"Good Me Bad Me" by Ali Land

In Good Me Bad Me by Ali Land, Annie lives with her mom who does things she should not do!  Annie goes to the police and tells on her mom, then into witness protection.  Ready to start a new life with a new name and family while waiting for the trial to begin.  Unfortunately, her new family and her do not seem to connect.  She will be good, won't she?

This is the author's first book and I must say I am impressed!  There is good pace to the book and the characters are very believable.    The trial was the best part with a surprise ending!  This is well worth reading.
(Gerard's review, 4.5 stars)

Teaser from page 6:  You turned your had to the side.  Faced me.  Your eyes never left mine, I read them with ease.  You said nothing to them, yet everything to me.

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"The Other Wife" by Michael Robotham

In The Other Wife by Michael Robotham, Joe O'Loughlin is mourning his dead wife.  At least he has his mom and dad to lean on.  One day he gets a call his dad is in ICU and in a coma.  When he gets to the hospital, he sees a woman by his dad's bedside but not his mom.  When he inquires, the woman tells him she is his dad's other wife!  Say what?  This is an adult novel. 

If you are looking for an action book, this is not it.  This is a psychological thriller that you need your thinking cap for!  There are several story lines that all lead to the main story!  I enjoyed the twists and the different characters were true to life.  Also, you never knew what was really going to happen next!  Some parts are slow, but I though the overall story made up for that.  It had a good ending and is well worth reading!
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Teaser from page 10:  'But I was told . . .'  'I asked the hospital to call you.'  'I'm sorry, but who are you?'  'I'm his other wife.'

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"Let Me Lie" by Clare Mackintosh -- Don't Miss This!

In Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh, Anna does not think that the police reports of her parents' suicide is right!  The more people tell her to drop it, the more resolve she has to find out what really happened.  I thought this book was awesome!  It has great pacing and great character development, plus lots of twists and turns that kept me guessing.  Part 1 was so good but part 2 was even better!  Part 3 adds the finishing touch!  Do not miss this one!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Here's Karen's review:
Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh is one crazy read! Anna, a young single mother, discovers that her parents’ suicides were not suicides after all! What really happened? Were they killed or was there an accident? When the truth comes out, it is a shock to say the least! Not only that, but Anna wonders if she can even trust her live-in boyfriend, Mark. Murray, a retired detective is the one who finally solves the mystery.

The main lesson in this story is not to marry just because a baby is involved. This book is sad and addresses several issues such as alcoholism, deceit, marrying without love, domestic violence, mental illness and grief. The main plot is mind boggling and captivating. This book has a few surprises and both mystery and suspense that mounts as it progresses. It’s a good read that will keep you guessing and draws you in. (Karen’s review, 4 stars)



Karen's Teaser from page 17: I have to stop Anna going to the police. I have to stop her finding out the truth about what happened, before she gets hurt.

Gerard's Teaser from page 15:  I recoil as if I've been punched.  Is this some kind of sick joke?

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"White is the Coldest Colour" by John Nicholl

White is The Coldest Colour by John Nicholl is about a child Psychiatrist who is a sexual predator and part of a ring of many pedophiles in Wales. This is a work of fiction, but is based on the author’s experiences as a police office and child protection social worker. This book reflects the reality of how much harm sexual predators inflict on their victims. This book shows the depravity of man and is a very disturbing read! It also includes physical abuse and a lengthy investigation.

I can’t say I enjoyed this book because it is so dark and the doctor was a horrible human being! I had to keep reading to find out if the cops would find the missing 7-yr-old boy in time and see the doctor brought to justice. The ending was better than I expected; however, I would have liked the story to have continued on a bit to end on a happier note. It seemed to end too abruptly.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

Teaser from page 6: If a respected doctor such as himself could abandon any semblance of a conscience, learn to fully embrace his true nature, and view life and death from a purely Darwinian perspective, why the hell couldn’t Sherwood do likewise? That was the one thing which may have saved him.


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"Baby Teeth" by Zoje Stage (We Both Liked This One)

Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage is the story of a dysfunctional family, Crone's disease, and a little girl who wants her mother gone.  Hannah feels as though her mother, Suzette, doesn't really love her and is constantly trying to come between her and her father!  Suzette, on the other hand, feels as though Hannah is coming between her and her husband.  The little bratty girl behaves nicely towards her father, so he doesn't see her evil side and thinks teachers exaggerate when reporting behavior problems with his precious little Hannah.

Some chapters are written from Hannah's perspective while others are from the mother's perspective which makes for a very interesting read!  Hannah is manipulative, sneaky, smart, devious, mean, and mentally ill.  She can talk, but refuses to do so except for when it serves her purpose of scaring her mother by things she says.  Hannah is determined not to go to school because she can cause more problems for her mother at home.  She has figured out that if she acts up and is bad enough, the school will kick her out and she wins! 

