Month: July 2022

Many years ago, in Hillsborough, North Carolina, a neighboring family was inexplicably murdered in their home, with their young daughter the only survivor. Now, the case has been brought back to the forefront of the news as the state has decided to re-enact capital punishment for the killer, dubbed the shotgun Slayer, with investigative reporter Laura Chambers’ write up making front page news. Laura only has vague memories of the family that lived nearby, but her mother is not pleased about her dredging up the past. 

Leaving her mother’s home, Laura pulls her phone out of her pocket and sees she’s missed 4 calls from a number she doesn’t recognize. As she contemplates that, the phone rings yet again. She answers only to find herself talking to a local sheriff’s deputy who asks her to come to a scene. Puzzled, she heads to an accident scene on the interstate, where a young woman has been struck and killed by a truck, mutilated so badly, she is unidentifiable. The cop, Whitley, demands to know who the victim is & Laura is perplexed as she has no idea – even when Whitley tells her the missed calls to her cell came from the phone the victim was carrying. 

Knowing she won’t be privy to the details of the investigation – Laura uses her sources – and those of her editor – to work her own search into the identity of the dead woman. A trip to the coroner’s office yields some interesting information, and she enlists and old friend to help her track the woman’s last movements – why was she here and who was she was running from? As Laura digs deeper, she finds more questions than answers – then a discovery brings old memories into question, leaving Laura determined to find answers… 

This is the second novel featuring Laura Chambers, following her debut in Last Girl Gone (2018) and it is a stunner!! Told with intricate detail, bold characters and plenty of action and intrigue, I found this book impossible to put down.  Laura is a strong, assertive force to be reckoned with and I can’t wait to see what she finds herself up against next.  I know writing a book takes time, but I am sincerely hoping I don’t have to wait long for the next in this (hopefully) series!!  An excellent 5 star read!! 

Available from your favorite bookseller on July 12th!

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley & Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an objective review.  Do you love to read?? Visit netgalley.com and start reviewing books today!!

A handsome young man grabs his camera, and tells his Mom he’s going to find a boreal owl, a rarity in Maine, before driving to the Penobscot Narrows bridge and leaping to his death… 

Maine game warden/investigator Mike Bowditch returns in a new novel, as he and girlfriend Stacey Stevens set out in their kayaks for Baker Island, a small, granite and sand island off the coast of Maine, where The Maine Seabird Initiative assists with seabird restorative efforts.  A college friend of Stacey’s, Kendra Ballard, reached out to her old friend for assistance and requesting she bring Mike, after the programs director has seemingly gone missing, and due to some other strange happenings had started.  As they paddle along in the early morning hours, they’re nearly swamped by a boat racing by at top speed – a boat that belongs to the missing director. 

As they arrive on the island and meet up with Kendra, and interns Heather and Garrett, they learn of some troubling sabotage that’s been taking place. Maeve seems to be behaving erratically, someone has populated the island with weasels, which have decimated the bird populations nesting there, and boaters have been staying just offshore harassing the islands interns. After an encounter with once such boat, Mike sends them on their way. Intending to rejoin the trio in the morning, Stacey and Mike head to neighboring Spruce Island to camp for the night, where a gunshot awakens them in the pre-dawn hours – a gunshot that sounded like it came from Baker Island. 

Upon their return to the island, they find evidence of sabotage, before discovering the bodies of Kendra and Heather. Garrett is nowhere to be found, and the small skiff that is usually present on islands edge is missing.  As Mike does his best to secure the crime scene, Stacey heads to a neighboring island in her kayak in hopes of finding a cell signal, or other means to summon help. 

Shortly thereafter, the cavalry descends on the little island with the Coast Guard, & the Maine State Police among the investigators.  

