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Perfect Girl

by

Tracy Banghart

 

A haunted house, a huge storm, no cell service, wifi, or electricity: the perfect setting for a sleepover!

 

Perfect Girl is a new young adult horror novel by author Tracy Banghart, who pulls out all the stops to create the perfect backdrop for an innocent sleepover gone wrong. Realistic teen characters dealing with authentic, real-world problems are inadvertently caught up in someone’s deadly obsession with finding the perfect girl.

As if high school isn’t hard enough already? 

The main character, Jessa Morgan, exudes cheer, charm, and kindness, but underneath, her joy is just a façade. She’s an extreme people pleaser, and her carefully curated, perfect persona is approaching its breaking point. While facing the fears the night brings, Jessa also confronts her overwhelming need to be all things to all people, which has been fueled from childhood by her mother’s hopes and high expectations. However, she’s not the only one in her circle who’s struggling. Alexis is bi, and it’s killing her that she hasn’t been able to reveal this to her parents. Another friend, Tiny, who has drifted away from their close-knit group, is secretly trapped in an abusive relationship with an older guy. Even Jessa’s brother, Josh, is dealing with issues. Long ago, he abdicated his role as the responsible firstborn to his younger sister, and he is also struggling with living up to his parents’ impossibly high expectations. With Jessa doing all the heavy lifting, he may have just given up even trying to match her successes at home and school. 

There’s a sweet mutual crush developing between Jessa and Ryan, Josh’s best friend, but she’s too embedded in adhering to the standards of behavior from a more conservative time. She won’t make the first move, and he’s being held back by something that won’t let him clearly indicate his interest in her. But eventually, the courage is mustered to speak up. 

In a concurrent storyline, six high school girls in nearby York have gone missing in as many months. The ongoing events of one such disappearance unfold through the eyes of the sixth missing girl. The storylines eventually converge, and the horrific truth is shocking. 

The author establishes a tense, suspenseful setting with Jessa’s secluded house, which is mostly jokingly said to be home to a female teenage spirit, and her parents’ overnight absence. Situated on the edge of a woods with spotty cell service, at the best of times, Jessa and her sleepover guests, her brother, and his friend, Ryan, are further isolated when major storms roll in and take out the electricity. I was quickly caught up in the story, surprised by the plot twists, and entertained from start to finish. 

I recommend PERFECT GIRL to readers of young adult horror stories and thrillers. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy through TBR and Beyond Book Tours.

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Only One Lie

by

Audrey J. Cole

 

This book had me turning pages and staying up late!

 

Only One Lie is a riveting new historical mystery by author Audrey J. Cole set during the early days of the United States's involvement in WWII. Soon after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the three-year-old son of a wealthy banking family is kidnapped, but while the parents comply with the ransom demands, the kidnapper is found dead, and their child is nowhere to be seen. The story is intense, and the Seattle location came alive for me with the well-researched incorporation of the look and feel of the time.

The main characters, especially the two wives, Vera Chandler and Priscilla Ellis, are well-drawn and, although of a very different time and place, easy to relate to. Both go through extraordinary situations, the kidnapping, the search for Max, and wartime, and I was constantly surprised as I realized how young they must be. I enjoyed how bold Vera was, and for that matter, Priscilla. I seriously wanted to smack her husband, Vincent, so many times. 

The story is compelling, beginning with the kidnapping of Priscilla's 3-year-old son, Max. However, the flying aspects and the women flyers' involvement in the war effort were quite interesting. Wartime had galvanized women into taking on roles previously unheard of or denied. There are great twists and turns in the plot, so just as I thought I knew where the story was headed, it took a sudden jog, and I was driven to read on! 

I look forward to more from this author and recommend ONLY ONE LIE to readers who enjoy thrilling historical mystery stories, especially those set during World War II or in the Pacific Northwest. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tours.

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A Bad Bout of the Yips

From the Case Files of Steve Rockfish, #3

by

Ken Harris

 

A riveting crime fiction tale I was unable to put down!

