Tropical Girl Reads

It’s 4 a.m. when her mom shakes her awake. “Get up baby, we’re going to play hide and seek.” The little girl presses back into the dark space, holding her breath as she hears the shots ring out. She knows she’s next…

When the bodies of a local family are discovered on a quiet street in the small town of Dumfries, Virginia, Detective Amanda Steele takes charge of the case. Brett and Angela Parker were shot three times each, leaving no hope of survival, and their tidy suburban home has been ransacked. But there is no sign of their beloved six-year-old, Zoe.

Zoe is the same age as Amanda’s daughter was when she died, and Amanda can’t bear the thought of another little girl in danger. She’s organizing a search for the child, when she notices something strange about the ottoman at the foot of the Parkers’ bed. She opens it to find Zoe, mute and traumatized, but alive.

With Zoe completely uncommunicative, Amanda must find another way to untangle what destroyed this seemingly perfect family. It’s clear that the killer is searching for something the Parkers had, and until she has this monster behind bars, Amanda fears that he may return for Zoe. When she learns that Brett Parker cut short the family’s recent lakeside vacation, she wonders why. What happened at that lake house, and did it ultimately get them killed?

Amanda heads out to Lake Chesdin on the feeling it might be key to the case, and when she finds a cell phone in the murky waters next to the Parker cabin, she knows she’s made a breakthrough. But then terrible news reaches her from Dumfries; Zoe has been taken from her school playground.

Someone wants to silence the Parker family for good, can Amanda catch them before the little girl she’s desperate to protect pays the price?

A completely gripping and addictive crime thriller that will keep fans of Rachel Caine, Lisa Regan and Robert Dugoni entertained into the early hours.

No. of pages:- 263 pages

Publisher:- Bookouture

Date published:- will be published on September 24th 2021

Genre:- Thriller

Rating:-

Behold! Detective Amanda Steele is back with a brand new case!

Plot:- How would you deal with a situation, when both parents are murdered at gun point and the only witness is the six year old girl who was hiding? Zoe Parker saw both her parents being murdered at gun point. Detective Amanda Steele and her partner Trent are in charge of this case. While investigating this case, they find that the Parkers were on a vacation in Lake Chesdin, a few days before their murder but their vacation was cut short by returning early. And while investigating, they find out that Zoe Parker’s father was a witness to a horrible crime committed at the lake and the detectives think that the they are both related. Then while in school, Zoe Parker was abducted and Amanda and her partner Trent realize that they are running out of time…

Good ones

Gosh, there are so many good things about this book!

• From the first chapter to the end, the story was so gripping that I was literally hooked into the story, not wanting to put the book down!
• I felt like I was watching some sort of acting-packed thriller and I felt like I was sitting at the edge of my seat while reading this book!–it was that good!
• The slow budding developing relationship between Zoe and Amanda sounds so maternal and touching–that Amanda in fact reminded Zoe of her deceased daughter Lindsey which was very touching to read.
• So many of twists and turns, many are unexpected and as I said earlier, quite unputdownable!
• The writing of this was intense, the author did a good job drawing the reader into the story!
• AND I cannot wait for the fourth book to come soon!

Bad things…not many!

Overall, this was an unputdownable, gripping twisty thriller that will keep you up all night!

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

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 many 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.

THE WHOLE COUNTRY IS ASKING.
BUT THEY’RE NOT TELLING . . .


At a children’s party . . .
Nothing ever happens in a sleepy American town like Middlebrook. Until the shocking events of one hot Saturday afternoon when, at a back-to-school party, nine children sneak off to a barn. And one child is shot by another.

In the media storm that sweeps the nation . . .
The press are asking questions. About the type of parents who let their children play unsupervised in a house with guns. About how damaged a child must be to commit this kind of atrocity.

In the ensuing police investigation . . .
Two questions are the most urgent, and the most baffling. Of the nine children who were present in that barn, which one actually pulled the trigger?

And why are the others staying silent?

Incredibly gripping and gorgeously written, this is a spellbinding novel that asks how far we’ll go to protect our children, and how we can come together when so much divides us.

No. of pages:- 400 pages

Publisher:- Sphere

Date published:- will be published on September 7th 2021

Genre:- Suspense

I am having mixed feelings about this book.

Plot – the plot was interesting and intriguing, which is the main reason why I chose and requested for this ARC. Ten children were at a party and they were inside a stable when one of the children fired a gun, leaving another child in coma. The story basically tells about the effects of after shooting.

Let’s start with good things
–I like the diversity in this book–from all American families to Pakistani and British immigrants living in the small town of Texas.
–As I mentioned earlier, the plot was interesting and intriguing
–The first few parts of the book was interesting and left me hanging in some parts.

