Every Deadly Suspicion

Author: Janice Cantore

Publisher: Tyndale House

Release Date: March 4, 2025

Another fantastic police procedural by Janice Cantore!

Hanna Keyes has lived her whole life with knowledge that her father is a murderer. She is the Chief of Police in Dry Oaks, California and gets a call that her father is dying. He is given a compassionate release, and she is asked to let him live with her in his final days. Even though she never got to know him and can’t really think of him as her father, she feels led to say yes to the request. When Joe, her father arrives in Dry Oaks, not everyone is happy to see him there and things start to go from bad to worse. Joe starts making comments to Hanna that lead her to believe he might not be as guilty of murder as everyone thought. With each new piece of the puzzle more danger comes their way and Hanna isn’t sure what to believe anymore.

Janice Cantore has always been one of my favorite’s when it comes to romantic suspense; the way she writes police procedurals is one of the best. I enjoy the way she writes characters and situations that are believable and enjoyable to read about. Her stories flow with ease and I find all aspects of them more believable than most written now a days. So many books out there are not worth the time and have served to put me in a reading slump lately. It is nice to find a book that is enjoyable to read and makes me want to keep reading. I would recommend this book to those that enjoy good, clean romantic suspense thrillers.

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

Water Grave

Author: Mitchell S. Karnes

Series: Detective Abbey Rhodes Mystery #1

Publisher: Wordcrafts Press

Release Date: January 29, 2025

A surprisingly enjoyable read that left me wanting more. Can’t wait to see what the series will bring.

Hannah Leah Abelard decided she needed a new start six years ago and so she changed her name to Abbey Rhodes, joined the army, and learned the ins and outs of becoming a cop. Using the knowledge she gains from this experience, she moves to join the Metro Nashville’s Police Department. She is with the homicide department, and she has spent all her energy trying to keep the walls she has built around herself from crashing down. More than anything she wants to leave her past behind and move on but when she is called to a case at a church with a young pastor is killed it might bring up all the secrets she has tried to keep buried.

This book was a great one for me to pick up in the middle of a reading slump. I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. There were great twists and turns, and it is set up to be a great series. A bit of a slow start to grab my attention and motivation to care for Abbey but once I did I was greatly invested in her and wanting to see her have a happy outcome. This was a good clean thriller that even though it dealt with hard subject matter; it wasn’t one to shy away from. Readers will find this story a very enjoyable read with hopefully many more to come in the series

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

Serial Burn

Author: Lynette Eason

Series: Lake City Heroes #3

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: January 21, 2025

A great romantic suspense that will give readers encouragement, faith and a good escape into a great book.

Jesslyn McCormick lost her family in a fire when she was young and now works as the fire marshal to help others going through what she did. It has almost been 20 years since the fire that took her family and when the church she attends catches fire, all the feelings from her past come back with a few new memories and evidence. No one was ever charged in the fire that started her on the journey she is on now and she wants answers. After the church fire, FBI Special Agent Nathan Carlisle gets involved and helps Jesslyn with her case. The past and present collide as she comes face to face with all she wanted to get past in order to move on with her future.

Serial Burn is the third book in the Lake City Heroes book and is a good romantic suspense. It is good, not great. It had good potential but several things felt off for me. First off, I had an issue with the name, Jesslyn, it didn’t flow and it felt completely off for me. Maybe it is the name of someone the author knows and decided to use it, but I couldn’t get passed the oddness of it, which took me out of the story. In the grand scheme of things, it isn’t a big thing but it was enough for me to have trouble with the story. If you can get past that then the rest of the story is done well with lots of tension and great character relations. There is plenty of suspense and the romantic tension is done really well. Readers that enjoy suspense, romance and a clean read will not want to pass this one up.

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

Hold Strong

Author: Robert Dugoni with Jeff Langholz and Chris Crabtree

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Release Date: January 28, 2025

Hold Strong is a fitting name because the book had the strongest hold on me until the very last page!

Sam Carlson and his family have been hit hard by the depression. He has been working multiple jobs to help and one of his jobs is running the projector at the small town theater in Minnesota. He likes to meet his sweetheart there for some alone time. Sarah Haber is headed to college to study math that leads her to working as a code breaker for the military when the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor and Sam is sent to the Philippines. Sam is captured and ends up as a POW on the Bataan Death March. Sarah moves up the ranks and finds herself as one of the top code breakers; she intercepts a message from Japan about a convoy including the Arisan Maru ship. The Navy believe it is clear they must sink this ship, a ship containing American POW’s, including Sam. Sarah is in the middle of the biggest battle of her life and they world hoping they can have a satisfying outcome.

