Review: Wolfhunter River by Rachel Caine (audio)

Title: Wolfhunter River
Author: Rachel Caine
Series: Stillhouse Lake, #3
Narrator: Lauren Ezzo, Will Ropp, Emily Sutton-Smith, Dan John Miller
Published: April 2019, Brilliance Audio
Length: 11 hours 10 minutes
Source: Publisher

Summary:

She can’t ignore a cry for help. But in this remote hunting town, it’s open season.

Gwen Proctor escaped her serial-killer husband and saved her family. What she can’t seem to outrun is his notoriety. Or the sick internet vigilantes still seeking to avenge his crimes. For Gwen, hiding isn’t an option. Not when her only mission is to create a normal life for her kids.

But now, a threatened woman has reached out. Marlene Crockett, from the remote town of Wolfhunter, is panicked for herself and her daughter. When Gwen arrives in the small, isolated rural community, Marlene is already dead - her own daughter blamed for the murder. Except that’s not the person Marlene feared at all. And Gwen isn’t leaving until she finds out who that was.

But it may already be too late. A trap has been set. And it’s poised to snap shut on everyone Gwen loves. Her stalkers are closing in. And in a town as dark as Wolfhunter, it’s so easy for them to hide…

 
My thoughts: This is the third book in Rachel Caine's Stillhouse Lake series, and while this particular installment was not necessarily my favorite in the series, I definitely do still love this series as a whole.

First, I think it goes without saying that you really should read this series in order. Yes, you could start with this book. And yes, this could be read as a stand-alone as Rachel Caine does a good job giving a recap of what has happened prior. But, not only are the two prior books excellent, but you miss out on so much of the character development and ALL THE SPOILERS that it just wouldn't be the same reading experience as it would if you read this series starting with book one. (See below for the correct order.)

This latest installment starts off slow and takes a while to build up. But once it does, it really takes off. I knew based on the events of the previous book, that this book would take a different direction and it definitely does. While the notoriety of being a serial killer's ex-wife will always follow Gwen Proctor, all she wants is to give her kids some type of normal life. Between the group of vigilantes wanting justice and the events that bring Gwen and her family to Wolfhunter River, this book is just as suspenseful and creepy as the prior ones once it gets moving.

This book does a great job of continuing to flesh out the main characters, revealing parts of their pasts that are integral to the overall story, as well as the horrors that Melvin inflicted on them and continues to do so. Pairing that with Gwen using her experiences to help others is what leads Gwen to Wolfhunter River in the first place. I'm not sure if that is what Gwen's new role is going to be moving forward, but it certainly is a new angle, for sure.

Gwen Proctor is a force to be reckoned with...she is definitely one of my favorite characters and I love how fiercely protective she is of those she loves. She is one determined gal, willing to go the distance for those that need her, as she proves in this book. She is flawed and vulnerable. This book finally moves beyond the Melvin/Gwen storyline and we start to see a focus on where her relationship is heading with Sam. All cards are finally laid out on the table and I cannot wait to see what happens next for this couple.

I love this series, and cannot wait to find out what happens in the next book. These books are dark, gripping, suspenseful, addicting read and I highly recommend them!!!

 
Audio thoughts: I thought the narrators did a great job with this book and I loved that they were the same ones from the previous book. Each was consistent with the voices they gave their character and the pacing was just right. The narrators added just the right amount of tension to their voices as necessary and made this audio book an enjoyable listening experience.


Books in this series: 

1. Stillhouse Lake
2. Killman Creek
3. Wolfhunter River
4. Bitter Falls - due out March 2020 

Review: I Know Who You Are by Alice Feeney

Title: I Know Who You Are
Author: Alice Feeney
Published: April 2019, Flatiron Books
Format: ARC Paperback, 304 pages
Source: Publisher

Summary:
From the New York Times and international bestselling author of Sometimes I Lie comes a brand new, highly anticipated, dark and twisted thriller: I Know Who You Are.
 
