Spotlight Review: KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE by Leah Konen

February 20, 2024

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From the publisher:

Strangers on a Train meets The Family Next Door in this page-turning thriller by the author of The Perfect Escape

How well do you know your friends?

Isolated and embroiled in a custody battle, Mary is desperate for a friend. So when she meets the charming and enigmatic Willa at a Brooklyn playground, their connection feels fated. But during a margarita-fueled moms’ night out, Mary shares her darkest secret about her ex, George, and the next morning Willa simply disappears. No calls, no texts, nothing.

Two months later, Mary’s divorce is almost finalized, and she’s trying to build a new life for her son in upstate New York. On her first day in town, she runs into Willa . . . only Willa’s name is now Annie, and she’s got an entirely new family in tow. When George turns up dead and Mary becomes the prime suspect, she has no choice but to turn to her only friend in town: Willa. As coincidences—and evidence—pile up, Mary begins to wonder whether Willa had something to do with George’s death. Is the woman a friend or a foe, a confidante or just a con? Mary must uncover the truth before she loses everything.

https://amzn.to/3ZqO9hO

Konen (You Should Have Told Me) pens this new domestic thriller in two voices: Mary, a wealthy Brooklyn housewife and mother, and Willa, the friend she makes on the playground. Mary is mid-divorce from George, but George comes from generational family wealth, and Mary only has what he gives her. All she wants is shared custody of their toddler, but George wants her back – and he is used to getting what he wants. Willa has become her sounding board and friend until she abruptly ghosts Mary. Hurt but unsure how to fix things with the only friend she has, Mary is checking out a small town halfway between her family’s home in upstate New York and Brooklyn, when she sees Willa; except this Willa has changed her hair color and insists her name is Annie. Mary quickly figures out that Annie/Willa is lying, and the story really goes off the rails when George is murdered, and Mary is the prime suspect. It seems like everyone is prevaricating in this fraught battle to get to the truth – and the murderer. It all unravels at breakneck speed, careening crazily to the dramatic ending.

Verdict: This twisty tale told by an unreliable narrator should appeal to fans of Gillian Flynn, Shari Lapena, and Paula Hawkins.

©Library Journal, 2024

2/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE by Leah Konen. G.P. Putnam’s Sons (February 20, 2024). ISBN: 978-0593544723. 384p.

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Spotlight Review: RESURRECTION WALK by Michael Connelly

November 10, 2023

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Lincoln Lawyer, Book 7

From the publisher:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly: Lincoln Lawyer Mickey Haller enlists the help of his half-brother, Harry Bosch, to prove the innocence of a woman convicted of killing her husband.Defense attorney Mickey Haller is back, taking the long shot cases, where the chances of winning are one in a million. After getting a wrongfully convicted man out of prison, he is inundated with pleas from incarcerated people claiming innocence. He enlists his half brother, retired LAPD Detective Harry Bosch, to weed through the letters, knowing most claims will be false.

Bosch pulls a needle from the haystack: a woman in prison for killing her husband, a sheriff’s deputy, but who still maintains her innocence. Bosch reviews the case and sees elements that don’t add up, and a sheriff’s department intent on bringing quick justice in the killing of one of its own.

Now Haller has an uphill battle in court, a David fighting Goliaths to vindicate his client. The path for both lawyer and investigator is fraught with danger from those who don’t want the case reopened and will stop at nothing to keep the Haller-Bosch dream team from finding the truth. Packed with intrigue and courtroom drama, Resurrection Walk shows once again that Michael Connelly is “the most consistently superior living crime fiction author” (South Florida Sun Sentinel).

“The most richly accomplished of the brothers’ pairings to date—and given Connelly’s high standards, that’s saying a lot.”―Kirkus Reviews (starred)

“A stunning combination of police and legal procedural. . . As always, Connelly makes the tedious work of investigation fascinating as he shuttles between Mickey’s and Harry’s hard-bitten points of view.”―Booklist (starred)

“Another solid series installment from Connelly. This Lincoln Lawyer/Harry Bosch crossover is sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats as Mickey absorbs each legal setback. A brief appearance by Renee Ballard, as well as a few other familiar faces from the Harry Bosch universe, will delight fans.” ―Library Journal

https://amzn.to/47o2Btz

As regular readers know, I generally do Spotlight Reviews on Tuesdays. I am making a rare exception for this extraordinary book. Count on this book topping my best books list of 2023!