I used to say that my favorite genre of books was a good suspense thriller, but now I have to admit that my favorite genre is a Robert Dugoni book! It doesn’t matter what he writes it is going to be a phenomenal book. Hold Strong is a fantastic book with characters at the heart of it all and a plotline that will tug at readers heartstrings. The back and forth between Sam and Sarah was fantastic and written so well, as are all the books by Dugoni. Historical fiction is not my usual go to genre, but when it is done well it will end up as one of my favorite reads of the year, just as this one is going to be. This book was so good! Fans of WWII and historical fiction will not want to miss out on this one!

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

I’ll Tell You Everything

Author: Rebecca Kelley

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Release Date: January 14, 2025

An interesting back and forth between a mom and daughter and past and present.

Amy Linden loves her husband and son and working at their hotel in the mountains. She has a past though and it is coming back to the present and might ruin her future if she isn’t careful. Ramona Crawford, the daughter Amy gave up for adoption twenty years ago, shows up and wants answers about her father and what happened twenty years ago. Amy starts to tell Ramona about the summer she found out she was pregnant and then after she had her, but the more Amy talks the less Ramona believes. The longer Amy talks, the more her story changes and Ramona starts to uncover secrets that Amy would have preferred stayed hidden from the world.

I’ll Tell You Everything started out strong for me but then slowly fizzled a bit by the end. It is a good premise and storyline was solid, but it just didn’t hold up all the way through. The moments spent in the past were well done and held up the right amount of suspense and I enjoyed seeing those moments play out. Fans of psychological thrillers will likely enjoy this read and how the character development plays out, but might feel a bit let down when the suspense doesn’t carry all the way through.

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

Best of 2024

The year has come and gone with several new titles that came across our shelves. Some great, others might need another read or two. Here is what we thought were the best of the year

Between the Sound and Sea by Amanda Cox

Every time I think Amanda Cox can’t top her last book, she puts out another fantastic novel! I have yet to read one of hers that doesn’t blow me away with how amazing she is able to write these characters and storylines. Each story she writes is unique and charming with its setting, characters, and even the romantic undertones included.

Night Falls on Predicament Avenue by Jaime Jo Wright

If you have ever read a book by Jaime Jo Wright then you know you are in for a suspenseful, creepy thrilling ride. I love the way she crafts mystery from beginning to end, from the past to the present and with characters that connect through the years.

The Last Exchange by Charles Martin

As usual, Charles Martin brings a story that readers will love to read over and over again. The story of Joe and Pockets will warm readers’ hearts and mark them as another set of unforgettable characters that Martin has produced throughout his books. After the letters series, this was a bit of a different direct, more of a return to his roots.

Rift by Steven James

Find Me in California by Kerry Lonsdale

As always, a great read by Lonsdale. She develops characters that are easy to relate with that have everyday problems and throws in a mix of the supernatural for parts of interaction. Always something different, but a little of the same.

Specters in the Glass House by Jaime Jo Wright

Jaime Jo Wright gets better with each novel and this newest one is no exception. I have loved all of her books but this one was by far the best. When you think of butterflies, the next step is not serial killers and ghosts.

Never Lie by Freida McFadden

Each Freida McFadden I pick up makes me think there is no chance it will be better than the last and each time I am proven wrong. McFadden is a top-notch thriller writer that has put a smile on my face with each new book and the way she is able to pull off such great twists and turns. The way she crafted the characters in this one and how it all tied back in the end was so beautifully done.

Embers in the London Sky by Sarah Sundin

Sundin is a master at bringing great stories set in historical World War II events. Each book is different. Either set in a different location, time period of the war, and what the characters are experiencing. I loved this story and how it unfolded throughout the pages.

Beyond Reasonable Doubt by Robert Dugoni

This is the second book in the Keera Duggan series and by far better than the first. I enjoyed the first book, but it was only mediocre. This one was hands down better, better story, better character connection and much more tension to keep the story moving at a fast pace.

Hotel Lucky Seven by Kotaro Isaka

The fourth installment in the Assassins series reintroduces Lady Bug and Maria. An unlikely pair of assassin and handler, these two have some very unique adventures and this story is one of the best. I enjoy how Isaka brings new characters into the mix and the sidebar humor throughout that helps propel the story forward. Always a great read!

The Close-Up

Author: Pip Drysdale

Publisher: Gallery Books

Release Date: December 3, 2024

A thriller with deep dark twists all the way to the last pages.

