THE BOY WHO CRIED BEAR Review

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Series: Haven's Rock #2

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Release Date: Feb. 20, 2024

Order Link: Amazon

Many thanks to Minotaur books for an arc of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

In The Boy Who Cried Bear, New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong keeps readers on the edge of their seats while detective Casey Duncan tries to locate the threat before it’s too late. . .

Review:

THE BOY WHO CRIED BEAR is the second book in Armstrong's Haven's Rock series.  With intense characters, a tautly woven plot and a foreboding atmosphere, it's sure to please fans of book one and those who love a good mystery.

Detective Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton, have moved on from Rockton to create a remote town called Haven's Rock in a highly unapproachable area of the Yukon.  Haven's Rock is a haven for those looking to disappear off the map - a sanctuary that can only be entered if approved by Casey and Eric after careful scrutiny and background checks.  Being a new community, most of the residents are unaware of the dangers lurking in the woods of the area and so they're schooled in strict rules about protection and never venturing out alone.  Unfortunately, the restrictions create curiosity in people, especially children like ten-year-old Max who's learning about the wild from Eric.  One day on a hiking trip with a group, Max sees a bear . . . one with human eyes.  Many ridicule him, but Casey and Eric take all potential threats seriously and begin a search of the woods.  It's soon clear something or someone is stalking the town and in spite of being repeatedly warned to stay out of the woods, Max's determination to prove he's not making up stories sends him back out alone.  Max never returns and a search party begins scouting the woods.  When dead bodies start showing up, chaos ensues, and fingers are pointed.  What happened to Max?  Will they find him dead or alive?

THE BOY WHO CRIED BEAR is a take on the old fairy tale The Boy Who Cried Wolf in that a child claims to have seen a bear one too many times until no one believes him when he tries to warn them.  Most of the characters are highly unreliable making it difficult to figure out who's trustworthy and who's wearing a mask.  The setting with its surrounding woods and total isolation gives the story a locked room ambiance which helps drive a tone of malice and impending doom.  The authors manipulation of characters and readers keeps everyone on their toes while trying to solve the mystery.  Several subplot lines muddy the waters a bit, but Armstrong brings it all together by the end.  

Author Kelley Armstrong expertly delivers an intense, mesmerizing thriller in THE BOY WHO CRIED BEAR.  With several characters dealing with past trauma and PTSD, she handles the subject manner with care and grace while rendering a captivating story I found hard to put down. While this book stands alone with great backstory filled in, I do advise picking up book one for the character development of main characters.  Highly recommended to fans of mysteries and suspense thrillers.

Synopsis:

Haven’s Rock is a well-hidden town surrounded by forest. And it’s supposed to be, being that it’s a refuge for those who need to disappear. Detective Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton already feel at home in their new town, which reminds them of where they first met in Rockton. And while they know how to navigate the woods and its various dangers, other residents don’t. Which is why people aren't allowed to wander off alone. When Max, the town’s youngest resident—taught to track animals by Eric—fears a bear is stalking a hiking party, alarms are raised. Even stranger, the ten-year-old swears the bear had human eyes. Casey and Eric know the dangers a bear can present, so they’re taking it seriously. But odd occurrences are happening all around them, and when a dead body turns up, they’re not sure what they’re up against.

OUT OF THE ASHES Review

Author: Kara Thomas

Publisher: Thomas Mercer

Release Date: May 1, 2023

Purchase Link: Amazon

Many thanks to Thomas Mercer  & MB Communications for an ARC of this title.

This review first published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine

A woman’s investigation into her family’s murders uncovers lies, secrets, and dangerous truths in a heart-wrenching novel of suspense.

Review:

Author Kara Thomas’s debut in the world of adult fiction with OUT OF THE ASHES, a disquieting suspense thriller, is successful. While fans sing her praises as a young adult author, this is my first time reading the work of this obviously talented writer, and I am duly impressed.