The new Michael Connelly book is always one of the highlights of my reading year, and this book is truly exceptional; in fact, it may be one of his best. When someone writes as well as Connelly does, book after book, it becomes difficult to parse, but seeing how he has brought both his beloved characters, Mickey Haller and Harry Bosch, to share pretty much equal billing here makes this a winning read for any fan. All of Connelly’s books can stand alone but are so much better and richer for having read the others.

When we last saw Harry, he was in dire straights, suffering from cancer and refusing treatment. But being Maddie’s only living parent has induced him to try an experimental treatment, courtesy of Mickey Haller, the Lincoln Lawyer, and Harry’s half-brother. By putting Harry on his payroll, Mickey gets him health insurance and a way into this new treatment.

Haller has started a new innocence-type project, and Bosch is the perfect man to handle it. After Haller gets a conviction overturned and wins a mammoth lawsuit against the city, every convict in California is pleading for a chance at the same. Harry is put in charge of reviewing the letters and, if any spark interest, delving into the cases. There is one letter that jumps out at him from a woman who pled no contest and took a plea deal in the murder of her ex-husband. The deeper Harry gets into her case, the more he is convinced that something went very wrong there.

Haller is quickly on board after meeting the woman, but the other factions involved here make this a difficult case. Most of the legal wrangling takes place in front of a judge but no jury, making Haller’s usual charm pretty much irrelevant here but still a delight to read. There are plenty of twists in this legal procedural, but what I really loved was the writing – Haller is in first person, Bosch in third, making it easy to tell whose point of view we are in and how these two very independent men come to rely on each other. Another incredible read from the master of crime fiction.

Note: I love the TV series based on Connelly’s characters. Since Bosch first aired on Amazon Prime, Titus Welliver has taken the Harry Bosch space in my brain. It has continued with Bosch Legacy on FreeVee (also Amazon Prime.) But it didn’t happen when the horribly miscast Matthew McConaughey played the Lincoln Lawyer in the movie, but the Netflix series is so good that I now have Manuel Garcia-Rulfo in my brain as Mickey Haller.

11/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

RESURRECTION WALK by Michael Connelly. Little, Brown and Company (November 7, 2023). ISBN: 978-0316563765. 416pp.

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Spotlight Review: THE SECRET by Lee Child & Andrew Child

October 24, 2023

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Jack Reacher, Book 28

The gripping new Jack Reacher thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling authors Lee Child and Andrew Child

A string of mysterious deaths. A long-classified mission. A young MP with nothing to lose.

1992. All across the United States respectable, upstanding citizens are showing up dead. These deaths could be accidents, and they don’t appear to be connected—until a fatal fall from a high-floor window attracts some unexpected attention.

That attention comes from the secretary of defense. All of a sudden he wants an interagency task force to investigate. And he wants Jack Reacher as the army’s representative. If Reacher gets a result, great. If not, he’s a convenient fall guy.

But office politics isn’t Reacher’s thing. Three questions quickly emerge: Who’s with him, who’s against him, and will the justice he dispenses be the official kind…or his own kind?

“This is a terrific novel. Reacher continues to be one of the most compelling lead characters in the thriller genre, and the lean, unadorned writing continues to pull us through the story. If there were any doubts when Lee Child announced his retirement and started cowriting the books with his brother, Andrew, his eventual successor as Reacher’s chronicler, the last few books should have put them to rest.”–Booklist

“The plot gets a bit complicated, and readers will find a few nice twists. But mainly, Reacher provides the entertainment with his not quite believable fighting skills. An enjoyable, fast-moving yarn.”–Kirkus Reviews

https://amzn.to/40b0hEb

I had almost given up on this series as I didn’t much care for the first two books written by Lee Child with his brother, Andrew. The Sentinel was okay, but I hoped the next book would be better. Better Off Dead was worse though, I didn’t really enjoy it, not the way I loved all the earlier books. In fact, I skipped the third book, No Plan B. But then I read that Andrew had gotten a contract for the next four books in the series alone, with no Lee Child involvement. So I decided to give him one more chance, and I’m very glad I did. I enjoyed The Secret; it was a one-day read for me, as it should be!

