Review-The Murder House by James Patterson

Murder House by James Patterson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

7 Ocean Drive also known as The Murder House, gives Detective Jenna Murphy the creeps. She used to play on the beaches right outside this house when she was little. Since she has been away from Southhampton Township for so long, she can't recall why. When two dead bodies are found in the house, Detective Murphy is on the case to find the killer. The number one suspect, Noah Walker has strong ties to the house and is known for his past crimes. The story behind the house is a good setting for any haunted house, but this house isn't exactly haunted as it is just strange for all the death in encapsulates.

The Murder House is a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat. You get to a point where you think you know what is going to happen next, and chances are you will be wrong. You don't know who to route for to be the bad guy or the good guy. I found myself yelling at the book and gasping on a few occasions because I couldn't believe what was happening. I thought I had it all figured out from the beginning. It's been a while since I've read a James Patterson book where I was wrong about who the killer was going to be. I was really stumped on this one. I was truly immersed in the story. I have always been a big James Patterson fan and this book I will have to say will be one of my favorites. It has everything you want from a good thriller. I always will recommend a book by James Patterson, they are usually quick to read and entertaining, but this one is highly recommended.



View all my reviews

Review--The Innocent-VMM #2 by Taylor Stevens

Innocent: A Vanessa Michael Munroe Novel by Taylor Stevens
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Vanessa Michael Munroe is one serious chick and one you don't want to mess with. When her best friend, Logan asked her for help locating his daughter, who had been taken from her mother and brought back to the cult they had grown up in, she is eager to help. She has the skill set to get the job done. Logan, along with other member of the cult, The Chosen, help with the background information to help Munroe infiltrate the Havens. Will she be able to find the girl before she is discovered? Will the ex-Chosen members use their own agendas and compromise the mission?

This is the second Vanessa Michael Munroe book I have read and the second in the series. She is a strong woman and I would not like to cross her bad side at all. She is the type of person you want to make sure you always keep on your side. She is small, but powerful and can make the strongest man, cry like a baby. This book definitely sent me on a roller coaster ride. Set mostly in Argentina, the adventure begins from the start of the book. After Logan approaches Vanessa for this mission, she dives right into it. She doesn't questions anything, she is just there to help a friend and will stop at nothing to complete the request. Inserting herself into the cult, with the promise of a healthy monetary contribution, Munroe, finds the girl and then has to plan how to remove her without them both being hurt. Once the plan is in motion, there is no turning back.

This book will keep you on the edge of your seat. Waiting to find out if Munroe is really as good as she claims to be. I would like to read all of the books in this series, and unfortunately, I haven't been able to read them in order the way I would prefer to do, but I am enjoying them none the less. I still haven't discovered what makes her tick and decide to learn the skills that she has, but I can't wait to find it out.


View all my reviews

Review--The Incidental Spy by Libby Fischer Hellmann

The Incidental Spy: A Novella by Libby Fischer Hellmann
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In the mid 1930's, Lena comes to Chicago in the United States to escape what was happening to Jews in Germany at the time. Quickly she learns English and get a job at the local University in the Physics Department. This is where she meets her husband, Karl. After his tragic death, Lena has to find a way to support herself and her young son. When she meets Hans and agrees to work with him she feels she has no other choice in order to survive and protect her family.

I wasn't sure where this book was going to take me, but I'm glad I was along for the ride. What would you do if you were faced with a situation where either choice seemed like the wrong answer? If I was faced with the same predicament, I can't say that I wouldn't have chosen the same as Lena. If you say no, you could lose your family, if you say yes, you can lose a whole lot more. Lena is brave and stoic in her efforts to keep her and her son alive. She finds help in unlikely sources and is able to keep herself and her son safe in the process.

Libby Fischer Hellmann writes a great story that keeps the reader hooked from the start. I can't wait to read more by this author.



View all my reviews

Review--Where They Found Her by Kimberly McCreight

Where They Found Her by Kimberly McCreight
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ridgedale is a small town in New Jersey. Not much happens there. So when the body of a baby girl is found under a bridge near the University, the town is in an uproar. Molly Sanderson, usually a freelancer with the Ridgedale Reader, is given the task of reporting on this story. This is a story that really resonates with her, having lost a child herself, not too long ago. During her investigation, she meets some interesting people and learns more about this small town. The story is told from the point of view of three women from the town. Molly, the reporter, Sandy, the teenager trying to survive with an absentee parent, and Barbara, the "perfect" mother who is also the wife of the chief of police. All three of these women have a connection to this dead child, they just don't know it.

This book was very hard to put down. A thriller with three female characters you will either love or hate. Each of them has a spirit that is determined. Several times during this book, I felt my heart racing. I had to know what was going to happen next.

