husband First. This is one of those dark, creepy books where *most* of the worst stuff (though not all) is “off screen”, so even though there are mentions of animal abuse, rape, sexual assault, and more, for the most part we never “see” any of this happening – and more often than not, it is merely mentioned, rather than “showing” anything at all about the abuse at hand. (Though there are points where *slightly* more is shown, to be clear – it is simply that the actual abuse is never shown.)

So for those who can handle seeing such primarily “off screen” abuse in a twisty thriller all about family relationships… this one is done quite well, but truly works *best* if its predecessor, My Sister’s Husband, is fresh in your mind. (Vs my having read 869 books between them – seriously.) The events pick up after the events of the first book, with most of the relationships between the characters already well established from that book. (But with enough recap that it is possible to follow along here, there’s just a lot to learn.) Told from just three perspectives (rather than each character’s or a single narrator’s), we get a good sense of what is going on in these complex and complicated relationships, along with a lot of backstory for our new character for this book.

Still, for those looking for dark and creepy yet not necessarily supernatural reads as we go into this fall/ Halloween season, both of these books are quite good for exactly that kind of mood.

Very much recommended.

After the jump, the “publisher details” – book info, description, author bio, social links, and buy links.
Continue reading “#BlogTour: My Sister’s Boyfriend by Nicola Marsh”

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#BookReview: The Chamber by Will Dean

Esoteric Atmospheric Tale Not For The Faint Of Heart. Straight up, this is one of those truly esoteric books that, even with the glossary and map up front, isn’t going to work for everyone – despite not being fantasy *at all*, and in fact because it is perhaps *too* real.

This is the world of Saturation Diving, where divers work underwater under pressure for weeks on end, often repairing cabling or piping or other undersea infrastructure that makes above ground life possible/ globally connected for the rest of us. And here, Dean is as exacting in his depiction of the actual lives of these people as Andy Weir was in The Martian, with *even more* technical discussion since so much of this particular book is a group of these divers living and working together as they do in the real world – warts and all.

And yes, there are also larger forces at play – but we only see those from *inside* the Chamber, through the eyes of our sole narrator. (Ans some scream: “Yay! No multiple perspectives!” :D)

Overall one of the more interesting tales of 2024 just because of how true it is to its real-world subject material and how rare any open discussion of that particular role in modern society really is – but truly, be forewarned: It is extremely esoteric *due* to how rare that job is in the real world *and* the tale can be truly slow or even incomprehensible for some readers, if you simply can’t wrap your mind around what is happening in such a tiny and closed off space. For those that can though, this is truly a fascinating book on a few different levels.

Very much recommended.

This review of The Chamber by Will Dean was originally written on September 10, 2024.

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#BlogTour: The Summer Reunion by Leah Mercer

For this blog tour, we’re looking at a book where *everyone* has secrets… and even the secrets have secrets. For this blog tour, we’re looking at The Summer Reunion by Leah Mercer.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (BookHype.com / TheStoryGraph.com / BookBub.com/ Goodreads.com):

Their Secrets Have Secrets. Easily a great line in The Avengers (the Marvel version, you Imperialists) is when Tony Stark is speaking of Nick Fury and says “his secrets have secrets” – which is absolutely true, both in The Avengers and this book. If you enjoy semi-slow burn (to start) almost disaster movie type suspense, where everything starts off a touch slow and normal ish before completely fucking unravelling… this is exactly the kind of book you’re going to enjoy.

The other great thing about this, to me, was how well Mercer used the setting she created to create an atypical emergency situation. Without giving anything away, let’s just say that it put an interesting spin on a couple of fairly worn concepts and made everything seem newer and much more intriguing in the process.

Ultimately one of those books you’re going to be reading deep into the night, because “one more chapter” will never be enough.

Very much recommended.

After the jump, the “publisher details” – book info, description, author bio, social links, and buy links.
Continue reading “#BlogTour: The Summer Reunion by Leah Mercer”

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#BookReview: The Twin by Steena Holmes

‘Deliciously Dark’ Sounds Apt But Becomes Problematic. Without going into spoiler territory, I can’t find a better title for this review than “Deliciously Dark”, and yet… well, read the damn book to find out why I have problems using that title. 😀

But seriously, this is one *dark* book – and while I just can’t bring myself to spoil anything… think whatever you feel would be the darkest a book could possibly go. Then go darker. Darker. Darker again. And again. Ok, now add a dying candle into that. Because that’s about as light as this book gets. (Though I *will* note some things that you may imagine that *don’t* happen here: no dog dies. No kids are sexually assaulted. And yet… the rest of this paragraph applies. Better to be prepared and have it be lighter than you expect, with this kind of tale.)

Holmes manages almost a Poe level of storytelling, where it isn’t necessarily what is on the page, but what is clearly just *off* the page that is so intense… and, eventually, those things come onto the page in stunning fashion.

