An Unwanted Guest

An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena

What begins as a relaxing, winter weekend
getaway for a motley group of guests, turns into
a nightmare of murder and mayhem.

Mitchell's Inn is a quaint, picturesque retreat cozily
nestled in the breathtaking Catskills Mountains.
The guests arriving on this particular day are
strangers to one another, but they do have one
thing in common.....they all have closely guarded
secrets.

The powdery, crystalline beauty of falling snow
lulls them into peaceful tranquility until the
the discovery of a dead body suddenly changes everything.

It all starts the first night when a devastatingly beautiful
guest plunges to her death after falling down the
grand staircase. Could it be a tragic accident, or is her rich
boyfriend somehow responsible? After all, they were heard
arguing in the middle of the night. The soft blanket of white
turns into a dangerous sheet of ice, leaving the Inn with
no power and impassable roads. It looks like the dead body
must remain in their midst until the police can arrive. In the
meantime, another guest is found bludgeoned to death, and
then another, until panic sets it and accusations begin to fly.
Who's the next victim?

Agatha Christie fans will immediately see similarities
between her famous "Ten Little Indians" and this
captivating suspense thriller. It's an age-old plot
that stands the test of time. It's up to the reader to decide;
is the perpetrator one of the guests with a mysterious past,
or someone lurking outside, hiding in the ice-encrusted shadows?


The author marvelously creates a foreboding, menacing
atmosphere for impending doom with her vividly written,
descriptive passages, putting  the reader on edge throughout
the book. The frigid, forlorn isolation of the Inn, tucked
away in the desolate mountains, is the perfect setting
for calculated murder.

If you are looking for a good, old-fashioned, chilling
murder mystery, give this one a try. And have fun
deciding who the culprit really is.

One Perfect Lie

One Perfect Lie by Lisa Scottoline


Sometimes the lie you tell is so perfect, so real, so appealing, you almost believe it  yourself.

Everybody at Central Valley High School loves the new government teacher, Chris Brennan. With his good looks and affable personality, it doesn't take long for him to blend in with the local community and students, who view him as a friend. His added responsibilities as the assistant baseball coach fit precisely into his well-executed plan. Yes, Chris Brennan, you see, is a phony, an impostor, and a master in the art of manipulation. The last step in his elaborate scheme is to pick the most vulnerable, trusting young male student athlete who will unwittingly help him. But Chris underestimates how dangerous it can be to hide behind lies. A wave of murder and destruction awaits him and an unsuspecting public.

Scottoline delivers a powerful, fast-paced story that her fans have come to expect. Mixed within the heart of the story are current topics on teenage rebellion, social media, and corruption. The author adds valuable insight and research into every novel she writes,  and she does it well.

 Cautiously trust those you meet....remember,  some people know how to tell that one perfect lie.

You Will Know Me

You Will Know Me by Megan Abbott


In the world of competitive sports, young Devon Knox is truly a gymnast extraordinaire. She lives in her own bubble, supported unconditionally by her parents and the tight-knit community of other aspiring athletes. But that bubble bursts when their world is turned upside down with the news of the brutal death of someone very close to them all.

From an early age, Katie and Eric Knox knew that their daughter had the grit and determination to become an elite gymnast. With the intense regimen of a relentless coach, they paved the road for her success, even daring to whisper the world "Olympics". Their lives revolved around Devon; endless hours of practice and second mortgages to finance the growing expense of creating a world class prodigy, while quiet son, Drew, remained uncannily aware of what was happening to his crumbling family. Even with a debilitating injury, Devon seemed to overcome every obstacle. But along the way, Katie and Eric failed to see the inevitable changes in their daughter on the brink of becoming a woman. Now, in the midst of scandal, is it too late to save her and themselves?

Author Megan Abbott paints a vivid, behind -the-scenes look at the intimate world of competitive gymnastics, while adding the spice of suspense. Are the sacrifices required of aspiring to perfection worth the pain of losing your own identity?

Watching Edie

Watching Edie by Camilla Way


An obsessive friendship turns deadly.

There was a time when Edie's future was bright and she dared to dream. Attractive with a captivating smile, heads turned when she walked into a room. Edie enjoyed being a rebel, living a bit on the wild side, answering to no one.

Now she's working a menial job, struggling to raise her daughter as a thirty-three-year-old single mother. Suffering from severe depression, she's finding it hard to function. So when her former best friend, Heather, shows up at her doorstep after all these years, Edie hesitantly welcomes her help, even though it seems suspicious that her schoolmate just happens to reappear when she's so vulnerable and needy. Has Heather been stalking her? What's the motive behind Heather's return after all the deception, jealousy and secrets from the past that the two of them vowed never to speak of again?

