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From the publisher:

In the tradition of The Girl on the Train, The Silent Wife, and Gone Girl comes an enthralling psychological thriller that spins one woman’s seemingly good fortune, and another woman’s mysterious fate, through a kaleidoscope of duplicity, death, and deception.

SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE DIRECTED BY RON HOWARD

Please make a list of every possession you consider essential to your life.

The request seems odd, even intrusive—and for the two women who answer, the consequences are devastating.

EMMA
Reeling from a traumatic break-in, Emma wants a new place to live. But none of the apartments she sees are affordable or feel safe. Until One Folgate Street. The house is an architectural masterpiece: a minimalist design of pale stone, plate glass, and soaring ceilings. But there are rules. The enigmatic architect who designed the house retains full control: no books, no throw pillows, no photos or clutter or personal effects of any kind. The space is intended to transform its occupant—and it does.

JANE
After a personal tragedy, Jane needs a fresh start. When she finds One Folgate Street she is instantly drawn to the space—and to its aloof but seductive creator. Moving in, Jane soon learns about the untimely death of the home’s previous tenant, a woman similar to Jane in age and appearance. As Jane tries to untangle truth from lies, she unwittingly follows the same patterns, makes the same choices, crosses paths with the same people, and experiences the same terror, as the girl before.

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Usually I don’t bother with the publisher’s synopsis as they tend to run to lots of superlatives and not much substance. In this case, the superlatives are warranted. This was a terrific read and was an all nighter for me.

I loved the characters, they way the story moved between them, and the way the mystery builds. I am not always a fan of the “girl books”, the unreliable narrator as it were, but it definitely worked here. I loved it.

1/17 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE GIRL BEFORE by J.P. Delaney. Ballantine Books (January 24, 2017). ISBN 978-0425285046. 352p.

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Wini is at a bad place in her life; her marriage has fallen apart and her troubled younger brother has died. Pia is the alpha female, strong and successful, Sandra is in an abusive marriage, and Rachel is an emergency room nurse.

These women have been best friends for years, and take an annual vacation together. This year Pia convinces them to go white water rafting in Maine at an off-the-grid location with a new young guide. Only Pia is physically ready for such a trip, but she convinces her 40-something year old friends to go anyway.

Their guide, Rory, is twenty years younger than they are, and Pia quickly seduces him. After the briefest possible instructions, they take off on the raft and of course disaster strikes. To survive this trip, these women must fight the currents, the elements, and the mother-son duo who are living off the grid and don’t take kindly to visitors.

The action moves as fast as the white water rapids and should appeal to fans of Ruth Ware and Lisa Unger.

Copyright ©2017 Booklist, a division of the American Library Association.

1/17 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE RIVER AT NIGHT by Erica Ferencik. Gallery/Scout Press (January 10, 2017).  ISBN 978-1501143199. 304p.

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Rick Cahill Thrillers, Book 3

Matt Coyle introduced the character of Rick Cahill in previous novels making Cahill into a person with a seemingly shady past. First, Rick’s wife was murdered 12 years ago causing Cahill to be arrested and possibly charged with the crime.

Next the La Jolla, California police department, for whom Rick once worked, is looking at him for the possible murder of a missing person. The body has never appeared, but Tony Moretti , the chief of police for La Jolla, is determined to charge and prosecute Rick for the crime.

Cahill is at the point where his seemingly shady past is preventing him from earning a proper living. When he is contacted by Brianne Colton, a beautiful country, western singer to investigate the death of her estranged husband, Rick does so for the opportunity to earn some money. Brianne’s husband’s death has been ruled a suicide by the police, but she thinks that it was murder. She wants Cahill to investigate the situation to find the real cause, if different than police findings.

Taking the case, Rick gradually changes his opinion and does believe the death was murder. He also falls for Brianne and it looks like it is mutual with a romantic set of interludes interlaced with the story taking place.

The plot thickens with both the La Jolla police and the FBI looking to stop the investigation of Brianne’s husband’s death. Police chief Moretti is constantly pursuing Rick for the possible murder he suspects him of and we have an engrossing story, well written, and of course ending with the makings of the next book in this series. Certainly Matt Coyle will intrigue the reader with both the plots and characterizations presented.

12/16 Paul Lane

DARK FISSURES by Matt Coyle. Oceanview Publishing (December 6, 2016).  ISBN 978-1608092260. 416p.

