Review The Paris Apartment

The Paris Apartment

Lucy Foley

Jess needs to get away from England for a while, and she decides to head to Paris to visit her brother Ben. He's expecting her, but when she arrives, he's nowhere to be found. Slowly she realizes something isn't right. The inhabitants of the posh building where Ben has an apartment are holding back when she tries to find answers to her brother's disappearance. All is not what it seems in the elite world of money and wine that Ben has infiltrated. But Jess is determined to find her brother even if she has to peel back layers of secrets to get the answers she needs.

The Paris Apartment is another riveting read by Foley that I couldn't put down. It's wonderfully plotted with lots of twists and turns and layered with enough secrets and intrigue to keep discerning readers turning the page in anticipation of the next event. I almost hated for this one to end; it was so enthralling.

Thanks to William Morrow Books for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review: A Dark Chill

 

A Dark Chill

Bernadette Calonego

Detective Calista Gates of the RMCP is taking on a new job as Police Chief in the small town of St. Anthony in Newfoundland. She hasn't even settled into her new home when she discovers a twelve-year-old boy tied up and abandoned at a campsite. He's too scared to say what happened or who is to blame. The locals think it's all some kind of childish prank, but Gates believes it's something far more dangerous and sinister. Before she can make any headway with the investigation, she's confronted with an incident involving a group of college students trying to prove they can climb an iceberg. Could they have something to do with the incident at the campground? Do they have something to hide? When Owen, a local boy, goes missing, Gates has to act fast to find him. The more she investigates, the more she realizes St. Anthony's is not a quiet backwater. The residents of this small town seem to have a lot of secrets, and she'll have to unravel quite a few of them if she wants to find a killer.

A Dark Chill is another fast-paced, suspenseful mystery from Calonego that I just couldn't put down. It has all the elements that make for a great read: thrilling twists and turns, excellent character development, and enough action to ensure there is never a dull moment in the story. I love how she draws the reader right into Calista's world. She's vulnerable due to her past and the fact that she's still suffering from a traumatic event that happened while she was working in Vancouver. But Calista is determined to be the best detective she can be no matter where she's posted. And while this is a stand-alone book, I love that it not only draws on events from the previous book it also sets the stage for Calista's personal story to continue in another edition. One that I can't wait to read.

Review: Shelter in Place

 Shelter in Place

Nora Roberts

One summer evening in Portland, Maine, the unthinkable happened. Gunmen opened fire in a shopping mall. In an instant, many were dead, and those who survived were traumatized and haunted by the incident. Some of the survivors connected with each other and attempted to go on with their lives, but others felt they had a mission to find out more. Why did it happen, and who was really behind the violence. Essie McVee is one of them. She was the first police officer on the scene, and she can't put the event behind her. Reed Quartermaine is a young man who helped others, and this would lead him, with the help of Essie, to become a police officer. After losing a friend in the incident, Simone Knox struggles to find her identity until she takes up art and sculpting. The survivors are getting their lives back together when someone starts killing them off one by one. To find the killer and learn more about how the incidents are related to the mall shooting, Reed and Essie will have to work overtime. But they are determined to put a stop to all the violence.

Shelter in Place is a page-turner, delving deep into the characters' lives and actions as they try to process traumatic events and move forward. This one is well-written with a bit of mystery, romance, and enough action to keep fans turning pages right up until the end.

Review: The Vacation

 

The Vacation

T.M. Logan

Kate and her three friends from university are set to spend a glorious vacation in a villa located in the south of France. It's meant to be a time for their families to reconnect and relax. But Kate suspects her husband is having an affair. To make matters worse, she suspects it's with one of her friends at the villa, but which one? That's what she's going to try and find out.
What she finds is a lot of lies. Along with the complicated lives they all lead, Kate finds that some of her friends are better at keeping secrets than others. If they come out, these secrets may end up costing these friends more than they can imagine. And one will stop at nothing to make sure that doesn't happen.

The author has written a compelling story full of suspense and mystery. I couldn't put this book down. Everyone has something to hide, and it isn't always clear whether the next page will hold a clue or another mystery. I love how the author creates twists and turns in the story, much of which I didn't expect. All of it kept me guessing until the end. I can't wait to see what Logan writes next.