Meet Aimee Sinclair: the actress everyone thinks they know but can’t remember where from.

Except one person.

Someone knows Aimee very well.

They know who she is and they know what she did.

When Aimee comes home and discovers her husband is missing, she doesn’t seem to know what to do or how to act. The police think she’s hiding something and they’re right, she is—but perhaps not what they thought. Aimee has a secret she’s never shared, and yet, she suspects that someone knows. As she struggles to keep her career and sanity intact, her past comes back to haunt her in ways more dangerous than she could have ever imagined.

In I Know Who You Are, Alice Feeney proves that she is a master of brilliantly complicated plots and killer twists that will keep you guessing until the final page.



My thoughts: Last year I read Alice Feeney's debut novel, Sometimes I Lie, and it totally solidified my love in twisty, crazy psychological thrillers all over again. Well...let me just tell you - Alice has done it again with her sophomore novel. I don't know how she does it, but this book is every bit as good and twisted as the last one and I loved every second of it!

This is another one of those reviews where it's hard to write much because I don't want to give anything away. I will say the less you know going into it, the better - you want to enjoy this book to its fullest extent and absolutely do not want to know any more than the general synopsis. As in her previous book, Alice will have you questioning everything as you come to the end - what a shocking twist that was but so brilliantly crafted that I definitely see myself rereading this to see if there are any clues along that way that I might have missed!

I'm telling you if you like somewhat dark, extremely twisted, suspenseful and very tense psychological thrillers, you need to read this one. It's a quick read and will have you hooked and flipping those pages frantically to see where it all goes. It is one wild and crazy ride that you do not want to miss! I am definitely in the Alice Feeney fan club and cannot wait to see what she comes up with next - boy does she have some crazy ideas in the mind of hers!!! 

Review: The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth

Title: The Mother-in-Law
Author: Sally Hepworth
Published: April 2019, St. Martin's Press
Format: ARC Paperback, 352 pages
Source: Publisher

Summary: 
Someone once told me that you have two families in your life - the one you are born into and the one you choose. Yes, you may get to choose your partner, but you don't choose your mother-in-law. The cackling mercenaries of fate determine it all.

From the moment Lucy met Diana, she was kept at arm's length. Diana is exquisitely polite, but Lucy knows, even after marrying Oliver, that they'll never have the closeness she'd been hoping for.

But who could fault Diana? She was a pillar of the community, an advocate for social justice, the matriarch of a loving family. Lucy had wanted so much to please her new mother-in-law.

That was ten years ago. Now, Diana has been found dead, leaving a suicide note. But the autopsy reveals evidence of suffocation. And everyone in the family is hiding something...

From the bestselling author of The Family Next Door comes a new page-turner about that trickiest of relationships.


My thoughts: I have been absolutely loving Sally Hepworth's latest books and this one just might be my favorite one yet. I went in expecting one story and got a completely different one - in all the best ways! 

This story is one that is all about family dynamics and is filled with so many twists and turns that it will keep you on your toes. I loved that this story was one that is not your typical mother-in-law story...this isn't one where you think you have it all figured out. I had so many feelings about Diana and I loved that because I went into this book thinking I would feel one way about her, and while I did feel that way in the beginning, those feelings changed many times. 

This story is a multi-layered jigsaw puzzle and ever so slowly the layers are peeled back so that we are able to piece together what is going on and what has happened. But it is done with such a slight turn of hand that you don't quite see it happening until those last few chapters...that final AHA moment when you are just about left speechless. The story alternates between Lucy and Diana's point of view, and between the past and the present, and this all adds to the on-going suspense and tension in the book. You want to race through the chapters to see what really happened, but at the same time, you want to enjoy the ride because it really is such a good one.

The characters are well-developed which makes them so captivating and makes you that much more invested in this book. And the relationships and dynamics between the characters are just fascinating. There are issues and that just makes it so compelling. Not one of these characters is without flaws and so you cannot help but suspect them all!