If you like dark yet not necessarily “heavy” books, you’re going to love this one. If you’re looking for something lighter… come back to this when you’re ready for *dark*. 🙂

Very much recommended.

This review of The Twin by Steena Holmes was originally written on August 30, 2024.

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#BookReview: A World Of Hurt by Mindy Mejia

Fast Paced Action Thriller Featuring Atypical Hero – Yet Set During “Real”-World Collapse. Straight up: This would have *easily* been a 5* book for me had it been set in literally any period of human history *other than* 2020 – 2022… unfortunately, where it as actually set. Kara is awesome as a non-straight (it is never made clear in *this* text exactly what her sexuality is, though it may have been clarified in the preceding book, To Catch A Storm, which I read 20 months and 300+ books ago) badass with a certain condition that Mejia works with well to show its uses and detriments. Max is excellent as the more by-the-book cop just trying to do his best to do his job and get back to his wife and son, particularly during the period the book is set in. Together (and separately), they’re going to find themselves in some pretty cool to watch action sequences that would get most of us real dead, real fast in real life. But ultimately, that is exactly what you’re coming into a book like this for – escapist action of a near cinematic quality, and other than the time period this is set in (which, to Mejia’s both benefit and detriment, she *does* show all too realistically and all too well), this book *is* that very action first with solid backstory and drama kind of tale that is generally so pleasing to read.

So for those of you who can withstand a book set entirely within the COVID lockdown period… this is one of the best books I’ve seen written telling a story within that period. But for those of us who – for whatever reason – *don’t* want to read a story set in that period… unfortunately you’re going to miss out on a truly fun, kick ass book unless you can overcome that particular mental objection.

Very much recommended.

This review of A World Of Hurt by Mindy Mejia was originally written on August 19, 2024.

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#BlogTour: The Body Next Door by Maia Chance

For this blog tour, we’re looking at a book with an intriguing mix of magical realism, cults, and a dual timeline mystery/ thriller. For this blog tour, we’re looking at The Body Next Door by Maia Chance.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (BookHype.com / BookBub.com / TheStoryGraph.com / Goodreads.com):

Mystery/ Thriller With Cults And Magical Realism? Yes Please. First off, if you’re turned off by any discussion of cults… this book likely isn’t your thing. If you’re turned off by any element of magical realism… this book probably isn’t your thing. If you can’t handle books dealing with domestic violence and/ or sexual assault/ rape… this book probably isn’t your thing. If you can’t handle books with multiple POVs… this book probably isn’t your thing. If you’re turned off by books with dual timelines… this book probably isn’t your thing. If you’re turned off by books with any LGBT characters at all… this book probably isn’t your thing.

With all of *that* out of the way, I thought this book was done particularly well and told a not-overly-typical (because it dealt so intrinsically with cults/ life after cults) tale in new and interesting ways (re: magical realism elements). All of the various elements work well to create a story with an admittedly slow start that absolutely heats up later in the text, particularly during a somewhat detailed account of the night everything came crashing down in the earlier timeline. The overall mystery ties both timelines together well, and while the front of the book can seem a bit disjointed at times with its POV switches, it *does* all come together quite beautifully and dramatically down the stretch.

Ultimately a fun read that is different enough to stick out in a very crowded field of similar ish (re: mystery/ thriller) books, this is definitely one to check out – even if it is a touch longer than some will be comfortable with (just over 400 pages).

Very much recommended.

After the jump, an excerpt from the book followed by the “publisher details” – book info, description, author bio, social links, and buy links.
Continue reading “#BlogTour: The Body Next Door by Maia Chance”

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#BookReview: Shades Of Mercy by Bruce Borgos

Wildly Divergent Storytelling From First Book In Series, Still Great. The Bitter Past, the first book in this series, was a dual timeline almost historical fiction/ spy thriller, and it worked beautifully – to summarize my review of that book. This time, we get a lot of solid character work and even more solid action pieces (particularly towards the end, but also an intriguing prologue to bring us into the tale), with plenty of “what the hell is going on here” in the middle. Whereas the first book looked to the past to tell its tale, this one actually reads as though it is bringing the front lines of the Russia-Ukraine war into a tale set in rural Nevada. There’s some innovative action sequences one would expect more in a Vin Diesel XXX movie or one of the GI Joe live action movies than in a tale of a small town Sheriff… even if this particular Sheriff *is* a highly trained former soldier. (And yes, this comes into play as well.) Borgos does well to show Beck’s strengths *and* weaknesses, and it is the combination of both that make Beck feel like a fully “real” human rather than just another action hero.

Overall a solid tale more in the mystery/ action space than its predecessor, and yet it does its job of making the reader *need* the next book perfectly.

Very much recommended.

This review of Shades Of Mercy by Bruce Borgos was originally written on July 31, 2024.

