Kill For Me, Kill For You by Steve Cavanagh

 

My thoughts

This was my first book my Steve Cavanagh and it will not be my last. This is possibly my favorite thriller ever. Hands down in the top ten. It's so good.

Two women meet in a bar. Not the start of a joke either. They actually met in a group therapy session. They have both been through something very traumatic. 

Amanda is grieving and can't seem to come to terms in any way with her loss. Her six year old daughter was taken. Then found in a dumpster dead. A week later her husband, who could not deal with this loss and blamed himself, took his own life. Amanda has no reason to carry on now. She's lost all of her will to live. The man who killed her daughter will never he held accountable for it. He is a murderer and has done it before. He is also mega rich. He and his dad can buy anything. Including a way out of being arrested for murder.

Ruth was alone in her home when a man broke in and brutally stabbed her. It was so vicious that she should not have survived. She won't ever forget those cold steel blue eyes. She wakes up in the hospital with her husband at her side. She's got so many stab marks and the doctor told her she would never be able to carry a baby. It might even be dangerous for her. She is so terrified she won't even leave her own home. No going outside. Her husband, Scott, feels so helpless. He should have been there. He should have protected her. 

You will meet three women. Amanda, Naomi, and Ruth. Amanda and Naomi are the two who meet in a group session and later at the bar. They are the two who agreed to kill the men who destroyed their lives. 

This book has all the twists and turns that make a great thriller. It has just enough emotion to bring big tears to your eyes in places also. I found myself cringing so much and even saying "Look out" a few times. lol It's one that kept me guessing all the way. Right before one part I thought I had a person pegged as bad and I was right but that was just to easy and I'm sure planned by the author. I liked most of these characters. Even though some were truly bad I felt awful for them. My heart broke for Ruth. I also loved her husband. He felt so awful and tried so hard. Amanda I also liked immensely. She suffered such a horrific loss. No mother should ever go through that. I liked the main detective on these cases also. Detective Farrow. He only wanted to solve these cases. He could not rest until things were made right. I liked him...

There are several things going on but it's so easy to follow. Lots of dead bodies. Some losses are just to painful to accept. Some losses have to be avenged.

Thank you #NetGalley, #SteveCavanagh, #AtriaBooks, for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

Five big huge stars. If you like thrillers you will love this one.

About

For fans of The Silent Patient and Gone Girl, a razor-sharp and Hitchcock-inspired psychological thriller about two ordinary women who make a dangerous pact to take revenge for each other after being pushed to the brink.

One dark evening on New York City’s Upper West Side, two strangers meet by chance. Over drinks, Amanda and Wendy realize they have much in common, especially loneliness and an intense desire for revenge against the men who destroyed their families. As they talk into the night, they come up with the perfect if you kill for me, I’ll kill for you.

In another part of the city, Ruth is home alone when the beautiful brownstone she shares with her husband, Scott, is invaded. She’s attacked by a man with piercing blue eyes, who disappears into the night. Will she ever be able to feel safe again while the blue-eyed stranger is out there?

Intricate, heart-racing, and from an author who “is the real deal” (Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author), Kill for Me, Kill for You will keep you breathless until the final page.

Becoming Madam Secretary by Stephanie Dray

 

My thoughts

I can say that this is one of the best books I have ever read and I will definitely be looking for more from this author.
The history that I learned was priceless. Things that I had no idea happened. Things that I have read about in other books. So much history in one wonderfully written and very touching book. This woman, Frances Perkins, was a wonderful woman. A woman who should be celebrated. We can all learn a lot from the things she did in her time on this earth. She was a marvel to read and learn about.

This story starts out in New York City February 1933 with Frances Perkins being asked by Franklin Roosevelt to be the first woman to be part of a President's Cabinet. To be his Secretary of Labor. She had expected this and had a list of reasons to say no and a list of things she wanted him to promise help with if she did somehow take the job. She was relentless and he admired her so much that he promised all.