British author Camilla Way takes the reader down a winding path full of unnerving twists and turns. Frightening and hair-raising, this psychological thriller with a surprising ending will have you looking over your shoulder wondering...

Who's watching you?

The Woman in Cabin 10

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware


The dark, frigid, menacing waters of the North Sea are the perfect backdrop for a cold-blooded, calculated murder.

Travel writer, Lo Blacklock, is still reeling from her terrifying confrontation with an intruder who burglarized her apartment only nights ago. It's bad timing, and even though she's still shaken, she can't turn down the coveted assignment for her magazine to cover the maiden voyage of the Aurora, a small, exclusive, luxury cruise ship.  Perhaps, at last, her career as a journalist will earn the respect of her peers.

Lo is in awe of the sheer opulence that surrounds her on this elite ship; shimmering chandeliers, rich, polished mahogany, sumptuous culinary delights, and engaging, distinguished fellow passengers. The serenity of her luxurious surroundings is shattered, however, when she awakens one night to a loud splash emanating from outside Cabin 10 next door. When she rushes to her veranda overlooking the inky, ominous water, she sees a body slip silently into the deep, deep abyss of nothingness.

 Lo alerts security that she believes the striking, dark-haired beauty she met the night before in Cabin 10, has been murdered. Panic quickly dissolves into alarming fear when she's told that Cabin 10 is unoccupied, that the woman she believes she met only hours earlier, doesn't even exist. Suddenly, her past paranoia, anxiety, and history of hysteria, come back with a vengeance. Could she be going mad? Or is this an evil palatial palace on water?

Author Ruth Ware spins her own version of an often used tried-and-true plot, reminiscent of the famed Agatha Christie. The result is a satisfying murder mystery, much like her first suspense thriller,  In a Dark, Dark Wood (reviewed in October, 2015).  At times, some burdensome details seem to slow the story down, but overall, Ware infuses just the right amount of  terror and misleading smoke screens into another successful thriller her ever-growing group of fans will thoroughly enjoy.

City of the Lost

City of the Lost by Kelley Armstrong


Hidden deep in the rugged Yukon Territory, there's a little town of 200 residents called Rockton. It's a place where people with questionable pasts pay the right amount of money to disappear.

The newest citizens are homicide detective Casey Duncan and her best friend Diana Berry. One of these women got away with killing a man in cold blood, the other is running away from an abusive ex-husband she can't seem to shake. After much soul-searching, they decide to seize the opportunity to flee, putting their dubious lives behind them. It won't take long to discover that being one of the chosen ones comes at a very high price indeed.

Casey soon finds out that this mysterious town isn't a safe haven after all. It's clear that sheriff Eric Dalton needs her investigative skills in solving several gruesome murders from an unknown predator, Who or what is luring inhabitants to their untimely deaths? In this land where true identities are masked with lies, it's hard to know whom to trust. Casey learns that this "commune of lost souls" is far more dangerous than the world she left behind.

Fantasy writer Kelley Armstrong ventures into crime fiction with her latest release, weaving her trademark eerie, almost supernatural flavor into a captivating tale. The sinister setting, along with well-developed characters combine to tell a very unpredictable story.

Addictive and compelling to the very end, this one takes suspense to a whole new level.

Most Wanted

Most Wanted by Lisa Scottoline


What would you do if you thought the precious child you are carrying could be the product of a deranged serial killer? Would you choose to end the pregnancy or choose to follow your heart and bring a wanted child into this world, fully knowing that the baby might inherit those hideous genes?

That's the premise of Lisa Scottoline's latest novel, and once again, this talented writer hooks her readers from the beginning with a relevant story that examines a moral dilemma.

Christine and Marcus Nilsson are madly in love, never dreaming that starting a family would lead to frustration and disappointment.  After fertility tests confirm that Marcus cannot father a child, the couple decide to use a sperm donor to make their family complete.

 Christine is two months pregnant when she retires from the teaching job she dearly loves to concentrate on preparing for her new role as a loving mother. By chance, she sees television coverage about the arrest of a handsome young man for a series of gruesome murders who happens to bear an uncanny resemblance to Donor 3319, a number forever etched in the Nilsson's minds. When Christine confronts Marcus with the unlikely scenario of being impregnated by a killer, he dismisses the idea as foolish and impossible. However, Christine can't let go of her gut feeling. She begins her persistent journey to the scene of the crimes to confront her worst fears. Marcus, angry and disgusted, drifts farther and farther away, unable to accept what could be a terrifying reality.

