It was Christmas week, New York City was facing off against a dangerous winter storm, and the mayor was nowhere to be found. The fact that this sentence could have been written in 2010 for Mayor Michael Bloomberg as it is being written about Mayor Eric Adams at the start of 2023 points to a […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/online/2023/01/18/out-of-sight-out-of-mind/
Sophia Rose is here with the sixth romantic suspense novel in the Bree Taggert series. Lie to Me by Melinda Leigh features a gutsy and smart detective. Grab a cup of tea and check out her thoughts…
Lie To Her
by Melinda Leigh
Series: Bree Taggert #6
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate
Rating: 
Lies from the heart lead to a dangerously intimate case for Sheriff Bree Taggert in #1 Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh’s novel of revenge and fatal deceptions.
When a digital marketer is found murdered in his backyard—hands bound and face smothered by plastic wrap—Sheriff Bree Taggert and criminal investigator Matt Flynn respond to the call. Their investigation focuses on the man’s dating-app profile and the word liar carved into his forehead.
One day later, the killer strikes again.
Both victims are players in the internet dating scene. In their wake, they leave a trail of hurt—and angry—women. But Bree and Matt aren’t convinced the motive is as simple as it appears. Everyone they interview seems to be lying or hiding something.
As the list of suspects grows, the killer’s rage escalates, and he leaves a personal and deadly warning for Bree. They must act fast. Because someone Bree loves is targeted as the next to die.
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As Christmas nears and Bree is worried how her nephew and niece are going to deal with their first holiday without their parents, she and Matt get the call to a new weird murder scene and it looks like a ‘woman scorned’ might be a lethal if old adage. Melinda Leigh is a gifted romantic suspense author who continues to deliver each and every new release.
Lie to her is the sixth of the Bree Taggert romantic suspense series. The relationships between Bree and Matt and their extended family and friends makes this a good series to read in order even if each book presents a new and twisting murder mystery to solve.
Blending home life and new career where Bree has moved from being a big city cop to a country small town sheriff to care for her murdered sister’s children on their home farm and striking up a relationship with Matt, a former K-9 Sheriff’s deputy turned sheriff’s department contracted investigator, Bree and Matt along with Todd and the rest of the department are confronted with a baffling crime and a clever well-planned killer.
The reader knows a little more than the investigating team because the opening chapter and a few along the way are from the killer’s point of view. For instance, the victim in the first chapter is a guy who lies to the women he dates through a dating app about his job and pretends to want a relationship only to get into the women’s panties before he ‘catch and releases’ to keep playing the field. He meets a gruesome end from someone set on revenge. Bree and Matt work out that the guy being a player is a strong motive, but then so is expensive illegal reptiles that are found to be involved.
This time, the case gets close to home for Bree and she needs to solve the case to save someone close to her because the killer has decided to kill two birds with one stone when revenge against a list of certain people includes payback to a sheriff who is getting too close to the truth.
I enjoy how these stories blend a good personal story for Bree and Matt including their relationship and time with the family along with a smart police procedural murder mystery. The series is connected to earlier Scarlett Falls and Morgan Dane series, but can be read alone featuring a gutsy, but smart woman cop and her dedicated, respectful and equally smart partner who also happens to be her love interest. Romantic suspense fans really need to slip this book/series onto their stacks.
Amazon* | Audible
Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh is a fully recovered banker. A life-long lover of books, she started writing as a way to preserve her sanity while raising her kids. Over the next few years, she learned a few things about writing a book. The process was much more fun than analyzing financial statements, and she decided to turn her hobby into a career. Melinda’s debut novel, SHE CAN RUN, was nominated for Best First Novel by the International Thriller Writers. She is a RITA® Award Finalist and has earned three Daphne du Maurier Award nominations, two Silver Falchion Awards, and a Golden Leaf.
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Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, and gardening. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.
