Chris Bohjalian’s THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT

March 17, 2018March 17, 2018 / drbethnolan / Leave a comment

cover119455-medium

Woot! One of my very favorite authors has a new book out this week! I read it months ago as I got it via Net Galley and I’ve been waiting to share my excitement. First I have to say that Mr. Bohjalian is one of the most gifted and versatile authors that I’ve ever read. He can write in any genre and any topic. (And, if you follow him on things like Twitter and Facebook, he is a very humble and gracious guy!).

This story was a suspenseful one, focusing on a flight attendant who hooks up with a guy she serves in First Class, and then wakes up to find him dead, next to her in bed. It’s a suspenseful read, full of twists, but even more than I loved the mystery of it all, I loved the totally imperfect character of Cassandra. She made mistakes, she was rather messed up, she was not honorable, yet you couldn’t help but cheer her on.

As I read this novel, I thought “this would make a good movie!” and yesterday on Facebook I saw that a movie is in the works — yeah!

Thank you for my review e-copy via Net Galley! I look forward to the next novel from Mr. Bohjalian!

Description

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Guest Room, a powerful story about the ways an entire life can change in one night: A flight attendant wakes up in the wrong hotel, in the wrong bed, with a dead man – and no idea what happened.

Cassandra Bowden is no stranger to hungover mornings. She’s a binge drinker, her job with the airline making it easy to find adventure, and the occasional blackouts seem to be inevitable. She lives with them, and the accompanying self-loathing. When she awakes in a Dubai hotel room, she tries to piece the previous night back together, counting the minutes until she has to catch her crew shuttle to the airport. She quietly slides out of bed, careful not to aggravate her already pounding head, and looks at the man she spent the night with. She sees his dark hair. His utter stillness. And blood, a slick, still wet pool on the crisp white sheets. Afraid to call the police – she’s a single woman alone in a hotel room far from home – Cassie begins to lie. She lies as she joins the other flight attendants and pilots in the van. She lies on the way to Paris as she works the first class cabin. She lies to the FBI agents in New York who meet her at the gate. Soon it’s too late to come clean-or face the truth about what really happened back in Dubai. Could she have killed him? If not, who did?

Set amid the captivating world of those whose lives unfold at forty thousand feet, The Flight Attendant unveils a spellbinding story of memory, of the giddy pleasures of alcohol and the devastating consequences of addiction, and of murder far from home.

LET ME LIE by Clare Mackintosh

March 17, 2018 / drbethnolan / 1 Comment

cover126069-medium

Clare Mackintosh is one of my favorite suspense writers. I read her books in two days, usually because I can’t put them down! This one was no different: a protagonist who is trying to get to the bottom of her parents’ deaths as she knows something just is not right. It kept me guessing right up to the end!

Thank you for my e-copy via Net Galley!

Description

The stunning new novel from Clare Mackintosh, the international bestselling author of I Let You Go and I See You.

The police say it was suicide.
Anna says it was murder.
They’re both wrong.

Last year, Tom and Caroline Johnson chose to end their lives, one seemingly unable to live without the other. Their daughter, Anna, is struggling to come to terms with her parents’ deaths, unwilling to accept the verdict of suicide.

Now with a baby herself, Anna feels her mother’s absence keenly and is determined to find out what really happened to her parents. But as she digs up the past, someone is trying to stop her.

Sometimes it’s safer to let things lie….

GIN AND PANIC by Maia Chance

December 26, 2017 / drbethnolan / Leave a comment

cover117812-medium

Description

“Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets—and has a high old time doing it! So will you.”—Ann B. Ross, New York Times bestselling author of the Miss Julia series

Former socialite Lola Woodby is now struggling to make ends meet as a not-so-discreet private eye in Prohibtion-era New York City, along with her stern Swedish sidekick, Berta. When they’re offered a piece-of-cake job—retrieving a rhinoceros trophy from the Connecticut mansion of big game hunter Rudy Montgomery—it seems like a no-brainer. After all, their client, Lord Sudley, promises them a handsome paycheck, and the gin and tonics will be plentiful and free. But no sooner do they arrive at Montgomery Hall than Rudy is shot dead.

When the police arrive to examine the scene, they conclude that Rudy had actually committed suicide. But Lord Sudley can’t believe his friend would have done that, and there’s a houseful of suspicious characters standing by. So Lord Sudley ups the ante for Lola and Berta, and suddenly, their easy retrieval job has turned into a murder investigation. Armed with handbags stuffed with emergency chocolate, gin flasks, and a Colt .25, Lola and Berta are swiftly embroiled in a madcap puzzle of stolen diamonds, family secrets, a clutch of gangsters, and plenty of suspects who know their way around a safari rifle.

