Girl, 11- Amy Suiter Clarke

Ready for another addictive suspense read? Amy Suiter Clarke's debut novel - Girl,11 - is a great choice!

I love novels told in an epistolary fashion. In Girl, 11, much of the book is told through a podcast. (I love podcasts!) Elle is the host and the investigator behind a true crime podcast called Justice Delayed. Season Five focuses on the Countdown Killer. It's been twenty years since the last death and he's never been caught. Is he dead? But within days of Elle's podcast, there's a new kidnapping - and death. Could he be back? Is there a copycat using the podcast as a template?

The podcast style rings true - interviews, monologues from the host and more. (I bet the audiobook version would be good to listen to.) Elle is a great lead character and I quite liked her. She's intelligent and driven. But that drive to find the killer is verging on obsessive, damaging her reputation, taking a toll on her marriage and friendships and her own wellbeing. The supporting cast was good as well.

Clarke's plotting is not straight forward. (Yay! I like not being able to guess.) There are a number of times Elle is sure she has nailed some fact or clue down, only to be proven wrong. There are a number of suspects - all worthy of being 'the one'. The tension and action gets tighter and more urgent as the hours and days pass. Clarke inserts a really great twist that caught me off guard in the last third of the book. I did find the extent of Elle's involvement with the police investigating the crime to be a bit of a stretch.

There are many points of view in Girl, 11 - Elle's, the killer and one of the captives. The killer is quite disturbing. And the young captive's are nerve wracking.

This was an impressive debut and I will be watching for Clarke's next book. I'm kinda hoping Elle and her podcast might return with a new case? Read an excerpt of Girl, 11.

Good Eggs - Rebecca Hardiman

It's such a treat to read the first chapter in a book - and know you're going to love every page that follows. Such is the case with Rebecca Hardiman's debut novel Good Eggs.

A good egg: a kind person, someone you're fond of. Of course there is the flip side....a bad egg: a disappointing or unpleasant person, a corrupt or unreliable person, a rogue. (And I remember my own Gran using this phrase!)

The good eggs in this books are the seven members of the Gogarty family. The book is told from three points of view (and three generations) - octogenarian Gran Millie, her son Kevin and his daughter Aideen. The bad egg? Well, I won't say as I don't want to spoil the story for you.

Oh my gosh, I adored Millie! We meet her as she is shoplifting a greeting card that she doesn't even need. She's feisty, optimistic, loves her family - but is dreadfully lonely. And the first signs of dementia are there. Kevin's solution? Bring in a carer who can help as well as keep an eye on her. Kevin himself has lost his job and is now looks after his four children as his wife travels for work. I must admit, I didn't like Kevin at all in the beginning, but as the book went on I warmed up to him. His solution? Hmm, you can guess right? He is definitely having a middle age crisis. And then there's Aideen. She's the one who doesn't conform like her three siblings and her temper gets her in trouble quite often. Kevin's solution? Boarding school.

Uh huh, lots that could wrong here for sure. And it does - in spades. But there's so much that is right as well - this is a family who love and care for each other. They just seemed have to lost their way a bit. The journey to finding their way again makes for a rollicking read. I loved the ridiculousness of some of the plot - most of that is down to Millie. I did laugh out loud more than once. Millie reading a racy novel in a senior's home was priceless. There are some serious turns as well for all three of the main characters. The one that happens to Millie made me quite angry as it's something that happens often. (Sorry, I'm being deliberately obtuse as I don't want to spoil the tale for you)

You just can't help but be behind the Gogartys - especially Millie, with Aideen being a close second. The Gogartys are a bit cracked, but are pretty good eggs. And their story was a light-hearted, entertaining read that let me escape. I'll be watching for Hardiman's next novel.

Giveaway - Girl at the Edge - Karen Dietrich

Does this description catch your eye? " In this nature vs. nurture psychological suspense, a teenage girl is both fascinated by her father’s legacy and determined to escape it." Yes? Karen Dietrich's debut novel, Girl at the Edge, releases on March 3/20 - and I have a copy to give away to one lucky reader!

What's it about? From Grand Central Publishing:

"Not a single resident of St. Augustine, Florida, can forget the day that Michael Joshua Hayes walked into a shopping mall and walked out the mass murderer of eleven people.

He’s now spent over a decade on death row, and his daughter Evelyn – who doesn’t remember a time when her father wasn’t an infamous killer – is determined to unravel the mystery and understand what drove her father to shoot those innocent victims.

Evelyn’s search brings her to a support group for children of incarcerated parents, where a fierce friendship develops with another young woman named Clarisse. Soon the girls are inseparable, and by the beginning of the summer, Evelyn is poised at the edge of her future and must make a life-defining choice. Whether to believe that a parent’s legacy of violence is escapable or that history will simply keep repeating itself. Whether we choose it to or not."Read an excerpt of Girl at the Edge.