As Mike and the crew investigate the murders, Stacey remains on a neighboring island, owned by an eccentric artist and his equally interesting wife.  It’s not until Mike joins Stacey on the island that he spots something that puts it all together for him – and now he realizes he’s in a veritable den of snakes, any one of which may be a killer… 

As a former Mainer – for a short while anyway – I was elated when I discovered this series a couple of years ago!  I love reading about places I’ve been, and an investigative type series with a recurring main character – heaven!  This is the newest installment of the Mike Bowditch series and, like others before it, it took off like a rocket and I could not put it down. Add in some birds for a bird nerd like me, and it was pretty darn near perfect! A great read from Paul Doiron!! 

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley & St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books in exchange for an objective review.  Do you love to read?? Visit netgalley.com and start reviewing books today!!

Sally Holt was a young 13-year-old girl, just starting the 8^th grade, when she loses her older sister very suddenly. As this novel begins, an adult Sally seems to be talking to her long gone sister and is reminiscing of long past days – their relationship, the luminescent stars they had on the ceiling of their bedroom, the late-night random conversations they would have, and of course about Billy Barnes, the boy that Kathy secretly adored, and therefore, Sally loved too. As we learn from Sally, they lived an idyllic life with loving parents, Over time, Kathy & Billy became a couple, while Sally struggled with the ever-widening gap between she and her sister, as Kathy entered high school. Then, everything changed. 

Sally continues to talk to her now deceased sister, describing the events that would change her entire world and of those that they loved. How bereft she felt, alone in the bedroom they shared, struggling to come to terms with the unfathomable loss, and the finality of the moment. She describes the changes to her own life and those of her parents, and of Billy, whom she secretly reaches out to, as she knows only he can understand her great loss. 

As the years go by, we learn of the long-term impacts on Sally and her family, borne of such a shattering loss and how Sally’s present remains ever shaped by the events of that long ago morning.  All in all, a very real, painful, sometimes funny, yet heart-breaking look into a devastating loss and growing up with the grief, as it becomes an indelible part of who we are.  

This was a big change from my usual genre, but I always like to give new authors a look, and this novel gives a lot of feels – love, humor, loss, despair & hope.  My only complaint was the ending – because it just ends – and yet it was time.  But this one will resonate long after the final page is turned… 

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley & Henry Holt & Company in exchange for an objective review.  Do you love to read?? Visit netgalley.com and start reviewing books today!!

Detective Amanda Steele and her partner Trent Stenson are on the scene of an untimely death in a cabin deep in the woods of Gainesville, Virginia. The deceased is a young female who Amanda recognizes as the founder of a popular & profitable cosmetic company, Alicia Gordon. It appears she died alone, shattered wineglass by her side, family portrait tucked underneath the blanket with her.  As Amanda gazes at the framed picture, she is astonished to recognize the young woman’s companion as someone she once knew in high school – and she realizes the case has just become that much more complicated.  With no evidence of a break in, and they key in the cabin with the victim, the Detectives have little to go on. Was this death a suicide – or something more sinister?

As Amanda & Trent await autopsy results, they begin their investigation by learning as much as they can about the victim. Upon arriving at her home, Amanda sees Tony for the first time in years, surprised to learn he and Alicia had recently married. They also learn that she was considering selling her company – and in the event of her death, most of Alicia’s assets would go to Tony, giving him a significant motive. Furthermore, Tony insists that Alicia would not have harmed herself. A call from the medical examiner has the team leaning towards murder…but who…how…and why? 

As the duo digs deeper, they learn of a rival cosmetic company – and accusations of a stolen formula being the source of Alicia’s success. She also learns of animosity between Amanda and her ex-husbands & Tony’s alleged dalliance with a nanny – a relationship he flat out lied to Amanda about, putting him right back at the top of the suspect list.  When a second person dies, in a manner startlingly similar to Alicia’s, Amanda & Trend must re-double their efforts to put the pieces together and stop a stone-cold killer in his tracks. 

I’ll admit, this one kept me guessing until Amanda made the connection – and that what makes it a good read fore me!  I really enjoy this series and I am curious to see how Amanda and Trent’s characters – and relationship – will continue to grow, both professionally and personally, in the books ahead.  Great read, great series!! 

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley & Bookouture in exchange for an objective review.  Do you love to read?? Visit netgalley.com and start reviewing books today!!