I’ve signed on with Harlequin to feature some of their new titles in their widely run blog tours. Little Girl Gone is the first one I read in their “Investigator” titles.
Here’s the overview:
LITTLE GIRL GONE by Amanda Stevens (on-sale Dec.28, Harlequin Intrigue): Nothing matters more to her when a child’s life is at stake. Special agent Thea Lamb returns to her hometown to search for a child whose disappearance echoes a twenty-eight-year-old cold case—her twin sister’s abduction. Working with her former partner, Jake Stillwell, Thea must overcome the pain, doubt and guilt that have tormented her for years and denied her a meaningful relationship. For both Thea and Jake, the job always came first…until now.
About AMANDA STEVENS: Amanda Stevens is an award-winning author of over fifty novels. Born and raised in the rural south, she now resides in Houston, Texas.
I enjoyed this fast-paced crime novel, which kept me guessing. While the main mystery was solved I felt there was some unfinished business, so it was great to see that there will be a series of stand-alone titles with these characters.
This book had mystery, a little romance/sex, and was not overly graphic/gruesome, in my opinion.
I’m wrapping up the fall mystery and thriller blog tours with The Sorority Murder by Allison Brennan.
Here’s the scoop:
ABOUT THE BOOK:
New York Times bestselling author Allison Brennan’s suspenseful new mass market original about a college senior’s podcast that delves into an unsolved campus murder of a sorority girl three years earlier, as individual callers explode every fact previously thought to be true.
Lucas Vega is obsessed with the death of Candace Swain, who left a sorority party one night and never came back. Her body was found two weeks later, and the case has grown cold. Three years later while interning at the Medical Examiner’s, Lucas discovers new information, but the police are not interested.
Lucas knows he has several credible pieces of the puzzle, he just isn’t sure how they fit together. So he creates a podcast to revisit Candace’s last hours. He asks listeners to crowdsource what they remember and invites guest lecturer, former US Marshal Regan Merritt, to come on and share her expertise.
New tips come in that convince Lucas and Regan they are onto something. Then shockingly one of the podcast callers turns up dead. Another hints at Candace’s secret life…a much darker picture than Lucas imagined—and one that implicates other sorority sisters. Regan uses her own resources to bolster their theory and learns that Lucas is hiding his own dark secret. The pressure is to solve the murder, but first Lucas must come clean about his real motives in pursuing this podcast – before the killer silences him forever.
So – I have a mixed review on this one. I liked it and I enjoyed reading it, but it felt long to me (I just looked – as I read on my kindle – and it’s 448 pages). It felt like I had to keep a lot of characters and events straight in my head, which was sometimes confusing (remember – I often read late at night when I’m tired). So, while I liked it, I do wish it moved a bit quicker and was shorter.
If you like suspenseful murder mysteries, you’ll enjoy this one!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
ALLISON BRENNAN is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty novels. She has been nominated for Best Paperback Original Thriller by International Thriller Writers and the Daphne du Maurier Award. A former consultant in the California State Legislature, Allison lives in Arizona with her husband, five kids and assorted pets. The Sorority Murder is the first of a new mass market series,
Today I picked my TOP 3 reads of this year. I didn’t have a chance to blog every book I read, and I only blog about books I enjoy, so I chose these titles from my posts this calendar year.
(cue drum roll):
3. The Rose Code by Kate Quinn – I listened to this one and, as you know, I LOVE stories of WWII/female code breakers/espionage/etc. Great story!!
2. Anxious People by Fredrik Bachman – I read it (and had trouble following along) and then I audiobooked it. Whenever I read Bachman’s books I find my crying at the ending, and then I’m asking myself why I’m crying. He just can write so beautifully of the human experience with an eye to all that is good and true in people.
and finally (cue trumpets):
1. The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi – I had this book for almost two years before I got around to reading it (sorry!) and now that I’ve read it, I can’t stop thinking about it. Or thinking about henna as a cultural expression. And thinking about women’s roles and relationships. I found this book fascinating and loved it, so I give it my #1 for the year!
Of course I read LOTS of good books this year, but these three will be ones I’m recommending for a long time!
I’m casting the spotlight today on a book about POWs in WWII. My own father fought in WWII so I’ve always had an interest in it. I think this would make a good gift for that person you know who loves military history.
Here’s the scoop:
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In his latest work, award-winning author and military veteran Gary Slaughter documents perspectives of World War II that have flown under the radar for decades. Fletcher House Publishers released “WWII POWs in America and Abroad” on Nov. 11, 2021.
Little has been written about the 6 million people held in prison camps around the world between 1939 and 1945. The Allies and the Axis powers held one another’s armed forces as military prisoners of war (POWs).
The Axis powers also confined millions of civilian prisoners in death or concentration camps. In addition, the Axis also imprisoned Russians, Slavs, European Jews, people with medical and physical disabilities, non-Jewish intellectuals, and religious leaders.
