Missing White Woman - Kellye Garrett

I picked up this book based on the premise as I thought there were many ways the plot could go. It wasn't a new one, but it's one I like. 

Bree and her boyfriend Ty go to bed in the sumptuous rental they took for a weekend together. But when Bree wakes up, Ty is gone - and there's a body at the bottom of the stairs.

Race plays a part in this book - Ty is missing, but so has a young white woman. Guess who gets the coverage. Sadly this is reality. As is the added social media trying to direct things from their devices. Also very true.

The plot of Missing White Woman twins a mystery and current headlines. 

A Haunting on the Hill - Elizabeth Hand

You might be thinking - 'Is this the same house that Shirley Jackson wrote about? The answer is yes. Elizabeth Hand's new novel A Haunting on the Hill, has been sanctioned by Jackson's estate.

Hand puts her own spin on things. Scary things...

A playwright rents the run down mansion for two weeks. She's written a play called The Witching and decides that the house would be a good place to rehearse with the three actors involved. Uh huh. Before they even step a foot inside, there are warnings about the past of the house from the real estate agent - but to no avail. 

Hand gives us four very different characters in Holly, Nisa, Amanda and Stevie. Hand fleshes out their personalities, decisions, wants, needs and more. The listener is privy to each player's thoughts. Their personalities affect what happens next in many cases.

And you got it - what happens starts off quietly with small things. Innocuous things that can be easily  explained away. Doors, sounds, echoes, temperatures. But it's not long before there's more...and I shouted to the four to get out!

Okay, so I listen to audiobooks to fall asleep. Less learned. I couldn't get to sleep - I kept hearing things downstairs - creaks and bumps and an echo of something. I ended up finishing it off in the daytime. 

Hand does a fantastic job of drawing the listener into the world of Hill House, with a well written and frightening setting and fresh plot.  

The narrator was Carol Monda and she did a fabulous job of presenting Hand's book. She has the most interesting voice - with a whiskey and cigarette growl. She provides different voices for the other players, making it easy to know who was speaking. She speaks clearly and is easy to understand. That's the characters, but what about the house? The descriptions of the house and what transpires gave me a good case of the  heebie-jeebies. The fear and the unknown are captured in Monda's performance. A really good audio performance of a really good book. 

Hear for yourself - listen to an audio excerpt of A Haunting on the Hill.

Forsaken Country - Allen Eskens

Once I discovered Allen Eskens back in 2015, I started recommending him to everyone I knew. Since that first book, Eskens' writing has only got better and better. (Which is saying a lot as that first book was really good!)

His latest (and eighth) book is the newly released, Forsaken Country. For those of you who know his works, you'll be just as excited as I was to find that Max Rupert is at the heart of the book. 

In this latest, former Homicide Detective Max begins to question his self imposed solitude. Why? Well, Lyle, a retired lawman, comes to Max with a desperate plea for help. His daughter and grandson have gone missing - and the local sheriff has already made up his mind that she's run away and closed the case. Max has his reasons as to why he finally agrees to take a look at the case. Those who have read previous books, will know why he is so reluctant. New readers, there's certainly enough backstory to fill in the 'what came before'.

Oh my gosh, I could not put the book down. The plotting is brilliant. The action is non stop and had my stomach in knots. What to do? Yes, I stayed up very late until the last page was turned. I had to know the ending before I could sleep.

Eskens' characters have depth and introspective voices. Max's losses, love, pain, determination and struggle to be in the world again ring so true. On the flip side, there is an antagonist that will make your skin crawl, but again he rings true. There's a second antagonist had my sympathy by the end chapters. Each of these three have a voice with their own chapters.

What else is there to say - it's a fantastic book. And a very easy five stars. I can't wait to see Eskens' next book.

The Wheel of Doll - Jonathan Ames

I read the first book in Jonathan Ames's 'Doll' series last year and absolutely loved it. The second book, The Wheel of Doll, has just released - and it delivers another additive read.

For those of you, who, like me, love hardboiled, down on their luck P.I. fiction, you're going to want to introduce yourself to 'Happy Doll'. Uh huh, that's his name.

The case? A beautiful young woman turns up at the office, wanting to hire Hap to find her missing mother. And her mother just happens to be a woman Doll once loved. You got it - he takes the case and immerses himself into the search.

The home setting is LA and I immediately get a noir feeling from the settings and characters - Hank's office, his occupation, (which is officially a Security Consultant since he lost his PI license), his home under the lights of the Hollywood sign, his knowledge of back alleys, encampments and the denizens those who call them home and more. 