Zoe Ann Weiss was hoping to make it big as a writer after moving to Los Angeles. She meets an up and coming actor, Zach and the hit it off, or so she thought, when he ghosts her and then her debut novel doesn’t hit it big like she had hoped. She takes a job at a flower shop to make it until she can come up with her next book. It’s been three years since she last saw Zach when she runs into him again and they quickly start back up where they left off. He was the inspiration for her first novel, and she is hoping he can be her muse once more in order to help her writing career before it all falls apart. Before they can make it very far in their relationship photos get leaked and Zoe is faced with a stalker that has been harassing Zach. The stalked uses points from Zoe’s book to attack her and if she gets to the end of the book, it might be too late for her to have another chapter.

I had high hopes for The Close-Up, I really did, but it fell flat for me. The crass language was just there as more of a shock point, it wasn’t needed, made me frustrated to be honest. It didn’t do anything for the story other than take away my interest. The last 50-100 pages were well done with the tension and keeping me interested, other than that I really didn’t care about the characters or what was going to happen. Honestly, I don’t think I can recommend this one to many readers because it wasn’t done very well in my opinion.

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

Rift

Author: Steven James

Series: Rift #1

Publisher: Sky Turtle Nova

Release Date: October 29, 2024

Steven James has crafted a master suspense story that will be impossible for readers to put down.

Sahara O’Shaughnessy has moved in with her grandmother after the death of her father and a falling out with her mother. Sahara starts working at the local library and things get strange when she finds a “rift” into the realm of lore. Her grandmother has told her stories of ghosts and haunts for a long time and now she might just be seeing it firsthand.

Steven James is a master storyteller and his newest, Rift, starts what I’m sure to be a fantastic trilogy. The first book in this new trilogy is just the start of a story that will take readers deep into the lore of chilling ghost stories set within the Appalachian Mountains and full of tension. Sahara has a complicated past with her family dynamics, a fact that will probably help many readers connect with the characters. Most of us have some kind of family drama that will help us relate to these characters. That is one of the best things about a book written by James, amazing characters, along with the best storyline and writing that is out there. There are so many books written and available today to choose from that it can be hard to know what is worth reading, but anytime I see a book written by James I know it is going to be a homerun. I would recommend this book to any readers that like a griping tale that will be hard to put down.

The Silent Watcher

Author: Victor Methos

Series: Vegas Shadows #1

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Release Date: December 1, 2024

The Silent Watcher takes the phrase, Deadly Silent, to a whole new level with this crazy thriller.

Piper Danes is an attorney who has had to take a step back from being a lawyer and is now a guardian ad litem with her first case. She wanted this change, knowing how a GAL helped her when she was young and needed it most and wants to help youth that need her now. When she is assigned to help 15-year-old Sophie Grace, the only survivor of her family’s murder, she has the help of Judge Hope Dawson and Detective Lazarus Holloway. With each clue they uncover more and more danger pointed at not only Sophie but each of them as well as they hunt a serial killer that hides in the shadows.

The Silent Watcher has a fantastic ending, but you must be patient for the great build up. The first chapter starts with good tension and then it dies out for a while before it picks back up and gradually takes off. It will help readers to know that this is the first book in the start of a series so the buildup will be worth sticking with. Piper is a great character with a lot of heart, and I found myself really wanting to see her come out safe and happy by the end. Lazarus got on my nerves for some reason, not even sure if I can pinpoint what it was about him that annoyed me, just something didn’t sit right with him as a character. I do think I will pick up the next in the series to see what is going to happen with these characters. The Silent Watcher is a good book for fans of suspense thrillers.

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

Across the Ages

Author: Gabrielle Meyer

Series: Timeless #4

Publisher: Bethany House

Release Date: November 5, 2024

A journey through time with a sweet romance and endearing characters.

It’s not easy living in both 1727 and 1927 but Caroline has been dealing with falling asleep in one time and waking up in another for a while. Not sure if there is anyone else like her until she finds a letter from her mother that gives small details of her own experiences with time travel. She travels to the last location she knows her mother might have been at to see if she can find some answers in 1727. While in 1927 she deals with different struggles as the daughter of a preacher and Prohibition hitting the country.

Across the Ages is a great back and forth, time-slip novel that is full of mystery, suspense, romance and great characters. I loved the back-and-forth timelines and how Caroline was affected with each of her time travels. Caroline loved her family and wanted to be all she needed to be for each and every one but with all she had to deal with traveling from time to time it was hard. Also being alone in dealing with travel through time made it harder to connect with others. I enjoyed the tension it created at times and helped me want to keep with the story. This is a great, clean read that fans of Meyer’s writing will not want to miss.

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