In an interesting turn, the book was set in 1992, so it was nice getting some more of Reacher’s back story. Reacher is an Army MP and is assigned to an inter-agency task force. There are representatives from Treasury, the CIA, the FBI, etc. The group is told that in 1969, there was a special project in India with a team of seven men, all chemists, working on a project together. One of the men has since died of cancer, but two of them had recently died under suspicious circumstances. The task force is asked to figure out who is behind the possible murders and more importantly, how to stop them.

This was a completely engrossing read with all the usual Reacher tropes; a decidedly taciturn Reacher, a deserted old building, underground passages, an occasional fight with Reacher against multiple opponents, and some really good twists at the end. I am so happy to say I am now looking forward to the next book in this series.

11/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE SECRET by Lee Child & Andrew Child. Delacorte Press (October 24, 2023). ISBN: 978-1984818584. 304pp.

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Spotlight Review: EVERYONE HERE IS LYING by Shari Lapena  

July 25, 2023

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From the publisher:

Another thrilling domestic suspense novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door

“Lapena is a master of manipulation.” —USA Today

Welcome to Stanhope. A safe neighborhood. A place for families.

William Wooler is a family man, on the surface. But he’s been having an affair, an affair that ended horribly this afternoon at a motel up the road. So when he returns to his house, devastated and angry, to find his difficult nine-year-old daughter, Avery, unexpectedly home from school, William loses his temper. 

Hours later, Avery’s family declares her missing. 

Suddenly Stanhope doesn’t feel so safe. And William isn’t the only one on his street who’s hiding a lie. As witnesses come forward with information that may or may not be true, Avery’s neighbors become increasingly unhinged. 

Who took Avery Wooler?

Nothing will prepare you for the truth.


“As usual, Lapena offers a clever, disturbing page-turner with deeply flawed characters and a stunning conclusion.” —Booklist

“The suspense here is real; Lapena does a great job of exposing layers of domestic dishonesty and betrayal one conversation at a time…[Everyone Here Is Lying] succeeds as a domestic thriller and procedural.” —Kirkus

https://amzn.to/44rsyYo

Shari Lapena has truly perfected the domestic thriller. She takes suburbia to the dark, twisted places that fill our nightmares and the local evening news. This story is based on a missing child, which seemingly happens way too often.

Avery Woolery is a nine-year-old problem child. She’s difficult, headstrong, and disobedient and has caused a lot of trouble in her parent’s marriage. Her mother only sees the good in her and is oblivious to her lying, manipulative ways. Her older brother is 12, and he recognizes how manipulative she can be, as does her father. He is a well-respected surgeon and is having an affair with a neighbor, Nora, who volunteers at the hospital where he works. Nora is also married with two children, and the guilt is really getting to her. She finally tells William that she can’t do this anymore and ends things.

William is upset and decides to go home so he can be alone for a little while. But when he gets home, Avery is there by herself. She is supposed to be at school, and her brother is supposed to walk her home. But she tells William she got ejected from choir practice for misbehaving and decided to walk home alone. She is very mouthy to him, and in his bad mood, he snaps and slaps her so hard that she falls to the floor. He is immediately contrite and begs her forgiveness, but she won’t even look at him. He takes off, leaving her home alone, and drives around for another hour or so.

Meanwhile, Avery’s brother goes to pick her up, but since she’s not there, he hurries home. When he can’t find her, he calls his mom. She starts panicking, running out of her office and heading home. Then William arrives, and there is still no sign of Avery. William figures she must have run away to teach him a lesson, but when a frantic search of the area is fruitless, the police are called. But he doesn’t tell anyone that he had been home and had struck Avery.

The two detectives are fairly new partners, but seem to work well together. They find some inconsistencies with William’s story of leaving work early and driving around for a few hours, ending up treating the home as a crime scene, with William as their prime suspect. But as they canvas the neighborhood and the parents do their TV plea for help, they start chasing down all the info they gleam. There is a lot of finger-pointing from the neighbors, and yes, everyone is lying – or at least appears to be.