Then the story goes back to New York City Summer 1909. From here you get to know Frances very well. The things she saw in her life and the reasons she fought so valiantly for things to change. Among them child labor laws and social security. To make this country better. To make lives better. People were starving. Some, most, had lost everything and she wanted to end hunger, homelessness, and child labor. Make better lives possible again. 

You get to know so much about this wonderful woman. Her life. Her love. Her history. How much she loved and adored her husband. How much she went through to have the beautiful daughter that she finally had. How much she loved her country and sacrificed most of her life for. Fought for so gallantly. The things she believed in. 

The story touches on the Shirtwaist fire where so many young girls died. Dropped to their deaths to keep from being burnt alive. The dust bowl. And her fight for the family by introducing and fighting for the social security insurance. Not a handout but to be paid by the employees so that when they did get old they were not left to die homeless and hungry. You get to see her biggest fight was for her family. At least that is how I saw it. She wanted her husband to be ok and her daughter to have a good life. 

This book touches on miscarries, mental illness, hunger, and death. It will rip your heart out in places but mend it in others. So well written and researched. This author did a magnificent job of writing the story of Frances Perkins. 

Read the "Author's Notes" at the end. That part is so important. Shows exactly how much heart and soul was put into this book. 

Thank you #StephanieDray #Berkley #NetGalley for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts  about this book.

Five big stars and I can't begin to recommend it enough. It's so good.

About

She took on titans, battled generals, and changed the world as we know it…

New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Dray returns with a captivating and dramatic new novel about an American heroine Frances Perkins.

Raised on tales of her revolutionary ancestors, Frances Perkins arrives in New York City at the turn of the century, armed with her trusty parasol and an unyielding determination to make a difference.

When she’s not working with children in the crowded tenements in Hell’s Kitchen, Frances throws herself into the social scene in Greenwich Village, befriending an eclectic group of politicians, artists, and activists, including the millionaire socialite Mary Harriman Rumsey, the flirtatious budding author Sinclair Lewis, and the brilliant but troubled reformer Paul Wilson, with whom she falls deeply in love.

But when Frances meets a young lawyer named Franklin Delano Roosevelt at a tea dance, sparks fly in all the wrong directions. She thinks he’s a rich, arrogant dilettante who gets by on a handsome face and a famous name. He thinks she’s a priggish bluestocking and insufferable do-gooder. Neither knows it yet, but over the next twenty years, they will form a historic partnership that will carry them both to the White House.

Frances is destined to rise in a political world dominated by men, facing down the Great Depression as FDR’s most trusted lieutenant—even as she struggles to balance the demands of a public career with marriage and motherhood. And when vicious political attacks mount and personal tragedies threaten to derail her ambitions, she must decide what she’s willing to do—and what she’s willing to sacrifice—to save a nation.

Listen For The Lie by Amy Tintera

 

My thoughts

This was probably the most aggravating book I've read in like forever. It was interesting but a bit on the dramatic side and repetitive in many places. It's hard for me to say exactly how I feel about this one. It was ok and the thing that saved it for me was the ending. I loved the last two chapters of this book so much. I also still think Lucy was guilty.... Maybe.

The "Let's Kill" drove me nuts. A few times would have been enough to get the picture. But I guess a ghost can overdo anything. Or a figment of one's imagination if you will. Voices in a person's head or a ghost, whichever it was it was a bit much at times. Savvy seemed to live in Lucy's head a lot. In many ways I can understand that. They were best friends after all. 

There were parts of this book that drove me to exasperation. How Lucy's ex didn't believe her. How her parents could think the worst of her. How everyone in this town thought she was a killer yet she never went to jail. I just didn't buy that part. From how she was described I think she would have been put away for life. But that made it interesting. 

