Bad Blood

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Series: The Naturals #4

Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Release Date: November 21, 2017

The final book in The Natural series ties it all together and left me smiling at a job well done but sad for the series to end!

Cassie Hobbes has been a part of the FBI’s Natural program long enough to experience some crazy events and even work on uncovering the truth about what happened to her mother. She thought she knew what happened the night her mother was murdered but now everything she thought she knew turned out to not be true. Her mother is alive and the people that have her are more dangerous than she could have imagined. Cassie must work carefully with the rest of the team to try and uncover the secrets of the mysterious group before anyone else winds up in their crosshairs.

Wow, this series went out with a bang, I loved following Cassie and the team as they worked to help the FBI solve crimes using their special skills. Each book had great suspense and characters that I couldn’t help but love. The connection I felt with these characters was strong and I felt really sad knowing the series was coming to an end even though the ending was very well done.

Jennifer Lynn Barnes has become one of my new favorite authors because she can craft a story and characters that are unique and enjoyable. The way things all came together by the end of this story and tied back through each book was great, I couldn’t read it fast enough. I recommend this book to readers that have read the first three and love good suspenseful series.

All In

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Series: The Naturals #3

Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Release Date: November 3, 2015

The third book in The Naturals series has the team working on an active case and the stakes have never been higher, making the suspense the best yet!

Now that Cassie and the Naturals team are allowed to work active cases, they are called in to help with murders in Las Vegas. Just before they leave, Cassie finds out that there has been a break in her mom’s case. While her mind should be focused on helping solve the murders in Las Vegas, she can’t help but think about her mom and what the new development could mean. While in Vegas, they are trying to stop a serial killer that is using a different method every time he kills. There is a secret message in the way he kills, and it will take all the skills the Naturals possess to stop him.

I loved the new development that Cassie found out involving her mom’s case and how it affected her in all that she did. This book brought a little more depth to both Michael and Sloane. Readers get to find out a little more about them and how they came to be in the program which I enjoyed. The series focuses on Cassie, but the other characters are what bring the story alive. This is more of an ensemble than fully focused on one main character throughout. Each book takes where the previous one left off and continues the story. I’m trying to find something I didn’t like about this book and series and I can’t, I love that I’ve found another author that I enjoy everything she’s written so far. I would recommend this series to young adult readers that enjoy mystery, suspense and great characters.

Killer Instinct

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Series: The Naturals #2

Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readres

Release Date: November 4, 2014

The final book in The Natural series ties it all together and left me smiling at a job well done but sad for the series to end!

The Brother’s Hawthorne

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Series: Inheritance Games #4

Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Release Date: August 29, 2023

A fabulous addition to the Inheritance Games series that fans of young adult fiction will not want to miss!

Grayson Hawthorne has spent his life trying to live up to what he is supposed to be, the heir to his billionaire grandfather. He has been taught to always put family first and when he finds out he has two half-sisters that are in trouble, he immediately goes to help. While he is taking care of his new family his brother Jameson finds himself in the middle of a new kind of game. He and Avery must infiltrate an exclusive underground gambling club outside of London and do the impossible, get invited into the hardest game they have ever played. The Hawthorne brothers have grown up playing games that seem impossible and now it’s time to put their skills to the test.

I found author Jennifer Lynn Barnes this year and have devoured her books. The way she writes mysteries that are so intricate kept me turning the pages almost faster than I could devour the words on them. The Inheritance Games was so fun, and The Brothers Hawthorne is a fantastic addition to the series. This one focused less on the love interest aspect than the other three and more on the games the brothers found themselves in, which was fun. We still see a little of the love angle with Jameson and Avery but shifting the focus being more on the brothers and what they are dealing with. I loved this book and the suspense throughout was top notch. I don’t know how many more will be in this series, but I am keeping my fingers crossed for many, many more.

The Thursday Murder Club

Author: Richard Osman

Series: Thursday Murder Club #1

Publisher: Penguin

Release Date: September 3, 2020

Overall a fun, but different, kind of mystery.

In a quaint, quiet little retirement community lies an unlikely group of friends that spend one day a week discussing cold case police files. But when a real murder strikes in their little community, the friends are more than excited to force their way into the investigation, much to the chagrin of the local police department. They quickly realize that they must work together to uncover the truth.

This book was full of wit, humor, and even a bit of playing detective along the way. As the first book in the series, the character development was quite fun and the situations that the poor constable and detective inspector found themselves in were quite humorous. I’m looking forward to reading the next installments!

Alligator Alley

Author: Mike Lawson

Series: A Joe DeMarco Thriller #16

Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press

Release Date: February 7, 2023

A thriller very different than most I have read recently with some dark humor and fun twists that readers will love!

Joe DeMarco is a problem solver and when a young woman working in the Inspector General’s office is found murdered in the Florida Everglades Joe is called in to help. He gets help from one of his favorites, Emma, a retired spy with all the connections they could need to solve the murder in Alligator Alley. It doesn’t take them long to come up with suspects but what they aren’t prepared for is the suspects are FBI agents. With each new clue, they find themselves in the middle of a dark and twisted scheme that goes deeper than they could have expected.

I picked this one up after seeing it recommended by one of my favorite authors hoping to find a new series to enjoy. I’m not going to say I didn’t enjoy it, but I don’t know if I will be getting anymore of the series. The characters were good, not great; the suspense better than expected, the outcome interesting but not enough to continue on with the series. If you are looking for a quick easy read without much thinking this is a good one to pick up. If you are wanting a deep series that you can have characters that grow and change and really go deeper and will keep you thinking, this didn’t do it for me. I enjoyed what I read but not enough to recommend highly to others.

