What Lies Beneath

Holy cow! This book is a non-stop ride that ends in a way I never saw coming! Once again, I was intrigued because it sounded like a good mystery story. I was not disappointed. I did not realize that this is the second book in a series but I didn't find it hard to follow along anyway. As far as I knew it was a standalone. Honestly the way this book ended I am glad to find out it is a series.

Laura Chambers is a reporter who is working on a story about a murder that happened when she was 8 years old. Dubbed The Shotgun Slayer, Simon Barrow murdered a couple, the Merritts, and has been on death row for the last 20 years. He never once confessed or gave up any information as to why he murdered them. Their daughter Emily, also 8 at the time, managed to escape and hide in the woods. Laura is back in town visiting her mother when there is a freak storm that takes out the electricity and cell tower near her. Once back on, she has a message from a local cop asking her to join him at the scene of an accident. She arrives at the scene, a woman, maimed by a truck and beyond recognition on the highway. Confused as to why she's there, she finds out hers was the last number this woman dialed before she was killed. Asked to identify her body, Laura looks and says she has no idea who this person is. 

Laura will soon discover this woman has a connection to her past that is intertwined with a dark secret amongst her family and the Merritt family. As she starts to dig deeper into who this woman was, they discover she'd been shot first before running barefoot into the woods and ending up being hit on a highway. So many questions start to surface. Who was this woman and what is her connection to Laura? Why was she shot? Could this be Emily Merritt? After finding a photo album the woman had hidden in her hotel room the plot deepens. The photo album contains a number of photos of Laura's family, the Chambers and of the Merritts. Laura has no recollection of their families being close. In fact, after they died, she was told she could never talk about Emily being her best friend. Why did this woman have this album and why can't she remember their families being so close? Why did her parents hide their relationship? 

The past has come back to haunt not only Laura but the town itself. As she dives deeper into this mystery things get hairy. She starts being followed, is shot at and almost killed and then almost framed for a murder she didn't commit. Can she find out who the real killer is, who the woman is and what the connection is to her own father who disappeared right after the murder of the Merritt family before it's too late?

I really enjoyed this story. It is fast paced and action packed. I stayed up until 3 am to finish it. I could not put it down. I had to find out all the answers I needed. For the most part they were answered. The story wrapped up nicely. I like the character of Laura and I look forward to, hopefully, more about her. The story kind of ends on a cliff hanger so I'm really hoping we find out what was in the letter her father left her. All in all, a great mystery thriller that will have you guessing and not wanting to stop until you have the answers yourself. I received this book free from NetGalley for an honest review.

The Second Woman

Artemis and Anna, two women who fall in love with Witherall men. Two women who end up dead, by apparent suicides. Why did they kill themselves, or did they?

Artemis lives on an island in Greece. She is a loner, spending her days sketching up by the house she grew up in. Now dilapidated and abandoned. She goes alone because its where her families tragedy occurred years before. An earthquake swallowing her sister into the earth, Artemis only 5 then, unable to save her. It has haunter her ever since. She is there one day when a man approaches her, Clive Witherall. Clive is a successful and secretive, entrepreneur. He has purchased some property nearby and they strike up a relationship. It isn't long before he suggests they have a child together, and they do, a son, David. She has longed to escape the island and when he whisks her away to his mansion in London, at first, she is thrilled. But all too soon she realizes she's trapped. In a foreign country with no one and Clive is constantly working, If he's not traveling for weeks on end, he's holed up in his office at home. As things progress with them and the business, Artemis realizes she must escape this life. She starts to question things and in the end, she's found hanging in their Greek vacation home. 

Many years later, David is taken with a woman named Anna. They soon find out that they are pregnant and end up marrying. He has unknowingly married someone who is spying on him. His father warns him but he refuses to believe it. However, as the years go by he sees that she is not who he thought she was.. After the twins are born, Anna appears to struggle with post-partum depression. Eventually David sees that she is a liability and she too is found hanging in her London home. 

The story darts back and forth between decades, locations and points of view. As we go between these, we learn of the suspicious natures of their deaths. When an inquest is made into Annas death, we find links to a criminal organization and connections to those involved in gun running and human trafficking. The story itself is intriguing with betrayal and love being a constant theme. With so many moving parts and characters it a highly complex story with lots of twists and turns, this story will keep you entertained for sure. Its the third book in a tryptic series and can be read as a stand alone. I received this book free from NetGalley for an honest review and will be available February 15, 2022. 

Once Upon a Winter

A solid 3.5 stars. I gave this book 3.5 stars for personal reasons. All in all its a good set of stories.

