Review: The Girl In The Ice by Robert Bryndza

The Girl In The Ice by Robert Bryndza
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

DCI Erika Foster has just transferred to the Lewisham Row Station in London from Manchester. As soon as she is on the job, she has a case. A socialite is found frozen in the ice in the park. No one knows what happened or where she was prior to her death, but DCI Foster is determined to get to the bottom of the case. When another woman is found dead via the same means, the pressure increases to find the killer. Catching flack from her superiors on her methods of investigations, puts delays in finding the culprit. Will DCI Foster be able to solve the case? Does she have too much going on in her personal life to focus the way she should? Will she fall victim to the killer before she is able to find him?

I read this book as part of a buddy read. It has been on my TBR for a while and I was very interested to read it. For the most part I enjoyed the book, but it wasn't the first thing I grabbed. I got through it and the ending helped that along. I had no clue who the killer was and that helped to keep my interest. In my opinion DCI Foster was the kind of woman we all strive to be like, but at times it seemed like she tried to hard. Maybe that had to do with the what she had going on in her personal life. I would like to read the next book in the series to see if the character is in that same mindset or if after some time she is more focused on her job. This is also the first book I have read by Robert Bryndza and I look forward to more books from this author.

The other books in this series are:
 



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Review: Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris

Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

First of all I want to thank St. Martin's Press for awarding me a copy of this book through their contest on social media. I especially loved all the intriguing materials that arrived after I received the book. It helped to push this book to the top of my TBR pile.

Grace has finally met the man of her dreams(or so she thinks). Jack is attractive, intelligent, kind, and most importantly, adores her sister Millie who has Downs-Syndrome. They are first introduced when Jack starts to dance with Millie at a park they frequent on the weekends Grace spends with her. They had both noticed each other before, unaware that this was the case. They date for a few short months, as both of their jobs keep them very busy and after an even shorter engagement, they are married in a very small ceremony.

After the vows have been said, Jack shows Grace his true colors and strips her of all of her freedoms; her cell phone, her job, the ability to do anything without him, and explains the plans he has for her and especially for Millie when she moves in with them at the end of her school term. Terrified for her life and more so or Millie's, Grace tries as hard as she can to get away from Jack, but it is impossible since he has everyone convinced she has mental problems. Will she be able to get from under his control before Millie moves in or something more serious happens?

I hadn't planned on reading this book until after the first of the year, but after I received a letter

 and a postcard

from Grace, I knew I had to read it right away. The book is told from the Past and the Present and at the end they come together to reveal a harrowing tale of emotional torture I have never read about before. Grace is a character you automatically have empathy for. I'm not sure how she got herself into this situation, but its a hell of a ride to get out. Jack is always two steps ahead of her and no matter what she tries she can't get ahead of him.

I really enjoyed this book. It kept my heart racing and I kept hoping that Grace would eventually find a way out. Jack was even a couple of steps ahead of me when I thought a friend was trying to help her get out. This book is highly recommended. One of the best I have read this year.

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Review: This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's every parents worse nightmare. A shooting at their child's school and there is nothing you can do about it. This Is Where It Ends is told from the perspective of four senior students in the thick of the chaos during the 54 minutes Opportunity High School is under attack. Opportunity, Alabama could be any small town in American and we have seen stories like this too many times.

Most of the school is in the auditorium for a new semester assembly they have each year. As the principal finishes the assembly and is about to dismiss everyone, a shot rings out and everyone soon finds out that they are trapped. Why is this happening and who will make it out alive?

Story told by:
- Autumn is a dancer who is destined to follow in her mother's footsteps and go to Julliard and dance all around the world.

- Sylvia is one of the smartest students at Opportunity. She will get into any college that she applies to, but with her mother as sick as she is, will she actually be able to go.

-Claire is a star on the track team and known as "Sarge" to her fellow JROTC classmates. She is fortunate enough not to be in the auditorium during the shooting, but her little brother, Matt is.

-Tomàs is Sylvia's twin brother. He is supposed to be in detention during the assembly, but instead he is in the Principal's office with his best friend Fareed, doing something he shouldn't be doing when he hears the first shot.

Each one of these students have a different view of the terrible incident that is taking place in their school. They all have a different relationship with the shooter. They each play a significant role in helping get students to safety, risking their own lives the entire time.

This is another really good book that I have read this year. I could see myself among those students, feel their fear, and hope for their survival. I thoroughly enjoyed this Big Library Read more than others I have gotten.

I look forward to more books by this author.

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Review: The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Laura "Lo" Blacklock is a travel writer for Velocity magazine in London. While her boss is out on maternity leave, she is given the assignment to write about a boutique-style luxury cruise vessel, The Aurora. The Aurora only has ten cabins and this maiden voyage is for the press to take a look at the ship and show it to the world. A few days before Lo is to set sail on the exclusive reporter's retreat, she has a break-in at her house. She is determined to do her best on the assignment so that she may be able to get more gigs like this in the future. Once aboard the ship, she meets all the other reporter aboard, many of whom she knows already. At the end of the first night, Lo hears strange noises coming from cabin 10 and instantly she is worried about the woman who was staying there. After hearing a large splash and see what appears to be blood smeared on the partition between the cabins, she is frightened. Did she really hear something? Did she see something? Or is the combination of alcohol and jitters from the break-in at her house leave her on edge and seeing things?

Another great book for this year. Hard to put down. I read this as a part of a buddy read for September. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get my copy in time. It took me only a few days to read this book and it captured me from the beginning. I can't imagine what Lo had to go through. She sees someone being thrown from the boat and blood smears on the partition between the cabins, but no one believes her and no one is supposed to be in Cabin 10. So did she really see it or was this her imagination playing tricks on her from the drinking she had been doing? Either way she is determined to get to the bottom of the story and find out what is really going on on this ship. It's not big enough for someone else not to know what is going on an why can't she find the woman who was in the cabin before and loaned her the mascara?

So many unanswered questions and Lo can't seem to find anyone who believes her story. That is except for Ben, but is that because he is in on it. There is no way to contact the outside world because the wifi on the boat has stopped working ever since she told someone about what she heard.

It was hard to connect with this character, but I did feel for her. I thought I had figured out who the woman in cabin 10 was. But I quickly found out that I was wrong. This book is highly recommended for those looking for a great thriller. The last 20% of the book will leave you literally sitting on the edge of your seat. Your heart will pound and your heart will race.

Ruth Ware is also the author of 


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