Tropical Girl Reads

You thought your little girl was safe at summer camp. You were wrong…

She drags her eyes open, realizing she’s starting to fade. Did she imagine the voices, or were they real? She tries calling out—“Daddy?”—using all her remaining strength. But she’s too late and her little voice just isn’t loud enough…

When Detective Madison Harper arrives at a remote summer camp in Shadow Falls, northern California, her heart breaks for Jenny, the sweet little girl last seen splashing in the lake with her friends before she vanished. Peering into the silent cabins filled with rows of neatly made beds, Madison knows this idyllic place is hiding a terrible secret.

The girl’s parents are distraught, and the local police have no leads—they desperately need Madison’s help. She’ll do whatever it takes to crack this case, because it’s the only way back to the son she lost to the care system years ago when she was framed for a crime she didn’t commit.

But with the camp staff keeping tight-lipped and her new partner on the edge of a breakdown, Madison can’t find any truth to her instinct that there is more to Jenny’s perfect parents than meets the eye. Until she discovers a disturbing family portrait Jenny drew at the local library. Was this angelic girl more troubled than anybody knew? Was she in danger from those she trusted most?

One thing is certain, if Madison doesn’t find the answers soon, the lives of more innocent children will be at risk…

An absolutely unputdownable crime thriller that will keep you up all night! Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Robert Dugoni and Melinda Leigh.

No. of pages:- 391 pages

Date published:- will be published on January 25th 2021

Genre:- Thriller

Thank You Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC! This review is based on my honest opinion.

This book is the first series of Detective Madison Harper’s series. The story begins with Nate Monroe, who was released from the death row after proving his innocence for the murder of his fiancée, Stacey is working as a PI. He then pairs up with Madison Harper, who was a former detective and who was also released from the prison for serving up a crime she didn’t commit and sets off to find a twelve year old girl named Jenny, who had been missing from the summer camp. They were hired by the girl’s grandmother, Esme although both parents seemed to be reluctant for Nate and Madison to investigate the case due to some reasons…

This was really good!!! Quiet unputdownable, fast paced thriller with so much twists and turns that you wouldn’t expect! I couldn’t even put this book down and I was reading it till the end! The writing was really good and the author did a good job drawing the reader into the story. As a reader, you would feel sorry for Madison and Nate for the injustices they have faced and their determination to clear their names. I really enjoyed reading this book and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the second part of the series!!!!

Completely unputdownable, fast paced thriller that will keep you awake at all night reading and wanting more–worth five stars!

Wendy is a former coroner’s assistant turned crime writer who lives in the UK with her husband and 3 cats.

The Detective Madison Harper crime series from Bookouture at Hachette UK includes:

Book 1 – FIND MY CHILD – and book 2 – CRY FOR HELP both available to pre-order now (released Jan & Feb 2021). Books 3 and 4 will follow shortly.

The Dean Matheson crime series is out now on all platforms.

As well as her two crime series and the YA crime novel – The Girl Who Died – Wendy has several short stories published in UK and US anthologies. She has also been shortlisted and longlisted for various competitions, including the Mslexia Novel Competition.

HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO TO PROTECT YOUR DAUGHTER?

From the first moment single mother Nicolette Winchester held her daughter in her arms, she knew she’d do everything in her power to keep her safe. Now eighteen years old, Ella is bright, kind and a cello prodigy headed for Juilliard. Nicolette can’t help but feel proud of the young woman her daughter’s become.

Then Ella calls home one night. There’s been an accident. A classmate is dead. And Ella is the only one on the scene. To protect her daughter, Nicolette makes an unthinkable decision: hide the body, and ensure her daughter is kept out of the ensuing scandal.

There’s only one problem. Someone knows what she did.

And that person is going to make sure Nicolette pays.

No. of pages:- 357 pages

Date published:- September 12th 2020

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Nicolette Winchester is a single mother who would do anything for her daughter, Ella. Ella is a cell prodigy daughter who is off to start at Julliard. But one night, a frantic call from Ella brings Nicolette to a scene–Ella’s friend Amber is dead and Ella claims Amber fell and died. Nicolette, in order to protect her daughter does the unthinkable–wraps the body up with the blankets and dumps the body into the river, hoping that the body will never be found. But then someone had seen Nicolette dumping the body and is threatening her to tell everyone if she does not cooperate…

I really like the plotline and the story. The story is told from the second perspective with Nicolette as the narrator, talking to her daughter, Ella. The story somewhat seemed realistic as Nicolette as a single mother would do anything to protect her only child and daughter. Overall, the story is well written, with twists and turns you wouldn’t expect. The ending was so unexpected that it left me breathless at the end!

