#BookReview The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths @HMHbooks

The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

From the author of the beloved Ruth Galloway series, a modern gothic mystery for fans of Magpie Murders and The Lake House.

Clare Cassidy is no stranger to murder. A high school English teacher specializing in the Gothic writer R. M. Holland, she teaches a course on it every year. But when one of Clare’s colleagues and closest friends is found dead, with a line from R. M. Holland’s most famous story, “The Stranger,” left by her body, Clare is horrified to see her life collide with the storylines of her favourite literature.

To make matters worse, the police suspect the killer is someone Clare knows. Unsure whom to trust, she turns to her closest confidant, her diary, the only outlet she has for her darkest suspicions and fears about the case. Then one day she notices something odd. Writing that isn't hers, left on the page of an old diary: "Hallo, Clare. You don’t know me."

Clare becomes more certain than ever: “The Stranger” has come to terrifying life. But can the ending be rewritten in time?

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The Stranger Diaries is a stand-alone thriller from the creator of the Ruth Galloway series. I found the book to be both entertaining and pretty predictable. I found the first half of the book to be really good, then somewhere along the way did I predict who the culprit was. Then, I pretty much waited to see if I was right. And, I was. And, that's the issue I have with the book, not enough suspects. It was too easy to figure out who was behind writing in Clare's diary.

I loved the fact that that the old school was the previous home of a famous author whose wife is said to haunt the house. At the same time, I wished that Griffiths had used this more in the story, made the story about the author more sinister. This whodunnit story just didn't rock my boat. It was like a Midsomer Murder episode, and one of the less interesting ones.

The writing is good, I liked that the book is split between different POV, Clare, the cop and Clare's daughter. Getting different POV, seeing the characters from different perspectives was a great move. All and all would I say that this book didn't completely engross me, I liked the story. However, I would have liked a better ending, a more shocking one.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through Edelweiss for an honest review!

#BookReview The Perfect Alibi by Phillip Margolin @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress @FreshFiction

The Perfect Alibi by Phillip Margolin
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

A young woman accuses a prominent local college athlete of rape. Convicted with the help of undisputable DNA evidence, the athlete swears his innocence and threatens both his lawyer and his accuser as he's sent to prison. Not long after, there's another rape and the DNA test shows that the same person committed both rapes—which is seemingly impossible since the man convicted of the first rape was in prison at the time of the second one. Now, the convicted athlete, joined by a new lawyer, is granted a new trial and bail. Shortly thereafter, his original lawyer disappears and his law partner is murdered.

Robin Lockwood is a young lawyer with a prestigious small law firm and a former MMA fighter who helped pay for Yale Law School with her bouts. She is representing the victim of the first rape for her civil lawsuit against her rapist, who is now convinced the rapist is stalking her and trying to intimidate her. At the same time, another client is up on a murder charge—one that should be dismissed as self-defense—but the D.A. trying the case is determined to bring it to trial. Now she has to mastermind two impossible cases, trying to find the hidden truth that links the two of them.

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An up-and-coming local college athlete is accused and sent to prison for rape, with DNA evidence to prove it. However, soon after another rape occurs, and the same DNA is found. How can this be? No person, unless they are identical twins, can have the same DNA. And, the man in question is an only child. Now he's granted a new trial and is released on bail. Robin Lockwood is representing the young woman that accused the athlete of rape. Now, Robin has to protect her client who thinks she's being stalked by the newly released rapist...

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#BookReview Sunrise Highway by Peter Blauner @peterblauner @StMartinsPress @MinotaurBooks

Sunrise Highway by Peter Blauner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

From the writer Dennis Lehane calls "one of the most consistently bracing and interesting voices in American crime literature" comes a new thriller about a lone young cop on the trail of a powerful killer determined not just to stop her, but to make her pay

In the summer of Star Wars and Son of Sam, a Long Island schoolgirl is found gruesomely murdered. A local prosecutor turns a troubled teenager known as JT from a suspect to a star witness in the case, putting away a high school football star who claimed to be innocent. Forty years later, JT has risen to chief of police, but there's a trail of a dozen dead women that reaches from Brooklyn across Long Island, along the Sunrise Highway, and it's possible that his actions actually enabled a killer.

That's when Lourdes Robles, a relentless young Latina detective for the NYPD, steps in to track the serial killer. She discovers a deep and sinister web of connections between the victims and some of the most powerful political figures in the region, including JT himself. Now Lourdes not only has to catch a killer, but maybe dismantle an entire system that's protected him, possibly at the cost of her own life.

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I usually prefer not knowing the identity of a killer in a book. However, in this case, we do get to know who the guilty is pretty early on. It was quite interesting to follow two storylines, the one in the present time where Lourdes Robles is investigating one murder who turns out to be the latest in a long line of murders. In the other storyline do we follow JT 's rise through the ranks. And, I can't write much more than that without spoiling the story.