I loved this book...and I will be recommending this book to EVERYONE. It is a wickedly fun read and I wish I could read it again for the first time. You have to add this to your reading list right now...you won't be sorry!

Short & Sweet Review: Bullseye by James Patterson

 
Title: Bullseye
Author: James Patterson
Series: Michael Bennett, #9
Published: August 2016, Little, Brown & Company
Format: Hardcover, 339 pages
Source: Personal copy

Summary: 
Caught in the crossfire of a deadly standoff, Detective Michael Bennett must kill...or be killed.

Tensions between America and Russia are the highest they've been since the Cold War. As the countries' Presidents travel to the United Nations to iron out their differences, a fashionable husband and wife team of lethal assassins prowls the streets of Manhattan hunting their prey--a professor hiding a scandalous secret. Their next target: the extremely popular President of the United States of America.

Pulled away from his family and pressed into service, Detective Michael Bennett must trace the source of a threat that could rip the country apart--and what he finds may turn the Cold War red hot once again. With allegiances constantly in doubt and no one above suspicion, only Bennett can step into the line of fire to save the President before the deadly kill shot hits its mark.


***Short & Sweet Reviews are short, quick reviews. These will mainly be used for series books where I have already done full reviews on some of the earlier books or for books that I feel will suffice with a quick review. These will not be used for review requests or blog tours.

My thoughts: In my crazy attempt to catch up on all the unread James Patterson books I have sitting around my house, I've moved on to the Michael Bennett series - I series I adore as much for the action as for Michael Bennett and his huge family! And while this one does contain a subplot featuring Michael's son and a friend, I was left feeling a bit underwhelmed with this installment...but that does happen.

This latest installment primarily focuses on an attempted assassination of the President of the United States and Michael Bennett is called in to figure out who is behind it. The subplot involves the Bennett family opening up their home to a young teen who is temporarily displaced, however this brings Brian, who is friends with the young teen, into contact with a drug dealer. 

This is still one of my favorite series and I'm looking forward to picking up the next book. I do love the little romance between Michael Bennett and Mary Catherine and wish that was played up a bit more in this installment, but I get that he is crazy busy and it can't always be front and center. I don't, however, want it to be dragged out forever...either get them together or let it go!

Books in this series:

     1.  Step on a Crack

     2.  Run For Your Life

     3.  Worst Case

     4.  Tick Tock

     5.  I, Michael Bennett

     6.  Gone

     7.  Burn

     8.  Alert

     9.  Bullseye

     9.5  Chase

     10.  Haunted

     10.5  Manhunt

     11.  Ambush   

 

Review: Silenced by Kristina Ohlsson

Title: Silenced
Author: Kristina Ohlsson
Series:Fredrika Bergman & Alex Recht, #2
Published: December 2013, Atria/Emily Bestler Books
Format: Paperback, 352 pages
Source: Personal copy


Summary: 
Fifteen years ago: A teenage girl is viciously assaulted as she picks flowers in a field one night in midsummer. The crime is never reported. Present day: A man with no identification on his person is killed in a hit-and-run. He is never reported missing. Across the city, a priest and his wife are found dead in an apparent suicide.

Fredrika Bergman is assigned to the case. What she and her colleagues discover is that a sinister evil, the roots of which date back decades, is the link behind these seemingly unrelated crimes. There's a reason why none of them were ever reported, and it has to do with a shocking and horrendous cover-up unlike anything Fredrika could have possibly imagined.

Skillfully crafted and highly suspenseful, "Silenced" is a gripping thriller in which the consequences of past tragedies continue to haunt the present, reaching further and deeper than anyone ever expected.


My thoughts: This is the second book in Kristina Ohlsson's Fredrika Bergman and Alex Recht series and I am really enjoying it. It's a good mix of police procedural and psychological thriller, keeping you on your toes as the police work to solve the case.

