scknitter's Reviews (1.48k)

 A WhatsApp message accidentally sent to the wrong group starts a jaw-dropping series of events that no one could imagine. Four people end up dead and a teenager ends up in jail, but the real question is, was the misdirected message to blame or was a lot more going on? Teen age bullying, infidelity, mistaken identity, past traumas, lots of characters and lots of secrets will have you reeling, and perhaps taking notes, as you try and understand who actually did what. And when you are done you will definitely think twice before you send a tell all message about someone. 

 

Broken Country is one of the most beautiful and heartbreaking books I have ever read.  You would think with a love triangle that you would dislike one or even two of those involved but you can’t help but love and feel really sorry for all involved, because there was definitely heartbreakingly true love.  This is a story that you won’t soon forget.  You will cry more than once, and you will hope that somehow there will be a way to make everything right. And, in the end there is understanding, forgiveness and grace. 

 Parent’s Weekend is more of a police procedural than a thriller, though the ending is definitely very suspenseful. Five students go missing during parent’s weekend at a small private college on the CA coast. While we learn a little about the students the book is really more about their parents and how what they have done has affected not only their children but also others involved. I loved Sarah Keller’s role in the investigation, even though she was supposed to just be in a supporting role she soon showed that her instincts and ability to get people involved and talking were what was important. 

 Guess Again will have you guessing again and again as you try to keep straight who and how all of the characters are involved not only in the current investigation of a missing woman but also in the disappearance of a teenager 10 years earlier. You have among the many characters, all of whom are very important to the story, a burned out detective turned ER doctor, his girlfriend a current detective and also the only survivor of the WI massacres 30 years earlier, a convicted killer who has been in prison for 30 years for the WI massacres, A world renowned psychiatrist who was the missing teens best friend, a onetime high school volleyball coach, a kidnapped woman who was the coach’s last girlfriend, and the current Gov. of WI. Together these characters interact in ways you could never imagine giving a chilling and suspenseful tale of pure evil. 

 Guess Again will have you guessing again and again as you try to keep straight who and how all of the characters are involved not only in the current investigation of a missing woman but also in the disappearance of a teenager 10 years earlier. You have among the many characters, all of whom are very important to the story, a burned out detective turned ER doctor, his girlfriend a current detective and also the only survivor of the WI massacres 30 years earlier, a convicted killer who has been in prison for 30 years for the WI massacres, A world renowned psychiatrist who was the missing teens best friend, a onetime high school volleyball coach, a kidnapped woman who was the coach’s last girlfriend, and the current Gov. of WI. Together these characters interact in ways you could never imagine giving a chilling and suspenseful tale of pure evil. 

This book will have you reeling from the first page. You will want to speed up the audio so you can find out what is going on faster but you will need to slow it down to understand who is trying to frame whom and who is dirty and who is not.  You will follow the evidence as it is fed to you piece by piece and you will finally be sure you know who did what and how, and then…Wham! As the cover says you will never forget the ending, or Quimby the cat.  

This book will have you reeling from the first page. You will want to speed up the audio so you can find out what is going on faster but you will need to slow it down to understand who is trying to frame whom and who is dirty and who is not.  You will follow the evidence as it is fed to you piece by piece and you will finally be sure you know who did what and how, and then…Wham! As the cover says you will never forget the ending, or Quimby the cat.  

 Blood On the Vine was an absolutely perfect suspense thriller. It was a police procedural which I love. It featured an FBI agent forced to return to Napa to investigate the murder of two young women – a place she swore she would never return to because of a teen age trauma, and a loveable and funny police detective who was new to the job but at 60 years old was full of wisdom and insight. Also front and center were feuding families, a possible cult based on ancient writings where drugs, wine and sex were the norm, and a fascinating look at the science of wine making. You will definitely be hooked by the prologue and will be fooled more than once as you try and figure out who killed Catherine and why.

 

I am not sure what it says about myself that I loved and was rooting for a serial killer.  But Lottie Jones at age 75 just wants to be able to enjoy church bingo with her friends and forget her past, which so far she has hidden well.  When a journalist threatens to reveal her true name and her past she has no choice but to return to her old ways of solving problems (think Dexter ) but instead of easily taking care of just one person things soon escalate.  I enjoyed every word of this story about an elderly, supposedly retired, serial killer who tries to figure out how to get away with murder despite her age, her frailty, and her inexperience with modern technology.

 I cannot believe I actually loved listening to this book with some of the sickest and most evil characters I have ever encountered. And the twists – apparently I was allowed to figure out some of the twists by the extremely clever way the book was written only to find out that they were really not the ultimate twists. And then I listened to the epilogue. The Other Sister is definitely a roller coaster ride full of darkness and then a thin glimmer of light. I had no idea it was listed as Christian Fiction, and I am totally confused about that label. But I am glad I didn’t know because if I had I would never have picked it up.