So, instead, I will focus on Lourdes Robles, this awesome detective for the NYPD who is the one that through the finding of the body of a young woman starts to unravel a serial killer case. Lourdes is also searching for her younger sister who is missing and each woman found dead makes her sick with worry that it will turn out to be Izzy. Lourdes own father is in prison and she is just the kind of badass female cop I love to read about.

Sunrise Highway is the second book in the Lourdes Robles series and you definitely can read this book without having read the first one. I know this since I haven't read the first book (yet). Now I can't wait to read the first book, and hopefully more books in the series.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review! 

#BlogTour A Gift for Dying by M.J. Arlidge @MJarlidge @MichaelJBooks @PenguinRandom

A Gift for Dying by M.J. Arlidge
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The gripping new thriller from M. J. Arlidge, Sunday Times bestselling author of the Helen Grace series.

Adam Brandt is a forensic psychologist, well used to dealing with the most damaged members of society. But he's never met anyone like Kassie. The teenager claims to have a terrible gift - with one look into your eyes, she can see when and how you will die. Obviously, Adam knows Kassie must be insane. But then a serial killer hits the city. And only Kassie seems to know where he'll strike next. Against all his intuition, Adam starts to believe her. He just doesn't realise how deadly his faith might prove...

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The Helen Grace series is a favorite of mine. So, I was curious to see how this, a stand-alone thriller about a teenager claiming to have the ability to see into one's eyes and see how she or he would die, would turn out. In this book, we get to both follow the police during the serial killer investigations, as well as Adam Brandt, a forensic psychologist who is slowly getting more and more pulled into Kassie's world. Then, there is Kassie herself, the star of this book. She's a troubled youth who carries a terrible burden. Adam wants to help Kassie, but the more involved he gets into her life, the more problem arises for him and his wife who after several years are expecting their first child. Are Kassie's visions true? Or is she unbalanced?

I always enjoy reading books that are angling towards the paranormal. There is it or is it not something supernatural going on is such an interesting subject to read about. The "gift" of seeing how people will die, especially violently isn't something I would like to have. For Kassie has this been part of her whole life, she truly believes that she has this awful gift. However, all the people that she wars just end up being weirded out by her. Kassie herself comes from a broken home, with a mother who just wants her to behave and act normal.

As a thriller did I find the book to be interesting to read. Very different from the Helen Grace series and if I'm perfectly honest so did this book not rock my boat the same way that Arlidge's series about Helen Grace does. I found myself not as invested in the story as I hope to be and the pacing was a bit slow now and then. On the plus side, it sure gets hectic towards the end of the book. It's definitely a book worth reading and I found myself quite impressed with the books grim ending.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!

#BookReview The Last Woman in the Forest by Diane Les Becquets @BerkleyPub @BerkleyMystery @FreshFiction

The Last Woman in the Forest by Diane Les Becquets
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Marian Engström has found her true calling: working with rescue dogs to help protect endangered wildlife. Her first assignment takes her to northern Alberta, where she falls in love with her mentor, the daring and brilliant Tate. But after a tragic accident, Marian discovers growing and disturbing inconsistencies about Tate’s life, and begins to wonder if the man she loved could have been responsible for the unsolved murders of at least four women.

Desperately hoping to clear Tate’s name as a serial killer, she reaches out to a retired forensic profiler who’s haunted by the open cases. Marian relives her relationship with Tate, but as she circles ever closer to the truth, evil stalks her every move…

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Marian Engström loves working with rescue dogs to help protect endangered wildlife. In a new assignment to northern Alberta, Marian is assigned to work with Tate, who she eventually falls in love with. But months later on a different assignment, Marian is blindsided when she learns Tate has been killed in a bear attack. In her grief, Marian begins to question the man she loved. There are inconsistencies in his life and she starts to wonder if he could be the man responsible for four women's brutal murders...

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#BookReview The Devil Aspect by Craig Russell @thecraigrussell @ClaraHDiaz @LittleBrownUK

The Devil Aspect by Craig Russell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Six confined psychopaths. A killer on the loose.

1935. As Europe prepares itself for a calamitous war, six homicidal lunatics - the so-called 'Devil's Six' - are confined in a remote castle asylum in rural Czechoslovakia. Each patient has their own dark story to tell and Dr Viktor Kosárek, a young psychiatrist using revolutionary techniques, is tasked with unlocking their murderous secrets.

At the same time, a terrifying killer known as 'Leather Apron' is butchering victims across Prague. Successfully eluding capture, it would seem his depraved crimes are committed by the Devil himself.
Maybe they are... and what links him with the insane inmates of the Castle of the Eagles?

Only the Devil knows. And it is up to Viktor to find out.

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The Devil Aspect is such a delicious thriller. A story about psychopaths and a serial killer on the loose. What's not to like? The time period in this book also adds much to the story since there is a big growing unease in Czechoslovakia and also a growing xenophobia. And now there is a serial killer loose as well. Amides all this is Dr. Viktor Kosárek taking up his new position as a psychiatrist for the so-called "Devil's Six". Six really nasty and dangerous psychopaths.

