Tag Archives: Mystery

Forest of Deception (Alexis Forrest FBI Mystery 7) by Kate Gable

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Forest of Deception (Alexis Forrest FBI Mystery 7) by Kate Gable-review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 28, 2205

When FBI Agent Alexis Forrest receives an unexpected voicemail from a desperate book editor, she never imagines it will lead her into a deadly web of fiction turned reality.

A star bestselling author has vanished without a trace after claiming she’s uncovered a real-life conspiracy matching the plot of her latest thriller.

Just as Forrest is settling into life in the quaint New England town of Broken Hill and moving in with Mitch—her high school sweetheart turned local bookstore owner—she finds herself drawn into a dangerous investigation that the local police have dismissed.

As the lines between imagination and truth begin to blur, Forrest must determine if Elizabeth’s manuscript holds the key to her disappearance—or if it will become her obituary. The peaceful charm of Broken Hill may be exactly what Forrest needs to start over, but first, she’ll have to survive this case.

••••••

REVIEW:FOREST OF DECEPTION is the seventh instalment in Kate Gable’s contemporary, adult ALEXIS FORREST FBY MYSTERY suspense thriller focusing on FBI Special Agent Alexis Forrest. FOREST OF DECEPTION can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines sis revealed where necessary.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from first person perspective ( Alexis Forrest) FOREST OF DECEPTION follows FBI Agent Alexis Forrest as she begins an investigation into a missing author, a woman who uncovered information meant never to be revealed. Two years earlier, a seventeen year old boy drowned, and the police refuse to reopen the case but author Elizabeth Kovalenko, working on her next best seller, would uncover a possible conspiracy surround the death of the young man. A call from the author’s agent, and a town of reluctant witnesses finds Special Agent Alexis Forrest, without the consent of the people in charge, conducting an investigation of her own, an investigation that will place a target on the back of our story line heroine. As the bodies begin to mount, Alexis discovers the story goes much deeper than she could have ever imagined when the people she loves are threatened.

The world building is, once again , familiar between the author’s series, and leading heroine-too similar from back stories to boyfriends, plotlines and ongoing premises. Alexis Forrest is determined to prove that the accidental drowning was no accident but someone else is determined to take Alexis down. Meanwhile Alexis’s boyfriend Mitch is struggling with his girlfriend’s obsessive need to take very case, a need that is threatening their own happily ever after.

The colorful secondary and supporting characters include Alexis Forrest’s long suffering boyfriend Mitch, Elizabeth’s Editor Rosamund Malone; as well as frightened townsfolk; local law enforcement Captain Christopher Felch, and Bukowski, and retired police officer Walter Greaves.

FOREST OF DECEPTION is a story of secrets and lies, power and control, murder and threats, acceptance and love. The character driven premise is captivating, dramatic and dark; the characters are determined and dynamic. FOREST OF DECEPTION ends on a bit of a cliff hanger-you have been warned.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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River’s Hollow (River Collins FBI Mystery 3) by Kate Gable-review

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River’s Hollow (River Collins FBI Mystery 3) by Kate Gable-review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 28, 2025

She escaped once. Now they want to finish what they started.

Twin boys found dead in Virginia’s mountains. Bodies arranged in ritual patterns. Symbols carved into ancient oaks.

FBI Agent River Collins has seen horrors before. But this case is different.

The victims attended programs run by a respected foundation.

The methodology matches a 1994 cold case.

And the killer knows details about River’s childhood abduction that were never made public.

Twenty years ago, River was held captive for two years before escaping. She thought she’d left that nightmare behind.

She was wrong.

The deeper River investigates, the more she realizes: her abduction wasn’t random. She was chosen. Prepared. And the same people who took her then are targeting children now—including her six-year-old nephew.

With the winter solstice approaching and more children at risk, River must stop a cult that’s been planning this for decades.

But their leader believes River is the unfinished work. The bridge that must be crossed.

And he’s been waiting twenty years to complete her transformation.

••••

REVIEW: RIVER’S HOLLOW is the third instalment in Kate Gable’s contemporary, adult RIVER COLLINS FBI mystery thriller series focusing on thirty four year old, FBI Agent Rebecca ‘River’ Collins.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from first person River, and third person RIVER’S HOLLOW follows FBI Agent Rebecca ‘River’ Collins return to the FBI, and a case that continues to haunt our story line heroine. Approximately twenty years earlier, River Collins survived an abduction, and two years imprisoned, and her survival would become the precipice upon which River would build her career but a the ritualistic sacrifice of, and missing children would become all too familiar, as River goes in search for the demons from her past.