OUT OF THE ASHES is a gritty suspense thriller relayed through the point of view of nurse Samantha Newsom who reluctantly returns to her hometown of Carney, New York, to clean out and sell property left her by her deceased uncle. Sam fled the area twenty years prior, but never got over the devastating loss of her family, including her parents, baby sister and uncle, in a brutal unsolved crime that concluded with the burning of her family home. Sam can't shake her gut feeling that a local, arrogant police officer who had run-ins with her family got away with the murder of her family and others. Corruption, contempt and depraved behavior is rampart in the secluded, small-town where few escape the free-flowing drugs and alcohol, controlled through fear tactics by one unethical family who remain untouchable. When an investigator knocks on Sam’s door with news of an informant willing to come forward in exchange for a plea deal, it's all the incentive she needs to rip the Band-Aid off old wounds and begin investigating the cold case on her own. Ignoring repeated warnings to leave well enough alone, Sam's inquiries lead to the surfacing of dark, long buried secrets that threaten the comfortable livelihoods of locals with criminal connections. A murder and the disappearance of two women serve to fuel Sam's determination to strip the small town and its occupants bare in search of the truth. In Sam's eyes, it's clear that corruption among the police department and locals led to her family's murders in an epic coverup, but will she survive the truth of what rises out of the ashes?

Author Kara Thomas has penned a crafty, raw, enthralling thriller featuring deeply flawed characters, none more than the protagonist struggling to accept and let go of past sorrows and torments haunting her sleeping hours while driving her every waking move. A steadily rising pace escalates with each new secret and threat uncovered in this sordid, twisted tale, and readers can expect to be sucked into Sam's plight quickly as repeated revelations threaten her sanity. The large cast of players keeps readers on their toes as they work the case alongside Sam in search of a killer. The author's choice to tell the story exclusively from Samantha's point of view allows readers to slip into her shoes and experience her confusion, pain and frustration as she struggles to understand each new revelation. The author's ability to expertly manipulate characters and readers keeps everyone guessing until the final big shocker that many won't see coming.

OUT OF THE ASHES is a tension laden, heart wrenching domestic thriller that firmly establishes Author Kara Thomas in the adult thriller genre. This tale of corruption, murder and redemption is mesmerizing and hard to put down. Highly recommended to fans of suspense thrillers and murder mysteries.

Synopsis:

When she was thirteen years old, Samantha Newsom’s family was murdered and their Catskills farmhouse set ablaze in an unsolved crime that left nothing behind but ashes.

Twenty-two years later, Sam is pulled back to her hometown of Carney, New York, under the shadows of the grim tragedy she’s never forgotten or forgiven. Authorities mishandled the evidence, false rumors were seeded about her family, suspects yielded nothing, and the case went cold. Not anymore. Investigator Travis Meacham has been assigned to the case, and he has news for Sam: a prison inmate has come forward with a shocking admission. Sam’s baby sister, presumed dead in the fire, made it out of the house that night.

It’s not the only reveal that upends everything Sam thinks she knows about the crime and her family. But Carney protects its secrets. And this time, Sam might not be able to escape the town alive.

ONLY IF YOU'RE LUCKY Review

Author: Stacy Willingham

Publisher: Minotaur Books/MacMillan Audio

Narrator: Karissa Vacker

Release Date: Jan. 16, 2024

Many thanks to MacMillan Audio for an audio arc of this book.

A sharp and twisty exploration of female friendship from the New York Times bestselling author of A Flicker in the Dark and All the Dangerous Things.

 

Review:

I'm always excited to receive another thriller from Author Stacy Willingham!  I became a fan after reading A FLICKER IN THE DARK and ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS.  Like previous thrillers, ONLY IF YOU'RE LUCKY is twisty and gutsy with a last minute shocker sure to leave readers reeling.

Margot attends a liberal arts college in South Carolina and is like a fish out of water.  She isn't part of the in-crowd, standing on the sidelines instead wondering what would have been different if her best high school friend Eliza hadn't passed away.  As Margot battles depression, she quietly watches a mysterious transfer student, Lucy - a bright, vibrant girl everyone theorizes about but wants to be around.  Imagine Margot's shock when Lucy chooses her to be one of her roommates instantly raising her status on campus.  The girls rent a house from a fraternity group of boys who live next door.  Margot's life is good until the day a boy from her past joins the fraternity.  Levi was Eliza's boyfriend, and Lucy blames him for her friend's death.  As the story unfolds, things escalate and two people disappear.  Are they dead?  Are they alive?  Is there a murderer living among them?

ONLY IF YOU'RE LUCKY is narrated by Karissa Vackar who delivers an outstanding performance.  I love the way she brought each character to life.  I highly recommend the audio book if you're a fan of listening to stories.