Now the bad things
— Though the writing was good, too much repetition in certain parts that left me bored with the book.
—The characters are all bland to me and I found Priscilla’s character so annoying. I do understand the distraught and distress she is in, considering the fact that it was her daughter who got shot and is in coma but come on, she didn’t have to turn this into a political agenda (oopsy, a bit of a spoiler here)
—400 pages is a lot for a story like this one. 200-300 pages would be more sufficient. Lot of unnecessary stuff that would leave the reader slightly bored

Nonetheless, I did enjoy this book and found this book more a family drama sort of thing than a mystery/thriller

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

THE CHILDREN’S SECRET is my first novel under my pen name, Nina Monroe – you can find my other novels, both for adults and young adults, under Virginia Macgregor.

I was born in Germany, spent my toddler years on the island of Corsica and moved to Oxford in England at aged five where I realised I had to learn English pretty fast if my five year old friends were going to understand a word I was saying!

I went to school and studied at Oxford before becoming an English teacher and working in boarding schools around the UK. Working with teenagers inspired me to write my YA novels, WISHBONES and AS FAR AS THE STARS. I still dream of writing a boarding school novel one day – those communities are filled to the brim with stories.

While I was teaching, I spent every spare minute I had – early in the morning, at weekends, on holidays – writing. When I met my husband he told me to take a year out to write and to see whether I could make it as a published author. I never looked back.

In 2016 I moved to New Hampshire in the US with my husband, my two year old daughter and our two cats. Living here inspired me to write THE CHILDREN’S SECRET: I wanted to explore the rich, complex and difficult issue of gun control through the lens of a small New Hampshire community. I now have three children and four cats and live in a lovely light blue house in Concord, New Hampshire and yes, my kids how have an American accent and you might, occasionally, find me saying diaper instead of nappy.

You can find my other novels under Virginia Macgregor: WHAT MILO SAW, THE RETURN OF NORAH WELLS, BEFORE I WAS YOURS, YOU FOUND ME, WISHBONES & AS FAR AS THE STARS.

Do look up my website for more about my books, information about my latest events and you can also a sign-up for my newsletter: http://www.virginiamacgregor.com.

You never know what’s happening behind closed doors…

Freya loves her new home on a quiet suburban street. And her beautiful neighbour Emily is everything she’s ever wanted in a best friend. Finally, she has somebody to share her secrets with over a glass of wine. But as Freya watches her new friend setting the table for dinner one evening, she sees something shocking that makes her think that Emily’s life might not be as perfect as it seems. Days later, Emily and her daughter vanish…

When you meet Emily’s husband, you will think you know what he’s hiding.

You will ask yourself whether Emily and Freya really did meet by chance.

You will think you know what happened to Emily and her little girl the night they went missing.

But when you discover the truth, it will shake you to your core and you will lie awake at night wondering if you can ever really trust the people in the house next door…

Fans of Claire McGowan, Shalini Boland and Lisa Jewell will love the gripping tension and unexpected twists of The New Home. Once you start reading, you’ll be hooked!

No. of pages:- 302 pages

Publisher:- Bookouture

Date published:- will be published on September 7th 2021

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Rating:- 4/5

After reading Detective Lockhart series by Chris Merrit which actually had me hooked, I was looking forward to read more of his books. The New Home is actually his standalone psychological thriller and I was super duper excited that I got this book!

Freya Northcort moves into their dream house with her fiance Jack, a cardiologist. She meets Emily and her daughter Thea along with her husband Michael who lives opposite their house. A month later, Emily and her daughter goes missing and Freya thinks Michael has something to do with the disappearance. As Freya becomes more and more embroiled in her own investigation, she is facing many threats, asking her to stay away from the investigation…

I think it was actually an enjoyable thriller to me. The story is mainly told from Freya’s point of view so at what point as a reader, you support her but when her mental history comes through, we wonder if she was delusional. Everyone seemed to be a viable suspect in this story–from Michael to even her own fiance, Jack. The writing was great, the author as usual doing a good job of drawing the reader into the story. The ending…was completely unexpected and what a twisted ending! Didn’t even realize that it would end in a bit dramatic way.

Overall, this book gave me a rollercoaster ride filled with unexpected twists and turns, guaranteed that you would stay up all night, trying to find out what the heck is going to happen next!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Hello! I’m a British author whose crime thrillers combine psychology, suspense, and characters you care about.

All my novels are set in London, where I live. My first trilogy starred Zac Boateng and Kat Jones, two detectives motivated by family, who tackle organised crime and police corruption. LAST WITNESS, the second Boateng and Jones book, reached #13 in the UK Kindle chart in 2019.

My second series features detective Dan Lockhart – an ex-soldier with a missing wife – and psychologist Dr Lexi Green, an American living in London. These novels are darker, more psychological serial-killer cases, with romantic relationships as a central theme.

I began writing fiction in 2014, after previous careers as a diplomat, based in Iraq and Jerusalem, and later as a psychologist working with victims and perpetrators of crime. I specialised in treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which sparked my interest in telling stories about how people cope when faced with extreme adversity.

Now, I spend most of my time writing novels and drinking coffee while *thinking* about writing novels. When I’m not writing, I love climbing and playing basketball.

You can find out more about my work at http://www.cjmerritt.co.uk or follow me on Twitter @DrCJMerritt 

Keep the Secret. Live the Lie. Earn your Truth.