 Christine eventually hunts down and comes face-to-face with prisoner Zachary Jeffcoat, better know at the Homestead Bank as Donor 3319. Shrewd and persuasive, he soon has Christine believing in his innocence. In a matter of time, she's volunteering as a paralegal for a gruff criminal defense lawyer that agrees to take the case.  As Christine digs deeper and deeper into the slayings, she finds that her detective skills are putting her and the baby in grave danger. Zachary's been lying about so many things. Maybe he's a killer after all.

The research behind Scottoline's novels is always superb. Not only is this a gripping, fast-paced story, it offers pertinent information about fertility clinics and the struggles many couples face today. As always, I find the author's legal expertise a welcome addition to her subject matter.

Provocative food for thought for your Mother's Day celebration.

The Girl in the Red Coat

The Girl in the Red Coat by Kate Hamer

The anguish and heartbreak of a mother and daughter torn apart is exquisitely told in this story brimming with emotion and pain.

Single mom Beth Wakeford can't shake the feeling that someday her eight-year-old daughter, Carmel, will disappear. Irrational, perhaps ,but since her husband, Paul, left her for another woman, she's constantly fearful of losing another loved one. Carmel has always been a little "different",  a dreamy, spiritual sort of child that her teachers describe as "being on another planet". She loves her mother, but the hovering and over-protectiveness are hard for even a child to bear.

 On a foggy, dismal Saturday morning Beth's premonition comes true. She and Carmel visit a delightful outdoor festival.  The many tents are filled with puppeteers and storytellers dressed in glittering costumes. Try as she might, Beth can't seem to hold on to her daughter's slippery hand. Carmel finds a hiding place, seizing the moment to be alone, not realizing her little game opens the door for a stranger to abduct her. Minutes turn into hours and still no sign of the little girl in her signature red coat. Panic becomes hysteria and a mother's worst fears soon become reality.

Hours turn into days as Beth relentlessly searches for her daughter. Religious zealots claim Carmel must have special "powers" and false sightings lead to crushing disappointment.  Beth  marks each and every day on the calendar that goes by, while Carmel loses all sense of time. Never fully understanding the complexity of the reasons behind her capture, Carmel begins a journey that will take her farther and farther away from a mother and father who cling to one another, never giving up hope that someday their daughter will return.

Clearly, Hamer has a  commanding vocabulary and expressive style of writing.  She convincingly conveys the invisible thread that connects mother and daughter, even though they are physically apart. Although the minor characters are not always fully developed, the author's deep insight into the mother daughter relationship makes up for any shortcomings.

As the plot unravels piece by piece, readers will undoubtedly hope for a happy ending where mother and child find their way into each other's arms again.

Missing Pieces

Missing Pieces by Heather Gudenkauf


In the small Iowa farm town called Penny Gate, "people either die or go crazy".

Jack and Sarah Quinlan leave their home in Montana to travel to Jack's hometown of Penny Gate, a place he left many years ago, hoping never to return.  But when his Uncle Hal calls to relay the news of Aunt Julia's life-threatening, nasty fall, Jack feels obliged to be near the woman who raised him after tragic events robbed him of his birth parents.

With great trepidation, he returns to his boyhood home where, as a fifteen-year-old boy, he found the bludgeoned body of his mother at the foot of the basement stairs.  His wild and reckless behavior and reported frequent arguments with his parents, made him a prime suspect in the murder. That is, until Jack's father, John, disappeared after his wife's demise. Everyone surmised it must have been John who committed the crime. Even though he was exonerated, Jack still carries the scars and innuendos associated with the dark days of his childhood. Now he's come home again, and finds that beneath the cornflower blue skies of this small town, lie dangerous, hidden secrets..

Police begin to question if Julia's unfortunate mishap was really an accident after all. Circumstantial evidence seems to implicate Amy, Jacks's sister. She's a disheveled, pill-popping drinker who insists that she's innocent. And what about cousin Dean and his wife, Celia?  How much does Jack really know about the relatives he hasn't seen in years?

Ultimately, the one person determined to unveil the truth is Sarah, Jack's wife. Twenty years of lies cause her to question the man she calls her husband. Puzzling emails, dusty boxes of discarded audio tapes, and a close encounter on a gloomy, deserted highway, are clues that bring her that much closer to exposing a cunning killer.

Gudenkauf's latest short, simple,suspense novel manages to keep the reader turning the pages even though it's fairly easy to unravel the mystery as the plot thickens. Tension builds with her descriptive passages of vast cornfields, endless dirt roads leading to nowhere, and spooky, whispering winds in the night, The characters are real, the writing is easy to follow, and most of all, it's a juicy read that asks the question..... how well do you really know your spouse?  