"Karen Dietrich is a writer of fiction, poetry, and memoir. She earned an MFA in poetry from New England College. She also writes music and plays drums in Essential Machine, a band she formed with her husband.Karen was born and raised in southwestern Pennsylvania and currently lives outside Pittsburgh with her husband and son." You can connect with  Karen on her website, follow her on Twitter as well as on Instagram.

And If you'd like to read Girl at the Edge, enter to win a copy using the Rafflecopter form below. Open to US and Canada, no PO boxes please. Ends March 7/20.

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Lies - T. M. Logan

Lies is T.M. Logan's debut novel.

Joe Lynch is driving home with his young son William when he spots his wife Mel's car in traffic. William wants to show her something, so they decide to follow her and say hi. Uh huh, you got it.....what happens isn't quite what Joe expected.

He finds Mel arguing with her best friend's husband in a hotel lobby. He backs off and waits in the parking garage instead to speak to her. Mel leaves before Joe can catch up with her, so decides to confront the husband instead. Bad move Joe. This chance meeting is the starting point of a crazy spiral that leaves Joe a wanted man.

Social media and technology are used very effectively as a plot device in Lies. How much of what we see and read is the truth? Or lies? What can be manipulated? Lies will definitely have you wondering  about your own online presence. But what about the human factor? Mel keeps telling Joe he's got it wrong. She tells one tale after another. And Joe keeps believing her! I must admit, I got quite frustrated with Joe's continued belief in his wife. Joe is the ultimate nice guy though and without that belief, the book wouldn't move forward. And it does move forward quickly. I hadn't fully predicted the twist at the end, but there are only so many characters to choose from, so you may suss out the whodunit it in the final chapters.

Lies was an easy, addictive, entertaining read. See for yourself - here's an excerpt of Lies. Great debut and I look forward to Logan's next novel.

The Exes' Revenge - Jo Jakeman

The Exes' Revenge is Jo Jakeman's debut novel.

Imogen, Ruby and Naomi all have one thing in common - Phillip. Current wife Imogen desperately wants a divorce and full custody of their son. Ex wife Ruby still believes she has a connection with Pip. And girlfriend Naomi has discovered the kind of man Phillip really is....abusive, manipulating and sadistic. And he's a cop.

I loved the timeline of Jakeman's storytelling. The book opens with Phillip's funeral. So we know the ending....

"There are only three of us here - Naomi, Ruby and I - who know how satisfying it feels to know that Phillip Rochester got the death he deserved."

....but it is the how that makes the book. That how unfolds in chapters starting twenty two days before Phillip's death and moves forward to the day of the funeral. We get to know the background of each woman with a few flashback chapters to set the tone for the present. The Exes' Revenge is not a character driven novel, but is instead driven by action. Jakeman keeps the reader on their toes with many shifts of power between the women and Phillip. And between themselves as well - can they really trust each other?

For pragmatic readers, some of the plot devices will need to be taken with a grain of salt. But go with it as they absolutely work for the tale Jakeman has imagined. The Exes' Revenge was a good debut and an entertaining page turner. I can absolutely see this one as a movie. Read an excerpt of The Exes' Revenge.

Vox - Christina Dalcher

You’ve read The Handmaid's Tale and you're caught up on the last episode of the series. Now what? Here’s one that might fill the bill - Vox by Christina Dalcher.

It’s not hard to imagine a future (present or past) where women’s lives are controlled by men. And how is that control achieved in Vox? By language - the lack of, to be precise. In Vox women are only allowed 100 words a day. They wear a silver band on their wrist that shocks them if they go over that limit, increasing in voltage with every word above the limit. It's all part of a return to 'traditional values'. "Pure"

Jeanne McClellan was a neurolinguist before her voice was taken away. It is only when the new president needs a cure for his brother that her bracelet is taken off and she’s brought in to resume work on her research - restoring language to brain-damaged individuals. But with every suppression...there's resistance. Vox details a time in the near future that isn't too hard to imagine.

I enjoyed Dalcher's world building. And yes, it's not much of a stretch to see the traditional value, male dominated society. Dalcher herself has worked in the linguistics field and that knowledge gave the plot depth and detail. There's lots of action as the tension ramps up to the final 'showdown'. The author has created a good cast of characters in both Jeanne and supporting players. I did find myself more drawn to those supporters though, instead of  Jeanne. I didn't agree with some of her decisions or treatment of other resistance members.

Some developments and plot directions seemed a bit quick,  if you will. There were points where I felt there should be more plausibility built in. But, on reading the publisher's notes, I learned that Vox was written in two months - which is pretty darn amazing.

There's lots of food for thought in Vox, mirroring many of today's news headlines. I was thoroughly entertained  by Vox and would be curious to see what Dalcher writes next. Here's an excerpt of Vox. (And that cover is great isn't it?!)

I Know My Name- C.J. Cooke - Review AND Giveaway!

I Know My Name is the debut novel of C.J. Cooke. And I have a copy to giveaway to one lucky reader!

The book opens in 2015. A woman is washed up on an isolated Greek island. She has no idea who she is or what she was doing when her boat wrecked on the island's rocky shore. And in England a man is frantic - his wife has gone missing, leaving her two small children behind.