Even the United States imprisoned its own citizens in camps throughout America – over 100,000 Japanese-Americans and 11,500 German-Americans, most naturalized U.S. citizens.
Like military camps, these civilian sites were also surrounded by barbed wire and guard towers. In 1943, when a German POW camp was built in Slaughter’s hometown in Michigan, he became fascinated with POWs as a young boy. During the last two decades, Slaughter has authored five Cottonwood novels, set on the American homefront during the latter part of World War II, each containing POW storylines. Following book talks, most attendee questions related to POWs. His extensive research resulted in this captivating book.
“WWII POWs in America and Abroad”
Gary Slaughter| Nov. 11, 2021 | Fletcher House Publishing | Nonfiction / History
Paperback | ISBN: 9781733802130 | $20
Ebook | ISBN: 9781733802147 | $6.99
About the Author
Gary Slaughter is the author of “WWII POWs in America and Abroad” (Fletcher House Publishers, Nov. 11, 2021). He was born and raised in Owosso, Michigan. After graduating from the University of Michigan, he served seven years during the Cold War as a Naval officer, principally on anti-submarine warfare (ASW) destroyers. Following a distinguished military career, he became an expert on managing corporate information technology and consulted to clients worldwide. In 2002, Slaughter put his career on hold and began to write the award-winning Cottonwood series of five novels, depicting life on the American homefront during the last five seasons of World War II. In 2016, his critically-acclaimed memoir, “Sea Stories,” was published. The book’s 60 vignettes recall Slaughter’s life in the Navy. One vignette tells of the once top-secret role he played in avoiding an all-out nuclear exchange with the Soviet Union during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Thanks to my friends at Books Forward for sending me info on this book!
I’m chatting it up today about a new thriller out by Trevor J. Houser: Pacific.
Here’s the scoop:
On a remote Puget Sound Island, police chief Bell navigates his job and marriage in the wake of his son’s near-death brain surgery. When his wife no longer wants to tempt the fates of experimental medicine, he takes matters into his own hands. With the help of his spaced-out fisherman friend, Bell kidnaps his boy and sets sail for Guatemala in search of the mysterious Dr. Haas. On the way, they’ll brave the seventh biggest storm, befriend two behemoth fly-fishing Nords, and try to outrun the ex-Navy captain hired by his wife to find them.
Inspired by his own son’s health battle and the beauty of his home of the Pacific Northwest, Houser seamlessly captures the heartbreak and desperation all parents of a sick child feel, while still maintaining humor and playful language that gives them hope.
“Parents of children with diseases face horrible mundane realities on a daily basis; the bus-station like sameness of all the hospitals, waiting, and calls to insurance,” says Houser. “But there’s also beauty and hope in mundane moments, if we’re just willing to go and look for it.”
Today I’m hosting a Q&A with Mr. Houser:
Question: This is your debut novel. How did writing a full-length piece differ from the short stories and other pieces you have published?
Trevor J. Houser: Although this is my first published novel most novelists have a closetful of novels they’ve already written that didn’t make it for one reason or another. For me the biggest difference in writing a novel is maintaining the energy of that initial idea. To maintain the consistency of that voice, of that style over the course of many months.
Q: Family and fatherhood is a major theme throughout Pacific. Did your own family life inspire your writing for this book?
TJH: I have a son who was diagnosed with a rare brain disease. After years of navigating all the unknowns and not really writing there was suddenly some light at the end of the tunnel with his prognosis and soon after I found myself writing this book. Pacific is somewhat based on the experiences we’ve been through with our son, but a lot of it is the made-up fantasy of a parent who wishes they could do something more just than talk to a million doctors and not sleep at night. Even though the way in which Chief Bell shows his love for his son might be considered unconventional, it demonstrates how fathers are just as capable as mothers in the depths of their feelings and devotion.
Q: How did the Pacific Northwest influence your story?
TJH: I grew up in Oregon, but afer leaving for college I lived for years in places like New York, San Francisco and Argentina. When I returned to the Pacific Northwest with my family a few years ago I think I forgot just how exotic and rich this place is. It took being away for so long to appreciate the strange beauty of it, which is what I hoped this book would be: strange and beautiful.
Q: Fans of which authors/books do you think would enjoy Pacific and why?
TJH: Hopefully fans of authors such as Kate Jennings and Jenny Offill will like it because of their sentence level precision in telling stories of hope and heartbreak. Donald Barthelme and Richard Brautigan for their playfulness with language and form, and their sense of humor. Denis Johnson for his melancholy strangeness. All my favorite writers tend to elevate the everyday through their language to make the mundane transcendent. To make regular life almost mythic. It’s something I try to accomplish on a sentence level and keep building it so that courses through the entire narrative
Q: What’s next for you and Pacific?
