The Wrong Victim by Allison Brennan

A bomb explodes on a sunset charter cruise out of Friday Harbor at the height of tourist season and kills everyone on board. Now this fishing and boating community is in shock and asking who would commit such a heinous crime—the largest act of mass murder in the history of the San Juan Islands.

Forensic profilers know there are two types of domestic terrorists: those who use violence to instill fear for political purposes but stop at murder because it detracts from the cause, and those who crave attention and are willing to maim and murder for their own agenda

Accused of putting profits before people after leaking fuel that caused a massive fish kill, the West End Charter company may itself have been the target. But as special agent Matt Costa, detective Kara Quinn and the rest of the FBI team begin their investigation, they discover that plenty of people might have wanted someone dead on that yacht. Now they must track down who is responsible and stop them before they strike again.

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Available Today – April 26, 2022!

The 3rd novel in the Quinn & Costa series, however I would say that the novel focused more on the whole FBI Mobile Response Team and not just Kara Quinn and Matt Costa. I liked that the reader got to see more of how the team worked and each member of the team. Most mysteries are focused on an individual, so it was a nice change to have the focus be on the team.

I’m not going to share any spoilers, but I wasn’t a fan on one of the opening chapters. I felt that it took away from the suspense of the novel, since I was so sure that it was going to be the motive for the crime.

The novel wasn’t so straightforward and there were multiple layers of the mystery. I was surprised on some parts that had happened and who was responsible.

3 calculators out of a potential 5. Definitely going to continue on with the series!

Thank you to Netgallery and Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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The Lying Club by Annie Ward

A tangled web of lies draws together three women in this explosive thriller of revenge, murder and shocking secrets

At an elite private school nestled in the Colorado mountains, Natalie, an office assistant, dreams of having a life like the school moms she deals with every day. Women like Brooke—a gorgeous heiress, ferociously loving mother and serial cheater—and Asha, an overprotective mom who suspects her husband of having an affair. Their fates are bound by the handsome assistant athletic director Nicholas, whom Natalie loves, Brooke wants and Asha needs.

But when two bodies are carried out of the school one morning, it seems the tension between mothers and daughters, rival lovers, and the haves and have-nots has shattered the surface of this isolated, affluent town—where people stop at nothing to get what they want.

Don’t miss Annie Ward’s other twisty and utterly original thriller, Beautiful Bad! 

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Available Today – March 22, 2022!

This was my first novel by Annie Ward and it won’t be my last! The book opens with with a bang and we have 2 bodies found in the school’s gymnasium. Obviously the big question is, who are the 2 bodies? Students? Parents? Teachers?

The novel then goes through a bit of a painful history, where we jump back a couple months to see what led to the big event. The history follows 3 women – 2 parents and the office administrator. I found this to be the most painful part of the novel because I didn’t like any of the 3 characters. The parenting was very much lacking in the novel and there were times that the teenagers were better behaved than the parents.

Once I got to the 70% mark of the novel, I was hooked. I had some idea of what was going to happen but not how or why. I also enjoyed that there was a months after epilogue where we got to see some closure on the characters.

3 calculators out of a potential 5. A slow burn mystery that I eventually found myself not able to put down. Will be checking out Annie Ward’s past and future novels!

Thank you to Netgallery and Harlequin Trade Publishing, Park Row for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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Beach Wedding by Michael Ledwidge

Hamptons sand… Hamptons money… Hamptons murder…

When Terry Rourke is invited to the spare-no-expense beach wedding of his hedge fund manager brother, he thinks that his biggest worry will be flubbing the champagne toast. But this isn’t the first time Terry has been to the Hamptons.

As the designer tuxedos are laid out and the flowers arranged along the glittering surf, Terry can’t help but take another look at a decades-old murder trial that rocked the very foundations of the town—and his family. He soon learns that digging up billion-dollar sand can be a very dangerous activity. The kind of danger that can very quickly turn even the most beautiful beach wedding into a wake.

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Available Today – February 15, 2022!

I had previously read Michael Ledwidge’s collaboration series (Michael Bennett) with James Patterson and I was curious to see how how a stand alone novel by just himself would be. Based on the description of Beach Wedding, I was hoping for a novel that would be filled with beautiful beach imagery (especially the wedding!) and a drama filled mystery. Unfortunately that wasn’t what I got.

