A Good Thriller discussion

Finished You Are Fatally Invited

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

Here is my 4.48 rounded to 4 stars review of Eternal Magic by Alexandra Ivy:

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

Paranormal Romantic Suspense / Urban Fantasy
Magic for Hire series Bk 3
Features Maya Rosen and Revyr
Fast-paced, intriguing, and entertaining
Great Characterization
Plenty of action and danger, a mystery, lots of tension

Robert Dugoni"s Tracy Crosswhite Number ELEVEN!!!
A Dead Draw

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

I read Hang on St. Christopher by Adrian McKinty It is book 8 in the Sean Duffy series. It is set in 1992 Northern Ireland. The series is quite popular in Ireland. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Here is my 4.23 rounded to 4 stars review of Not Who We Expected by Lisa Black:

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

Crime Thriller
4th book in the Locard Institute Thriller series
Overall, this was a fascinating and captivating novel with great characterization and worldbuilding! There is the right amount of mystery, tension, and apprehensiveness to keep readers engrossed and wondering what will happen next.

Here are reviews of 2 recent books that I have finished:

I Died for Beauty by Amanda Flower - 4.16 rounded to 4 stars

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

Historical Mystery
3rd book in the Emily Dickinson mystery series (final book)
Great characterization and world-building combined with mysteries
Mixes real-life people with fictional characters
This novel brings to life the conflicting sentiments that existed in America at the time.
Set in Amherst, MA in January 1857

And

Blood on the Vine by J.T. Falco
4.32 rounded to 4 stars

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

Crime Thriller / FBI investigation
Set in Napa Valley, CA
Fast-paced, intriguing, and suspenseful with great characterization an plenty of action and danger
I hope this becomes a series.

Here is my 4.1 rounded to 4 stars review of Ward D by Freida McFadden:

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

Psychological Thriller
Compelling and Suspenseful
Flashbacks to eight years ago
Good characterization and great atmosphere

Here is my 4.05 rounded to 4 stars review of Kills Well with Others by Deanna Raybourn:

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

Mystery / Thriller
Mature Women Assassins (60+)
Overall, this is an engaging, fascinating, fast-paced, and well-plotted mystery that is entertaining and unique.
Contains explicit depictions of violence and murder

I read A Lesson In Dying by Ann Cleeves It is a police procedural set in northern England. I recommend it to fans of the author. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

⭐⭐⭐.8 for #11 in the Irish Village Mystery series - Murder in an Irish Garden by Carlene O'Connor https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

⭐⭐⭐.8 for the first in a new series - The Widows’ Guide to Murder by Amanda Ashby. An easy fun read and I have #2 lined up, ready to go. 💖📚

Here is my 4.34 rounded to 4 stars review of The Vanishing Kind by Alice Henderson:

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

Crime Thriller
Fourth book in the Dr. Alex Carter series
Combines Mystery, Nature, the Environment, Action Adventure, Survival, and Endangered Species
Entertaining, compelling
I learned a lot about jaguars

I read Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping on a Dead Man by Jesse Q. Sutanto
It is a hilarious book and #2 in the series, but works as a stand alone.
My 5 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I enjoyed Lee Child's move to an international spy thriller in his recent short story, Eleven Numbers. Clever and entertaining with a problem even Reacher couldn't have solved.
My review of Eleven Numbers

A reminder to check out this free publication with lengthy preview samples, Buzz Books 2025 Spring/Summer. They even have links to request review copies from NetGalley. I mentioned a few books that interest me and have a link to the download page.
My review of Buzz Books 2025 Spring/Summer

Here is my 4.3 rounded to 4 stars review of Ambush by Colleen Coble:

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

Romantic Suspense
1st book in the Sanctuary series
Suspenseful with Mysteries and Intrigue
Family dynamics, Romance
Entertaining

Finished The Quiet Librarian

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

I read Kills Well with Others by Deanna Raybourn and enjoyed it as much as the first one! 4 Stars My Review.

The Bluff by Joanna Jenkins is the follow up to her debut novel How to Kill a Client. Big city lawyer Ruth Dawson is now working as a locum lawyer for a friend in a small rural town when a teenage girl disappears at the same time as a popular man is murdered.

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

The BEST Aussie rural romance I have EVER read A Snowy River Summer by Stella Quinn ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Body Count

Published January 19, 2025
⭐⭐⭐.5 stars FOR ME
NetGalley
fast-paced, action-packed thriller

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

The Homemade God

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

Hollow Ground

3.5 stars for me.
#netgalley
well-crafted crime thriller

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

I read Hidden in Smoke by Lee Goldberg It is a police procedural set in Los Angeles County, California. It is book 3 in the series and you should read them in order, as this one contains a spoiler for book 2. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Other Family: a nail-biting psychological thriller

3.5 stars for me.
#netgalley
gripping psychological thriller

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

Here is my 3.7 rounded to 4 stars review of Silent as the Grave by Rhys Bowen & Clare Broyles:

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

Historical Mystery
21st book in the Molly Murphy (Sullivan) series
set in NYC in 1909
Good characterization
Info on the early days of the silent movie industry
Mix of fictional and fictional takes on real characters such as Thomas Edison and Mary Pickford

⭐⭐⭐⭐.3 for A Certain Kind of Starlight by Heather Webber combines a little southern magic with warm-hearted common sense. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Here is my 4.05 rounded to 4 stars review of The Library Game: A Secret Staircase Novel by Gigi Pandian:

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

Cozy Mystery
Locked Room Mystery
Disappearing Bodies
Illusionists
Libraries
Entertaining, Interesting Characters, Some Suspense, A bit of romance, a lot of misdirection, a good mystery

I finished Bad Blood by Sarah Hornsley


A nice enough read: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Irish author Jess Kidd's new novel, Murder at Gulls Nest, is the first of what I bet will be a popular new cosy mystery series. Former nun Nora Breen is exasperatingly 'helpful' to a local detective. 😊
My review of Murder at Gulls Nest

After finishing The Summer Guests #2 in the Martini Club series by Tess Gerritsen, I can't wait for #3! ⭐⭐⭐⭐.3 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Here is my 4.48 rounded to 4 stars review of Witness 8 by Steve Cavanagh:

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

Legal Thriller / Psychological Thriller
8th book in the Eddie Flynn series
Multiple Points of view
Fast-paced
Set in Manhattan
Unconventional legal team
Distinctive characters
Multi-layered plot

Here is my 3.37 rounded to 3 stars review of All the Other Mothers Hate Me by Sarah Harman:

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

Solid debut
Full of mystery, suspense, domestic drama, and single mother challenges
Great premise
Florence isn't your usual protagonist and isn't always likeable.
Poor choices
Somewhat tumultuous at times

The Cosmos Keys: An Archaeological Thriller of Lost Civilizations, Ancient Machines, and a Deadly Secret

4 stars Read as an ARC. NetGalley.

Intriguing mix of history, archaeology, and high-stakes adventure, somewhat of a cross between an Indiana Jones adventure and the Da Vinci Code.

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

I read Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy and was once again blown away by this author's lyrical prose that hypnotizes you in the best possible way. Highly advise each of her previous books also - all are a love letter to nature with dire warnings about climate control all wrapped up in a tale of mysterious suspense. 5 Stars! My Review

I read This American Woman: A One-In-A-Billion Memoir by Zarna Garg
It is an autobiography that is at times both sad and funny. My 4.5 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Here is my 4.47 rounded to 4 stars review of The Ride: Paul Revere and the Night That Saved America by Kostya Kennedy:

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

Part Biography / Part Colonial History
Paul Revere's ride the night of April 18-19, 1775
Thought-provoking and Engaging
Well-researched

Bruce Borges's Porter Beck #3, The Blue Horse


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

A read that has left me absolutely in awe! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ for The Mademoiselle Alliance: A Novel by Natasha Lester https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Here is my 4 star review of The Unlucky Ones by Hannah Morrissey:

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

Crime Novel
Police Procedural
Dark, gritty, suspenseful, and disturbing at times.
Good characterization
Dual points of view

Here is my 4.09 rounded to 4 stars review of The Summer Guests by Tess Gerritsen:

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

Mystery / Crime Novel
Former spies, acting police chief
2nd book in The Martini Club crime series
Great atmosphere and characterization
Told from several points of view
Historical aspect comes into play later in the book and adds another level of complexity and interest
Entertaining and suspenseful

The Enemy Within

4 stars
NetGalley review copy
high-stakes thriller

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

I read The Mystery of the Crooked Man by Tom Spencer It is a cozy mystery set in London, England. My 3.5 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Here is my 4.25 rounded to 4 stars review of Gothictown by Emily Carpenter:

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

Southern gothic horror / mystery
Chilling prologue
Flawed, disturbing, and eccentric characters, alarming events, a somewhat isolated location, and a bit of the paranormal
There’s a focus on both its history and the current situation of the town.
Dark, disturbing, compelling, and thought-provoking

I read Tough Luck by Sandra Dallas It is a western/ historical fiction, set in 1863 US during the US Civil War. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I was spellbound by The Evening Shades by Lee Martin ⭐⭐⭐⭐.4 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

4* for also available on NetGalley

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

Here is my 4.02 rounded to 4 stars review of Written in Stone: A Scottish Bookshop Mystery by Paige Shelton:

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

Cozy Mystery
Book 10 in the Scottish Bookshop series
Set in Edinburgh, Scotland
Engaging, Fast read
Historical tie-in with the Picts

A quick, easy and entertaining read - American Housewife by AA🦘Anita Abriel ⭐⭐⭐.7 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Here is my 4.41 rounded to 4 stars review of Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping On a Dead Man by Jesse Q. Sutanto:

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

Cozy mystery
2nd book in the Very Wong series
Entertaining, engaging, heartwarming, and funny, but with a dark and serious undertone
Found family