Overall, this book worth five stars!

Perfect for fans of THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW, ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL, and THE GIRL BEFORE.

Meet Juliette. She’s intelligent, driven, committed – and in love.

Juliette loves Nate.
She will follow him anywhere. She’s even become a flight
attendant for his airline, so she can keep a closer eye on him.

They are meant to be.
The fact that Nate broke up with her six months ago means nothing.
Because Juliette has a plan to win him back.

She is the perfect girlfriend.
And she’ll make sure no one stops her from
getting exactly what she wants.

True love hurts, but Juliette knows it’s worth all the pain…

No. of pages:- 278 pages

Date published:- March 1st 2018

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

With so much hype about this book, I really wanted to read this book and this had been in my want to read book list for so long. When I finally reached my hand, I was excited to read this book. But unfortunately, for me, I didn’t find this book much hype as it sounded.

Elizabeth Juliette Price, wanted to be known as Juliette joins the same airline company as her ex-boyfriend, Nate works in as a member of the cabin crew. The reason? She didn’t take it really well when Nate broke up with her and she wants to win him back by doing anything…

I actually liked the plot of the story–the plot is really good and as a reader, I would have loved to read a story about an obsessed girl stalking after her ex-boyfriend (and also other people). Even the cabin crew life (the author was actually a former flight attendant) was realistic as well. However, by the middle of the book, the story got a bit unbelievable, unrealistic and quiet crazy. I know there are those psycho type of girls but then again, come on, realistically, if the guy does not return back the feelings, the best thing is go let it go…but maybe it’s just me thinking. But I seriously believe that if you want to put it in a realistic way, Juliette is mentally disturbed and well, really a disturbing, delusional character. Even then, the writing didn’t help much either. In some places, there were too much repetition and it made the story a bit unnecessarily long. It was a bit boring and I had to skim through the pages to actually end the book. The ending was a bit confusing to me and not really good.

For some people, this book was good. But for me, it was an OK thriller–not fast paced, no twists and turns, no gasp out moments in the book–it’s just a simple thriller though I liked the plot that much. Worth three stars!

There were some quotes from this book that were actually good.

“If you love someone, set them free.
If they come back, they’re yours.
If they don’t, make them.”

Which truly outline the whole story.

Karen Hamilton spent her childhood in Angola, Zimbabwe, Belgium and Italy and worked as a flight attendant for many years. She has now put down roots in the UK to raise her three children with her husband and she also writes full time.

Detective Amanda Steele stops just inside the doorway, recognizing the victim’s face instantly. He seems so vulnerable in death; soft, human, even harmless. But she can never forget the evil he has inflicted. Her heart is hammering as she remembers her precious daughter, with her red curls and infectious laugh, and how she was lowered into that little grave…

It’s been five years since Detective Amanda Steele’s life was derailed in the path of an oncoming drunk driver. The small community of Dumfries, Virginia, may have moved on from the tragic deaths of her husband and daughter, but Amanda cannot. When the driver who killed her family is found murdered in a motel room, she can’t keep away from the case.

Fighting her sergeant to be allowed to work an investigation with such a personal connection to her, Amanda is in a race to prove that she can uncover the truth. But the more she digs into the past of the man who destroyed her future, the more shocking discoveries she makes. And when Amanda finds the link between a silver bracelet in his possession and the brutal unsolved murder of a young exotic dancer, she realizes she’s caught up in something darker than she ever imagined and suspects that more girls could be in danger.

But as Amanda edges toward the truth, she gets closer to a secret as personal as it is deadly. Amanda has stumbled upon a dangerous killer, and she must face some terrible truths in order to catch this killer – and save his next victim as she couldn’t save her own daughter…

A gripping, page-turning thriller full of mystery and suspense. Perfect for fans of Rachel Caine, Lisa Regan and Robert Dugoni.

No. of pages:- 339 pages

Date published :- will be published on 11th January 2021

Genre:- Thriller

Thank You Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC! This review is based on my honest opinion.