The lead character, Terry, is exactly the type of main character that you would expect from a James Patterson or Harlan Coben novel. He’s a family man with a beautiful wife that he adores and all around good guy. I do get tired reading about these types of characters since they bore me and I tend to roll my eyes reading about their wonderful lives. I like reading about characters that have a bit of flaws and aren’t seen as perfect people.

The mystery was lacking to me. I was intrigued on what had happened in Terry’s youth that caused his family to be isolated by the town. The novel had Terry running around all over, talking to different people and by the end of the novel I was confused by all of the characters.

2 calculators out of a potential 5. Sadly a miss for me.

Thank you to Netgallery and Harlequin Trade Publishing, Hanover Square Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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Woman Last Seen by Adele Parks

HAPPY. MARRIED. MISSING.

Leigh Fletcher: happily married stepmum to two gorgeous boys goes missing on Monday. Her husband Mark says he knows nothing of her whereabouts. She simply went to work and just never came home. Their family is shattered.

Kai Janssen: married to wealthy Dutch businessman, Daan, vanishes the same week. Kai left their luxurious penthouse and glamourous world without a backward glance. She seemingly evaporated into thin air. Daan is distraught.

DC Clements knows that people disappear all the time – far too frequently. Most run away from things, some run towards, others are taken but find their way back. A sad few never return. These two women are from very different worlds, their disappearances are unlikely to be connected. And yet, at a gut level, the DC believes they might be.

How could these women walk away from their families, husbands and homes willingly? Clements is determined to unearth the truth, no matter how shocking and devastating it may be.

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Available Today – February 1, 2022!

It’s so hard to review Woman Last Seen without giving anything away! I was curious on how the 2 missing women were connected and what had happened to them.

Unfortunately most of the novel is an inner monologue, which to be honest, I skimmed over. I was so bored reading the same thing over and over again about marriage, love, kids. I just wanted the story to move on, and just when it did, it would go back to the internal monologue. Ah!

I HATED the ending of Parks’ previous novel, Just My Luck, and sadly the ending to Woman Last Seen wasn’t too much better. I was hoping that there would of been a year later epilogue to see what had happened with all of the characters and the aftermath of the events in the last chapters.

2 calculators out of a potential 5. I’m sadly thinking that Adele Parks may not be for me. However, I would read another book centered around DC Clements, I really enjoyed that character.

Thank you to Netgallery and Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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The Ex-Husband by Karen Hamilton

It’s an offer she can’t refuse…and might not survive.

Charlotte has an unsavory past, but she’s on the straight and narrow these days. She was so young then—she married the wrong man, falling for Sam’s sweet-talking charm and charisma, and got caught up in his con artist games.

If only she’d left him before things went too far.

Now Sam is missing. But before he disappeared, he left urgent, cryptic messages about someone threatening him—someone who has been threatening Charlotte, too.
So Charlotte takes a job as a personal assistant for an engagement party aboard a private luxury cruise ship, the Cleobella, to get far away from anyone who means her harm.

But as the Cleobella sails through its glittering destinations, increasingly sinister events haunt the guests, and the turquoise waves and sun-drenched beaches give way to something darker. Someone knows what Charlotte did. Is it the blushing bride? The seemingly placid mother-in-law? Or the mysterious heiress?

Someone knows, and someone wants revenge—before the ship reaches its final port.

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Available Today – January 18, 2022!

A slow burn mystery that doesn’t quite satisfy. I love reading about cruises and exotic locations, so I really enjoyed hearing about the life behind the scenes of a cruise ship employee. I wish the author had taken a different approach of Charlotte’s and Sam’s “love story”. I didn’t see the appeal of Sam and why Charlotte would go after him. He’s obviously a con man and has a dozen red flags.

Then there was the problem of Charlotte. I didn’t like the character at all. In the past, she was a fool for falling for Sam and giving him chance after chance when he clearly was only looking out for number one – himself. But then, present day Charlotte was even more a mess. If you are being threatened and on a secluded ship with someone who wants to kill you, get off at the next stop, go to an airport and leave. You don’t stay and insert yourself in different situations to try to figure out who is after you.

2 calculators out of a potential 5. I have previously loved Karen Hamilton’s novels, but sadly this one was a miss for me. Slow burn with a predictable villain.

Thank you to Netgallery and Harlequin Trade Publishing, Graydon House for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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