Gin and Panic is the next jaunty, compelling Discreet Retrieval Agency mystery from beloved crime writer Maia Chance.

*********************************************

What a fun read! I received this through the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I hadn’t read anything in this cozy mystery series before, and I found this novel to be both fun and funny. At times I laughed out loud! I love mysteries that are tied into time periods and reading about how these two women got around Prohibition was at times hysterical. I plan to read more by this author.

Thank you for my review copy!

SILENT FEAR by Lance and James Morcan with GIVEAWAY!

October 28, 2017October 9, 2017 / drbethnolan / Leave a comment

Silent Fear ebook cover

My friends at Sterling Gate Books in New Zealand have sent me information on an upcoming book (publishing 10/31) that sounds really intriguing!

Silent Fear is the latest novel by New Zealand father-and-son writing team Lance & James Morcan, authors of seven other published novels including THE NINTH ORPHAN, WHITE SPIRIT and INTO THE AMERICAS. It’s available now under Amazon’s Pre-order program for auto-delivery to kindle users on October 31.

Background info:

Silent Fear is dedicated to the many millions of deaf people around the world. This novel was inspired by the murders of deaf students at Gallaudet University, one of the world’s most prestigious learning institutions for the deaf, between 1980 and the early 2000’s. The investigating authorities didn’t know if the killings were ‘inside jobs’ and for a time nearly everyone connected to Gallaudet was under suspicion.

When you can’t hear…death comes silently.

Synopsis:

Scotland Yard detective Valerie Crowther is assigned to investigate the murder of a student at a university for the Deaf in London, England. The murder investigation coincides with a deadly flu virus outbreak, resulting in the university being quarantined from the outside world.

When more Deaf students are murdered, it becomes clear there is a serial killer operating within the sealed-off university. A chilling cat-and-mouse game evolves as the unknown killer targets Valerie and the virus claims more lives.

A stunning, claustrophobic, “whodunit” murder mystery with shades of horror, sci-fi and romance, Silent Fear (A novel inspired by true crimes) is the eighth novel by father-and-son writing team Lance & James Morcan. Included is a commentary by Deaf filmmaker Brent Macpherson on the unique aspects of Deaf culture the story covers. Together, the Morcans and Macpherson are currently developing a feature film adaptation of Silent Fear.

—-

Relevant links:

The book’s Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/dp/ B075HRYTVC/

Book’s Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/ book/show/35626239-silent-fear

Authors’ Amazon bios and pics:

Lance https://www.amazon.com/Lance- Morcan/e/B005ET3ZUO/ref=dp_ byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1

James https://www.amazon.com/James- Morcan/e/B005EPOU48/ref=dp_ byline_cont_pop_ebooks_2

We have also set up Silent World, a new Goodreads discussion group, to promote the book at:https://www.goodreads.com/ group/show/237556-silent- world-a-discussion-group -New members welcome!

And here’s a short YouTube video promoting the book and the planned feature film:https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=-8bv1vbQxYo

Lance, at Sterling Gate, has given me a free pdf ARC that I can read via my iPad, and he has authorized me to share info with interested readers on how to win their own! Please email me at bethsbooknookblog@ymail.com if you are interested. I will use random.org to choose a winner. Please email me by November 15.

What are you waiting for? Get reading!

THE CURIOUS AFFAIR OF THE SOMNAMBULIST AND THE PSYCHIC THIEF by Lisa Tuttle

October 18, 2017 / drbethnolan / Leave a comment

cover109954-medium

Description

Sherlock Holmes meets Penny Dreadful in the debut of a delightful Victorian-era fantasy series from Campbell Award winner and George R. R. Martin collaborator Lisa Tuttle.

To solve some mysteries, one must embrace the impossible.

Has there ever been a more unlikely pair of consulting detectives than Jesperson and Lane? They certainly make a striking duo: Mr. Jasper Jesperson, with his shock of red hair and seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of all subjects—save common sense—and Miss Lane, whose logical mind is matched only by her fascination with psychic phenomena.

Their talents are rare . . . as are their customers. So when Jesperson and Lane are hired to track the nocturnal wanderings of a sleepwalking London business owner, they’re simply happy to be working again. The case begins as a window into the séances and other supernatural parlor games that are so popular these days, and takes a sinister turn as the intrepid investigators pull back the curtain on the cutthroat rivalries underpinning polite society.

But after several mediums go missing, it’s clear that Jesperson and Lane are in over their heads. For they’ve uncovered a presence beyond their understanding—an evil force that won’t hesitate to kill in order to achieve its nefarious ends.

