#BookReview Blood Oath by Linda Fairstein @LindaFairstein @DuttonBooks @FreshFiction

Blood Oath by Linda Fairstein
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

New York Times bestselling author Linda Fairstein explores the depths of Manhattan’s secretive Rockefeller University in this timely, captivating thriller about the deep—and often deadly—reverberations of past sins.

Assistant DA Alexandra Cooper of the Manhattan Sex Crimes Unit is finally back at work following a leave of absence, and not a moment too soon. With more women feeling empowered to name their abusers, Alex is eager to return to the courtroom to do what she does best. But even she can’t anticipate the complexity of her first case when she meets Lucy, a young woman who testified years earlier at a landmark federal trial…and now reveals that she was sexually assaulted by a prominent official during that time.

Yet Lucy’s isn’t the only secret Alex must uncover, with rumors swirling about one colleague’s abusive conduct behind closed doors and another’s violent, mysterious collapse. As the seemingly disparate cases of her client, adversary, and friend start to intertwine, Alex, along with NYPD detectives Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace, finds herself in uncharted territory within Manhattan’s Rockefeller University, a premier research institute, hospital, and cornerstone of higher learning. But not even the greatest minds in the city can help her when unearthed secrets begin to collide in dangerous ways…and unless she can uncover the truth, the life-saving facility just may become her grave.

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Assistant DA Alexandra Cooper is faced with trying to bring down a very powerful man in BLOOD OATH, a man that years ago groomed a young witness in a case. Now Lucy, the young woman, wants the man who used her brought to justice. But, how to prove what really happened all those years ago? It's just her word against the man in question. And, Lucy hasn't the best of reputation. Alexandra also has to deal with a personal blow when a friend of her mysteriously collapses on the street seemingly struck by a seizure.

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#BookReview The Malta Exchange by Steve Berry @MinotaurBooks @FreshFiction

The Malta Exchange by Steve Berry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A deadly race for the Vatican’s oldest secret fuels New York Times bestseller Steve Berry’s latest international Cotton Malone thriller.

The pope is dead. A conclave to select his replacement is about to begin. Cardinals are beginning to arrive at the Vatican, but one has fled Rome for Malta in search of a document that dates back to the 4th century and Constantine the Great.

Former Justice Department operative, Cotton Malone, is at Lake Como, Italy, on the trail of legendary letters between Winston Churchill and Benito Mussolini that disappeared in 1945 and could re-write history. But someone else seems to be after the same letters and, when Malone obtains then loses them, he’s plunged into a hunt that draws the attention of the legendary Knights of Malta.

The knights have existed for over nine hundred years, the only warrior-monks to survive into modern times. Now they are a global humanitarian organization, but within their ranks lurks trouble — the Secreti — an ancient sect intent on affecting the coming papal conclave. With the help of Magellan Billet agent Luke Daniels, Malone races the rogue cardinal, the knights, the Secreti, and the clock to find what has been lost for centuries. The final confrontation culminates behind the walls of the Vatican where the election of the next pope hangs in the balance.

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Ex-Justice Department operative, Cotton Malone has traveled to Lake Como, Italy in the hunt for some legendary letters between Winston Churchill and Benito Mussolini that disappeared at Mussolini's death. It is said that these letters could re-write history if they were ever found. However, for Malone will this little treasure hunt quickly lead to something bigger when he gets involved in a hunt for a document that dates back to the 4th century. A document that could change history for the Roman Church and not everyone wants the document to be found.

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#BookReview The Last Year of the War by Susan Meissner @SusanMeissner @BerkleyPub @FreshFiction

The Last Year of the War by Susan Meissner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Elise Sontag is a typical Iowa fourteen-year-old in 1943--aware of the war but distanced from its reach. Then her father, a legal U.S. resident for nearly two decades, is suddenly arrested on suspicion of being a Nazi sympathizer. The family is sent to an internment camp in Texas, where, behind the armed guards and barbed wire, Elise feels stripped of everything beloved and familiar, including her own identity.