Then we have Ben the podcaster. He's going to solve this murder and see that whoever killed Savvy is found out. He was somewhat likable but he was also to easy. There were things he did that I don't believe he would have really done had he been doing exactly what he said he was doing. (You'll have to read it to know what I mean I think) 

I almost liked Ben. I almost liked Lucy. I detested Alex, Lucy's ex-husband. I don't buy that he changed either. I did not like her parents either. No wonder she moved so far away and refused to visit. I loved her grandmother for the most part. Yes she was a nut, but in a good way. She wanted to get to the bottom of things and clear Lucy so she cooperated with Ben in many ways. The way she talked and things she did with her own daughter, Lucy's mother, had me rolling in laughter. She was definitely a hoot. 

Overall this book was ok. It was not as good as I had hoped but still it was ok. It kept me wanting to read to find out who the killer was. I suspected the one they arrested but just couldn't stop thinking there was something missing. I guess I will have to except the ending as it was and say that Lucy was innocent... But I have a few doubts.

Thank you #NetGalley, #AmyTintera, #CeladonBooks, for this ARC. This is my own true feelings about this book.

3.5 stars. Read and decide for yourself. Seems I am in the minority about my rating but it is what it is. Enjoy!!

About

What if you thought you murdered your best friend? And if everyone else thought so too? And what if the truth doesn't matter?

After Lucy is found wandering the streets, covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood, everyone thinks she is a murderer. Lucy and Savvy were the golden girls of their small Texas town: pretty, smart, and enviable. Lucy married a dream guy with a big ring and an even bigger new home. Savvy was the social butterfly loved by all, and if you believe the rumors, especially popular with the men in town. It’s been years since that horrible night, a night Lucy can’t remember anything about, and she has since moved to LA and started a new life.

But now the phenomenally huge hit true crime podcast "Listen for the Lie," and its too-good looking host Ben Owens, have decided to investigate Savvy’s murder for the show’s second season. Lucy is forced to return to the place she vowed never to set foot in again to solve her friend’s murder, even if she is the one that did it.

A Court Of Mist And Fury-Audio by Sarah J. Maas (Parts One & Two)

 

My thoughts

I listened to both audios. Parts 1 and 2 in graphic audio. They may very well have ruined regular audio for me. It was amazing. Like watching a movie without the actual screen in front of me. Just in my head. I highly recommend everyone giving this a try at least. If not this book then any book that has it and is in a genre that you love. 

This is the second book in the ACOTAR series. It continues where the first book left off and is even better. Yes it's way longer, but so worth it. What this world is like is unreal. Magic. Scary in part and disastrous when things go awry. 

Feyre, Tamlin, and Rhysand, will face each other again. Who will be left standing? Will any fall? Are Feyre and Tamlin destine to be together or is her destiny elsewhere. 

Tamlin is way over protective of Feyre. He will do almost anything to keep her with him. Including lock her in his home. Put up shields so she can't get out. But is it for love or something else. Is he really so good and kind. Does he truly love her more than life. 

Feyre has fought her whole life to protect her family and now she can almost relax. She is happy and doing good until Tamlin starts putting up blocks so she can't be free. Free to roam and learn. Until she is held as almost a prisoner in his house. Until she can't take it anymore. 

Rhysand rescues Feyre and together it seems they can do anything. Seems they can fight side by side and explore their boundaries unlimited. Feyre enjoys all the freedoms she has now. Until the unspeakable happens. Until she can no longer fly free and feel safer than she has in a long time. 

What will become of these three? Who will be left standing. Who will Feyre choose. And why. Why does she make the decision she ultimately makes. 

This is a very dramatic story of a true love. A force to be reckoned with. Of a land that we hope will be ok. 

I am loving this series so much. These graphic audios are wonderful. Makes you feel like you are in the battles. The love scenes. The walks along the peaceful streets. The horrors that await. You experience it all.

About

The seductive and stunning #1 New York Times bestselling sequel to Sarah J. Maas’s spellbinding A Court of Thorns and Roses. Adapted from the novel and produced with a full cast of actors, immersive sound effects and cinematic music!