Praise for Lisa Tuttle

“A stylish, distinctive storyteller.”—The Washington Post Book World

“This John W. Campbell Award–winning author remains one of fantasy’s best.”—Publishers Weekly

I found this little gem on Net Galley and it seemed like the type of historical mystery that I would enjoy. I loved this duo of detectives and I particularly liked how much of this story is told from a woman’s point of view — a POV that loses sight of the intricacies of a women’s role in Victorian England.

Well-written and well-plotted, I can only hope that this is the start of a series!

Thank you for my review e-copy!

THE CLUE IN THE TREES by Marji Preus

September 16, 2017 / drbethnolan / Leave a comment

Description

Francie’s brother Theo has secrets—secrets Francie thinks she wants to know. But what if one of those secrets is that Theo is a murderer? To avoid considering that possibility, Francie plunges into her senior year at a small-town high school near Enchantment Lake in northern Minnesota. It’s a radical change from her private school in New York, but she hopes to keep an eye on her great aunts and maybe finally learn more about the mother she never knew. A small silver box seems to hold the answers, and she is determined to get her hands on it.

But when her long-lost brother turns up, so does a dead body, and once again Francie is drawn into a mystery. A long list of suspects, with Theo at the top, keeps her head spinning. When Francie herself becomes a suspect she starts to feel like she is walking on thin ice, but it isn’t until she is literally walking on thin ice that the pieces start to come together—and by then it may be too late.

In her previous adventure Enchantment Lake, Francie was thrown into northern Minnesota lake living: fishing, berry picking, lost kayaks and scary boat rides, poisoned hotdishes, exploding bulldozers, a forest fire . . . and murder. But if she thinks things have settled down, she’s in for a surprise. A new school with new friends (and a few enemies), a lead role in a play, an encounter with a giant muskie, archaeological twists, secret tunnels, thin ice, and a strangely sticky murder are all coming her way in The Clue in the Trees.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++=

I really enjoyed the first novel in this kids/YA series, ENCHANTMENT LAKE, so I was thrilled to get this new on via Net Galley. Francie continues her adventures and solves the mystery. I have to admit to enjoying the first book more than this one (not sure why – I think I found it easier to follow the plot line of the mystery) but both can stand alone and both are “clean reads” for the young people in your life who enjoy a mystery.

We are thinking of adding one of these titles to our reading list for middle school this year as the kids were asking for a mystery.

Thank you for my review e-copy! I have to say that every book I have ever received from University of Minnesota Press has been well-written, appropriate, and engaging.

Thank you!

FIVE WAYS TO KILL A MAN by Alex Gray

August 31, 2017August 27, 2017 / drbethnolan / Leave a comment

My friends at Harper-Collins Publishing asked me if I’d like a kindle copy of Alex Gray’s FIVE WAYS TO KILL A MAN, her latest DCI Lorimer novel. I like this crime series, which is set in Scotland and has a “BBC” feel to it. I had read several, though not all, of the DCI Lorimer novels and enjoyed them all. They are fast-paced and well-plotted, but not overly graphic or gruesome.

Here’s the overview from Amazon:

DCI Lorimer must track down a malicious cutthroat inching closer to his own family in this atmospheric mystery from international bestselling author Alex Gray

An unpredictable killer is loose on the streets of Glasgow, experimenting with death. Beginning with brute force, the murderer moves on to poison and drowning, greedy for new and better ways to kill. Faced with a string of unconnected victims, DCI Lorimer turns to psychologist and friend Solomon Brightman for his insights. When Lorimer is also assigned to review the case of a fatal house fire, his suspicions are raised by shocking omissions in the original investigation. Some uncomfortable questions have been buried, but Lorimer is the man to find the answers.

As the serial killer gets closer to Lorimer’s family, can the DCI unmask the volatile murderer before the next victim is found too close to home?

************************************************************

A lot of the same characters appear in this series, so they start to feel like old friends. Life goes on and people get married, babies are born, people die, all while Lorimer keeps solving crimes!

Highly recommended if you like crime novels!

Thank you for my review copy!

THE BREAK DOWN by B. A. Paris

August 15, 2017August 15, 2017 / drbethnolan / Leave a comment

51Va0R3MSWL._SX328_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

So I really enjoyed BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, and especially liked their marketing of the book (I got creepy postcards asking for help from the protagonist), so I was more than thrilled when the good folks at St. Martin’s Press sent me a review copy of THE BREAK DOWN, the newest thriller from B. A. Paris. I read it in July in two days since I couldn’t put it down!

Here’s the overview via Amazon:

If you can’t trust yourself, who can you trust?

