What Lies We Keep

by

Janet Roberts

Everyone here has secrets, and everyone is telling lies!

What Lies We Keep by Janet Roberts is a riveting domestic drama that ignites when a cybersecurity specialist takes undue advantage of his knowledge of an ongoing plan to embezzle millions from the firm he works for. It backfires when the culprits retaliate, framing him for a similar scheme. Ted and Charlotte McCord were already facing troubling concerns in their marriage when Ted loses his job after being accused of embezzlement. Claiming the evidence was fabricated in retaliation for blackmailing his way into his recent promotion, Ted is forced to come clean about the truth of his actions to his wife, Charlotte. Too many lies and too little trust have Charlotte demanding that he move out of their apartment home. Ted is determined that he has the goods on the real perpetrators, safely hidden away, but he needs to figure out and prove how they accomplished their frame-up before he can reveal his information. However, it looks like Ted is not the only one looking into this clever cyber wrongdoing, and he may have some unexpected help in his corner. 

With its cunning plot full of twists, turns, and lies waiting to be exposed, this mix of domestic drama and cybercrime fiction had me enthralled. Shocking surprises were waiting around every corner, it seemed, and the story flew by with all that was happening.

 Ted McCord is an interesting protagonist: morally gray, weak, and prone to lying to avoid difficult conversations, self-deluding that everything he’s doing is okay because he’s doing it out of love, highly skilled in his field, yet lacking the devious criminal mind to protect himself against the inevitable retaliation. He views his wife and brother as people he must protect and keeps critical truths from them both. He sees himself as their protector rather than them being equal, adult partners. Charlotte was a little difficult for me to like. While she is a victim in the story, I felt she nursed some of Ted’s protective characteristics with her own actions, and allowing him to shoulder the responsibility for their fiscal well-being. She has a dependent mindset, which she comes to realize early on. Her seeming lack of female friends, aside from the toxic Leah, and her growing relationship with Grace puzzled me somewhat, and I was suspicious throughout the book about why and how this would impact the story. Of course, everyone is keeping secrets and covering up with lies, lies, lies. 

I recommend WHAT LIES WE KEEP to readers of domestic dramas and thrillers. 

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

The Devil's in the Dancers

by

Catherine Yu

Suspenseful and atmospheric young adult horror story!

The Devil's in the Dancers by Catherine Yu is an engrossing and eerily atmospheric young adult horror story set at an exclusive and elite summer ballet intensive for the children of the wealthy and privileged. Told from the viewpoint of a hopeful young scholarship student who is there to augment her high school resume for her application for admission to Harvard, this haunting, upended fish-out-of-water story had me glued to its pages. 

Marianne "Mars" Chang is thrilled to be accepted into the prestigious Allegra Academy summer ballet intensive on a full scholarship. She is shocked when the founder, Allegra Bechler, takes a personal interest in her attendance, holding out the possibility of a place at the school for the regular term, if she'll do her one small favor. Alex, Mars's roommate, is Allegra's great-niece and is acknowledged as the best dancer in the program, despite the girl having expressed her flagging interest in dancing. Allegra wants Mars to secretly replace Alex's daily nutritional supplements with a new and improved formulation not yet on the market. Mars agrees despite her ethical reservations, but finding the right moment to make the switch proves to be a logistical problem. As she begins to question the fairness of giving the most privileged dancer yet another advantage over the others, she impulsively shares one of the pills with a struggling but devoted scholarship student. Hannah shows immediate and amazing improvement in her performance, but soon begins to exhibit some alarming side effects. When Allegra turns a deaf ear to Mars's concerns and Alex's friends close ranks against her, she desperately tries to warn Alex of her aunt's plans and get her away from the ominously over-secured campus.

 Mars is a likable main character with reasonable hopes and aspirations, despite agreeing to the founder's suspicious plans to switch out her great-niece's supplements. Why didn't she just approach Alex straight on? Mars is an underdog from the wrong background, with a reach-for-the-stars dream. Alex is the cool girl, and Mars develops a crush as she gets to know her, genuinely lacking the thought of how Alex's status could enhance her own. However, her attraction to her roommate takes a backseat to the mystery behind the need for the supplements and what is really going on at the school. Alex's friend from home, Naomi, Sophie, and Sasha, are creepy and menacing 'mean girls' and their presence really keeps the action suspenseful.