The ending was a bit rushed, and not everything is tied up neatly at the end, but it is a page-turner for sure. Pamela Dorman Books never disappoints. Be prepared to see copies of this book everywhere this summer; it is the quintessential beach read, unputdownable, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

7/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

EVERYONE HERE IS LYING by Shari Lapena. Pamela Dorman Books (July 25, 2023). ISBN:‎ 978-0593489932. 336p.

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TWO NIGHTS IN LISBON by Chris Pavone

May 5, 2023

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From the publisher:

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND NATIONAL BESTSELLER.

Tautly wound and expertly crafted, Two Nights in Lisbon is a riveting thriller about a woman under pressure, and how far she will go when everything is on the line.

You think you know a person . . .

Ariel Pryce wakes up in Lisbon, alone. Her husband is gone―no warning, no note, not answering his phone. Something is wrong.

She starts with hotel security, then the police, then the American embassy, at each confronting questions she can’t fully answer: What exactly is John doing in Lisbon? Why would he drag her along on his business trip? Who would want to harm him? And why does Ariel know so little about her new―much younger―husband?

The clock is ticking. Ariel is increasingly frustrated and desperate, running out of time, and the one person in the world who can help is the one person she least wants to ask.

With sparkling prose and razor-sharp insights, bestselling author Chris Pavone delivers a stunning and sophisticated international thriller that will linger long after the surprising final page.

“This smart, calculating author remains many notches above others in his field” ―The New York Times

“Devilishly clever . . . Wait until you read the ending that Pavone springs on you.” ―St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“Nothing is quite as it seems in this energetic thriller that calls into question marriage, loyalty, and truth.” ―The Washington Post

Nominated as best hardcover novel, 2023 ITW Thriller Awards!

https://amzn.to/3L7O5Nc

I haven’t read Pavone in a while, but since I was heading to Lisbon I queued this book up on my Kindle and started reading as soon as the plane left the ground. We were flying to Lisbon from Miami via Air France, so a stop in Paris (always a hardship!) and then a short hop to Lisbon. I finished this book before Paris – it was unputdownable and the twists never stopped coming.

This book came out last year, and the paperback just came out this week. Fortuitous timing! This thriller features an unreliable narrator, an intriguing foreign setting, and a cast of sketchy characters, none of whom is quite what they appear to be. It starts off with a kidnapping – the main character, Ariel, wakes up to find her husband gone. And he’s not answering his phone. Nothing else seems to be missing, so she heads down to the front desk of the hotel but no one remembers seeing him. She then reports it to the local police, but since he’s only been gone a few hours, they are none too interested. Either is the American Embassy. At least they are not interested until she receives a ransom note.

Ariel has connections with someone pretty high up in the American political arena, and has enough dirt on the man to gain his cooperation in raising the ransom money. But nothing is as it appears, and as the layers unfold in this twisty story, things seem to get more and more complicated, instead of the other way around.

I never saw the ending coming, but to be fair I don’t really try and figure out books like this. I just enjoy the ride and this was a terrific ride indeed!

5/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

TWO NIGHTS IN LISBON by Chris Pavone.‎ Picador; Reprint edition (May 2, 2023). ISBN:‎ 978-1250872302. 448 p.

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Spotlight Review: JOHANNA PORTER IS NOT SORRY by Sara Read

March 7, 2023

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From the publisher:

The headlines dubbed it the art heist of the decade…

Twenty years ago, Johanna Porter was a rising star in the art world. Now she’s an unknown soccer mom. When an invitation arrives for an elite gallery opening for her former lover, the great Nestor Pinedo, Johanna wants to throw it in the trash where it belongs. But with some styling help from her daughter, she makes an appearance and comes face-to-face with the woman she was before the powerful and jealous Nestor ruined her.

La Rosa Blanca is a portrait of Johanna herself, young and fierce and fearless—a masterwork with a price tag to match. When she cuts it out of its frame, rolls it up and walks out, Johanna is only taking back what was stolen from her.