Feyre has undergone more trials than one human woman can carry in her heart. Though she’s now been granted the powers and lifespan of the High Fae, she is haunted by her time Under the Mountain and the terrible deeds she performed to save the lives of Tamlin and his people.

As her marriage to Tamlin approaches, Feyre’s hollowness and nightmares consume her. She finds herself split into two different people: one who upholds her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court, and one who lives out her life in the Spring Court with Tamlin. While Feyre navigates a dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms. She might just be the key to stopping it, but only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world in turmoil.

Bestselling author Sarah J. Maas’s masterful storytelling brings this second audiobook in her dazzling, sexy, action-packed series to new heights.

Performed by Melody Muze, Anthony Palmini, Henry W. Kramer, Jon Vertullo, Amanda Forstrom, Nora Achrati, Gabriel Michael, Megan Dominy, Shawn K. Jain, Holly Adams, Natalie Van Sistine, Alysia Beltran, Darius Johnson, Karenna Foley, Scott McCormick, Trei Taylor, Debi Tinsley, Hannah Curtis, Ann Flandermeyer, Jeri Marshall, Shanta Parasuraman, Wyn Delano, Chris Davenport, Ryan Carlo Dalusung, Yasmin Tuazon, and Nanette Savard.

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week

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Warning:  Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.

Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia @A Girl and Her Books, has a permanent home now at  MAILBOX MONDAY.
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Here is a shout out to the administrators

Serena @ Savvy Verse and Wit

Martha @ Reviews By Martha’s Bookshelf

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THANKS to everyone for keeping Mailbox Monday alive.

NetGalley's this week

Wilderness Reform by Matt Query 

The authors of the “impossible to put down” ( The Guardian ) thriller Old Country return with a terrifying novel about a wilderness camp for troubled teens that is plagued by mysterious events and disappearances, taking survival and discipline to a frightening extreme.

Thirteen-year-old Ben is sent to a remote reform program for troubled teens by a juvenile court judge. But when he arrives at the camp, located on the edge of the vast wilderness of northwestern Montana, he immediately recognizes that there is something off about the counselors. They’re too friendly and upbeat…yet Ben can tell there’s an undercurrent of menace.

As he gets to know the boys in his cabin, he soon discovers that they each have far more going for them than whatever crime landed them there. And each has a different critical skill, one that could help them unearth what is really going on in this place—and how to make it out alive. They are inching ever closer to the truth, and the hidden evil beneath the camp’s surface will make itself known in order to deter them.

The Stranger at the Wedding by A. E. Gauntlett

Before love at first sight, there were things no one saw.

Annie never much believed in love. That is, until meeting Mark. After crossing paths on morning commutes, they connect at a group counseling session for trauma survivors. Each recognizes something in the other, though both hide their own troubled pasts.

It’s a whirlwind romance that propels Annie through their courtship, all the way to her wedding day—a day she couldn’t have predicted for herself once upon a time yet now feels surer about than anything in her life.

But as Annie stands at the altar, casting her eyes over the rows of well-wishers, she spots a stranger in the crowd, and she soon learns that her new life isn’t going to be the happily ever after that she had planned. Who is the stranger at the wedding? What really happened to Mark’s first wife? And was Annie and Mark’s meeting as random as it first appeared, or is something more sinister at work?

Disturbing the Dead by Kelley Armstrong

Disturbing the Dead is the latest in a unique series with one foot in the 1890s and the other in the present day. The Rip Through Time crime novels are a genre-blending, atmospheric romp from New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong.

Victorian Scotland is becoming less strange to modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson. Though inhabiting someone else’s body will always be unsettling, even if her employers know that she’s not actually housemaid Catriona Mitchell, ever since the night both of them were attacked in the same dark alley 150 years apart. Mallory likes her job as assistant to undertaker/medical examiner Dr. Duncan Gray, and is developing true friends―and feelings―in this century.

