scknitter's Reviews (1.48k)

 I really enjoyed the first two Hana Westerman books and while I enjoyed reading more about the Māori culture and getting to know more about Hana’s friends and family I felt Like Carved in Blood was lacking in anything very exciting or thrilling and was more of a filler piece to give Hana a reason to rejoin the force so she could once again be the center of something dangerous and exciting. I will definitely be reading the next Hana Westerman because I really enjoy Bennett’s writing, and I am hoping for more of a police procedural than a family saga. 

 I would Die For You was one of the most intense thrillers I have read in awhile. As soon as Nicole realized that her daughter’s mysterious disappearance had something to do with what happened between her and her younger sister and a scandal involving one of London’s most famous boy bands of the 1980’s I couldn’t listen fast enough. As the past was slowly revealed I kept thinking I knew why Nicole had run away and never told her husband about her past, but I could never have imagined what actually happened. What a story and what an ending! Thanks to #netgalley and #minataur for the advanced listening copy. 

 King of Ashes is the darkest and most violent of Cosby’s books. I cannot imagine living in the type of environment that Roman and his siblings find themselves in. But Cosby describes it so vividly that you literally feel the anger, the fear, the anguish, and the grief that the Carruthers have gone through for most of their lives. I did not understand at first why Roman did the things he did to help his brother, but family is everything as you will soon come to realize. 

 

I don’t normally read/like paranormal or supernatural novels, but Wurth brilliantly used the genre to tell the story of past injustices to native Americans – specifically the Sand Creek Massacre – and to discuss serious topics such as racial bias affecting all of us in current times.  It was easy to believe that Olivia was truly seeing and hearing everyone that helped her to understand her sister’s death. 

 We Don’t Talk About Emma doesn’t have the normal creepiness and horror usually associated with books by J.D.Barker. Instead, it is a well written, slow-burn police procedural focused on the murder of a suspected rapist who was later found to be a serial killer of young girls. The detectives assigned to the case, Nikki Mayeaux and Keith Teague each have their own agendas and don’t often play by the rules. Their background and their actions are what make the story so unique and interesting as does the locale of New Orleans during Mardi Gras. Thanks to Net Galley for the audio advanced listening copy. 

 This was a fun read with a great mystery, a gay love story, and two really terrific main characters. I hope to see more of Detective Rav Trivedi in the future. 

 A superb domestic thriller that starts out as a missing person’s case but soon becomes a murder investigation. There are a host of possible suspects and each time you think you know who might have done it new evidence comes out that will change your mind. Detective Jayne Salter uses her instincts and intuition to get at the secrets that all of the main characters are hiding. Even after the murder was solved there were still a lot of secrets not addressed and there is an interesting last sentence from Detective Salter’s boyfriend who is a psychologist that leads me to believe this could be the start of a series. 

 Close Your Eyes and Count to Ten is a fast-paced locked room type thriller that takes place on an isolated island during a severe tropical storm. It features a strong Mom and a host of other characters all of whom are put in situations where they have to come to terms with what is really important in life. They have all made bad decisions (like taking part in the Extreme hide and seek game on the island) some of which are much worse than others. Those whose decisions are based on greed and selfishness are eventually made to pay. 

 Sarah Pinborough has done it again – created a crazy, creepy, wtf story complete with a spooky old house that is definitely haunted in some way. But, if you think this is just a run of the mill ghost story you are in for a shock. Larkin Lodge attracts couples in trouble, couples with secrets, couples with which it can play. Would it be worth murdering someone if you could get back the best part of the person you used to love? And what price would you have to pay? We Live Here Now will definitely give you something to think about, long after you have discovered the secret of Larkin Lodge.