IT TAKES A RAKE Review

Author: Anna Bennett

Series: Rogues to Lovers #3

Publisher: St. Martins Press

Release Date: Jan. 23, 2024

Order Link: Amazon

Special thanks to the publisher for an arc.

4 Heated Hearts

Review:

IT TAKES A RAKE is the third installment in the Rogues to Lovers series featuring three women searching for their own chance to live happily ever after.  Smart, snarky women and intelligent, gorgeous men stalk the pages of these books often antagonizing one another until they finally give in and admit they're in love.  Each book stands alone, but it's fun to get to know each couple by reading the books in order as previous couples appear in subsequent books.

IT TAKES A RAKE features Kitty, a woman making her way in a man's profession.  An upcoming, talented architect, Kitty breathes life into otherwise dry drawings and architectural plans with her unique visions which are not only functional, but beautiful.  Kitty is disillusioned with marriage.  She knows a rake when she sees one and refuses to allow herself to be charmed into giving up her dreams.  However, there's one man she can't forget - the one who left her without a word of goodbye years ago.  She won't allow him back in her heart.

Leo Larkwood leaves a promising career as an architect in London to return home and claim the girl he left behind.  Leo is all about the numbers and while his drawings may not be the most beautiful, they're highly functional and accurate.  He's carrying a big secret that involves a secret crush, but he knows she's skittish and won't accept him back into her heart unless he does something to gain her trust again.  The opportunity presents itself in the form of an architectural contest to design a new building for the town.  Kitty agrees to allow Leo to help her with her project by checking her calculations, and in turn, Kitty will teach Leo how to be a rake so he can woo his secret crush.  Little does she know...

Kitty and Leo are great examples of frenemies in the romance genre.  They both harbor strong feelings for each other but keep them hidden for their own reasons.  Bennett does a fantastic job with the snark and banter as tension and sexual chemistry rise steadily between this pair.  The plot line is unique with the competition element, and the pace increases steadily.  Past couples make appearances in IT TAKES A RAKE, and as always, it's great to catch up with them.  

Author Anna Bennett excels at delivering strong heroes and heroines who are likeable and easy to pull for.  The sexy banter will have you salivating one minute and laughing out loud the next.  Highly recommended to fans of historical romance with a punch.

Synopsis:

She’s about to face her biggest challenge yet…

Since she was a girl, Miss Kitty Beckett has been adept at finding trouble: sneaking brandy, running away, and getting under the skin of the boy who, like her, was an apprentice to an architect. Now Kitty’s a talented heiress who can take a dry building plan and breathe life into it with her pencils and paints. Also? She can spot a rake at a hundred yards—and she won’t be tricked or charmed into marriage. Certainly not by a man who might interfere with her dreams. When Bellehaven Bay announces its first ever architectural design contest, she vows to win—with a little help from her childhood rival.

Turning her buttoned-up nemesis into a certified rake.

Leo Lockland, a hardworking architect with a gift for numbers, has returned home after a few years in London, and he has secrets. The biggest? He’s been in love with Kitty since they were both apprentices. She refuses to give her heart to any man, but Leo’s determined to beat the odds—even if it means learning how to be a rake. Fortunately, Kitty’s willing to tutor him in the nuances of fashion, flirtation, and seduction in exchange for his help with the contest. But the whole plan would fall apart if she knew how he felt, so he’ll have to be very convincing.

Let the lessons begin…

Leo proves to be a surprisingly quick study in the ballroom, on the beach, and in the bedchamber. Before long, he’s softening Kitty’s hard edges with his wicked words and kissing his way past all her defenses. Perhaps she’s a bit too skilled at teaching, because her lessons are threatening to backfire, putting her closely guarded heart in grave danger…

Random In Death Review

Author: J.D. Robb

Series: In Death #58

Publisher: St. Martins Press

Release Date: Jan. 23, 2024

Order Link:  Amazon

Special thanks to the publisher for an arc.

Review first published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine

In the new crime thriller from #1 New York Times-bestselling J.D. Robb, a small and easily concealed weapon wreaks havoc, and the killer is just a face in the crowd.

Review:

J.D. Robb is a prolific writer whose amazing talent is never more evident than when gifting readers another thrilling episode featuring Lt. Eve Dallas and comrades in a series so many readers have come to know and love. It's mind boggling to think that RANDOM IN DEATH is the fifty-eighth book in the In Death series, a futuristic police procedural series set in New York City around 2061. Books in the series are character driven featuring outstanding writing with intriguing murder cases to be solved in each book. The character development and intricate investigations carry the stories with a sprinkling of humor woven throughout elevating an otherwise dire tone.

Eve and husband Roarke are enjoying a rare weekend evening at home when Eve's link signals, calling her to the scene of a murder at a music concert. The young age of the victim makes this case particularly disturbing as does the fact that she's a smart, dedicated sixteen-year-old girl with no apparent vices or enemies. Even worse is the fact she was randomly stabbed with a dirty needle injecting her with a vicious cocktail of pure drugs and contagious viruses. Jenna’s death comes within minutes of being injected as she collapses in the arms of her idol, musician Jake Kincaide whose girlfriend reporter Nadine calls Lt. Eve Dallas to the scene. A day later at another public venue another young teen with no apparent connection to the first victim is targeted, leaving no doubt that a psychopath is randomly targeting young girls. Lt. Eve Dallas and her team are in a race against time to identify a needle in a haystack before another young person loses their life.