So, understanding the Victorian fascination with death, Mallory isn't that surprised when she and her friends are invited to a mummy unwrapping at the home of Sir Alastair Christie. When their host is missing when it comes time to unwrap the mummy, Gray and Mallory are asked to step in. And upon closer inspection, it’s not a mummy they’ve unwrapped, but a much more modern body.

The House on Biscayne Bay by Chanel Cleeton

As death stalks a gothic mansion in Miami, the lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide in New York Times bestselling author Chanel Cleeton’s atmospheric new novel.

With the Great War finally behind them, thousands of civilians and business moguls alike flock to South Florida with their sights set on making a fortune. When wealthy industrialist Robert Barnes and his wife, Anna, build Marbrisa, a glamorous estate on Biscayne Bay, they become the toast of the newly burgeoning society. Anna and Robert appear to have it all, but in a town like Miami, appearances can be deceiving, and one scandal can change everything.

Years later following the tragic death of her parents in Havana, Carmen Acosta journeys to Marbrisa, the grand home of her estranged older sister, Carolina, and her husband, Asher Wyatt. On the surface, the gilded estate looks like paradise, but Carmen quickly learns that nothing at Marbrisa is as it seems. The house has a treacherous legacy, and Carmen’s own life is soon in jeopardy . . . unless she can unravel the secrets buried beneath the mansion’s facade and stop history from repeating itself.

Darling Girls-audio by Sally Hepworth, Narrator Jessica Clarke

SISTERS, SECRETS, LOVE, AND MURDER... Sally Hepworth’s new novel has it all.

For as long as they can remember, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia have been told how lucky they are. As young girls they were rescued from family tragedies and raised by a loving foster mother, Miss Fairchild, on an idyllic farming estate and given an elusive second chance at a happy family life.

But their childhood wasn’t the fairy tale everyone thinks it was. Miss Fairchild had rules. Miss Fairchild could be unpredictable. And Miss Fairchild was never, ever to be crossed. In a moment of desperation, the three broke away from Miss Fairchild and thought they were free. Even though they never saw her again, she was always somewhere in the shadows of their minds. When a body is discovered under the home they grew up in, the foster sisters find themselves thrust into the spotlight as key witnesses. Or are they prime suspects?

A thrilling work of sisterhood, secrets, love, and murder by New York Times bestselling author Sally Hepworth.

DARLING GIRLS asks the questions: what are we capable of when in a desperate place? How much can we hide the demons inside us? And can the past ever truly be buried?

Everyone Is Watching by Heather Gudenkauf

EVERYONE IS WATCHING

Author: Heather Gudenkauf

ISBN: 9780778310792

Publication Date: March 26, 2024

Publisher: Park Row

My thoughts

This is my new favorite by this author. All of her books are good but this one is just a bit better than good. I loved it. Couldn't put it down. Didn't want it to end and boy what an ending it was. I loved how the author tied all the characters to one person and gave me a brilliant ending.

Five people are notified via text that they were to be in a contest with a TEN MILLION DOLLAR pay out. One lucky winner would go home with the single prize. But at what cost. How does the person in charge know each of these players or does she just think she does. What could be worth such a huge payout? It won't be easy and a lot of things will be revealed. If they are up for the challenges. If they don't mind losing a bit of themselves along the way.

Fern, the assistant, is helping Cat carry out this reality show. Cat is not really good to Fern in many ways but they have been friends since something awful happened or almost happened to Fern where she use to work. Fern is the host of ONE LUCKY WINNER. She's also Cat's assistant and they are somewhat best friends. Fern will do almost anything for Cat. 

Ned, The Executive. He has a few secrets he does not want revealed. He's been in charge of his life for quite a while and doesn't care about anyone's thoughts or feelings. He's there to win and will do, ANYTHING, to win. I didn't like him. You will learn all his dirty little secrets...

