Sunday, April 25, 2021

My week in reading!

 

Read/reviewed:
1: WHEN THE STARS GO DARK by Paula McLain
Reviewed 4/21
2: THE RESTARTING POINT by Marci Bolden
Reviewed 4/18
3: THE WITNESS by Terry Lynn Thomas
Reviewed 4/23
4: JUST MY LUCK by Adele Parks
Reviewed 4/25

Reading this week:

1: THE NOTE THROUGH THE WIRE by Doug Gold
Review to follow
2: WHEN I LAST SAW YOU by Bette Lee Crosby
Review to follow


Friday, April 23, 2021

THE WITNESS by Terry Lynn Thomas

 

SYNOPSIS:

From the USA Today bestselling author, comes the second explosive thriller about attorney Olivia Sinclair who must solve a cold-case murder to clear an innocent man’s name…

HE SAW WHAT YOU DID…

Teenager Ebby Engstrom witnesses a murder – and then passes out. The next morning, he wakes in his bed with no memory of how he got there, and is told his mother was stabbed to death the previous night.

Thirty years later, the case has gone cold, with numerous suspects but no new clues – until Ebby starts having uncontrollable flashbacks to that night. As repressed memories surface, he questions his own role in the murder, leading to a dramatic confession and Ebby’s arrest.

Family friend and attorney Olivia Sinclair is convinced of Ebby’s innocence, but the only way to clear his name is to find the real killer herself. And it seems almost everyone connected to the Engstrom family had a reason to want Cynthia dead…

An unputdownable thriller full of suspense, perfect for fans of Gillian McAllister, Alafair Burke and The Good Fight.

MY THOUGHTS: 

Another spine tingling thriller by Terry Lynn Thomas. The second in the Olivia Sinclair series and I certainly hope not the last. 

This one takes off with a bang. Who killed Cynthia Engstrom. It's been many years since her murder and her youngest son has been living with suppressed memories of that horrible night. Did he do it? Or was it someone else. Someone he loved? What caused his many years of amnesia? Ebby was only thirteen when it happened and he does not remember a thing except he heard arguing. He saw something but can't seem to make it come to light. 

Could Ebby have murdered his own mother. This book is so full of twists and turns you won't know who did it until you read it. I was taken by surprise and that does not happen often. I tend to figure these things out. Not this time. 

This is like reading two stories in one. Olivia and Brian's story continues as does Olivia's search for justice for Ebby. Ebby hires Olivia to help him when he thinks he may have committed the murder. Olivia and Brian work hard to find the truth. There is also another somewhat minor story of sexual harassment and a touch about a rape going on. This book truly has a lot going on and it's an excellent second addition to the Olivia Sinclair story.

The characters are all, most all, very likable. Realistic and endearing. The aunts, Ebby, another family member, they are all ones you will root for. While there are always a couple of characters to dislike in most books they are there for a reason. To make you dislike them and you will. I didn't like Ebby's older brother and I didn't like Brian's "girlfriend" at all. So that makes another story going on during this book. It's a lot of good stories all in one and will keep you turning the pages. It's a very intense story of family. Love and loss. Truths coming out and lives being turned upside down. You don't want to miss this one.

Thank you to #netgally, #hqdigital and #terrylynnthomas for this ARC. This is my own true review.

I gave it 5/5 stars and a high recommendation. It published today!!



Book Beginnings Friday and Friday's 56%

 

Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City Reader

The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice

Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

My Beginning:

Thirteen-year old Ebby Engstrom wanted to die as he rode his bike home in the cold December night, his thighs on fire as he pedaled faster and faster. His lungs burned, but the pain caused by the physical exertion was an instant panacea to his broken heart. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake the image of Mary Beth slow dancing with a seventeen-year-old high school student. Granted she was drunk - Ebby had the vomit stains on his new sweatshirt to prove it - but even that knowledge didn't take away the pain. 

56%
She read one of the pages, comparing it to the computer screen. Satisfied, she set the page aside and picked up her wine glass. "This cookbook is really good, Ebs. The instructions are easy to follow, and the recipes are similar to the ones you serve at the restaurant. Tell me again what your agent said." 


Book Blogger Hop!

 


Question of the Week:

Do you do most of your blog work on a computer, iPad, or phone? (submitted by Elizabeth @ Complex Chaos)

My Answer:
I do almost everything from my computer/laptop. Definitely my blog work. It would be harder to do from my iPad and impossible from my phone. 


Wednesday, April 21, 2021

WHEN THE STARS GO DARK by Paula McLain

 

SYNOPSIS:

GOOD MORNING AMERICA BUZZ PICK • “A total departure for the author of The Paris Wife, McLain’s emotionally intense and exceptionally well-written thriller entwines its fictional crime with real cases.”—People (Book of the Week)
 
“The kind of heart-pounding conclusion that thriller fans crave . . . In the end, a book full of darkness lands with a message of hope.”—The New York Times Book Review
 
“This mystery will keep you guessing, and stay with you long after you finish. Dive in.”—theSkimm

Anna Hart is a seasoned missing persons detective in San Francisco with far too much knowledge of the darkest side of human nature. When tragedy strikes her personal life, Anna, desperate and numb, flees to the Northern California village of Mendocino to grieve. She lived there as a child with her beloved foster parents, and now she believes it might be the only place left for her. Yet the day she arrives, she learns that a local teenage girl has gone missing.