RANDOM IN DEATH explores the dark mind of a young, highly intelligent, enraged psychopath with an exaggerated sense of entitlement and superiority. Per her signature style, Eve works the case meticulously, leaving no stone unturned, combing through evidence, uncovering clues where there appear to be none. By her side is husband Roarke and partner Peabody along with several reoccurring characters fans will enjoy catching up with. As always, character and relationship development are in the driver’s seat, one of my favorite aspects of the series. Robb's vivid character descriptions transport individuals off the pages into readers' living rooms, bringing them to life like long, lost friends . . . or your worse enemy. A sense of urgency and malice drive a fast pace through the many twists and turns as the case unfolds before exploding in the shocking climax with Eve and the accused in the interrogation room.

RANDOM IN DEATH is one of many books in a long series; however, each title stands alone with a satisfying conclusion. Having said that, I highly recommend the series be read in order of publication for the character introductions and development as main characters appear in each book in an ongoing story arc. Unique plotlines, taut pacing and strong characters are always evident in the In Death series books, and RANDOM IN DEATH is another prime example of excellence in the crime and police procedural genre. Highly recommended to fans of the series as well as fans of police procedurals.

Synopsis:

Jenna’s parents had finally given in, and there she was, at a New York club with her best friends, watching the legendary band Avenue A, carrying her demo in hopes of slipping it to the guitarist, Jake Kincade. Then, from the stage, Jake catches her eye, and smiles. It’s the best night of her life.
It’s the last night of her life.

Minutes later, Jake’s in the alley getting some fresh air, and the girl from the dance floor comes stumbling out, sick and confused and deathly pale. He tries to help, but it’s no use. He doesn’t know that someone in the crowd has jabbed her with a needle—and when his girlfriend Nadine arrives, she knows the only thing left to do for the girl is call her friend, Lieutenant Eve Dallas.

After everyone on the scene is interviewed, lab results show a toxic mix of substances in the victim’s body—and for an extra touch of viciousness, the needle was teeming with infectious agents. Dallas searches for a pattern: Had any boys been harassing Jenna? Was she engaging in risky behavior or caught up in something shady? But there are no obvious clues why this levelheaded sixteen-year-old, passionate about her music, would be targeted.

And that worries Dallas. Because if Jenna wasn’t targeted, if she was just the random, unlucky victim of a madman consumed by hatred, there are likely more deaths to come.

THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN EIGHT Review

Author: Nalini Singh

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: Nov. 21, 2023

Order Link: Amazon

Special thanks to Berkley for an arc.

Review first published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine

Review:

As a devoted fan of Author Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter series, I couldn't wait to crack open her first offering in the suspense thriller genre.  THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN EIGHT is an intense, locked room style mystery set in a partially burned-out gothic mansion in New Zealand during a storm that strands the cast with no contact with the outside world for the duration.  We're talking secret panels and tunnels, mysterious attacks, people who disappear, murder.  Are you spooked yet?

 Nine years ago, a tight group of eight teenagers were the best of friends until Bea, the girl everyone loved, died, and the group drifted apart.  Bea's sister, Darcie, organizes a reunion of the seven remaining now adults in her family's old, isolated mansion - an opportunity for the group to catch up with each other and reminisce about Bea and the good old days.  Luna, our narrator, is a photographer who's just received devastating news that she has a genetic disease that will steal her eyesight over time, a diagnosis she chooses not to share with the others - a decision that elevates the tension and drama to come as readers soon learn.  It's through her eyes and camera lens that readers learn about each of the other individuals in attendance along with their sordid affairs and dark secrets.  Luna hopes to gain answers to troubling questions surrounding Bea's death as well as the shocking decision by Darcie to have her sister cremated before any of her friends could say goodbye. There's a lot of resentment, frustration and rage festering between members of the group, and it's soon painfully clear someone is seeking revenge. When a fall down the stairs results in one dead from a broken neck and a blizzard cuts off communication with the outside world, it becomes a game of survival.  One of them is a murderer . . . who is it?

 THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN EIGHT is a chilling, highly atmospheric gothic suspense thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats as they're charged with sifting through the multitude of secrets, lies and strange happenings to unmask a murderer.  Singh excels at building intriguing, beautiful yet deadly worlds that take on the role of another character as is evident in the setting of this story.  While some may feel the pace moves a bit slow in the beginning, I appreciate the author's diligence while introducing each player and setting the scene, affording readers a good feel for each character and their stake in the deadly game playing out.  Readers will find it nigh on impossible to put this book down as the pace and tension increase dramatically as members go missing or suffer mysterious accidents and the full extent of their dire, life or death situation becomes a reality.  