TJH: My second novel is coming out in 2023. It’s about a math hobbyist, who believes he’s discovered a theorem that might predict when and where the next mass shooting takes place.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Trevor J. Houser is an advertising copywriter living with his family in Seattle, WA. He studied creative writing under Thomas Beller at Columbia University. His stories have been published in dozens of literary journals, including Zyzzyva, Story Quarterly, and The Dr. TJ Eckleburg Review. He’s been nominated three times for the Pushcart Prize. He also received special mention in Best American Fantasy Vol. 2. You can find the author on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and at http://www.houserfiction.com. Pacific is his debut novel.
This sounds SO good! Thanks for letting me highlight your novel, Mr. Houser, and thanks to Smith Publicity!
I FINALLY got around to reading this amazing novel and I just loved it! First of all, it was so interesting and the setting was beautifully depicted. I loved the main character and how she was a strong and independent woman. I love books that are centered on sisters and their complicated relationships. This book is part of a trilogy and I am excited that the second book is already available.
Do yourself a favor and read this novel if you haven’t already! I waited because everyone was reading it and I never read what everyone is reading (strange, but true).
Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers, Harlequin/MIRA, for my copy!
Here’s the scoop:
Description
A NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER
A REESE WITHERSPOON x HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB PICK
“Captivated me from the first chapter to the final page.”—Reese Witherspoon
Vivid and compelling in its portrait of one woman’s struggle for fulfillment in a society pivoting between the traditional and the modern, The Henna Artist opens a door into a world that is at once lush and fascinating, stark and cruel.
Escaping from an abusive marriage, seventeen-year-old Lakshmi makes her way alone to the vibrant 1950s pink city of Jaipur. There she becomes the most highly requested henna artist—and confidante—to the wealthy women of the upper class. But trusted with the secrets of the wealthy, she can never reveal her own…
Known for her original designs and sage advice, Lakshmi must tread carefully to avoid the jealous gossips who could ruin her reputation and her livelihood. As she pursues her dream of an independent life, she is startled one day when she is confronted by her husband, who has tracked her down these many years later with a high-spirited young girl in tow—a sister Lakshmi never knew she had. Suddenly the caution that she has carefully cultivated as protection is threatened. Still she perseveres, applying her talents and lifting up those that surround her as she does.
“Eloquent and moving…Joshi masterfully balances a yearning for self-discovery with the need for familial love.”—Publishers Weekly
Look for The Secret Keeper of Jaipur from New York Times bestselling author Alka Joshi!
This was a suspenseful and somewhat twisted read (and actually the second “nanny” book I read this month!). If you enjoy slightly unnerving suspense, don’t miss this one! Thank you for making me part of the tour and for my copy!
Nanny Dearest : A Novel Flora Collins On Sale Date: November 30, 2021 9780778311614 Trade Paperback $16.99 USD 336 pages
ABOUT THE BOOK: Compulsively readable domestic suspense, perfect for fans of THE TURN OF THE KEY and THE PERFECT NANNY, about a woman who takes comfort in reconnecting with her childhood nanny after her father’s death, until she starts to uncover dark secrets the nanny has been holding for twenty years. Set in New York city and upstate New York, NANNY DEAREST is the story of twenty-five year-old Sue Keller, a young woman reeling from the recent death of her father, a particularly painful loss given that Sue’s mother died of cancer when she was only three. At just this moment of vulnerability comes Anneliese Whitaker, Sue’s former nanny from her childhood days in upstate New York. Sue, craving connection and mothering, is only too eager to welcome Annie back into her life; but as they become inseparable once again, Sue begins to uncover the truth about Annie’s unsettling time in the Keller house all those years ago, particularly the manner of her departure – or dismissal. At the same time, she begins to grow increasingly alarmed for the safety of the two new charges currently in Annie’s care. Told in alternating points of views, switching between Annie in the mid-90s and Sue in the present day, this is a taut novel of suspense with a shocking ending.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Flora Collins was born and raised in New York City and has never left, except for a four-year stint at Vassar College. When she’s not writing, she can be found watching reality shows that were canceled after one season or attempting to eat soft-serve ice cream in bed (sometimes simultaneously). Nanny Dearest is her first novel, and draws upon personal experiences from her own family history.
Loved this one that I read at the end of summer! I loved how the characters changed over time and how there was a bit of a mystery wrapped up into the story. Most of all, I loved the story of fighting in the Civil Rights movement and what that was like. Such a memorable story!
This was my first book by Diane Chamberlain, but it won’t be my last! Thank you for my Net Galley copy!
Description
A community’s past sins rise to the surface in New York Times bestselling author Diane Chamberlain’s The Last House on the Street when two women, a generation apart, find themselves bound by tragedy and an unsolved, decades-old mystery.
