Tropical Delusions……

Michael Hart is heading back to his family’s NY City hotel room with a pizza for dinner when he spots his son’s favorite stuffed animal, Teddy, abandoned in the hallway.  Presuming Teddy was dropped, he scoops him up and idly wonders how his son, Bryce, lost him when they are typically inseparable.  He enters their hotel room, surprised by the silence, and wonders where his family has gone to when they knew he was fetching dinner. He texts his wife the let her know he’s returned but receives no reply.  It takes him a short while to realize that all his family’s belongings are gone – except his.

Michael then has hotel security call the police, to report his family’s disappearance.  As the responding officers discuss the incident with Michael, hotel security personnel screen video footage from the various cameras. To Michael’s bewilderment, he sees his wife and children exiting the hotel through a back entrance, and climbing into a sedan, before they disappear from view.  They’ve clearly left of their own accord…but why??

The book next cuts to Natalie Hart in her workplace, before her disappearance, as she’s worrying about the distance that’s growing between her and Michael, whom she suspects might be having an affair.  With her worries, comes insomnia, and little incidents that have her questioning her sanity.  Michael has been appropriately concerned… or has he?  With this on her mind, she enters the staff kitchen and encounters a young woman crying.  After a quick check to ensure she’s okay, the women strike up a conversation and head to lunch, with Natalie thinking perhaps she can use this young woman, who is quite beautiful, as bait to test her husband’s fidelity. 

From this point on, the book alternates between Michael’s attempts to find and re-claim his family, and Natalie’s gradual discovery of events so startling, she feels the need to flee to safety, to protect her family.  As Natalie desperately attempts to outrun the man she once loved, Michael is just as intent in reuniting his family. He gains some unexpected assistance from an off-duty NY Detective, who insists on accompanying him on his search – yet seems to know far more than he should about Michael, and a past he’d much rather forget. 

As revelations about each character are revealed, and you think you finally have it all figured out…just know that you’re wrong! This book takes off running, and as each little reveal is made, you’ll find yourself just flipping the pages even faster as you try to guess the end game…  A consummate psychological thriller from one of the best!! 

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

This novel is a bit different from those I typically read, but there’s just something so refreshing and heartwarming about Catherine Ryan Hyde’s storytelling, I just cannot pass her up. This latest gem is no exception!

Stewie Little is a young, empathic 11-year-old boy who resides with his older sister Stacey and his handicapped older brother Theo. Still reeling from the death of his grandmother, “Gam”, he devotes himself to her flock of chickens, and sells the eggs they produce to their neighbors.  On this particular day, he has a couple dozen left over in his wagon, so he continues to a home a little farther up the road, where he happens upon Marilyn, a brash, irascible old woman, who reminds him strangely of his grandmother. He makes the sale and promises to return next week with more eggs. 

Marilyn has her own quirks. She resides with a young single mother, gaining free room and board in exchange for childcare. As the reader quickly learns, Marilyn has memory issues and is fearful that the police are going to find her any day now. From day to day, the reader sees evidence of her dementia – her inability to remember things, like Stewie’s name – and her fear of being caught, but like most with early dementia, she covers it well. 

In spite of these challenges, both Marilyn & Stewie find a little something in one another that neither knew they needed. Inspired by this little boy, Marilyn purchases a copy of the book, Stuart Little, so Stewie can read about his namesake. Shortly thereafter, she realizes that Stewie is unable to read. Angered over the school system seemingly failing this boy, Marilyn goes into town for a word with the principal, passing herself off as his grandmother. Then the police do come…with Stewie witnessing Marilyn’s arrest. 

As Stewie struggles to understand the nuances of right and wrong, he begins to understand that people can do wrong things without being ‘bad’, and that people can deeply hurt the ones they love without ever meaning to. He also learns of the power of love, loss, grieving and acceptance, as well as the importance of moving on, and in doing so teaches the reader a thing or two as well. 

A wonderful story, from a wonderful writer – will give you all the feels!! 

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

Many years ago, while attending a summer camp named Eagle’s Ridge, Katie Scott’s young friend Jenny disappeared one afternoon, never to be seen again. It was later determined that Jenny’s father was her killer.  Now, Katie is suddenly immersed in the sadness of that time, as she and her partner Sean McGaven are summoned to the property one more – a woman’s body has been found floating beneath a dock at the lake’s edge with a missing left arm – and there’s concern for explosives on the property. Retired K9 Cisco’s expertise is requested. 

When Katie and Cisco arrive at the scene, she is promptly assailed with memories of the past, and the dread that comes with the reminders of Jenny’s death.  As she & Sean search the campgrounds, Cisco alerts, seconds before Katie falls into a camouflaged pit, where she discovers another female body, this one is missing her left foot.  The next day, a third body is found, again female, and this time her kidneys are missing. Then, a newspaper article is found at the scene – with Katie’s name circled…

As the bodies are identified via forensics, Katie is stunned when she realizes that they were all camp counselors at Eagle’s Ridge in years past. Why did one of them leave the job she loved so abruptly? As Katie researches the camps past, she learns of a young child who was severely injured on a hike years ago.  Are the killings related? As Katie and Sean search for answers, the killer sets his sights on a new victim…Katie…

I love this series!! Katie is a strong, impetuous, investigator, who still struggles with PTSD from her time in the military. With the help of her explosive sniffing partner Cisco, and her partner Sean, they make a formidable cold case investigative team!  I thoroughly enjoy these characters and each new novel is like a visit from a very dear friend!!  (The novel name is a bit puzzling to me though – Silent Little Angels implies child victims to me – but whatever!) Loved this book, love this series and I can’t wait for this trio’s next adventure! 

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!!

Madison Knight is a Detective from the fictional city of Stiles, somewhere near the US/Canadian border. This morning, she is somewhat impatiently awaiting her turn for coffee in a long line, when a woman comes running by yelling, “He’s got a gun!” Madison immediately goes to surveil the area and quickly learns that three women have been shot, two of them fatally, at a coffee kiosk within the Liberty train station. As she attempts to glean information from eyewitnesses, she learns some information that piques her interest – a young woman with a backpack had just been by just before the shooting with a hooded figure that seemed to be following her. 

After they clear the scene, Madison and her partner Terry Grant head out to do death notifications. At the first victim’s home, Madison sees a picture of the woman as a bride and is stunned by the resemblance to a high-school friend who disappeared mysteriously years ago.  She asks the victim’s husband a few pointed questions, which further support her belief that the dead woman is indeed her former friend. But why was she living under an assumed name? Was she possibly the target of the shooter? 

As the investigation continues, it soon becomes apparent that this was no random shooting. The young girl with the backpack is nowhere to be found, and Madison fears her life is in danger.  The suspicion of drug running through Liberty Station is high, and circumstances lead Madison to suspect Russian Mafia involvement. (This seems like a stretch if you’re a new reader to this series, but Madison has tangled with them recently, reportedly narrowly escaping death.) But is the Mafia involved in the shooting – or was there a secondary crime in play – and if so why? Finally, was the second shooting victim really Madison’s long-lost friend? 

This was my first read in the Madison Knight series, and I very much enjoyed it. Madison is your ubiquitous strong female protagonist, although she borders on being a bully at times, so I’m not quite sure I like her yet. Her partner tries to keep her in check, but she’s like a bull in a china shop when she thinks she’s right – which it appears she usually is! With a bit of searching, I’ve learned that this is the 10^th in the series for Madison Knight, and this author also writes two other series as well.  Sounds like I have lots of catching up to do! Great read!!

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