Richard Crowley, The Senator. He's really an ex-senator with a past he will kill to keep secret. At least that is how it looks. You'll get to know him and his past very well. I didn't much like him either.  You'll get to know all his dirty little secrets...

Samuel, The Boyfriend. He is a nice looking man in great shape and also comes with a past. He may or may not know one of the other players in this contest. He's a famous lawyer who definitely does not need things from his past coming to light. It could ruin all he's worked hard for. You get to know all his dirty little secrets.

Camille, The Confidante. She's a therapist and has lots of big secrets also. She doesn't want anyone to know certain things about her past. It could ruin her. It would ruin her. She's likable in many ways and a strong player. I liked and disliked her. You'll get to know all her dirty little secrets.

Maire, The Best Friend. She has two daughters. One of which is very sick. Her youngest daughter has Cystic Fibroses. After her husband up and left Maire lost their insurance and it costs a lot to keep her youngest child alive. She will do anything to win. She's another strong player. She has a past that could hurt her also. I like Maire. I thought she should win. You will get to know her dirty little secrets.

A lot went into this contest. A lot of planning. A lot of money. The person behind it all had something to say and they say it good and loud. In most instances. I liked her and didn't like her. At times I did because she could be so nice. Then she would turn into a monster. Ok not a monster but a very mean person. She treated Fern bad. The way she talked to her. I didn't blame Fern for what she did. You'll get to know her dirty little secret. 

You will get to know all of these characters and the things they do and don't want you to know. Each one is there for a reason. After the first one is voted out things start to get more intense. At least one player starts figuring out what is happening. At least they think they do. 

One good book by one of my favorite authors. This was such a good edge of your seat thriller and mystery. The author did a very good job with it. I loved the ending and getting to know each of the characters. Also a few of the people watching the contest and messaging their thoughts online. 

Thank you #NetGalley, #HeatherGudenkauf, #HarlequinTradePublishing, and #ParkRow, for this ARC. This is my true thoughts about this book.

Five big stars and a high recommendation. 

 Book Summary:

The Best Friend. The Confidant. The Senator. The Boyfriend. The Executive.

Five contestants have been chosen to compete for ten million dollars on the game show One Lucky Winner. The catch? None of them knows what (or who) to expect, and it will be live streamed all over the world. Completely secluded in an estate in Northern California, with strict instructions not to leave the property and zero contact with the outside world, the competitors start to feel a little too isolated.

When long-kept secrets begin to rise to the surface, the contestants realize this is no longer just a reality show—someone is out for blood. And the game can’t end until the world knows who the contestants really are…

Heather Gudenkauf is the critically acclaimed author of several novels, including the New York Times bestseller The Weight of Silence. She lives in Iowa with her family.
You can connect with Heather here:
Website: https://heathergudenkauf.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeatherGudenkaufAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hgudenkauf
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathergudenkauf/

 

The Mystery Writer by. Sulari Gentill

 

My thoughts

This was a first for me by this author. I was intrigued by it and felt she did a pretty good job of making a thriller/mystery. While it did have just a bit about conspiracy theories in the beginning of some chapters it did by no means take away from the story. They are among us whether we like it or not. They will remain so and we might as well get use to listening to the crazy things they say and believe. Yes there are families in this story who have bunkers and stockpile food and weapons but it's only addressed with one guy's family and not in a way as to take over the story. I kind of feel bad for people who live this way. Scared at every turn. Even though they will never admit to being afraid of anything. It is what it is...

This book is about a brother and sister. Theo and Gus Benton. They are from Australia and were raised in a commune. Their parents were living a free and uninhibited life and raising their two children this way. Until something happened and Gus was sent to live with his grandfather and Theo was sent to a boarding school. 

Gus is a lawyer and part of a law firm that he started. Theo shows up at his home out of the blue after leaving college. She was going to be a lawyer but lost interest and truly wanted to be a writer. Thus her lack of knowledge in the laws.... For anyone interested.