Hiding out with La Rosa Blanca in a shack on the Chesapeake Bay, Johanna digs into the raw work of reviving her own skills while battling novice-thief paranoia, impostor syndrome and mom guilt. But Johanna doesn’t just want the painting—she wants to paint again. To harness her powerful talent, she must defy everyone’s expectations—most of all her own—for what a woman like her should be.

“Debut novelist Read has created a thoroughly sympathetic character in this witty, quick, and emotionally turbulent tale that will have readers cheering for Johanna well after the last page.”
—BOOKLIST

https://amzn.to/3JhjgpK

I am almost hesitant to call this a debut as I’ve been burned on this before, but that’s what the publicist said so I’m going with it. I do not want to find out that this is just a pseudonym for someone who writes in other genres or used to write young adult and has pivoted to adult fare or whatever crazy reason the publisher decided to make this a debut. If you call it a debut, it better be their very first book of any kind (short stories don’t count.)

So this was a hard book to quantify. It starts off with Johanna complaining about how she used to be an artist twenty years earlier, and now she has been invited to some fancy, snooty art show featuring her mentor/lover, Nestor Pinedo, of the past. Since his daughter, Pilar, invited her, she decides to go as she has some kind of score to settle with the two of them – and she does.

One of Pinedo’s most famous paintings is of Johanna when she was just 23 years old, and it’s called La Rosa Blanca. At that party, Johanna manages to steal the painting. She just doesn’t want him to have it anymore. This is kind of a problem since the painting is valued at several million dollars. She starts panicking almost as soon as she does it, and she decides to go on the lam, of sorts; she and her ex share custody of their 16-year-old daughter so she can’t really disappear. But she can drive out to her dad’s old house on the lake. He moved to Florida and she has been taking care of the house for many years, but it’s not in great shape.

Johanna is very frustrated with her life. She’s teaching art at her daughter’s high school instead of making art. She’s been divorced for a few years with no great men in sight. Until she moves into that old house and meets the doctor next store, so to speak.

Mitchell had a bad fall and suffered severe nerve damage to his hand, rendering him unable to operate anymore. He has separated from his wife, and is living in their large, lavish vacation home. He asks Johanna if she would go out sailing with him; he’s afraid the useless hand will make him a useless sailor, and off they go, a new relationship in the making.

Meanwhile, Johanna can’t decide what to do with the stolen painting. Cops and private detectives are sniffing around, and Pilar is absolutely sure she stole it – but has no proof. The good doctor has some issues that weren’t readily apparent, and that relationship goes sideways for a while. Johanna gets back to her art, and while everything still seems all topsy-turvy, things finally start going right for her.

Part mystery, part romance, this is a complex story that probably could have used a bit more filling out, but it is a tight, fast-moving story with intriguing characters that would really work well for a book discussion group. It was a one day read for me, and I’m looking forward to seeing what comes next for Sara Read.

3/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

JOHANNA PORTER IS NOT SORRY by Sara Read. Graydon House; Original edition (March 7, 2023). ISBN:‎   978-1525899980. 320p.

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Spotlight Review: STONE COLD FOX by Rachel Koller Croft

February 14, 2023

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From the publisher:

A perfectly wicked debut thriller about an ambitious woman who, after a lifetime of conning alongside her mother, wants to leave her dark past behind and marry the heir to one of the country’s wealthiest families.

Like any enterprising woman, Bea knows what she’s worth and is determined to get all she deserves—it just so happens that what she deserves is to marry rich. Filthy rich. After years of forced instruction by her mother in the art of swindling men, a now-solo Bea wants nothing more than to close and lock the door on their sordid partnership so she can disappear safely into old-money domesticity, sealing the final phase of her escape.

When Bea chooses her ultimate target in the fully loaded, thoroughly dull and blue-blooded Collin Case, she’s ready to deploy all of her tricks one last time. The challenge isn’t getting the ring, but rather the approval of Collin’s family and everyone else in their 1 percent tax bracket, particularly his childhood best friend, Gale Wallace-Leicester.