The reader is privy to more than either lead character. We know what is happening in the England investigation. And what is happening on Kommeno Island. The island is not completely deserted, as we discover that there are four other people on the island. Their behavior is odd and they seem determined to keep our unnamed woman with them. "The only way to get off this island is to remember."

I always enjoy a back and forth narrative - it's guaranteed to keep me reading later than I had planned. Cooke inserts a third narrative about a quarter of the way into the book. It is set in 1983 - and explains much. With that information, I had a strong inkling as to how the two 2015 narratives would connect. I was partially right, but Cooke throws in a twist at the end.

I found myself drawn more to the London search than the time on the island. Perhaps because there were numerous characters and more happening. I found the island scenes and dialogue very off kilter with it's decidedly strange inhabitants. Things did make more sense in the run up to the final answer. That ending goes on a bit longer than I would have preferred. Now, being deliberately oblique - Cooke uses those last chapters to 'educate' the reader. While I appreciate this, it was more than I wanted as the pieces had already been put together. Warning to gentle readers - there are some disturbing elements to this tale.

I Know My Name is a good debut - here's an excerpt. If you too would like to read I Know My Name, enter to win a copy using the Rafflecopter form below. Open to US and Canada, no PO boxes please. Ends January 27/17.

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The Wolves of Winter - Tyrell Johnson

Ahh, Tyrell Johnson, you had me at post apocalyptic. Johnson's debut novel is The Wolves of Winter - and it's one you're going to want to read.

Nuclear war and disease have decimated society and the world as we know it. Seven years on, Lynn McBride and her family are still surviving. They fled to an isolated area of the Yukon. and Lynn's hunting and survival skills are now finely honed. When a stranger named Jax stumbles into their part of the forest, Lynn is curious and does what she shouldn't - she approaches him and takes him back to the homestead. But Jax has brought trouble with him - and now it's on the McBride doorstep.....

Johnson has created a great lead character in Lynn - she's tough physically and mentally. But, on the flip side, she's lonely and isolated - and her world is about to change - again.

Johnson's post apocalyptic world building is believable and perhaps not that far away. The cold of the Yukon seeps into the reader's fingers with Johnson's detailed descriptions. But the beauty as well.

The Wolves of Winter is action packed - the tension increases with each new chapter and plot development. There's a great cat and mouse game played out and an epic battle scene. Johnson takes his plotting in an inventive direction that I didn't see coming, but was just right.

Comparisons have been made by the publisher to The Hunger Games. And I agree, it's in the same vein, but puts it's own stamp on world building, a strong female lead, supporting male characters, danger, survival, intrigue and yes, romance.

The Wolves of Winter ends on a satisfying note. But, I wonder Tyrell......could there be there be more to Lynn's story? Pretty please?

Read an excerpt of The Wolves of Winter. An excellent debut, and I look forward to Johnson's next book. You can connect with Tyrell Johnson on his website, like him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.

The Chalk Man - C.J. Tudor

Oh, where to start! Well, here's the thing - I started reading C.J. Tudor's debut novel The Chalk Man in my jammies on a snowy day during Christmas week. And while starting was not an issue, stopping was. I couldn't put the book down!!! Addictive, page turning and so very, very good.......

1986. Twelve year old Ed and his four friends have a great, way of communicating with each other. They chalk little stick figures at the end of their driveways and throughout their small village. It's a 'secret' way to communicate with each other. But when a set of chalk directions leads to a body, it's clear that someone else knows their secret.

2016. Ed still lives in the same house he grew up in, teaches at the school he attended and drinks a little too much. When a chalk man drawing arrives in his mailbox, he knows that the past is not finished with him......

Tudor's use of the past and present narrative in alternating chapters is soooo effective. She ends each chapter with a cliffhanger or a lovely bit of foreshadowing. You know that don't go into the basement scene in movies? Yeah, like that. This and her plotting is what kept me tucked into my reading chair for the day. There's a mystery at the heart of the book - who is the killer? But, there's so much to the plot than just that question. Tudor provides lot of alternatives for the whodunit. There's a dark undertone running through the town. Everyone seems to have secrets.

"I knew it was wrong but, like I said, everyone has secrets, things they know they shouldn't do but do anyway. Mine was taking stuff - collecting things. The crappy thing was, it was only when I tried to take something back that I really screwed up."

Oh, does Tudor ever have that 'twisty, turny' plot thing nailed down! The narrative took lots of unexpected, unpredictable directions. "Never assume. Question everything. Always look beyond the obvious."

The Chalk Man was so 'readable'! I loved it! If you're a fan of Stranger Things, Stand By Me and suspense reads, you'll love The Chalk Man. This book is so darn good, it's hard to believe it's a debut - I can't wait to see what Tudor writes next!  Read an excerpt of The Chalk Man. And, yes this is going to be one of my top reads for 2018!