 The Allegra Academy setting is gothically atmospheric, with empty, echoing hallways and unusually proportioned spaces. In a secluded, remote location, the sprawling campus is fenced and gated, with a plethora of cameras keeping watch, but perhaps not for possible intruders, but for the program attendees. Strictly-enforced curfews add another layer of control and a hint of menace. 

The plot moves quickly, and the author's storytelling is absorbing; I read this book cover to cover in one day. The ballet classes and dancers' experiences will be familiar territory to students of dance. The aches, the pains, the interminable rehearsals, and the chaos of the dressing room before performances are realistic and may be eye-opening to those unfamiliar with ballet life. I loved how the story gradually transformed from a fish-out-of-water tale into a horror story with unexpected elements of the supernatural. The climax was an absolutely terrifying surprise and answered the questions I'd been harboring from the very beginning. I was delighted that I was not left hanging in the aftermath but presented with an ending of hope for normality for the girls. 

I recommend THE DEVIL'S IN THE DANCERS to readers of young adult horror, especially those who enjoy stories set in boarding schools, remote settings, ballet, and a hint of sapphic romance. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy through Toppling Stacks Tours.

Embedded

Dakota Judd Thriller, #1

by

John Lansing

Exciting life-or-death thriller!

Embedded is the first book in author John Lansing’s riveting new series of thrillers featuring former U.S. Army Ranger Dakota Judd, and it completely earns its place among the best of the genre; I couldn’t put the book down. Former Ranger Dakota Judd had made a mistake in Afghanistan when he’d tried to stop his company commander from torturing a young Afghan teen for information by shattering his arm; he should have killed him. Now, years later, he’s serving the prison sentence that had been unfairly handed down and trying to stay ahead of the incarcerated would-be assassins after the bounty on his head. So, when Special Agent Jean Steele offers him a deal that would not only get him out early but expunge his record after his successful completion of an undercover operation within a dangerous White Supremacy-linked militia, he’s all in. Now it’s up to Judd and his handler to infiltrate and get the evidence needed to shut these guys down for good. 

Dakota Judd is an interesting man of contrasts, always prepared and ready to prevail in a fight, yet retaining his need to protect those he loves and defend his principles no matter what. Plus, he likes cats. Blackfox, the organization he’s trying to get information from, is secretly the antithesis of everything he stands for. Some of his brothers-in-arms have found employment with Blackfox after their military service on the legitimate protection side, with no idea of the company’s real agenda. Judd’s is the Oscar-worthy acting job of the century, and his life depends on maintaining his masquerade. I loved that he is supported in his efforts by his canny and capable Aunt Billie, a retired Orange County detective. 

The plot is high-octane from the start, fraught with tension, and gritty as they come, especially with the mayhem dealt by the low-level biker gang frontmen, the OC Wolf Pack, as they try to incite unrest and violence among the ethnic gangs of Los Angeles. The randomness of how they perpetrate their plan is gasp-inducing, and these are the people Judd must impress to get his foot in the door with Blackfox eventually. Jean Steele proves to be a cool head, controlled and calculating in planning and executing her plan. There is also a connection with Judd that teases with its forbidden potential throughout the book. 

I recommend EMBEDDED to thriller readers, especially those who enjoy a suspenseful undercover operation that teeters on the edge of life or death and stories featuring former military protagonists. 

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

Rescuing Crockett

by

David Z. Pyke

Excellent historical fiction novel that explores an alternate fate for Alamo legend David "Davy" Crockett.

It takes a bold and confident hand to tackle a historical fiction novel involving the Battle of the Alamo, especially for an author from the Lone Star State, but I believe David Z. Pyke has crafted a winning tale in Rescuing Crockett. When rumors reach important ears in the federal government that former U.S. Representative David "Davy" Crockett is still alive and taken as a prisoner after the Battle of the Alamo, his fellow brothers-in-arms are compelled to investigate and mount a rescue should the rumors prove true. What results is this COMPLETELY FICTIONAL adventure story, stacked with historical figures and steeped in fact. 