 Author Nalini Singh has penned an intriguing, super atmospheric locked room mystery in THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN EIGHT.  Strong characterizations, a tension laden plot line and spooky setting are all inducive to a creepy, gothic style who-done-it mystery.  I'll admit to being surprised at the big reveal in an explosive climax that's sure to leave readers stunned, and I'm looking forward to seeing what else Singh will release in this genre.  Highly recommended to fans of locked room mysteries and suspense thrillers.

Synopsis:

They met when they were teenagers. Now they’re adults, and time has been kind to some and unkind to others—none more so than to Bea, the one they lost nine long years ago. They’ve gathered to reminisce at Bea’s family’s estate, a once-glorious mansion straight out of a gothic novel. Best friends, old flames, secret enemies, and new lovers are all under one roof—but when the weather turns and they’re snowed in at the edge of eternity, there’s nowhere left to hide from their shared history.

As the walls close in, the pretense of normality gives way to long-buried grief, bitterness, and rage. Underneath it all, there’s the nagging feeling that Bea’s shocking death wasn’t what it was claimed to be. And before the weekend is through, the truth will be unleashed—no matter the cost.

BLOOD SISTERS Book Tour & Review

Welcome to my stop on the Blood Sisters Book Tour!  Scroll below for my review, book synopsis and an excerpt.

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: Oct. 31, 2023

Order Link: Amazon

Review first published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine

5 Stunning Stars!

Special thanks to Berkley Publishing for an arc and tour invitation

A visceral and compelling mystery about a Cherokee archaeologist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs who is called back to rural Oklahoma to investigate the disappearance of two women…one of them is her sister…

Review:

As an avid reader, it's always exciting for me to discover books that stimulate and challenge me while also enlightening me on social issues. Extra points to an author who tackles a subject rooted in history and yet one that's still prevalent in today's world, rendering it in such a manner as to be highly entertaining at the same time as educational. Without Lillie's skill and mesmerizing prose, BLOOD SISTERS might have been one long sermon on the injustices suffered by Native Americans. However, with brilliant plotting, intriguing characterizations and a lot of heart, Lillie skillfully entices readers with a fantastic, heart stopping mystery while also highlighting the gross indignities and mistreatment suffered by a group of Indigenous people. Carve out enough time to read this one straight through as there's no way to put it down once you begin.

Vanessa Lillie's BLOOD SISTERS is an intense, eye opening, highly emotional suspense thriller delivered via the voice of Syd Walker, an archeologist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Rhode Island. Her mission is to preserve Cherokee history, culture and land rights while identifying skeletal remains of victims of violence and returning them home to their people. Syd is disturbed when she receives a request to return to the town of Pincher, Oklahoma - a place she fled fifteen years prior following an attack that left her best friend dead and her sister Emma Lou damaged in a way that left her permanently scarred and floundering in a world of drugs and bad decisions. Syd’s haunted by her troubled past, but the discovery of a skull with Syd's old I.D. card lodged in its mouth makes it impossible for her to refuse the case. Leaving behind her wife who's just announced her pregnancy, Syd heads back to her small hometown with the ghost of her best friend Luna riding shotgun in her mind, stirring up old disturbing memories. A number of Indigenous women have gone missing in the area and upon arriving home, Syd learns her sister Emma is among them. As Syd starts investigating, it's soon clear she's rattling skeletons that are making people in power extremely nervous. Once again, decisions are forced upon her people without proper restitution, but this time Syd won't walk away until she gets justice for both the dead and the living. If they don't kill her first.

BLOOD SISTERS focuses on one native woman's efforts to find the missing and return them home - whether dead or alive. The plot line is intricately woven, unfolding at a steadily rising, tension ladened pace through vivid prose that transports readers to the dark, desolate countryside alongside Syd while charging all with solving the mysterious disappearances while exposing the secrets held within the raped land before time runs out. The author's utilization of a ghost's voice in Syd's head to deliver the story is genius, setting an eerie, spooky tone while leading readers to speculate if the person is a ghost or Syd is hallucinating. It's clear Syd is in a precarious state of mind and holding on by a thread as she battles both inner and outer demons determined to take her down, all of which adds to the dark, malevolent atmosphere of this riveting thriller.  I love that just when you think you have it all figured out, the shocking climax knocks you off your feet.

Vanessa Lillie has rendered a story rich in the history of Native Americans, spotlighting their continued struggles with drug and environmental issues, forced abandonment of their homes and land without restitution and the suspicious disappearance of Indigenous women for whom no one seems to be searching. Indications are this is the first in a series of books to come featuring Syd - an Indigenous, lesbian woman - as the lead character which is exciting, albeit a rare occurrence in the book world. Through Lillie's brilliant, descriptive writing, Syd comes across as a spirited, yet vulnerable character with strong ethics battling her own demons - one who readers will have no problem respecting and/or feeling empathy for. BLOOD SISTERS is a dynamic, engrossing, heart touching suspense thriller that's highly addictive as well as eye-opening, and it's clear it comes straight from the heart of the author. Highly recommended to fans of mysteries and suspense thrillers as well as readers who enjoy beautifully written stories with a spotlight on critical issues and injustices rooted in history that have existed over the years.