The Vanishing at Castle Moreau

Author: Jaime Jo Wright

Publisher: Bethany House

Release Date: April 4, 2023

Another fantastic suspense book from one of the best in Christian fiction. Jaime Jo Wright has out done herself with The Vanishing at Castle Moreau!

Set in two timelines, The Vanishing at Castle Moreau starts in 1870 with Daisy Francois, an orphan who goes to Castle Moreau as a housemaid running from her past. The castle is owned by a very peculiar woman who writes gothic novels and keeps many secrets in her estate, and local legend has girls form the area disappearing in the vicinity of Castle Moreau. In present day timeline, Cleo Clemmons is also running from her past and answers an ad for help at Castle Moreau. She is hired by the grandson of an illustrious billionaire to help his grandmother deal with her hoarding and bring the Castle back to what it once was. Within hours of arriving, she is sucked into the mysteries surrounding Castle Moreau that is not only in the past but still shrouding them today.

Nothing and no one are what they seem when it comes to The Vanishing at Castle Moreau. Jaime Jo Wright has crafted a story with characters so far beyond and better than I could have hoped for. I have loved all I have read by her, and this tops the list. The mystery and story in each timeline will suck readers in and keep them glued to the pages until the very end. Both Cleo and Daisy have great character development and the interactions they have with those at the Castle are mysterious, intriguing, and luring. This book has everything I wanted in a mystery book all while being clean and delivering a good message throughout. Jaime Jo Wright gets better and better with each novel she writes giving readers a story we can’t help but fall in love with and characters we want to see succeed. I’ve found a lot of the books I’ve read lately to just have the same feel and end up being bored with them; luckily, I can say that was not the case here. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a great story with mystery and a great lesson of redemption and not judging someone by what others say.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

The Naturals

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Series: The Naturals #1

Publisher: Little Brown

Release Date: October 7, 2014

The first book in The Naturals series is an absolute thrill ride of a mystery that is perfect for young adult readers looking for a fabulous mystery.

Cassie has always known she was good at being able to tell what people were thinking or going to say before they said anything, but never thought much of it until she is approached by someone in the FBI with an offer for a classified program perfect for her and her abilities. They have created a program for teenagers with abilities to crack cold cases and Cassie is their newest recruit. When Cassie arrives at the house with the other teens in the program, she quickly realizes there is more to the program than originally told to her. Bodies start to add up around them and Cassie is no longer feeling safe as the killers sets their sights on her.

The Naturals is the first book in the series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes and I picked it up after reading The Inheritance Games series by her and falling in love with her writing style. The mystery and the way it unfolded and all came together by the end was so satisfying and enjoyable to read. Cassie was a great protagonist and the love triangle between her and the others at the house was fun and kept the story flowing. This story reminded me a lot of Criminal Minds set more for the Young Adult readers without the horror and gore. Cassie had a lot to overcome throughout the novel but didn’t let anything keep her down or let those coming after her win. I would recommend this book to readers who love a great mystery with great characters and a plot that is fantastic. This book is left open perfect for the next in the series and I can’t wait to keep reading Barnes work.

The House on Foster Hill

Author: Jaime Jo Wright

Publisher: Bethany House

Release Date: November 21, 2017

A creepy fantastic mystery that is classic Jaime Jo Wright!

Kaine Prescott has been working to get over her husband’s death; she has almost given up on getting the police to believe it wasn’t just an accident while moving across the country. She buys an old, abandoned house without visiting it in her grandparent’s hometown. Wanting a fresh start, she sets about trying to make the house into a home when eerie things start happening and the house’s past comes back to haunt her. With help from a few new friends, Kaine quickly finds there isn’t much she can do to avoid the past and is forced to face it head on. Almost a century earlier, Ivy Thorpe helped to find the identity a woman found dead on the property and try to solve a crime before anyone else gets hurt.

This is the debut novel by Jaime Jo Wright, and I didn’t realize I hadn’t read it until recently. I picked it up and loved every minute of the story. Jaime Jo Wright is a master of time-slip, mystery novels, she has a way of sucking readers in and not letting them catch a breath until the very end. I love picking up her books and knowing I am going to be fully immersed into a world of fiction that is entertaining, mysterious, and totally enjoyable. The way the two timelines tie together by the end is so well done, especially for a debut novel. The characters are engaging and relatable, even the romance aspect was played out perfectly scene-by-scene. This is the type of book that I recommend to readers that enjoy suspense, mystery, and a little bit of romance.

Double the Lies

Author: Patricia Raybon

Series: Annalee Spain Mystery #2

Publisher: Tyndale House

Release Date: February 7, 2023

Annalee Spain is back in her most intense mystery yet!

Annalee Spain is back for another mystery, but this time she is at the center. When a handkerchief of hers is found next to the body of a dead pilot, she becomes the prime suspect. It doesn’t help that the Denver police department is run by Klan supporters, which makes her an even bigger target. Her leads lead her from Denver up into the mountains as she tries to clear her name and find her boyfriend, Jack.

I have to admit that Raybon really upped the suspense and mystery in the second book of the Annalee Spain series. The first book was good, but book two is great! She had me second guessing myself the whole way through and I still didn’t have it solved before the big reveal at the end. Raybon does a great job of introducing racial issues in her writing without throwing them in her readers faces. It makes you really consider what she is talking about through everything all the while you are enjoying a great mystery. It does tie in with the first book, but you can still enjoy it as a standalone.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.