Through alternating timelines, readers learn about Margot's past and the events that tore her life apart.  A steady pace is driven by an ominous tone that keeps readers burning through pages.  Taut, concise chapters keep the story flowing as twists and turns drive the intriguing plot line in this well-crafted story.  With themes of loyalty, betrayal, belonging and the true meaning of friendship, ONLY IF YOU'RE LUCKY is a highly atmospheric, intense suspense thriller that I highly recommend to fans of mysteries, suspense, and thrillers.

Synopsis:

Lucy Sharpe is larger than life. Magnetic, addictive. Bold and dangerous. Especially for Margot, who meets Lucy at the end of their freshman year at a liberal arts college in South Carolina. Margot is the shy one, the careful one, always the sidekick and never the center of attention. But when Lucy singles her out at the end of the year, a year Margot spent studying and playing it safe, and asks her to room together, something in Margot can't say no--something daring, or starved, or maybe even envious.

And so Margot finds herself living in an off-campus house with three other girls, Lucy, the ringleader; Sloane, the sarcastic one; and Nicole, the nice one, the three of them opposites but also deeply intertwined. It's a year that finds Margot finally coming out of the shell she's been in since the end of high school, when her best friend Eliza died three weeks after graduation. Margot and Lucy have become the closest of friends, but by the middle of their sophomore year, one of the fraternity boys from the house next door has been brutally murdered... and Lucy Sharpe is missing without a trace.

From the author of A Flicker in the Dark and All the Dangerous Things comes a tantalizing thriller about the nature of friendship and belonging, about loyalty, envy, and betrayal--another gripping novel from an author quickly becoming the gold standard in psychological suspense.

The Teacher Review

Author: Freida McFadden

Genre: Psychological Domestic Thriller

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

Release Date: Feb. 6, 2024

Order Link: Amazon 

4.5 Wicked Hearts

This review first published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine

A mind-bending, psychological thriller from the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Housemaid! 

From the New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden comes a story of twisting secrets and long-awaited revenge.

Review:

THE TEACHER is a foreboding psychological thriller with cleverly executed twists and turns contrived to keep readers and characters off-kilter and reeling from beginning to end. Author Freida McFadden has honed her craft to near perfection, especially when it comes to those last minute, final page shockers no one sees coming. In that aspect, THE TEACHER is the crème de la crème of psychological thrillers - a masterpiece of illusions with unreliable characters and scandalous over the top twists.

THE TEACHER opens with a mysterious, eerie scene in the middle of nowhere where an unknown is digging a grave before flashing back three months where readers are introduced to Eve and Nate Bennett - a couple who both teach at the local high school. Students dread Eve's math class like the plaque while Nate's English class is highly lauded especially among young teenage girls who swoon over his movie star good looks and charismatic personality while gossiping about how a plain Jane like Eve ever hooked a star like Nate. Addie is a student in both classes where she struggles in math and excels at English - an obsessive loner who's bullied by the in-crowd and shunned by old friends. Eve views the presence of Addie in both her and her husband's classes as a potential complication because of a scandal involving Addie and a teacher who was fired for improper behavior last year while Nate is sympathetic to Addie's plight, offering to help her hone her writing skills as a young poet and encouraging her to find her place among her peers. Before long, the three characters' lives are hopelessly intertwined in a dangerous, highly combustible situation that can't end well. The story that unfolds is one that quickly morphs into a sordid tale of bullying, stalking, abuse, revenge and murder. There's little more I can say without spoilers. I advise going into this one as clueless to the plot line as possible and prepare to be blown to smithereens by a signature McFadden explosive ending that I suspect will leave readers reeling and discussing for some time.

Author Freida McFadden has rendered another fast-paced, addictive thriller readers will find nigh on impossible to put down. The disturbing story is narrated via the voices of Eve and Addie with chapters alternating between their points of view. An overall tone of impending doom permeates the pages as characters and readers struggle with deciding who can be trusted and who's hiding behind a mask of civility waiting for their chance at the ultimate revenge. The author's utilization of short, engaging chapters is highly effective at drawing readers into this mystifying tale of abuse and murder. Support characters are as riveting and believable as the main characters, playing major roles in the outcome of this heart wrenching tale. Readers should be forewarned that THE TEACHER accentuates dark themes including abuse of power and sexual molestation of minors some may find disturbing.