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Original source: https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2023/01/lie-to-her-by-melinda-leigh.html
Descent of the Vile is a dystopian thriller following the choices of our protagonist Jackson Riley, a photographer who is asked to take photos of peculiar items in a research lab. Following this photo session, Jackson goes to leave the facility when he first comes across what he calls the “strangers” these are beings that look like people but can instantly be recognized because they lack emotion or any kind of feeling. They try to chase, attack, and kill. Jackson is in a race against time to get to safety when he comes across a young woman on the highway trying to get away from these bizarre “strangers.” Jackson kicks into hero mode and saves her, and the story follows them together as they try to piece together what is going on while also trying to determine if they can trust each other.
Author Cheryl Pena has written an enthralling thriller that I found to be intriguing and kept me turning the pages. I had a little trouble trying to figure out what sort of person Nadine was, but so did the protagonist Jackson, so perhaps she was trying to make readers see her through his eyes.
The suspense that is woven into the story is exhilarating with each chapter ending in a “cliffhanger,” leaving the reader unable to put the book down for even a moment. Another thing I thought was noteworthy was the relationship between Jackson and Nadine. Instead of being fantastical, Pena wrote a relationship between two strangers that could be attracted to each other in other circumstances but really couldn’t focus on their intimacy because of the degree of trauma and heartbreak they had experienced. As a result, their relationship is a slow burn with both having to earn the other’s trust.
Descent of the Vile is a gripping dystopian science fiction novel with fast moving action. This short read is perfect for the reader that wants a story they can finish in an afternoon and be on the edge of their seat the entire time.
Pages: 163 | ASIN : B0BNVX6YVH
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/01/18/descent-of-the-vile/
Dr. St. Clair claims that Mrs. Ida Johnson died from a heart attack, but her broken tea cup and tansy weed on her kitchen table tell another story. The apparently natural deaths of a homeless man, a congenitally disabled child, and others that followed right after her raise questions about what is happening in the town. Trent Tyson, the town’s deputy sheriff, struggles to disclose the cold-blooded murder while maintaining the peace during The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes. Reaping the Whirlwind by Rosey Dow is a murder mystery rooted in the historical Scopes trial, in which a physics teacher is accused of teaching evolution to his class against the newly enacted law that prohibited the teaching of evolution in high schools.
Author Rosey Dow has done an excellent job of blending the fictional murder mystery with the events of the Scopes trial. The murder mystery is well-written and suspenseful, and it kept me guessing until the end. Unfortunately, there was no link between the murders and no motive strong enough behind them, and it spun my head around as to who could be the murderer.
It shed a lot of light on people’s lifestyles in the twentieth century, and I found it to be very similar to small-town culture today, with some differences. The concise and analytic representation of the trial indicates the painstakingly thorough research that Dow has done. The reaction of the residents and business community is well depicted and demonstrates their efforts to attract tourists and businesses to Dayton. The book’s clean romance between Trent Tyson and Nessa McKenzie is my favorite thing. However, this book could have been more fast-paced, but I enjoyed the introduction of all the characters, from boarding house owner Mrs. McKenzie to town gardener Elmer Bentley.
Reaping the Whirlwind is a captivating historical fiction novel and mystery story. Readers interested in the Scopes Trial of 1925 in Dayton, Tennessee, will enjoy this fictional take on the case of teaching evolution and the historical ramification it had on the US. Education system. Fans of the murder mystery genre will also find it amusing.
Pages: 288 | ISBN : 163698052X
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/01/18/reaping-the-whirlwind/
Last Stop Slumberland is a thrilling tale set in the dark streets of 1954 Los Angeles by author Jay Cameron Parker. In the dark alleys of vintage L.A., regardless of whether you were a star or a nobody, your last stop in Hollywood was destined to be the “slumberland” cemetery. In Matthew Brooks’ life, he navigates obstacles well enough until the day his sister dies. She leaves him nothing but a locked bag and a crime scene address. Brooks unknowingly steps into a puzzling murder mystery, and not long after, he finds himself entangled in a web of false accusations and deception.
