A Good Thriller discussion

Here is my 4.84 rounded to 5 stars review of Desperation in Death by J.D. Robb:

My review

This is the fifty-fifth book in the In Death Eve Dallas series and I have read all of them up to this point. J. D. Robb (pseudonym for Nora Roberts) brings murder, suspense, and anguish to a well-written futuristic police procedural set in New York City during the spring of 2061. Overall, this novel was heartwrenching as well as darker and grittier than usual.

Here is my 3.69 rounded to 4 stars review of Rules of Engagement by Stacey Abrams writing as Selena Montgomery.

My Review

This romantic suspense / spy thriller is creative and complex, and it will keep readers guessing. High stakes and an all-too-real situation kept me engaged throughout the story. The final chapter takes place four months later and wraps up the loose ends. However, it felt tacked on rather than a smooth continuation of the story.

Another winner from Catherine Ryan Hyde: So Long, Chester Wheeler
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Mad, Bad and Dead by Sherryl Clark ⭐⭐⭐⭐.2 https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Here is my 4.02 rounded to 4 stars review of A Death in Door County by Annelise Ryan.

My Review

Unique characters and an intriguing mystery made this a fun cozy mystery.

I read Last Seen Alive by Carolyn Arnold I found it to be an engaging police procedural and recommend it. Both my wife and I enjoy this series. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

What She Found by Robert Dugoni ⭐⭐⭐⭐.1
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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Here is my 4.16 rounded to 4 stars review of The Winter Orphans by Kristin Beck.

My Review
This historical fiction novel is largely set in southern France between August 1942 and November 1943. Overall, this was an engaging and emotional story of hope, fear, and bravery in the face in adversity.

Matilda Darke is back! #10 Silent Victim
Silent Victim
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Here is my 4.21 rounded to 4 stars review of The Shadow Murders by Jussi Adler-Olsen.

My Review

This police procedural is set in Copenhagen, Denmark and features the cold case division Department Q. Great characterization and a deeply involved plot kept me engaged throughout.

Here is my 4.16 rounded to 4 stars review of Winter's End by Paige Shelton.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

This is the fourth book in the Alaska Wild series. It combines traditional police detective work and amateur sleuthing in a mystery with atmosphere and heart. Overall, this enjoyable mystery was engaging, suspenseful, intriguing, and compulsively readable.

My 3 Star review for Cold Justice -
Cold Justice



https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Please read at my review blog here -
https://sanjibsblogreads.blogspot.com...

My 3.21 rounded to 3 stars review of The Witch and the Tsar by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore:

My Review

The author weaves a story of light versus darkness that highlights Russian history, mythology, and folktales. The country seemed to come to life in this descriptive tale that has excellent world-building. However, the pacing was slow at times. The narrative is rather straightforward and the plot didn’t have the twists and turns that I expected. However, the historical references to actual people and events added a significant layer of interest to the plot.

Here is my 3.86 rounded to 4 stars review of Mother Daughter Traitor Spy by Susan Elia MacNeal.

My Review

This standalone historical fiction spy novel is inspired by real people and events. Based on a real mother-daughter spy duo, Veronica and Violet are well-developed characters. They seem to be somewhat naïve, but definitely feel a duty to protect democracy and do what is right for the country. Overall, this story is inspiring, well-written, and well-researched and it is a story that will stay with me.

Robert Dugoni has what could be a new series - fingers crossed! Her Deadly Game is a legal thriller with head-scratching, mystifying SODDI defense possibilities...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Here is my 3.55 star rounded to 4 stars review of Because I Could Not Stop for Death by Amanda Flower,

My Review

This is somewhat darker than most of Amanda Flower's cozy mysteries. This one is a historical mystery that brings great characterization and world-building. Mixing real-life individuals like a young Emily Dickinson and her family with fictional characters such as Willa and Henry made this an engaging historical mystery.

Just finished The Lucky One by Jessica PayneJessica Payne
Here's my 5 star review@
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Here is my 3.52 star rounded to 4 stars review of Hell's March by Taylor Anderson:

My Review

This is the second book in the Artillerymen series. It's a mash-up of an alternative earth science fiction historical military thriller. (1847, monstrous animals, Yucatan Peninsula, human sacrifices, war) The author brings amazing world-building and characterization to this action-packed novel.