 

A Bad Bout of the Yips is the third book in author Ken Harris's crime fiction series featuring PI Steve Rockfish. From the start (of this book or any in the series), readers old enough to know will immediately feel his kinship with the old-school investigators and the nod to and nostalgia of the classic PI television shows from the 1970s, such as The Rockford Files. If you loved those shows, this is the series for you! If you don't know what I'm talking about, this is still a series you'll want to give a look-see. 

Steve Rockfish is a cool customer, a tough guy, and he needs to be in his line of work, especially as he's going up against the mob in this real estate development-themed crime fiction tale. His young partner, Jawnie McGee, is still reeling after the previous book's events. This normally steadfast and stand-up gal shows some vulnerability in her fragile state, but although she struggles early on to regain her footing, she comes on strong later in the story. 

This third book has multiple storylines, some involving old nemeses that harken back to previous books. However, the third time's the charm as storylines converge and are wrapped up. The Baltimore and other Maryland and New Jersey settings were comfortable yet fresh (I'm just done to death sometimes with Chicago and NYC). I loved the cultural nods and the guessing game to identify the source of the references with Lynn. 

The case that lands Rockfish and McGee in dutch involves a lesbian couple who have purchased a rundown miniature golf business out from under the nose of a large real estate development corporation with mob ties. Immediately after taking possession, threatening messages appear, and an escalating series of vandalism plagues the property, including anti-gay slogans spray painted across the buildings and inflammatory fliers pepper the neighborhood to stir up trouble with the locals. What follows on the way to resolution are twists and turns, tense action and danger, told with a riveting vim and vigor that I found myself smiling as I read, completely engaged and unable to put the book down until the last page was turned. 

I recommend A BAD BOUT OF THE YIPS to readers who enjoy crime fiction, old-school PI heroes, a Baltimore setting, and fans of the previous novels in the series. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.

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Our Lady of the Overlook

by

R.L. Carpentier

 

Twisting tale of deception, long-held secrets, and murder in the rural Catskill Mountains of New York.

 

Our Lady of the Overlook is the twisty new murder mystery by author R.L. Carpentier about both a cold case and a recent murder that eerily mimes its 40-year-old, unsolved predecessor. The story uniquely features several generational pairs of law enforcement officers: the men who were involved in the 1980 cold case and their progeny now working in the same department. With little to go on but an unrelenting need to know the truth, it is the rookie officer, the son of the late police chief, who shoulders this character-driven tale of secrets and deception. 

Young Michael Ellis is the new man at the Hunter Police Department, a small collection of villages in the Catskill Mountains of New York. Mike is the son of the town’s revered former chief of police, the legendary Charlie Ellis, a father he feels he never really knew nor whose expectations he ever fulfilled. Initially, the young man is socially awkward and tentative in his interactions with others, physically uncomfortable and clumsy under the necessary accouterments of his uniform. Honestly, he is not the picture of a potentially successful police officer. Still, he seems to perform his duties well, is determined to maintain a low profile, and begins to make friends among his coworkers. It was great to watch as the story progressed how much he changes as he confronts the ghosts of his past and uncovers the surprising truths behind the murders on the Overlook hiking trail. 

Just as Mike is gaining his footing on the job, a true-crime podcaster researching “Jane Doe of the Overlook,” a 40-year-old, unsolved murder of an unknown young woman that haunted his father until his untimely death, approaches him for his help. Although intrigued and never having heard of the murder before then, he refuses to participate, wanting to focus on his new career and remain out of the limelight. Days later, though, Mike, just like his father before him, discovers the body of a young woman on the hiking trail up to the Overlook, circumstances eerily similar to the earlier murder. Reluctantly, he agrees to act as the department liaison with the investigator from the state, a man with a reputation for self-promotion and a history of latching onto the easiest suspect found, whether there’s supporting evidence or not. From that point forward, Mike can never be certain who to trust, and mistakes in judgment obscure his path to resolving either crime and place him in jeopardy. 

The author surrounds Mike with well-developed secondary characters, many with seemingly ulterior motives, and some of the best scenes in the book are between him and the men and women working to solve the two cases. One of my favorites, for the setting and the absolutely sparkling banter, is when Mike and his fellow officers and their older relatives, former officers, gather at the library to finally team up and devise a plan of action. 

