Author: tropicaldelusions

Fern & Rose are twin sisters, who grew to adulthood in less-than-ideal circumstances. Raised in a single parent household after their father left the family, they have each had their share of trauma as children, some at the hands of their mother, others at the hands of their mother’s suitors, and one particularly devastating accident when they were 12, and their Mom’s eventual overdose in their teen years, but they’ve always had – and continue to have – one another.  

Fern suffers from a sensory disorder, for lack of a better explanation – she is very sensitive to sounds, crowds and such – and takes the spoken word very literally.  She works in the local library, and lives in a sensible apartment by herself, close to her sister’s home.  She lives a simple, organized life, walks to work each day and is content with things as they are. 

Rose, recently separated from her husband Owen (although she does not share that fact with her sister – Fern believes he’s working abroad) lives nearby, and the sister’s share evening meals a few times a week. It’s on one of those evenings, as Rose is preparing for a month away in London with Owen, that Fern discovers Rose is trying to become pregnant, but is unable to do so.  As the sisters discuss it, Fern decides that she wants to become pregnant to carry a baby for Rose. 

With Rose away, to occupy her time and her mission to become pregnant, Fern sets her sights on ‘Wally’, the maybe-homeless gentleman who frequents the library for showers and lives in his van. The two develop an unlikely friendship that grows into more as Fern moves ever closer to her goal of carrying her sisters’ child. How she sets about accomplishing the task is both hilarious and heart-warming!  But as her pregnancy progresses, Fern begins to have second thoughts about keeping her baby, while Rose is more determined than ever to be a mother.

Told from the present in Fern’s point of view and supplemented with writings from Rose’s journal entries (as recommended by her therapist), the reader is taken on the journey of childhood to adulthood with the girls, and in their memories along the way.  But as the memories begin to diverge, the real story emerges – a tale of manipulation, co-dependence and cruelty – with the reader not knowing who exactly can be trusted – if anyone…

This book was a very pleasant surprise! I got caught up in the story quickly, lost in the troubled childhood of the characters – it took me longer than it should have to realize that all was not as it seemed in the lives of these two now grown women. A great read, with a very satisfying ending!!  I highly recommend!! 

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

After a medical leave for some PTSD following her last case, Tracy Crosswhite is finally cleared to return to work. As she arrives for her first day, she’s promptly called to Capt. Nolasco’s office, only to learn that her Violent Crimes Squad team position was given to another detective while she was away. Her only choice is to assume to role of cold case investigator, whose present detective happens to be retiring today. Feeling cornered, Traci stops by the cold case office to get the lay of the land. 

Meanwhile, Stephanie Cole is planning on running a new jogging path at an out of the way park, before heading to a Halloween party. As she finally locates the park and sets out, she’s surprised to find that the running trail dead ends. She turns around to run back, but never makes it out of the woods. 

As Tracy gets settled and reviews some of the cold cases, a couple in particular catch her eye. One is that of the disappearance of a Seattle police officer’s daughter, 5 years ago, after playing hide and seek in a corn maze. The child was never found. More than a bit intrigued, Tracy digs into the file. Then a knock on the door brings her former partner Kins, who has just picked up the missing jogger case, and asks her to take a ride, as he lays out the situation. Together they start some interviews as they attempt to discover the whereabouts of Stephanie Cole. Tracy then recalls two of the case files in her office – also those of missing women from the same general area – and wonders if they might be related. 

As Tracy, Kins and the rest of the VCS team race against time to find a missing woman, the missing child from years ago is not ever far from Tracy’s mind.  As DNA evidence mounts, the team zeroes in on a suspect, desperately hoping to find Stephanie alive, but there’s still a piece of the puzzle missing…and time is running out…

This is another series I’ve discovered, thanks to Netgalley & Thomas & Mercer Publishers, and it does not disappoint.  A first-rate protagonist, and a fast-paced thriller make for another fantastic read from Robert Dugoni! As always, I cannot wait for Tracy’s next adventure! 