The Keeper of Lost Things - Ruth Hogan

I am a collector of 'things' - old things, interesting things and yes, things I find. I always wonder about the person who owned them, lost them or discarded them. I knew I was going to love Ruth Hogan's debut novel, The Keeper of Lost Things.

Anthony Peardew also collects things - ever since the day his fiancee died and he lost the one thing that he promised her he would always cherish. His goal is the find the owners of those lost articles. But, his time is drawing near and he decides to bequeath his house and the lost things project to his assistant Laura. A parallel story with its own lost and found had me wondering if the two tales would eventually meet - and how they might tie together.

"She had been dead for forty years, but she was still his life, and her death had given him his purpose. It had made Anthony Peardew the Keeper of Lost Things."

Oh there is so much to love about this book. The characters first and foremost. They're all eclectically (and wonderfully) a little left of center. Impossible not to like and not to root for.

The premise is intriguing as I've mentioned. I loved the back stories that Hogan created for some of the lost items. Hair bobbles, an umbrella, a glove and more. Some happy, some tragic. The plots of some disastrous books written by an aspiring author had me laughing out loud.

Hogan's writing flows so well and drew me into her story immediately. She weaves a delicious, heartwarming tale of love, loss, hope, redemption, romance and humour with a helping of magical realism that absolutely delighted me. I loved it! Read an excerpt of The Keeper of Lost Things.

Ruth Hogan describes herself as a “rapacious reader, writer, and incorrigible magpie” whose own love of small treasures and curiosities and the people around her inspired her first novel. She lives north of London.

Find out more about Ruth at her website, and connect with her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter, and Instagram.

See what others on the TLC book tour thought - full schedule can be found here.

I received this book for review from HarperCollins and TLC Book Tours.

Giveaway - Small Hours - Jennifer Kitses

Jennifer Kitses' debut novel, Small Hours, releases on June 13/17 - and I have two copies to give away to two lucky readers!

What's it about? From Grand Central Publishing:

"In a story that unfolds over the course of a single day, a husband and wife try to outrun the secrets that threaten their marriage, sending their lives spiraling out of control.

On the edge of the economic downturn, Helen and Tom fled New York for what they’d hoped would be a fresh start: a small home in a former mill town, where they could raise their twin daughters away from the pressures of the city. But two years later, their fragile equilibrium has hit a breaking point. One September morning, Helen begins to lose control. Exhausted from juggling ambitions, frustrations, and unrealistic expectations, she snaps — and finds herself drawn into a violent conflict with two local teenagers. Unaware of her danger, in a Manhattan office seventy miles away, Tom is facing a crisis of his own at his high-pressure newsroom job — and struggling to hide a second, secret life.

The hours tick by ruthlessly as Helen and Tom fight to bury the mistakes and lies that are rising ever faster to the surface. Searing and suspenseful, Small Hours is both a powerful story about how one misstep can derail a life and a moving portrait of a couple’s search for a new path forward." Read an excerpt of Small Hours.

"Jennifer Kitses is a graduate of the creative writing program at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. She also attended Columbia Journalism School, and has worked as a reporter for Bloomberg News and as an editor for several universities. Her writing has appeared in The New York Observer and in Akashic Books’ online series, Mondays Are Murder. She lives with her family in New York." You can connect with Jennifer Kitses on her website, like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.

And if you'd like to read Small Hours, I have two copies to give away to two lucky readers. Enter using the Rafflecopter form below. Open to US and Canada, no PO boxes please. Ends June 17/17.

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Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore - Matthew Sullivan

Debut novels are such fun to read - there's no preconceived notion of what the author's work is like and the contents are a surprise just waiting to be discovered. That's how I felt about Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore - Matthew Sullivan's debut novel. I loved it - and it's one you're going to want to get your hands on.

Lydia Smith lives a quiet life, working as a bookseller at The Bright Ideas Bookstore. She is quite happy with her quiet life. As a child she was the lone survivor of a horrendous event - and she keeps those memories locked away. But tragedy comes to the bookstore when a young man hangs himself. Joey was one of Lydia's favourite BookFrogs - one of the 'lost men' of the neighbourhood who make the bookstore their 'home'. (I'll leave it to you to discover the why of this name - it's the perfect book reference.) But how and why would Joey have a picture of ten year old Lydia in his pocket when he died? Lydia is also the beneficiary of Joey's eclectic book collection. Joey seems to have left a message in the pages of those books. Lydia needs to decipher what it is and what the connection to her could be.......

Sullivan has worked in bookstores, as have I. I identified so much with the settings he had created, the behind the scenes areas, the love of books and the eclectic staff. The book titles referenced are great fun - both real and imagined. Anyone who loves books would want to work or visit Bright Ideas. The supporting cast of quirky characters is just as wonderfully drawn - BookFrogs included. But it is Lydia who will capture your heart.

"Lydia's skills as a bookseller came mainly, she believed, from her ability to listen. A raging case of bibliophilia certainly helped, as did limited financial needs, but it was her capacity to be politely trapped by others that really sealed her professional fate."