THE TEACHER is one of those books that swallows readers whole, sucking them in on page one and holding them hostage until the very end. Simply said . . . McFadden's books should come with a highly addictive warning label in neon colors on the front cover. Even when some of the twists border on the unbelievable, readers will find themselves thoroughly engaged and reading into the wee hours seeking answers. And, as always, McFadden will absolutely stun readers with the final big reveal in the epilogue.  

THE TEACHER is a raw, riveting, compulsive psychological thriller that I suspect will top many readers' favorite lists in 2024.  With each subsequent book, Author Freida McFadden has risen steadily through the ranks to take her place among the elite of psychological thrillers' authors. Highly recommended to fans of thrillers, suspense and mysteries.

Synopsis:

Lesson #1: trust no one

Eve has a good life. She gets up each day, gets a kiss from her husband Nate, and heads off to teach math at the local high school. All is as it should be. Except…

Last year, Caseham High was rocked by a scandal, with one student, Addie, at its center. And this year, Eve is dismayed to find the girl in her class.

Addie can’t be trusted. She lies. She hurts people. She destroys lives. At least, that’s what everyone says.

But nobody knows the real Addie. Nobody knows the secrets that could destroy her. And Addie will do anything to keep it quiet.

THE EXCITEMENTS Review

Author: C.J. Wray

Publisher: William Morrow

Release Date: Jan. 30, 2024

Order Link: Amazon

Special thanks to the publisher for an advanced readers' copy

Review first published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine

A brilliant and witty drama about two elderly female World War II veterans with a secret past who embark on one last adventure to right some historic wrongs. 

Review:

THE EXCITEMENTS is a delightfully charming tale of two elderly sisters who are forever in search of their next "excitement" aka adventure.  The ladies are well-preserved, ninety plus year old WWII veterans chock-full of life and dark secrets with a knack for finding trouble . . . or does it find them?  The sisters depend on their gay nephew Archie to plan their excitements and get them where they need to be on time.  The odd trio travels the world where the sisters are in demand to make appearances at festivals and fundraisers, often giving speeches and receiving recognition and awards for their service.  Now, they're off to Paris, France to receive the revered Légion d’honneur medal awarded for their heroism in liberating France.  At least that's why Archie believes they're going; however, as they often do, these ladies have a secret agenda to right some wrongs, and this may be their last shot at doing so.

 Author CJ Wray has penned a witty tale featuring two eccentric characters unlike any others you've ever met.  Penny and Josephine Williams are Britan's war treasures, adored and loved by the masses as war heroes who were part of the famous WREN's and FANY's, working for the Royal Navy and the nursing corps.  At least that's the official word; however, what the world doesn't know is that Josephine was an undercover intelligence operative and Penny a spy in their younger days, and they developed several interesting skills rumored to involve grand larceny and hand-to-hand combat. With the trip to France, they have one last chance to settle old scores and pull one last heist.  It may be their last big hurrah, so they intend to make it a memorable one and go out with a bang.

 For the most part, THE EXCITEMENTS is narrated by Pennie and Archie with the timeline constantly shifting between past and present. The dialogue is entertaining with several tales shared by the sisters about their past adventures.  The constant shifting of time may be problematic for some readers as it isn't always in chronological order, often swinging forward and back.  While I found myself having to back up on occasion and reread passages to ground myself again before proceeding, it was easy to settle back in quickly.  The story relayed in present time is often humorous with the banter between Archie and his aunts a delight to read.  Readers will enjoy joining the two spry nonagenarians as they scheme and plot with poor Archie working double-time to stop their shenanigans from landing them in trouble yet again.  While the story flows at a nice pace and the tone is overall light, there's a dark undercurrent of suspense ebbing throughout as readers wait for the other shoe to drop to discover what really happened to the sisters in Paris all those years ago that led to the score they're dead set on settling. Sometimes, a plot line is so convoluted, pulling readers in so many directions that the focus tends to get lost in the shuffle, and the story suffers.  To a lesser degree, this is what happens in THE EXCITEMENTS in my opinion.  At times, it's a comedy - hilarious and fun, other times it's a super spy mystery - intriguing and mysterious.  It's most certainly a historical fiction story brimming with interesting information from the time period with a brief side of romance.   One thing's for sure . . . it's a smorgasbord of reading pleasure if readers take their time and consume it in small bites, enjoying each part.

