ARC Review Roundup: The Night Shift, The Club, and The Book of Cold Cases

 I received ARCs of these book from the publisher in exchange for honest reviews. This did not affect my opinion of the books or my reviews themselves.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.

I was especially excited to get an ARC of this book, as I really enjoyed Finlay's Every Last Fear. The Night Shift features two small-town murders years apart, where teenagers are murdered at local businesses after hours. The survivors from both crimes find themselves linked together, as well as an FBI agent, and the brother of the original suspect. The original suspect has never been seen again since he made bail, and fear is gripping the town once again.

This is a great book full of complex characters, secrets from the past, and lots of twists and turns. I could not put it down, and finished it quickly. The ending was a complete shocker to me that worked so well.

This book was a bit of a disappointment to me. I was highly intrigued by the concept, a very high-end getaway for those on the A list, where people suddenly start disappearing and turning up dead. I pictured a celebrity And Then There Were None.

This was not a bad book by any means. It kept my attention, and I wanted to know what was going to happen next. But the story moved slowly, and there wasn't a real heightened sense of danger. No one really seemed to know what was going on while it was happening, and so there wasn't any of that tension and fear that really make a book like this exciting and gripping. 

I'm not against recommending this book, just know going in it's a lot tamer than you're probably hoping for.

I have really enjoyed every book of St. James I have read. She has a way of twining together mysteries that feel real world with elements of the supernatural and paranormal, making it all feel realistic and as if it could happen in any small town. 

In The Book of Cold Cases, Shea Collins runs her own true crime blog. Having thwarted her own almost-abduction, she lives in fear and uses her blog as her outlet. By chance at her day job, she meets Beth Greer, once suspected of being The Lady Killer, the most infamous murderer to hit Claire Lake.

This book is eerie, scary, suspenseful, and full of twists and turns. The characters are complex and highly complicated, blood runs from taps and footsteps sound where they shouldn't, and there's even a romance that made me giddy. St. James keeps the hits coming, and I already can't wait for her next book.

ARC Review Roundup: The Christie Affair, Honey Roasted, and This Might Hurt

 

While there have been many books, fiction and non-fiction, that have tackled Agatha Christie's eleven day disappearance, this novel's spin on it is one full of twists and turns and clever creativity.

Nan O'Dea is our narrator through much of the story, and is Christie's husband Archie's mistress. Agatha is devastated by the knowledge that the affair is a serious one, and Archie fears that it was his actions that sent Agatha spiraling into drastic action. 

But there is more going on than meets the eye, and de Gramont delivers every surprise with aplomb. While Agatha Christie is my favorite author, I honestly saw none of the twists coming. This is not only a fresh take on a famous unsolved mystery, but one that is so well-thought out and so well-written that I could not put it down.

This is a cozy mystery that includes bees, honey, coffee, heroic rescues, drugs, an engagement possibly on the rocks, stances on food production, and a poetry slam, and somehow Coyle makes it all work.

I've always enjoyed this cozy mystery series centered around a coffee shop, mainly for the reason described above. No matter what the mystery is about, no matter what other side plots are going on, you know it's all going to come together in a way that makes sense, with a resolution where the good guys win and the bad guys lose. You get some great romance as well. If you're looking for a fun, truly cozy read with short chapters that pack a lot in, I would definitely recommend this series.

This is not a book for the faint of heart, as made evident by the opening pages. 

It is a really well-written book, keeping you just on the edge of figuring things out until Wrobel is ready for the foreshadowing to come together brilliantly.

Wisewood promises participants that if they commit to a six month stay without technology, that they will teach them how to truly be fearless. But Natalie has received an email that fills her with fear-that someone on Wisewood, where her sister Kit is currently living, is going to tell Kit a secret about Natalie that will absolutely shatter them both. So Nat sets out to get into Wisewood, find her sister, and tell her herself. But nothing is what it seems, including Wisewood itself.

I have to admit, when I realized what was really going on within the story, I gasped out loud and actually clapped my hands, I was so pleased by Wrobel's cleverness. While there are definitely some parts that can be hard to read, this book is well worth that read.