1965
Growing up in the well-to-do town of Round Hill, North Carolina, Ellie Hockley was raised to be a certain type of proper Southern lady. Enrolled in college and all but engaged to a bank manager, Ellie isn’t as committed to her expected future as her family believes. She’s chosen to spend her summer break as a volunteer helping to register black voters. But as Ellie follows her ideals fighting for the civil rights of the marginalized, her scandalized parents scorn her efforts, and her neighbors reveal their prejudices. And when she loses her heart to a fellow volunteer, Ellie discovers the frightening true nature of the people living in Round Hill.
2010
Architect Kayla Carter and her husband designed a beautiful house for themselves in Round Hill’s new development, Shadow Ridge Estates. It was supposed to be a home where they could raise their three-year-old daughter and grow old together. Instead, it’s the place where Kayla’s husband died in an accident—a fact known to a mysterious woman who warns Kayla against moving in. The woods and lake behind the property are reputed to be haunted, and the new home has been targeted by vandals leaving threatening notes. And Kayla’s neighbor Ellie Hockley is harboring long buried secrets about the dark history of the land where her house was built.
Two women. Two stories. Both on a collision course with the truth–no matter what that truth may bring to light–in Diane Chamberlain’s riveting, powerful novel about the search for justice.
I love Rhys Bowen’s Royal Spyness series! This one was a good one: Georgie is trying to celebrate Christmas with her family and the Royal Family, but people keep having “accidents”. Will Georgie and Darcy (now married!) figure it out in time? This is the perfect cozy mystery to curl up and read during the holidays! Thank you for my e-copy via Net Galley.
Overview:
Georgie is back and hanging the stockings with care when a murder interrupts her Christmas cheer in this all-new installment in the New York Times bestselling Royal Spyness series from Rhys Bowen.
Georgie is excited for her first Christmas as a married woman in her lovely new home. She suggests to her dashing husband, Darcy, that they have a little house party, but when Darcy receives a letter from his aunt Ermintrude, there is an abrupt change in plans. She has moved to a house on the edge of the Sandringham estate, near the royal family, and wants to invite Darcy and his new bride for Christmas. Aunt Ermintrude hints that the queen would like Georgie nearby. Georgie had not known that Aunt Ermintrude was a former lady-in-waiting and close confidante of her royal highness. The letter is therefore almost a royal request, so Georgie, Darcy, and their Christmas guests: Mummy, Grandad, Fig, and Binky all head to Sandringham.
Georgie soon learns that the notorious Mrs. Simpson, mistress to the Prince of Wales, will also be in attendance. It is now crystal clear to Georgie that the Queen expects her to do a bit of spying. There is tension in the air from the get-go, and when Georgie pays a visit to the queen, she learns that there is more to her request than just some simple eavesdropping. There have been a couple of strange accidents at the estate recently. Two gentlemen of the royal household have died in mysterious circumstances and another has been shot by mistake during a hunt. Georgie begins to suspect that a member of the royal family is the real target but her investigation will put her new husband and love of her life, Darcy, in the crosshairs of a killer.
I love Elizabeth Strout’s writing and I so enjoyed her recent novel Oh William!. Lucy Barton narrates the story, telling of William’s family and his experience as she views it. I honestly did not pick this one up for a while as it sounded fairly dull, but Elizabeth Strout’s writing is so beautiful, so vivid. She has the ability to capture character in such a way that you find yourself shaking your head saying, “Yes, that is exactly how that is”. She is one of those rare writers who makes the ordinary extraordinary. When you read her books you feel better about life.
Thank you for my Net Galley copy.
Here’s the overview:
Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout explores the mysteries of marriage and the secrets we keep, as a former couple reckons with where they’ve come from—and what they’ve left behind.
“Elizabeth Strout is one of my very favorite writers, so the fact that Oh William! may well be my favorite of her books is a mathematical equation for joy. The depth, complexity, and love contained in these pages is a miraculous achievement.”—Ann Patchett, author of The Dutch House
I would like to say a few things about my first husband, William.
Lucy Barton is a writer, but her ex-husband, William, remains a hard man to read. William, she confesses, has always been a mystery to me. Another mystery is why the two have remained connected after all these years. They just are.
So Lucy is both surprised and not surprised when William asks her to join him on a trip to investigate a recently uncovered family secret—one of those secrets that rearrange everything we think we know about the people closest to us. What happens next is nothing less than another example of what Hilary Mantel has called Elizabeth Strout’s “perfect attunement to the human condition.” There are fears and insecurities, simple joys and acts of tenderness, and revelations about affairs and other spouses, parents and their children. On every page of this exquisite novel we learn more about the quiet forces that hold us together—even after we’ve grown apart.
At the heart of this story is the indomitable voice of Lucy Barton, who offers a profound, lasting reflection on the very nature of existence. “This is the way of life,” Lucy says: “the many things we do not know until it is too late.”
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