The world building follows River and her team as they begin to investigate a possible connection between the missing and murdered children, and what is found, is a link to the past. From mythology to folklore, religious beliefs and ritualistic killings, RIVER’S HOLLOW journeys into the darkest realms of true believers and, groomed disciples.As per Kate Gable’s style of writing, there is a familiarity between series, leading heroines, back stories and love interests.

The secondary and supporting characters are colorful and energetic including victims and survivors, believers and disciples. We are reintroduced to River’s sister Leslie, her husband Chris as well as the return of River’s love interest Dr. Aiden Watkins; Supervisory Special Agent Emma Bertanelli. Special Agent in Charge Eric Siwak, Agent Garrett Landry, and retired FBI Agent Thomas Mercer. The requisite evil has many faces.

RIVER’S HOLLOW is a story of betrayal and vengeance, obsession and madness, power and control, family and love. The character driven premise is dark, dramatic and intense; the characters are desperate and determined. RIVER’S HOLLOW ends on a bit of a cliff hanger-you have been warned.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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Illusions of Trust by Jeffrey S. Stephens-review

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Illusions of Trust by Jeffrey S. Stephens-review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 28, 2025

When attorney Russell Palmer agreed to handle the divorce of a beautiful and wealthy socialite, he never anticipated the tangled web of deceit, corruption—and murder—he would be forced to confront.

Russell Palmer, a young New York City attorney, is well-known for taking on unusual and high-risk cases alongside his private detective associate, Robbie Whyte. When the wealthy and alluring Christina Franco approaches him to represent her during divorce proceedings, he finds her story impossible to resist.

As Christina recounts the abuse she has suffered, Palmer’s protective instincts kick in. His interest deepens when she mentions a dangerous associate of her husband—someone Palmer has clashed with before.

Soon, a series of events begins to unfold that may or may not be related to Christina and her influential family. There is the apparent suicide of a prominent lawyer. That is followed by a murder for which another of Palmer’s clients is charged. Then, a federal investigation into a major pharmaceutical company is tied to Christina’s husband.

As Palmer and Whyte work to solve an increasingly complex puzzle, they follow a trail that leads them from New York’s underground to the rarified world of the ultra-rich—and even into the halls of Congress. Along the way they encounter a cast of intriguing individuals, including Christina’s parents—an influential politician and his reclusive wife; an attractive journalist with a personal interest in Palmer; and a number of others populating their client’s world.

As they peel back layers of deceit and corruption at every turn, Palmer and Whyte must navigate a treacherous path to protect their clients—and themselves—while ensuring that justice, in all its forms, prevails.

•••••

REVIEW: ILLUSIONS OF TRUST by Jeffrey S. Stephens is a contemporary, adult,mystery thriller focusing on NYC attorney Russell Palmer, and ex-cop turned private detective Robbie Whyte.

Told from third person perspective ILLUSIONS OF TRUST follows several intersecting paths in the wake of the suspected suicide of powerful businessman/attorney/ negotiator Vernon Platt, just days before he was to appear to testify in a congressional investigation but within hours, the socialite Christina Franco asks Palmer to represent her in a divorce against her wealthy but philandering husband Edward Franco, a man with connections to the criminal underworld. Struggling to come to terms with Christina’s request, Palmer and Whyte begin an investigation of their own, pulled into a world of murder, secrets, lies, paparazzi, Big Pharma, FDA, questionable businessmen, corrupt politicians, a thug for hire, and corruption at the highest level.

The world building is detailed and complex, with a complicated menagerie of potential villains and suspects. Everyone wants power; greed and money are the ultimate end result, as Palmer and Whyte are caught in a web of secrets and lies, and overlapping cases.

The cast of characters is complicated and elaborate, each with a specific role to play as Palmer and Whyte fall deeper into the proverbial rabbit hole, as they are circle the world of corruption and lies.

ILLUSIONS OF TRUST is a story of secrets and lies, betrayal and vengeance, power and control, murder and mayhem, and corporate greed. The premise is dramatic, meticulous and elaborate as the story line unfolds. The characters are edgy, determined and charismatic.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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Desert Songs by Daniel Gard’ner-review

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Desert Songs by Daniel Gard’ner-review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 28, 2025

Rising LA rock band Vital Minds is in crisis. The passion project of best friends Cash Jones and Slim Mason, the band is slowly falling apart as Slim’s escalating drug habit threatens to undo their years of hard work.