While the ending doesn’t suggest a sequel, I would enjoy reading more about Mike and what may have happened after the events of this book. I recommend OUR LADY OF THE OVERLOOK to mystery readers. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.

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Teacups and Temptations

by

Kate Ellington

 

Thoroughly enjoyable, sweet romance!

Teacups and Temptations is a new historical romance by Kate Ellington, and I was thoroughly charmed by the fun, young protagonists and their innocent yet ill-considered plans for an unchaperoned month-long stay at a country home. The story is lighthearted, with plenty of amusing and innocent escapades and cautiously developing romantic feelings, perfect for an entertaining and satisfying sweet romance.

Molly Merriwether and her best friend, Caroline Darby, have waited with great anticipation for their planned visit to Waverly Hall so Caroline can further her acquaintance with the eligible son of the house, Benedict Clarke, with whom she’s exchanged letters since meeting the previous summer. But when they are finally on their journey, their chaperone, Caroline’s Aunt Hazel, falls ill but sends the girls ahead with the belief that Benedict’s parents will be there to ensure all the proprieties are met. However, when the girls reach Waverly Hall, they discover the elder Clarkes are away with only Benedict, his older brother, Frederick, and a school friend, Roger, to host them. Molly and Caroline convince themselves that since Aunt Hazel will surely be along in a day or so, it would be alright for them to remain at the house alone with the young men, and besides, who would ever find out?

Molly is the youngest child and only daughter in her family with three older brothers who have, undoubtedly, helped shape her confident and bold personality and, most assuredly, fueled her unique interest in seeing the inside of a tavern for herself. She naively risks her reputation and that of her best friend, Caroline, when she champions their plan to remain at Waverly Hall when they discover the parents of Caroline’s potential beau are not in residence when they arrive sans an ailing Aunt Hazel, who had been left to recuperate at an inn.

Molly is determined that her friend should have the opportunity to get to know Benedict, the young man her parents have tentatively selected as her match, trusting no one will ever find out they stayed under the same roof with three eligible bachelors without a proper chaperone. While the five young people play fast and loose with the proprieties (Molly does get to visit a tavern!), they conduct themselves with proper decorum.

I enjoyed the typical girl talk between Molly and Caroline about the progress of Caroline’s and Benedict’s relationship and the fun and, often, awkward moments Molly shared with Roger and his loving and loyal companion dog, Penny. The back and forth, ups and downs, and restrictions on behavior maintain a delightful tension, as does the interesting side story involving the maid, Kitty, and the housekeeper, Mrs. Lane. While the romances aren’t love at first sight, the characters have to work out their feelings for themselves before pursuing their hearts’ desires; these slow-burn relationships kept me fully engaged and hoping for a HEA.

I recommend TEACUPS AND TEMPTATIONS to readers of historical romances.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tours.

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Side Launch

by

Brock Martin

 

Exciting historical fiction featuring the entry of the Royal Canadian Navy into the action in the North Atlantic.

 

Side Launch by Brock Martin is a historical fiction novel about the entry of the Royal Canadian Navy into World War II and its operations in the North Atlantic to protect shipping routes for supplies going to England. The focus is on the fictional captain of the first corvette commissioned for service and family members of the ship’s builder in Collingwood, Ontario, Canada. 

Lieutenant Ian Thompson is the captain of the HMCS Collingwood, and the story follows his service during WWII and his developing relationship with his best friend’s younger sister, Kate Andrews. While their relationship has a rocky beginning, they soon form a strong bond of friendship, exchanging letters and infrequent visits after the onset of the war. Both secretly want more from each other, but due to the circumstances, neither feels taking things to another level would be appropriate. 

The Collingwood’s sea experiences are eye-opening. The author does an amazing job conveying just how vulnerable the Allied ships were to the attacks by the German U-boats, especially when the swift strike forces or wolfpacks of multiple U-boats were formed. The naval engagements are exciting and, often, frustrating when the U-boats seem to be unstoppable. The author subtly slips in a lot of factual history about Canada’s part in WWII, their naval capabilities at the time, events leading up to the war in Europe, and German naval operations as part of the narrative. These pieces of the big picture were fascinating, and I read about a lot of things I’d never known before. 