The only thing that makes the camp bearable is meeting fellow internee Mariko Inoue, a Japanese-American teen from Los Angeles, whose friendship empowers Elise to believe the life she knew before the war will again be hers. Together in the desert wilderness, Elise and Mariko hold tight the dream of being young American women with a future beyond the fences

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Elise Sontag's life changes drastically in 1943 is sent, together with her family to an internment camp in Texas. Her father, who has been a legal US citizen for almost twenty years, is accused of being a Nazi sympathizer. Elise meets Mariko Inoue, a Japanese-American girl at the camp and they form a close bond, despite that not all people around them approve.

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#BookReview Redemption Point by Candice Fox @candicefoxbooks @ForgeReads @FreshFiction

Redemption Point by Candice Fox
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

#1 New York Times bestselling author Candice Fox delivers a compulsive new crime thriller in Redemption Point.

When former police detective Ted Conkaffey was wrongly accused of abducting Claire Bingley, he hoped the Queensland rainforest town of Crimson Lake would be a good place to disappear. But nowhere is safe from Claire's devastated father.

Dale Bingley has a brutal revenge plan all worked out - and if Ted doesn't help find the real abductor, he'll be its first casualty.

Meanwhile, in a dark roadside hovel called the Barking Frog Inn, the bodies of two young bartenders lie on the beer-sodden floor. It's Detective Inspector Pip Sweeney's first homicide investigation - complicated by the arrival of private detective Amanda Pharrell to 'assist' on the case. Amanda's conviction for murder a decade ago has left her with some odd behavioural traits, top-to-toe tatts - and a keen eye for killers . . .

For Ted and Amanda, the hunt for the truth will draw them into a violent dance with evil. Redemption is certainly on the cards - but it may well cost them their lives...

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Two young bartenders are found dead in the Barking Fog Inn and it's up to Crimson Lake's most notorious private detectives to take on the case: disgraced former police detective Ted Conkaffey and convicted murderer Amanda Pharell. Together they will work this case with DI Pip Sweeney. Meanwhile, Ted is perhaps finally getting the chance to clear his name from the kidnapping of a young girl.

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#BookReview The Good Detective by John McMahon @PutnamBooks @FreshFiction

The Good Detective by John McMahon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Introducing Detective P.T. Marsh in a swift and bruising debut where Elmore Leonard’s staccato prose meets Greg Iles’ Southern settings.

How can you solve a crime if you’ve killed the prime suspect?

Detective P.T. Marsh was a rising star on the police force of Mason Falls, Georgia—until his wife and young son were killed in an accident. Since that night, caught in a spiral of grief and booze, he’s lost the ability to see the line between smart moves and disastrous decisions. Such as when he decides to ’help out’ an exotic dancer by confronting her abusive boyfriend. When the next morning he gets called to the scene of his newest murder case, he is stunned to arrive at the house of a dead man, the very man he beat up the night before. He could swear the guy was alive when he left, but can he be sure? What he does know is that his fingerprints are all over the crime scene.

But the trouble is only beginning. P.T. and his partner Remy begin to suspect the murder is connected to a local arson and lynching; two days earlier, the dead body of a black teenager was found in a burned-out field, a portion of a blackened rope around his neck—and P.T. realizes he might have killed the #1 suspect of this horrific crime.

Amid rising racial tension and media scrutiny, P.T. uncovers something sinister at the heart of the boy’s murder—a conspiracy leading all the way back to the time of the Civil War. Risking everything to unravel the puzzle even as he fights off his own personal demons, P.T. races headlong toward an incendiary and life-altering showdown.

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Detective P.T. Marsh has been on a downward spiral since the deaths of his wife and son, mostly drinking his life away. Now he may have killed someone... He's just not sure because he can't remember much from the night before, only that he helped an exotic dancer by beating up her boyfriend. Now the boyfriend is dead and Marsh's fingerprints are all over the crime scene. And, it keeps getting worse - the murdered man may be the lead suspect in the case of a lynching of a young black boy...

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#BookReview Inte utan dig (Don't Let Go) by Harlan Coben (SWE/ENG)

Don't Let Go by Harlan Coben
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

SWEDISH REVIEW

Femton år har gått sedan förortspolisen Napoleon ”Nap” Dumas bror Leo och dennes flickvän Diana dog i vad som antogs vara ett självmord eller en olyckshändelse. Samma natt försvann även Naps tjej Maura utan förklaring.

