Tropical Delusions……

Tear Me Apart – J.T. Ellison

I was fortunate to receive this novel from Netgalley.com as an Advance Reader Copy, in exchange for an objective review.

Oh my goodness, this book was awesome!!

The story opens in a prologue that describes the first meeting between two unnamed teen women who find themselves sharing a room at a psychiatric hospital, before the opening chapter begins in present day, where Olympic hopeful Mindy Wright is preparing herself for a trip down the mountain in effort to win the championship and secure a berth on the Olympic Ski Team. A snowstorm has started, making visibility dicey, and Mindy hits a flag and crashes, fracturing her leg in the process. Surgery seemingly goes without incident until the doctors tell Lauren, Mindy’s mom, that Mindy has leukemia and needs immediate treatment.

As Mindy’s family lines up to be tested for donor suitability, it becomes apparent that none of them are biologically related to Mindy, a fact that stuns the group, as Lauren has always passed Mindy off as her own. Lauren’s sister Juliet, a DNA specialist for the CBI, takes matters into her own hands and attempts to find Mindy’s biological parents, as Mindy gets sicker and sicker. She is successful, and the truth comes gradually to light as Mindy meets her biological father and learns of her past. But the past and the present collide, and a killer will do anything to keep their secrets hidden…

I loved this book! It grabs you from the moment you read the first paragraph and doesn’t let you go until you reach the very end – and still you wish it would go on! An amazing edge-of-your-seat thriller that you don’t want to miss!!

I was fortunate to receive this novel from Netgalley and Bookouture as an Advance Reader Copy, in exchange for an objective review.

DI Gina Harte is back as, fresh from a quick holiday, she is called to investigate a homicide – a woman is found tied to a chair and strangled in her own home, while her child is left crying upstairs. Found by her husband when he returns home from a night out with friends, he offers an iron clad alibi, and the hunt for the killer begins, starting with the young woman’s lover, Jimmy.

Meanwhile, a young woman who was drugged and assaulted 25 years ago, continues to struggle with her demons and with alcoholism; yet is determined to take back her life. She sees a picture of her assailant in a newspaper photo, now a successful businessman, and decides to return to Cleevesford to learn more and perhaps confront him once and for all. Then she disappears.

As DI Hart and her team investigate both cases, the Angel Arms Pub seems to play a central part as they vet possible suspects. And as they dig deeper still, the killer becomes very unsettled – setting his sights now on Gina…

This was my second ‘Gina Harte’ novel, and I loved it as much as the first one! Gina has her own demons to fight, and as a flawed hero, she just becomes more credible. More of her backstory is explained here, and I anticipate we’ll learn even more about her, and what makes her tick, as the series continues. A great read, and I look forward to lots more from Carla Kovach!!

I was fortunate to receive this novel from Netgalley.com as an Advance Reader Copy, in exchange for an objective review.

Belfa “Bell” Elkins is a former prosecutor who has just been released from prison after a three-year incarceration for the murder of her abusive father. Now as she completes the conditions of her release, she struggles with her role in the community – a community that struggles mightily with drug addiction. Bell finds herself researching the opioid problem and identifies pharmaceutical companies as a large part of the problem and feels that these corporations should answer to the part they play in the opioid epidemic.

The Toppings family also play a central role in this novel. An upper middle-class family, Brett is a banker. He and his wife Ellie have a son, Tyler, who has struggled mightily with addiction. Just released from rehab, he moves back home with his family, and almost immediately falls prey to the availability of drugs in his community. Through the painful challenges the Toppings family faces, we learn the effects of drug abuse on families, individuals, and indeed, whole communities.

Former Deputy Jake Owens was left paraplegic three years ago after being shot on the job. Now unable to use his legs, he searches for his role, if any, in law enforcement. Sheriff Harrison needs a telecommunicator, and Jake agrees to fill in part time. He is working the night that the cry for help comes in…

This story is told through varied points of view and gives the reader a hard look into the desperation, despair and the intricacies of a family caught up in the opioid epidemic. As Bell and eventually Jake take on ‘big pharma’, this novel twists and turns rapidly, and ultimately surges to a stunning, unexpected conclusion… I can’t WAIT for the next installment of Bell’s story!! My first read by Julia Keller, but certainly not my last!!

I was fortunate to receive this novel from Netgalley.com as an Advance Reader Copy, in exchange for an objective review.

Dr. Emily Hartford is a third-year surgical resident in Chicago and is preparing for a surgical case as this novel opens. It is also her birthday, which she realizes to her surprise, as she’s commuting into work. Upon her arrival, she’s asked to perform an emergent appendectomy, so she tucks her busily ringing phone away. It’s not until later, as her boyfriend is proposing to her, that she checks her messages and learns of her father’s sudden illness. Diamond ring, newly placed on her finger, she packs some things and heads for home.

As Emily approaches Freeport County, her childhood home, she’s hit by a wave of nostalgia, and inadvertently drives through the towns only traffic light. Witnessed by a cop, she’s pulled over, only to see her high school love is the cop in question. They re-connect briefly, and she continues her trip to the hospital, where her father has been diagnosed with a heart attack. Estranged from her medical examiner father for several years after the death of her mother, Emily hopes she can find some common ground with her Dad.

Meanwhile, a young equestrian and daughter of a senator has been found dead after a morning ride, and her horse has been badly injured as well. With the county coroner hospitalized, and the family not wishing for their daughter’s body to be autopsied out of county, Emily is asked to perform the examination. Her discovery points to blunt force trauma, a homicide.

As Nick and Emily join forces to solve Julie’s murder, Emily’s new fiancé remains in Chicago, busy visiting wedding venues and making plans for their marriage. As her frustration with the case grows, she begins to realize that she has unresolved feelings for her first love, along with unresolved questions regarding her mother’s death that she wants answers to…

For a first novel, this book was surprisingly good!! I very much enjoyed Emily’s character and I hope this is a first in a continuing series. I was hooked right from the start and read this book from cover to cover in just a few hours, not wanting to put it down! There were a few medical errors, but likely not detectable to the layperson – of course they may have been corrected prior to print, also. Great story, engaging characters, and well worth the read!!