THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF ELVIS PRESLEY by Ted Harrison

Published: September 15th 2016 by Reaktion Books

Read: September 2016How I Got It: Paperback ARC (256  pages) from Library Journal

Review published in Library Journal's The King’s Legacy | Arts & Humanities Reviews, October 15, 2016

http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/2016/10/books/nonfic/arts-humanities/the-kings-legacy-arts-humanities-reviews-october-15-2016/

MY HUSBAND'S WIFE by Jane Corry

Expected Publication: January 31st 2016 by Pamela Dorman Books
Read: December 2016
How I Got It: Paperback ARC (352 pages) from Library Journal

Review published in Library Journal Xpress Reviews January 5, 2017.

http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/2017/01/books/fiction/fiction-from-bauer-dial-mendoza-and-stachniak-plus-two-debuts-xpress-reviews/

THE TRESPASSER by Tana French

Published: October 4th 2016 by Viking
Read: November 2016
How I Got It: Ebook (approximately 464 pages) from NetGalley 
Series: Dublin Murder Squad- Book 6

Antoinette Conway and Stephen Moran are back in Tana French's most recent Dublin Murder Squad novel. In this novel, readers get the perspective of Conway as she and Moran try to solve a case that seemingly starts out as domestic violence. They'll soon find out that those closest to victim are keeping secrets, and even some of the other detectives are acting strange. Can Conway get to the bottom of this case, even with the squad (of all men) are doing things to try to push her out? 

Tana French (The Secret Place; Broken Harbour; Faithful Place; The Likeness; In the Woods) has created another beautifully written suspense novel. The dialogue is gripping, and readers will obsessively (not unlike some of this novel's characters) tear through the pages of this one. French offers diversions, and she keeps her readers guessing (about multiple plot lines) until the very end. Tana French's devoted fans will view this as a worthy installment to the series, and those new to the Dublin Murder Squad will appreciate this as an introduction. 

*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with  an advanced electronic copy in exchange for an honest review. 

LEAVE ME by Gayle Forman

 

Published: September 6th 2016 by Algonquin Books

Read: November 2016

How I Got It: Ebook (approximately 352 pages) from NetGalley 

Maribeth Klein has it all: a job as editor, a husband, a set of twins, and lots of responsibilities. That’s why, when she has a heart attack, she dismisses the pain. She doesn’t believe that her condition is serious, until it becomes so, and her life is turned upside down. Soon the people she cared for were left to care for her, and not doing a very good job of it. Maribeth decides then to leave; leave her cell phone, her computer, her work, and her family. She starts a new life in a new city, and she tries to figure out who she is in the midst of this big crazy world.

Gayle Forman is an extraordinary writer, so extraordinary in fact that she can make readers fall in love with highly unlikable characters. Maribeth is a character who has done a very taboo thing by leaving her family with nothing but a note as a goodbye, and she makes some bad decisions along her journey as well. However, she is not a bad person, and Forman does a great job of showing all sides to this character. Forman is well known for her YA novels, If I Stay, Where She Went, Just One Day, Just One Year, Where She Went, and Sisters in Sanity, but this adult debut will appeal to both adults and her avid YA readers. 

*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with  an advanced electronic copy in exchange for an honest review. 

ELIZABETH BISHOP AT WORK by Eleanor Cook

Published: August 15th 2016 by Harvard University Press
Read: August 2016
How I Got It:  Hardback (320 pages) from Library Journal

Review published in Library Journal Xpress Reviews September 29, 2016.

http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/2016/09/books/nonfic/nonfiction-sports-writing-china-elizabeth-bishop-obesity-russia-space-travel-xpress-reviews/

GRACE NOT PERFECTION by Emily Ley

Published: October 11th 2016 by Thomas Nelson
Read: October 2016
How I Got It: Ebook (approximately 224 pages) from NetGalley. Purchased Hardcover from Premiere Collectibles. 

I’m going to break my own rules and write this review in first person. If Emily Ley taught me anything in the last 224 pages, it’s that perfection doesn’t exist. So who cares if this review looks different from all the rest?

I should start out by thanking NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for allowing me to receive an advanced copy of this book, an advanced copy that I requested only AFTER purchasing two signed copies and watching Emily Ley’s live signing on Premiere Collectibles. I saw this on NetGalley and realized I couldn’t wait for my purchased copy to be shipped, I needed to read it now. Thankfully, NetGalley obliged.