Oh my goodness, Sullivan is a clever, clever writer. The plot went places I couldn't imagine - but when I got there, I couldn't imagine it unfolding any other way. "The act was impulsive and had only taken seconds, yet it had rippled through the decades like a shockwave." Curious now, aren't you?

Yes, it's a mystery, But romance, family, life and more populate the pages of Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore. Absolutely recommended - this is hands down one of my favourite reads for 2017.

Foxlowe - Eleanor Wasserberg

Foxlowe is Eleanor Wasserberg's debut novel.

I loved the cover - creepy, Gothic looking manor - there can only be a good story lurking behind those rusty closed gates.

Foxlowe is the name of the estate, tucked away in the moors and crumbling into ruin. But it is home to a number of people living communally. There are three children in the group. One barely remembers the 'Outside', one was born in the house and one arrived as a baby. Their world is Foxlowe - they've never traveled outside it's confines. The narrator of the story is Green - the girl born in the house.

While the adults believe they are living in an idyllic world, this is far from the truth. Relationships begin to crumble, the rituals meant to keep their collective safe don't seem to have the same power and as the children grow, some of them begin to wonder what is Outside the gates. Is it truly the Bad that they've been warned about?

Green's voice is by turns fierce, frightened, clear and confused. The three have no reference beyond what they have learned from the adults in the group. I desperately wanted to rescue them. Freya is the leader of the group and oh, she was easy to despise. We can see that many of her rules and ceremonies are harmful, yet the Family seem to blithely accept them.

Descriptions of the house were detailed - I had a vivid sense of place.

I literally couldn't put the book down, caught up in this 'utopian' setting. The arrival of the end of part one caught me unawares. I had unanswered questions! Part two takes a circuitous route from present to past that again, only encourages the reader to keep turning pages late into the night.

The last chapter and especially the last paragraph were unexpected, negating the ending I anticipated. One last shiver before I closed the cover. I really enjoyed Foxlowe. I had no idea where Wasserberg was going to take her story - I quite appreciate a book being unpredictable. Read an excerpt of Foxlowe.

A Simple Favor - Darcey Bell

A Simple Favor is Darcey Bell's debut novel.

Miles and Nicky attend the same school. Miles's mom Stephanie, is a stay at home widowed parent and Nicky's mom, Emily, is a married working mom. The moms make seemingly unlikely friends, but they are. So, when Emily asks Stephanie if she can pick up Nicky from school now and then, Stephanie is happy to oblige.

But ..."It's been two days since she hasn't shown up or gotten in touch with me or returned my texts or calls. Something terrible has happened. She's vanished. I have no idea where she is."

A great premise that opens up a wealth of what-ifs and possibilities....

Stephanie is the narrator of part one of A Simple Favor. She's not sure what to do - Emily's husband Sean is out of town. Maybe Emily just got caught up at work, maybe she's on her way? But Stephanie does take the time to write a post on her mommy blog asking everyone to keep an eye out for her best friend. The tone of Stephanie's blog entries and self dialogue was pitch perfect. Somewhat obnoxious, self-serving, self-deprecating, self-righteous and self-delusional. As the search for Emily is finally undertaken, Stephanie makes herself available to help Sean and Nicky in any way she can.Any way. The reader is left wondering what has really happened - did Stephanie have anything to do with Emily's disappearance or perhaps Sean knows more than he is telling.

The second part belongs to Emily and the third part is Sean's voice. Each character is unlikable and unreliable. I'm not going to spoil things for you, revealing any more. But I do want to mention that I was very, very tempted to skip ahead and read the final chapters. But I resisted! Bell delightfully leads the reader down the garden path, leaving them wondering what will happen next. Lots of twists and turns on that path! I will mention that one of the characters has a fondness for Patricia Highsmith novels and Hitchcock films.

A great debut and I look forward to Bell's next book. Read an excerpt of A Simple Favor.

"A Simple Favor was preempted by Fox 2000 for feature development within 36 hours of submission. Foreign rights have already been sold in 24 countries and territories."

"Darcey Bell was born in 1981 and raised on a dairy farm in western Iowa. She is a preschool teacher in Chicago. A Simple Favor is her first novel." You can connect with Darcey on Twitter. See what others on the TLC book tour thought - full schedule can be found here.

I received this book for review from HarperCollins and TLC Book Tours.

To Catch a Killer - Sheryl Scarborough Release Day Giveaway

Sheryl Scarborough's debut novel, To Catch a Killer releases today and I have a copy to give away to one lucky reader!

From the publisher, Tor Books:

"In this contemporary mystery by debut author Sheryl Scarborough, a teenage girl uses forensic science to solve the cold-case murder of her mother.

Erin Blake has one of those names. A name that, like Natalee Holloway or Elizabeth Smart, is inextricably linked to a grisly crime. As a toddler, Erin survived for three days alongside the corpse of her murdered mother, and the case—which remains unsolved—fascinated a nation. Her father's identity unknown, Erin was taken in by her mother's best friend and has become a relatively normal teen in spite of the looming questions about her past.