For fans of Angie Thomas and Tommy Orange comes a ground-breaking YA thriller about a Native American teen who must root out the corruption in her community

Eighteen-year-old Daunis’s mixed heritage has always made her feel like an outsider, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. When she witnesses a shocking murder, she reluctantly agrees to be part of a covert FBI operation into a series of drug-related deaths.

But the deceptions – and deaths – keep piling up and soon the threat strikes too close to home. Now Daunis must decide what it means to be a strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) and how far she’ll go to protect her community, even if it tears apart the only world she’s ever known.

No. of pages:- 497 pages

Date published:- March 16th 2021

Genre:- Native American Fiction/Thriller

Rating:-

I heard so many raving reviews about this book that I thought I want to try out this book! Luckily, Scribd had the audiobook so I listened to the audiobook. The narrator was really good and I enjoyed listening to the audiobook.

Daunis is of mixed heritage – half White, half Native American and never felt as a part of a community in both her hometown and also in the Native American community. Daunis is best friends with a girl named Lily. But when she witnessed her best friend being murdered with Lily’s ex boyfriend committing suicide after killing Lily, the event left Daunis traumatized. And soon Daunis was enlisted to help FBI with an investigation about drug related deaths.

Here’s the thing–I actually enjoyed reading aka listening to this book! I didn’t really expect this book to be really good. The story is completely told from Daunis’ point of view and Daunis’ character grew into me–in fact she became one of my favorite literary fictional characters! I think this is the author’s debut book and so the author did a good job–her writing style was really good and she knew, how to draw the reader into the story. By the middle of the book, I started getting interested and hooked that I couldn’t wait to find out what is going to happen next! Besides all those twists, turns and the fact that it is fast paced thriller and quiet a page turner, I actually enjoyed, reading about the Native American culture–the traditions, the Native American language…they were all new to me and I had a fun time learning about Native American traditions and culture. I also heard that this book will be made into a Netflix movie so cannot wait to come out on Netflix soon!

I really recommend this book to anyone, who is interested in learning about Native American culture coupled with thriller, twisted turns and page turner, not going to leave you disappointed–worth five stars!

Charlie Jordan is being driven across the country by a serial killer. Maybe.

Behind the wheel is Josh Baxter, a stranger Charlie met by the college ride share board, who also has a good reason for leaving university in the middle of term. On the road they share their stories, carefully avoiding the subject dominating the news – the Campus Killer, who’s tied up and stabbed three students in the span of a year, has just struck again.

Travelling the lengthy journey between university and their final destination, Charlie begins to notice discrepancies in Josh’s story.

As she begins to plan her escape from the man she is becoming certain is the killer, she starts to suspect that Josh knows exactly what she’s thinking.

Meaning that she could very well end up as his next victim.

A game of cat and mouse is about to play out. In order to win, Charlie must do only one thing . . . survive the night.

No. of pages:- 338 pages

Date published:- July 29th 2021

Publisher:- Hodder and Stoughton

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Rating:- 3.5/5 stars

Here’s the thing. Ever since I read Lock Every Door, I have always wanted to read Riley Sager’s books. I have so far read Lock Every Door and Last Time I lied which I actually enjoyed and I am yet to read The Final Girls and Home Before Dark. So I was excited when Survive the Night was released and the plot sounded intriguing and interesting–a girl hitches a ride with a complete stranger who may be the serial killer that the everyone is talking about.

Here’s the thing–I loved this book–I really did. But in full words, I am having mixed reviews about this book.

Let’s start with good things about this book

• The plot sounded so interesting and intriguing that was the main reason why I wanted to read this book
• The story was set in 1991 so I had a fun time knowing the 90s music even though I already have listened to Smell Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana (one of my favorite 90’s music)
• Had a fun time knowing about movie names which I made a mental note to check out some of the movies.
• The first part of the story was so intense and I was literally hooked into the book in the beginning–is Josh the real Campus Killer? Is Charlie going to be the next victim?
• And the story was fast paced a plus sign in my book for a thriller

But…there are some things I didn’t like in the book

• Charlie is a naive character–she had many chances to escape yet she chose to become the victim.
• It was a bit predictable as what was going to happen in the end.
• The ending to me was a bit vague, twists and turns were not very good in my opinion.

This may not be his best book and still, Lock Every Door will be my favorite Riley Sager book. Nonetheless, I can’t wait to read his next novel!

Riley Sager is the pseudonym of a former journalist, editor and graphic designer. Now a full-time author, Riley’s first thriller, FINAL GIRLS, became a national and international bestseller that’s been translated into more than 25 languages. His subsequent novels, THE LAST TIME I LIED, LOCK EVERY DOOR and HOME BEFORE DARK, were instant New York Times bestsellers. His newest thriller, SURVIVE THE NIGHT, will be released in June.

A native of Pennsylvania, Riley now lives in Princeton, New Jersey. When he’s not working on his next novel, he enjoys reading, cooking and going to the movies as much as possible. His favorite film is “Rear Window.” Or maybe “Jaws.” But probably, if he’s being honest, “Mary Poppins.”