Nap har aldrig slutat nysta i vad som egentligen hände. Och när Mauras fingeravtryck dyker upp i en misstänkt mördares hyrbil kommer han allt närmare sanningen – om den kvinna han älskade, de barndomsvänner han trodde att han kände och Leos och Dianas tragiska dödsfall.

Inte utan dig är en kraftfull thriller, i vilken Harlan Coben med oöverträffad spänning och känslomässig inblick utforskar hur stora hemligheter och små lögner kan ödelägga ett förhållande, en familj och i förlängningen en hel stad.

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Det är nu flera år sedan jag läste min första Harlan Coben bok, och jag blir lika superglad varje gång jag får en ny bok att läsa. Coben är en fantastiskt bra författare och hans böcker är ofta svåra att sluta läsa.

Inte utan dig, är om jag får vara ärlig inte bland de bästa av Coben jag har läst. Dock är den ändå bra och Cobens sköna stil gör boken snabbläst och engagerande. Det kan vara så att jag fortväntar mig mycket mer av Coben, flera överraskande vändningar. Jag bara älskar Cobens böcker när han totalt överraskar mig med en vändning jag aldrig hade förväntat mig. Denna bok saknade sådana vändningar. Inte ens slutet förvånade mig. Samt, även om jag gillade Napoleon “Nap” Dumas så räckte det med en litet gästspel av Myron Bolitar för jag skulle sakna honom och Win. Myron Bolitar är så otroligt härlig att jag hade föredragit en ny bok med honom istället. Naps berättelse, hans tvillingbrors död och Mauras försvinnande funkade helt enkelt inte för mig.

Inte utan dig är en helt OK bok, men den är absolut läsvärd. Harlan Coben är en lysande författare, och även om berättelsen i denna bok inte helt föll mig till smaken så är den ändå bra.

Tack till Bookmarks förlag för recensionsexemplaret!

ENGLISH REVIEW

 

Suburban New Jersey Detective Napoleon “Nap” Dumas hasn't been the same since senior year of high school, when his twin brother Leo and Leo’s girlfriend Diana were found dead on the railroad tracks—and Maura, the girl Nap considered the love of his life, broke up with him and disappeared without explanation. For fifteen years, Nap has been searching, both for Maura and for the real reason behind his brother's death. And now, it looks as though he may finally find what he's been looking for.

When Maura's fingerprints turn up in the rental car of a suspected murderer, Nap embarks on a quest for answers that only leads to more questions—about the woman he loved, about the childhood friends he thought he knew, about the abandoned military base near where he grew up, and mostly about Leo and Diana—whose deaths are darker and far more sinister than Nap ever dared imagine.

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It's been years since I read my first Harlan Coben book, and every time I see that he is releasing a new book do I rejoice. He's such a fabulous writer and his books are the kinds that I often can't put down until I finished reading.

Now Don't Let Go, to be honest, isn't among the best I read, but it's still a good book, with the Coben's usual writing style. I just think that I expect too much from Coben and this book just didn't have the usual story with lots of twists and turns. I love how Coben usually pulls the rug out from beneath your feet several times during the story, but I lacked some seriously shocking twist. Now even the last twist towards the end felt really surprising. Also, Napoleon “Nap” Dumas was not a bad character, but having Myron Bolitar showing up for a short cameo just made me miss Myron (and Win) and Nap is just not as interesting to read about. His losses in life, twin brother, and Maura never really got to me and here lies one of the big problems with this book. I just didn't feel that Nap's sad story gripped me.

Don't Let Go is a book that was OK to read, not among the best Coben books I have read, but pleasant enough. A decent thriller that could have been better if it had had a more surprising storyline.

Thanks to Bookmarks förlag for the review copy!

#BookReview A Dangerous Collaboration by Deanna Raybourn @deannaraybourn @BerkleyPub @BerkleyMystery @FreshFiction

A Dangerous Collaboration by Deanna Raybourn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Veronica Speedwell returns in another adventure filled with secrets and betrayal from Deanna Raybourn, the New York Times bestselling author of the Lady Julia Grey Mysteries.

