Reckless Girls Review

Author: Rachel Hawkins

Genre: Gothic Suspense

Publisher: St. Martins Press

Release Date: Jan. 4, 2022

Order Link: Amazon

My Rating: 4 Haunted Hearts

Special thanks to the publisher for an arc of this book.

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Wife Upstairs comes a deliciously wicked gothic suspense, set on an isolated Pacific island with a dark history, for fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware.

Review:

Lux McAllister is at loose ends, working odd jobs trying to keep a roof over her head when she meets golden boy Nico - a charismatic rich kid, the black sheep of his wealthy family ready to sail off around the world. Lux falls fast and hard and joins him aboard his boat to sail to Hawaii.  There she works cleaning motel rooms while Nico wanders as he pleases until two college friends offer him fifty thousand dollars to sail them to the deserted Meroe Island for two weeks in paradise.  Just sand, surf, sun . . . and an eerie island history of shipwrecks, cannibalism, ghosts, murder and more.  Meroe Island may or may not be haunted, but it's one gorgeous setting for four young people seeking adventure.  When they arrive and drop anchor, they find another couple there before them so they all become friends and let the champagne and good times roll.  Just another day in paradise, right?

Reckless Girls sets sail at a fast clip from Lux's point of view as she joins Nico for the adventure of a lifetime.  However, once everyone gathers on the island, it quickly becomes obvious that each of these six people are hiding dark secrets and harboring malevolent thoughts and intentions.  They each have a personal agenda, and readers slowly learn some of their background from chapters set in the past which begins to cut through the smoke screen surrounding these people in the present.  It's never quite clear who to trust and who not to turn your back on.  Things really begin to come to a head with the arrival of another boat and a dark stranger with cold eyes.  Paradise begins to unravel, bodies show up and boats disappear.  I was one hundred percent in at least three fourths of the way through - couldn't put the book down even though I can't say I ever formed a tight reader/character bond with any of the characters.  And then the big reveal at the end came, and I'm still not sure how I feel about it.  

Reckless Girls explores the dark, inner emotions in people that are only drawn out under the extremest of conditions - life or death type situations or situations where people stand to lose something they're not willing to give up and so they embrace their dark side.  It explores what people may do when their backs are against the wall with only one perceived way out for survival.  It's a winner take all story where only one person can walk away with the gold.  I found it to be well paced and plotted until near the end where it floundered a bit for me.  I highly recommend everyone read this and decide for yourself.  I'm sure many will say it couldn't have ended any other way, and they're probably right.  In thinking back over the story as a whole, it was always headed in this direction.  For fans of mystery, suspense and dark thrillers.

Synopsis:

When Lux McAllister and her boyfriend, Nico, are hired to sail two women to a remote island in the South Pacific, it seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. Stuck in a dead-end job in Hawaii, and longing to travel the world after a family tragedy, Lux is eager to climb on board The Susannah and set out on an adventure. She’s also quick to bond with their passengers, college best friends Brittany and Amma. The two women say they want to travel off the beaten path. But like Lux, they may have other reasons to be seeking an escape.

Shimmering on the horizon after days at sea, Meroe Island is every bit the paradise the foursome expects, despite a mysterious history of shipwrecks, cannibalism, and even rumors of murder. But what they don’t expect is to discover another boat already anchored off Meroe’s sandy beaches. The owners of the Azure Sky, Jake and Eliza, are a true golden couple: gorgeous, laidback, and if their sleek catamaran and well-stocked bar are any indication, rich. Now a party of six, the new friends settle in to experience life on an exotic island, and the serenity of being completely off the grid. Lux hasn’t felt like she truly belonged anywhere in years, yet here on Meroe, with these fellow free spirits, she finally has a sense of peace.

But with the arrival of a skeevy stranger sailing alone in pursuit of a darker kind of good time, the balance of the group is disrupted. Soon, cracks begin to emerge: it seems that Brittany and Amma haven’t been completely honest with Lux about their pasts––and perhaps not even with each other. And though Jake and Eliza seem like the perfect pair, the rocky history of their relationship begins to resurface, and their reasons for sailing to Meroe might not be as innocent as they first appeared.

When it becomes clear that the group is even more cut off from civilization than they initially thought, it starts to feel like the island itself is closing in on them. And when one person goes missing, and another turns up dead, Lux begins to wonder if any of them are going to make it off the island alive.

Last Seen Alive Review

Author: Joanna Schaffhausen

Series: Ellery Hathaway #5

Genre: Mystery Suspense

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Release Date: Jan. 25, 2022

Order Link: Amazon

5 Final Hearts

Special thanks to Minotaur Books for an arc of this book.

The fifth book in Joanna Schaffhausen's heartpounding Ellery Hathaway mystery series.