This book was very fascinating to read, and of course, a bit bleak since the theme of the book is pretty dark. During the books progress do we get to know more about "Devil's Six" as Viktor Kosárek is trying to unlock their secrets. We also follow the police investigation in the hunt for the serial killer known as "Leather Apron". Kosárek himself gets involved in the case because of his job. There were moments closer to the end when I was starting to wonder how it would all end. The serial killer case seems to near its ending and I was unsure how it all would end up at the castle with all the psychopaths. It's here something brilliant happens. Something that I did not expect, at all! A twist that really makes me see past events in the book in a different way. I just have to say wow! That ending is so fabulous. This is definitely a thriller I recommend if you want to be astonished!

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!

#BookReview The Beautiful Strangers by Camille Di Maio @AmazonPub

The Beautiful Strangers by Camille Di Maio
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A legendary hotel on the Pacific becomes a haven where dreams, love, and a beguiling mystery come alive.

1958. Kate Morgan, tethered to her family’s failing San Francisco restaurant, is looking for an escape. She gets her chance by honoring a cryptic plea from her grandfather: find the beautiful stranger. The search takes her to Hotel del Coronado, the beachfront landmark on the Southern California coast where filming is underway on the movie Some Like It Hot.

For a movie lover like Kate, it’s a fantasy come true. So is the offer of a position at the glamorous hotel. And a new romance is making her heart beat just as fast. But as sure as she is that the Coronado is her future, Kate discovers it’s also where the ghosts of the past have come to stay. Sixty years ago a guest died tragically, and she still haunts the hotel’s halls.

As the lives of two women—generations apart—intertwine, Kate’s courageous journey could change more than she ever imagined. And with the Coronado wending its way through her soul, she must follow her dreams…wherever they may lead.

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The Beautiful Stranger is a perfect feel-good book. Perfect if you like ghost stories, love stories, and old Hollywood movies. As a big fan of the movie Some Like it Hot was I thrilled that the setting of the book took place at Hotel del Coronado where the movie is being filmed. Which meant that movie stars like Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, and last, but not least, Marilyn Monore. 

Storywise must I say that some parts were better than others, I loved the movie parts the best, the love story didn't really rock my boat, but it was still pleasant to read about, it's not like I disliked it. I liked how Kate learned more about her grandfather's past. And, honestly? Who doesn't love a ghost story? The ending was pretty cool must I say, didn't see that coming.

This is the second book I have read by Camille Di Maio (The second being The Way of Beauty) and I'm looking forward to reading more books. 

I want to thank Lake Union Publishing for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!

#BookReview The Huntress by Kate Quinn @KateQuinnAuthor @WmMorrowBooks @FreshFiction

The Huntress by Kate Quinn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

From the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling novel, The Alice Network, comes another fascinating historical novel about a battle-haunted English journalist and a Russian female bomber pilot who join forces to track the Huntress, a Nazi war criminal gone to ground in America.

In the aftermath of war, the hunter becomes the hunted…

Bold, reckless Nina Markova grows up on the icy edge of Soviet Russia, dreaming of flight and fearing nothing. When the tide of war sweeps over her homeland, she gambles everything to join the infamous Night Witches, an all-female night bomber regiment wreaking havoc on Hitler’s eastern front. But when she is downed behind enemy lines and thrown across the path of a lethal Nazi murderess known as the Huntress, Nina must use all her wits to survive.

British war correspondent Ian Graham has witnessed the horrors of war from Omaha Beach to the Nuremberg Trials. He abandons journalism after the war to become a Nazi hunter, yet one target eludes him: the Huntress. Fierce, disciplined Ian must join forces with brazen, cocksure Nina, the only witness to escape the Huntress alive. But a shared secret could derail their mission, unless Ian and Nina force themselves to confront it.

Seventeen-year-old Jordan McBride grows up in post WWII Boston, determined despite family opposition to become a photographer. At first delighted when her long-widowed father brings home a fiancée, Jordan grows increasingly disquieted by the soft-spoken German widow who seems to be hiding something. Armed only with her camera and her wits, Jordan delves into her new stepmother’s past and slowly realizes there are mysteries buried deep in her family. But Jordan’s search for the truth may threaten all she holds dear.

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THE HUNTRESS is the story about Nina Markova, an female Russian bomber pilot that has joined forces with Ian Graham an English journalist to hunt down a deadly Nazi murderess known as the Huntress. The Huntress managed to get away after several heinous deeds and both Nina and Ian have personal reasons for hunting her down. But how will they find someone they don't even know the name of or have a picture of? Meanwhile in Boston, Jordan McBride is getting to know the woman her father is planning to marry, a German widow who seems to be the perfect woman for Jordan's father, but there is something with her that makes Jordan uneasy...

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