Cass is having a hard time since the night she saw the car in the woods, on the winding rural road, in the middle of a downpour, with the woman sitting inside―the woman who was killed. She’s been trying to put the crime out of her mind; what could she have done, really? It’s a dangerous road to be on in the middle of a storm. Her husband would be furious if he knew she’d broken her promise not to take that shortcut home. And she probably would only have been hurt herself if she’d stopped.

But since then, she’s been forgetting every little thing: where she left the car, if she took her pills, the alarm code, why she ordered a pram when she doesn’t have a baby.

The only thing she can’t forget is that woman, the woman she might have saved, and the terrible nagging guilt.

Or the silent calls she’s receiving, or the feeling that someone’s watching her…

You won’t be able to put down B. A. Paris’s The Breakdown, the next chilling, propulsive novel from the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Behind Closed Doors.

***********************************************************

So — I did really like this novel, but I think I liked BEHIND CLOSED DOORS more. I will admit, I figured this story out by page 24 — unbelievable and maybe just a lucky guess, but it kind of ruined the rest of it for me. It is thrilling, suspenseful, scary, and one that makes you ask, “what would I do?”

If you like this type of suspenseful thriller, don’t miss THE BREAK DOWN by B.A. Paris!

Rhys Bowen’s On Her Majesty’s Frightfully Secret Service

August 7, 2017August 7, 2017 / drbethnolan / Leave a comment

If you read me, you know I love ALL Rhys Bowen’s novels, but I particularly enjoy the Royal Spyness Mysteries with Lady Georgiana and her adventures that are both exciting and funny. I never find this series boring as each installment is unique and engaging.

Here’s what is happening this time:

Description (via Net Galley)

In the new Royal Spyness Mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of Crowned and Dangerous, Lady Georgiana Rannoch juggles secret missions from the Queen, Darcy, and her mother. But it’s all in a day’s work when you’re thirty-fifth in line to the British Crown.

When Darcy runs off on another secret assignment, I am left to figure out how to travel to Italy sans maid and chaperone to help my dear friend Belinda, as she awaits the birth of her baby alone. An opportunity presents itself in a most unexpected way—my cousin the queen is in need of a spy to attend a house party in the Italian lake country. The Prince of Wales and the dreadful Mrs. Simpson have been invited, and Her Majesty is anxious to thwart a possible secret wedding.

What luck! A chance to see Belinda and please the queen as I seek her permission to relinquish my claim to the throne so I can marry Darcy. Only that’s as far as my good fortune takes me. I soon discover that Mummy is attending the villa party and she has her own secret task for me. Then, Darcy shows up and tells me that the fate of a world on the brink of war could very well depend on what I overhear at dinner! I shouldn’t be all that surprised when one of my fellow guests is murdered and my Italian holiday becomes a nightmare…

*************************************************

Poor Georgie! Will she ever be able to marry Darcy?? Will good friend Belinda ever think of anyone except herself and her enjoyment? Will Georgie’s mother act like a mother for once?

You’ll have to read it to find out!

I hope Ms. Bowen continues writing these novels for quite some time. She’s a bit of an Agatha Christie — you just never get tired of her!

Thank you for my review e-copy!

THE ROANOKE GIRLS by Amy Engel

July 6, 2017 / drbethnolan / Leave a comment

I found this title on Net Galley a while ago, and received an e-copy. It was a compelling and suspenseful read, but also disturbing.

Here’s the overview:

Description

“Roanoke girls never last long around here. In the end, we either run or we die.”

After her mother’s suicide, fifteen year-old Lane Roanoke came to live with her grandparents and fireball cousin, Allegra, on their vast estate in rural Kansas. Lane knew little of her mother’s mysterious family, but she quickly embraced life as one of the rich and beautiful Roanoke girls. But when she discovered the dark truth at the heart of the family, she ran…fast and far away.

Eleven years later, Lane is adrift in Los Angeles when her grandfather calls to tell her Allegra has gone missing. Did she run too? Or something worse? Unable to resist his pleas, Lane returns to help search, and to ease her guilt at having left Allegra behind. Her homecoming may mean a second chance with the boyfriend whose heart she broke that long ago summer. But it also means facing the devastating secret that made her flee, one she may not be strong enough to run from again.

As it weaves between Lane’s first Roanoke summer and her return, The Roanoke Girls shocks and tantalizes, twisting its way through revelation after mesmerizing revelation, exploring the secrets families keep and the fierce and terrible love that both binds them together and rips them apart.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Trigger warning: disturbing sexual content

This is a well-written mystery novel with a storyline that is (hopefully) a bit hard to believe. I would have liked it better if I hadn’t found it so (wait for it —- ) disturbing! I’d love to hear from others who read it, too. Recommended for those who loved VC Andrews back in the day…