Review:

Boston Police Detective Ellery Hathaway is the sole survivor of the notorious serial killer Francis Coben who's serving life for the abduction and brutal torture and murders of at least seventeen young girls.  At age fourteen, "Abby" was snatched from the street, restrained in a small closet in the blood of the girls who preceded her and heartlessly tortured.  FBI Agent Reed Markham was following his gut instinct when he miraculously found and rescued her from that closet.  In the years that followed, the pair formed a rocky relationship that was doomed from the start because a grown up Ellery could never completely silence the monster's voices in her head.  She had a up close and personal view of Coben's face when his mask slipped and was reminded of it every night in her nightmares.  Try as she may, she was unable to separate the man Reed from the rescuer Agent Reed and so they lived separate lives unless a case drew them together like now - a young woman's body has been discovered with similarities to victims of Coben.  Is it a copycat killer . . . or is Coben pulling strings from inside prison.  Either way, he's demanding to see Ellery, his "Abby", and he'll give up the location of some of the missing girl's bodies.  And, he wants the meeting filmed live for reality TV.  Can she face her torturer again . . . and survive it?

From the cold, barren setting to the multi-layered, complex plot, Last Seen Alive is very close to the perfect thriller.  The pace is relentless, driving the suspense higher and higher as the meeting between a twisted serial killer and his sole remaining survivor draws near.  I held my breath waiting for the other shoe to drop because it's obvious Coben has an ace up his sleeve.  Sure enough, he does and Ellery is in a life or death situation once again.  The character study in this book is simply outstanding.  I have not read the first four books although I'll rectify that as soon as possible, but even without that firsthand background knowledge, I was blown away walking the pages with these characters as they dug in to take a monster down.  The author does an amazing job of including enough backstory to make even this finicky reader comfortable with picking up the story line and proceeding.  The relationship development between Ellery and Reed is touching and heartbreaking as it's clear he wants more than she may ever be able to give.  Watching her search for ways to come to grips with her terrifying memories, find a way to disassociate them from Reed left me wondering if there was any hope of a future for them together.  Terrifying, complex, and intense, Last Seen Alive is one not to be missed.  Fans of mystery, suspense and/or thrillers are in for a real treat.  I've just become a Joanna Schaffhausen fan and will be actively searching through her catalog of work.  Highly recommended.

Synopsis:

Boston detective Ellery Hathaway met FBI agent Reed Markham when he pried open a serial killer’s closet to rescue her. Years on, their relationship remains defined by that moment and by Francis Coben’s horrific crimes. To free herself from Coben’s legacy, Ellery had to walk away from Reed, too. But Coben is not letting go so easily. He has an impossible proposition: Coben will finally give up the location of the remaining bodies, on one condition—Reed must bring him Ellery.

Now the families of the missing victims are crying out for justice that only Ellery can deliver. The media hungers for a sequel and Coben is their camera-ready star. He claims he is sorry and wants to make amends. But Ellery is the one living person who has seen the monster behind the mask and she doesn’t believe he can be redeemed. Not after everything he’s done. Not after what she’s been through. And certainly not after a fresh body turns up with Coben’s signature all over it.

Joanna Schaffhausen wields a mean scalpel, skills she developed in her years studying neuroscience. She has a doctorate in psychology, which reflects her long-standing interest in the brain―how it develops and the many ways it can go wrong. Previously, she worked as a scientific editor in the field of drug development. Prior to that, she was an editorial producer for ABC News, writing for programs such as World News Tonight, Good Morning America, and 20/20. She lives in the Boston area with her husband, daughter, and an obstreperous basset hound.

How to Love Your Neighbor Review

Author: Sophie Sullivan

Genre: Rom Com

Publisher: St. Martins Griffin

Release Date: Jan. 18, 2022

Order Link: Amazon

4 Heartfelt Hearts

Special thanks to the publisher for an arc of this book.

How to Love Your Neighbor is a high-concept enemies-to-lovers rom com from sparkling romance author Sophie Sullivan…

Review:

How to Love Your Neighbor is a sweet, heartfelt romantic comedy with characters that feel real - people you'd like to know.  Grace is the girl from the wrong side of the tracks who's moving into a house left to her by her grandparents.  The house is a fixer upper, but it's view of the beach is highly desirable, and Grace is determined to plant her roots in the house where her grandparents lived.  The problem is the rich, arrogant hunk next door, Noah, who seems to think he can throw money at her and she'll fold and sell him her new place so he can add on a pool.  Noah is a gorgeous real estate developer - a business tycoon who moved there to escape his father's business influence and make his own way in the business world.  A famous magazine wants to photograph and record his house makeover with one little catch . . . they want the irritating woman next door who happens to be graduating from design school to be his designer on the project.  If he refuses, the story is dead.  All Noah has to do is convince Grace that doing it will benefit them both.