This book kept my interest all the way through because I had to see if the mother was actually going to get killed and what was going to happen to Hannah.  I didn't like Hannah because she was so mean to her mother for no reason.  If you like stories about dysfunctional families, this is a wild one for you!
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

Gerard's review, 5++ stars:
Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage is told by Suzette, a stay-at-home mom and Hanna, her 7-yr.-old daughter!  They do not get along at all; in fact, Hanna has not spoken to her mom her whole life!  She acts better toward her dad, so much so that Alex does not believe his wife when she tells him how Hanna acts toward her.  Can this become a happy family?

I thought this book was very good!  I enjoyed Suzette and Hanna very much!  I liked how the author kept adding new things one after another and hope there is a second book--job well done!


Teaser from page 7:  Suzette felt her face reddening, as if her hands had moved to her throat, squeezing the life from her.  "I--we--don't know what to do.  We can't go on like this."

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"Lying in Wait" by Liz Nugent is a Wild Read!

Lying in Wait by Liz Nugent is told by multiple people.  The two main people who tell it are Lydia and Laurence.  They are a mom and son.  Lydia made Laurence share a secret that is the central part of this book. 

I thought this book was wild!  In a good way!  Secrets come out that will have your head spinning.  There are some dull spots, but for the most part the pacing of this book is really good.  The last part of this book will have you turning pages and the ending is one that I did not see coming at all!
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Teaser from page 47:  "I was a fool to go along with your crazy plan.  I did it because I loved you."

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"The Perfect Nanny" by Leila Slimani

In The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani, Myriam decides that she wants to go back to work as a lawyer. She and her husband, Paul, decide to hire a nanny. It does not take them long to decide to hire Louise, she seems perfect! This book starts out a bit flat, but stick with it! When it picked up for me, I had a hard time putting it down. At less than 250 pages, it will not take you long to finish it. Like everybody else, I did not care for the ending.

Teaser from page 19:  "It was heartbreaking when we had to let her go.  To be perfectly honest, I even thought of having a third child at the time, just so we could keep her."
(Gerard’s review, 4 stars)

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"Into the Water" by Paula Hawkins (UPDATED)

In Into the Water by Paula Hawkins (author of The Girl on the Train which I loved), a single mother is found dead in a river.  Earlier, a young teen girl was found in the same river--dead.  Lena, the 15-yr.-old daughter of the single mom, is alone until her aunt Jules comes to look after her.  This town is the last place Jules wants to be.  The law is looking for answers.  Will the secrets people in this town are hiding come out?

Teaser from page 50:  "So two women have did in that river this year?" I said.  "Two women who knew each other, who were connected . . ."

In the Water is just as good, if not better than The Girl on the Train! There are lots of characters in this which make for tons of story lines.  I enjoyed all of them and as I read along, I tried to put the pieces together.  It took me to the very end to figure it out!  I LOVED IT!  What a great book to end with in 2017!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen's review:
Into the Water by Paula Hawkins is a mystery surrounding several deaths in a river running through a small town.  When Lena's mother. Nell, dies in the river, her aunt Jules comes to take care of her.  There is a lot of tension between them since the aunt hadn't talked to Lena's mother in years. 

This book has lots of characters to keep straight, including dead ones.  Much of the book hops back to the past and some of the past is told through a manuscript Lena's mother was writing.  There was enough interesting relationship drama to keep my interest but didn't really care for all the deaths which kind of creeped me out.  I admit, I did not know what really happened to Lena's mom until the very end.  I didn't like that there were some loose ends either so I give this one 3 stars.  If you are a fan of creepy things, you would probably like this book more than I did.

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"The Game You Played" by Anni Taylor (Great Debut Psychological Thriller)

The Game You Played by Anni Taylor is about Phoebe and Luke whose 2-yr.-old son goes missing.  Phoebe has some mental problems and Luke gets tired of everyone feeling sorry for her and not him.  This takes place in a suburb in Australia, where Luke is a real estate agent seeking to make a lot of money and working a lot.  Phoebe and Luke grew up together and so have the same friends.  They are both on the wild side compared to me!  The story is told in first person, alternating between Luke and Phoebe.

Teaser from page 279 (Loc. 4880):  My knees buckled when I saw what was on the page.  I fell to my hands and knees, vomiting into the garden. 