Fourteen years later, Erin is once again at the center of a brutal homicide when she finds the body of her biology teacher. When questioned by the police, Erin tells almost the whole truth, but never voices her suspicions that her mother's killer has struck again in order to protect the casework she's secretly doing on her own.

Inspired by her uncle, an FBI agent, Erin has ramped up her forensic hobby into a full-blown cold-case investigation. This new murder makes her certain she's close to the truth, but when all the evidence starts to point the authorities straight to Erin, she turns to her longtime crush (and fellow suspect) Journey Michaels to help her crack the case before it's too late." Read an excerpt of To Catch a Killer.

Sheryl Scarborough worked as a story writer and series developer in children's television before
receiving her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College, where she studied under Rita Williams-Garcia, Tom Birdseye, and Susan Fletcher, among others. She currently lives and works in Kalama, Washington. To Catch a Killer is her debut. You can connect with Sheryl on her website, follow her on Twitter and like her on Facebook.

And if you'd like to read To Catch a Killer, enter to win a copy using the Rafflecopter form below. Open to US and Canada, no PO boxes please. Ends Feb 18/17.

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Inherit the Bones - Emily Littlejohn

Inherit the Bones is Emily Littlejohn's debut novel - and the first book in the Detective Gemma Monroe novels. (I always enjoy getting in on the ground floor a new series!)

Littlejohn opens up the book with a pretty topical crime - clowns. Well, only one clown - found viciously murdered when a travelling circus stops in town. But when the identity of that victim is discovered, old crimes, old cases and old fears are reignited. Two young brothers were abducted and killed years ago in Cedar Valley. Gemma was the one who found those bodies also - deep in the Colorado woods. The killer was never found - but lives on in infamy as The Woodsman.

Gemma is such a great protagonist! Gemma has made her home in the small town of Cedar Valley, Colorado since she was a child and is now part of the police force. I was immediately drawn to her in the first few pages. She's intelligent, determined, no pushover - and six months pregnant. (I had a Fargo moment when I read this.)

Littlejohn has set the stage for the next entries in this series - the settings and descriptions of time and place have given me a solid mental image of the town and surrounding area. Littlejohn makes her home in Colorado - and the details drawn from a personal view add much to the book The supporting cast of characters are well drawn and fleshed out. We get to know the rest of the police force. Finn is the partner forced on Gemma  - I enjoyed their banter and struggle to build a functional working relationship. Littlejohn gives Gemma an interesting personal storyline as well. Her partner (and the baby's father) does not make an appearance until the final pages of the book, but we learn of their troubled relationship as the book progresses.

Littlejohn's plotting is quite inventive. There are many suspects to choose from, but she kept me guessing until the last bit of the book. Well done! I really enjoy solving the crime along with the detectives, putting the pieces together as they work through the clues. There's some really great creepy suspense filled scenes as well.

I'm looking forward to seeing what other cases Littlejohn comes up with for Gemma and the Cedar Springs force. And now that Gemma has a child, it will be interesting to see how she handles being a parent with being a detective. Read an excerpt of Inherit the Bones.

And one of my favourite mystery authors has this to say about Inherit the Bones...."

"I couldn't put down Inherit the Bones. Small town Colorado police detective Gemma Monroe is a human and fallible heroine I can't wait to meet again, and Littlejohn's prose is lyrical and gripping - the book is a sure bet for one of the finest debut novels of the year." - Deborah Crombie, author of the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma Jones mystery series

"Emily Littlejohn was born and raised in southern California. She has called Colorado home since 2003. If she’s not writing, reading, or working at the local public library, she’s enjoying the mountains with her husband and sweet old dog. She has a deep love of horror stories, butter pecan ice cream, and road trips. Inherit the Bones is her first novel." You can connect with Emily Littlejohn on her website and like her on Facebook.

Her Nightly Embrace - Adi Tantimedh

Her Nightly Embrace by Adi Tantimedh is the first in a planned trilogy - The Ravi PI books.

"Before we start, there's something you should know.
I see gods.
Usually in the corner of my eye. They just pop up from time to time, deities from the Hindu pantheon.
I never talk to them. I don't want to.
They never talk to me, just watch in silent judgement. Occasionally they tut-tut and tweet about me to one another on their phones.
I'm not mentally ill. Honest
Back when this started, I was switching from anti-psychotics, to mood stabilizers to anti-anxiety to anti-depressant medications before I finally got it under control.
I haven't been seeing many gods lately. That must be a good sign."

Ravi Singh is a failed religious scholar and secondary school teacher. There was that breakdown with the god thing. But the meds seemed to have helped and he's embarked on a new career as a  private investigator at the prestigious Golden Sentinel Investigations. (His friend David got him in) Golden Sentinel takes on cases for the rich, celebrities and those who need their cases handled with the utmost discretion.

Now, you might be questioning Ravi being asked to join such a prestigious firm. But the rest of the employees are all a little, well, quirky also. Each is very talented in their own way. I love ensemble casts. It might takes a few chapters to keep everyone straight, but they all have strong personalities and talents, so it really won't take you long. And let's not forget the gods. They start by showing up, but as the cases progress, they start interacting.....