THE EXCITEMENTS is a tale of two resourceful nonagenarians with a secret agenda traveling the world, leaving havoc in their wake.  The characterizations are pure gold even though the plot line is occasionally a bit muddled.  Author CJ Wray excels at incorporating pertinent WWII history into this tale of two elderly, highly decorated veterans gone wild.  Prepare to laugh aloud as the Williamson sisters attempt to pull off one final heist.  Recommended to history buffs as well as fans of mystery and comedy.

Synopsis:

Meet the Williamson sisters, Britain’s most beloved World War II veterans. Now in their late nineties, Josephine and Penny are in huge demand, beloved of journalists and producers, popping up on red carpets and at fundraisers and festivals all over the country. Despite their age, they’re still in great form—perfectly put together, sprightly and sparky, and always in search of their next “excitement.” This time it’s a trip to Paris to receive the Légion d’honneur for their part in liberating France. As always, they will be accompanied by their devoted gay nephew, Archie, who moved in with his aunts right after he came out. The press has always reported that these lady heroes worked for the Royal Navy and the nursing corps, but that’s their official cover. In reality, Josephine was an intelligence operative who drew maps used for the D-Day invasion while Penny was a spy and specialist at hand-to-combat, risking her teenage life in France. And this trip to Paris is not what it seems either. Scandal and crime have always quietly trailed the Williamson sisters, even in the decades after the war. Now armed with new information about an old adversary, these much decorated (but admittedly ancient) veterans intend to settle scores, avenge lost friends, and pull off one last, daring heist before the curtain finally comes down on their illustrious careers. A deliciously fast-paced and witty drama, The Excitements is the tale of two remarkably clever and brave women who helped save the world and survived the unthinkable, without ever losing their killer instinct...or their joie de vivre.

The Lady In Glass and Other Stories Review

Author: Anne Bishop

Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Horror

A Collection of Short Stories

Publisher: Berkley Publ. Group

Release Date: Feb. 27, 2024

Order Link: Amazon

4 Collective Hearts

Special thanks to Berkley Publishing for a free copy of this ARC!

#BerkleyPartner

A magical collection of stories new and old spanning across all of Anne Bishop’s most beloved fantasy worlds.

Review:

THE LADY IN THE GLASS is an Anthology of Author Anne Bishop's short stories written throughout her career including both previously published and unpublished tales from both old and new worlds.  This collection of work ranges from the very dark retelling of well-known fairy tales to horror to sci-fi to fantasy.  

Fans of Bishop's The Others award winning series will be ecstatic to discover a new story taking place after Etched In Bone and featuring Meg Corbyn, the blood prophet and Simon Wolfgard, the shapeshifter in "Home for the Howlidays.  Friends to Corpses will appeal to zombie fans as well as fans of police procedurals in a world where the police are tasked with controlling the zombies.  

Author Anne Bishop is a master at bringing fantasies to life - from the very darkest to the scariest to the heartwarming.  I found it interesting to read some of her earlier writings and hear from the author herself about her progress in her writing journey.  From Realms of Blood and fairytale retellings to stories of space exploration with its' unique creatures, the evolution of the author's work is evident.

Fans of Author Anne Bishop will want to grab this collection and settle in for an entertaining afternoon of reading.  While every story isn't for everyone, there's something here that will appeal to readers of various genres of fiction.  Bishop's work is unique and magical with a tendency to skate on the dark side just like, I suspect, the author herself.  Highly recommended.

Synopsis:

Here, together for the first time, the shorter works of New Yor'k Times bestselling fantasy author Anne Bishop are included in one dazzling volume.

A master of bringing fantasy worlds to life, this collection showcases Bishop’s impressive range, from rarities of her earliest writing to the Realms of the Blood, from darker fairytale retellings to the Landscapes of Ephemera, and from standalone stories of space exploration and fantastical creatures to the contemporary fantasy terrain of the World of the Others.

Includes previously published and unpublished tales, as well as two brand-new stories, written especially for this “Friends and Corpses,” a murder mystery in which the corpse has some decidedly unusual qualities, and “Home for the Howlidays,” a heartwarming return to the Blood Prophet Meg Corbyn and the shapeshifting Simon Wolfgard from The Others.

WANDER IN THE DARK Review

Author: Jumata Emill

Genre: Young Adult Mystery

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Release Date: Jan. 30, 2024

Order Link: Amazon  

Special thanks to the publisher for an arc.