I read The Lipstick Bureau by Michelle Gable It is a pleasant historical fiction book set in WWII Rome. The OSS has an office of Morale Operations, tasked with distributing black propaganda in occupied Europe. This book is loosely based on a real person who worked in that office. My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Still available.

Here is my 3.95 rounded to 4 stars review of Last Seen Alive by Carolyn Arnold.

My Review

This is the sixth book in the Detective Amanda Steele police procedural series. The prologue and first chapter are dramatic and immediately pulled me into the story.

Here is my 3.12 rounded to 3 stars review of House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson:

My Review

I’ve seen this book classified as historical fantasy and gothic horror. Both are fitting for this tale of wickedness, deceit, lies, and passion. The premise is great, and while there was a sense of potential danger, it didn’t quite create the suspense and sense of urgency that I expected during most of the book.

Here is my 4.09 rounded to 4 stars review of Christmas Wolf Surprise by Terry Spear:

My Review
This is the third book in the Red Wolf paranormal romance series. It's set near Portland, Oregon at Christmas time. It's enjoyable, easy to read, has a quick pace and lots of steam, but it lacks the suspense that some of her other series have.

My 3.93 rounded to 4 stars review of Blackmail and Bibingka by Mia P. Manansala.

My Full Review

Overall, this engaging cozy mystery has great characterization as well as some intense moments that kept me turning the pages. It has a solid plot and is descriptive without slowing down the pace. My one quibble was that the final chapter was somewhat rushed and was more telling than showing.

Here is my 4.52 rounded to 5 stars review of Murder at Haven's Rock by Kelley Armstrong.

My Full Review

Overall, this is well-written and entertaining with a solid mystery and complex characters set in an off-the-grid sanctuary town that is under construction. An intriguing start quickly accelerates as the plot develops and Casey’s investigation takes off.

Tales From Another Dimension An emerging Sci-Fi fan favorite: that’s how I would describe Tales From Another Dimension by Robbie Sheerin. This is an interesting collection of Sci-Fi short stories by Robbie Sheerin. The impression that I got as I read through the stories was that it could so easily be adapted into a television series for Sci-Fi stories just as The Twilight Zone was series for spooky, light-horror stories. As I read, I kept drifting to the line of thought of how I could envision developing each short story into an hour-long television episode. Weather it be an android who believes that he is human being hunted as a rogue. or an intergalactic diplomat realizing that he has just become a zoo specimen, Tales From Another Dimension delivers. I read Tales From Another Dimension over several evenings, but I could see it as a pool-side read: read a story, take a dip in the pool, read a story, take a dip in the pool, repeat. Maybe even a glass of wine or two. I can whole-heartedly recommend Tales From Another Dimension for those who enjoy Sci-Fi and/or short stories. Jeff Bailey, author of the conspiracy thriller Not On My Watch.

Just finished Picture you Dead by Peter JamesPeter James

Here's my 5 star review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Halo around the Moon


Just finished this book
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Please check my review here -
https://sanjibsblogreads.blogspot.com...

Dark thriller but very well done

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Baltic Sanction

Based on my GR friend Judy's review, I decided to read NetGalley's Book Advocate Toolkit by We Are Bookish
It is short, only about 10 minutes. My 3.5 stars rounded down review https://www.goodreads.co m/review/show/5053896453

I read The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff It is literary fiction set in a small village in India.

It is both funny and sad as it depicts women confronting domestic abuse and more. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Adventures of Kushman and Savage: Saving the Senate One Puff at a Time
I liked this The Adventures of Kushman and Savage. It was an excellent conspiracy thriller right up my alley, well-conceived and right out of contemporary news casts. Now, the heroes were a bit unconventional. They were not trained CIA operatives. They were not efficient ex-navy seals. They were a couple of, well, hippies, chasing the perfect comedy-club gig through a cloud of happy-smoke. Were they successful? You betcha. And you’ll never guess who gets shot. No, not big pharma. The presentation and theme of story were so different from just about any other conspiracy thriller that I found it unique and refreshing. The history and description of the struggle to legalize marijuana was expertly blended into the main story and supported the characters really well. I have just one comment for Christopher Henry Thomas: Cowabunga, Dude, five stars. Jeff Bailey, author of the conspiracy thriller Not On MY Watch.