From the title you might deduce that the mystery is solved in the first chapter, but there are many who need to be found in this book, in more ways than one. Kimberly McCreight grabs at your heart and sold with her writing. She draws you in and keeps you engaged through the entire journey. I can't wait to read more from her in the very near future.

Also by Kimberly McCreight
 


View all my reviews

Review-Don't Fail Me Now by Una LaMarche

Don't Fail Me Now by Una LaMarche
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Michelle Devereaux in a police department with her younger siblings Cass and Denny waiting with a social worker for their aunt to pick them up.  Their mother has been arrested.  Unfortunately, this is not the first time this has happened.  Her mother has been in jail several times and she hasn't seen her father in several years.  When Michelle finds out that her father is dying in California and may have something for her, she sets out on a journey that will hopefully end in a windfall for her and her siblings.

This was a great YA Novel.  A book about love, family and adventure.  Michelle and her siblings are black kids from Baltimore, Maryland.  Michelle knows that she and Cass have a half-sister, Leah, that is white, and that is about all the know about her.  Until she shows up with her step-brother at Michelle's job with information about their father.  With this new information and the current state of affairs, Michelle decides now is a good a time as any to drive across the country to see her father before he is no longer there.

Five kids, in an old station wagon are heading across the country without any of their parents being aware.  They have very little money and barely more than the clothes on their back, but they are determined to find Buck Devereaux and collect whatever it is he has for them.

Their adventure is not without some complications.  Will they make the journey successfully?  Will these siblings, Michelle, Cass, and Leah be able to build a relationship? Will they reunite with the father they barely know? How will this trip change their lives for the future?

One of the things that drew me to this book where the characters.  They were characters I could relate to, when I was that age and the kids are all from Maryland where I live.  Plus, who doesn't love a good road trip.  All of these factors made this an excellent book and something I would recommend to young adults from mixed racial backgrounds and diverse family dynamics.

**I received this book from the FirstToRead program through Penguin Books in exchange for an honest review.**


View all my reviews

Review-Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore by Walter Mosley

Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore by Walter Mosley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore is the story of a platinum blonde, African American porn star.  She is someone you would recognize everywhere.  When tragedy strikes, Debbie decides that she is no longer going to live this life and try for the straight and narrow.  The road to get there though is long and has quite a few bumps along the way.

This was a very explicit novel by Walter Mosley.  Every word imaginable to describe the male and female genitalia was used.  This did not bother me at all, but I wanted to let others who may be offended by that type of language.  This was a very real look into the porn industry for me.  Sure I have seen some porn in my life, not an avid watcher at all, but it's interesting to know a back story.  Debbie grew up as Sandra Peal in California.   She met Theon Pinckney, her husband, when she was just a girl, and he changed her world forever.  When Deb comes home from a most unusual movie shoot, she finds police and paramedics at her home.  Her husband had been found dead in their bathtub, with another woman, or girl is more appropriate.  This doesn't upset Debbie as you would think, she was used to this kind of behavior from her husband, especially being in the industry that they were in.  The death of her husband also, to Debbie, meant the death of her career.  She changed her whole look so that she was no longer recognizable on the streets or even to some of her "friends".  She went back to using her real name instead of the stage name of Debbie Dare.

This book was quite entertaining.  I found myself looking over my shoulder whenever the explicit words were announced to see if anyone around me was listening out.  This book gives you a different look at porn stars and the life they lead.  I recommend this book for anyone who is not easily upset by pornographic language.


View all my reviews

Review-The Gates of Evangeline by Hester Young

The Gates of Evangeline by Hester Young
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Charlotte Cates has started having dreams about young children now that her son has passed away.  She is not sure what these dreams mean, but when they start to come to fruition, she sees that she may have a gift she may not really want.  Sent to Louisiana to write a book about the abduction of young Gabriel Deveau, she believes she knows what has happened to him from one of her dreams.  Will she be able to find out what happened to this boy?  What other dreams will she have before she gets the answers she is looking for?

I started this book and at first I couldn't get into it.  I put it down for a couple of weeks and then picked it back up.  I'm so glad that I did.  While some parts of this book were a little bit predictable, this was an overall good read.  I was invested in the story and I was desperate to know what was going to happen to Charlotte, or Charlie as she likes to be called.

After the death of her own child, she was lost and unsure about how to continue her life.  She wasn't really into her job and then came the opportunity arose for her to write about something, she thought she had first hand knowledge about.  Leaving her home in Connecticut to live at Evangeline, the estate where Gabriel went missing, she uncovers a lot about the Deveau family that she never knew was possible.

At 75% I literally felt my heart begin to race. And it was difficult to put the book down from then on.  Highly recommended.

**I received a copy of this book from FirstToRead, through Penguin Publishers in exchange for my review.**


View all my reviews