When he can’t pay a debt, Slim is abducted by a criminal organization with ties to the head of the band’s management company. He is forced to work off what he owes by catering to the desires of a select clientele in a gentlemen’s club in the desert, while Cash is left to navigate a complex and dangerous world in his attempts to solve his disappearance.

Desert Songs is a deep dive into the shadowy terrain where show business intersects with the dark underbelly of the LA crime world. A rock and roll noir, the novel explores the limits of friendship, the lasting impact of trauma, and the consequences of good people making bad choices.

••••••••

REVIEW: The setup is brutally simple.

Vital Minds, two lifelong friends on the verge of breaking big, are coming undone because guitarist Slim Mason can’t stay away from whatever’s being cut on the tour bus mirror!

When Slim’s debt to the wrong people comes due, he vanishes…..

Singer Cash Jones spends the rest of the book trying to find him, peeling back layers of management, money, and menace in the Los Angeles music scene.

What he discovers is that the same media machine that can make you a star can also disappear you without a ripple….

The writing (especially the atmosphere had you clearly imaging the scene) He gets the smell of the thing exactly right… the stale beer and weed smoke of rehearsal spaces, the chlorinated smell of a desert motel pool at dawn, the particular silence of a high end gentlemen’s club where the customers pay extra for the illusion that no one’s being ruined.

“Success in this town is just a slower way of drowning”

The middle third drags while Cash runs in circles, shaking down the same three shady industry types who all speak in near identical tough guy mannerisms.🙄

It’s never quite clear why an organization sophisticated enough to have fingers in a major management company would bother with the low rent, high risk hustle they’re running in the desert.

The revelation of who’s ultimately pulling the strings feels both inevitable and underwhelming.

Still, the emotional side held me until I’d finished. The damage in what prolonged proximity to fame does to friendship, and the Slim/Cash relationship is written with love, resentment, and exhausted co dependence.

There’s a scene near the end where the two of them finally reunite that damn near justifies the whole story…. it’s raw, ugly, and refuses the easy way out you’re begging for.

Desert Songs isn’t the great LA rock novel, but it’s a solid grimy/gritty story.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Julie🦋

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She’s Going to Pay by Alexandra Ivy-review

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SHE’S GOING TO PAY by Alexandra Ivy-review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 24, 2025

Leaving Canton, Missouri, behind was no hardship for Jesse Hudson. When she was a teenager, her stepmother and stepsister abruptly disappeared under suspicious circumstances. Their bodies were never found, but Jesse’s father, Mac, became a murder suspect. When he too vanished, Jesse waited months for him to return. Finally, she left, bouncing from one bartending job to another for years.

Now Jesse is back, hoping to quickly sell her father’s old bar before moving on for good. But coming home to Canton’s quiet, cobblestone streets doesn’t go quite as expected. There are memories resurfacing, and ties that haven’t broken. Then her father’s lawyer makes a startling admission: before he disappeared, Mac had discovered that Jesse’s stepmother, Victoria, was living under an assumed name. “Victoria Hudson” never even existed. Who was she really?

Delving deeper, Jesse grows convinced that her father’s assumed death is tied to Victoria’s real identity. And looking to the past is yielding more than secrets. Someone has been waiting for this homecoming, for a chance to unleash revenge for sins real and imagined. And they’ll make sure that Jesse never leaves town again .

•••••

REVIEW: SHE’S GOING TO PAY by Alexandra Ivy is a contemporary, adult, stand alone mystery thriller focusing on Jesse Hudson, years after the disappearance of her beloved father.

Told from omniscient third person perspective ( Jesse) using present day and memories from the past, SHE’S GOING TO PAY follows Jesse Hudson upon her return to Canton Missouri. Ten years earlier, Jesse’s step mother Victoria and step sister Teagan went missing, and her father Mac Hudson was the number one suspect. Charged with their murder, Mac would eventually be released due to a lack of evidence but within hours, Mac would go missing as well. Fast forward to present day, Jesse would return to her hometown of Canton Missouri, to finalize the sale of the family owned bar The Tap Room but from the outset secrets and whispers threaten any chance at a happy resolution as Jesse begins an investigation into her father’s disappearance and the circumstances surrounding the supposed death of her step-mother.

