The #1 Lawyer - James Patterson and Nancy Allen

New from James Patterson and Nancy Allen - The #1 Lawyer -  releases today! 

Patterson and Allen take us down to Biloxi, Mississippi and to the law office of Stafford Lee Penney. Stafford Lee hasn't lost a case yet - hence the #1. But you know what they say - what goes up, has to come down....

I have always enjoyed legal thrillers. The machinations behind closed doors, the hunt for a clue, a witness, that 'thing' that will turn the tables and secure a favorable win. In this case Stafford Lee is a defense lawyer. I enjoy the theatrics of the courtroom, the keen eyes that 'read' the jurors and the abilty to turn tactics on the spot. 

Patterson and Allen give us a great case in the first few chapters of the book. And it was everything I detailed above. There's a great surprise at the end of that case that caught me off guard. And the book took a different direction. One I was happy to follow! The direction the plot took kept me engaged.

Now, the characters. Stafford Lee is a good lead and embodies what you would expect in a lawyer as a lead. He thinks quick on his feet, but again - that up has to come down. I really liked Jenny, the firm's private eye. She's tough, thinks for herself and is driven.

The novel is told in short chapters and succinct sentences - classic Patterson style. Nancy Allen is a lawyer herself and the book benefits from that inside knowledge. Patters and Allen have co-written two previous legal tales together. I wonder if there will be a second book with Stafford Lee and company? I would happily pick it up.

See for yourself - read an excerpt of The #1 Lawyer. 

Giveaway - A Mother's Lie - Sarah Zettel

Maybe a giveaway would brighten up your day a wee bit? I hope so! I've got a copy of Sarah Zettel's new book, A Mother's Lie (releasing April 7/20) to giveaway to one lucky reader!

What it about? From Grand Central Publishing:

"A compulsive family drama about a mother's desperate search to reclaim her daughter from the horrors of her own past, perfect for fans of Then She Was Gone.

Beth Fraser finally has her life together. She's built a successful career in the tech sector, has a bright fifteen-year-old daughter, and she's completely erased all evidence of her troubled past. At least that's what she thought.

Dana Fraser always wondered why she's the only kid with two backup phones, emergency drills, and a non-negotiable check-in time every single day. When a stranger approaches her on the street claiming to be her grandmother, Dana starts to question what else her mother has been hiding.

Soon Beth's worst nightmare is coming true: Dana is in grave danger, and unless Beth is willing to pull one last con job for her parents, she may never see her daughter again." Read an excerpt of A Mother's Lie.

"Sarah Zettel is an award-winning author. She has written more than thirty novels and multiple short stories over the past twenty-five years, in addition to hiking, cooking, stitching all the things, marrying a rocket scientist, and raising a rapidly growing son."You can connect with Sarah on her website, like her on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter.

And if you'd like to read A Mother's Lie, enter to win a coy using the Rafflecopter form below. OPen to US and Canada, no po boxes please. Ends April 11/20.

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Dark Sacred Night - Michael Connelly

Michael Connelly introduced us to LAPD Detective Renée Ballard in 2017's novel, The Late Show. I really liked this character and was thrilled to find out that Connelly's just released novel, Dark Sacred Night, is billed as a Ballard and Bosch book. Uh huh, two great detectives = one great read.

Ballard is still working the Late Show - the night shift in Hollywood Division. One night she finds a stranger in the squad room, rifling through filing cabinets. That stranger is retired Detective Harry Bosch, pursing a cold case - one he just can't let go. Ballard finds out what he's after - and they join forces....Oh, the joy of starting a new Michael Connelly book! I was hooked from the first chapter.

Connelly's plotting is so very, very good. The reader is alongside Harry and Renée as they put together the pieces. I enjoy not having 'insider' information that the protagonists don't have, instead 'solving' the case alongside them. (I do have to stop myself from peeking ahead at times though - I just can't wait to see the next development.)

I like the two working together, but admit my heart will always have a special place for Harry. Connelly has kept his series moving forward in real time. Harry is an aging war horse, game for the race, but beginning to struggle. Ballard has her own struggles as well - she's a pariah within her own department. But they're both dogged investigators.

This cold case is not the only case on the table - both Bosch and Ballard have other cases they're also running. Bosch gives it his all every time...

" He had always operated according to the axiom that everybody counts in this world or nobody counts. This belief dictated that he must give each case and each victim his best effort."

Connelly's writing has always had the ring of truth - his settings, procedures and dialogue are so detailed and believable. His writing is so addicting. (And I devour his books far too quickly)

Will there be more of Harry Bosch - and Ballard? I think so....

"You know what I was thinking about Harry? I was thinking about all the cases that would never get solved if you were gone. You still have work to do."

....and I can't wait to read them. Absolutely recommended! Read an excerpt of Dark Sacred Night.

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.

Giveaway - You Will Know Me - Megan Abbott

Megan Abbott's latest book, You Will Know Me, has just released - and I have a copy to giveaway to one lucky reader!