Happy's inner dialogue is wickedly sharp and darkly humourous. He acts on impulse quite often and doesn't seem to realize that he isn't immortal. He's quite likeable and you can't help but behind him. Oh, and his dog George is an excellent sidekick. 

Another heckuva ride tale with a no apologies lead character. Can't wait for the next case! See for yourself - read an excerpt of The Wheel of Doll.

Gentle readers this book may not be the one for you - this book contains violence, drug use and more.

The Pledge - Kathleen Kent

The Pledge is newly released third entry in Kathleen Kent's "Detective Betty" trilogy.

Just when Dallas Detective Betty Rhyzyk thinks life has settled down, the past comes back to bite her - again. A cartel leader who goes by the name of The Knife gives her an ultimatum. Betty has two weeks to find their shared enemy, cult leader Evangeline Roy, or Betty and her family will pay the price. Betty and her wife Jackie have taken in Mary Grace, a young mother of a seven month old girl. But Mary Grace has gone on the run again, leaving the baby behind. So, suffice it to say, Betty's plate is pretty full.

The Pledge takes place over the course of those two weeks. The first chapter sets the tone for the rest of the book. The action is non-top and makes for page turning, late night reading.

I really like Betty as a lead character - she's tough, smart, fearless and her family is her first priority. I gotta say she really takes a licking and keeps on ticking. The amount of injuries and lack of sleep she amasses over the two weeks is pretty impressive. And yes, a wee bit unbelievable. But hey, just go with it - the plotting is pretty darn good with some truly nasty antagonists and a number of subplots that are slowly but surely woven together.The supporting cast is good as well. Betty's wife Jackie is the voice of reason. Betty's squad is back as well, with her partner Seth and a new transfer with an attitude. I really liked the two women private investigators Rocky and Peg.

I was quite saddened to hear that The Pledge is the end of the Betty books. Kent ties up all the loose ends in this last entry. If you've read Michael Connelly's Renée Ballard character, you'll enjoy Detective Betty. See for yourself - here's an excerpt of The Pledge.

And I wonder what Kent will write next? Her first two books were historical fiction and are well worth a read as well. Maybe some more crime with the two PI's? Whatever it is, I'll be picking it up!

The Stolen Hours - Allen Eskens

I read Allen Eskens' award winning debut novel, The Life We Bury, back in 2014 - and every book he's written since. They've all been fantastic reads and I can't recommend Eskens enough. 

His latest is The Stolen Hours. We first met Joe and Lila in The Life We Bury. It's Lila who takes center stage in this latest. She almost has her law degree and just needs to put in her time working with a prosecutor in the Hennepin County Attorney's office. Faithful readers will know of Lila's struggles to get this far. But the past comes barreling at her with a prosecutor who is determined to derail her dreams. Even worse is a suspect that Lila thinks has ties to her own past.

Lila is such a great character. She's so likeable and real - wounded, determined, clever and more. Eskens does a great job portraying her inner thoughts, struggles, trauma and memories realistically. The reader will be one hundred percent behind her. Joe makes a cameo and I hope Eskens has more in store for him. The supporting cast were just as well drawn, with Detective Nikki Vang returning and introducing prosecutor Andie Fitch. I hope she too is included in future novels.

I love a good mystery and courtroom battle. Eskens is a former defense attorney and that inside knowledge adds much to his plotting. The 'bad guy' in this case? A malevolent man named Gavin. He's quite sure he is smarter than the cops, his lawyer and the prosecutors. After all, he's been at this for awhile and has a foolproof plan if he's ever arrested. He's given a (chilling) voice with his own chapters. And I have to say that I was completely fooled by Eskens as to the whodunit! I love being unable to predict the final pages. 

Eskens' writing flows easily and makes for addictive reading - I devoured The Stolen Hours in a day. See for yourself - read an excerpt of The Stolen Hours.

In the Clearing - J.P. Pomare

In The Clearing is J.P. Pomare's new release.

What's it about? From Mulholland Books:

"Set against a ticking clock, this "taut and unpredictable" thriller pits a ruthless cult against a mother's love, revealing that our darkest secrets are the hardest ones to leave behind (Chris Hammer).

Four days to go
Amy has only ever known life in the Clearing, amidst her brothers and sisters–until a newcomer, a younger girl, joins the "family" and offers a glimpse of the outside world.

Three days to go
Freya is going to great lengths to seem like an "everyday mum," even as she maintains her isolated lifestyle, hoping to protect her young son and her dog.

Two days to go
When news breaks of a missing girl–a child the same age as Freya's son, Billy–Amy and Freya find themselves headed for a shocking collision.

One day to go."