Gus has a friend, Mac, who helps him out at times when he needs to find someone or something. Mac is a huge part of this story also. He's one of the most likable. His family are the ones living on a compound and believing in conspiracy theories. Mac does not believe in all of it and lives in his own place and works hard.

When a man that Theo started liking and who is an author is found murdered the action starts strong. Theo found him and called her brother immediately. They call the police and go through a lot of interrogation. This is where you will start reading a little bit at the start of some chapters from things people are saying and believing about the author's murder and his not yet released book. 

A lot is going on in this book and I can see where many will be confused reading it. It's truly a good one though. I loved how the author took me to the depths of these people's lives. Let us see what they were going through and how they related to the murders and yes there are a few murders. You get to know the three main characters intensely. And you find out what one publication company does to help people publish their books. Thank goodness it is not reality. 

While I didn't love this book I did enjoy it a lot. I found it to be an easy read and filled with a lot of actions and feelings. There is a couple of things about child sexual molestation that need to be tagged. Not explicit but it's there. 

Thank you #NetGalley, #SulariGentill, #PoisonPenPress for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

Four stars and I recommend you read it. Enjoy.

About

There's nothing easier to dismiss than a conspiracy theory—until it turns out to be true

When Theodosia Benton abandons her career path as an attorney and shows up on her brother's doorstep with two suitcases and an unfinished novel, she expects to face a few challenges. Will her brother support her ambition or send her back to finish her degree? What will her parents say when they learn of her decision? Does she even have what it takes to be a successful writer?

What Theo never expects is to be drawn into a hidden literary world in which identity is something that can be lost and remade for the sake of an audience. When her mentor, a highly successful author, is brutally murdered, Theo wants the killer to be found and justice to be served. Then the police begin looking at her brother, Gus, as their prime suspect, and Theo does the unthinkable in order to protect him. But the writer has left a trail, a thread out of the labyrinth in the form of a story. Gus finds that thread and follows it, and in his attempt to save his sister he inadvertently threatens the foundations of the labyrinth itself. To protect the carefully constructed narrative, Theo Benton, and everyone looking for her, will have to die. 

USA Today bestselling author Sulari Gentill takes readers on a rollercoaster ride in The Mystery Writer , a literary thriller that turns the world of books and authors upside down and where a writer's voice is a thing to be controlled and weaponized, to the peril of everyone who loves a good story.

The Devil and Mrs Davenport by Paulette Kennedy

 

My thoughts

As much as I loved THE WITH OF TIN MOUNTAIN by this author I have to whole heartedly admit that this book is her best yet. It had me reading until the wee hours of the night. I literally did not want to put this book down. It will be in my top ten of the year I have no doubt. 

A story of a family. What they go through. What the abuse of a man does to, not just his wife but his children. And not being able to just leave makes it all the more heartbreaking. In this day and time a woman had no rights. Unless she could prove beyond a doubt that her husband was cheating, abusing, or drinking, she would not be given a divorce. Women had NO RIGHTS. No credit cards. No bank account. Nothing in their names. They had to have the permission of a man, whether their husband, dad, brother, uncle or a distant relative, to open a checking account. Sad isn't it? It makes my skin crawl knowing that I was born during this time. That the women in my family possibly endured some of these things. 

Loretta was married to Pete and they had two children. A boy Luke and a girl Charlotte. Pete was a professor at a college. He didn't allow Retta to work. She would not make him look bad in from of the other professors. His answer to everything. Retta had started getting some kind of powers. A kind of being able to see what happened to people who had died. Pete said it was from the devil. Retta thought it was maybe from god. I say it was just what it was. A gift. 

When a young woman, a teen, went missing Retta was able to tell the police where to look for her body. Of course she had to do this in secret. Not give a name. But the girl's body was found. Who would have done such a horrific thing? How sad that this young lady was killed. Possibly buried alive. 