 Synopsis:

There are secrets in the land.

As an archaeologist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Syd Walker spends her days in Rhode Island trying to protect the land's Indigenous past, even as she’s escaping her own.

While Syd is dedicated to her job, she’s haunted by a night of violence she barely escaped in her Oklahoma hometown fifteen years ago. Even though she swore she’d never go back, the past comes calling.

What happens to the land happens to the women.

When a skull is found near the crime scene of her youth, just as her sister, Emma Lou, disappears, Syd knows she must return to Oklahoma. She refuses to let her sister, or the remains, go ignored as so often happens in cases of missing Native women.

But not everyone is glad to have Syd home. The search for Emma Lou puts Syd in the crosshairs of local drug dealers looking to build an empire and vengeful vigilantes policing the abandoned mines, while government officials silence tribal rights.

The truth will be unearthed.

The deeper Syd digs, the more she uncovers about a string of missing Indigenous women cases trailing back decades. To save her sister, she must expose a darkness in town that no one wants to face—not even Syd.

Meet the Author:

Vanessa Lillie is originally from Miami, Oklahoma, where she spent a lot of time investigating local ghost stories at the public library. Her next book, Blood Sisters, releases October 31, 2023 and is the launch of a new series with #MMIW2S at the heart of the stories.

She is the author of the bestselling thrillers Little Voices (October 2019) and For the Best (September 2020). She created and co-authored the instant bestselling Audible Original Young Rich Widows and the sequel is on the way!

With fifteen years of marketing and communications experience, Vanessa was a columnist for the Providence Journal and hosts a regular Instagram Lives with crime fiction authors. She is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma living on Narragansett land in Rhode Island. Connect with her on Instagram!

Website

https://www.vanessalillie.com/

Twitter

vanessalillie

Genre

Suspense, Thriller, Mystery

Excerpt:

Exeter, Rhode Island

Fifteen Years Later

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

I brush wet dirt from the skull's damaged eye socket and wonder if my sister is dead.

The thought is an old habit. Normally, I barely notice; the fear is like a clear film that floats past my eye to be blinked away and forgotten.

Footsteps crunch to draw me away from worries about my only sister, Emma Lou, in rural Oklahoma. My focus returns to this hilltop near the Sandy Brook hiking loop in Rhode Island. Where I stand is not an area for hikers. I am on Narragansett Native land, which means I need to hurry to preserve the scene from whoever is headed this way.

I drop the toothbrush caked in mud and hustle to my backpack. I open the bag as I hear the snap of someone moving past the yellow caution tape I used to lock down the site yesterday evening.

Grabbing a soft cotton sheet from my bag, I fling it into the air to cover the entire skeleton I excavated from the earth this morning. An air pocket floats beneath the sheet as if the bones are trying to rise and leave the shallow grave.

I narrow my eyes to see who's coming over the hill. I half wave, relieved, at the sight of a familiar too-thin face with neat brown hair. He's in his usual loose jeans and starched yellow polo with a tribal seal stitched on the pocket.

"You pretty far along, Syd?" asks Ellis Reed, the Narragansett Tribal Historic Preservation Officer I work with the most. "Coroner won't like it."

"They're short-staffed and sending an intern." I don't hide my annoyance as I toss him a can of bug spray. "Starting before dawn means some college kid won't screw up our chances of an ID on the remains." I pause and decide to stick to this half truth. Sharing that I'm in a hurry and meeting my wife in a couple of hours for an appointment will only lead to more questions.

"Kutaputush." Ellis says thanks in Narragansett, then coats himself with a thick layer of spray. These damp woods will have mosquitoes already out for blood. He tosses the can onto the ground and then crosses his arms as he stares down at what brought us here. "Appreciate the sheet."

Not that I need to explain as much to Ellis, but it should be common practice to cover remains. To treat the dead with respect and not as a spectacle. Especially bones like these, uncovered by accident, because they were never meant to be found.

"Can I take a look?" he asks.

"I didn't wait. I'm almost done," I warn as I retie my short black hair at the nape of my neck.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs, or BIA, says I shouldn't have excavated until Ellis, as the tribal representative, and the coroner showed. But my new boss works from the BIA headquarters, one thousand miles away, and from what I've heard about her, she wouldn't let an intern screw up her dig site either. Not that I asked.

I lift the sheet straight into the air and ball the fabric into my arms with a sniff of the fancy detergent my wife likes. She was softly snoring this morning when I gave up on sleep and came back here with my headlamp and excavation equipment. After two days of finding nothing of significance in my geological survey of the area, I was shocked to strike bone. With the last rays of sunlight at my back, I made the call to Ellis.

He blows out a long breath. "I'm glad you found her."

I nod once and follow his gaze to where I've brushed away the layers of earth around the delicate bones still wearing a dirty white dress. The arms and legs are fanned out like she was making a snow angel.