My Thoughts:

Pomare's cult preys on children with a sadistic and thoroughly mad leader. Interestingly, in this case, it's a woman.  She simply needs twelve children to complete her family.  If they're blond that's perfect - otherwise she'll have their hair dyed. Food is scarce, correction is harsh, and the adults are horrible in so many ways. But things start to escalate and Amy begins to question everything she has ever known. I initially thought Freya was older than I thought. She's quite enigmatic about why she lives where she does, her past etc. This is a great way to hook a reader. But it went on a bit too long for me. She tries very hard to appear normal and fit in. But she knows she doesn't. A piece of her past arrives - and her carefully structured life begins to crumble.

I had my suspicions about the connection between these two lead characters. Pomare did a good job of eking out the connections by alternating Amy and Freya's narratives, as well as journal entries. The ending was a nice gotcha.

It was only on finishing the book that I discovered Pomare took inspiration for In the Clearing from an actual Australian cult from the 1960's. Many of Pomare's cult's details are taken directly from The Family.

And that could be the thing with this book for me. It felt like any other cultish novel I've previously read and ended up being an okay, not great, read for me. Other folks really loved this novel - you can check out their reviews on Goodreads. Or here's an excerpt of In the Clearing.

Gentle readers, this one may not be for you - there are some triggering situations.

Afterland - Lauren Beukes

I enjoy reading speculative fiction. I'm always curious as to what an author imagines for our future. Lauren Beukes's latest novel, Afterland, isn't that far in the future - and is in fact disturbingly close to what we're living with now.

There's a pandemic - and what it does is kill only men. There are a few left and the government has them in captivity, testing them. It's been three year now - there are a few males who are immune. The female government has them in captivity, testing them. Miles is now twelve and is one of the few boys left. Stuck in the US when the pandemic hit, his mother Cole has been trying to get them back to their own country of South Africa. With the help of Cole's sister Billie, they have one last shot.

"The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry." And women. Billie has a different plan for Miles.

What follows is a gut wrenchingly tense, hold your breath dangerous, edge of your seat chase. With every corner Miles and Cole turn, there's another complication, problem, roadblock. For in this new world, everyone has their own agenda.

The characters were so well drawn. Twelve year old Miles rang true and Cole's love and determination to save her son is palpable. But Billie. Ohhh boy, Billie is, as my gran used to put it, a piece of work. Her thinking is skewed to begin with, but a bump on head amplifies her crazy. And along the way both Cole and Billie meet and travel with other groups of women. Just as - or more - scary than Billie.

And is Beukes's imagining that far fetched? Nope, not at all. Separating parents from their children, holding people captive against their will, a sickness across the world and more.

Beukes had me from first page to last. Would you like it? If you liked The Handmaid's Tale with a side of Mad Max, you'd love Afterland. I could see this one as a movie. Take a look - here's an excerpt of Afterland.  his was a first read of Lauren Beukes for me. I think her writing is absolutely fantastic, so I'm off to hunt down her first two books. And I'll eagerly awaiting the fourth!

Kill the Next One - Federico Axat

Kill the Next One marks Federico Axat's North American debut. Translation rights for this novel have been sold in twenty-nine countries.

Ted McKay seems to have it all - beautiful wife, two lovely little girls and a high-paying job. But when he is diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour, Ted decides to end it all. He is sitting with his gun to his head in his study when the doorbell rings. And whoever it is starts shouting that he knows what he is doing. And then there's the note in Ted's pocket in his own handwriting, "Open the door. It's your only way out."

I was intrigued and even more so when Ted lets the stranger in and he proposes that Ted end things - but with a twist. First, he should kill a 'deserving' criminal and then another man with a terminal illness. After that, someone will do the same for Ted.

Great premise eh? And Ted decides it's a great idea. But it's not as straight forward as all that. Axat has created one of the most unreliable narrators I've read in a while. Is what's happening really what's happening? Ted's memories are confused, his narrative of what's going on is cloudy and his thinking becomes muddled. What is the truth?

Axat has penned a very clever, but convoluted plot. The reader will need to be on their toes to keep on top of the next iteration. I adore unreliable narrators, but about two thirds of the way through, I grew tired of Ted's ever changing narrative. I had my suspicions as to what the final 'reveal' was going to be - and I was proven correct. From the publisher's initial description of the book, I expected a very different read.

I never truly engaged with either Ted or his story - instead I felt like a distanced observer. Additionally, without providing any spoilers, the possum seemed liked an add on plot device to me. Fair warning to gentle readers - there is a gratuitous animal torture scene near the end of the book that doesn't need to be there and adds nothing to the story.

Sadly, this was a bit of a letdown for me. But, see for yourself - read an excerpt of Kill the Next One.