Pete claims to be a very religious man but to me his is one of the worse human beings anyone can be. Of course he was doing what society allowed him to do for the most part. A man could have his wife put in an institution if he so chose. A place for mentally ill women. And all he had to do was say she needed the help. That is what happened in this story along with other things. But Loretta was a bit smarter than Pete gave her credit for. Yes she was very young when he married her. She didn't have a high school education. She was just a wife and mother. But she was smart. She was a good mother and a good wife. She was also gifted. She could write and write she did. I love a book about writing books, or in this case stories for a newspaper. But still...

This is a heartbreaking story that will bring you to tears. But it will also let you see what this woman did. What she went through and how she managed to get her life and the lives of her children on track. To pull herself up and do something important. To finally find a happiness that her and her children deserved.

I loved Retta. I hated Pete. I also loved Dr Curt Hansen. I loved meeting Barbara and Vera. They were very important to this story. Things got better for women after the late 60s and early 70s but I'm afraid that we are headed back to the times before if we are not careful...

Thank you #NetGalley, #PauletteKennedy, #LakeUnionAuthors, for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this wonderful book.

FIVE huge stars from me. Grab this one and devour it as I did. You won't regret it.

About

The bestselling author of The Witch of Tin Mountain and Parting the Veil mines the subtle horrors of 1950s America in a gripping novel about a woman under pressure—from the living and the dead.

The first day of autumn brought the fever, and with the fever came the voices.

Missouri, 1955. Loretta Davenport has led an isolated life as a young mother and a wife to Pete, an ambitious assistant professor at a Bible college. They’re the picture of domestic tranquillity—until a local girl is murdered and Loretta begins receiving messages from beyond. Pete dismisses them as delusions of a fevered female imagination. Loretta knows they’re real—and frightening. Defying Pete’s demands, Loretta finds an encouraging supporter in parapsychologist Dr. Curtis Hansen. He sees a woman with a rare gift, more blessing than curse.

With Dr. Hansen’s help, Loretta’s life opens up to an empowering new purpose. But for Pete, the God-fearing image he’s worked so hard to cultivate is under threat. No longer in control of his dutiful wife, he sees the Devil at work. As Loretta’s powers grow stronger and the pleading spirits beckon, Pete is determined to deliver his wife from evil. To solve the mysteries of the dead, Loretta must first save herself.

Keeping Janie by S. R. Fabrico

 

 

About Keeping Janie~ 

Embark on an exhilarating reunion with Lizzie Levine, Southport, North Carolina’s newest resident, who first graced our hearts in the award-winning novel Call Her Janie. In this eagerly awaited sequel by S.R. Fabrico, the stakes are higher, the twists more exhilarating, and the drama more enthralling.
 
Reuniting with her daughter, Janie, should be the start of Lizzie’s picture-perfect life. Behind the scenes, however, is a different matter. The happiness of having her daughter back is overshadowed by the fear and distrust of her ex-boyfriend, billionaire Gray Stone.
Amidst the tapestry of wedding preparations, the custody fight looms. The story unfolds in a battleground of secrets, lies, and deception. In this gripping narrative, love and lies entwine, danger lurks in the shadows, and the courage to confront one’s past becomes paramount. Can Lizzie gain custody of her daughter, marry the man she loves, and have her happily ever after, or will the mistakes of their past destroy them all?

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About S.R. Frabrico ~

With a remarkable 25-plus-year career in business, marketing, and sports, S.R. Fabrico brings a unique perspective to her writing. As a World Champion Dance Coach and esteemed speaker, she infuses her stories with passion and insight. 

Residing in Tennessee with her husband and children, S.R. Fabrico continues to create captivating narratives that will transport you to new and extraordinary worlds. Prepare to be enchanted by her exceptional storytelling prowess. 

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Trailer ~

https://youtu.be/ciUDoHPku6k?feature=shared