I'm lucky to work with Ellis because he treats me with respect, something the BIA hasn't traditionally given to tribal leaders like him. He could see me as just the BIA, the oldest bureau in the government. Created by the Department of War to exterminate Native people, culture, and ways of life across this "new" country "discovered" by men like Columbus and colonized by Pilgrims and founding fathers, despite the tens of thousands of years of Native life that preceded them.

The modern charge of the BIA is different, of course, but the bad blood rightfully remains. The culture at the BIA is changing, so there are more of us who see our job in a new way, especially since it's personal to me. I've never shared this with Ellis, but I'm Native, too. Cherokee from Oklahoma out here on Narragansett land in Rhode Island. But I look white, and I refuse to be the white woman who brings up her Cherokee heritage when it's convenient, selectively dropping it into a conversation with people who live Native life every day.

As part of a new generation in the agency-and Native myself-I do my best to make inroads with tribes and show that I'm here to help, not harm. But there's three hundred years of terrible history that tells another story.

I also greatly respect Ellis as a tribal leader who must live in two worlds. The need to preserve the past but also continue building the tribe's future through what's allowed by the government. He must find some version of balance between what the tribe needs to continue existing-language, land base, culture, medicine-and what the government will agree to give.

My role as an archeologist is simpler. I see myself as a midwife to the past for the future. To support the tribes by advocating for what they need to continue traditions that honor their thousands of years of history as they carry this knowledge into the future.

"Syd? Did you hear me?"

"Sorry."

He clears his throat. "Small cranium size."

I focus back on the bones between us. "Even without the dress, the narrow ridges of the eyebrows suggest female to me."

He crouches near the feet. "What's the stratigraphy?"

I almost grin at his question, which shows his knowledge extends well beyond what's needed for his job title. It's something I immediately respected in him when we first met after I took this job five years ago. I like to think he appreciates it in me, too. Neither of us is a fan of the status quo, especially not when it comes to justice.

"The same layer of earth," I say. "Two feet four inches deep, except the skull and feet were three inches higher on each side."

"Shallow grave dug fast," he says with a sigh. "What do you make of the skull fracture?"

A memory of Emma Lou in a screaming fight with her ex-boyfriend floats past, but I return focus. I want to step beyond the status quo of my job, too. To not let my sister and all her problems distract me from justice.

I drop to my knees and return to the position I was in right before he arrived, toothbrush and all. I take away a few more layers of mud on the right eye socket, where the fracture begins. "There's a section of avulsed bone on the right cheek." I pause as Ellis squats next to me, and I point out where the face was cut, starting at the left eye socket. "The trauma extends from the inferior orbital border under the eye socket to the left canine tooth root."

He tightens his lips like a flinch. "Stabbed in the face."

"There's only blood splatter along the left shoulder." I motion to the small spot I'd noticed when inspecting the dress. "Her assailant-let's take a wild guess and assume he-could have grabbed her from behind and stabbed her as he held her. I didn't see any more trauma, though, so this was the only injury by the knife. But that wouldn't necessarily kill her."

"You can tell all that?"

"Best guess," I say, because that's all I can do with the constraints of time, money, and going gray before seeing any lab results. Plus, I'm not a forensic archeologist, a specialist in excavating crime scenes. I studied it in school, extensively, but kept returning to the land and culture over labs and bones-to honor indigenous history and support projects that make the future possible.

Ellis rubs under his eyes, as if he wishes there was more available than guesses. "Keep going, please," he says with a weariness I understand. This is not an average day.

I fumble with the flashlight in my pocket but manage to click it on. The sun is only starting to rise, and we need more light to properly examine the neck bones. "This break indicates a laryngeal fracture. The attacker probably stood on her neck until she suffocated or bled to death."

Ellis blows out a long breath. "How old do you think?"

"Late teens, early twenties."

"Just the right age to disappear." He scrapes his knuckles under his clean-shaven chin. "What about the dress?"

"Machine stiches. No tag on any seams or initials sewn inside."

"We're not that lucky."

"Well, I wouldn't say that." I reach over to a brown paper bag holding our only clue. I use my pencil to lift out a pink plastic quartz Swatch watch. "Looks like something from the eighties."

"Yeah," he says with the lightness of memory in his voice. "My sister and her friends had Swatches like that when they were teenagers. Probably 'eighty-five."

Trends in teenage culture are fascinating, no matter the decade, but I stay on topic. "Approximate year of death would help. We can see if there are any missing women in the national database."

"There were plenty of women that went missing back then," he says. "Maybe ran off, maybe not. Few reported, though."

There's no need for me to say what comes next in his reasoning. Even if someone did report it to the police, it's unlikely anything would be done, let alone actually filing a report or contacting the FBI, which has jurisdiction over reservation land.

I ease the watch back into the paper bag and set it aside. I doubt there's a print, and if there is we won't know for a year. Maybe more. Not for old bones on Native land.

As the BIA's regional archeologist, I may not have legal jurisdiction to actually investigate-that's usually a tribal officer's job-but these bones were found by me on land that I'm responsible for. That's an obligation extending beyond man's laws into the laws of nature, which I've always respected. I can at least help by doing as much legwork as possible to bring a name to the remains and answers to the family.