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#BlogTour: Only One Survives by Hannah Mary McKinnon

For this blog tour, we’re looking at a tale that has a shotgun beginning that focuses into a laser ending. For this blog tour, we’re looking at Only One Survives by Hannah Mary McKinnon.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (BookHype.com / BookBub.com / TheStoryGraph.com / Goodreads.com):

Shotgun Beginning Focuses Into Laser Ending. This is one of those stories that opens up with a lot of moving parts, even as we only really get a single perspective of them, so it can be a bit difficult of a read to get into at first. Compelling, to be sure, particularly the accident during the blizzard, but through these intro sections the tale doesn’t seem to know what it wants to be yet… and thus the reader may find it difficult to follow.

This noted, as the story progresses, things become ever more clear and pointed and the book finally decides what it wants to be… and oh, boy. Absolutely several interesting twists here, both within the story and in how the story itself subverts expectations of the reader.

Ultimately this is going to be one of those stories that seems like a bit of a challenge up front, even if compelling, but stick with it long enough for the tale to figure itself out. Because once it does, you’re in for a fun time indeed.

Very much recommended.

After the jump, an excerpt from the book followed by the “publisher details” – book info, description, author bio, social links, and buy links.
Continue reading “#BlogTour: Only One Survives by Hannah Mary McKinnon”

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#BookReview: Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder by Kerryn Mayne

Like Great Gatsby: SLOW Start, Explosive Ending, *NOT* Neurodivergent. I tell the story often of my experience with The Great Gatbsy. Back in sophomore year of HS, it was actually assigned as summer reading before the school year. I didn’t read it. Every time I tried to open it, the first chapters were just SO UTTERLY BORING that I literally couldn’t keep my eyes open. Managed to bullshit through the discussion of it during my International Baccalaureate level English class that fall. Switched to a school without an IB program in Spring Semester, where now I had one of those old school even then (late 90s) slap-the-knuckles-with-a-ruler type English teachers. This lady *forced* me to read the book via making it a point to call on me to read out loud during class. She knew I HATED it, I wasn’t subtle about my disdain at all, and I had a superiority complex at this new school to boot.

But god DAMN if she didn’t wind up getting me through those first boring chapters, where the tale then woke up and became truly one of the great American books, particularly of its period and truly quite possibly ever.

I tell that story here because it directly applies to this book. This book is S L O W at first and utterly, completely, mind bogglingly BORING. There simply is no way around that. Even at 20% in, I was commenting on social media (without naming that I was reading this book) that it was horrible.

And then…

And then you get to the point – roughly halfway in – where you find out WHY the front half was so utterly boring.

And like Gatsby, this point turns the novel on its head and makes it a truly great book. No, it still isn’t Gatbsy’s level, but this is where it is going to make you *feel*. It is going to make the room so dusty you’ll be verifying that the walls around you haven’t suddenly collapsed, because you’re going to be crying so hard during some of this next section that you’re going to be snotting all over the place and finding it very difficult to breathe. Mayne manages to utterly bore your mind before absolutely DESTROYING your heart worse than a direct hit from a G2 Research RIP round would.

This back half is truly what makes the book, so fight through the boredom of the front half – it really does get so very much better.

Oh, and the neurodivergent thing; A lot of reviewers (I’m somewhere right around the 1,000th review on at least one review site) have mentioned that this book features a neurodivergent protagonist. It does not. The words “neurodivergent”, “spectrum”, “Autism”, or even “Asberger’s” are nowhere in the text of this tale, and while the front part of the book in particular (and to a slightly lesser extent the back part as well) characterize our protagonist as *stereotypically* neurodivergent, just because someone acts according to a stereotype does not mean they actually *are* whatever the stereotype is supposed to be of. Indeed, we actually get an explanation in that back half of the book that is *not* any form of actual neurodivergence so much as … something else that is directly explained and explored (part of what makes the heart shatter so much), but which would be a spoiler to reveal here.

Overall truly a tale of two halves as far as the reader experience goes, but absolutely one you should read.

Very much recommended.

This review of Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder by Kerryn Mayne was originally written on July 8, 2024.

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#BookReview: Ladykiller by Katherine Wood

Slow Start Leads To Rollercoaster Twists. This is one of those books that starts out almost disaster movie slow. Other than the prologue that reveals an intriguing setup, a lot of the front of the book is solid enough in slowly building tension in an idyllic setting. But it really is more the back half, or maybe even the last third, of the book where it seems to become more of a cat and mouse, what the hell is going on, who can the reader actually trust kind of tale, one that ends with a deliciously ambiguous ending that would be intriguing to see a follow up to – IF Ms. Wood can manage to replicate the almost lightning in a bottle feel she has going on here, particularly through the last bit of the book.

Ultimately, this tale won’t be for everyone, for a variety of reasons. But if you’re looking for an interesting tale in a beautiful location and aren’t averse to a fair amount of onscreen sex (and not always exactly of the missionary-position-only-with-lights-off variety), this may be a book for you.

Very much recommended.

This review of Ladykiller by Katherine Wood was originally written on July 5, 2024.