Tag: Thriller

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Review: The Devil You Know (Detective Margaret Nolan #3) by P. J. Tracy

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Devil You Know (Detective Margaret Nolan #3) by P. J. Tracy

A couple of years ago, I picked up one of P. J. Nolan’s books that was part of the Monkeewrench series which I thought was pretty good. I liked Nolan’s writing style and thought the series was fast paced with a to to enjoy. I hadn’t read any of the other books in the series before and I felt mostly orientated in the series and that it could have been read as a standalone novel without issue. P. J. Nolan is a pseudonym for a mother-daughter writing duo and while sometimes it can be hard with two writers, writing one book, I think in this case it was seamless.

Nolan has been an established author with a large fan base, especially surrounding the Monkeewrench series which is ten books in. I love that they have branched out into a new series featuring Margaret Nolan. While this book is part of a series, I think that Nolan does a great job orientating readers within the story and from the early reviews, most feel that this can also be read as a standalone.

For me the thing that grabbed me about this one was the mix of grit (murder) and glamour (Los Angeles). For me I get a very noir feeling from this book summary. LA has long been associated with glitz and glamour, and this book features the murder of a celebrity. When that world of glitz and glamour comes together to meet with a disturbing homicide, I think it gives the reader a sense of unease which is ripe for a thriller. I love when I am caught off guard and hooked on a story that has this contrasting image of glamour and murder. I think a lot of readers and fans of thrillers/mysteries will find a lot to enjoy in this one, especially under the pen of two talented and proven authors!

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Review: The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes

When I was first pitched this book, one thing stood out that made me not pass on it—-Guatemala. My husband is Guatemalan and there really aren’t books out there that feature his culture. Trust me I am always on the look out too! So when I saw that this book would have a Central American theme in it, I was totally on board to not only feature it but also review it!

I have been really loving thrillers and mysteries lately, and I have a special place in my heart for psychological thrillers with unreliable narrators. I featured this one back in early January and couldn’t wait to start reading it. In fact I rearranged some of my review calendar for this book so that should tell you how excited I was for this one. I wasn’t sure how much the Guatemalan angle would play in the story but just seeing it in the summary was enough to make me jump for this one!

This book was also selected as Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club pick for January so clearly it must be worth reading! Reese’s Book Club usually has some great reads. I know I have found quite a few thrillers thanks to her book club that I wouldn’t normally pick up to read. Since this book made her book club, a lot of readers have been hailing it as the thriller to set the tone for the new year. Obviously a lot of hype around this book though for me it was less about the hype and more about what the book promised to deliver—-and did it?

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Review: Edge of Surrender (Alpha Crew #2) by Laura Griffin

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With book one of this novella series ended, it really left off at a cliff hanger. So naturally I had to know what happened next and here we are. This whole series appears to be mostly novellas though I think the other two books (books 3 and 4) are separate standalone novellas, books 1 and 2 are connected. Honestly I don’t know if I would have kept reading the series if it hadn’t ended on a cliff hanger. While I adore Laura Griffin and basically anything she writes, I don’t love novellas.

Novellas are really a challenge for me. They seem to work better as filler stories between larger books or between established characters. For example if there had been a novella about Elizabeth LeBlanc FBI agent and Derek in the Tracer books. But having novellas with new characters without established back stories is pretty hard in my opinion.

But Griffin is so talented at writing intense thrillers full of interesting facts, angles, and plots that I couldn’t pass up just one more book by this author! But that said I am not sure I will continue with books 3 and 4 of this series. I enjoyed my time with Emma and Ryan but novellas just feel too underdeveloped for me. That said this was a good read and it had a solid conclusion that left me feeling satisfied but also wanting more if that makes sense. Allow me to elaborate!

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Review: At the Edge (Alpha Crew #1) by Laura Griffin

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: At the Edge (Alpha Crew #1) by Laura Griffin

Ok I couldn’t stay away. I tried to start another book but there was something about the thick prose of another author that made me long for more quick thrilling reads by Laura Griffin! So I decided to pick this one up. I really wanted something more with a military/terrorist plot similar to some of the books in Griffin’s other series. All of Griffin’s books are so incredibly diverse in content. Some feature a serial killer, others organized crime, while some have a military/terrorist angle. So it’s kind of a mixed bag which makes things really exciting and keeps the series feeling fresh.

Considering the last book I read by her had more of an organized crime angle, I found myself longing for something with the military/terrorist plot so I decided to grab this book before the few remaining others that I have to read. I wasn’t aware that this was more of a novella than a full length novel. To be fair though, there are two parts to this particular story so two novellas. Each book clocks in at around 150 pages (I am currently reading the second installment to this story) but I am unsure if the other two books (this series has 4 total books) in the series are part of these first two or if they read by themselves.

I don’t usually read novellas because I always walk away feeling like there could have been so much more explored or developed. About the only time I read novella is when they are in between two larger proper books. But that said, I was open to the fact that Griffin is clearly a beloved author of mine and even though the Alpha Crew series is different than what I would normally read, I was open to it because I know she is an outstanding writer!

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Review: Whisper of Warning (The Glass Sisters #2) by Laura Griffin

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Whisper of Warning (The Glass Sisters #2) by Laura Griffin

I think I have officially wrapped up one of my last Laura Griffin books. I might read the Alpha Crew novella series and I know there are a couple other smaller series that she wrote which I might also pick up. But as far as the principal books she has written, I think this was the last one. Some of her books have been better than others but I can fully stand behind Griffin being a five star author and all of her series being five star as well.

For some readers, they might find some of the characters off putting, or maybe the chemistry between the characters was a little wanting but overall you cannot deny her superior knowledge of forensics, police procedure, law, and of course military and terrorism. She is an absolutely fantastic writer and researcher and I have never found one of her books wanting in the research or pace categories. They are always interesting and read super quick.

I literally picked up a different book to read (different author) the other day when I was done with this book and I felt lost. The style of the other author was thick and cumbersome and I longed for another Griffin book that was quick, to the point and fast moving. I mean I have been reading Griffin’s books since basically October with a couple of other authors sprinkled in so it was a little jarring to read something more dense. That’s one of the reasons I love Griffin’s books, she is to the point and you get right into the story and they move FAST

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