I discovered this book through a teaser on Teaser Tuesday. This was quite the mystery!  I could not figure out who took Tommy.  I liked this book and was surprised to see it was a debut novel.  It certainly had a lot of interesting characters and several different themes about friendship, hoarding, judging others, parenting and drugs.  I think this could make for an interesting book club discussion, especially if you discussed it as everyone was reading it rather than after everyone read it.   You could have a guess who the kidnapper is contest at the beginning and give a prize to the winner at the end (if anyone gets it right).  It reminded me a bit of Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

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"Emma In The Night" by Wendy Walker (Updated)

In Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker, one night Cass and Emma disappear.  Three years pass and Cass shows up at home, but Emma does not.  Cass tells her story about the three years she has been gone, but to psychologist Dr. Abby Winter, it does not seem to add up.

I thought this book was really good!  It is told by Abby and Cass.  The pacing of the story is so well done that I did not know how it would turn out until the very end.  LOVED IT!  Add this to your TBR list.  You will be glad you did.
(Gerard's review 5++ stars)

Karen read it too, 8-29-17:
Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker is about a dysfunctional family and lots of despicable behavior! It is full of creepy sick characters, fantastic storytelling manipulation and injustice. When Cass returns home without her sister after both being missing for three months, everyone is all ears about what happened to her, where she was, where and what happened to her sister, Emma. The FBI reopens the case in their search for Emma and the reader gets the back story in bits and pieces as told by Cass and the forensic psychologist, Dr. Winter, who is an expert on narcissistic personality disorder based on her own experience.

This is one crazy mystery that moved a bit slow for my taste, but has an interesting ending. This book centers around the mother who has narcissistic personality disorder and whether the cycle can be broken. As mysteries go, I have to give it 4 stars because I really could not figure out where Emma was; however, I cannot say I liked this one. This left a bad taste in my mouth due to the injustice and all the wickedness and evil in this book. It’s definitely written in a unique manner which is really what makes it a good read!


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"He Said/She Said" by Erin Kelly

In He Said/She Said by Erin Kelly, Kit and Laura want to see an eclipse but Laura sees something else too:  a man and a woman who is being attacked.  Months later, the woman shows up on Laura's doorstep.  Soon Laura questions if what she saw was really that bad.  There is a lot of twists and turns in this book.  The build up to the last part is so good!  You really do not know how it will play out.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"The Red Hunter" by Lisa Unger (Updated, We Both Liked This One)

Manny Boy (R.I.P. 5/14/17)

The Red Hunter by Lisa Unger is a mystery with complex characters and surprises about seeking justice/revenge. At the center of this novel is an old “haunted” farmhouse that was Zoey’s childhood home where her parents were murdered years ago and one Claudia has inherited and is renovating. Some cops justify stealing $1 million from a drug dealer and after the agreed upon cuts, Zoey’s dad hides it. The story line with Claudia centers on her marriage, her teenage daughter Raven and the renovation while Zoey’s story centers on her hunting down and killing the men who murdered her parents and tortured her as a kid.

This novel is fast-paced and kept my attention, peaked my interest and challenged me to think about the difference between justice and revenge. I liked both Claudia and Zoey. The ending was great but also a bit shocking. The only thing I didn’t really like was that abrupt switching between story lines without any transition. I really liked this one though in spite of that and highly recommend it if you like crime novels that weave in normal lives. 
(Karen's review, 5/18/17, 5 stars)

Gerard read this first:
In The Red Hunter by Lisa Unger, Claudia wants a new start.  She is trying to deal with a horrible assault on her that she will live with forever.  She is going to fix up an old house that was in her family for her and her daughter.  Zoey Drake had a terrible ordeal too and wants revenge in the worst way!  What these two women have in common is that house and the secrets that still exist in it, none of which Claudia has any idea about.

This is good stuff!  The first part of the book sets it up and the last part of the book shows how it all plays out.  Lisa Unger is always good!  This is another good read by her and I look forward to her next one.  (Gerard's review, 5/8/17, 5 stars)

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"The Dead House" by Dawn Kurtagich is Really Spooky and Creepy!

The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich is a very dark, creepy book I just read for a change of pace. I was intrigued that it was about a girl with Dissociative Identity Disorder or multiple personality disorder. It is told in a very unique way through interviews, video transcripts, notes and emails. This is a psychological thriller with paranormal activity as well. I wish it was written in chronological order because I found it a bit annoying that I was reading parts dated “after the incident” before I even knew what incident it was referring to. Parts before the incident included dates and a countdown of days before the incident—quite an interesting way of creating some suspense, I admit. This book is an interesting and creepy mystery that drew me in. If you like strange and unusual mysteries with black magic, then you would most likely love this book. I did not like the ending at all! If you read this one, we’d like to hear what you thought of it.
 (Karen's review, 4 stars)

The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich is really creepy!  It tells the story of a diary that belonged to Carly Johnson.  This is a VERY disturbed mind for sure.  She tells of Kaitlyn, Carly's alter ego!  This book got me hooked because of all the strange goings on.  I just had to see how it all played out.