Going toe-to-toe with Gale isn’t a threat to an expert like Bea, but what begins as an amusing cat-and-mouse game quickly develops into a dangerous pursuit of the grisly truth. Finding herself at a literal life-and-death crossroads with everything on the line, Bea must finally decide who she really wants to be.

“This delicious, twisty tale of deception and daughterhood will have everyone holding onto their wallets.” —Good Morning America

“This is excellent writing for a debut author and is a must-read for fans of Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl or Lisa Unger’s Confessions on the 7:45.” —Library Journal

“An absorbing story that plays with ideas of good and evil, keeping readers guessing who is the hero and who the villain.” —Kirkus (starred review)

https://amzn.to/3JU6Ncf

This book was completely unputdownable! It starts off one way then takes you over a cliff. It appears to be a story about a woman who is the epitome of a gold digger. Bea knows she’s gorgeous, smart, and sexy and she’s determined to marry rich. Filthy rich. She dates several older men, the type who want trophy wives, but no proposals come from them and the relationships fizzle out. Then she meets Collin.

Collin isn’t just rich, he’s generationally wealthy, heir to a family fortune that is incredibly appealing to Bea. This is the type of character, the type of woman, I would generally have no use for whatsoever, so I have to give credit to this author who somehow made me care about her and root for her to fool Collin enough to get her wed. Part of it is that she is so good to Collin; she listens to him when he speaks, and even though she won’t allow herself to fall in love, she cares enough about him to want to make him happy. Her methods work; he is completely besotted.

Things take a slightly darker tone with intermittent chapters that harken back to Bea’s childhood, but it takes a while before we realize how egregious her mother, and her upbringing, truly were. There is additional turmoil with Collin’s best friend, Gail, who he not only relies on, but his entire family and her family are all very close friends. These are the 1%, the uber-wealthy who stick together and are not very welcoming to outsiders, to say the least. But Collin goes to bat for Bea, standing up to his parents and his best friend. Things get dicey when Bea recognizes an enemy in Gail, and Bea is sharp enough to realize that Gail is in love with Collin. Luckily for Bea, Collin has zero romantic interest in Gail so that makes Bea and Gail enemies.

Collin and Bea seem like their happily ever after is in the bag. She gets the enormous engagement ring, the wedding of her in-laws’ dreams, and the ultra-wealthy family she’s always wanted. Then things get really dark. No spoilers here – let’s just say there are twists I never saw coming, and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. This was a totally intriguing book with an unusual storyline that really works. Incredible debut – don’t miss it!

2/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

STONE COLD FOX by Rachel Koller Croft.  Berkley (February 14, 2023). ISBN:‎  978-0593547502. 368p.

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Spotlight Review: DESERT STAR by Michael Connelly

November 15, 2022

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Renée Ballard, Book 5 and/or Harry Bosch, Book 24

From the publisher:

LAPD detective Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch team up to hunt the brutal killer who is Bosch’s “white whale”—a man responsible for the murder of an entire family.

A year has passed since LAPD detective Renée Ballard quit the force in the face of misogyny, demoralization, and endless red tape. But after the chief of police himself tells her she can write her own ticket within the department, Ballard takes back her badge, leaving “the Late Show” to rebuild and lead the cold case unit at the elite Robbery-Homicide Division.

For years, Harry Bosch has been working a case that haunts him—the murder of an entire family by a psychopath who still walks free. Ballard makes Bosch an offer: come volunteer as an investigator in her new Open-Unsolved Unit, and he can pursue his “white whale” with the resources of the LAPD behind him.

First priority for Ballard is to clear the unsolved rape and murder of a sixteen-year-old girl. The decades-old case is essential to the councilman who supported re-forming the unit, and who could shutter it again—the victim was his sister. When Ballard gets a “cold hit” connecting the killing to a similar crime, proving that a serial predator has been at work in the city for years, the political pressure has never been higher. To keep momentum going, she has to pull Bosch off his own investigation, the case that is the consummation of his lifelong mission.

The two must put aside old resentments and new tensions to run to ground not one but two dangerous killers who have operated with brash impunity. In what may be his most gripping and profoundly moving book yet, Michael Connelly shows once again why he has been dubbed “one of the greatest crime writers of all time” (Ryan Steck, Crimereads).