The Good Goodbye

The Good Goodbye by Carla Buckley

Cousins Arden and Rory share an indescribable bond; it's almost as if they are one. Only they know how deep the connection and how dangerous and obsessive it's become.


Both girls lie unconscious in hospital beds, badly burned in a mysterious dormitory fire, clinging to life. Arson is suspected and one life has already been taken. Their parents pretend to show solidarity while animosity and tension fills the air. A once successful business venture between Arden's mother and Rory's father is floundering, creating a financial crisis.  Jealousy, indiscretions, and regrets permeate the rooms where Arden and Rory's lives remain in limbo.What these parents don't know is that their troubles are minor compared to the secrets their children never revealed. Those secrets are ready to explode and shatter a once happy, peaceful existence.

Author Carla Buckley artfully tells a story that begs the reader to decipher each and every clue until the very end of a compelling story. How much do parents really know about the challenges their daughters face to be popular and fit in? What's it like to feel the shame of a learning disability? How far can you bully someone you love until she reaches the breaking point?  All of these relevant topics including a love triangle, and a child's burning desire to live up to unreachable standards, come together to create another engaging book by a talented author.

Much like her previous mystery, The Deepest Secret, ( reviewed under Mystery in February of 2014), this novel requires the reader to pay close attention to details. Perhaps the ending is just a little too compact, but overall, you'll find this suspense thriller a perfect addition to your 2016 "books I want to read".

Where They Found Her

Where They Found Her by Kimberly McCreight

News of the newborn baby's discarded remains by the  Essex Bridge spreads quickly in this affluent university town of Ridgedale, New Jersey. Unfathomable that a child could be tossed away like a piece of trash. Everybody has an opinion. Yet questions remain. Who is responsible?

Molly Sanderson finds herself in an enviable position. The editor of the local paper, the Ridgedale Reader, wants her to cover the breaking news of the infant's sordid death. Up until recently, she's only handled light and fluffy columns. Now she has a chance to sink her teeth into big news, even over the objections of her husband, Justin, a university professor. He feels the story of a deceased child hits too close to home. Months earlier, Molly lost a daughter in the late stages of pregnancy. After intense therapy, Molly has made great strides, but still feels she was somehow responsible for the stillborn death of her child. How she ached to give daughter Ella a sibling. It wasn't meant to be.

Molly begins her investigation. At first treading softly, she soon becomes absorbed in the case, realizing that there there is a trail of deceit related to this baby's untimely death. The deception goes back years ago to another death of a popular high-school star athlete near the Essex Bridge.  Molly begins to delve into the past. No longer can anyone stop the lies and cover-ups. It's too late. The upstanding citizens of Ridgedale are about to be exposed, and everyone is going to pay the price.

Three different narrators tell this story of pain and tragedy. How can they possibly know how much they have in common?  Bold, raw, and dark,  author Kimberly McCreight's second novel explores the profound repercussions of betrayal, but not without a glimmer of hope.

"Not everything about where you're going has to be about where you've been".

 

The Magician's Lie

The Magician's Lie by Greer Macallister

The art of illusion. Magicians continue to fascinate and intrigue us with their effortless ability to do the impossible. Even the most skeptical audience can't explain the trickery right before their eyes.

This debut novel by a most talented author will hook you from the very first page. The main character isn't real, but the historical research behind the story is; I highly recommend you put this one on your list for the New Year and enter the mesmerizing world of magic.

It's the turn of the 20th century and patrons are filling venues far and wide to witness the magical talents of  The Amazing Arden. As one of the few female illusionists in the country, her fans watch this particular night as she plunges an ax into a coffin-like box, splitting a man's body in two.  Blood gushes onto the stage. Minutes later, the victim is whole again much to the delight of the audience. But later, after Arden makes her exit from the theater, the mutilated body of another man is discovered under the stage. There's only one conclusion. Arden is indeed a cunning murderess.

Virgil Holt is the local sheriff in Janesville, Iowa. By now, news has spread that the famous Arden escaped after murdering her husband during a thrilling show in Waterloo. Virgil is nursing wounds of his own; his life is on a downhill spiral. By a stroke of luck, he encounters the disheveled Arden and takes her into custody. Maybe this is his lucky break.  He can make a name for himself with her arrest.

Confined to a chair with three sets of handcuffs, Arden begs Virgil to listen to the sordid details of her life before he brings her to justice. As her story enfolds, he struggles to draw a line between fact and fiction. Should he believe her claim of innocence or is this the tale of an accomplished woman born to deceive?

Suspenseful, fast-paced, and enlightening, this novel may leave you with many unanswered questions.

Is it real or all a magician's lie?