I do not normally read fairy tale books let alone an anthology of them but I was drawn to the description of this book. A winter themed, seasonal anthology in which 17 authors have written folk and fairy tale stories. Including all original stories and some traditional ones with twists to them.

These are the kinds of stories that make you want to sit by a fire, under a warm blanket and drink hot cocoa. I am interested to see the other seasons stories that they have planned. After each story is a little information about the author. I thought that was somewhat interesting, if you are curious about the contributors. 

With 17 different titles and authors, I'm sure you will find at least one story that peaks your interest. I will put a star by my                                                           favorites:

-The Biting Cold by Josie Jaffrey *

-The Match Girl by Rebecca F. Kenney *

-Santa Claus is Coming to Town by Bharat Krishnan

-A Pea Ever After by Adie Hart

-The Snowdrop by H.L. Macfarlane *

-Silverfoots Edge by Ella Holmes *

-The Storm Hags by Caroline Logan *

-The Boggart of Boggart Hole Clough by Jake Curran-Pipe *

-Around the Hawthorne Tree by Jenna Smithwick

-The Best Girl This Side of Winter by Laila Armado *

-The Snow Trolls by S. Markem

-Lord of the Forest by Katherine Shaw *

-Queen of the Snows by Joyce Reynolds-Ward *

-Long Meg and the Sorcerers Stones by M.J. Weatherall

-The Frost of Mercy by A.J. Van Belle

-Wintercast by R. A. Gerritse

-You Cant See Me by Kate Longstone

I received this book free from Booksirens for an honest review. 

It Dies With You

This book is definitely a good suspense story wrapped in a mystery. It has a dark tale of hidden secrets that are boiling beneath this idyllic town. The twist in the story wasn't quite what I was expecting. 

Hudson Miller works as a bouncer part time at a hole in the wall bar. One night he gets involved in an altercation at the bar and is sent home early. In the middle of the night he receives two back to back phone calls from his dad, someone he has spoken to in years. He ignores the calls. The next morning his phone rings again, only this time its the police. The man on the other end of the line tells him his father has been found murdered at his place of business, Miller Pull a Part, the local salvage yard. 

Hudson arrives in Flint Creek shortly after the call. He stops in to visit his stepmother and see what the police might know so far. Turns out they know nothing and his stepmother is useless. In searching the salvage yard they come across a buried vault full of what looks to be illegal guns. Could this have something to do with his fathers murder? Just about the time Hudson decides he's ready to leave town, he gets a call from his fathers lawyer. He informed that the will has been read and his father left him three rental houses and the salvage yard. 

Hudson is on the fence as to what he should do. He's tired of being a bouncer/bartender and would like to start a gym of his own someday. However, lacking funds has kept him from this. So he decides to take a leap and get into the salvage business, despite not knowing anything about cars. He ends up hiring his dad associate, Charlie Shoaf, a Vietnam veteran who brings his dog, Buster, the sort of junkyard guard dog. Hudson ends up moving back to his home town, even taking one of the rentals to live in. Things seem to be going alright at first. Not making a ton of sales, but learning the business is a process, especially when his dad didn't believe in computer records. 

With things trekking along, Hudson starts to think that maybe this junkyard gig will work out after all. That is until Buster stumbles upon something buried in the yard. A crushed car, buried in the ground, with a body in the trunk. They call the cops and of course things get hairy. Charlie says he knows nothing of anyone being murdered and then buried there and if he didn't do it, that only leaves one person-Hudson's dad, Leland. The police soon identify the body as a 22 year old kid named Marco, who had been missing since the previous year. Marcos mom and sister are the only family left and his sister, 15 year old Lucy, has been searching for him ever since he went missing. Interviewing people, keeping a detailed record of who she's talked to and even creating an Instagram page about it. 

Soon, Hudson, Charlie and Lucy are all working together to find out who not only killed Marco but Leland too even if it means Leland killed Marco. As they investigate strange things start happening. First, the shop is broke into and ransacked and then Charlie and Hudson are nearly run off the road. All this leads to a shocking discovery about who the killer is and all the secrets of this seemingly idyllic town come to light. 

This is a quick read. There weren't any really slow parts. The chapters are short which I like as it seems to read faster. The characters are interesting and I was intrigued by the story. I felt Lucy was a little to impulsive for her age but overall, its a great story. I received this book free from NetGalley for an honest review. This book will be available June 7, 2022.  

The Spaniel's Secret: Book 2

Megan Mayfair has done it again! We're taken back to Lemon Tree Bay where Clara and Lucas' relationship is in full swing. This is the second book in this series. There is something comforting reading a series where you get a glimpse into the lives of the characters being brought to life by the author.