"My coworkers are a bunch of brilliant f***ups with nowhere else to go. They're ex-coppers, lawyers, hackers, tech geeks. I feel under-qualified next to them. I'm not sure I belong, but I have nowhere else to go, either."

Ravi is still the newbie on the team, but is given a case involving a high profile politician as a bit of a test. You see, the politician insists that his girlfriend is showing up in the middle of the night and having sex with him. He has body fluids for proof. The problem you ask? Well, his girlfriend is dead. Seems like this is the perfect case for Ravi as those Hindu gods are showing up again.

There are four cases in Her Nightly Embrace. Each reads like a short story on their own, but there are threads joining them together in the form of supporting characters as well as Ravi's personal life. I adored his family - especially his parents. That little gambling problem his mother has only goes to prove that addiction does run in families.

Ravi is suave, quick thinking and a smooth talker. Half the fun in this book were the somewhat (okay a bit more than somewhat) outlandish cases. The other half is the way Ravi handles things - again, not how you would expect.

As the book progresses, we learn a bit more about the founders of the agency. And the plot thickens a bit here, setting up lots of fodder for the next two books.

Ravi is the narrator, so the reader only sees events through his eyes. I found this a bit one sided - I think I would like to see the other character's viewpoints once in awhile. Tantimedh's writing is definitely plot driven. The details of Ravi's personal life and some of his observations came across as somewhat dispassionate.

All in all, Her Nightly Embrace was a completely fun and different look at the PI genre. Read an excerpt of Her Nightly Embrace. (For gentle readers - be advised that her Nightly Embrace does contain some sex and violence.)

Tantimedh says that "I originally thought I’d write some short stories about Ravi and his cases and perhaps pitch them as a TV series later on. I just wanted to update private detective fiction and tell stories that hadn’t been seen before in the genre." Well, Ravi PI is currently in development as a TV series set to star Sendhil Ramamurthy (NBC’s Heroes and Heroes Reborn) He's a great choice for this character! Sendhil will also be voicing the audiobook.

“Her Nightly Embrace introduces us to an exciting and dynamic new world of storytelling in which spirituality and science are inextricably entwined. Ravi is a character unlike any that readers have quite encountered before, and as he starts to see increasingly wild and fascinating visions, so will those lucky enough to dive into this rich narrative.” -- Deepak Chopra

"Adi Tantimedh has a BA in English Literature from Bennington College and an MFA in Film and Television Production from New York University. He is of Chinese-Thai descent and came of age in Singapore and London. He has written radio plays and television scripts for the BBC and screenplays for various Hollywood companies, as well as graphic novels for DC Comics and Big Head Press, and a weekly column about pop culture for BleedingCool.com. He wrote “Zinky Boys Go Underground,” the first post-Cold War Russian gangster thriller, which won the BAFTA for Best Short Film in 1995." You can connect with Adi on Twitter.

The Girl Before - Rena Olsen

The Girl Before is the debut novel of author Rena Olsen.

We've all seen them, heard of them or read them - stories of young girls kidnapped and never seen again. But....sometimes they are rescued or manage to escape. I can't bring myself to read the accounts or the books that are released afterwards.

But knowing Olsen's account was fictional I picked it up. The publisher's tagline was also intriguing. "In this powerful psychological suspense debut, when a woman’s life is shattered, she is faced with a devastating question: What if everything she thought was normal and good and true...wasn’t?"

Clara remembers nothing of her life 'before.' She only knows her husband Glen, his parents Papa G and Mama Mae - and their illegal family business. But Clara doesn't see it that way. Over the years she's been trained, conditioned and manipulated to believe something other than reality. "I only need to know what Glen tells me."

When an arrest occurs, Clara is forced to confront that reality. Olsen does this in a now and then narrative, allowing the reader to uncover and discover along with Clara. "What if how I lived my entire life was not how I was meant to live?"

And with each new revelation, it's hard to put it down. I wanted to know - who was Clara and would she remember the 'before'?  My opinion of Clara changed throughout the book - is she a victim or a criminal? Clara faces the same questions herself. Olsen does an admirable job in depicting Clara's confusion. I imagine that Olsen's daytime job as a school therapist adds to the authenticity of Clara's emotions, feelings and journey to self realization. The other main characters however, are very easy to categorize as perpetrators.

I did find it somewhat difficult to remember that yes, although this was fiction - it's still someone's reality somewhere. But, it was hard to put the book down - kind of that 'accident on the road don't look but cover your eyes and peek as you drive by' feeling. While this is a disturbing premise, Olsen manages to avoid graphic detail while still transmitting the reality of Clara's  - and other's - situations.

Some plot points were a bit of stretch for me - particularly the police procedural details. And the 'after' chapters got a bit repetitive in the final countdown. But all in all, an addictive read. Read an excerpt of The Girl Before.

You can connect with Rena Olsen on her website, find her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.

