Review: Something In The Water by Catherine Steadman

When this book came across my desk for review, the first thing that caught my eye was that the author was also an actress, most notably an actress in Downton Abbey.

I’m always intrigued by people with dual talents. Being an actress is difficult enough but then you add author in the mix and it seems almost impossible so when I see things like this that aren’t memoirs or autobiographies etc, I am always curious to see how the author’s talents translate from big screen to pages.

SOMETHING IN THE WATER stood out besides the fact that Steadman is an actress though…..it’s set in Bora Bora. I was instantly intrigued. It’s an island paradise. A place most certainly on my bucket list and for many people, a trip of a lifetime. Having a thriller set in paradise sounds delectable and like something I would want to read!  Continue reading “Review: Something In The Water by Catherine Steadman”

Review: The Fleur de Sel Murders: A Brittany Mystery (Kommissar Dupin #3) by Jean-Luc Bannalec

I am always open to reading quirky books. Don’t get me wrong, I love traditional story telling with traditional themes and relatable stories but I also tend to gravitate toward strange or unusual books that are off the beaten path.

Sometimes that works out and other times it doesn’t. It’s 50/50 for me….either weird works or it doesn’t. This mystery series sounded quirky. I debated about reviewing it but ultimately decided on picking it up.

How does one make the ‘sea salt industry’ look glamorous and intriguing to the average reader? Even with a mystery? I was up for the challenge and dug right in.

The old salt farmers have always said that the violet scent of the Fleur de Sel at harvest time on the salt marshes of the Guérande Peninsula has been known to cause hallucinations. Commissaire Dupin also starts to believe this when he’s attacked out of the blue in the salt works. Continue reading “Review: The Fleur de Sel Murders: A Brittany Mystery (Kommissar Dupin #3) by Jean-Luc Bannalec”

Review: Black Amber by Phyllis A. Whitney

Phyllis Whitney is an author who has been on my radar since I was old enough to read and appreciate romantic suspense books…..so basically since like thirteen or fourteen. So for over 20 years I’ve been trying to motivate myself enough to read one of her books.

I mean she’s written tons and tons and tons of books so she must be doing something right. So why haven’t I picked up her books? I honestly have worried that they would be ‘dated’. I mean, Victoria Holt (my all time favorite romantic suspense writer), wrote books that were very clearly meant to be historical fiction. They were always set in the past even though she was a more modern writer.

Writers like Whitney and Mary Stewart tend to hope around between historical fiction and what would have been more ‘modern’ fiction by their standards and writing period. I just wasn’t sure that her books would live up to my expectations. Continue reading “Review: Black Amber by Phyllis A. Whitney”

Review: The Girl I Used to Be by Mary Torjussen

I was introduced to Mary Torjussen last year when I read GONE WITHOUT A TRACE. While there were a few things that didn’t work for me in that book, I was impressed enough by her writing that when THE GIRL I USED TO BE came up, I was willing to review her latest thriller.

She doesn’t write series books and for that I am thankful. Don’t get me wrong I love series however sometimes it’s nice to have a full story and resolution in just one book. As a reader it helps me get closure and I personally hate when authors or publishers milk a series just for the sake of churning out another book. In a world of series, I like the odd stand alone book from time to time.

THE GIRL I USED TO BE is similar in style to GONE WITHOUT A TRACE….psychological thriller mixed with a little domestic suspense. I really was intrigued once again by the summary and couldn’t say no to something that sounds like every faithful wife’s worst nightmare!  Continue reading “Review: The Girl I Used to Be by Mary Torjussen”

Review: The New Neighbors by Simon Lelic

I am a total true crime junkie. Whenever I am home sick or just wanting to waste a day watching mindless TV, my go to station is ID Discovery. I absolutely love watching true crime. My favorites though are always the ones about seemingly normal families and people.

I think I watched Nightmare Next Door like every day that I was pregnant and home on bed rest…..by the end of three months I was certain that my neighbors were all serial killers. So it’s safe to say that I love the whole suburban killer next door idea so when this book made it’s way into my mailbox, I was totally intrigued!

The Girl Before meets The Couple Next Door in a Hitchcockian thriller about a couple who moves into their dream neighborhood only to discover nothing is as it seems…

The perfect couple. The perfect house. The perfect crime. Continue reading “Review: The New Neighbors by Simon Lelic”