Clara Mitchell is the main character and the one we interact with the most. This book brings in Lucas and her ex-boyfriend, Adam, a local police officer and their perspectives to the story. 

One morning, Clara and Lucas are walking on the beach when they smell smoke. As they rush ahead, the see the local bar/hangout, Esmeraldas burning! Clara is concerned that someone might be inside and sure enough as she looks into the window she sees the proprietor, Pierre, slumped on the couch, apparently passed out. They bust the door down and rush in to rescue him. Pierre is taken to the hospital where he is unconscious. How did the fire start? What happened to Pierre that he was knocked out?

They soon discover that Pierre and his wife have been having marital issues and Pierre hasn't been able to keep up with his ever growing bills. Shortly after the fire, a body washes on shore and his dog, a Cocker Spaniel names Sunflower, ends up finding Clara and she adopts her. In the midst of all of this, Lucas has decided to take a job in Melbourne in the hopes of furthering his career so they can build a life together. When Pierre finally wakes up, he tells Clara that he thinks a small painting in the bar might be behind the events of the fire. So, what does the painting have to do with the fire, if anything? What connections does the body have to the incident? Can Clara, with the help of Lucas and Adam, give Pierre the answers he needs in the hopes he'll rebuild?

This was a great story! Full of mystery and intrigue. I really enjoyed having the different perspectives and I very much look forward to reading more about Clara and Lucas. I received this book free from Booksirens for an honest review. This will be available November 26, 2021.

The SantaConviction

As usual, I love a good cozy mystery and this one did not disappoint. Set at Christmas time and full of funny puns it was a quick read and helped me get to 100 books read this year. 

The story revolved around Marcy and her cousin Holly, who lives in Canada. Marcy has come to stay with her and her roommate Hugh, when she decides to take some time off from college. Holly has taken on the task of running the local Santacon and the whole town is in a wash of Christmas decorations. As Marcy arrives at the event, Holly is excited to tell her that her teenage crush, Gabriel D'Angelo is in town and even better, he's on a dating app that she just signed her up for.  She convinces Marcy to  use the app and see if they match up and when they do, they decide to go together to his party later that night.

They go off to a local club where their roommate Hugh is working. While there they end up dancing and having a great time with a group of men dressed as Santas. Holly and Marcy get separated and Marcy ends up having a great time with a guy named Logan, Gabriel's best friend. When she realizes that its close to time to go meet Gabriel, she runs off to the party only to find Holly already there. She soon realizes that not only was Gabriel the guy that Holly had been dancing with, but he sent the invitation out to any single woman in the area, so there are a lot of other girls there. Disheartened, thinking she was the only one hed invited, she goes to leave. Holly convinces her to stay and go meet Gabriel. They finally find him, dead in the bathroom from an apparent drug overdose.

Holly and Marcy call 911 and when the paramedics and police arrive, things go south pretty fast. They determine that Holly was the last person to see him alive and when a bag of pills that match the ones found by the body, she is arrested. Holly and Logan join forces to find out who the culprit really is. Can they find the killer, before Holly is thrown into jail?

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The pacing was quick, I was able to read it in about 2 hours. The characters are all so perfect. Holly and Marcy seem to have a good head on their shoulders and Logan is the perfect unexpected love interest. This author is new to me but I am very much looking forward to checking out more of her work and hopefully seeing more of Marcy and Logan. I received this book free from Booksirens for an honest review. It will be available November 15, 2021.

George Michael: A Life

I chose this book as part of Non-fiction November. I have been a George Michael fan for a long time and thought this might be an interesting read. He was a talented, tortured man, who died too soon. 

This book is written well, its very in-depth and through, going all the way back to his tumultuous childhood. His surge into stardom and the aftermath of his coming out and his untimely death. For me, this book was really slow. It is intensely detailed and I found myself sometimes skimming the chapters just to get to an interesting part. Its fascinating to read about someone I grew up listening to. Reading about his life, I felt sad and wondered if he was ever truly happy. From the tone of this book, I'm guessing the answer is no. This book is also a glimpse into the inner life of a man who craved love and privacy. It just goes to show that you never truly know what is going on in someone's mind, especially someone in public view. I received this book free from NetGalley for an honest review. Available June 28, 2022.

If you are a fan of his or want to know more about his life and career this is a book you should pick up. The author gives a detailed biography of a man that few really knew. A man who was so undoubtedly unhappy. He brought so much joy and happiness to those who listened to his music, I just wish he could have had that in his own life. I received this book free from NetGalley for an honest review. Available June 28, 2022.