Jay Cameron Parker’s Last Stop Slumberland is a riveting historical fiction novel that shows readers a well-known location through a unique lens. Parker’s explicit writing skills enabled me to live vicariously through Matthew throughout the entirety of this crime thriller.
I enjoyed the slow piecing together of the mystery as everything felt like it came about organically and revelations felt momentous. The endless events that took place in theatre basements, haunted tents, and dark alleys of Los Angeles encircled the web, but it was never difficult to keep up with them. Even with all his plot twists, Parker always ensures readers can follow the storyline.
The cast of characters was intriguing as well, which always helps to make a mystery novel so much more compelling. From the sharp-witted detective, and two fearless women, to brutal antagonists. Parker did each character justice and gives them plenty of depth and provides just enough time for their character to develop naturally. Matthew Brooks’ ability to always plot ahead of his nemesis was truly mind-blowing.
I would highly recommend Last Stop Slumberland for its alluring mystery and sharp storytelling. Crime fiction fans looking for Hitchcockian noir novels will find plenty to be enthralled within this constantly evolving story.
Pages: 323 | ASIN: B09ZD48R5B
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/01/18/last-stop-slumberland/
Bertie’s Christmas Adventure by Mandy Woolf is a delightful holiday story that brings cheer and self-confidence. We are introduced to Bertie, a colorful ball that lives in the Toy Library, who watches as all the other toys get ready on Christmas Eve for Santa, but Bertie is too afraid to do anything. When Santa arrives and desperately needs help, will Bertie find his inner strength to overcome his fears and help save Christmas?
Investing in the development of a child’s self-confidence is extremely important, and this imaginative book does just that. Woolf’s talent shines through not by how the story is told but by the brilliance behind the straightforward execution of a great story with deep meaning and heart. The author is not only able to capture the spirit of Christmas through her words but with the adorable illustrations created by Elmira Georgieva. Together they succeed in showing how Bertie learns to see just how much he is truly capable of if he just believes. Santa’s support gave him the small nudges he needed to roll off that shelf and begin his journey of self-belief.
Bertie’s Christmas Adventure is the perfect book for any young reader, especially around the holidays to show the importance of believing in oneself and believing in one another. I would highly recommend this book and will be keeping this one in my own children’s home library.
Pages: 32 | ISBN : 1922670812
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/01/18/berties-christmas-adventure/
Susanna Grant and her three children, Elias, Signe, and Morgan, move from Los Angeles to Ravens’s Roost in order to be closer to her parents and sister. The small town on the Atlantic coast is surrounded by a chain of hills and mysterious legends. One such myth that arouses the curiosity of children in the neighborhood surrounds an old house with creaky old gates on top of one of the hills. The story is that this house is haunted. As Halloween approaches, this small town’s children and adults are excitedly preparing for the holiday. On the long-awaited day, the children create a plan to go up with their costumes to the spooky house to go trick or treating and find out if there really are ghosts hiding there.
The Haunted House On Raven’s Roost is a children’s book thriller involving witches, ghosts, pirates, haunted houses, and hidden treasures. It is fast-paced with easy-to-read short chapters. Perfect for preteen and middle-grade readers. If I could add anything to the story, it would be to better describe the characters. I believe that the reader’s imagination expands when reading the description of the people, images, and situations that make up the narrative. But, on the other hand, history teaches us the lesson of not jumping to conclusions.
The Haunted House On Raven’s Roost is a suspenseful mystery book lovingly written by Jim and Ann Sheridan; it brought back memories of my childhood: when my grandfather would tell me bedside stories before I went to sleep. I recommend this book to my children to relive and create new memories. It brings the delicious feeling of peace when grabbing a hot chocolate and opening a good book on a Sunday morning.
Pages: 122 | ISBN : 1481723464
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/01/18/the-haunted-house-on-ravens-roost/