What I'm really coming to enjoy in this series is that it seems as much attention is paid to the case the team is solving as the characters themselves, including the detectives. They are well-flushed out and we get really into their back stories and what is going on with them in their personal lives. I feel that this is an integral part of this series...it's not just about the cases this team works on, but also about the team and their stories. I really like this aspect - I feel that I am really coming to know these characters inside and out, rather than just having a superficial understanding of who they are.

The case itself was quite interesting. What at first appears to be a murder-suicide keeps the team busy as the clues are few and far between. There are plenty of twists and turns in this case, keeping you wondering just who is telling the truth. As the detectives get further and further into the case, they untangle quite the web of secrets, making it more and more complicated!

I really love crime fiction and Scandinavian crime fiction is definitely a favorite of mine. Kristina Ohlsson is slowly becoming a top author for me and I cannot wait to continue on with the series, especially as it ends with some major developments in the main characters' lives and I cannot wait to see where Kristina takes all this!



Books in this series:  

1. Unwanted
2. Silenced
3. The Disappeared
4. Hostage
5. The Chosen   

Review: Under the Table by Stephanie Evanovich

Title: Under the Table
Author: Stephanie Evanovich
Published: April 2019, William Morrow
Format: ARC Paperback, 336 pages
Source: Publisher

Summary: 
The New York Times bestselling author of Big Girl Panties puts a modern twist on My Fair Lady in this funny, romantic confection in which a canny young woman makes over her awkward millionaire client . . . with some hot, sexy, and surprising results.
 
Suffocating in a dead-end marriage, Midwesterner Zoey Sullivan fled to New York and moved in with her little sister Ruth, a carefree, vivacious beauty with a string of eligible bachelors at her beck and call. Giving herself three months in the city to clear her head and find a direction, Zoey dodges calls from her ex Derek, and distracts herself by cooking and catering a few private dinners and parties. Pursuing her passion for cooking was never an option when she was with Derek, and now Zoey relishes her independence.

When Zoey’s meets reclusive millionaire Tristan Malloy, she’s blown away by his kitchen—a marble and stainless steel temple worthy of the culinary gods—and charmed by his impeccable gentlemanly manners. But despite his firm body, handsome looks, and piles of cash, Tristan—a computer programmer—is shy and more than a little socially awkward. Zoey is sure that Tristan has all the right raw ingredients—and she’s the right person to spice them up turn him into a delectable dish.

But Zoey’s unprepared for just how well her makeover works. Tristan turns out to be even sexier once he’s gained a little confidence and the right wardrobe. Beneath the gorgeous package, Tristan is a great guy who deserves a woman who really appreciates him. Slowly but surely, Zoey realizes she may have found her perfect match—but does Tristan even know how her feelings have changed? Is that warm look in his eyes gratitude for the new and exciting world she’s ushered him into, or something more? And what will happen when Zoey’s ex comes to town, looking to win her back?


My thoughts: I'm a fan of Stephanie Evanovich's books...they are fun and breezy reads and the perfect palate cleansers for the usual dark, heavy thrillers I tend to gravitate towards. While I fully admit to never having seen, or read, My Fair Lady (is it based on a book - I don't even know?), I completely enjoyed this book, filled with Stephanie's trademark humor and steamy romance thrown in.

Right off the bat, I loved Zoey. I found her to be charming and a relatively likeable character. There were a few times I wanted to scream at her to stand up for herself and have a bit more of a back bone, but for the most part, I liked her character.  And Tristan...omg, I loved him and his goofy golf outfits. Only Stephanie Evanovich can make golfing sexy!!!

There are some really funny, laugh-out-loud moments throughout this book and then there are some real heart-tugging moments and that's what I love about these stories. And peppered inbetween, there are the sassy, steamy moments that just seem appropriate and happen at just the right time. 

I loved Zoey and Tristan's journey...yes, I knew going in that they would ultimately end up together. If you read enough romcom books, you know the ending, but to me it's always about the journey and this is one heck of a good one. There are some interesting forks in the road to their happily ever after, including Phyllis the truck driver who just might be one of my favorite characters ever! 