Told from multiple points of view, the story slowly builds with the main characters seeking eyewitnesses to Crockett's final stand. It was fascinating reading about their questioning of the survivors of the battle who were inside the mission with the Texas defenders and the diversity of their accounts of what they saw. 

Included in the band of men searching for evidence of Crockett's fate is young Silas Grant, a sixteen-year-old from the Brazos Valley region near Washington-on-the-Brazos, who knew these war heroes from his participation in the final battles of the Texas Revolution. He's a more than competent companion to the older men in the group, easily carrying his own weight, even devising clever plans to save their bacon along the way. It was hard to remember that Silas was only sixteen as the story begins, someone who, nowadays, would be viewed as still a child, yet at the time of these events, was considered a man-grown. This was especially the case when it came to his sweet but mature romance with Emily Perry.

 This author can definitely tell a story! There is plenty of adventure, excitement, danger, mystery, and romance to keep readers of almost any genre turning pages. The place descriptions are vivid and, at times, capture more than just the physical attributes of the setting. There is a scene early in the story where the Texians traveling to San Antonio finally reach the city's outskirts, approaching the ruins of the Alamo from the back. Their arrival is solemn and imbued with emotion for these characters, but I was affected myself just from the reading. 

The author mixes fictional characters with many historical figures in a very natural way, and I was impressed by how many actual people were successfully incorporated throughout the story. The author includes additional commentary about some of those mentioned and some eye-opening stories about a couple of events and settings that make the Historical Note chapter a must-read. 

With its engaging main and supporting characters – fictional and historical, intriguing premise, and fantastic storytelling deftly mixing fact with imaginative fiction, I recommend RESCUING CROCKETT to readers of historical fiction, especially those who enjoy Texas tales and stories of the Alamo.

For this and other reviews, visit Boys' Mom Reads!

A Ghostwriter’s Guide to Murder

by

Melinda Mullet

With its unique setting and ensemble effort to solve a murder, this mystery is a winning series debut!

The Ghostwriter’s Guide to Murder by veteran author Melinda Mullet is a wonderful traditional mystery, and with its unique setting and characters’ ensemble effort to solve a murder, absolving one of their own of the crime, makes for a winning series debut. Ghostwriter Maeve Gardner is deep into writing book forty-three in the old-school Simon Hill detective series, originally penned by author Harlan Oaks, who, though caught in the throes of early-onset dementia, was still a big moneymaker for his publishing house. While Maeve longs for the day when she’ll be free to write her own novel, her current circumstances require her to defer to Simon Hill’s adventures for now. 

After the breakup of a long-term relationship, Maeve moved onto a houseboat and became part of the unique floating community of Regent’s Canal. When Maeve and her dog, Captain Jack, discover a large cache of money hidden at their mooring, she heads off to the nearest station to inform the local police of her find. But when she and the police return to the boat, the money is gone and the body of her ex is floating off the Revenge’s stern. Maeve suddenly finds herself suspect number one in his death. 

The story unfolds from multiple points of view, including Maeve’s and a couple of her nearest waterside neighbors, who have her back every step of the way. I loved their teamwork as they tried to clear Maeve’s name by finding the real killer. While Maeve has some idea of how her fictional detective would conduct an investigation, the others must all venture out of their comfort zones, be it physically or mentally, to help their friend, and some commit to extreme measures to do so. The author does a fabulous job building these characters’ deep, heartfelt friendships, and the results fairly radiate off the page, making this a group of friends you’d want to know in real life. 

As the police are set on Maeve as their perpetrator, it is up to her and her friends to discover the truth. I enjoyed how they divvied up their investigatory tasks and met up later to compare notes. Their inquiries into the dead man’s life lead them in a number of directions and introduce some additional characters whom I feel may reappear in future cases. Mac “The Machine” Toliver, in particular, still has a lot of story left to tell. Gradually, a picture of what really happened begins to form, and the story’s climax is absolutely gripping. 

I recommend A GHOSTWRITER’S GUIDE TO MURDER to readers of traditional mysteries, especially fans of Anthony Horowitz and Richard Osman. 

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