The world building follows Jesse as she struggles to come to terms with what happened and why. From questionable law enforcement, frightened witnesses, a step-mother whose true identity is unknown, and a determined real-estate agent, Jesse suspects there is more to the story than she could have ever imagined.

We are introduced to Jesse’s father Mac Hudson; Jesse’s boyfriend Parker Moreau; Step mother Victoria and step sister Teagan: handyman Noah Allen: real estate agent Reese Skylar: and cafe owner Bea Hartman.

SHE’S GOING TO PAY is a story of secrets and lies, greed and obsession, murder and mayhem, betrayal and vengeance. The premise is dramatic, dark and edgy; the characters are questions, determined, and desperate.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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Every Last One by Carolyn Arnold – a Review

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Every Last One by Carolyn Arnold – a Review

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Description:
Tucking her daughter into her hospital bed, Gail sent up a silent prayer. Her daughter’s heart is failing and without this life-saving operation she will die. But soon her peace is shattered when a nurse races into the “Lock the doors, close the blinds. The hospital’s in lockdown. We have a shooter.”

When four attackers storm Founders Hospital, plunging it into an immediate lockdown, countless lives are at stake. As one of the FBI’s top negotiators, Special Agent Sandra Vos, is called in to bring the situation to a peaceful surrender.

Soon she discovers that the hostage takers have blocked the cell network and hospital phones are down. Every detail of the attack was meticulously planned. But why target a hospital?

Sandra’s strongest lead comes when they discover that one of the armed assailants forced themselves into a board meeting, taking their demands straight to the top. But with the attackers refusing to make contact and a little girl’s life hanging in the balance, Sandra needs to find the motive, fast.

When a shot rings out, it’s clear the hostage takers are prepared to kill to get what they want. But just when Sandra thinks all is lost, she discovers a link between them that reveals a very personal motive.

Sandra will need to use everything in her power to convince the hostage takers that this can end safely for everyone. But can she really meet their demands? And if not, how many lives will be lost?

 

 

 

Review:

Every Last One by Carolyn Arnold is the 2nd book in her Sandra Vos series.  Special agent Sandra Vos is a negotiator with the FBI, and she is sent with her partner, Brice Sutton to a hospital that has gone into a lockdown. A tense hostage situation at a Washington D.C. area hospital, and they realize there is no communication in or out of the hospital.  The hostage takers have blocked the network, and the internet and hospital phones are down as well. The tension ramps up as the hours tick by without resolution, the danger involving some of the antagonists.

Sandra is capable and strong, always calm in stressful situations, and has a fantastic memory. With four gunmen have the building in lockdown, Sandra faces her most harrowing challenge. She must determine to find a way to get communications back and try to talk to the main leader as the antagonists are hostile and angry.  Sandra also is concerned with a young child that will need a heart transplant in the later part of the day, and she fears the child will not be able to get help.

Every Last One was a suspenseful, tense, emotional, gripping, compelling thriller. The story points out so many situations, including anger, frustration, desperation, family, hostages, and danger. I love Sandra Vos, as she was a fantastic FBI agent. Every Last One was very well written by Carolyn Arnold.  Great story, which I suggest you read this series.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy supplied by Publisher

 

 

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The Seven Rings by Nora Roberts – a Review

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The Seven Rings by Nora Roberts – a Review

 

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Description:
Long ago, Arthur Poole built a grand house overlooking the turbulent ocean, in a Maine village that bore his name. Today, Sonya MacTavish lives in that manor that has been cursed for generations. Within its walls, she has witnessed the deaths of seven brides and the thefts of seven wedding rings. And now, to break the curse and banish a malevolent spirit once and for all, a difficult task must be completed.

After Sonya, her boyfriend, Trey, and their friends are forced to hear, see—and feel—the suffering of the house’s many ghosts as their torment is reenacted by the evil presence, their bond only strengthens and their anger is renewed. Refusing to let her spirit be broken, Sonya searches each room for clues to her ancestors’ hidden story, putting the picture together, unearthing small treasures, and uncovering the moments of joy that existed among the sorrows. She’s determined to bring light to this haunted place—to fill it with people, with life and hope, once again.

