I Know She Was There

by

Jennifer Sadera

Exhilaratingly mind-blowing.

I Know She Was There by Jennifer Sadera is a mesmerizing tale of mystery, murder, and mental illness. Every evening, a young mother walks the upscale Deer Crossing neighborhood pushing her daughter's baby carriage, but what started as post-partum exercise has morphed into an addiction to watching the lives of the residents unfold, baring their secrets and sins to her observant eyes. 

Wow! What seems to start out as a tragic domestic drama soon became an exciting thriller where nothing is what it initially appears. The storytelling is clever and cunning, drawing me in from the start, and the pages almost turned themselves; I was so engrossed in following the twists and turns. 

The story unfolds via the troubled narrative of Caroline Case, the estranged wife of Tim and mother to Emmy. I immediately began to wonder what was really going on with this woman, as supposedly normal people clearly voiced their doubts about what she was reporting. Even the character herself starts to think maybe she is seeing things that aren't there. Twists and turns in the plot made me doubt every first impression for a good reason. It's one of the best books I've read this year. 

I recommend I KNOW SHE WAS THERE to readers of thrillers, mysteries, and psychological suspense. 

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

Alone With a Tasman Tiger

Chic Charlie, #2

by

Jane Ellyson

Unique settings and intriguing double storylines make for a great two-for-one story.

Alone With a Tasman Tiger is the second book in author Jane Ellyson’s Chic Charlie series and focuses heavily on Scott and Charlotte Harmon’s friend, Sebastian. Readers new to the series should be able to easily slip into the current story without having read the previous novel; there’s enough backstory mentioned for readers to catch up comfortably. With its intriguing premises, unique settings, and engaging characters, I didn’t want to put the book down. 

The plot is well-paced and compelling, beginning with the characters who are participating in the Australian survival competition television show Alone. I greatly enjoyed the day-to-day of the contestants and the insider view of this type of TV entertainment. Having heard that almost everything in Australia can kill you, I was on pins and needles the entire time that the contestants were in the bush, just waiting for something dire to happen. Part II switches to the yacht race from Sydney to Hobart and the Blue Gazelle that Scott is captaining. The author has the timelines of these two separate parts overlapping, and I liked how it worked out: there was no bouncing back and forth between the two major storylines. The day headings made keeping this straight simple and easy. The race is suspenseful, and danger comes quickly in the form of a terrible storm at sea, as well as the appearance of a mysterious and unidentified black yacht that is not part of the race. 

The resolution to the story comes as quite a surprise and I liked how Charlotte/Charlie and Galina/Betty worked together to find the inexplicably missing Sebastian. This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and I’m now looking forward to reading book one in the series as well. 

I recommend ALONE WITH A TASMAN TIGER to mystery readers, especially those who enjoy television survival shows and boat races. 

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

The Crushing

Olivia Callahan Suspense, #4

by

Kerry Peresta

Suspenseful tale of revenge and love gone wrong!

The Crushing is the fourth book in author Kerry Peresta’s compelling Olivia Callahan Suspense series and proves to be a suspense-filled tale of revenge and regretted former lovers. With an engaging main character, a supportive group of women friends all suffering the consequences of ill-chosen former husbands, and an intense storyline, I didn’t want to put this book down. 

The main character and the owner of her own private investigations firm, Olivia Callahan is still recuperating from an assault that left her with a traumatic brain injury years earlier but is forging ahead with her new career and patchy memories of her former life. However, she and the rest of her close-knit Wine, Whine, and Win women’s group become worried when one of their friends, Hannah, seems to drop off the face of the Earth soon after she marries and moves to a small town in Florida. Finally, they decide to have Sherry, with her newly granted PI’s license, check on her in person, and what she discovers is chilling. The exciting prologue foretells the extreme circumstances Sherry encounters in her rescue of Hannah from her abusive spouse. The psychological and physical abuse she had undergone in the previous two years was unimaginable, and Patrick’s relentless pursuit of his fleeing wife kept me on the edge of my seat, waiting for him to pop up again.