The Secret in the Wall

This book is a fantastic story, full of adventure, secrets and murder. I love a good murder mystery, especially one steeped in history. I have always wanted a house with secret rooms and hidden passages. The author took care to really research the area and the time this is set in, drawing from true stories to create this one and its wonderful.

The story is set in the late 1800s. I love this time period. So much innovation and excitement happening after the Civil War. Inez Stannert is a single woman from Leadville, Colorado who now lives in San Francisco with her young ward, Antonia. Inez owns a successful music shop and a loan business to female entrepreneurs. Antonia is a strong willed, adventure seeking girl who loves pirate stories and spy mysteries, When Inez goes into a business venture with Moira Krause to buy the adjacent property to hers things go awry. They decide to bust open the wall between the properties where the pantries are to connect them. As they do a skeleton and a bag of gold tumbles out. Everyone is taken aback by the discovery and Inez and Moira set out to discover just who this man was. 

The house is locked tight and the body removed. Harris and son, the local locksmith, having the only keys. One night The older Harris is murdered and the keys stolen. Inez cannot figure out why this would happen unless someone knew more about the supposed treasure that was found there. Inez hires a lawyer, and enlists the help of a private detective to help find out the identity of the skeleton. I love the descriptions of the setting as well. You can really tell how much research the author did on the time period. Including the Palace Hotel, Alcatraz, and the SF Mint. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and if you enjoy fictional historical mysteries, I suggest you check this one out. It is a page turner that will not disappoint. Inez is apparently a character from another series called The Silver Rush Mysteries and now I must read those as well. I very much look forward to more from this author.

KGB Banker

I do not typically read political thrillers, however, the author reached out to me and asked if I would read it and I agreed. The story sounded intriguing and I was not disappointed. 

The story centers around Robert Vanags, a Chicago banker is offered a job in Latvia working at a huge conglomerate bank called Turaida Bank. His parents were Latvian born and he has long thought about going there to work or live. Latvia is set between Lithuania and Estonia on the Baltic Sea. Robert is still dealing with the recent loss of his wife, Maria, and when he is offered the opportunity to take a job in Latvia he decided it might be the right time to make a change. He flies off to the capitol of Riga and meets Tereze Abele the banks senior vice president. The interview is extensive and she quickly hires him as vice president of international relationships. 

All seems great at first. A nice office, a nice apartment, he's even able to bring his son, David, over to live with him. Yet, too quickly, he discovers that all is not as great as he's been led to believe. He is assured that the banks first rule is transparency, however he soon determines that the bank is rampant with loans that over extend and threaten to collapse the countries economy. The oligarchs aren't repaying their loans. 

As the story progresses, Robert works hard to do the job hes been hired to do. He starts to realize that this goes much deeper than he initially realized. What he discovers is that the bank is basically one giant pyramid scheme. He makes the critical mistake of becoming a whistle blower and as soon as he does, all hell breaks loose. First, during a meeting hes punched in the face by a co-worker, then he's kidnapped by a local gangster and told he must stop. They offer him a payoff but he's not having it. Then he's framed for several murders, his credibility is destroyed by a revered politician and he has to go on the run. 

All in all it was an interesting story and often while reading it, I questioned just how true this story could be. We all know that only about 13 or so people rule our world. Its all a farce. Robert is not what I would consider to be a James Bond type character, but throughout the story he tries his best to out the bank and the country itself as corrupt and to end the pyramid scheme. Even going so far as to put his life and the life of his son in danger. Thankfully, with the help of a local journalist, Santa Ezerina and the American embassy, he is able to clear his name and move on with his life. 

The only issues I had were with the names of places and people as I know nothing about Latvia or how to pronounce things. I wasn't too sure about the ending. It was kind of sad if I'm honest. Again, I think it is probably more true than any of us would want to admit. Thank you to Bill McCormick for allowing me to read this story and I look forward to more from him.

The Huntsman of Corvinus

What a ride this book is! 

The story takes place in Budapest. A supernatural killer is stalking an American family killing those around them and no one can stop him. At the center of this story is an American family that is split. The husband and wife no longer married, they share custody of their daughter. While this family sees those they've known die, they know that they could be next. They must come together to survive and hope that they can escape the malevolent foe before he strikes them down. 

I really enjoyed this story! An ancient evil that is somehow revived and stalking the citizens of Budapest. The pacing is fairly quick as there is a lot of action. Its only about 250 pages an easy day read. A definite page turner that will keep you on the edge of your seat with a twist ending that I did not see coming. Definitely looking forward to more from this author! I received this book free from Booksirens for an honest review.