“Thrilling… Both cases require deep dives into the past; both lead to great action scenes; and, as always, Connelly displays his encyclopedic knowledge of the latest forensics… Bosch, however, takes a low-tech approach and follows leads in the field with his trademark intensity, driven by his desire to restore order in a violent world… [Desert Star] ranks up there with Connelly’s best.”―Publishers Weekly

“Longtime Bosch followers will be taking deep breaths after this one’s superb finale, especially given its implications for the future.” —Booklist, Starred Review

https://amzn.to/3O2uGym

There is no retiring Harry Bosch. The Vietnam War vet is now a volunteer on Renée Ballard’s new Open/Unsolved unit for the Los Angeles police department. Ballard has been given pretty much carte blanche to run the unit, other than former cop Lou Rawls, who was foisted on her by the local politico who is behind this cold cases reboot. Turns out the councilman has a personal interest; his sister was murdered several years earlier and her killer was never caught.

This new unit is a motley crew that includes a former prosecutor and a genealogy expert/psychic, or empath as she prefers, among others. Bosch agrees to the volunteer position, eager to get his hands on an old case that has been haunting him for years. The Gallagher family – mom, dad, and two young children – were murdered, their bodies dumped in a desert grave and only found by accident a year after their disappearance. But working these two cases takes Bosch down a dark road.

No spoilers here but the ending definitely feels like an ending. I understand it, and I trust Connelly to do the right thing with his most beloved character. This is another gem from one of the finest crime writers in the world – and that is not hyperbole.

DESERT STAR by Michael Connelly. Little, Brown and Company (November 8, 2022). ISBN: 978-0316485654. 400p.

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Spotlight Review: SECLUDED CABIN SLEEPS SIX by Lisa Unger

November 8, 2022

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From the publisher:

Three couples rent a luxury cabin in the woods for a weekend getaway to die for in this chilling locked-room thriller byNew York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger.

What could be more restful than a weekend getaway with family and friends? An isolated luxury cabin in the woods, spectacular views, a hot tub and a personal chef. Hannah’s generous brother found the listing online. The reviews are stellar. It’ll be three couples on this trip with good food, good company and lots of R & R.

But the dreamy weekend is about to turn into a nightmare. 

A deadly storm is brewing. The rental host seems just a little too present. The personal chef reveals that their beautiful house has a spine-tingling history. And the friends have their own complicated past, with secrets that run blood deep.

How well does Hannah know her brother, her own husband? Can she trust her best friend? Meanwhile, someone is determined to ruin the weekend, looking to exact a payback for deeds long buried. Who is the stranger among them?

“Hidden history and 21st-century technology collide in a breathtaking thriller.” —Kirkus, starred review

“Embedded in a riveting novel of suspense is a revealing examination of the dangers inherent in public DNA sharing…[Lisa Unger] is in good form here, in her twentieth outing, and her fans will be eager to dive right in.” —Booklist

“Genetics and nature-versus-nurture take the spotlight in Unger’s 20th novel…Readers will revel in the search for genealogical justice amid best-kept secrets, while wondering who will live and who will die.” —Library Journal, starred review

https://amzn.to/3fKCpEk

I have been reading Lisa Unger since she was Lisa Miscione (her maiden name; she wrote the terrific Lydia Strong mystery series!) When she switched to thrillers using her married name, I was along for the ride. Her books all have one thing in common; all are unputdownable! And this one caused me to stay up way too late into the night to finish it. I wouldn’t have been able to sleep worrying about these characters, and that says a lot about the author.

Someone bought everyone in the family a DNA test kit for Christmas, but no one is claiming responsibility for it. Some family members take the test, others trash it, but the results for those who took the test are confusing at best.

Hannah and Mako are brother and sister; Hannah is married to a tech wizard who is a consultant and does some work for Mako, who is married to a yogi. Mako books this amazing cabin deep in the Georgia woods (insert Deliverance music here – I did, in my head at any rate!) for all of them plus Hannah’s best friend, who also happens to be Mako’s ex, along with her current boyfriend. So six people in this gorgeous cabin with an owner who is spying on them. He has cameras secreted everywhere in the house, including the shower head! Then a massive storm comes rolling in, and even though the owner checked the generator, it’s not working. Mako’s wife leaves a note that she is leaving him and she takes off for parts unknown.