From the publisher, Little, Brown and Company:

"How far will you go to achieve a dream? That's the question a celebrated coach poses to Katie and Eric Knox after he sees their daughter Devon, a gymnastics prodigy and Olympic hopeful, compete. For the Knoxes there are no limits--until a violent death rocks their close-knit gymnastics community and everything they have worked so hard for is suddenly at risk.

As rumors swirl among the other parents, Katie tries frantically to hold her family together while also finding herself irresistibly drawn to the crime itself. What she uncovers--about her daughter's fears, her own marriage, and herself--forces Katie to consider whether there's any price she isn't willing to pay to achieve Devon's dream.

From a writer with "exceptional gifts for making nerves jangle and skin crawl" (Janet Maslin), You Will Know Me is a breathless rollercoaster of a novel about the desperate limits of parental sacrifice, furtive desire, and the staggering force of ambition." Read an excerpt of You Will Know Me.

"Is there anything Megan Abbott can't do? We will have to wait for the answer to that question because You Will Know Me continues her formidable winning streak. This story of an ordinary family with an extraordinary child is gorgeously written, psychologically astute, a page-turner that forces you to slow down and savor every word... And, yes -- please forgive me -- she totally sticks the landing." –Laura Lippman, New York Times bestselling author of Hush Hush

"Megan Abbott is the award-winning author of eight novels, including The Fever and Dare Me. She received her PhD in English and American literature from New York University. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, Salon, the Los Angeles Review of Books, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times Magazine, The Guardian, and The Believer. Megan is currently a staff writer on HBO's forthcoming David Simon show, The Deuce. She lives in New York City." You can connect with Megan Abbott on her website, follow her on Twitter and find her on Facebook.

And if you'd like to read You Will Know Me, enter to win a copy using the Rafflecopter form below. Open to US only, no PO boxes please. Ends Aug 21/16.

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Esther The Wonder Pig - Review AND Giveaway

Okay, the title caught your eye didn't it? Esther the Wonder Pig: Changing the World One Heart at a Time. And how about that cute little piggy face?

Well, inside the pages of Steve Jenkins and Derek Walter's new book, written with Caprice Crane, you'll find the story of Esther, the mini pig that was, well, a big pig.

Steve and his partner Derek are animal lovers. They were living with a pair of dogs and cats in their home in a large urban area in Ontario when an old high school friend of Steve's contacted him. (After 15 years of no contact...)

" Hey Steve. I know you've always been a huge animal lover. I have a mini pig that is not getting along with my dogs. I've just had a baby and I can't keep the pig."

Uh huh. So combined with that 15 years and the words 'mini pig', alarms should be going off right? Nope - Steve ends up meeting the woman and bringing home the cute little animal. It's the word 'huge' in that email that is quite prophetic. 'Esther' isn't a mini (surprise!) - instead, she ends up being a full blown commercial size pig. Yes, a 650 pound pig in a 1000 sq.ft. home!

I really enjoyed Steve's voice - I suspect he would be a hoot to meet in person. He's passionate, impetuous and downright funny. I found myself laughing out loud many times. Derek seems to be a bit calmer and more practical. But their love for Esther is the same.

Loving a full sized pig does bring some inevitable changes - physically, mentally and lifestyle. How those changes occurred and how they literally affected and inspired hundreds of thousands of people is a wonderful, heartwarming tale. Esther's story will bring a smile to your day, have you taking a second look at where your food comes from, perhaps inspire you to investigate a vegan lifestyle, support rescue operations and more.

Oh, and my book has a nice little blurb from Ricky Gervais: "Funny, moving, and heartwarming. The greatest love story ever told between two men and their pig." Yup, that about sums it up. A fun read that will leave you smiling. Read an excerpt of Esther the Wonder Pig. My only negative is the celebrity comparisons that just felt forced and awkward.

You can keep up with Esther, Steve and Derek and learn more on : ||   Website   || Esther the Wonder Pig's Facebook Page ||  Esther's Community Kitchen Facebook Page  ||  Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary  || Twitter  ||  Instagram  ||  Fan Club ||

So, if you'd like to read Esther's story, enter to win one of two copies being given away using the Rafflecopter form below. Open to US and Canada, no PO boxes please. Ends June 4/16.

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Giveaway - The Secret Wisdom of the Earth - Christopher Scotton

The Secret Wisdom of the Earth is Christopher Scotton's debut novel. It releases in trade paperback on January 5/15 And....I've got two copies to giveaway courtesy of Grand Central Publishing.

From the publisher:

"Timely and timeless, this is a dramatic and deeply moving novel about an act of violence in a small, Southern town and the repercussions that will forever change a young man's view of human cruelty and compassion.

After seeing the death of his younger brother in a terrible home accident, fourteen-year-old Kevin and his grieving mother are sent for the summer to live with Kevin's grandfather. In this peeled-paint coal town deep in Appalachia, Kevin quickly falls in with a half-wild hollow kid named Buzzy Fink who schools him in the mysteries and magnificence of the woods. The events of this fateful summer will affect the entire town of Medgar, Kentucky.