Back home, Kate, a university-educated and fully qualified electrical engineer, is fighting her own battles. Few women were in her line of work, and in the 1940s, this occupation, like most, was completely a man’s dominion. She struggles for the opportunities to use her full potential in the service of the war effort. It was a gut punch when her own father failed to support her position. 

The plot is well-paced and unfolds from multiple points of view, namely through Ian and Kate’s perspectives. Descriptions of the action and settings are vivid and often unsettling and eerie, such as when the Collingwood sails through impenetrable fog or plays a waiting game, wondering when the next U-boat attack will come. There are lighthearted moments courtesy of the ship’s crew and the antics of Smokey, the ship’s cat mascot, to break up the constantly growing tension of escorting the convoys. 

With its engaging and sympathetic main characters and exciting plot, I recommend SIDE LAUNCH to readers of historical fiction, especially those interested in WWII naval actions and Canadian naval history. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tours.

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The Best General in the Civil War

by

Conrad Bibens

 

Fictionalized yet riveting story of the life of General George Thomas and his service to the Union during its most critical times.

 

The Best General in the Civil War by Conrad Bibens is the fictionalized yet riveting story of the life of General George Thomas and his critical contributions in service to the country before, during, and immediately after the Civil War. The author has General Thomas tell his own tale from childhood to post-Civil War using the device of an imaginary writing of a memoir, as dictated to his wife, Frances Kellogg Thomas, in response to an inflammatory newspaper article five years after the end of the war. In truth, Thomas destroyed his personal papers prior to his death. 

While the name of George Thomas has been overshadowed by that of Ulysses Grant and William Sherman, many historical observers and scholars of the war paint Thomas as the true reason for many of the Union’s critical victories. Readers are presented with the facts from Thomas’s perspective about his experiences during the war. His words are those of a proud and confident storyteller, giving voice to his successes and disappointments, many of which came at the hands of supposed friends and representatives of the government of which he served. I came away with a very different view of what this war was like, with details of dismissed strategies and missed opportunities, miscommunications, ineffective leadership, and poor decisions on both sides of the conflict. Battles are tense and exciting and described with a clear choreography that even I, unskilled and uneducated in such, could follow and envision. 

The story is as exciting as any adventure tale, often evoking emotional responses to events long past, especially when discussing the gut-wrenching decisions our ancestors made to stay with the United States or secede. The tale brought to life the fact that these fighting men had all been classmates or had served together previously before facing each other from opposite sides. It is often pointed out that families were split apart, with brothers fighting brothers, but usually, this is intoned in very general terms. This book names names, families where this actually occurred, making this tragedy personal and all the more heartbreaking. I didn’t know that President Lincoln himself had a brother-in-law who sided with the Confederates and was killed in action fighting against Union troops. Thomas was separated from his entire family save one of his brothers for the rest of his life and vilified by the people of his home state of Virginia for staying true to his military oath. 

I recommend THE BEST GENERAL IN THE CIVIL WAR to readers of historical fiction, especially those interested in the Civil War. 

Content warning: slavery, war, death, Ku Klux Klan

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Lone Star Book Blog Tours.

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To Do Justice

Chicago Trilogy, #3

by

Frank S. Joseph

 

Chicago, during the summer of 1965, was feeling the heat of change.

 

To Do Justice is the third volume in author Frank S. Joseph’s mesmerizing Chicago Trilogy and takes readers to the West Side neighborhoods of the Windy City during the sweltering, on-the-edge summer of 1965. All eyes were on Chicago that summer, and in the middle of it all was young Pinkie and AP reporter Mollie Hinton. 

In the midst of the turmoil, 12-year-old Pinkie longs to discover the identity of her birth mother and the life she knows is hers. She’s witness to the events that capture the attention of the world. Mollie, a young, white female reporter, relegated to the mundane in the newsroom as she’s a woman in a man’s game, has the right instincts and her fingers of the pulse of the community through contacts she’s made by listening and talking to the people who live there. When these two eventually got together, and Molly decided to tackle the mystery of Pinkie’s origins, I didn’t want to put the book down. 