Victorian adventuress Veronica Speedwell is whisked off to a remote island off the tip of Cornwall when her natural historian colleague Stoker’s brother calls in a favor. On the pretext of wanting a companion to accompany him to Lord Malcolm Romilly’s house party, Tiberius persuades Veronica to pose as his fiancée—much to Stoker’s chagrin. But upon arriving, it becomes clear that the party is not as innocent as it had seemed. Every invited guest has a connection to Romilly’s wife, Rosamund, who disappeared on her wedding day three years ago, and a dramatic dinner proves she is very much on her husband’s mind.

As spectral figures, ghostly music, and mysterious threats begin to plague the partygoers, Veronica enlists Stoker’s help to discover the host’s true motivations. And as they investigate, it becomes clear that there are numerous mysteries surrounding the Romilly estate, and every person present has a motive to kill Rosamund…

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Veronica Speedwell is back in a new adventure where she has to solve the mystery of a bride that disappeared after the wedding. Together with her colleague Stoker and his brother are they guests on a remote island off the tip of Cornwall. And, all the other guests on the island where there when the bride disappeared three years before. Could it be that one of the guests is a killer or did she disappear of her free will? If so why?

READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION!

#BookReview To Kill the Truth by Sam Bourne @freedland @QuercusBooks

To Kill the Truth by Sam Bourne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Someone is trying to destroy the evidence of history's greatest crimes.
Academics and Holocaust survivors dead in mysterious circumstances. Museums and libraries burning. Digital records and irreplaceable proofs, lost for ever.

Former White House operative Maggie Costello has sworn off politics. But when the Governor of Virginia seeks her help to stop the lethal spiral of killings, she knows that this is bigger than any political game.

As Black Lives Matter protestors clash with slavery deniers, America is on a knife-edge and time is running out. This deadly conspiracy could ignite a new Civil War - but who stands to gain most from the chaos?

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I read The Last Testament the first Maggie Costello book several years ago. However, I've not read the previous two books after The Last Testament. Also, I hardly remember the story in the first book. Nevertheless, I found this book to be easy and engaging to read. The concept of destroying museums and libraries to destroy proof of atrocities is both frightening and thought-provoking. The idea of starting over with a clean slate sounds good. However, I can't say I found the part of the book when libraries etc. burned down to be especially nice to read. More like heartbreaking and devastating.

I found To Kill the Truth to be an excellent thriller and I want to read the previous two books that I've not read. This book was well-written and I found Maggie Costello to be just the kind of heroine I like to read about, tough and independent.

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

#BookReview The River by Peter Heller @AAKnopf

The River by Peter Heller
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

From the best-selling author of The Dog Stars, this is a masterful tale of wilderness survival in the vein of Into the Wild and The Call of the Wild. It is the story of two college friends on a wilderness canoe trip--a gripping tale of a friendship tested by fire, whitewater, starvation, and brutality.

Wynn and Jack have been best friends since freshman orientation, bonded by their shared love of mountains, books, and fishing. Wynn is a gentle giant, a Vermont kid never happier than when his feet are in the water. Jack is smaller, more rugged, raised on a ranch in Colorado where sleeping under the stars and cooking on a fire came as naturally to him as breathing. When they decide to canoe the Maskwa River in Northern Canada, they anticipate long days of leisurely paddles and picking blueberries, and nights of stargazing and paperback western novels. But a wildfire making its way across the forest adds unexpected urgency to the journey. When they hear a man and woman arguing on the fog-shrouded riverbank and decide to warn them about the fire, their search for the pair turns up nothing and no one. But: the next day a man appears on the river, paddling alone. Is this the man they heard? And if he is, where is the woman? 

From this charged beginning, master storyteller Peter Heller, unspools a head-long, heart-pounding story of desperate wilderness survival.

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The River is an interesting book about two best friends that decided to canoe the Maskwa River in Northen Canada. This leisurely trip takes a different turn when they discover that a wildfire is looming. Then, they hear a couple arguing while paddling. The day after the man turns up, paddling alone. If this was the man they heard the day before what happened to the woman?