This author really knows how to play with your mind, that's for sure!  I won't be able to get this one out of my head for a while.  To me, this is even creepier than many of the Stephen King books I've read!
(Gerard's review, 4/20/17, 5 stars)

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"The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die" by April Henry

In The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die by April Henry,  a young girl wakes up in a cabin.  She does not know who she is or what she is doing there.  What she does know is that two men are going to do something not so nice to her unless she does something quick.

This is a good short story.  It is just a little over 200 pages and kept my interest.  I liked the two main characters.  The story line is okay and the action moves along nicely.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars) 

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"A Simple Favor" by Darcey Bell

In A Simple Favor by Darcey Bell, Emily and Stephanie are friends.  They have young boys that are close friends too.  One day Emily asks Steph to look after her son because she is going away for a few days. But when a few days turns into weeks, Steph begins to questions what she really knew about Emily, and what about Emily's husband and son?  How do they react?

This was written by a pre-school teacher.  Are you kidding me?  This is a very adult novel to be sure.  The first 100 pages set the scene and when you get to page 100, this book really takes off!  There are many twists and turns.  If you think you know what you know, trust me You Do Not!  LOVED IT!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"The Wonder" by Emma Donoghue is Based on a True Story

The Wonder by Emma Donoghue is based on a true story.  Remember that as your read this book!  Eleven-year-old Anna has not eaten for four months, yet she still lives!  Lib wright, an English nurse, has been sent to verify that this is true but she doubts it and is determined to get to the truth.

This book really drew me in.  The story line is very good and the characters are very believable.   Even though there is not a lot of action, I still kept turning pages.  The last part of this book is gripping and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to get o the stunning conclusion!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"The Ice Beneath Her" by Camilla Grebe

The Ice Beneath Her by Camilla Grebe starts with a gruesome murder.  In fact, it looks like one that happened years ago and the police have no clue!  A CEO on whose property the murder too place is missing.  The search is on to find him and a woman desperately also wants to find him.

I thought this book was fantastic!  The writing is very good and the characters are believable.  The suspense really builds in this book and what you think you know, you do not!  This is my "book of the month" so far!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)  

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"Every You, Every Me" by David Levithan

In Every You, Every Me by David Levithan, Evan is alone. He is a young teen boy whose best friend/girlfriend, Ariel, is gone! Gone where is the question. Is she alive or dead? Evan begins to get photos of her and places where they spent time, but how and from whom? Is Ariel back or is Evan going crazy with guilt because of the day Ariel left? This book had me from page 1! I love how the author kept building up the suspense all the way to the end.
(Gerard’s review, 5 stars)

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"The Dead Man" by Joel Goldman is 3 Mysteries in 1!

The Dead Man by Joel Goldman is about a former FBI agent, Jack who has a movement disorder that makes him shake. He takes a job as director of security at the Harper Institute of the Mind, working for an extremely rich man who has early stages of Alzheimer’s.  With the help of his landlady, an ex-cop, Jack finds himself investigating the deaths of two Dream Project volunteers who died, one suicide, one accident but what he believes to be murders connected with the institute.   The institute tries to help people who have bad nightmares be able to take control of what happens in them.

Jack's daughter, Wendy, who overdosed was believed to be involved with a drug ring and the FBI believes Jack knows what happened to the missing five million dollars they believe she had.  The mystery is what happened to the money.

The third mystery is who killed the parents of a little 10-yr.-old girl, Maggie while they were sleeping.  She got away by jumping from her bedroom balcony two-stories high.

This is a very complex mystery!  I figured out just one of the three.  There is a serial killer on the loose and lots of deaths in this book.  The title refers to the crime scene itself which gives the most evidence.  Jack is the main character and I liked him.  This is good from start to finish--I was never bored with it and recommend it to anyone who likes a good murder mystery!
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

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"The Trap" by Melanie Raabe

The Trap by Melanie Raabe is about how Linda Conrads, an author, seeks to bring her sister's killer to justice by getting him to confess.  The murder happened 12 years ago and went unsolved.  Linda is the only eyewitness who actually saw the murderer, at least she thinks she saw him.  When she sets a trap for him by writing a novel including the specific details of the murder, some doubts arise. 

This is a unique mystery and psychological thriller with a novel within a novel which gives background information to the reader.  There is very little action in this book but quite a bit of suspense.  The author kept my interest by keeping me guessing if Linda was crazy and if she would actually get the confession she wanted.  She was as much interested in why her sister was murdered and so wanted to have a little chat with the killer face to face which was the best part of the book.  I really liked that the killer had a little trap of his own but didn't care for the excerpts from the novel Linda wrote!  I found them distracting after a while.
(Karen's review, 3 stars)

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