The author brings in historical figures as the events of that summer are recreated, the writing so evocative I almost felt as if I were there. Early on, scenes came to life with the tension (and residual exhilaration) of the rioting, and background characters were on edge and ready to act in unpredictable ways, with realistic dialogue propelling the emotions and action. I quickly became invested in what was going to happen with both Pinkie and Mollie, fearing that any minute, something awful was about to go down with them right smack in the middle of it all.

 I recommend TO DO JUSTICE to readers of literary fiction, especially those interested in the tumultuous times of the mid-60s and in Chicago in particular. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tours.

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Death in the Ozarks

Sally Witherspoon Mystery, #1

by

Erik S. Meyers

 

Murder at the biker bar!

 

Death in the Ozarks is the first novel in author Erik S. Meyers's entertaining Sally Witherspoon Mysteries and is a fine debut for the series. The author creates a great small hometown vibe and introduces readers to a direct and confident new amateur sleuth. 

Sally Witherspoon, a transplant from Atlanta, Georgia, has been in Berry Springs, Arkansas, deep in the heart of the Ozark Mountains, for 15 years. In that time, she has built herself a successful second career as the owner of a biker bar with the help of her old college friend and business partner, Bill Arnold. When she discovers Bill's body behind the bar after closing one Saturday night, she is understandably invested in finding his killer. Still, I felt she was way too eager and convinced she was the only person who could solve the case. 

The plot moves quickly, with Bill's murder occurring early in the story, and Sally wastes no time jumping into investigator mode. The author does a great job developing the town of Berry Springs, presenting the leading citizens and secondary characters through their appearance at Sally's Smashers biker bar during the opening chapter, and additional residents are introduced as they are encountered during her investigation. The author also does justice to the scenic Ozark setting, and the plethora of bikers typically found enjoying the forested mountain byways. 

I recommend DEATH IN THE OZARKS to cozy mystery readers, especially those who like bikes, bikers, biker bars, and the beauty of the Ozark region. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.

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Plausible Deception

by

Dwain Lee

 

Intriguing disappearance of a famous Stradivarius violin during a violin-makers competition.

 

Plausible Deception by Dwain Lee is a new cozy mystery about the disappearance of a famous Stradivarius violin during a conference and competition for violinmakers. Its engaging main characters, paired with its intriguing plot, made this book a winner that was hard to put down. 

Presbyterian minister the Reverend Dan Randolph and his husband Greg Zhu are in Anaheim, California, for the Violin Society of America’s annual makers competition. Greg is a skilled designer and talented craftsman with a growing reputation for creating beautiful violins, many of which are in the hands of renowned musicians around the world. When Greg is identified as the last known person to have been in the room alone with the missing violin, the police detective begins to focus his attention solely in his direction. It is up to Dan and Greg to figure out the truth and clear his name. 

The story unfolds from the viewpoint of both Dan and Greg, who not only make a delightful couple but also a great team, as they try to find the real thief. Prior to the crime, the author takes the time to build their life together so the reader can see the dynamics of their relationship and the care they’ve taken to ensure two individuals with disparate interests are successfully pursuing intense, hands-on, and, surprisingly, solitary careers. I had never realized the unique isolation that comes with being the pastor of a church and the loneliness that can result. While the story includes interesting tidbits of violin history and details of their design and construction, it also reveals that the artistry and precision required to craft a quality instrument make this a solitary profession, too. I could feel Greg’s panic when he realized his latest creation and competition entry had gotten away from him. Both occupations are not without their drama and readers get a taste of what that looks like in both professions. 

The story comes with a full-on teaser regarding how different mystery authors handle potential suspects in their books, and, consequently, this psychologically doubled the number of those possible in this one. I was immediately on the alert, trying to decide which direction Lee went. Were the unpleasant secondary characters just unpleasant red herrings, or were they telegraphing his intent that they were the bad guy? It was interesting that this earlier suggestion had me trying to second guess the motive of the author in addition to what I do with every mystery, which is to try to discern the motives for the available characters and potential suspects. In the end, the resolution was satisfying, and I was entertained by it all. 

I recommend PLAUSIBLE DECEPTION to cozy mystery readers, especially those interested in violins and violin-making and strong, realistic LGBTQ representation. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.

 

Available ONLY in paperback through BakerBook.com.