Fiction/Historical fiction Indigo Field
Comes out next year. 4 stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I finished Vanishing Hour by Laura Griffin.

Overall, this engaging and entertaining romantic suspense has wonderful characterization, a little spice, and some great action.

My 4.21 rounded to 4 stars full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Here is my 3.33 rounded to 3 stars review of Sign Here by Claudia Lux.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Overall, this unique, thought-provoking, and entertaining novel has great characterization, and a tense and suspenseful part three. This book has a clever premise and a solid mystery with some twists that will keep readers guessing and others that were somewhat predictable. The world-building is done well, but this is a slow-paced novel that took a while to draw me into the story line.

Here is my 3.7 rounded to 4 stars review of Before You Knew My Name by Jacqueline Bublitz:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

This book has a solid premise and a mystery, but it’s much more than that. There’s a focus on the victim and the one who found her more than the murder itself. It’s about the ability for all to walk safely on streets. Overall, this story is gripping, thought-provoking, and emotional, with wonderful characterization and many scenes of heartache and hope.

I finished On Spine of Death by Tamara Berry.

My 4.31 rounded to 4 star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Overall, this engaging and funny cozy mystery immediately pulled me into the storyline and the lives of the characters. The writing is terrific. What an opening scene!

I finished On Spine of Death by Tamara Berry.

My 4.31 rounded to 4 star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Overall, this engaging and funny cozy mystery immediately pulled me into the storyline and the lives of the characters. The writing is terrific. What an opening scene!

Her Frozen Heart
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Cimmerian, Vol 4

4 star read. Dark tales based on the original stories of Conan.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

https://www.netgalley.com/book/270389...

For when you just need silly fun, Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun . My 3.5 star review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Who's Watching Who Who’s Watching Who is such an enigmatic but revealing title. Who’s Watching Who Watch Who Else might be as provocative title. Who’s Watching Who could easily be a simple domestic break-up story, but Kennedy wove a cruelly intricate thriller deep into the story. And the ending twist was one that even I didn’t expect. Alfred Hitchcock would have loved this twisty, shifty plot. I know I did. As you read Who’s Watching Who keep a lot of mental notes. They will pay off with a lot of Ah-Ha moments. I champion any character that breaks out of her ‘beat-down’ shell to take control of his or her life. Clare breaks out so well. Kennedy is so good. Jeff Bailey, author of Not On My Watch.

When We Were Friends by Nancy Yeager ⭐⭐⭐.6 https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

In this fun cosy mystery On Spine of Death by Tamara Berry, #2 in a series a mystery writer renovating a shop to open as a bookstore discovers human bones hidden in the walls.

review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

This true crime written by Gregg Olsen in 1993 American Mother: The True Story of a Troubled Family, Motherhood, and the Cyanide Murders That Shook the World about a shocking murder was disappointing. I'm sure he'd write a much better version of it today!

review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Here is my 3.44 rounded to 3 stars review of Raven Unveiled by Grace Draven:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Overall, this fantasy is gripping, heart-breaking, and thought-provoking. The high stakes and smooth writing made it a page turner. However, the pace slowed at times, and I wanted a more extensive world-building.

Here is my 3.98 rounded to 4 stars review of Death at the Auction by E.C. Bateman:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

This cozy mystery has great characterization and transported me to Stamford, England. It's the first book in a new series.

Here is my 3.18 rounded to 3 stars review of The Wilderwomen by Ruth Emmie Lang:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Magical realism, great dialogue, a mother’s disappearance, an unforgettable journey, and sisters reconnecting, combined to make this novel unique and enjoyable. However, it is written in a meandering fashion that tends to subdue the suspense and mystery. Additionally, there are chapters that go back in time that tend to disrupt the flow.

I went on a Caribbean cruise with very poor wifi. I read 3 kindle books: The first 2 are NetGalley eARCs
Historical fiction set during the Sri Lankan civil war, Brotherless Night by V.V. Ganeshananthan I enjoyed it and recommend it. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
UK spy thriller The Whispering Dead I rate it 4 stars. My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Book 17 in the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency cozy mystery series. Precious and Grace by Alexander McCall Smith It is a pleasant, easy read without violence. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... Both my wife and I enjoy this series. This was a library ebook, through the Libby app.

Retribution by Sarah Barrie ⭐⭐⭐⭐.6 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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