I follow Emily on Instagram, and although I don’t know her and I only found her through a six degrees of separation from other people and companies that I follow that I don’t know, I really liked her story and how open she is about her life. So when she wrote a book, I had to read it. Grace Not Perfection is not only the title of this book, but a way of life. Through the pages, Emily describes ways that women can allow themselves grace. She details through personal anecdotes that perfection doesn’t exist, social media feeds are only highlight reels of life, and “no” is a complete sentence. She explains that being busy for the sake of being busy is a mistake, and that women should slow down and find the joy in life. There are chapters on career, relationships, and motherhood, but there is something in this book for all women to relate to. Emily also speaks about faith and God often as she wonders why God won’t listen to her plans but instead guides her through other avenues.  There are also tips and lists throughout the book of how to find joy and simplify life as well as pictures of Emily and her family. This a book that I will be sharing with friends and family and reading over and again. The message is wonderful, and the pictures of cute children throughout don’t hurt.

My one and only qualm with this book is the ARC formatting which I’m sure is fixed in the finished copy. There were many paragraphs out of place. Adding trying to find where the paragraphs left off and continued to the so many feelings this book made me feel was a struggle. But I know that that is my own fault. If I had only waited for my purchased copy and not let my impatience overwhelm me, I wouldn’t have had that problem. But, I’m glad I got this advanced copy, I pushed through it so fast, and it got me out of a reading slump. Also, Emily mentions that she loves to read. So, be like Emily, read this book.

*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with  an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. 

ALL IS NOT FORGOTTEN by Wendy Walker

Published: July 12th 2016 by St. Martin's Press

Read: September 2016

How I Got It: Ebook (approximately 320 pages) from NetGalley 

When Jenny Kramer is raped at a party, she is given a treatment that makes her forget the traumatic experience. But she hasn’t really forgotten. If the Kramer family wants justice, they need for Jenny to remember her rapist. She is sent to a therapist interested in memory recovery, and that is where the suspense unfolds.

All is Not Forgotten is narrated by the therapist who is treating the Kramer family individually. Some other patients are mentioned as well, and the storylines tie together and often jump around in time. While the narrator is omniscient, he keeps things from the reader to reveal at the proper time. He also and often provides first person excerpts from his patients. There are many things throughout that seem misogynistic and unethical, but ultimately, the narrative keeps the reader guessing. Readers of amnesia fiction and psychological thrillers will likely devour this book whether they like the narrator or not. 

*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with  an advanced electronic copy in exchange for an honest review. 

THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10 by Ruth Ware

Published July 19th 2016 by Gallery/Scout Press

Read: August 2016

How I Got It: Ebook (approximately 352 pages) from NetGalley 

Ruth Ware, In a Dark, Dark Wood, has again created a dark and misleading novel of suspense. The Woman in Cabin 10 focuses on Lo Blacklock, a travel journalist covering the maiden voyage of the Aurora, a deluxe cruise ship. Lo is in cabin 9, and when she realizes she's out of mascara she decides to knock on the door to the adjoining cabin 10. A woman loans her some mascara and everything is well. Later though when Lo hears a splash and sees a blood smear on the veranda, she suspects the woman may be in trouble. Upon reporting her suspicion, she finds that cabin 10 was never occupied and all of the crew and passengers are accounted for. Who was the woman in cabin 10? And what happened to her?

Told in the first person intermixed with news clippings and online chats, Ware creates a narrative that keeps readers guessing. Ware’s descriptive writing also produces feelings of claustrophobia and seasickness adding to the unease of Lo’s situation.  Much of the story is left to interpretation, but readers will get a satisfying conclusion to this wrong-place-wrong-time mystery on the sea. 

*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with  an advanced electronic copy in exchange for an honest review. 

THE PRISONER OF HELL GATE by Dana I. Wolff

Published: July 5th 2016 by Picador
Read: July 2016
How I Got It: Paperback ARC (224 pages) from Library Journal

Review published in Library Journal Xpress Reviews July 28, 2016.

http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/2016/07/books/fiction/fiction-from-avit-gregson-hiaasen-london-walker-plus-debuts-and-mississippi-noir-xpress-reviews/

THROW AWAY GIRLS by Jennifer Vaughn

Published July 2nd 2016 by Waldorf Publishing
Read: July 2016
How I Got It: Ebook (approximately 348 pages) from NetGalley 

Jaycee Wilder is a dedicated on-air reporter who gets involved in a story about three murdered women in an underground sex community. She works closely with Detective James Barton to get justice for these girls even going undercover to perform her own investigation. Set in Los Angeles, the scenery becomes part of the story, and Jaycee’s boyfriend is even an actor with several roles on TV crime dramas. It is unknown why Jaycee becomes so attached to these murdered “throw away girls,” but she becomes so closely involved that she may also become a victim.