Thanks to St Martin's Press for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

The Night Swim: Review

The Night Swim

Megan Goldin

Rachel Krall hosts a successful podcast about true crime. She's just arrived in a small town on the North Carolina coast to cover a well-publicized rape trial. The small town is divided about the case, and tensions are running high because a well known local swimmer and Olympian hopeful has been accused of raping a local teenage girl. But before Rachel can settle down to report on the trial, she receives a letter from a woman named Hannah, who wants Rachel to look into her sister's death. Jenny Stills died a decade ago. Her death was listed as an accidental drowning but, Hannah knows that Jenny was murdered, and she knows locals helped cover up what happened. Of course, Rachel can't help but follow her instincts. Now she has two cases on her radar, both involving despicable and deplorable treatment of women. What will it take to bring the culprits to justice?

This captivating story had me up all night. I loved the way it moved back and forth between each woman's story. I think the tension which that created was what made this one such a fantastic read. This well-written novel will be published on the fourth of August by St. Martin's Press, and I'm sure it's one you don't want to miss.


Thanks to St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Wild Dog

Wild Dog

Serge Joncour

Franck and Lise have opted to get away from Paris and enjoy the outdoors. Lise selected a cottage in the Lot region of France so that the pair could get away from the bustle of modern civilization. She thought the idea of being so remote without telephone or wifi connection sounded like a great spot to relax. Franck, on the other hand, was less than thrilled at the prospect of being deep in the backwoods. He needed and wanted to stay in touch with work since he was in the middle of negotiating a deal with his new partners. The fact that the cottage and surroundings seem to be haunted by the past is another thing against it as far as Franck can see. But when he comes into contact with a stray dog, which he names Alpha, his view of nature may change. He may be forced to confront his view of the world from the remote cottage.

Wild Dog is a beautifully told story that shifts between the present and the early 1900s when the area was confronted by the first world war. The characters are richly developed, and I enjoyed the way the author slowly builds up the tale, allowing the readers to feel like they are part of the scene. Lise and Franck are like many couples today, in search of something they can't seem to find in the mists of all the stress encompassing the modern world.

Thanks to Gallic Books for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Review: The Hunting Party

The Hunting Party

Lucy Foley

Every New Year's Eve a group of former Oxford graduates and lifelong friends gather to celebrate. This year they will be ringing in the New Year on a remote Scottish estate in the highlands. When the food and wine start to flow it becomes apparent that the friends have a lot of secrets they've been hiding from one another. Things take a turn for the worse when one of them disappears. An overnight blizzard means it isn't going to be easy to find the guest or get help when it's needed. Lodge manager Heather and Gamekeeper Doug will have to do the best they can to find out what's happened to the missing guest but they also have a few demons they are battling with as well.

The Hunting Party is a wonderfully plotted mystery with a load of suspense and well-developed characters. Everyone has a motive, and any one of them could be a victim. You won't know which is which until you get to the end. So, whether it's the Scottish setting or the feisty characters, I feel sure mystery lovers are going to appreciate this one. I know I couldn't put it down.

This review was originally written by me for City Book Review.

Review: The Crossing Places

The Crossing Places

Elly Griffiths

Ruth Galloway is a forensic Archaeologist in Norfolk. She usually spends her time lecturing at the local university. But when Detective Chief Inspector Nelson from the local police asks for her help identifying some bones found in the local salt marsh, Ruth finds herself involved not only in his case of a missing child but in a new archaeological discovery. The bones turn out to be from the iron age and not the present. Then a second body turns up. This time it's a local girl. Is her death connected to the disappearance of another girl ten years ago? And did the first disappearance have anything to do with the archaeological dig Ruth was involved with ten years ago? It's hard to tell, but it's something Ruth can't get out of her mind.

Now that she has discovered an ancient causeway used by iron age inhabitants, her former tutor decides once again to set up a dig and see what's to be found. Ruth has more on her mind than work. As she gets to know Nelson her feelings for him deepen. At the same time, her old flame Peter is back, after leaving his wife and he wants to get back with Ruth. But Ruth knows that the past is not where she wants to be, even if that is what she knows best.

Ruth is an intelligent amateur sleuth who is also a little vulnerable. She's a professional who doesn't hide from her weaknesses, which makes her a likable character. The Crossing Places was a suspenseful, well-written book and, best of all, an absorbing tale that I couldn't put down. I can't wait to read more in this Ruth Galloway series.

Thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.