This book feels a bit all over the place for me. It was not really that thrilling until the very end. I did enjoy reading (and listening to the audio version at work) however, I never felt totally engrossed with the story until the very end. If the 2/3 of the book had been as good as the last part had this book been awesome. I only feel mildly interested in Wynn and Jacks endeavors after the man shows up without the woman and the things that happened before. The characters' thoughts and recollections just not always rocked my boat. The ending is something entirely else. That is one hell of a sucker punch. Sad and so bittersweet. I do recommend reading the book, the story is interesting and the right reader will love it!

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

#BookReview American Princess by Stephanie Marie Thornton @StephMThornton @BerkleyPub @FreshFiction

American Princess: A Novel of First Daughter Alice Roosevelt by Stephanie Marie Thornton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A sweeping novel from renowned author Stephanie Marie Thornton...

Alice may be the president's daughter, but she's nobody's darling. As bold as her signature color Alice Blue, the gum-chewing, cigarette-smoking, poker-playing First Daughter discovers that the only way for a woman to stand out in Washington is to make waves--oceans of them. With the canny sophistication of the savviest politician on the Hill, Alice uses her celebrity to her advantage, testing the limits of her power and the seductive thrill of political entanglements.

But Washington, DC is rife with heartaches and betrayals, and when Alice falls hard for a smooth-talking congressman it will take everything this rebel has to emerge triumphant and claim her place as an American icon. As Alice soldiers through the devastation of two world wars and brazens out a cutting feud with her famous Roosevelt cousins, it's no wonder everyone in the capital refers to her as the Other Washington Monument--and Alice intends to outlast them all.

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Alice Roosevelt, the oldest daughter of Theodore Roosevelt, was only two days old when her mother died. Her father was unable to cope with the situation of his wife's death and handed over Alice to his sister Anna. He would later remarry and father several more children. Alice meanwhile becomes a reminder all through his life of the love he lost. Alice would fight for his love and for his attention. She became a woman that took her life in her own hands. She married the man she wanted, she fought her Roosevelt cousins when they thwarted her family's political plans. And she finally found some happiness. Alas, not everything lasts forever.

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#BookReview A Beautiful Corpse by Christi Daugherty @CJ_Daugherty @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress @FreshFiction

A Beautiful Corpse by Christi Daugherty
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

From Christi Daugherty, author of The Echo Killing, comes another pulse-pounding suspenseful thriller featuring crime reporter Harper McClain.

For a woman, being killed by someone who claims to love her is the most ordinary murder of all.

With its antebellum houses and ancient oak trees draped in a veil of Spanish moss, Savannah’s graceful downtown is famous around the world. When a woman is killed in the heart of that affluent district, the shock is felt throughout the city. But for crime reporter Harper McClain, this story is personal. The corpse has a familiar face.

Only twenty-four years old, Naomi Scott was just getting started. A law student, tending bar to make ends meet, she wanted to change the world. Instead, her life ended in the dead of night at the hands of an unseen gunman. There are no witnesses to the crime. The police have three suspects: Scott’s boyfriend, who has a criminal past he claims he’s put behind him, her boss, who stalked another young bartender two years ago, and the district attorney’s son, who Naomi dated until their relationship ended in acrimony. All three men claim to love her. Could one of them be her killer?

With the whole city demanding answers, Harper unravels a tangled story of obsession and jealousy. But the pressures on her go beyond the murder. The newspaper is facing more layoffs. Her boss fears both their jobs are on the line. And Harper begins to realize that someone is watching her every move. Someone familiar and very dangerous.

Someone who told her to run before it’s too late…

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A young woman is killed in the downtown of Savannah and for crime reporter Harper McClain this murder is especially brutal. She knows the victim; she worked at the bar where Harper's best friend is working. For Harper, it becomes personal to find the killer, but there are no witnesses. The police are down to three suspected killers: her boyfriend, the boss at the bar and the DA's son who dated the victim before it ended badly. All three men say they love her, but could love have turned into hate?

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#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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