The crime feels frighteningly reminiscent of the most crucial time in Anna’s childhood, when the unsolved murder of a young girl touched Mendocino and changed the community forever. As past and present collide, Anna realizes that she has been led to this moment. The most difficult lessons of her life have given her insight into how victims come into contact with violent predators. As Anna becomes obsessed with saving the missing girl, she must accept that true courage means getting out of her own way and learning to let others in.

Weaving together actual cases of missing persons, trauma theory, and a hint of the metaphysical, this propulsive and deeply affecting novel tells a story of fate, necessary redemption, and what it takes, when the worst happens, to reclaim our lives—and our faith in one another.

MY THOUGHTS: 

This was a tough one to read. About a woman who has lost so much and is a missing persons expert. Mainly missing children. This is my first book by Paula McLain and I will read more after this one. 

When tragedy strikes Anna and Brendan's life Brendan seems to blame Anna and asks her to leave. She does. Sadly and horribly she feels she deserves it. That what happened was her fault. It takes a while but you will learn what happened and how it happened. Can Anna heal and forgive herself though. 

This is the story of a missing girls. Young girls have gone missing. Seemingly without a trace. When Anna arrives in Mendocino she overhears two people discussing a missing girl and how someone may be taking advantage of the parents. Claiming to be a physic. 

Anna is asked by a childhood friend to help with this case. Will, the sheriff, who Anna has known almost all her life needs her help. She pours all she has into finding a fifteen year old girl who just seemed to vanish into thin air. There is also another teen who has been missing for several month. Are the cases related or is it a fluke. Will either girl be found. Found alive. One is an ex movie stars daughter and the other a very troubled girl who is from a somewhat poor side of life. Do these girls have anything in common or were they just victims of a sick person who randomly took each. 

Also during this is the case of Polly Klass. A very young girl who was taken at knife point from her bedroom during a slumber party. Are these three cases at all related. We all know the story of Polly Klass and know what happened to her. But we don't Cameron and Shannon. They are the two fictitious characters who we root for. Who we want to be found alive and well. 

This is a somewhat dark story in many ways. Kidnapping. Sexual assault. Murder. Torture. Abuse. Horrible things that happen in life sometimes. It's very sad that anyone would even think about these things. Much less do them. 

This book goes back and forth at times to when Anna was young and taken as a foster child by a couple. A couple who wanted only the best for her. Who helped her in many ways come to terms what what happened in her young life. She learned survival skills and many other things that will help her throughout this story. You will read about her and Hap. Hap is a Ranger who cares very much about her. He and his wife. Also in this time period you read about another young girl, eighteen, who went missing. Does it have anything to do with what happens in the future? 

This is a good story. No doubt about that. It's one that will keep you turning the pages to find out who did what and why. To find out if these girls will be found. To find out who did this horrible thing. To see if there will be any closure for the girls. For their parents. All your questions will be answered.

I took one star away because I did figure out pretty early own who was doing the kidnappings and possibly why. I was right. It didn't take away from the story at all though. It was just a bit obvious to me.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #PaulaMcLain, #randomhousepublishinggroup-ballentine for this ARC. This is my own true and honest thoughts about this book.

4/5 stars and I do highly recommend you read it. It's worth it even with the touchy subject matter. It's just very good.


Monday, April 19, 2021

It's Monday! What are you reading?

I hope you had a great reading week.

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This is a weekly meme hosted by Kathryn at BOOKDATE
Post the books completed, the books you are currently reading, and the books you hope to finish at some point.
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WHAT I READ: 
1: HER LAST CHANCE by Alison Ragsdale  
Reviewed 4/15 
2: THE GOOD SISTER by Sally Hepworth
Reviewed 4/12 
3: THE CHILDREN'S BLIZZARD by Melanie Benjamin
Reviewed 4/16     
Just finished/reviewed:
4: THE RESTARTING POINT by Marci Bolden 
Reviewed 4/18
Starting today: 
5: WHEN THE STARS GO DARK by Paula McLain 
Will be reading:
6: THE WITNESS by Terry Lynn Thomas 
7: JUST MY LUCK by Adele Parks 
8: THE WOMAN WITH THE BLUE STAR by Pam Jenoff 
9: WHEN I LAST SAW YOU by Bette Lee Crosby 
10: THE NOTE THROUGH THE WIRE by Doug Gold 
11: A DARK AND SECRET PLACE by Jen Williams 
12: SIX WEEKS TO LIVE by Catherine McKenzie 
13: LOCAL WOMAN MISSING by Mary Kubica 
14: IT HAD TO BE YOU by Georgia Clark 
15: YOU WILL REMEMBER ME by Hannah Mary McKinnon 
16: THE PHOTOGRAPHER by Mary Dixie Carter 
17: THE WARSAW ORPHAN by Kelly Rimmer 
18: THE PLOT by Jean Hanff Korelitz 


Mailbox Monday!

 

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

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’s a shout out to the administrators:
Leslie @ Under My Apple Tree 
Serena @ Savvy Verse And Wit
Martha @ Reviews By Martha's Bookshelf 
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                THANKS to everyone for keeping Mailbox Monday alive. 
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I hope you had a good mailbox.

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I received one book this week: 
1: THE WITNESS by Terry Lynn Thomas
Courtesy of HQ via NetGalley 


Daughters of the Wreckage by Stefanie Koens

  My thoughts The narrators did a great job with this book. They each kept their part perfect. While I did enjoy the narrators the actual st...