Review first published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine

In this new pulse-pounding thriller from the author of The Black Queen, two brothers must come together to solve the murder of the most popular girl in school after one of them is caught fleeing the scene of her death.

Review:

WANDER IN THE DARK is a chilling, young adult mystery centered around themes of privilege and entitlement, blended families, family drama, social and racial injustice and minority stereotyping.  Author Jumata Emill does an outstanding job of interlacing these themes into the plot line of an agonizing murder mystery rendered through the points of view of a Black boy, Amir, who stands accused of the brutal murder of a white girl from a wealthy family and his estranged half-brother, Marcel.  From the time the hand cuffs are snapped on him, Amir knows he hasn't a prayer of proving his innocence and is going down for something he didn't do.  No one believes him except Marcel who refuses to abandon him to a certain death sentence without a fight as he dives into his own investigation.  What Marcel uncovers puts everything he knows and believes in question - and his life in jeopardy.  Can he unmask a murderer in time to save his brother?

 Set during the Mardi Gras in New Orleans, WANDER IN THE DARK is a highly atmospheric, raw murder mystery with all the right ingredients to keep readers enthralled from beginning to end.  Two estranged half-brothers carry the heavy load of this family drama when one steps up to fight for the other's life despite years of hurt and resentment festering between them.  The revelations that surface as the story progresses are deeply disturbing on every level as the blinders come off, and Marcel’s forced to face hard truths that change his life forever.  While both boys are the sons of a famous chef, it's Marcel who’s blessed with the benefits of having been raised as a privileged minority and accepted as a member of the in-crowd by white friends . . . or has he?  As the son left behind with a poor, single mother, Amir is bitter, resentful and filled with anger over having been deserted by his father who moved on and up without him. At least Amir's eyes are wide open, and he's accepted the hard truths he's forced to live with . . . or has he?  Things come crashing down one dark night when Amir’s arrested for the murder of a white girl from the other side of the tracks.  Unfortunately, he has no memory of what went down that night and is unable to defend himself against the accusations.  As an underprivileged Black teenager, he's the perfect scrape goat for New Orleans's elite who'll do anything to keep their dirty little secrets buried.  

 WANDER IN THE DARK is an intense, highly atmospheric, heart-breaking murder mystery that highlights the ugly results of the profiling of minorities when the innocent is NOT presumed innocent until proven guilty.  The author does a brilliant job of weaving family drama and racial inequalities into a mesmerizing tale of horror where anything can be bought for a price, even lives.  New Orleans during the Mardi Gras where you can never be certain what's real and what's an illusion is the perfect backdrop for this story as it unfolds.  The increasing intensity of Amir's situation as the danger escalates drives a torrid pace toward an explosive climax.  Readers may need a chapter or two to settle in with the social and young adult slang utilized by the author to deliver an authentic story, but I found it highly effective in raising the bar of believability of both characters and plot line.  It's a bit of a stretch of the imagination that teenagers can solve a murder mystery that leaves authorities baffled; however, I contribute it to the fact that in the eyes of the adults, this is an open and shut case from day one.  WANDER IN THE DARK is a totally consuming, eye opening, young adult mystery that I highly recommend to fans of mysteries, suspense and family dramas.

 Synopsis:

Amir Trudeau only goes to his half brother Marcel’s birthday party because of Chloe Danvers. Chloe is rich, and hot, and fits right into the perfect life Marcel inherited when their father left Amir’s mother to start a new family with Marcel’s mom. But Chloe is hot enough for Amir to forget that for one night.

Does she want to hook up? Or is she trying to meddle in the estranged brothers’ messy family drama? Amir can’t tell. He doesn’t know what Chloe wants from him when, in the final hours of Mardi Gras, she asks him to take her home and stay—her parents are away and she doesn’t want to be alone.

Amir never gets an answer to his question, because when he wakes up, Chloe is dead—stabbed while he was passed out on the couch downstairs—and Amir becomes the only suspect. A Black teenager caught fleeing the scene of the murder of a rich white girl? All of New Orleans agrees, the case is open and shut.

Amir is innocent. He has a lawyer, but unless someone can figure out who really killed Chloe, it doesn’t look good for him. His number one ally? Marcel. Their relationship is messy, but his half brother knows that Amir isn’t a murderer—and maybe proving Amir’s innocence will repair the rift that’s always existed between them.