Sullivan has penned a hilarious rom com with insane chemistry blazing between her hero and heroine who try so hard to hate one another.  Neither understands the other, but they agree to work together for their mutual benefit.  The lessons learned just may change both their lives.  What I loved about this story was the amazing character development as both dared to step out of their comfort zone and take chances when challenged by the other.  The author does an amazing job keeping it real with several twists and turns in the evolution of these characters and their relationship.  I felt the story dragged just a bit in the middle and could have been shortened a little.  In spite of that, I enjoyed How To Love Your Neighbor and highly recommend it to fans of romance especially those who love their romance with a lot of snark, sizzle and pop.  Lots of laughter and love in this one!

Nine Lives Review

Author: Peter Swanson

Genre: Mystery Suspense

Publisher: William Morrow

Release Date: March 15, 2022

Order Link: Amazon

My Rating: 4 Mysterious Hearts

Review published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine

Special thanks to the publisher for an arc of this book.

From the New York Times best-selling author of Eight Perfect Murders comes the heart-pounding story of nine strangers who receive a cryptic list with their names on it - and then begin to die in highly unusual circumstances.

Review:

Nine names. Nine random people living all over the country working in vastly different fields from an oncologist nurse to an FBI agent.  What do they have in common?  They all received an envelope with a single sheet of paper bearing nine names . . . including their own.  What does it mean?  A joke?  A mistake?  Some trash it without a second thought.  Others lay it aside to think about later.  FBI agent Jessica Winslow has an inclination that it's bad news and starts a search to identify the other people listed while seeking answers, looking for connections between herself and anyone on the list and finding none.  When she hears reports of a man drowned on a beach whose head was held down in a pool of water and his identity matches a name from the list, the agent's gut feeling is confirmed . . .  she's in possession of a kill list with her own name on it.  When a second and then third person are murdered, Agent Winslow is pulled from the case and put under police protection as are the other identified people on the list while authorities frantically search for the unknown people to inform them their lives are in danger.  The race is on to figure out what connects these people and why someone would want them all dead.  Meantime, everyone is looking over their shoulder wondering which one of them will be next?

Peter Swanson renders a complex murder mystery in Nine Lives and challenges readers to solve it.  Alternating chapters with multiple points of view exposes the internal turmoil occurring in each of the listed nine people's lives.  One can easily deduce that all is not as it appears, secrets are being kept and information withheld.  And the elusive thread that connects these people one to the other as well as to a murderer remains just out of grasp.  Chapters count down from nine to none, lending a sense of urgency to the story as each lower number means another victim.  First there are nine . . . until finally there are none.  Are you getting vibes of Agatha Christies' And Then There Were None?  I did.  

Swanson's unique, clean writing style proves to be the perfect tool for delivering Nine Lives in a highly effective, look over your shoulder kind of way.  Short chapters deliver the details with a mysterious, eerie tone of impending doom, pulling readers into each of these people's lives - just in time to snuff them out.  No one is safe - police protection or not.  The rapidly escalating pace is like a time bomb seconds from blowing - time growing ever shorter as the chapters and lives dwindle down.  I found the delivery of this highly atmospheric story to be brilliant as it really puts solving the mystery in readers' hands.  We know what's in each person's head, but we don't know the identity of the villain . . .  and neither do authorities.  As the list grew shorter, I had an inkling of what was going on and yet, the insane twist right at the end knocked me for a loop.  Readers who love to dive deep into a mystery and work the clues with the clock ticking will devour Nine Lives.  Highly recommended.

Synopsis:

Nine strangers receive a list with their names on it in the mail. Nothing else, just a list of names on a single sheet of paper. None of the nine people know or have ever met the others on the list. They dismiss it as junk mail, a fluke - until very, very bad things begin happening to people on the list. First, a well-liked old man is drowned on a beach in the small town of Kennewick, Maine. Then, a father is shot in the back while running through his quiet neighborhood in suburban Massachusetts. A frightening pattern is emerging, but what do these nine people have in common? Their professions range from oncology nurse to aspiring actor.

FBI agent Jessica Winslow, who is on the list herself, is determined to find out. Could there be some dark secret that binds them all together? Or is this the work of a murderous madman? As the mysterious sender stalks these nine strangers, they find themselves constantly looking over their shoulders, wondering who will be crossed off next....

Peter Swanson is the author of six novels including The Kind Worth Killing, winner of the New England Society Book Award, and finalist for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger, Her Every Fear, an NPR book of the year, and his most recent thriller, Eight Perfect Murders. His books have been translated into 30 languages, and his stories, poetry, and features have appeared in Asimov’s Science Fiction, The Atlantic Monthly, Measure, The Guardian, The Strand Magazine, and Yankee Magazine.

A graduate of Trinity College, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and Emerson College, he lives in Somerville, Massachusetts with his wife and cat.

Website http://www.peter-swanson.com