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A former religious scholar and teacher who sees gods around him is an unlikely candidate for a PI, and yet Ravi Chandra Singh has not only been recruited by Golden Sentinels, a London-based agency whose clientele are the crème de la crème of society, he’s become an important member of the team.

Ravi’s first big case is one that involves the new candidate for Prime Minister – and it’s a whopper. The man is, for all intents and purposes, squeaky clean and boring. Exactly what his party wants considering recent PM scandals. But he claims he’s being haunted by his ex lover, who visits him at night and… yeah. Ravi is almost certain the man is missing a few screws but knows the case could make or break his career. At the same time, the agency has taken on a local TV personality and author who’s suffering very public harassment, a missing person’s case with an unexpected result, and case involving a banker that takes a dark turn.

While I enjoyed the quirky characters and odd cases, the format of Her Nightly Embrace was not what I expected. Rather than one main case and novel to dip into, this debut in the multi format series is four connected shorts or novellas. And much of the meaty detail I want in a mystery is missing.

It’s hard to review the book alone considering there’s to be both a podcast and TV show to go alongside it. And yet, I want the book to stand on its own. Especially since it’s the first and only piece of the Ravi PI platform to have been released so far. The book is fun but is lacking quite a bit of depth and development. I suspect the stories will work better for TV but we’ll all just have to wait and see.

11/16 Becky LeJeune

HER NIGHTLY EMBRACE by Adi Tantimedh. Atria/Leopoldo & Co. (November 1, 2016).  ISBN 978-1501130571. 320p.

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One of the most secret meetings to be held anywhere on earth is the Conclave, established upon the death of a Pope which is called to elect a new leader of the Catholic Church. Robert Harris has written a fascinating account about a Conclave held on the demise of a Pope. He is writing based upon conjecture and supposition since there is no manner that could have granted him the means to learn what really happens.

Beyond this, the novel is a fascinating adventure into a meeting of the Church’s Cardinals summoned from around the world to choose a new Pope. The men assembled are deeply religious, committed to a lifetime of service, and anxious to do what is right in choosing a new Pope. They reflect, pray and hope for divine guidance in making their choice. They are holy men, but do have ambition and many will attempt to influence the choice made.

Harris is very successful in bringing the reader into the mind and thoughts of several of the Cardinals assembled in shaping the events depicted. The man appointed “Dean” by the last Pope is charged with moving the conclave forward. He is a man deeply devoted to his beliefs and to his appointed task of guiding the actions of those present. Several of those in attendance want to be the next Pope and attempt to guide the others into choosing them.

The author introduces the problems that are faced by the Church both at present and in the near future. They must be confronted by both the new Pope and the other senior leaders under him. There is the place for women, the use of local language, not Latin in the litany, and the enmity radical Islam feels towards Christianity in general. Definitely not a dry discourse, but a fascinating study of human nature reacting in a stressful environment.

CONCLAVE by Robert Harris. Knopf (November 22, 2016).  ISBN 978-0451493446. 304p.

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Thomas and Emily De Quincey,  Book 3

Morrell brings to a conclusion his well researched trilogy featuring Thomas De Quincey, known as the Opium eater, and his daughter Emily. He brought us into the mid-19th century in England, at a time when Russia was at war with England in the Crimea, and the railroad was in the process of transforming the country and bringing it head long into the Industrial Revolution.

De Quincey was one of the first figures to utilize logic and the finding of clues into solving criminal cases. He was a huge consumer of opium, using the intake of laudanum which was used as a painkiller to imbibe it.

The first death aboard a train was about 25 years before the year 1855, which is when this novel is set. We re-meet De Quincey and Emily when they are aboard a train coming out of London, and discover a horrible murder committed in the next compartment to theirs.

The war against Russia is not very popular in England and the first thoughts are that the killing has been done by a Russian agent. The De Quinceys join forces with friends of theirs at Scotland Yard, Detectives Ryan and Becker. Both of these men have learned much about crime solving from Thomas and also each has an open crush on Emily.

Other murders occur in London with the thought the same that they have something to do with the Crimean war.

In solving the cases, David Morrell ties up some past conflicts for De Quincey and in a literary license manner tied to the truth brings the trilogy to a very satisfying ending. Due to the prodigious amount of research into the period and the people living then, the reader experiences the sights, the smells, and the living conditions for both rich and poor.

Well done, a possible prelude to more historical novels with portraits of the people living then.

11/16 Paul Lane

RULER OF THE NIGHT by David Morrell. Mulholland Books (November 15, 2016).  ISBN 978-0316307901. 352p.

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