To find Chloe’s killer, Amir and Marcel need to dig into her secrets. And what they find is darker than either could have guessed. Parents will go to any lengths to protect their children, and in a city as old as New Orleans, the right family connections can bury even the ugliest truths.

DARLING GIRLS Review

Author: Sally Hepworth

Publisher: St. Martins Press

Release Date: April 23, 2024

Order Link: Amazon

5 Gut Wrenching Hearts

Many thanks to St. Martins Press for an arc of this title.

Review published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine

Get ready for another twisty domestic thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of THE SOULMATE.

Review:

DARLING GIRLS firmly secures Author Sally Hepworth's position as one of the masters of psychological domestic thrillers. Her amazing talent for incorporating and exploring unique relationships within a compelling plot line results in dynamic characters that resonate with readers. Brilliantly rendered, DARLING GIRLS explores the journey and unbreakable bond of three women who escaped the horrors of a demented foster mother decades earlier . . . or did they?

Twenty-five years ago, three girls from different walks of life find themselves living at Wild Meadows, an idyllic looking foster home run by Miss Holly Fairchild. From outside appearances, their life is better than anyone in their situation could hope for; however, they soon learn appearances are deceiving and things are vastly different behind closed doors. Like a chameleon, Miss Fairchild's temperament changes in a heartbeat - mild mannered and pleasant to outsiders . . . and a heavy-handed, conniving disciplinarian to those under her charge. The girls quickly bond in their efforts to survive her abusive, psychological games until the day they finally managed to escape her clutches. Fast forward a couple of decades and readers meet three intelligent women who remain sisters of the heart - each of whom struggles daily with their own demons because of their terrifying childhood experiences, secretly fearing the day the past comes calling. And one day it does in the form of a dreaded phone call from the police asking them to return to their former home to answer questions about skeletal remains found buried under the old farmhouse. They escaped Miss Fairchild's clutches once . . . will they survive another encounter?

DARLING GIRLS is a heart wrenching story that’s rendered through past/present chapters via the voices of three young girls and one mystery voice revealed through past sessions with a psychologist. Hepworth is simply brilliant at creating complex characters with unique characteristics and daring them to survive in spite of the hand life has dealt them. Over time, readers have a front row seat to the evolution of each of the three mentally abused girls as they struggle to survive, watching as they morph into women fighting daily to overcome a history of mental abuse instead of letting it define them. A dark, dire tone permeates the pages drifting into readers' homes as a growing sense of fear squeezes both characters and readers hearts. The pace builds steadily along with the girls' anxiety and trepidation to the final shocking climax which I predict no one will see coming. I applaud the author's choice of setting - a beautiful, peaceful old farmhouse with a sense of tranquility on the outside that lulls one into a false sense of security . . . in contrast to the horrors being perpetrated on the young and innocent on the inside.


Stories of abuse are never easy to read, but Hepworth does a magnificent job of balancing the dark with a story of hope with three protagonists who are vulnerable yet clearly survivors, who become strong, loyal, empowered women with bright futures in spite of their harsh beginning. DARLING GIRLS is an intense, beautifully rendered psychological domestic thriller that I highly recommend to fans of suspense thrillers and mysteries. In this readers opinion, this is Author Sally Hepworth's finest work to date.

Synopsis:

From the outside, Alicia, Jessica and Norah might seem like ordinary women you'd meet on the street any day of the week. Sure, Jessica has a little OCD and Norah has some anger issues. And Alicia has low self-esteem that manifests itself in surprising ways. But these three have a bond that no one can fully understand. It's a bond that takes them back decades, to when they were girls, and they lived on a farm with a foster mother named Miss Fairchild. Miss Fairchild had rules. Miss Fairchild could be unpredictable. And Miss Fairchild was never, ever to be crossed.

In a moment of desperation, the three broke away from Miss Fairchild, and they thought they were free. But the reach of someone with such power is long, and even though they never saw her again, she was always somewhere in the shadows of their minds. When bones are discovered buried under the farmhouse of their childhood, they are called in by the police to tell what they know. Against their will, they are brought back to the past, and to Miss Fairchild herself. DARLING GIRLS asks the questions: what are we capable of when in a desperate place? How much can we hide the demons inside us? And can the past ever truly be buried?