"I'll get started with a missing person report first thing," I say, though I don't hide the tone of my voice that suggests it's a waste of time. The FBI manages Native land, but missing Native women and girls don't typically garner their precious attention and resources. "She deserves us trying, at least."

I stare at the blood splatter on the white dress and worry again about Emma Lou. I remember her the last time I was home. No one had warned me she was using again. I found her strung out in our family's living room, under a picture our mom bought at a Quapaw tribe powwow called Madonna of the Plains. A Native woman in a buckskin dress gazing bravely into the distance as she holds tight her baby in a cradleboard.

I've often thought I carry my worry for Sister the same way, strapped to my back, but all burden, no blessing.

The worry grew heavier with Emma Lou's parade of boyfriends with short tempers who were well trained in tearful apologies. But that was nothing to the drugs. My mom had her dismissive attitude and Baptist prayer circle, and my dad had his avoidance. It always fell to me to actually find Emma Lou and bring her home, full of more drugs than sense. Then she'd do it again. And again. The worry grew too large, and if I had kept going back home to Picher, it would have broken us both.

The wind unfolds in a gust that rattles the silent acres of trees around us. Chills spread along my arms, and I wish I didn't hear my grandmother's words, but I do: This wind is a messenger. There will be news from Unetlanvhi.

I'm in no mood to search for signs of the Great Spirit. I'm fighting the idea of Emma Lou's death taking root. As if my grandmother's god is saying this time the worry of failing to save my sister will not painlessly float past my eye.

"The intern is here," Ellis says as a van bumps along the narrow path.

The wheels spin deep tracks in the spring mud and crush the plants and few wildflowers edging the trail. I already don't like this intern, and I haven't even met him yet.

I dig the toe of my boot into the mud and try to release the worry for Emma Lou. I swore I was done when I said goodbye to Sister three years ago in a hospital bed. I haven't returned to Oklahoma since. Instead I am here seeking justice and peace for what's been hidden in the earth.

"Let's go," I say, relieved at the kick of anger instead of helpless fear. "That intern sure as hell isn't going to screw up my scene."

2

The coroner's van jerks to a sudden stop as if striking an invisible tree. The driver's-side door flies open, and a tall kid dressed head to toe in blue scrubs, a medical apron, and a surgical cap nearly falls to the ground. He takes only a few steps before he starts flailing his arms and yelling. "You already started?!"

In that second, I am justified in my choice to dig alone, even if it's breaking regulations set long ago. I glance at Ellis, then back to the kid. "I'm the one digging. We start when I say."

"I wanted to do it," he says with a whine in his voice. "You were supposed to wait!"

"Wait for the coroner." I cross my arms. "You're an intern."

"I represent the coroner, thank you very much." He leans forward and jams his balled fists onto his hips. There's something maternal in the pose. I almost smile, guessing his mother probably uses the same one.

"Let's try this again. I'm Ellis Reed from the Narragansett tribal office," he says kindly, and steps toward the kid with a wave. "This is Syd Walker, archeologist from BIA. There's plenty to do."

"This dig is for my senior thesis." The kid's eyes go wide and honestly look gleeful when he glances at the skeleton. "I have to know everything."

“Excerpted from BLOOD SISTERS by Vanessa Lillie published by Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. Copyright © 2023 by Vanessa Lillie”

 

PERFECT SHOT Review

Author: Steve Urszenyi

Series: Special Agent Alexandra Martel #1

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Release Date: Nov. 14, 2023

Order Link: Amazon

Special thanks to Minotaur Books for an arc. 

This review first published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine

A former Army sniper must fall back on her Special Ops skills when a friend’s death uncovers a global nuclear threat, in Steve Urszenyi's Perfect Shot, the first in an electrifying new series featuring Special Agent Alexandra Martel.

Review:

PERFECT SHOT is the impressive debut novel from author Steve Urszenyi and the first book in the Special Agent Alexandra Martel series. I'll admit to being a bit skeptical about a male author's ability to accurately portray an authentic female point of view in a lead character role in a foreign/domestic terrorist style thriller where men normally reign supreme. I'm excited to say my fears were unwarranted as Urszenyi stepped up to the plate and gifted readers with a strong, lethal, intelligent, highly skilled, legendary former army sniper now FBI Agent heroine with a keen sense of justice skirting the world, saving the day leaving dead bodies in her wake. Alex is a great character who comes across as a highly trained professional holding her own in a male dominated world. Readers are going to love her!

