Review: THE HAUNTING by Natasha Preston

Release September 26, 2023

I had great hopes for this novel, given the title and the author (and its release just prior to Spooky Season). Those hopes did not completely manifest, as almost all the book focuses on 1st person narrative of an unreliable Narrator who is ruled by her heart,  not her head, and pays only surface respect to authority.  Also, if this were a Horror or Suspense film (and certainly it very well could be!) knowledgeable audiences would be constantly groaning because young Penny (okay, she's seventeen but hardly acts it) flies headlong into trouble over and over, more than lemmings diving from a cliff.

All that aside, the plot premise is good, the reprise a year later of earlier events is engrossing, but kudos go to the Denouement, which in its entirety is super far out! So 4 stars to the novel,12 stars to the Denouement and conclusion!😊

Review: THE HAMPTON HOUSE MYSTERY by Ellen Alexander

THE HAMPTON HOUSE MYSTERY is a YA cozy mystery in Ellen Alexander's THE DINSWOOD CHRONICLES Series, about 4 students at Dinswood Academy, tightly bonded friends, who solve mysterious events. It's intriguing, heartfelt, with lots of Suspense and some gentle romance. Friendship is a very strong theme, as is compassion, chivalry, and supporting the "underdog" and those in need. There's also a significant emphasis on integrity and moral justice. All in all, this is a fairly fast and satisfying read.

Review: THE CHEERLEADERS by Kara Thomas (2018)

Review:
THE CHEERLEADERS is a very twisty, YA psychological thriller appealing to fans of Megan Miranda's and Shari Lapena's adult thrillers. The protagonist, a high school junior and dance team member, undertakes to investigate the deaths of five cheerleaders five years earlier, including her sister. Of course as she turns over rocks a lot of ugliness comes to light. I consider THE CHEERLEADERS on the edgy side for YA, as it covers serious emotional, social, and physical issues. So, a note of caution, as some events and situations may be triggering for sensitive readers.

Review: THE ONLY SURVIVORS by Megan Miranda

5 Stars is not enough for THE ONLY SURVIVORS! It's not uncommon for reviewers to state: "This book carried me away." I'm sure I've said it myself. THE ONLY SURVIVORS literally took me out of my everyday life. Family members spoke to me: I remained unaware. Repeatedly I stepped outside to see if the "Storm" had yet arrived. [Read the novel]. I flipped between Appalachian East Tennessee and North Carolina's Outer Banks. Every. single. page. seemed to bring yet another new revelation. What an expansive Imagination!

Much love and thanks to the Instagram reviewer who provided me with the correct Scientific term:
"Thalassaphobia"--to replace what I had always called "Hydrophobia" [a condition suffered by Animals and Humans infected by Rabies: not the same!]

Much gratitude also to Author Megan Miranda, who inspired me to devour every single novel she writes!!
Release April 11 2023

Review: MISSING CLARISSA by Ripley Jones

I read MISSING CLARISSA immediately after reading TELL ME WHAT REALLY HAPPENED (due to Instagram-Synchronicity), and now I think this is the way the two books ought to be read, not a duology but sort of two different perspectives on similar situations and individuals. The eponymous long-vanished Clarissa is an earlier-era version in many ways of the elusive Maylee in TELL ME WHAT REALLY HAPPENED (a good two decades earlier, nearly an entire generation, with the immense changes the 21st century's first two decades have wrung). Then too, there's strong and sensitive LGBT rep here, and also there's inclusion of perspectives of marginalized societies and individuals. Without spoilering, there's also a thread which has very much in common, I believe, with the novel MY DARK VANESSA.

MISSING CLARISSA is a YA Horror/Thriller/Psychological Thriller that amazingly becomes deeper and more engrossing as the novel progresses, to the point where I became fearful not only for Clarissa, back in 1999, but for the intrepid contemporary co-protagonists, two sixteen-year-old high school junior girls, in a small insular Pacific Northwest community, uncovering ugly secrets and entrenched corruption. Remember, if the secrets are deep enough, somebody's going to be willing to kill to protect those secrets...and themselves.

Release March 7 2023

Review: MURDER ON THE MOUNTAIN by L. R. Starr

Release August 31 2020

4 Stars

Gorgeous scenery and an endearing pair of protagonists brighten this involving murder mystery, with a seriously twisted denouement.  A bestselling L. A. mystery writer embarks on a retreat in scenic Telluride,  Colorado. The change of scenery is immensely helpful,  till she learns about a certain long-term killer who brutally fancies redheads, exactly what Daphne is.  Meeting a hunky local former homicide detective offers tons of romantic suspense, plus terror as the "Lady Red" killer discovers Daphne.

Tour Review: THE NIGHT SWIM by Megan Goldin

5 Stars

Caution to sensitive readers: THE NIGHT SWIM is both emotionally compelling and emotionally dangerous. Compelling, because you can't stop reading; dangerous, because the topics are rape and murder, and indeed the combination of the two atrocities. 

In today's climate, discussion of rape is nearly as common as the event itself. But the revelatory movements unfortunately haven't halted the crimes. Nor has it halted the horrible viewpoint of Victim Blaming.

Release August 5 2020

Tour: LIES LIES LIES by Adele Parks

5 Stars

Before I commenced reading, I expected,  possibly,  "another domestic thriller." I was agreeably surprised to find instead of ho-hum: engrossing.  The alternating viewpoints of too very unreliable (and not always self-aware) narrators at cross-purposes; the tragedies; the coping and grief and grudge-holding; especially the way that the author balances the narrative viewpoints,  so that each rather "sees through a glass darkly," nor can ever approach actual Truth; all combine into a  fictional gumbo that is quite intriguing,  and indeed, thrilling.  I'm glad I chose to read LIES LIES LIES.

Review: THE BONE FIELD by Leonard Krishtalka

5 Stars

An exciting,  thrilling,  mystery, with a plethora of archaeological details and historical background,  THE BONE FIELD is a very engrossing and complex read. As much as I enjoyed the history,  the archaeological expositions,  and the various finely-delineated settings, from Pittsburgh's Carnegie Museums to the Wyoming Badlands, once home to Dinosaurs on the Range, for me the heart of the book was the unfolding character of the protagonist,  Harry Przewalski, former graduate student, veteran,  now private investigator.  Author Leonard Krishtalka performs an archaeological dig on his protagonist 's heart and character,  much like Harry once did during his tenure as a Paleontology graduate student. Thankfully this is the first of a series, and I plan to devour them all. 

Review: CUT TO THE BONE by Ellison Cooper

4 Stars

An unusual protagonist and a bizarre set of cases are the focus of this suspenseful mystery thriller.  Senior Special Agent Sayre Altair trained in neuroscience,  but has a gift for comprehending the psychology of serial killers. A bizarre ritual killing, coupled with the abduction of a bus of STEM high school students, propels Sayre into a chaotic maelstrom. Expect a sequel,  as I don't think Sayre is done yet with Subject 037....

Tour_HE STARTED IT

4 Stars

Talk of the "Road Trip from Hell"! Think a long trip with your children or elderly relatives is tough? Be 1grateful you're not traveling with these siblings, who with their spouses are reenacting a road trip of decades ago with Grandpa, one with frequent side trips to unexpected "roadside attractions, " a trip with danger, a life-changer. WHY do it again? Oh, only for a chance at a substantial bequest.  

"HE started it?!" Yes, you can say that again. 

HE STARTED IT is a wonderful recommendation to Staycation,  and even to "Shelter At Home." Nobody wants to be on the road with this family. Nobody.