(I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an objective review.) 

FBI Agent Dr. Nadine Finch has just completed some training at FBI Headquarters and is returning home to the Tampa, FL Field Office and a few days with her boyfriend, when she learns of a possible new serial killer operating nearby, using her mother’s old stomping grounds to seemingly hunt his victims, with two bodies having been found in the last several days. Despite her misgivings about ever returning to the Ocala woods, Nadine feels compelled to assist. 

No stranger to serials – her mother and her uncle having been prolific killers – Nadine reluctantly agrees to assist the Ocala team as a consultant only, hoping to keep her name, and the inevitable dredging up of the past, out of the news. She also assembles her own team of investigators – her significant other, Detective Clint Demko, Dr. Juliette Hartfield, friend & medical examiner, and her administrative assistant, Tina Ruz. 

As Nadine and her team familiarize themselves with the case and the victims, it becomes readily apparent that this killer likes to starve, maim, torment, and then free his captives, only to hunt them down with a crossbow, and to watch as they are predated by alligators. As more victims go missing, Nadine realizes to her horror that she has a connection, however small, to each of the victims – and that this killer knows who she is and will not stop until he gets what he wants – and he wants Nadine…

And yet another great series that I have stumbled onto thanks to Netgalley! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and these characters. Nadine’s character is refreshing as a female protagonist who struggles at times with her own identity, and is fearful that she carries the killer gene, and therefore the capacity to kill like other members of her family have done. She’s also searching for a father who presumably left the family after her birth, but whom she suspects may also have fallen victim to her mother.  A suspenseful, ‘couldn’t put it down’ read, with some unanswered questions that have me anxiously awaiting the next of the 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!!

If you are a fan of mysteries & thrillers and prefer recurring characters, you’ll definitely want to give Webb’s Falco & Devlin team a try. 

Fresh off their first novel (which I have not yet read, but I certainly plan to), Birmingham Detectives Luke Falco & Kerri Devlin are called to the scene of a murder.  Two bodies, seated in chairs, hands bound behind them, and shot execution style. One of them is a bar owner, but the other is none other than Birmingham’s Deputy District Attorney Asher Walsh.  As they begin to assess the scene, Kerri gets a phone call from her daughter Tori’s school, asking to see her immediately. 

Leaving Falco to continue the murder investigation, Kerri goes to her daughter, only to find her being interrogated by colleagues, and learns that Tori was one of four young women standing on a staircase landing, when a classmate Brendal, either fell or was pushed, resulting in critical injury. None of the teens are able to state what happened, with Tori telling her mother that she doesn’t remember. 

Meanwhile, Sadie Cross, former BPD Detective turned private investigator, is slowly trying to put her life back together.  Sadie had been presumed lost on a deep undercover operation, only to re-appear a year later, with only scattered bits and pieces of memories of the events that lead to her disappearance, along with the haunting memory of a child lost. 

As the investigation commences, it quickly becomes apparent that DDA Walsh was looking into the Osorio drug cartel, the same cartel that Sadie had infiltrated on her undercover op, but what was his connection?  Falco, Devlin & Sadie become unlikely partners as they dig deep into the investigation, while Kerri also desperately tries to protect her daughter from an increasingly hostile situation…

Another great find, thanks to Thomas & Mercer Publishers & Netgalley.com.  I have always enjoyed mystery/suspense series with recurring characters and this duo does not disappoint! This is the second in a (so far) two book series, and alludes to events in the first book, so I’m off to find that for my next read – so, suggesting that they be read in order! The characters are very likeable, and there appears to be a deepening connection between Kerri & Luke that begs to be explored in future stories. Sadie is also a fascinating persona, with a brash, irascible, devil-may-care personality, which I suspect will also under-go great change in the next in the series. Honestly, I cannt wait to get me hands on it. There’s nothing better than a series, that has you desperate to get your hands on the next edition! Great read, great characters, great plot, great series!! Need I say more?? 

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