Special Agent Alex Martel stepped down from her stressful role as one of the most renowned, accurate Army snipers to ever serve to accept a position with the FBI where she can still serve her country in a less demanding role. While on loan to Interpol, she’s disturbed to learn an old friend, M15 Agent Krysten, was killed in what's being called a tragic accident just after sending Alex a warning in the form of an encrypted message. Alex travels to London to conduct her own investigation, quickly realizing she's being tailed by unscrupulous characters who subsequently attack her. Although the numbers and odds are against her, she fights them off until she finds herself at the wrong end of a gun barrel when Caleb, whom she suspects is a CIA agent, steps in shooting the man. Caleb tries to recruit Alex to join his team of highly skilled operatives conducting missions around the world, but she repeatedly refuses to be pressured back through that closed door. When her superiors send her to Turkey in search of a stolen nuclear warhead, she has no choice but to team up with Caleb to stop terrorists before it's too late. The more the pair investigates, the more obvious it becomes that the death of Alex's friend is connected to the missing Warhead, and clues to the who, when and where are hidden within the encrypted message from Krysten. With stakes this high and the world in imminent danger, Alex has no choice but to fall back on her Special Op skills as a sniper. The countdown to doomsday has begun.

PERFECT SHOT is a thrilling, tightly plotted thriller with action burning up the pages nonstop from cover to cover. The tone is dire, the plot insane and the delivery pure gold. Author Steve Urszenyi has rendered a high-octane story of subterfuge centered around spies, terrorists, special operatives and a race against time to save the world. From the streets of London to the markets and military bases in Turkey to the catacombs under the city in Paris, the action is swift, the characters larger than life and the outcome questionable right up to the cinematic end. The inclusion of every agency, foreign and domestic, with their many acronyms and official lingoes require readers to stay on their toes with minds engaged less they get a bit lost in this one; however, the payoff is worth it as it's nigh on impossible to put this book down. The author's background as a paramedic and police tactical medic is evident in the authenticity of terms and events as they play out.

PERFECT SHOT is a breath of fresh air in the male dominated genre of military style thrillers. Urszenyi's rendering of this story through a female's point of view is brilliant and spot-on with Alex coming across as a highly intelligent, take no prisoners heroine with admirable skills seldom seen in female leads in the genre. By allowing her to narrate this story, readers also get to know the woman behind the gun, and she's smart, authentic and highly skilled. Readers will have no issue cheering her on. I'm excited to read more about Alex and Caleb in coming books and can't wait to see where the author leads them both professionally and personally. Highly recommended to fans of high action and domestic/foreign terrorists style thrillers.

Synopsis:

Special Agent Alexandra Martel has put her days on the battlefield behind her. Charming and disarming, relentless and lethal, she earned a reputation as one of the most renowned and decorated Army snipers in the service before stepping away. But when Alex, now an FBI special agent on loan to Interpol, learns that an old friend, an MI5 officer, has been killed under mysterious circumstances, she’s pulled back into the dangerous world she left a world where some people fear her, some want to recruit her, and everyone seems to want her dead.  Following a trail of clues left behind by the dead woman, Alex pieces together a terrifying conspiracy that only escalates when a nuclear warhead goes missing. Dodging death at every turn, she reluctantly joins forces with a CIA officer, but he has plans of his own for her—and will stop at nothing to achieve them.  Chasing the truth through the streets of London and bustling Turkish markets to the underbelly of Paris, Alex is unrelenting in her pursuit of justice. But as the clock ticks down and the world edges closer to doom, she must fall back on her Special Ops skills to stop the unthinkable. She thought her life as a sniper was over—but with stakes this high, she must use whatever means necessary to render the world safe.

INHERITANCE Review

Author:  Nora Roberts

Series: The Lost Bride Trilogy

Publisher: St. Martins Press

Release Date:  Nov. 21, 2023

Order Link: Amazon

Many thanks to St. Martins Press for an arc.

Inheritance is the first in The Lost Bride Trilogy by #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts―a tale of tragedies, loves found and lost, and a family haunted for generations.

Review:

I'm such a fan of Nora Roberts's trilogies and was delighted to learn that her new Lost Bride book is indeed the first in a trilogy in the  fantasy/paranormal genre.  Even better, it's the tale of a Victorian mansion haunted by deceased brides who were murdered on their wedding day which is indicative of an intriguing mystery.

INHERITANCE is the story of graphic designer Sonya MacTavish and the subsequent events that occur when she learns that her deceased father had a twin brother she never knew of, and that uncle has left her a haunted mansion on the Maine Coast with the stipulation she live there for at least three years.  Sonya is at loose ends having just broken up with her cheating fiancé who's making her life miserable at their mutual place of employment.  Making a life altering decision, she travels to Maine where she can work freelance, meets with Trey the young lawyer handling the execution of her uncle's Last Will & Testament, and immediately falls in love with the stunning mansion even with all the strange occurrences.  Trey is upfront about the house's history of dead brides and ghosts, but Sonya feels like she's finally found her place in the world and moves in.  To say that things go bump in the night is an understatement, but Sonya takes it all in stride until she meets the one malevolent spirit who's tries to drive her away.  By this point, she's made new friends, garnished new business and maybe, just maybe, found new love so she sets out to solve the puzzle of the missing brides and hopefully help the bride spirits cross over.  Who were the brides?  How did they die?  Can she break the spell cast over the next bride before it's too late?