This is the new Detective Amanda Steele series and this is the first time I have read from this author. Detective Amanda Steele used to have a happy family until a car accident caused the deaths of her six year old Lindsey and her husband Kevin. The driver who caused the accident was a man named Palmer who was sentenced to some jail time. Now Palmer is released and soon Steele was called to investigate the murder of Palmer, who was found murdered in the motel room he was renting out. With struggles of personal emotions as well as on pursuit of catching the killer, realizing Palmer’s murder has connections with two cold cases, Detective Steele along with her partner has to find the culprit soon before it’s too late.

The story started a little slow to me but soon, it picked up its momentum and became fast paced with some twists and turns. I like how the author portrayed Amanda Steele’s personal struggles as she tried to solve the Palmer murder case even though she thinks he actually deserved it. Some parts of the book were a bit boring but towards the end, when they were close to catching the killer, the story got interesting and intriguing. The ending was a bit emotional but it was good. Overall, it was a good thriller and I am looking forward to read the series.

Worth four stars!

CAROLYN ARNOLD is an international bestselling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has several continuing fiction series and has nearly thirty published books. Her genre diversity offers her readers everything from cozy to hard-boiled mysteries, and thrillers to action adventures. Her crime fiction series have been praised by those in law enforcement as being accurate and entertaining. This led to her adopting the trademark: POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™.

Carolyn was born in a small town and enjoys spending time outdoors, but she also loves the lights of a big city. Grounded by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her overactive imagination insists that she tell her stories. Her intention is to touch the hearts of millions with her books, to entertain, inspire, and empower.

She currently lives near London, Ontario, Canada with her husband and two beagles.

In The Night Swim, a new thriller from Megan Goldin, author of the “gripping and unforgettable” (Harlen Coben)The Escape Room,a true-crime podcast host covering a controversial trial finds herself drawn deep into a small town’s dark past and a brutal crime that took place there years before.

Ever since her true-crime podcast became an overnight sensation and set an innocent man free, Rachel Krall has become a household name – and the last hope for people seeking justice. But she’s used to being recognised for her voice, not her face. Which makes it all the more unsettling when she finds a note on her car windshield, addressed to her, begging for help.

The new season of Rachel’s podcast has brought her to a small town being torn apart by a devastating rape trial. A local golden boy, a swimmer destined for Olympic greatness, has been accused of raping the beloved granddaughter of the police chief. Under pressure to make Season 3 a success, Rachel throws herself into her investigation – but the mysterious letters keep coming. Someone is following her, and she won’t stop until Rachel finds out what happened to her sister twenty-five years ago. Officially, Jenny Stills tragically drowned, but the letters insist she was murdered – and when Rachel starts asking questions, nobody in town wants to answer. The past and present start to collide as Rachel uncovers startling connections between the two cases – and a revelation that will change the course of the trial and the lives of everyone involved.

Electrifying and propulsive,The Night Swim asks: What is the price of a reputation? Can a small town ever right the wrongs of its past? And what really happened to Jenny?

No. of pages:- 353 pages

Date published :- August 4th 2020

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

I have always wanted to read Megan Goldin’s books for a long time, starting with the Escape Room. But I got this book at a discounted price on Amazon and I couldn’t wait to read this book.

I actually enjoyed reading this book! Rachel is a podcaster and is running a successful podcast Guilty or Not Guilty. In her season 3, she covers the case of a rape, a teenage girl raped by an emerging swimmer in a small town called Neapolis. While covering the case, she gets a letter from a girl named Hannah, who asked Rachel to cover the story about her sister, Jenny Stills who was drowned twenty five years ago. Even though the case was closed as drowning, Hannah believes Jenny was murdered. And as Rachel investigating, she realized the two cases were similar to each other.

I was sooo hooked into the story that I simply couldn’t put the book down! It had some twists and turns and also fast paced. The story is told from Rachel’s perspective and then her podcast show and Hannah’s perspective about what really happened on the night Jenny was murdered. The writing was so intense and so good that I couldn’t wait to find what is going to happen next! The court case was a bit boring but then again, the author did a good job making the story as realistic as possible. It was really a good, unputdownable thriller. I give this book five stars! Truly enjoyed reading this book, the characters are likable except for the bad ones. The part where what happened to Jenny was really sad that I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her, even though the character is fictional.

Overall, I give this book a five star rating!

Megan Goldin is the author of The Escape Room, a 2019 thriller that Lee Child called “one of my favorite books of the year” and Harlan Coben called “thrilling and unforgettable”. Megan’s new novel The Night Swim will be released in August 2020. Before becoming a novelist, Megan worked as a reporter covering the Middle East and Asia for the Reuters news agency, the Associate Press and the ABC as well as other news outlets.