Meanwhile, the storm rages on. A tree has fallen, blocking the only road out. And everyone has their own agenda, it seems. Hannah is knocked unconscious while trying to fix the electrical problem, the men seem to have vanished, and everything is dark and mysterious and scary. This is not horror, however, but it is very suspenseful. At times it is hard to tell who the good guys are and who the bad guys are. DNA testing plays an important role here as well, and is most thought-provoking and interwoven into the plot.

This is a terrific locked room type mystery, but with enough suspense to really keep the pages turning. The characters are well-defined, even if we don’t know who to trust, adding to the complexity of the plot. This is another unputdownable book from one of my favorite authors. Don’t miss it!

SECLUDED CABIN SLEEPS SIX by Lisa Unger. Park Row; Original edition (November 8, 2022). ISBN: 978-0778333234. 400p.

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Posted by Stacy Alesi

HONOR ‘N’ DUTY by Tee O’Fallon

July 22, 2022

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Federal K-9, Book 6

From the publisher:

Two years after his brother’s murder in jail, Department of Homeland Security K-9 Officer Kade Sampson is still haunted by guilt. No man should ever have to arrest his own brother, even if he is laundering money for a drug cartel. Fortunately, Laia Velez—his brother’s gorgeous widow—never learned the truth about Kade’s involvement. But when she asks him for help, he knows that trouble with the cartel is far from over…

Kade is the last person Laia wants to call. But between her house being thoroughly trashed and the uneasy sense that she and her young daughter are being watched, Laia isn’t taking any chances. The cartel wants something from her. And Kade and his K-9 partner, Smoke, are her only chance to survive whatever fresh hell is coming their way…

Now Laia and Kade are trying to stay one step ahead in a game that’s growing more deadly by the minute. But what the cartel wants, the cartel gets. And Kade is running out of time to save the woman he loves from the same fate that killed his brother…

https://amzn.to/3cvuM2I

I read the first book in this series but missed the rest until this one. I’m sure they are better read in order, but from what I can tell from the two books I’ve read, they easily stand alone. This is a fast paced book with lots of suspense, a bit of violence, and at the heart of the story, a romance.

Kade and Laia met when they were stranded in an elevator for forty minutes. There was such a strong attraction that Kade asked her out, but when they step off the elevator, he finds out why she said she can’t. Laia was engaged to Kade’s brother, Josh.

Kade figures the best way to handle his attraction to his sister-in-law is to avoid her. He attends the wedding, and he’s there for his brother’s funeral, but other than that, he ghosts her. He spends as much time as possible with his niece when she visits her grandparents, and that seems to work for him.

Six years have gone by and Kade still struggles with his guilt over his brother. Josh was a successful accountant, but turned out that much of his success came from laundering money for a drug cartel. Eventually he gets caught, but is killed on his first day in prison. The cops take everything they own, leaving Laia and her daughter to struggle on their own.

All these years later, Laia comes home to find that her house has been trashed. Every piece of furniture is destroyed, and she can’t understand why nothing is missing. She calls the cops, but she also calls her brother-in-law, Kade, thinking he probably won’t come. But he does.

Kade shows up in full protector mode, along with his K-9 partner, Smoke. He hustles Laia and her daughter out of there, quickly realizing that this wasn’t an ordinary robbery. The cartel is after something.

I don’t want to give anything away, so let’s just say the pages fly by as the attraction between Laia and Kade reaches the boiling point, with each of them thinking the other just isn’t interested. Plus the cartel is obviously interested in Laia, so Kade hides her as best as he can. But spending all that time together is just making it harder and harder to pretend they don’t have strong feelings for one another.

I really enjoyed this fast paced romantic thriller. I was very invested in these characters and their story. Highly recommend!

7/2022 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

HONOR ‘N’ DUTY by Tee O’Fallon. Entangled: Amara (July 18, 2022). ASIN: B0B54LBPD2. 356p.

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Posted by Stacy Alesi

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