The Trap - Melanie Raabe - Review AND Giveaway

The Trap is Melanie Raabe's debut novel. The tagline on the cover is a great invitation to open up the book and read more..."I know who killed my sister. I wrote this book for him."

Author Linda Conrads has not left her house in eleven years. The death of her sister was incredibley traumatic - she was brutally murdered in her own home - and Linda saw the man as he fled the house. The killer was never apprehended. Linda has retreated..."It's not a wide world, my world, but it is safe. At least that's what I thought."

While watching the news on television one evening, Linda is stunned - she has immediately recognized the murderer on the screen. Unable to leave her house, she is determined to catch the killer with the only power she has - the written word. Linda Conrads' newest book will mirror the circumstances and details of the actual case - and draw out the murderer.

Or will it? As her plan comes to fruition, Linda is now not as sure as she was and she begins to doubt her memories -  and her sanity.

Oh, my goodness, does Raabe play with the reader. I was on board with Linda and her idea to expose the crime through her book. (Linda's parallel book is within the pages of The Trap. As the book progresses, we learn more of the past) But then, Raabe turns things upside down. Our narrator may not be as reliable as we initially believed. I love unreliable main characters, trying to decide what's real, right and the truth as I read. Raabe turns things around more than once as the book progresses. There's a lovely little cat and mouse game between Linda and the alleged murderer. Hmm, makes the title The Trap even more apropos.

I did however, find some of  the plot devices a bit of a stretch. Linda never confides in her friends, never talks to police about her suspicions, but instead devises a plan that will take quite a while to execute - she needs to first write a book. But it is a novel idea. (yes, pun intended )  I was drawn in by Linda's history, story and quest, but only as a removed, impartial witness - I never really connected personally with her and her grief and guilt.

The word thriller has been attached to the promotion of The Trap. I myself found it to be more of a slow building plot, drawing on alternate scenarios and answers, before making its way to the final reveal.

Read an excerpt of The Trap. Sony Pictures has already picked up the film rights for The Trap.

Melanie Raabe was born in 1981 and grew up in a small village in former East Germany. After studying media and literature, she went on to become a magazine editor, freelance journalist, writer, and stage actor. While juggling several jobs by day, she wrote at night, crafting two plays and THE TRAP, which is her debut novel. Melanie Raabe currently lives in Cologne and loves the stage, traveling, cooking, bungee jumping, tattoos, indie rock, and cats. You can connect with Melanie on Twitter.

If you'd like to read The Trap, I have two copies to giveaway. Enter using the Rafflecopter form below. Open to US and Canada, ends July 30/16. 

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Last One - Alexandra Oliva

I always get a little tingle when I realize after the first few pages of a new book that I'm not going to be able to put it down. That's exactly what happened with Alexandra Oliva's debut novel The Last One. I started it early on a Sunday morning and read straight through to the end (somewhat delaying our afternoon plans....)

Admit it, you've watched at least one episode of a reality television show. (There's lots to choose from!)  In The Last One, Oliva has twelve contestants participating in a remote wilderness challenge, seeing how far they can push themselves.

"That's the whole idea behind the show, after all - to break the contestants. Though the twelve who entered the ring were told that it's about survival. That it's a race. All true, but. Even the title they were told was a deception. Subject to change, as the fine print read."

Oliva nicely skewers reality tv, with the producer and editor's comments, the cheesy host, the dehumanizing of the participants by giving them descriptors as names - Waitress, Tracker, Black Doctor, Zoo, Biology and others. It's only the contestants themselves who use their real names. The manipulation of what has been filmed, presenting the storyline they want viewers to see. "All they care about is that the viewers watch to the end." Chat room responses to the show reinforce this.

But while they're removed from society, something happens. Some sort of deadly pathogen strikes the country. While some participants realize this, others don't - they still believe they're on the show - and that the cameras are still rolling. Zoo is one of those who has no idea. The reader walks along with Zoo, who is determined not to quit - she is going to be the last one standing.

We know something has happened and see Zoo's thoughts and choices through that knowledge and question her logic. But seen through her eyes, her choices make sense. She is in survival mode - both physically and mentally.

"I had no idea it would be like this. They didn't say anything about a fake pandemic or props shaped like dead people. About animatronics or feral cats. Empty towns and abandoned children. They didn't say anything about being so alone for so long."

Dystopian/apocalyptic novels are a favourite of mine and Oliva has put a delicious spin on hers. I really liked Zoo as a character (her real name is only mentioned once). Her determination, resilience and stamina to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Oliva's imagining of her journey totally captured me - who knows what's around the next bend, what she will face, if she'll survive. There was no way to predict where the story was going to go and I was on the edge of my seat for most of the book.

Oliva ends the book on a great turn. I had wondered how she could finish off such a great read, but she surprised me. The ending was just right. The Last One is absolutely one of my favourite reads this year. Read an excerpt of The Last One.

You can connect with Alexandra Oliva on her website, follow her on Twitter and find her on Facebook. I can't wait to see what she writes next.