But the enemy in the black dress continues to hover, to come at her in frightening forms. They may be illusions—but illusions can be powerful enough to wound and kill. She feeds on fear, and lies are her weapon. This dark-hearted witch wants to be mistress of Poole Manor, at any cost. And Sonya will need to fight a battle across two realms to finally take possession of the house on the clifftop—and of her own future…

 

 

 

Review:

The Seven Rings by Nora Roberts is the third and final book in her wonderful Lost Bride Trilogy. Refresher: Sonya MacTavish inherited a magnificent, haunted manor with a heartbreaking history.  Over a period of years, seven brides came to the mansion, and seven brides died at the hands of Hester Dobbs, an evil witch spirit, who sent each of them to their deaths, in a jealous fit of rage: thereby cursing the house and all future brides.

Sonya is a descendant of the Poole family, along with Owen Poole; as she has the gift of sight, enabling her to see through the mirror, learning about the past brides and ghosts.  Sonya and her three companions (Cleo, Trey and Owen) continue to search to find the stolen wedding rings.  Sonya and Cleo look into the furniture/rooms to restore everything to its former glory; Trey and Owen also spend nights at the mansion, with both very much in love (Trey with Sonya, and Cleo with Owen). With new revelations, as well as light, laughter and love; which will bring happiness to the group; but they still need to deal with Hester’s constant evil dangerous rage.

Sonya searches all the various rooms, to find clues to her family’s past, putting pictures/photos, unearthing small treasures, and uncovering the moments of joy that existed among the sorrows. Sonya with help from Cleo, were determined to  fix up this haunted manor, with people, life and hope, once again. I loved Clover, who was great with her songs.  I adored Yoda (dog) playing with Jack; and got a kick out of Molly, always cleaning things up. I did adore all the dogs and the cat. 

The Seven Rings was an emotional ghost story, and the ties bonded them together. It was a story of good and evil, romance, heartwarming, fiction and thrilling. The Seven Rings was so very well written by Nora Roberts.   It was a great read.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

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Innocence Road by Laura Griffin – a Review

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Innocence Road by Laura Griffin – a Review

 

Description:
Detective Leanne Everhart swore she’d never go back to her hometown near Marfa, Texas—but she returns when her brother needs her, only to find a town in need too, still torn apart by a decades-old crime.

Leanne Everhart knows women have something to fear in her artsy hometown, especially so if they’re not rich, white locals. Returning to town after her father’s death, she sees the ugliest sides of an area that draws people for its severe, untamed natural landscape.

While her department faces mounting backlash over a recent wrongful conviction in the long-ago murder case of a popular local teenager—which is now unsolved—Leanne is called to a fresh crime scene at the edge of the desert. A nameless woman was found murdered, with no clues as to her identity. As Leanne digs into the crime scene evidence, she grows convinced this latest murder case is linked with the local teenager’s murder. And to multiple cold cases, all unnamed female victims, that have all been shelved by her department without leads.

Now, with conflicted loyalties and without allies, Leanne must hunt down a serial killer, one who’s been preying on local women for two decades, growing bolder and more ruthless with every strike.

 

 

 

Review:

Innocence Road by Laura Griffin is a compelling story of small-town secrets, mystery, and cold cases.  Leanne Everhart has recently moved back to her hometown and joined the police department, where she is a detective. Leanne is smart, focused, determined and hard working; always seeking justice for victims. When another victim is murdered, Leanne is determined to pursue the clues pointing to a serial killer in her own hometown; especially with a still torn apart by decades-old crime.

Leanne uncovers some information that leads her to investigate possible cold cases during a 15-year period.  Her police chief continues to refuse her trying to prove her resources; with Leanne determined to solve the case on her own. She was made lead investigator on a recent death found in the desert. Leanne digs into the crime scene’s evidence; with multiple cold cases, all unnamed female victims, that have all been shelved by her department. Leanne gets some leads back 15 years ago, and begins to see that someone in their town is a serial killer, that has been going on for years. 

Leanne gets help from Izzy, a forensic photographer.  She also gets help from Duncan from another county. She has known him since their academy days in Houston, and he continues to be her sounding board and confident. 

Innocence Road is an exciting mystery thriller, with so much tense action from start to finish.   I loved Leanne, as she was a fantastic heroine.  Innocence Road was so very well written by Laura Griffin.  She is one of my go to authors, who writes fantastic mysteries. I suggest you read Innocence Road.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

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