Throw Away Girls is told in third person perspective often switching between perspectives of multiple characters. This device truly takes away from the story, and it adds to the already poor characterization. The plot is interesting, but the execution does not allow the reader to feel anything for the characters. The progression of the story is also quite predictable, and the mystery and crime aspects lack motive. Dedicated mystery fans should skip this one for more developed crime procedurals, but if readers want a quick emotionless read as a palate cleanser, this is the pick.

*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with  an advanced electronic copy in exchange for an honest review. 

SECURITY by Gina Wohlsdorf

 Expected Publication  June 7th 2016 by Algonquin Books

Read: June 2016

How I Got It: Ebook (approximately 288 pages) from NetGalley 

The Manderley is the safest hotel. It has the highest security: former Navy SEAL security personnel, countless hidden cameras, and even a secret elevator. However, the tight security can still be breached; The Killer roaming the hotel is proof. Readers get to experience the suspense through the many angles of the security cameras as the unknown (for the majority of the novel) narrator peers through the different lenses. The only people occupying the hotel are staff members as the hotel has not yet opened to the public, but the small cast of characters allows for the reader to become attached to every one of them... and make the deaths even more terrifying.

The format is original, and the jumping around of scenes keeps the reader on edge. The writing is superb; the narration goes from seemingly cold at the beginning to a first person narrative that causes the reader to feel the anxiety of the characters. Horror fans of authors such as Stephen King and Harlan Coben will devour Gina Wohlsdorf’s first novel. 

*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with  an advanced electronic copy in exchange for an honest review. 

WITH ALL THE PIECES by Kasie Ballard

Published March 9th 2016 by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Read: May 2016

How I Got It: Paperback (402 pages) from Amazon

*Disclaimer: I know the author of this book. We were close childhood friends, and we have crossed paths several times as adults. Unfortunately, location and life got in the way of our friendship, but I follow her family's trials and triumphs on her personal Facebook page. 

In her debut novel, Kasie Ballard portrays her trying journey into motherhood. After a stillbirth and a miscarriage, Kasie finds herself pregnant with her son, Alex. It is discovered that something is wrong with Alex, and Kasie has to make many difficult decisions, often against doctors’ suggestions, to advocate for herself and her son. Alex is born breathing, but Kasie knows that is only the first hurdle. Alex is a special needs child with mental and physical delays, and Kasie details what it means to wait for answers (if there are any) and how to deal with ignorant people and dismissive doctors.  She even brings up some difficult emotions that may be taboo yet relatable such as jealousy over her friends’ easy deliveries with living babies and guilt about having another child when already a special needs mom.


Through her family, faith, and ferocity, Kasie is the mother of two thriving boys (and one heavenly guardian angel). The story is moving; it makes readers laugh, cry, and cringe. However, the writing was a bit distracting. There were multiple grammar mistakes such as use of the wrong pronouns and sentences with missing words. Also, much of the story takes place at a hospital “all the way in Richmond” but only once, late in the story, is the actual distance mentioned; readers unfamiliar with the area would not understand this detail.  Ultimately, this story is emotional and well-timed, but the multiple writing errors distract from an otherwise powerful story. 

BLOOD DEFENSE by Marcia Clark

Published May 1st 2016 by Thomas & Mercer
Read: May 2016
How I Got It: Ebook (approximately 400 pages) from NetGalley 
Series: Samantha Brinkman (subsequent book to be released Nov. 2016)

Samantha Brinkman is a criminal defense attorney in Los Angeles. She doesn’t get many paying clients, she’s behind on her bills, and her office is in gang territory. So when a high profile case comes her way, she can’t turn it down. An LAPD officer has been accused of killing a Hollywood starlet and her roommate. The case soon becomes more personal than Sam could’ve imagined though, and she becomes a crime investigator more than a lawyer. Sam is unsure of the innocence of her client, but she has to prove reasonable doubt- for her client and for herself.