In the meantime, a new client with ties to both Olivia’s incarcerated ex-husband and Callie’s former spouse shows up looking to hire her firm for some surveillance work on his wife, who he suspects is having an affair. It, too, turns out to be much more complex. 

Hunter Faraday, now a sergeant with Richmond Police Department, returns, still hurting from Olivia’s rejection a year earlier and his more recent breakup with Detective Shiloh McPherson. He’s remained in contact with Olivia’s family but steers clear of contacting her until she reaches out for information he can obtain on her current case. To complicate his life and emotions, Shiloh also re-enters his life, needing his department’s cooperation on a case to Richmond that she’s been working undercover for several months. Naturally, he’s highly conflicted over his feelings for both women. 

Even though this is the fourth book in the series, new readers should be able to quickly pick up enough backstory to read and enjoy this story as a standalone. With twists around every corner, the suspenseful involvement of the ex-husbands, and its emotion-fraught relationships, I recommend THE CRUSHING to readers of suspense. 

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

A Room for Murder

Charlie Kingsley, #5

by

Michele Pariza Wacek

Ghostly drama is going down at the Redemption Inn!

A Room for Murder is a novella in the Charlie Kingsley series by author Michele Pariza Wacek, and reading it is an excellent way to become acquainted with the main character and town of Redemption, Wisconsin, and enjoy an intriguing ghost story. Charlie Kingsley is drawn into a ghostly drama by Nancy, her friend and the owner of the historic and haunted Redemption Inn, where she meets the Redemption’s handsome, aggravating, and recently hired police officer. 

Charlie is a friendly and helpful woman who operates a small home business crafting specialty herbal tea blends. She first learns of the Redemption Inn’s ghost, Darla, from a pair of tourists she encounters at Quoth the Raven, the local new and used bookstore. Intrigued, she heads to the Inn to ask the owner, her friend Nancy, about the ghost but inadvertently stumbles into a scene of turmoil with a guest loudly complaining that Darla tried to kill her husband. 

The town of Redemption has a peculiar reputation and odd history, so everyone is quite willing to accept the presence of a ghost as fact. But as these types of things go, something just doesn’t feel right, and before you know it, one of the guests falls victim to the supposedly deadly specter. 

The author’s writing style is easy to read, and I was soon invested in the outcome of the story. The characters were engaging and easy to get to know, and the plot was compelling. Readers new to the series should have no trouble getting comfortable with the current tale without having read the earlier novels. 

I recommend A ROOM FOR MURDER to cozy mystery readers and fans of the previous books in the series. 

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

What I Must Tell the World:

How Lorraine Hansberry Found Her Voice

by

Jay Leslie

illustrated by Loveis Wise

Well done and thoughtful biography for upper middle-grade and older readers about playwright Lorraine Hansberry, the groundbreaking Black female playwright.

What I Must Tell the World: How Lorraine Hansberry Found Her Voice, words by Jay Leslie and pictures by Loveis Wise is a well-done and thoughtful introduction for upper middle-grade and older readers to the life of renowned playwright Lorraine Hansberry. The evocatively illustrated text presents the highlights of the first Black woman to have a show produced on Broadway (A Raisin in the Sun). 

Starting with her surprising childhood as the daughter of a man who had to go to the Supreme Court of the land (and won!) to establish his right to purchase a home in the white Woodlawn area of Chicago and her preparation and journey in pursuing her dream of crafting a play representing the Black experience in America. There is a short, forthright discussion of her gradual awareness of her true sexual orientation, offering parents an opportunity to discuss and answer questions with their young readers. While this little book examines her life, it naturally brings up many important social issues that can also offer additional topics of one-on-one or group discussions with readers. Hansberry experienced the gamut of discrimination in her short life: for being Black, for being a woman in a traditionally male profession, and for being attracted to another woman rather than a man. 

I recommend WHAT I MUST TELL THE WORLD: HOW LORRAINE HANSBERRY FOUND HER VOICE to young readers who want a look into the life of this fascinating woman. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy via Netgalley.

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