Medgar is beset by a massive mountaintop removal operation that is blowing up the hills and back filling the hollows. Kevin's grandfather and others in town attempt to rally the citizens against the "company" and its powerful owner to stop the plunder of their mountain heritage. When Buzzy witnesses a brutal hate crime, a sequence is set in play that tests Buzzy and Kevin to their absolute limits in an epic struggle for survival in the Kentucky mountains.

Redemptive and emotionally resonant, The Secret Wisdom of the Earth is narrated by an adult Kevin looking back on the summer when he sloughed the coverings of a boy and took his first faltering steps as a man. His story is one with a rich cast of characters and an ambitious effort to reclaim a once great community." Read an extended preview of The Secret Wisdom of the Earth.

“A marvelous debut…has everything a big, thick novel should have, and I hated to put it down.” —John Grisham

Christopher Scotton is an experienced public speaker, seminar leader, online marketer and technology entrepreneur. After a stint as a venture capitalist, he joined his third start-up, a computer-aided design (CAD) software company, where he is currently President and CEO. Scotton is a recognized expert and frequent speaker on search engine marketing, search engine optimization, social media marketing and online lead generation. You can connect with Christopher Scotton on his website, as well on Twitter @ScottonChris and find him on Facebook.

Sounds good doesn't it! Enter to win one of two copies using the Rafflecopter form below. Open to US and Canada, no PO boxes please. Ends January 9/16.

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California - Edan Lepucki

California is Edan Lepucki's debut novel.

I am infatuated with dystopian and apocalyptic novels. The description of California immediately caught my eye...

"The world Cal and Frida have always known is gone, and they've left the crumbling city of Los Angeles far behind them. They now live a shack in the wilderness, working side by side to make their days tolerable in the face of hardship.....But the tentative existence they've built for themselves is turned upside down when Frida finds out she's pregnant."

There hasn't been a great nuclear war or one significant event that has heralded the end of the world that Cal and Frida knew. Instead it has been a series of natural disasters and reluctant but necessary acceptance of the way things are now. Society has eroded into the haves and the have nots. While Cal and Frida make their home in a shack, those that can afford to, live in safe, gated communities with food, health care and more. I immediately thought that this scenario is not that far off - having just read a newspaper story of water being turned off - the city of Detroit sprang to mind.

I wanted to know to know more about the erosion of society, but this isn't the focus of the book. Instead it is what comes after. I also wanted to know what lay beyond the woods that Cal and Frida have settled in. Are the rumours of other outsider settlements true?

I'm always fascinated by an author's world building in such novels. Lepucki does a good job imagining what might be. I think because it is so 'near future' and absolutely believable that the world of California is all the more chilling.

There are a great number of varied characters populating California. Of the two lead characters I was drawn to and empathized with Cal. I have to say that I didn't like Frida at all as I found her spoiled and selfish. But several of the players from 'beyond' the woods really captured my interest.

Much, if not most of the book, is focused on the characters and their interactions - between couples, family, friends and strangers. A society rebuilding does not necessarily learn from it's past mistakes. Much of what happens can be sadly predicted.  Lepucki infuses this rebuilding with a plot that was slowly (and a bit maddeningly) revealed. The buildup to the end in the last quarter of the book is tension and action filled and had me reading just another chapter before bed. But the actual ending left me feeling somewhat unfulfilled. I found it anti-climatic after the journey to get there. It's a bit nebulous, leaving the reader to their own inferences as to what happens going forward.

Still, California was a strong debut and I would be interested in reading Lepucki's next novel. Read an excerpt of California. You can find Edan Lepucki on Twitter. And here's the story behind the "Colbert Approved".

The October List - Jeffery Deaver

Jeffery Deaver has been on my must read author's list from the very beginning. But with The October List, he's challenged both himself as an author and the reader.

For you see, The October List is written backwards. Yes, a novel in reverse. The last chapter is the first one in the book So we know the outcome - or do we? - from the very beginning.

Gabriela is waiting in an apartment with a man, hoping that the other two men who have set out to rescue her kidnapped daughter are successful. The door opens and .....

 Okay, that's the end. Now who is Gabriela, who are the men helping her? Why was her daughter targeted? What does she have that they want?

You must read carefully, paying attention to details. With every chapter (remember, counting backwards on the clock) more connections are made, more characters and motives introduced. And with each new chapter there seems to be another twist, another piece of the puzzle,  another 'no way!' as Deaver carefully manipulates the reader. You'll be completely unable to predict what will happen by the last (which is of course the first) chapter. I loved the fact that I had no idea where the story was going - it was refreshing to be completely clueless! I know, it's hard to wrap your head around. I can't even begin to imagine the detailed notes Deaver must have kept to write the book. And when you finally reach that last (first) page, you absolutely have to go back to the beginning (the end) and reread that last chapter. It turns around 360 degrees! I wonder if anyone has gone back and read it from last page to first?

I absolutely loved The October List - I thought it was a brilliant and bold premise.  Read an excerpt of The October List. You can find Jeffery Deaver on Facebook and on Twitter.