Marcia Clark has experience in the courtroom; she’s best known for her role in the OJ Simpson trial. Clark uses that experience to create a well-timed and believable fictional crime story. The main trial is interspersed with other smaller cases that allowed the reader to really see Sam in action. Also there were just enough personal details spread throughout to keep the reader caring about the characters and the outcomes. However, the reader is kept guessing. There were many twists and turns and a new surprise every few pages. Clark kept the story unpredictable, and the ending is shocking enough to leave the reader craving the sequel. 

*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with  an advanced electronic copy in exchange for an honest review. 

THE PASSENGER by Lisa Lutz

Published March 1st 2016 by Simon & Schuster
Read: March 2016
How I Got It: Ebook (approximately 304 pages) from NetGalley 

Tanya Dubois’s husband is dead. It was an accident, but Tanya decides to run anyway. She acquires a new identity (a few actually) and begins a life on the run… on the run from police, hit-men, jealous ex-husbands (not her’s), but ultimately, on the run from an event in her past. Throughout Tanya’s life as a fugitive, she commits or is an accomplice to multiple crimes and she meets some interesting characters including a bartender named Blue and a possible romantic interest- a cop- named Dominic. Throughout the story, the past event is hinted to with old emails and some foreshadowing comments from Tanya’s omniscient narration.

This was a hard story to get into; it had a really long timeline. Because the story takes place over a period of months, Lisa Lutz does more telling rather than showing. The emails and the need to know why Tanya was on the run keeps the reader engaged, but the ending was a bit of a letdown. The event that caused Tanya to run initially did not justify the things she did or the person she became. Lutz succeeded in keeping the reader engaged in the mystery, but if you’re looking for a better written mystery stick to books more like the novels of Gillian Flynn or Tana French. 

*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with  an advanced electronic copy in exchange for an honest review. 

FIND HER by Lisa Gardner

Published February 9th 2016 by Dutton
Read: February 2016
How I Got It: Ebook (approximately 416 pages) from NetGalley 
Series: Detective D.D. Warren Series ( # 8)

Flora Dane was kidnapped and forced to live in a pine box. It has been five years since her terrifying final days with her kidnapper, and she is not adjusting well to the life of a survivor. When she hears about the recent abduction of Stacey Summers, she cannot help but turn into a vigilante. This is where her path crosses with Detective D.D. Warren. Just as Flora’s having trouble adjusting, D.D., on restricted duty due to a shoulder injury, doesn’t like being chained to a desk either. Both women take their own paths to find Stacey, but both also have a lot to learn if they are to find her alive.  

Lisa Gardner writes an intriguing mystery that hooks the reader from the very first sentence. Not only is the story a genius concoction of past and present crimes, it is a story that makes the reader feel. Annoyance, fear, and disgust are just a few of the emotions the reader will inhabit while switching between the perspectives of Flora (both past and present) and the detective. Gardner’s writing devices, the perspective switch as well as her repetition of phrases (“nobody wants to be a monster”) work well to add suspense. Readers who love mystery will speed through the pages of D.D. Warren’s latest case. Although this is the eighth novel of Garner’s Detective D.D. Warren series, it works as a standalone, and readers should not shy away from entering D.D.’s world now. 

*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with  an advanced electronic copy in exchange for an honest review. 

IN A DARK, DARK WOOD by Ruth Ware

Published August 4th 2015 by Scout Press

Read: November 2015

How I Got It: Borrowed Hardcover (310 pages) from Public Library 

Nora runs, listens to her talk radio programs, and writes novels. She is content in her independent lifestyle until she receives an invitation to a hen night (read bachelorette party) for her estranged best friend, Clare, whom she hasn’t heard from in ten years. She chooses to attend the weekend-long festivities and finds herself at a house in the woods with no cell phone service, a muddy driveway, and a cast of characters including a doctor, a playwright, a new mother, and Clare’s perfectionist new best friend. Shooting ranges, Ouija boards, drinking, and drugs ensue, and Nora begins to realize that everything she knew about her past with Clare was wrong. When she wakes up in a hospital with a head wound and police outside of her room whispering of a murder, Nora must piece together her memories of the weekend and decipher between what’s real and what’s not.  

This is a page-turning, edge of your seat, whodunit novel. Not only is there mystery in the relationship between Nora and Clare, but the details of the crime aren’t reveled right away. Even then, the reader is stuck in a case of amnesia with Nora, and while certain aspects of the mystery are predictable, the ending was a complete surprise. In a Dark, Dark Wood is a twisty mystery, and while most loose ends are tied up, it still leaves the reader wanting to know more.