This is the type of book that you can totally fly through in an afternoon at the beach or savor over the course of a few nights...either way it's enjoyable and it will take your mind off whatever it is that is troubling you. And isn't that why we read? If you haven't read Stephanie Evanovich yet, I definitely recommend you do and why not start with this one?

Book Spotlight: The Department of Sensitive Crimes by

Today, Alexander McCall Smith's latest book, The Department of Sensitive Crimes, is being published. This is the first book in his newest series, Detective Varg, and is considered ScandiBlanc What may you ask is ScandiBlanc? It's 'a wholly original genre of fiction marked by unusual cases. These are the crimes and criminals that you won't find in the newspaper or on the ten o'clock news...unless it's a particularly slow news day.' I'm currently reading this book and will share my review soon. Can you believe this is my first Alexander McCall Smith book?
 

Title: The Department of Sensitive Crimes
Author: Alexander McCall Smith
Series: Detective Varg, #1
Published: April 2019, Pantheon Books
Format: Hardcover, 240 pages

Summary: 
In the Swedish criminal justice system, certain cases are considered especially strange and difficult, in Malmo, the dedicated detectives who investigate these crimes are members of an elite squad known as the Sensitive Crimes Division.

These are their stories.

The first case: the small matter of a man stabbed in the back of the knee. Who would perpetrate such a crime and why? Next: a young woman's imaginary boyfriend goes missing. But how on earth do you search for someone who doesn't exist? And in the final investigation: eerie secrets that are revealed under a full moon may not seem so supernatural in the light of day. No case is too unusual, too complicated, or too, well insignificant for this squad to solve.

The team: Ulf 'the Wolf" Varg, the top dog, thoughtful and diligent; Anna Bengsdotter, who's in love with Varg's car (and possibly Varg too); Carl Holgersson, who likes nothing more than filling out paperwork; and Erik Nykvist, who is deeply committed to fly fishing.

With the help of a rather verbose local police officer, this crack team gets to the bottom of cases other detectives can't or won't bother to handle. Equal parts hilarious and heartening, The Department of Sensitive Crimes is a tour de farce from a true master.


What readers are saying: 

“McCall Smith . . . extends his gift for comic situations and insightful commentary to a projected series set in Sweden . . . Detective Varg promises to be a complex series character, and the department itself looks certain to deliver more oddball yet poignant cases.”—Booklist
 
“The celebrated Scottish storyteller has turned his pen to Scandi-crime, setting his latest series with Detective Ulf ‘The Wolf’ Varg heading up a department of singular characters in the Swedish city of Malmo. It’s as if Fox Mulder, Lisbeth Salander’s maiden aunt, and Kurt Wallander collaborated on a new unit, and it’s great fun.”—Bethanne Patrick, The Washington Post (10 Books to Read in April)

“The author of more than 80 books has not lost his literary touch, but his latest account of the doings at Sweden’s Department of Sensitive Crimes hits a new high of hilarity.” —Muriel Dobbin, The Washington Times 

“With astonishing heart and mind, Alexander McCall Smith launches a bold and original new series. With The Department of Sensitive Crimes, he invents a new and compassionate genre: Scandi Blanc. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but in the end I did both. I'm already looking forward to the next one.”—Alan Bradley, best-selling author of the Flavia de Luce series
  
“Appealing . . . The interpersonal relationships McCall Smith so sensitively portrays and the ethical issues he raises matter far more than the sleuthing. Fans of gentle mysteries will look forward to the sequel.”—Publishers Weekly

About the Author:  Alexander McCall Smith is the author of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency novels and of a number of other series and stand-alone books. His works have been translated into more than forty languages and have been best sellers throughout the world. 
He lives in Scotland.

Authors Links: 
Website   |   Twitter   |   Facebook  |   Instagram

The Department of Sensitive Crimes by Alexander McCall Smith 

Pantheon Books

 April 16, 2019

Hardcover ISBN: 978-1524748210 
  eBook ISBN: B07FSCX3FM