Nora Roberts signature style of writing is evident in INHERITANCE with well-developed characters, an intriguing plot line and mystery to be solved.  The gothic setting with a haunted mansion harboring spirits and years of secrets takes on a lead role like another character as tension builds with the escalation of the fury of the bad spirit.  Sonya is a strong, reliable female lead, and support characters like Trey and best friend Cleo round out a great cast.  The tone is eerie, and the pace increases steadily as Sonya draws closer to uncovering the truth of the past murders.  While I enjoyed Sonya and Trey as a couple, their mutual attraction falls a bit flat in my opinion, but I'm thinking that will be rectified in books two and three.  Being the first book of a trilogy, one can expect that this book ends on a cliffhanger, but I wasn't prepared for how huge a cliffhanger it would be as it literally stops in the middle of a major event leaving readers clamoring for the next book.

INHERITANCE is an intriguing, highly atmospheric fantasy mystery that's impossible to put down.  Roberts's creativity in plot lines never ceases to amaze me as does the inclusion of a strong, tenacious female lead interacting with and supporting other females.  The author is a master at incorporating past history of characters, their ancestors and setting in rendering a unique, highly entertaining mystery complete with ghosts and spirits and things that go bump in the night.  I can't wait to see where the author takes these characters in the next two books of the Lost Brides trilogy.  Highly recommended to fans of Roberts and readers who enjoy the fantasy genre.

Synopsis:

1806: Astrid Poole sits in her bridal clothes, overwhelmed with happiness. But before her marriage can be consummated, she is murdered, and the circle of gold torn from her finger. Her last words are a promise to Collin never to leave him…

Graphic designer Sonya MacTavish is stunned to learn that her late father had a twin he never knew about―and that her newly discovered uncle, Collin Poole, has left her almost everything he owned, including a majestic Victorian house on the Maine coast, which the will stipulates she must live in it for at least three years. Her engagement recently broken, she sets off to find out why the boys were separated at birth―and why it was all kept secret until a genealogy website brought it to light.

Trey, the young lawyer who greets her at the sprawling clifftop manor, notes Sonya’s unease―and acknowledges that yes, the place is haunted…but just a little. Sure enough, Sonya finds objects moved and music playing out of nowhere. She sees a painting by her father inexplicably hanging in her deceased uncle’s office, and a portrait of a woman named Astrid, whom the lawyer refers to as “the first lost bride.” It’s becoming clear that Sonya has inherited far more than a house. She has inherited a centuries-old curse, and a puzzle to be solved if there is any hope of breaking it…

VERONICA RUIZ BREAKS THE BANK Review

Author: Elle Cosimano

Finlay Donovan Series #4.5

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Audio: MacMillan Audio

Narrator: Stacy Gonzalez

Release Date: Nov. 7, 2023

Order Link: Amazon

4 Hilarious Hearts

Special thanks to MacMillan Audio for an audio arc!

From New York Times bestselling author Elle Cosimano, comes Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank—a hilarious short story diving into Finlay Donovan's partner-in-crime Vero's past.

Review:

Author Elle Cosimano has granted fans of the Finlay Donovan series their wish by gifting them a short story that spills the beans on everyone's favorite nanny Vero Ruiz. If you've been wondering how Vero came to be Finlay's nanny, it's all revealed in this rip snorting, high action, comedy of errors short story with a side dose of sizzle in the form of the gorgeous hunk Javier.  Cosimano bears all and fans of the series will not want to miss out.

Even though VEROINCA RUIZ BREAKS THE BANK is a short story, it's not short on the hilarious, fast paced action fans have come to expect from the Finlay Donovan books.  The author's signature style is evident with larger-than-life characters fighting their way out of impossible situations to save the day in the nick of time. Vero, like Finlay, appears to be a magnet for trouble, but has a knack for turning dire situations into hilarious scenes that keep readers rolling in the aisle.

If you get the chance to listen to the audio, I highly recommend it.  Narrator Stacy Gonzalez kills it, nailing Vero's voice and setting the tone for this fun filled tell all story on nanny Vero Ruiz.  Highly recommended to fans of the series and readers who love a good rom-com style mystery.

 Synopsis:

Anyone can spot a window of opportunity, but not everyone can manage to fall straight through one.Veronica Ruiz is on the run for the first time in her life—though certainly not the last. After being falsely accused of stealing money from her college sorority, she packs up and heads to her cousin Ramón's apartment, planning to change her name and start over, away from backstabbing girls and university drama (and far, far away from her arrest warrant in Maryland). At the local bank on the first morning of her new life, it occurs to Vero that she'd be a better bank teller than most of the current employees; she may not have much money, but what little she does have, she knows how to manage. Unfortunately, the only available position is a cleaning job and so, desperate for a fresh start, she takes the bank manager’s offer. But nothing in Vero's world has ever been simple so of course, shortly after she begins work, she overhears a conversation between her new boss and a security someone who works there has been stealing. Seeing a window of opportunity, Vero sets out to find the identity of the thief, present the evidence, and then push for the perfect job. All of which would be easier if her irresistibly infuriating childhood crush Javi wasn’t living in the same damn town. Offering the insight that readers have been craving into fan-favorite Vero's past and a closer look at the moment Finlay and Vero first meet, Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank is a can't-miss addition to the Finlay Donovan series.